Batman/Resident Evil: The Gotham Protocol
Chapter 7
By: Christopher W. Blaine
e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: Resident Evil™ is a registered product of Capcom Inc./Batman™ is a registered product of DC Comics Inc. Neither of these properties is used here with permission. This original story idea is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine.
"Did you ever go to school here?" the Huntress asked as she wrapped her cape around her shivering body. The temperature had dropped suddenly, an indication of an approaching storm. True to his word, Nightwing had not stopped by her apartment and she refused to put the vomit-soaked top back on. They were now standing on top of the science building of Gotham University.
"A few semesters," Nightwing answered as he scanned the area with a pair of night-vision goggles. "Academics and I just don't get along sometimes."
"More brawn then brains, eh?" she chided.
"I'm no Kirk Langstrom if that's what you're asking," he said as he lowered the goggles from his face. "He was a genius far beyond his time."
She stepped up next to him and looked into the darkness. She could see nothing other than shadows and more shadows. "So, what happened to him?"
Nightwing sighed, recalling days from his time wearing a Robin costume. They were more innocent times; days before he faced the living dead. "Langstrom was involved in a lot of projects at that time but he was most interested in curing blindness. I guess we now know he was also doing work for Umbrella as well."
"I'd think that the Wayne Foundation would have been more interested," she commented, not knowing that Nightwing was the heir to the fortune behind that august body. "They are always spending money on stuff like that." Nightwing looked at her oddly and she shrugged. "Come on, not many outside companies invest in Gotham City."
"Well, with Langstrom's reputation I'm sure his work in bat genetics caught their eye." He turned to her. "Anyway, he decided to use his 'cure' on himself and he turned into the Man-Bat. A few months back, Deathstroke was hired to capture Man-Bat." He went on to explain that it had occurred in Bludhaven where the Man-Bat creature had flown to after Langstrom had gone through another change. Nightwing had tried to stop the kidnapping, but Deathstroke, a super-powered mercenary, had gotten the best of Nightwing. "We didn't know what happened to him after that."
"I don't get it," she said as she rubbed her bare arms. "Why would Umbrella be interested in a Man-Bat when they are creating zombies?"
He shrugged. "Seems to me that Umbrella was investing a lot of money into Gotham City, before and after the quake." Not so long before, an earthquake that had been so severe that the government had declared the city a federal No Man's Land had devastated Gotham City. Only through the efforts of many people, including Lex Luthor, CEO of LexCorp and current president of the United States, was the city rebuilt. Nightwing paused. "It makes you wonder what they were doing in that facility during that time."
"God," the Huntress breathed out, remembering the horrors she had dealt with at that time. "They could have grabbed as many of the homeless and destitute…"
He shook his head and focused his attention back on the mission. "According to Oracle, Langstrom and Perot worked here along with another scientist named Maria Lupez. Lupez is now a professor here and is considered an expert in the field of cellular regeneration."
"A lot of animal experiments going on here, or at least used to be," Huntress said.
"Lupez is also an advisor to Umbrella Corporation," Nightwing said, his voice cold. "You realize what's going on, don't you?"
Huntress started to answer but she suddenly jerked, lost her balance and started to tip over the side of the roof. Nightwing could tell by the way her back was arched that she had been struck in the back. "Huntress!" he called out. He dropped to the edge and just managed to grab her hand. "I won't let you go," he promised.
"There's something in my back," she said weakly. He couldn't tell by her angle and her billowing cape. He held on with all of his strength and was about to comment that it was time to lay off the cheesecake when a black combat boot crunched the roofing material next to his face. He turned slowly and recognized Vandross.
"Looks like a bit of a bother," the mercenary said. He was still wearing the sunglasses and Nightwing guessed that he had a strong sensitivity to light. "Don't worry; my shuriken isn't poisoned. She'll live but it will take you a few precious minutes to pull her up."
"I always heard that the English knew how to treat women with respect…chivalry and all that," Nightwing joked. He tightened his grip and tried to steady the Huntress as she swung in the wind.
"Ah, but I didn't slay the lady," he said with a smile. "Listen up, boy; you're intruding in something you shouldn't. I don't want to have the Batman chasing me all over the world, which is why I'm letting you live…"
"Have you ever thought what kind of trouble you might get into dealing with me?" Nightwing interrupted. He tried to pull the Huntress up but Vandross placed a boot on his shoulder and pressed him down.
"Boy, I am not playing games here," Vandross warned, his pleasant voice suddenly turning sinister. "I am not some psycho super-villain; I'm a professional killer."
"So I noticed," Nightwing said behind gritted teeth. He couldn't do anything so long as held the Huntress. She might survive the fall, but he couldn't be sure with a shuriken stuck in her back. "You have made a major mistake."
Vandross was silent for a second. "You know, Deathstroke once said that to me as well. I'm still here."
Vandross then lifted his foot off of Nightwing and walked away. It was several seconds before the crunching of the boots on the roof stopped and Nightwing felt it was safe to pull up his partner. It took much of his strength because his arm had started going numb. With extreme effort he hauled up over the edge and onto the roof, where despite his exhaustion, he checked her for wounds.
The shuriken had not gone deep, but it had been lodged between muscle groups and had been very painful. The Huntress put on a brave face. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be ready."
Nightwing stood up and rubbed his sore arm. "You stay here. Vandross is going after Lupez…"
"Why?"
"I suspect that Lupez knew what was going on here in Gotham. As near as I can tell, they were using the Petro Chemical plant as a place to develop an entirely new breed of advanced zombie killers. I think they were also working on a way to preserve the zombies for transport." He moved his neck to the side and popped the bones. "I'd say this is one of their major facilities and that spill six months ago that sent Perot packing must have been something really bad."
After checking on her one more time, he took off in the direction Vandross had run off in.
The door opened slowly and Batgirl stepped in, her fists up and ready to take down anyone that stood on her way. It was very possible that several guards were waiting in the building and she wasn't sure what kind of fighting skills Rebecca had.
The young scientist turned agent was right there behind her, perhaps a little too close and Batgirl motioned for her to give up a little space. Rebecca nodded and stepped back a little as Batgirl entered the room proper.
The attack was swift, for the zombie had been right there in the dark all along, right next to the door. Some residual intelligence must have told it that food would enter through that door eventually. It swiped at Batgirl, but she blocked it and lashed out with a punch of her own. It contacted with mildewed flesh and there was a spurt as liquefied and rotting tissue gave way under the force of the blow.
"Oh, sick!" Rebecca said, even though she couldn't see. The sound and the smell told her all she needed to know and she quickly brought up her mini-mag flashlight. The beam cast away the darkness and revealed a scene from hell itself.
Batgirl had no time to stop, as the zombie, now dripping chunks of lung and muscle, recovered from the blow and came at Batgirl. The young hero, though disgusted and wanting nothing more than to run away and take a bath, would not leave Rebecca alone and undefended. Batgirl kicked, her foot making contact with the spongy jaw of the zombie.
Before she could strike again, Rebecca opened fire. Two shots exploded the zombie's skull and sprayed the wall behind it with pus and old blood. Batgirl whirled around only to find two more of the creatures approaching. Rebecca widened her beam to its maximum. "Don't fool around with these things! They are dead already! There is no cure!"
Saddened that she was forced into a situation where she would have to employ her most deadly skills, Batgirl nevertheless squared off with one of the zombies. It was clad in the remains of what appeared to be workman's coveralls; perhaps he had been a janitor? It didn't matter, she understood that.
Rebecca fired, the muzzle flash casting a fiery glow on Batgirl's assailant, but it didn't seem to affect it. She noted that the eyes looked dead and guessed that the orbs were simply useless. A sixth sense was guiding the monster towards the warm body of Batgirl. She did a foot sweep that brought the zombie crashing down even as its partner stumbled back from three gaping holes in its chest. Batgirl back flipped away from a clawing hand and landed with her batarang in hand. A deft toss and it split the soft skull of the zombie.
Rebecca finished hers off with a close shot to the head. She then looked around and indicated to Batgirl that the shots might draw unwanted attention. Batgirl wasn't so sure. "These creatures were simply left here with no real security except a locked door."
"After someone goes through the change, they kind of become very, very stupid," Rebecca said.
"But there is a chance they could still get out?" Batgirl asked.
Rebecca considered the possibilities for a moment. "Yes, given the appropriate circumstances, I suppose it could happen…"
"A large risk, unless they were planning on something drastic, such as destroying the entire complex." Batgirl moved over to the first zombie that had been killed while Rebecca examined the room. It was an open bay as she had guessed, but it looked as if the occupants had been packing. There were several suitcases, bags and duffels scattered about, a few of them torn open.
That wasn't the bad part.
"They've been eating each other," Rebecca finally said. The floor was littered with fresh and dried pools of gore and blood. There were chunks of rotted flesh here and there, torn clothes and mutilated, half-eaten bodies. She counted the beds and looked at the bodies. "Based on the rate of decomposition and what we know about a zombie's digestive process, I'd say this place has been closed for six months."
Batgirl walked over to her holding a card in her had that she had taken from the body. "I thought zombies 'died' after only a few weeks."
"Depends on the virus strain and whether they can get food."
"Six months ago was that chemical spill," Batgirl said as she handed over the card. She went back to see of there were any more. Minutes later she came back with some. "Do you recognize any of the names?" she asked.
Rebecca shrugged. "Not really."
Batgirl nodded and activated her throat mike and radio transceiver. "Oracle, this is Rodent Three."
"Go."
Batgirl read off the names on the cards and waited while Oracle tried to identify them. Rebecca took the opportunity to search the room to see if there was anything useful. On top of a bunk, under a desiccated finger, she found a note. She read it, but it made no sense.
Taking the paper, she went back over next to Batgirl who was just finishing up her conversation with Oracle. Rebecca handed the note over. Batgirl read it out loud: "Security codes – E.Nigma". "They though the access codes were a riddle? That goes with Umbrella's morbid sense of humor."
"No," Batgirl said as she crushed the paper. "It means that they hired the Riddler to do their puzzles!"
"I can't get a hold of Batman," Oracle said. Green Arrow tapped his earphone, using it as an excuse to turn his head and get a better look at Jill's legs. She was at least two decades younger than him, a prime candidate to join the ranks of the "Merry Women of Sherwood Forest", as he affectionately called his list of conquests. "I think he's gone underground."
Jill bent over to pick up her lock pick kit and grab another tool. Green Arrow found it ironic that they had been able to get this far, only to be stopped by a locked glass door. They had not seen anyone or anything except for two helicopters sitting on pads a few hundred feet away. The pilots had to be sleeping they decided because Green Arrow's voiced carried too far as he described how wonderful he was.
"Look, babe, I'm sure he's somewhere promoting good conservative values with his fists while we do the work of the common man," he chided. The truth was he never worried about the Batman. Fascist or not, he was the only person Green Arrow was sure could handle any situation.
"I've got some important information," Oracle said, not missing a beat. "Batgirl and Rebecca have found a barracks full of bodies and zombies."
"Shoot! Are the kids okay?" he asked, suddenly angry that he let his groin do so much talking. He thought he had heard gunshots, but had dismissed it. This was Gotham City after all.
"They're fine, but they came across several names of the dead. I checked them all out and they ranged from common maintenance people to office types."
"Great, so Umbrella doesn't discriminate," green Arrow said, waving Jill over. She obeyed and came close, putting her ear next to his so she could listen as well.
"No…all of the people are Gotham natives. People who wouldn't leave here to go work someplace else."
"They're cleaning house," Jill announced, backing away. "They couldn't take a chance of any information getting out so they started killing them. The spill six months ago, I'll bet it was a mass contamination!"
"Then why leave now?" Green Arrow asked.
"That's easy," Jill replied. "The one thing we've noticed in our dealings with Umbrella is that they don't really care if who they are hiring are exactly sane. Madison…he infected his ex-girlfriend and scared Perot. Perot probably thought it was part of the clean-up effort and booked."
"That's what I figured as well," Oracle said. Green Arrow's receiver doubled as a microphone and she was picking up Jill's comments loud and clear. She was glad Batman had stuck somebody with more on the brain than sex with Green Arrow. Not that Green Arrow was a bad person, he was simply insatiable. "Umbrella probably figured too many mistakes were happening in Gotham City and it was only a matter of time before Batman got involved."
"Yep and then he brings the Justice League of Republicans in to save the day," the Emerald Archer added. "Probably get together and sell the place, donate money to some Texas politician…"
"Arrow!" Oracle admonished. "This is serious! Ask Jill if this sounds like any typical pattern for Umbrella."
He did as he was told and she answered. "Damn straight it is. Umbrella is closing down any and all facilities in the public eye, either moving them deep underground or overseas. It looks like this was a major set-up."
Green Arrow waited a moment and the listened as Oracle asked another question. "Computer-head wants to know if the S.T.A.R.s ever heard of a guy named Vandross?"
Jill looked away. "He's a mercenary and a thief." He didn't know why, but Green Arrow got the distinct impression there was something more personal to the story than Jill was letting on. He barely knew the woman and while that was good enough for a tumble in the sack, it didn't give him the right to pry into her private life. He wondered how Batman would react to that thought? "He's dead," she said.
"She says he ain't. Says he killed Perot in Bludhaven and is now being chased through Gotham University by Nightwing." She turned back to Arrow and there was a look somewhere between fear and hope on her face. "You okay?" he asked.
"Before I joined the S.T.A.R.s…back when my life was more gray than black and white, I had an older boyfriend. I thought he was a good man, kind, yet strong," she confessed.
Arrow nodded. "And Vandross killed him?'
Jill sighed. "No. He was Vandross."