A/N: Same disclaimer as usual from any of my stuff. Happy reading!
Chapter 1: Ground Zero
New York City
Offshore Southwest Manhattan - Approx. 13 miles out
Day 18 of infection - Infected Population: 72.39%
The nuclear fire burned brightly in the distant outskirts of NYZ's ocean line, its wave of volatile energy consuming an imperceptible lone helicopter that was used to dispose of the bomb. The aircraft's pilot, Alex, wasn't sure if he would survive after defeating the Supreme Hunter. The beast had made the claim that it would've if their roles were reversed. Although, with all that Alex had discovered in the past few days, a part of him questioned what he would find in the aftermath.
The prototype was no longer bound to the idea that he had been a mere human cursed by a series of unfortunate events yet it bore the sins of the man who caused the first outbreak. He couldn't help but wonder if things could finally be put to rest once everything was said and done, as the identity he assumed would always follow him no matter what.
A part of him wanted to break away from the identity of Alex Mercer forever. What use is a dead man if one such as himself would always fall under its shadow?
There was little time to consider the thought as his skin felt a singeing burn for a split second before a flash of white overtook his vision.
An ocean of faces cry out in despair as they feel the oncoming annihilation. They have no true voice to speak of but they remain within as a conglomerate of memories, developed opinions, feelings on what we all collectively see and feel at any given moment.
The chorus of pain is sudden and almost overwhelming as we merely listen and thrum to the feedback of various senses and nerves that seemingly disappear in the blink of an eye. There is a strange feeling that washes over me in the exact moment when I no longer feel the voices of the many, this newfound isolation is cold and hollow in the silence that follows.
I am no longer drowning in a sea of souls layered by a web of intrigue, I can feel myself become something more than a silent addition to an innumerable legion.
I was once Alex, now I am someone else.
The city had awaited news from the unexpected nuclear detonation that had exploded not too far from them. During which there was a brief period where Blackwatch pulled overtime to do some damage control by pulling out the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and reinforcing their efforts to cleanse the infected areas in the newly dubbed New York Zero. Many citizens were confused as the situation unfolded, yet the higher powers that be had blamed an unknown threat by accusing whoever responsible and weaving a "Never give up, Never surrender" narrative that roused the people to maintain whatever unity could keep them in line.
In the days that followed, Alex regenerated back to normal after consuming a raven that attempted to feast on his remaining biomass. With little reason to remain in New York, he left to travel the world in an effort to seek answers as means to better understand his own perceptions of himself, even taking a closer look at the weathered beliefs he had on humanity as whole. The discoveries he came to learn in due time would shift the course of history to a darker path, fueled by a twisted idea of unity where Alex stood above all in one mind and one goal.
Unbeknownst to anyone, there was another prototype in the making.
This unknown anomaly did not retain much of the genetic information that would allow it to become yet another Alex - due to significant damage from the radiation caused by the nuke. Instead, it grew into someone else. Their knowledge of recent events paired with the freedom to become their own person would see them on a brighter future, and when their inevitable encounter against Blackwatch comes..
They will know that MORPHEUS won't back down.