Author's Note:
Thanks goes to (In Order of Appearance for all chapters so far): random echo, Claire Burnside267, a reader, diddly day, Zil, Tasha Burnside, Umbrella-Experiment, Parasite Lin, Biohazard 101, Cand, Queen Kristina, Apokruphos, Redfield 99, Yumi Konoe, Chandler01, Lyger, Chicky Tifa, D-2Artemis, Shin, Simon552, Jimbo Jones, claire3407, Squall Leonhart, Mayaku, President Evil, ashford2ashford, The Elvish Vampire Seira, Felicia, Mayumi-H, Mossberg, Serena, Dragonchan, Lily, Reazher, Wesker, iMac722, Diamond Angel, Rayne18, Joanne Beverly, Neromancer 13, Misterbuu, Bloodlover, Steel Soul, Kenneth Sullivan, Agent X, and kolld steel!
Thanks goes to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty-Three: Biohazard 101, Misterbuu, Agent X, SteelSoul, Serena, kolld steel, kolld steel, Bloodlover, Diamond Angel, and Joanne Beverly!
I wasn't happy with how 23 was written, so this time I'm hoping 24 will be written much better. After all, I'm in High School now so I must upgrade my writing skillz.
On with yet another chapter...
- Even Fond Memories Can Come Back To Haunt You.... -
- By Brian Marcelo -
- brianmarcelo@hotmail.com -
- Rated R for violence and language -
- Infection -
- Chapter Twenty-Four -
***
Alexia Ashford smiled in admiration of her grisly handiwork. She had single-handedly defeated the Nemesis and had taken him apart piece by piece simply to shock the crowd, then proceeding to burn it with her ability to dispense her 'royal' blood that immediately set on fire when in contact with oxygen.
Her smile widened as the pieces of Nemesis burned more intensely, causing the people surrounding the area to smell the stench of burning flesh. Some started panicking, realizing this might somehow be real, and not just some crazy publicity stunt. Still others were ever more curious and came closer, despite the horrid stench.
Alexia normally detested exerting herself physically, rather having servants do her work, but she took special pleasure in defeating a previously unbeatable foe. She wanted to show that nothing would get in her way.
Noticing the crowd coming closer, she decided to punish them for being so curious. With a gleeful laugh she started spraying people with her blood, causing them to instantly catch fire, making them all run screaming as chaos started to ensue in the crowd.
"They all scatter when there's danger, just like ants..." she observed, heading towards the Eiffel Tower's elevator, unaware that a certain agent was following her a few feet away in the shadows.
***
Wesker didn't notice Leon falling to his knees in defeat, nor did he notice the wide-eyed gazes from everyone else.
For some reason, all he could do was stare at Ada's body, her neck broken in several places, her body not moving a single inch.
She was dead, and he killed her. With his bare hands he had snapped her neck and ended her life, after everything they had been through. She was once his trusted partner and confidant, someone who could be as cold and detached from emotions as he, yet she betrayed him for the young and enthusiastic rookie cop.
Why would she do that to him?
Wesker couldn't believe what was happening now...he was actually feeling this time...feeling remorse for what he had done to one of his only friends.
***
During Claire's 'little' outburst she had been forced down by a couple of guards while Dr. William Birkin injected her with a sedative to help her relax a bit.
When she had awoken at last, she was quiet, not speaking or uttering a single word, instead, staring up at the ceiling in defeat. She was unable to do anything, especially in the strait jacket they had put her in. At first she thought she was in a world gone mad, but now, perhaps, she was the one who was insane all along.
Dr. William Birkin looked exactly the way he was pictured in Sherry's locket, which made sense. Maybe she had imagined this psychiatric, soft-spoken doctor as the villain in her own little world; this also applied to Annette Birkin. Yet Sherry reminded the same, although here she was older, about the age of nineteen. Apparently the whole Birkin family was treating her illness.
Her mind drifted back to what Dr. Birkin had told her. She had killed over thirty-three, which had included Rebecca Chambers, Jill Valentine, and Albert Wesker. Even Chris was injured in the firefight, and now he longer had use of his left arm.
For some reason, she started recalling parts of the fight...she was in the Raccoon City Police Precinct...her brother and Jill were showing her around the various offices...meeting the S.T.A.R.S. members...then everything went blank again.
It wasn't making sense at all...how could she had imagined all the events from riding into Raccoon City, to meeting Leon Kennedy and Sherry Birkin, from infiltrating Umbrella HQ, being thrown on to Rockfort Island and meeting Steve, along with getting killed by Wesker in Paris...had it been all one big nightmare?
As she leaned against the soft, padded wall of her cell, more memories started to invade her head, causing her to reel back slightly in pain. She started to remember more of her tour...remembering shaking hands with each of the S.T.A.R.S. members, which would've been impossible since she had only seen their faces in that group picture of the S.T.A.R.S. she had come across during her "nightmare". At least, that's what she thought. The next memory was that of meeting Chief Brian Irons and Albert Wesker, although this time the Chief looked happy, looking jolly in fact. Albert Wesker still looked a little cold and mysterious, but he smiled when he had shaken her hand as well. A real genuine smile if she had ever saw one.
The next memory was that of meeting a young, brash cop who looked like Leon, who had a more youthful looking Ada Wong holding his hand. For some reason, she was wearing a R.P.D. uniform as well, although in her "nightmare" she was portrayed as a shady spy working for an unknown company. The third memory was that of meeting another young cop, who looked strikingly similar to Steve Burnside. He had sheepishly smiled and greeted her, proceeded to try and impress her, then had accidentally spilled coffee on her, which had elicited a sigh from Chris, a slight giggle from Jill, and a burning sensation on Claire's legs as she yelped.
It was starting to make more sense for Claire. She had studied psychology in college (at least she think she did) and had determined that maybe everyone she had met during her tour of the R.P.D. manifested themselves into important roles in her "nightmare". Chris, for example, became unbelievably heroic, going so far as to track her down to Antarctica. Leon Kennedy had become the romantic sort of hero, falling in love with Ada Wong at first sight despite the fact that she was a spy, then later falling for herself.
Steve Burnside...the show-off with a heart of gold, who always tried to impress her at every stop, even to the point of overriding his primal urge to kill her.
Claire had to know who else she had killed...did she also kill Leon, Ada, and Steve as well? She started banging on the door with her body, hoping to talk with Dr. William Birkin about what happened...
***
Hunk cautiously walked after Alexia using the shadows as cover, wondering what she would do to him if she stopped him. She seemed intent on reaching the Eiffel Tower, no doubt that she was going to use it for something far more devious then simply getting a better view of the city.
It was odd seeing people running around on fire, while others lay dead, still burning brightly. It reminded him of Raccoon City...all those dead bodies, all those fires raging around him, trying to find some way of escaping with the G-Virus sample. He wondered if Umbrella had created anything with the G-Virus, like some sort of "Adam" or "Lilith" sorta thing, especially since most mad scientists these days loved pretending to be God.
Hunk sometimes wondered if he'd ever die in combat with anyone or thing. He had faced William Birkin and lived, a whole precinct of infected monstrosities, and Mr. X to boot. Now that he was about to face Alexia Ashford, he wondered what it would be like to die. Would it be a intensely painful experience or a quiet, anti-climatic end?
She was just about to reach the elevator. Better now then never to ask quench his curiosity.
He aimed his handgun carefully and fired, making the bullet hit the elevator door, a warning shot for Alexia not to advance further.
Alexia Ashford slowly turned around to face Hunk, and a smile appeared on her lips, impressed that a mere human dared to fire upon her. She was beginning to grow tired of having to wait to rule over Paris, so she decided she was going to make this fight a tad quicker.
***
Leon's knees had been scraped roughly when he landed on his knees as he watched Ada die, but he didn't care nor did he even notice the burning sensation.
Ada was dead. Another person he loved was dead. Killed by the same person. Not even a person. He was a monster. Just like those Tyrants. Just a monster. A monster that killed Ada.
He wanted to cry out in rage, strike down Wesker with his bare fists and kill him right there and then, but he knew he couldn't. He was on the verge of breaking down, but he knew that he alone couldn't find someone as powerful as Wesker. Wesker was the definition of a monster, even if he did look slightly human.
No. Couldn't be human. He sold his soul to the devil for power.
Leon's thoughts were becoming slightly irrational as he slowly started to stand up, feeling the stinging sensation on his knees.
Leon's face still looked down, unsure of how he'd react if he saw the monster before him.
He had to do something, anything to make sure Ada and Claire hadn't died in vain.
But how could a simple human like him, along with the rest of the group, fight off someone that could easily kill them all in less then a minute...?
***
Carlos was amazed at the way Ada, someone he barely knew just a few minutes ago, put up the fight of a lifetime against someone like Wesker. The way they fought was incredible and unbelievable at the same time. It was like something from a comic book or television, where the hero usually won by somehow tapping into unknown power or strength they never knew they had until just now.
Yet, Ada had fallen in battle with Wesker, which had ended with her neck being snapped in front of all them, causing his comrade Leon to fall to his knees in anguish no doubt.
It was odd that Wesker hadn't done anything else except stare intently at Ada's dead body, which was creeping Carlos out. He just wasn't use to dealing with humans who were more powerful than the Nemesis.
'Poor lady,' Carlos thought grimly, 'she died bravely in battle against a demon...I bet Mikhail would think she would have made a fine soldier...'
***
Dr. William Birkin examined Claire carefully, wondering if she was in the right state of mind to learn what had really happened.
"Please Doctor...tell me what I did..." Claire asked quietly, not quite looking him directly into eyes in shame.
He took off his glasses (which he didn't have in her nightmare) and rubbed his forehead, obviously unsure of whether to tell her or not. Claire needed to know, even if it was too late to do anything about it.
"Are you sure you want to know Claire? It might bring back some repressed memory of what happened, and in your state of mind I don't think you could-"
"Please." Claire said quietly.
"Very well..." he replied, as he took out the police report, "Apparently you were taking a tour of the local police department here, and eyewitness reports state that after you had met Lt. Leon Kennedy and Lt. Ada Wong you snapped, took his gun from his holster, and shot them with near perfect accuracy. You then went on a rampage, wounding your brother's left arm severely, and then running around the halls, carrying a shotgun from the S.T.A.R.S. locker. Besides Jill, Rebecca, and Albert Wesker, you had killed Leon, Ada, Brad Vickers, Marvin Branagh, and Steve Burnside."
As she took all this in she absently wondered what the expression on Steve's face would've been before she had shot him. Perhaps he would have had his hands up in mock surrender while saying that he was sorry for spilling coffee on her.
"Do you know why you killed them?" Dr. William Birkin asked, as if she knew the answer.
She tried to look into her still Swiss cheesed memory but could find no answer. "I'm sorry...I don't know..."
"I see." he said sternly, before getting out a cell phone and dialing a number on it.
"Dr. Ashford, would you come in here? I'm sure with your expertise in psychology you could get an answer...mmhmm...yes...yes...mmhmm....alright..." he mumbled into the cell phone, barely audible enough for Claire to hear.
Claire lay her head against the side of her padded wall again, feeling slightly fatigued from all this new information. She really hoped that she wouldn't have to answer any more questions.
"Well, Dr. Ashford is on her way to your cell now." he said quietly, as he turned to leave, "she came all the way from Paris, so I'd appreciate it if you would answer her questions."
With that, the door was closed for the moment, leaving Claire in the dark once more.
***
Hunk kept his gun trained on Alexia's head, making sure to keep steady as he started to speak.
"Why did you decide to burn down Umbrella HQ?"
The woman smiled at the mention of her horrendous deed. "They betrayed my trust, so I burned them all for it...well, except you. One mistake I shall soon correct."
Hunk's heart skipped a beat. "That's it...you just burned down the company your family started just because of that..."
"Is that all you wanted to ask me about?" she asked, apparently getting tired of the soldier.
Hunk gazed wide-eyed at Alexia. Something about her enticed him to her, for reasons he yet could not understand.
"Ooh, I see. You want to become my new servant, yes?" she remarked, looking at Hunk up and down, "A little scruffy, but I guess you'll have to do."
Before Hunk could object Alexia's T-Veronica body started to emit a strange purple gas that quickly enveloped the soldier, causing him to fall on his to his sides, coughing violently. Within minutes his body stopped moving entirely, the purple gas still surrounding him eerily.
With a cruel laugh, Alexia spun on her heels and hurried towards the elevator, the door closing behind her as it descended upwards toward the highest level.
***
Steve suddenly tensed up, feeling that same sensation he had felt a few times earlier today.
He could sense her...she was going to do something horrible. She was going to spread her evil to the whole city....
What startled Steve even more was that he started to sense three other presences, each infected with the T-Veronica virus. He figured that Wesker was one of the three, but who were the other two...?
***
Alexia felt her breath get taken away as she surveyed the entire city of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Her body may have been that of someone in their mid-twenties, but her mind was still that of a child who craved power and thought they were royalty. She had never been this high up before, having been kept mostly in captivity and such.
It was the most exhilarating feeling to be so high up...with everyone else looking like ants from where she was standing. She would have giggled with giddiness if it weren't for the fact that she had a job to do.
Taking one last view of the city, she enveloped her body in fire again to harder her skin into its T-Veronica form. Just like with the soldier, her body started emitting a purple, pollen like cloud, slowly growing larger in mass, as it started spreading gloomily over the Eiffel Tower and onto the streets, towards the unsuspecting citizens...
- End of Chapter Twenty-Four -
As usual with everything I write, please rate and review!
Did Hunk die pathetically, or is there a different purpose for him? Didn't Nosferatu also emit a cloud of purple smoke? And who are the two other T-Veronica virus individuals that Steve sensed?
Next Chapter: Remorse.
Thanks goes to (In Order of Appearance for all chapters so far): random echo, Claire Burnside267, a reader, diddly day, Zil, Tasha Burnside, Umbrella-Experiment, Parasite Lin, Biohazard 101, Cand, Queen Kristina, Apokruphos, Redfield 99, Yumi Konoe, Chandler01, Lyger, Chicky Tifa, D-2Artemis, Shin, Simon552, Jimbo Jones, claire3407, Squall Leonhart, Mayaku, President Evil, ashford2ashford, The Elvish Vampire Seira, Felicia, Mayumi-H, Mossberg, Serena, Dragonchan, Lily, Reazher, Wesker, iMac722, Diamond Angel, Rayne18, Joanne Beverly, Neromancer 13, Misterbuu, Bloodlover, Steel Soul, Kenneth Sullivan, Agent X, and kolld steel!
Thanks goes to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty-Three: Biohazard 101, Misterbuu, Agent X, SteelSoul, Serena, kolld steel, kolld steel, Bloodlover, Diamond Angel, and Joanne Beverly!
I wasn't happy with how 23 was written, so this time I'm hoping 24 will be written much better. After all, I'm in High School now so I must upgrade my writing skillz.
On with yet another chapter...
- Even Fond Memories Can Come Back To Haunt You.... -
- By Brian Marcelo -
- brianmarcelo@hotmail.com -
- Rated R for violence and language -
- Infection -
- Chapter Twenty-Four -
***
Alexia Ashford smiled in admiration of her grisly handiwork. She had single-handedly defeated the Nemesis and had taken him apart piece by piece simply to shock the crowd, then proceeding to burn it with her ability to dispense her 'royal' blood that immediately set on fire when in contact with oxygen.
Her smile widened as the pieces of Nemesis burned more intensely, causing the people surrounding the area to smell the stench of burning flesh. Some started panicking, realizing this might somehow be real, and not just some crazy publicity stunt. Still others were ever more curious and came closer, despite the horrid stench.
Alexia normally detested exerting herself physically, rather having servants do her work, but she took special pleasure in defeating a previously unbeatable foe. She wanted to show that nothing would get in her way.
Noticing the crowd coming closer, she decided to punish them for being so curious. With a gleeful laugh she started spraying people with her blood, causing them to instantly catch fire, making them all run screaming as chaos started to ensue in the crowd.
"They all scatter when there's danger, just like ants..." she observed, heading towards the Eiffel Tower's elevator, unaware that a certain agent was following her a few feet away in the shadows.
***
Wesker didn't notice Leon falling to his knees in defeat, nor did he notice the wide-eyed gazes from everyone else.
For some reason, all he could do was stare at Ada's body, her neck broken in several places, her body not moving a single inch.
She was dead, and he killed her. With his bare hands he had snapped her neck and ended her life, after everything they had been through. She was once his trusted partner and confidant, someone who could be as cold and detached from emotions as he, yet she betrayed him for the young and enthusiastic rookie cop.
Why would she do that to him?
Wesker couldn't believe what was happening now...he was actually feeling this time...feeling remorse for what he had done to one of his only friends.
***
During Claire's 'little' outburst she had been forced down by a couple of guards while Dr. William Birkin injected her with a sedative to help her relax a bit.
When she had awoken at last, she was quiet, not speaking or uttering a single word, instead, staring up at the ceiling in defeat. She was unable to do anything, especially in the strait jacket they had put her in. At first she thought she was in a world gone mad, but now, perhaps, she was the one who was insane all along.
Dr. William Birkin looked exactly the way he was pictured in Sherry's locket, which made sense. Maybe she had imagined this psychiatric, soft-spoken doctor as the villain in her own little world; this also applied to Annette Birkin. Yet Sherry reminded the same, although here she was older, about the age of nineteen. Apparently the whole Birkin family was treating her illness.
Her mind drifted back to what Dr. Birkin had told her. She had killed over thirty-three, which had included Rebecca Chambers, Jill Valentine, and Albert Wesker. Even Chris was injured in the firefight, and now he longer had use of his left arm.
For some reason, she started recalling parts of the fight...she was in the Raccoon City Police Precinct...her brother and Jill were showing her around the various offices...meeting the S.T.A.R.S. members...then everything went blank again.
It wasn't making sense at all...how could she had imagined all the events from riding into Raccoon City, to meeting Leon Kennedy and Sherry Birkin, from infiltrating Umbrella HQ, being thrown on to Rockfort Island and meeting Steve, along with getting killed by Wesker in Paris...had it been all one big nightmare?
As she leaned against the soft, padded wall of her cell, more memories started to invade her head, causing her to reel back slightly in pain. She started to remember more of her tour...remembering shaking hands with each of the S.T.A.R.S. members, which would've been impossible since she had only seen their faces in that group picture of the S.T.A.R.S. she had come across during her "nightmare". At least, that's what she thought. The next memory was that of meeting Chief Brian Irons and Albert Wesker, although this time the Chief looked happy, looking jolly in fact. Albert Wesker still looked a little cold and mysterious, but he smiled when he had shaken her hand as well. A real genuine smile if she had ever saw one.
The next memory was that of meeting a young, brash cop who looked like Leon, who had a more youthful looking Ada Wong holding his hand. For some reason, she was wearing a R.P.D. uniform as well, although in her "nightmare" she was portrayed as a shady spy working for an unknown company. The third memory was that of meeting another young cop, who looked strikingly similar to Steve Burnside. He had sheepishly smiled and greeted her, proceeded to try and impress her, then had accidentally spilled coffee on her, which had elicited a sigh from Chris, a slight giggle from Jill, and a burning sensation on Claire's legs as she yelped.
It was starting to make more sense for Claire. She had studied psychology in college (at least she think she did) and had determined that maybe everyone she had met during her tour of the R.P.D. manifested themselves into important roles in her "nightmare". Chris, for example, became unbelievably heroic, going so far as to track her down to Antarctica. Leon Kennedy had become the romantic sort of hero, falling in love with Ada Wong at first sight despite the fact that she was a spy, then later falling for herself.
Steve Burnside...the show-off with a heart of gold, who always tried to impress her at every stop, even to the point of overriding his primal urge to kill her.
Claire had to know who else she had killed...did she also kill Leon, Ada, and Steve as well? She started banging on the door with her body, hoping to talk with Dr. William Birkin about what happened...
***
Hunk cautiously walked after Alexia using the shadows as cover, wondering what she would do to him if she stopped him. She seemed intent on reaching the Eiffel Tower, no doubt that she was going to use it for something far more devious then simply getting a better view of the city.
It was odd seeing people running around on fire, while others lay dead, still burning brightly. It reminded him of Raccoon City...all those dead bodies, all those fires raging around him, trying to find some way of escaping with the G-Virus sample. He wondered if Umbrella had created anything with the G-Virus, like some sort of "Adam" or "Lilith" sorta thing, especially since most mad scientists these days loved pretending to be God.
Hunk sometimes wondered if he'd ever die in combat with anyone or thing. He had faced William Birkin and lived, a whole precinct of infected monstrosities, and Mr. X to boot. Now that he was about to face Alexia Ashford, he wondered what it would be like to die. Would it be a intensely painful experience or a quiet, anti-climatic end?
She was just about to reach the elevator. Better now then never to ask quench his curiosity.
He aimed his handgun carefully and fired, making the bullet hit the elevator door, a warning shot for Alexia not to advance further.
Alexia Ashford slowly turned around to face Hunk, and a smile appeared on her lips, impressed that a mere human dared to fire upon her. She was beginning to grow tired of having to wait to rule over Paris, so she decided she was going to make this fight a tad quicker.
***
Leon's knees had been scraped roughly when he landed on his knees as he watched Ada die, but he didn't care nor did he even notice the burning sensation.
Ada was dead. Another person he loved was dead. Killed by the same person. Not even a person. He was a monster. Just like those Tyrants. Just a monster. A monster that killed Ada.
He wanted to cry out in rage, strike down Wesker with his bare fists and kill him right there and then, but he knew he couldn't. He was on the verge of breaking down, but he knew that he alone couldn't find someone as powerful as Wesker. Wesker was the definition of a monster, even if he did look slightly human.
No. Couldn't be human. He sold his soul to the devil for power.
Leon's thoughts were becoming slightly irrational as he slowly started to stand up, feeling the stinging sensation on his knees.
Leon's face still looked down, unsure of how he'd react if he saw the monster before him.
He had to do something, anything to make sure Ada and Claire hadn't died in vain.
But how could a simple human like him, along with the rest of the group, fight off someone that could easily kill them all in less then a minute...?
***
Carlos was amazed at the way Ada, someone he barely knew just a few minutes ago, put up the fight of a lifetime against someone like Wesker. The way they fought was incredible and unbelievable at the same time. It was like something from a comic book or television, where the hero usually won by somehow tapping into unknown power or strength they never knew they had until just now.
Yet, Ada had fallen in battle with Wesker, which had ended with her neck being snapped in front of all them, causing his comrade Leon to fall to his knees in anguish no doubt.
It was odd that Wesker hadn't done anything else except stare intently at Ada's dead body, which was creeping Carlos out. He just wasn't use to dealing with humans who were more powerful than the Nemesis.
'Poor lady,' Carlos thought grimly, 'she died bravely in battle against a demon...I bet Mikhail would think she would have made a fine soldier...'
***
Dr. William Birkin examined Claire carefully, wondering if she was in the right state of mind to learn what had really happened.
"Please Doctor...tell me what I did..." Claire asked quietly, not quite looking him directly into eyes in shame.
He took off his glasses (which he didn't have in her nightmare) and rubbed his forehead, obviously unsure of whether to tell her or not. Claire needed to know, even if it was too late to do anything about it.
"Are you sure you want to know Claire? It might bring back some repressed memory of what happened, and in your state of mind I don't think you could-"
"Please." Claire said quietly.
"Very well..." he replied, as he took out the police report, "Apparently you were taking a tour of the local police department here, and eyewitness reports state that after you had met Lt. Leon Kennedy and Lt. Ada Wong you snapped, took his gun from his holster, and shot them with near perfect accuracy. You then went on a rampage, wounding your brother's left arm severely, and then running around the halls, carrying a shotgun from the S.T.A.R.S. locker. Besides Jill, Rebecca, and Albert Wesker, you had killed Leon, Ada, Brad Vickers, Marvin Branagh, and Steve Burnside."
As she took all this in she absently wondered what the expression on Steve's face would've been before she had shot him. Perhaps he would have had his hands up in mock surrender while saying that he was sorry for spilling coffee on her.
"Do you know why you killed them?" Dr. William Birkin asked, as if she knew the answer.
She tried to look into her still Swiss cheesed memory but could find no answer. "I'm sorry...I don't know..."
"I see." he said sternly, before getting out a cell phone and dialing a number on it.
"Dr. Ashford, would you come in here? I'm sure with your expertise in psychology you could get an answer...mmhmm...yes...yes...mmhmm....alright..." he mumbled into the cell phone, barely audible enough for Claire to hear.
Claire lay her head against the side of her padded wall again, feeling slightly fatigued from all this new information. She really hoped that she wouldn't have to answer any more questions.
"Well, Dr. Ashford is on her way to your cell now." he said quietly, as he turned to leave, "she came all the way from Paris, so I'd appreciate it if you would answer her questions."
With that, the door was closed for the moment, leaving Claire in the dark once more.
***
Hunk kept his gun trained on Alexia's head, making sure to keep steady as he started to speak.
"Why did you decide to burn down Umbrella HQ?"
The woman smiled at the mention of her horrendous deed. "They betrayed my trust, so I burned them all for it...well, except you. One mistake I shall soon correct."
Hunk's heart skipped a beat. "That's it...you just burned down the company your family started just because of that..."
"Is that all you wanted to ask me about?" she asked, apparently getting tired of the soldier.
Hunk gazed wide-eyed at Alexia. Something about her enticed him to her, for reasons he yet could not understand.
"Ooh, I see. You want to become my new servant, yes?" she remarked, looking at Hunk up and down, "A little scruffy, but I guess you'll have to do."
Before Hunk could object Alexia's T-Veronica body started to emit a strange purple gas that quickly enveloped the soldier, causing him to fall on his to his sides, coughing violently. Within minutes his body stopped moving entirely, the purple gas still surrounding him eerily.
With a cruel laugh, Alexia spun on her heels and hurried towards the elevator, the door closing behind her as it descended upwards toward the highest level.
***
Steve suddenly tensed up, feeling that same sensation he had felt a few times earlier today.
He could sense her...she was going to do something horrible. She was going to spread her evil to the whole city....
What startled Steve even more was that he started to sense three other presences, each infected with the T-Veronica virus. He figured that Wesker was one of the three, but who were the other two...?
***
Alexia felt her breath get taken away as she surveyed the entire city of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Her body may have been that of someone in their mid-twenties, but her mind was still that of a child who craved power and thought they were royalty. She had never been this high up before, having been kept mostly in captivity and such.
It was the most exhilarating feeling to be so high up...with everyone else looking like ants from where she was standing. She would have giggled with giddiness if it weren't for the fact that she had a job to do.
Taking one last view of the city, she enveloped her body in fire again to harder her skin into its T-Veronica form. Just like with the soldier, her body started emitting a purple, pollen like cloud, slowly growing larger in mass, as it started spreading gloomily over the Eiffel Tower and onto the streets, towards the unsuspecting citizens...
- End of Chapter Twenty-Four -
As usual with everything I write, please rate and review!
Did Hunk die pathetically, or is there a different purpose for him? Didn't Nosferatu also emit a cloud of purple smoke? And who are the two other T-Veronica virus individuals that Steve sensed?
Next Chapter: Remorse.