Author's Note

I was originally going to do a triple feature of Equestrian Menace update, this updating and a project me and Trondason were working on exploring how the Hivemind worked with a new fic I was going to publish, but I overestimated myself and my editor has some thing called a life? So since it's been like two weeks, here's this as something to placate you all.

Virus Re-purpose

Mercer tapped his fingers on his lap as he waited for the helicopter to land by Gentek headquarters. According to the pilot they were supposed to have landed a few minutes ago, but the cluster of tanks and Blackwatch personnel kept them from landing inside the compound and the pilot refused to simply land on the street outside, quoting regulations.

The Gentek compound itself was a tower surrounded by a four story building that was shaped like a rectangular box with only one opening where the majority of the tanks were going. The outside building had dozens of machine guns nestled in the top, looking outwards on the citizens watching the spectacle. The actual Gentek building itself had a helicopter set upon the top of its roof and another patrolling around in a constant alert.

Though, with a lean of his head and diverting his attention the ground, he could see a space opening up below or at least them making a decent attempt at one.

Without any fanfare from him or the guards assigned to follow him around the helicopter finally started descending, the machine gun adorned roofs of the compound finally disappearing from his sight. With a silent sigh he leaned back in his seat and glanced at his escorts. “You soldiers don't talk much do you?”

The Blackwatch men looked at each other as if having a silent conversation before they turned as one to him. “We aren't paid to talk sir.”

A grin pulled at his lips. “Then we'll all get along just fine.” The instant that last word left his lips he could feel the helicopter bounce on the concrete, before finally settling down. The two by the door slid it open and hopped out, their guns up despite the fact they were surrounded by a tangible army of their fellows.

None of them paid any attention to his arrival though, too busy offloading weapons and various crates, moving their tanks around and putting up sandbags around said tanks. Well not all of them at least, because two heads made themselves apparent in the crowd, with no masks obscuring their faces.

The one on the right that was approaching him was a woman in her late thirties, with black hair, wrapped in a form fitting suit fitting her hour-glass figure and clutching a clipboard to her chest, a evil grin creeping into her face. If he was like any other man he would have called her a goddess but… he was more interested in his work then her.

The man on the left though was something else entirely. With jet-black hair with a white stripe running down the middle of his head and a weathered and beaten face the man approached in his uniform heavily modified uniform outfitted with extra plating, some arm-mounted weapon and an electric baton strapped to his side, all the while a slight interest gleaming in his eyes. The two of them walked towards him with purpose, his guards taking up positions on either side of him. A few feet in front of him the duo stopped, the man crossing his arms and giving him a once-over with her eyes.

The woman spoke up, and held her hand out as if to shake his hand, but lowered it as he glanced at it. “Hello Dr. Mercer, I'm Sabrina Galloway, the person who suggested the conference?” Her tone sounding like she expected him to know her.

Ignoring her he turned to the unnamed man. “And you would be?”

“I’m Captain Cross, here to make sure nobody kills you, though I would recommend we go inside now.” Cross said, no hint of emotion showing in his voice. “It’s better that Sabrina continues her self-pompous praise in a less open space.”

Sabrina glared at him but sighed as Mercer nodded and brushed past them, the duo following closely behind him. Mercer glanced behind himself to Sabrina. “Well weren’t you saying something? I’m sure you can speak while we walk can’t you?”

She stammered slightly before looking at the clipboard once more. “Well I’m the Financial Director who convinced McMullen to announce the cure, the main reason for this was to skyrocket our shares and get more government grants. I can happily say that it worked on both accounts and as of now McMullen has authorized all of your requests for the Project.”

Mercer slowed slightly then resumed his speed as he thought of his various requests over the past six months. “Even my request for more…. exotic volunteers?”

“Mmmmhmmm, we actually have a few inside right now, though may I ask why you requested these particular ones?” Sabrina asked as they stopped in front of Gentek’s sliding doors and Mercer swiped his card, revealing the inside full of Blackwatch roaming around and a few scientists. They walked by the front desk and past a few closets, and a snack machine populated by a dozen Blackwatch busy chowing down, before stepping inside of an elevator, the scientists inside dispersing as Cross glared at them.

They all stepped inside, Cross crossing his arms and leaning against the back wall and Sabrina pulled out a smartphone and started flicking through it. Mercer pushed one of the buttons before finally responding to her question. “Different cultures, genes etc. need to cover all my bases if it means dealing with some black market things.”

She looked up from her phone to look at him, before reaching past him to press another button on elevator. “So you’re trying to make sure it’s good for all people? Why not just ask for them off the streets?”

Mercer sighed before rolling his hands and eliciting a crack from them. “Because so far the viruses have the same effects as they originally did and I’ve just been able to tone down its effects.”

Mercer watched the floors’ respective numbers flash on and off as they went up and glanced at Sabrina with a mute question on his lips as they stopped five floors short of his destination. Sabrina looked at him and shrugged. “There’s other scientists in this company you know, this is where Dr. Koenig is supposed to be and I need to talk over his budget with him, he’s been a bit spendy lately.”

With that she walked out the open door and a pair of Blackwatch Troopers that had been waiting outside took one look at Cross before turning around and walking away. “They afraid of you or something?”

“No they just know if I catch them screwing something up I’ll force them to make the toilets shine.” Cross said with a chuckle, pushing himself off the wall as they arrived at Mercer’s floor. Mercer gave a small smile as they stepped out of the elevator and into a small featureless corridor, well mostly featureless minus the window walls that were on either side of them full of Hazmat suits and Blackwatch troopers behind an army of consoles and more wandering around in the background as they moved to their respective areas.

The two of them walked to the the middle where the ceiling started spraying chemicals on them, a white cloud filling the room, and Mercer walked over to a Hazmat suit hanging on the wall. Donning the suit he looked at Cross. “This is a quarantined area, you sure you want to keep your mask off? Not exactly good for your health.”

Cross shook his head as he approached the two closed doors at the end. “I’ve dealt with the virus before, you can say that I’ve gotten used to it.” Mercer looked at him questioningly before shrugging and zipping the front of his suit closed and flipped the hood over his head, becoming another one of the many Hazmat suits running around. When he had done that the ceiling stopped spraying and unseen fans started sucking the chemicals out of the hall.

“Would you mind if I take a sample of your blood? Seems like it’d be something that I could use.” Mercer asked as the doors finally opened and they stepped through it, two Blackwatch troopers set on either side of the door snapping a salute as they walked through. “Anyways so you’re my personal bodyguard? Why’d they pick just you and not a squad?”

“How much do you know about the virus, they haven’t briefed me on how much I’m able to talk to you about it.”

“Well considering the virus’ history in Idaho, an underground city or two and the specimen we currently have locked up I think it was prudent that they told me what I was working with. Albeit I already knew some of this before hand but not to the extent I do now, since now we’re trying to turn the deadliest virus we have ever conceived in history into something that’s supposed to save our entire species.”

Cross trailed close behind him as he talked and walked through the maze of corridors with purpose, many rooms locked and completely hidden from view and the view that weren’t locked instead had windowed walls allowing him to look in on the scientists as they tinkered with vials of the various strains they had made. One particular lab had two of them discussing the particulars of bone growth in those afflicted with the virus, or he guessed so judging by the X-rays they had up on a screen and a projector beside it showing the virus itself.

Turning his attention back to Mercer he simply asked, “So you know what I mean by I single-handedly took out a Runner?”

Mercer slowed as he turned around to look at Cross and leaned in for a better look, his visor obscuring any type of face he was making. “So you’re that guy huh? Blackwatch must be worried about these ponies for you to be my personal bodyguard.” He shook his head and turned around a corner as he continued musing to himself.

After a minute more of walking they both heard a rapid series of footsteps approaching them. They both turned to see a Hazmat figure jogging towards them, and Cross reached for his electric baton. The figure slowed down at this and gestured for him to wait, before pulling his hood off to reveal himself as Dr. Koenig an old man with white hair and scratched face that looked like he was ten years away from death. “Sabrina’s looking for you, you do know that Koenig?” Mercer asked sarcastically, of course the old man knew it he just was adept at avoiding people he didn’t want to see.

“No I didn’t but Mercer you need to come with me, I’ve hit something that you won’t believe.” Koenig said excitedly as he pulled his hood back on and gestured for the two of them to follow. Mercer and Cross looked at each other before Mercer shrugged once more and followed after Koenig.

“So what’s so important Koenig?”

Koenig turned around and started walking backwards his hands waving around in the air as he explained. “Okay you know how Gentek put me in charge of the Retribution Project? And how’re you’re in charge of the Genesis Project, but thus far all your viruses have had the same results more or less?”

“Yes.” The Retribution Project was Gentek’s counter-pony weapon. Why’d they need to dedicate over a few dozen scientists to it he didn’t know since they already had the makings of a world-threatening virus. If you were to ask Mercer it was a waste of funds that could be put to better use helping with his project, the one responsible for saving humanity as they knew it.

“Well I went ahead and asked the Director for your viruses that you ruled as ineffective so I could find ways to better spread mine. One of your more recent ones, DX-1758 B I believe it was, has had a drastic effect on my subject that I think you’ll want to see.”

“How about you just tell me now so we don’t waste my precious time?” Sighed Mercer as Koenig kept walking backwards and practically dragged him away from his laboratory.

Koenig laughed from behind his mask. “Oh believe me Mercer you’ll be amazed at what your virus has done to my subject.” With that Koenig turned around and started to slow as they turned around a corner and walked down an empty hallway, with only one door in it and it was set at the end. Cross slowly cast his gaze around as they walked to the door and Koenig begun to swipe his card through the lock, he had just realized how quiet and still this area of Gentek was.

He rested his left hand on his baton and watched as the door slowly opened into a lab setting, with four hazmat wearing scientists huddled in front of one of the consoles and argued about it. In the middle of the room were a few computers lined up against each other and an out of place couch that seemed to be just shoved in there. That was all he could see from the door and when he followed Mercer and Koenig in he realized what Sabrina meant by he’d been a bit spendy lately.

At the far end of the room were the consoles and scientists he had seen from the door and was something he expected. The vault doors lining each side of the lab’s walls and the screens above each of the doors showing infected weren’t something he was expecting. Nor the fact that there were at least two dozen of them in the various vaults, all of which were ponies, some had blades coming out of their shoulders, two had their heads completely turned around and one of them was still in the infection stage, currently puking up blood. He shook his head before continuing to follow Mercer, his boots stomping on the white tile beneath his feet.

Koenig walked over to one door and stopped in front of it and waited for the two of them to approach and with a silent smile gestured at the screen above him. “Tell me what do you see on the monitor right now?”

Mercer took a moment to look at it before commenting. “Looks like a pustule that’s been bleeding red for the past few days. Or like you cut something off of a hive back during Hope.” It was nothing more than a bulging mass of bio-material that had veins crawling up the walls of its cells, that all pulsed at a regular interval like a heartbeat.

“This is what your virus did to a PER volunteer that was acquired. All these others ones have been infected with other strains and I’ve seen hundreds of viruses come and go but this,” He gestured at the screen again. “Is the first time I’ve seen the virus completely repurpose one of it hosts to this level. But the best part is this. Henrick go ahead and warm up specimen twenty-four.”

One of the scientists nodded before walking over to one of the computers in the middle of the room and started typing away at the keyboard. Mercer and Cross carefully watched the egg-like specimen, just to see it become engulfed in flames. They were about to question why when they noticed a distinct clanging noise, so dull but yet noticeable. Mercer looked away from the screen to notice that all of the specimens were freaking out, clawing at their doors and trying to break them down. “Okay turn it off Henrick.”

The scientist nodded and clicked a single key on the computer before returning to argue with his compatriots. “As you can see it seems that unlike other infected this pustule is able to broadcast its pain or distress much easier. We’ve burned other infected before and none of them seemed to take notice but when we tried burning this one, all the infected started panicking.”

Mercer nodded before looking sideways at Koenig through his mask. “Wait you tried burning it before? Seems fine to me.”

“Ah right, that’s the second best thing.” He looked expectantly at the monitor as the flames started dying down. Mercer followed his gaze to see the pustule sitting there, no scorch marks present at all on its form.

Cross was the first to speak. “What the hell?”

“I know, I can’t wrap my head around it either, that fire is more than enough to burn away enough bacteria and viruses that we could eat in there if we wanted to. But yet this pustule remains intact, we are hoping the Director will let us shut down this floor so we can extract some material from it. We’re not willing to risk an infection by opening that door as long as it’s still intact.” Koenig said shaking his head or more accurately his hood.

“How long have you tried burning it for?” Mercer asked as he walked to the computer Henrick had just been using and ran his hands over it.

“About ten seconds continued burning it, usually enough for the specimens and the heat we have, why?”

“Only fat catches fire easy, so maybe it’s just the fact you haven’t tried burning it enough.” Mercer said as he pressed a key and the flames resumed pouring over the pustule.

Her eye twitched, before relaxing back into it’s comatose like state. The same state she’d been in for as long as she had to wait, listening to their cries of pain. But soon they’d be cries of joy, and the others would making cries of pain. It was waiting that was the real pain, having to ignore the children. Soon she’d be able to give care to her children though, the new others would help her stop waiting.

Just more waiting, but less waiting soon she’d repay the new others by making them part of the family. All one big happy family soon, just wait until it was time to stop waiting.