TYRANT!

PROLOGUE (I) - A Boy Named Burnside

Claire Redfield sighed nervously as she walked through the eerily lit laboratory that the Umbrella Corporation had stowed away in Antarctica. Her bow-gun held tightly in her arms, she rushed through the corridors looking for a boy named Steve Burnside, whom she was to escape with.
That crazy Alexia Ashford had split Claire and her brother up just moments before, and while talking to her brother to see if he was OK, she had heard a blood curdling "NOOO!" from Steve, so she just knew she had to find him.

Claire felt sick to her stomach with an intense worried feeling, causing her to pick up the pace of her running, (and just barely getting hit by odd, large, grey tentacles that bust through the walls behind her). Soon she reached a large room filled with cell-blocks, a faint zombie groan being heard in the background. She looked around, but still no Steve. She had gotten so distraught that she then unnoticeably backed up into an open door behind her...

When she got far enough inside, the door she came in from slammed shut, and locked audibly. Claire jolted, then realized she was in a new room. This room was empty, except for a large gate to her left (which was lowered) that led to a hallway filled with suits of armor lining its walls. At the end of the hallway was ... STEVE!
Claire gasped, took out the Umbrella security card she had found before, and unlocked the gate. As it raised, she rushed over to Steve, but then slowed, and stopped a meter or so in front of him.

Steve looked very pale and limp as he was seated in a very large stone chair that was built into the wall. His arms were held together by large metal shackles that kept him in the chair. In front of the shackles was a large battle axe, its blade stuck in the wall, making it impossible to move.
Claire looked at Steve uneasily, as she wasn't certain if Steve was was awake or alive or not. She walked up a bit closer to him. "...Steve?" she said, not taking her eyes off of him. Steve moved his head a little, and weakly groaned. "Uhhh... Claire?" he replied faintly, trying to raise his head.

Claire rushed up to him, and looked hastily around the chair to find a way to unfasten Steve. She finally had found a small red button, and pressed it, unfastening the big metal shackles. Claire glanced at Steve for a second, then she tugged on the axe, while Steve weakly tried to move it as well.
Claire pulled on the axe, tried to move it over, anything... but it didn't work. She sighed in frustration and looked at Steve, who was still weakly trying to push it.

"I....AUGH! It can't move it!" Claire said angrily. She put her hand on Steve's. It was unnaturally cold. "Who did this to you?" She asked him. Steve raised his head, and put his hand on Claire's cheek. "That crazy woman told me... she was gonna perform...the same experiment one me... like she did on her own father! She's completely... INSANE!" Steve said with slight difficulty.
Claire remembered the Ashford's father. He was placed in this exact room. The T-Veronica virus Alexia had placed in him split open his chest and hardened his skin tougher than steel. Tentacles emerged from his back and could spray very poisonous venom. Could the same mutation happen to Steve?

All of a sudden, Steve Began to gasp loudly for air, his arms and his hands motioning around his chest, suggesting some sort of pain. Claire put her hand on his shoulder. "Steve, what's wrong?" she asked. Steve continued to whimper and gasp as he pushed her out of the way. Claire nearly fell down from the amazing pressure, that made her feel although Steve had gotten stronger. Steve continued to whimper and gasp, and soon he began to speak.
"C-Claire! Can't...breathe! Claire! Help me!!" he screamed. Claire stared at him wide-eyed, as she began to back up from him. Steve looked at her in complete terror of what was happening to him. "C-Claireuuuuuhhh..." Steve said, his voice changing to a low guttural grunt. His shoulders then suddenly began to tense up, and with a loud crack, his neck detached from his body. Claire covered her mouth with both hands, she couldn't believe what was happening.

Steve made low, inhuman grunts as his head and neck were pushed outward while his ribs and spine were stretched and expanded. His skin began to turn green and develop scales as his body continued to expand, his clothes tearing open at the force of the massive flesh. His shoulders expanded and moved out towards the head, making a hunch in his back. Claire uncovered her mouth and yelled a heart-felt "STEVE!!" but she had no response, only the sound of reforming bones and spurting blood replied.
Soon, Steve's spine pushed upwards, causing a fin like portion of his back to appear, slitting his skin, and with no blood making a bright red and orange coloration on both sides of his hump. Four large bone spurs emerged from his left shoulder, while sharp claws emerged from his hands and feet.

Then, there was silence.

The large, scaly, frog like creature that once was Steve sat in complete silence, while Claire stood too frightened to move. What once was a throne-like chair on Steve was merely a lawn chair for the creature. The tyrant Steve slowly raised its head, and looked at Claire with the curious look an infant gives. Full of wonder and... stupidity.

Mouth agape, the small Steve-head upon the massive reptile body stared at Claire, picked up (effortlessly) the large battle axe that once was larger than he was, and stood up....