The Butterfly and the Cockroach
Chapter 0: The New Order
It was three in the morning when the helicopter landed on top of Umbrella's Russian facility. The blades whipped the falling snow into a frenzy, their noise almost unbearable. An Italian heeled boot accompanied by a leather clad leg settled on the concrete landing platform as agent Ada Wong slid out of the whirring machine. Her hair flapped about in the wind from the helicopter while she sauntered towards the entrance. Two burly guards clad in fatigues greeted her with stonewall stares. Ada unzipped the front of her jacket and pulled out her ID. They glanced at it, looking her up and down for an unnecessarily long time. The agent coughed quietly, indicating that they should hurry up. It was approximately 15 degrees outside and she didn't want to endure the cold any longer than she had to. The guards scanned her in, stepping away as the steel doors opened behind them.
Ada proceeded inside, winking at the guard on her left as she passed. The door made a satisfying click as it locked behind her, sealing the chill outside. Ada shook the snow off her hair and made an attempt to arrange it so that she looked presentable. The clicking of boot heels sounded ominous as the spy marched through the white-washed halls, passing by offices filled with cubicle rats. Ada cringed, remembering that she hadn't finished typing her report. Paperwork was never her strong suit.
At the end of the hall was an elevator that would take her to the conference room. She stepped inside and pushed the button for the 12th floor. As the doors shut, she sighed, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall. It had been a very long day and all the weary spy wanted was a soak in the tub and a soft bed to collapse on. Wesker however had other plans and decided that she had better things to do than rest. Before the helicopter ride, Ada had been investigating the fall of Umbrella's Mongolian facility. It was established as a testing ground for experimental G-virus samples, that is, before the incident. The G-virus itself is the most volatile of the known viruses, causing unpredictable mutations in victims. Despite its unpredictability, the monsters it created were usually much stronger than their T-virus counterparts, making it a favored method for BOW manufacturing. Upon Ada's arrival at the facility, she was greeted with a rather bleak sight.
The base was in ruins, littered with the corpses of the researches and a few experiments. It seemed that one very determined mutant had escaped confinement and the facilities' AI had enacted the emergency containment protocol. Namely, seal all the doors, shut down the air ducts and let everyone suffocate. Once life signs were no longer detected, the doors would unseal themselves, allowing Umbrella to retrieve any useful materials, data, etc. This wasn't truly helpful, seeing as the walking dead could still roam free. Umbrella figured that zombies weren't as big a problem as chatty employees and access to public media. Wesker had sent her to also retrieve a file pertaining to the most recent strains of G-virus, hoping to salvage something useful. She avoided most of the walking corpses by crawling through the vents. It left her battered and sore, but it was preferable to getting swarmed. The spy had made it to the research labs with no problem, but that was when things started getting complicated. A few rogue tyrants later and she was home free, data disc in hand.
Once she reached the chopper, Ada reported to Wesker and sent him the files. Without so much as a "thank you, Ada", he ordered her to come back to the Russian base where she would be briefed on her new assignment. The elevator began to slow its descent and Ada opened her eyes. With a "ping" the doors opened and she stepped out, resuming her confident, distant facade. Ada couldn't afford to look tired, unless she wanted to be discarded; Wesker didn't tolerate the weak. The conference room was empty, save only for a few plush chairs and a massive birch desk. A viewing screen mounted on the rear wall was dark, waiting to be occupied by Wesker's emotionless gaze. Seeing as she was early, Ada decided to make herself comfortable, settling into the soft leather of the seat. Just as she began to relax, the screen lit up and Wesker filled it well. He was reclining in his usual swivel chair, arms folded across his chest. A custom-tailored black suit fit him like a second skin, molding to his lean body. Ada took the view in, treating this moment of eye-candy as a reward for surviving a horde of disgusting creatures. Despite being a ruthless and terrible man, Wesker did dress well and Ada appreciated that.
"Welcome back, Miss Wong", he said, cutting Ada's moment short. "The mission proved to be a success. Well done." His voice was a rich purr, sending shivers down Ada's spine. She took a breath, collecting herself.
"Thank you sir", she replied, folding her right leg over her left. Wesker adjusted his sunglasses and continued.
"The base will have to be terminated of course. We have enough information to satisfy our research in the remaining facilities. Now then, we have recently received information concerning what appears to be a resurgence of Las Plagas in Spain." Ada cringed slightly. It had been approximately six months since her last mission there, and she had no desire to go back.
"I thought that the parasites had been dealt with, sir? With the fall of the Illuminados, I had assumed that everything had been taken care of" she said, wishing that this were true. Wesker shook his head.
"Our source says otherwise, claiming that the Plagas have flourished, even without the help of Saddler. I'm sending you to investigate. With the help of our informant, collect any information and samples you deem important, then eliminate any lingering parasites. I want this loose end dealt with, understood?" Wesker's tone was sharp, and he was clearly unimpressed with the apparently unfinished business. Ada nodded in reply, countering his steely gaze with a smirk. "Good. Your flight will leave in 6 hours. In the meantime, prepare yourself." With that, the screen cut to black, leaving Ada by herself once more.
The spy rose from the chair and departed for the elevator. As the machine carried her soundlessly to the fifth floor, she reflected on her new mission, wondering what could possibly be going on in that quiet little village. Ada reached the desired floor and marched to her temporary quarters, eager to crawl into bed. Skipping the bath, she tossed her jacket and boots on the floor. Her mission suit deliciously slid off her skin and she reveled in the softness of the sheets. Her body sunk into the mattress and she began to drift off to sleep, graciously accepting the next 4 hours of sleep. As her eyes closed, memories of Spain flickered across her lids. She saw the dreary little village, the foreboding castle and its inhabitants, Saddler's penetrating gaze, Leon's hands around her neck, Krauser's corpse at her feet. Ada faded into darkness, memories following her there.