Cole couldn't say what he was feeling. Right now, it was a twister of conflicting emotions that eventually solidified into one name. "John White?!"

The man smiled with what was a somewhat painful expression. "Last I checked."

"That's impossible", Cole bit out. "You're dead." Because, technically, he should be. He had seen him getting reduced to ashes when the Ray Sphere exploded in Empire, had barely escaped with his own life intact.

The other man grimaced briefly. "I was, for a while", he admitted, keeping his eyes on the Electric Conduit who drew closer with his jaw hanging open as he tried to get his brain working somehow. "I can still feel it sometimes, getting torn apart atom by atom. Somehow, I remained however, and eventually managed to pull myself back together. Do you know how tedious this is?"

Cole was slowly circling the man in a stunned fascination now. "Sounds tricky." He stopped briefly with a grunt. "Are you aware you're looking like Satan?"

John blinked, actually taken back for a moment. "Satan?"

"Yeah, man. With those eyes, and the suit, and the whole appearing-out-of-fire-deal-" When Cole had seen the NSA agent last, he was wearing a hoodie and slacks. Now he was donning a red two-piece suit that he wore open to show his chest and the numerous scars across his body and face. His eyes were red, had slitted pupils.

He had changed his appearance, much like Kuo had done.

Cole cocked his head at that idea, words forming on the tip of his tongue as his thoughts started pulling into the same direction. "Let me guess- You survived because you're a Conduit, no? Kuo said you had the Gene." It seemed pretty much everybody he ever had contact with turned out to be a Conduit these days. Were likely his hidden powers, if he thought about it.

"Lucy is here?", the man's eyebrows shot up in what was relief. "That's good to hear."

"Yeah, she's here. She's probably thrilled to have you back." Cole shook his head. "Man, if I get over the surprise, I'll be thrilled too. Bet Alex is thinking something similar. Isn't that right, Alex?"

The only answer he got was a growl, and he turned, suspicious. "You alright, man?"
Mercer wasn't. He had backed up as far as he could on the back deck, his body was ducked and partially armored, his claws were out and his teeth bared. His skin was pale, and he sucked in air through his clenched teeth. More than ever he resembled a cornered animal, ready to bite if it saved his life.

It terrified Cole, and without thinking, he stepped between the two men, his back to John. "Alex? You okay?"

With him cutting off the line of sight, the Runner turned his attention to him, albeit reluctantly- and his eyes kept darting over Cole's shoulder to keep John under observation.

"Dude, don't you remember John White? The guy that helped us secure the Ray Sphere?"

"I remember John White", Alex bit out. "I remember him enough to know that this John White is so far off that it makes me want to lash out and rend him limb from limb."

This...didn't really fit with his behavior- he was scared, not angry. Or both? And what was he scared of? Of John? Cole blinked and cocked his head. "You know why?"

"No fucking idea", the Runner growled.

"Okay, then what does it feel like?"

Alex snorted, eyes narrowing. "My instincts tell me to get the Hell out of dodge, or kill him, while my head tells me that he's our ally and as such deserves my trust." He scoffed. "And I don't know what to do about this."

"If I may?" John cleared his throat, and Alex jumped. Cole grimaced, turning to glance at the other man. The newly-claimed Conduit spread his hands, palms up. "I know animals flee at my approach, and obviously you aren't as deaf to your instincts as humans usually are- which makes you endlessly more perceptive." He smiled in a disarming way. "And I'm sorry I startled you."

Alex didn't seem persuaded, but at least he stopped with the growling and the armor and claws. Cole figured with the situation disarmed, it counted as win. He turned his attention fully to John. "It's really great to see you again, man. And it's good to see you around here, because we might need your help."

"I...am aware", John admitted. There was a tense line in his jaw, that quickly vanished when he smiled again. "I've been looking for you, you know? Tried to catch you without your trigger-happy-looking military friends."

"Really?" Cole blinked. "And why were you looking for me?"

The smile turned into a brief grimace, before the man's lips were pressed into a thin line. "I have something to show you. If you would?" He lifted his hand, and Cole flinched back before he caught himself. He saw the strange look in John's eyes, like a mixture between regret and defeat. "I won't hurt you, MacGrath. You know this."

Cole grimaced. "Yeah, I know. It's just-" he exhaled and shook himself, though couldn't help but think that this was what Alex must be feeling. Just a hint of displeasure, a whisper of danger. He didn't know what to make of it and just relaxed his shoulders to allow John to continue. He trusted him, didn't he?

John's outstretched fingers tapped his forehead slightly- there was a spark of flames and a flash of white across Cole's eyes- and he flinched back with a startled grunt, shaking his head to clear his vision of the stars dancing across it.

And John was gone.

Cole spun on his heel, hoping to catch a glance of the other man, but only found Alex, who was halfway to jump in front of him or attack or yank him back or...anything, really. "Alex? Please tell me you haven't eaten John."

"He just vanished", the Runner replied with a snort. "Took me by surprise-" He cocked his head as his bristling surface eased back into a normal looking jacket. "Did he do anything to you?"

"No", Cole shook his head. "Because he wouldn't hurt me, you know?" John had been his only ally besides Alex and Dana after Zeke ran away with Kessler. He could trust the agent, and the man had been ready to accept bodily harm- and death- in order for him to finish his mission.

But something felt different. It was...like he could sense all sources of electricity across the Gas Works- but that couldn't be, because his range had never been more than two or three blocks-

"Cole? Don't be alarmed, but I just upgraded your radar. You have a larger range now, along with...other applications that still fall in your normal range of abilities."

The Conduit whirled in his spot, because that had been John talking to him- but John was not there!"What the..."

"I'm not really present, but I can hear you, and you can hear me."

"Uh, don't think I got that in the middle part." He was still looking for the man, knowing perfectly well he wouldn't find him.

"I can speak to you, because I changed your radar so you can pick up my voice. Nothing too dramatic."

"Freaky", Cole shook his head. "Okay, so you upgraded my radar. And?"

"You also gained the ability to see the Plague. Find me at the largest concentration of victims. I need to show you something."

Cole blinked rapidly as John's voice faded, and he took a moment to look around and make sure he was really gone and not just hiding somewhere. Alex however was nearby, and his posture was stiff. "He altered your senses?" He just demanded to know.

"Uh...he did?" There was a flash of...worry (?) on Alex's face, so Cole hurried to lift his hands. "Hey, man, don't worry. All he did was upgrading my radar."

"Are you certain?" The Runner clenched his fists hard. "We don't know what his powers are. He came back from being torn to atoms- what else can he do? What else could he have done without you realizing it?"

"You don't trust him?" Cole cocked his head. "After all he's done for us? He died for the sake of the mission, Alex!"

The Runner snorted. "I don't trust a lot of people, not even myself. You, Cross and Heller are an exception. But White", Alex shook his head. "There is something off about him. I can't place my finger on it, but it makes my back crawl." He furrowed his brows, "It feels like Kessler is at the back of my head, shouting at me."

Cole blinked. "Shouldn't that be...you know, normal?"

The Runner scoffed. "It doesn't work that way. The people I consume- I am them, they are me. But they aren't people anymore. Anything they do after I consumed them, it is me acting in their stead, not them. Kessler is dead and gone, I just have his memories- and it still feels like he's still there. None of the others are like this. Not even Greene, or Pariah."

"And right now he's telling you to keep an eye on John?"

"Exactly", Alex ran a hand under his hood, tearing at his hair for a brief moment. "But I don't know why. Or how, for that matters." He cut himself off with a frustrated snarl. "What did he tell you?" Because of course he knew John had been talking to Cole inside his own head.

Cole inclined his head. "He told me to find the nearest Plague Ward. Wanted to show me something."

Alex grimaced. "I don't think it's a good idea."

Cole brushed him off. "I think it is. Look, John is willing to give a few answers of what is going on here. And I want those answers." He grit his teeth as he turned to face the city. "I am not smart like Dana or Zeke or Kuo, nor am I as confident as Heller or Cross or Nix, and I am pretty sure I am leagues beneath whatever you are. I am fucking out of my depth on that one, and if somebody offers answers, I'm going to seize that chance."

He kicked the floor to create a pillar of ice beneath his feet and catapult himself as high upwards as he could go, then curled up and enveloped himself in flames to glide towards the dock. The sinking ship had done a number on the construction, and it was broken, wet and slippery. Cole managed to stick to the landing and avoid the largest puddles as he headed away from the water.

Once he was, he paused for a moment, inhaled deeply- and sent out a radar pulse.

It was like he had been blind this entire time- because that one pulse included nearly all of Gas Works and showed him every source of energy. He could see all electrical outlets- AC units, street lights, appliances of all kind- glow up in front of his eyes. He could sense humans roam around, countless animals of all sizes, tiny sparks of energy that were too little to satisfy his constant thirst for energy and were likely all sorts of bugs. One massive signature nearby that was just a collection of random charges, all appearing and vanishing without order. In the distance, he felt something similar, rolling just beneath the streets of Ascension Parish and further away beneath the other parts of New Marais.

One collection nearby was somewhat strange, and it took his attention. It were human signatures, but there was a second layer of energy woven into them- and gradually taking over.

Plague victims.

Cole didn't know how he knew- he just did, and set into motion. He threw his arm to the front, Lightning Tether forming and latching onto the warehouse opposite of him, and reeling himself in when he tugged at the line.
He let go the moment he catapulted himself over the roof and instantly enveloped himself in a cloak of flames to soar across the next warehouse easily. There was the sound of leather flapping in the wind, and he tilted his head slightly. "Thought you didn't want to come along?"

"I don't", Alex agreed. "But I'm also curious." He snorted once as he kicked the air to get another boost and continue gliding (Cole made a mental note to figure out these 'Air Dashes' himself). "Luckily I'm not a cat, so this won't kill me."

"Famous last words", Cole commented as he hit a roof in a roll and lunged across a narrow alley. "Famous last words, man."

Alex only snorted, and it sounded amused at first, though was cut off by a scoff when they approached a warehouse that had been turned into a lazaret. Cole grimaced briefly by the noticeable scent of copper and antiseptics in the air. As far as wards went, this one was clean. Each victim had an own bed, an own locker for their private stuff, and there were toilets and sinks installed.
But he still shuddered when he realized that there were no doctors nearby. Not even assistants or nurses. All these people- they had simply been put here to die.

Because there was no cure against the Ray Field Plague, just medications to slow the process down and ease the suffering. Medication that was needed in other, less hopeless diseases, and as such, the doctors simply had the victims shipped into locations like that. To prevent a spread, or just prevent a drop in motivation- after all, people dying left and right weren't going to do wonders for the doctors and other patients.

Cole could understand the reasoning behind it, but still felt his anger rise with the realization that these people were treated like lepers. And all of it just because the others weren't aware that the Ray Field Plague wasn't a plague at all, but poisoning, and as such, was not contagious.

"And those are the people I'm trying to protect", Cole grumbled to no-one in particular as he set down outside of the Plague ward.

"What did you expect?" Alex commented as he hit the floor right next to him. "Once humans get scared, they become idiots. Just think of how many people die in mass panics because one didn't go with the flow."

"And if there is a disease going around, they all shut down their higher brain functions", Cole continued, walking inside the warehouse. "Yeah, I can see that this is going to be a problem."

"And they aren't the only ones", John's voice echoed. "The Plague has spread all over the East Coast, millions are infected. In a few weeks, it will be worse. The Government can't stop this senseless loss of life. But we can."

Cole's back crawled in alarm. Alex was right, something was off with John- those words hadn't been coincidental. He swallowed thickly. "And...how do you think we should do this?"

John's voice was silent for a moment. "Among all these Plague victims there is a possible Conduit. I want you to find them. I will meet you once you did."

"A possible Conduit?" Cole furrowed his brows. Just how was he supposed to go about this? He glanced at the people around, and they looked back without any reaction towards him. They seemed dead, hopeless, had given up already. The Conduit grit his teeth and turned a bit towards his companion. "Hey, Alex? You think you can sniff out a potential Conduit?"

The other glanced at him briefly. "I don't think so."

"No?"

"I didn't know Kuo was a Conduit, not from scent alone. I could have known, if I had actively tasted her. But if I were to check the genetic codes of these people here, I'd have to...take a bite out of each of these guys. And with them already sick..." He trailed off with a grimace.

Cole shuddered. Yeah, that would be like standing in front of the best burger in the World and being told to look and touch and maybe even lick to see how good it is- and then not being allowed to eat it. He shook himself. "Fair points."

Alex was eying him. "Didn't you say White upgraded your radar?"

That...was right. And the last time he'd seen Bertrand use his powers, he had been aware of the other Conduit before even seeing him. Had probably not only been his nerves talking.
Cole nodded once and exhaled, then sent out a radar pulse. It instantly spread across most of the Gas Works again, and he grit his teeth. No, no. Not the wide range. He needed something more delicate. So he tried again, this time actively reducing range to increase the information he gathered. Alex's weird electrical system threw him out of the loop for a second, but at the same moment, he realized that he could see much more. There were the random signals firing all throughout his body (sensory signals, he suspected), he could see the wisps of energy radiating outwards and flowing into him (from the other body parts he had stored all over New Marais, most likely). He could basically see the cells being cannibalized for energy, could see the virus in itself, dormant beneath the skin.

"Holy shit", Cole gasped, and felt a little sick. Once he was certain he wasn't going to hurl, he jabbed his finger at the Runner. "You, my friend, are seriously fucked up."

"I am aware?" Alex just cocked his head in confusion.

Cole grit his teeth. "Just used my new radar on you, and shiiiit. It's like looking at a flipping TV screen with 3-D glasses while tripping out of your skull."

"How about you don't look at me, then?" He jabbed his chin roughly into the direction of the sick people. "Find this Conduit. Then let's get out of this place."

Right, sick people, easy meal. Would hit the regret deep, so it would be better to get out as soon as possible. Cole nodded and sent out another radar pulse- this time ignoring the Runner and checking the Ray Field victims.

The nervous system glowed up in front of his eyes, and he watched with fascination all those neural pathways that were alight with information. But alongside there was something else, something that didn't belong. His mind more or less interpreted it as red flames dancing through the people's bodies. Some were small, just tiny dots centered along the lungs, while others were nearly completely taken over by a red inferno.

The Plague.

All of them were similar, all of them dead people walking. Cole hissed as he moved through the warehouse, followed by their lifeless stares. Alex was close-by, body tense as if he expected something to jump at him any given moment.

Then Cole stopped, eyebrows furrowing when he noticed one human nearby. Affected by the Ray Field Sickness too- but there was something else. Something warm, and luring. Like golden sparks beyond the red spots, glowing brightly just for him to see.

"I think I found them?" Cole cocked his head with a frown, then headed towards the signature. It was a woman, lying on a cot and coughing like she tried to breathe water. She had dark hair, slightly worn clothes, and a pair of glasses. Looked older than Dana, or Kuo, but not by much.

"Her?" Alex too approached her intrigued, and there were some tendrils crawling over his shoulders to taste the air.

"Pretty sure." Cole frowned. "Now what?"

Alex jumped suddenly, the same moment John appeared from spurts of flame. "You can try to heal her", he suggested, obvious oblivious towards the other man's unease. "It won't work however." He briefly gestured to the other patients who barely spared him a glance. "All these here, they are dead already. The Plague's eating through them as we speak."

"So we can't save them?"

"Not the others, no", John shook his head, then pointed at the woman. "But she I can save."

"Because she's a Conduit?"

John nodded. "I can activate her. I can activate all of our kind. But not without cost."

It was like ice began crawling down Cole's spine. Alex had stepped back, his pale eyes focused solely on John, teeth bared and claws slipping into existence.

That right there- the way he expressed himself- this was...this was a lot like Empire. Too much like Empire, too much like the Swamp. Conduits surviving otherwise lethal conditions, while thousands of others died. Died to save one single person.
John's words were describing the Ray Sphere perfectly. But the Ray Sphere had been destroyed- had destroyed John as it blew up.

Kessler had told him he would have gotten new powers from it.
Like John had just done with his radar.

Because John was a Ray Sphere. In human form.

Cole stepped back, hyper aware of Alex's snarl and the feeling of him shifting forms, just as John enveloped himself in flames. The same flames he'd seen in the last moments of Empire. The same flames he'd seen in New Marais. The same flames that eradicated all those cities along the East Coast.

The same flames that were the Beast.

Because John White was the Beast.

Alex awoke just as soon the tremors had died down, and realized he was trapped. Trapped for fifty years, no way out until the child awoke-

No, no. Not his memories. Her memories. He was safe. There was no Blackwatch, no Gentek. Yet he was trapped.

Trapped like...months ago. With Dana. Buried under a building when he...ran away from an explosion. A Ray Sphere Explosion. Just like the one that happened.

Just like the one...White caused. Alex's brain snapped into clarity, and with a snarl, he jerked himself upright, tearing the protective shell that he apparently covered himself with to pieces. He found himself several yards away from the warehouse, near the remains of what was likely the protective cocoon he had instinctively formed to protect himself.

He thoughtfully toed the thick scorched slabs of metallic chitin thoughtfully, and the material was instantly absorbed into his body. He grinned briefly. This was his second real Ray Field Explosion and the first one he took point-blank, and he got out alive. He definitely had to remember that move.

Then he lifted his head and his good mood dropped. The warehouse was a scorched black corpse of a building. The roof was still more or less intact, but that couldn't be said about the walls. Those had melted and the support beams were crooked.
Part of him was worried they might not take the load any longer and collapse- but if they did, they wouldn't do any harm.

There was nobody left alive anyways.

From his position he could see the charred remains of the people that had once been confined inside this ward. He grimaced briefly- of course normal humans wouldn't survive a Ray Sphere explosion- but White claimed that there had also been a Conduit.

And where was his Conduit, anyways?

That particular problem solved itself when he rounded the corner of the ex-lazaret and spied the tell-tale yellow (if slightly scorched) shirt. Cole seemed mostly unharmed, if knocked unconscious from the blast. He was glad he found him as fast as he did, because with all the ashes and scorched metal in the air his sense of smell wasn't working correctly anyways.
Cole coughed and was just struggling to his feet the moment Alex approached, groaned and shook his head. "Shit" He blinked a few times, then turned wide terrified eyes on the Runner. "John is the Beast, Alex. John is the Beast!"

Yeah, I kind of got that the moment he blew up. Alex grit his teeth. "I noticed", he ground out. "Didn't realize he was making my stomach churn until shortly before he activated his powers." Soon that happened, he had had barely enough time to shield himself. But even so he could tell he lost about two thirds of the Biomass he had currently on him. If he hadn't gotten that shell up, the blast could have destroyed this body, forcing him to regenerate from the closest storage. He wondered whether White was aware of his safety measures, or did he believe what everybody else did- namely that Alex was a Conduit?

Or did he readily accept him as collateral like the Ray Field Victims when he activated the other Conduit?

He grit his teeth and shook his head. "Where is she?"

"She?" Cole furrowed his brows, seconds before his expression turned wide and panicked. "Shit- the Conduit-" A scream cut through the still air like a knife, and both men instantly spun around to sprint towards the source.

It was the woman with the glasses. She was screaming, her hands covering her eyes as she tried to block out the sight of all the bodies around.
She was also directly beneath the ceiling, several feet off the ground, and kicking helplessly against thin air.

"Shit", Cole instantly scrambled upwards, seizing the derelict roof construction securely and pulled himself up on the beams to take his weight off his arms. She squealed and tried to jerk away, and Cole swore a little under his breath.

"Hey, hey, we're not going to hurt you-"

"Make it go away!" She shrieked in answer, kicking the air, "Make it all go away!"

Alex was halfway through forming tendrils and pull her down (and screw how she would think about it), when Cole cocked his head and motioned for him to stay calm. "What? What are we supposed to go away?"

"The voices!" She screeched hysterically, "The screams! Make them go away! Please!"

Oh. Cole's expression mirrored Alex's thoughts. The screams- every Conduit that had been activated with a Ray Sphere could hear them- the people that had been sacrificed to activate them. Echoes of their last coherent thoughts, electrical signals implanted into the target.

"I know it's bad, but it'll get easier, trust me", Cole told the woman. Alex scoffed. Decades after being activated, Kessler could still hear them. It wouldn't get easier, Conduits simply had to learn to ignore them. He had to learn it, too.
He wisely didn't comment on it however, as Cole continued speaking to the woman, and even down here Alex heard her pulse slow down. "I went through this too. As did my friend down there. As did my friends back at my place. You're not alone. We can help you, but you need to trust us."

"Trust you?!" She screeched in panic.

"Yes, trust us", Cole sighed. "Look, I get how it looks like. We came in alongside the man who just shot everybody else to shit- and we three survived. That's because we three are similar."

"Similar?!"

"Conduits", Alex rumbled. Well, he wasn't one, but she didn't need to know. "What happened here- it wasn't our fault since it took us by surprise just as much as it did you." He snorted, turning away to go. "And why blame us for your survival, anyways?" There was a sharp intake of air, and Alex just scoffed. "Look around you. Everybody else is dead, you aren't. More even, you also just got a set of shiny new powers. Powers that are part of you now, whether you want to or not."

He snorted again at the sound of her whimper. "Powers you need to learn to control, because without control they will be a threat to everybody around you and to an extent, to you as well." Cole made a noise, but Alex chose to ignore it. "As for your demand, we can't 'make them go away'. The voices you hear are part of you now too. A memory of the day you got remade as a Conduit, and a lesson to be learned. If you don't want any of this, well, just give me a holler and I'll put you out of your misery."

"Wow. Rude much?"

Fuck off.

"She just survived a pretty traumatizing event, you could cut her some slack."

She was being hysterical and unreasonable. Shock's the best way to deal with this.

"Well, I hope for the sake of every living person that you'll curb it in. Cross wants to see you."

Rooks arrived?

"Yeah"

Fucking finally.

Alex shook himself free of the Hivemind, listening to the sobbing in the real world. "Heller just contacted me. I'm needed at Phillipe."

Cole's answer was a tired sigh. "Yeah, do that. Thanks for helping me with these Ice Freaks, but dude, you could have been a little more gentle on this front here."

He shrugged, motioning towards the Conduit who was slowly lowering herself to the ground, sobbing. "Worked, didn't it?"

"Guess so", Cole was still mildly displeased. Alex didn't care. "You get her back to Zeke. I go and check in on Cross."

He left them behind. Cole would be able to deal with the situation now that the Conduit had calmed down, and he needed to meet up with Blackwatch.

The East Bridge was still in a poor condition, but at least there were enough parts present for him to cross the water between the boroughs without actually touching it. Somebody would need to fix this thing eventually, though Alex had the distinct feeling that they were rapidly approaching the end anyways, and he wasn't sure whether there would be anybody left to fix anything after.

Which was why he needed Blackwatch, and Blackwatch needed him. He hoped they would see it too. "Pretty sure if we talk to them like real civilized people, they will listen. Rooks ain't Randall. Just keep the claws in."

Wasn't going to use them. I asked them to meet me.

"Still, I'll keep an eye on things."

...Thanks.

Heller snorted amused and was still grinning when they finally met face-to-face near the Fort. "Shit's really going to hit the fan if you are thankful."

"I know when I have to admit that I need help", Alex replied simply, "And then I am also aware to be grateful if I get what I need."

Heller mock-faked wiping away a tear. "Little baby's all grown up."

Alex just lifted the middle finger. Heller snickered, then began following after the Runner. Alex dropped to the ground level, let his hands hang loosely at his sides, and started walking towards the Fort. With Blackwatch there, he didn't want to give them any more reason to shoot him when he just wanted to talk to them. He still tensed the moment he approached the still-broken gate of the massive complex. There were hundreds of men nearby- US Army, Blackwatch, Marines, Air Force, even the Navy, Coast Guard and Salvation Army- and several helicopters. He didn't see any turrets or tanks, but there were a few D-Codes and heavy weaponry. He could take them, but that wasn't why he was here.

They didn't know this, and the moment he and Heller made their appearance, a chorus of startled shouts went through the line of soldiers, and in an instant all of Blackwatch stood ready to shoot. Alex heaved a sigh and just lifted his hands. "I'm not here to fight" He had to manage to get his voice level and still audible without actually shouting, lest he wanted to be shot. It wouldn't kill him, but it would be annoying. "I want to meet General Rooks. I have information on the Beast!"

Some of the men murmured amongst themselves, others still remained glaring at the Infected- until the lines parted and General Rooks, accompanied by Cross and a personal aide, marched towards them. Heller subconsciously stood straighter, arms crossed behind his back. Alex just grit his teeth and clenched his fists, eyes narrowing on the General before he got a grip on himself and forced his body to relax.

"General"

"ZEUS", Rooks' eyes wandered slowly to Heller. "HADES"

"Sir"

The General glanced at Alex, then the Blackwatch Specialist. "Colonel Cross informed me you might have data regarding the entity known as 'The Beast'."

Straight to the point, Alex liked that. He cocked his head. "He's right on that one. I have been there when it first appeared and since then learned a few valuable things." The Beast also kicked his ass, but Rooks didn't need to know that.

"So?"

Alex growled. "Not that way, General. First I want you to promise to keep Blackwatch and every other unit tied in with or operating under Blackwatch's order away from me, my sister, Heller and his family, and any of the people we are working with here."

Rooks furrowed his brows. "What?"

"You heard me. I don't get your word- along with a written statement- and this deal's off."

Heller shifted behind him. "You better know what you are doing."

I am.

Rooks held the Runner's gaze for several seconds, before he motioned for his aide. "Set up a written statement. I will sign it once it is finished." He glared at Alex. "Satisfied?"

"Almost" He jabbed his chin over his shoulder, catching Heller's eyes briefly. "Go with him. Make sure we won't get fucked over."

"You get it", the Evolved agreed. "I'll give signal if shit's going weird."

Yeah, me too.

Rooks scoffed. "Are you satisfied now?"

"Yes."

"Good. You promised us information."

Alex cocked his head. "The Beast is a Conduit"

"Conduit?" Rooks cut in, "Like that MacGrath kid?"

"'Like' only in the way that both are Conduits. Other than that, there is nothing they have in common", Alex growled, then shook his head. "He is an Electric Conduit, the Beast is a Ray Field Conduit. It is directly linked to the Ray Field, a basically endless source of energy- energy it can manipulate to create energy blasts, teleport, generate black holes- and activate Conduits through a massive sacrifice of non-Conduit humans. It also generates large amounts of Ray Field Radiation, which will cause the Plague on contact." He lifted a finger to stop any possible arguments. "Additionally, it has a lot of physical strength and is capable of turning any amount of matter to dust in an instant. Tearing off its face, or arms, doesn't harm it in any way."

"A nuclear warhead was useless as well", Cross added. "It simply put itself back together just a few minutes later."

"And that leaves us with what?" Rooks demanded to know. "Because so far, all I learnt is that it can't be destroyed."

"It can't", Alex agreed. "Not with conventional methods. However- Cole MacGrath also has an object in his possession called the RFI- Ray Field Inhibitor."

Rooks' eyes narrowed immediately. "Inhibitor- it will cut off the Beast from its energy source?"

"Exactly." He eyed Cross for a split moment. "It should also stop the Plague, since it too is a lingering Ray Field."

"Then have it handed over!"

"Won't work. Only a Conduit tuned in to it can even use the RFI. Cole has that one covered."

The General blinked. "And why are you here then, if you have everything you need?"

"There is one thing I don't have. Time. Blackwatch and I- we can make sure he gets the time he needs to use the weapon."

"Really?"

Alex pulled back slightly, spreading his arms away from his body.

The entire Fort shook, cracks appearing in the ground and streets outside, and biolumniscent orange light was peeking through the gaps. Black tendrils skittered across the floor for a moment.
"I am the City. I know I can hold the Beast down. But", he pointed at the General, who had stepped back half a step. "I need Blackwatch to cover me. As I said, the Beast can destroy any matter within the blink of an eye- but it needs to focus on it. If you keep it occupied on your side, and I on mine, we can keep it in the ropes." Hopefully long enough for Cole to activate the RFI and end it.

"That doesn't sound very promising", Rooks growled. "You're asking me to throw away millions of dollars in men, weapon and equipment at this thing for a vague hope of 'maybe'?"

"As far as I remember, this was exactly Blackwatch's MO in Manhattan", Alex countered easily.

Rooks snorted. "Yeah, those were Randall's tactics, not mine." He crossed his arms. "You promised information, and still I didn't see any here."

The Runner scoffed. "So, what do you want to hear? We got the Beast, which is powered by the Ray Field in itself. The Ray Field is a possible quantum-space-originating source of energy that I have no idea how to work with. Conduits require this energy source to use their powers. Additionally, it is possible to stick Conduit powers to normal humans. How, I don't understand. Doctor Wolfe did, and Bertrand had him killed and most of his work destroyed. I can reverse engineer some of his works, but that isn't enough to recreate the Ray Sphere or the RFI."

"Conduits are human, right?" Cross threw in. "The Beast too?"

"His name used to be John White. He was a NSA agent. Died during the Empire situation, but apparently managed to link himself to the Ray Field. Meaning, we got to factor in the human angle- I don't know his motivations for all of this however. Doesn't look like normal power fantasies."

"Well, that's a shame", Rooks snorted. "Blackwatch isn't in the business of negotiation or comic physics. Our job is to make things dead and protect the remaining population." He pointed at Alex. "Which makes you priority target number one, Germ. I applause your balls to march in here, but that's about all the praise I can give you."

The Runner sighed. Why did he expect anything else on that front? Oh well, guess we got to do this the hard way.

"Mercer-"

I know what I'm doing. Mostly.

"It's the 'mostly' I'm wary of."

"That is your answer?" He cocked his head, and immediately reached out to the stores of Blacklight Biomass nearby, to control them if necessary.

"It is part of my answer", Rooks shot back, surprising him a bit. "You want Blackwatch to order a joint attack on the Beast, to distract it while your buddy activates this RFI thing, correct?" He snorted. "Well, I am willing to issue a suicidal order like that. But the payment you offered is not enough."

"I'll leave you alive, that should be payment enough."

"If you kill us, you won't be getting anything except for an even larger target on your ass."

Alex watched him intrigued. This was not what he expected from Blackwatch, of all things. "And what would you suggest?"

"Blackwatch gets you, germ boy." Rooks said simply. Alex bristled, and his eyes narrowed. The General didn't flinch. "You heard that right, if you want us to help you fight a losing battle, you better be ready to deal with the consequences. You belong to Blackwatch. Whether you're sentient or whatever doesn't play into this- you belong to Blackwatch. But since you play human, I play along and propose following: You give us regular updates about your current position and whatever you have planned, and we get to draft your ass in whenever we need to in order to deal with infectious outbreaks and the people behind the curtain. In return, we leave your little family alone."

Alex blinked. "What?"

"Thought you'd be smarter, but apparently you're not." Rooks folded his arms behind his back. "So I spell it out. You make sure Blackwatch knows where you are and you come heel when we whistle, and Blackwatch will give you full amnesty. No strings attached, no messy surprises."

"Is he...serious?"

He is. Not lying, at any rate.

Alex glanced at Cross, who just nodded slowly. Fuck. He IS serious.

"Sounds like a trap. Would be too easy." Alex scowled. "Where is the catch?"

"There is none", Rooks pointed out. "Well, almost none. You start another Outbreak, you are back on top of the shoot-on-sight-list. Anything else? As long you don't go too overt, you are free to do whatever it is you do."

"Why?"

"Why do I offer this?" The General snorted. "After you killed my predecessor and managed to evade us for three years without starting another Outbreak despite several opportunities, I realized that you apparently have no interest in continuing MOTHER's work and it is impossible trying to contain you with force. So if I give you something you want, you'll come along out of your own free will. Saves me from having to recruit new men and trying to explain to my superiors why we've lost another dozen tanks on what was supposed to be a recon mission."

Sounds way too good to be true. But he's telling the truth.

"Plus, Cross seems to be aware of this. If it was a trap, wouldn't he warn you?"

Alex glanced at the Specialist. Cross just looked back with a shrug, moving his lips slightly. "Far as I can tell, he's being serious about it", he mouthed.

"Shit, this is real", Heller whistled. "What do you think?"

I think even if they tried something, they wouldn't be able to do anything. Alex straightened his spin and turned his attention to the General. "Looks like you got yourself a deal then, General." He paused for a moment, then held out his hand. "I believe it is courtesy to shake on a deal like this, no?"

Rooks suddenly seemed a little less enthusiastic about it and was watching Alex's palm nervously. Some of the men nearby twitched their rifles a bit higher, until Alex pulled back with a smirk. "Sorry, little humor."

Rooks' expression became exasperated very quickly, and he couldn't stop himself from pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oh for the love of..."

Alex's smirk shifted slightly as he bared his teeth. "General? One last thing. If you ever betray me, if you ever think about betraying me, I will kill you. And it won't be quick or merciful."

It never made sense that Cole could see the bones of people with his radar senses. I changed it, neural pathways are more likely to contain electricity which he can actually sense.

Also altered that meeting with that Airbender Conduit. You can't tell me you'd be so cool with surviving an explosion that reduced everybody else to ashes. Just, Alex's Charisma is so low, even with a natural 20 he will screw everything up.