New Dream Adventures of Raven Knight

01/16/14
Out of the Shadows
I am in a strange place. I look around to see where I am. I am immediately lucid and I am just wondering where I am and what I might be doing there. I survey the area. It is a very unpleasant place, it looks like a dark and backwards version of a normal forest. Trees are large and leafless, they look dead. The sky is a dreary gray that casts the landscape into a permanent state of twilight. The land is also shrouded in a thin mist. I start walking through the trees, not really sure where I'm going, but I need to figure out why I am here. There are strange things moving in the misty shadows that I can't quite see. I look behind me and I realize I am not alone. There is a man there with me. I have to get a bit closer to him before I can see who he is, but I recognize him as soon as I'm close enough to see. Alex Mercer follows me through the bleak landscape. He asks if I have seen any sign of Dana. I tell him he is the first one I have seen here. I didn't even know I was there looking for Dana. I ask if I am looking for Dana then why has he come, I thought he wasn't speaking to her. He says no, he's not speaking to her. But there's a big difference between not speaking to her and letting some freak from a parallel dimension kill her. He says we should find her.

I turn to head off in the direction that feels right. Alex follows me and then he pauses. He says he thinks it will be easier if Dana doesn't even realize it is him. He changes form into Dante from the Devil May Cry series of video games. He says he is ready now. So the two of us continue searching through the mysterious place. After a bit longer of a search I hear a commotion in the distance. Alex has clearly heard it, too. A scream… and some cursing. A woman is screaming and yelling expletives at someone. Alex says that sounds like Dana. We both follow the sound. We find that between two particularly large trees there is an even larger spider web. About the center of the spider web there is a woman tangled up in it. She is struggling to get free, but her attempts just seem to be getting her even more hopelessly entangled. She drops some more loud expletives before calling to no one in particular to help her get loose. I can recognize from here that it is Dana Mercer, Alex's sister. She doesn't seem to have noticed that Alex and I are there, and of course she wouldn't recognize Alex even if she had noticed us. She struggles some more and then finally seems to give up on that at least for now. She looks down and sees Alex and me. She says she is so glad to see friendly faces… please help her get free. Alex gives her a dirty look and says no one has said we are friendly… maybe he's not friendly at all. I elbow Alex and tell him to cut it out, calling him Dante. I tell her we'll have her free in just a bit.

While Dana's struggles haven't attracted any of the local inhabitants to help her they have attracted the owner of the web. A large spider crawls out onto the web from a tree. The spider has the tail of a scorpion and is about the size of a Great Dane dog. When the spider gets closer to Dana she screams again. The spider is about to drive its stinger tail right into Dana's abdomen when Alex reacts. He yells at the spider thing to get the fuck away from her and calls it a few creative things. He may look like Dante, but he is using Alex Mercer abilities as he jumps up into the air and forms his arms into a claws, cutting through the web between the spider thing and Dana. The spider turns to attack Alex. Alex grabs the thing's stinger as it is about to impale him with it. He rips the stinger right off of the spider creature and then consumes the spider thing. I am thinking if he was trying to keep her from knowing who he is then he hasn't done a very good job hiding it. I climb up into the trees in a more normal manner and cut her free from the webs, lowering both of us safely to the ground. It turns out she has a number of injuries on her that I go ahead and use healing energy on. Dana is soon fully healed.

Dana doesn't seem to be paying much attention to me, however, she is looking at Alex. When he comes over near us she addresses him as Alex, though she does so in a questioning way. "Alex?" Alex gives her a bit of a dirty look and says no, it's Dante. Dante Sparda. As if it's an afterthought he transforms his claw arms back to normal human arms. Dana seems puzzled and says he's clearly infected. Alex says he's not infected with anything. He just happens to be part demon. His father was a demon… so if she has a problem with that, then fuck her. Dana points out the obvious and says Alex is clearly still upset. Alex says so he's tired of people assuming the worst about him just because he's a demon. It seems that Dana doesn't really have any doubt that she is speaking to Alex. She asks how she was supposed to know there was a fake running around. It seems Alex, on the other hand, has gotten a bit better at faking being Dante. He asks a fake what? A fake demon? She says a fake him, calling him Alex. "A fake YOU, Alex!" He repeats his name is Dante. She says she knows he's Alex, so cut the crap. He is annoyed, maybe at her for seeing it or maybe at himself for not hiding it better. He says forget it. He can't be Alex… Alex is dead. And then before anything else can be said he disappears through a portal.

Damn it! Dana looks around and curses loudly. It seems she's forgotten I'm even here because she calls after Alex asking how she's supposed to get out of this nightmare. I ask if I'm a pile of chopped liver… I can open portals, too, you know. She looks over at me as if noticing me for the first time and says sorry, she was a bit distracted. Thanks for helping her out. She adds that she has no idea what is wrong with Alex… or maybe he really told me his name is Dante? No… I knew it's Alex, though he could definitely use work on his undercover skills… She asks me if I know what his problem is. I find I'm not happy about the way she has behaved, either… it seems to me that she abandoned Alex in the second game, so I find myself quoting song lyrics… "And I watched as you turned away, you don't remember, but I do… you never even tried." Dana thinks I am being weird, but finally asks tried what. I say to figure out what was going on when she thought Alex had gone completely around the bend. I comment that I guess I can't speak for anyone else, but if someone I care about goes bat-shit crazy for no apparent reason I'm going to do whatever I can to find out what happened and get that person back. She asks who says she didn't try. I tell her Alex. And the clone, too… because when Alex consumed the clone he got all those memories, as well. So I remember when she said, "I understand that I had a brother once; a boy named Alex, a boy who used to play games with me and go skating with me and watch scary movies with me. I understand that Alex is dead now." The only problem with that was he wasn't dead… he was right there just wanting her to hear him out, but no… Now even I have that memory etched in my mind and it never even happened to me, but after being consumed by Alex repeatedly all of his memories are mine… and mine are his… Dana looks at me strangely when I say I have been consumed by Alex repeatedly, that no doubt sounds pretty crazy.

Ok, well I figure I will be waking up soon so I open a portal leading back to Dana's home world. I tell her that is the way home, so she might want to consider not taking any more unplanned excursions into parallel dimensions in the future. She looks at the portal and says no. I say that's good, because unless you know what you're doing you can end up a lot of places that make this place… which I have determined to be some part of the Shadow Realm… seem like a fantastic vacation opportunity. So take care. Dana says no again. No what? She says she isn't going home. She wants to see Alex. I tell her it's pretty obvious to me that Alex doesn't want to see her, so the answer to that one would be no. She asks if I know where Alex is. I say I don't specifically know where he is at this very second, but I know where to find him, where he will eventually come back to, or at least I hope he doesn't decide not to come back… She says she doesn't see why he should be mad at her, she's the one who thought he had turned against everyone he cared about! I tell her that there is part of the problem. Until he knows that you get the gravity of what you did when you told him he is dead, he will never, ever, ever be anything but the picture of pain you saw before. Sorry, but there's no way he will be able to heal until you get it. My Penticon chip projects a hologram of a Simpsons clip… the one where Laura Powers, a girl Bart had a crush, on rips out his heart and throws it in the trash. "You won't be needing this!" It's a short clip and it plays on a loop. Well, look at that… because that's what you did! I find myself getting upset at Dana, and I force myself to calm down… after all, it wasn't me that she did it to… but still, betraying someone I care for is the same as betraying me and I want to call her a backstabbing bitch… But I say nothing. I finally tell her if she ever gave a shit about Alex, leave him alone now. If he gets to a point where he is ready to talk to her, he will find her. I transform the portal to Dana's home world from a regular portal to a vortex portal. The portal creates a vacuum and pulls Dana through it and into her home dimension. As Dana is pulled through the portal I hear her saying she never meant to… but then her voice is cut off as the portal closes. It doesn't really matter what she said, I still plan on continuing to heal Alex… he needs to let go of the past not for Dana, but for himself. One does not forgive others for them, one needs to forgive others for themselves. That is the thought in my mind when I wake.

12/11/13

A Father's Death
I wake up lying in a comfortable bed that I know right away is not my own. I am Amelia. The first thought that returns to my mind is my father turning his back on me, not caring if I live or die. I bury my head in the pillow wishing I could just fall back asleep and maybe next time I wake up all of this will be just a bad dream. I am getting close to falling asleep when I hear someone enter the room with me. A man beside the bed whispers my name quietly. "Amelia? Amelia, wake up… we have to go." Go? Go where? And who was in my room? I open my eyes and look at the man beside my bed. It's Alex Mercer. Alex Mercer! For just an instant I am alarmed and I sit up quickly, wondering if there is any quick path to escape. But then the sleep clears out of my mind. I have nothing to fear from Alex. He has made it very clear he has no interest in hurting me. And he certainly wouldn't hurt me after I helped him get the formula for the serum he needed to cure his sister Dana. He steps back a bit and says he's sorry he startled me. He says Dana is awake, so he wants to go to the hospital and see her. He says it's not safe for me to stay here alone, there has been too much activity among the infected here recently. So he wants to take me with him. For some reason his show of concern for my safety makes me want to go give him a big hug. It's not really something I am accustomed to… my sorry excuse for a father sure hadn't showed any concern for my safety…

I get out of bed and follow Alex back into the room with the computers. I ask if the infected would really come into the apartment. He points at the hole and says that's where a supreme hunter grabbed Dana right out of her computer chair and took her to Elizabeth Greene for who-knows-what malevolent purpose. He'd gotten Dana back before Greene had finished what she was doing, but that was why Dana had needed the serum. He crouches down so I can get on his back and ride piggy-back again. This time I hold on as tight as I can without him saying anything. And then he is off like a flash, into the air, over buildings, up walls, then he glides in for a landing in an alley behind a hospital. He sets me down and motions for me to follow him inside. I look around. I don't see any sign of infected around there, but I follow Alex anyway. I follow him through several halls and we finally get to a room. The room looks disturbingly like a morgue… I see a sign on the door that says that's exactly what it is. For an instant I am afraid Dana died after all, but no… Alex had said she is awake. I follow Alex into the room and close the door behind me.

In the morgue I see there are a couple dead bodies on tables. I make a point of ignoring those. Alex is with two other people talking. One of the two people is a black man in doctor's garb, and the other is a red-haired woman dressed casually, though her clothes are a bit dirty and ripped. That must be Dana. Alex motions to me to come over where he introduces me to the other two. The doctor is Dr. Ragland, one of the few people Alex feels he can trust, and the woman is Dana Mercer, which I had already guessed. Alex introduces me to them as Amelia, and says I'm the one that managed to get the formula for the serum. Dr. Ragland tells me I did a great thing, that formula saved Dana's life. I force a smile at them, though I don't feel like smiling. I can still hear my father's voice in my mind saying I am of no use to him. Kill her, eat her, fuck her… I don't care… I try to push the voice from my mind before I start crying. Alex asks if I am ok. I lie to him and say I am fine. I'm sure he doesn't want to hear about my problems.

As Alex, Dana, and Dr. Ragland are talking I just kind of move away from them. I feel uncomfortable and out of place. I feel like I don't belong there. So since no one has noticed me move away from the group I continue and leave the morgue. I find my way to the front of the hospital and look outside. There are people out there, regular people, uninfected people. None of them seem alarmed about anything, so I reason it must be relatively safe here. I go outside into the sun. It feels nice. I look around at the people walking and talking and I realize I have never felt so alone. I just walk to the stairs that lead to the front door of the hospital where I sit down, not sure where to go, not sure what to do. I spend a short time crying silently, which no one seems to notice. Or maybe just no one cares. My tears finally dry up but I still don't know where to go so I stay there.

I am still sitting there when a uniformed soldier approaches me, looking at me like he is seeing a ghost. He asks if I am Amelia. I say yes. He is stunned beyond belief. He says everyone at the base is certain I must be dead. He helps me to my feet. He continues talking. He asks how I managed to get away from Mercer. He says that ever since Mercer broke his end of the deal by refusing to release me, everyone had assumed he had probably consumed me to see if I knew anything about… I interrupt him. I ask him exactly what he thinks happened that night. He says an arrangement was made to trade some serum to Mercer for my safe return. The serum had been delivered, but Mercer had refused to let me go, and had instead taken me with him when he left. He said people had searched… I interrupt him again. The serum was delivered? No way! That bastard that calls himself my father had flat out refused to hand over the serum, he'd flat out refused to even consider it! I am so upset that I am on the verge of tears again, but this time there is a fair amount of anger mixed with my grief. That bastard is making himself out to be a victim! I tell the soldier that Alex never did anything to hurt me, in fact he had let me go. My story is not quite true, rather I snuck away while Alex had been talking to Dana and Dr. Ragland, but I have no doubt in my mind he would have let me go even if he had seen me leaving. The soldier doesn't seem to know what to say. He asks if Mercer really let me go, but doesn't wait for an answer. He said we should get back to the base, then leads me to his vehicle and we leave.

I actually have thoughts that I don't want to go back to the base. There's nothing there for me. But I don't say anything, and we drive in through the heavy gates that protect the entrance. I get out of the vehicle and walk towards the residence section. And there he is. The bastard that claims to be my father. The bastard that refused to trade a failed experiment for my safe return. That bastard… He comes over to me with his arms spread wide, saying over and over how happy he is to see that I am ok. He says he's been afraid he would never see me again. He keeps talking and I walk right over to him. Without a moment's hesitation I pull my right fist back and punch him in the face as hard as I can. SMACK! I hurt my hand when I do that. I also feel my father's nose bend unnaturally to the side. Blood spurts from the nose and all over my hand. I start yelling at him, letting the anger out. "A failed experiment? You were willing to give me up for a FAILED EXPERIMENT?! YOU ASSHOLE! YOU ROTTEN PIECE OF SHIT!"

My father takes a towel from a man who hands it to him. He holds the towel to his nose to stem the bleeding. He has the nerve to be getting mad at me. He says I shouldn't talk about what I don't understand. He says he had everything under control until Mercer grabbed me and left. I ask what part of his plan involved riddling my body with bullets as his thugs tried to shoot Alex. He says they are good enough with their weapons, they weren't going to hit me. He hesitates, then asks me how I know what serum Mercer had been after. I tell him Alex pointed out which one he needed… when I hacked into his computer. I speak plenty loud enough so anyone in the area can hear that he has what is no doubt an unauthorized copy of classified information on his personal computer. He asks if I want to get him in trouble. I say the answer is the same as his answer to, "Do you want to watch your daughter die?" He repeats that he had everything under control. He asks how I could hand classified information over to Mercer. I ask him how he was so willing to turn ME over to Alex? He says I shouldn't talk to my father like that. I tell him I'm not. My father is dead. He hesitates, not seeming to know what to say. Neither does anyone else. The room is dead silent. I tell the man who once was my father that he is nothing to me now. He is shit.

I turn and walk away from the asshole. He grabs my arm. I feel like kicking him in the balls. He says I can't just walk away, I aided and abetted the enemy. He wants to know where Mercer is right now, what he is up to, where he took me, how I managed to escape. I tell him I have no idea where Alex is right now, I can't say where he took me because it was not through a route I am used to traveling, and I didn't escape… he let me go. He asks where I last saw Mercer. I tell him I wouldn't tell him where Alex was if Alex was sneaking up right behind him! He glares at me and then speaks to a man beside him. He says I was picked up by the hospital, and that is too far away for me to have gotten on foot. So Mercer must have taken me there. Go there and make sure Mercer doesn't leave there alive! Level the entire area if you have to, but don't let Mercer escape! Someone asks what about the civilians seeking medical help there. The asshole says they don't matter, all of them are infected and just haven't shown symptoms yet. They're already dead! I tell the thing that claims to be my father that he is the absolute lowest form of life I have ever seen. The reports are all right… there is a monster running around the city. But it's not Alex, it's him. He tells one of the soldiers to escort me to my quarters and make sure I stay there. In my current state of mind I might run off and warn Mercer.

One of the soldiers takes my arm gently and uncertainly. He is clearly not comfortable with the situation. He leads me from the room. He stops once we're out of sight. His name is Steve. He says I know my father better than he does… would he really kill everyone in that hospital just on the slim chance they might be able to take Mercer with it? I tell him I would have said 'no' just last week, but now I would have to say 'yes' definitely. He says someone has to warn the hospital so they can evacuate the patients. We go into a room with some computers. He tries to open communications to the hospital but all communications are shut down. He curses, then says all the computers are on lock down since a hacker was detected… He says he will have to go to the hospital. He says I should go to my quarters where it's safe. I tell him I don't think that's safe considering how crazy my father is acting and that he seems to think I have teamed up with Alex.

Steve hesitates, then says I can go with him. We hurry to the area where the vehicles are parked and get into a Jeep and take off out the door. Speeding down the empty streets makes the trip go pretty fast, but it still seems to take forever. Questions go through my mind. How long will it take to organize a massive attack on the hospital? Is Alex still there? How about Dana? Dr. Ragland is surely still there… We finally arrive at the hospital and Steve jumps right out and runs inside. I am right behind him. While he heads for security, however, I head for the morgue. I run all the way there and I am rather winded when I get there. I go inside and find it is empty. No one is there. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I go into the next room, which is a lab. Dana is in there sleeping on a couch. Dr. Ragland and Alex are facing the other way and talking. I am trying to catch my breath. Alex looks over and sees me there. He asks where I went off to. I tell him that's a long story, but Blackwatch is attacking the hospital any minute now, so he'll want to get Dana and Dr. Ragland out of there. Alex changes form into a soldier and leaves the room.

I follow Alex back to the front of the hospital. I can already hear helicopters in the distance approaching. And the engines of tanks. It's too late to evacuate… Alex asks Steve what is going on. Steve says the commander has gone mad… he's going to bomb the shit out of the hospital. He said we need to get as many people out as possible. Alex says there isn't time. He runs out towards the approaching enemies. I see several helicopters in the air, but I can't see the ground forces yet. Then I see Alex launch into the sky right in the middle of the group of helicopters. He explodes in a huge mass of what look like tendrils (tendril barrage devastator) that punch right through the choppers as if they are paper. The choppers explode and Alex drops back to the ground. Steve looks at me in shock… he says that other soldier was Alex Mercer! He looks around and exclaims that he was face-to-face with Alex Mercer and he's still alive! I am too far away to see any details, but I hear a lot of explosions and I can tell there is a big fight going on out there. That goes on for a while longer and then everything goes silent. Smoke is rising out there, everyone waits to see if anyone emerges.

A single soldier finally emerges from the smoke and destruction. A single soldier that does not even look injured. He gets a bit closer and looks around the area. Everyone has stopped whatever they were doing to watch what was happening. Some civilians are coming from the general direction of the smoke. They all have different descriptions of what they saw. There is only one thing that everyone agrees on. A huge Blackwatch attack force had been closing in on the hospital for unknown reasons when Alex Mercer had single handedly put a stop to the attack. The single soldier comes over near me. Steve backs away from the single soldier, who I have no doubt is Alex. The conversations around me are all about Blackwatch attacking a civilian hospital and Alex Mercer defending it, it seems a lot of people are expressing disbelief about that happening but none are really denying it. The conversation shifts to Blackwatch lying and Blackwatch cover-ups. Alex asks if I am ok. I say I am fine.

A jeep drives up to the front of the hospital. I see the asshole who was once my father in it. He gets out and glares right at me. He says he should have known. He looks at Steve and says he is in a lot of trouble. Because of him I got out and warned Mercer, and now Mercer has disappeared again. Steve glances over at Alex but says nothing. My former father turns to me and says even Steve isn't in as much trouble as I am. He says he has never been so ashamed of his own daughter. I remind him that my father is dead, I am no daughter of his. He says I am under arrest. Alex comes over beside me and tells my former father to leave me alone. My former father looks at Alex's name tag and refers to him as Brandon, telling him to mind his own business. Steve asks if my former father really ordered an attack on a civilian hospital. He says this was a rare chance to eliminate Alex Mercer, but thanks to me, the bastard got away. Steve glances at Alex again but still says nothing. Alex walks right up to my former father and says again to leave me alone. My former father says maybe he should take "Brandon" in with me, and Steve, too, if we all insist on siding with Mercer. Steve says he's not siding with anyone. Alex says my former father won't be ordering any more attacks on civilian targets. The asshole tells Alex he'll order whatever attacks he wants whenever he… Alex interrupts him by consuming him right on the spot.

Alex takes the form of my former father. Steve moves farther away, he pretends to have not noticed anything out of the ordinary. It seems no one else noticed at all, everyone is too occupied by talking amongst themselves. I am just staring. I was so very angry at that asshole who called himself my father… but I'm still not sure what to think of the fact Alex just killed him. In fact, I feel rather light headed. Maybe too much has happened just recently. Too much stress. The world is spinning. There are now three Steves and three Alexes looking at me. I feel like I am falling over. Alex gets closer and catches me before I can fall to the ground. Steve is just watching as Alex catches me before I can fall. He also seems unsure of what to say or do, and he ends up saying and doing nothing. Alex looks around, then back at me… all five of him. Alex says he will get me someplace safe. He says he won't let anything happen to me. He lies me on the back seat of the Jeep and drives away from the hospital, probably to avoid attracting any attention. We are driving along when everything fades to black and I wake up in my own bed.

12/03/13

A Father's Betrayal
I am standing out in a parking lot at night. I am not myself, and I am completely non-lucid. My name is Amelia. I keep thinking about mistakes I made. I shouldn't have gone outside the safety of the walls of the military base. But I'd just felt so cooped up. I'd longed to feel the ocean breeze instead of smelling the stagnant exhaust of the military vehicles. And the zombie infestation had been cleared from the area. So what could be the danger? I'd forgotten about the biggest threat of all... Alex Mercer. But even if I had thought of that, what interest would he have in a 25 year old college student? I was supposed to be off at school, but I'd gotten stuck here when I had been visiting my father at the time of the outbreak. Yet here I was, in the middle of a parking lot with a strange tendril wrapped around my waist like a tether, waiting for my father's response to Alex's terms for my safe release. Alex just wanted some dumb serum. Of course my father would turn it over, I was the most important thing in his life. Sure, he had been preoccupied with his work lately, but nothing would come between us. Wow... if Alex keeps his word and releases me I will get hell for leaving the base. I'll never hear the end of it. I am mindlessly playing with the tendril on my waist, secure but not uncomfortable, interesting texture, wondering what is taking so long. What if they don't have the serum Alex wants?

Then I hear my father responding, I'm sure not much time has really passed, it just feels like that. My father is saying someone will be right out with the serum... but that's not what he said! Did he just tell Alex to go fuck himself? For a bit there is no response from Alex. My father must have a plan. That must be it. I can tell Alex isn't happy with the response. The tendril around my waist tightens uncomfortably, but only briefly, then it relaxes again like it was just a reaction to Alex being annoyed. Alex asks my father if he really wants to watch his daughter die. My father responds that Alex can do whatever he wants with me. Kill me… eat me… fuck me if that's what he wants. Alex would get nothing from him. He wouldn't turn over last week's shopping list. I am in shock… did my father just say he doesn't care if Alex kills me?

I feel like my knees are about to give out, but before I collapse I feel the tendril around my waist pulling at me, pulling gently, though. Soon I am standing beside Alex. Somewhere in my mind I am thinking he's probably going to kill me now, hoping he will at least make it quick, but the foremost thought in my mind is how could my own father betray me like that. I am silently crying, my knees give out completely, but I don't collapse. Alex is holding me up. The tendril around my waist is withdrawn, now I feel Alex's arms around me. Is he hugging me? No… he must be consuming me, that's how he's going to kill me. But nothing happens. I am crying on Alex Mercer's shoulder. I hear his voice in my ear, but it sounds distant and I don't understand what he is saying. What I do realize is that he is speaking in a comforting tone. Maybe he's not going to hurt me? Then I hear him talking to my father again, saying maybe my father would reconsider when Alex started sending me back to him piece by piece. So much for not hurting me… Immediately after he finishes saying that, however, it's back to the comforting whispers again. I strain to hear what he's saying. He doesn't mean it. He'll keep me safe. He promises. He keeps repeating that while he holds me close. I hear him mutter something about sending my father pieces of a dead body, but that won't hold up if they test DNA. Damn, he'll have to get the serum some other way.

Then my father's voice drowns out Alex's whispers. He repeats that he doesn't give a shit what Alex does to me. He says I am of no use to him. Maybe he thinks if he convinces Alex I am worthless to him that Alex will just release me and go away? That seems like an awfully risky thing to assume… My father is yelling at his own people now. He asks them what they're just standing around for? Mercer is right there in the open! Kill him! There are some voices that aren't loud enough for me to understand what is being said, then my father yelling again. What part of "she is of no use to me" did you not understand?! Open fire! I feel a quick movement as Alex turns away from my father and the base, bending both of us over and standing hunched over me. I look and see a shield has formed on his back that looks a bit like a spiked turtle shell. Bullets are ricocheting off of the shield. There is a lull in the gunfire, they are probably reloading… or preparing larger weapons. Alex is muttering some expletives and I think they are about my father. He tightens his hold on me and tells me to hold on to him as tight as I can. I wrap my arms around behind his neck. He seems to be tensed up as if about to spring, but he says to hold on tighter, as tight as I can manage. So I do, holding on so tightly that I would think it would be hurting him. But he doesn't seem to notice. Then he launches into the air, practically flying up the side of a building as I hear more gunfire and explosions around us. A couple more jumps and we are well out of range of any weapons at the base.

Alex has stopped running and jumping, so I let go of him. I try to pull away from Alex, I really just want to get away from him and find someplace I can be alone. Alex holds on to me. Of course. What had made me think he was going to just let me go? My father had failed to meet his terms… flat out refused to even consider it. I try a bit harder to pull free, but it's clear I won't be able to do it. Alex holds me closer and says to just relax, he's not going to hurt me. He says the things he told my father he would do to me was all talk, trying to shock the bastard into cooperating. It hadn't worked. He says not to worry, though, he is not going to hurt me. He says I had better stick around, though… there have been some zombies moving back into the area, but they won't get anywhere near me as long as he is there. He lets go of me now, and then paces around the roof we are on for a few minutes. He seems to be thinking about something very hard. He stops and looks over at me. I don't like the look on his face. But he quickly looks away, shaking his head and muttering something, I hear him say there has to be another way. He seems very upset about something.

I can't help it any longer and I ask what the serum he wanted is for. He looks over at me as if surprised I'm still there. He then says he needs it to cure his sister Dana. He says without the serum she will die. He goes back to pacing around the roof. Oh… his sister is sick… I guess maybe a lot of people would do whatever it takes to save a loved one. I stand there in silence for a bit. So it looks like both Alex and I will be losing someone we love. Without the serum Dana would die, and I as I feel right now my father is dead to me. I hear his voice in my mind again saying I am of no use to him. I think about it a bit longer and then something occurs to me. My father has always been a bit paranoid that someone would steal or sabotage his work. To prevent that, he has always kept a backup copy of all his data on a hidden hard drive on his home computer. Surely he has the data on the serum Alex needs. I ask Alex if the chemical formula for the serum would be helpful. My father has always said as long as he has the chemical formula, the samples are just extra insurance. Alex stops pacing and looks over at me again. He asks if I have that formula, I see a glimmering of hope in his eyes. I tell him I don't have it, but I can get it. I just need a computer with wireless capability. Alex says he knows a place and comes over to me. He crouches down and says I should get on his back and hold on at tight as I can. I put my arms around his neck and hold on. He is holding onto my legs so I am riding piggy-back. He says to hold on tighter. I hold on a little tighter, but after all I have my arms around his neck… He asks if I am actually concerned about holding on too tight… because if I am, don't be. It would take someone much stronger than me to choke him. Ok… so I hold on as tight as I can, and he launches into the air for what turns out to be a very exhilarating ride.

A short time later Alex lands on top of what looks like an apartment building. There is a hole ripped in the wall of one of the apartments and we go in through there. There are several computers along one wall along with bulletin boards filled with notes and maps. The notes and maps mean nothing to me. I sit down at the computer and turn it on. It boots quickly since it had been in standby mode. Whoever had used it last had left it on when they left. Once online I go to the wireless connection. I wonder at first if I'll be able to access the network. But I needn't have worried, Blackwatch has turned all of New York into a wi-fi zone so they can communicate. And there aren't many civilians left who would know how to access it. Once on the network I have no problems navigating to my father's personal computer. As long as he isn't in the office, he won't notice the computer receive the remote power-on command. And he is surely still on duty. There is a password to get into his computer. I think about it for a bit and then use my mother's name. Access denied. I enter my mother's name and birthday. Access denied. No, he wouldn't make it that easy. So I enter my mother's name backwards and then her birthday. Access granted. Yes! Now to access his hidden drive. Finding the drive is easy, but it has another password. I use the same password… access denied. I guess it couldn't have been that easy. Then I realize it is just looking for a number. I use my mother's birthday. Access denied. Her birthday backwards. Access denied. Shit! It says one more failed attempt results in the system being locked down. Gotta make this one count. I am a bit too aware of Alex looking over my shoulder. Even though he hasn't done anything to hurt me and it doesn't look like he will it makes me uneasy. And I need that password…

I fiddle around on the computer. I find a C# compiler. I fiddle around with code. Too bad I haven't studied code… But I find I know it anyhow! Somehow the information is just there, in my mind, like I've known it all along. (I know programming in my waking life, so that is probably where the knowledge came from.) I write some code quickly to sequentially search through numbers to identify a password. It then compares the number with the password in the database to determine if it is correct without submitting it and counting it as an attempt. I run the program, keeping my fingers crossed that it'll work. After a pause that is too long for my liking the computer finally flashes up the Access granted message. There is a list of directories that I don't understand. Alex points at one that says Batch 250 and says that's the one. I click that and he points at one that says 256b. I click on that and it opens up a list of files containing all sorts of information from the chemical composition of serum 256b to the results of experiments done with serum 256b. There is a final note on the bottom that said 256b was being terminated as a failed experiment. I stare at that word for a bit. Failed. Alex says something but I don't hear what. Right now I am thinking how my own father was willing to give up my life to protect a failed experiment. A fucking FAILED experiment! Alex carefully rolls my chair to the side and pulls another chair up to the computer. He types a quick email to a Dr. Ragland and sends off a couple of the files.

Alex leans back in his chair and sighs. He says he hopes that will allow Dr. Ragland to create an antidote for Dana. I tell him I hope she is ok. An email comes back from Dr. Ragland. It says that the files Alex sent are exactly what he needs, he will create and administer the serum right away. He says he will send another email when she is awake. I look through the broken wall into the night, which is now brightening into dawn. Now that the action of hacking into my dad's computer has passed, I am just depressed again at the way he betrayed me. I slump down in my chair, feeling like crying but no tears actually come. Alex moves his chair closer and says if it means anything, he'd never had any intention of hurting me. It doesn't mean much… I say there's no way my sperm donor could have known that. I don't want to call him my father. He gave up that title when he told Alex to go ahead and kill me. I look over at Alex, right into his blue eyes which look a lot more caring than I would have expected after the horrible things I have heard about him. But it's looking like maybe I can't believe everything I hear, especially from sources such as Blackwatch and Gentek. Alex puts his arms around me and holds me close, trying to comfort me in my depression over my father's betrayal. And it is helping. It feels nice to be held. I somehow feel safe here, and suddenly very tired. I drift off to sleep in Alex's arms and wake up in my own bed.

11/26/13

Consuming Power
I am in a city I don't recognize. It is night time, and it is quite dark. Even darker than it usually is at night in a city. None of the lights seem to be on. I wonder why I might be here. I start looking around until I hear some people talking. I come around a corner and I see a man moving towards me. I realize the sky is beginning to lighten and I can make out that the man is some kind of military soldier. He has an assault rifle of some kind aimed at me.

He sounds very unfriendly as he tells me to freeze and not move. He demands to know who I am and what I'm doing there. I cooperate, not sure if he is friend or foe, ally or enemy. I give him the name Raven Knight and I say I am not there to cause any trouble. He says I already am causing trouble. I wonder how I am causing a problem, but he doesn't bother with any more questions. He opens fire on me. A spray of bullets hit my upper torso and cause a small tingling sensation. "Oh, shit! You're HIM!" the soldier says before firing a couple grenades and then turning and making a run for it. The grenades explode in my face, but I don't really notice any effect beyond a flash of light and a slight warmth. I see the soldier about to go around a corner and I think it will be bad if he gets a chance to alert the others. I use a tendril to pull him back over. I have the guy right in front of me and he is just begging me to let him go, he is also calling me Mercer… as in Alex Mercer? I don't really want to kill a guy who is begging for his life, so I am about to let go of him when I realize he has been maneuvering his right hand with some kind of gun in it… to fire a large blast right at my chest. The blast punches a hole right through me, but I don't feel a thing. I look down at the hole in my chest just in time to see it seal itself up, completely mending the Assassin's robes I am wearing, leaving no trace I have ever been shot. The man has a look of sheer terror on it now, though he has gone silent. He then starts yelling in my face, calling me a monster and saying there is no way I'm going to get out of this one alive! He thinks they really have a way to kill Alex? I have to know for sure… he already thinks I'm Alex Mercer so I just consume him and then I know everything he knows. They do have a plan to kill Alex, though this guy didn't know what it is, just to meet his commander at a certain time and place. So I'll attend that meeting in his place.

There are four other guys at the meeting and the commander. I know all of the guys as the other people in my squad. The commander holds up a large syringe of some yellow fluid that looks like piss. He says that is the answer to all of our problems. A virus that will completely destroy Alex Mercer. He laughs like he is a bit crazy. From the guy I consumed I know he has been more than a bit obsessed with Alex. He says the virus in the syringe will make the fucker consume himself. He laughs again and then gets serious. He says we only get one chance. If Mercer survives being dosed with this stuff he'll most likely be immune to it. He says someone has to dose Mercer, then when the virus has him weakened, hit the shit with everything we got until there's nothing left! Now… the plan is to distract Mercer, but someone will have to sneak in and dose him. He says the odds are against that person escaping alive, so first he's looking for volunteers. Josh says he is definitely the one. Blake says Josh is about as stealthy as a freight train. I don't say a word. I step out of sight and become invisible. I sneak behind the commander and relieve him of his gun, his backup gun, and his combat knife, using telekinesis to aid me in remaining undetected. I return to the group, becoming visible and saying I should be the one to deliver the virus. The commander asks why it should be me. I show him his guns and his knife, asking if he has lost something. He calls me Barnes and says he never realized I had it in me… the job is mine. He said to go in quickly and try to get out quickly if I can, but if I don't make it, I'll die a hero.

So then we play the waiting game. Waiting for Alex to show himself. This almost bores me into waking up. But then we get notice and depart at once. Alex is facing off against a large number of Blackwatch forces that include tanks and people. He seems pissed about something. He is asking "Where is she?" The commander tells me to do my thing and hands me the syringe of toxin.

I get out of sight and turn invisible. I get closer to Alex without any problem, thinking about the situation. The commander said if he recovers from the toxin he will be immune. That seems like a good idea. And I can make sure it doesn't kill him one way or another. Healing him… letting him consume me… so I get right behind him and drop my invisibility before completing my assigned mission by giving him the toxin. Of course that doesn't go unnoticed. Alex turns and sees me, grabbing me by the neck as quick as a blink. Then the toxin starts having its effect. Alex looks like he is in considerable pain and drops to his knees, though his grip on me doesn't lessen any. I hear what sounds like the commander yelling to fire, hit him with everything! Alex is glaring at me with more hate than I have ever seen in him, he asks what I did to him… but doesn't wait for an answer. I smile and tell him it's show time just before he consumes me. I am familiar with the process of being consumed, though this time it proves to be significantly more uncomfortable, though still not painful since I don't feel pain in dreams. A sensation of something being drained out of me, very uncomfortable. I figure that's because the Alex I know is more careful when he does it, this Alex was pissed. As I become conscious again, now fused with Alex, I hear explosions all around us. I look through Alex's eyes and see there is an energy field around us that is blocking all of the explosions safely away.

Apparently Alex already discovered one of my abilities to make an energy field. I can tell from Alex that the 'she' he had been looking for is Dana, apparently she has been kidnapped by Blackwatch. Kidnapped by the commander I'd been working for. The explosions around us finally subside. The entire area around Alex is now a huge crater with only the spot he is standing remaining unscathed. Alex stands up and looks at the Blackwatch forces all around us, I can tell he is now recovering nicely from the toxin I gave him. He beat it and will only get stronger from here. There had been people cheering all around us, but now they all fall silent. Aside from the sound of engines idling there is total silence. Alex scans the troops on the ground and spots the commander near the front of the group, apparently wanting a front row seat to watch Alex die. The commander is yelling at everyone to kill Alex, but no one seems too keen to try it after what they just witnessed. Some of them do attack, however. Alex makes a straight line for the commander, using his blade to slice through attackers as he goes. He grabs the commander by the neck and drags him up the nearest building and out of sight of the troops. The commander is trying to make a bargain with Alex to trade Dana's location for his own release, but Alex doesn't need him to tell where Dana is… Alex consumes him and immediately knows.

Alex is off like a shot, jumping off the building and gliding to the next one before sprinting along it and jumping again. Just a couple more jumps and glides and I see we are standing outside a large gate entering into a military base. It looks like a pretty strong gate, closed up tight. But apparently it's not strong enough for the new Alex Mercer… he uses another of my dream abilities and opens up with an energy blast like a Final Flash and blasts it right at the gate. The gate holds briefly and then practically vaporizes in a blast. Alex walks through the opening left by the decimated gate.

Most of the people inside are running around like they haven't got a clue what is going on. One man, however, is standing right in the middle of the main entry and facing Alex as if he thinks he might be invincible. The man says he had been hoping to see Alex here. He says he will get to kill both Mercers. Alex stops short… he already killed Dana? The man answers as if Alex had asked the question aloud. He says yes, he killed Dana… and if only Alex had been there to hear her scream. To hear her begging for mercy, to hear her calling out, "Alex! ALEX!" even though there was absolutely nothing Alex could have done to save her. He laughs. I can feel Alex getting very pissed off. I wonder if there is anything this guy can do to harm Alex. He is clearly trying to provoke Alex… And it works. Alex forms his claws and rushes at the guy with the intent to rip him limb from limb. The guy transforms into some weird tentacled thing… with lots of tentacles. Several of the tentacles wrap themselves around Alex, tightly holding him. The man laughs again and said Alex made that way too easy. Alex is the one laughing now, he says that the man should think again. He uses one of my song spells, Battery by Metallica, and hits the guy with a large bolt of lightning. The electricity flows through him, causing him to spaz out and release Alex. He is looking around with an expression that clearly says, "What the FUCK?!" Alex uses another song, Crush 'Em by Megadeth, and the force of a gravity bomb forces the man into the ground, creating a crater as it does so. The man is struggling to his feet when Alex reaches him. Alex says the man is going to wish he had never touched Dana. He consumes the guy, but the process seems to take forever and appears to be extremely painful. When it is finally done I see that he hasn't killed Dana after all, though he had been planning on it. Alex finds out Dana is still alive and heads straight for where they are holding her. An energy blast breaks through the door to the detainment area. He still has his claws formed and uses them to shred several guards into bloody ribbons. We reach the door to the cell Dana is in. Alex just rips it off its hinges and goes inside. Dana is in the back corner of the room, she backs away when she sees Alex with his claws formed. He changes back to his normal human form before approaching Dana. She seems almost unable to believe it's him. "Alex? It's really you? I knew you'd come! They kept saying they'd killed you, but I knew they had to be lying!" So with Dana on his back and holding on tightly Alex returns to the front entrance where there are numerous enemy soldiers aiming weapons at him. He doesn't even mess with them right now, it is more important to get Dana to safety. He launches into the air and flies over all of them, making it out of range before most of them can even fire. He continues running through the city towards a place he believes Dana will be safe in. I never find out where that is, however, I wake up.

11/03/13

Death is Forever
I am in a place I don't recognize. It is dark, but there is light up ahead. I am in a hallway. My eyes adjust to the darkness enough that I can see I am not alone there. Alex Mercer off of Prototype is there with me. I look over at him and see he is looking back at me. I don't know where we are or why we are there, I get the idea he doesn't know, either. I hear voices up ahead. I head to the end of the hall to see who is talking. I peek carefully around the corner and see there are too people in a home office of some kind. It's Dana Mercer and James Heller off of Prototype 2. I wonder why the two of them are together. I listen carefully and I can pick up what they are saying. Heller is saying something about his daughter being kidnapped by Dana's brother. Dana says he is not her brother any longer. I glance over at Alex to see how he is responding. He looks pissed. He shifts form to someone I don't recognize, a blonde man who actually looks quite a bit like Edward Kenway off of Assassin's Creed IV.

I stand there and stare at him briefly before peeking around at Dana and Heller again. Alex is looking around the corner with me, glaring daggers at both of them. I think it's a good thing looks don't kill or they would both be dead right now. Apparently one of us makes a noise that Heller hears because he asks who is there. I figure they will find out we're there sooner or later so I come out into the open and identify myself as Raven Knight. Heller asks who my friend is. Alex doesn't answer, he is still glaring, mostly at Heller. I look over at him and answer the first name that comes to mind… Edward. This is Edward Kenway. Heller stares at both of us for a couple minutes, Dana takes a couple steps towards me. Heller grabs her arm and says not to get to close… we're both infected. When Heller grabs Dana, Alex tells him to get his hands off, practically snarls it. Heller says Alex (calling him Edward) has no business telling him to do anything. Alex says Heller will cooperate if he wants to stay in one piece. I roll my eyes… I see Dana doing the same. Heller wants to know where Alex Mercer is. Alex says Heller had better hope he never finds him. "I… er… he would tear you apart." Dana interrupts and asks me what Edward and I have come here for. Before I can answer Heller is yelling at Alex again, telling him he will destroy Alex Mercer and start out with Edward as a warm-up if he doesn't shut the fuck up. Alex says he should kill Heller right now for just saying that. I take hold of Alex's arm and tell him to calm down. He doesn't seem to be hearing me and pulls his arm away. Heller tells him to go ahead and try it. Alex stops and says no, he won't… that would be too easy. He says he has heard Heller has a daughter.

Heller gets really pissed and says if Edward lays one hand on her he will make him beg for death. Alex says not to worry, he would never hurt the little girl… he's just going to tell her the truth about Heller, about what he has done, about what he has become… before he's done she won't be able to stand the sight of Heller. He says he can't wait to see what Heller's reaction is when Amaya looks him in the eye and tells him he is dead to her. Apparently Alex has forgotten that he is in disguise, he is too busy yelling at Heller and ignoring everyone else around him. He says Heller stole Dana from him so he is going to make sure Amaya never speaks to Heller again. Heller doesn't make the connection. He keeps referring to Alex as Edward and says he won't get anywhere near Amaya, that once he gets her back from that psycho… Dana makes the connection and interrupts, "Alex? Is that you?" Alex stops short, realizing what he said gave him away. Heller continues with his rant. Once he gets Amaya back from that psycho he's going to take her somewhere safe but then he'll hunt Edward down and make him beg for mercy before he kills him. Having blown his cover, Alex shifts back to his normal form, which takes Heller completely by surprise. I say, "Well look at that… Edward can transform…" Heller immediately launches off on a new rant, demanding to know where Amaya is and what Alex has done with her. Alex says he doesn't have Heller's brat. That fucking imposter no doubt has her, and he has no idea where. But as soon as he tracks that piece of shit imposter down… I am waiting to see what Dana's reaction is going to be, so far she has only managed to stand there and look shocked and a bit confused. But before she can react any more the ground starts to shake. Strange vine like tentacles burst up from the floor, ripping through the room and into the ceiling, tearing the ceiling away and revealing the open night sky.

More tendrils tear the walls away, leaving us standing out in the open in the ruins of what had been a house. One of the tendrils had punched a hole in the floor right in front of us and then retreated. Alex Mercer jumps up through that hole and lands in the floor right in front of us. Or at least it's someone who looks like Alex Mercer… he is laughing manically and staring at Heller, not seeming to notice there is an Alex Mercer already present. Dana is looking more confused than ever, looking between the two Alex Mercers quickly. Heller is yelling that he will kill both Alex Mercers… he'll take them both on at the same time. The Alex beside me says no, this piece of shit is his. The other Alex is starting to say something to Heller but he doesn't get anything out beyond Heller's name before the Alex beside me attacks him. A fight breaks out, Alex Mercer vs. Alex Mercer, though one of them clearly has the upper hand. In addition to the usual viral form shifting abilities he is using energy attacks and lightning. He forms his blade and charges it with a bolt of lightning, then attacks the enemy Alex with a sparking blade. There isn't time to continue watching the two Alex Mercers fight, however, there are enemies attacking right there on the ground. Various types of hunters and brawlers…

I'm not entirely sure which are which, but it doesn't matter since they are all attacking. Dana isn't able to fight, so she is just trying to stay back and out of the way. That leaves Heller and me, I'm not entirely sure what to expect out of him. The question of who he will attack is answered for him as two of the enemies jump on him at the same time. I don't have time to watch and see what Heller is doing, I am being attacked by more of the enemies. I form an Alex Mercer blade from my arm and armor from Witchblade and cleanly remove the first enemy's head. The second one dodges and comes at me from behind. Witchblade blocks the attack and I drive the sword backwards into its face. No time to make sure it's dead, two more attack. By the time I finish with those two I see there is one about to grab Dana. I use Battery and call a bolt of lightning to strike it, knocking it back away from Dana and crumbling one of the few remaining wall fragments left of the house. It attacks me now and I finish it off with my blade. I look back over to where Alex and Alex are fighting. I look just in time to see one Alex pin the other to the ground using Megadeth's Crush 'Em as a song spell. The one Alex jumps down to where the other Alex is pinned. He says there can only be one Alex Mercer before he cuts the pinned Alex open and consumes him. All the enemies are gone now, either dead or they have left since the other Alex Mercer is no longer there to control them. Heller is going to attack the remaining Alex. I get between him and Alex to deter that move, I know it will not end well for Heller. Instead of attacking Heller demands again to know where Amaya is. Alex glares over at him for a bit and then grabs something from a broken table. He scribbles on it, wads it up, and throws it at Heller. It is a piece of paper. He says she is there, now go get her before he changes his mind. He chuckles and says the imposter was going to make her queen of the new world… though he has no idea why the idiot would have chosen a kid and a relative of Heller's, meaning she is most likely stupid, too. Heller gets annoyed at that and acts like he might attack Alex after all. I am still between them, I ask Heller if he doesn't think Amaya has waited long enough? She needs her father to be with her instead of playing with Alex. He glares at Alex one more time, then looks over at Dana. Dana says he should go to Amaya, she will be fine… or at least she thinks she will be… She is watching Alex closely. Heller leaves, jumping off into the night. Dana hesitates and then asks if it was the imposter the whole time, doing all those horrible things. Alex says if she had bothered to listen to him he had been trying to tell her there was an imposter on the loose. But she had preferred to give up on him and without even hearing what he had to say. She says now the imposter is gone, though, and things can be like they were. Alex doesn't seem in the mood for that, though. He says the only problem with that is once someone is dead, they don't come back… and don't forget, he is dead to her. He opens a portal and disappears through it. Dana calls to him to wait, but he is gone. She looks at me as if wanting to know what she can do. I just shrug, not knowing what to say, and then I wake up.

07/15/13

The Infection
I am in the sick bay of the tower on the moon. I am there with Janet and Washu. I am talking to Janet. She says she can check to see if I have actually been infected by a foreign virus, just lie down on one of the beds and she will do a scan. Right now my mind isn't particularly clear, so I don't remember what she might be talking about. What virus might I be infected with? Can it be cured? If it can't be cured, what will it do? I go over to one of the beds and lie down on my back while Janet goes over to one of the computers and initiates a scan.

She looks at the scan for a few minutes, reads a couple things on the output, and then looks at a couple graphs of some kind on a different display. She comes back to the bed and looks at me for a bit to be sure I am paying attention. She says it seems I have been infected by an interesting virus. She says it isn't immediately clear what the virus is meant to do, however, because it appears the virus is dying off even as we speak. I ask her how much of the virus is left in my dream body. She says it will be completely gone within another day or two. I ask her if she can tell why it is dying off. She says it looks like my nanites are eliminating it, probably because they are programmed to eliminate anything intrusive, and the virus was identified as intrusive. She asks me if I am actually wanting to keep the virus for some reason. I ask her if it could possibly have a beneficial effect. She says she can't tell without taking a sample and analyzing it for a while. She asks if I know where I got it. My mind is clearing now, and I can remember two possible sources of an intrusive virus. I tell her either it is the Mercer Virus as depicted in Prototype which I obtained directly from Alex Mercer after Witchblade failed to form and block an attack, or the fucking Templars actually found a way to get something past all of my defenses. She says we need to find that out, because if the Templars are coming up with new methods, we have to counter that. I get out of bed and go to one of the portal generators. I focus on locating the specific Alex Mercer that I think might have infected me. The portal opens and I go through. On the other side I am in a room with a couple of people. A woman, Dana Mercer, is sitting at a computer doing something. Alex is behind her looking at the screen.

As I appear Alex turns around and sees me there. He asks where I came from… and for that matter, where did I disappear to last time? I just disappeared into thin air… I say that must mean he has seen me before, which I figure is a good sign… He looks at me strangely and says of course he remembers seeing me before. I feel the dream slipping already, and I want to find out what I came to find out before I wake up. So I ask Alex if he infected me with a virus on my last visit there. He seems to hesitate a bit and then says yes. He seems surprised when I tell him that's a relief. I add that it is far better than the alternative… the idea that the Templars… err… you don't know the Templars here, so I'll just say Gentek since they're really the same people… found a way past my defenses and infected me with something. I tell him there's nothing to worry about, this is a complete non-issue now. A tiny mechanical mosquito lands on Alex and extracts a small sample of virus. He slaps at it and misses. It flies over and lands on my shoulder. I figure it was sent to get a sample for Janet. I tell Dana and Alex I will have to be going. Everything around me fades to black as I wake.

Note: Janet used the sample and ran a comparison, confirming my dream body has been infected with the Mercer Virus. She also confirms that it is quickly dying off and will be gone soon, though she has not identified why it is dying.

07/14/13

Witchblade Epic Fail
I am in a strange place, a city I don't recognize. It looks like the place has been falling apart for some time. I wander through the streets for a bit until I spot someone. I approach him carefully, not sure who he is. When I get close enough I recognize Alex Mercer from Prototype. I don't think much about it being a dream, however. I feel drawn to where Alex came out of. I go into where he came out of, a small area of a collapsed building that is still standing. Inside I find Dana Mercer sitting and staring blankly at a computer monitor.

She doesn't seem to be aware of much that is going on around her. I walk over to her and she is startled by my presence, but then she goes back to he blank stare. I ask her what is wrong, as clearly something is bothering her. She says her brother is dead. I look at her strangely, then I say I'm sure he's not... I just saw him leaving the building. Unless she has more than one brother... She says no, she has one brother... or had one brother is more accurate. She says Alex isn't in there anymore. I find myself falling into my dream role without even realizing consciously that I'm dreaming. I tell her I'm sure he's in there somewhere, someone just has to bring him back. She says he's too sick. I tell her for every sickness there is a healer... and I am a soul healer. I will bring her brother back. She looks over at me, and it looks like there might be some hope in her eyes. She asks if I can really do that. I tell her I have done it before, I will do it again. She says she knows where he is going, he is gathering a lot of the infected there. I tell her I'll be back with him as she knows he should be. She describes how to find Alex and then I leave the building, she follows me. I'm not sure how good an idea that is if the city is crawling with zombies and freaks, but I don't say anything since I haven't seen any zombies or freaks since arriving here. She gives me more detailed directions to find Alex. Soon we arrive in what looks like a large parking lot. There are some wrecked cars around, but it is mostly empty. Alex is in the middle of the parking lot, I'm not sure what he's doing. Dana tells me she isn't sure how he's going to react, but I probably want to keep my distance... and definitely don't let him get a hold on me. I tell her I know perfectly well what he can do, and I am prepared. I touch the Witchblade on my wrist, knowing if I need protection from getting consumed or something the Witchblade will provide it. I head out into the parking lot. Alex seems unaware of my presence until I start the healing song. I use the song Devour by Disturbed. The song is nearing its finale when I get right next to Alex, I want to see his eyes... see if this is doing anything. I faintly hear Dana yelling at me that I'm too close, back away! I ignore her warning and get even closer so I can see his eyes, looking deep into them... I'm sure I see a flame rekindling in there. The song is working fine. Just as it should. I am still looking at that when I feel a sudden sharp pain in my abdomen... I look down and see Alex has formed claws on one hand and stabbed me with them.

He has a weird smile on his face. I sit there and look at the hand that is stabbing me, more surprised than hurt... I feel only a sensation of warmth now... I use a telekinetic force wave to push Alex off of me before continuing to complete the last chorus of the healing song. Alex looks disoriented, Dana comes running over to me and asks if I am ok, then repeats that she told me to keep a safe distance. I tap my Witchblade bracelet and tell it to wake the fuck up, this is one of the rare instances where I call the Witchblade a piece of shit. I notice movement around the edges of the parking lot. Zombies... and lots of them. Without stopping to consider the recent failure I summon up a sword from my Witchblade and it forms a sword and armor immediately. I cut into the advancing zombies to the tune Bodies by Drowning Pool. Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor! Alex seems to have gotten past being disoriented quickly and is also taking out zombies using claws on both hands. We are able to keep them away from Dana, and it doesn't take long to dispatch the mindless hoard of zombies. Witchblade forms back into a bracelet. I look at the injury in my abdomen, then at Witchblade with a scowl. I tell the bracelet in an annoyed tone that he had arrived late. Alex is looking at me strangely, he says it never works that fast… I tell him that it didn't work fast… it worked exceptionally slow, tapping on my Witchblade as one might tap on a broken watch. Dana is asking again if I am ok. I feel no pain at all, just a slight coldness around the injury. Alex says there's something he needs to make sure I know about that... I feel I am about to wake up. I tell him not to worry about it, that is surely a complete non-issue considering some of the things that have happened to me in the past when defenses had failed for one reason or another. He starts again to say something but I never hear what it is before I wake up.