Outbreak

Chapter One: The Good Doctor

"Dr Birkin?"

A young man stood in his labcoat in the doorway of his mentor's lab. His green eyes were darkened, filled with dread at the sight of his friend, his oldest friend, Dr William Birkin.

He could see very little. His friend was hunched over a briefcase, but there was a gun visible in his right hand.

"What is it Armand?"

The man named Armand quivered, but it was not hard to see that he had blood in his hair.

"Umbrella are coming Dr Birkin. They sent an assault team, so they are after blood. I…I am the only one left."

Tears were streaming from his eyes, he wiped them quickly with both hands, revealing two guns he kept in them. They were large, but only pistol-shaped, customised to suit his hands.

"They will come again, they will not let you keep your work. I can no longer hold them back. We should leave Dr Birkin?"

Birkin turned sharply, anger clear on his prematurely lined face. His eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles about them. His lip was shaking and every inch of his face showed signs of anger.

"I will not leave here. I must finish the G-virus, that is what I am meant to do," Armand made to move forward, but Birkin pointed the gun at him, "stay back. You have no right to come near it!"

More tears, dread. Birkin's face softened and he let his gun fall to his waist, "I am sorry old friend, even you I fear. It is time for me to stand. I will not let them take my work, it is everything. Once it is finished, then I will run. It will not be long, my original's are now duplicating."

"Then I will stand with you friend, all these years I have protected you and I will not fail now."

"Then you shall die Armand."

As calmly as he had said it, fear spread from him, terrifying Armand. He put his head down, "what shall I do then?"

Silence.

…..

"Armand," Armand raised his head, Birkin stood before him, arm outstretched, holding a single canister of liquid for his friend, "take it, and flee. It must escape here. I have a friend far away from Raccoon City, his name is Wesker. Albert Wesker. He is an old friend from long ago/ Take it to him and be sure to protect him with your life. Guns will be no use here, Annette is organising something for Sherry, then she too will leave. This is my work, so I shall keep it."

"If I will die, you will too."

Birkin moved further forward, forcing the canister into Armand's hand, "I will test my work."


"Let's go, but remember be careful, there's something here trying to stop us."

Trudging through the waters of the Raccoon City sewers came four soldiers, dressed in green and wearing gas masks, each carried Assault Rifles, and were eager to end this job. They came to a higher section, where two of the soldiers moved up, while the other two stayed lower.

"Hope he doesn't try and hold us off. We can easily say that it was one of his test subjects before, you know, trying to show off a little. The Beast at the Threshold."

The other soldier of the lower area turned to his partner.

"You know that ain't true, it was his bloody bodyguard wasn't it. Armand. Remember when he shot Billy in the nuts? Just because he tried to take a report without Birkin's permission."

"Yeah that was nasty, evil bastard."

"Yeah, I hope we get to kill him."

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"…..Hell of a shot though, right?"


Armand could hear shots being fired behind him. There were tears streaming from his eyes, but he did nothing to stem the flow. He continued to run at a frenzied pace, charging as fast as he could down the corridors of the Umbrella lair occupied by his lost friend. Armand continued forward, slamming a few buttons. The elevator began to move, just as an almighty roar ripped through the complex. Armand fell to the ground, holding his ears to stop his head splitting open from the pain.

Travel on the cargo elevator was ridiculously bumpy, never was it comfortable even in the few times of joy. Armand cried all the way but still he would not stop it. He wept for an old friend. Another scream came, this time less of a scream. The gunfire had long faded, but that brought no comfort. The elevator bumped at the moment, Armand lunged out, refusing to listen any longer. He forced himself down the next corridor, eager to reach the end, but more screaming followed him. This time though, it was worse. It was a huge a roar so loud that the train shook as it came into view. The ground wobbled, pushing Armand off his feet and down to the ground. He lay for a moment, catching his breath and clutching at a stitch in his side. He thought for moments longer, wishing his friend well before moving on. The train was waiting ahead of him. He leapt in, barricading the door behind him and rushing for the control panel. All went dark, the electricity had been blocked, and something was moving in the train station.

He could not bear it, the door behind him shook, shattering in two as a creature leapt after him. He paused, recognising familiar features. His tears began again to flow.

Dr Birkin stopped before him, growling, looking as though he had been ripped down one side and forced to grow anew. A eyeball rested in a position on his shoulder, and Armand felt his eyes drawn to it, rather than the empty eyes of his friend. The creature shook it's head, dragging from it's shoulder an empty canister, marked with the umbrella crest. It smashed it on the floor and growled once more. Armand could bear it no longer, he moved for the nearest exit, leaving the creature glaring after him, watching him run for the tunnel from Raccoon City without the train following him.

He ran or what seemed like hours, but daylight crept before his eyes, it burned him, so used to artificial lighting. His eyes were dry, his throat parched and his legs numb. He collapsed on the ground there and then, unable to move and with no force of will left in his to even breath. His eyes closed.