Chapter Two

En route to the Hive

New York

0700hrs_

"That's a lot of zombies," Leon Kennedy breathed, as he surveyed the streets of the once majestic city. Below him was a swath of zombies, moaning as the chopper he was in made its pass towards the Statue of Liberty. He knew that Dryden, Alice, Spence, Jill, and the Redfields were somewhere below him, but he couldn't remove the anxiety that he felt.

A lot was resting on this mission, and he hoped that nothing would go wrong. Beside him Ada calmly slipped a full round inside her rifle, the sharp click of the safety resounding throughout the entire aircraft. K Mart was sitting beside Ada, the wind whipping her face.

Leon thought she was a pretty little thing, but she seemed...taken. He had noticed that Dryden seemed to be following her around often, and he wondered if the Homo Superioris had taken an interested in the girl.

Leon focused back on the scene before him, and when Alice's voice crackled through the small earpiece he was ready.

"Too many zombies to kill by hand," Leon stated. "If your son is confident enough..."

"He is just a boy," Leon heard Spence say sharply.

"Too much is at stake, Dad," Dryden interrupted. "I'm doing it."

Leon nodded, even though the others couldn't see him. "Very well. But be careful. I can see a boat from here, and I just hope there's fuel in that thing."

"Noted." Alice fell silent, but Leon could still hear shuffling noises, which were no doubt the sounds of the group making their way down the sewers.

Their plan was simple. Enter the sewers from the building and walk until they reached the docks. Leon, Ada, and K Mart (whom Dryden had simply refused to bring to the mission) were to stay on the chopper and provide recon reports of the area.

"Docks are still full," Leon added after some time. "You'll be in for a fight."

"Great. I've wanted to see if I still have the hang of things," Alice replied, and Leon could imagine her smirking in the darkness.

Leon chuckled. "Well you may just get your wish, Alice."

A few minutes later Leon heard a loud boom, and as the chopper passed over the docks, he saw a lone figure arise from a mini crater. The zombies that were standing nearby had been blasted apart from the sheer force of the explosion, and Leon realized that it was Dryden, who was the figure standing on the street, who had caused the explosion.

Leon had seen the brutality and force of the boy's powers, but these had, if anything, increased over time. It was as if the T virus was constantly improving his psionic abilities, and Leon was glad that the boy had turned over to their side.

If he hadn't, they would probably be all dead by now.

Behind him K Mart stared at the figure, her eyes moving between Dryden and the zombie horde, which was now rushing towards him at top speed. Her heartbeat raced, and she gripped the cool metal handle beside her.

Alice leapt out of the hole Dryden had created and saw her son calmly waiting for the horde to approach. She lifted her gun and started firing into the crowd; plumes of red erupted behind the heads of the zombies leading the pack, but they just kept coming.

Spence, Chris, Claire, and Jill soon joined them, and all four opened fire. Alice heard her gun click empty, and she immediately ejected the empty clip and slapped a new one back in.

"There's too many!" Chris called, but he frowned and kept on firing.

"Stop," Dryden said softly. Alice could see he had his eyes closed, but he raised his head and slowly opened his eyes. His irises had contracted, and instead of the warm blue eyes he had inherited from his mother, he now had deep red ones.

A sudden surge of energy erupted from him, which flew towards the horde with surprising intensity. His hair ruffled in the wind and dust swirled around his body, making him look less human and more feral. The moment the psionic blast hit the horde, it sliced through the zombies' torsos, passing through the entire group in one fell swoop. It was as if a giant hand had ran a razor sharp blade through the horde, cutting it down effectively.

The horde was destroyed, and the others gave loud cheers. Dryden, however, had fallen to his knees, his breathing coming in ragged and short bursts.

"Dryden!" Alice rushed to her son's side, and as he turned his head to look at her, his eyes were slowly turning back to its original color. "Are you alright?"

"I'm...fine, Mom," he assured her. Spence was crouched beside him, worry etched on his handsome features.

"Let's get you up." Spence stood up and helped his son to his feet.

Dryden swayed slightly as he stood, but he shook his head vigorously and regained his balance. Now that they didn't have to worry about the horde, the group made their way to the docks and found the boat Leon had spotted from the chopper.

Claire went inside the small shed, found the boat's keys, and they were soon speeding towards the Statue of Liberty. On the boat, Dryden sat down and closed his eyes. The effort he exerted in taking the horde out took quite a toll on his energy, but he simply refused to let it get the best of him.

Pull yourself together, he told himself. You still have to get rid of the Lickers.

His head pounded, but he ignored the sensation and took the shotgun his father handed him. Spence was reloading his gun, and he cocked it. Alice was sitting beside Dryden and was talking softly to Leon. Spence's eyes flickered towards her, which Dryden didn't fail to notice.

"Let's go," Jill said, jumping off the boat. She took down several zombies that had lurched towards her and was standing at the base of the statue.

"The entrance is in the utility room," Dryden directed. During his time as Wesker's adopted son, he had learned the various entrances to the different Umbrella facilities all over the world. This knowledge was certainly coming in handy now.

The group waited for Ada and Leon, and Dryden's expression darkened as he spotted the comely blonde walking behind Leon.

"I thought we had agreed that she wouldn't come," Dryden said, clearly referring to K Mart.

"I can handle myself," K Mart insisted. "I saved your mom from Wesker on Arcadia."

Dryden was about to argue when Leon interrupted him. "Enough. If she says she can look after herself, then she can. Now let's go."

Dryden stole one last look at K Mart before leading the group into the utility room. It didn't look like much, but Dryden walked over to a wall and pressed his hand against a certain spot. Lines of a doorway suddenly appeared as the biometric system recognized his handprint.

"Wesker, Dryden Ainsley," said a soft, mechanical voice. "Access authorized."

The door swung open on silent hinges, and the group moved forward. The climb down didn't take them long, and they were soon standing in an elevator lobby. The group took an elevator down, with Dryden, Alice, and Spence standing closest to the elevator doors. Dryden had insisted that K Mart stay at the very back, flanked by Leon and Claire. K Mart had argued at first, but relented when Alice nodded at her.

The elevator ground to a halt and the doors opened. Before them stood the entrance to the Hive, which was open.

Dryden and Alice were the ones first out of the elevator. Dryden stopped, listening.

"It's too quiet," he said. "Something's wrong."

It was then when a Licker dropped down onto the elevator roof, wrenched it open, and grabbed K Mart.

K Mart had never felt more scared in her entire life, even when she had been trapped inside the supermarket that had given her her new name. The Licker had such a painful hold on her that she felt as if her insides were being crushed.

She barely heard the startled screams, the rapid gunfire, and the roars of the Licker as it dragged her up the elevator shaft. All she could focus on was the pain and the sensation of her blood running down the open wound on her shoulder where the Licker had grabbed her.

I don't want to die, she thought desperately. She had lost her gun in the scuffle, and she couldn't find anything that she could use to beat the Licker off. As her hands grasped at empty air, she suddenly felt flesh, soft and warm, beneath her fingertips.

She heard a furious cry and her gaze locked on to Dryden, who had his eyes fixed at the Licker. In his other hand he carried a shotgun, which he raised and aimed at the monstrosity holding her.

"Don't..." K Mart could feel her strength ebbing away, but Dryden's hold on her was strong. She heard the bark of Dryden's shotgun and something wet and slippery fell on her face. The pain subsided, but only by a small notch. She felt herself falling, finally landing in Dryden's arms. The last thing she saw before the darkness took her was Dryden, his expression stricken.

Dryden slid back down the shaft, carrying the now unconscious K Mart. As he reached the elevator, he could hear the screams of the undead as the infected Umbrella employees flew at the group, their teeth gnashing and arms outstretched.

"Is she okay?" Claire shouted, as she helped Chris, who had been knocked down by a Licker, to his feet. Dryden had rushed up the shaft to save K Mart, just when the zombies had made their appearance at the Hive, attracted by the Licker's growls and K Mart's shrill screams.

Dryden lay K Mart down on the elevator floor, taking the Licker's tongue off from her torso. He saw the wounds on her shoulder and tore a section off his shirt to help staunch the bleeding.

"She's fine!" Dryden snapped, cocking his shotgun. He knew K Mart shouldn't have come. Didn't he tell her to stay with Luda and the others?

She's bull-headed, Dryden thought, frowning at the still form of the teenager. The zombies were relentless, and the sudden appearance of four more Lickers stacked the odds against the group. Muttering darkly under his breath, Dryden stood slowly, pulling on all of his strength to deliver a final, fatal blow.

"Get back inside the elevator!" he shouted, his voice sounding low and guttural to his ears. The others turned, saw his expression, and ducked back inside.

"Dryden, what?" Alice inquired, but Dryden broke past her, feeling the energy building up inside him. He had learned his mistake during his fight with Leon and his mother. He was not about to do the same thing again.

Just before he reached breaking point, Dryden lessened his hold on his power, finally releasing it as the first few zombies gripped his flesh. With a loud fwoooom, the psionic energy blasted through the crowd, as zombies and Lickers alike were blasted to pieces. The effort winded him, but it didn't completely sap him of his energy.

He turned and saw the others looking at him differently, as if they couldn't believe that he was still on his feet.

"Clear," he said softly.

The Hive

New York

1000hrs_

"How long?"

"I'm not sure. We've given her the blood that she needs, but right now we just have to wait and see."

"That isn't so damn reassuring is it?"

"I'm sorry, Dryden. But she's lost a lot of blood, and I think she might have damaged some of her organs. I'll have to do a quick check."

"Then do it."

Alice frowned as she stopped in front of the medical facility. Dryden was sounding a bit like Wesker, with his impatience and haughty tone. When she entered the room, however, all she saw was Luda, quickly preparing the equipment that she needed.

Dryden was sitting on the bed beside K Mart, who was hooked up to all sorts of machines.

"How is she?" Alice walked over to her son, who was looking weary, anxious, and scared all at the same time.

"Still alive," Dryden replied shortly. "I'm not receiving any encouraging words right now, so I don't know."

"She's being realistic, Dryden," Alice scolded. "Don't be so harsh on her."

Dryden's eyes rested for a while on Luda, and then back to K Mart. "I know. I'm sorry. I just..."

"I know. You're worried," Alice took a seat beside her son and patted his hand. "We're all worried. But try to get some rest, okay?"

"I want to be here when she wakes up," Dryden insisted.

Alice nodded. "Fine."

Dryden sighed and rested his head on her shoulder. Within minutes, he was fast asleep.

Umbrella Corporation Facility

Los Angeles

1127hrs_

"So they're in the Hive," Wesker intoned. Beside him was Carlos Olivera, who was looking at Beck with a blank look on his face.

Beck nodded. "The soldiers picked up Dryden's handprint as he accessed the facility a few hours ago."

"I see. Well that makes things easier. I wonder why they decided to take over the facility." Wesker sat there, sipping his coffee every now and then as he mulled over the possibilities. Finally he dismissed Beck and turned towards Olivera.

"Travel to New York and infiltrate their group. I want you to pose as a new ally, gain their trust, and tear the resistance apart. I trust you will not fail me as your predecessors once did." Wesker set his coffee mug down on the table.

Carlos Olivera nodded. "And what of your son?"

"I have no son," Wesker replied coolly. "Destroy him."

"Understood."

Beneath the tanned flesh lay the new master control device, which pulsated in time to Carlos's heartbeat.