A/N: Chapter numero duo of Ab Initio. Still no real action, but a hysterical Birkin should make up for that. Enjoy!

Chapter II

Bravo team's departure had gone according to plan, and Wesker was able to leave the RCPD building once the chopper was out of sight. He was currently walking down the very same corridor William Birkin had previously used to get to the surveillance room of the Training Facility, hoping that the scientist had managed to stay put and would still be in the room when Wesker arrived.

When he opened the door he found Birkin staring at the computer screens, but the man turned around instantly when he noticed his presence. "Finally," he said and the relief in his voice was audible. Though William Birkin was a genius when it came to his line of work, he had never been a man of prompt action. The nervousness was literally written all over his face.

"Something got out." The sentence startled Wesker, and he took two long strides to reach Birkin.

"What?"

"I.. I don't know. I couldn't see it clearly. The image was fuzzy and I could only recognize something… bulky slipping out of the window on the ground level, before the camera went out."

"The camera went out?" Wesker asked, though the question was more rhetorical. He could see for himself that one more screen showed only static now. "Have you been able to recognize if someone – or something – got near the camera before it broke down? One of the carriers perhaps?"

Birkin shook his head. "The room was empty."

Wesker looked at his watch, "Half an hour and the clean up team will arrive. It might only have been some animal. Or perhaps your eyes have fooled you." Though he didn't believe neither his first or second theory himself, he didn't want Birkin to freak out now.

Ever since the scientist had buried himself at the Raccoon Labs with his precious virus, he rarely ventured outside anymore. Of course he had a home and even a small daughter, but Birkin was a man who lived for his work, not for his family life. And Annette, his wife, wasn't much better either. She kept adoring the brilliance of her husband.

Wesker sometimes wondered why they had gotten a child anyway.

"I thought about what you said earlier," Birkin suddenly told him, and Wesker looked up.

"About Umbrella I mean. About the G-virus."

"I see," Wesker answered, sitting down on the chair and starting to observe the monitors closely again. That didn't mean he did not pay attention to Birkin's words though.

He knew that Umbrella had taken a path that would only lead them into ruin, especially now with the spills at both Raccoon facilities. They might be able to cover it up and lay the blame on some cannibal cult that had found its way into Arklay forest and was mutilating innocent hikers - the until now 'official story' the STARS were currently investigating - but truth was that Umbrella had become careless, and was making mistakes.

And in this business one mistake could mean the end. Wesker had taken the necessary precautions not to be caught in such a dilemma, but he knew that Birkin would walk right into it if somebody didn't open his eyes.

He didn't want to see himself as some humanitarian soul, but after they had worked together nearly fifteen years and Birkin was a genius, no matter how paranoid he was. You didn't find such potential at every corner. And over the years Wesker had learned a very important thing about his fellow comrade: Birkin could easily be manipulated. Plant a seed in his brain and watch it grow. It had worked with the Marcus incident, and it seemed that it stroke roots with the G-virus now. Wesker hadn't even lied.

Umbrella's course of action was predictable. Birkin had worked on that virus for years, and hadn't yet delivered satisfactory results. On the scientific side, no doubt, he had created a breakthrough, but Umbrella wasn't interested in that. Superficially perhaps, but in truth they wanted results that brought money. Until now they had only invested into Birkin without getting anything in return. Once the G-virus would be completed it was bound to be brilliant, just like Birkin. But Umbrella did not have the patience to wait for it. Wesker had realized this over the years. Birkin had magically managed to ignore it.

"I've taken precautions. I'm not stupid," Birkin stated and Wesker had to agree on the second. Birkin wasn't stupid, usually he was only uninformed about his surroundings. He concentrated merely on that what he was doing at the moment, so fascinated with his work that he tended to forget the outside world.

Back when they had worked together he had often caught Birkin not knowing what time it was, or what day for that matter. He used to lock himself up in the lab and not exit for days on end. Wesker couldn't imagine how his attitude would have changed so drastically. Probably Annette had given him the idea.

"Umbrella isn't either," Wesker said with a smirk.

Suddenly one of the screens he had been observing started to flicker turning into a mass of dancing points not to seconds later.

"What happened?" Birkin asked, the slightest trace of fear in his voice.

"I don't know." The monitor belonged to the subbasement – the Hunter Room. That alone was unnerving already.

"They got out!" Birkin cried, standing up. "Your weapon… do you have your weapon?"

"Calm down, nothing got out." Wesker answered in a commanding tone. The hysteria on Birkin's face was visible. "I will contact the clean up crew now. They should already be on their way."

He lent forward and pressed a button, speaking into the microphone installed on the control desk in front of them. "Wesker here, report your status."

The line only buzzed in response for a moment, before a husky voice replied, 'We're on our way over, sir.'

That seemed to calm Birkin down. He took his seat again and Wesker wondered whether he was going to be able and cope with it. Probably, he would. It wasn't the first time either of them had dealt with the virus, the only difference was that usually the test subjects had been under control. They hadn't dealt with a mass infection before either. To Wesker it was no matter of importance how many they were facing, but apparently Birkin was afraid. Whether it was because he feared for himself or because he feared for his precious virus Wesker couldn't say. But ever since they had the conversation Birkin had become edgy. Obviously it wasn't a topic he liked discussing.

'Sir, do you copy?' came a question from the loudspeaker. Birkin shot him a confused glance, but Wesker ignored it. He pressed the button to respond.

"Yes, what's the matter?"

'We've just been instructed to make a little detour, sir. The Ecliptic Express was warned about the Incident on the way here and should have returned to its point of departure, yet contact was lost with the train.'

"At what point has contact been lost?"

'In the Arklay forest, sir. A few miles before the facility.'

Wesker didn't respond right away, searching his mind for the layout of the rails.

"I understand. Report when you arrive at the scene."

'Yes, sir. Over and end.'

Birkin hadn't said a word during the brief conversation, but his mind had been working.

"Do you think the virus has reached so far?"

Wesker couldn't off this question with the speculation of another technical problem and his thoughts had actually gone into the same direction as the scientist's.

"It could be possible."

But Wesker was worrying about something else at the moment. If there had indeed been a spill and Bravo team came across the forsaken train… - then there'll be one problem less his mind finished for him, even though not quite along the same lines as his thoughts had been before.

Debating this new turn of events none of the two men noticed a shadow hushing across one of the screens.


I couldn't quite remember whether Birkin or Wesker knew about the train incident beforehand so I just decided not to. Muaha. Wesker still knows exactly what he wants, Birkin only wants back to his precious virus. If you ask me, he would have made an excellent Gollum if the Lord of the Rings was about biochemical viruses.

I'd love to hear you thoughts, people! Every review matters a great deal to me, be it flame or not. I want to know how I'm doing and you're the only ones who can tell me how incredibly bad I am :P... so jump at the opportunity!