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.