Chapter XII
Everlasting Horror
BAM! BAM! BAM! The creature flipped over as Ja pumped continuous rounds into its bleeding muscle. Three handgun rounds and the creature hadn't seemed to even flinch. What was this thing? The only other creature he had run into was the zombies.and now this thing! It looked like some kind of cross between a snake, with the way it walked, and a gorilla with its massive muscle.except a gorilla without any skin. BAM! BAM! BAM! "Heeeeirgh!" It screamed out in pain as more parabellum rounds were fired into its back, and the creature flipped into the air to grasp the piping that lined the ceiling. It skittered across the high top of the hallway, watching carefully as Ja pondered his next move.
*
Vela sat quietly in the observation tower of the Empire State Building. This entire ordeal had haunted her from the second she stepped foot inside.and now the memories of her childhood were beginning to surface. Her brothers and sister had ripped her to pieces emotionally, convincing her that she was worth nothing. Then, to retaliate she killed her parents.she was punished for that, sent to an orphanage and given drugs to help relax her. A side effect of the drugs was total personality and memory loss, causing her to forget about her past.but now she was remembering. Silently, Vela looked out the only windows in the entire facility that weren't sealed off by shutters. She could see into the busy streets of New York.it was very early morning, and it was still dark out. The lights and illumination caused by the buildings below could be seen, and Vela watched as small ant like cars traveled in and out of the crowded roads. She put her head back, pulling her blonde hair behind her ears. She was tired; after all she hadn't gotten much sleep since she was knocked out in the bedrock. The monsters that prowled the facility hadn't reached her here yet, and it seemed to be the only safe place she could hide. For all she knew, she would be hiding in here forever, lost and tired awaiting some type of rescue that she knew would never come. Umbrella was smart, and they wouldn't let any type of rescue squad enter here with the information that could be uncovered. She was trapped, and no one was coming. It was September 24th, and it had been a whole day since the infection. The airborne virus was gone, but still the zombies prowled the dim hallways. The Central Power Core was basically wiped out, turned into a breeding ground for the Chimeras. Most electricity was restored after the twenty minute knockout that was caused, but still the telephone wires were dead. Umbrella was making sure no one was making an attempt to access the outside. So, lonely and bothered, Vela sat in the observation tower curled up in a ball. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep and tried to get a grasp on the life she had before she was let into this nightmarish hell.
*
Ada's head pounded after the recent puzzle she had just pushed through, the complicated mess of keys and doors that led her into this massive gray and white lab room. It was a gigantic mess of overturned lab stations, broken glass and viles. Blue and green chemicals were spilled onto the floor, although she could tell they weren't poisonous from the labeled containers that lay upon the spilled puddles. She gagged at the sight of a gutted researcher, hunched over her station holding a pistol. Ada could tell just by looking she was dead; the cold, glazed over look in her eyes that seemed to be staring at an invisible object just beyond her. The thing that really caught Ada's gaze was the large computer screen in the east wall of the room. It was off, but the console in front of it held the keys to turning it on. She headed over to it, tapped a few keys and in an instant it flickered to life. The Umbrella logo flashed across the screen, and suddenly a timer was shown.33'22.33'21.33'20. "Oh shit." Ada realized what it was immediately, "It's a countdown." It was a clock that counted down to the end of the Neptune Project. Directly underneath the timer was a blue and white bar, with a percentage listed in the center of it.95%...that meant in a half hour the last 5% of the documentation here would be transferred, and the Empire State Building would be decimated. "If I had only worked faster, I might have been able to stop it sooner." Ada whispered to herself as she plopped down in the chair in front of her. She began to press buttons the keyboard, trying to access the main system of the computer but nothing worked. This screen was locked into place, and nothing would change that. Even the abort button wouldn't work, the words 'abort inaccessible' flickering across the screen whenever it was touched. A door opened behind her, the same one she had come in through and the voice of Gregory echoed throughout the large chamber, "No, you wouldn't have been able to stop it. The Neptune Project is pure perfection, and no one is going to take that away from me.not even you, Ms Wong." "I thought you had begun referring to me as darling, and sweetie." Ada mocked, remembering the diary entries that she had read a few minutes back, ".but Ms Wong does me justice; I never liked pet names." "I understand now exactly what you have been up to since the beginning," Gregory said, walking slowly forth, "You have wanted to put an end to my happiness ever since you first saw me. I tried to help you Ada, I really truthfully did. But now, you have angered me.and although my true love is you, I look down upon people of your nature." "My nature." Ada said, thinking of what he could possibly justify that statement with. Gregory snickered, "Yes, your cold hearted, ruthless and cut throat nature. You seduced Leon Scott Kennedy, you seduced Craig Hilt, and now you have attempted to seduce me into giving you information on what is contained in the Neptune Project! People like you belong down there." he pressed a button and a steel shutter rose up, revealing the busy New York streets, ".down there standing on the street corners, selling your pitiful bodies to gain the minimal respect you so strongly believe you deserve." "I don't really give a damn what is contained in your Neptune Project." Ada hissed, hoping to traumatize him a bit.if his object of lust didn't care what he had to offer, maybe he wouldn't really care about it. ".all I want now is to get out of here." "Then let me take you out quickly, so you mustn't experience the true horror that will be inflicted when the building it's destroyed." He withdrew her pair of .357s that he had taken from her, and cocked them back, ".I'm sorry it had to end like this, darling. Please forgive me." Suddenly a figure rose out from behind the shadows, "Hold it right there!"
*
Heatherly couldn't even see straight, but she held her magnum up in the air aimed right at that son of a bitch Gregory, "Drop the guns asshole." she muttered loud enough for him to hear it, ".make on wrong move and I'll blast the shit out of you." She trained her gaze for a brief instant on Ada, making sure she was still okay. Then, she focused back onto her target. The magnums clanked to the floor, and he turned to face her with his hands up, ".so what do we have here." he grinned, "Ms Heatherly Taft back from the dead." He giggled a bit, letting his pearly whites show before closing his toothy grin, ".happy to see you're still alive. I was beginning to have my doubts." "Shut up." she snapped, leveling the weapon again. She didn't know what was wrong with her, whether she had been infected with the virus or whether it was just a side effect of the shock she had gone through. She had had to dig her way out of a Chimera egg, where they had placed her for later feeding. Her shoulder was numb, where the scythe blade had punctured her. All the blood had dried up, leaving a black stain on her white shirt. Ada stepped towards her, hoping to get out of Gregory's path. Suddenly, he made his move. He thrashed forward, pushing past Heatherly and snapping the combat knife off her ankle. He grabbed Ada, pushed her against the wall and held the blade against her throat, "I'll do it." he growled, "I'll do it if you make me." The entire incident happened in less that two seconds, and Heatherly had totally missed it. Ada was now pressed up against a wall, a knife to her throat. She could see the blade pressed up against her skin, making a small indentation. Gregory wasn't playing games, but neither was she. "Drop the knife Gregory." Heatherly purred, "Drop it or I'll shoot." "No you drop your gun, bitch. I'll kill her if you don't." he looked away from her, his eyes focusing on Ada's. Then he whispered into her ears, ".I'll make you happier than you've ever been in your entire life." Then suddenly he kissed her, embracing against her unwilling lips. She gasped, pushed him off and wiped her lips. BAM! Heatherly shot, the bullet pushing through his gut and exiting the other side. It ricocheted off a wall and flew into the ceiling, ending with a small crash. Dust flew from the ceiling, mainly landing around a stunned Gregory. Blood seeped from his stomach wound, ending in pools on the ground. He looked at Heatherly and then back at Ada. "I thought." he gasped, "I thought we could be together." Ada suddenly lifted her leg and let out a powerful kick to his face. Gregory fell back, landing in a river of his own blood, "I could never be with a cold blooded bastard like you." And with that, Gregory closed his eyes and blood erupted from his mouth. He was gone.
*
Hillary heard gunshots go off, and quickly she was rushed out the door and flying up the steps. Then she saw it, the red creature hanging above on the ceiling. It was screaming at something, and then when she noticed exactly what it was she too let out a scream, "Ja!" He saw her too, excited and angry at the same time. He obviously didn't want her there, in case the creature attacked, "Hillary, head up the stairs! Get to the observation tower!" he screamed, and in an instant she rushed past him and dashed up the steps. BAM! BAM! BAM! She could hear gunshots behind her, but it didn't matter. She was already up to three floors, and her pace wasn't softening. If Ja thought something was worth seeing in the observation tower, it had to be important. She bolted up the steps, but then to her shock the thing that Ja was fighting was right behind her.
*
Vela heard a shot go off, somewhere downstairs. It was probably in the BIOTECH lab.she had been up there a few times, but mostly she had stayed in the underground labs. Umbrella had kept it hidden, off the map but she knew it existed.it was the hundredth floor, and nothing else was on that floor but BIOTECH labs. She wasn't sure if she should worry herself with it.but a gut feeling in her stomach told her something was wrong.
*
"Is he dead." Ada moved forward, not sure what to say. Gregory's eyes rolled back into his sockets, hidden away by his eyelids. Blood was pouring out of his mouth and mainly from the giant tear in his chest.he didn't look good, that was for damn sure. She knelt down beside him and pressed on his neck, checking for pulse. "Oh my God." she whispered, loud enough for Heatherly to hear. "What is it." she wondered, letting a hint of worry into her tone. Ada shook her head, "It can't be possible.he's still got a-" Suddenly Gregory's masculine hand rushed up, grabbed Ada by the throat and squeezed tightly. His eyes flickered open, and the smirk that she knew all too well by now stretched deceitfully across his face.
**
Everlasting Horror
BAM! BAM! BAM! The creature flipped over as Ja pumped continuous rounds into its bleeding muscle. Three handgun rounds and the creature hadn't seemed to even flinch. What was this thing? The only other creature he had run into was the zombies.and now this thing! It looked like some kind of cross between a snake, with the way it walked, and a gorilla with its massive muscle.except a gorilla without any skin. BAM! BAM! BAM! "Heeeeirgh!" It screamed out in pain as more parabellum rounds were fired into its back, and the creature flipped into the air to grasp the piping that lined the ceiling. It skittered across the high top of the hallway, watching carefully as Ja pondered his next move.
*
Vela sat quietly in the observation tower of the Empire State Building. This entire ordeal had haunted her from the second she stepped foot inside.and now the memories of her childhood were beginning to surface. Her brothers and sister had ripped her to pieces emotionally, convincing her that she was worth nothing. Then, to retaliate she killed her parents.she was punished for that, sent to an orphanage and given drugs to help relax her. A side effect of the drugs was total personality and memory loss, causing her to forget about her past.but now she was remembering. Silently, Vela looked out the only windows in the entire facility that weren't sealed off by shutters. She could see into the busy streets of New York.it was very early morning, and it was still dark out. The lights and illumination caused by the buildings below could be seen, and Vela watched as small ant like cars traveled in and out of the crowded roads. She put her head back, pulling her blonde hair behind her ears. She was tired; after all she hadn't gotten much sleep since she was knocked out in the bedrock. The monsters that prowled the facility hadn't reached her here yet, and it seemed to be the only safe place she could hide. For all she knew, she would be hiding in here forever, lost and tired awaiting some type of rescue that she knew would never come. Umbrella was smart, and they wouldn't let any type of rescue squad enter here with the information that could be uncovered. She was trapped, and no one was coming. It was September 24th, and it had been a whole day since the infection. The airborne virus was gone, but still the zombies prowled the dim hallways. The Central Power Core was basically wiped out, turned into a breeding ground for the Chimeras. Most electricity was restored after the twenty minute knockout that was caused, but still the telephone wires were dead. Umbrella was making sure no one was making an attempt to access the outside. So, lonely and bothered, Vela sat in the observation tower curled up in a ball. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep and tried to get a grasp on the life she had before she was let into this nightmarish hell.
*
Ada's head pounded after the recent puzzle she had just pushed through, the complicated mess of keys and doors that led her into this massive gray and white lab room. It was a gigantic mess of overturned lab stations, broken glass and viles. Blue and green chemicals were spilled onto the floor, although she could tell they weren't poisonous from the labeled containers that lay upon the spilled puddles. She gagged at the sight of a gutted researcher, hunched over her station holding a pistol. Ada could tell just by looking she was dead; the cold, glazed over look in her eyes that seemed to be staring at an invisible object just beyond her. The thing that really caught Ada's gaze was the large computer screen in the east wall of the room. It was off, but the console in front of it held the keys to turning it on. She headed over to it, tapped a few keys and in an instant it flickered to life. The Umbrella logo flashed across the screen, and suddenly a timer was shown.33'22.33'21.33'20. "Oh shit." Ada realized what it was immediately, "It's a countdown." It was a clock that counted down to the end of the Neptune Project. Directly underneath the timer was a blue and white bar, with a percentage listed in the center of it.95%...that meant in a half hour the last 5% of the documentation here would be transferred, and the Empire State Building would be decimated. "If I had only worked faster, I might have been able to stop it sooner." Ada whispered to herself as she plopped down in the chair in front of her. She began to press buttons the keyboard, trying to access the main system of the computer but nothing worked. This screen was locked into place, and nothing would change that. Even the abort button wouldn't work, the words 'abort inaccessible' flickering across the screen whenever it was touched. A door opened behind her, the same one she had come in through and the voice of Gregory echoed throughout the large chamber, "No, you wouldn't have been able to stop it. The Neptune Project is pure perfection, and no one is going to take that away from me.not even you, Ms Wong." "I thought you had begun referring to me as darling, and sweetie." Ada mocked, remembering the diary entries that she had read a few minutes back, ".but Ms Wong does me justice; I never liked pet names." "I understand now exactly what you have been up to since the beginning," Gregory said, walking slowly forth, "You have wanted to put an end to my happiness ever since you first saw me. I tried to help you Ada, I really truthfully did. But now, you have angered me.and although my true love is you, I look down upon people of your nature." "My nature." Ada said, thinking of what he could possibly justify that statement with. Gregory snickered, "Yes, your cold hearted, ruthless and cut throat nature. You seduced Leon Scott Kennedy, you seduced Craig Hilt, and now you have attempted to seduce me into giving you information on what is contained in the Neptune Project! People like you belong down there." he pressed a button and a steel shutter rose up, revealing the busy New York streets, ".down there standing on the street corners, selling your pitiful bodies to gain the minimal respect you so strongly believe you deserve." "I don't really give a damn what is contained in your Neptune Project." Ada hissed, hoping to traumatize him a bit.if his object of lust didn't care what he had to offer, maybe he wouldn't really care about it. ".all I want now is to get out of here." "Then let me take you out quickly, so you mustn't experience the true horror that will be inflicted when the building it's destroyed." He withdrew her pair of .357s that he had taken from her, and cocked them back, ".I'm sorry it had to end like this, darling. Please forgive me." Suddenly a figure rose out from behind the shadows, "Hold it right there!"
*
Heatherly couldn't even see straight, but she held her magnum up in the air aimed right at that son of a bitch Gregory, "Drop the guns asshole." she muttered loud enough for him to hear it, ".make on wrong move and I'll blast the shit out of you." She trained her gaze for a brief instant on Ada, making sure she was still okay. Then, she focused back onto her target. The magnums clanked to the floor, and he turned to face her with his hands up, ".so what do we have here." he grinned, "Ms Heatherly Taft back from the dead." He giggled a bit, letting his pearly whites show before closing his toothy grin, ".happy to see you're still alive. I was beginning to have my doubts." "Shut up." she snapped, leveling the weapon again. She didn't know what was wrong with her, whether she had been infected with the virus or whether it was just a side effect of the shock she had gone through. She had had to dig her way out of a Chimera egg, where they had placed her for later feeding. Her shoulder was numb, where the scythe blade had punctured her. All the blood had dried up, leaving a black stain on her white shirt. Ada stepped towards her, hoping to get out of Gregory's path. Suddenly, he made his move. He thrashed forward, pushing past Heatherly and snapping the combat knife off her ankle. He grabbed Ada, pushed her against the wall and held the blade against her throat, "I'll do it." he growled, "I'll do it if you make me." The entire incident happened in less that two seconds, and Heatherly had totally missed it. Ada was now pressed up against a wall, a knife to her throat. She could see the blade pressed up against her skin, making a small indentation. Gregory wasn't playing games, but neither was she. "Drop the knife Gregory." Heatherly purred, "Drop it or I'll shoot." "No you drop your gun, bitch. I'll kill her if you don't." he looked away from her, his eyes focusing on Ada's. Then he whispered into her ears, ".I'll make you happier than you've ever been in your entire life." Then suddenly he kissed her, embracing against her unwilling lips. She gasped, pushed him off and wiped her lips. BAM! Heatherly shot, the bullet pushing through his gut and exiting the other side. It ricocheted off a wall and flew into the ceiling, ending with a small crash. Dust flew from the ceiling, mainly landing around a stunned Gregory. Blood seeped from his stomach wound, ending in pools on the ground. He looked at Heatherly and then back at Ada. "I thought." he gasped, "I thought we could be together." Ada suddenly lifted her leg and let out a powerful kick to his face. Gregory fell back, landing in a river of his own blood, "I could never be with a cold blooded bastard like you." And with that, Gregory closed his eyes and blood erupted from his mouth. He was gone.
*
Hillary heard gunshots go off, and quickly she was rushed out the door and flying up the steps. Then she saw it, the red creature hanging above on the ceiling. It was screaming at something, and then when she noticed exactly what it was she too let out a scream, "Ja!" He saw her too, excited and angry at the same time. He obviously didn't want her there, in case the creature attacked, "Hillary, head up the stairs! Get to the observation tower!" he screamed, and in an instant she rushed past him and dashed up the steps. BAM! BAM! BAM! She could hear gunshots behind her, but it didn't matter. She was already up to three floors, and her pace wasn't softening. If Ja thought something was worth seeing in the observation tower, it had to be important. She bolted up the steps, but then to her shock the thing that Ja was fighting was right behind her.
*
Vela heard a shot go off, somewhere downstairs. It was probably in the BIOTECH lab.she had been up there a few times, but mostly she had stayed in the underground labs. Umbrella had kept it hidden, off the map but she knew it existed.it was the hundredth floor, and nothing else was on that floor but BIOTECH labs. She wasn't sure if she should worry herself with it.but a gut feeling in her stomach told her something was wrong.
*
"Is he dead." Ada moved forward, not sure what to say. Gregory's eyes rolled back into his sockets, hidden away by his eyelids. Blood was pouring out of his mouth and mainly from the giant tear in his chest.he didn't look good, that was for damn sure. She knelt down beside him and pressed on his neck, checking for pulse. "Oh my God." she whispered, loud enough for Heatherly to hear. "What is it." she wondered, letting a hint of worry into her tone. Ada shook her head, "It can't be possible.he's still got a-" Suddenly Gregory's masculine hand rushed up, grabbed Ada by the throat and squeezed tightly. His eyes flickered open, and the smirk that she knew all too well by now stretched deceitfully across his face.
**