With the end so close there's no turning back, as you know by now reviews, comments and questions are always welcome
Chapter Twenty Eight
The line of heavily armoured trucks became a tiny line in the distance as Alyssa rode away on the blue Fireblade motorbike she'd 'borrowed' from one of the passengers. She still felt guilty about having to trick Alvin into loaning her the bike for the journey. Thanks to her abilities all it took were a few simple words to command involuntary actions, a few mind blanks here and there and voila, temporary mode of transport. Alyssa rarely used such hidden abilities for they bordered close to what Alice did to her victims but when such a situation called for it Alyssa didn't really have much of a choice, as it was she only briefly told Jill and Carlos where she was going before riding away. Glancing up at the blue cloudless sky Alyssa knew that somewhere orbiting in space was the satellite that was busy tracking her. She knew that Griffin would be constantly watching her being the sick twisted person he was. It was Griffin who had been the main reason for her most recent trip to the Glasshouse Mountains. Sicko is trying to make me into Alice Alyssa thought in disgust but he can't control me and that's why I have a computer chip jammed in my brain!
As Alyssa journeyed deeper into the barren wasteland her thoughts began to drift back to the convoy and her friends. She knew they would be fine for a day; it wasn't like her trip away was permanent. The thought had crossed her mind to just disappear into the desert and become a wanderer. Jill however had convinced Alyssa to stay; regardless of what she was turning into she was needed in the fight against Umbrella.
One of the main reasons behind leaving the convoy temporarily was because of her abilities and involuntary movements. Out in the scorching sands of the outback Alyssa wouldn't be a threat to anyone. She could also let off some steam through her 'powers', which wouldn't result in injury. I probably won't have an episode now that there's no one around Alyssa thought bitterly.
Her episodes had almost proved costly when she almost strangled a young man to death. Although the man had only been a sexual predator when trying to get Alyssa in the back of the armoured bus for 'a good time' he was still a living human being who's death could have been on her hands. It had happened a few more times and whenever it did Alyssa had a bout of actions no longer under her control. Such urges were becoming harder to ignore, which involved thoughts about killing innocent bystanders who through her eyes had been marked as enemies, hence the trip across the sandy desert. She needed to be somewhere away from people and potential victims so that she could attempt to bring the implant's commands under control and at the same time avoid being tempted to do the opposite by a dangerous rival.
The desert wasteland contained nothing out of the ordinary save for a rusted heap that had been a school bus in another life and a few scraggly bushes that poked up from the red sand. It was no surprise that a large broad roofed structure easily stood out in the sunbaked landscape. Seeing the building Alyssa smiled, it appeared abandoned and also the perfect place away from the tracking gaze of the satellite. As she drew closer Alyssa realized the building was an old petrol station complete with bowsers. Pulling into the shaded undercover area she parked the Fireblade beside the small store part of the station and slowly began to explore her surroundings.
The desert had already claimed the black bitumen road leading out of the station, a thin carpeting of sand extended outwards near the rusting bowers. The reason for the derelict station was simple; there was a small A4 size of paper stuck to the window of the store. In big red letters it red: NO PETROL!! GO AWAY!!
Peering through the sand blasted windows Alyssa only saw an empty area and a dusty counter. The station had been abandoned for a long time, it was only a forsaken structure that might be chanced upon by other travellers but it would never be intentionally visited ever again.
The loud cry of a bird caused Alyssa to turn sharply towards the noise. Perched on one of the bowsers cleaning its slick black feathers was a single large crow. She could sense that the crow had been infected with the T-virus hence it's size and red rimed eyes. Alyssa could even pick up the faint sound of the bird's tiny heartbeat. The crow only stared back at Alyssa, eyeing her with a higher intelligence. She knew it wouldn't attack her as she was virus carrier too and judging by the tiny strips of bloodied flesh that covered it's large talons meant the bird had fed recently. Despite the fact that the bird was in no mood to seek out it's next easy meal Alyssa still didn't feel right about having the virus crow watching her, she wanted to be left in peace.
Flicking her right hand downward Alyssa clenched it and concentrated. She suddenly raised her hand and pointing at the bowsers fired a small spark towards it. The tiny blue spark hit the metal sign that the bird was sitting on causing it to fly away scattering black features while cawing loudly. Lowering her arm Alyssa watched as the blue flames on the tips of her fingers slowly disappeared. Sighing she turned and stared out across the desert, a feeling of loneliness and sadness engulfed her when seeing the barren landscape. It's like I'm the only one left alive she thought.
A strange sensation suddenly came over Alyssa, it was a cold and painful one that started as a headache and became much worse as time went on. She knew very well what that feeling was; they were looking through her eyes again, no doubt to get an idea of where she had disappeared. Alyssa screamed in pain and fell to the ground holding her head, ignoring the fact that she was taking large breath fulls of sand as well. What made it more disturbing was the fact that the blue tinged vision had yet to make an appearance, only the icy cold numbness, which would signal the onset of another 'sight hack' She didn't notice a shadowy figure slowly striding towards her until it was too late.
The painful headaches ceased and a high pitch ringing began. The figure had now crouched down in front of Alyssa as her vision gradually returned to her. The smug face of Alice was no comfort to Alyssa and she instinctively pushed away from her rival.
Seeing this Alice only grinned, "Nice to see you again Alyssa, did you enjoy the show before?"
"What are you doing here?" Alyssa asked coldly. "Did you follow me?"
Alice stood up and shrugged, "You wanted me to come, haven't I said it so many times, just call my name and I'll find you"
Alyssa slowly rose from the sand, never taking her eyes off Alice, "You're a liar"
"Why act so shocked Alyssa? It makes perfect sense that you want to be away from weak individuals who shun you, only now you're starting to realize just how dangerous you can be, those killer instincts can only be repressed for so long"
Alyssa remained silent, Alice was baiting her into a fight but she wasn't going to fall for the trap.
"You came out here to kill something isn't that right?" Alice suddenly spoke up.
"That's none of your business" Alyssa replied, cringing from the high pitch ringing tone in her head. Her right hand formed a fist, "I came out here to be alone"
"I can tell you're lying, you came out here to know what true power is, the abilities you posses are a gift, they're not something you should deny or be afraid of, you're superior to those around you Alyssa, they are nothing but weaklings, must be very frustrating to be around people like that who only view you as threat, as a monster"
Alyssa turned away and took a few steps backwards, "I'm not a cold blooded murderer"
"Oh yes that's right the innocent little Alyssa Winterstone had no choice in killing those soldiers at Bluewater they just stabbed themselves" Alice sneered, seeing the shock on the girl's face she continued. "Don't worry your tiny killing spree went unnoticed but it does prove a point though, you and I are not so different, we have the same abilities, the same instinct to kill"
"Just shut up!"
"No use denying it soon the urges will get so strong you'll snap, hopefully I'll be there to see that, you're nothing more then a ticking time bomb"
"I said stop!" Alyssa cried out as she covered her ears.
Alice didn't listen to Alyssa's pleas and continued with her taunts, "One of Umbrella's little monsters set loose on a bunch of innocent victims and the experiment is almost over"
Ripping the handgun from her left leg holster Alyssa spun around uttering a cry of frustration as she pressed the muzzle of the weapon into Alice's throat, "Enough's enough" she said through gritted teeth.
Alice didn't react to Alyssa's actions and only laughed despite the cold metal that was jammed hard on her voice box, "Once again you amaze me in how far you've come Alyssa, a year ago you wouldn't have been able to do such an act and your anger is rising with each second so what are you waiting for? Pull the trigger, dispatch an enemy agent, you'll never get a chance like this again"
The gun in Alyssa's hand trembled, she could go ahead and shoot one of the people that had made her life a living hell for sixteen long years but she knew if she did then it would only lower her to Alice's level. After a few tense moments Alyssa slowly lowered the gun, she had silently hoped her body would comply with her mind and luckily it did.
Alice only smiled and shook her head, "Disappointing you didn't follow through with your actions, though I knew you'd never have the guts to fire that gun, a shame really a missed opportunity is one to regret later on if there is a later to live for"
Alyssa slid the gun back into its holster, "I'm nowhere like you, when I had to hurt someone it was for a reason, you on the other hand take lives whenever the thought crosses your mind. You're the one that's out of control Alice, I'm free and you aren't, Griffin has you on a leash like an attack dog who'll kill whenever he snaps his fingers, never asking questions just loyally following orders"
Alice suddenly backed away while clenching her fists, her blue eyes flashing with anger. She wanted to take Alyssa down there and then but for some reason her body wouldn't obey the commands given by the brain.
Shrugging off the urge to give a punishing blow to Alyssa, Alice only smiled thinly, "Strong words from a pitiful child, you better be careful yourself Alyssa, I've seen you try and hide what you are, soon you'll slip and reveal your superiority then what will you do? Jill and Carlos may have accepted you but what if the rest of those people find out you're a dangerous infected killer? They'll be scared, most likely a group vote will either try and kill or expel you from their safe little haven because ordinary people don't understand what you are, are you happy that everywhere you go people will fear you?"
Alyssa remained silent, she didn't want to listen to Alice's words, they were all lies, false promises that prompted control over her emotions.
Alice undid the straps to her right Uzi on her leg and levelled it at Alyssa, "Unlike you however I never go soft or miss an opportunity when it comes to easy kills. I'd prefer a shotgun to diable a target but at this range with the automatic it should do a considerable amount of damage"
Lightly Alyssa's hands brushed both of her handguns, if she moved fast enough the first round of bullets could be easily avoided, but she dismissed the thought and decided to try a different approach, "I'd run away so you couldn't get a hit, I know that you've been programmed not to hurt me"
Hearing the last remark caused Alice to grind her teeth. I'll give you programmed you little smart arse bitch!
"I wasn't going for a death shot Alyssa just something that will prevent you from moving for a few hours, your knees make perfect targets then you wouldn't be able to skip away" catching sight of Alyssa's worried expression Alice continued "Calling me here was a big mistake, this time neither your pets or rebel friends can help you, a bit of advice, never give your enemy the upper hand it could end up costing you"
Alyssa could only stare helplessly back at the weapon waiting for it to fire, she hadn't taken into consideration the deadly aim that Alice had so frequently demonstrated when it came to taking out fast moving targets. Her trance was broken when hearing a loud caw behind her. Forgetting about the potential danger of being drilled full of holes Alyssa realized it was the same large crow she had scared away earlier. What does that thing want? She thought. Out of the corner of her eye Alyssa saw that Alice had lowered her Uzi a little, her eyes were also focused on the bird.
Seeing the bird again Alyssa suddenly had the urge to shoot it and this time she actually wanted to carry such an action out, it wasn't a command it was her own free will. Her hands fell to her weapons, tightly squeezing both handles Alyssa glared at the crow. The bird only cawed back as if sensing Alyssa's frustration. Hearing a metal snicker made Alyssa switch back into reality and realize that something worse then a virus-ridden crow was in the same vicinity. Half turning she realized that Alice had taken her eyes off the crow and now was staring straight at Alyssa while wearing a smug expression.
"The victim you were looking for?" she asked in a mocking tone. When Alyssa flashed her a dirty look Alice only took a few steps back, "Go on then Alyssa this one's all yours, I wouldn't dream of stepping in front of your line of fire"
Once again Alyssa's gaze fell towards the handguns. I can't, it's wrong. Deep down inside a part of her mind wanted to pick up a handgun and shoot the bird, just to see it explode outwards like a bloodied feathered firecracker. Clenching her hands Alyssa took a deep breath. Now I'm starting to think like a murderer, likeā¦Alice!
"This is the true reason you came out here correct? Now you're far away from all who would judge you harshly, no one's here so go ahead let your killer instincts out I know you want to, I think you'll find once you let them surface the urges are easy to control, why not make this your first step?"
Easy to control my ass Alyssa thought angrily I'm not going to become a sadist. Relaxing her grip on the guns she began to slowly back away still eyeing Alice cautiously.
Lowering the Uzi and putting it away Alice then quickly took out a slim lined black handgun from within her trench coat. For a brief second Alyssa thought that Alice had planned to follow through with her threat of attempted capture but instead she watched as Alice aimed at the crow and pulled the trigger.
Instantly the bird exploded in mass of black feathers and blood just as Alyssa had pictured it in her head.
Spinning the gun around Alice then slid it back into its hidden holster which was closely clipped to her upper torso, "A bit disappointing Alyssa, if you can't bring yourself to kill a bird what's going to happen if you encounter a stronger enemy? They won't stop and think it's wrong to hurt others. Griffin will find you and when he does those abilities and instincts you have are going to be the only things that will keep you alive. It's in both our blood to kill, to be superior, don't think for a second that those people you save respect your actions, the reality is you're a danger to them. Denying what you are is just going to bring more pain; eventually you'll want to be somewhere that allows you to properly exercise your true powers. Already I can sense that you want to be with others who respect and appreciate your abilities"
When seeing the only response she would going get from Alyssa was a piercing glare Alice shrugged, "Your resistance has it's pros and cons, for now I think I'll continue to watch, if you ever want to break away and not waste my time like today you know what to do"
Turning from Alyssa, Alice slowly walked away from the girl. She knew it was a safe act to preform seeming, as Alyssa was too soft to strike an enemy from the back.
Watching Alice stride away Alyssa still kept her fists clenched. Now however both were surrounded by blue flames, which could explain the reason behind Alice's speedy exit. A thought crossed her mind about using them on her fleeing enemy but she disregarded it. I was lucky this time and I'm not pushing anything. Sighing Alyssa went back towards her bike; it was time to rejoin the group. She didn't even check to see if Alice was still close by or not as she eased the Fireblade out from the petrol station and onto the sandy landscape, the only thoughts that were on her mind were to return to the convoy. Although the encounter with Alice had seemed to be a waste of time Alyssa now knew that Griffin was getting quite desperate to get her to return to him yet at the same time her return could be dangerous due to the choice phases that Alice had used when 'cautioning' her to continue resisting the commands. It's almost as though she is warning me of what will follow should I go back to the labs Alyssa thought as she stared ahead.
So deep in thought was Alyssa that she didn't realize that out in the open she would be easily spotted by the roaming satellite. When her vision was hacked at the petrol station it was only the cold numbing sensation, nothing could prepare Alyssa for what would soon follow. There was no warning, no cold feeling, only the blue tinted vision that she had come to resent so much which was followed by a high pitch ring similar to whenever Alice was close by.
As the blue gradually took over every other colour Alyssa could see she almost lost control of the bike she was riding. When the noises came, along with the urge to change her current direction Alyssa could no longer take this new mode of powerful persuasion that the implant exerted. With the engine of the Fireblade still running she dipped down low and scooped up a large handful of the grainy sand. Blinking a few times as if to prepare herself, Alyssa then threw the sand in her face so hard that her other hand squeezed the brakes on the bike.
Suddenly her blue tinged world was spinning upside down as Alyssa flew over the handlebars of the labouring bike and straight into the hot sandy earth. For a few moments she only lay on her back looking up at the sky, feeling the hot sun beat down on her skin and the warmth of the desert beneath. None of this seemed to matter to Alyssa when she blinked her eyes now covered in sand, her world had returned to colour and despite the 'eye hack' now seen as a nuisance she had freed herself again from it's grip.
Finding her feet Alyssa used the end of her shirt to clean the sand from her eyes then locating the downed Fireblade easily lifted it up from it's sandy embrace. Giving the bike a quick check over to see if any damage to it had occurred Alyssa then mounted the Fireblade, started the engine and continued on her chosen route, nothing was going to stop her till she found the convoy again and this time leaving it would no longer be an option.
