~Book II~

Rebecca and Billy walked further into the training facility, hearing the sound of Duke's roars growing distant. It seemed that for now he was trapped outside.

"Whatever infected him ain't your typical zombie," Billy guessed. "Seen anything like it before?"

"I've seen similar monstrosities," Rebecca answered, "but nothing entirely like that. Claire's the one who knows about virus types since she works with them on a more analytical scale."

"Give her a call," Billy instructed. "We need to find another way outta this place if we wanna avoid our former pilot; I'd go and fight him but unfortunately your employers seem to enjoy sending out people armed only with handguns."

Rebecca didn't comment on what Billy said, deciding instead to just call Claire. "We're safe for now, Claire," she informed. "That thing was really weird... One minute he was just a dead body, but the next he was a huge green monster. And it was almost like he transformed at exactly the right moment, as if the transformation was initiated."

"Yeah," was all Claire said in response in a somewhat awkward vocal tone. "I've encountered this before. Well, something similar. But I can't confirm what the virus is; I'll need a sample of it or something."

"We're not sneaking up on that thing and stealing a piece of his flesh," Billy replied, having heard Claire.

"No," Claire agreed, also having heard Billy. "I don't expect the two of you to do that. Your main focus is to find Chris and find out what Charles Fox is up to. Try looking in the two residences I told you about, or maybe even the underwater facility."

"We'll check those areas once we're in the clear," Rebecca stated. "Right now we're in the training facility looking for an alternative exit; we don't wanna risk running into Duke again."

"There was definitely another way out," Claire confirmed, "but if the building is in a state of disrepair then there might be other ways of getting out."

"Thanks for the info," Rebecca thanked. "Alright. Josh and I are gonna look for a way out, then hopefully we'll find some information on Chris or Charles."

Billy looked at Rebecca once she lowered the transceiver. "What if we don't find anything?" he asked her. "This place has been completely abandoned; Chris might not be here, and there probably won't be anything to suggest what's going on. And I bet wherever Chris is being kept, Charles is with him."

"Something is on this island," Rebecca clarified. "Something is definitely here, and it did something to Duke. I don't think it's an ordinary BOW, either."

Billy shrugged his shoulders as he walked ahead of Rebecca, but they soon found themselves heading to the lower floor. In a way they felt safer down here, since Duke would probably no longer have enough intelligence to carefully wind his way down if he did get into the damaged building. But suddenly there was a feeling of unease.

Further progressing on this lower level, an echoed voice could be heard up ahead. A man's voice. Billy halted Rebecca before silently motioning for her to follow behind him, preparing his gun. He took slow and quiet steps forwards as they entered a large space - a space which did not seem to naturally belong in the original facility, but rather a room built recently.

At the other end of the room, up on a balcony, two people could be seen talking. One was Charles Fox, the other...

Was Wesker?

Charles noticed the pair and seemed startled, but then he immediately went from being shocked to being full of glee as he clasped his hands together happily. "Ah! So you two little sacrifices have arrived," he commented. As he said that, Wesker silently turned and exited through a door.

"Stop!" Rebecca found herself yelling, holding up her gun. "Wesker?! Is that really Wesker?!"

"Oh, so you noticed my boss," Charles giggled behind his hand. "Yes, Wesker is indeed who I am working with, but neither of us will be dealing with you. You are not necessary to us; we want Claire Redfield. But don't worry, the Lamb is going to make sure your journey here wasn't for nothing; Chris is watching right now, and, of course, my dear Lamb will be to accept your sacrifice."

As if on cue, the individual known as "the Lamb" crashed through a seemingly unnecessary window. Time almost seemed to slow down as his cold blue eyes locked onto Rebecca and Billy, though his face was half-concealed by a black mask covering his nose and mouth. Rebecca attempted to go after Charles as he fled through the same door Wesker did, but as she moved she soon found herself being violently tackled to the ground by the Lamb.

As Charles securely closed the door, the room began filling with a blinding smoke. Rebecca was able to push the Lamb away, clambering back up to her feet and pointing her gun, but she was quick to realise the new danger of the situation. The Lamb had disappeared into the smoke and was nowhere to be seen, but using her gun could be dangerous since she was also in this room with Billy.

"I can't see him!" Rebecca called out, assuming that Billy was somehow further away. He was, in fact, rather close to her, but the smoke made it difficult for him to be seen.

"You're not the only one," he grumbled in response. "It's too dangerous to use our guns; we're gonna have to take this guy out with our hands."

It was a good thing that Billy reached the exact same conclusion as Rebecca, who had already returned her handgun to its holster. There was then a silence between the pair, who both tried as hard as they could to look through the smoke, but the moment a shadow was seen by Billy it was too late. The Lamb, who seemed to have a visual advantage somehow, grabbed Billy by both of his shoulders and bashed his own head against the other male's. Billy grunted, which Rebecca managed to hear. She knew that he was being attacked, so she chose to follow the sound.

Almost running into the pair, Rebecca was able to see the Lamb was he held Billy against the ground. Rebecca grabbed him from behind, firmly hooking her arms around his and pulling as hard as she could. The Lamb struggled silently against her grasp, allowing Billy to kick him with both feet before rising back to his full height. He delivered a few punches to the Lamb's face, chest and stomach, even using his elbow a few times and ending his assault with a vengeful headbutt. At this point the Lamb slipped out of Rebecca's arms and vanished into the smoke.

"Where'd he go?" Rebecca asked, cautiously standing with her back pressed against Billy's as she held up her arms in a defensive stance.

"Not sure," Billy replied. "Don't let your guard down just yet, sweetheart; he wants to kill us both, so I'm pretty sure he hasn't left the room just yet."

Something kicked Rebecca's ankles, swiping her off her feet. The Lamb had crawled along the floor to avoid being seen and had made this move to bring Rebecca to ground level. The man straddled her hips and wrapped both hands around her throat, attempting to choke the life out of her, but it was lucky that Billy had been standing so close to her. He brought his knee into the Lamb's face, deciding to completely wrestle him to the ground in order to get him away from Rebecca, thus allowing the female to catch her breath and get back up.

Billy now had the advantage over the Lamb, holding him on his back against the ground. But the Lamb was not going to easily be held; he wiggled expertly out of Billy's hold and gave him a roundhouse kick to the head. Once again the Lamb disappeared into the smoke.

"Shit..." Billy cursed to himself, wiping his mouth with his hand. "This guy's tough."

"How are we supposed to beat him?" Rebecca asked. "If we use our guns we'll only risk wasting bullets and shooting each other, and so far trying to attack him with our hands has done nothing."

Billy glanced around despite not being able to see anything. "If we explore the room we might be able to find something," he planned. "We could find a lead pipe or something, then maybe we could knock him out - or worse."

"Good idea," Rebecca nodded. "Watch your back, and try to keep silent; we'll need to listen out for him if he tries to approach us."

The duo split up, staying close to the floor as they felt around for anything they could use to fight their deadly opponent. With them being further apart from one another, the Lamb knew that he couldn't go for them both at once, but he also knew that it may be easier to finish one off without any interruptions. He chose to stalk Rebecca, since she was the one who seemed to be better known by his superiors. Also, she appeared to be physically weaker.

Rebecca was able to hear him as he stepped close, quickly turning around. The Lamb went to grab her, but Rebecca was swift to dodge. She hadn't found anything to defend herself with yet, so was simply avoiding the Lamb's melee attacks as she kept her eyes peeled for anything that could be useful. As she approached a corner she stumbled over a pile of wooden planks, presumably from a fallen beam or broken crate. Regardless of their origins, Rebecca grabbed the plank and swung it at the Lamb. The young man blocked the attack with his arm, expressing no pain, but as he did this Rebecca made the risky decision of whipping out her handgun and firing at him. The bullet struck his shoulder.

The Lamb grit his teeth, but his reaction was not typical for someone who had just been shot. He firmly grasped the wooden plank in Rebecca's grip, using it to drag her closer before kneeing her hard in the stomach. The woman was winded, making her a vulnerable target. The Lamb threw her to the ground and even managed to snatch her handgun in the process, aiming it down at her with a hateful expression on his face. But Billy emerged from the smoke suddenly, striking the Lamb in the side of the abdomen with a rusty pipe. Surprisingly, the Lamb let out a yell of pain and stumbled back, almost falling straight to his knees while dropping Rebecca's gun. Billy took note of this and swung at him again, but striking the left side of his abdomen seemed to do nothing. This time the Lamb grabbed the pipe and swung Billy until he hit the nearby wall.

Billy grunted, seeing that he was close to Rebecca. He rolled out of the way of an attack made by the Lamb since the redhead now had his pipe, and as he rolled he briefly locked eyes with Rebecca before jumping back up to his feet. "There's something wrong with the right of his abdomen," he informed her. "We have to hit him there; it's like his Achilles heel."

Rebecca nodded her head. "Got it!" she responded, quickly reclaiming her pistol and rising back up to her full height. But the Lamb had heard the conversation, and it was quite clear that he understood exactly what they had said. He held the pipe with two hands, holding it defensively as he kept himself prepared for any incoming attacks to his lower body. He looked no different from a cornered animal at this stage, but his expression was still fierce.

Initially Rebecca made the attempt to hit the Lamb with the wooden plank, but the younger male blocked it with his pipe. This gave Billy the opportunity to shoot him, and this time the blue-eyed man let out a wail of pain. The bullet had hit him in that same weak spot - Rebecca and Billy definitely had the advantage now.

"We've got him," Billy confirmed, watching as the redhead collapsed onto his hands and knees. The older male raised his handgun, pressing the barrel against the Lamb's head while narrowing his eyes. He may have been strong, but he was still human. A bullet to the head would kill him.

But, despite the agony he was in, the Lamb had no desire to go down here. He wasn't going to die fighting. He instead chose to retreat, shoving Billy out of the way and staggering away quickly into the smoke. Billy and Rebecca both tried shooting in his direction, but it seemed that no bullets hit him.

The Lamb could be heard climbing the ladder which led to the balcony Charles and Wesker had been seen standing on, and then, unexpectedly, the Lamb proved to the pair that he could indeed talk. He spoke in a way which made him sound particularly hateful and vicious in an insane and unstable way.

"I am the first and the last," he spat fiercely, "and the living one! I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades!" A quick but unsettling fit of laughter came from the hidden Lamb, whose voice echoed through the smoke. "Revelation, one-seventeen to eighteen," he concluded, before his footsteps could be heard as he left the room swiftly.

"Crazy bastard," Billy hissed, trying to navigate through the smoke. "So he's making bible quotes too, huh?"

"Like Charles," Rebecca added. "What does it all mean? They're not referencing that book for nothing..."

"It's not gonna be a good reason," Billy told her as he found the ladder. "Come on, doll face, we've gotta get outta here; there has to be an exit this way if our little group of preachers all went through this door."

"Right," Rebecca agreed. "...Can you stop calling me "doll face"?" Billy only laughed at her request.

"I'm not letting that name go for a long time, sweetheart," he replied, finally leaving the smoke-filled room with Rebecca close behind.

...

Chris could barely see anything which was playing on the screen Charles had placed before him. He briefly saw Rebecca with another man before the battle started. That same man who had attacked him, the Lamb, was the one fighting them, but the fight was obstructed by the smoke.

Since both Charles and Wesker were off the boat, Chris had found the time to break himself free from his restraint after much thrashing and struggling. He was up on his feet, immediately examining the room for a weapon. There wasn't one in here, so he chose to search in another nearby room. Luckily for him he was able to find a cabinet with a few guns left to spare, so he selected a handgun and a hunting rifle, also choosing to take a few boxes of ammo. Now all he had to do was get off this boat and reach Rebecca and her male companion, and hopefully then he could deal with Charles and confront Wesker. He had to find out about everything. He had to find out about Wesker's impossible return. He had to find out about Charles' revenge plans and why he was so bitter towards his younger sister. He had to find out who the Lamb was, since Charles had implied that he was not just an unfortunate infected stranger - he was something more.

And once everything was figured out, the three individuals had to be stopped.

Chris found himself exploring the boat, searching for anything useful to take with him before leaving and also looking for a suitable exit; it would be unwise to jump out into the ocean not knowing how far away he was from the location of Rebecca. He had to find out if there was a life boat on this vessel, and if not then he had to figure out how to man the boat himself. But he knew that he couldn't just head in any direction; coordinates were needed.

As he searched the various rooms, he found an area which almost resembled a study. Here he found a key which was labelled "Life Boat", so it seemed that there was an escape route after all. But he also noticed a piece of paper on the desk, which he curiously chose to examine.

...

27/12/98

The H.C.F. were able to secure a body which hosted a living sample of the virus we were after. Wesker has given me the task of extracting the virus from the body so that we may sell it to our customers - already we have found potential consumers. But I have also been tasked with examining the virus and reproducing it, but I have a better idea. Hopefully Wesker will accept my proposal.

E. Bryant

28/12/98

I have secured multiple samples of the t-Veronica virus from the boy's body. Something rather strange seems to have happened overnight - despite the controlled temperatures, a fatal wound located on the body's right abdomen appears to have healed. The virus is still repairing the deceased host, meaning that I now have more tissue to extract from.

Wesker has allowed me to attempt enhancing the virus rather than reproducing it. I am currently working on splicing the PR-Virus with the t-Veronica to create a serum which will produce instant results. Previously a host would need to spend fifteen years adapting to the t-Veronica in order to control it, and this process seems extremely complex, therefore I am aiming to erase this process so that anyone injected with my new virus will be in control immediately. If this works then I would be the creator of a revolutionary serum which may even explode on the black market.

E. Bryant

29/12/98

A truly amazing property of the t-Veronica virus was discovered today. Our specimen opened his eyes and breathed. He was speaking. The virus had repaired him and thus he now has a new life source coursing through his veins. The virus is keeping him alive. Currently he has to be kept even more secure, since it is difficult to work on a squirming body. Wesker has instructed me to continue taking samples from the specimen, but has specifically told me to make sure he does not die. He claims to have plans for him.

I have also been working on my new virus. Tomorrow I will have to try the virus on myself, and if something goes wrong I have instructed Wesker to terminate me. I have called this virus the VX-Virus. I hope my science has not failed me with this.

E. Bryant

30/12/98

I can feel it coursing through me. I feel so powerful. My blood is burning but I feel no pain. On the outside I have not changed at all - the only physical change is my eye colour. My eyes were brown, but now they are a bright pink with an unnatural glow. I believe I will be able to maintain control, but if something begins to go wrong I will do my best to document it here. But if this virus is indeed a complete success, then I can say quite proudly that I have created the most powerful virus on the planet.

I will not let you down, Albert.

E. Bryant

21/12/98

The t-Veronica specimen began to show signs of mutation. His right abdomen, where his fatal wound was initially located, now had a raised green scar with veins and what almost looked like green skin surrounding the area. Wesker ordered me to put him into cryogenic hibernation similar to Alexia Ashford, so that he may adjust to the virus. The process will take fifteen years, and the early signs of mutation could have an effect on him but I cannot be certain as of this moment. For now, it is my job to continue my work on the t-Veronica virus; I must analyse it and prepare my current samples for sale.

I cannot say that freezing the specimen was good on my behalf; I would have liked to have collected some more samples to work on producing some more samples of the VX-Virus, but perhaps that has to be put on hold for fifteen years. All I can do now is obey Wesker.

E. Bryant

...

The name "E. Bryant" was not familiar to Chris, but whoever this person was, they had a connection to Wesker and had worked with him while he was still working for Umbrella's rival company. It had been over fifteen years since these notes were taken down, and the purpose for them being here was not known. Chris' best guess was that the t-Veronica specimen was now awake, and Wesker was referring to these notes to recall how he was before being frozen. Either that or he wanted to look into the effects of the VX-Virus - this was a virus Chris had never heard of. The same could be said for the PR-Virus. They both sounded particularly dangerous but it surprised him that they hadn't been used long before this point.

There was definitely something strange going on here. Chris was trying to put the pieces together but nothing seemed to make sense. Who was E. Bryant? Was Bryant still working with Wesker or were their notes taken for reference purposes? Where was Bryant now? Dead seemed to be the right answer, since nobody survived working with Wesker for long.

Over fifteen years had passed since these notes were written, so perhaps they were referred to when the t-Veronica specimen was released. Was it Charles? Charles had never been seen before, and he seemed to appear out of nowhere with this hatred for the Redfields - Claire, in particular. He definitely did not have his mind in the right place, which would make sense for someone who was frozen for fifteen years. Bryant had also referred to the t-Veronica specimen as a "boy", implying youth, and Charles still seemed quite young - not much older than fifteen, in fact. Was he a child at the time?

Or was the t-Veronica specimen the Lamb, since he also seemed to appear out of nowhere? He was a young-looking individual, and no doubt he could still just be referred to as a mere "boy" fifteen years ago. Both young men had a connection to Wesker, who seemed to be in charge of them both, but still Chris could not make sense of the situation.

He just had to get off this boat and stop them all. He'd get answers one way or another.

~End of Book II~