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There was a gust of wind blowing along the Manhattan waterfront, and in the distance the skyscrapers were lined with smoke and lights, but silent. Alex walked slowly along the shore, the incoming wind causing the biomass on his jacket to surge and he couldn't help but tense himself.
He could still feel the cold, was that a disguise?
Disturbing thoughts came to Alex like a tidal wave, this seemed to be the only time he was completely still and alone. Dr. Mercer is unforgivable, the countless people that exist within are just like him, and everyone's sins will be borne by Alex, all of them are part of him.
The 18-day journey is like a journey to hell. In the first half of the journey, he thinks he is Alex, infected by the virus. He is also the victim of human experiment, so he takes revenge and pursues everything. In the second half, however, he discovers that he is the origin of this tragedy, and Alex is just a role-playing game, his past exists in another tragedy that has been buried for 40 years, and what he has is fundamentally not his own.
Even if so real that he believed it at first.
Alex, the name was stolen, he wasn't human, everything about him was fake, so what else was his own.
No matter what, you're still my brother.
A familiar voice echoed in his head and Alex stopped in his tracks, he bit his lower lip and looked down.
There's also Dana, but she doesn't know all the facts, Alex is dangerous and even with the power he still hasn't managed to protect her completely, after the Leader hunter took her Alex just felt like his whole being was messed up.
It's the only family he has, the sister he cares about, the only one who's been there for Alex since he woke up, hunted all the way to being betrayed by Karen, regardless of whether or not her acknowledgement is a bubble that bursts at the touch of a button.
St. Paul's was safe, and Ragland was trustworthy, perhaps due to Alex's vague threat, at least he was helping all the time, and did, Dana was in his care, and Alex hoped it to be a short coma, and he hadn't searched Greene's memories for anything else.
Alex let out a breath as he looked up at the still dim sky.
As he wishes, Dana soon awakens, she's really frightened by Ragland, and no one thinks it's a good experience to be in an unfamiliar place when you open your eyes and there's a back-lit, strange, spectacled older man staring at you. Certainly not nearly as scary as what Dana had experienced before, being grabbed by a monster, traveling between tall buildings, and accompanied by army fire, she thought for every moment that she was going to die, and that it was going to be a horrible death.
"Still no word from Alex?" Dana sat on the autopsy table eating the instant noodles in her hand, afraid to go anywhere during this time in the hospital, her sense of security almost entirely destroyed.
Her dependence on her brother had climbed to a high point in the midst of the danger, and how she wanted to hug him and cry like she did when she was a little girl, so the question kept coming back to her over and over again, until Ragland finally stopped being just vague enough to deal with it.
"All you need to know is that he's off doing his own thing." Ragland sat helplessly on a bench off to the side sipping his coffee, he would have liked to keep doing his research but the noisy girl was too pestering to leave alone.
"That's no different than the 'I don't know' you said before." Dana restrained herself from the urge to swear; Ragland was still a good man after all, and one who had saved herself.
Ragland raised an eyebrow as he placed his coffee on the table and clasped his hands together to look at the girl whose eyes were still red, in fact, she had cried many times, coaxing someone who had been in a severe state of shock to the point where she could calm down and eat properly counted as grueling.
When she first woke up Ragland was examining her while Dana screamed and fell off the autopsy table, running into a corner and then curling up like a hedgehog and hugging herself, her extreme fear made her refuse to be approached by others. Ragland had to crouch down two meters away to comfort her slowly.
"Hey, little girl, Dana, right? Relax, I'm Dr. Ragland." Ragland tried to calm his tone, "Your brother Alex put me in charge of your care, remember? you introduced me to him."
Dana's emotions calmed down just a little at the sound of Alex's name, she thought for a moment and then looked around the room, her voice trembling as she said, "So, where's Alex? where... where is he?"
"I don't know where he went, exactly, but don't worry, it's safe here." Ragland said as he slowly approached Dana.
"Leaving...? He left again? He made it impossible for me to find him again?!" Dana's voice became urgent as she gripped her arm, and Ragland sensing that she was in a bad mood, hurried over and grabbed her shoulder.
"Dana?Dana, calm down..."
"Why is it always like this... Why is it always like this..."
"Alex saved you... he'll be back... you need to rest now... Your spirit is too tired."
"I need him ....." Dana shook her head stubbornly with a sobbing voice and Ragland then had no further recourse but to watch the girl bury her head in her hands and cry.
Ragland watched over her for a few days after that, and the body that had been used for research was replaced in another room, where Dana hid and slowly repaired herself, nightmares of being captured by the Leader hunter still waking her up in the middle of the night. Dana also looked quietly at the door from time to time, as she did now, and after complaining to Ragland she stopped saying anything.
"Dana, there's something I need to tell you."
"What?"
"Your brother, he's actually kind of special .... Do you want to hear about it?"
Dana didn't say anything, Alex had changed a lot, the memory loss made him like another person, but they hadn't been in touch for 5 years after all, the first time they were reunited they met or Alex came to her for help investigating the owner of the company, and then they were nowhere to be found for weeks after that, Dana could only continue to help her own brother investigate things in a pissed off and annoyed way, and then there was the time after Alex mailed a laptop over one day and Blackwatch broke in and took her hostage.
Alex must be in big trouble.
This thought lasts until the amnesiac version of Alex confesses to her that he's killed a lot of people, and frankly, it really scares her.
She remembered her life as a child, although her family was poor, her mom's alcoholism often didn't care much for her two siblings, and she had never seen her dad, she didn't even know what he looked like, but at least she had this older brother to take care of and control her, who was a genius, and studied very well, at the same time, he worked part-time, which was very hard and tiring, but in the end, he persevered through it. She learned to maneuver between her many close friends again because of her life, there was no way around it, she needed the money.
But something like murder is beyond Dana's boundaries, especially when the other person is a loved one who has grown up with her.Alex reaches out to her, perhaps to touch her head in comfort? But Dana ducks away, mental fear overriding everything else.
Alex left very quickly, maybe his heart was broken too.
Dana was alone in the safe house for a long time thinking about it, Alex was doing all this for a reason, he needed to investigate the truth, he needed to prevent the viral infection from recurring in anyone else, and in that respect he was right, wasn't he? It just might be a bit over the top, but a Nazi-like military organization like the Black Watch is obviously not something to be trifled with, and one can't expect any kind of gentle approach.
Convincing herself to accept it would take a process as well as time, and in any case, Alex was her brother, they were blood relatives, and that would never change. But they don't even get to talk when they meet again before the Leader hunter smashes through the wall and takes her. Dana cried out for help to Alex in fear, and at the time she was close to breaking down.
Thinking back on the memory Dana's face darkened, she remembered a lot.
Alex ran at a speed that was completely out of the realm of normal human beings, his arms would turn into huge black blades decapitating hideous monsters, his sharp claws ripping raw through the bodies of the soldiers who attacked him, all that blood splattered everywhere on him as if all the army installations couldn't hold him back and were destroyed like pieces of paper. Simply because he was rushing towards her in a desperate attempt to save her
It was one thing to know he could kill, it was another to see it with your own eyes, how deeply had the virus affected Alex and could it still be cured? Dana held back her tears and Ragland coughed twice when he saw how she was reacting and gave up on continuing.
"Don't tell me, I'll wait for him." Dana rubbed her eyes.
"Fine." Ragland stalled and got up to go to the other room, "My research is still there, feel free to call me if you need anything."
"Uh-huh." Dana nodded, and the moment Ragland was about to close the door she called out to him, "Thanks for all the help all along... Including my brother's share."
Ragland only waved at her.
The room went silent as Dana walked over to the sink to wash her face, this was the most she had cried since she had learned to live on her own even after Alex left home. Dana sat back down on the dissecting table where the bed and pillows had long since been added, a small area where she could feel safe again.
"Ragland, I'm really ...." Dana looked up helplessly at the sound of the door opening, then her voice stopped.The door was half open and Alex stood behind it holding the handle, he too froze.
"Dana, are you okay?" Alex's voice was small, he was clearly concerned for his sister, but he didn't dare take another step forward, standing in place like a stake.
Dana didn't know if she should laugh or cry, Alex was still dressed in those street style clothes, nothing had changed about him, he just looked at her quietly, it had only been a few days since she had seen him, but it felt like another 5 long years had passed, and this time it was him who had come to see her again as well, albeit becoming tense and cautious.
So she chose to show herself by her actions, Dana ran straight towards him, her panicked steps causing her to stumble a few times, Alex subconsciously reaching out to pick her up, and then there was the solid hug that her sister pounced on his, and Alex slamming backwards into the doorframe without standing still.
"Welcome back ......" Dana's face was buried in Alex's arms, her arms trembling from holding on so tightly, and she bit her lip in a death grip to resist her urge to burst into tears.
She'd cried enough.
Alex wasn't used to other people's touch, the biomass in his body started to have a tendency to surge like a tingle, and he clenched his fists to squelch that reaction, then wrapped his arms around Dana, placing his other hand on the back of her head as he lowered his head to lean in close to rest on her hair.
Dana was never anyone else.
"I'm back." Alex almost used the gentlest tone he'd ever used as he soothed Dana's head with some fondness.
"What's wrong all of a sudden?!" Ragland came rushing around the corner of the hallway, holding a detector that kept rattling, and only slowed down when he saw the two embracing in the doorway.
"Well . . Alex, she's been waiting for you." Ragland added immediately after stowing the detector, "And you can rest assured that there's nothing wrong with Dana."
"... Thanks."
"She's already thanked me for you."
At that, Dana let go of her arms to fix her hair haphazardly, and Alex watched as she took his hand.
"What have you been doing all this time?"
"I'll tell you slowly."
Alex told her a lot of things, Greene's death, Hope Town 40 years ago, Cross's help and death, Blackwatch's nuclear weapons program against New York, but there are two things he's still afraid to say.
"So you stopped the nukes from destroying New York? How did you do that?" Ragland, who was sitting on the sidelines listening, was filled with shock, Dana covered her mouth, the wave of heavy news was making it impossible for her to stay calm, Dana got up violently and checked up on Alex, which startled Alex.
"Oh My God, Alex, are you hurt? Jesus, you might need a doctor for radiation sickness this time ......"
"I'm fine, I'm fine, no radiation, calm down."
"That's not part of my job description anymore."
It took a moment of reassurance before the scene quieted down, Dana still clutching Alex's sleeve.
"Whatever it is, you saved New York, Alex, that's so cool." Dana spread a rare smile, her brother had changed, but the end result had to be for the better.
"I have my own solution to the remaining infection in Manhattan, until then..." Alex looked at Dana, silent as he bit his lower lip, an unspeakable atmosphere filled the air as Ragland glanced between the two.
"If this is some kind of family meeting, then I'll step back for a moment, and you guys discuss it to your hearts content." Ragland stood up then turned back, "Alex, Blackwatch already sees me as a thorn in their side, you and I, there's no hiding, and Dana too, don't do anything stupid."
The door slammed shut and Dana tugged gently on Alex's hand, her look becoming worried.
"Alex? what are you trying to say?"
"Dana, I-"
"If you still want to talk about the previous topic, I told you, I believe you."
"There are changes that you don't know about."
"..... Then I'll listen."
Dana stared stubbornly at Alex, Alex had never found it so difficult to speak, each syllable stuck in his mouth, his heart beating like thunder, the mimicry was so real, was that heartache fake too?
"Alex Mercer, he released the virus in Penn Station out of revenge, Blackwatch agents shot him, and the Manhattan outbreak started because of him."
Dana's eyes widened.
"What...what does that mean?"
"He died, and the Blacklight virus entered his body, killing, assimilating, replicating, remodeling ....."
Alex continued, even though the girl in front of him had let go of his hand and he chose to close his eyes.
"I used to think I was him, but I wasn't, he was just a part of me, the same as those others I killed."
"All of them were just me, or a role play."
"I am the virus, I stole his face, his name."
"Enough."
Alex opened his eyes at the sound and Dana stood up from her chair, her hands shaking as she looked around in vain then pulled her eyes back, her hands lifted and waved them in the air a few times, her voice immediately changing.
"What the hell are you talking about?!Alex is dead? You're right here in front of me ！！！！ Okay, I'm clear on this, you've been infected by a virus, I don't know how deep it goes, but I accept it! We can find a cure again!!!Karen is a liar that fucking doesn't matter!!!!I don't believe there is no solution to this thing! Fuck Blackwatch! I'm with you this time, okay?"
After a brief moment of hysteria Dana crouched down in front of Alex and held his hand, she was so sad.
"Dana, that's all I have to tell you, nothing more." Alex didn't dare hold her hand back, it was like an unbridgeable chasm had been re-erected between them, that was the reality.
"So what do you want to do after all this? To leave? And then this time is I never to see you again? Again and again?" Dana cocked her head, her eyes pooling with tears.
"We haven't seen each other in 5 years, who do you think I went to NYU for, it's been almost 2 years since I came to New York, I've been trying everything I can to reach out to you, to find you, but you've never paid any attention to me, I've told myself over and over again that you're doing this for a reason, I didn't even see you until you asked me to help you investigate the company, and for me you didn't explain anything. "
"But I don't care about any of that, the fact that you would come to me at least proves that you remember me, you still know that I'm your sister, we're still family, and I'll help you with anything you need."
"Alex, all I can see is you in front of me, you're right here, your voice, your face, all of it is no different from what I remember of you, and again I don't care that you've lost your memory and don't remember a lot of things, I can slowly help you remember them afterward, anyway, in childhood... There are also a lot of unpleasant memories from the past, it's better to forget."
"I've grown up, I've learned to be independent, I'm not going to be a burden to you, I have my own goals now, I'm going to be a news reporter when I graduate from college, and I'm writing now, and I'm getting paid for it."
"For a moment in the time before I met you at the apartment, I really ..... I really thought you abandoned me ....."
"Alex, I miss you... I miss you so much ....."
Dana's eyes reddened even more as tears streamed down her face and Alex stroked her cheek to gently wipe them away.
What else could he say?
"I don't care, I don't care at all about anything that happened before, you are my brother and always will be." Dana got up, she choked back a sob and hugged Alex tightly before bursting into tears that she couldn't control anymore.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Don't cry..." Alex just held her and kept comforting, Dana was his sister, his family, it had always been that way, it wouldn't change.
Dr. Mercer was indeed a bastard, his rich life after crossing classes and his deathbed vengeance had completely forgotten about his sister, and now, he was relieved, leaving all the pain to the rest of them.
"Don't leave me... Please..."
"I won't leave you, I promise."
Dana cried so hard she could barely breathe and Alex soothed her over and over again, like a real brother with his sister, until she tired of crying and fell asleep in his arms. Alex picked Dana up and set her down on the bed at the autopsy table while he sat next to her and held her hand. A short while later, Ragland knocked on the door.
"Raymond's dead too?"
"yeah, it was a clean death, I didn't get any memories of him."
Alex hangs his head and squeezes Dana's hand, she's sleeping quietly now, the tear tracks on her face are all wiped away, the blanket on her body slides down a little and Alex smoothly pulls it back up. Ragland is silent for a few moments, he sighs and picks up the wine he brought and fills both glasses before handing one to Alex.
"Drink?" Ragland gestures briefly before Alex raises his glass and clinks it with him, both of them taking a drink, which results in a fit of coughing from Ragland.
"Guess it's not a good idea not to get old." He frowned and put the cup back, which caused the corners of Alex's mouth to raise in an arc.
"Taking care of little girls really isn't something I'm good at, so you'll be in charge from now on."
"Sure,I have to do this"
"Is there anything else you haven't said?"
"There is, but it's beyond the scope of what you can cover, if necessary Dr. Ragland, what you need more than anything is a safe place, and I will help you."
"Oooooh .... Well, I knew what GENTEC was causing would only get worse."
"Far worse ....."
"I understand, State State Department, Federal Law House, and Government."
Alex looks at Ragland, visibly surprised.
"How did you know that?"
"Oh? Didn't your sister find out when she investigated me? I'm a retired biologist, but I was blackballed from the industry for turning down Raymond's invitation to an experimental program, forced, though I'm content with my quiet life now."
"..... Is it the Blacklight virus?"
"Raymond was preparing the research program in the early years, I refused to join because I was aware of its specificity and danger, and as a personal friend, I warned him, who would have thought that he would still bring this virus here."
Ragland couldn't resist pouring another glass of wine, this time he sipped it slowly.
"The power and desire of the higher ups is so deep,who do you expect to stop them? the tens of thousands of dead people are just a string of numbers in their eyes. Ordinary people are already lucky if they can preserve themselves and live well in this world."
"Your sister, she knows so much too, do you think she can survive without your protection?"
Dana suddenly shivered in her sleep and whimpered uncomfortably, and Alex rushed to turn to soothe her while Ragland kept his mouth shut in embarrassment.
"I'll always be there for her." Alex's fingers nudge the corner of Dana's forehead.
"It's late at night. go to sleep, you all need to rest anyway." Ragland patted Alex on the shoulder and he didn't duck. There was actually one thing Alex hadn't said, there was so much he needed to think about, Pariah was a complete unknown, and how many more hardships and obstacles awaited him ahead, but he would definitely face them with Dana.
she was here, he was.
The moment Ragland was about to close the door, Alex leaned in and kissed Dana lightly on the forehead.