Blacklight Twilightby Chaos Nightmare
Chapters
Prologue
One James Heller, former Sergeant of the U.S. Marines, currently a permanently pissed man on a mission, was looking over the Yellow Zone, formerly known as Brooklyn. Most of the civilians that survived the Second Outbreak of Manhattan, Now known as the Red Zone lived here. An overcrowded shanty town where the people are oppressed and regulated by Blackwatch Special Forces. Heller, on the roof of what used to be a warehouse, would occasionally see a squad of soldiers take a refugee for one reason or another. Most were lies, what they really wanted were test subjects.
The public was told that Blackwatch was a relatively new joint-branch of both the United States Army and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Its mandate, the research and prevention of outbreaks of unknown biological origins, on American soil. They were told that Blackwatch had stopped the first Outbreak of Manhattan that had led to death of over a million. That Blackwatch declared martial law on New York City, now called New York Zero, with the claims of containing and eradicating the virus.
And most of that was true. What better way lie than to have some truth sprinkled into it? But then, it was more about what wasn’t told.
What the public wasn’t told about was Blackwatch’s relation with Gentek. To the public, there was none. Gentek is simply the one the largest pharmaceutical companies in America, researching and creating cures of numerous diseases for almost forty years. But truth was that Gentek is more than just that. Blackwatch created Gentek, for the research and development of viruses to be used bioweapons. That a few years ago, they hit breakthrough. But they needed to test it, somewhere the virus can’t escape, somewhere with a large population. Now, there just taking out and examining the Human Petri dishes.
Not that Heller particularly cared about Gentek’s reasoning, or even the plight of the people. All he cared about was when he would receive new information to ruin Blackwatch, Gentek or even better, Alex Mercer; Heller didn’t care what Mercer told him, he knew that he was responsible for the death of his wife and daughter, Colette and Amaya. Heller wasn’t going to save the civilians, he knew it wasn’t going to help. It would just put more attention on him and make it more difficult to hit key points in everyone’s plans. Eventually that waiting paid off when he heard his cell phone ring. James’ never liked technology that much, but it had its uses. “What do you got for me Father?” Heller said, expecting it to be his informant, Father Luis Guerra.
“Well…I may not be a priest. But! I do have a job, if you’re interested that is,” replied a feminine voice who was mostly definitely not anyone Heller knew so responded accordingly.
“Who the fuck you! And how the hell did you get this number?” Heller growled into phone.
“That’s not really important now is it Chuckles? Don’t worry though all I want is some help. I’ll meet you at this location where we can discuss it. I’m sure there’s something I could give as a reward.” The call ended and Heller received the coordinates on his GPS. It was another warehouse not far from here. Furious at the voice, curious about the so called job, and frankly bored at having nothing to do Heller made his to the meeting, leaping off the roof and running at inhuman speeds.
[Scene_Break]
As James arrived at his destination he started to observe his surroundings. It was fairly standard for the Yellow Zone. Some rubble here, a tarp there, and the occasional corpse. But what stood out was the only other living thing on the top of the building other than Heller. It was a woman in somewhere in her early twenties, about average height, wearing a Kevlar vest over a hoodie. The only notable feature about the woman’s face was that she was wearing glass and the bright red, almost glowing highlights in her black hair. Completely average to the citizens of the Yellow Zone. But Heller knew different, this woman was a monster. One that need neither rest nor food to survive. A monster that’s body could take almost any shape or form with only a simple thought, the materials and the knowledge, usually through consumption of living matter. A monster created by Alex Mercer. Heller knew, they were of the same kind.
Blacklight. They went by other names. Mercer liked to call them ‘Evolved’ while others like to call them Prototype’s for some ridiculous reason.
“I’m here, so what the hell do you want.” Heller growled. She just sat at the edge of the building, staring at the Brooklyn landscape.
“In unity, there is strength.” She said after a few moments with thinly veiled sarcasm. “What a load of bull.” The woman then turned around, facing Heller, seemingly noticing him for the first time. “Well hello there, like I said on the phone I got a job for you. It’s pretty simple, I want out, and I need someone to watch my back. I thought that maybe you might be able to help with that.”
Of course that just got Heller angry. “And why the hell should I help you?”
The woman just shrugged. “Mostly because it’ll piss off a lot of people. Gentek, Blackwatch, and hell it’ll even make Doctor Mercer have steam coming out of his ears.”
This got Heller even more curious then he was before. “And what’s so important that it’s got those bitches interest?”
The woman continued to be appear unfazed by Heller’s aggressive personality and continued to explain. “Gentek’s been researching trans-dimensional travel in a building a few blocks East of here. From what I’ve gathered they’re almost finished, they’ve even found a sapient creature that they’re keeping as a specimen from the other side. Mercer’s interested in the portal for conquest and genetic material that could be used to strengthen him and his Evolved. Blackwatch wants to throw you and Mercer through the portal and close it forever. What I want is to destroy the research and to go through the portal with the creature they captured to prove that I have peaceful intentions and live a new life. After the creature and I go through the portal. You blow the whole place sky high.”
Heller had pretty much already made his decision; he didn’t really question the ridiculousness of Gentek building a portal to another dimension. He himself was quite unnatural. But there were a few question’s left that he had to ask. “Why turn traitor now? And why use a portal? Why can’t you just run like a normal bitch?” Heller growled, but it was more a low grumble as he identified that the woman was not an enemy. For now anyway.
The woman just sighed and looked directly in Heller’s eyes. “An escape. To not be around Mercer and his dreams of the apocalypse. So I don’t have to be around Gentek and their experiments anymore. To not have worry about the other Evolved, to not have to worry about you. I know, if I try to leave the country, I’m dead. I don’t want to be me anymore. I want to leave this life behind and forget it.”
The two Blacklights just stared at each other for a few seconds. She had been looking away most of the conversation. She tried to hide it, and she hid it extremely well, anyone else probably wouldn’t have noticed it. But Heller did.
The woman was afraid of him.
Then finally James spoke. “Fine. I’ll help. But I need to know who I’m working with.”
The woman let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Then answered “Sara. My name’s Sara.” And with that, they left for the Gentek facility.
Chapter one
As soon as the two Blacklights arrived they immediately began to analyze their surroundings, more specially their target. It was your standard Black watch base. Twenty foot concrete walls, barbed wire, refueling stations for patrolling vehicles, a couple hundred soldiers and several civilian buildings repurposed and reinforced for military operations. Just one of the dozens the scattered New York Zero.
Sera turned from her position to Heller, who readied himself to attack. His arm began to shift as tendrils moved and turned, quickly changing it on at its most basic level. Volume, Mass, Base Composition, all the characteristics were changed until the arm of what appeared to be a roughly six foot tall man was an equally long blade-like appendage. The blade was serrated, absurdly sharp and vaguely reminiscent of military combat knife.
“Wait! We can’t risk a frontal assault!” Sera panicked.
“And why the hell not?” Heller grumbled, not looking at her and was instead glaring at the two Blackwatch soldiers that were guarding the gate.
“If we’re seen, two extremely deadly biological killing machines, running in, arms blazing. What do you think their reaction will be?” At this point Heller turned to face Sera. Impatiently waiting for her to answer. “If we’re lucky, Blackwatch will call in reinforcements, slowing us down and alerting Doctor Mercer of what we’re doing and he’ll most likely blow up the whole complex with us in it. But more likely Blackwatch will destroy their research data themselves, including that creature they brought back. That’s one of the reasons why I need your help. It would look suspicious if a single guard or scientist was walking around the halls. Someone also needs to be working the controls while the portal is running. Blowing up the complex would be good too.”
Heller wasn’t happy with that assessment, nor the fact that he was here essentially for grunt work and appearances, but he understood. “So what do we do?”
Sera just smirked. “I’ll tell you after we ‘obtain’ our disguises.”
[Scene_Break]
Meanwhile the two masked Blackwatch soldiers guarding the sole entrance to the base. Unaware of the nearby conversation we're having an equally important argument.
Kind of.
“I’m telling you man, the Penn League is doomed. They're probably going to be disbanded in couple of years. A decade tops from losing so many players from the outbreak.” One of the soldiers spoke with amusement. The two had been on this topic for a while now and it wasn’t getting any less funny for the other guard listening to his friends concerns for the world of American North-Eastern Minor League Baseball. “And I’m you that there’s still a chance that the Cyclones got out of this shithole. I mean, that douchebag Rookie Davis from the Staten Yankee’s got out. Why couldn’t Cameron Griffin?” The other countered. Both wore militarized full body Bio-hazmat suits (biological hazardous martials suit) and were equipped with modified assault rifles, all of which were standard for Blackwatch personnel. The only immediate difference between him and his friend was his light Brooklyn accent, but that difference was mostly moot due both wearing gas masks that altered their voice.
Before the first guard could respond, he spotted a young woman running towards their position occasionally stumbling over debris and frantically looking behind her.
“Please! Please Help!” The woman screamed hysterically. Throwing herself at the first guard. ‘Dammit Gary, why do you get all the chicks? We look identical.’ The Brooklyn Blackwatch thought irritably as he watched his best friend. Completely unconcerned to the civilians predicament.
“Just calm down ma’am and explain the situation.” The first guard spoke, sounding bored. Mostly because he was. He had at least a two or three people screaming at him for help every day, why would today be any different? The only reason he would sometimes help at all was that it spiced up the monotony that was guard duty.
“My-my sister! Those things were attacking her, an-and I just ran! Please! You have to help her!” The woman began to tear up as she explained, mostly likely from guilt for abandoning her family.
The soldier sighed a little frustrated at the situation. Why did they always ask the same thing? “Alright ma’am you lead the way.” He then looked at his partner. “You know the deal Steve. Stay at the gate. Don’t want command to chew out our asses, again.” Steve just made a shooing motion.
“Oh, thank you! It’s this way!” The woman ran ahead as Gary followed, pointing at a nearby ally before running into it and out of the Steve’s sight.
As soon as Gary was out of sight of Steve, the woman grabbed him by the head and snapped his neck. Breaking down his body and more importantly, his brain until nothing was left. And Corporal Gary Garret was no more. From the brain, Sara gleamed through the man’s memories, just the important ones. Weapons training, maps, education, basic social behavior, cold hard facts. It was never good to sympathize with the enemy. It only took a moment to consume, review, and assess Gary’s memories. Sara then took on the appearance of the man she had just murdered, picked up the assault rifle that was dropped and fired into the wall until the magazine. Cpl. Garret then radioed his best friend. “All clear, but there’s this...thing here you might want to see.”
“A ‘thing.’ Great use of vocabulary Gary, real descriptive.” Steve grumbled back as he walked across the street and into the alley, spotting his friend just standing there like a moron. “Okay, what is this great and wonderful thing that you-urk!” was all the snark that was said before one Lance Corporal Steven Stuart was consumed and assimilated into one Sergeant James Heller.
While Sara had gleaned through the memories bit by bit finding what was useful, Heller did not. Heller may have assimilated Steven’s DNA, but Heller didn’t assimilate his memories. He personally hated taking memories unless it was necessary, not because it was morally wrong mind you. Heller had a problem with consuming mostly because Alex Mercer had showed him his ability to collect and assume. He hated his power out of a connection to Mercer and spite. While he admitted, if only to himself and no one else, that it was a useful tool. One to be used and taken advantage of. One to be used to rip Mercer’s fu-
“-n I’ll consume a scientist or a Blackwatch officer for the location of both the subject they’re holding and the portal itself. We’ll then-” Sara explained her plan to infiltrate the military base like she had for the several minutes now and would have continued to do so if she hadn’t unknowingly interrupted Heller’s thoughts and having Heller in turn interrupt her. “Let’s just get this bullshit over with.”
[Scene_Break]
L.Cpl. Stuart and Cpl. Garret were currently heading to where the subject and the portal were stationed. They had already stumbled upon the head researcher’s office, which Steven had eagerly vented his anger on before Gary could even try to find the location of both the creature or the location of the Trans-Dimensional Portal. But at least the research was destroyed. After wandering the complex, avoiding patrols, they had found a Blackwatch Officer that had recognized the forms that the virus’s had disguised as and started screaming at both for leaving their post before Garret snapped the C.O.’s neck and consumed him, the duo finally had the whereabouts of both objectives.
Oddly Garret had found that they kept the specimen in numerous forms of confinement after the subject escaped at least a dozen time over the past few months. The officer only knew a bit, but most was just what he had heard in passing and most of that was sketchy at best. Apparently the creature was discovered first and through its escape attempts that the scientists have been calling ‘Mass Practical Particle Displacement,’ or just teleporting if you didn’t have a doctorate, had created the Trans-Dimensional Portal which, in theory, links to the specimen's home dimension using its DNA. The portal itself was also consumed ridiculous amounts of electrical energy, so much so that if the portal was open for more than a few minutes, it could cause a city wide blackout. They also for some reason kept the subject’s cell was located next the portal itself. It also meant they had to make their way through the portal room before they could rescue specimen.
“So, what’s plan this time Princess?” Heller sluggishly asked as they reached the door to the portal room, not even bothering to change his voice.
Garret attempted to give him an annoyed look, but was largely ineffective due to him wearing a mask. Before speaking. “Past this door is the portal. In there will be the research team and at least a dozen guards. I want to you to take care of them while I get the creature, and make sure not to break anything.”
Heller didn’t reply, instead he kicked the door open and ran inside. “What the Hel-” was all a scientist could shout before Heller had forgone the form Lance Corporal Stuart and back into the form of former marine James Heller, formed his right arm into a blade, and bisected the researcher. Without losing stride, he began to rush the other occupants of the lab as the as the guards finally registered his appearance and opened fired. The bullets harmlessly bounced off of Heller, but continued with hope that it would harm him before they too were eviscerated.
The next five minutes were complete carnage. The soldiers had quickly fallen and died fighting. One scientist had also died fighting as he had his sidearm close by. The rest of the research team had attempted to flee and get help, but they too were swiftly dispatched as Heller shot towards the retreating men and women at the speed of thundering train with his bladed arm extended and began to rapidly spin. The result was a floor piled with gore and limbs.
It was at that moment that Sara entered alone through the only other door in the room. With her was a look of agitation.