Chapter Three-I keep going and going and going…I'm like an insane version of the Easter Bunny! I mean Energizer bunny! Oh lets pray I get that job soon…

Author's note: Are you enjoying it so far? I am! Where would RE be without intrigue?  I'll start working on my Matrix stories after this one mebbe.

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There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), "On Reading and Writing

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1986

Arklay Labs-

Basement.

Wesker and Annette were down in the basement with half the higher-up staff-trying to avoid looking at the bodies of the two technicians who had been…mauled.

            "Jesus Christ." Annette peered down at the wounds again, and then looked away, "Holy Jesus Fucking Christ."

"I think that sums it up accurately."

            Many scientists who had earned their spurs by cutting through zombies in the name of the greater well were throwing up outside in the corridor.  Work had-for all intensive purposes-stopped completely. 

" It doesn't look like there was forced entry…" Wesker appeared behind her.  Even He looked sick, "But whatever this thing was-it was big and it moved fast.  Very fast."

            "Would specimens have been stupid enough to bring in a bear?" Sometimes Umbrella sent out collectors into the woods searching for dead or wounded animals to take the tests that they devised.

Armed guards were everywhere-Annette backed into one who shrugged his weapon back into rest position-or at least what appeared to be rest position.

            "Whatever the hell it is…" Annette looked up to see Wesker talking to a man dressed all in black, "We need to make sure that it's contained."

Indeed-if it wasn't contained there was a chance it could get out into the surrounding areas.  All of their projects would be exposed…

"Annette!"

Annette LeDour froze.

            William Birkin appeared in the doorway leading an attractive older woman who smiled shyly at all of them-and looked surprised to see Wesker.

"Get the goddamn civilians out of here!" the man in black cried, "We don't want them messing up the scene-"

            "Its all right." Wesker's voice was unusually flat, "Irene is an accomplished medical examiner."  He nodded to his wife, "Irene."

Irene Wesker stepped foreward gingerly each man in black backing away with the new status of her as his wife.

"William-do you have any thoughts?"

William Birkin said nothing-he stared at the glass and the great hole that had been made in the wall leading off into darkness.

"Whatever it was came in through the morgue-either it was brought in or it managed to crawl in." Irene said, "Notice the-"

"Negative." Annette pointed to the blood on the wall, "How could it have crawled in? We're under ground."

"My mistake." Irene smiled brightly, "Thank you for pointing that out ma'am." Irene's face lit up when she smiled, giving her the appearance of total innocence and trust.

Annette hated her.

            How can I hate her? She watched as Irene continued talking, her eyes on Wesker, That was wrong-I shouldn't have given in to him-I should think about William-I mean he's-He's…

He-was a snot nosed brat.

Wesker was at least a man…

            "William? Do you have any thoughts?" Irene asked again.  She folded her hands across her front and smiled at the younger man-who was still staring out at the hole in the wall in awe.

"Whatever it is…" William studied the wall carefully, "It's still here."

Annette said nothing.

            "You really think so?" Wesker approached.  He moved like a jaguar, stepping over bodies like they were rocks.

Now that. Annette thought, That's style.

"Maybe it oughta be just us Girls." Annette blinked and whirled about-her blond hair falling straight behind her. 

            Irene Wesker smiled and held out a hand, "Don't believe we've been formerly introduced." She smiled, perfect teeth, "I'm Irene."

"LeDour." Annette shook herself, clearing away the night before, "Annette LeDour."

            "What a pretty name." Irene smiled, "Shall we traverse the area? I'd love a tour."

Annette frowned, "Of the basement?"

"Oh no-the mansion.  I've always been a bit of an architecture buff." She held up a hand and whispered-like confiding it to a trusted friend, "I know you and I will be great friends."

She looks like a puppy. Annette thought, as she watched the woman smile expectantly, And I have no goddamn food for her.  This is the woman that Albert Wesker married? This-This Sop?

            "You ladies better leave us alone." The guards were coming in now black like shadows, "I doubt there's anything you can do here."

Annette chagrined, "But-I want to stay! Please…"

She looked to Wesker-who said nothing-instead glancing back towards the wall.  William tried to catch her eye-but-nothing.

            "Come on Darlin'" Irene had a twinge of the Midwest in her voice, "Lets go upstairs and get something to drink.  My nerves are rattled-I could do with a nice cold glass of water."

"But-"

"Go on." Wesker said, "Both of you."

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William Birkin leaned against one of the destroyed tables, "Why did she do that?"

            Wesker was trying to salvage some notes that had been stepped on, "Who do what now?"

"Annette-she didn't say goodbye to me or anything." William's voice was small, but monotone, "And this morning…"

            Wesker smiled at his companion, bemused, "You? Lovesick? That doesn't sound like you.  I always thought you classified women with microorganisms that acted in an arbitrary manner."

" I blame my warped sense of values." William crossed his arms over his chest-his lab coat looking ridiculous, "And the fact that my father was an asshole."

"Is this the part where you wax poetic about your long lost childhood and how the only way you were able to "find yourself" was when you finally joined Umbrella?" Wesker had heard speeches like this before from his friend.

"No-well-no." William Birkin sighed, "What do you think it was?"

He pointed to the wall.

            "In a word? Evil." Wesker's face grimaced, "A lot of bad things seem to be happening lately-"

"Says you." William smiled, "I'm in love with a beautiful woman."

Who said that was a good thing? He had no intention of telling his colleague about last night's romp in the polyester playground.

"What are we going to do about it?"

"Go for a little intervention session." Wesker sighed, "I'm going to speak to a friend of mine in town."

            Here William frowned, "You can't "Go and speak to him." This is a private matter that must be handled by internal affairs-"

" But we need the help-and besides-he's trustworthy."

Wesker began to walk from the room.  Having Irene show up was an embarrassment-he'd made a mistake staying with Annette last night, especially since it had completely slipped his mind that his wife was coming.

Dammit…All I did was try to warn her about Birkin.  Now the little Bitch is smitten…

He had to admit there was something tomcat like about Annette-something that turned him on immensely-but she was better off as far away from Umbrella men as she could get-

He left William alone.

            Birkin stared at the wall and pondered the meaning of Wesker's words, of Annette's actions, and of Irene's upcoming "New Arrival." He was happy for her of course-he'd attended Wesker's wedding as the single other witness besides the "Justice of the Peace" but…

He frowned.

            "I don't like relationships.  Relationships are complicated.  Science isn't complicated-science is easy.  Why are people so complicated?"

When he tried to unravel a problem in science-he saw the answer.  But people…

            It was like with Alexia.  That stupid little annoying bitch thought that she was so great-why did she have to think that? Why couldn't she just have gone on being a stupid little ten year old?  She was smarter then him…he'd admitted that on the long cold nights of warring with her image in his brain-but she was a girl! And she was young! A kid!

"Sir?" Kelly Wood, one of the medical technicians peered at him, "We have an ID on one of the victims-its Abigail Stone."

            Birkin was lost, "Who?" he did not bother to remember the names of his technicians-they were only there to have the purpose continue.

"Second ID-looks like it's Mike the Morgue Guy." Another man said, his voice echoing off the slowly emptying space, "Shit.  Mike always figured he'd die surrounded by dead bodies."

            "Remove the bodies and arrange for burial." He wondered who Wesker's friend was and what he would do to help them with this problem, "I want to know what killed these people Woods."

"That'll take me all night Sir."

"Then you'll work all night and all morning."

William Birkin turned on his heel and exited, leaving Woods and Her companions to growl behind him.

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Cafeteria.

Annette and Irene had settled behind a large potted fern in front of a window.  The man who usually played the large grand piano was absent; the normally cheerful groups of employees were quiet.

            "So Annette-can I call you Annette?"

Annette feigned an interested smile, and contemplated punching her in the nose.

            "You and William? That's so sweet dear." Irene took another sip of her water, "He was our witness at our wedding you know-a good man.  And a sweetheart-he had such a terrible childhood!"

" I bet." Annette muttered, "How long have you and Dr. Wesker known each other?"

            "He's not a doctor dear." Irene said smiling, "Neither of them are-although William's close.  His father was at Cambridge you know." She took another sip of her water.  Annette watched in envy.  Everything about this woman was elegant-graceful.  She didn't seem to mind that Annette had ribbed her every time she spoke and that she was ignoring her every word-her attention completely focused on her noodles.

She brooded.

            Whatever had shut down the labs for the day was still down there.  That meant that she wouldn't be able to work to distract her from this love triangle that had sprung up overnight. 

Damn.

            "You must take heart dear.  William's a good boy but a bit…off in the head." Irene leaned back in her chair, "He will provide-when he's not working."

"Oh yes." Annette muttered, "We'd all hate for Mr. Birkin to be off his feed.  Heaven forbid that man stop working.  Even on dates his conversations are all about work-but I'm sorry-I DON'T FIND BACTERIA ATTRACTIVE AND ROMANTIC!"

Annette Blushed as the entire cafeteria turned to her. 

"Now dear, you don't want to shout out things like that…" Irene smiled in a mothering way, "Do you?"

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Author's Note: Yes.  Third Chapter is over.  What's wandering down in the labs…

Birkin-is the author's lame attempt to give the story some flesh because she find's romance stories boring.

* Author promptly whacks Birkin across the room *

Birkin- Owww…

Author: Thanks to Kelly who agreed to play method to my madness while my momentary source of inspiration * sadly, tis the Hulk * goes stomping off to Universal to find out why the heck they made an "Access Bruce Banner's Desktop" webpage on their webpage for the Hulk.

Can you honestly think of anything more pointless?

Chapter Four Forthcoming.