Authors Notes: This chapters slightly longer than the last one.
Ran out of things to say!
***************************************
"John! SHHHH!!!" Hissed Bill Rabbitson
"Huh??" It was about four in the morning and John had just come down to the labs to grab a cup of coffee and had just run into Rabbitson, who was holding a large blue towel open and stalking toward something in the corner of the room.
"Don't move!"
"Bunny, what the hell are you"-
- Suddenly, the thing that was in the corner let up an almighty screech and rushed past Rabbitson, knocking him flat, zoomed through the room and out the door that John had left open. It grazed John's left leg as it went past and left a slightly damp mark where it made contact.
John's eyes were wide. He'd only caught a glimpse of IT yet couldn't work out what it indeed was. He saw images of it flash through his mind as he tired to make sense of what he saw; an exposed brain, three huge bone-like claws and a red disgusting mass that looked like a body only without skin. . . Rabbitson shoved John out the way and glanced left and right out the door.
"Fuck!! You let it get away!!"
"What WAS it??"
"Trixie! Ah- I mean, a proto-type Re 3. William called it a 'Licker'"
John thought to himself.
"And now it's loose in the facility?? And you were trying to catch a bio- weapon with a TOWEL???"
"Like I said, it's a proto-type." Explained Rabbitson. "Birkin said to me he made this model docile so it won't attack. I mean, if he's a good enough biochemist to make monsters impossibly viscous and spiteful, then I guess he can pretty much do the opposite for them if he wanted to. . ."
"I suppose it makes sense. . .I mean, that way you can actually get close and study it without sedating it."
"Wishful thinking." Rabbitson commented, pointing out the door. "It could be anywhere by now; those things can really move when they want to." Bill walked over to a desk and picked up a syringe and another towel. "Seeing as YOU let it free, YOU can help me find it. When you've got it under the towel, inject it with this, then page me." Bill handed John the stuff and he looked at it with weary eyes.
"So I guess it responds to the name 'Trixie', then?" He asked, not feeling bothered to argue at this early hour.
"Yeah. . . Dr. Birkin was calling it that when he entrusted it to me."
"Great job you did, Bunny!"
"Well he didn't give me a leash or any means to restrain it! It started to get a bit rowdy and started going all up the walls and on the ceiling, and when I tried to get it down with a broom handle, it cut it to pieces like it was paper! It then zoomed out the door and I chased it into this room."
"Well, it seems to wanna get somewhere real bad. . ." John pondered to Bill. "If I were a monster with the mind of a puppy dog where would I go. . .?"
"To your master?"
"That sounds about right. . . So where's Birkin at?"
"The helipad. He told me he was going there and that's why he left Trixie here."
"What business has he got up there?"
"You mean he didn't tell you??" John eyes narrowed.
"Obviously not. I've been in bed since he yelled at me."
"While the techs have been shipping the specimens in over the cover of night, Birkin took the researchers up to the heli-pad to meet his wife."
". . .ARGH!!!"
"Wha?"
"Ever since all the business with my slip of the tongue over his wife he's been acting weird around me, and now he does THIS!!??"
". . .?"
"He's just doing it to single me out!!"
"I think you're looking into this too much. . ."
"The only reason you can't see it is because you're not involved in all this!!"
Bill shook his head. "Whatever. . . Just at least pretend you're looking for Trixie, okay? And if you do meet Dr. Birkin at the helipad, tell him what happened."
"Why don't YOU do it?? I'm not taking the blame!"
"YOU let it out when I was about to catch it, remember??"
"Oh yeah! Like you were about to catch it!! Since when have you ever completed a survival horror video game using only a blue towel!?"
"Just go." Murmured Bill as he pushed past John and left the room equipped with his own towel and syringe of sedative. From somewhere in the facility, came scream of terror rendered barely audible by distance;
"What the fucking hell is THAT?!?!?"
"Sound's like it's really moving. . ." John commented aloud and made his way to the heli-pad. . . that was if he could remember where it was. . . Not that it was difficult to work it out however, a heli-pad was obviously on the roof but in a place like this, you could think you'd be heading for the roof and end up in totally the wrong place. . .
***
Bitterness proved to be indeed a powerful driving force, for John had found the helipad in record time, even before Trixie had but unsurprisingly, John had utterly forgot about the 'gentle' licker and knew only one thing;
His thoughts raged in his mind. John was nearly at the heliport and according to is watch, it was four thirty two a.m and all the researchers but him and Bill were up on the helipad. Are all of them nuts?? All they were going to do was just be there to see William's wife arrive. It wasn't really worth going up there at four thirty in the morning in the freezing cold just to shake hands with some shrivelled old hag. . . Even if you didn't think it would give the best impressions to your boss, there would still be a great chance of oversleeping and John greatly doubted that they all would set their alarm clocks for this event.
John wrapped the towel around himself when he opened the door to the helipad and was blasted with fresh, cold air. He began to wonder that if he didn't find Trixie just how well this sedative he had in his hand would work for his insomnia. . .
John frowned sarcastically when he saw the ever-solemn expression on William's face; always unreadable and wholly irritating to someone who craved to understand his work partners like he did.
John looked up and saw his fellow researchers standing in a stiff militaristic line, all of them looking either enormously uncomfortable, or extremely polite and understanding indeed, which was very unusual for the bunch of men he was looking at: Most of them quite possibly hook each others genitals up to car batteries in their spare time. . . And standing in front of the group of men was. . .-
-John's eyes widened.-
-Quite possibly one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen.-
Was he still thinking of the same William???
The woman had blonde hair to her shoulders and dazzling blue eyes but strangely enough, she didn't once strike him on appearance as someone who embraced the stereotype of a 'dumb blonde'. Her face was fixed to a scowl, like Williams, but whereas his was a strange icy glare, his wife's was laced with a defiant and independent emotion John believed didn't fit all the criteria of hate.
She was wearing a lab coat over her shoulders that was much too big for her; her husband had thrown it over her to protect her equally from the cold as from the lusty glares of his fellow researchers.
"Pleased to meet you, Mrs Birkin!" Beamed one of them who John knew as the cigar-smoking 'Steve Keller'.
"DOCTOR Birkin." She growled and moved onto the next man who was grinning like a true pervert. The man was Adam Falmer and John really didn't like the guy. Not only was he burly, but also he was as arrogant as hell and the look he gave William's wife made him shrivel in disgust. He murmured something in her ear and here beautiful blue eyes widened apparently as disgusted as he was. When William was conveniently not looking, she kicked that sick bastard Adam really hard in the shin and walked back to the side of her twisted husband. He pretended he couldn't see Adam hopping around in pain. Just then, William noticed John, as did his wife.
"And who's THAT?" She mumbled, keeping her distance and looking him over discontentedly. John suddenly remembered he was still wearing that towel, and it was a PINK towel. . .
"That's just Mr. Howe." He said with a faint smirk, undermining John's first impression he was making with his wife. "He's from the Chicago branch of Umbrella, that's all." But John wasn't going to let him get away with it that easily.
"Your 'Licker' 'Trixie' has escaped after you left it unrestrained with Rabbitson, SIR." He said arrogantly, trying to deliver his blow as effectively. William raised his eyebrows, like John had just released a terrible evil.
"William," Barked his wife. "What were you thinking to leave that creature unleashed with a guy who hasn't been working at the place for more than a week!?"
"It's tame!!"
"It's STILL a licker!! How can someone in your position act so irresponsibly?!"
". . . I was just expressing a scientific point!"
"Being???"
John warned and as though he could hear it, William drooped his head and, looking up, said;
"This is neither the time, nor the place, Annette. . ."
"Fine." She grumbled and turned to the still present researchers. "Don't you have somewhere to be? We're not paying you by the hour, you know." The band of men suddenly didn't have a place to go, looking around at each other, dumbstruck, like they had been freed from a strange spell. "Well get going, then!" She barked clapping her hands as if she was scaring away a pack of mindless animals.
The men pushed past John as they dispersed back into the facility.
"The phrase 'beauty and the beast comes to mind." Scoffed one.
"Yeah, and Annette's the beast." They all chuckled, except for John. William and Annette's eyes burned dangerously into the backs of the men but they didn't hear the comment, so they couldn't do anything about it. John pretended to follow them out but hid behind the door for what Annette had to say to William. John was finding the man so hard to figure out; was his wife Annette the key to understanding?
"You really didn't have to belittle me in front of my employees like that." Said William frowning, yet smiling in a half-serious way.
"Well now at least they know what's in for them."
"So you were using me as an example?" -
- From the depths of the facility came the voice of Bill Rabbitson
"Here Trixie, Trixie, Trixie! Good girly! There's a nice girly! Now just let Uncy Rabbitson. . . - ow. Ow! OW! OW!!!! THAT HURT YOU BITCH!!!"
"So it's tame, IS IT??" She yelled to her husband. "You'll get yourself fired!!"
"She's just frightened!" He commented, and then sighed almost comically. " I supposed I'll go get the anti-virus. . ."
"We're having to use it already. . ." she complained. "My God. . . Those researchers you've got here do everything BUT research!"
William smiled slightly but got up to go get the anti-virus and John ducked behind the door.
"Wait." Annette said suddenly. John was nearly dying of suspense already; he really didn't want to get caught behind the door by a passing Birkin but he just couldn't help but be so goddamn nosy and now his torment was being prolonged. "I'm in a foul mood as it is." She remarked, her voice weary from stress. " It's five in the morning and I hate helicopters and I just met the most disgusting band of researchers I've ever met and you've just brushed me off like a minor inconvenience. . ." William couldn't understand what she was getting at. ". . .Aren't you at least going to try and . cheer me up?" John's eyebrows rose. He knew what she was getting at, alright. . . but William. . .
John cringed in absolute disbelief, feeling his guts writhe in embarrassment as William stepped up to his wife, grabbed her nose and honked it like she was a little kid.
"Honk - honk."
- WHAM!!!!-
She drove her fist into his face and he fell like a ton of bricks onto the floor.
Annette stomped past John with such fury he honestly feared for his safety. As she marched on she batted doors out of her way like they were made of paper; William had really pissed her off.
William however, was still lying on the floor. John walked slowly over to the unmoving man and tapped him afew times with his boot.
"Er. William?"
William moaned.
"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you really don't have any idea about women, do you?"
"I was only messing around. . ." He whimpered.
"Well she obviously wasn't. . ." John said as he inspected a strange white pebble on the floor next to William.-
-but it was only on closer examination that he realized what that innocent white little pebble was.
"Oh my God!!!! Is that your TOOTH????"
********************************** The licker ties into the plot eventually. Honest!
Ran out of things to say!
***************************************
"John! SHHHH!!!" Hissed Bill Rabbitson
"Huh??" It was about four in the morning and John had just come down to the labs to grab a cup of coffee and had just run into Rabbitson, who was holding a large blue towel open and stalking toward something in the corner of the room.
"Don't move!"
"Bunny, what the hell are you"-
- Suddenly, the thing that was in the corner let up an almighty screech and rushed past Rabbitson, knocking him flat, zoomed through the room and out the door that John had left open. It grazed John's left leg as it went past and left a slightly damp mark where it made contact.
John's eyes were wide. He'd only caught a glimpse of IT yet couldn't work out what it indeed was. He saw images of it flash through his mind as he tired to make sense of what he saw; an exposed brain, three huge bone-like claws and a red disgusting mass that looked like a body only without skin. . . Rabbitson shoved John out the way and glanced left and right out the door.
"Fuck!! You let it get away!!"
"What WAS it??"
"Trixie! Ah- I mean, a proto-type Re 3. William called it a 'Licker'"
John thought to himself.
"And now it's loose in the facility?? And you were trying to catch a bio- weapon with a TOWEL???"
"Like I said, it's a proto-type." Explained Rabbitson. "Birkin said to me he made this model docile so it won't attack. I mean, if he's a good enough biochemist to make monsters impossibly viscous and spiteful, then I guess he can pretty much do the opposite for them if he wanted to. . ."
"I suppose it makes sense. . .I mean, that way you can actually get close and study it without sedating it."
"Wishful thinking." Rabbitson commented, pointing out the door. "It could be anywhere by now; those things can really move when they want to." Bill walked over to a desk and picked up a syringe and another towel. "Seeing as YOU let it free, YOU can help me find it. When you've got it under the towel, inject it with this, then page me." Bill handed John the stuff and he looked at it with weary eyes.
"So I guess it responds to the name 'Trixie', then?" He asked, not feeling bothered to argue at this early hour.
"Yeah. . . Dr. Birkin was calling it that when he entrusted it to me."
"Great job you did, Bunny!"
"Well he didn't give me a leash or any means to restrain it! It started to get a bit rowdy and started going all up the walls and on the ceiling, and when I tried to get it down with a broom handle, it cut it to pieces like it was paper! It then zoomed out the door and I chased it into this room."
"Well, it seems to wanna get somewhere real bad. . ." John pondered to Bill. "If I were a monster with the mind of a puppy dog where would I go. . .?"
"To your master?"
"That sounds about right. . . So where's Birkin at?"
"The helipad. He told me he was going there and that's why he left Trixie here."
"What business has he got up there?"
"You mean he didn't tell you??" John eyes narrowed.
"Obviously not. I've been in bed since he yelled at me."
"While the techs have been shipping the specimens in over the cover of night, Birkin took the researchers up to the heli-pad to meet his wife."
". . .ARGH!!!"
"Wha?"
"Ever since all the business with my slip of the tongue over his wife he's been acting weird around me, and now he does THIS!!??"
". . .?"
"He's just doing it to single me out!!"
"I think you're looking into this too much. . ."
"The only reason you can't see it is because you're not involved in all this!!"
Bill shook his head. "Whatever. . . Just at least pretend you're looking for Trixie, okay? And if you do meet Dr. Birkin at the helipad, tell him what happened."
"Why don't YOU do it?? I'm not taking the blame!"
"YOU let it out when I was about to catch it, remember??"
"Oh yeah! Like you were about to catch it!! Since when have you ever completed a survival horror video game using only a blue towel!?"
"Just go." Murmured Bill as he pushed past John and left the room equipped with his own towel and syringe of sedative. From somewhere in the facility, came scream of terror rendered barely audible by distance;
"What the fucking hell is THAT?!?!?"
"Sound's like it's really moving. . ." John commented aloud and made his way to the heli-pad. . . that was if he could remember where it was. . . Not that it was difficult to work it out however, a heli-pad was obviously on the roof but in a place like this, you could think you'd be heading for the roof and end up in totally the wrong place. . .
***
Bitterness proved to be indeed a powerful driving force, for John had found the helipad in record time, even before Trixie had but unsurprisingly, John had utterly forgot about the 'gentle' licker and knew only one thing;
His thoughts raged in his mind. John was nearly at the heliport and according to is watch, it was four thirty two a.m and all the researchers but him and Bill were up on the helipad. Are all of them nuts?? All they were going to do was just be there to see William's wife arrive. It wasn't really worth going up there at four thirty in the morning in the freezing cold just to shake hands with some shrivelled old hag. . . Even if you didn't think it would give the best impressions to your boss, there would still be a great chance of oversleeping and John greatly doubted that they all would set their alarm clocks for this event.
John wrapped the towel around himself when he opened the door to the helipad and was blasted with fresh, cold air. He began to wonder that if he didn't find Trixie just how well this sedative he had in his hand would work for his insomnia. . .
John frowned sarcastically when he saw the ever-solemn expression on William's face; always unreadable and wholly irritating to someone who craved to understand his work partners like he did.
John looked up and saw his fellow researchers standing in a stiff militaristic line, all of them looking either enormously uncomfortable, or extremely polite and understanding indeed, which was very unusual for the bunch of men he was looking at: Most of them quite possibly hook each others genitals up to car batteries in their spare time. . . And standing in front of the group of men was. . .-
-John's eyes widened.-
-Quite possibly one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen.-
Was he still thinking of the same William???
The woman had blonde hair to her shoulders and dazzling blue eyes but strangely enough, she didn't once strike him on appearance as someone who embraced the stereotype of a 'dumb blonde'. Her face was fixed to a scowl, like Williams, but whereas his was a strange icy glare, his wife's was laced with a defiant and independent emotion John believed didn't fit all the criteria of hate.
She was wearing a lab coat over her shoulders that was much too big for her; her husband had thrown it over her to protect her equally from the cold as from the lusty glares of his fellow researchers.
"Pleased to meet you, Mrs Birkin!" Beamed one of them who John knew as the cigar-smoking 'Steve Keller'.
"DOCTOR Birkin." She growled and moved onto the next man who was grinning like a true pervert. The man was Adam Falmer and John really didn't like the guy. Not only was he burly, but also he was as arrogant as hell and the look he gave William's wife made him shrivel in disgust. He murmured something in her ear and here beautiful blue eyes widened apparently as disgusted as he was. When William was conveniently not looking, she kicked that sick bastard Adam really hard in the shin and walked back to the side of her twisted husband. He pretended he couldn't see Adam hopping around in pain. Just then, William noticed John, as did his wife.
"And who's THAT?" She mumbled, keeping her distance and looking him over discontentedly. John suddenly remembered he was still wearing that towel, and it was a PINK towel. . .
"That's just Mr. Howe." He said with a faint smirk, undermining John's first impression he was making with his wife. "He's from the Chicago branch of Umbrella, that's all." But John wasn't going to let him get away with it that easily.
"Your 'Licker' 'Trixie' has escaped after you left it unrestrained with Rabbitson, SIR." He said arrogantly, trying to deliver his blow as effectively. William raised his eyebrows, like John had just released a terrible evil.
"William," Barked his wife. "What were you thinking to leave that creature unleashed with a guy who hasn't been working at the place for more than a week!?"
"It's tame!!"
"It's STILL a licker!! How can someone in your position act so irresponsibly?!"
". . . I was just expressing a scientific point!"
"Being???"
John warned and as though he could hear it, William drooped his head and, looking up, said;
"This is neither the time, nor the place, Annette. . ."
"Fine." She grumbled and turned to the still present researchers. "Don't you have somewhere to be? We're not paying you by the hour, you know." The band of men suddenly didn't have a place to go, looking around at each other, dumbstruck, like they had been freed from a strange spell. "Well get going, then!" She barked clapping her hands as if she was scaring away a pack of mindless animals.
The men pushed past John as they dispersed back into the facility.
"The phrase 'beauty and the beast comes to mind." Scoffed one.
"Yeah, and Annette's the beast." They all chuckled, except for John. William and Annette's eyes burned dangerously into the backs of the men but they didn't hear the comment, so they couldn't do anything about it. John pretended to follow them out but hid behind the door for what Annette had to say to William. John was finding the man so hard to figure out; was his wife Annette the key to understanding?
"You really didn't have to belittle me in front of my employees like that." Said William frowning, yet smiling in a half-serious way.
"Well now at least they know what's in for them."
"So you were using me as an example?" -
- From the depths of the facility came the voice of Bill Rabbitson
"Here Trixie, Trixie, Trixie! Good girly! There's a nice girly! Now just let Uncy Rabbitson. . . - ow. Ow! OW! OW!!!! THAT HURT YOU BITCH!!!"
"So it's tame, IS IT??" She yelled to her husband. "You'll get yourself fired!!"
"She's just frightened!" He commented, and then sighed almost comically. " I supposed I'll go get the anti-virus. . ."
"We're having to use it already. . ." she complained. "My God. . . Those researchers you've got here do everything BUT research!"
William smiled slightly but got up to go get the anti-virus and John ducked behind the door.
"Wait." Annette said suddenly. John was nearly dying of suspense already; he really didn't want to get caught behind the door by a passing Birkin but he just couldn't help but be so goddamn nosy and now his torment was being prolonged. "I'm in a foul mood as it is." She remarked, her voice weary from stress. " It's five in the morning and I hate helicopters and I just met the most disgusting band of researchers I've ever met and you've just brushed me off like a minor inconvenience. . ." William couldn't understand what she was getting at. ". . .Aren't you at least going to try and . cheer me up?" John's eyebrows rose. He knew what she was getting at, alright. . . but William. . .
John cringed in absolute disbelief, feeling his guts writhe in embarrassment as William stepped up to his wife, grabbed her nose and honked it like she was a little kid.
"Honk - honk."
- WHAM!!!!-
She drove her fist into his face and he fell like a ton of bricks onto the floor.
Annette stomped past John with such fury he honestly feared for his safety. As she marched on she batted doors out of her way like they were made of paper; William had really pissed her off.
William however, was still lying on the floor. John walked slowly over to the unmoving man and tapped him afew times with his boot.
"Er. William?"
William moaned.
"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you really don't have any idea about women, do you?"
"I was only messing around. . ." He whimpered.
"Well she obviously wasn't. . ." John said as he inspected a strange white pebble on the floor next to William.-
-but it was only on closer examination that he realized what that innocent white little pebble was.
"Oh my God!!!! Is that your TOOTH????"
********************************** The licker ties into the plot eventually. Honest!