The first thing Alex evaluated was not the rifles trained on him.
It was himself.
Fourteen Blackwatch soldiers stood in a controlled semicircle, rifles raised with disciplined precision. Their positioning created overlapping lines of fire that eliminated simple evasive routes, while two additional operators secured the exits. A mounted machine gun covered the rear corridor to suppress vertical or high-speed movement. Their formation indicated prior engagement with enhanced biological threats.
Behind Alex stood two scientists in lab coats. Their hands trembled, but they remained frozen rather than fleeing. He did not know their names, and there was no need to ask.
Before addressing the external threat, Alex initiated a complete internal audit.
Self Supremacy engaged.
His awareness turned inward and expanded through every layer of his being. Cellular activity became visible to his conscious mind. He perceived mitochondrial output, monitored ATP conversion efficiency, and recalibrated metabolic balance with deliberate intent. His heartbeat slowed because rapid circulation was inefficient under current stress parameters. Cortisol production ceased. Emotional response systems were evaluated and reduced to controlled states.
There was no fear because fear required permission.
He unified conscious and subconscious processing streams, dissolving the distinction entirely. There were no hidden impulses, no reactive instincts. Every thought was authored. Every biological response was chosen.
Only after confirming absolute internal stability did he expand outward.
Neural throughput increased exponentially as he rewired synaptic pathways in real time, increasing processing density across cortical regions. The soldiers' movements appeared slow, but time itself had not changed; he had amplified cognition beyond standard human limits. Micro-adjustments in their grip strength, breath cadence, and shoulder tension were parsed and translated into predictive models.
The previous Alex Mercer had been a virologist with a PhD in Genetics from Columbia University. He had studied viral mutability, gene splicing, and adaptive cellular structures. His understanding of biology had been theoretical, though sophisticated. He had trained casually in parkour and martial arts but lacked battlefield experience.
That deficiency was irrelevant now.
With Self Supremacy, skill was simply structured information integrated into controlled physiology.
A soldier ordered him to kneel.
Alex chose not to respond.
Instead, he turned toward the nearest scientist and placed a hand on their shoulder.
Absorption initiated.
He consciously controlled biomass conversion at a molecular level, ensuring maximum data retention and minimal energy waste. Neural patterns transferred in structured streams rather than chaotic fragments. He reorganized the incoming information as it arrived, cataloging facility schematics, research logs, Blackwatch command structures, and external corporate partnerships.
Umbrella surfaced repeatedly within classified communication chains.
However, there was no record of a catastrophic outbreak. No Raccoon City sterilization. The name appeared within experimental virology collaborations and covert funding channels, suggesting preparation rather than aftermath.
Umbrella was building something.
Gunfire erupted.
Alex redistributed density along predicted projectile vectors while reducing unnecessary mass elsewhere to preserve agility. Bullets struck and flattened against reinforced tissue before being expelled as he corrected cellular disruption instantly. He advanced through the barrage without panic, without haste.
He absorbed the second scientist during movement, gaining additional insight into viral cross-referencing between Blacklight and other proprietary strains. Umbrella's research focused on controlled mutagenesis and directed evolution, but nothing had yet escaped containment publicly.
That meant the world remained unaware.
He pivoted toward the soldiers.
Dual-layer cognition activated. One consciousness directed movement with flawless biomechanical precision. Another ran predictive simulations of enemy coordination patterns. A third monitored biomass expenditure and structural stress thresholds.
The first soldier attempted a lateral reposition. Alex stepped into his blind spot and swung his arm, increasing forearm density just before impact to multiply kinetic force. The strike ended the engagement instantly. Absorption followed.
Combat drills. Urban suppression tactics. Squad communication protocols. Rules of engagement.
He integrated them seamlessly, discarding inefficiencies while refining effective techniques.
The mounted machine gun initiated sustained fire. Alex advanced along the narrowest statistical gap within its spread, closing distance without unnecessary exertion. He neutralized the gunner with controlled force and absorbed him, acquiring heavy-weapon handling experience and encrypted Blackwatch network credentials.
The remaining soldiers attempted to reestablish formation, but the speed of their losses destabilized coordination. Alex exploited structural weaknesses in their positioning, adjusting inertia and muscular output in real time. His movements were not merely fast—they were optimized. He redistributed internal mass to enhance acceleration and negated momentum upon abrupt directional changes.
Within minutes, the engagement concluded.
He absorbed the final soldier deliberately, ensuring no witness survived. Allowing escape would introduce unpredictable variables, and unpredictability was inefficient.
Silence followed.
He conducted another internal audit.
Biomass reserves: significantly increased.
Ballistic durability: confirmed viable under concentrated fire.
Neurological bandwidth: stable under sustained acceleration.
Emotional state: fully regulated.
He moved to the central terminal and accessed encrypted files using harvested credentials. Umbrella's presence extended globally, embedded within pharmaceutical research, military contracts, and biomedical experimentation. Their projects referenced viral agents designated under multiple code names, none yet deployed publicly.
One project, however, emphasized long-term adaptive evolution models.
He downloaded the data and erased access traces.
Among civilian observation logs, one file required attention:
Diana Mercer.
Monitored due to genetic proximity to Alex Mercer.
The file suggested contingency protocols should Blacklight demonstrate heritable mutation potential.
There was no emotional surge at her name. Self Supremacy prevented uncontrolled attachment from influencing judgment. However, strategic evaluation concluded that she represented both vulnerability and potential leverage.
He exited the facility disguised as a Blackwatch officer and moved through security checkpoints without incident. Once beyond surveillance range, he reverted to baseline form and began rooftop traversal.
As he moved across Manhattan, he began improving himself.
With increased biomass reserves and uninterrupted focus, he initiated gene optimization protocols. He examined his genetic architecture consciously, identifying inefficiencies inherited from baseline human design. Telomere degradation pathways were reinforced. Muscle fiber density was recalibrated for maximum tensile strength without excessive mass. Oxygen utilization efficiency increased as he restructured hemoglobin binding affinity.
Neural architecture underwent refinement. He reduced synaptic noise, improved signal propagation speed, and introduced redundant processing nodes to prevent cognitive bottlenecks. Memory indexing systems reorganized into layered constructs, allowing instantaneous retrieval of absorbed data.
This was not reactive mutation.
It was authored evolution.
He adjusted immune response parameters to eliminate the possibility of viral override by external agents. No foreign pathogen would alter him without consent. Cellular membranes were modified for selective permeability, granting him immunity to biochemical manipulation.
While traversing the city, he extended externalized presence—spreading his awareness through localized environmental cues. Air displacement patterns, vibration signatures across building frames, and electromagnetic disturbances fed into his predictive models. It was not telepathy; it was expanded sensory integration under conscious control.
He located Diana's apartment building through municipal databases accessed remotely via absorbed encryption keys.
Blackwatch surveillance units were positioned nearby.
He observed from a rooftop across the street, analyzing patrol intervals and communication patterns. Rather than intervene immediately, he evaluated long-term strategy.
Approaching directly might trigger escalation.
Instead, he altered himself further.
He initiated facial restructuring to match a neutral civilian profile. Vocal modulation adjusted to non-threatening cadence. Hormonal output shifted to project calm presence through micro-expressions and body language.
Self Supremacy granted mastery over even subtle social dynamics.
Before descending, he continued internal improvement. Biomass reserves were allocated toward reinforcing structural durability at deeper tissue layers. He experimented with micro-scale density fluctuation, discovering he could compress sections of his body to increase impact resistance without altering external appearance.
He also began exploring regenerative redundancy.
By dispersing neural command structures across multiple cellular clusters, he ensured that no single point of destruction would compromise consciousness. If catastrophic dismemberment occurred, he could rebuild from distributed biomass fragments.
This realization marked a significant threshold.
He was no longer confined to traditional anatomical limits.
As Blackwatch agents rotated shifts below, Alex evaluated global data regarding Umbrella. Their expansion suggested imminent large-scale experimentation. Without intervention, a public outbreak was statistically probable within the next decade.
Raccoon City had not yet happened.
But the trajectory toward it was visible.
He would not allow uncontrolled catastrophe to dictate the future.
For now, his objective remained localized.
He descended from the rooftop, moving through blind spots between surveillance arcs. His footsteps produced minimal vibration as he modulated weight distribution. He entered Diana's building using a replicated security keycard pattern.
He paused outside her apartment door.
Self Supremacy ensured emotional neutrality.
He knocked.
Inside, movement.
He prepared contingencies in case Blackwatch reacted.
Every variable accounted for.
Every biological process aligned.
The old Alex Mercer had been brilliant but limited by unconscious biology.
This Alex possessed total dominion over himself—mind, body, and spirit unified under singular authorship.
And that made him something far more dangerous than a weapon.
He was evolution, consciously directed. (Image)