A/N: You asked for it, and you got it. I'm planning on putting out both remaining chapters today to get this story really going. This one here is essentially the final part of my OC origin story, after this we can actually get into the crossover, so lets get to it!
X
In the weeks that followed, Ash waged a literal one man war on Gentek and Blackwatch's forces.
With the aid of a dear family friend, Father Luis Guerra, the young marine systematically tore through the two organizations' power structures from the ground up. All while collecting vital information about what they were doing in New York and the experiments they were conducting with the virus and its by-products.
Along the way, Ash began to steadily master his new powers. And with every strand of DNA he assimilated, every piece of bio-mass he consumed, he grew even stronger. Acquiring new useful and deadly abilities with each passing day.
But things weren't as simple, or as black and white as the former marine had once believed.
The more he uncovered about what was going on in what had once been his home, the more Ash realized how right Mercer had been about Blackwatch. They were using the virus by experimenting on civilians and even unleashing infected monsters on the populace for the sake of data collection. Some even going as far as to create Super-Soldiers using tissue that had been taken from him while he had been captured.
Ash didn't hesitate in tearing apart everything that got in his path that wore Blackwatch and Gentek colors. All the while doing everything in his power to help the civilians.
However, things were more dire than he thought as he discovered that Mercer had kept something very big from him. Ash found himself face to face with dozens of people like himself, changed by Mercer into what he had called the 'Evolved' as a means to destroy his enemies.
Even though the man played it off as all part of his plan to destroy Gentek and Blackwatch, Ash knew deep down that Mercer had his own agenda for the outbreak. Later he had been proven right when Father Guerra showed him footage of the first Blacklight carrier unleashing his virus in Penn Station once again, using every vector a disease could use to spread throughout the city at a higher rate than before.
Rage had filled the former marine, the knowledge that he had been lied to and used by the very man he originally sought vengeance against struck hard. And it was then that Ash truly realized that, save for Guerra's assistance, he was officially on his own against Blackwatch and Mercer's forces.
With this firmly in mind, Ash set out to not only destroy Blackwatch and Gentek's work, but to also put an end to Mercer's plans.
Despite his steady rise in strength, everything within NYZ became much worse. The supposed cure for the virus had been tampered with by Mercer's followers and was threatened to be released, making the man a massive army of Evolved in the process.
Ash had stopped it, despite Mercer's not so subtle warning to back down. And in retaliation the original Blacklight carrier killed Father Guerra. The priest having gone down fighting even though he was horrendously outmatched.
More fuel was added to the inferno that was the young Evolved's fury. The bastard had once again taken someone important to his life, and the itch to tear him apart became even harder to ignore.
The only issue was that he didn't have any more leads to go on without help.
Thankfully, as if Guerra himself aided from the other side, Ash managed to get in contact with the good Father's contact in the Red Zone. Someone named 'Athena' who turned out to be Mercer's own sister Dana.
When the two met up and compared all the data they collected, the Evolved continued his campaign. Tearing down every operation to the point the foothold Blackwatch had on the sector was in shambles and Mercer had no way of spreading his influence any farther.
When all was said and done, Ash made sure that Dana was safely evacuated from the Red Zone before going after her psychotic brother...
The time had finally come to end this, once and for all.
X
Charging down the almost barren streets at speeds that were greater than most of the derelict cars scattered about once went, Ash's face was set in a grim mask as he prepared himself for the final confrontation that was waiting for him.
After weeks of fighting, bloodshed, betrayal, chaos and death, it was all finally going to come to an end.
The Evolved's foot came down on an infected civilian's head, launching upward and started running up the wall of a tall building. Reaching the top in seconds and leapt into the air, landing onto the rooftop and rolling to a stop.
As he stood up, over a dozen Evolved leapt over a large growth that grew out of the roof and stood before him with various kinds of blades for arms. Looking amongst them, Ash growled when he saw the traitoring bitch Sabrina Galloway standing with them with a smug smirk on her face.
From behind the group, Mercer himself stepped out and stood at the front. "You came, I'm so thrilled." he said with an aura of calm about him."
"It's over, Mercer!" Ash shouted, his left arm becoming claws while his right became a long, curved blade. "Blackwatch, Gentek, and now you! And you're little goon-squad over there won't be able to save you!"
"Heh, scary." Mercer said with a light chuckle, not in the least bit threatened. "You just don't get it, do you? I gave you everything, and this is how you come to me. Can't you see what I'm doing? Humanity is stagnant. Dying." He stood behind Galloway and put a hand on her shoulder, "I'd give it one body. One mind. Think about it, no more conflict, no more disease, no more suffering. Don't you see? I'm giving is a second chance!"
"Enough of your fucking weird, egomaniacle, bullshit!" Ash roared, looking ready to tear them all apart. "You and Blacklight took everything from me! EVERYTHING! I don't care what it takes, I will fucking rip you apart piece by piece until nothing's left!
Mercer scowled and shook his head, "It's the price of evolution, kid. The strong live, while the weak perish. It's how the world works and always will, nothing is meant to be fair about it. And it's time for this world to change, for the better."
Ash's eyes turned predatory as Mercer glared right back, "And if you're planning on standing between me and Earth's true destiny...then you'll just be another statistic." Without warning he lashed his tendril coated arm out and plunged it into Galloway's back.
The woman screamed in pain and horror as tendrils covered over her before they shot off of her body and ensnared the rest of the Evolved around them. Mercer cried out as all of the tendrils broke down and consumed his followers into his body.
When the deed was done, Mercer glared at the younger Blacklight carrier with glowing red eyes, his power reaching new heights from assimilating the other Evolved.
"Holy shit." Ash muttered, utterly stunned while preparing himself. Raising his blade as it began to downpour.
Mercer reformed his right arm into his own blade with a malicious grin. "Well, let's get this over with shall we?" he said, swiping his blade through the air.
Ash gave a battle cry before charging forward with his blade. Sparks flashing as the two organic weapons locked together. Mercer chuckled before kicking Ash away and slashing a large gash in the younger Evolved's chest.
Flipping away and regenerating from the damage, Ash immediately started to think up a strategy. Mercer had all the same powers as him and had more strength thanks to absorbing his Evolved. But the former marine knew that each weapon had a weakness as well.
Shifting his blade into his hammerfists, he leaped across the rooftop and slammed both into Mercer's chest, sending him sliding across the roof. "Come on, Mercer!" Ash shouted over the thunder and lightning around them.
Mercer leapt into the air, blade held high to cleave the younger Evolved in half. Ash waited for the right moment before leaping up and over the attack as Mercer slammed his blade into the roof while he landed behind him.
Not giving the original Evolved a chance, Ash ran forward and began slamming his hammerfists repeatedly onto Mercer's head, shoulders and back before leaping into the air with both fists and slamming them down onto Mercer and sending him skidding across the rooftop on his back.
Flipping over and rolling to his feet, Mercer charged forward like a bullet with his blade cocked back. Ash blocked the strike with his left hammerfist and swung the other one in a wide arc. Mercer saw it coming and ducked under the swing, spinning on the ball of his foot and ramming the smaller blade on the back of the larger one into the former marine's chest.
Ash grunted at the pain as he backhanded Mercer, the smaller blade tearing from his chest. With his wounds healed, the younger Evolved leapt into the air, dropping back to the ground with enough force to shake the building and sending black and red spikes shooting from the ground.
Mercer barely dodged the spikes, but wasn't able to dodge the uppercut Ash hit him with that sent him flying.
The teen jumped after him and slammed both fists into the older Blacklight carrier that sent him smashing back to the rooftop.
When he landed, Ash had to dodge around several blade strikes from Mercer. Rolling away from another while he withdrew his hammerfists and launched his whipfist into Mercer's chest, yanking back with all his strength and throwing the man across the rooftop.
Standing from his kneeling position with his injuries quickly healing, Mercer turned his blade back to a normal arm. "Heh. Impressive, kid. Now let's see how you can adapt!"
Ash braced himself as Mercer shifted his arm into his own whipfist and lashed it into the air, catching an unfortunate Blackwatch gunship that was flying overhead.
"Here. CATCH!" Mercer shouted, throwing the chopper at him.
Time slowed down as Ash leapt into the air and dove over the gunship as it rolled across the rooftop and crashed on the opposite end with a thundering explosion.
Before he reached the ground, Mercer snapped out with his whipfist and grabbed him out of the air, smashing him into the ground making a small crater. Shaking his head, Ash jumped out of the hole his body made and launched a barrage of tendrils that ensnared Mercer before grabbing every piece of debris closeby on the rooftop and sending it all slamming into him, tearing flesh and shattering bone.
Ash capitalized by charging forward with his blade out and drove it into Mercer's stomach, only to pull it back out and slash a large gash across the man's chest and sent him skidding back a few steps. "What's the matter Mercer?! Getting rusty in your old age?!" he called out while slashing with his blade again.
Mercer leapt over the strike and launched his whipfist like a spear. Ash rolled out of the way a moment before contact was made while the older Evolved landed back on the ground and burrowed both his hands into the roof, sending a wave of spikes firing out of the ground.
Ash jumped high when he saw the attack coming and avoided it, blade raised high as he dropped toward his opponent. But Mercer's whipfist lashed out and grabbed his leg, slamming him down onto the roof hard once again.
"Had enough kid?" Mercer asked smugly. Ash launched forward from his impact point and burrowed his blade into Mercer's chest, following up with a solid headbutt and a double drop kick that launched him off the roof and into the adjacent building across the street.
A brief pause filled the battlefield before the other building shook and Mercer exploded out of it, whipfist launching at him like an enraged serpent.
Ash immediately formed a shield with his other arm and deflected the attack before sending out spikes through it that pierced Mercer at multiple points before he could defend himself. Dropping the shield, he took out his blade again and slashed Mercer across the chest.
Stumbling back, Mercer gritted his teeth as he healed and shifted his arms into his own hammerfists. "Now you've just pissed me off." he sneered, slamming the hammerfists together and sending out a slight shockwave before raising them into the air.
Ash could feel a pulse go out as a flock of infected flyers swarmed around the building. Mercer leering at him before the flock converged on the younger Evolved in a barrage.
Thinking fast, Ash focused all of his bio-mass into one attack that would quickly deal with them. A burst of tendrils and chunks of hardened sinew exploding forth, obliterating the flyers and reducing them to bloody rain as they were torn to shreds in moments.
"That it?" he asked. Only to leap out of the way as Mercer slammed into the ground where he had been standing a second before.
"Far from it, kid." Mercer rumbled before going on the attack. Slamming his fists down again and again, forcing Ash back farther and farther. Soon he was standing on the edge of the roof as the older Evolved stalked toward him.
Ash thought quickly, shifting his arm into the right tool. "Too late kid!" Mercer shouted, slamming both his fists down and sending him flying from the roof.
Watching him fall, Mercer didn't see the whipfist coming for him until it wrapped around his neck. Sharp blades along the tendril stabbing into him as he was forced onto his hands and knees close to the ledge.
Standing on the side of the building with his whipfist outstretched, Ash glared back at Mercer. With a pull, he flew into the air and flipped over the man, grabbing the tendril with his other hand. "Nice try asshole!" he shouted before yanking hard and throwing Mercer back across the rooftop.
Leaping into the air, Ash launched his whipfist at the elder Blacklight carrier. Mercer deflected the attack with his hammerfist and launched his own. The teen spun in the air dodging the strike and landing in a crouch while the two squared off.
Mercer smirked as they started walking in circles around each other. "You know Fenix, it's a shame you won't join the new world I'm hoping to create."
"Gee, that makes me feel special." Ash ground out sarcastically while searching for a good opening.
"How does it feel? Having all that power and knowing you can't change anything?" asked Mercer, making Ash growl darkly. "Ah, must have hit a nerve. Don't worry, I'm sure your family didn't suffer too much as they were torn to shreds."
That did it. Ash's eyes blazed with unbridled fury as tendrils vibrated across his body. "I'm going to fucking kill you." he seethed while merely Mercer chuckled.
"Do you even know how to kill me?"
The former marine held up his left arm and shifted it into its claw form, "I'm gonna rip your fucking head off, see if that works."
Mercer chuckled again, "You really are troubled aren't you?"
Ash grinned ferally, "You oughta know Mercer...you made me." he launched forward with his claws out forcing Mercer to block and dodge left. But he didn't see the whipfist until it wrapped around his neck again as the young Evolved ran past.
"Got you." Ash growled as he leapt over the elder Blacklight carrier and slammed him onto the ground.
Getting back to his feet, Mercer shifted his hammerfists back to his blade. Leaping into the air and bringing it down only for Ash to snap his hands up and catch the blade inches away from his face.
Using his claws, he slashed upward and took Mercer's blade arm clean off at the shoulder, spraying blood everywhere.
Mercer stumbled, reforming the bleeding stump into his whipfist arm and lashing back before launching the razor sharp tendril forward. Ash dodged the attack and grabbed the limb before it could snap back. Giving a good yank, he pulled Mercer forward. Spinning around, his arm shifted into its blade form as he did, and took the arm off yet again.
Facing the younger Blacklight carrier, Mercer grunted as he focused what bio-mass he still held and shifted his arms back into hammerfists and leaping into the air.
Ash brought out his own hammerfists and blocked the strike, the ground beneath them cracking from the impact. The former marine then grabbed onto Mercer's arms as he braced one of his feet on his chest, pulling with all his strength until the sounds of bone and hardened chitin cracking and flesh tearing was heard.
Mercer's two hammerfists were torn from his body. Blood gushed out of the torn limbs as the original Evolved fell to his knees and reverted back to his human form with shattered bones jutting out of the stumps that were once his arms. Too weak to stand and too low on bio-mass to keep fighting.
Stalking forward, lightning flashing in the background, Ash grabbed Mercer by the throat. The older Evolved struggled weakly in his grasp for a moment before simply giving up. Looking into the eyes of his first creation, the one that was supposed to help him create a new world that had in the end led to his very downfall.
The creator...falling victim to the creation.
"Heh...welcome to the top of the food chain, kid." he said, already accepting his fate as Ash's arms became claws and bringing one of them back to deal the final blow.
"Payback's a bitch, motherfucker!" He shouted before he began to hack and slash the man to pieces and consuming the remains.
And with it, came the memories. Alex Mercer's life, from when he and Dana were kids through the first Blacklight infection, to the here and now. Ash bore witness to it all and how the man became what he was. Years worth of memories raced through his mind in the span of a few seconds, and when it was over it left the young Evolved stumbling back holding his head.
When everything settled, Ash stood on the battle ravaged and blood soaked rooftop, looking out over the city with the countless infected still roaming the streets. Closing his eyes, he accessed the memories he just acquired from Mercer.
Clutching at his sides, Ash groaned in discomfort before tendrils exploded out of his body. Going down the sides of the building and spreading through all of Manhattan, down every street, sewer tunnel, and alleyway at an alarming rate. Everything infected with Blacklight that came in contact with the root-like appendages were instantly destroyed and consumed.
In less than a minute, the attack had finished before all the tendrils snapped back to their start point. Ash collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily from the massive intake of biomass he had just acquired.
After several minutes, the young Evolved rose back to his feet and looked out over the city that had once been his home. The storm had ended not long ago and began to clear, revealing the sun starting to rise up over the remaining buildings.
It was over. Gentek, Blackwatch, the outbreak...Mercer. The prices that had been paid were high, but New York could finally start to recover and rebuild from the virus that ripped the city apart a second time.
But to Ash, it felt like a hollow victory.
Watching the coming dawn of a new day for a while longer, the sole surviving Evolved turned and walked away. His mind already turning over where he was going to go from here.
X
"Here's everything you'll need." said a short-haired brunette, handing a file to Ash that she had spent the last day and a half compiling.
Ash took the file before turning his attention to the TV that was doing a coverage of New Yorks recovery after the outbreak. It had been two weeks since Mercer's downfall, and in that time the Evolved had been laying low and out of the public eye. But that didn't mean he had been doing nothing.
After leaving Manhattan, he'd met up with Dana in a small apartment in Newark, New Jersey. One of the many safehouses she had compiled since the beginning of the second Blacklight outbreak. The two of them working side by side as they ensured that neither Blackwatch or Gentek got away with the atrocities they had committed.
With all the data that had been collected and compiled by the duo, they had more than enough to bury both organizations indefinitely. Through several friends of hers, Dana sent the evidence to the right people, waited a week, then released it to the public as well.
The response was almost instantaneous.
Gentek's stocks plummeted as their higher ups were arrested and brought up on charges for the illegal experiments and detaining of innocents during the NYZ incident. All of their assets and resources were seized by the US government, and every single creation from their labs were being closely checked for anything that could have been kept from the public.
Blackwatch met a similar fate. Even worse when news of their attempt to firebomb the island of Manhattan which would have resulted in the deaths of over a million civilians. The country was in an uproar and wanted justice for all the lives lost when they were supposed to be protecting the citizens of New York.
After kicking the hornet's nest as hard as they could, the duo decided that it was time to disappear.
Accepting the file, Ash thumbed through the contents. Finding documents for a new identity waiting for him.
"How'd you manage this?" asked the Evolved.
"I got a lot of friends who were more than happy to help." replied Dana, "You sure about this? I doubt anyone will be looking for you with everything that's happened."
Ash nodded, took a deep breath and closed the file, "It's better that way."
Dana nodded, "Yeah, I can get that."
"What about you? What's your plan from here?" asked the Evolved.
"I got a one-way ticket on a flight in a couple hours. A friend of mine over in Stolkholme has a room waiting for me." said the hacker.
Ash smiled, "I wish you the best, Dana. And thank you, for everything." The young woman pulled the Evolved into a hug that he reciprocated after a moment or two.
The embrace broke and Dana looked at him curiously, "What do you plan to do?"
Ash thought a minute before reaching inside his jacket and hoodie, pulling out the rosary that had belonged to Father Guerra. "The Father told me once, that despite being cursed with what I am now, it was my choice in how I used my power. I think it's time I take those words to heart."
Dana smiled in memory of the priest and all that he had done for the both of them. "Just try not to get into too much trouble, will you?"
The Evolved chuckled, "I make no promises I can't keep."
That night, the duo went their separate ways. Dana overseas and out of reach of any remaining Blackwatch probes, and Ash to wherever his two feet took him. Though they promised to stay in touch once things had died down.
On the side of a long stretch of highway leading out of New Jersey, a lone man in a leather bomber jacket with a red hood up over his head could be seen walking toward parts unknown. No one could see his face, but for a brief moment, his eyes flashed a bright crimson red in the dark.
X
A/N: And that's a wrap on Ash's origins. But the real question is what will he plan to do with all the power he now possesses? Only time will tell on that one.
Next chapter coming within the next few hours, so be ready.