Alfred smirked as he leaned back in his chair, legs propped up on the control board before him. He enjoyed what he was watching on the monitor. "How entertaining," he said to no one, sighing elatedly.

Against his normally better judgment, the blond mini-Hitler took a sip of his tea. He knew it was unwise to have tea in a room where an accidental spill could turn out disastrous, but this was too much fun! And if there was one thing Alfred Ashford knew, it's that you simply cannot have fun without a cup of tea nearby.

…Well, that or a sniper rifle.

His interest was piqued when he heard the two prisoners speak again. "So, you say you've dealt with these freaks before?"

"Yeah… unfortunately…" Alfred raised his left hand and kept it suspended over the button for the PA system, ready to scare them again if necessary. "Did you ever hear of the, uh, Raccoon City incident?"

Alfred withdrew his hand and took another sip of tea. Ah, yes. He knew very well of the Raccoon City incident. Everyone in Umbrella had heard about the outbreak, even though no major details were shared. For the most part, everyone was told to keep their mouths shut.

But Alfred loved that day more than any other, and not because of his vivid imagination of the tortures the civilians went through. Though that lovely thought did cross his mind, there was one thing that made that day perhaps one of the greatest of his lonely life.

"Alfred Ashford? This is Lord Spencer. If you're there, pick up the phone. I…"

"Lord Spencer! I'm here. Sorry for the wait. I screen all my calls."

"Of course. Now, have you heard of what happened in Raccoon City?"

What? Wait… isn't that where the Arklay laboratory is? "No, Lord Spencer. I haven't heard a thing."

"Oh? Well, if anyone comes to interrogate you, don't say a thing. Got it?"

This concerned Alfred. "Int…interrogate? Wh-what happened? Did they find out about Rockfort Island?"

"I don't know, but in case they do, I suggest you keep a sharp eye out for any potential dangers."

Alfred sighed with relief, though a sense of paranoia stayed. "Then what is this about?"

"A viral outbreak caused Raccoon City to collapse. The United States government bombed what was left of it."

Alfred stared shocked at nothing, before giggling. "Oh, that's a story you certainly don't hear of often."

"Mr. Ashford, we lost some good men and women that day, some of our best researchers."

"Uh-huh," Alfred said nonchalantly, inspecting his fingernails. He was hardly paying attention to the names that Spencer was telling him—the names of important researchers in Raccoon City. He just didn't care. It's not like it really mattered anyway; they're DEAD.

"…Dr. Annette Birkin, Dr. William Birkin, Doctor…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Spencer had Alfred's full attention now. "Run that last name by me again."

"…Dr. William Birkin?" Spencer repeated in a confused tone.

"…Hold, please." He set the phone down, not even caring that he just put the president of Umbrella on hold. He stepped out of his office like a drone. Did… did he just say that Dr. Birkin was… dead?

…

Ha.

Ha, ha.

Ha, ha, ha, ha!

HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!

Alfred leaned against the wall, still laughing about the morbid news he had just heard. He began mocking the deceased scientist. "Alexia, you bitch, you whore! Oh, just because you're the new prodigy child of Umbrella, and no one's paying attention to me, I gotta make you feel as worthless as I am! Oh! And by the way, after you die, I'm still going to bitch about you for no bloody reason for all bloody eternity!" He doubled over in laughter. "First Alexia comes back to me, and now Birkin dies! Ha! Ashfords – 2, Birkin – Zippity do dah DEAD!"

"Ah, such sweet memories," Alfred mused, feeling a sense of nostalgia even though that was only three months ago.

"No, I haven't." He returned his attention to the two prisoners on the monitor.

"It was just horrible!" the girl recalled. "I mean, the whole town was destroyed! And it's all because someone wanted to retrieve some strain of virus!" She sighed. "I hope that Sherry's alright, wherever she is."

"Sherry? Who's Sherry?"

Alfred took another sip of tea.

"Sherry Birkin."

Luckily, Alfred instinctively turned away from the electronics just in time as he spat the tea out.

Did she just say…?

"Birkin? …Oh. I think my dad mentioned a Birkin once. Wally… Walter…"

Alfred's finger found the PA button. "William, you dolt…"

"Yeah, that's it!"

Despite the boy's clueless outburst, the girl ignored him and looked around as if trying to find Alfred. "You know him?"

"Of course I know him! I'm surprised YOU do!" Alfred spat at them with anger, legs now on the floor as he glared at the screen. "That egotistical little brat! I couldn't get him to shut up after, uh…" He stopped himself. Why was he telling this to his prey? What was the point? "I know him! And I'm glad the bloody bastard got fried in the explosion!"

"He didn't die in the explosion," the girl said as if it was common knowledge. "Some idiots tried to steal his virus and he injected himself with it."

The blond man's eyes widened. This was news to him.

"Then he started mutating into all this weird crap, and Leon and I had to kill—wait, why am I telling YOU all this?!"

Alfred blinked a few times. "Oh-ho-ho-ho…" He turned the PA on again. "I had no idea. I suppose I underestimated you, Redfield. Maybe the next time we meet, I'll make your death quick and painless. …Maybe." He folded his hands and leaned back on his chair again. Adjusting his lapel, he chuckled to himself. "But then again, maybe not."

He brought his thoughts back to William. "A fitting death—he always thought he was better than my sister." He laughed at the thought. "Jealous little punk. I wish I could've seen you die myself."

-X-

I don't own Resident Evil.