New Life: Her Angel
Part two of the New Life Series.
There isn't a doubt in Ada's mind that she would follow Albert Wesker whenever he called and she can trace it back to the a single moment in time.
Ada knows the very second that she chose to follow Albert Wesker to the ends of the earth. Before he gave his life for a chance at Godhood, before he gave up his humanity in favor of inhuman capabilities, before he betrayed the only people he ever could consider family, by a company that ultimately led Albert Wesker to his doom.
It was a December just two days after Christmas, in the year of 1985. He was still so young then, already assistant head researcher. He was wary, but hopeful, energy of so much knowledge just underneath the bags of his eyes hidden by glasses.
She was fourteen then, she assumed. Her mother barely knew her own age, let alone the age of a daughter she never really wanted. Ada left long before the drugs and alcohol could take the woman's life.
The street was all she ever really knew, stealing, lying, and cheating men and women alike of all their money and personal belongings.
She was smart for her age, cunning in a way that those more than twice her age would suspect nothing of a girl who only reached their waist. She black mailed powerful men who thought to get handsy with a teenager, manipulated cheating wives of rich men, and stole information from large companies and sold to others.
It gave her money and reputation, everything the child of a junky mother, and a criminal father would have never afforded her. But it was not what she wanted. As she lays on the ground, bleeding out from a gunshot wound to the stomach, she thinks this was never what she wanted. Tricking herself into believing her flighty lifestyle was all she needed to survive. She loved the excitement, but there was no meaning behind her life, started only out of necessity and continued because she was just so good at it.
Was ten thousand dollars realy worth it, she thinks. Hired to steal information on a pharmaceutical company, one she had hit before, one she knew who dealt in illegal acts. Ada knew it was risky to go after the same company again, barely a year since the first, but it was a lot of money and far too challenging for her to say no.
She was shot, but she still ran, hid outside the facility, not far though, not able to even stand on her own feet.
There was a light in her eyes. She was never religious, could never afford to be, but she hoped it was heaven, where she would see her mother again, be held with sweet, loving words in her ears.
"You're only a child." It sounded nothing like her mother, nor what her father's cancer and smoke filled lounges could produce, "Hold still."
But it sounded like an angel, she decided. Her own guardian angel. He sounded perfect and she wanted to see him, but her eyes were too blurry and light was so bright and shining with all the goodness that she was never given.
Ada wants to see him even more.
"It's going to be all right." The light disappears and it becomes too dark for her to see him, but she can see the hair, a beautiful blonde, smooth and perfect, just like her angel, "I need you to hold on for just a few more minutes."
But she blacks out, tries to stay awake for her angel but she has lost too much blood, too tired, not strong enough.
When she wakes up again, she is laying in a bed, softer than any she has ever slept in. Was this heaven? It was too good to be true.
She sits up wincing at the pain in her chest, looking around the spacious room, covered with the bare minimum, nothing personal. She no longer thinks it is heaven. She is in too much pain for it to be anything but hell, or perhaps just real life. And she hopes it is anything but real life.
Ada intends to leave, because she knows she survived and questions are usually asked when little girls are reported with gunshot wounds. Not to mention what the company she intended to steal information from would do to her when they found her, or the company she intended to steal it for.
She does not get a chance to, as the door to the room opens and a tall man with slicked back, blonde hair and sunglasses walks in.
"You're awake." He says with a smile, though small as it is.
She can't help but gape and whisper, "Angel…"
"Hhm?" He inquires at her mumble, "You should still be resting. Lie down." He tells her and she can't help but listen and do as he asks, "My name is Doctor Albert Wesker. I work for umbrella, the company you sought to steal vital information from."
He holds up her disk and she suddenly regrets listening to the man as he stands over her.
He smiles again, "Relax." He tells her, "I am not in the habit of hurting children."
Not, she thinks years later when she has intimate knowledge of his true work, when he is forced to. She knows then that any kindness he can afford, he will if only to ease his conscious he refuses to acknowledge.
"This will, of course, be destroyed. I am rather protective of my work, after all." He pockets the disk and takes a glass of water sitting on the nightstand, placing his hand on the back of her neck and holding it to her lips. She nearly downs the glass, stopping only when he takes it away, "Now, get some rest. We have quite a bit to talk about when you wake up."
Her angel leaves the room. She does what he commands and sleeps.
But despite what he tells her, she wakes and he treats her wounds, she eats and rests, and he shows her around his apartment. Still in Raccoon city but she did not expect any differently. He discusses nothing with her but the stage with which her wound is healing at. He says nothing to her for nearly a month of her moving into his guest room. Nothing but light conversation and what she wants for dinner and how she is feeling.
When he is at work, she watches his TV, eats his food and reads his many books on virology, and other science and medical books. He's smart, she knows, for someone so young. She's smart too, but will never be as smart as this man who has so effortlessly and thoughtlessly allowed a child criminal into his home. She wants to know why. Why did he take her into his home? Why did he save her when he had no obligation, when anyone else would have just left her to die? Why are you so kind? Why couldn't you have just let me die?
But she doesn't want to leave. She waits, not knowing what for.
Till finally he comes home, calls her to the living room. She is healing well, after a month of his treatment, though still heavily bandaged.
"I think it's time you and I discuss our arrangement." He tells her suddenly, "You cannot stay, I'm afraid."
Ada wants to cry, but refrains, waiting for him to continue.
He sits back, crossing his legs, his young features so prominent as he takes off his glasses, startling blue eyes staring back at her. She's only seen them in passing, but now, focused on her, she feels wrong, being able to see his eyes, feeling as if she is allowed to look at heaven itself. Eyes like his shouldn't be looked at by just anyone and how unworthy she really is, to be looking at this man who is no doubt an angel.
"You are smart." He tells her, breaking her from her hypnosis, "And sending you away to a foster home or other such delinquency facility would be rather wasteful." She does not know where Albert is going, but it sounds both promising and terrifying all at once, "I would like to offer you a job, protection, and of course, a place to stay should you need it."
Ada stares in wonder and confusion, "You have the skills to be a great asset in the future. Umbrella is a restrictive company, one that I am using to my advantage at the moment. But there are some things I cannot access while working for them. You on the other hand, are a ghost." He pauses, waits for her to say something. She does not and he continues, "I need a spy, a confidant, someone smart who will always be there when I need them."
She knows, on some level, that she is being manipulated. A lonely, self-conscious girl who wants nothing more than to be loved and needed. He is playing her like a well-tuned instrument and Ada is going to let him, hitting all the right notes and she does not want him to stop. She likes this feeling of being wanted and needed, a person her angel can rely on.
"There is still much for you to learn." He tells her and she nods, "Lessons I will sponsor for you. This may mean our separation for a time. First and for most, you need combat training. I don't want what happened at the Umbrella facility to happen again. This will include hand to hand, as well as weapons training. We will decide on other lessons as well together. Do you have any questions?"
Just one, "When do we start?"
He gives her his soon to be rare smile, gentle and kind, and she knows then that she would do anything for this man, no matter the consequences.
END
Author's Notes: This was actually very hard to write. I had no idea where I was going with this and just started writing. I'm not too sure how it turned out compared to the first part.