Chapter XII: Revelation
Wesker kept watch on the stacks of monitors lining the walls in his private room, viewing the feeds from all over the city, the only light coming from the screens themselves. The destruction caused by the two V-Hunters to the B.O.W.'s really had been beyond what he had thought it would be, but he was not worried. He knew the V-Hunters had powerful operatives, and the sooner they sent them the faster he would finally be rid of them. This trap was important, if he couldn't weaken their numbers now his other plans may be in jeopardy.
He laughed, "What could such a race produce that could defeat my virus? Nothing, that is what. Do you understand, Adam?" he motioned to the screens, images of the Cathedral being broadcast on them, "You are above these undeveloped and fragile weaklings. Never forget your birthright, to rule all creation. They are of the dying breed."
The King Tyrant walked from the darkened side of the room and stood next to Wesker. It mumbled something in its own tongue.
Wesker looked up to it, "The rogue B.O.W. in the Cathedral is deceased? Tell me, were you able to gain full control before the Agent arrived?"
It made another noise, lower and briefer than before.
Wesker faced back to the monitors, no change in his voice. "Then the infected scientist could have given away your weaknesses. The Archangel you speak of may learn of ways to stop you now; this we cannot allow. You are the most important part in the new beginning, with your death we would just be plunging the world into another chaos. Do you understand?"
The King Tyrant nodded, though it felt disappointed that it would not be able to fight the Archangel again.
"With your link to the B.O.W., it would have known of the trap and warned him, but think no more of it, the Agent will still come for Miss Chambers. We just need to expand on it more." Wesker pressed the intercom button, "Report in here immediately, I have new orders."
The door opened smoothly, the white light from the hall pouring in as another soldier in black stepped into the room. He saluted as the door closed on its own behind him. The King Tyrant glared at the man, who did his best to not notice the eight-foot tall monster, "What is it, Captain Wesker?" A cold sweat began to form on his head, the mere presence of the Tyrant was terrifying. Wesker had taken a moment to pause and observe the soldier's reaction.
"There have been a change in plans, we can't risk the Viral Hunters advancing any closer. Deploy the Stealth Hawk to intercept the First immediately."
"Yes sir! It will be ready in one minute!" The soldier saluted again and left swiftly, not wanting to be anywhere near that thing.
"One more thing, soldier." Wesker's voice stopped the man in his tracks, "I want you to deactivate all radio communication within the prison."
The soldier looked puzzled, "Sir? Why would you want do disable our communications?"
Through his sunglasses the soldier could see Wesker's eyes glow a blood red, his voice becoming angry, "Are you questioning my orders? Turn them off and don't breathe another word about it."
"Yes sir!" He nearly slammed the door behind him as he ran to the communications room.
Wesker smiled, "Adam, I do believe the mercenaries have lost their usefulness; like the rest of their pathetic kind, they too shall be purged from the earth. Order our hunters to kill the ones inside the compound, I grow sick of human stench. Just don't harm Rebecca Chambers, and wait until the Hawk has been deployed."
The King Tyrant smiled as well, making a low laughing noise.
Turning back to face the monitors, Wesker felt a sick sense of satisfaction in his orders. "Remember to study how your prey reacts to being hunted, I assure you the pure rush of the kill is only the tip of the iceberg compared to the taste of fear and despair."
-
Axl stood beside the headless corpse, it had been a clean shot. Every time he was asked to carry out a mercy kill, it left him feeling empty and regretful, despite knowing full well what would have been if he had not intervened. However, that thought never made it any easier, the fact he took the life of something even remotely human outside of a battlefield. He couldn't even distance himself from the moment, he felt empathy for those who suffered, and so he felt the full weight of the moment. He moved his finger off the trigger and onto the trigger guard, so as to not discharge his weapon again by accident.
The door swung open, Father Michael stood in the doorway, his eyes alight with fear. "What happened?! I heard gunfire!" he saw the body of Martin over a pool of blood on the table and instantly knew. He looked up slowly from the corpse to Axl in anger, who hadn't even turned to look from the body to acknowledge him. "How could you do such a thing, the man saved your life!"
"And I saved him." replied Axl, coldly. He remembered the journal, so he walked over to the old cabinet in the corner and examined the old padlock on the doors.
"Don't you understand what you've done? You've murdered an innocent man!" The priest walked over to Axl by the corner.
Axl turned his head slightly to speak to the priest, "Don't you realize I know what I've done? Damn it, Padre! The man was in agony and was going to become a zombie if I hadn't done it!" He took his pistol and struck the rusted padlock off with the revolver's handle. "He wanted to die with his conscious mind intact and too have his last thoughts be his own. I had to give him that, at least."
The priest's expression eased, perhaps this was not the time to judge actions. This boy knew more about the evils of the T-Virus than he did, and despite the redeeming factor of suffering no one deserves to be robbed of their humanity by anything. Axl was checking the contents of the cabinet.
Axl removed a book within, the brown, hard-cover binding slightly worn on its folds from constantly being opened. Axl checked the book over and saw several pages had been marked with torn pieces of cloth. He looked back into the cabinet, but nothing else inside seemed to be of any use, just a few photos of a woman with light skin chestnut hair in an elegant dress at some party. Nothing special.
He checked the book's cover, wiping the dust it had collected away and looked back up to the priest. "I think you should give him his last rites, I'll leave you here. Take as much time as you need." The priest nodded and Axl walked to the door.
-
Axl sat in one of the front pews, just looking at the book without opening it. "I wonder what it'll tell meonly one way to find out!" He opened the journal to one of the marked pages and read to himself. The date was from over week ago.
By now the entire city is infected, monsters roam the streets everywhere. I tried to help evacuate anyone not infected, but no one can escape due to the quarantine; they'd turn us back or have us shot, leaving us all in this city like mice trapped to be fed to the snakes. The survivors banded together and tried to fight their way out, but the monsters found ways to break our defenses. Then the Black Tyrant appeared and that was the beginning of the endIt's like nothing I've seen before, seemingly controlling the B.O.W.'s to hunt us down like animals. I must stop writing for now, what little time I do have is better spent on running as they may find us at any moment. I'll head to the Church, there we may be able to hold out long enough.
Axl sighed, "I already know about this." He flipped a few pages, but all of the recent entries described what happened to the town and things on the Black Tyrant Axl had already seen before with his own eyes. "Wait, this looks interesting, this looks like the start of the virus's spread."
Of all my research and knowledge of the virus, I have never seen anything like this. There is no possible way it could have spread over such a wide area like this in so short a time without warning. While working in the hospital, I noticed the cases of viral infection started with a large number of people, about 40% of the populace on the first day alone - a number far too high for just the start of an outbreak. The hospital was flooded with people just showing signs of infection, but it didn't make sense. After only three days, almost the entire city was contaminated.
But what I don't understand is how it could have spread so fast! Even from a large source, it doesn't start out so strong so quickly. Usually outbreaks occur in stages, with only a small number falling ill before the infection rate increases exponentially. If this were so, I would have been able to detect the presence of the T-Virus far earlier than this. It was as if the virus waited for the right time, spreading first before beginning the mutation process Already the military has surrounded the city, declaring a quarantine; but they don't look like normal US military. All communications to the outside are down. We've been getting broadcasts from an officer who claims to be from the government in charge of the containment, driveling something about fuel burning as the cause - but I know the truth. Something is very wrong here. However, the dilemma is if I reveal it to be a virus they will know I have connections to Umbrella and learn about our B.O.W.'s project, but if I remain silent no one will get out of here alive. We need to get out, before it's too late. I only hope there is enough time for my information to help. Everyone must know.
"It spread and waited? What the hell" Axl checked over the passage again, he had read it right. With what he had seen so far, the information was correct. The T-Virus must have spread rapidly, fast enough to catch almost the entire population in the outbreak before they could react. Axl sat, trying to make connections.
"Could they have developed a faster way for the virus to spread, and Eagle Point was just a test run? The quarantine must have been a way to keep the people in and cut off the city from the rest of the world – damn it, Wesker's too crafty. These people were just lab rats in a cage"
There was one mark left in the journal, Axl eagerly turned the pages to some of the earlier parts of the book. The pages here had a lot more scientific data, Axl realized this was once Mr. Harrison's record for his findings as well as his personal journal. The date on the top of the page was dated nearly fifteen years ago.
At last! We've found an advanced form of the Tyrant Virus that's been worked on for so long a time! It was by a slim margin that our team discovered this new strain, it was found in one of the experimental animals we had been administering new catalyst agents to. To think, we nearly destroyed the specimen before we even knew what we had! Though an isolated case, it was truly a marvel beyond belief! The subject showed an unnatural growth intelligence and strength, as well as enhanced speed and agility in a matter of days. Further testing showed that its tissue regeneration was phenomenal as it could heal from a single gunshot wound on its own in under twenty-four hours. The animal itself maintained its original form. Over time, it grew protective black plates which were able to withstand any trauma besides that from the most powerful weapons or the most severe heat or cold. Sarah only joked by naming it the Genesis' of a new age of bio organic weaponry, but we have decided to officially name it the Genesis Strain, as the host seemed to have been recreated entirely. This is only the summary of what we have discovered so far, there are far more tests to conduct to which I will note later in this journal for personal use.
"So, Genesis' is a new strain of the Tyrant VirusWesker must have found out about it and used it to create that Tyrant! No wonder it was different, it's a mutated form of the virus! If he puts the Genesis into mass production, no angel born in hell could match himHe'd dominate the field of bio-weaponry!" It was time to roll. Axl shut the book with a snap, but noticed a piece of paper as it fell from its bindings. He picked it up off the floor. "Wait, what the heck is this" There was no date and the handwriting was nearly illegible.
To whom ever finds this journal:
Please forgive my past mistakes. I hope whatever you find in this may help you survive and perhaps to put an end to the Tyrant Virus for good. It has come to my knowledge that none other than Albert Wesker, who betrayed my team and stole the new strain, caused this outbreak. Now, he has created a B.O.W. from the Genesis, one of unimaginable capability. A creature that not only is stronger and more resilient than we are, but can also think like usPlease, if you find this in good health then I beg you to look for my wife. Though the streets are swarmed with monsters I know in my heart she is still alive. If you see her, tell her I love her and that I stayed alive this long in the hope I would see her again, and get he out alive safely.
Sincerely, Martin J. Harrison
"A request from beyond the grave; yeah, that's fair." Axl crumbled the note and threw it aside, "I can't fulfill every promise and there's no chance I can waste time on another search and rescue." Axl saw the priest leave the back room. "Now what should I do about himI can't take him with me, it'd slow me downbut I can't just leave him here. Oh what the hell, I can carry more people on my bike."
Axl ran up to the steps to the altar and stopped before Michael. "All right Padre, we're leaving."
The priest smiled, "I'm sorry, I can't leave."
"What?! There's no time to joke around, we need to leave right now!"
"My son, this is the House of God. I can't leave it, I've tended to so many here. You don't know the memories I've had just helping the faithful in life. I cannot leave this sacred house to the monsters."
"Oh good God! What is it with you people and wanting to die where you stand? Drop the good shepherd act! You can't do any more good here!"
"There is no reason for me to leave." The priest sighed and looked to his hands. He then grabbed a piece of his skin and pulled it off. He showed it to Axl, so there was no confusion.
Axl gasped, "You'reinfected too?"
"I don't see what's so amazing, I've been tending to those dying from the virus this entire time. I'm not surprised, really."
Axl remembered the Virus scanner given to him at the beginning of the mission and grabbed the priest's arm. He jabbed the opening of the gun and pulled the trigger, collecting a sample. The screen on top read positive.
"You see my son, we all have our callings, and mine was to comfort those who were suffering in death. Yours, however, is to save those suffering in life. Go, I'll be fine."
Axl gritted his teeth and heaved a sigh through them, "This isn't fair, you're a good man."
"My reward waits in heaven, go in peace."
Axl turned and walked down the steps of the altar onto the main aisle. The priest turned and looked to his old seat beneath the cross and smiled, deciding finally that there he would sit and wait for his own passing.
"Hey, one more thing." Axl's voice called Father Michael's attention back to him and barely caught the shotgun thrown at him. The priest looked at it and back to Axl, who stood smiling back at him.
"Benelli twelve gauge tactical shotgun, it holds seven shells in the holding compartment and one in the chamber. Just in case any of those freaks dare defile God's house. There are extra shells in the backpack, say a prayer for Rick and his family for me." He winked and turned away, resuming his walk down the aisle.
The priest watched as Axl headed for the door. He shouted to the youth, "Night approaches my son, be careful!"
Axl's walk unbroken as didn't bother looking back. Even so, he knew Axl was smiling, ready for anything coming his way, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for He is at my side."
-
The street lights provided the only light on the moonless night as Axl drove down the street. The cold air was brisk and refreshing, and the dead silence of the still town was so peaceful it was like passing through a dream. But Axl hadn't been paying attention to the scenery, he was almost there.
"Only a half-mile to the prison; God, it seems like an eternity since this mission started." He increased his speed, the engine roaring on the dimly lit street. He could see the huge complex in the distance. Axl laughed and popped a wheelie, cruising down the road.
Without warning, the street lights shut down, casting Axl in total darkness. The only light now came from the headlight on his motorcycle and faint light from the stars. Something was happening, and Axl didn't like it. He listened intently as he concentrated on the road.
"Whatis that noise?" Through the rumble of the engine he could hear a steady beat, though it was extremely low and he couldn't tell where it was coming from. He looked around him, but both the streets and the sky were dark. "Better get ready, who knows what could be out here"
His thoughts were shattered as the sound of machinegun fire drowned out all other noises. He saw the flashes of bullets hitting the pavement, heading in succession towards him.
"Jesus!" At the last second he jumped from his bike into the air and looked down just in time to see the line of fire pass through the motorcycle, blowing it up.
Axl landed on the pavement upright, kneeling down to absorb the fall as he touched down. Before he looked up from the ground, a bright light flashed into his eyes from above as a torrential wind blew past him. It was a helicopter.
"Oh, this just keeps getting better and better." Axl held his hat down, keeping it from blowing off his head as he tried to stand against the wind. The spotlight was shut off and Axl could hear the soft beat of the blades rise higher into the air. It was going to make its attack run.
