Resident Evil: Tangled Web

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Warning: This chapter is rated T+ for some mature content. Read at your own discretion.

Author's Note: Chapter has been re-uploaded with two additional scenes. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Day One-Hundred Sixty-Seven – May 21, 2007

Given that the serum needed to be injected every six hours, it was a wonder that Elliott got any sleep. He set an alarm clock to wake him just in case, but his anxiety made it unnecessary. He was fairly certain he got in three to four hours of rest regardless.

Though he tried not to wake Claire when he wandered out into the kitchen area around 5:45 am, he was surprised when she followed him. "Sorry," he said impulsively. "I was trying to be quiet."

She hugged herself. "You were. I just couldn't sleep."

He never would have guessed, since she'd been lying on her side facing away from him and was so silent. "You couldn't get your brain to shut up either?"

"That's an interesting way of putting it," she said. "But accurate… I can't stop thinking about what awaits us when we leave here."

"Something positive, I hope."

"That'd be just about any scenario that has you alive and with me." She sighed. "What kept you up?"

He grabbed the serum case off the counter and sat at the table. "I couldn't stop thinking about who would have infected me and why. Didn't come up with anything that makes sense… I'm tempted to ask to look at the surveillance feed myself."

"You know Wesker's never going to agree to that."

Elliott scoffed. "Things are different now. If anything good came from this mess, it's that he owes us… I know you want to get out of here more than ever, but until then, maybe the arrangement can be made more favorable for us."

"I suppose it's worth a shot."

"Then it's settled. Did you want to track him down later on?"

"Don't think that will be necessary. He'll be coming to us."

He hesitated and shot her a puzzled look. It took a few seconds for him to work out what she meant. "Right, he's bringing a bigger supply of serum for me. What time do you think he'll…"

Before Elliott could finish the thought, he and Claire could hear the loud buzz of their alarm clock. He cleared his throat and looked down at the case as he opened it and withdrew one of the syringes. "Time for another dose," he said offhandedly with a sigh. "God, I hate needles."

She stepped forward and her hand closed over his. "Let me."

He nodded silently and relinquished the syringe. He watched her check for air bubbles and tie an elastic band around his arm. He appreciated that it didn't hurt a bit when the needle slid into the crook of his elbow. The intent, focused look on her face as she administered the serum made him chuckle.

She looked at him with a start and asked, "What's funny?"

"Just thinking the same thing I have for a while. You're sexy when you're serious, Redfield." He paused and leaned forward to cup one hand behind her head. "When's the last time I told you how beautiful you are?"

She giggled. "Pretty sure that was the other night… It would be nice to go back to that moment. We were so happy."

"We still can be, Claire. And maybe what happened is a blessing in disguise… That's another thing I couldn't stop thinking about. We were getting too complacent here. Losing sight of just how bad Wesker and his cohorts are. I don't know, maybe that's what he wanted. To win us over so we'd think about staying."

"I don't know what scares me more – that you may be right or that I could have bought into it." She covered her eyes with her hands. "He's done plenty in the past to hurt me. How could I have forgotten that?"

"You made a mistake. We both did." He paused. "For what it's worth, anyone would be tempted with a promise of the thing they want most. What matters now is that we don't fall into that trap again."

She was silent for a couple seconds, though she was looking at him with an odd light in her eyes. Before he could question what she was thinking, the main door to their apartment clicked open.

Though Claire had predicted Wesker's arrival, she scowled when she saw him step through the doorway with a metal case in hand. He glanced at both of them, but didn't say a word as he stepped over to the kitchen counter and set the case down.

Wesker was nearly back to the door when Claire blurted out, "Really? You have nothing to say?"

Elliott sighed and thought, Nice going, Redfield. Way to let him bait you.

Wesker stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn. "Do you feel there are any words that would make up for what happened yesterday, dearheart?"

Her face turned red and she took a step toward their captor. Elliott tried to stop her, but she shrugged him off. "You promised not to call me that anymore!"

Wesker turned his head in their direction, a smirk on his face. "A promise connected to a deal that's been shattered. But easy enough to make it part of a new bargain when you're ready to discuss such matters."

"Go to hell!"

Elliott put a hand to her shoulder. "That's enough, Claire. Stop," he pleaded.

"Best to listen to Mr. Gregory. Come see me when you're feeling calmer and more level-headed, dearheart." He paused. "And just be glad I'm letting you keep the remote that allows you to move about freely through the facility."

Elliott shook his head and thought, Yes, what a humanitarian you are. If you really wanted to do right by us, it should go without saying that you should leave all the original terms on the table.

Once Wesker had left them, Elliott turned to Claire and placed his hand against her face. "Are you okay?"

She gave an unconvincing nod, only to shake her head after a few seconds. "I want to go home," she said quietly.

He sighed deeply, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close. "I know. Me too."

"I don't want to spend another six months here, Elliott! I can't! Not after what happened."

"I know it may not seem that way now, but you will," he said as rubbed her back. "We both will… It will take time, but the pain over this incident will lessen. Of that, you can be sure. And maybe it will help if I tell you something I wanted so badly to say yesterday."

She pulled back and her eyes locked with his. "I appreciate the effort, but I don't think…"

He blurted it out in a raised tone before he lost his nerve. "I love you."


"Well, isn't that sweet," Jessica mocked as she viewed Claire and Elliott's conversation on the monitor. "Guess we can officially call them lovebirds." She paused to see if Raymond would respond, but he didn't even look at her. The scowl on his face couldn't be a good sign. She was a bit hesitant when she asked, "Care to make a wager on how long it takes them to have sex?"

His frown deepened. "Care to make a wager on how long you can shut up?"

She flinched and was quiet for several seconds. "It wasn't my fault what happened to him."

"Hardly absolves you for what you did do… Did you think you'd be able to harass the two of them indefinitely without consequence?" He shook his head in disgust. "I hope it was worth it, Jess."

She turned away and blinked back tears. Not at the cost of the friendship we had, she thought. She wanted very much to get up and flee the room, but there was no telling how any of her associates would respond to that. I hope Elliott has it right about time lessening the hurt. I would give anything to have your forgiveness, Ray.


Though she'd voiced her love for Elliott while he'd been unconscious, hearing the same three words from him didn't exactly fill her with joy. She stepped back with a start, and her thoughts flashed to another infected young man who'd uttered the same sentiment just before he'd died.

Elliott moved toward her with a concerned look after a couple seconds. "Claire?" he asked as he reached for her.

"Don't!" she said, backing away from him. She half turned away, rubbed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "It's too much."

She heard a note of uncertainty in his voice when he said, "I picked the worst moment, didn't I?" When she didn't answer right away, he added, "God, I'm an idiot."

Claire looked at him in shock. She hadn't expected for him to demean himself. "Elliott, no, that's not it! I…" She paused, and her expression softened when she took another breath. "I love you too," she blurted out before she lost her nerve.

The puzzled look that rose to his eyes pulled at her heartstrings. Before he could say anything, she added, "That doesn't mean I'm not scared… I feel like this is Rockfort Island revisited. Or that it will be."

He was silent for half a minute, then moved toward her. When he was close enough, he grasped her hand and placed it firmly on the center of his chest. She gulped at the feel of his heart beating strongly beneath her fingers.

There was a faint smile on his face when he said softly, "There's nothing to be afraid of, Redfield. This won't turn out the same… I won't leave you if I can help it."

"I wish I could be sure of that. Wesker's not someone I can fight. Not then and not now. And after yesterday…" She wiped a tear from her eye. "I didn't want this fate for you. Maybe it would have been better for both of us if we'd never met."

Elliott blinked. "I don't believe that. Neither should you!" He took half a step closer and put a hand to her face. "The virus is just one more thing to which I'll adapt. Good or bad, I wouldn't trade a single moment we've spent together… Or any of the ones to come."

Claire gnawed at her lower lip. "Does that mean you see a way in which this ends well?"

"It means I have hope there is one." He paused and leaned close to whisper in her ear. "But it may be a while before we get to that point… Even if RogueChild helps us get out, he or she said they won't come through for us at least until the end of the year. Can you hold on for that long?"

She took a deep breath. "I can try."

He chuckled and said, "That's my girl… I love you."

She smiled faintly and moved in to embrace him. She closed her eyes and for a long moment, she focused on his warmth, the woodsy smell of his cologne, and the way he gently rubbed her back.

She raised a hand to caress the back of his neck. Her eyes lifted, and she saw in his gaze a desire that matched her own. Though she felt equal parts afraid and ready to take the next step in their relationship, the fear fell aside when his lips touched hers.


It was hard to tell with the shades he consistently wore and his blank expressions, but Excella was almost sure she saw Albert grimace when he saw her waiting for him outside his office. He stopped for a second or two, then addressed her in the same formal tone as yesterday. "Miss Gionne."

She turned in his direction and crossed her arms. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't show. I trust you're ready to update me on how things are going with our guests."

He smirked. "As well as can be expected. Though I imagine it will take time for them to come around."

A thin smile rose to her lips. "And if they don't?"

He paused. "It is prudent to have patience, Miss Gionne… Her brother still has no clue of where she is, and she and her friend will not be leaving here unless I allow it. We don't have to worry about losing her anytime soon."

Excella was bothered by how cavalier he was. "Barring any further sabotage… Whoever poisoned Mr. Gregory might not stop there. Have you considered that, Albert?"

"That is exactly why Miss Sherawat will be closely monitored and why Dr. Yamata and myself will carefully watch for anything suspicious. The lack of further incidents will go a long way when it comes to regaining Miss Redfield's trust."

She hesitated and wrestled with herself on whether to tackle a potentially dangerous topic. She gnawed at the corner of her lip and said, "I have to wonder if your desire for her loyalty is because you're enamored with her."

His gaze hardened. "I make no such claim," he said, an edge to his tone that made her shiver. "Miss Redfield is a means to an end, nothing more."

"I should hope so." Excella paused and took a step closer. "She's not like you and I, Albert. Far too self-righteous. Even if you did care to pursue her, she will never trust you enough to return the sentiment… Not like I would," she said with a coy smile.

The only reaction that got from him was a raised eyebrow. He was silent for half a minute, then said flatly, "I never would have guessed you were interested in anything other than a professional partnership."

She blinked. Does he seriously not think the fact he's built like a Greek God would attract most women? She twisted a strand of hair around her finger and said, "Why else do you imagine I would have resorted to abducting someone for you?"

He shifted his weight and casually crossed his arms. "My apologies if it seemed I was unappreciative. I couldn't have asked for anyone more devoted."

She wasn't sure if that meant he was interested in her, but she didn't dare ask about it. He was so frosty on a regular basis that she was challenged to interpret what he was thinking or feeling in any given moment. She could only hope that he would be receptive to the idea now that it was out there.

Before Excella could think of something clever to say to break the silence, she heard someone loudly clear their throat behind her. She jumped and turned to see Dr. Yamata. Good Lord, the woman moves quietly enough to double as a ninja, Excella thought.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," Dr. Yamata said.

"Not at all," he answered. "We can discuss this further at a later time, Miss Gionne."

Excella sighed and stepped to the side to allow them entry into the office. That didn't stop her from casting an appreciative glance at Albert's muscular frame when he turned his back to her. It would be quite a treat if Albert excels as much between the sheets as he does at everything else, she mused.


As she settled into her seat and accepted the glass of water her colleague offered her, Dr. Yamata said, "I don't know how you do it."

Wesker threw her a questioning glance as he settled into his own chair and folded his hands on the desktop.

"Walk such a fine line," she said in answer to the unspoken inquiry. "I wonder how Miss Gionne would react if she knew the extent to which you're double-crossing her."

"Far worse than Miss Redfield would if she knew the full truth, I imagine. But that's hardly what we're here to discuss." He paused. "It concerns me that all our work from the past six months could be undone by yesterday's development."

Dr. Yamata took a sip of water. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that won't happen. We've come too far to have it all fall apart now." She set her glass down and hesitated. "I don't think I've said how honored I am that you chose me for such a momentous undertaking."

"I appreciate your dedication and discretion. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have aid me in obtaining such a game-changer."

"Maybe I shouldn't be the only one actively contributing… Miss Redfield might be more willing to help if she knows exactly what we're trying to achieve."

He bristled. "I can't be sure of how she'll react. My observations of her behavior since she got here haven't made that clear. And there is also the risk that Excella would get suspicious if Miss Redfield gets more agreeable all of a sudden… Until we're closer to our goal, I cannot take the chance of telling her."

Dr. Yamata took a big swig from her glass and gulped it down. "Understood," she said. I just hope this decision doesn't backfire on us, she thought.


Of all the things Elliott was thankful for as he and Claire cuddled together on the bathroom floor, it was that the rug on which they were positioned was quite large and plush. He planted a kiss on her bare shoulder and asked, "How do you feel?"

She giggled. "Like I want to go further than second base. And glad you're not the type of guy who likes to kiss and tell."

"Yeah, because Wesker and Raymond make such wonderful pals to chat up at the water cooler," he said dryly.

She rested her hand on his chest, paused, and nibbled at her lower lip. "Anything else you're game for?"

His breath caught in his throat at the loaded question. He was very tempted to answer it in one of several ways, and it took everything he had to stay grounded. He gently shrugged her off and sat up, then looked at her over his shoulder when she started running her hand up and down his back. "You have no idea, Claire," he said with a heavy sigh.

She frowned at the seriousness in his tone. "Elliott, please don't pull away from me. Not now." She paused. "I want to be with you."

"Mutual. But not like this… Once we open that door, it's going to be near impossible to close."

"I don't care!"

"You will when you're feeling less vulnerable. And I don't want you to have any regrets." He eased her into a seated position and put a hand against her face as her gaze locked with his. "One mistake I made with my ex was rushing into things I wasn't ready for. I don't want to do that with you... Our first time should be reserved for when it's right. Not while we're incarcerated… And just think, it will give us both something to hold onto through whatever dark patches come."

She stared at him in awe. "How'd I get so lucky to find someone like you?"

He grinned. "I'm the one who's lucky… I'm glad things turned out as they did. If I hadn't been with you for Jessica and Raymond's ambush, I would have missed out on being with the most amazing girl I've ever known. And I would have been the lesser man for it."

"Count on you to see a silver lining to a bad situation," she said with a chuckle. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "You better be worth the wait, pal," she teased.

Elliott laughed. "Right back at ya, Redfield…"


Day One Hundred Eighty-Eight – June 11th, 2007

It was nothing short of a miracle that Wesker left them alone for nearly three weeks. As much as Claire and Elliott liked the peace and quiet they were given, they knew it wouldn't last. It still irked them when Wesker and Dr. Yamata barged in just as they cleaned up from the lunch they shared.

Though she'd vowed to try and stay cool around him, there was something about Wesker that always seemed to bring out the worst in Claire. "Thank you for letting us know you were dropping by," she said sarcastically.

"If I hadn't suspected you'd initiate a game of hide and seek, I would have done just that, dearheart," he replied. "And I'm in no mood to hunt you down just to obtain a blood sample."

"And if I refuse?"

"Careful, dear," Dr. Yamata said. "You don't want to force our hand."

Claire sighed and exchanged a look with Elliott before nodding in consent. She remained quiet while her blood was drawn, then said to Wesker, "I imagine you're here for more than to use me as a blood bank."

Wesker silently went to the kitchen island and leaned against it. "I do feel it's time we work out a new arrangement," he said as Dr. Yamata packed up and exited the apartment. "In light of what's happened, I will be more lenient on granting either of you what you desire as long as it doesn't involve a free pass to go home."

She scoffed. "You are unbelievable. If you really wanted to make this right, you wouldn't deny us the option to leave."

"To be fair, I haven't yet gotten what I want either, dearheart. For that, I need you. And let's not forget that you'd likely run straight to your brother and tell him exactly where to find me… Otherwise, I'd be more than willing to meet your demands." He paused. "Aside from the obvious, what would make you happiest?"

Claire sighed. Wesker can't suspect that we're plotting to escape. Just play along like you discussed with Elliott a few days ago, she told herself. She had to think long and hard on the subject before tentatively saying, "Can I ask for more than one thing?"

Wesker casually crossed his arms. "It depends on what you have in mind."

She gnawed at her lower lip. "Okay, for starters… I want to hear how my brother's doing."

He grimaced for a second. "Fair enough. It is perhaps a good thing I've had Excella keeping tabs on him… Chris is as well as can be expected. Was suspended for a time for insubordination, but that has long since worked itself out. Just recently, he stopped paying rent on your previous apartment and moved your belongings into storage. I imagine he misses you very much, but is trying to move on."

She looked down and fought to hold back tears. When Elliott's hand settled on her shoulder, she was comforted enough to speak. "I should have expected as much."

Elliott spoke when she remained silent. "What about my sister, Katherine? Do you know anything about how she's doing? Or… Her baby?"

Wesker nodded. "Your sister gave birth late in February, Mr. Gregory," he said flatly. "A girl. Named Ella Claire, as I understand it. Both mother and daughter are in perfect health." He looked at Claire. "Curious that your disappearance had an impact on someone you've never even met, dearheart."

"How delightful," she said scornfully. She quickly looked at Elliott. "No offense."

"None taken," Elliott said. To Wesker, he added, "Thanks for giving us a bit of an update."

"You're quite welcome… Now what else would you like, Miss Redfield?"

She hesitated. "How about an answer to something that's been bugging me a while? Our first week here… You invited me to your quarters for a private conversation and left me alone for some time in the middle of it…"

She hesitated again and remained silent for so long that Wesker prompted her. "I can't very well be direct without a question to answer, dearheart," he said with a smirk.

Claire fought to hold her temper in check. "When you came back, I could have sworn I smelled blood," she said as smoothly as she could. "I want to know why."

Wesker shifted his weight, a slight scowl on his lips. She feared he wouldn't answer until he relaxed his stance and said, "That harkens back to an incident that occurred a month before your arrival… I had another scientist under my employ, a geneticist named Dr. Isaacs. He would have been beneficial to have around, had he not been a careless fool." Wesker paused and adjusted his shades. "I tell you this only in the interest of full disclosure. An oversight on his part resulted in his death and in over a dozen specimens we'd been working with to escape confinement. I'd been keeping watch for the creatures on the security cameras and was systemically eliminating them."

Her eyes widened and she coughed. "You have monsters running loose in this facility, and you didn't tell us!"

"Not anymore… The last of them was sighted two months ago and disposed of. There's been no activity since… In either case, they were roaming in a separate area of the facility, and it's very unlikely you would have crossed paths with one of them, dearheart."

"That hardly makes it better!" Elliott said. He rubbed his face, then added, "What kind of creatures are we talking about?"

Wesker hesitated. "Genetically enhanced Lickers. I'd been working to develop a variant of the creature that can be controlled. That's all you need to know."

Claire shook her head in disgust. "You son of a bitch."

"That's uncalled for, dearheart," he replied, a flash of red light visible behind his sunglasses. "You had to know or at least suspect that I had more than one project I was working on… Allow me to address the terms of our original agreement. I imagine you still desire to be returned to normal, Miss Redfield."

"No," she snapped. "All I care about is getting all this over with and leaving. The sooner, the better."

Elliott took half a step forward and cleared his throat. "You might not want that anymore, Claire, but I do." He looked at Wesker. "You said you've studied the T-Virus for twenty years. You must know a way to cure it." Without waiting for an answer, he said, "Before you say it would take time to meet that demand, I'm giving you a deadline. If you can't come up with anything before the G-Virus vaccine is manufactured, I'll accept that this is my fate."

"Such a thing is not outside the realm of possibility. I shall see what I can do in the time allotted… That just leaves the matter of Mr. Burnside. Would you still be interested in seeing him, dearheart?"

Claire's breath caught in her throat, and she looked at Elliott. Thinking about it made her sad. How can I face someone who's in love with me and tell him my heart belongs to someone else? If Steve has been here for almost a decade and is hoping for a happy ending with me, hearing that I moved on would crush him… I wonder if he even knows I'm here.

She wasn't aware that she'd been silent for a while until Wesker loudly cleared his throat. With a sigh, she shook her head. "No," she said quietly. "It would be better if I don't."

Wesker raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you would change your mind on everything you initially desired."

"I have my reasons. None of which are your business." She paused. "That leaves us with your condition that we're not allowed to ask about any touchy subjects for you. Has that changed?"

"No."

"Of course not. Can't have the great Albert Wesker sharing anything that really matters," she said derisively.

"Not seeing how any of my personal matters are your business, dearheart."

Elliott abruptly stepped between her and Wesker before she could say anything. "That's enough," he said. "This meeting should only be about the terms of our agreement, nothing more. Fighting won't get us anywhere." He sighed and looked at Wesker. "I haven't decided where I stand on your offer to help my younger sister. Can I get back to you on that?"

"Of course… Unless there's anything further, I would imagine we have ourselves a deal." He extended his hand. "Shall we shake on it?"

It took her everything she had not to explode. After several seconds of staring at his gloved hand, she forced herself to step forward and give it a brisk shake. As she moved back, she thought bitterly, Whether Elliott and I escape or you let us go, I can't wait to get away from you.


Day One-Hundred Ninety-Four – June 17th, 2007

Though Claire and Elliott kept close watch for a transmission from RogueChild, their mysterious benefactor kept them waiting longer than they preferred. When she stumbled, groggy and blurry-eyed, into the bathroom around 2am, Claire almost didn't see the neon blue light behind the vent grate before she pulled her pants down.

She partially crossed her legs in irritation and wondered how long she could hold it. "About time you got back to us," she said.

Wasn't sure I'd get a warm reception. In our last conversation, you didn't exactly want my help… Has something changed?

"It has. And your next words better not be 'I told you so.'"

I would never go there, Miss Redfield. May I ask what happened?

She hesitated, reluctant to share the news with someone whose identity she didn't even know. "That doesn't matter. All you need to know is we're ready to take you up on your offer… And I was hoping you might share exactly what the plan is."

Been working to hack into the security system of Wesker's facility. Is taking time to ensure that my exploits aren't detected. Will disable the power and try to provide some provisions to aid in your escape when the time is right. Will be up to you and your friend from there.

Claire felt a surge of anger. "Really? That's seriously the best you can do?" she said heatedly.

My options are limited. Be glad I'm able to do that much.

She rubbed her eyes. "We won't be able to evade Wesker even with a power outage."

You will if he's away from the facility when this goes down.

"Not good enough. You could at least contact my brother so that Elliott and I have more of a fighting chance of getting away from here."

That is unfortunately beyond my capabilities.

She couldn't help but be curious. "Why is that? Unless… Are you a prisoner here too?"

Please don't ask. The less you know about me, the better.

"Enough with the subterfuge! You have to give me something!" There was no message forthcoming for several seconds, which prompted her to ask, "Are you still there?"

Someone's coming. Have t go. Try contac yu nxt wek.

When she saw the light behind the grate blink off, she sighed deeply. For the first time, she suspected she might know who their mysterious benefactor was. She went over RogueChild's words before she questioningly voiced a single name to the empty room.

"Steve?"