Lord Birkin read the note over, pacing his small office. He had awakened to a servant's scream, and by the time he'd gathered the guards all they had discovered was the dead servant's body, along with a note.
Birkin, my dear old friend, it has been awhile. By now I'm sure you've discovered the body of your servant. The poor girl walked in at the wrong time, and if she hadn't screamed I might have spared her. But then again, probably not...
I leave you this note with simple instructions. I've taken your dear daughter, and if you want her back alive, I would much appreciate a handsome compensation. Of course, by now I am probably out on the seas, far from you, so I'm sure you will find a way to contact me when you are ready.
Your old friend,
Albert Wesker.
William didn't know what to do. He wasn't sure how to contact the man, nor how he could get enough gold to satisfy the kidnapper. He never thought Wesker would have the guts to backstab him, and hoped he wouldn't hurt Sherry.
William turned and looked at his head guard. "I want you to do all in your power to find his bloody ship," he said. "And don't hold back!"
The guard nodded. "I shall, lord. But, may I suggest one small thing?" he asked.
"You may," said William.
"Maybe we should call 'them'," he said.
William's eyes opened wide. He hadn't even considered that option, but he wasn't sure he wanted to. 'Them' was a code used for the most daring, ruthless, and careless pirate ship out there. He'd once spared the ship's captain from a death sentence, and was holding onto a favour from him. This was the perfect situation, but there was still a doubt hovering in his mind.
"Lord, there isn't much choice," said the guard.
William snapped back to reality, and sighed. "Of course, you're right...I shall summon him at once, for if anyone can find my daughter, it surely is him," he said.
The Veronica, known as the Death of the Seas, glided on the calm surface of the water. It was a foggy night, which made the darkness of the ship even more eerie.
Sherry Birkin sat in her cell, her back against the cold wood of the ship, staring at an endless dripping coming from the ceiling. She was freezing, hungry, scared, and above all she was bored. The only time she'd seen anyone since her abduction was when the guard came by to make sure she was still alive. That's really reassuring, thought Sherry. She heard a door creak as it opened, and she sighed. "I'm still alive!" she said, not wanting to see the fat guard's face at the moment.
A tall figure appeared in front of her cell in a flash, laughing. "I sure hope you are, my dear," he said.
Sherry stood up slowly. "Who...who are you?" she asked.
"My dear, you don't recognize me?" asked the man.
Sherry blinked, suddenly feeling like her fear was eating her alive. "Uncle Wesker?" she asked.
Wesker grinned. "But of course," he said.
"It's you!" said Sherry, running to the bars of the cage. She grabbed them firmly and shook them. "Please, let me go!" she said.
Wesker laughed again. "Unfortunately, I cannot do that just yet. See, your father is working so hard to do whatever is possible to have you back...you wouldn't want all his work to be for nothing, would you?" he asked.
"But, I'm scared!" said Sherry.
"Of course you are. Now, I'll let you in on a little secret dear...I don't care at all for whatever reward your father wants to give me. You see, I want to see one man hanging at the gallows, no other way, and knowing your father he's already contacted the man to come and find you," said Wesker.
Sherry backed up again and sat down. "But why don't you just kill him yourself? I want to go home!" she said.
Wesker shook his head. "You see, I need you here as a leverage. If your father finds out you've been killed, there is no need to send the man to me. Once all of my puzzle pieces come together, the man will be sentenced to death for the murder of the Birkin Lord and his daughter," he said. "Nobody will know otherwise, since the word of a pirate means nothing."
Sherry sat there, taking in the information. She was entirely helpless, and was terrified at the thought of having to sit there and wait for her own death, at the hands of someone whom she trusted since she was born.
"It's alright if you're scared, my dear, but it will not be for too long. My men are searching the sea as we speak, looking to destroy the man's ship and crew, and take him back to me to complete the plan. It will all be over before you know it, so try and rest," said Wesker. He turned and in the blink of an eye he was gone.
Sherry sat in the cold darkness once again, only now she had so many things spinning around in her head. She needed to find a way off the ship, and fast.
Captain Chris Redfield locked the wheel into place, and looked out into the horizon. "Nothing but sea...the best view ever," he said.
"Captain, are we really going through with this mission?" asked his first mate and closest friend.
Chris grinned. "Jill, I owe this man my life, and if all I have to do to repay him is find the kid and bring her back then yes, we really are going through with this mission," he said.
"But...this is the Veronica, the most evil ship known to man," said Jill uncertainly.
"Am I sensing fear?" asked Chris, smiling.
Jill looked down. "No sir," she said.
"Stop calling me that, I told you to drop the formalities already," he said.
They heard a shout coming from the observation tower and looked up to see the ship's young medic, Rebecca Chambers, waving her arms frantically.
"Hey, there's something out there!" she yelled out.
Chris and Jill ran to the front of the ship and looked out into the distance. Chris shook his head and looked back up. "I don't see it!" he yelled.
Rebecca was looking into her telescope, nodding. "It's out there, Captain!" she yelled.
"I can't see anything," said Jill.
"Me neither. What does it look like, Rebecca?" asked Chris.
Rebecca blinked and lowered the telescope, feeling very idiotic. She brought it up and sighed, wiping the lens with her sleeve. "Sorry sir, it was just a bug on my telescope..." she said.
Chris couldn't help but laugh. Medicine was the girl's strongpoint, and she was still learning the ropes for the other stuff so he found it near impossible to give her a hard time. "Be careful up there," he said.
"Yes, sir!" said Rebecca, saluting him with her childish grin.
Jill headed to the steps and sat down, sighing. "You know, if it had been an enemy ship, we would be entirely unprepared," she said.
Chris sat next to her. "Are you implying our defences aren't strong enough?" he asked.
"Not just that, but we don't have much on attack either. I mean, when's the last time we actually fought a battle out?" asked Jill.
"You know I don't like fighting unless I really have to," said Chris, standing.
"I know, but if we take this mission, I think we'll have to," said Jill.
Chris put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Now, I'll leave it to you to direct the ship to some sort of land. We'll need supplies and information before setting out on this damn rescue mission," he said. Jill nodded, and he walked down the deck towards the quarters below.
