Capítulo 109: Rage Against The Machine 2
You know, I've never taken any type of drug throughout my life, other than prescriptions, and even then, I only used them when I was really sick.
But damn, consuming is a hell of a drug.
As the blacklight tendrils pull away from the two men, well, former men, that is, I see everything. Every taste, every touch, every sensation they felt, and it is amazing.
Years' worth of medical studies, as well as biology-based research, are downloaded into my mind in seconds. I remember every single word they uttered and every regret they ever had. But as soon as I feel it, it disappears, going into some corner of my mind.
Taking a breath, I stand back up as the alarm continues to ring. I reach for the door, try to pull on the handle, and find it locked. With a slight chuckle, I wind my fist back and slam it into the door.
It gives way after that single punch, flying to the opposite end of the hallway. As I walk out, I notice that all the rooms are empty. Not that I could see it, but I could smell it. There's no one in the building.
"Hmmm... pussies." Slightly disappointed with the lack of a greeting, I head towards the stairs and begin to climb down. Thankfully, I was only on the second floor of the building, and I was tempted to jump out the window, but I wasn't entirely sure how to manipulate my density to glide like the original Alex Mercer could. It's not on the level of Morphin Manhunter his is full density shifting.
Reaching the ground floor, I exit through one of the side entrances. As I step outside, I hear gunshots. Heading toward the source of the noise, I see Blackwatch soldiers standing over the bodies of GENTEK employees. They begin to fan out and separate. I can hear what seems to be helicopter rotors in the distance.
Looking upwards, I spot it just a couple of blocks away. I'm almost blown away by the improvement to my eyesight. In my previous life, I needed glasses to even see a quarter of this distance.
But I'm slightly distracted, and I suddenly feel the barrel of a gun pressed against my forehead.
"Identify yourself, now!" The soldier requests calmly as I stare into his goggled eyes. I see the others begin to form up behind him.
"Identify yourself immediately!"
"Why are you even asking, Jenkins? Just shoot the bastard!" The guy next to him fires off a couple of rounds. They go straight into me. I see blood begin to pour out, but it immediately returns to my body, and the bullets are spat back out.
"HahahaHAHAHAHAHA!" My laughter freaks them out as they all begin firing. Yet the bullets just go in and immediately come back out. The best part is, I don't even feel a thing.
Soon enough, they run out of ammo, and I look straight at them. I'm in front of them before they can react. All six of them pull out combat knives. I grab one by the face, slamming him into the ground, splattering his brain onto the concrete. Another tries to stab me, but I grab him, shank him through the neck, and stab him with his own knife.
I can feel the blacklight leaving my body as I absorb the two. The remaining four, having seen this, reload their weapons while calling for backup. As I finish consuming the two, I pick up one of their guns, but it feels dissatisfying, almost uncivilized to kill them like that.
As I turn around, I see them all shaking. I can hear their increased heart rates. A smile creeps onto my face as I charge straight at them. One opens fire, but the bullets don't do anything. I can slightly feel a drain on my body, seemingly the limits of my biomass.
I grab one by his gun, pulling him forward, and slam my fist into his chest, absorbing him in microseconds. The other three attempt to retreat, but I instinctively extend my biomass forward like a whip, dragging all three back toward me. Grabbing two of them by the legs, I slam them into a nearby wall, their bodies crumpling on impact. The last one tries to crawl away.
As I walk toward him, he turns around, and I can almost hear the gears turning in his head.
"Please, please, let me live. I'll tell you anything. I have money, drugs, connections. You don't have to do this." I pick him up by the neck and pull him close, shushing him softly.
And then: snap.
Before I can do anything else, a spotlight is forced upon me. Before I can react, the helicopter begins to spin up its minigun.
It seems like it's time to get out of Dodge. I immediately leap over the high fence and the wall. As I land, a pedestrian nearby screams as they're forced to the ground from the impact of my less-than-subtle landing.
Then, I take off running, yet I can't stop laughing. I haven't felt so alive… it's like I'm high, but I just can't come back down.
I don't even notice the fact that the gunfire behind me is trying to catch up the entire time. I focus more biomass into my feet, increasing the force I can output with each step. The ground cracks beneath me as I begin running up the side of a building, each footfall sending tremors through the structure.
I make it to the top, noticing a couple of antennas. Ripping one out of the roof, I fashion it into a makeshift spear. As the helicopter reorients itself in my direction, I throw it, using my whip to increase both accuracy and power.
Sadly, since I'm still a bit new to this, the antenna spear only grazes the side of the helicopter, forcing the pilot to adjust position. I pick up the second antenna and throw it. This time, it strikes through the glass and impales the pilot.
The helicopter descends rapidly, much faster than its occupants would prefer. It crashes into the street, but since it's nighttime, there are only a few cars nearby. I walk to the edge of the rooftop, surveying the wreckage below.
Jumping down, I arrive to see one of the helicopter's occupants holding a radio in his hand, probably calling for backup in his final moments.
I pick up the radio and put it in my… well, can I even call it a pocket since it's technically made from the virus? Things to think about later.
Before I can absorb any of the remaining crew, I'm suddenly hit by the impact of a missile. The explosion sends me flying into a nearby building, but honestly, it does more to annoy me than to hurt me.
I fall to the ground, deciding to play possum for a bit. Lying flat on the pavement, I hear ropes descending as a squad of Blackwatch soldiers, along with what seems to be a lieutenant, lands on the street. Before they can say anything, I spin myself 180 degrees with a smile on my face, grabbing one by the leg and slamming him into the other three.
I leap at the remaining soldiers before they can get a shot off, stabbing them with my claws. As I absorb their memories, I get what I wanted: the location of Alex Mercer's sister. As much as I would love to just leave this place behind, I can't.
There's a buzzing in my ears, in my brain. I can't leave the city until I kill all of them.
Randall, Greene, Cross. They all have to die.
And to be honest, while it's a little annoying, it's also a great way for me to get used to my powers. Even now, I can feel bits and pieces of instinct on how to form various weapons—from dual swords to claws.
Realizing the ropes are still attached to the helicopter, I leap upward and grab one. As I enter the helicopter, I grab the pilot by the head and crush it in my hand.
I direct the helicopter into an empty building, then jump out just before it explodes. As I land on the ground, the helicopter smashes into the building, and I decide to be a bit cheeky by forming some sunglasses.
For now, it's time to run. I've got a sister to save.
I take off down the street toward Dana's apartment, listening to their communications through the radio I grabbed.
[This is Cross. Any eyes on Zeus?]
[No, sir. We lost him. Both helicopters and their crews are gone. Subject Zeus eliminated all of them.]
[Dammit! I need eyes on him now! And make sure you get his sister to the Reagan.]
[Understood, sir. I've already sent out four more helicopters. We should be getting eyes on him soon.]
[We better. It's not just our paychecks at stake here. Cross out.]
It seems I'm going to have to hurry.
With that thought, I plant my feet on a building and start running along the exterior. Using my whipfist, I grapple to the edge of the roof and vault myself up.
Looking down, I take a deep breath. I can almost hear the What's Up Danger song playing in the back of my head. After getting some distance from the edge, I sprint toward it and leap, focusing every part of myself on feeling lighter.
As I do, I feel myself being propelled upward, gliding across entire blocks.
"WOOOOOHOOOO! I'm the fucking Rocket Man!" I can't keep myself from shouting, full of joy. I'm not technically flying, but I'm falling with style. Who knows, maybe I'll absorb a bird and be able to fly for real.
But for now, this is enough. After a couple of minutes gliding through the city, I reach Dana's apartment building. Instead of going in guns blazing, it's time for some Splinter Cell stealth.
Landing near the building, I transform into the lieutenant I had consumed earlier and walk inside.
I can almost hear a certain theme song playing in my head as I step into the role of an imposter. As I spread my senses through the building, I notice there are only two guys in the room with Dana.
It's time for lunch.
Capítulo 110: Rage Against The Machine 3
Honestly, it surprises me how shitty apartments can be regardless of the universe you're in. From the smells alone, this place deserves to burn down. But that might just be my enhanced senses getting the better of me. I'll probably have to take some time to get used to it. I feel like I could dial it down, but that'll be later.
As I walk towards the apartment building, I see a small APC outside. As I approach, the guard raises his gun. "Identify yourself."
"Lieutenant McIntosh, squad 24. Code number 069420." As I read off the necessary code, he lowers his gun and gives me a small salute.
"Lieutenant McIntosh, sir, we have secured the target and are currently preparing to evacuate. We have a chopper on the way to take the target to the Reagan." Giving him a small nod, I grab a weapon from the APC to blend in.
"Good work, Commander Cross sent me here to oversee the transport of the priority target. What room are they currently in?" Honestly, I have to keep myself from laughing behind the helmet. This is way too much fun.
"The third floor of the building, apartment 2A." Giving the man a small salute, he returns to guarding the APC as I enter the building.
Entering the elevator, I hear Nirvana start playing, which I find ironic as I'm both totally satisfied and the opposite of a Nirvana state. After a few seconds, I exit the elevator. Seeing the only open door, I head towards it, using my senses to locate exactly where the two guards are.
Since I'm so close to them, I can hear the blood rushing through their veins. Is this what Superman feels like every day? Because if he hears all this noise globally, the noise would drive me insane. Honestly, once I gain that amount of power, I'm immediately heading to Space Vegas.
That tangent aside, as I enter the room, two of the guards are holding Dana, trying to escort her out. I block the doorway.
"Lieutenant McIntosh, is there a problem?" one of the guards asks as I stare at them.
"Just wanted to check something. Subject Zeus is currently on the loose, and it seems he has the ability to mimic someone's appearance. I'm trying to determine if either of you are Subject Zeus." My answer seems to stun the two. As they turn to look at each other, Dana immediately knees one of them in the nuts.
As he bends over from his blown-out gonads, the other one raises his rifle to shoot Dana. I immediately grab the one aiming the rifle and snap his neck. Before the other one can look up, I grab him by the back of his head and shove my hand through his stomach.
As I consume the two men, Dana picks up one of their pistols and aims it at me. I immediately switch back to my appearance as Alex Mercer.
"Dana, it's me. It's Alex. Put the gun down." Seeing her fearful state, I begin racing through Alex Mercer's memories. Thankfully, whoever put me here decided to let me keep his memories, though they're fragmented.
"Okay, Dana, to prove I'm Alex, I'm going to remind you of the time when you were still in high school and Chad tried to ask you to prom—"
"Shut up!" She drops the gun and tries to cover my mouth before I can say anything else about what happened that prom night.
Then, she goes in for a hug, which I return because while I want to enjoy life, I'm not going to be a dick to everyone. Just most people.
"It's okay, Dana. Everything's going to be okay." But before we can continue, I take one of the grenades left from the consumed guards and pull the pin. Before Dana starts freaking out, I walk out of her apartment and jump to the roof. In the split second I'm on the roof, I throw the grenade towards the remaining guard next to the APC.
As I jump back down the hall, I hear the grenade go off.
After re-entering Dana's apartment, I shut the door.
"Alex, what did you do?"
"Simply took care of a straggler. We don't need any extras for the show." Dana finally seems to take a breath as she sits down.
"How did you even find me? I never gave you the location of this apartment."
"Well, you see, I can be very persuasive. It all started with me really getting to know some of the guards at the GENTEK facility." I can almost hear Dana's resting bitch face.
"Alex, I literally just saw you drink two people. What the hell happened?" Raising my hands in surrender, I explain.
"Well, you see, Dana, GENTEK was creating a bioweapon, or modifying one, and they wanted my expertise on the project. I can't remember much, but I know I was infected. But I'm not becoming one of those freaks from downtown. I got the location of your apartment from a Blackwatch soldier when I woke up, and I assume you know how."
"You ate them, didn't you?" I nod as she looks at the remains of the consumed soldiers.
"I don't know what's going on. You left me with literally nothing. The last time we talked was years ago… and then you contact me about looking into the company you're working for? What happened to you, Alex?" I grab a chair and sit down across from her.
"I got better." My answer genuinely stumps her, and she looks both ready to start crying and smack me in the face.
"Well, as you were looking for information, I managed to find some, but I can't tell you here. This apartment is compromised. But I will tell you it has something to do with the head of research at GENTEK."
"Do you have a car, or am I going to have to carry you in my arms?" The sarcasm isn't lost on her as she sighs to herself.
"What can I say, Alex? I'm finally living my dream of being carried like a princess." *Et tu, Dana?*
Before she can say anything else, she gathers up some files and her laptop. As she places them in a backpack, I open the window, take her by the shoulders, and carry her in a princess carry as I start running towards her friend's apartment in Midtown.
"Damn, Alex, you could give Bolt a run for his money."
"What can I say? You gotta live by the adage 'gotta go fast.' But if you start playing Green Hill Zone, I'm going to drop you." She immediately puts her phone back in her pocket.
The run is pretty quiet as Dana tries to cope with everything going on, and I leave her to her thoughts. Honestly, I'm planning on waiting until every one of my targets is dead. She's probably going to figure out I'm not actually Alex eventually.
But honestly? I couldn't care less. Maybe she already knows and is trying to use me for some type of revenge scheme.
Regardless, with or without her, I'm killing all of my targets. Soon enough, Dana directs me to her friend's apartment, another complex in Midtown West. Nothing special, just your average brownstone. But I don't exactly want to be standing out here.
Honestly, I'm a bit on edge, like something's tracking me. I don't know what that dragon did when he made this jump, but I have a feeling it's not going to go as smoothly as it did in the original game.
After putting Dana down, we walk into the building and enter one of the rooms. The dim light from the ceiling casts shadows all over the place. To be honest, the apartment just looks rundown.
"This will have to do for now. The person who lives here is backpacking through Europe and shouldn't be back for a while."
"All right, Dana, what do you have for me?" Dana sits down at the dining room table and opens her laptop.
"Well, considering your new condition, you're going to need targets. I will not, in good conscience, send you out into the city blind. First, I'd recommend heading to your old apartment. There may be something there that can lead us to the higher-ups at the company." Giving her a thumbs up, I stand and prepare to leave. But then I stop.
"Dana, where do I live?" Dana face-plants on the table as I leave the apartment.
"Alex Jeff Mercer, I will not stand for this!" Before I can hear Dana complain more, I head out onto the city streets. With a smile on my face and a pep in my step, I start heading towards the Upper East Side.
Nothing could go wrong.
At least that's what I thought before I got slammed into a building by what seemed like the Hulk on steroids.
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