Well, here's the next chapter in the life of Desmond Lee. Why did the attack from the Evolved fail to react? Why did Lee's chest writhe? Why am I asking you these questions when I know the answers? (Please review and comment. [I don't own Prototype, but I do own all characters {except a few, who will appear later}.] Your reviews help improve the story.)

Chapter 2

I walked down the street, just observing the civilians. It was horrible: I noticed so many standing next to barrel fires, wearing masks to prevent infection, and dressed in tattered clothes barely fit for the lowest classes of society. I passed without saying a word, quietly wishing I could improve their existences. The streets were otherwise empty. Cars, abandoned and broken apart, lay everywhere. How did all this progress get ripped apart after one simple disease?

Thanks to that Evolved attack, I was hyper-alert, sensitive to even the slightest noise. I heard a shuffling in an alleyway to my right, and my body started going into overdrive. I ran for the cover of a car and ducked down, looking around the bumper to check for enemies. Sure enough, there was one civvie crouching in a shadow. I figured he was a looter, trying to get any advantage he could. I darted for the wall, and realized I couldn't surprise him from the front. Luckily, there was a sign about 30 feet above me, but how to reach it? I decided to try jumping, and got a huge surprise doing so. My experimental jump propelled me higher than I thought possible, lifting me right below the overhang. As you might think, I grabbed it and held on. Normally I would be concerned, but all I cared about was living to see tomorrow. I hauled myself up and silently walked to the edge of the overhang, so I could see my assailant. He was about 6 feet tall, thin as hell, and kept checking over his shoulder.

I knew I would have to scare him. Instead of looking for a safer route, I fell straight down. As I descended, I reached out and grabbed the man as I got close to the ground. Surprisingly, I impacted with no sensations of pain, but I wouldn't have noticed anyway, as my adrenaline was pumping.

"Who the hell are you? Don't you know assaulting a Gentek researcher is a capital offense?" I inquired. He just started sweating.

"What? I-I thought you were a scavenger. Please, just let me go," he begged. He didn't seem to be aggressive, so I dropped him.

"Get out of my sight. Never let me see you again," I ordered him. Just to make my point clear, I hauled his ass off the ground and kicked him in the chest. As I made contact, I heard something cracking. The looter flew 20 feet before slamming into a Dumpster at the end of the alley. I jumped back in surprise. I decided to walk away when I noticed that he was still breathing.

I suddenly realized that I was lost, and the light was fading fast. Lucky for me, there was an abandoned map across the street. I went and picked it up, only to find that it was near useless. I tossed it away after pinpointing the general area I needed to get to, and started to run. As I covered more and more ground, I realized that the buildings were moving past me way too quickly. I immediately dropped down and skidded to a stop, right in the middle of an intersection. As I got up, I noticed that I had somehow ripped up the road, leaving a huge ditch behind.

As I pondered this, I heard an engine. It was very close and...RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! I decided to jump and maybe break a leg, but once again, my move shoved me way too far. This time, I eviscerated a tree. There were branches and leaves everywhere. For some reason, I didn't feel any pain. In fact, I had no scratches on my body. Someone jumped out of the back of the vehicle, which I now realized was a troop carrier.

"Hey, you! What the hell is wrong with you? First, you get yourself lost, then we almost kill you trying to look for you? Come on, Colonel Rooks is not a very patient man."

"Jesus, watch where you're going! Try this one more time, and I will have your heads on a plate!" I yelled. The soldier tackled me and injected me with something. I tried fighting him, even managing to land a few good shots, but I slowly lost my energy and blacked out.

When I came to, I realized that I wasn't at the base. Those bastards had thrown me into a hotel room and left me there to die! I slowly looked over to the nightstand, and what I saw really pissed me off. That drug knocked me out for two straight days!

Suddenly, I heard something at the door. I sat up to answer it, but a man jumped from the shadows and looked out the window, but he didn't let me see outside.

"Excuse me, but is this your room? And, may I ask, who the hell are you?" I asked, still a little hyped up on the tranquilizer.

"None of your fuckin' business, Dr. Lee. Now sit down and shut the fuck up, before I decide to kill your scrawny ass," he rumbled. Now that my eyes were adjusting, I saw he was ripped, about 6 feet tall, and wearing a bad-ass jacket. As I watched it, a strange symbol began to glow on his back.

"No, seriously, who are you? I'm just-" I started to ask, but then the door exploded inwards, with a Brawler following close behind it. The stranger just muttered something, and what he did next scared the living shit out of me.

His right arm started writhing, like there were snakes on it, but as the writhing faded, where his arm should've been was a long, sharp, curved blade attached at his shoulder! He ran up to the Infected creature and sliced its arms off, then ripped it apart. As he finished, a giant arm broke through the doorway and slammed the man right in the chest. He flew backwards and hit the wall, collapsing as he hit the floor. The owner of the arm smashed through the wall, and I noticed that it was a fucking Juggernaut. I tried to run, but something took over. I jumped off the bed, hopped onto a wall, and shoved off, taking the Juggernaut with me. Once I pulled its Hammerfists off, I shoved my fist deep into his chest. As I punctured its thick hide, I felt an object slide through my arm and into the Infected creature. I paid no attention, however, and tossed the thing back out.

The Juggernaut crushed a huge mass of Infected following it and took out a Brawler. It started squirming in pain, and then it exploded! A huge mass of tendril-looking appendages shot out of the thing, ripping everything in its path apart! I felt this amazing surge of energy, but then I hit the ground. Something picked me up, and I realized that it was the strange man. How the hell did he survive that punch?

"Son, what the fuck? I've never seen a Biobomb explode like that! My God, who the fuck infected you?" he questioned.

"What do you…who are you?"

"I'm James, James Heller. You're lucky I found you first back there, otherwise you'd be dead right now."

That got my attention. "WHAT!?"

"Hear me out. Some rogue Evolved ambushed your convoy. I couldn't save your buddies, but you didn't even have a scratch. Now I know why: you're Evolved."

"I'm not one of you. I'm a Gentek researcher, trying to create a cure for the virus!" I screamed.

"Really? A cure? They've already tried. Anyways, how did you kill all those Infected, then? Ah, that's not the point. Please, help me. I need allies, and you fit the bill. Gentek ain't the good guys here. They created the virus, they released it, and they created this entire mess. Trust me, you don't-" He suddenly collapsed, spasming on the ground. I tried to check his pulse, but I heard a small metallic click just outside the door. I looked over, and saw a camouflaged soldier standing with some sort of handgun. He shot me once, and I felt myself being lifted up as I lost consciousness.