Linka burst into her living room and slammed the door shut, breathing heavily.

"Linka?" Said Loki, her oldest brother (not to be confused with the Norse god of the same name). "You look like you've literally seen a ghost. What's going on?"

"M-mo-mo" Linka stammered. "MONSTER!"

Loki raised an eyebrow. "You saw a monster? Seriously Linka, you read too many comic books."

"No I-I really saw it! I'm not making this up!"

"Ha yeah right." Loki mocked. "What did it have big claws, ad purple, fur, sharp teeth, horns, some other childish nonsense."

Linka shook her head "No. H-he looked like a man. Except he had this huge blade for an arm. And, and he cut this guy in half."

"HA!" Loki laughed. "Gee if you're gonna claim to see a monster, at least you can be creative about it."

Linka started to cry.

"Hey hey, don't cry." Said Loki. "Where did you see this monster of yours."

"In an alley behind Gus's Games and Grub." Linka responded, whipping away her tears.

...

The citizens of Royal Woods felt chills run down their backs, as the man in the dark suit and cowboy hat walked past them.

Some could even swear they saw the man's eyes glowing red as they past him.

As Pariah walked past each civilian on the street he attempted to read their minds, as he was able to do countless times in his own dimension. But now he was unable to enter these human's minds.

What the fuck is happening? He thought. Am I losing my powers? NO! That can't happen! That can NEVER HAPPEN! Frustrated he managed to grab a passing woman and drag her into a nearby alley without anyone noticing.

The Woman tried to scream, but Pariah had his hands clasped over her mouth.

"Sssshhhh." He said to the woman. "I Just want to test something out hear."

He then turned his arms into claws, dug them into the woman's stomach, and consumed her.

"Well at least that works." He said to himself.

So let's assess the situation here. He thought. My shape shifting abilities still work, and my consuming ability works. Yet I am unable to use my psychic powers. A can't read minds, and I was unable to control that little girl. I MUST figure this out, before I lose all my powers. No I... I can't lose them, I CAN'T!

Then, having turned his arms back to normal, he walked back into the streets.

A man walked out of a store Pariah was standing by. When Pariah saw this man, his mind was blown.

The Man looked exactly like him!

Well that must be my doppelganger Pariah thought. Pariah fallowed this man to his car, staying a couple steps back keeping out of sight.

The man got into his car and drove off.

Pariah found another man, about to get into a car that was parked next to that of Pariah's doppelganger.

Pariah quickly, and stealthfuly consumed the third man, and took his form. He got in the man's car and proceeded to fallow his doppelganger.

He fallowed the other car out to the outskirts of the city to a farm.

Pariah fallowed his doppelganger as he got out of the car and headed to the front gate.

What the hell is he doing here? Pariah thought to himself. Is he going to destroy this entire farm with his powers. If so, this version of myself might just be even darker and more sadistic than even me. Gotta say, I'm impressed.

Then Pariah changed back into his normal form For once it's probably better if he knows who I am.

Then another surprise. A little girl rushed out of the farm house to meet this man. Then to an even greater surprise then man picked up the little girl ad gave her a hug.

Pariah herd the girl say "Hi Daddy!"

Daddy? Pariah thought. Then it hit him like a tone of bricks. He's not here to raid this place. THIS IS HIS HOUSE! I... I have a family in this world? A daughter?

He walked up to the man.

"Excuse me." Pariah said.

The man let his daughter down, turned around, gave Pariah a friendly smile, and said. "Can I help you?"

"You know I think I know you." Said Pariah.

"Not sure I've seen you before mister." Said the man. "I must just have one of those faces. Though you actually look kind of like myself."

Pariah thought for a moment. "Right, I do... You know that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

The man sent his daughter inside, and turned his attention back to Pariah.

"Are by any chance the sun of Elizabeth Green." Pariah asked.

"Why yes I am." Said the man. "My name is Peter Green, sun of Elizabeth Green."

"I go by Gabriel Black." Said Pariah. "And I think we may be brothers."

"Brothers?"

"Yes I am your long lost twin, Peter."

"Wow." Peter was motionless taking it all in. "Why don't you come in for a sec. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about Gabe. Can I call you Gabe?"

"Call me whatever you like." Said Gabriel. "I've been called by a lot of thing. There are so many names."

Peter and Pariah walked into Peter's house.

Inside Pariah looked at the walls. At the picture of this Peter guy, smiling and happy with a loving family. He also saw pictures of Peter with his mother, Peter's mother, Pariah's mother, Elizabeth Green.

Pariah had never met his mother, but he had heard about her, what she could do. He had seen pictures of her, but never like this. He had never before seen pictures of her smiling, dressed like a common house wife. This woman was not the mutated monster he had come to know his own mother as. This woman looked less like someone who came from a government lab, and more like someone who came from a peaceful suburb, with white picket fences. The kind of place were all the neighbors would have been good friends, and everyone knew each other. The kind of place were kids would go trick or treating on Halloween, and open presents on Christmas.

Pariah stared at the photos for a bit. Then he closed his eyes, and tears started to run down his face.

"She was pretty nice." Peter said. "Our mom."

"I really wish I would have known her." Pariah said. "The way you did."

This family, this life, is it real? Pariah thought. Could I really lead such a happy and normal life with these powers?

"Hey dad, who's this?" A teenage boy came up to the two of them.

"Well son." Said Peter. "This is my long lost brother Gabriel."

"I didn't know you had a brother." Said the boy.

Pariah continued to stare at the photos, paying no mind to the conversation behind him.

"Neither did I." Said Peter.

"How do we know this guy's telling the truth?"

Peter leaned closer to his sun, and whispered in his ear, so that Gabriel couldn't hear.

"We don't" Peter Whispered. "I want you to go get your sister, and go to your mother's place for the night. I don't want to risk you guys getting hurt while I figure out just who this guy actually is."

The boy then left.

"So uh Gabriel." Peter said. "Can you tell me a bit about yourself."

Pariah started to laugh a bit. "Oh where to begin. Well I didn't have as nice of a life as you, I can tell you that. The only one who ever raised me was..." Pariah paused for a moment. "I heard you tell your boy to get his sister and go to their mother's house." Pariah turned to face Peter.

"I uh..." Peter was taken back.

"Don't worry I'm not offended." Pariah assured him. "I'm relieved actually, I really wanted to talk to you alone."

"Alright, so talk."

"So what is all this?" Pariah motioned to the rest of the house. "Some kind of charade?"

"Come again?"

"Oh cut the bull shit Peter!" Pariah said, making air quotes as he said the name Peter. "We both know you're name ain't peter, and mine ain't Gabriel."

"No my real name is Peter." Said Peter. "Peter Green, been that my whole life."

"NO!" Said Pariha, then he gave Peter an evil smile. "You're name is Pariah."

"What like outcast?" Said Peter. "Are you making fun of me?"

"No." Said Pariah. "You're not Peter Green, you're Pariah. A GOD among men."

"Look man." Peter said. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a humble farmer, as I have been my entire life. Just a country boy from Hope Idaho."

"WRONG!!!!" Pariah screamed, getting closer to Peter. "I know exactly who you are because I AM YOU!"

"What?"
"From another reality. You and I are the same Peter. We are Pariah. The embodiment of the Mercer Virus."

"Mercer virus?"

"DX1118."

"DX1118?" Peter said. "Like the one that broke out in Hope Idaho back in the 50s?"

"Yeah that's right."

"BAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" Peter started to laugh. "That's what you're rambling about?"

"What? Why are you laughing? What's so funny?"

"Boy." Said Peter. "I don't know what crazy conspiracy cites you've been reading. But DX1118 was nothing more than a common cold."

"Common cold?"

"Yeah. The we managed to create a vaccine as soon as the virus appeared. Ain't a soul alive today who ain't immune to it."

"But Blackwatch weaponized it."

"Blackwatch, the Hell is that?"

Pariah's eyes widened as it hit him. "Blackwatch never existed in this world. That means instead of weaponizing the Mercer virus, instead of making it stronger, into the destructive force it is in my world, you people cured it, destroyed it. That's why you're just a simple farmer, Elizabeth Green was never infected, or at least not in the same way she was in my world. That's why I can't get into anyone's minds, no one in this world can get infected. And if I can't infect someone with my virus, I can't get in there heads. Which means. I'm not losing my powers, they just don't work here. But they'll still work in other realities."

"Dude I have no idea what kind of drugs you're on but..." Said Peter.

"Tell me what happened to our mother?" Pariah asked.

...

"Well I don't see a body." Said Loki, as they looked down the dark alley, where Pariah had appeared, and cut the homeless man in half. The man's body was gone, but there was a large puddle of blood. "But clearly something went down."

Linka held onto Loki's arm. "I'm scared, she whimpered."

"Yeah me too." Loki assured his little sister. "We should probably call the cops."

He then dialed 911.

"Uh yeah I'd like to report a possible murder." He said to the 911 operator. "Yeah my sister sais she saw someone get killed, and I'm standing here looking at a HUGE puddle of blood. I'm not sure what but clearly something went down." He then gave them the street address they were at.

Loki and Linka watched as the cops slowly appeared one by one to set up the crime scene. The cops asked the two some questions. Loki was unable to give them much information, but Linka was able to give a detailed description of the man she referred to as the monster.

...

Peter Green had taken his mysterious guest out back where the body of Elizabeth Green was buried.

Pariah felt his heart sink, starring at the grave. Funny, he didn't even know he had a heart.

A rush of emotions filled Pariah.

So this is what my life would have been without these powers? He thought. This is who I would have been. I would have been a farmer, a loving husband and father, I would have been... happy.

Pariah then fell his knees.

NO! He thought NO! NO! NO!

Then he screamed, as his eyes glowed red. " NNNOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" an explosion of tendrils violently erupted from his body. The tendrils fell to the ground. They then wrapped around Pariah as if giving him a hug.

Pariah closed his eyes, feeling the embrace of the one thing that had been the closest thing to family he ever had, The Mercer virus.

It was through hi powers that he was able to get food, (which mainly consisted of human flesh), everything he knew, he learned by sucking it out of his victims brains. With his powers he was able to take what he needed to survive. His powers go him out of that Hellhole of a testing facility. His powers were what raised him.

He then retracted his tendrils, got up, and turned around to see Peter, staring at him with a look of shock and horror.

"What the hell are you?" asked Peter.

Then Pariah was on him in the blink of a eye. He grabbed Peter by the head and jammed his thumb into his eyes, causing them to ooze blood.

"I'M WHAT YOU COULD HAVE BEEN!" Pariah yelled.

Peter struggled to get free, but it was in vein as Pariah dug his thumbs deeper and deeper into Peter's eyes.

"I'M WHAT YOU SHULD HAVE BEEN!" Pariah then snapped Peter's neck like a toothpick.

Peter fell to the ground dead.

Pariah's eyes started to glow red, he let out a rage filled yell. "YYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Lazars shot out of Pariah's eyes striking Peter's house, and blowing it up.

...

Loki Loud was working late at Gus's Games and Grubs when he encountered a mysterious customer.

The man took a seat at the counter.

"Bit late." Said Loki.

"Your store's still open." The man said in a British accent. But not a fancy British accent. This man's voice was extremely low and raspy. He sounded like a cross between, Hugh Jackman and Chris Hemsworth.

The hair on Loki's arm felt as if it were starting to rise. But this was not a chilling feeling, it was more like some sort of static discharge. He felt slight, electricity in the air.

Loki turned around to look at the man. He was a very gruff looking man. He had a manly five o clock shadow. He was bald, and he was wherein a yellow and black leather jacket.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Ugh, can I take your order, so I can leave already?"

The man looked at Loki's name tag.

"Loki huh." Said the man. "Like the Norse god of Mischief."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "I guess."
"You know much about Norse Mythology?" The man asked.

"Just what I see in the Marvel movies man."

"You know I find I have a bit more in common with Thor."

Loki again raised an eyebrow, as he looked at the man's shiny dome. "Minus a bit of hair dude." Loki pointed out.

The man rubbed his scalp. "He he, I guess so yeah." Loki could have sworn he saw sparks coming from the man's fingers.

"I hear you got a bit of a monster problem." The man said.

"Excuse me?" Said Loki.

"I overheard you and your sister. Or at least I assume it was your sister, talking to those police officers." The man said. "And if it's a monster you're worried about, I have some experience with those buggers."

"You do huh? What do you fight swamp monsters or something."

"Yes I do actually." The man responded. "Swamp monsters, and those ice conduits. Let me tell ya those are some nasty critter there."

Luke figured this guy was delusional. "Look dude, are you gonna order a drink, or are you gonna literally spend the entire night rambling about some crazy sci fi stuff?"

The man then pointed his finger at Loki. A bolt of blue lightning shot out of the man's finger, hit the notepad Loki was holding turning it to ash.

Loki's eyes grew wide. "who-who are you?"

"My name is Cole Macgrath." Said the man. "and it sounds to me like you guys may have a real big problem on your hands, and I might be the only bloke who can bloody well help you."

Loki Loud then wet his pants.