Into the Dark
Author's Note: This chapter is relatively short compared to the previous ones. It is merely meant as filler for the story. None of the main characters will make an appearance in this chapter so you may not understand what is going on unless you read the past 11 chapters already. If you haven't done that yet, I suggest you take the time and go read them. Also, this chapter marks the mid-point of my story, which means that this story is now halfway through completion! However, that does not necessarily mean that there are going to be 24 chapters in total. Again, I would like to thank SG-Kai and ScriptLord for their reviews and support. They have both been a huge help during the writing of this story. If you guys want you're names in lights then I suggest you review. As ScriptLord pointed out, I have a whole lotta hits for this story but not as many reviewers as I would have expected. So please, at the end of this chapter could you just do me a favour and review? All you have to do is hit that button right down there. Thanks a lot.
The following chapter is told through Ada Wong's point of view.
Chapter 12: Ada's Mission
As I walk through these corrupted tunnels, I can't help but wonder if leaving Leon and the others behind was a good idea. Sure, it gives me some time to think and it makes it easier to sneak around, but still, there's something about them that makes me feel safer. Especially that fairy-boy. I don't know much about him, but he seems to me like the kind of guy who would do anything for his friends. I can't allow those kind of feelings to get in the way of my job; my mission.
I need to find out who the murderers are behind this outbreak.
Even that soldier said he worked for Umbrella, but if that's true how come I've never met him before? Hmm... Maybe he's part of some recently formed unit specially made for this type of scenario. He was pretty stupid to bring down that civilian with all these monsters running around.
Speaking of monsters, I didn't even have time to relax after I got back from Europe.
After I gave Wesker the sample, he promised me some free time. Some time for me to catch up on all the leisure I was missing. And what do I find? I come back here to find the whole city crawling with zombies; monsters that I thought were destroyed way back in '98. Not only that, but there are strange people dressed in weird costumes running around the city, like Link and that woman in the blue body suit. Well, they're not my business anyway so I don't care what happens to them.
All that is important is my mission.
And that's what I plan to accomplish tonight.
I'm feeling awfully cold in these hallways, regardless of the torches lining the stone walls. Who put these down here anyway? I have a feeling I'll find all the answers I'm looking for down here. The people who set up these tunnels are probably the ones responsible for what's going on up above. No matter. If there are monsters lurking in the shadows, I can simply blast them with my TMP. This thing sure has saved my ass hundreds of times before. I'm surprised I didn't lose it back on that island. Had it not been for Leon, I probably would be dead by now, but I guess that's okay. He owes me anyways for all the times I've saved him. Now, he claims to be looking for his girlfriend, Claire Redfield. Haven't seen her in a few years. I wonder how he knows she's out here in the city? Maybe there's more to him than it seems.
Wait, someone's coming. Better get low and against the wall. Oh, it's freezing. What's that whispering? It sounds so familiar. Whoever it's coming from is coming right this way.
Oh my God, it can't be!
The Los Illuminados?
They're still alive!
Oh shit, he saw me!
I don't need to cause a commotion with my weapon; I can take out one of these freaks with my bare hands. Take this! Backflip kick! Huff... His head flew clean off and the Plagas is coming out just as I remembered. Better take him out with my TMP. There, didn't need to waste that many shots though. I did not want him getting back up again. But I thought the Los Illuminados blew up on that island? Nope, he's the same as all the others, with those black robes. Hmm...
But why would they do this? Saddler is dead.
And how could they have brought back the T-Virus?
How did they even get their hands on it? I thought Umbrella had it all under captivity?
Something's not right.
They have infested everyone in the city with the virus, but I'm surprised they haven't used the Plagas for anything vile. Better keep moving. The sound of screaming reaches out to me from behind the doors on my side. As much as I'd like to help these people, I can't. My capture could put the whole operation in jeopardy. Not only that but I would have no escape from this city or the mass explosion that's going to take place in 6 hours.
Damn, we're running out of time. The more time I spend down here, the more nervous it makes me. I should have just stayed on the surface. Coming down here with all these robed freaks was suicide. The screams are still ringing in my ear. Sounds like the victims are being tortured. That is not my problem to deal with.
I really should have bought new heels; these ones are really doing damage to my feet. Make a mental note of that when I get out of here.
If the Los Illuminados are behind it all, then why am I still wandering around down here? I accomplished my task, now all I need to do is get out of here. But something draws me. I can't just leave Leon and the others down here by themselves. They may not know about the Los Illuminados yet. Actually, come to think of it, I don't even know what the Los Illuminados are planning with all these infestations. Hmm...
They're probably trying to achieve what their former leader couldn't, which was to overthrow the president of the United States. That wasn't going to work though. Ashley's safe and sound at home, so they must not be aiming for domination of the country. They could be trying to take over the world. Umbrella did claim that the T-Virus could create the ultimate bio-weapon. If they combined it with the Los Plagas…
That's it.
The Los Plagas and T-Virus are two completely different viruses but, if they managed to find a way to fuse them together, the ultimate soldier could be theirs to manipulate and control.
But could they fund the researchers for this?
Do they have scientists working down here?
What if their plan is nothing like this at all?
What if they're just planning revenge against the United Stated by infesting the entire country with zombies?
No, that can't be it. It would not explain the need for the T-Virus. It also doesn't explain why there are so many other monsters wandering on the surface.
Do the Los Illuminados even know that a missile is coming to destroy the city?
They probably don't know, otherwise why would they still continue to go through all this trouble?
So many questions that need to be answered. Ada, what did you get yourself into this time?
Damn that Wesker. He thinks he can just order me around like some dog. When I get out of here, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. I don't care if he bribed me with money. Money doesn't mean anything if I'm dead. I really should have stayed with Leon. I don't have the manpower to take on these guys on my own. How many of them are down here anyway? I'm best to play it safe and hide in the shadows. Won't do me any good if I'm dressed in red. Gotta keep it low and silent. The hallway ends at a door here. It looks like all the others. Nothing special really. I don't hear anything coming from the other side. Maybe it's empty? Only one way to find out.
Man, this doorknob is cold.
The door's heavier than I thought.
I can barely push it open.
There we go.
This room is dark compared to the hallway. Various cells are lined on the sides. Large cells. Prison cells that are meant to hold people. But why would the Los Illuminados want to capture people?
"Hey! You there!" called a voice I never heard before. I turned to the sound. It was a middle aged man with a beard. His clothes were all bloody and torn and his arm barely managed to fit through the tight bars. Of course, he was in one of the near cells. "You must help me! They took my wife! They took her! You must save her before it's too late!"
He was frantic. I was beginning to worry for this civilian.
"Did those men in black do this to you?" I asked, trying to keep him calm.
"Yes! And they took her! They went that way!" he replied as he pointed down to a door at the other end of the room.
"Do you know what they're going to do to her?" I said.
He shook his head violently. Something was very wrong with this man, but I couldn't tell what it was.
"Please!" he cried as he grabbed my arm through the bars and pulled me close to the cell.
I flinched at the touch of his icy hands and I could see that his face was all cut up and torn. I couldn't stand the sight of him.
"Let go!" I yelled as I pulled away from his grip.
He continued to hold his hand out of the cell.
"Please, save her."
I felt where he grabbed me.
It was cold.
Very cold.
How long has this guy been down here?
"I'll...I'll see what I can do," I replied before walking down to the door.
"They'll kill her! Please hurry!" cried the man, but I did not look back at him.
I couldn't. His wife could probably be dead by now for all I know. I need to know the reason why their keeping people down here. As I passed the other cells, more people started coming up to me and tried to grab me through the bars.
"Help me!" an old woman cried.
"They murdered my family!" said another.
"They took my son!"
"They'll kill us!"
"You have to save us!"
I avoided the hands of death as I made my way across the room. It was disturbing to see these decrepit people, people who once had lives, reduced to nothing but bleeding cries of help in this freezer. Suddenly, I heard a scream come from the door in front of me. It was a woman.
"That's my wife!" cried the man from behind.
I immediately burst through the door and ended up back in another hallway. The screaming continued. What were they doing to her? I followed the strained voice through the maze. I felt sweat run down the tip of my nose.
There's nothing that these freaks can do that I can't handle. Surely there isn't. Unless, they learned a few new tricks since last time we met...
I found the door which held the screaming. I wanted to kick it open and burst through guns blazing. But my training did not teach me to merely act on impulse. I grasped the doorknob loosely and slowly, quietly opening the door. Lucky for me it did not creak. The screaming got louder as I poked my head into the room.
"Don't! Stop!" I heard the woman cry.
What were they doing to her? I finally got a clear view of the scene. Up on a platform in the middle of the room, a middle aged woman sat strapped in a metal chair, screaming for her life. Around her, robed men in black were on their knees and chanting something familiar. A lone figure in red stood next to the struggling woman with a vial attached to a needle in his hand. Some kind of purple liquid was inside it. He held it high above his head.
"Brothers!" he called. "Tonight, as the full moon rises overhead, we give birth to a new soldier!"
The chanting of the others continued.
"We now have power that even Lord Saddler could not obtain!"
More chanting.
"Tonight, we shall see the fruits of our struggles, and we shall finally put those Americans where they belong! In Hell!"
The chanting got louder and faster as the man in red approached the screaming woman. I wanted to save her, but there was no way I would be able to take them all on by myself. But this way I'll be able to see what they are trying to achieve.
"May the power of the T-Virus grant you strength! And may the power of the Plagas grant you loyalty!"
The chanting was so loud I could barely hear what he was saying.
"Now...Become...one of us!"
He brought the needle down on the woman's neck. She stopped screaming and her head dropped down. The chanting and the monks stopped and they looked at what they had done. I tried not to breathe, thinking that they would hear the sound the air leaving my lungs. What did they do to her? The man in red injected the virus and stepped away from the girl. He waited patiently on the side, awaiting the results of his ritual.
I flinched when I saw the woman open her eyes quickly. They were a blood red colour, proving that the virus was now inside her.
But what would it do?
Turn her into another mindless zombie?
Or maybe one of those crimson heads I've been hearing about?
My question was soon answered when she started having convulsions in her seat. She tossed and turned but the braces on her wrists and ankles held her down.
That's when I saw it.
Her skin started to peel off as the muscles in her body expanded and grew five times their normal size. Her hair was falling out and she screamed for dear life. God, it must have been painful. I felt the fear run up my spine when I saw her break free of one of her braces. Her arms and legs were now huge and she also seemed to be growing in height.
"Yes! Yes!" said the red man.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This creature before my eyes probably had strength and intelligence to rival that of five tyrants. Its skin was a sickly grey colour as it transformed into a beast. The woman no longer looked like a human at this point. She was a monster. Her clothes were torn off from all the muscle growth and she managed to break free of the seat. She stood 10 feet tall above everyone, no longer screaming, but breathing heavily. Her yellowed teeth could be seen between the peeling skins of her face.
"ORDERS..." it moaned mechanically.
The red man jumped for joy and hopped around on the platform.
"Yes! Yes! We did it! Our mission can finally be completed! After all these years, we finally have the power to overthrow the United States!"
Wait, did he say 'after all these years?'
Does this mean the Los Illuminados were planning this from the very beginning?
That kidnapping the president's daughter and infecting her with the Plagas was just one half of the plan that just so happened to go wrong?
They're original plan was to merge the T-Virus and Los Plagas together to form one ultimate virus?
Ingenious it was. They must have been researching this even before they kidnapped Ashley and brought her to Europe. They had me going all over the map. Clever bastards. The man in red stopped dancing and confronted his new creation.
"No standing orders," he said, "patrol the tunnels to make sure no one else is down here. Report back here in one hour. You're siblings will be waiting for you. Be gone my pet. You have been blessed with the honour of being the first Hybrid Tyrant ever created."
Siblings?
Hybrid Tyrant?
They were going to make more of these things?
Shit! There's no way the U.S. military could stand against these beings. Not if there was an army of them! Jeez, look at the size of it. Oh no! It's coming this way! I pulled my head out and shut the door as quickly and quietly as I could. I sighed in relief, but realized that the creature was still coming towards the door. I felt sorry for the husband of that woman. He'll never believe what I'm about to tell him.
I turned around to make my way back to the prison room but couldn't move as I felt someone's cold white hands around my neck.