"So was your father an insane maniac that wanted you dead?" Victor asked Mia one morning while working in the lab.
She turned to him, staring hard at him. Where did that come from?
"No, he wasn't. He was a great father," she replied. "Why?"
"Marie's was. I just thought maybe your father was too. He's dead though, so it's not like he could still be working on Rinken if he were insane."
"Yeah..." she said lowly.
"Ugh, another message. Get that, would you?" Victor asked in annoyance. Mia stood up and walked over to the phone, pressing the "Play Message" button.
"Dreil Brinkman here. So, you're the smart ass that found the cure eh? You must be pretty damn intelligent if you were able to decipher Smith's virus. Humans aren't normally so smart. Well, seeing as you have almost succeeded in curing the world, I have no choice but to quickly fix that. If you think you're man enough, stop by the lab and check out what I'm up to," the message cut off there.
"Uh great! Another damn idiot!" exclaimed Victor. He shoved Mia aside, tracing the call. Because the message had been over a minute, he was able to pinpoint the location of the caller. "That abandon laboratory on the outskirts of LA? Must be located there to avoid publicity."
"This Dreil guy is creating it too, then..." Mia mumbled.
"No, really? I hadn't guessed."
"Victor, be serious this is a dangerous matter. I have a hunch he's going to start mixing the strains together. He's desperate, he's working alone now. If we stop him before the virus can be spread, problem solved," she stated.
"Yeah, it's worth a shot. Though, the last time we were invited to a laboratory things didn't turn out so great..." he groaned.
"Nothing is going to happen..." she promised, hugging him. He immediately pulled away.
"Victor, please..." she pled.
"Just don't, I don't like to be touched," he growled. "And we're not going anywhere; we're letting the cops handle this."
"No, if we don't do it, it'll never get done. We're going to defeat Rinken, but we can't do it alone. We need to work together."
"Tch, that won't do us any good," he snorted.
"Victor, what would Marie think?!"
Victor fell silent, turning away from her.
"We'll never get this done and over with unless you open up! I've pried for months, but the door just doesn't open! You need to help me! Help me help you!" she screamed.
"I already told you--..."
"You do need help! I hate to see you suffer like this, you're my friend and I want to help you! Rinken will never die unless you let go of these painful emotions and let me in!"
He shook his head and returned to his work.
"Listen to me!" she exclaimed, grabbing him by the collar. "Look at me. The reason Marie haunts you every night is because she's trying to tell you something! I think she's telling you that she's intrusting the job of destroying Rinken to you! It isn't a coincidence we met, Victor... We were meant to destroy the virus, together."
There was no response.
"Let me help you..." she whispered, her blue eyes softening.
Victor finally broke down, spilling his emotions to Mia. He let go of all the bottled up memories, sharing them with her. He sobbed, laughed, mourned, and sighed all throughout their 45 minute heart-to-heart talk.
He explained everything to her, all about the good times he shared with Marie. He expressed his emotions to her as he had to Marie.
They talked of the nightmares, of Rinken, of Jonas, and of the fateful night Marie was murdered. By the end of the seemingly endless discussion, Victor found that he felt better.
"Now, isn't that better?" Mia asked with a smile.
"I guess," Victor said, shoulders relaxed rather than tensed, like they normally were.
"She sounds like a great person," Mia said.
"Yes... she was the best," he replied.
"I'm here for you. We'll defeat Rinken together. That's a promise. We'll do it for Marie!" she declared.
A grin spread across his face. "Yeah. For Marie."
OooooooO
"You're awfully tense," Cybil remarked.
"History's repeating itself, Myers, I swear it is... I have a bad feeling about this," Victor replied.
"Don't worry; we're prepared this time. This Dreil guy sounds like an amateur anyway," she said.
"You don't have to be an amateur to kill someone..." he mumbled.
"Relax, Niguel, everything will be fine," Sidney reassured, patting him on the back. "We're all out here, ready to back you up."
Mia took a deep breath. "Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be I suppose..." he grumbled, setting foot inside the laboratory that supposedly served as a Rinken development plant.
They walked around inside, making mental observations. It appeared to be an old, abandon laboratory and nothing more.
"It's as quiet as death in here," Victor remarked.
"Quit with your death references, will you? It's making me uneasy," Mia growled.
"I'm a researcher, damnit, not a spy!" he complained.
"Shh..." she hushed him. She rushed over to the wall of the hallway and pressed her ear against it.
"Dreil's talking to himself..." she reported. "Listen."
Victor sighed and pressed his ear against the wall, barely making out Dreil's words.
"Yes, yes, grow my pretty... You will be such a good, good virus... Yes, you will..." Dreil murmured to himself. Or, to the virus. Either way, it was disturbing.
"Freak," hissed Victor.
Mia pressed herself against the wall and slid down it, peering over the corner. She waved Victor over.
"Ah, so this door leads into his little lab," he said.
"Exactly," she agreed. "Now, be very, VERY quiet."
She slithered over to the door, jiggling the doorknob quietly. It was unlocked. Inaudibly, again, she turned the doorknob and peered inside, setting her eyes upon the back of Dreil.
Dreil had brown ears and brown hair. His frame was similar to Victor's, his build almost identical. He was awfully scrawny, but a fair height. Mia observed him for several minutes, but gave away her position after sneezing.
"Mia, you idiot!" roared Victor.
Dreil shot out of his chair, stumbling backwards and nearly knocking over all his beakers and vials. He had wide, wild eyes. They were very alert and focused, appearing to be hazel under his dirty glasses.
"Aha...ahaha... You imbeciles! You actually came! You fools, ahaha! This is too grand!" he howled. Mia and Victor traded glances. They concurred this guy had lost his marbles.
"Well, now, you deserve a prize for getting this far..." Dreil said, still chuckling. He reached in his pockets and pulled out a syringe and scalpel. "Who wants what?"
