~Exercises~
Reynolds returned to the room and held up a small flashlight, stepping over to Steve while Claire moved to the side to give him some room.
"How is your vision, young man?" Reynolds quizzed, looming over Steve. Steve blinked, appearing baffled by the question.
"Um," he started, "it's fine."
"Has it changed at all since your revival?" Reynolds pressed. Steve shook his head. The doctor held the boy's face. "Keep your eyes open for me," he commanded. Leaning Steve's head back, Reynolds switched on the small light and held it over the teen's left eye. At first Steve blinked rapidly and tried to pull his head back, not appreciating the sudden brightness, but managed to adjust by keeping his eyes slightly squinted. To his relief, Reynolds switched the flashlight off.
"You have very unusual eyes, Steve," he commented. "Obviously their appearance is just a result of the t-Veronica infection."
"Do they count as physical mutations?" Steve queried, now clearly worried by the possibility of mutating.
"No," Reynolds answered. "Eyes like that are indeed incredibly rare even for individuals who have been infected. They're nothing to worry about."
"Rare?" Steve questioned, looking at the doctor curiously. It sounded as if Reynolds was implying that Steve wasn't the first person to have those eyes.
The doctor almost looked uncomfortable, looking over at Claire. The young woman stepped forwards, her arms folded.
"Wesker has eyes like yours," she explained. "Eyes exactly like yours. After escaping Antarctica I spoke to Chris about him; he was able to "fake" his death with a Prototype Virus developed from the Progenitor Virus. Now he is an enhanced being."
That explained why the man was so strong. Steve remembered quite distinctly hw Wesker would grab him by his neck with one hand and lift him as if he was holding up a cup of coffee. And his eyes were always protected by his shades.
"Notably the Progenitor virus was also the base of the t-Veronica virus," Reynolds added to Claire's statement. "It is currently a mere theory but my guess is that the Progenitor virus brings out that appearance within the iris. I'm yet to discover why the effects are uncommon; I have met plenty of individuals with virus infections and have only ever seen these eyes on you and on Wesker."
Steve glanced downwards, allowing himself to think. "...Perhaps it is to do with how we were both revived by our viruses," he theorized. "You said that a virus brought him back to life, and a virus also brought me back to life."
"You're also both human," Claire extended. Steve looked over at her; that thought had not crossed his mind since he still could not look at himself and believe that he was indeed still a human.
"We don't need to focus too much on your eyes at this moment, Steve," Reynolds interrupted. "But I will also note that your pupils did not change when the light hit them which explains why you flinched at the brightness. You must be used to spending time in the dark."
"Pretty much," Steve huffed. Reynolds set the flashlight aside, urging Steve to stand up. He then directed his gaze to Claire.
"Would you mind taking part in this exercise, Miss Redfield?" he asked, catching her by surprise.
"Me?" she reacted before smiling and shrugging her shoulders. "Sure, I don't see why not."
"Thank you," Reynolds thanked with a smile. "Now then, would you mind telling me how much you weigh?" The question almost seemed rude and once again surprised Claire, but she gave her answer regardless of her feelings towards the question.
"Um, about one hundred and sixteen pounds."
Reynolds nodded, looking back over at Steve. "See if you can lift her up."
The instruction came as a surprise to both of the younger individuals.
"What?!" Steve exclaimed. "There's no way I'm doing that!"
"I want to see how physically strong you are," Reynolds explained. "Making you lift another person is the best way to do this since it also tests your speed; lifting a human is different from lifting a heavy weight because you have to first get a firm and comfortable hold on the person and then successfully lift them."
Steve stared at Claire, feeling completely embarrassed that he had to do this. The blue-eyed girl just stared back at him, shrugging her shoulders and smiling awkwardly. She wasn't sure what to say to him at this point.
Letting out a slow sigh, Steve awkwardly paced over to the girl. He was still only wearing his boxers, meaning to him that this was only going to be even more awkward to do.
Once he was in front of Claire he scratched the back of his head, letting out a very awkward and shy chuckle. Claire smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Just get on with it, Steve," she ordered.
"Right," Steve responded quickly. "Yeah, right. I will."
He stared at the woman he was still madly in love with for a moment, his eyelids almost drooping a little as he remembered just how much this young lady meant to him. But he couldn't allow his feelings to show in this moment in time, so he quickly worked out a way of lifting Claire before smoothly executing the manouevre. He wrapped one arm around her back and one behind her legs, sweeping her up from the ground and holding her in his arms as if he had just heroically caught her from a dramatic fall. Her blue eyes met his former blue ones, a look of surprise in her expression. Steve himself seemed relatively surprised; in the past he was strong, but Claire felt incredibly light in his arms. Yet the shock wasn't enough to stop him from grinning happily down at Claire's face.
"Impressive," commented Reynolds. "That was quicker than I expected. Could you lift people like that before?"
Steve turned his head to Reynolds, still holding Claire in his arms. "No," he answered honestly. "Well, kinda. It took more effort and people felt a little heavier than this."
"Interesting," Reynolds noted. "Very well, set her down."
As Reynolds noted down Steve's results the redheaded teen carefully set Claire back onto her feet. They both smiled and chuckled slightly at each other.
"So," Claire spoke up after letting her chuckle fade away into her breathing, "are these tests okay for you so far?"
Steve shrugged his shoulders before scratching his head again. "They're not bad," he admitted. "I thought they'd be worse. I should listen to you more, heh heh..."
"Yeah, you really should," Claire agreed, playfully rolling her eyes. Steve nudged her shoulder with his fist and the two laughed quietly again.
Reynolds looked at Steve, having finished writing down the boy's strength results. "Now then, we are going to head outside for this next exercise," he announced. "I recommend that you put your gown back on."
Steve did as he was told but appeared to be curious. He followed the doctor out of the room and made his way down some stairs until eventually the trio was out of the building.
Once again Reynolds turned his attention to Claire. "May I borrow you again, Miss Redfield?" he asked in a hearty tone. Claire chuckled as a response.
"Of course," she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "What do you want me to do this time?"
"This might be a little more tiring for you," Reynolds warned. "I want you to run as fast as you can. Steve will do the same."
"So you want us to race?" Steve spoke up, translating it into his own language.
"Essentially, yes," Reynolds replied. "There wasn't going to be an end point in particular; I'm aiming to test how fast Steve can run and how long he can run for."
"That shouldn't be too hard," Claire smiled, nudging Steve's shoulder with her hand and unintentionally causing him to flinch. "Come on! Let's go!" She was already off, not even alerting Steve or Reynolds.
"Hey!" Steve exclaimed, running after her. "That's cheating!"
He could hear Claire laughing as she ran ahead through the small field which surrounded the facility. Reynolds was observing the pair closely, keeping his eyes lock onto Steve.
Steve seemed to be going at a normal pace for a short while, but he shook his head and scowled when his mind forced him to remember being in Wesker's lab. He could hear the alarm bleeping loudly again. He could see flashing red lights. It was the day he tried to escape.
He was running as fast as he could. He was sprinting to outrun the guards and the closing doors.
The memory would not leave him. He found himself sprinting again. Sprinting as fast as his past counterpart.
The ginger-haired boy darted past Claire, a breeze following him as he shot far away. He only stopped at the gates which led to beyond the facility's land.
Deciding that it was best to stop here, Steve stood and waited for both Claire and Reynolds. He could see Claire running towards him, but she was far away. How fast was he even going?
"Steve, that was incredible!" he heard Claire praise in a breathless voice as she finally reached him, smacking her hands onto her knees as she caught her breath with a tired smile on her face. "You can run so fast! I didn't think it was possible for anyone to run like that!" She paused slightly and stood up properly, her smile fading away as she remembered a certain someone. "Well..." she stammered. "Except for-"
"Wesker," Steve interrupted, seeing the surprised look in the girl's eyes. "Yeah, I'm guessing I've got a lot in common with him. The eyes won't be the only thing."
Claire glanced down at her feet with a guilty expression on her face, but Steve gently held her chin and lifted her head up so that she was facing him.
"Hey..." he spoke softly. "What's with that look...?"
"I-It's nothing," Claire stuttered. "I just... I didn't want to tell you... I know you must hate Wesker for what he's done to you..."
"I do," Steve agreed, lowering his hand. "But I'm not the only one he's hurt, am I?"
Claire tilted her head slightly, a somewhat saddened look in her eyes. "...No..." she answered slowly. "You're not..."
Wesker had hurt so many people. Claire remembered how he betrayed her brother. Once he had even threatened her life in order to hurt Chris. He had betrayed the trust of so many people...
"That was the fastest running speed I've ever encountered," Reynolds panted as he finally reached the two, catching their attention. "No human can naturally run that fast. I'll have to calculate the exact measurements later."
All Steve could do was nod his head as he waited for the doctor to catch his breath; he didn't run to the current spot but he had jogged.
"Well then," he spoke up, "let us walk back to my office; you'll finish the last few exercises and then I'll take your blood. After that you will be free to leave."
Again Steve nodded his head, but this time said in addition: "Right." He lifted up Claire, holding her heroically in his arms, as he ran back for the facility. This was quite clearly an attempt to impress the young Redfield.
"I said walk, Steve!" Reynolds called out to him, although now it was no use. The boy was already almost there.
...
"The boy is still out there." A blonde woman with bobbed hair had spoken as she stood not far behind Wesker, who was currently sat by the monitors. His fingertips touched each other in a villainous manner as he delivered his response without looking back at the woman.
"I am no fool, Doctor Bryant, I know that the boy is out there," he calmly reminded her.
"He could come after you," the woman warned as she paced closer to Wesker's chair. "The t-Veronica virus has made him strong, and now he has reunited with Chris Redfield's sibling. Together they could gather enough support to finish you off; they could end this entire organization and ruin your plans."
"They have no idea where I am," Wesker informed, spinning the seat around so that he was no facing Bryant. "They do not know who I work for and they never will know."
"That boy was here before," Bryant said. "He could remember the location."
"He was unconscious when I took him out of this place," Wesker recalled. "And he was dead when he first arrived. I doubt that he will know where this place is."
"So that's it?" Bryant huffed. "You're just going to let him go?"
Wesker let out a cold and quiet chuckle to himself. "I said no such thing about sparing the boy," he announced. "I knew that there was a chance he would get away when I let him loose on that village. I knew that either he would kill Claire Redfield, Claire Redfield would kill him or they would both live and get away together. I fully prepared myself for the latter scenario."
"Well?" Bryant shrugged. "What do you plan to do, then?"
"I know where he is," Wesker revealed as he turned back around to face the monitors. He leaned forwards and pressed a button, switching on one of the deactivated screens. A live feed of the TerraSave facility was displayed, causing Bryant's eyes to widen. A smirk was now on Wesker's face as he looked back at her.
"TerraSave is one of our major obstacles," he explained. "Claire Redfield happens to be a notable member of the organization. I injected Steve with a microscopic tracking device, so when the Redfield girl took him back to her facility I was able to discover the coordinates. With all of this technology at my disposal I have been able to connect nine of the surveillance cameras to these monitors. Now I can see what happens within the building, and I have seen our little pet pacing around like a lost dog."
"Then why don't we go and get him now?" Bryant questioned. "We could take out the whole of TerraSave! We could kill Chris Redfield's sister! It could be so easy!"
Once again Wesker let out a chuckle, speaking in a mocking tone of voice. "Now now, Bryant, it is cruel to keep a dog indoors all the time," he said. "Let the boy enjoy his freedom for a few more days; then I will go and retrieve him."
"Am I not allowed to join you?" Bryant pouted.
"You have a different job," Wesker replied. "I will take Steve to our military facility when I retrieve him. Prepare your experiments there; you promised me that your variants of the t-Veronica virus will succeed in bringing the boy under our control."
Bryant grinned slightly. "Indeed," she responded. "My V-ii virus will restore his strongest form. He will succumb to its power, allowing you and I to have control over him."
"He'll serve as a good prototype for my future projects," Wesker stated. "I'll put him to good use; I'll make sure Miss Redfield finds the military facility so that she may watch him suffer the same fate a second time. While she is gone I will have the TerraSave facility dealt with. I'll send video footage of her death to Chris so that he may come and face me one final time. With him and TerraSave out of my way, I will finally be able to fulfill my destiny. I will cleanse this planet of the weak and let the strong thrive."
Bryant smirked and approached him, leaning over his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him from behind while he faced the monitors. Her eyes seemed to light up the darkness within the room with a pink glow; it was clear that her pink irises were by no means natural.
"The world shall be yours," she said to the man. "You will save this planet from itself, but you'll need some of your puppies to do the dirtiest jobs."
Wesker had no interest in the physical contact the woman was giving him, his shielded eyes still on the monitors as he wore a blank gaze. He could see Steve walking down a corridor with Claire by his side, a lively look on both their faces.
In a few days he was going to break Steve Burnside. Break him so that he could never be repaired again.
...
After a few more exercises had been completed, Steve sat nervously in a chair. His leg was twitching a little.
"Calm down," Claire soothed, clutching his hand while she sat by his side. "It's just a blood test. You must've had some in the past."
Steve didn't verbally answer. Of course he had. He had been given vaccinations, too. But his most recent memories involving needles were highly unpleasant.
Doctor Reynolds had already prepared the equipment. Now he was wiping down the area on Steve's arm, prepping it for the needle. He had tightened a strap further up Steve's arm to close off the area he was taking blood from.
Steve wasn't looking. He knew that if he saw the needle he would have horrible memories. His hand tightly clutched around Claire's as he scrunched his eyes shut. Claire used her thumb to caress his hand, a sympathetic glint in her eyes.
There was no warning. A warning would make it worse. Reynolds carefully pushed in the needle, sticking it into one of Steve's veins. The boy growled and tensed up, but it wasn't over yet. He felt a tingling sensation as the blood was drawn from his body.
He couldn't help but look.
...
"Keep away from me!" Steve pleaded as he tried to escape his metallic bonds, his blue eyes fearfully watching as the woman in the purple dress stepped closer to him. "Y-You're crazy!"
"You killed my dear brother," she accused as she stopped by his side, holding up a gun-shaped syringe in her grasp. "You foul little rat... You should thank me for not returning the gesture!"
"He was trying to kill us! He was tormenting us!" Steve continued to plea. "He would've killed Claire!"
The blonde woman tilted her head curiously before nodding. "Your friend," she recalled before chuckling quietly. "I'm sure she means a lot to you; I would've killed anyone trying to kill my brother."
Was she starting to understand? It sure seemed like it. Maybe at last this could all just be resolved. This was all just one huge misunderstanding which had resulted in a tragedy; this woman seemed to be more composed as opposed to her twin sibling.
There was a kind smile on her face. "You're a precious thing, aren't you?" she observed. "And so is she. You are both young. You are both mere children." Her expression suddenly darkened. "I'm going to enjoy watching you destroy the very thing you love so dearly."
Steve's eyes widened in horror as he tried to pull further away from her. "N-No no no! Wait!" he cried. His escape attempts were useless; the woman grabbed him by his hair and pulled his head harshly so that his neck was exposed.
"Don't!" Steve begged. "No!"
She smiled again at the sight of his fear. "Hush," she cooed. "This is supposed to be a surprise for your friend."
The cold sting of the needle penetrating the side of his neck could be felt. Something was pushed slowly into his system.
"NO!" he howled in complete despair as he realised that his fate was now sealed.
...
"Steve, stop!" Claire shouted. Steve finally came back to his senses; there was a small vial of his blood on the desk and the needle was no longer in his arm. He had jumped from his chair and had tackled Doctor Reynolds out of his. Now he was pinning him to the ground, both of his hands wrapped around his throat.
Horrified, Steve slowly loosened his grip and arose to his feet. He stared down at the doctor, who was doing a good job at remaining calm, before he turned his attention to Claire. She looked afraid.
Reynolds staggered up to his feet. "...Your memories control you," he commented. "Your mind is troubled."
Steve was breathing heavily, still recovering from his traumatizing flashback. That woman wasn't here anymore. He wasn't in that room anymore. He was back in Reynolds' office.
"...Sorry..." he whispered, bowing his head shamefully.
"Don't apologize," Reynolds commanded. "You are done here. Get some rest. Ease your mind."
Steve glanced at him, thinking that the man was hiding some hatred for him now. He expected to catch a slight glare, but instead the man seemed genuine. He actually seemed worried.
He didn't want to say anything else. He was too ashamed. He was embarrassed. All he did was thank the doctor for helping him today and bid farewell before making his leave. Claire followed closely behind, intending to talk to the boy about what had just happened.
~End of Chapter~