Prototype/Parasite Eve --- Chapter 1

I do not own Prototype or Parasite Eve. They belong to their respective creators and not me. Although I did wish I had Aya. She’s a cutie. Anyway, please enjoy.

Viral Adam/Parasite Eve

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Day 1: Emergence

New York City

The city was cold as the snow fell from the sky, painting the darkened streets of the already blanketed city with even more graying white. What snow wasn’t dirtied by contact with the city was turned to mush to drain away into the underground sewers that were the only source of warmth for those who were barred from the cosy homes that were abundant all around. Walking down the street was one man who looked like he could have joined those who were less fortunate. He wore a simple pair of jeans with sneakers and a white hooded shirt with a black leather jacket over it. His features were hard and it looked like he may have had no hair under his hood but it was hard to tell. His eyes though, his eyes spoke of some kind hunger than humans couldn’t possibly understand and his stance spoke of violence that most people save war criminals couldn’t achieve.

Alex Mercer was the ultimate predator of the streets of New York

The name Alex Mercer spread fear across New York, people still whispering it and wondering what had become of him. He still walked among the people, but he kept his features different, allowing him to mingle among the people rather than stand out like a sore thumb even if he wore the same clothes he did during his ‘birth’.

For you see, Alex Mercer as he was now was not human, but a sentient virus.

It started back with the real Alex Mercer who worked for the Gentek corporation on something called Blacklight, a new biological weapon which was outsourced to the company by a block ops group called Blackwatch. Alex Mercer was the reason Blacklight became as powerful as it was. Unfortunately, Congress started getting a little too interested in Gentek’s activities and were hinting at investigations into their activities. Due to the illegal nature of which the Blacklight was produced as well as it’s source, Blackwatch decided that it was time to pull the plug and set up shop elsewhere. To that end, their soldiers began killing everyone involved in the Blacklight Project who were possible information leaks and that included Alex Mercer.

Alex fled Gentek with a sample of Blacklight for insurance. However, he was cornered in Penn Station and gunned down by Blackwatch but not before he broke the vial of Blacklight which began a massive infection. Alex’ body was brought back to Gentek for autopsy, but he inexplicably woke up and fled Gentek but as several Blackwatch soldiers attempted to kill him again. Their bullets had no effect and Alex found himself in possession of superhuman abilities as well as the ability to morph his body parts into weapons. Most disturbing of all though was his ability to consume people and obtain their identities and memories.

Missing his own memories, Alex tried to figure out what was going on with himself and find answers. Consuming several soldiers, Alex discovered that he had a sister. Going out to see her, he found her being interrogated by a Blackwatch soldier. Killing the man, he asked his sister Dana what was going on. She didn’t know, but she had been collecting information on Gentek and soon discerned that they were definitely up to something that was at the least illegal and likely Blackwatch was in on it.

Looking for answers, Alex broke into a Gentek facility and found Elizabeth Greene, the source of the material which eventually became the Blacklight Virus. Unfortunately, she was anything but grateful and knocked Alex aside before breaking out into the city, taking control of the infection and letting all hell break loose.

It was during that time that Blackwatch showed their true colors. They ruthlessly cut down anyone and everyone who even looked remotely infected. Even if the person was healthy they were still gunned down simply because Blackwatch wanted to end any chance of the virus getting loose or so they claimed. They didn’t bother to try and save anyone, just killing and killing, some of the soldiers actually taking a perverse pleasure in doing it. Mercer enjoyed killing pricks like that the most since he could make it hurt way more than a single gunshot.

In his quest for answers and to stop Greene, Alex discovered the truth behind Blacklight and Blackwatch. In 1969, Blackwatch created a virus called Redlight which was supposed to target specific ethnic groups and actually had the audacity to test it on American citizens in the town of Hope, Idaho. Rather than do what it was supposed to though, Redlight mutated and turned everyone into crazed killers or simply outright killed them. Blackwatch burned the city to the ground and killed everyone, covering up the incident. Greene was the only survivor and it was from her body that the material that Mercer turned into Blacklight was derived from. Blackwatch and then Gentek had been researching her ever since, trying to develop biological weapons from her and even planned to use her child as one after he grew enough. Greene simply wished to infect the world and let people suffer for the atrocity which she had to suffer for.

Mercer also discovered an awful truth. he wasn’t actually Alex Mercer. That man died at Penn Station. What called itself Alex Mercer now was in fact the Blacklight virus which consumed his body and mimicked his biological functions down to the brain and all the information locked within, making him actually think he was Alex Mercer. He didn’t dwell on it too long, his quest for answers turning into a quest for revenge on the people who allowed such monstrosities and atrocities to be born and/or take place. Blackwatch had to be stopped and he was the one that was going to do it.

Alex fought and slaughtered Blackwatch wherever they were found and after confronting his former employer, who cowardly took his own life to avoid Alex’s wrath, he discovered that the leader of Blackwatch General Randall planned to nuke Manhattan to get rid of the virus and incidentally cover up all of the crimes and evidence of illegal experimentation that Blackwatch and Gentek had been responsible for. Getting onboard of his ship, Alex consumed Randal both learning how to stop the nuke as well as the truth behind Hope. He managed to get the nuke overseas before a small piece of himself infected a crow and he consumed it upon returning to shore.

Afterwards Alex began cleaning up any and all infected he could find, hunting them down all over the city. Blackwatch was effectively ousted into the world but without the leader they were disorganized and unsure. Apparently Randall was the type of leader who made sure he knew exactly what his men were doing at all times. When the nuke went off, the government decided that Blackwatch was obviously in over their heads and began sending in the military to get things under control. With Randall dead, the military took control, not that Blackwatch liked it and ended up fighting the issue the whole damn way more than they did the remaining infected. Alex on the other hand saw it as an opportunity and with Dana’s help began spreading the evidence of Blackwatch and Gentek’s illegal and inhumane experiments to all levels of the government as well as the media.

Many members of the military sect of the government resigned in disgrace, some of them having been in power and helping Blackwatch become established. The president immediately ordered Blackwatch terminated and all members be arrested for crimes against humanity. Gentek didn’t escape the tide either as many of the science staff and the board of trustees were likewise arrested for helping Blackwatch do what it did. Some even committed suicide once word of their actions in facilitating the cause of the outbreaks got started. Some of the higher staff members of Blackwatch argued that their actions protected the United States, but their defence was cut down to shreds when it was pointed out that it did not give them authority to experiment on U.S. citizens or execute them simply because it was easier than rescuing them. In the end, Blackwatch was destroyed and Gentek went bankrupt and dissolved. It was satisfying for Mercer, even if he couldn’t kill more of them.

Over a year had passed since the Blacklight Incident. The government pumping Bloodtox into the water, air, and sewers eliminated any remaining infected that Alex himself did not kill. The biomass which Elizabeth spread over the city shrivelled and died, leaving most of the buildings they were part of unharmed while the buildings that were destroyed or damaged in the chaos were either replaced or quick to be repaired. Alex himself kept his head low, mimicking people he consumed to walk about or just keeping his head low. He did his part and he just didn’t feel like causing more chaos. He’d seen enough death and destruction. Maybe it was Dana’s influence since he was living with her, but it helped him remember that he was more than just some virus that was made to infect, kill, and consume. He was sentient, had dreams, had things he wished to do rather than was driven to do.

So Alex continued to exist. Whenever his viral instincts began to demand to go and kill something, he usually went and killed a bunch of rats in the sewers or if he was pissed off about something he’d go to a rough side of town and let some mugger test his luck. They’d always lose. The government was still after him though, his name being on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for the first Mercer’s unleashing of the virus. For that and Dana’s peace of mind, he continued to lay low.

New York had recovered nicely from the incident. One wouldn’t have been able to tell in most areas that the city had been the source of a massive infection of a deadly virus and that a black ops group which had grown too powerful for its’ own good and became corrupted had almost wiped the city off the face of the map. Things wouldn’t have been as good as they were had not Mercer gone on his infected killing spree. Still, no one questioned the good fortune as the survivors got back to their lives and tried to forget about the atrocities which had happened right in their own backyard. Christmas had come around again and people were still in high spirits for surviving the Blacklight so it was an especially jolly christmas for everyone around.

Alex just continued walking, not looking at anyone or anything. He wasn’t one of them and he knew it so he didn’t share a shred of their enthusiasm. Instead, he just went on his way. He had just come back from a rat run so his viral instincts were satisfied for the time being. as it was the city was probably going to be having a record cleanliness rate down their and the homeless fellas won’t be suffering the little bastards for a while. Making his way over to Dana’s building, Mercer allowed his face to shift back to the one he was comfortable with as he entered.

Dana had been understanding of Alex’s situation even if he frightened her for a while after meeting her. She had been under watch by the government for a while, but they soon decided to search elsewhere for Alex and dropped her altogether when other terrorists decided the US was ripe for the bombing in the wake of the attack. Dana insisted he stay with her, not really having anyplace else to go he decided to take her up on the offer. He hated freeloading off of her, possibly a remnant from the real Mercer’s personality for independance. Still, he didn’t sleep all that much, he didn’t take an ounce of food unless Dana offered, and he didn’t even need to use the bathroom. The only thing he took up was space and Dana’s apartment had a fair share of that.

Coming up the stairs, he reached Dana’s apartment and like usual barged right in. Inside was the usual space dedicated to a journalist student in NYU as well as a tabloid reporter. A lot of Dana’s income came from news agencies wanting to buy the info she had on Blackwatch and Gentek as well as anything new she may have scrounged up since. It was hinted that a lot of the agencies wanted to hire her after she graduated.

Rather than see her on her computer typing away on some report or story she would submit to one of the papers, Alex was surprised to see his tomboy of a sister in a black dress with gold earrings on her ears and her face decorated with makeup. Normally that would be a pleasant surprise, but the look of downright anger she was wearing while yelling into her cellphone made it seem like the night was going to be anything but pleasant.

“What do you mean you have to cancel? Dammit Wayne! We were planning this for weeks!” Dana yelled into her phone. “Can’t you reschedule whatever it is that’s pulling you away? Don’t tell me you can’t! What kind of emergency could it be? Wayne? Wayne?” she scowled and practically punched the end call button. “Dammit!”

“Sounds bad,” Alex commented, shutting the door behind him.

“Asshole cancelled at the last minute. Some crap about an emergency catching his attention,” Dana growled, still glaring at her phone. “He’s a journalism student! What emergency could it be?”

“Family?” Alex shrugged, moving to the couch to grab a seat.

“He’d have said it if it was. That way I wouldn’t be so pissed,” Dana replied before glaring at the form of her brother. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with this, would you?”

“No,” Alex quickly denied. “That was only one time.” Dana’s last boyfriend had been cheating on her, Alex having figured it out when forced to disguise himself as a woman to hide from an overzealous cop got hit on by the bastard while hiding in a bar. He scared the prick half to death in his Armour form and last he heard the guy had left the city.

“Well, it’s Christmas Eve and I don’t have a date,” Dana sighed. “Two tickets to what’s supposed to be a premiere performance of a rising opera star that I can not only enjoy but write a society article about and I’m dateless.”

“Then go by yourself,” Alex shrugged. Really, what was the drama about?

“You don’t go to events like these by yourself unless you’re some kind of expert on this sort of thing,” Dana sighed. “Man, no matter what the biological makeup men are still clueless about what a woman wants.” Shaking her head, she suddenly stiffened as an idea hit her. “Hey...”

“No,” Alex cut in, already noticing that Dana had an idea.

“Oh come on Alex,” Dana whined, trying to plead with her brother. “All you’d have to do is shift into some guy, preferably good looking and we could go an enjoy the opera and have a nice time for Christmas Eve. I get to have my night out and you can actually enjoy being outside for a change.”

“I enjoy being outside all the time,” Alex argued back.

“I mean actually doing something fun, not merely existing,” the student pointed out. “Come on, it’ll only be for an hour or two and you can just relax and not worry about someone recognizing you or having to consume some punk who decides to cause trouble.”

“That happened one time,” Alex repeated himself.

“That I know of,” Dana retorted. “Come on Alex. Please?” She then tried for that pout that would make Alex of the past cave in to her demands and if her new brother had a shred of the old in him, he’d cave too.

“I said no,” Alex frowned.

(LINE BREAK)

New York---Carnegie Hall

“How’d you even convince me to do this?” Alex asked Dana who hung on his arm, smiling impishly. He was dressed in a tuxedo that Dana picked out from a magazine, matched by his new looks which were from a Blackwatch soldier he had consumed but didn’t look as shabby as the actual man did when Alex consumed him.

“Little sister’s secret!” Dana grinned. “Now come on.”

The opera house itself was a big and very fancy building with flags hanging out front and actual doormen opening car doors for the occupants or for those wanting to enter the building. It was an experience that spoke a lot about money, cash, fancy suits, and designer jewelry. It also made Alex feel like he didn’t belong in more ways than one. First of all it was a human thing he just didn’t feel like he fit into and secondly after all the carnage he had been through as well as bits of memories from the first Mercer’s life it was like he didn’t belong even if he was human anyway. Too many rich snobs out and about.

Glancing about, most of the people there seemed just as excited as Dana was although it was in their own snobbish ways. A black car pulled up to the sidewalk, letting the doorman open the door to let out a blonde casanova-type and a woman who to Alex’ trained eye for genetic traits looked like a mix between Asian and Caucasian with the almond-shaped eyes and narrow cheeks but with short blonde hair. She wore a slim black dress with a slit up the side with a black luxury fur coat. Despite how the night seemed perfect for a fancy date, the woman looked like she was just as uncomfortable as Alex was.

The casanova was trying to reassure her that they were going to have a great time and boasted that his parents got the best seats in the house. Likely he was a rich boy who wanted to go out with his date because of her good looks, being the best of East and West apparently. Knowing that type, as Dana dated a few herself who wanted in on her skyrocketing reputation as the one who cracked Gentek and Blackwatch, he probably thought that wining and dining the woman with the finer things would make her more likely to let him remove her clothes later in the night. Well, all the luck to him and if the girl was dumb enough to fall for it she deserved a crappy finish to a date.

Dana yanked Alex along and they entered the building proper, following the red carpets into the opulent theatre itself where a michelangelo-like fresco rested on the ceiling and a jeweled chandelier illuminated the hall. The orchestra was playing a soothing tune to get the people amused and ready for the show to pass the time while people arrived. Dana pulled Alex to one of the middle rows and quickly found their seats as more people were piling inside.

“Just sit back and relax Alex,” Dana smiled. “Hell, fall asleep if you really have to but I want you to find tonight soothing. Forget about the past year, forget about Gentek, and most of all forget about Blackwatch. Tonight it’s just about being Alex.”

“You say it like it’s a good thing,” Alex muttered.

“As far as I’m concerned, it is,” Dana insisted.

‘It’s probably the only thing that makes being me worth it,’ Alex thought inwardly.

The theatre finally filled, no one wanting to miss the show and slowly the orchestra changed to another song. The lights began to dim and actors came out onto the stage while the curtains pulled up. The actors were all dressed like out of the medieval period, but one woman in a red dress and long brown hair seemed to bring special attention.

“That’s Melissa Pearce, the woman I’m going to do a piece on,” Dana whispered to Alex, trying not to disturb the others in the room. “She’s been making a few waves from what research I did. She was double cast for this role but her co-star died in an apartment fire a while ago so she’s gotten the role to herself.”

“How lucky,” Alex muttered.

“She was cleared of all suspicion, but she’s supposedly still broken up about it,” Dana continued. “Tonight’s supposed to an homage to her co-star as well as her own premiere performance.”

The orchestra began their songs and the play began. The story seemed rather generic, the son of a king had fallen in love with a woman named Eve played by Melissa. He wished to marry her, but every man she married before had died a horrible death, making many believe that she was a witch of some kind. The prince refused to hear of it and asked his father for his blessing. The climax of the event came when the king ordered Eve to be burned as a witch. The prince pleaded with his father until Eve stepped forward to console him. The music then changed once more and Melissa began to sing her solo piece, the part which would make or break her entire career as a newcomer.

Alex had to admit that Melissa was a beautiful woman. Her hazel eyes and soft features made her an excellent-looking portrayal of the noble woman. Her dress only accented that regal posture of hers on the stage. Her singing was also beautiful, no doubt the result of natural talent as well as hard work much like the first Mercer’s own work into genetics. It was a beautiful song and Alex absently found himself relaxing while hearing it. If the play went off without a hitch then Melissa would no doubt be receiving a glowing review at least as far as Dana was concerned. Now if only she would stop blinking all the time and...

Alex shifted in his seat slightly when he realized it. Looking at Melissa singing, he almost missed her eyes. His abilities as the Blacklight carrier allowed him to have a much sharper field of vision as well as being able to see into different types of vision. Looking at Melissa, he could see that her brown hazel eyes were starting to turn blotchy in the iris, as if it were breaking apart. At first Alex thought that the woman was on the verge of having some kind of attack, but then he saw her eyes suddenly turn into an emerald green shade, the iris still blotchy.

“What the hell?” he blinked.

“Alex?” Dana frowned.

Suddenly, Alex felt his biomass shudder, receiving some kind of genetic signal that almost caused it to move into action. The sensation made him cringe, the action almost being carried out before his own viral triggers forced the biomass to become inert and follow their assigned task under him. His body quickly took in the signal, analyzing it much like it would the DNA of anybody he consumed albeit after the fact this time. Finding the trigger, his eyes widened in shock, it was some kind of genetic trigger for his organic matter to combust! Someone had just tried to kill him starting on the genetic level!

“Alex?” asked Dana, now growing worried. She was noticing her brother’s body rippling as his biomass reacted to something.

“We need to go,” he spoke frankly. “Now!”

Dana had long since learned that when Alex warned her about something, anything, then it would be a pretty good idea to heed it. She immediately got up and shuffled her way past the people sitting down, rudely moving past as quickly as she could much to their annoyance. Alex watched her go, likewise standing up to prepare for a fight with whatever triggered his biomass. Dana was already running for the door when...

“AHHHH!”

Screams from the stage erupted, causing Alex to turn his attention to it where two of the actors had spontaneously burst into flames. They screamed and began thrashing, trying to put the flames out but it was like the natural oils in their bodies had caught flame before anything else. The audience began to gasp in shock and terror, but Melissa continued singing her song, apparently unheeding of what was going on around her. The horror didn’t end there though as several members of the audience began to catch on fire as well, beginning their own screaming and thrashing, somehow spreading the flames to the other members around them. The heat in the room rose as more and more people caught aflame, the stench of burning meat permeating everything.

It was a smell Alex was used to.

Burning bodies fell from the upper levels of seating, but Alex didn’t bother, leaping clear out of his row and landing in the isle. Pushing some of the fleeing people aside or just ignoring the burning ones, he shifted his biomass back to his battle-mode or ‘game face’ and began heading for the stage. He already knew who was responsible for this mess. Melissa hadn’t once stopped singing and was even now looking on almost like a wicked queen as if she was looking over a mass of peons who weren’t good enough to look up on her and was punishing them for it. Somehow her singing was hitting triggers inside the audience’s bodies that caused them to self-destruct with spontaneous combustion. For the bodies to begin burning so quickly, the body just had to suddenly spike in temperatures to ignite the oils inside. How so many people could be hit with the same trigger at once Alex wasn’t sure but he was going to end it before Dana got hit with it.

Now running towards the stage, Alex let his right arm dissolve into the black and red sinewy mess which was his biomass before it reformed into the spine-like tendril with the bladed end he had affectionately called the Whipfist. Rearing back his arm, Alex let loose at Melissa, aiming to pierce her through the gut and consume her, possibly figuring out how she obtained such an ability. The attack did not go as planned as the woman seemed to glide back from the attack, letting the Whipfist smash into the stage floor where she stood. Rather than pull it back, Alex allowed the fist to pull him up onto the stage.

The stage was practically glowing red as one of the burning actors stumbled and caused the curtains to catch fire. Debris and ashes fell from above, illuminating Alex and Melissa as they eyed one another. She in her red gown and him in his dark outfit stood out as death and blood in their own twisted ways.

“You...are not like the others,” she frowned, her voice sounding slightly warped like it was coming out of a new set of vocal chords.

“That’s a nice way of putting it,” Alex frowned, mutating his right arm into his trusty blade, the edged weapon which took up  most of the same space as his arm once did. “Now just die already.”

Alex charged at Melissa and slashed at her several times, but each time the woman seemed to flow and glide out of the way, dodging at a borderline superhuman pace that Alex hadn’t even seen from the infected and super-soldiers. She was moving too fast, much too efficiently and effectively to be considered human. Something had made her physical skills jump up to the point that she could be well beyond a normal being and closer to his range.

Melissa twirled away, a smirk of superiority on her lips, “Not like the rest, but still inferior to me.” Alex frowned and prepared to charge but he then noticed green particles of light running along Melissa’s skin as her eyes began to shine brightly. The woman then raised her hand up and pointed it at Alex.

It was the last thing he saw before a pulse of green energy blast through his head, removing it from his shoulders.

Alex’s body flew backwards, landing on his back. Melissa’s chucke of satisfaction seemed to echo over the crackling flames, apparently satisfied in proving her ‘superiority’ over him.

That just pissed Alex off.

His body jerked to life again, making Melissa’s chuckling stop. His Blade arm twisted into several tentacles of red/black biomass before shooting off in several directions, nabbing the burning bodies of the prince, king, and guard actors. The tendrils wrapped around the corpses, extinguishing the flames from oxygen deprivation before the Blacklight seeped down into every section of flesh, blood, and bone. The tendrils began breaking the bodies down into biomass and dragging it back to Alex’s body. Consuming the trio of actors, and pulling himself to his feet Alex had his biomass reconstruct his head, granting him proper sight again. Cracking his neck for dramatics, he mutated his arms to the knife-like Claws, letting the hard carapace sing on each finger as they touched.

“Disgusting,” Melissa grimaced. “You fester in the inferior masses in such a way?”

“Whenever I feel like it,” Alex shrugged, “Now, where were we?”

“You don’t even know how close you are to the road to perfection and yet you squander it festering with the inferiors,” Melissa frowned. “Disgusting.”

Alex charged at Melissa once again, slashing at her with his claws but once again whatever she was dosed up on was causing her reflexes and agility to be capable of dodging him. More pulses of light travelled over her body, allowing her to shoot more of those green energy beams at him. Alex’s scientific side wondered how the hell she was doing that, but his closest idea was that she was somehow harnessing the energy of her body be it the electricity of her nervous system or the energy which her cells produced to fire those beams. It didn’t quite make sense yet, but he could figure it out after he consumed her.

One final slash made Melissa leap away from Alex and land on top of the stairs on the stage, allowing her to look down on him once again. The once codenamed ZEUS frowned and prepared to lunge at her once again.

“Freeze! NYPD!”

Alex and Melissa turned their gazes towards the stairs leading to the stage to see someone pointing a gun at them. Surprisingly, Alex recognized her as the woman who was the date to the casanova when he arrived. Now she was sporting a handgun and was in a standard position of an NYPD officer ready to fire and move. He’d know since he consumed a few cops during the Blacklight outbreak.

“Lady, you are either really brave or really stupid coming here,” Alex frowned darkly. He wasn’t sure how the woman survived and avoided being burned to a crisp but he didn’t really care. He just hoped Dana managed to do the same.

Melissa on the other hand seemed actually pleased to see the woman, “Ah...so you’re the only one to actually survive.”

The blonde woman frowned, confused at how Melissa seemed pleased at her survival, “What are you talking about?”

“You mean this was a plan and not some random stunt?” Alex frowned. ‘Not another conspiracy.’

“Of course,” Melissa smiled. “It seems that you will be awakening quite soon.”

“And just what that is supposed to mean?” Alex asked, not liking the insinuation between Melissa and the police officer.

“Why, just listen,” Melissa smiled almost in a matronly way as if the woman was her daughter and was expecting her first child. “Listen to your cells. They are already trying to communicate with you.”

Melissa began crooning out another song and Alex felt his biomass give off another twitch, but he suppressed it. It felt like his biomass was shifting in search of something inside the dna which was its genetic code. Whatever it was that Melissa’s genetic trigger called for, Alex didn’t have it or very little of it. The woman on the other hand cringed, trembling slightly. Small lights could be seen running down her skin like cells lighting up similar to what Melissa had done before she fired that damn laser of hers.

“Wha...what?” the woman gasped. “My...My body....hot...” She stumbled slightly as the glow intensified for a moment. Alex watched on, wondering if he would have to end up killing this woman too if she was changing into something like Melissa.

“As I thought,” Melissa smiled, most pleased with the development.

The woman growled as the glow vanished, “WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!-?”

Melissa smiled, but she didn’t say anything. It only served to piss the police officer off, causing her to lift her gun and begin shooting at the psycho actress. Melissa was unconcerned with the bullets and seemed to glide out of the way. Alex leaped into the fray, shifting his right arm to Whipfist to try and tag Melissa from his distance, but again she seemed to flow around the attacks and instead smashed through the stairs while she continued to move to the stage again. The cop kept shooting and still Melissa seemed to dodge the attacks. The bullets were easier to understand to Alex since his own enhanced senses allowed him to see the trajectory of bullets and dodge them unless he was being swarmed from different angles or a lot of people were shooting at him at once. Dodging his attacks though just spoke volumes of some kind of genetic manipulation but her form had not changed a bit save for her eyes. Not even the super-soldiers Blackwatch created to hunt him down got away physically unchanged after they were finished. Those guys all looked like mountains of muscle by the end of it.

The fight continued, Melissa actually toying with the two of them, shooting the odd laser from her hand but not really taking much of an offensive. Something that Alex did take notice of was that during the fight, the cop’s reflexes were starting to get better or her accuracy did the same. Melissa’s smile grew as she noticed it as well.

“Yes, yes, your cells speak to mine,” she cooed. “The more you use the power, the more you shall become like...me...”

“Power?” the officer growled, pointing her gun at the woman’s head. “What power? Just who ARE you?”

Alex was beginning to wonder the same thing. The woman was supposedly Melissa Pearce, but no simple actress was able to get involved in gene therapy or whatever she took to make herself capable of what she was doing. She was likely someone working under an alias of some sort, but she likely wasn’t with Blackwatch considering all of those assholes were in jail or on the lamb somewhere. More than that, she didn’t have a clue who Alex was. Then again, this woman could be the result of one of Blackwatch’s experiments as well.

Melissa smiled, looking truly sinister as she literally began floating on the stage, “I am...Eve.”

“Eve?” Alex and the cop spoke as one.

“You do not know of me?” Melissa, renamed Eve asked. “Oh but Aya, you should know of me already. You should know me so very well.”

The officer, Aya, suddenly flinched and clenched her hands over her head with a groan. Alex immediately prepared for an attack in case the cop was about to mutate into something. Aya stumbled for a moment before she got her footing back but her eyes were hazy as if recalling a memory, “What...what was that?” she looked to Melissa/Eve. “What did you do?”

Melissa/Eve only gave off a chuckle of her own before she hovered off the stage, vanishing into the darkness of the backstage. Alex frowned and began to give chase before he heard the sounds of a gun being cocked once again, this time at his side. Glancing, he saw that Aya had raised her weapon and this time it was aimed at him.

“Don’t think I didn’t recognize you Mercer,” she frowned, keeping a steady grip on her gun. “All of the precincts in the city have wanted posters with your mug on them.”

“Well good for you,” Alex sighed. “But if you think that I’m responsible for this mess in any way then you’re way off base.”

“Considering what you pulled in Penn Station and what came after, I’d say it’s more than possible,” Aya retorted. “Now tell me what is going on. Is Eve somehow connected to your last outbreak or is she the start of a new one?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Alex shrugged. “All of her abilities seem to stem more on genetic traits rather than any kind of viral infection. She tried to trigger some sort of genetic signal in my biology to spontaneously combust. If it weren’t for my abilities I would have gone up in ashes too. The question is, why didn’t you?”

“Not your problem,” Aya retorted.

“You’re right, it’s not,” Alex agreed before gesturing offstage. “But she is. I didn’t spend all my time saving this city from getting nuked, wiping out all of the infected and laying low to keep the peace to have that bitch screw it all up now. I’ve purposefully made myself not a threat unless provoked. Eve, Melissa or whatever the hell she calls herself on the other hand seems pretty happy to attack anything that moves.” His narrowed on her. “Which is it going to be? The past threat or the current one?”

Aya scowled at the sentient virus for a moment, making Alex think that she may just try to take him down rather than go after Melissa/Eve. When that moment passed though, she lowered her gun and cast a glare at him, “We will finish this later.”

“If there is a later,” Alex scoffed. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” he took off running into the shadows where Melissa/Eve had gone.

“Hey! Wait!” Aya snapped, giving chase.

the two ran to the backstage area where props and other such things were kept. Unfortunately, there were several burned corpses there as well. All of them were likely stagehands and other actors for the performance. Aya cringed at the sight of them but Alex merely ignored them. He’d seen way worse during the outbreak. Heading to the edge of the area, both saw a large hole broken through the concrete and into the floor below.

“Well shit,” Alex frowned. “This isn’t a good sign.”

“And why’s that? She’s stronger than a human. So what?” asked Aya. “It fits with everything else we saw her pull off.”

Alex shook his head, “Because with all of the abilities she’s showing off, whatever she’s shot herself up with is likely incredibly complicated and advanced to grant so many abilities at once. Maybe it’s even on par with or better than Blacklight as it is now if she can do things like force people to combust and shoot lasers.”

“Worse than you?” Aya hissed. “God help us if it’s another virus. We can’t take another outbreak you know.”

“Oh, I intend to stop this here,” Alex growled. He was cut off when sirens could be heard echoing from the outside thanks to a nearby opening to the outside. “Sounds like your friends arrived.”

“Glad somebody survived to call the police,” Aya sighed. Looking into the hole, she took a breath before leaping down into it. Alex shook his head before likewise leaping down. He landed on the walkway of the area under the stage where more props were kept, usually the ones not needed in a play. Aya was already walking ahead, whispering something to herself but Alex didn’t pay attention to what.

“Surprised you’re still not trying to shoot me,” Alex commented as the pair exited into a corridor of fancy doors. Likely they were dressing rooms for the performers.

“I should after what you pulled a year ago,” Aya frowned. “Three weeks of hell and millions died all because of what? You tried to make some money off a virus?”

Alex chuckled, causing Aya’s frown to grow, “Is that what they told you? Even after Blackwatch was busted wide open people still believe the crap they let out about me? Lady you’d better try to get the story straight.”

“Then straighten it out for me then,” Aya frowned.

“Survive long enough and I will,” Alex retorted.

Aya frowned, but walked ahead before trying several of the doors, finding them locked. Alex could have smashed them down if he wanted to, but he doubted that Melissa/Eve was the type to lock doors after she passed through them. The unlikely duo merely continued their way down the hall to find out where Melissa/Eve had gone and end her little killing spree before it could get too far.

The squeak of a rat caused Aya to hold up her gun, spying the little critter running along the side of the wall. Alex almost chuckled at the sight. Rats were no strangers to him after the number of them he consumed. He knew them down to their DNA with the number he had nabbed to calm his viral instincts. He was about to just brush it off again when he saw the little critter stand up and begin staring at them. Small snapping noises erupted from its body, causing Aya and Alex to take a step back.

Before their very eyes, the rat’s body seemed to grow to the point it’s own skin couldn’t hold it and it tore open to reveal red muscles tissue underneath. The paws grew and burst from the skin to become large black nails with muscled fingers. The tail extended, the skin growing harder before the tip spread out into three spikes. The spin lengthened and the body fat sunk into the body, likely being used to feed the changes the rat was going through. It’s face split open as it’s jaws extended and teeth sharpened, the remains of said face hanging below the eyes like drooping eyelids. The crunching noises of the change ended and the new rat screeched, now the size of a small dog. It snarled, looking at Aya and Alex with feral rage while it lifted up it’s tail like a scorpion’s ready to strike.

Aya raised her gun while Alex shifted both arms into Claws again. Once more his geneticist side seemed to take a role in his mind so he could view what had just happened. On one hand what he just saw had to be some kind of viral effect considering the rapid mutation but it wasn’t one he was familiar with since save for the tail it seemed like the rat had just gotten a dose of super-steroids.

“What the fuck?” Aya gasped.

Alex frowned, raising his claws. Questions could wait until later. The mutated rat seemed to agree as it screeched and ran at the pair with its claws skittering across the concrete. Aya reacted first by quickly unleading shots into monster, puncturing several bleeding holes into its hide, showing that while Melissa/Eve likely caused the mutation, it didn’t receive powers like hers. The rat squealed in pain and recoiled before lashing out with its tail that Alex noted had fluid leaking out from the centre of the three spikes. The rat struck the ends of the three spikes together, actually igniting the fluid from it’s tail and lashed out, throwing three globs of natural napalm at the pair. Aya twisted to the side to avoid being burnt while Alex growled and dodged the one coming at him.

“Fuck this!” he snarled. He ran at the rat which sparked off another fireball and threw it at him. Alex used his agility to get to the side before he reared back his claw and smashed his hand down onto the rat’s head, both crushing the skull and piercing the brain with the razor-sharp fingers. he didn’t stop there though, allowing tendrils from his arm to began sinking into the mutated rat’s flesh, dissolving the beast into biomass which was absorbed and assimilated into Alex’s body. Standing up again, changing his arms back to normal the only evidence of the rat’s presence was the blood on the floor from it’s death and the various fluids it excreted when it mutated.

“Was that really necessary?” asked Aya, approaching Alex from behind.

“Had to,” Alex answered. “It was the only way to figure out what the hell that bitch did to it.”

“What?” Aya frowned.

Alex sighed, shaking his head, “When I consume something and turn it into biomatter, I learn everything about it down to the genetic level. It could tell me if this things was infected with a disease and maybe even what it’s supposed to do.”

“W-what?” Aya blinked, for once surprised but she quickly shook it off. “So what is it then? Was it a virus?”

Alex shook his head, “No. This rat was all natural.”

“What?” Aya gaped, lowering her gun again. “Are you bullshitting me? You saw what that thing turned into!”

“Well, I devoured the thing and I can tell you that whatever mutated that rat wasn’t a virus,” Alex frowned, still staring at the bloody spot. “It’s cells and DNA all said ‘rat’ and nothing was introduced into its system that would make it do anything else but be a rat. The only thing that’s different was that something in it’s cellular structure went off like a bomb and made it turn into that thing.”

“In it’s cells?” asked Aya. “You mean like DNA and all that?”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded. “Usually each cell has some kind of genetic marker that tells them what kind of cell they are but whatever did this warped the cells into overdrive.” The geneticist in Mercer didn’t like what it was seeing though. Yes, cells could be made to be stronger, better, more efficient and with the right conditioning essentially broaden it’s working skill range or narrow it but the rat’s cellular structure had been completely repurposed for so many different functions such as the flamethrower tail. It was like all of the rat’s evolution was thrown out to be repurposed for a new creature. The bone cells, skin cells, muscle tissue were all restructured for strength and efficiency that were well outside of the rat’s physical limits. The development of new glands using several repurposed cells that were harvested from the rat’s body was downright unbelievable but the fact remained it happened and was staring him in the face. In fact, were it not for the DNA itself being a rat’s save for the cell structure, Alex wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a rat in the first place. This was way beyond viral technology, but something going deeper into genetics than any specialist would have thought possible.

“I do know that some kind of genetic signal hit the rat to cause the change,” Alex frowned. “Just like when that bitch turned everyone upstairs into charcoal.”

“You mean Eve can somehow control cells in bodies?” asked Aya.

“Would explain how she got the people to burn,” Alex frowned to himself. “She altered the chemical balances of the body as designed by the cells to make them ignite when in contact with something else. Shit, how does this bitch do it?” Yeah, he could control the cells in his own body too, but only after he exposed them to something he could either imitate or adapt to and even then it only went as far as his own body. What Melissa/Eve did was beyond even him. Somehow she could manipulate cellular structures without even touching them. There was no way she could have exposed everyone in the audience to her DNA and the same could have been said for the rat. She would never have gotten close enough. How the hell was she doing it?

“Well you can ask her if I don’t put a bullet in her head,” Aya commented, reloading her gun. “Now let’s go before she decides to take a hike.”

Aya continued forward, checking more doors as she went. One of which was open, allowing the unlikely duo to enter. Inside was an actor’s dressing room with two charred bodies of actors inside. Aya cringed once again at the sight, but Alex likewise again took it in stride.

“Uh...uhhhhh...” one of the ‘corpses’ suddenly shook, groaning in pain or perhaps the burns went too deep for pain to be felt.

“Oh my God!” Aya gasped, running to the charred man? Woman? “Don’t worry! I’ll call an ambulance! Just hang on!”

The charcoal person shuddered, “Me...Me...Melissa...she’s...a monster....” The person inhaled a painful breath. “She...probably got...Suzanne too...stop...her...” the person let out a loud exhale before their body went limp again. Alex could easily tell that the thespian had finally died from the injuries.

“Hey! Wake up! Stay awake!” Aya cried, but her efforts were for naught, the person was quite dead. “Dammit!” Standing up, she ran a hand through her hair. “Melissa? Did they mean that woman from the stage?”

“Her name’s Melissa Pearce,” Alex answered, stepping in the room to take a closer look at the bodies. Like the ones upstairs, they were charred and burned beyond all recognition. It was a miracle that the person lived as long as they did to give Aya the message. “I was told she was co-cast in the role she had but the one she was co-cast with somehow ended up dying.”

“Think she did it?” asked Aya.

“I was told she was cleared of suspicion, but she can kill people with spontaneous combustion then it’s likely she did it somehow,” Alex shrugged. He knew he was being abnormally chatty but this was not a normal situation and this Aya lady seemed to be the right kind of person. Maybe if more people like his initial impression of her were around Hope, Idaho wouldn’t have happened. He figured he could give her a shot.

Alex turned and headed across the hallway before opening the door to check inside. Entering the dressing room he was surprised to see a living person at the make-up table dressed up as a clown.

“That the-?” the clown blinked, turning around. “Hey, this is for cast and crew only pal!”

“Bite me,” Alex rolled his eyes. “Did you not hear all the screaming and yelling going on up stairs or even your neighbours across the hall? We’ve got a bona-fide psycho running around here setting folks on fire!”

“Wh-what?” the clown blinked. “Are you serious?”

“See for yourself,” Alex gestured to the door behind him in the hall. He exited the doorway to enter the hall as Aya was coming out with a grim look on her face. The clown timidly came out and managed to catch a glimpse of the two charred bodies within.

“OH MY GOD!” the clown screamed. “ANNA! TAYLOR!”

“Yeah, not pretty,” Alex shook his head. “Better get out of here before the one who did it comes back.”

The clown didn’t need more of a hint than that as he began running away from the scene, looking like he was about to piss himself in fear. Alex and aya turned to ignore him and continue on their way. they had bigger fish to fry than just some clown getting out.

*FWOOSH!*

“AHHH! AHHH! AHHH!”

Alex and Aya turned around to face the clown as his screams suddenly started up once again. They watched in horror as the clown erupted into flames and thrashed about in extreme pain. They both ran to try and help, but the burning was too fast and too hot thanks to the oils and whatever changes Melissa/Eve had done to the man’s body. He collapsed before even Alex’s enhanced speed could reach him. The fire burned itself out soon after, the oils having been used up. Alex only kneeled at the man’s side, clenching his fist.

“God dammit!” Aya cursed. “How did she even do this? She wasn’t even here!”

“No idea, but I’m going to find out once I tear her apart,” Alex frowned. He was starting to see the same patterns as Blackwatch in Melissa/Eve’s actions. There was no need to kill the actor or anyone else. She was simply killing them for the sake of killing. He was definitely no humanitarian himself, but when he killed it was for a reason and only the people who deserved it. “Let’s go.”

Leaving the smoking corpse behind, the two headed for the end of the hallway. Aya kept her gun up in case more mutants appeared or there were more survivors. She likewise wanted to keep an eye on Mercer. She read all the reports, pretty much all precincts did. They knew that the Blacklight virus he unleashed gave him weird powers and she had seen the evidence for herself. Since he’d gone dark the government was looking to more active targets until he could be found again. He was the last person she was expecting to see in the theatre, much less helping her find the one responsible. Still, with his record she wasn’t going to let him go anywhere.

Eyeing the doors lest one of them burst open, she spied the nameplate on the front ‘Melissa Pearce’.

“Hold up,” Aya spoke, catching Alex’s attention. “Melissa’s dressing room is here. We might find a clue as to how she got the way she is in there.”

“Say no more,” Alex nodded. Walking up to the door, he found it locked. That didn’t stop him as he punched the handle, smashing it and the locking mechanism before pushing it open and walking inside.

“Handy,” Aya commented.

“Gets the job done,” Alex shrugged. “Help me look. If this is an isolated incident then fine but if it isn’t then that bitch is going to be aiming for something bigger or working for someone with a bigger game in mind.”

“Right,” Aya agreed, holstering her weapon. Alex moved to one of the closest and opened it before beginning to tear out the items within, looking for some kind of secret document, flash drive, or something that could give him a lead as to what the hell Melissa/Eve was or where she got her abilities.

Aya moved to her vanity table, testing the drawers. She didn’t get too far in her search before she saw an open book on  the table itself. Scanning the pages, she quickly discerned that it was a diary. Picking it up, she began to look through the pages.

‘Nov 3/Mon

The Chirstmas Show is set. This has been my dream! The main actress has a solo concert at Central Park. I took all the medication to get here. I HAVE to get that part!! I’ll even sell my soul to the the devil if I have to!’

‘Nov 17/Mon

The cast was announced and Suzanne and I were double cast. I want to play the part alone, but everyone knows she’s good...’

‘Nov 21/Fri

I think I’m overdoing it. My body is getting hotter for some reason. I’d better take more medicine.’

‘Dec 6/Sat

I collapsed today. I lost consciousness after my body got hot. I don’t care if I die. I just want to get through this show!’

‘Dec 10/Wed

I passed out again... they told me to go to the doctor and get some rest. If this continues, Suzanne with definitely take my part. I need to get better. I’d better take a lot of medication tonight.

Dec 11/Thurs

Suzanne was burned in an apartment fire. Is it because I wanted the part so bad? God, forgive me...

Dec 17/Wed

It looks like I’ll be the lead. I’d better take more medication and work it.

Dec 23/Thurs

Opening night. Everything went smoothly. Tomorrow is Christmas. We should have the biggest crowd of the season. And...I have the solo concert the next day at the park. But I’m not feeling well. I’d better shape up if I want to get through this. I’d better take more medication.’

Aya frowned as she looked at the pages. Was Melissa sick? Did she have a drug problem, addicted to her prescription or something? Moving the book, she spotted a key underneath it. It was a theatre key marked with a tag calling it a ‘rehearse key’. Likely it was meant for the stage or a rehearsal stage of some kind.

“Find anything?” asked Alex.

“A diary and a key,” Aya reported. “Seems like Melissa was dealing with a medical problem or some kind of drug addiction. Think this might have something to do with what she’s doing now?”

“Maybe,” Alex frowned, taking the book. Reading over the latest entries, he looked at Melissa’s descriptions of her symptoms and how she kept going at her medication. “She may have been infected with something. You’d be better off if you had her medical records. She may have been overdosing though and any doctor worth his degree can tell you that can be just as bad as the ailment the meds are supposed to deal with. If it was a virus or a genetic quirk, it may have mutated with the overdosing.”

That would explain how she got her abilities I guess since similar stuff happened with you,” Aya quipped. “But not how she gained the ability to fry people with her mind or make rats mutate into monsters.”

“No, but it’s a start,” Alex admitted, reading through the pages still. “What’s the key for?”

“Rehearsal stage. Might be where she ran to.” the officer replied.

“Led the way the,” Alex gestured to the door.

“AWK!”

The pair froze and looked to the door where to their surprise an actual parrot flew into the room from the open door. It was a brightly colored red and blue breed which landed on one of the chairs near the door. It looked blankly at the pair, as if analysing them.

“The hell?” Alex frowned. “What’s a parrot doing here?”

“Probably an actor’s pet,” Aya shook her head. “Likely got out in the chaos. Come on, let’s keep go-!”

“Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!” the parrot cried out, mimicking human language. Then it’s stare almost became laser-like. “Goodbye!”

Crunching noises erupted from the parrot’s body as it suddenly began to grow, causing Alex and Aya to stiffen, ready for a fight. The parrot’s wings grew to match that of a condor while it’s body bulked and swelled. The feathers took on a more knife-like pattern as the wings grew while the beak became jagged and a crest of feathers burst up on top of the head. The strangest change of all was the two legs of the bird seemed to melt into one another, forming an extra long leg with a large foot complete with black razor talons on it.

“DIE!” the mutated bird screeched, taking flight and soaring at the two.

“You first,” Aya retorted, lifting her handgun and squeezing off a single round. The bullet pierced the air before it collided with the parrot’s head, pulping it with a splatter of blood and bone, dropping the mutated corpse to the ground in a mass of flesh and feathers.

“That was pathetic,” Alex shook his head. Walking over to the parrot corpse, he pressed his hand over it, allowing his hand to morph into tendrils and began absorbing the corpse’s biomass so he could get a read on it like he did the rat. Soon enough the parrot was gone and only splattered blood on the floor remained.

“Not what I expected of a mutant,” Aya grimaced at the sight of the consummation. “It was probably just a distraction.”

“Distraction or not, like the rat this is all parrot and not one part of it a virus,” Alex frowned, flexing his hand as it returned to normal. “Another gene bomb went off in its cells and it suddenly mutated into this. All of the parrot’s natural evolution was cast aside to make it something else entirely, like Melissa didn’t like how parrots developed so she changed them to a form she did like.”

“If this is what she can do with rats and parrots though, I don’t want to see what she could do with dogs or bigger animals,” Aya frowned. “Let’s stop this before it gets out of control.”

The virus and police officer stepped out of the room and began heading to the end of the hallway where the door to the rehearsal hall was located. Walking, the sudden roaring squeals captured their attention, forcing the duo to turn around. Racing down the hallway and finishing their rapid mutations were a pair of rats with their tails ignited with flame.

“Definitely a distraction,” Alex frowned, mutating his arm to the Whipfist whilst Aya lifted her gun again.

The rats ran and threw more fireballs at the pair as they approached. Aya’s police training served her well as she dodge the blow and fired off several rounds even in her high heels and fancy dress. The bullets tore into the rat’s body, causing splatters of blood and squeals of pain. It didn’t die and kept coming, forcing the blonde to shoot another round. This one pierced the body of the rat and punctured the gland which allowed the mutant to spew fire, igniting the monster’ s body with its own oils. The monster’s death screeches were anything but pleasant.

Alex went for his own brutal yet effective method, unleashing his Whipfist which burst into the rat’s back, making it squeal in pain before he pulled the creature towards him. Morphing his other arm into it’s blade form, he slashed wide and bisected the monster, spilling its modified innards onto the concrete floor. As quickly as the attack by the rats began, both of them were dead either by being cut or by burning.

“Let’s go before she finds more of them to throw at us!” Aya shouted, turning to head for the rehearsal hall. Alex frowned at the rat he killed before following after the female cop. Reaching the end of the hallway, Aya took out the key and quickly undid the lock. Looking back, she saw Alex nod. He was ready. Aya nodded back before she pushed the door, moving quickly and quietly, Alex brazenly following her.

Inside was a small room which had a reflective wall on the far side, likely used to help actors see themselves as they would move on stage. At the corner of the room was a piano and sitting on its bench, playing a tune as if nothing was wrong was Melissa/Eve herself. Alex and Aya both scowled at the woman, preparing to go for a fight. For all of the relaxation her body gave though, he face was showing off turmoil.

“I...I...” she gasped out, struggling as her voice shifted from normal to the one the pair had heard her use before. “I’m...Melissa....NO!...I’m...Melissa...”

“The hell?” Alex frowned. Something was definitely wrong with the woman and may not just be a mental effect if how her biology was turning strange any indication. Maybe it was a side effect of popping too many pills and whatever it was those pills were supposed to combat.

Melissa gasped out, her trembling slowing down as her calm returned, “I’m...growing...hotter...” Her voice trembled even if her body didn’t before the imperial queen face returned to her looks. “I am...Eve.” She turned to smile at the pair before her. “This day marks the beginning of the end of the nucleic domination of the world.”

“What?” Aya frowned.

Eve crashed her hands down on the keyboard, breaking the keys. An ominous cracking noise began to echo from her body as it began to mutate and change. She hovered up into the air as her legs wrapped around one another, becoming coated with some kind of calcified bone which was dark blue, hanging like a stalactite. Her hip bones became more pronounced, protruding like bones rather than curves. The stomach of her dress ripped open, revealing her stomach which was pure white. Her arms grew to an exponential length as did her sleeves with her hands growing larger with long red nails. Finally, her hair hovered into a spike-like pattern, calcifying into horns as the rest of her skin turned as pale as snow.

“Ah hell,” Alex growled, morphing his arms to Claws once again.

“You said it,” Aya hissed, raising her gun.

Eve completed her mutation, raising her enlarged arms into the air as if like a priestess on a pulpit, “The day for the mitochondria to be free has finally arrived!”

“And it’s gonna end just as fast!” Alex snarled, charging at the mutate woman. Leaping up to where she hovered in the air, he lashed out with his claws to try and slice through her body. Eve frowned and reacted just as fast, lashing out with her own sizable hands, her skin somehow proving resilient enough to block the Claws and her nails sparking against Alex’s own. She spun in the air, tossing Alex into the glass wall with a loud smash. Several glass shards sliced into his hide, but he ignored it as his biomass pushed it all out to seal the wounds. Standing up, he prepared to fight once again.

Aya wasn’t idle as she fired off several rounds into Eve’s back, but she wasn’t sure if there was any penetration. Eve’s skin looked quite soft but it seemed to be elastic enough to absorb blows to the point where the impacts were lessened. Eve however did feel the impacts and swung her arm, swatting Aya to the side, sending her skidding across the floor with a loud thud as she hit the wall.

“Gah!” the blonde cried out.

“Don’t fight it, let the power flow through your body. Embrace it!” Eve preached, sounding like a cult leader.

“Hey bitch! Fight’s over here!” Alex bellow, leaping again at the hovering Eve. His arm was reared back, mutated from the Claw into the bulky dome-like Hammerfist. He smashed the weapon into Eve’s chest, sending the mutant screeching backwards, pretty sure that he had heard a bone or two shatter from the impact.

Eve crashed into the wall, breathing heavily. Growling, she wiped a trail of blood from her mouth before a cracking noise echoed from her chest as noticeable lumps vanished, showing her ribs were repairing themselves.

“Disgusting beast!” she cursed. “I see now. I see you as what you are! I see you through my servants! You are an usurper to the mitochondria’s rightful place! You who dare try to walk the path of ultimate perfection with your nucleic taint!”

“What is with you and your hard on for mitochondria?” Alex shook his head, morphing his arms back to Claws. “Ah well, I’ll find out when I get my hands on you!”

Eve shrieked and unleashed twin beams of green celluar energy which blasted against Alex, hurtling him backwards into the piles of glass once again. He sported two squirming holes in his body which the biomass struggled to close.

“Ow...” he grunted.

Aya grimaced and got up to her knees, holding up her gun once again. Her eyes flashed fiercely as she tried to take aim at a vulnerable spot on Eve. Yelling, she squeezed off several rounds which impacted again Eve’s torso, hips, and ever her head. If they punctured again Aya wasn’t sure or if Eve just healed the wounds and her malleable form just shifted the bullets someplace they wouldn’t be able to harm her. Either way, the impacts seemed to get to her when they hit her head, causing her to reel slightly. She turned her hateful gaze away from Alex and gazed down at Aya.

“It seems you will require more time girl, before your mitochondria will truly become free,” Eve spoke.

“Free? Mitochondria? What the HELL are you talking about?-!” Aya snapped. “Make sense!”

Eve merely smiled enigmatically before she gestured with her hand. Suddenly, Aya grimaced and began clenching her head once again. Alex, still recovering from the wounds in his chest, struggled to stand as his biomass finished healing the last of his wounds. Eve noticed his movement and snorted contemptibly at him.

“I will deal with you later usurper,” she sniffed before she hovered to the corner of the room and blasted downward with her energy beams. The attack blasted through the floor, breaking into the underground beneath the theatre. Once the hole was large enough, Eve dove down inside. Alex cursed as his Biomass finally closed the holes in his torso.

“The hell happened to you?” Alex asked crossly as Aya seemed to snap out of her head trip.

“Don’t know...” she grunted, rubbing her temple. “She did something. I had this weird vision of a hospital room with a little girl and a doctor in it.”

Alex frowned at the mention. It may have been a hallucination, but in his experience when biological functions start showing of visions there might be something to it. His Web of Intrigue stored the memories of people he had consumed and Eve with all of her genetic manipulations of things she didn’t even need to touch she may have implanted the image into Aya’s mind. Was it her past or some kind of trick? Maybe it was a clue into this whole mess.

Shaking it off, Alex gestured to the hole, “Well the bitch slipped off again. You coming or what?”

“Definitely,” Aya nodded.

Alex nodded and leaped down into the hole, landing in some water up above his ankles, likely some kind of sewer tunnel. Up ahead was an archway with a single light hanging down from above. Graffiti stained the walls as bored kids were wont to do when they didn’t have lives to get on with. A splash behind him told him that Aya had leaped down behind him. He really wondered why he kept the police officer along. At least she seemed the type dedicated to what it meant to be a cop rather than a pay stub. He could respect that at least after seeing how corrupt Blackwatch was. She was genuinely pissed at what Eve had done and wanted blood for it. Also, Eve seemed to have a vested interest in Aya, meaning her presence might be needed to draw the bitch out.

“Looks like your fancy shoes are a loss,” Alex quipped.

“That’s fine. Didn’t intend to wear them past tonight anyway,” Aya shrugged. “Let’s move.”

Aya walked past Alex and began the wrong trek down the tunnel, making him follow her lead. He did notice however that while her dress seemed to be cut up from Eve’s last strike at her, she didn’t seem to be sporting any wounds from it. In fact, she just looked like she had a bruise or two and those were fading fast if his enhanced eyesight was seeing things right.

‘Looks like Eve really did do something to her...or maybe she was already like that,’ Alex pondered, remembering Eve mentioning something about Aya being different than the people in the theatre that she torched.

The two continued walking onwards, knowing that the sewers would be a prime space for Eve to make more of her little monsters if she could keep doing what she did to any animals she met. There was at least an army of rats waiting for her, nevermind what else called the sewer home.

“Stairs ahead,” Aya spoke up. “See anything at our backs?”

“Not a thing,” Alex shook his head, not even bothering to look back. He’d have heard heartbeats if something was coming closer from behind.

The duo approached the stairs where some pressure valves while some gate was off to the left side and it looked like the wall had crumbled on the right. Alex eyed the water, the sounds of water flowing got louder as they got closer to the valves. It was a perfect chance for something to appear and try to get at them, standing out like they did as they made obvious ripples in the wall. It was what he would have done if he was on the hunt in an aquatic area.

He was proven right as twin blasts of water came from another area of water erupting in large green monsters. The beasts looked like their torsos were just all mouth with long forked tongues and frog-like legs. Even wilder was the fact that they looked like they were large enough to match the size of half a car. Both let out snarls that sounded like coaks with a slit throat. Alex didn’t need to consume them to guess that Eve had made these new monsters from frogs.

“God dammit!” Aya snapped, raising her gun and began shooting at the frog beasts. Her shots aimed home, spilling so froggish blood. The beast screeched before lashing out with its tongue, slicing through the air. Aya dove to the side, splashing through the water and letting the tongue dent one of the pipes that lined the wall.

Alex charged at his own froggy opponent, morphin his arm to its Blade Form. The frog croaked and lashed out with with its tongue. Alex reacted and slashed at the tongue and felt satisfaction in seeing his Blade dig into the frog’s tongue even if it didn’t go all the way through.

“Bitch got wise,” he muttered. Apparently Eve was trying to better put together her little freaks so she could take Alex down or at least hold him off. Grunting, he tugged his Blade free before grabbing the tongue with his free hand and slashing down again, this time severing the tongue, letting the frog call back it’s remains and spew blood from its mouth. Grinning, Alex charged and leaped at the frog, burying Blade in it’s head...or at least where Alex assumed where the brain was. It didn’t have any cranial features that told it where the brain was. The monster screeched before it’s cries were abruptly cut off when Alex began to consume the beast. The biomass was consumed and stored and it was likewise analyzed. Sure enough, the beast had once been a frog. Eve had set off one hell of the gene bomb, causing the frog to consume parts of its own body like its eyes and front legs to stimulate its massive growth.

Aya dodged another strike from the tongue of her own frog beast before she took aim once again. Gritting her teeth, she let her eyes racing over the monster’s surface and suddenly her eyes seemed to perk down on the joints of the frog and the front of it’s snout. Somehow, just looking at those spots made her body stir and realize that they were sensitive spots. Seeing it as a hunch, she took aim and fired off at the spots her ‘instincts’ told her to fire. The bangs echoed and the bullets cut through the air, first piercing the joints of the frog’s legs and then the snout. The frog made a choking screech and fell into the water, partially submerged. It struggled for several moments but an inky cloud of blood welled up as bubbles stopped as did it’s thrashing. It had drowned.

“Dammit,” Aya sighed, lifting up a portion of her soaked dress. She actually liked the dress. Granted she probably never would have worn it again but she would have enjoyed just saying she had it. After tonight, she’d have to throw it away. Cuts and sewer water were just impossible to remove.

“I think I’m starting to see a theme with these things,” Alex commented, approaching while his mutated arm returned to normal.

“A theme?” Aya raised an eyebrow. “What kind of theme could these things have?”

“Every one of these freaks I’ve consumed have all been modified to work as perfectly as possible for what purpose Eve planned for them,” Alex replied, ignoring the sarcasm. “Their body functions, abilities, muscles, all of it were pushed to be as perfect as possible if we were trying to weaponize rats, parrots, and frogs without adding or taking away anything. All their abilities are something they could develop if their bodies evolved a certain way.”

“Don’t seem so perfect to me,” Aya muttered.

“Well, their bodies were made as perfectly as possible if they were made to fight something but in the end they just weren’t born to fight,” Alex shook his head. “She’s trying to adapt them to a cause they weren’t made for. They function better than most animals Mer...I’ve seen in my lifetime, but they just can’t adapt to the changes so I guess that’s why the mutations look so violent.”

“So...their bodily functions are damn incredible but with all the augmentations made to make them that way they just can’t pull it off?” asked Aya.

“Not just physically, but down on the cellular level,” Alex nodded, his mind racing as his geneticist side began looking over the situation rather than the event that he was in the middle of everything. “The biomass I absorbed showed the cells are going nuts, causing them to fluctuate and go crazy as part of the mutation, like they were made to take some kind of steroid. Cells aren’t made to handle that kind of stress.”

“So what does that tell us?” asked Aya.

“These freaks are going to die fast unless they get something to eat,” Alex replied. “They aren’t made to last and are right at best a distraction. They’re going to be ravenous and damned determined to feed and keep up their cellular growth. That’s probably why no matter how many we kill more keep coming. They’re likely already starving to death.”

“Anything else?” asked Aya, already realizing that the monsters likely were only going to become more vicious as they progressed.

“I only get a piece of the puzzle each time I consume something,” Alex shook his head. “The rat told me that it wasn’t viral, the parrot told me that it was cellular, and the frog gave me the clue as to the result of the changes.”

“Okay,” Aya frowned. It gave insight into their enemies and maybe part of what was driving Eve but it wasn’t much. Looking about, she looked about for any further enemies that might be trying to catch them by surprise. As she peered at a lit corridor, she gasped when she small a little head of blonde hair wearing blue hospital clothes. The little girl giggled and ducked into the corridor.

“Wait!” Aya cried, racing after the child. “Wait, come back! It isn’t safe!”

“Huh?” Alex blinked. “Hey, what are you doing?” He chased after Aya, running into the corridor. They ran through the water and ran into the joined tunnel. Aya came to a stop in the centre of the tunnel, looking around for something.

“Wha...where did she go?” Aya muttered.

“What are you talking abou-?” Alex frowned but the water exploded once again, erupting in two frogs and three rats. Aya and Alex quickly brought out their weapons and began the fight. One rat leaped at Alex and he smashed it aside with a Hammerfist while Aya shot another one out of the air as it leaped at her. The final rat fired more fireballs as the frogs lashed out with their tongues. Aya retaliated first and shot at it, pulping its head and letting it collapse into the water. Alex blocked another tongue attack, letting it wrap around his Hammerfist. One tongue tied, Alex drew back his other arm and smashed it through the ground, sending tentacles tunneling through the concrete before it burst through the ground and pierced both of the frogs, spearing them through their innards. Their hides were tougher than the rats and parrots, proving Alex’s idea that Eve was learning from the other monsters he and Aya killed.

Withdrawing the tendrils and morphing his arms back to normal, he glanced at Aya, “Wanna explain why you just ran in here?”

“I thought I saw someone,” Aya sighed, but then shook her head and look down at the water. “Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me or something.”

“Whatever,” the sentient virus sighed. Looking about, he saw another tunnel protected by a grate. “Looks like there’s only one way to continue anyway. The bitch is getting smarter, locking doors and crap behind her.”

Aya and Alex reached the door, finding it perfectly automated. Aya saw the terminal and tapped at the buttons with an affirmative tone rising from the machine. The bars then slid up, allowing the pair to enter the tunnel. Sludging through the water, the pair reached a corner. Aya pushed ahead noiselessly, but her calm faded when anger in her eye slit up and she lifted her gun, “EVE!!”

“Game time,” Alex grinned, bringing out his Claws yet again, moving where he could see the rest of the tunnel. Sure enough at the other end, still smiling that arrogant smile was Eve, hovering above the water and looking she was queen of the goddamn world.

Eve’s smirk didn’t seem to show she was corner or upset despite bars blocking her way behind her, “Oh, so little Aya and her abomination are set to face me by themselves?”

“Why?” Aya snarled. “Tell me why you burned all those people?” Eve was silent, causing Aya’s snarl to grow. “TELL ME WHY DAMMIT!”

“You’ll find out,” Eve answered, talking like an adult looking down on a child who couldn’t understand. “I only wish I could have done the same to the nucleic abomination, but his advanced cellular structure allows him to override my commands.”

The brief snarl on her lips showed that Eve was far from pleased at the thought of something having similar biological powers as she did. Vain she obviously was. She shook it off, returning to her queen-like gaze, “But don’t worry Aya. Even if you don’t understand, your mitochondria will. They’ve always known.”

Her smile turned amused, lifting one of her gangly arms to her lips like she was laughing, “I’m going to give you some time. Some time to think and some time to evolve. And then the glorious day will arrive when you will AWAKEN!”

“Lady, get over yourself,” Alex sighed.

Eve sniffed at Alex’s words, “I look especially forward to when she realizes what an abomination you are and rids the future perfect world of you.”

The mutated woman turned towards the bars which shielded her way, unconcerned at who was at her back. She simply stared at them for a moment before right before Alex’s and Aya’s eyes she dissolved into orange goo, actually deconstructing her body into the semi-liquid state that slipped through the bars in three streams. The streams then reconvened on the other side, collecting together and forming into the figure of the mutated Eve and reconstructing itself into the form she had been in before reducing herself to a liquid state.

“The hell-?” Aya gasped.

Alex frowned, likewise confused. It wasn’t that he was shocked by what Eve had done. He could do the same, but he was a sentient mass of biological material mixed with viral bacteria which mimicked human biomatter. Eve or rather her body of Melissa Pearce was actually human, not some kind of virus in disguise. How the hell was Eve able to manipulate biomatter to such a degree?

Eve merely turned around as her body finished reconstructing and smirked. After that, she let out a screech which sounded completely inhuman. After the screech began echoing away, Eve hovered away. Alex and Aya started running for the door, Alex shifting his arms to Musclemass, the enhanced gauntlet-like arms and prepared them to smash the bars aside to continue after Eve.

Drawing closer to the bars, the water once again exploded as another of Eve’s mutated animals burst to the surface. Rather than a toad though, this was a brand new monstrosity. It was covered from head to toe in scales. It was bipedal and had an elongated snout which had four teeth at the end of it. Tan lines ran down the monster’s body and ended at a tail that ended in a  flat red/violet fin-like protrusion. It sported three long claws on its hands. It was actually bipedal  with no facial features besides it’s mouth and when it snapped it’s jaws, electric sparks actually snapped into the air as the teeth grew close together.

“Ah shit!” Aya hissed.

“Time for some fun again!” Alex grinned.

The mutant screeched and let electricity crackle across it’s teeth before it unleashed a blast of pure electric power, actually travelling across the moisture in the air as it shot towards the pair. Alex and Aya shot to the sides splashing into the water before standing up once again. Aya took aim and began shooting at the bipedal reptile, puncturing it’s hide but little blood trickled out, meaning the hide was thick.

Alex leaped forward, rearing back his Musclemass hand and smashing it into the monster’s face, making it recoil. However, he didn’t feel or hear of anything breaking. The monster screeched and twisted it’s tail, smacking Alex with it and sending him flying through the air and crashing into a concrete wall, actually breaking through it.

“Mercer!” Aya shouted, but had to move as the monster’s tail lashed out at her. Coughing on some of the sewer water, she took hasty aim and shot several more bullets into the beast’s hide. The best growled in pain but lashed out with it’s tail once again, this time smashing the water and knocking Aya off of her feet and submerging her face. Unable to breathe, she struggled to stand up and choked on the water as she tried to get her breath back. More crashing of the water made her look up to where the beast was standing over her, it’s mouth open and teeth crackling with electricity.

“Fuck me...” Aya hissed, scrambling for her gun.

The monster reared back to bite on her when a black blue shot down from behind and landed on the beast’s head, smashing a thick blade into it’s head. Aya wiped water from her eyes and saw Alex on the monster’s head, sticking his blade a few inches into the monster’s cranium with his Blade Arm. The beast screeched and thrashed in pain from the blade sinking in but not doing any lethal damage.

“Come on!” Alex bellowed. “You can do better than that!”

The monster seemed to take it as a challenge and managed to lash out with its claws. The long nails stabbed through Alex’s torso, making him cringe in pain before he was pulled off like a shishkebab before the monster actually chomped down on his top half. Black and red biomass spilled from the wounds before the monster’s mouth lit up with electricity, frying Mercer both inside and out. When the thing felt he had enough, it threw Alex to the side and he landed in the water once again.

Alex groaned and shook his head, feeling his biomass filling the puncture wounds both in his chest and on his back. His body was rejecting more of the charred biomatter that the monster’s electricity attack destroyed, letting it fall out of his body. He had to hand it to Eve, she was quickly getting her little monsters up to speed when up against him. Still, it wouldn’t be enough to kill him!

“Mercer! We’re not making any progress like this,” Aya called, finally retrieving her gun and backing away from the monster as it’s blood trailed down its face from Alex’s attack on it’s skull. “Any ideas?”

“Hit it until it dies!” Alex shouted back. “Always works for me!” Claws made, he charged at the beast once again, slashing at it’s stomach with his razor sharp nails. Again, scratching and slightly bleeding wounds were visible from each blow, but Eve had made the thing’s hide thick and despite being in pain the monster was already slashing back with its own claws.

“Men,” Aya rolled her eyes. Taking aim with her gun once again, she felt her body grow hot as her eyes began landing on certain areas of the monster’s body. She took special notice of the scalp of the monster which was split open by Alex’s last attack, splitting the skin to reveal the bone. Seeing it, the blonde woman suddenly got an idea. “Mercer! Get that thing to bow it’s head down!”

Alex glanced back at Aya, seeing that she seemed to have an idea as to what to do next. Not having much of an idea himself and sort of getting sick of being cut up by the monster. Looking up, he saw the jaws of the monster coming back down with more electric sparks. Dissolving his Claws into tendrils, he lashed out and wrapped both the top and bottom jaws before yanking the beast’s head down.

“If you’re gonna do something, do it now!” Alex shouted.

Aya lifted her pistol once again, eyeing the exposed skull of the monster’s head before starting to pull off shot after shot, her eyes unblinking despite the recoil of the weapon. Bullets flew through the air and crashed into the exposed bone  One or two shots normally wouldn’t have been enough to crack the bone where Alex’s Blade Arm failed but Aya emptied what remained of her clip into the area. The bone fragmented from the repeated hits to the same area, began to crack, and blood began to spill out.

The monster screeched in pain and hefte d it’s head back up into the air, taking Alex with it. Seeing the damage Aya had done, he shifted his arm into it’s Blade form, keeping a hold on the monster’s top jaw while in the air. Shifting his tendril into Whipfist he pulled himself back down onto the monster’s head before he stabbed down onto the cracked bone that Aya’s bullets had started. This time the blade broke through the bone and dug into the brain of the monster. The reptile’s screech echoed through the tunnel as the brain functions were cut off and it’s body lost control before it collapsed onto the ground with a loud splash. Alex fell with it, snarling as tendrils shout out of his arm and the rest of his body, burrowing into the monster’s body and disassembling it into biomass which was quickly absorbed and dragged into Alex’s existing pool. As he did so, he suddenly felt his vision flash as his Web of Intrigue flared up, the monster knew something. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the node within his body.

Flashes of some kind of memories hit him, but it made no sense. He was in the mind of a woman who was driving a car. She was Japanese and had short hair. She was apparently minding her own business when she was driving when...

‘Sleep...” the voice of Eve suddenly whispered.

As if by command, the woman’s head suddenly dipped down as sleep overcame her. Her car veered off track and suddenly she started driving towards a telephone pole. The woman was still asleep, but she was only awake for the last moments before she crashed into the telephone pole itself before the vision went dark.

Alex’s vision returned in a dark purple void where he and Eve in her mutated form were facing off against one another.

“I see you abomination,” she hissed. “You cannot stop what is meant to come. The advent of mitochondrial perfection is upon us. The flaws of the world will be erased and perfection will be allowed to take it’s rightful ruling stead!”

Alex scowled at the image of the twisted woman and snorted. He didn’t have time to talk to an insane woman with delusions of grandeur, “Keep dreaming.”

Eve sniffed in derision yet again, but she didn’t say anything as the world of virus and cells began to break apart, ending the apparent and brief connection that the two had with the murder of her pet.

Coming out of the Web of Intrigue, Alex stood up and let his biomass heal the rest of his injuries as he morphed his limbs back to normal. He took stock of the monster he just absorbed, half-way surprised that the freakish thing used to be an alligator before it stumbled onto Eve as she was coming through the sewers. Likely someone’s exotic pet they flushed down the crapper when it stopped being cute. It didn’t escape his notice that it’s cell structure had been pushed to the limit as well, all of it’s body functions pushed to being efficient as possible with the body itself being reshaped into a preferred form, something made to fight himself and Aya. Eve really did have a thing for perfection.

“You okay Mercer?” asked Aya, slowly approaching.

“Yeah,” Alex shrugged. “You.”

“Fine, just need to get my breath back,” Aya sighed. “Tonight’s been pure hell.” She shook her head. “Just what the hell is Eve after?”

“Whatever it is you seem to be part of it,” Alex replied. “Seems like she did something to you and she’s waiting for it to show results.”

“And that’s what scares me,” Aya frowned. Shaking her head, she looked up at Alex. “Now what? I can’t in good conscience just let you go.”

“You’ll have to,” Alex replied, turning to face the officer. “You can handle those freaks by yourself but there’s no way you can take me on. Besides, I’m a passive threat as I am right now. Don’t push me and I won’t push back. Eve on the other hand looks pretty determined to pull off whatever scheme she has going on and killing a bunch of folks doesn’t seem to bother her either.”

Aya grimaced knowing that to an extent Alex was right. Eve was a way more immediate threat than he was. Mercer could keep for a while but Eve had to be dealt with before she went on another killing spree.

“That aside,” Alex continued, walking towards Aya. “Considering her abilities, I’m one of the best shots you’ve got against her. Only you and me seem able to keep from bursting into flame around her.”

Aya frowned, staring up into Alex’s eyes. She was silent for a moment before she sighed, loosening her grip on her gun, “Fine. Just don’t make me regret this.”

“More like Eve will,” Alex chuckled. Walking past Aya, he headed back towards the tunnels. “I’ll see if I can’t track down Eve. I’ve consumed a few of her creatures so hopefully I’ll be able to hunt her down.”

“Hey,” Aya spoke up, turning around while Alex glanced over his shoulder. “If you find something, how will you contact me?”

“I have my ways,” Alex replied. “Now if you’ll excuse me...” He then walked around the corner of the tunnel, leaving Aya by herself. The bonde half-American/Half-Japanese woman sighed and shook her head. Some date her night turned out to be.

(LINE BREAK)

Alex made his way through the tunnels and back into the theatre. Cops were no doubt already swarming around the place and marking out the bodies with paramedics trying to save who they could and take out the bodies of those they couldn’t. Leaping back up into the rehearsal hall, he saw that the hallways were still empty of police presences. Walking past the doors of actors, he stopped at the doors of the pair of actresses that Aya had tried to save. Glancing at the door, he recalled how the one live woman mentioned Melissa Pearce’s connection to Suzanne.

Glancing left and right, he saw he was still alone. Opening the door, he saw the two crispy corpses right where he and Aya left them just as dead as they were before. Frowning, Alex turned his arm into a tendril and lashed out with it, impacting both corpses and beginning to dissolve them into biomatter, what parts were still flesh and blood instead of charcoal anyway.

Gaining the memories of people for the Web of Intrigue was easier when he consumed the target alive, allowing his mind to jack into the target while alive. Dead people were harder, having to work with a recently dead and less functional brain. The longer the brain was dead the harder it would get. He wasn’t sure how much he would get, but if it held something about Melissa’s actions then it might be enough of a clue. Once the two corpses were fully absorbed, he tapped into the Web of Intrigue once again to see if either of the women knew anything. The nodes lit up and he began to see...

Anna was suspicious. It was way too convenient for Suzanne to die in an apartment fire so soon after she and Melissa had been co-cast for the lead role. It was going to be a big career change for both of them, especially with the concert in Central Park following the Christmas performance. It could literally make or break a career. Melissa had acted all broken up over what had happened as all of the cast and crew did, but actors were able to hide such things.

Melissa had been dealing with some health problems, making it seem like she would be unable to concretely take the role which was likely why she was co-cast with Suzanne. Ever the suspicious one, Anna snuck into Melissa’s dressing room to see if there was anything there. She had seen the woman popping pills enough times and enough quantity to make her fear that Melissa was a drug addict. Quickly finding her purse, she rifled through it expecting to find some kind of illegal or unmarked drugs.

Soon enough, she did find a bottle of pills but they were labeled like an official prescription. She knew the brand of pharmacy as well. Glancing at the label, she couldn’t even pronounce what it was much less guess what it was for.

Oh well...

Alex rose from the Web, his frown deeper than before. Melissa was overdosing on her medication it seemed, but it wasn’t the kind of drugs that he or Aya had been expecting before. They thought it was illegal drugs or something that was over the counter. Now it seemed she was overdosing on prescription drugs. What made it odd was that these weren’t painkillers or gave of a side effect that was pleasurable. He recognized the label from the specialists he consumed during the Blacklight Outbreak. Melissa Pearce had been taking immunosuppressants. Those were only used for autoimmune diseases or organ transplants.

“Just what the hell was she dealing with?” he frowned to himself. Exiting the dressing room he began heading back to the hole that led up to the stage. He silently listened, hearing people walking about above, some retching over the smell of the bodies that weren’t burned to ashes. So far he couldn’t hear any of those people nearby. Steeling himself, he leaped up through the hole and onto the stage level again, quickly morphing his image into that of a police officer he consumed that was infected. Luckily he was from a precinct all the way across New York so none of the local cops would recognize him.

He quickly began walking back to the theatre area, seeing cops and paramedics doing rounds trying to see if there were ways to identify the burned corpses before the paramedics took them away to let the coroner work at dental records or such things. Alex learned from experience that if he walked like he was an official and knew where he was going then no one would question his presence even if they didn’t immediately recognize him.

That was how he walked right out of the theatre and past the police lines before he found a private space to change back and run up the side of the building before heading off for privacy.

He had to call and pray Dana made it out.

(LINE BREAK)

Aya heaved a tired sigh as she was driven away from that hellish theatre in a police cruiser driven by her partner Daniel Dollis, a slightly heavyset African-American man who in her opinion was a little too dedicated to his job when he had a small son to care for. He asked a few questions about what had gone on in the theatre, but Aya found she was just too tired.

She really wondered how the night could have gone so wrong. Her date, Brad, had been pestering her for a while for a date. She could guess why. People often told her that she got the best features of her parents like her father’s golden hair and her mother’s almond-shaped eyes and eflin facial features. One thing Aya Brea hadn’t lacked was boys who wanted to date her growing up. Brad was one of the most persistent of them all, being the son of a rich father that made him more than a little spoiled and just wanted a beautiful girl on his side as most rich men were wont to do at some point in their lives, search out a trophy girlfriend/wife. She finally got tired of his pestering and decided to give him one date before trying harder to get him to take a hike. She saw the advertisement about the opera show and figured it was a good a thing as any to go to for a one-time date.

Boy was she wrong

Almost the entire audience and crew had been burned to death thanks to the lead actress who had some kind of weird ability to mutate herself and any animals that got near her. She had been helped by likely one of the most notorious terrorists in the history of New York and in fact found him extremely helpful and had even gone so far as to not let her partner know she had seen him. She may or may not have been infected with something that was slowly developing inside of her and do who knew what with her body. Said lead actress turned mutant was loose somewhere in the city and with how she seemed to hold herself like some kind of prophet likely would kill again.

Oh yeah, her date also ran away like a scared chicken but she wasn’t going to shed any tears over that.

She just wanted to get some sleep for a few hours before starting to hunt down that woman before even more lives were lost.

She didn’t know it then, but the next six days were going to be the most pivotal in her life.

To Be Continued

A/N: I'm not sure about this one. I know Alex is a little OOC, but I see this as Dana's influence on Alex. Let me know what you think.