Quid Pro Quo
William Birkin was staying late in the labs again. It had been years since he had left the lab before ten at night and even longer since he left at the proper time of eight thirty with the rest of the employees. Annette had gone home about two hours ago to take care of Sherry so he was completely alone. At the moment, he was in his usual spot; hunched over his desk, surrounded by piles of paper with three coffee cups perched precariously on the edge of his workstation.
He looked into his microscope for what seemed like the millionth time today and scribbled the less than desired outcome of his latest experiment into his notepad. No matter how hard he tried, he just didn't seem to be able to control the constant mutations of his G-Virus and this latest test was evident of that. And yet, despite another set back, he couldn't stop working on it. The virus was mocking him, taunting him, forcing him to continue to slave over it until he got it right.
Taking the paper containing the results in his hand, he crumpled it into a tiny ball and tossed it at the wastebasket sitting on the other side of the lab. It went wide, missing the trashcan completely and bouncing along the empty desk behind his intended target. William sighed and slowly got up out of his chair, his knees and back protesting the movements. He had been in the same position for hours now and they were stiff from lack of movement. The cracking and dull pain in his joints reminded him of his age and that his body probably couldn't take the abuse he subjected it to for many years longer.
He gingerly walked over to the other desk, stepping over mounds of paper and trash to get there. The crumpled paper was the only thing on the desk, the one clean and organized part of the entire lab.
It had been kept that way ever since the owner of that desk, William's partner and friend, Albert Wesker, had changed departments in Umbrella. Though people often suggested that Annette or John Clemens, the new scientist assigned to take Wesker's place, should be given the desk, William adamantly refused. He kept it that way in for him in the hopes that one day, he and Wesker would reconcile and he would rejoin William in research of the G-Virus. Though now, four years later, the likelihood of that happening seemed slim.
Once he threw away the crumpled paper, he sat down at his chair once again and began working on the next sample. There had to be some way for him to stabilize the virus. The answer was there, hidden somewhere in the complexities of the G-Virus. He was just over-looking it.
"Doctor William Birkin."
William jumped out of his chair, not having heard anyone approaching. His heart pounded against his rib cage as he turned to face the speaker. He easily recognized the man but the recognition did not bring a welcomed calm like it did to most people when they are startled. Rather, realizing who the man was only added to the adrenaline induced fight or flight reaction he was experiencing.
Ozwell E. Spencer was leaning against the door to his lab, smiling at the obvious discomfort he had caused the scientist. It had been many years since William had last seen the president of Umbrella. In the years since, Spencer's hair had turned completely gray and he was balding along the top of his head. His skin looked leathery and deep wrinkles lined his face. He still dressed ostentatiously in a black suit with a blood red shirt under his suit jacket. In his hand he held his usual leather briefcase with the initials OES engraved on the buckle.
"Working late in the labs again? Just as I expected," commented Spencer as he swaggered into the lab.
"Mr. Spencer, I..." William paused not knowing how to respond, "wasn't expecting any visitors."
"Clearly," nodded Spencer, gazing up and down his employee intently.
Spencer's dark eyes raking over his body instantly made him feel self-conscious. William knew he didn't look his best. His lab coat had flakes of blood and other tissue splattered all down the front where a test specimen lashed out at him. His tie and shirt had a stain on it from where he spilled coffee and Chinese food, his only meal all day. Since he hadn't left the lab for more then a few hours in the last week, he was also in desperate need of a shower and shave.
After giving William a once over, he looked around the lab, taking in the sea of seemingly endless paper. "Such a marvelous work ethic from a dedicated employee."
William swallowed, wondering if the sarcasm he heard in Spencer's last statement was real or imagined. Rumors of Spencer's erratic tendencies had become more frequent over the last few years and Umbrella personnel tried to avoid him at all costs. The last time he saw the man, Spencer had whimsically given William and Wesker the order to assassinate Doctor James Marcus. And with his lack of improvement on the G-Virus, William was sure he was living on borrowed time until Spencer decided that he had lost his usefulness. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yes, I have an important matter to discuss with you." Spencer sat down in William's chair and put the briefcase on the table. "Please, sit."
William walked over to Wesker's desk and dragged the chair over to his own desk. He placed it opposite of Spencer, so that the two looked at each other straight on. Wesker's chair was slightly lower, putting Spencer's head slightly above his own. Being positioned like this made William feel like a student in trouble sitting before the principal, awaiting punishment.
"How are you doing, William?"
William cringed at the familiarity Spencer used when he called him by his given name. Very few people ever called him William. Only Annette and Wesker did regularly, everyone else called him Dr. Birkin. "I am doing well, thanks."
"Good," Spencer said before he even finished speaking, obviously not really wanting the answer to the question. "Now I have to ask you, how is your relationship with Albert Wesker?"
The scientist looked at his lap, unsure of how this was relevant to anything Spencer would need to speak to him about. "I haven't seen or heard from Wesker for about four years now. We had a...falling out...when he switched to the Information Department."
"Ah, yes," Spencer put on a face of sympathy. "I do remember hearing something of the sort. At that time, both of you were enduring quite a bit of emotional trauma, if I remember correctly."
William pressed his lips into a thin line. He knew the 'emotional trauma' Spencer was talking about. Right before Wesker left, Spencer had blackmailed another scientist to wreak havoc in the labs. Multiple employees had been killed in the incident and Wesker, realizing how much control Spencer had over all of their lives, decided to transfer in order to get away from him. "Yes, it was a trying time."
Spencer smiled, his dark eyes glittering with some kind of perverted delight. William resisted the urge to shiver under his gaze. It was amazing how Spencer had the power to make him uncomfortable in his own lab. The President clicked open his briefcase and pulled out a large folder. He put it down and slid it across the desk so that it fell face down perfectly into William's lap.
"What is this?" asked William, carefully picking up the folder. A thousand thoughts about its contents ran through his mind. What if it contained photos of him and Annette being intimate in the lab last week? Oh, he knew doing that was a bad idea! Or what if it was the papers he forged to make it look like the G-Virus was progressing more than it was? Or what if it was a new order to assassinate some other Umbrella scientist? William didn't think he could handle another one.
"This is Project W," Spencer purred, obviously proud of it.
"Project W?" William's brow knotted in confusion. He couldn't ever recall hearing of such a project. Was it a new kind of weapon? A recently discovered strain of the Progenitor virus? "I've never heard of it."
"It is a secret project that has been in the works for almost thirty years now," Spencer leaned far over the desk, putting his face mere inches away from William's. The scientist leaned back to get away from him. "It is time to begin the second phase of this project and you, William, are what I need to make it work."
"Why me?" William groaned, not caring how whiny he sounded. Years ago, if Spencer sought him out for a top secret project, he would have jumped at the chance to take it on. Now, the prospect just filled him with dread.
"You have a personal connection to Project W and it is on that connection that the success of part of the the project rests."
"Personal connection? I've never even heard about it before!"
The smile on Spencer's face only grew. "Open it and you will see."
William stared at him for a bit but when Spencer nodded him on, he tentatively opened the folder, taking in a deep breath as he did. The cover page had Project W written in big letters in red. The next couple pages were formulas combining the Progenitor Virus with various chemicals and substances to create what looked like a perfect strain. "This just looks like the original T-Virus research logs that Doctor Marcus-"
"This project predates Marcus's work on the T-Virus, and in fact, it might be more accurate to say that this was my original plan when I started Umbrella."
"But these are plans to build an advanced weapon. How is that any different than the T-Virus research?" William asked, becoming intrigued despite himself. Obviously he was missing something.
"The goal of the project was to create the perfect human race to rule this less-than-perfect world. They would be modified with the Progenitor Virus to be better in all aspects of the human experience. For example, they would be physically stronger, faster, have a higher intelligence, and be able to suppress human conditions like hunger, pain, and petty emotions. The T-Virus research is strictly out of the desire for a bio-weapon."
He nodded slowly, letting Spencer's words sink in and returning his attention to the report in his hands. The lab fell silent except for the sound of William flipping through the file pages. His eyes skimmed over the formulas, not paying much attention to the equations but instead looking for his 'personal connection' to the project.
According to the report, hundreds of people were kidnapped between the years of 1967 and 1969 as potential test subjects to receive the virus that would render them superhuman. The subjects, mostly children, were taken from all over the world. Anyone who was deemed to show exceptional talent or intelligence was on the kidnap list. However, after many failed attempts at finding a perfect serum, the head researcher on the project decided to limit the number of participants to thirteen children and follow them through their lives.
The thirteen children were given the same surname as the researcher and placed in various locations all over the world. They were appointed a guardian specifically selected by Spencer and raised with no knowledge of their connection to the project. Umbrella funded all of their schooling and other needs to ensure that they were all given the opportunity to become successful in whatever field they would desire.
"Who was the head researcher on this project?" William asked, trying to ease the heavy silence. Though he didn't want to admit it, he was in awe of this person. The task would have been enormous to take on, especially with all the cover-up work that had to be done to keep it quiet. The fact that it had gone on for so long was another tribute to how good the researcher must have been. Working on this intense of a project for thirty years would not be an easy feat, even with all Umbrella's resources behind them.
"Her name is Alexandra Wesker. She was a student of Marcus's whom I took under my wing."
"What?" William's head snapped up and he stared at Spencer, eyes and mouth wide open. He couldn't have heard that right...Alexandra Wesker?
"Yes, Alex is both a test subject and the head researcher on the project. We had all the other test subjects named for her. It is Project Wesker, after all."
The words on the page once again flashed across his mind. The thirteen children were given the same surname as the researcher. Since all the children were named after the researcher, that meant that...his eyes dropped down to the bottom of the page. He quickly scanned it, and he suddenly felt like he had been slammed into a brick wall, knocking all the air from his lungs.
Test Subjects
001: Hans
002: Felicia
003: Marco
004: Jonah
005: Irma
006: Ken
007: Laura
008: William
009: Hiro
010: Derek
011: Miles
012: Alex
013: Albert
"That's impossible..." William whispered, reading over the name of subject thirteen one more time. No, he hadn't read it wrong, the name was still Albert. "No...it can't...be..."
"What is impossible?" inquired Spencer.
"Wesker...Albert...he's one of your test subjects?" exclaimed William.
"Are you having trouble reading?" Spencer asked in mock concern. "Yes, he is one of the individuals who is meant to receive the right to rule the human race."
"But that can't be true!"
Spencer raised an eyebrow, looking amused at his denial. "Why is it impossible to believe that Albert is one of my test subjects?"
"Wesker's parents were Umbrella scientists that were killed in a lab accident when he was a child! He was then put under the watch of an Umbrella employee! He told me all those things! He remembers-"
"Think about what you just said," Spencer rolled his eyes. "Is it truly impossible for Albert to be test subject number thirteen?"
Actually, what he just said sounded a lot like the report. And, now that he thought about it, all of Wesker's life-or what William knew of it-was affected in some way by Umbrella. He was raised by an Umbrella employee by the name of Alex, and Umbrella paid his way through school. Hell, he was their top employee for fourteen years under Spencer himself! Realizing defeat, William snapped his mouth shut.
"I see that you're beginning to see things for what they are," Spencer reached out and took the folder from William's hands. "Albert, if I remember correctly, was kidnapped at seven years old. His parents were scientists at a rival pharmaceutical company. Alex and I brainwashed him, as well as the other test subjects, and gave them new family histories. If you had noticed, Albert never mentioned remembering any of the events. He just knows they happened because that is what we told him to know."
William stared at Spencer in horror. Wesker was right; Spencer was always in control, but in Wesker's case, in more ways than he could ever imagine.
"Like I was saying earlier, I need you for the next phase of Project Wesker," Spencer said, putting the folder back into his briefcase. "In a few months' time, Alex will have developed the experimental virus-"
"Wait," William sat up straight. "What exactly are you asking me to do?"
"I'm asking you to begin the second phase of Project W with test subject thirteen."
"You're asking me to test my partner," William snapped, folding his arms tightly across his chest.
"If you wish to be technical about it, then yes."
"No, I am not going to do it." William stood up and opened the door to the lab. He gestured to the hallway outside, hoping that the man would leave. "Go find someone else to do your dirty work. I have too much to do and, like I said, I haven't spoken to Wesker in quite some time."
"William," Spencer hissed, glaring at him. "Sit...down."
The venom in Spencer's voice was enough to make William obey his order. He quickly made his way back to his seat and sat down, keeping his head bowed.
"Now, I want you to listen very carefully," Spencer got up and walked over to William. He leaned over him, placing a hand on each armrest of his employee's chair, effectively trapping the scientist below him. William shrunk back into the chair as Spencer towered above him. "If you do not do exactly as I say, you will certainly regret it."
William gulped and nodded, refusing to meet Spencer's dark eyes. He knew he was trapped and that there was no escaping this task. Spencer wanted it done and when Spencer wanted something done, it was done without question by risk of death. Those were the rules, plain and simple. Not playing by his rules was like signing your own death warrant. "Yes, sir."
Seemingly satisfied that he had William under his command, Spencer went back to his chair. "Now, when Alex has finished working with the virus I will send you samples that you are to administer to Albert."
The scientist glared. "Did you not hear what I said? Wesker and I no longer speak. I can't just give it to him and expect him to take it."
"William," Spencer's dark eyes flashed and then fixed on him. "Do you know why I approved your proposal to work on the G-Virus?"
William blinked and pursed his lips together. The question caught him off guard and he didn't know how Spencer wanted him to answer. Why was he even bringing this up now? It had nothing to do with their current discussion on Project Wesker but he could never be sure when it came to Spencer. "I...don't know, sir."
"In all honesty, the G-Virus is absolutely useless," Spencer sighed heavily as if he were highly disappointed in his employee. "It is far to unstable and unpredictable to sell and make any real money. And don't even get me started on your utter failure to make advancements in any of your other research because of your obsession with the G-Virus. You are wasting my funds and, quite frankly William, you are becoming a liability."
William opened his mouth to say something but couldn't form words. His heart began pounding in his chest and it seemed as if his brain had stopped all normal function. A liability? The last person to become a 'liability' was Doctor Marcus and he ended up facedown in a sewer, riddled with bullets.
"If you do not agree, I will have to begin looking back over all your doctored progress reports detailing your improvements on the G-Virus. All of this," Spencer motioned to the lab. "Your lab, your funding, everything you hold dear, will be taken away from you."
"You only approved my G-Virus, so that I would do this for you?" William spat, his pride stinging. It wasn't his intelligence and innovation that got him the approval to work on the G-Virus, but rather it was meant to be a tool for Spencer to keep him as a pawn in his ever more elaborate game.
Spencer grinned. "It is only fair. I do something for you, you do something for me. Quid pro quo."
His throat tightened in anger and his cheeks burned. He couldn't experiment on Wesker but he couldn't let Spencer take the G-Virus from him. It was his life! It was everything to him! Without it, everything he ever worked for would be a waste. He sighed. "Fine...I'll do it."
"Excellent!" Spencer said, clasping his hands. "Alex will have the virus completed by the end of the year. In the mean time, you can work on rebuilding your relationship with Albert."
"How?" William asked weakly, unable to meet Spencer's eyes. "I don't know where he is and we haven't talked in years."
"I will be calling a meeting at my Arklay Mansion in a few weeks," Spencer explained, standing up. "Albert will be in attendance, as will you. You can begin trying to reconcile there."
"What if he doesn't want to?" William knew that this was a very distinct possibility. Their last encounter had been far from cordial. In fact, he had cursed Wesker and told him to never come back to the labs.
Spencer shrugged. "That is not my problem. Also, this project is confidential. No one is to know of it, especially Albert. And if Annette were to find out, well, I would have to make sure she assisted me with the research."
William instantly got the meaning and nodded his head stiffly. He looked up at Spencer, meeting his eyes for the first time that night. The man was glowing, basking in the power he had just asserted over his employee. He crumpled under the gaze and hung his head in shame.
"Think of this as a chance to redeem yourself," Spencer moved so that he was behind William and he reached out, gripping the scientist's shoulder tightly, applying force to the pressure point just behind the clavicle. William drew in a sharp breath and pressed his lips together to keep from crying out. Spencer leaned forward so that he could whisper into his ear. "Trust me, I am not the only one you have fallen out of favor with and this could be the way to save yourself."
William hastily nodded his head, tears beginning to fill his eyes. The pain was intense but he refused to give Spencer the satisfaction to see him succumb to it. He had already proved his dominance over him once and William really didn't want to have it happen again.
"Well then," Spencer released his shoulder and straightened up. He gave him a pat on the back before turning to the door. "I will see you in July. Good evening." Without another word, Spencer left, leaving William all alone.
The scientist remained frozen in his seat until he heard the last of Spencer's footfalls disappear completely. After a few moments of complete silence, William's blue eyes swept over the lab; the mounds of paper, unfinished tests, hundreds of samples. He betrayed his one ally for a room full of empty objects and hostile viruses. For the first time in his life, William felt completely alone.
He sighed and turned back to the test he had forgotten when Spencer interrupted him. He couldn't afford any other delays and had to continue working. Spencer's attention was focused on him and if he didn't get results, he would pay the ultimate price.
So this is what I think happened to get Birkin to give Wesker the experimental virus that made him superhuman. I like to think of the two of them as being close friends and that Birkin wouldn't have willingly given Wesker the virus.
Anyway, I hope everyone liked it. Please review! =)