Resident Evil: Vengeance

Chapter 1-4: Product

Eastern Warehouse District – Miami, FL

May 25th 2014

22:21 EST

The final portion of liquid had finished draining from the long cylinders; leaving them empty save only for the contents that remained. As she approached one of the tubes, Ada's eyes widened with shock. This couldn't be happening. Of all the things she had seen in her life…

Curled up in a fetal position at the base was a blonde-haired girl no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. Slowly, she began to open her eyes before succumbing to a violent fit of coughing. After she had settled, she managed to push herself up to her knees before looking up in her direction. The silent terror within her eyes was pleading for help.

"Please…" the teen whispered before a new fit of coughing began to take her. "Help me…"

Ada was overcome with the sheer horror of what it was she was witnessing. Umbrella One was using children in their experiments! As her eyes darted to the other cylinders, she saw three additional children roughly the same age as the girl before her – two boys and one other girl. What had these monsters done?

"What did they do to you?" Ada asked.

She wanted to help these kids, but the rational part of her knew that something was wrong with them. The email she had intercepted hinted that Umbrella One's intentions were to release newly created bio-weapons on four Israeli cities. That was when she figured out the terror group's plans. Four cylinders – four children; they were the bio weapons!

"Please…" the girl repeated. Before she could say anything more, another fit of coughing began to rack her body.

Ada's attention shifted to the bottom of the cylinder where black spots were forming at the girl's knees from her spittle. The dark fluid was now oozing out from her mouth and down her chin. Quickly glancing at the nearest tubes, she saw that the others were suffering from similar effects. Her eyes widened when the girl began retching up even more bile that seemed to hang suspended from her mouth. When it fell, the liquid began to take shape like that of a snake as it flopped around at the base of the tube.

The girl had time for a single scream before her eyes rolled back into her head. Falling to her side, she began to convulse violently as more snake-like creatures poured forth from her mouth, nose, and eyes. The tendrils then began to wrap themselves around the girl's body; creating a slithering mass of skin that enveloped her from head to toe. The other three had also begun to suffer the same type of metamorphosis; turning them into similar B.O.W.s. Once each had been completely enveloped, the creatures rose to their feet and began pounding on the glass with long tentacles that had replaced their arms. A macabre chorus of blood-curdling screams soon echoed throughout the room.

"As you can see, Miss Wong," Hamza's voice said over the loud speaker. "These B.O.W.s will serve our holy purpose in removing the little Satan from our rightful lands."

"You sick bastard!" Ada yelled back. "These are children!"

"AMERICAN vermin that were discarded on the streets of this so-called 'free' society! Now they have been perfected to serve Allah's cause. I had wished to see them unleashed upon the occupiers of Palestine, but as long as I have the product, I shall have His ability to create more. As for you, you shall be the first to die at the hands of these glorious instruments as well as this wretched city. The data I gather from your death shall only serve to perfect them further!"

"Damn it!"

The banging on the glass grew in intensity as did the screams from the creatures. They wanted out – and when they did, they would be coming for her. Soon the tubes began to crack; turning the glass into spider web patterns. The cylinders wouldn't be able to hold together for much longer, and she didn't relish the thought of close quarters combat in this small room – especially with four biological weapons. The doors leading out were automatically sealed so that route was closed to her. That was when Ada looked up at the walls and spotted something – an air vent. It looked wide enough for her small frame to fit through.

Taking the hook shot from her belt, Ada fired into the vent cover and began to pull. With some effort, she heard the metal groan until the grate finally popped out of the opening. The sound of glass breaking behind her only served as an encouragement to hasten her efforts. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that one of the B.O.W.s had begun to slither itself through a hole in the tube. The others had also managed to break open places within their own chambers and were struggling to wiggle through the openings. There was no more time.

Ada quickly aimed for the opening and fired again. As she pulled herself up to the vent, she heard one of the creatures shriek and charge at her. Once she made it inside the vent, she attempted to crawl away before a black tentacle grabbed her right ankle and began wrapping itself around her foot. Pulling her Sig free, she fired at the slimy mass. The tentacle severed near the edge of the opening and fell back inside the room. The piece that had been wrapped around her foot loosened its grip and began wiggling like a worm. With a sharp kick, Ada knocked it out of the vent.

Turning around, she put on her night vision glasses and began to climb her way through the pitch black air vent. Below her position, she heard the sound of the automatic door opening to the warehouse. It was soon followed by shouts and gunfire before being replaced by screams of agony. Hamza must have released them into the warehouse in order to hunt her down. At least they would take out the remaining guards, thus giving her a chance to focus her attention on them without additional distractions.

Up ahead was a vent opening that had a view of the second floor walkway. As she looked down, she saw the guards below falling back while firing their rifles. Suddenly, a soldier who had been unlucky enough to be in the front was impaled by a long black tentacle. The men behind him panicked and began unloading their clips into both their comrade and the creature. That was when she noticed that its body was absorbing every bullet fired at it without taking damage. The fight quickly turned into a slaughter as the four B.O.W.s swarmed the remaining guards. Now all of Hamza's men lay head including two who had been "enveloped" by the snake-like masses causing them to grow in size.

This was her one chance to move before they began looking for her again. As she began to crawl, a weak spot in the steel suddenly buckled. CREEK! The sound froze her in place. Although she couldn't see them, she heard a B.O.W. hiss and begin moving under her position. Slowly and methodically, it walked back and forth while emitting a horrifying growl. Soon the noise stopped; giving her the chance to exhale the breath she'd been holding. She needed to be more careful while moving or else she risked giving her position away. Even the slightest sound seemed to… SHREEAAK! A blade-like appendage shot up through the vent near her feet and began to cut through the metal. They knew she was here!

"Shit!" she gasped as she began to crawl forward. She had to get out of this vent or she'd be skewered by these monsters for sure.

SHREEAAK! Another tentacle shot up in front of her face; halting her advance. The creatures below were screaming with renewed bloodlust. They had her trapped and were determined to capitalize on it. Whatever vestiges of their former selves they may have had were gone; there was no hope of saving them. They had been engineered for one purpose – to bring death.

The vent began to shake as the creatures pulled at it. No! she thought. I won't let it end like this! I'm not going to let Hamza win! Whatever she had to do to see this mission through, she was going to do it. She steeled herself and pulled the knife from her belt. Tonight the terrorist leader of Umbrella One would die by her hands.

Slicing the blade outward, the tentacle before her was cut and quickly pulled itself out of the vent. With the way now open, Ada crawled forward while the passage behind her tilted down toward the catwalks. The creatures were attempting to pull the vent down to the floor to get at her.

Up ahead was another opening. If she could get it open, maybe she could fight these things in the open with room to maneuver. It was a long shot considering how fast the fully equipped guards had been eliminated, but she wasn't about to go down without a fight. She already owed a debt to this entire cell for taking Leon from her, and now she'd pay them back for these children that had been brutalized. And all debts ever owed by Ada Wong were always repaid – one way or another.

Making it to the vent cover, she placed herself in a seated position and kicked at the cover. Suddenly, one of the B.O.W.s grabbed the vent and placed its face at the opening. After a hiss, it let out an ear-piercing shriek. Removing her Sig, she fired an entire clip into the creature. The tar-like snakes continued to squirm around its head as if all of her rounds had caused it no damage – but the vent cover had. It was now beginning to list under the weight of the creature. With both feet, Ada kicked as hard as she could. Suddenly, there was a moan of metal before both the cover and the creature holding it fell.

As she swung her legs out of the vent, Ada saw that the other three had taken notice of her. Aiming her hook shot at one of the overhead lights, she quickly pulled herself out of the area before they could charge. Landing on the second floor walkway, she un-shouldered the assault rifle and aimed for the nearest creature. The bullets struck the slithering black mass; spattering drops of dark liquid onto the walkway. The liquid began to pool and quickly reattached itself to its host. Umbrella One had certainly outdone themselves – these B.O.W.s had been engineered to be impervious to conventional weapons. She'd have to come up with another plan of attack and fast as they were already moving in her direction.

Something behind one of the B.O.W.s then caught her attention – a red barrel with a hand pump sticking out from the top. A fuel barrel? She had used them in the past; why not now? Quickly turning her sights, she squeezed the trigger and emptied the rest of the extended clip. The barrel punctured and began to spill fuel out onto the walkway. As soon as her last bullet struck the metal walkway, a spark ignited the gasoline and enveloped the closest creature. It screamed as the black tentacles began to wiggle and fall from its body; revealing the darkened red-eyed form of one of the boys from the operating room.

There was no choice. As soon as she slammed a new magazine into her weapon she aimed for its head. "I'm sorry," she said before pulling the trigger. A three round burst penetrated the skull; sending blackened red blood flying out the back of its head. The creature fell to its knees and then collapsed upon the walkway.

It's the fire! That's what hurts them!

The other two began shrieking at their comrade's demise. She had to move, but to where? There had to be a way to create more fire in order to burn off the surrounding layer so she could have a clear shot at the under body of the creatures. Where could she find more? Then it came to her – she'd planted C4 on the trucks!

The creatures charged at her with their tentacles pointed in her direction. With a cartwheel flip, she passed between the two of them and then aimed her hookshot toward the ceiling. Pulling herself up, she let loose the cable and landed in the middle of the trucks. With the rifle slung over her shoulder, she immediately pulled the detonator from her bag.

One of them landed in front of the trucks; the other dropped in behind her and quickly took a swipe at her neck. Ducking beneath the swing, she saw the other charge forward. Firing the hook shot at the walkway, she pulled herself out of the blast zone. The creatures collided into each other; creating one giant oozing mass of black. That gave her the opportunity to arm the charges before pressing the button once she landed on the walkway. The two explosions rocked the warehouse sending flame and debris in all directions. Below her, the B.O.W.s shrieked loudly as they became engulfed in fire. Aiming down the scope of her rife, Ada fired two more shots.

Now it was time to deal with Dr. Hamza. However, when she turned towards the labs, she was immediately grabbed by one of the guards… but something was wrong. The man attacking her had been disemboweled with his innards hanging from a large wound in his belly. He had been turned into a zombie!

Dropping the rifle, she grabbed the corpse by the throat. Ada managed to push the barrel of her Sig under its chin and fired. The undead guard collapsed backwards onto the walkway and was motionless. Looking up she saw at least a half dozen more coming from the hallway leading to the labs. That was where the first of them had fallen in the initial attack by the B.O.W.s. Aiming at the nearest one, she shot it in the head and put it down. Her sights were then set on the next… and then the one after it.

As she got to the last two, something grabbed her from behind and tossed her over the remaining zombies. Her back hit the wall hard before she fell to the floor. Looking up, she saw what it was. It was the last B.O.W – the one she had shot from the vent. Once it had fallen from view, she had been too preoccupied with the other three to pay it any mind. Now she wished that she had.

The creature shot out its tentacle-like arms and impaled the last two zombies. Pulling them both into its slithering body, the tangled mass began to envelop them. As it did, the B.O.W. began to grow in size.

She had to kill it, but she needed fire to do so. Her Sig held one last clip, and that ammo was needed to put this thing down. Right now however, it wouldn't cause a dent against its durable outer layer surrounding it. Looking past the creature, she saw that one of the dead guards had grenades strapped to his chest. One of them was red – an incendiary grenade. If she could get to it, she had a chance.

Rising to her feet, Ada charged down the hall. The B.O.W. had grown to where its frame was blocking most of the pathway out. When it saw her, it soon charged and raised its left arm. As it swung in her direction, she quickly planted her right foot against the wall and pushed off; somersaulting over the creature's shoulder. Once she had landed near the guard's body, she grabbed the grenade and pulled the pin just as the monster turned to face her.

"Time to end this," she said as she tossed the object.

Landing at the feet of the creature, the incendiary grenade exploded in flame; coating the entire hallway. The B.O.W. shrieked as the snake-like mass began to melt off its body. When she saw its face, Ada immediately recognized it. It had been the blonde-haired girl whom had begged for her help. Even now the red eyes were staring right at her; silently pleading for an end to its misery… and she obliged it. The round echoed, and the creature fell to the floor.

It was over – all of the bio weapons were now dead as well as their undead by-products. That had been Umbrella One's plan all along – infiltrate a city with one of these infected children and let it spread the virus. The resulting zombie epidemic would then overwhelm the population being targeted. This was cruelty on a scale she had never encountered before. She had dealt with the likes of Simmons, Wesker, and their various minions in the past, but this… this was beyond inhuman. It all had to be stopped – permanently.

Suddenly, she heard Hamza's voice shriek over the loudspeaker. "NOOOO! You bitch! These were Allah's glorious creations! Do you have any idea what you have done!?"

"I've stopped your threat, Hamza!" she replied as she made her way toward the labs, "And now I'm coming for you!"

"I think not! I still have the product. Allah has made me his holy instrument, and my calling is to perfect this research!" he retorted. "And since you are so fond of fire… you shall burn with the rest!"

All of a sudden a female voice came on over the loudspeaker. "The self-destruct sequence has been initiated. Please exit this facility immediately. Time for detonation is three minutes."

"You've got to be kidding me," Ada replied. Another lab – another bomb. How some things never change.

"All doors are now unlocked. Please evacuate immediately."

All of the doors were unlocked? That would mean that the lab would be unlocked, too!

Ada broke into a sprint as she passed down the hallway and through the operating room. The locked door to the lab was now open to her. Running through the opening, she immediately looked for Hamza – but he wasn't there. Where in the hell had he gone?

The sounds of footsteps could be heard coming from an adjoining hallway, and Ada was once again on the hunt. As she ran into the hall, she noticed an ammo storage room right outside the lab. Further down she saw Hamza on the run carrying a small metal case with him. He was attempting to make his escape with the product!

"HAMZA!" She fired off a round, but it had missed him just as he passed through another door labeled STAIRS. Running after him, she saw the door begin to close.

"No, no, NO!" she yelled. but it was too late. The door slammed shut, and as she banged on the window, Ada saw Hamza bar the door with a fire axe. "NOOOO!"

The smile on his face made her blood boil. He knew that with this delay, he would manage to get away before she could open the door. In a fit of rage, she fired two more rounds into the door's window glass to no effect. She had only one round left, and she needed to save it.

"Two minutes until detonation."

Hamza had run down the steps and was on his way to the parking lot. She had to intercept him before he could escape with the product – but how would she do that now that she was stalled? Then she remembered the weapons cache by the labs! After a quick backtrack, she found the room. The gear stored there looked like full-grade military ordinance – assault rifles, RPGs… and Semtex.

There was little time left to spare. Even if she could open the door to the stairs, she wouldn't be able to reach Hamza in time. It was time to improvise. Slinging an RPG over her shoulder, she grabbed two pieces of the Semtex and a detonator. Once she was back in the hall, she positioned herself halfway between the labs and the stairs. She then primed the detonator and stuck both charges on the wall. One of the many benefits of having an acute memory was knowing where she was in relation to the building's floor plan. The parking lot was on the other side. Putting herself out of range of the blast, she hit the trigger.

"One minute until detonation."

The blast exploded; sending vibrations down the entire hallway. She now had her escape point. As the smoke began to dissipate, she saw the scientist enter a white car and begin to drive away. Ada felt a smile form on her lips as she carefully un-shouldered the rocket launcher. Hamza was speeding through the lot … and didn't see the parking barriers that she had raised earlier. The car smashed straight into them and stopped dead in its tracks – giving her a clear shot.

Pulling the trigger, the missile shot forth; leaving a trail of exhaust behind it. Going low, it passed under the vehicle and exploded. The car immediately flew into the air and flipped over onto its roof; sending glass shattering across the pavement.

"Ten seconds until detonation… nine… eight…"

Ada dropped the launcher and fired her hook shot at a nearby light post. Swinging to the pavement, she heard the warehouse explode into flames; consuming the lab and all of its horrors. Now, there was just one last objective that she had to take care of here.

Turning toward the car, she saw that the undercarriage was hemorrhaging fuel onto the pavement. Inside, Hamza was trapped by his seatbelt and was suspended upside down. His head had taken a severe blow as blood ran from a large gash. The driver's side door had blown off during the explosion to where she could see him reaching for a small metal case lying on the pavement just outside his grasp.

Stopping in front of it, she reached down and picked it up. The orange biohazard symbol was emblazoned on the top of the case.

"No…" he whispered. "You cannot… win. I am Allah's… chosen one."

Winning and losing – did everything come down to those two opposing factors? Coming here tonight, Ada had brought with her the brightest spot in her dark and dangerous life. Now Leon's life had been snuffed out like a flame on a candle wick. She had lost more than she could have dared imagine. And what of those children she'd been forced to kill? Hadn't they lost everything? Even now, all this sociopath could think about was that he was the one who had lost.

"You sick son of a bitch!" she sneered as she shook her head. "After what you did to those children, you're nothing but a monster!"

He spat his bloody phlegm at her feet. There was no remorse in his eyes – he was a true monster through and through.

"I'll make you a deal, Hamza. You answer my questions, and I'll leave you for the authorities. If you don't answer…" She then pulled out a zippo lighter that she'd absconded from one of the guards and lit it. "… then this car will be your funeral pyre."

He glared back at her. While his eyes registered fear at being burned alive, he refused to speak.

"What is this product?" Given that all of the research had been destroyed in the explosion, she wanted to know what it was that she was dealing with.

Fortunately, his stubbornness was trumped by his desire to live, and he relented. "It is a successful blending… of the Uroboros virus and… the T-Veronica virus."

T-Veronica? She had stolen a sample of that virus less than a year ago to remove an assassination order on Leon's life. Could this have been the same virus? How would this cell have gotten a hold of it?

"Who provided you with this T-Veronica virus? Who is this 'benefactor' of yours, Hamza?"

"U… Umbrella…" he replied weakly.

"Umbrella's been defunct for over fifteen years. Try again."

"Umbrella!" he yelled forcefully. "They gave us… Umbrella equipment… and money. They supported us, gave us the goal to combine… the viruses. Umbrella!"

That was either a cleverly-concealed lie, or a truth this man actually believed. Was it possible that some part of Umbrella's leadership had survived the government-mandated shutdown? If that was the case, this might be even bigger than she had first thought, but there was something more important to her at the moment.

Her eyes narrowed – there was one final question she wanted answered. "One last question, Doctor – who was your sniper on the water tower that killed my friend?"

His eyes furrowed in confusion. "Sniper…? I… I do not… know what you are speaking of…"

"THE SNIPER!" she yelled as images of Leon dying in her arms flooded her. "Who is he!? I want his name!"

"We… we did not… have a sniper. Guards… only guards…"

He didn't know what she was talking about. Leon's killer – he wasn't associated with Umbrella One. What in the world was going on here? Was another group involved in trying to acquire this product? Could it have been this man's 'benefactor'? The sirens in the distance pulled her back from her questions. The authorities would be here soon, and she needed to use that time to make her escape.

Hamza was looking up at the lighter in her hand. "I answered… your questions. Now please… leave me. You promised to let me… live."

Ada felt a smirk form on her lips as she heard the fear in his words. Hamza was a coward just like all terrorists. He preached a big game when in the safety of his hiding place, but once flushed into the light, he was just another blowhard pleading for his life. Now it was he who was at her mercy… and she was enjoying it.

"You're right, I did..." Her impish smile then widened, "…but I lied."

With that, she tossed the lighter into a pool of gasoline. The flames began to stretch and surround the vehicle as she turned and walked away – the smile still on her face. Behind her, she could hear him curse at her in Arabic until he began to scream… and scream loud as he was soon immolated inside his vehicle.

"That was for those children, you bastard!"

As she exited the parking lot, the beeper on her spare headset began to signal a call. Placing it on her ear, she answered it.

"Agent Wong," said the man on the other end. "I'm one minute out from your position, but there is a very large contingent of police and government vehicles heading your way. It won't be able to land near your position."

It was the helicopter pilot. She had almost forgotten that he had been dispatched to pick her up.

"Copy that," she replied. "I'm moving to secure my vehicle. I will contact The Organization when it's safe."

"Did you succeed in recovering the product, Miss Wong?" This was a different voice, but one that sounded familiar. It sounded a lot like one of her contacts from The Organization – the one she had made the deal with to remove the hit on Leon's life in exchange for the T-Veronica virus! An uncomfortable feeling began to envelop her – something seemed off about this. Why was he contacting her?

"I have it," she replied.

"Excellent. Make your way…"

She cut him off. "I'm on the run as we speak. I'll get in contact with you after it's safe to do so." With that, Ada removed the earpiece and tossed it to the ground.

Right now she needed time to think. Between what Hamza had told her about Umbrella, Leon's death at the hands of a mysterious sniper, and now The Organization's interest in this product… She had to figure out what was going on… and who, if anyone, she could trust.

Trust…

"Leon…" she whispered softly.

She could feel the sting of tears as they burned her eyes, but there'd be time enough to mourn him later. Right now she had to track down this sniper. He was the one individual who might be able to answer the questions she had. As she entered her car, she looked toward the water tower nearly one hundred yards away.

Her search for answers was now beginning.

End of Chapter 1-4 – Next: Chapter 2-1: Search