Author's note: Backstory time! A friend and I were making a more direct translation of the original Japanese Umbrella Chronicles, just for funsies, when she turned to me and she asked: "what would have happened if Birkin had resurrected like Wesker, instead of turning into an abomination?"
Lo, this fic was born.
Several lines and ideas contributed by aforementioned friend. I wrote this while listening to the Niels Martreb electro remix of Sound of Silence, so pull that up on youtube if you want the full experience.
Chapter 1: Never Underestimate a Birkin when Death is on the Line
Memo for Oswell Spencer
April 12, 1998
Sir Spencer,
As requested, I have delivered the final selection virus to Dr. William Birkin, with the understanding that he must convince Subject 013 to take it. Knowing how close they have grown, despite our efforts, I was afraid he would refuse without some extra persuasion. However, he all but grabbed it out of my hands. It seems his lust for science overpowers even friendship.
I am confident that we will be able to view the results in Albert within a few weeks. However, I do worry that Dr. Birkin may try to study the virus before delivering it. Perhaps he was not the best choice for this task?
Regards,
-J
Researcher's Memo
April 14, 1998
J,
No need for worry.
G will soon finish. Birkin's usefulness is near an end.
Let him find what he will.
-Spencer
Researcher's Memo
May 12th, 1998
J,
013's physical showed no evidence of virus.
Explain.
-Spencer
Memo for Oswell Spencer
May 13th, 1998
Sir Spencer,
As I feared, sir, Birkin is taking his time studying the virus. It seems he is not content to use it until he has dissected it completely. I tried to imply a threat to his G project to move things along, but he only laughed at me. The hubris, that he thinks his project is untouchable!
There has been a lot of maniacal laughter from his laboratory. I have a bad feeling about this...
-J
Researcher's Memo
May 15th, 1998
J,
Laughter normal. Disregard.
Mansion outbreak has made time a factor. See that virus has been delivered before subject 013's fall physical, by whatever means necessary.
-Spencer.
Note found shoved in the police locker of Albert Wesker
I NEED YOUR BLOOD
-W
Note found shoved under the door of the Birkin home
Will,
For the 100th time I am not a registered test subject. You have dozens of people to choose from if you need an emergency donor.
Note found hidden in the desk of Albert Wesker
It has to be yours. I've discovered something big but I need your special blood type to test it. This could be the answer we've been looking for.
Fax to the home of Dr. Birkin
June 10th, 1998
Then stop leaving a paper trail. Talk to me face to face like a normal person. 8 pm, tonight.
Diary of Sherry Birkin
6/10/98
Uncle Wesker came over for dinner last night!
I like it when he comes because he always gives me books and makes sure I have enough ramen.
But I overheard a really weird conversation late at night after I was supposed to be in bed. I got up to use the bathroom, and dad and Uncle Wesker were arguing in the living room. I could see them from the top of the stairs.
Uncle Wesker was pointing to his face and saying, "THIS must stay the same. It is paramount."
I think Paramount is a company that makes movies.
And dad said, "But the combat potential of tentacles-"
And Uncle Wesker said, "No tentacles. No extra eyeballs. Nothing. You know how important this is for my side job." And he pointed to his face again.
I didn't know Uncle Wesker had a side job. I thought being a police officer was a lot of work. I wonder what else he does?
Anyway, dad said, "They can't even see you over the phone! You are too vain sometimes."
And mom, I guess she was up too, yelled from the kitchen, "Mutations could affect the voice box, honey," and dad agreed.
Maybe they were talking about an octopus? I like octopus. They're cute and Mrs. Brady says they're really smart.
Note shoved under the door of the Birkin home
We're running out of time. Bring it with you to the training facility.
Incident Report
July 25, 1998
Pertaining to the incidents at the Arklay Training Facility and Mansion Lab, July 23-24, 1998.
As of 1800 hours on the night of the incident, agent Albert Wesker and Dr. William Birkin were dispatched to reclaim the old training facility. Wesker was to direct delta team while Dr. Birkin's role was to assess the status of the facilities. I want it noted that I did object to their assignment together, yet I was overridden by Lord Spencer, who insists their flaws complement each other.
The first team sent into the facility disturbed a wasp nest we could not expect. We soon lost contact with them, and shortly after, the nearby Arklay mansion and a train carrying the night shift of lab employees were attacked by infected leeches. The Arklay mansion was still struggling to contain a previous outbreak from last May, and this proved the final straw for our security there.
The 'wild' strain spread by the leeches acted far faster than the weapons under development at Arklay. Death and zombification of the infected occurred within hours, flooding all affected areas with the undead.
Wesker and Birkin's response to this crisis was to watch safely from the monitor room while the rest of their men died. Wesker then decided his time was better spent elsewhere and left the training facility. I confronted him, and it was as I was reprimanding his conduct that the facility self-destructed. Wesker had the nerve to smirk at me before slipping off. I revoked his security clearance at the first opportunity.
I cannot say which of them blew up the facility. Wesker tried to imply it was his own doing, but my money is on Dr. Birkin, who then evacuated back to the city without notifying anyone of his departure.
Wesker proceeded to regroup with his pet S.T.A.R.S. team, the special forces division of the R.P.D. whose creation he insisted would benefit Umbrella. Recently they have been nothing but a nuisance, so I had ordered him to terminate them. Wesker decided the best way to fulfill that order was to bring them to the then-overrun Arklay mansion, and collect data on their performance against our B.O.W.s. To my surprise, this had official sanction from security.
I am not sure what knucklehead authorized a mission to invite the local police to our illegal laboratory. It was not cleared with me beforehand.
At this point I knew the mansion was done for, so I hurried to retrieve the T.A.L.O.S. specimen and our data backup before anyone got twitchy near the self-destruct device. When I returned to the Raccoon office, I had a notice waiting for me that Arklay's self-destruct had indeed been activated. This time I knew it must be Wesker's doing.
Review of the surviving security footage indicates Wesker improperly programmed a tyrant before attempting to set it on the surviving S.T.A.R.S., and as a result, it killed him. A fitting end to his incompetence. In the end, even the tyrant could not manage to wipe S.T.A.R.S. out, and five members escaped by helicopter back to Raccoon. We will need to move quickly in order to silence their testimony. Police chief Irons has already been warned and is standing by to shut down any further investigation.
Signed: Sergei Vladimir
Additional note: I will be keeping the footage of Wesker's death for personal review. Anyone else wishing to inspect the footage is welcome to stop by my office.
Note found stuck to Dr. Birkin's lab desk with a four-inch piece of steel shrapnel
No one told me Lisa was still active
Note found written on back of previous note
She wasn't that hard to outrun you big baby
Do you have a place to stay?
Obituary column of Raccoon City Herald
July 29, 1998
Albert Wesker, 38, died in the line of duty July 24th, 1998, when during the course of an investigation, he and his team were caught in a gas line explosion.
Services will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Raccoon Memorial.
He was a respected member of the R.P.D., and the leader and founder of its S.T.A.R.S. team.
He has no surviving family.
Diary of Sherry Birkin
7/29/98
Mom and dad were laughing at something in the newspaper this morning. I went to look after they left the room and it was the obituaries page. That seems mean to laugh at.
Then I saw an obituary for Uncle Wesker. At least, I think it was him. How many Albert Weskers are there?
Someone at the newspaper must have made a mistake. Uncle Wesker's not dead, he's staying in our basement while his house gets fumigated. Maybe that's why mom and dad were laughing. I hope none of his other friends get upset.
Diary of Sherry Birkin
8/3/98
There was a man in a really nice suit wandering around outside today. He didn't look mean to me, but mom and dad got really nervous.
Uncle Wesker told me that if a man like that comes in the house and goes through dad's things, I should hit him with a tire iron until he stops moving.
Dad got really mad at him for that. He said something about setting me up to repeat their mistakes, and then he told me what to do with the body after it stops moving. It sounds really complicated, I hope I can remember it.
Memo to Dr. Birkin
August 4th, 1998
Official Reprimand
The company would like to remind Dr. Birkin of the correct procedures and protocols involved before the triggering of the self-destruct system in any company property, and furthermore, that doing so is not the most productive way to reclaim a facility.
The chief of security has also expressed complaint that he was nearly caught in the blast and should have been consulted before such a drastic step was taken.
Signed,
-Harold Gerlach, White Umbrella Liaison
Memo to White Umbrella Liaison
August 7th, 1998
Gerlap,
The decision to destroy the old training facility was made and carried out by that renegade operative, Albert Wesker, and I will thank you not to blame me for it just because he is dead.
That being said, I stand by the decision as being Completely Necessary given the proliferation of infected subjects loose within the facility.
I also respectfully request that the company reevaluate its disposal method of seemingly deceased test subjects. This incident has proven that lobbing the bodies into the sewer following a short decontamination bath is insufficient. I would strongly advise for the procurement of an incinerator for future disposals.
-Dr. William Birkin
Diary of Sherry Birkin
8/25/98
Uncle Wesker has gone out of town.
I'm not alone at home as much though, because dad's been here a lot more. He's working in the basement all the time. I keep hearing a lot of laughing, and the kind of words I'm not supposed to know yet.
I guess he has a lot of fun working.
Memo to Oswell Spencer
September 19, 1998
Sir Spencer,
G is entering its final testing phase, and I am confident it will be completed in a matter of weeks.
I believe it is time to offer certain scientists their retirement package. Dr. Birkin has become increasingly unstable after the death of subject 013, and on top of that, he has come under scrutiny by the surviving S.T.A.R.S. members.
Colonel Vladimir reports that several government agents have been sniffing around the Raccoon lab, and is afraid they may already have made contact with the doctor. I'm sure you will agree this is a vital security issue which must be resolved as quickly as possible.
Regards,
-J
Researcher's Memo
September 19, 1998
J,
The retirement is authorized. As soon as G has finished testing, and not an hour before.
I want G on my desk within the week.
-Spencer
Footage taken from Raccoon Lab Security Camera
10:36 pm 9/26/98
View is of Dr. Birkin standing at a lab table. He picks up a purple vial, chuckles to himself, and looks over his shoulder at something. These actions loop for about five minutes.
The feed goes black for 5 seconds. When it comes back, Dr. Birkin is lying with his back against the table, his torso covered in bullet holes. He appears to have difficulty breathing and is still clutching the purple vial in his hand.
Annette Birkin rushes in to the scene.
"William! Oh, god...hang on, darling. I'm going to take care of those bullet wounds first."
Annette Birkin runs off camera.
Dr. Birkin looks down at the vial in his hand. He reaches for a syringe injector, then stops. Instead, he hauls himself across the floor to another desk just at the edge of the camera's view, and opens a secret drawer. He takes out a vial of sickly pink colored substance. He inserts this into the syringe injector, and shoots the substance into his stomach.
After convulsing briefly, Dr. Birkin collapses to the floor and stops moving.
Annette Birkin returns on screen with a first aid kid in hand.
"No! I..."
She falls to her knees and begins sobbing.
"Just two minutes, William, why couldn't you...why couldn't you wait two minutes?"
The sobbing goes on for several minutes.
William Birkin sits up and seizes her shoulders.
"Annette what's wrong? Is it G? Did something happen to it?"
Annette chokes down a scream. "G-G?" She looks around. "They must have taken it. But William-"
"I'll kill them! No one steals my creation from me!" Dr. Birkin jumps to his feet. "Where did I put my gun-?"
Annette also gets to her feet. She grabs Dr. Birkin's arm.
"William, you died."
"What?"
Dr. Birkin looks down at his own bullet-riddled body.
"Oh. Oh." He looks around frantically, then returns to the secret drawer. "The antibodies! I have to stabilize it with the antibodies!"
"What are we going to do? William, they killed you!"
"I know! We have to...We have to get G back, and then, oh I don't know. Call Albert! He'll know what to do." Dr. Birkin looks up at the camera. "We have to destroy all the evidence. All of it."
Diary of Sherry Birkin
9/26/98
Dad came home really excited today and said the whole family is going on a road trip! I've heard other kids talk about their vacations but I never thought I'd go on one! Mom and dad work so much all the time, we never get to go anywhere. I haven't even been outside the city. And Uncle Wesker is coming with us! No one will tell me where we're going though.
The adults have all been running around and yelling at each other a lot. They seem really stressed. I think that's normal for vacations. Dad's been packing up a lot of stuff from the basement lab. I hope he's not going to work the whole time. Mom's trying to shove my whole closet into a suitcase. How long are we going to be gone for?
She told me to bring anything really important to me. I don't have a lot like that...I picked out my favorite books and the locket dad gave me for my birthday. Mom was really happy when she saw the locket. She grinned REALLY big and yelled down the stairs that they didn't have to go back to the lab.
When dad saw my locket, he laughed and called himself a genius while spinning me in circles. Maybe he's drunk? It was kind of scary, the way he was laughing. Uncle Wesker shoved him and told him to go change his shirt before we go. It looks like he got it covered in cranberry juice again.
They've got everything packed into the car, so we're setting off now. Looks like I'm going to have a lot more to write about soon!
I wonder why daddy was wearing sunglasses after dark? Maybe he's trying to be cool like Uncle Wesker.
Memo to Chief of Security
September 26, 1998
Sergei,
Who authorized the self-destruct system in the Raccoon Lab?
I want their head.
-Spencer
Memo to Oswell Spencer
September 26, 1998
Sir Spencer,
The records indicate the code used belonged to Dr. Birkin, but this is impossible. Agent HUNK confirmed termination of the target hours beforehand.
It is possible his wife used his codes instead of her own. Perhaps she was feeling vengeful? We have not been able to locate her or the Birkin child, Sherry. My men are tracking them down as I write this.
A note was left at the lab entrance, just outside the blast radius. We have not yet determined if it has any connection. I have attached a copy of the note for your inspection.
Everything for Umbrella,
- Sergei Vladimir
Memo Attachment
TRUST ME IT WAS COMPLETELY NECESSARY
PS: Your retirement plan has proven to be inconsequential data as pertains to my own long-term operations. I therefore recommend you do with it as you do with all your unwanted assets: shove it in a dark place that you only hope never gets audited.
Diary of Sherry Birkin
9/27/98
We're going to Europe! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!
Uncle Wesker gave us all special passports and we're waiting at the airport for the next flight to Nantes (that's in France!). Then we're going to drive through a whole bunch of different countries and see all kinds of things!
Oh and I LEARNED A REALLY BIG THING!
Uncle Wesker said we need to make a side trip to Edonia (where is that? I don't remember it from geography class), to pick up his SON.
Uncle Wesker has a kid?! Yeah! Even dad was really surprised!
He said, "How many years have we known each other, and you never told me you had a son?" and his voice got kind of screechy the way it does when he's excited.
And Uncle Wesker twisted around and looked at me, and then he looked at dad, and he said, "William, I hardly trust you with your own offspring. Why would I tell you about mine?"
Dad's still pouting about it.
So I guess we'll get to meet him soon! I wonder how old he is? Is he my age? Does he like to read? I didn't bring any of my board games but maybe we can play cards. Yeah! I can teach him how to play rummy!
This trip is going to be the best!
End Note: William Birkin is definitely a stable, well-adjusted individual who had a perfectly normal vicious rivalry with a 10-year-old girl and considers self-injection of dangerous mutagenic viruses the best response to being shot.