Author's Note: Sorry this wasn't up sooner, but Chapter 2 was very hard to write. I had to write the second part over about three times before I got something satisfying from it. I'm not really pleased with the chapter due to all the complications such as time. Anyway! Since this is a sequel to "Countdown to Freedom", there's going to be some small references. So if you haven't read it, you might be a slightly confused (Please read it?). The next chapter will be better. Promise. I'll shut up so you can read. Enjoy!
Steve's vision was a little blurry, but he could at least see what was going on around him. He was in a dark, messy jail cell. There was water dripping from a broken pipe within his cell. Outside the cell was a couple of tables with lab equipment and papers spread out across them.
'I must have been sleeping for a while,' he thought to himself. Most of his memories had returned, including his T-Virus infection. And the voice that had been talking to him sounded very familiar to that mysterious man he met on Rockfort who was looking for Claire. Steve didn't know anything else other than that, but he did know that he had to escape and find Claire.
The scientists who kept checking on him seemed to be leaving. He was glad though, maybe once they left he'd be able to escape. There were two scientists packing up their things. The first scientist had short, dark brown hair. He was tall and muscular. The scientist beside him was shorter, a little pudgier, and had short red hair. He wore thick-rimmed glasses.
"Joel already left," one of the scientists said.
"He always leaves early, but I don't blame him. This place gives me the creeps," the second scientist said.
"I'll be glad to get out of here and away from these freaks," the first scientist muttered. Steve felt a little offended. He knew that they were including him in their list of "freaks". The door suddenly flew upon, and a man with panic-stricken eyes rushed in. His face looked red, like he had been sunburned. Sweat dripped from his face.
"The doors are locked!" he shrieked, "We're trapped inside!"
"That's ridiculous. The doors only lock during an emergency and there's been no emergency. All the monsters have been secured," the first scientist said. Steve noticed the tension in his voice.
"But I've tried all the doors! It's like someone locked us in, and Mr. Wesker left before us..." the panicked scientist trailed off.
"Don't be stupid! Why would he lock us inside? I'll go check the doors, and if they are locked, we'll just have to find a way to unlock them before any of the monsters can get out," No matter how calm the first scientist was acting, Steve could still detect his nervousness and fear. There was a muffled sound somewhere. It sounded like screaming. It sounded like a man screaming. Steve tensed up at the sound, as did the scientists.
"We have to get out of here," the terrified scientist said. Steve knew that he might be in danger too. If he was able to help them, maybe he could escape and find Claire.
"Hey," he said hoarsely. All three scientists whirled around to look at him. Steve swallowed, his throat felt dry.
"Let me out of here, I might be able to help you," he said. The red-faced scientist snatched the keys from the hands of the tall scientist and rushed over to his cell. His hands shook as he fumbled with the keys, but he was stopped when the tall scientist roughly grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Are you crazy?! You can't let that thing out! It could be dangerous!" The scientist snarled.
"But he's not like the other monsters we've dealt with! He could help us!" the red-faced scientist protested. The tall scientist scowled and slammed the scared scientist against the bars of Steve's cell.
"Look here! We can't let him out. Do you really want to deal with Mr. Wesker?" the scientist asked. The red-faced scientist shook his head.
"N-No, but if the monsters have already escaped because of the mansion being sealed..." the shorter scientist with the thick glasses piped up.
"Now calm down. We've taken monsters out of their cells before to see how they would react to their environment. This would be no different. If this boy is as powerful as Mr. Wesker says he could be, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring him if there's something out there. We would just have to keep him restrained like the other monsters," he said. Steve didn't like the sound of it. This was not how he saw his plan playing out. He didn't want to be treated like some dangerous monster. The tall scientist snatched a handgun off one of the tables, and a pair of handcuffs that looked like they were meant to restrain something very powerful. The red-faced scientist opened the door to his cell and motioned for Steve to step out. Steve wondered if he should just try to take down the scientists and escape on his own.
'Bad idea...what if I got lost? Or what if something bad finds me?' The tall scientist came toward him with the handcuffs. Steve sighed and placed his arms behind his back. He'd play by their rules for now. After the scientist was done cuffing him, he pointed his handgun at him.
"You try anything funny, and I'll..." his voice trailed off, letting his handgun finish the sentence. Steve nodded. The short scientist spoke again.
"I'm afraid we haven't introduced ourselves. My name is Peter," he then motioned to the red-faced scientist, "that's Joel, and the scientist over there is Greg." Another scream echoed from deep within the house. Joel uttered a loud gasp.
"W-we have to get out of here!" his voice rose with panic.
"Shut up, let's just see what's wrong with the doors," Greg said. Greg went ahead and slowly pushed open the door. There was a pitch-black corridor. Steve could have sworn he heard something scratching from within the walls.
"Peter, get the flashlight. Everyone else follow me," Greg said. Peter obediently grabbed the flashlight, and everyone stepped out into the corridor. Peter nervously flicked on the flashlight, dimly lighting the dark corridor. Greg gave Steve a dangerous look as he walked past him, as if daring him to try and escape. Steve scowled at Greg from behind as Greg led everyone out of the BOW holding cell.
'It's nighttime,' Claire thought as she glanced out the window. Today had been uneventful, just like yesterday, and like the day before that. Chris had been too preoccupied with Umbrella's recent activities to actually just sit down and rest. When he got home from Jill's house, he went upstairs and immediately went to bed. Claire and Sherry had spent most of the day watching television, or playing outside. Claire wondered how much longer it would be before these peaceful times ended.
The phone rang.
"Who could be calling this late?" Claire muttered as she went to pick up the phone. She was a little hesitate to answer, fearing that it might be someone that wanted them dead. On the other hand, it could be an emergency from Barry or Jill. Claire finally picked up the phone. Before she could even get a "hello" out, the person on the other line began to speak. Her fears were confirmed as soon as she heard who was talking.
"Hello Redfield."
"Wesker? How did you get this number?" Claire asked nervously.
"Ah, so it's Chris's younger sister. Let's say I have eyes and ears everywhere," the deep, arrogant, voice of Wesker answered. Claire went to hang up. She needed to tell Chris that Wesker knew where they were.
"I wouldn't hang up if I were you," Claire froze. Wesker continued speaking.
"I have a deal for you," he said, "I have possession, well, had possession of your friend, Mr. Burnside-"
"Steve?! Where is he? What have you done to him?!" Claire demanded angrily. Claire knew Wesker was sadistic, and the thought of her friend being mutilated or experimented on even after death made her furious.
"Oh, I haven't done that much. An injection here or there. I think you'll be pleased to know that he is still alive, and you can see him again," Wesker said. There was silence over the phone as Claire tried to absorb what Wesker had said. She wanted to believe it, she wanted desperately to believe it, but she knew that Steve was dead. He wasn't going up come back.
"You liar," she snarled.
"I'm no liar. The T-Veronica virus that was inside of him revived him. Just like me. He's alive...well, maybe not for long," Wesker said.
"What do you mean, 'maybe not for long'?" Claire asked.
"You see, he may be in some serious trouble. We've been keeping him inside a large mansion for experimenting, but something went wrong and we had to seal it. Now all the monsters have probably gotten out, and Mr. Burnside is in there with them..." Wesker didn't have to finish. Claire paused, trying to think it over. She knew she couldn't trust Wesker, but if Steve was alive...
"Where's this mansion?" Claire asked. Claire swore she could have seen Wesker smiling that devil-like smile as he told her the mansion's location and how she'd be able to enter.
Steve's vision was a little blurry, but he could at least see what was going on around him. He was in a dark, messy jail cell. There was water dripping from a broken pipe within his cell. Outside the cell was a couple of tables with lab equipment and papers spread out across them.
'I must have been sleeping for a while,' he thought to himself. Most of his memories had returned, including his T-Virus infection. And the voice that had been talking to him sounded very familiar to that mysterious man he met on Rockfort who was looking for Claire. Steve didn't know anything else other than that, but he did know that he had to escape and find Claire.
The scientists who kept checking on him seemed to be leaving. He was glad though, maybe once they left he'd be able to escape. There were two scientists packing up their things. The first scientist had short, dark brown hair. He was tall and muscular. The scientist beside him was shorter, a little pudgier, and had short red hair. He wore thick-rimmed glasses.
"Joel already left," one of the scientists said.
"He always leaves early, but I don't blame him. This place gives me the creeps," the second scientist said.
"I'll be glad to get out of here and away from these freaks," the first scientist muttered. Steve felt a little offended. He knew that they were including him in their list of "freaks". The door suddenly flew upon, and a man with panic-stricken eyes rushed in. His face looked red, like he had been sunburned. Sweat dripped from his face.
"The doors are locked!" he shrieked, "We're trapped inside!"
"That's ridiculous. The doors only lock during an emergency and there's been no emergency. All the monsters have been secured," the first scientist said. Steve noticed the tension in his voice.
"But I've tried all the doors! It's like someone locked us in, and Mr. Wesker left before us..." the panicked scientist trailed off.
"Don't be stupid! Why would he lock us inside? I'll go check the doors, and if they are locked, we'll just have to find a way to unlock them before any of the monsters can get out," No matter how calm the first scientist was acting, Steve could still detect his nervousness and fear. There was a muffled sound somewhere. It sounded like screaming. It sounded like a man screaming. Steve tensed up at the sound, as did the scientists.
"We have to get out of here," the terrified scientist said. Steve knew that he might be in danger too. If he was able to help them, maybe he could escape and find Claire.
"Hey," he said hoarsely. All three scientists whirled around to look at him. Steve swallowed, his throat felt dry.
"Let me out of here, I might be able to help you," he said. The red-faced scientist snatched the keys from the hands of the tall scientist and rushed over to his cell. His hands shook as he fumbled with the keys, but he was stopped when the tall scientist roughly grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Are you crazy?! You can't let that thing out! It could be dangerous!" The scientist snarled.
"But he's not like the other monsters we've dealt with! He could help us!" the red-faced scientist protested. The tall scientist scowled and slammed the scared scientist against the bars of Steve's cell.
"Look here! We can't let him out. Do you really want to deal with Mr. Wesker?" the scientist asked. The red-faced scientist shook his head.
"N-No, but if the monsters have already escaped because of the mansion being sealed..." the shorter scientist with the thick glasses piped up.
"Now calm down. We've taken monsters out of their cells before to see how they would react to their environment. This would be no different. If this boy is as powerful as Mr. Wesker says he could be, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring him if there's something out there. We would just have to keep him restrained like the other monsters," he said. Steve didn't like the sound of it. This was not how he saw his plan playing out. He didn't want to be treated like some dangerous monster. The tall scientist snatched a handgun off one of the tables, and a pair of handcuffs that looked like they were meant to restrain something very powerful. The red-faced scientist opened the door to his cell and motioned for Steve to step out. Steve wondered if he should just try to take down the scientists and escape on his own.
'Bad idea...what if I got lost? Or what if something bad finds me?' The tall scientist came toward him with the handcuffs. Steve sighed and placed his arms behind his back. He'd play by their rules for now. After the scientist was done cuffing him, he pointed his handgun at him.
"You try anything funny, and I'll..." his voice trailed off, letting his handgun finish the sentence. Steve nodded. The short scientist spoke again.
"I'm afraid we haven't introduced ourselves. My name is Peter," he then motioned to the red-faced scientist, "that's Joel, and the scientist over there is Greg." Another scream echoed from deep within the house. Joel uttered a loud gasp.
"W-we have to get out of here!" his voice rose with panic.
"Shut up, let's just see what's wrong with the doors," Greg said. Greg went ahead and slowly pushed open the door. There was a pitch-black corridor. Steve could have sworn he heard something scratching from within the walls.
"Peter, get the flashlight. Everyone else follow me," Greg said. Peter obediently grabbed the flashlight, and everyone stepped out into the corridor. Peter nervously flicked on the flashlight, dimly lighting the dark corridor. Greg gave Steve a dangerous look as he walked past him, as if daring him to try and escape. Steve scowled at Greg from behind as Greg led everyone out of the BOW holding cell.
'It's nighttime,' Claire thought as she glanced out the window. Today had been uneventful, just like yesterday, and like the day before that. Chris had been too preoccupied with Umbrella's recent activities to actually just sit down and rest. When he got home from Jill's house, he went upstairs and immediately went to bed. Claire and Sherry had spent most of the day watching television, or playing outside. Claire wondered how much longer it would be before these peaceful times ended.
The phone rang.
"Who could be calling this late?" Claire muttered as she went to pick up the phone. She was a little hesitate to answer, fearing that it might be someone that wanted them dead. On the other hand, it could be an emergency from Barry or Jill. Claire finally picked up the phone. Before she could even get a "hello" out, the person on the other line began to speak. Her fears were confirmed as soon as she heard who was talking.
"Hello Redfield."
"Wesker? How did you get this number?" Claire asked nervously.
"Ah, so it's Chris's younger sister. Let's say I have eyes and ears everywhere," the deep, arrogant, voice of Wesker answered. Claire went to hang up. She needed to tell Chris that Wesker knew where they were.
"I wouldn't hang up if I were you," Claire froze. Wesker continued speaking.
"I have a deal for you," he said, "I have possession, well, had possession of your friend, Mr. Burnside-"
"Steve?! Where is he? What have you done to him?!" Claire demanded angrily. Claire knew Wesker was sadistic, and the thought of her friend being mutilated or experimented on even after death made her furious.
"Oh, I haven't done that much. An injection here or there. I think you'll be pleased to know that he is still alive, and you can see him again," Wesker said. There was silence over the phone as Claire tried to absorb what Wesker had said. She wanted to believe it, she wanted desperately to believe it, but she knew that Steve was dead. He wasn't going up come back.
"You liar," she snarled.
"I'm no liar. The T-Veronica virus that was inside of him revived him. Just like me. He's alive...well, maybe not for long," Wesker said.
"What do you mean, 'maybe not for long'?" Claire asked.
"You see, he may be in some serious trouble. We've been keeping him inside a large mansion for experimenting, but something went wrong and we had to seal it. Now all the monsters have probably gotten out, and Mr. Burnside is in there with them..." Wesker didn't have to finish. Claire paused, trying to think it over. She knew she couldn't trust Wesker, but if Steve was alive...
"Where's this mansion?" Claire asked. Claire swore she could have seen Wesker smiling that devil-like smile as he told her the mansion's location and how she'd be able to enter.