No Light, No Light
Chapter 2: Placebo
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Resident Evil belongs to Capcom. The title belongs to Florence and The Machine. I do own Sìleas though . No profit is being made from this fan fiction.
A/N: Well the muse is screaming, so she shall be answered haha. I'm very nervous about this next chapter, but I hope that all of you enjoy it. If I got Wesker terribly wrong, please let me know in the reviews. Reviews are so appreciated, so please leave a quick one if you can . I know OCs aren't popular in fanfiction, but I hope you all grow to love Sìleas.
Wesker
I closed the door quietly, leaving my dear little pet to her own devices. I knew she was distressed; one glance at her before I left had assured me of that. She was so eager to please… It made asking the impossible simple. Sometimes I would toy with her, leave something to the last moment so she would squirm; it was precious. Remembering her as she was seemed almost impossible now, she was grown and deadly. Loyal, but… Unstable. Back then she had been blood and sorrow, confusion and fear. Yet, even then, I hadn't left her. Why not? I could see the useful girl beneath, the killer she would become.
My shoes echoed as I walked down the dark corridor, most of the lab had gone to sleep and, for a moment, I felt like I was in Umbrella, heading off to do my midnight research. Those days were long gone, though, and I was reminded by the shrill voice of an Italian woman, "Off to do more research? You never tire, do you?"
A familiar sense of irritation tensed my shoulders as Excella pushed herself off the wall, intentionally rolling her shoulders seductively… Or perhaps it was no longer intentional; she tried to arouse me so much she may have forgotten how to act normal. None the less, she was one of the more annoying "allies" I'd had.
"Indeed, I will not rest until this error in U9372 is absolved."
Excella chuckled, "Weren't expecting such a reaction, were you?"
She was close now, her breath tickling my skin. Too close, much too close, but if I wanted to ensure the use of Tricell's resources then I would have to appease her. I smirked, allowing her to think she and I had an understanding. Women were so easily persuaded. With a small shove, I moved passed her and left her behind in the hallway. Such a nuisance, why couldn't Tricell have an elderly man as the head of the African Division? They liked power and it was easy to spoon feed a power hungry fool. Women, however, were temperamental and always needed more attention, not nearly so simple.
The door my lab loomed before me, leaking light from beyond. A quick pinprick on my finger and blood drop later, the doors were opened and the world exploded in white light. I required nothing but the most cleanest of work areas, everything stainless steel or white and not a speck of dust on anything. It was perfect. As the door automatically closed behind me I removed my sunglasses, placing them on a small shelf. My eyes were sensitive at first, but it was nice to be relieved of them. They weren't annoying, not after so many years of wearing them, but they weren't welcome when I was alone. They served their purpose and then were better left alone.
I sat stiffly in my chair and realized with shock that there were papers everywhere, stacked haphazardly and littering the floor. Sometimes my otherwise clean lab would surprise me and then I would recall hours of memory previously removed. Shifting through pages, reading until an excruciating headache would appear behind my temples.
And then I would return, all memories erased and only my notes to tell me what had happened. Grabbing my notebook from the drawer I spun my chair until I faced her. She looked different now, green sterilized cryogenic material distorting her features. She was still simple though, her brown hair flowing around her plain face. But it wasn't her face that interested me, more of it was the virus beginning to mutate her hand. It was subtle at first, something even I didn't notice, but then it became more apparent; her T-Virus was returning. So, naturally, I collected samples and discovered escalated Progenitor Virus antibodies. I then added them with U9372 to keep the subjects from dying and mutating… It appeared I didn't add enough.
I pulled out a file from beneath all the scattered papers, a more extensive version of the file I had given Sìleas earlier. I wouldn't be able to come to a complete conclusion until she returned, but I assumed that U9372 was still too strong. I chuckled slightly to myself, having to reduce the strength of the evolutionary tool for humans seemed so fitting. They were so easily overwhelmed, so easily broken. Yet… A few, a very percious few, would be able to survive my creation. Those very few would be my adams and eves, my Creations that I pulled from the dirt to make into life. I would be God and they would worship me. A light tendril of pleasure trailed down my spine, settling somewhere in my mid back like a sleeping lion. It would be perfection, beyond even Sìleas.
I let out a shaky breath, calming the excitement rising within me and my focus returned to my work. 4 ounces of the Antibodies had been added, but something else was happening. They reduced the effects of U9372 to be sure, but they were effecting the virus in another way. While reducing the virus' power, they were also reducing the amount of enhanced abilities given to an accepting host. How to keep the power of U9372, yet make it more acceptable to the human genome? It had been plaguing me for weeks and, after reading through my notes, it seemed I wasn't any closer. I needed the live samples; what made them different then the test subjects I had used in the lab?
Decidedly calm I stood, file and notebook in hand and walked over to the three test subjects I held in my personal lab. Of course more were located throughout my facility, but these three were the most successful. Subject 019 was a white male, 23, moderately built, intelligent. He had responded wonderfully to U9372 and every variation since. How? What made his genome so perfect for the virus? There was nothing special in it, nothing abnormal that I could see. And, for what seemed like the millionth time, I took down notes of vital signs and any changes since the last injection. None. Completely normal.
Sighing in frustration I moved on. Subject 234, African female, 12, average intelligence, sickle cell anemia, but otherwise normal. Alive, survived the virus. Both subjects had nothing in common, one was sick and one in perfect good health. Neither from the same ethnicity, part of the world, nor age. The only difference between the subjects was that, while Subject 019 had a few mutations (mostly in his hands) Subject 234 seemed completely normal. She also had more enhanced skills and abilities.
I returned to my chair, sighing. I needed those results. What made the African genome merge with U9372 so easily? Why, when several test subjects had survived in the lab, had there been none left when tested in the field? I had too many questions and not enough answers for my taste. Needing to find answers, I settled into more logs loosing myself in reading.
Even as the clock on my desk read 2:00pm, logically I knew she wouldn't be finished. I slammed the number "1" on my cell phone anyway, holding it down with more force than necessary. The speed dial beeped a few times before I was presented with a dial tone. Though the it only lasted a few seconds, the lack of sleep and headache made me impatient. Something else coiled in my stomach, though, something familiar to me. Something that always emerged when Sìleas was gone.
Sìleas
The dust collecting on every inch of my otherwise pale body was itching profusely. I hated Africa. It was dirty and dusty and everyone stared at me even weirder than they did elsewhere. I guess my nearly transparent skin and bright red hair weren't welcome. The jungle spun past us as we dove deeper and deeper into the unknown. It was hardly even a road anymore, all of us clinging to the jeep to keep from flying off. Peter and I laughed and chatted anyway though. He told me of recent research, the exciting discovery of a new plant that could speed up the time it took Las Plagas to bond to a host. I barely kept beat, but managed to smile when required. He was a good man, dark brown and bright blue eyes, a light stubble along his chin. He was a good man and friend, the only one I ever really knew.
"Esther and I went camping last weekend. It was nice, just the two of us out in the jungle," Peter said.
"Sounds more like getting eatin alive by mosquitos," I responded, punching him lightly.
"You're such a pessimist. Anyway, we slept out in the open air and roasted marshmallows," He chuckled, "I think she dropped more in the fire than she actually ate."
I smiled. He always glowed when he talked about his long time girlfriend, Esther. She was a researcher assigned to the microbiology part of the Las Plagas virus. Her and Peter worked very closely together for a long time before, inevitably, falling in love. It was precious and I enjoyed hearing about her even though I'd only met her a couple times, "When are you two getting married?"
Peter snorted, "With our careers? Can you imagine who would come to the wedding? All the smartest biogenetic researchers in the world and then there would be my family, a bunch of rednecks from south Texas. Something tells me it wouldn't end well."
"Well, I suppose that's true." I grunted as we sped over another bump in the road, "But you love her don't cha?"
"Yeah… It's just… In this business you never really know how long happiness will last. Any day the B.S.A.A. could swoop in on us, arrest or kill us and they would use me against her or vice versa. It's better if our relationship stays hidden. Working for Mr. Wesker comes with sacrifices, Sìleas."
I laughed lightly, "Sacrifices? I haven't sacrificed anything. I couldn't imagine anything more important."
Peter looked at me sadly. There was something in his eyes, something that seemed to way down on him; quiet sympathy. Like there was something he wished he could fix about me, but knew he never would be able to, "How could you? You've never known anything else. Turn right here, please." He said to our driver.
The rest of the ride was an awkward silence. He was right, I never knew anything else, but I never wanted to know anything else. He was everything. Why would I trade everything for the unknown? I hated when he did this, when he made me feel so… different than everyone else. Usually we were two peas in a pod, but every now and then these kind of talks would come up. The kind when I felt like he knew something I didn't.
We stopped some miles from the village, the sun reaching higher into the sky. The rest of the journey would be on foot and I would be alone. Peter would stay behind, setting up a field lab so we could get the results back to Master asap. It would take quite some time to get back to the main facility and I knew Master wouldn't be patient. He was never patient when something went so horribly wrong.
I cocked my magnum, filling it with ammo. I felt the familiar adrenaline rush through me, this was what I was created for. Stealth and killing.
Peter seemed a little unnerved as he walked over to me, "Be careful out there. No telling what can come trampling through the forest, kiddo."
I grinned at him, but it seemed to do little to calm him. If anything he was more unnerved, "Don't worry, I'm perfect for this."
Even I could hear the blood lust dripping from my words. Waiting no longer I hooked my phone onto my belt and walked into the jungle, alone and dangerous. The noise of the jungle was all around me and comforting. Crickets chirped, monkeys called frantically, a subtle purr of a big cat, screech of birds. It was normal, it was a part of me. I became the jungle, jumping between brush and branches. I was a panther, slick and black prowling through the leaves. This was the one part of Africa that didn't make me want to tear my hair out.
When I arrived at the village the sound stopped. Silence surrounded it, vacant as a ghost town. Not a soul moved or lurked… Well, at least no one living. I crouched in the brush, magnum poised and ready. They were here, I could sense them. The back of my neck prickled. Breath entered and left my lungs steadily. The wind rustled, shifting the thatched roofs. Silence.
Snap!
Instantly I spun, my gun inches from one of the mutants. I hadn't realized I pulled the trigger before it was already done. The thing dropped heavily and seemed to disintegrate into dust, fire burning it to a cinder. They were smarter, these ones. Before I could consider it much, however, I spun shooting another in the stomach. Flipping over its back, I snapped its neck with a loud pop. Instantly another was upon me and I bounced backward, out of the safety of the bush and into the village's main square. I saw them everywhere then, lurking in the shadows gurgling and speaking in the own language. How had they crept up on me? Why were there so many? I was not safe here. Sprinting behind a building, I was able to get cover before round kicking one running towards me. This wasn't what I was expecting, not so many. And they were different, these ones. Their eyes didn't hang from their sockets, they didn't limp towards me. They didn't mutate. In reality, they almost seemed… Normal, but their eyes glowed a horrible red, specks of blood ghosting their features.
SCREEEEECH!
. Suddenly, I was blocking a kick coming toward my side. I gasped loudly, where did that come from?! I flipped away, but was barely on my feet before the thing was nearly back in front of me. These things are fast. Suddenly, I realized what happened.
Fear leaped into my throat.
I shoved it down. Focus.
Clarity.
I whipped out my reinforced wire, facing my opponent square on. He rushed again, tattered clothes with bullet wounds through them dancing in my vision. To the human eye, he would have blurred out of focus, but I watched as he feinted left then right…
Gotcha.
I dodged his next feint, stringing out the wire between my hands. With a grunt I spun around him, wrapping his hands with the wire, surprising him. I shoved him down, wiring his feet and torso before he could react. Again, a screech of frustration tore through him like a lung would flip out of his furious mouth. I jumped away, whipping out my magnum and aimed a shot square in his chest. That'd keep him down for now. My movements were now in high frequency. I had focused in. I could see everything. I slid then, sensing another throwing a punch at me, my left leg extending tripping another. I pushed backwards, landing in a sitting position but knocking the creature off his feet. Aiming quickly, I shot both in the head keeping them down.
I was pissing them off. So, the mutations are highly emotional. All around me they screeched, becoming more primal. I became more comfortable. Boom! My bullet slammed into one of their heads. I rolled out of the way of another, kicking it's head with so much force that it splattered, raining dark, black blood over me. I ignored it though and rolled away from one who was trying to smash me with a club like object. Before they overwhelmed me I leaped to my feet like a cat and ran.
There were so many! But I was quicker, not much quicker, but quicker.
It was then that the first shots echoed across the jungle, the first shots that weren't mine. I wasn't alone.
"Shit," I muttered.
Quickly hiding behind a building, I pushed the intercom button on my mic.
"Peter, B.S.A.A. intervention confirmed."
"Fuck," He replied back, "Get out of there, Sìleas."
"My mission isn't done."
I jumped into the shadows, my dark outfit a welcome camouflage from the mutants and B.S.A.A.. They distracted the mutants for the time being and I watched them, trampling through with their huge guns. No class, no style, just brute force. They were surprised by the speed and efficeny of these BOWs, but I could see they could handle their own. The first one was a woman, moderately built with skin darker than the shadows that were beginning to grow. Her eyes were a strange brilliant blue, however, piercing through the chaos. The man with her was slender, blonde and forgettable.
I can't let them call in. I thought and circled the perimeter of the village, keeping well into the shadows. For now the mutants kept them occupied enough not to call in what they had seen. The moment they did this place would be flooded with B.S.A.A. lackeys, something that could not happen. I was good, but not that good. They were backed behind a hut, mutants coming from in front, behind and above them. It was now or never. Leaving the shadows I quickly and gracefully snuck into the hut, killing one mutant on my way. Now that I had assessed my enemy, killing was a breeze. It was quick and silent, neither solider noticing. The woman was backed up against the little hole that served as a window. Perfect.
Avoiding killing B.S.A.A. members was a priority, but this was an emergency. Leveling my magnum I aimed it at the woman's head. With no hesitation I pulled the trigger, the woman's brain exploding around the force of the shot. Before her partner even realized what was happening I swung out the window, landing on what was left of the woman's body and snapped his neck, enjoying the sickening crunch between my fingers. After picking up their radios, I ran like Hell. Most of the mutants were down and out, but what was left came running after me, grunting and screaming all the while. They were slower and less focused now. Apparently, the virus's superhuman effects only lasted for a short time. Leaping on to a tree I scrambled up, my feet barely missing the reaching mutants below. I climbed and climbed away from them. Once I was high enough I took a moment to catch my breath.
"B.S.A.A. agents neutralized," I panted, "Returning to mission. More mutants than expected."
Peter replied, but I hardly heard it as I aimed and fired over and over again. They scrambled for a purchase, but found none. I suppose they don't have my jumping abilities anymore… I thought I reloaded my magnum, shooting again and again.
After what felt like forever, I returned to the ground ashes surrounding my feet. The only sound the screeching of the mutant I had captured Heh. Good morning, sunshine. I wanted to capture more, but this would have to do.
Now… To solve the problem of the agents.
Cracking my neck, I walked over to what was left of their bodies. The woman's head was completely gone and the man's neck was grotesquely twisted, eyes staring up at me. Empty, empty eyes.
"Poor little sods," I grinned, "Just at the wrong place at the wrong time."
It was less damage than I expected, apparently these mutants only liked living bodies?
"Peter…?" I panted, collapsing against a tree, the stench of decaying bodies filling the air. I could do much more than a normal human could, but even I had limits.
"Sìleas! How's it going?"
"Everything is fine, I'm about to solve our B.S.A.A. problem. Village has been neutralized. There must've been a hundred of them. I thought you said you guys had already gone through here?"
"Holy shit, Sìleas. We have… I don't know where they all came from…Unless…"
"I know. I'm calling him in a few minutes. I managed to gather one sample, I'll be back at the field unit with it within the hour."
"Ferrt? Rogers? Requesting update." The B.S.A.A. microphone came in statically, loud across the silence that now permeated the forest.
"I-Is this the B.S.A.A.…?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"Who is this?"
"I-I just found this… Dead bodies… There was blood, everywhere…."
"M'am, please explain."
"H-he shot her….. Cold blood, ugh it was awful…."
"We are tracking your location now, just stay put and stay calm."
"No, no! I can't!" I screeched, "So much blood! I had to kill him, he would've killed me…. I can't, I can't, I CAN'T!"
With that, I dropped the mic,gathered up my sample and calmly began my trek back to the field unit. Stupid B.S.A.A., always wanting to be the heroes. They continued to try and contact me even as I disappeared into the forest, another phone call on my mind. The village would be swarming with B.S.A.A. members within minutes, I needed to get out of here. The screeching thing wasn't making it much easier so, with some annoyance, I quickly shot it again in the gut, slinging it over my shoulder with a grunt as it fell silent. With some dread, I pulled out my phone about to push and hold "1" when the phone leapt to life, buzzing like a million insects.
"Master." I said calmly, though joy rushed to my throat. Despite the circumstances, the mission had been a success.
"What have you found?" He sounded tired and irritated. I knew instantly that he hadn't found a solution.
"I only have a theory, but I think you'll like it. The mutations originally seemed like Las Plagas, Peter's team easily eliminated them. When I got there, however, they were all resurrected with… Superhuman powers. They appeared normal humans, save for the glowing red eyes and bullet rips in their shirts."
I could almost hear Master's grin. I allowed myself a few moments of pleasure, before I broke the bad news to him.
"There was one problem though…"
"What, Sìleas?"
"I ran into two B.S.A.A. agents while neutralizing the village."
"And?" His voice was dangerously cold.
"I had no choice, they're dead. The B.S.A.A. will be in the village within the hour."
He sighed heavily, "This… Complicates things."
"I'll send you the information I can tonight, but we are going to have to break down our field unit. The B.S.A.A. will no doubt comb the area, looking for us." I could almost see him messaging his temples.
"Alright, you are to be back here by tomorrow, I won't have you getting caught up in the B.S.A.A.. They cannot have you. You are my secret weapon."
"I know, Master, I'll be home soon." I said, softly.
He seemed to bristle and returned to his serious tone, "Yes, you will, dear heart."
My heart leapt as the phone went dead. The sun was now completely hidden into night and I began the long trek back in the dark. The jungle wasn't as comforting this time.