Shakahnna's eyes were red and bloodshot and because they were so dry, the irritation in them rose to a highly uncomfortable level after she had rubbed them raw. She grabbed what little possessions the Warrens had given her that she deemed fit to take away, as well as the money that had been part of the allowance. As far as Michael and Elena knew, the money was already gone, and thus she reasoned that they would not miss it.
The teenager left via the bedroom window once again and was sure it would be the last time that such an act would need to be done. Although taking the cable car would have taken a lot less time to get to Chino's place, Shakahnna decided to walk as it would delay the inevitable conversation with what was possibly a former friend by now. There had been less of a sense of foreboding with barging into the Mayor's office than with the dread of imagining what Chino would say once she got back to his apartment. After all, she had to be ready for the likelihood that he was never going to want to see her again.
She didn't have a watch on her, and didn't pay much attention to whatever clocks she might've ran into on the way, but the teenager guessed that it took her between one and two hours to reach her destination. Seeing that the door to Chino's apartment was closed, as expected, she began debating the idea of knocking on it one more time to see him in person and hear whatever he had to say.
Unable to make the decision, she sat down outside on the sidewalk, finally realizing how tired her feet were.
It was ultimately decided that she wasn't feeling brave enough to stand in place and listen to him tell her that he no longer wanted her in his life, that he was sorry they ever met as the long-term results of their relationship had all been negative ones. Besides, she reasoned, trying to talk to him now might cause him to say something he didn't mean because of the emotional state he was in. On the other hand, if she gave him a few days or weeks to calm down, he might not hate her and there may be something here that can be salvaged for the future.
So making up her mind, her eyes started to film over again, but the teenager was determined to not cry any more. Thus, she swallowed the lump in her throat and withdrew a blank envelope and a pen along with all the money she had on her from the weeks of allowance that had accrued in her bedroom desk at the mansion. Shakahnna then roughly counted how much the cash was before she placed about three quarters of it inside the envelope itself and the last quarter back inside her pocket, just in case Chino didn't have enough money to make the next month's rent.
The next step was to use the pen to leave a note on the back of the envelope, so she started writing down what she thought could be used to explain against the allegations that Donnelly had made earlier in the day. But Shakahnna soon realized that the flat side of the wrapper wasn't nearly long enough to write the kind of message she wanted. So she eventually stopped trying to come up with a long and elaborate explanation and only marked the words 'I'm sorry' on the envelope itself. The only thing left to do afterwards was to reach into another pocket and withdraw the keys to his door and his desk at work before placing the metallic objects next to the money within the envelope also.
Shakahnna discarded the pen on the ground next to her as she stood up while licking the envelope in order to seal it shut. Then, walking back towards the door to the well-known apartment, she quietly placed the small package within the mail slot that was located at the bottom of the door itself.
The teenager felt miserable as she turned around and began walking away. She got about twenty steps away when she heard a male voice calling her name. It didn't sound like Chino's, but she turned her head around to see who it was as she continued plodding away.
Her eyes widened when she realized it was the young man who was calling for her. She hadn't heard the door being opened, or even recognized his voice considering it had changed in the last several hours, but he was most definitely standing in the open doorway as the envelope rested next to his feet.
"Shak, where're you going?", Chino called again, "Are you leaving me on my own?".
"I…", she started replying as she turned her entire body around to face his direction before realizing she didn't know how to finish that statement.
Shakahnna's head sunk down so as to not make eye contact.
"Where were you? I've been trying to call you at home for ages", the older man continued, "Hell, you left here so fast I didn't even have time to get myself out of the daze I was in to tell you to stay".
"I only'd left to make this be better, I thought I could fix this for you", she began telling him as she partly raised her face, looking almost as forlorn as he had previously, "I'm not sure if I did anything. But it be'd my fault this is happening to you! Donnelly was right, I shouldn't have never asked you to come over that night".
"Come on inside, will you?", Chino kept the door open and walked the several steps towards her until he took her hand in his and tugged her back towards the apartment entrance.
"Are you sure you two want me in there?", she had to make sure even though she was already starting to feel better deep down.
"Eric's not even here", he informed her as he continued leading her past the open doorway.
Chino let go of her hand when they were both in the small hallway and then closed the door behind them.
"And even if he was, I would _still_ want you here", he added as he bent down to pick up the envelope that was still resting on the floor, "And what's this?".
"It's keys, rent money and an apology", she replied, "I didn't think you'd wanna talk to me. I was hoping that you'd want to again some point in the future maybe if I kept outta your way for a bit. Then maybe I could've be calling you in a few weeks to see if you were feeling better and didn't hated me".
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, of course I wanna be with you, Shakky", he reassured her as he placed both arms around her shoulders in an embrace.
"Sorry this happened", she whispered back as she placed her head on his shoulder while hugging him back.
"Hey, worst comes to worst, I can join the army or flip burgers to make ends meet", she parted from the hug and watched him give a smile that was more confident than she knew he felt, "I'm just glad you're here to see me through this, first and foremost".
"You're welcome to everything I've got, Chino", she had to let him know, "But downside there is that I won't be getting any new money from the Warrens. I kinda broke down Michael's door and almost castrated some blonde bimbo that I could swear I've seen before, just don't know. But I _do_ think I passed that GED thing a while ago. I'll find work, contribute to the household here to make things easier".
"Shak, we'll worry about all those details when the smoke clears with the RPD, I'm not too worried about rent because, one, I _do_ have a bit of money saved up and, two, I'll just get another job that has me working with part-time teenagers. That's the only suggestion that Eric could make for now, anyway", he continued, "Hell, we may even end up working _together_ at Burger Kong or something".
"Where _is_ Donnelly?", she inquired while following his lead towards the living room.
"He left just a little while ago", Chino recalled, "Dude made me promise that I wouldn't do anything rash until he came by to check up on me tomorrow after work and then said he'll help me find a place that'll hire me once I either find my old resume or just make up a new one".
"You might not lose your job, you know", Shakahnna countered.
"And politicians might not lie to get elected", the officer grinned as he crashed down on the couch.
"Speaking of which, they'd do anything to protect their reputation, right?", the teenager sat down close by on the same sofa and leaned her arms on top of him, "So you're either gonna get your suspension lifted _or_ there's a squad of assassins coming here to shut me up. But I'm not letting the Warrens do this to you".
"What're you talking about?", a confused and tired Chino lifted his head to make eye contact with her.
"Just tell me this – do you still have your gun here?", she asked with a smirk on her face.
"No, they made me turn it in when they told me what was going on. Why do you need that?".
"Oh, no reason. Just means I'll have to depend on everyday items to stab or hit with in case they rely on the latter instead of the former, is all", she continued grinning.
"Huh?", the young man was confused even further.
"Just trust me on this", her tone became more serious, "But you know I didn't say anything, right?".
"Yeah, Shak, I know that", he replied.
"That's all that matters to me for now", she was glad.
"Then what was going on when I interrupted you and Eric earlier today?", Chino moved on with the topic at hand, "You two looked like you were about to go at it again".
"Oh, nothing major. I just can't seem to keep my hands off Donnelly, is all", Shakahnna gave a full smile for the first time in what felt like was ages.
At least the lump in her throat was gone. It was a start to making things right.
The day was unusual from Chino's point of view because he was suddenly not required to be at police headquarters, nor was he taking a day off because he was ill or because he had to go somewhere or do something specific. Instead, he slowly woke up in the morning without the aid of an alarm clock to suddenly jerk him out of his bed when he had been unconscious after several hours of sleep.
The young man was initially lying on his back when he groggily opened his eyes first and then rubbed them with his right hand. He then woozily turned his body on its right side and thus was leaning towards the side of the bed that was opposite from the wall. But rather than see the empty bedroom that he expected, he gasped and slightly jumped back when he spotted two big green eyes looking at him. That's because Shakahnna was sitting on the floor and next to the side of his bed with only the upper half of her face visible above the level of the mattress.
"Jeez, I didn't think I looked _that_ bad in the morning", the teenager greeted him.
The officer sighed in relief as he slowly sat up on the mattress.
"How long have you been waiting for me to wake up? Is something wrong with the couch in the living room?", he asked as he rubbed his eyes for the second time, "You should've taken the bed, you know. It's _why_ I told you to that so last night".
"Nu uh, couch be'd fine", she shook her head as she stood up on her bare feet, "Woke up about a few hours ago and couldn't get back to sleep, wanted some company, so came here to wait for you".
"Ooh, that was nice. But are you sure you're OK there? I mean, you sat there for how long?" Chino smiled as he swung his legs over the edge of the mattress before planting his feet on the floor, "I mean, it would've been a great way to wake up if I had known you were waiting for me, Shak. You really should've given me a nudge or spoken up to let me know you were here and awake".
"If you get dressed, I could make breakfast for us in the kitchen, assuming you _want_ to get dressed", she giggled, "What would you like?".
"Whatever you can make with the least amount of effort and time from whatever I got in the kitchen will be fine", he replied as he stood up in his own turn and stretched his arms behind his back.
"Do I get cuddles?", she smiled while extending her arms towards him.
"Only after _you_ change from that nightdress", the officer answered, "If Eric comes in and sees us doing anything, I'll be in trouble for even _seeing_ you like that, much less doing anything while here".
"Does that mean I'm gonna have to see Donnelly again sometime later, like ever?", she gave a mock version of a pout.
"Well, yeah, Eric's coming over to first tell me what he's heard from base and, if things go as planned, he and I are going over my best option to find future employment", he let her know, "And I'm guessing after what you told me that working for the mayor's office of public relations ain't an option".
"I should probably go out for a walk or something when he's here", Shakahnna thought out loud as she headed to get a change of clothes before planning to investigate the contents of the refrigerator.
It was then that they both heard the only phone in the apartment ringing in the bedroom, so Chino went to pick it up a few seconds after she had already gone into the living room. He wasn't sure who would be calling him just after 9 AM, but he wasn't about to forgo the possibility of finding out recent news about his situation.
"Hello?", he greeted the caller after he picked up the receiver.
"Is this Steven Chisholm?", a female voice asked.
"Yes, who's this?", the officer replied.
"This is Elena Warren, is my daughter there with you?".
"Yeah, she is", Chino sighed when he realized who he was talking to and quietly wondered why she was calling.
"I wish to speak with her, young man. Please put her on the phone", Mrs. Warren continued in a tone of voice that sounded more like an order than a request.
"I'll see if she wants to talk to you", the officer replied.
"Young man, if you wish to get your job back, then you _will_ put my daughter on the phone", Elena hissed.
Chino placed the receiver next to the phone without answering as he wasn't sure how to handle this situation. On one hand, it's not like he wasn't on his way to being fired already, so being threatened with the loss of his job wouldn't be something new. On the other hand, the woman had hinted that there was at least the possibility that her husband was solely responsible for this mess and he could thus undo the whole thing.
After thinking about his situation for a few seconds, Chino followed Shakahnna into the living room and saw her seated on the couch and going through the few pieces of clothes she had brought with her while deciding which to wear for the day.
"Whatever you did yesterday _might've_ had a big impact, because your so-called mother is on the phone wanting to talk to you", he informed her as she looked up towards him, "She said that I should let her talk to you if I want my job back. Question is, do you _wanna_ talk to this bitch?".
"If it'll help you get your job back, of course, sunshine", she jumped on her feet, "Where be's the phone?".
"In the bedroom, on the table", he let her know before she headed towards that room.
"Shakahnna Warren, what are you playing at? Do you know how long it's taken us to get in contact with you? Your father and I have been up ALL night because of what you did!", Mrs. Warren started on the phone as soon as the teenager had picked up the receiver.
"Hey, Michael pushed my hand on this", Shakahnna replied in a calmer voice, "You people gave me a place to stay, but I _know_ Chino got fired because of what he said to Michael in court".
"Whatever would make you come to such a conclusion?!", Elena shot back, "Michael's been taking time every morning to have breakfast with you whenever you bothered being there. He's done all your paperwork for you. And this is the thanks he gets?".
"Hey, NO ONE else knew about Chino staying at the house except you two and the people who work for you like the iron man you got who's following me about", the redhead countered.
"I presume you're talking about Penny", the mayor's wife went on, "And if she was asked questions, could you blame her for telling the truth?".
"Then why is she following me about to begin with?! Fair enough when you thought I was a criminal but even now?", the teenager was getting sucked into an argument and losing sight of the most important demand she had on her mind, "And who exactly _asked_ Penny about…".
"You're being paranoid. This is not about who Penny was talking to as far as…", Mrs. Warren tried to interject.
"Elena, I wasn't done!", Shakahnna interrupted back, "Who exactly asked Penny about Chino's being at the mansion? You can't expect anyone to believe that someone from the RPD asked the mayor's employee about the cop who was investigating the case of the adopted daughter at random, and Penny just _had_ to tell the truth? Do you really think that anyone's naïve enough to believe that story?".
"It's mother! I think I have earned that right by now, young lady", Mrs. Warren shot back.
"GIVE CHINO HIS JOB BACK!", the redhead screamed into the receiver, having already forgotten about the use of terms even as officer Chisholm placed one of his hands on her shoulder to try to calm her down, "THIS ISN'T RIGHT! OVER ONE COMMENT?! IF YOU'D CARED ABOUT ME AT ALL, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS!".
She stopped screaming long enough to realize that she might've just answered her own question by the last statement she made. Truth is that what Chino had warned her as far as her adoptive parents' true intentions for bringing her to their home was probably accurate. The sooner she accepted that fact and stopped living in the fantasy world that included loving parents, the sooner she could then work with the rules at hand and try to help Chino to the best of her abilities.
Besides, she could always try to find her identity and her biological parents another way.
"If you listen to what I've been trying to tell you, Shakahnna Warren, I think it'll be to both our advantage", the mayor's wife finally replied after several seconds of silence, "Michael has gone out on a limb because this has upset you so much and called in personal favors. Do you realize how bad this is going to look for him? But he's done it anyway. We just want you to come home and this entire problem can go away".
The teenager sighed at the new information that was presented to her on the phone. She had to take the time and respond to this situation carefully. So she looked over towards Chino to read his facial expression.
"As soon as we finish talking here and you're coming home, I'll put in the call to get that friend of yours re-instated by tomorrow if need be", Elena continued talking when she heard nothing on the other end.
"_You'll_ put in the call? Whatever happened to Michael being the one who was gonna fix this?", the teenager pointed out the discrepancy in whatever she was saying.
"I mean that I'll be calling the chief on Michael's behalf", Mrs. Warren quickly corrected herself, "So when can we expect you back home?".
Shakahnna placed her free palm over the lower half of the receiver as she addressed Chino.
"She says she can get you back on the job as quick as tomorrow, all she wants in return is for me to go back to their home", she whispered to him, "Wadda you think I should do?".
"Do you trust her?", the young man asked.
"To keep her word? Yeah, I do. Would I turn my back to her? Notta hope, I wouldn't", Shakahnna added, "After how bad I busted up Michael's office, I'm surprised that they contacted me at all. They're up to something and they require me to be there. But they can get you your job back".
"It _does_ maybe mean that you not being in the mansion goes against their plans to use you in the mayor's re-election photo ops", Chino reasoned, "If they're so desperate to get you back, and they'll make this whole mess go away after they were the ones who did it to begin with, then this could be your trump card to use against them. But there's another issue here, Shak, and that is are _you_ OK with dealing with those people again?".
Shakahnna only took her hand off the receiver instead of replying to his question.
"Uh, mother?", she sarcastically addressed the older woman on the other end, "I'll be home later tonight _if_ Chino gets that call saying he's back at work. If not, then this will be just another thing to discuss over coffee with Ben. Oh, and I'm sure the social worker would be interested to hear about how I was only adopted to make the family look better".
She smiled as she intentionally took the tone of a younger child.
"And how much that messed with my head", she held her own forehead as she spoke, "It makes my brain hurt".
Shakahnna hung up the phone after not having heard any answers from the older woman.
"What in the world was that?", Chino asked of the last statements she had made.
"Just my way of letting her know I'm not playing", the teenager blinked her right eye, "I just can't imagine what it's gonna be like seeing anyone in there after what I said and done. But first things first. They get you your job back, and then you get to have me here for visits six nights out of the week while I'm bitching about the one night I need to be there out of seven".
Chino said nothing, only appeared anxious about the idea of her going back.
"And you can bet it'll be the one night when Donnelly's here, just so you know", she added with a smirk.
"First off, hand that thing over, because we're not talking about anything till you do", Elena Warren pointed at Albert Wesker's sidearm as she was seated behind the desk in one of the mansion's conference rooms.
Across the desk, captain Wesker remained seated a dozen feet away while he was dressed in casual clothes. He looked up at the wall to see what time it was. Reading 8:07PM, Elena's colleague from White Umbrella winced from behind his shades as he stared back at her.
"Even if you have my gun, I could still break your neck long before you react", the man replied, "Besides, isn't it too late for theatrics?".
"Not with my Smith & Wesson aimed at you from under the desk, you won't. And no, it's not", the mayor's wife coldly countered.
"You don't have a piece under that desk of yours", Wesker smiled back, "You're probably too dependent on the WU security system that's everywhere in this place. It never occurred to you that anyone or anything could get past the sentries that are all over. Besides, if anything _was_ strong enough to get past your armed goons, then one more handgun sure as hell isn't going to tip the scale in your favor, thus the idea of your standby helicopter that's on duty 24/7. Am I correct?".
"Albert, just hand the damn gun over. No way am I trusting your temper when it gets to take out its aggression via a cannon like yours", Mrs. Warren sighed, "And no, you're not correct. Would you like me to pull the trigger and see exactly _where_ my gun is aimed at? It may be between your shins or above your head instead of at your kneecap or chest".
Captain Wesker groaned as he finally reached for his belt holster and removed his handgun before casually tossing it in the woman's direction. Elena pushed her head out of the way as she roughly caught the weapon between both her hands and rested it on the surface of the desk in front of her.
"So, about this specimen that you need to talk to me about…", the mayor's wife started the discussion as she sat back on her revolving chair.
"When the hell are we getting her into a lab?", the officer asked, his tone revealing the lack of patience he felt.
"Now, now, Albert, what's the rush?", Mrs. Warren countered, knowing full well what his response would be.
"Stop playing games!", her colleague slammed his open right palm on the armrest, "I want that thing strapped down and me holding the scalpel over her by the end of this week".
"And I want a husband who's got one bone in his back and one in his pants, except here we are", the mayor's wife countered.
"Are you going to cooperate or do you want me to go over your head, either figuratively with our employer or literally after I cut it off and _then_ get my hands on that specimen", the man didn't see her point of view as being funny, "Which do you prefer?".
"Can't do any of those three options, Albert", Elena shook her head, "I'm White Umbrella also, thus you can imagine the backlash if one of us does anything against another without proper authorization first. And considering they gave the girl to _me_ for evaluation, I think they'd be against your idea without first asking for my input. And in your arrogance, Albert, you forget something – you and your little creepy scientists buddies are wrong. That's just an overly testosterone-filled girl".
"Are you insane?!", the officer partly rose out of his chair in angst before sitting back down, "_That's_ gonna be your recommendation when Claymont asks?".
"I'm certainly considering it", Elena remained calmer than her husband would under the same circumstances.
"This girl wiped out an entire group of cleaners, you moron!", Wesker was finding it difficult to remain seated, but still managed to do so, "And I _saw_ her take down an enforced door with one kick, and you think she's a human?!".
"Look at these, dear captain", the woman tossed a closed folder in his direction, which lightly struck his stomach before he took a hold of it.
"What the hell's this?", he asked as he opened the document.
"GED and SAT results", Elena pointed towards the pieces of paper that he was reviewing, "If you can read through those glasses of yours, you'll see that she scored higher than even you and your little freaks could. We paid several thousands of dollars for Joanne and still didn't get anything like this, and this girl gets these even before our check had cleared with the board of education. Now, I ask you, how many tyrants can you think of that could score that high on a written test?".
"And all this means exactly nothing considering you just admitted you were trying to change her scores", Wesker countered, "And how many high school nerds do _you_ know of who can wipe out a group of half a dozen cleaners? Just how intensive _is_ that physical education program that each student must go through if it makes it possible for them to pull off such feats?".
"Those stupid cleaners probably never even reached the RPD, you prick!", Elena growled, the twelve hours she had been working finally getting on her nerves.
"That theory of the cleaners having missed her as a target again?", Wesker moaned, "If they did and have never returned to WU, it means they're out there somewhere even now, which would make them be on the news by now. I can see the headline – local couple attacked by non-english speaking frogmen, Mexican and French immigrants arrested and questioned as a result".
"Regardless, Claymont and company placed me in charge rather than you, so guess whose opinion counts more when it comes to this particular question", the mayor's wife went on, "And once I hand in my report, she'll legally just be our little brat".
"You and your puppet are nowhere as important to WU as I am, bitch, so _don't_ be getting cocky on me", the captain icily replied as his hand instinctively went for his holster, only to then realize that he wasn't armed and thus couldn't use his main firearm to threaten anyone just yet.
He angrily stood up from the plush chair, making the mayor's wife wish that she truly had a Smith and Wesson handgun under her desk. Instead, she only had access to her antagonist's Desert Eagle, whose safety mechanism she still wasn't sure how to undo due to a total lack of experience when it came to using firearms.
"Albert, how far do you think your work antics will get you when you're in _my_ home?", his female colleague asked with more confidence than she felt through her ability to keep her voice under control, "You're not surrounded by a bunch of half-assed scientists who are impressed by your macho façade here, so cool it and sit back down".
Mrs. Warren anxiously waited to see the irate colleague's reaction since her left index finger was touching the surface of the hidden panic button underneath her desk. Pressing it once would've informed ten different armed security personnel that there was an emergency, as well as the exact location of that crisis.
Before either her or the officer had a chance to act, though, the intercom on her desk buzzed, indicating someone wanted to get in touch with her. Keeping her left hand under her desk, she used the right hand to answer the intercom.
"Yeah?", she greeted the other person even as she kept one eye on the other person in the room.
"Ma'am, your daughter is here to see you", the security guard at the front gate informed her, "Should I tell her to report to you?".
"Please do", Elena replied before she signed off the intercom.
She locked eyes with her colleague in an effort to ascertain the current situation and knew that she'd be able to relax, even a bit, when she saw the wide grin on his face.
"For me? You shouldn't have!", her colleague seemed to be like the proverbial kid in a candy store.
"So do I have to open it here or do I get to take it home with me?", the officer was calmer as he sat back down on his chair and interlocked his fingers while he continued watching her.
"Neither, because once you see who you're dealing with, you'll realize how ludicrous this idea of yours sounds and maybe, just maybe, you'll get a life and return to your human guinea pigs and leave me alone with my projects", Mrs. Warren shot back.
"Why are you so adamant on getting away from my attention, Elena?", Wesker asked as his face twisted to an expression that was suddenly no longer sarcastically amused or smiling, "Is it because you're afraid that WU will one day find _me_ more valuable an asset and let me do what I want?".
Wesker placed his left palm on his chest as he continued talking.
"And when that happens, I could get my hands on your loving mouse of a husband and daughter, turn them into experiments that make them _wish_ they were dead up until the very last moment they stop being self-aware?".
He brought his face closer to her desk as he leaned forward in his chair.
"The trick to being good at this is not how quickly you can kill someone, as you probably already suspect. It's how long you can keep them alive", the officer hissed, barely able to keep his hatred of the woman under control, "And dear Michael and Joanne would make _such_ valuable test subjects. And even if they didn't, the mere JOY of seeing your face when you're underground and realize that the body parts you're sorting through used to be your own family would still make the act of cutting them open worth it".
Having ranted all that, captain Wesker relaxed back to an upright position.
"Then again, I've never heard of Elena 'the icebitch' Warren actually caring about anyone other than herself and her quest for the highest position attainable in WU", he grinned out of the corner of his mouth as he kept his eyes on her face from behind the shades, "So maybe me doing this or that to your family isn't what worries you at all. Maybe it's the fact that I'll one day personally do all that to you. Just how satisfying do you think my 'little creepy scientists buddies' and I would find that?".
The grin on his face widened a fraction of an inch.
"But I wouldn't worry, Mrs. Warren", he added, feeling proud that she didn't have one of her patented comebacks, "It's not like we're already placing bets on how many days we can keep you sane when you're underground and alone in a dark corner of Arkney".
A soft knock was heard from outside the door to the conference room, simultaneously making him suppress the maniacal smile on his face and also bringing her out of the way she was intently staring at him. It was only then that Elena realized that her left hand had been putting more pressure the panic button while he had been talking, so she made a conscious effort to bring her left arm towards the surface of the desk.
"Enter", the mayor's wife raised her voice to address whoever was outside.
The door to the conference room was pushed open from outside before Shakahnna peeked through the gap to see who was inside. In an instantaneous display of two-faced behavior, the uniformed officer stood up and turned towards the teenager with a warm and friendly smile on his face. His demeanor didn't change when he saw the redhead's eyes widening due to her having recognized him from Michael's office the day before.
"If you be having company, I… I'll just come back later", Shakahnna waved her hand in front of her face as she wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible, all while hoping that her face wasn't scarlet.
Ideally, she wanted to find a rock to crawl under, preferably for either the rest of her life or at least until the blonde-haired man left the mansion.
"No need", Wesker kept the smile on his face as he approached her and extended his right hand, "It's Shakahnna, right? Problems at home are never good, but it's better if you have some place to come to at night. Trust me, no matter how bad things are at home, they're always worse on the streets. Though, after what I've seen you do last night, I bet you can handle yourself rather well no matter what you run across".
"You… You're not mad at me or anything?", the girl uttered as she was stunned at his pleasant demeanor, though she was still partly standing at a defensive position.
"No", the officer brushed the air ahead of him with his left hand as he took her own right hand in his, "I got surprised at what happened last night during that meeting with Michael. It has been a long time since I was on the receiving end of being restrained, but if anything, I wish all my men had such good reflexes as you".
The older man slowly pulled her right hand towards his face and lightly kissed the knuckles even as Shakahnna turned her face towards Elena, her aghast expression asking her adoptive mother what was going on.
"There really is no point in you leaving just because we are having another meeting", Wesker continued keeping the hold of her hand and moved his face closer to hers, even as the teenager was instinctively pulling hers away, "Conferences like this always bore me anyway, except they _have_ to be held. I'd much rather be having lunch and discussing the latest movies we've seen rather than be reviewing which section of the city should receive an increase in patrols. But like I said, it can always wait. You have more important things to deal with".
The older gentleman gave a reassuring and warm smile. With that, he then let go of her hand and turned towards Elena's desk.
"Mrs. Warren, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather continue our meeting till tomorrow perhaps", he addressed the female colleague who hadn't stood up from her revolving chair, "We were almost done our discussion for now anyway. And it'll give you the chance to patch things up with your daughter here. Whatever we were discussing can be concluded by tomorrow or any other day this week".
"Nu uh", Shakahnna shook her head, getting the man's attention, "I already owe you for how I acted last night. You stay here and do what you came here to do. Besides, I live here".
"Well, if you're so determined to make it up to me, then why don't you come to the party that your parents are throwing. We've known each other quite awhile you know, me and Elena go waaay back. I presume you've never had the pleasure of one of the Warrens' famous formals".
"Oh, I already have plans", she lied, telling herself that plans will be made on purpose just to keep her from experiencing more times with Joanne.
"Cancel them", Wesker winked back as he turned his attention back towards the mayor's wife, "I can promise that we'll have allot more fun than whatever you have planned. Isn't that right, Elena?".
"Oh, absolutely", Mrs. Warren smiled back as she stood up, telling herself that she needed to keep an extra eye on this man after having seen the underhanded fashion he charmed others to be on his side, "So maybe you should come, sweetie".
"Maybe, I'll see if Chino wants to come with", the teenager realized she had to relent a bit.
"Well, even if your friends aren't allured with the idea of free food, am sure you'll use some of your famous charisma", the Umbrella scientist added, "But again I promise even if you come alone, it will be a night to remember".
"OK, you kinda make it hard to say 'no'", Shakahnna found herself smiling back.
"That's wonderful, really", Wesker answered before walking towards Elena's desk, "But Mrs. Warren, I'm sure your day has been as long as mine, so I _am_ going to have to insist that we continue this at another date. I just wouldn't feel right if I made you wait to talk to your daughter, not over a routine exchange of information like this. So, can I take back the weapon I was showing you before the young lady came in?".
He stood at the opposite side of the desk and extended his right hand towards the mayor's wife, even as his sunglasses bore a mental hole in her face while he remained still. His mouth twisted in a menacing coil, momentarily giving her a reminder of the true person that she was addressing.
"Excuse me, do you be a politician?", Shakahnna asked in as innocent a tone as she could muster while she walked further into the large room, letting the door close behind her.
"Politician? Oh hell no!", Wesker's face turned back towards the teenager as he brought the smile back on it, "I'm a captain with the RPD, Ms. Warren. Right before you came in, I was showing your mother here an update that's being made on all our sidearms".
"RPD? For real?", she was surprised, even as she saw the confirmation of what he said when he was offered a Desert Eagle handgun back by her adoptive mother and casually holstered it under his shirt, "Then please put in a good word for me because I may one day be joining you ranks, assuming I don't end up back in jail".
"I'm sure that won't happen, Ms. Warren", Wesker walked back towards her, "Especially with our boys in blue and myself keeping an eye on Raccoon city. With our help, I'm sure you can do something productive with yourself".
Having reached the teenager, the older man turned back around to face the mayor's wife.
"Mrs. Warren, always a pleasure", he gave an acknowledgement in her direction and then placed his attention on Shakahnna again.
"I'll see you at the party next week", he lightly placed his right hand on her left shoulder while having his face only inches away from hers before exiting via the only door to the conference room.
Once the door was closed behind him, Shakahnna finally locked eyes with Elena again.
"Tell you what – I make sure to smile at all the family photos, and you don't fire any of my friends. Fair enough?", the teenager offered.
"If it wasn't so late and I wasn't so tired, I'd give you a lecture, but fine, sounds good to me. Just don't run into me until we're all greeting visitors to that party next week", Mrs. Warren sighed as she walked around her desk and headed past the redhead before exiting the conference room also.
"Feels good to be home", the teenager cynically thought out loud as she then went straight to her room to call Chino's apartment to make plans for tomorrow.
Outside, Albert Wesker headed towards the front guard tower on his way out of the mansion's front yard. He withdrew a pocket radio and pressed two buttons on it with his left hand, waiting several seconds for the person on the other end to be linked with its transmission.
"It's me", he spoke into it, "Get the lab ready for an analysis of something I'm bringing in now. I'll be there in twenty".
"What do you have there?", a male voice asked on the other end of the radio signal.
"You'll see", Wesker smiled, "Just make sure you don't take a dinner break".
In his right hand, the Umbrella employee had one long strand of red hair that he held up against the light from a lamp post.
Once he was seated behind the wheel of the vehicle that was allotted to him via Umbrella Inc, Wesker placed the seatbelt around himself first while he made sure the light remained on. The shiny BMW was the latest model for this year, with leather seats and upholstery that gave off a smell which only brand new cars could carry. It was the kind of machinery that would make most politicians blush, but it only seemed to be just another mode of transportation to him.
So ignoring the lavish interior, he reached for and then opened the glove compartment as his second action. Feeling the extra clips of ammunition of his handgun, he ignored them and kept looking for the miniature microscope instead. Finally knowing that he placed his fingers around the object, he withdrew the metallic item that increased magnification by 200 times and then closed the compartment.
Wesker temporarily took his sunglasses off as he adjusted the microscope in front of his face with his left hand and the strand of hair with his right one. Staring through the looking glass, the scientist moaned in satisfaction as he saw that the cells within the hair were mutating into something else. As importantly, whatever the hair had been earlier, it didn't belong on a human head. It was a basic fact that human cells were made up of a nucleus which was surrounded by a plasma membrane. But instead of that, the girl's cells that he was staring at had a nucleus that was encircled with several rings of mitochondria with no sign of cell plasma. Wesker thought he could see a hint of Filovirus-esque structures, but he couldn't be sure under the very limited scale that this magnification was affording him.
The scientist placed the tiny microscope with the hair sample inside on the front passenger seat before he started the engine. He couldn't wait to get to his personal lab to put the good equipment to use when it came to observing this specimen.
"Mr. Ross, _do_ make sure you put this under one of the new Priscons", Albert Wesker carefully handed the test tube that contained the strand of red hair to one of his colleagues before he began placing a white lab coat on.
"What's this?", the scientist he was addressing used a pair of tweezers to withdraw the hair and then placed it in between two thin, flat pieces of glass.
"You'll have to see it to believe it, Ross", Wesker stated as he was straightening the back of his coat while returning to the primary microscope that his fellow scientist was looking down at.
"Albert, I do _not_ have time for this!", the other man exclaimed with an expression on his face which was a mixture of confusion and disappointment.
"You're real funny, Ross. You can't tell me you've seen anything like that even here", the shaded scientist lifted his bent right arm and pointed that index finger towards his colleague's chin.
"I'd say this was your hair if you ever got it dyed red", Ross placed his hands into his coat pocket as he looked into his coworker's sunglasses, "Have you been experimenting with hair colors, Albert?".
"Yes, it's red, that's NOT the part you're looking at!", Wesker snapped back, "How did you get to work here when you can't even see something that incredible that's right in front of your eyes? Does it have to jump out of the Priscon and bite you in the face before you realize what you have?".
"I have synthesizing to do. I can't stand here and waste time", Ross sighed as he turned away from the advanced microscope and walked towards an adjacent white room, leaving the other man alone.
"Must have all the brain of a gnat", Wesker let the man go as he raised the shades so they rested on his forehead and then placed his right eye against the lens after closing the left eye.
The scientist's left eye opened in surprise as he realized he was now staring at a regular human hair. He first decreased the magnification to approximately the same amount that his portable microscope had made it possible, then saw that the strand now had a nucleus which was surrounded by a plasma membrane.
"Not possible", the Umbrella employee thought out loud as he withdrew his face from the Priscon microscope.
There were only two possibilities that could explain the situation. One was that he wanted the sample in the car to be different so much that he saw something that wasn't there. The other was that whatever virus was in the redhead's veins was so evolved that, once it was removed from the carrier, it stabilized to make the host look like a regular version of whatever it used to be.
Either way, he still had no proof that the teenager who was under the Warrens' roof was anything more than a regular person. He tried hard to suppress the rage that was quickly rising in his mind, with no success
"THIS CAN'T BE!", Wesker screamed at no one in particular.
He angrily pulled out his loaded Desert Eagle and kept it facing down towards the floor as he walked away from his current position. A handful of his colleagues saw him marching past them with the weapon in his right hand, but from their point of view, the sight wasn't a totally unusual one.
Wesker kept going until he finally reached Area 157, which was the one where failed test subjects were brought before they were sent into the incinerator. Security for this place was one of the reasons why there was only one door to enter or exit the vicinity, and the entrance was always watched by at least two uniformed security guards who were armed with an assault submachine gun. Approaching the first armed sentry, the armed scientist met an upraised palm that was facing towards him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wesker, sir, but it's unstable, and the creatures have been acting up, and the disposable system isn't working at the same rate that the bodies are being brought in", the security guard told him.
The scientist replied by lifting his right arm and pressing the muzzle of the Desert Eagle into the uniformed man's chin.
"I have no problem with who I shoot, so I either go in there and clean up or I take out every last bit of frustration on you and your friend there", the Umbrella employee with the white lab coat countered, "So shut up and get out of my way".
The guard hesitated for an instant before slowly looking over to his partner, who nodded his head even as he undid the safety mechanism on his submachine gun. The scientist might've been allowed to have a lot of freedom in these underground facilities, but he would not be allowed to use deadly force against a member of Umbrella Security. Seeing that nonverbal response, the first guard stepped slightly aside to allow Wesker access to the door to Area 157.
"You really should watch who you threaten with that, sir", the sentinel stood next to his partner, "But sure, go right ahead. Just remember that our ability to protect you will be severely limited if you're in there and the creatures corner you".
"Don't waste time telling me things I already know", the scientist sneered as he walked past both men to reach the door, "I do your jobs even after my overtime here is over".
Without saying anything else, Wesker withdrew a plastic ID card from his lab coat with the left hand and used it to unlock the metal door. He then replaced the card into his pocket and used the same hand to open the door while he retained the firearm in his right hand.
The moans from within the large room greeted him as he was making his way inside. Once there, the scientist closed the door behind him and felt a genuine smile creep on his face for the first time while underground.
The next sound that both security guards heard from outside the area was the repeated firing of the Desert Eagle.
"How many are there?", Wesker asked as he casually looked over the clipboard from behind the shades.
"Only two for tonight", Ross replied as he was rubbing his own forehead while both men were dressed in while lab coats before they even met.
"They're having so many problems getting the number of people I want", the first scientist grumbled under his breath, "When are they going to let us bring in our own test subjects?".
"When you convince way too many people that doing so won't attract too much attention", Ross smiled as he was glad his colleague was feeling calmer after the last time he was seen shooting zombies to vent off some frustration.
"So which is it this time? Immigrants, criminals, street trash or our former friends here who messed up their chance to climb the corporate ladder?", Wesker put the clipboard down as he headed towards the testing area.
"How the hell would I know?", his colleague sighed as he followed him down a short corridor.
Both scientists turned left and stopped when they came across two parallel steel tables that carried one adult male and one adult female on each. Both individuals were strapped down by their wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, waist, knees and ankles, but were also ignored by the scientists as Wesker and Ross were more concerned with the readouts from cardiographs that showed their heartbeat.
"Do we have enough bags over there?", Wesker casually pointed towards the wall that was to his left.
"Hold on, I'll have to check", his co-worker paced to that same wall and disappeared around it.
He then came back a few seconds later.
"Yeah, fresh supply waiting from this morning", Ross continued as he approached the table that had the man on it.
"A bit too well-fed to be immigrants or street trash", Wesker thought out loud as he remained standing amid both tables, looking back and forth between both experiments, "And not clean enough to be ex-employees. I'm guessing criminals?".
"Albert, I got more important things on my mind", his associate replied, "What are we testing for here?".
"I have people who know me! You don't know who you're fucking with here!", the man who was strapped to the table tried to unsuccessfully raise his head as he exclaimed.
"You're sure you don't want to gag them or just put them under?", Ross asked his colleague without looking down at the man.
"I can hook you up with drugs, money, whatever you're after! I'll talk, I'll name names! Just… Just don't kill me!", the male experiment continued with a louder tone of voice when he knew that he wasn't being listened to.
"Please! I'm pregnant! I have kids at home!", the woman interjected, her face showing much more fear than the man's did.
"Funny, that's not what this says", Wesker grinned down towards her as he lifted a piece of paper, "Ms. Alissa Jones, lives on Ebeirt Street, no husband, no kids, and you haven't spoken to your mother for ages except when it comes to annoying her for money. In fact, Ms. Jones, it may interest you to know that it was your mother who was contacting the Raccoon Probation Department to inform on your whereabouts after you absconded. She was _so_ tired of you. But I digress. Suffice it to say that, a year from now, we don't expect anyone to be concerned that such an absconder hasn't been heard from".
The woman started crying as she was looking up at him, starting first with quiet sobs which eventually continued into louder bawling.
"I didn't do anything wrong!", she uttered between cries.
"What the hell _are_ you people?", the man's facial expression began revealing the fear and worry he was most likely feeling all along, "What are we here for?".
"Well, it's a matter of turning you into a mindless flesh-eating beast, but that's not our preferred outcome", Wesker replied almost as if he was talking to the pair of experiments during a casual get-together, "Our main ambition is to have you acting as a talking, living biological weapon".
It was after hearing his last statement that Jones began screaming incoherently, hoping that she could be heard by anyone outside of whatever area she was restrained in.
"OK, she gets it first", Wesker withdrew a syringe full of a mysterious purple liquid from a metal box whose outline was full of liquid nitrogen to keep its contents liquid.
The scientist took the three steps necessary to reach the table that Jones was lying on and then injected the contents of the needle into her neck.
"I wonder how my sweet little redhead will be acting. I wonder if she's a screamer", Wesker spoke to himself as he was ignoring the woman's pleas.
"Are you still thinking about that?", Ross chastised without looking at his fellow scientist because he was too busy injecting the same type of serum into the neck of the man who was strapped down a few steps away.
"Although, to be honest, that one you've got may be the pregnant prototype that we had been promised a month ago", Ross added as he then turned around to look in Wesker's direction, having to raise his voice because of the screams of hysteria that were emanating from the lips of both experiments, "If so, it'll be very interesting to see how the virus affects the mother and the fetus".
The shrieks soon shifted where the man was yelling out in pain, but the woman's voice was becoming lower. Checking both their heart rates, the scientists found that the man's rate increased while the woman's rate slowed down significantly. The discrepancy was also proven because the man continued screaming as always while Ms. Jones soon quieted down, only moaning uncontrollably instead.
The scene lasted for about an hour as both Umbrella employees monitored the vital signs for the two individuals who were being used as experiments. Several vials of blood were withdrawn from the man and the woman, even when the former's voice eventually sank lower due to him acquiring a sore throat, while the latter continued to moan only.
It was only after the hour was over that the diagnosis was complete and Wesker walked up to the man who was strapped down.
"It seems that we can't use you as you're immune to our virus, so you're free to go", he informed the man while placing his hand on the human guinea pig's right shoulder.
The male experiment looked back at him through his sunglasses, and almost appeared as if he may be about to be crying tears of joy.
"R… Really?", was all he got to say as he was out of breath.
"No, of course not", Wesker answered as he temporarily looked away from the man while withdrawing the holstered Desert Eagle pistol from under his lab coat.
Looking back towards the human experiment, the scientist aimed the weapon down at his target for a fraction of a second before pulling the trigger once.
The man's head exploded before Wesker placed the firearm back in its holster.
"We have the blood samples to examine, if we have enough time to investigate why he was immune", he informed Ross, "Just keep watching her and get someone to place this body here on ice to be used for spare parts".
"No problem", his colleague nodded as he was still checking on Ms. Jones' heart rate.
"I just have enough time to get a drink at my office before my day job starts", Wesker sighed, "I hope this gives us something useful".
He thought to himself that his expectations of a chilled bottle of Johnny Walkers waiting in his private quarters better be met after the drink was allegedly brought up from the bar at the guardhouse.