20. REGROUP

'Damn it… What happened?' Krauser asked.

'She's awake. We need to move out ASAP'

'No way! What are we going to do now?' Connor asked.

'I… don't know. Things didn't go according to plan. We'll have to think of something as we go' Wesker said.

'I'm… sorry' the young soldier looked down. 'If it wasn't for me you would've been on time'

'It's not your fault, dude!' Matthew pat his friend on the back.

'If you feel so guilty about it, then make up for it by thinking of something we can do to fix this!' Krauser adjusted his hat.

'Alright, let's see… First, we need to regroup with the doctors. Alexia's going to go for them first, right? We need to be there to protect them'

'Exactly my thoughts' Wesker nodded. 'Let's just hope they haven't scattered around like I suspect'

The four soldiers quickly ran back, making their way to the lobby without too much effort.

'Alright, everyone, things changed!' Matthew yelled. 'Things took a turn for the worse. For the far, far worse…'

'Why?' Naomi asked. 'What's going on?'

'Well…' Connor stepped forward. 'Remember what I told you earlier? About Alexia Ashford?'

'Yeah, what about it?' Claire asked.

'Well… Fifteen years ago, after doing experiments with the T-Veronica virus, she found out that, just like the T-Virus, directly injecting it is… bad. Very, very bad. The T-Veronica virus is much faster than the ordinary T-Virus, so upon injection, the overdose would completely destroy the body in… about fifteen minutes'

'Oh my…' Tomoe jumped. 'It took days for the T-Virus to do the same thing! What kind of infection is this?'

'A very nasty one. BUT! Being the genius that she is, Alexia calculated that if the body somehow didn't die for a long time, the virus would turn from parasitic to symbiotic in nature, and the infected's abilities will be GREATLY increased'

'Meaning what, exactly?' Derek asked.

'Meaning that if the infected somehow spent 15 years without dying, they'd turn into a demigod'

'Oh… Wait a second!' Angie started to shake. 'She… She spent 15 years in cryogenic sleep!'

'Yeah…' Wesker looked at the door. 'And she just woke up'

'Damn it!' Claire reached for her weapon.

'Bullets won't do much damage. She can regenerate extremely quickly. Enhanced speed, durability and perception. Probably more' Wesker noted.

'Wait, Mr. Wesker… How do you know all this? You can't possibly have predicted all this biological data just like that!'

Wesker turned to Krauser.

The soldier nodded.

'Dr. Tachibana… The truth about me is that I co-exist with the T-Virus inside me'

'WHAT?' Dr. Sartre jumped. 'That's impossible! We destroyed all of it!'

'A significant part – maybe, but not all. Once infected, you can never be cured. All the survivors from the outbreak… They all live with the virus still imprinted in their genetic cells'

'Wait, does this mean there's a chance of another epidemic?' Angie asked.

'I highly doubt that. The virus' relationship with the host is symbiotic, or even if it's not, the remains of the virus are far too weak to do any damage at all'

'But then, if infection with the T-Virus gives you all of these upgrades, why isn't every survivor Superman? Why aren't there any changes in their physical condition?'

'Because, as I said, the amount of T-Virus in their cells is way too small. Originally, they were all infected by just a small drop of the virus. I took an entire, concentrated syringe'

'And now you have… superpowers?' Dr. Stiles scratched his head.

'I wouldn't put it exactly like that, but…'

*SLAM*

'What the…'

'She's coming!' Gabe said, shaking. 'She… She took Steve, and… And Maria ran after them and… WHAT THE HELL IS SHE?'

'Dr. Cunningham…' Tomoe went to him.

'I've never seen anything like this! She's not human! I could barely make it here! She's not human!'

Suddenly, the entire trauma team realized the weight of the situation.

If by far the coolest of them was shocked so much, then things had gotten really, really bad.

Soon, from the same door came out a young, blond woman dressed in a beautiful dress.

She looked at the crowd and laughed.

'Alexia… Ashford…' Connor could only utter.

Wesker and his soldiers immediately drew their guns.

'What now?' Angie asked.

'Well…' Gabriel, a little calmer, took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. 'This is the part where she kills us'

'Hello!' Alexia greeted them. 'This is the part where I kill you!'