The smell of sweat made her nauseous as Wesker's body trapped her on the floor. His face inches from hers. Bright unnatural eyes held her own eyes captive as he pinned her hands to the floor. He lowered his face to her ear.
"Do you want to continue… or do you concede?"
"I… you win. Happy?" Cass asked with a glare.
Wesker smirked and replied, "Thrilled… you've made quite a lot of progress."
He got off of her, pulling her up with him. His hands lingered on her for a moment before a member of his task force called his name. Cass watched him walk away with a look of wariness. She had wondered if these sparring matches were just an excuse to make sure she was still weaker than him. Wesker's attention was now focused elsewhere, so she snuck off into her room. After a quick shower and change of clothes, she paused in front of the vanity mirror.
Glowing eyes stared back through the mirror as she looked at her reflection with disgust. Her eye color wasn't the most drastic change she'd gone through, but it was the most noticeable difference. Setting her hand down on the vanity, she felt the sunglasses that she kept there. They were a "gift" from Wesker. As much as she wanted to smash them into dust, she knew that they were a necessity for her now.
Her eyes had changed in more ways than cosmetic. They could now process movement at superhuman speed, but there was a downside. Her eyes had become more sensitive to changes in light. A sudden turning on of a lamp could make her see spots for a few moments. Wesker believed the pros outweighed the cons, but Cass wasn't so certain. Perhaps Wesker's overconfidence would be his downfall. She could only hope so.
With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the bed. Wesker hadn't fought her at full strength, but he didn't need to. At first, Cass had assumed he'd be frustrated that she wasn't as strong as he was. However, he had actually seemed pleased. She assumed that he just enjoyed being the strongest in the room. Plus, it meant that she couldn't beat him. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax.
It had been months since Wesker had taken her from the safe house. Upon waking up, she had successfully taken out Wesker's agents, and if it hadn't been for Wesker threatening her family, she might have gotten away. Not that it would have done her much good. He had found her in the middle of nowhere. No doubt he would find her no matter where she went. Cass rested her head on the backboard of her bed and closed her eyes, trying to quiet the nonstop anxiety.
A knock on the door made her jolt up off the bed. Wesker soon entered the room with a file in his hand and gave her a curious look.
"I have your first assignment," Wesker announced with a wave of the file. "You'll be interested in this one."
Despite her annoyance at his barging in, she was curious. She held out her hand for the file, but he moved it further away. After a moment of contemplative silence, Wesker said with an air of wariness, "I just need to know that you know what happens should you try to desert us."
"You hurt my family and kill my friends," Cass answered, trying to keep the hatred out of her eyes.
"Almost but not quite. I will quickly kill your family. Your friends however… will not be so lucky. Your dear Chris and I have some unfinished business," Wesker said with a meaningful look at her, and Chris' name had sounded like a taunt. "His death will not be an easy one. And when I find you again, and I will find you, then you will watch Claire die… slowly. Or perhaps… that cop that liked you so much… Kevin?"
Cass didn't trust herself to speak and merely nodded her head. Keeping her left hand clenched at her side, she once again outstretched her right hand. Wesker watched her in a measured silence before he seemed pleased with her response.
He let her take the file this time and said, "I believe that you'll enjoy this assignment. There's an Umbrella testing ground that I want you to retrieve data from. It's run by an old friend… Currently, I believe she's invested in other projects, so her protégé is likely running the program. Daniel Fabron, I believe is his name. If you get the chance, capture him, and I'll send you coordinates on where to take him. Should he be less than friendly… dispose of him."
"Dispose of him? You want me to kill him?!"
"Well, he is an Umbrella employee. I didn't think it would be difficult for you considering how much damage they've done. If it makes you feel better, the program you will be looking into takes random people and puts them into… simulations with Umbrella's creatures. Mr. Fabron has killed his fair share of innocent people. Of that I can assure you."
Cass blurted out, "If I kill him, then can I leave?"
Wesker's eyes betrayed his frustration, but she continued, "If not, how many people will you ask me to kill? Dozens? Hundreds? For the next ten years? For the rest of my life?"
Cass hated how desperate she sounded, but she was slowly reaching a breaking point. Looking down, she heard his footsteps slowly approaching her. His arms grasped her shoulders and turned her around in the direction of the mirror. Gently tilting her head up to see her reflection as Wesker's other arm snaked around her waist, he looked into her reflection's eyes. Glowing… unnatural… just like his.
"This… is forever, my dear. I am the only one on this planet like you now. Fifty years from now… a hundred years from now, I will be the only one you have left. You will never age, can never get sick, and are faster and stronger than any human could ever dream. You and I are special. Most humans would simply die, but you and I came back stronger. No one else would understand you now… and besides, you do want Umbrella brought to justice, do you not? To make sure your Chris is safe. And it would certainly help Claire. After all, Daniel may be able to tell you where she is."
A chill went up Cass' spine as she asked, "Why would Umbrella know where she is?"
"She was captured at the Paris branch office. Likely looking for her missing brother. Perhaps if you go through with this mission, you'll find out more."
Cass' hand clenched the file. She doubted that this mission would reveal much if anything, but what other option did she have? And besides… this Daniel. Could he be the same one from Raccoon City? If so, she had some questions of her own.
"Fine… I will get the information you want," Cass said and looked down.
"Thank you," Wesker replied with an air of arrogance. She expected him to let her go, but instead he pulled her closer to him. Her entire body froze as he planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Stop fighting it, my dear. You belong by my side, and I will do what is necessary to keep you there. However… should you complete this mission successfully, I would be willing to allow you some time with your family."
"And what about Claire? Chris?"
His grip on her tightened, and he replied in an even tone, "No. You may look into saving Claire should you find anything, but stay away from the Redfields. That is an order."
"Understood."
Wesker spun her around and pulled her into a stiff hug. Cass momentarily wondered if he'd ever hugged anyone before as he certainly didn't seem used to it.
"You will see in time. You and I… our fates are intertwined. We will talk again after your mission… I have my own work to do."
As Wesker let her go, she asked curiously, "And what is that? …if you don't mind me asking."
Wesker looked away but answered, "A previous project of Umbrella's… a possible variant of the T-Virus. I will be back soon. Safe travels, Cass."
Cass watched him leave the room before she leaned back on the bed, file still in hand. She would play it safe for now. Allow him to think that she was under his control. As much as that made her feel sick, fighting him would do her no good. She opened the file and began reading. She'd find this Daniel… and then she'd figure out a way to escape Wesker's clutches for good.