CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT

No one would know what it feels like to see the world through Philip's eyes, save one, his old enemy. The Storm Harvester lay dormant and waited within the government research scientist, Doctor Mordechai Isaac Fitzsimons. Since they recovered Fitzsimons from Afghanistan after he planted himself near the base in Kabul, he informed the government of what happened at the caves and how Philip Dresden was still alive. Naturally, he blamed Dresden for the ambush; making him an enemy of the state.

When Philip was hiding in Chinatown, as Jack Hanover, Dr. Fitzsimons was busy testing himself and the new power of the Harvester within him. He traveled back to Afghanistan for a term to help recover what remains were left from the cave battle. It was there that he made his first breakthrough with his work testing the Storm Harvester. When they searched for the fallen American soldiers, not much was recovered. Dr. Fitzsimons was the only one to find a somewhat whole corpse. He injected a serum he created from his own blood into Faulkner and took the dead sniper back to Washington.

A couple of days later, Faulkner's blood began to warm throughout his veins, and his skin started regaining color. In the following weeks his heartbeat returned and pumped blue blood to his lungs and brain. Faulkner spent the next month in a coma, when he awoke it was the same day DarkFlood was first on the news for saving people in a New York City apartment building fire. Fitzsimons trained Faulkner to regain his physical strength. The Storm Harvester was not possessing the resurrected sniper like it was in Dr. Fitzsimons, but his speed and agility rapidly improved more than ever before. Soon his strength and mental capacity advanced only enough to plateau at an above-average level.

Faulkner was the perfect soldier; and the ultimate weapon against Philip Dresden.

Unfortunately for Dr. Fitzsimons, after he ordered the execution of Sarah Dresden, and watched DarkFlood vow to avenge his dead wife, he knew he would need more than just Faulkner. Fitzsimons recruited just like Philip did, but where Philip was specific in his choices, Fitzsimons farmed an army of soldiers into what Faulkner was with a similar serum.

Weeks later, Dr. Fitzsimons returned to the United States from the Great Wall after his latest encounter with Philip and knew a legion of soldiers would still not be enough. This would take everything he had. So he carefully put together a multilayer plan that would set into motion the demise of DarkFlood. Fitzsimons first contacted a shadowed man hidden even from DarkFlood's visions. Fitzsimons explained to him what he was doing, and what he was meant for. What the shadowed man did not reveal is that he already knew what he was doing there.

He was a dark agent of fate, forgotten by time itself.

And that is exactly what the sinister scientist did, forget about him... Fitzsimons was able to simultaneously infiltrate the White House and go on a scouting trip to find his alpha squad and begin his assault on Philip. First Fitzsimons would attack the country, then he would hit New York City, after that the rest should take care of itself, for the city will turn on DarkFlood like a plague and devour itself in the process. His plan was almost perfect, only one variable remained...Philip.

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* * *

Wall Street, New York

The skyscrapers in the city were emptied, all except the executive floors. A sweeping epidemic has gripped the business elite; transforming them one in the same. They huddled around their offices and chanted, going mad with power. The fax and printer paper burned in the savage fire as they gathered metal and plastic beside it. They broke chairs and desks, emptied their wallets and took off their watches. With the chant they boiled the pile down and stole the golden flame from the fire. The metal and plastic was turned to pure gold.

One man, one among them all stood up and did not go for the gold. It was still burning hot and as they went for it, he pulled it back upon him. He filtered the gold through their deaths and consumed the luminous force that was extracted.

"Many will call themselves it," Fitzsimons walked out, "But only one will truly turn gold to immortality.

"What am I?"

"You're the Alchemist."

* * *

"Well," Yvonne could not wait any longer, "Are you going to do it or not?"

Oliver smiled with his hand around the throat of a random person, he tore out his throat and let his body fall dead to the floor. Oliver and Yvonne closed their eyes and moaned. She came over and kissed Ollie to get some more of the energy released after his kill. A police officer saw them on the street. "STOP!" he yelled.

Ollie ran over to a parked car, his feet cracking the road every step he took, while Yvonne opened her eyes with pink fire emitting from them. The fire spilled out of her head and followed her jet black hair down her shoulder. When the translucent flame got to her hand, it came together and intensified, creating a sword.

The cop pulled out his gun and yelled again, "Stop or I'll shoot!"

Ollie picked the car up with his bare hands and the cop opened fire. Yvonne jumped in the way and sliced apart the bullets with her kinetic sword. Ollie threw the car over her and pulverized the cop into the road with it. Fitzsimons walked out of the building with the Alchemist. "This is who I was telling you about-" he said.

"The immortal three," someone interrupted.

"Who's there?" Fitzsimons armed himself with static lightning bouncing back and forth in his palms.

An alleyway trash can rattled and the Hatter back-flipped into the streetlight, "Me.”

“And just who the hell are you?”

“I’m the one who shows you how to find him."