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.

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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. Next Chapter: Chapter one Estimated time remaining: 7 Minutes