He smiled slightly when she placed her chin on his shoulder, and he bumped heads with her. He jumped onto the platform and placed Desmond's hand on the pillar. The floor jerked, and before he knew it, they were being lowered into another room with lots of stairs. He jumped the room to find a door with the same symbol at the hive.

"Now we need the password," Rebecca said, and Alex tensed.

"You're fucking kidding me," he growled.

"Nope," Shaun said, "as a matter of fact, we have absolutely no idea what it could be."

Alex was about ready to boil over as he stared at the wall, Shaun's taunts only serving to make him angrier as his arms turned into the hammerfists.

"We were going to search Ezio's memories, but you happened to shove us all out without much room for protest, so now here we are, without the faintest clue, and we'll have to go back and search—"

He roared, smashing his fists into the door, the hunters following suit. He pounded it again, and again, until it was bent out of shape and full of dents. He summoned the blade and pounded until the door gave way and his blade sunk through the door.

"When did you get that—"

"When I was hatching the hunters," he growled, transforming them into the claws and grunting as he pulled the door apart.

He stepped through.

"See?" Shaun said. "I told you he'd have no problem with it."

"Yes, Shaun, we know," Lucy said, sounding slightly irritated.

He ran down the hallway to a large room with several pillars. He could see Ezio placing the Apple on the pedestal in the middle. That same damn woman started talking as he walked to the small platform to connect the entrance to the large island in the middle. With a just a thought, the hunters leapt, and Shaun yelped, and they were waiting on the middle island. He jumped, catching the ledge and pulling himself up, letting Dana down as he approached the Apple. He turned into Desmond, just in case, as he placed a hand on either side. He heard the hunters roar. The other humans were milling about, talking, something, and he felt himself grinning, that same evil grin from before. Without a second thought, he grabbed it and inhaled sharply at the influx of power. He could feel it trying to take over Desmond's mind, and he laughed evilly as he the virus surrounded it. He could feel the power flow through him as he turned into himself again.

"You're not Desmond!" he heard the "goddess" scream, and he laughed again, tensing up with the intensity of the Apple.

He felt the biomass spew from his body in tentacles, smashing into the walls, and Dana cursed loudly. Greene was stirring within him again, producing that vile Redlight strain. The Blacklight virus was screaming in protest. The hunters pounded the ground, and he could hear his other hive call out as the virus covered the walls, turning it into a sticky web of biomass. The Apple was feeding him power, and he was eating every morsel offered. He swallowed as the golden light vanished in a cocoon of biomass.

"Power," he hissed, his hands glued to the Apple.

He felt Dana tug on in his sleeve, and he turned to her—she cursed, stumbling back, and he laughed again, feeling the biomass pour out of him. This was incredible. With a roar, he sent the hunters off to get him the second Apple and Staff, and with little wait, they returned with the Staff and the Apple in hand. He could feel the explosion of Infected from the other hive as he sent them to fetch the Shroud and Sword. He commanded them to scourge the land until it produced the other forty-seven pieces. They would be his, and he would do whatever it took to make this world safe for his sister. He watched with manic glee as the virus crawled up the walls and spores formed. Yellow DNA quickly started spewing forth, and he could feel bile rise in his throat. He vomited, spewing the vile Redlight virus from his body, and it quickly solidified, and he watched as a copy of the supreme hunter rose from the grave. It bowed before him, and he never felt more powerful.

Until a small voice broke through his empowered trance:

"Hush now, my baby, be still, love, don't cry…"

He turned to see Dana hunched over, holding her head, trying to block out the images as the others huddled near.

"Sleep like you're rocked by the stream…"

The song was paralyzing him as he listened, and he felt a flash of humanity again.

"Sleep and remember my lullaby. And I'll be with you, when you dream…"

He took a step toward her. He heard the Supreme Hunter roar, and he commanded it to quiet as the others looked at him, frightened. He knelt in front of his sister, reaching out slowly. When he touched her shoulder, the Pieces of Eden tangled in the web of the virus, he flinched when she whimpered and recoiled.

"Drift through a river that flows through my arms…"

She sounded like she was crying.

"Drift as I'm singing to you. I see you smiling, so peaceful and calm, and holding you I'm smiling too…"

"Dana," he murmured.

She whimpered and continued singing.

"Dana…"

He could feel the thrum of the virus in him as he tried to get her to look at him.

"Please, Dana…"

He pulled her into a gentle hug, and he realized how badly she was trembling.

"I won't hurt you. I won't: I promise. They won't hurt you, or Lucy, or Rebecca, or Shaun. Trust me. Please."

He held her close, hoping she would snap from it and return the hug. Eventually, she muttered, "G-Goddamnit, Alex. You know I'm afraid of those things."

"I know," he muttered. "I know. But I need them to keep working for me."

"Fucking why?" she hissed, refusing to look up.

He sent the Supreme Hunter to go destroy the Templars at the border and find the army. With a roar, it left, and he held her as she slowly calmed down.

"So," Shaun began nervously, "what's our next move?"

"We avenge Desmond and kill Alan Rikkin."

"Riiiiiiight, and how do you propose we do that?"

"I absorb Rikkin and his memories, then we track down the man who infected Desmond. While we do that, the hunters will start a series of hives throughout Europe and slowly expand throughout the Asian continent. They'll move to Africa, then to Australia, until we have all fifty pieces. They'll grow and evolve—I'll grow and evolve. I'll evolve into something that can swim and move back onto the Americas." He snarled. "I won't let it stop me from crossing the ocean, no matter if the water is Blacklight-phobic. The Redlight can swim, I think. This world will be overrun by Infected. And then, and as they hunt the Pieces of Eden down, they'll murder any Templar that doesn't have memories I need."

"How do they know?" Lucy asked, looking around the room curiously.

She certainly seemed interested enough. Rebecca looked a little freaked out, but seemed more concerned with Dana's discomfort.

"The memories mark them."

"Alex," Dana murmured, "Now that you have the Apple, perhaps you could bring Desmond back?"

He hummed, confused, as she curled in his arms.

"If you entered a spore with the Apple, do you think you could separate your DNA from Desmond's, and bring him back as another… Blacklight virus? I know it would've been impossible before, but…"

He hugged her tightly. "I could try."

"I know you loved him," she muttered, and Rebecca grinned.

"I told you so," she said, pointing at Shaun. "I tooooooold you."

"But, it would have to be a Blacklight Virus. I know the hunters are the Redlight virus, but you'd have to make him the Blacklight."

"Woah, woah… If Alex is a different strain of the virus, how is he creating—"

"He absorbed Greene. He makes the hunters look like the common cold."

"The Redlight virus is easier to produce for me. And if I produced the Blacklight virus, I would have no control. Each Blacklight infectee is a different organism."

"So you should bring back Desmond," Rebecca said.

"No. I'm not sure he'd want to come back."

"Oh, come on—"

"No," Alex said firmly. "No. I won't subject him to it. The memory of emotion is—"

"Bullshit," Rebecca said, giving him a disapproving look. "Come on, bring him back. Do something for yourself. He kept those happy memories alive, didn't he?"

"I won't subject—"

"Do it," Dana said. "I'm sure that he'll forgive you."

He looked from Dana to Rebecca, and from Rebecca to Lucy. They were all watching him closely.

"Besides," he looked back at Rebecca, "I wanna watch two hot guys make out."

"I'm not sure I'd enjoy it as much since he's my brother, but it would be fun."

She winked at Dana, and he could only assume Dana winked back. Alex let her go, since she seemed calm enough, and he rose to look at Lucy.

"You have teams in America, right?"

"Yes? Why?"

He bit his lip. "If I pull Desmond out, I need you to send a team to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California."

"Why?"

"I need them to rescue to a subject by the name of Pariah."

She nodded. "I can do that. I'll send them word about the two Apples and the Staff. And the Hives."

He nodded, and he looked at his hands. He didn't really want to—he wasn't sure Desmond would even appreciate it. He turned into Desmond, thinking back to all their memories. Sure, he "loved" him. He missed him, and yes, things would get lonely once Dana died, but he wasn't sure he could subject Desmond to the same things he was going through.

"Come on, Alex," Rebecca said. "Grow a pair for him."

He frowned, and Dana grinned. Shaun folded his arms. "You may as well, and with all your monkey minions running around, the Templars will be distracted enough from us. You may as well."

He frowned. "I don't think he'd want this."

"Doooooooooo iiiiiiiiiiiiiit," Rebecca said. "You've been looking after us for a while now. Why not look after yourself? I mean, Desmond'll have you, so there's no point in not letting yourself have someone you can be friends with for all eternity." He kept frowning when she murmured, "Since you, you know, won't infect me."

"It might be good for you," Lucy began. "You'd have someone you can relate to, and someone who loves you—"

"He'll just end up trying to murder me like Heller."

"Move on, man. You're too far in the past," Rebecca said. "Come on. I wanna meet Desmond. And have him make me a few drinks."

"Actually," Shaun said, looking at her, "that's not a bad idea. With the Templars distracted by the hairless gorillas, we could take a bit of a break and get completely smashed."

"Shaun," Lucy said disapprovingly.

He shrugged. "I'm all for it."

Alex rubbed his face with a hand. He wanted Desmond back, sure, but he wasn't sure he could do that to him.

"Look, lover boy, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but take Rebecca's suggestion. Grow a pair for him."

Alex growled. "Can I think about—"

"Nope," Rebecca said. "You've done enough thinking all ready. So sit down, be absorbed by a spore, and make Desmond for yourself. Or for me, 'cause I wouldn't mind tapping that."

"Rebecca—"

"Damnit, Alex, I'm gonna make that boy come out of you—even if I have to fucking pull him out of you my-Goddamn-self!" Dana shouted.

Alex narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Enough!" Lucy shouted. "No, Desmond—I mean, Alex—I think you should bring Desmond back, but we're going to let you decide whether you want to. Just, consider it, all right?"

Alex nodded and sat down. There wasn't anything to do now.

"Where are we sleeping tonight?" Rebecca asked.

"Well," Shaun said, sitting on a pile of the virus' flesh. "I'm perfectly content right here, if you could just make a creeper or two to wait on us."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Creeper?"

"Those skinny… runny things."

"A walker?"

"Ah, yes. A walker. You see: it's warm in these hives here—much more than a sleeping bag. And if we could just get a blanket in here to cover ourselves, I would think this would be ideal."

Alex blinked, then rolled his eyes and started walking out.

"Where are you going?" Lucy said.

"We need to go back, so you can get your computer and contact the others. I want Pariah."

"And I want Desmond," Rebecca said, placing her hands on her hips. "But you don't see that happening."

Alex rolled his eyes, and Lucy smiled. "I brought a laptop. We're only allowed to use it in emergency purposes, or during travel, but I brought a laptop. Why don't we settle down for the night here?"

He spent the remaining hours sending a walker running willy-nilly for the assassins to bring them food. By the time they had settled down, Alex found himself holding Dana as she slept, trying to keep her calm. Shaun slept on his other side, and Lucy beside him, and Rebecca next to Dana. As he slowly drifted off, feeling rather drained as his hunters built hives and drew their power from him—from Greene, since the Redlight virus was the one he could control—he dreamt of Desmond for the first time in a long time.

He replayed all of his memories through Desmond's eyes, starting from a child to right until he fell asleep in Alex's arms. The memories held a lot of emotion—fear, anger, joy. He felt them slipping through his fingers, and he didn't want to let them go, but he was shedding them like a winter coat in the summer. He was locking them away, somewhere deep in his mind, so he couldn't be in pain when he felt the joy Desmond felt at their talks in the bar, or his utter contentedness as he fell asleep on his last day. It hurt something awful, and he thought it better to keep them out of sight and out of mind.

He was warm as he slept. Shaun had been right: sleeping in a hive was wonderful. The flesh he was on was soft, and the life that pulsed in it kept him warm. He enjoyed the hive mentality—when he was the one in charge. He could feel the life teeming in his veins as he slept, and it grew more powerful with every hive that started. He could feel the energy as the others hunted for the other Pieces of Eden, and he could feel the web that connected all the hives empower him more. He could see the destruction that followed in their wake, and he twitched when the hunters and walkers invaded the Vatican and stole the sacred shroud of Jesus. He watched them bust through the border of Italy and take all of Europe by surprise. He could feel the number of hives spreading like a match thrown in a gasoline tank.

He was reluctant to wake, stirring groggily as cooler air swept over his body. He grunted as he uncurled, and he brought his hands up to his eyes. He had slept so well—not that he needed it, but it was still good. He could feel a new layer of power thrumming gently within him, deep in his flesh, and he stretched out. His joints screamed in relief, and it felt as if he had been sleeping for weeks—but, he did have hives breaching China now. He could feel the transfer of memories from the hunters to his skin, and he saw the terror of the Templar troops, the mad scramble of armies to try to destroy them—the hives producing too many too fast for them to assemble completely. All of these continents would be his.

He felt something stretch along beside him, and he cracked open an eye to see a head full of brown hair. He inhaled deeply, the scent a long forgotten one, and wrapped his arms around the body. It shifted, bending one arm to be its pillow.

"You're finally awake."

His eyes shot open at the familiar voice.

"What the hell is going on? I mean… I thought I was… I was…"

"Desmond?" he murmured.

The body in his arms curled up more. "Yeah. I'm…"

"I'm so sorry," Alex said. "I never meant to bring you back."

"W-what the hell is going on, man? I mean—I thought you took care of the virus!"

"I—" he paused, then wrapped his arms tighter around him. "I did. And then I brought you back using the Blacklight virus and your memories. I'm sorry."

"So I'm a bunch of memories now?" the voice was quiet and slightly nervous.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he held the man. "I'm sorry, Desmond. I can undo it. I can."

He felt the man shift to look at him, and he cringed at sight of golden eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, Desmond."

"So, all I am is a bunch of memories?"

"Yes. Just like me."

"What the hell is going on?"

He gave him an upset look, then bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Desmond."

He felt a hand on his jaw, gently coaxing him to look up, and when he did, he felt the hand slide to the back of his neck and pull him in for a kiss.

"It's okay, Alex. I'm just… a little freaked out."

Their lips pressed together gently, and Alex could feel Desmond's hands curl at the base of his neck. His lips were warm and dry, and it reminded Alex exactly of the kiss in Central Park. It got progressively heavier, until they were biting and clawing, and he felt Desmond's feet plant themselves in his stomach and throw him backwards. Alex caught himself with a glare, wiping the dripping matter from his lips as Desmond spat black biomatter on the ground, wiping his mouth.

"Fucker!" he shouted, and Alex jumped at him, blade summoned.

He roared when his blade hit Desmond's claws. They were nothing like his: Desmond's had broadened into paddles, long claws sticking out of "fingers." He roared when his distraction let him get a sharp hit in, and he growled as he clutched his side. He blinked: Desmond's eyes were clouded over—as if he were blind—and he was still moving toward him with incredible accuracy. He jumped as Desmond's claws bit the hive wall, and his lover roared. He roared back, delivering a quick series of parries and attacks.

He got one blow into his stomach, and Desmond spit up a small, black orb. Alex rolled out of its path and when he looked next, the man was nowhere to be seen—until he felt a hand wrap around his neck, and a blade bury itself in his back. He ripped Desmond's hand from his neck, and threw the man, wincing as the blade left a large gash up his back and shoulder. Alex ran at him, summoning the whip fist and lashing out, snagging his leg as he jumped. He whipped him in a circle, smashing him into the side of the Apple's platform. Desmond roared, and Alex curled as something exploded underneath of him. He didn't have time to think as he bounced back from the explosion and glided to him.

Desmond met him halfway, vanishing briefly for a moment before Alex grunted as he felt his weight on his back, that same damn blade cutting into his flesh. He roared, falling to the ground, and he was pinned. Desmond had the most vicious snarl on his lips.

"Why? I was happy being dead!"

"I said I was sorry," Alex growled. "I can reverse it right now, if you like."

Desmond growled, then, pressed his face into Alex's neck. "I'm terrified. What's happening to me?"

He wrapped his hands around Desmond's waist. "Desmond, I told you—"

"I just… Fuck."

He used one hand to cup the back of his head, feeling his regeneration kick in. "Imagine how I felt when I first woke."

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Desmond."

"I know."

"I'm sorry. I should've asked you before you died."

"You were probably lonely. I don't mind. I'm just… afraid."

He felt Desmond's hands curl into his shirt.

"Can someone please tell me what just happened?"

He tilted his head back to see Shaun standing in the doorway with a hunter and the other three humans.

"We leave spore boy alone for not point two seconds, and we come back after eating to find you bleeding out all over the hive floor with another man?"

He rubbed Desmond's back. "Why don't I fill you in another room? I'll show you what's going on."

"I don't… Alex."

He chuckled softly.

"Holy shit! Desmond? Alex, you actually brought him back?"

Desmond's head shot up. "Dana?"

"You're Desmond? Fuck! I've fallen in love."

Alex rolled over and looked at them. He felt hands settle on his shoulders. He stood up, dumping Desmond before he turned and offered him a hand. He helped the man up. Dana was by their sides in a heartbeat, hugging her friend tightly.

"You're back!"

Desmond chuckled, and he found a small smile on his lips. "We're both glad you're back."

He watched them hug, then turned to look at the web of the hive. There were so many small bulges in the webbing.

"Yes, we have some twenty-something Pieces now," Shaun said, stepping over to him. "Your hairless gorillas are quite good at searching for things."

Alex smirked. "Yes. They're extremely good at searching. It wasn't until after Manhattan was cleared of the Infection Dana woke up from the Leader Hunter tracking her down."

Shaun quirked an eyebrow. "Do they know where Rikkin is yet?"

"Not yet. But they're holding off the armies and spreading hives well. This takeover might not be as hard as we thought."

"What about that shit that almost killed you? Detoxin or something?"

"Bloodtox? They've been taking the planes and ships out of the sky. There's no way it'll survive. They'll have to take out me first, then Desmond. And if we reach Pariah, then there's a third."

"They're working on Pariah now," Lucy said, watching Rebecca glomp Desmond with Dana.

He looked at her. "Thank you. It'll be good to have someone to infect the Americas. And find the other Pieces."

"You're serious about the world take over, aren't you?"

He could feel the grin creeping up again. "Of course. As long as you guys are safe."

"You're freaking me out, mate."

"I'm not surprised," Lucy said, and Alex jumped slightly, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, it seems as if it's just like any other human. War, conquest—human nature, animalistic nature—it wants to spread. The difference is, this virus can. And can't be stopped."

Alex smirked. "And I won't let it be. You've seen how heartless I am. I don't care who it is who dies, so long as it's not someone I care about. Speaking of which, how long was I…?"

"Two bloody months," Shaun said. "And then we go out for a moment—the Templars distracted by the millions of hives around now, and come back to find you and your lover rolling around like animals."

Alex nodded slowly. "They're getting close to the army with Rikkin in it. And the Pieces of Eden. If I can contact Pariah, we'll have all fifty in no time."

"Two of them were destroyed," Lucy said. "In a—"

"I don't care," Alex said, walking forward and slowly prying Desmond out from the two women. "Let's go for a walk."

Desmond smiled softly at him, and together, they walked out of the underground labyrinth, up into the church, slipping in and sitting in the pews as tourists walked through.

"So, what's going on?"

Alex told him everything that had happened since his death: the prophecy, the Apple, Abstergo, and getting ready to absorb Rikkin. Desmond sat and listened, and Alex found himself with an arm around the man's shoulders as he leaned into the touch and took in all the action. They eventually got up and walked out into the streets, into the grasslands beyond, and Alex was pleased to see the tendrils of the virus creeping over the town. The citizens had seemed to accept this new thing living with them, but they were wary, cautious, and when a hunter roared, they all moved out of the way. He taught him how to absorb others, and they replenished their health with little struggle. As they walked out into the field, he discussed with Desmond all the different moves and fighting techniques, assured that he could use them since he had given him several memories of fighting to accompany his own.

He had one arm around Desmond's waist and was standing in the field with him, listening to the birds, before everything went to Hell.

"Mister Mercer," came a soothing, masculine voice. "Mister Miles."

He whipped around to see two men standing there.

"Now I'm gonna kill you, Mercer, for making me into a monster!"

His eyes widened just a fraction as he took in the sight of James Heller.

"I'm afraid we'll have to play this more carefully, Heller. There are two of them."

He looked at the other man.

"Rikkin," he hissed.

He watched an arrogant smirk cross the man's face before disappearing.

"You're dead," Heller growled.

Alex straightened. "I thought you were dead."

"Like your precious Doctor Ragland, we, too, can design a cure for the old Bloodtox."

"And I wasn't gonna say 'no' to a rematch," he barked.

Alex sent out a silent call for the Supreme Hunter, feeling it nearby. He wasn't going to let Desmond fight him alone.

"This is that Heller guy you were talking about?" Desmond said.

"Yes," Alex murmured. "Desmond, you fight him. You need the experience."

"I don't—"

"It's the exact same as fighting me."

There was something wrong with Rikkin, and Alex wasn't going to subject Desmond to it. He had just gotten back, after all. Still, whenever he flicked on his infected vision, he couldn't see anything wrong. The virus was just screaming that something was wrong. He was too confident—too self-assured in his every word and movement. He seemed like the kind who always had a plan, and he was certain there was some plan to own them all ticking in that head of his. He heard Heller yelp as Desmond got him good with that vanishing trick and blade in the back trick. Heller was smart, but not too smart. There was no way he could adapt quickly enough.

"Well," Rikkin said, "this is not what I anticipated."

"You're a paranoid bastard," Alex said. "You were expecting this."

Rikkin raised an eyebrow, that damn smirk coming back. "Ah, yes, I forgot. You are quite paranoid yourself, right?"

"What are you planning?"

He was circling Rikkin, examining him. Perhaps, he thought briefly, he had gotten a shot of Bloodtox, but it wouldn't save him from his strain—the strain that had grown and evolved from his days back on Manhattan. It had mutated and grown stronger in those weeks in the spore. He was stronger—his hives were stronger. A shot of Bloodtox might make him sick, but surely it wouldn't kill him. It couldn't. It would be like fighting a new strain of the flu with old vaccines.

"Are you going to eat me?"

He had too much faith in his shot. There was no way he could kill Alex.

"I've got the memories you want, right?"

He heard Desmond yelp as the Supreme Hunter came barreling into the equation, throwing Heller into the ground as the man cursed fluently.

"I've got you figured out," Alex said, straightening and stopping to look the man in the face. "And a shot of Bloodtox won't help you."

Rikkin's eyes were suddenly quite humored, wrinkling at the ends. An "I've-One-Upped-You" smile appeared.

"And you can't get my strain to create a cure from the hives. They use the Redlight virus."

He frowned. Clearly, this man had made breakthroughs with the virus. He stiffened.

"You used Pariah."

"Now you're thinking."

"But he was rescued."

"And the Americas are Infected."

He could feel himself using the virus to make himself bigger. Desmond swore off to the side.

"And I'm not."

"Shit," he murmured.

"I believe that is a good expression for you right now."

He met his gaze again and sized up exactly how to go about consuming him. He couldn't even touch the man's blood, so harming him was out of the question. He started circling Rikkin again.

"What are you going to do, hm? I wish I could say the army was on its way, but you've successfully tied it all up. Your little cockroaches have pulled themselves together after a nuclear blast, and now China faces invasion. You've been busy."

"Did you force Doctor Ragland to—"

"You're precious Doctor Ragland dropped from the face of the planet a few weeks ago."

He'd have to remember to thank Rebecca.

"Well, are you going to eat me? Or will you let Desmond, since he doesn't know?"

He was going to punch that damn man's lights out as he drew his lips into a thin line at the mocking tone.

"Or perhaps one of your hunters. But then you still wouldn't have everything I know, would you?"

Alex stood there, thinking about his next move. His bloodstream had lethal amounts of Bloodtox, but he needed to consume him for his memories. And then it hit him: there were plenty of ways to access the brain without entering the blood stream. And blood to the brain was minimal compared to the rest of the body. There was no blood surrounding the organ—but cerebral spinal fluid. He could access the brain through the nose and mouth, through the ears, but he'd have to be careful. With a smirk, he raised a hand, watching as Rikkin raised an eyebrow, and, without a second warning, let his arm erupt into tendrils of biomass, engulfing Rikkin's head, and his smirk darkened as he listened to Rikkin's cries of pain—as he pulled the brain out the nose to consume.

He could feel the tentacles move progressively toward the brain, and watched the man's body thrash in his hold. He watched the hands scrabble down over his suit and into the vest underneath. He frowned: he didn't know what he was doing. When he saw the flash of wiring underneath the vest, he snarled.

"A bomb!"

He threw the biomass in a flimsy wall and grunted as he felt the spatter of blood against the biomatter, and he could feel the burn of the Bloodtox against his skin. He looked to where Desmond was, and the boy was staring, wide-eyed at him. Heller was gone, and he didn't know if he was eaten by Miles or the hunter. With a grunt, he let the biomatter crumble, and he shed the outer layer like a snake, letting the ground absorb it. He looked at Desmond briefly, whose eyes were wide. He watched his shell bubble and fizz as the new serum worked through it, and he felt Desmond move to stand beside him.

"What was that?"

"That was Bloodtox. The new version." They stood there a bit before Alex turned to look at him. "Good job with Heller."

Desmond smiled. "It was more of the hunter that made him easy to beat."

He wrapped an arm around the younger virus's shoulders. "Let's go back. It looks like we'll never know who infected you in the first place."

Desmond gave him a smirk, and pulled him in for a kiss. "I'm not terribly concerned."

Alex let himself smile as he pressed his lips against Desmond's.

"Yo! Alex!"

He looked up to see Rebecca come running out.

"We got Pariah on the line! Looks like you've got your contact!"

He smirked as he wrapped his arm around Desmond's waist, and they started walking back to the old Sanctuary. He followed her back down to see Lucy with a laptop, and on the screen was a pallid, sickly looking young man.

"Pariah?"

The boy's glassy, blue eyes looked at him. "Mercer?"

And the longer he talked to the boy, he found Pariah to be an easy man to talk to, and he seemed more than willing to spread the infection to all of the Americas. Alex was certain they would succeed where Greene had failed. Long live the new world.