It was seemingly in an entirely different life in which Ethan last walked the busy streets of New York City.

Fifteen years did not quite measure the distance he felt between himself now and that strapping young man. That 24-year old Ethan, who had enjoyed a well-deserved vacation on the streets of Big Apple with his Texan girlfriend Mia, was almost an alien to Ethan today.

He never knew what had made him catch Mia's attention, back then. His university grades were perfectly mediocre and the salary of his newfound job had been nothing special. Yet that woman - beautiful, from a rich family and with prestigious education and prospective job - had chosen to date him. And Ethan had done everything in his power to prove himself worthy of her affection - even scrounging what little money he had to organize the vacation to New York - for the two of them.

Recalling himself so long ago, the man could only shake his head in mild amusement. His only worry back then was impressing that hot and rich girl, who was already a high-ranking employee in a trading company - or so he had thought, back then.

He could still remember vividly how they had meandered through Central Park, with Ethan's gaze rarely leaving Mia's denim shorts-clad legs. The outing to Times Square, where Ethan had attempted to spend the rest of his hard-earned money, only for Mia to pay for everything, with an easy and joyous laugh. Their trip to the Statue of Liberty, during which Mia had shocked the man to the core with her sudden talk of potential marriage and her desire to have kids of her own, one day.

He had been so madly in love with her, back then. And she was with him… he was sure of it. Regardless of what had transpired between them in the last years, Ethan was sure of one thing. Their emotions had been genuine - always. Rosemary was the triumph of their union - based on mutual love and respect…

How could everything go so wrong…

Brushing away an unwelcome wetness from his eyes, Ethan gazed at the streets as their car sped down the road. It seemed more than just a different life - the world itself changed to the point where he struggled to recognize it.

Where there was once life and joy as crowds of eager tourists and carefree youths happily stomped their way across sun-soaked boulevards, were only gloomy and overworked drudges now - trudging their way through similarly drab and melancholic streets. Grim-faced police officers that patrolled the streets in pairs and pestered anyone even remotely suspicious-looking for IDs hardly added any color to this bleak picture. Neither did the heavily-fortified, National Guard-manned checkpoints that choked the once bustling metropolis.

Ethan was familiar with the extreme-sounding concept - something he had to live with during the last years of his stay in Los Angeles; even though it was just in its inception phase, back then. Miller's Urban Safety Act, passed in 2015 in the wake of an ever-increasing number of large-scale outbreaks taking place around the globe, saw most major population centers segregated into self-sufficient districts - with movement in between them for the ordinary citizenry only available with pre-approved papers.

The idea behind the Act was to limit the casualties to civilian population in case of an outbreak - by swiftly quarantining the affected district with newly-constructed infrastructure. The coming years would see the Act performing as advertised, as a number of international experts conceded that the death toll on populations of Chicago in the outbreak of 2018 and Los Angeles in 2020 would've been far greater if not for these seemingly extreme measures. Still, regardless of the benefit, the Act had a massive de-urbanization effect, with everyone who could afford to do so - moving out of the large cities into more rural areas. As is always the case in human history - the destitute masses were left behind.

With their car approaching one of such checkpoints when they attempted to cross from Brooklyn to Manhattan, Ethan's bleak musings had to be put on hold, as the man tensed up in anticipation. While his comrades had assured him that his newest identity would hold up to any scrutiny, Ethan still nervously licked his lips when a National Guard with a full kit of NBC gear on him started to check out their identities against his PDA.

Ethan felt his breath caught in his throat when the guardsman's scrutinizing glare lingered on his own face. At any second now, the lone father expected the grunt to recognize him from the news or person of interest list and to raise alarm. To Ethan's unbridled relief, however, the guardsman checked Ethan's fake identity against his PDA one more time before giving their driver a nod, allowing Ethan to resume breathing.

"You're clear. Have a good day."

"Thank you, corporal."

The very picture of friendly calm, Dion offered the guardsman an easy smile before accelerating their car towards their goal - the Empire State Building. While they drove across the picturesque Brooklyn Bridge, Ethan had a moment further to reflect upon the foolhardy plan they came up with.

Under Chris' leadership and with the full support of the president of the United States, the gang had settled on a plan that involved a simultaneous assault on two priority targets.

The Alpha Team - consisting of Chris, Leon, Bela and Daniela would assist the U.S. Marines in crashing the party at the U.N. headquarters - where the agents were hoping to catch the Secretary-General red-handed in the process of deploying the E-002 bioweapons to take control of the motion that was taking place today - the reformation of the security council and the expansion of United Nations political and economic powers, with only United States and Russia standing in opposition.

Then there were the four of them - Dion, Ethan, Cassandra and Karl were the so-called Bravo Team today - the heavy hitters. Their task? To obliterate the Connections by following the insane plan Eveline herself had proposed.

Despite the father himself considering it a batshit-crazy endeavor, he trusted his adopted ghostly daughter, and therefore conveyed her idea in the most positive light - with Bela taking their side, naturally. After some consideration, the majority of the gang found the risk to be worth the reward. And the prize was tempting, indeed - to end the Connections, once and for all. With Eveline's idea further refined by Leon and his top agent - Ingrid Hunnigan, the gang was all set on their course.

And all they had to do to see Eveline's plot to fruition was to infiltrate Armacham Technology Corporation - the mega-corporation responsible for development and deployment of the whole international Replica Force; their close ties to both the Connections and the United Nations were naturally not something that was publicly advertised - but something that could be exploited.

The corporation's headquarters were located inside the Empire State Building, which was sold to the rapidly growing organization back in 2016 and now served as an important administrative wing of the ATC, in addition to being a major Relay that oversaw the workings of Replica Force on an international level.

Now, interfacing with something as advanced and enigmatic as a Psionic Relay was a tall order, yet apparently, the infiltrator who had taken control of Anna was a high-ranking agent serving the U.N. Secretary-General, with a deep insight into the Replica Force itself and a vast knowledge of their backdoor protocols. And much of what he knew… Eveline now knew as well, thanks to her infection of his latest host.

With the information she had gleaned from the body-snatcher, Eveline was confident that were she to infect a Replica Commander that was overseeing the Relay - she would be able to briefly assume control of their whole, worldwide force. From that point, all she would have to do was to identify the Connections' facilities as hostile targets while setting the lethality level to maximum and the Replica platoons - which were helpfully stationed near every such facility - would do the rest. It was a gamble whether the Replica would have enough time to wreck every facility before a countermanding order would come through from another major installation, but if they could also wreck ESB's Relay afterwards, the odds were firmly in their favor. Replica were nothing if not efficient and deadly, after all.

Despite finding no short amount of poetic justice in the fact that the whole crazy idea involved setting Replica Troopers loose on their own allies, Ethan still had a very bad feeling about this operation. On paper it didn't actually look that difficult. As long as their credentials as official government inspectors held up, they would have no issue getting access to the top floor of ESB - the location of the relay itself. Up there, there would be guards, of course; the eventual violence was inevitable. However, as a safety feature, Armacham Technology Corporation did not employ their own Replica as security for their own facilities - instead relying exclusively on ordinary human guards and mechanical devices.

Glancing at the backseats and seeing smirking faces of Cassandra and Heisenberg, Ethan had little doubt that anything in that building would be able to even put up a fight against these most monstrous of combatants. Once the opposition would be eliminated, it would come to just Eveline holding up her end - and the girl was confident that she was up to the task. Still… something gnawed on Ethan's stomach. Their job appeared almost as… too easy.

"What are we doing… this is fucking insane…" muttered out Ethan, dismaying at the depth of the pit he had found himself in.

"What the hell are you complaining about? This is an opportunity of a lifetime! Think of all the fun we are going to have up there!" pointed out Cassandra, in her typical cheeky voice. Obviously, the semi-sane sadist was salivating at the prospect of mass-slaughter that she was invited to partake in.

"Gotta admit, this does sound… fun." added Heisenberg, with thinly-veiled malice in his tone. The scruffy man's eagerness to get back at the people who had forced him to hide in Australia for two years was plain to see.

If we do this right, we will finally be free of the ghosts of our past, daddy.

Eveline's voice, coming from inside his own head, was somehow enough to settle the jittery father. She was right. This was a job that was uniquely suited to the two of them and if they aced it, they had a good chance at having a shot at that peaceful life Ethan dreamed of. No violence or murder, no shenanigans in the dark, no more running. Just him, his friends and his family, living the rest of their lives as heroes and not as fugitives. That was the offer, at least.

Mommy says hi.

Ethan smirked and lightly shook his head in amusement. It was still a shock to him that apparently Bela got infected by Eveline and could now communicate with him across vast distances. What was even more surprising, however, was how easily the blonde woman took to the ghostly girl and the fact that she was referred to exclusively as 'mommy' by her.

Give mommy a kiss for me, would you? And tell her to be careful.

Sure thing!

With their goal now looming in sight, Ethan felt that anxiety crawling back inside of him. Something bad was going to happen - he was sure of it, somehow. Yet it was simply too late to turn back, so the father remained still and silent, instead gazing out of the window of their slowly-moving car. The traffic was tight, thanks to the commotion that was taking place at Union Square.

Apparently, a small parade of Replica Force was being held today, with many potential investors and buyers eager to witness how the cloned super-soldiers performed in a densely populated urban center. The hundred or so Replica Troopers marched around the Union Square Park in perfect synchronicity and unbreakable lines - appearing utterly apathetic to a large protest that was taking place right there, as well.

The protestors carried typical peace signs, in addition to banners that proclaimed the B.O.W. troopers to be an abomination against God or held demands that the emotionless freaks and their corporate overlords be expunged from their city. The cops held them back, yet an occasional thrown can or a bottle would find itself splashing against Replica's armored bodies, covering them in various colored fluids. True to their nature, they did not even flinch at having such stuff flung at them, instead simply continuing their orderly march - to the clients and overseers unbridled joy. Apparently, the protest turned out to be an impressive, if unexpected display of the clones' unwavering obedience and steadfastness.

"Five… maybe ten years, and these masked freaks will start taking over policing duties worldwide. Talk about Big Brother, huh." noted Dion, as he hatefully glared at the parade. Trying to play Devil's advocate, Ethan provided a counterpoint.

"Is that really bad, though? They seem to be pretty chill and objective-driven. Might cut down on all that police brutality and corruption."

Dion just scoffed, before passionately responding, "Sure thing, brother. Do I need to remind you that we are literally going to set them on a murderous rampage, worldwide - just the four of us? What's stopping some rich and resourceful psycho from trying the same shit, but telling them to kill everyone, indiscriminately, ten years from now? Not to mention how a single fucking corporation controls their every move - while lying to their clients."

"Point taken."

Leon did mention that Armacham would likely go down after their little stunt here, as well. Even if their ties to the Connections and the Secretary-General were too well-hidden even for James Shallow to have been able to prove them, something else would serve more than damning enough. If the gang was to succeed here, Replica platoons worldwide - which the corporation had sold to governmental and private entities - would abandon their posts and ignore their human superiors' orders, only to embark on a rampage triggered by a previously undisclosed master signal. Such a stark violation of contract - taking place simultaneously in dozens of spots around the globe - would do no favor to Armacham's advertisement campaign that promised nothing but a blindly-obedient and absolutely loyal military force.

The time for musings was growing short, however, as the Bravo Team's car just made a turn onto 33rd Street, with their goal looming in sight.

"Never expected to kick ass side by side with you, niece." Suddenly offered Heisenberg, with Cassandra immediately letting out a mean giggle in response, before recalling the older man's rebellion against Miranda.

"Neither did I, uncle! Maybe you should've invited us to join your little crusade against Miranda, instead of going at it by yourself, all these years."

Heisenberg only scoffed and noted, with a hint of frustration, "Yeah right, as if the Big Bitch would not have gone scurrying to her precious Mother first thing in the morning, if I did that - ruining decades of hard work… not that it amounted to much in the end, regardless…"

Cassandra's gaze immediately hardened upon the unflattering reference to Alcina, but the woman allowed her so-called uncle to continue his sentence, before hissing out, "I don't like it when you refer to mom like that..."

The threat was clear in her voice, making even Ethan on his front seat gulp. Still, Heisenberg appeared completely unbothered by Cassandra's menacing gaze. Letting out a chuckle, the man was swift to deliver a mocking retort.

"Well, I don't like a great many things, as well, Buttercup. Like, for example - who the fuck gonna compensate me for my beloved factory that asshole Redfield blew up? That was family business, for fuck sake."

"And that's why you should consider insuring your property, Mr. Heisenberg! You never know when an accident might happen, after all." Immediately quipped out Dion; the man's easy wit surprised Ethan, once again. Heisenberg was understandably less amused, letting out a dissatisfied grunt, while Cassandra bursted into mean snickering.

The gang's car finally made its way through the tightly-packed traffic jam and slowly descended down into the ESB's underground parking lot.

"I just can't believe how fucking Raul was right about all this mega-corporations conspiracy shit… next thing we know we will be fighting goddamn reptile-people," muttered the incredulous-sounding Cassandra, as her amber orbs gazed at several security guards in Armacham's blue uniform - patrolling both around the ESB and inside its parking lot.

"Raul? Should Chris be worried?" Chirped out Ethan, confusion in his voice at the fact that the vicious Dimitrescu sibling apparently had an acquaintance she didn't immediately murder mixed with amusement at the unknown man's seemingly conspiracy-spinning inclinations.

"Just some guy I've met in Cuba. Really chill. Good sex, too. And yeah…" Cassandra licked her luscious lips with wicked motion; a spark of hunger flickering in her eyes as no-doubt filthy thoughts rushed through her brunette head, "Chris should totally be worried… I love him going all jealous and possessive on me."

"Jesus. You sure have some issues, Buttercup," mumbled out Heisenberg, while taking off his glasses to gaze at his deranged niece. She, in turn, merely scoffed before delivering a playful retort.

"Shut up, metal-humper! Bet your ass I'll kill more humans than you today!"

And Heisenberg was instant in taking the callous bet. "You're on."

"Uhm… hate to rain on your homicidal parade, but our goal is not to murder as many guards as possible, but to take over the relay floor, capture the commander and protect Ethan while Eveline does her infection thingie."

The car stopped at their assigned parking spot, putting an end to the peculiar conversation. Getting out of their vehicle, Ethan couldn't help but glance at his partners-in-crime for the night - or, more specifically - their outfits. While the neutral gray business suits on either himself or Dion would likely not elicit any raised eyebrows, both Karl's and Cassandra's deserved a double take. Apparently reflecting his whole persona, Heisenberg somehow managed to find the most unkempt and scruffy suit around, which, when combined with his signature tinted glasses, dirty shirt and messy hair gave the man a certain... hobo look. Standing on the opposite spectrum, Cassandra - in her crisp black two-piece blazer and pants suit with a white shirt underneath evoked nothing less than the image of a serious businesswoman. With her high-heeled shoes and long hair tied in a pony-tail the woman was positively dashing in a no-nonsense way.

Reveling in the combined attention she was receiving, Cassandra only smirked, yet no comment celebrating her new-found fashion sense was forthcoming, as a mousy-looking pencil-pusher quickly approached their group.

"Oh, you must be the guys from the NHL's inspection? We really didn't expect you today…"

Flashing the clerk a National Historic Landmark inspector's badge and a winning smile, Dion heartily patted the smaller man on his back, before reading the clerk's name on his own badge and providing a reason for their 'surprise' visit. "You know how it is, Clive. Surprise inspections like this one are the best way to really tell if you guys have been taking good care of our great nation's invaluable heritage."

The clerk was clearly off-put by Dion's overbearing charisma and merely muttered something inaudible under his breath before motioning towards the elevators and scurrying that way himself. Dion checked his own watch and quietly mumbled, "Thirty minutes early, even..." Trading glances of reassurance, the gang proceeded to follow the clerk to the parking lot's elevator.

With their forged credentials passing the careful scrutiny and their lack of obvious weaponry seeing them through the security screening unmolested, the gang was inside the ATC HQ. To the corporation's credit, the lobby of this historical building saw little change compared to how Ethan recalled it to be fifteen years ago. One difference was the composition of the assembled crowd inside - the number of eager tourists was certainly lower, while the uniformed guards and well-dressed employees and clients were far more numerous.

Having spent the next thirty minutes meandering through ESB's floors that were still open to the general public in a bid to arouse as little attention as possible, the moment Dion's watch pinged 18:00, the gang proceeded to return to one of the elevators. To their mutual annoyance, Clive, who was seemingly assigned to keep an eye on their little group, immediately followed the 'inspectors' inside.

In an attempt to keep up the charade, Dion started on vocalizing the excuse they would need to access the semi-restricted floors - not noticing Karl and Cassandra exchanging nods behind them.

"So, we would now like to check out the observation pla…"

Dion didn't get to finish his sentence, as the moment the elevator's door shut closed, Cassandra slammed the clerk's head against the wall in a lightning-swift, one-handed motion - with enough savagery to knock his lights right out. Meanwhile, Heisenberg manipulated his mastery over the magnetic fields to cause the security camera in the elevator to short-circuit.

Wincing at the display of brutality, but knowing that time was against them, Ethan swiftly recovered the fallen clerk's badge, only to press it against the elevator card reader. With a pleased beep, the electronic pad promoted their clearance level from guest to junior employee - allowing access to observation platforms, but not the Relay level. Not thinking twice, the father inputted their destination as the highest tier their clearance would get them.

"I guess that works, too..." noted Dion once the elevator lurched upwards, though not with a wince of his own as he gazed at the bloodstain left on the elevator's wall. Cassandra clearly did not hold back with her treatment of the unfortunate clerk.

"What? That perv was ogling my ass for thirty fucking minutes…" mouthed out the fierce brunette, before giving the fallen man a hearty kick, causing his unconscious body to slam against the wall.

Giving a quick glance at her shapely rear, clad in tight, form-fitting business pants, Ethan experienced a traitorous thought. Hard to blame the poor guy… Quickly recovering his decorum, however, Ethan focused his attention at the rapidly-climbing floor number at the top of the cabin. They were likely going to encounter hostile guards soon and the father was not even armed…

The elevator stopped upon reaching the 86th observatory floor - as far as their clearance would get them - when the goal was the 103rd floor. While an expected outcome for which the gang had accounted for, their next move was put on hold, however, as a pair of Armacham guards immediately peered in to accost the gang. Whatever demands for IDs or security clearance they were about to make died on their lips, as they gaped at the clerk's unmoving body and the bloodstain on the cabin's wall, however.

Cassandra put a swift end to their flabbergasted states by punching the right man right in his throat and flooding the left one's wide open mouth with a swarm of flesh-eating bugs - that was her own left arm, just a moment ago. Not allowing the right guard to recover, the vicious brunette brutally slammed her knee right into his balls, no doubt inflicting excruciating agony upon the already breathless man. With the right man's guard wide open, it was a child's play for the vampire to sink her sharp teeth deep into the man's jugular - only to rip and tear it with a series of violent tugs of her soon-to-be-bloodied mouth.

Not actually tasting his rich man-blood in this particular instance, Cassandra - knowing that enough damage has been done to ensure the guard's swift demise - switched her attention to his compatriot, who was frantically clawing at his own throat in a fruitless bid to get the vile insects out.

"Oh, not enjoying my sweet babies, are you?"

Letting out one quick taunt, the bloodthirsty woman willed her obedient swarm to rapidly and painfully force their way back through his mouth - only to coalesce back into her hand - right under the man's chin, while her other hand found its way towards the back of his head.

A single swift but savage tug was followed by a horrific sound of human neck snapping, making both Ethan and Dion let out a wince at the brutal display, with Karl limiting himself to an approving whistle. While all three men were aware that - despite all the movies claiming otherwise - it was a very difficult move to actually snap an adult man's neck like that, Cassandra made it look easy. Just like in the aforementioned movies. Overtaken by morbid fascination, Ethan had to admit that Cassandra just won a lot of style points with the fact that both guards collapsed simultaneously; or the fact that it took mere seconds for the sadist to dispose of two guards, unarmed.

"That's two for me, uncle!"

Ignoring the boast and shaking off their discomfort at the callous life-taking, Dion and Ethan proceeded to help themselves to the H&K VP9 pistols the guards were equipped with - and not a moment too soon as the violent commotion had attracted more unwanted attention, with some random Armacham employee screaming in fright just outside the cabin.

Immediately, the elevator panel started to glow red - indicating that the system was locked out from within. With every guard on the level rapidly converging on their cabin, the situation was not looking good - were a certain ferrokinetic not on their team, that is.

Smirking, Karl Heisenberg merely clapped his hands together and just like that - the elevator's door shut tight with a screech and a clung. Ignoring the guards yelling and banging on the doors outside the cabin, Heisenberg proceeded to gaze up - at the cabin's ceiling and the utility hatch affixed to it. And not a second passed before an invisible force tore the hatch open and away, exposing the elevator's cables to his gaze.

Cassandra, Dion and Ethan could only stare awestruck as the scruffy man showed his formidable powers in all of their glory. With but a jerk of his head sideways, the hoisting ropes suspending their elevator were severed, one by one - until nothing but Karl's unnatural power stood between them and the deadly plunge from the 86th floor.

Showing visible exertion from the indubiously massive effort of forcing their passenger-laden cabin to ascend upwards, Heisenberg was eager to demonstrate exactly why Miranda considered him her favored child. Ethan himself could do nothing but gape at the mutated Lord, while holding his breath and knowing that their fates hinged exclusively on Heisenberg's shoulders at this moment.

Suddenly, the sound of deforming metal screeching in protest combined with the violent shudder of the cabin that saw all but Heisenberg lose their footing made Ethan's heart skip a beat. The Lord must've experienced an unexpected obstacle on their way up.

"Holy fuck!" Dion was understandably not amused at the perilous predicament - knowing well that he lacked the supernatural endurance required to survive a fall from such a height.

Sweating a waterfall, Karl, nevertheless, pushed forward and through gritted teeth managed to realign their cabin - returning back on their perilous track.

As they slowly ascended the shaft, Ethan didn't miss the fact that Cassandra was edging closer to him, with her outstretched hands all but grasping him; while eyeing the open hatch in the cabin's ceiling… almost as if ready to leap out of it with him in tow in a bid to rescue the father, were Karl to lose control of their cage. The very notion that Cassandra appeared to be that concerned about his well-being was touching, especially since it was quite a bit out of character for the callous woman.

Thankfully, Cassandra was not required to display any particular heroics, as the elevator made all the way to the top floor in relative stability. Panting hard, Heisenberg proceeded to force the doors open, with Cassandra swift to assist her weary uncle; Dion and Ethan taking overwatch positions - pistols raised and ready to fire the moment the doors were pulled apart.

And a good thing they did that, since no sooner than the doors were wrenched apart, the gang was confronted by a trio of guards with itchy trigger fingers.

The opposing sides opened fire at the same time, though the spooked, and quite possibly under-trained guards merely went for the closest threat - Cassandra - with an expected outcome; while Dion and Ethan immediately picked a target with respect to each other's current fields of fire and placed a single burst each, with pinpoint precision - right into their targets' heads. Nothing justified the endless training drills with Chris quite as much as seeing two guards collapsing under their barrage of gunfire, yet even that paled in comparison to the savagery of Cassandra's own move.

Roaring in righteous hatred as her expensive suit, the very same Chris himself complimented her in, was ruined, Cassandra rushed out to deliver a punch of hideous power with her right fist - right into the last guard's face - not merely breaking his nose, but caving it in. In her typical sadistic fashion, not quite satisfied by the level of agony the doomed man experienced, the vicious middle sibling stomped the back of her foot on top of the guard's own - with enough force to drive the sharp heel of her shoe right through both his boot and his flesh. Nobody present could judge the unfortunate security officer for letting out a piercing shriek of agony, yet it was also cut short soon enough, when the merciless brunette proceeded to bare her fangs and mutilate his throat in her next motion - eager to savor his vital fluid.

Following the monstrous woman out of the precarious elevator cabin, the rest swiftly flooded into the hallway, with Ethan not forgetting to pull Clive the clerk out of the doomed cabin - a second before Heisenberg finally stopped exerting his power upon it and allowing it to embark on its final journey, 103 floors down.

Seeing Ethan's act of mercy, Cassandra's amber orbs narrowed in disapproval, yet the vampire did not interrupt her grisly feeding to admonish the father - not that she would have time to do that, since a 5-man squad of heavily-armored guards was just turning the corner to the elevator hallway.

Unlike the prior Armacham guards the gang had encountered - which appeared to be little more than mall cops, with nothing but a light kevlar vest and a pistol to their name - these security personnel clearly meant business. With heavier, full-body armor and protective helmets; armed with FN-P90 submachine guns, the five dark-clad troopers were swift in their attempt to put some hurt on the intruders.

Exposed to a combined rate of fire of 5000 5.7×28mm rounds per minute, unleashed in a relatively tight-hallway, the gang would have surely been torn apart in mere moments, if not for the Lord of Metal being on their side. The instant his keen eyes spotted the approaching guards, Heisenberg was quick in raising both of his arms in a motion that would likely seem as overly-theatrical to side observers who were not aware of the true extent of power that hid behind the scruffy man's frame.

While Ethan could see nothing out of the ordinary with his human eyes, an invisible barrier of some kind must have been formed - consisting of nothing but magnetic force which was strong enough to stop every single low-energy projectile that raced to reach the gang. The magnetic shield held long enough until all five guards ceased fire - out of ammo and in need of a reload, again showcasing their poor coordination and lack of squad-based drills.

Seeing hundreds of intercepted bullets simply falling upon the floor as one - mere inches from their vulnerable bodies - Ethan was swift to recall that particular scene from the Matrix. Gaping, utterly awestruck, his mouth mumbled out his astonishment, while his hand brought his own gun up - eager to capitalize on this opportunity - not that he needed to. Clearly, Heisenberg aimed to deal with these men all by himself.

"Should I call you Neo now?"

Clearly, the guards were just as taken by this startling display of supernatural power as was Ethan, as their hands fumbled with their guns with particular clumsiness. Still, to their credit, all five men stood their ground as they attempted to reload their weaponry as swiftly as possible under such dazzling circumstances.

"Just Karl is fine."

Smirking as he muttered his own name and with the guards' reloading-imposed pause in offense, Heisenberg was free to reroute his unnatural powers from the defensive magnetic barrier to a more...deadly application. With one glance at a time.

The first guard didn't get to as much as eject his spent clip as his own gun suddenly rotated around and rammed him right in his unprotected throat - hard enough to knock the man right on his ass. Crying out in pain, the man didn't get a chance to get back up, as the sharp barrel of the weapon, pushed by unnatural force, continued on its course - burrowing right through skin and flesh, severing tendons and vital arteries, before finally stopping and letting the unfortunate soul to drown in his own blood.

The second guard had only time for a brief glance towards his compatriot before his own helmet - or more precisely, the metal parts inside of it - started to push on his head… The mounting pressure allowed the man to let out a brief scream of agony before the monstrous force crushed his skull like a grapefruit, leaving his head a deformed mess and showering his comrades in capillary blood.

The third guard stoically brought his reloaded submachine gun up - only for bullet casings under his own feet to suddenly assault the man in a relentless onslaught that soon saw the unprotected parts of his body penetrated in dozens of places - causing his critically-injured frame to collapse on the floor, destined to bleed out in minutes.

The forth guard cursed as the blood from his comrade apparently jammed his gun. In a surprisingly-swift gesture, the belligerent man grabbed, primed and hurled a flashbang grenade - only for it to stop in mid-air and then fly itself right into his open mouth. Apparently, the less-than-lethal device proved quite lethal when jammed down one's throat, as the man's head quite literally exploded - with viscera and brain bits raining all over the hallway akin to a rain of gore.

Seemingly the least competent of the bunch, the fifth guard was still fumbling with his gun when the flashbang exploded inches from his own head - likely deafening the man forever. Well, for however long he would live, as soon after the man fell down on the ground while clutching his ears, a large metal lamp detached from its place on the ceiling over the butchered squad. With a shower of electric sparks, the hefty appliance slammed into the guard's back, producing a horrific cracking and squelching noise. The man didn't get up.

"Are we still keeping count, dear niece?"

Letting her own snack fall to the floor - dead, Cassandra merely scowled at her uncle with her blood-soaked grimace.

At her telling silence, Karl's smirk morphed into a full-blown grin, before the metal-manipulator turned his attention to other elevators - some of which were ascending right to their floor.

"I'll take care of any more guests, hurry the fuck up!"

Bending and warping metal doors of every inbound elevator to the point where it would take a blowtorch to get through them, Heisenberg's work was cut out of him. Nodding his head, Dion motioned towards the hallway from which the guards came in the first place. Thankfully, the 103rd floor was a relatively small one - originally just the observatory - now remodeled to contain little more than the hallway that led to psionic Relay itself and a small command center.

Stepping over the bloodied corpses and turning the corner, the trio of invaders beheld a serious, but expected obstacle - a large, bulkhead-like gate at the end of the hallway. These most formidable of pneumatic-driven, heavy-duty doors would likely hinder even the Lord of Metal for longer than the gang of intruders could afford, but they came prepared.

Leon's hacker had provided them a full blueprint of the building before the mission, so they had an answer at the ready and Dion quickly set to work at assembling a small thermite-like explosive, which was previously concealed in a number of inconspicuous objects that were designed to defeat even a professionally-done security screening.

"Hurry up, soldier-boy!" egged him on Cassandra, as she gazed at her own watches. For all their power, even she was aware that they were on borrowed time here and that the building's formidable security force would eventually overwhelm them, if they lingered. More than just humans protected the ATC HQ and Cassandra was not looking forward to meeting the other threat they were warned about. Not that she would ever admit so out-loud.

Fortunately, Dion was quick with his fingers and soon the high-intensity bomb was assembled and affixed upon the last obstacle. Taking cover behind some potted plants, Ethan and Cassandra heeded the redhead's direction to "don't look at it" but were still blinded by the hyper-intense exothermic reaction taking place.

Short-lived, but extraordinarily hot, this particular type of thermite was soon able to burrow its way even through these heavy-duty doors - creating a tidy, a bit under a baseball-sized, hole.

Seeing the exothermic explosive dying down and recognizing the fact that it was her turn, Cassandra proceeded to briskly walk towards the obstacle before shapeshifting into her insect form and gaining access to the command room by trickling her whole swarm through the newfound opening. Ethan's eyes widened in realization when he noted that not everything Cassandra wore made it through the small hole.

Hoping that there was indeed an override switch on the other side of the bulkhead, Dion and Ethan quickly took positions next to it and waited for the brunette to do her thing. Mercifully - there was - and soon the powerful gates screeched open, allowing them entrance, as well as an unforgettable sight of Cassandra in just her panties - as it was the only article of clothing that could easily fit through the hole.

"Eyes up front, you bastards."

"Yes, ma'am!" quipped Dion in response to her menacing growl, even as the young man flushed bright red at seeing her admittedly incredible body. Muttering something akin to captain is one lucky bastard under his breath, Dion entered the command center while the woman swiftly got back into her suit; Ethan soon followed in, though the man was remarkably less taken by Cassandra's beauty, as the bloodshed that occurred mere minutes ago took precedence in his mind.

Quickly ascending the staircase that led to the 104th floor and entering the command center itself, Ethan was surprised to discover how vastly different the room appeared in comparison to the rest of the building. Trading that quaint but eye-pleasing 20th century look for something right out of some sci-fi movie, the peculiar scene forced Ethan to do a double take.

Three times as tall as a man in height, the cubic room at the very apex of the Empire State Building was confined by heavy-duty metal shutters from every side, with not a single ray of light from the outside world reaching in. Of course, the sight of the enclosed room at large paled in comparison to the enormous metal-gray sphere that occupied the majority of the command center all by itself. Perfectly smooth and with no visible features that would break its total uniformity, the enigmatic object was more alien than anything Ethan had seen in his life. Glancing at the floor, Ethan had to amend that previous thought about the orb's absolute uniformity - a large number of cables were snaking out from its foundation, reaching into several pieces of advanced-looking machinery and large computer consoles, as well as into all four corners - going downwards, deeper into the building.

Near one such console, a man in a white lab-coat stood with his hands folded in a clear gesture of defiance, even while Dion was aiming his firearm right at him.

"Would you kindly open it up for my friend here?"

The middle-aged lab-coat merely scowled at the sickly-sweet voice and a charming smile of the redheaded intruder.

"Or what? You can't shoot me! I am a law-abiding and tax-paying citizen of the United fucking States of America! I know my fucking rights! Have you even read the Geneva Convention, you brain-dead Neanderthal!?"

"Never heard anything about that Geneva's convention, but I recall dining on a girl who called herself Geneva, ten years ago or some such. Yummy." Happily informed Cassandra, while swaggering into the command center as if she owned the place; fully dressed in her bullet-torn blazer and shirt, once again, thankfully.

The scientist stared aghast at the slowly approaching vampire - his gaze rapidly flickering to and fro her bullet-stricken clothing with little blood on it and her snarling mouth - with plenty of blood around it. Clearly not wearing his lab coat for nothing, the man swiftly connected the dots and backed away - only to bump into the unyielding metal of the shutters.

Making no noise but the clicking of her heels upon the tiled floor, Cassandra was soon upon the slightly shorter man. To his unbridled horror, the brunette's telltale insects started to detach from her skin and buzz around the pair, swiftly growing in number. Still flashing him that same insanity-filled grimace, the vampiric woman proceeded to nonchalantly tear off his badge, only to read it aloud in a voice that made even Ethan sweat.

"Benjamin Locke… now that's a tasty-sounding name. Would you like to join dear old Geneva in my tummy?"

Hyperventilating and with bulging eyes, the man was clearly terrified out of his mind. Seemingly unable to speak, he simply gaped at the horrifying vampire who was playfully patting her own belly and the ravenous swarms of chaotically buzzing bugs around the both of them. His fear alone was not enough for the sadist, however and soon it gave way to an agonized expression on Ben's face, as the flesh-eating insects started to feast upon his skin.

"Well? Unlock this thing or would you rather deal with my little friends? Either case is fine by me, as they are just so… fucking... hungry."

Each syllable wore down on the man's resolve until nothing was left. Snapping her bloodied teeth at him was finally enough to shake the scientist out of his panic-induced paralysis. With a frantic nod, the man turned around and rapidly started to press some buttons on a console next to him.

Ethan, observing the scene with morbid fascination, had to struggle to turn his gaze from the fearsome vampire and her hapless victim as the hissing sound coming from the giant sphere fought for his attention. Glancing at the enigmatic orb, the man was surprised to see a human-sized indentation revealing itself from the perfect uniformity of the mysterious device. The indentation soon proceeded to slide upwards from the inside - allowing entrance into the hollow sphere. Moreover, the sudden chill that rushed from the now-open object flooded the command center, forcing Cassandra to will her bugs to return to her flesh, as well as to shudder in obvious discomfort. Knowing about the Dimitrescu' girls crippling vulnerability to cold, Ethan momentarily turned his attention from the orb and back to Cassandra.

"You alright, Cass?"

"Ugh… just pppeachy… but I and Ben will wait outside this fffreezer, if it's just the sssame to you."

Roughly grabbing the scientist by the scruff of his neck, the chilled Dimitrescu proceeded to drag herself and the man back to the warmer 103rd floor.

"You can't do this to me… I am a respected member of the international academic community…"

Naturally, Ben's feeble protests were utterly ignored by the callous and distinctly un-academic brunette.

Now with just himself and Dion in the large room, the father returned his gaze back to the orb's innards. While the sight of the internal surface of the sphere being fully covered by strange-looking machinery was noteworthy in its own right, the center of the object is what fully occupied Ethan's attention.

A peculiar, complex-looking, chair-like device dominated the interior of the orb, with a bald but otherwise normal-looking man who was seemingly affixed to it. Despite having his eerily-blue eyes wide open, it appeared that the man was completely unaware of what was going on around him. Not blinking or moving a single muscle, the man simply stared straight ahead, utterly ignoring every stimuli. Furthermore, the baldie was seemingly connected to that chair by a number of intrusive-looking contacts all along his spine. Was this the Replica Commander Eveline had spoken about?

Yes! This is it, daddy.

Eveline's voice broke Ethan out of his shocked stupor. The father was swift to recall the plan, then - to infect this strange human male with Eveline's fungal cells. A little detail was quick to stand up in his mind, however - they never discussed how exactly that infection would be achieved… would he need to cut himself up and force-feed this man?

Haha, silly daddy! Just come a bit closer to him and raise your hand up...

Deeply unnerved by everything that happened in the last ten minutes, the father, nevertheless, did as the disembodied voice in his head told him to. Carefully entering the sphere and cautiously approaching the commander, Ethan was not prepared for what followed.

The moment Ethan's open palm was hovering over the strange male's head, a tendril of inky-black mold pierced through his own skin - only to shoot out and do the same with the freak's forehead - effortlessly breaking through his skin, swiftly burrowing through the skull and reaching the very brain while splattering the father with blood and bone bits.

Ethan had to struggle to suppress a scream of both agony and disgust, as that tentacle-like thing coming out from his own goddamn hand started to contract and expand rapidly, as if pumping some kind of nasty stuff directly into the bald man's brain. The commander shuddered in his seat, yet showed no signs of being aware of what was happening, once again.

Yeah, sorry for not warning about that… better to ask for forgiveness than permission, in cases like this!

"Jesus fucking Christ!"

Dion's shocked statement reflected Ethan's own unvoiced thoughts perfectly, yet the father found his body unresponsive as this horrific process continued. Could Ethan even consider himself a human at all after seeing something like this? Was his own body no less monstrous than Cassandra's?

Without warning, the tendril performed one last, particularly powerful contraction, before suddenly growing stiff and pale - reminding Ethan of all the times he had defeated some kind of mold-based life-form. And just like he expected, the brittle tentacle soon crystallized completely, before shattering to tiny pieces - leaving nothing but a small hole in the palm of his hand and the commander's forehead.

"What the fuck…" Gazing at his own hand with a mix of astonishment and distress, Ethan never felt quite as much out of his depth as today. A middling system engineer six years ago, today he was infiltrating the heart of one of the most influential weapon-makers, while using his own mutated body as a weapon to infect some kind of a human computer.

Shaking off the unwelcome revelation of his own monstrous nature, the father returned his gaze back to the once again unmoving body of the commander that was affixed to the weird neural chair. Now it was up to Eveline to see their insane plan through… Ethan's job here was done.

"Shit! Ethan, I think we've got some problems here!" came Dion's frantic voice from outside the sphere.

Or was it?