I don't know how long I'd been out. It could have been anywhere from a day, to a week… Maybe even a month. Who knows? But I slowly began to regain consciousness. Loud, annoying beeps somewhere nearby pounded inside my aching skull. Everything seemed to echo, and when I'd managed to open my eyes, the room spun. What I'd expected, and what I saw were two different things.

For some reason, I imagined waking up in a hospital bed, being cared for. But then, memory reminded me that I was obviously not in the hands of friends. When my eyes finally came into focus, I found myself on a very uncomfortable stretcher, surrounded by bright lights. Several tubes and wires were randomly protruding from my flesh.

I croaked a moan and tried to move; only to find I was too weak to even lift a finger. Besides… I had several leather straps binding me to the bed. Beep… beep… beep… beep… I wished it would stop. Beep… beep… beep… Please make it stop. Beep… Beep…

I heard another slight groan and then I was aware that I was not alone. Another groan helped me pinpoint the other person in the room and I somehow managed to turn my head a bit, focusing on the stretcher beside me.

Alice was coming into consciousness, slowly turning her head. And by the look on her face, she was nauseated. Couldn't really blame her. Slowly, my eyes trailed along her body… Not for sexual reasons, but to inspect her for injury. None were visible… unless you count the tubes and wires sticking out of every limb. I could tell they weren't just tubes… they were huge ass needles.

"Al… Alice…" I whispered, my voice hoarse and almost too quiet to hear. But she heard me… loud and clear.

"Matt? Is that you?" she asked, looking over at me, her blue eyes glazed over. She hadn't quite focused yet, and I wished she hadn't… The look on her face told me that I was definitely not what she expected. "Matt? Wh- what happened?"

I didn't know what she was talking about, but the way she looked at me… A look of horror and disgust? I was ashamed… so ashamed that I used all my strength to look away, turning my head to the opposite wall.

"Matt… What have they done to you?" she asked in that worried tone of voice she often used.

"I- I don't know."

"I'm sorry… I am so sorry." I could hear her apology, and… sadness?

"Don't be. This is Umbrella's doing." I stared at the opposite wall, coming face to face with myself. There was a mirror, obviously a window anybody could see that. But I wasn't interested in who was on the other side. Instead, I was horrified with how I looked.

My face was graphed in some way. Nothing too terribly bad, but still horrific. It looked as if my face had been shoved into a burning hot stove. One side of it anyway. My hair was thinner than it had been; I was half bald on the deformed side of my head. As I looked at the mirror, I could see the withered skin went far beyond just the side of my face. It trailed down my neck, and disappeared under the thin gown that had been placed over me.

A tear escaped my good eye and fell down along my cheek. It was warm, but not welcomed. "Why?" was all I could whisper, "Why?"

Then suddenly, I heard the whoosh of the door as the mechanical barrier's air locks released and someone stepped inside. I watched in the mirror as the same white suited scientists approached. I flinched when I saw the needle, thick, and full of several CC's of liquid. I'd tried to move, to avoid the pain that was going to be inflicted upon me. But my current state prevented that and soon, the long metal object was jabbed into my neck, the fluid drained from the syringe into my blood stream.

"I'd like to conduct a few more experiments on these two. We'll need more blood samples, and maybe some skin cultures. Lets find out why the T-virus is effecting these two in opposite ways."

"Maybe it just takes longer to take effect sir? On the other subject?"

"Maybe… But lets know for sure."

I moved my head, looking up into the hideous reflection of myself. A scalpel was passed to the scientist who hovered above me. "Wha-…" whatever it was I was trying to say, it was lost as I slipped out of this world and into a cold, dark, lonely world of my own.