The group had retreated to the small, one room lab to wait.
Catherine, Cora, and Cassandra were all on the verge of losing their heads.
They showed it in different ways, though. Catherine had her eyes screwed
shut tightly and was whimpering different formulas under her breath. Cora's
eyes were wide and she was blinking the tears away quickly. And Cassandra
was cracking corny jokes and wearing an inane grin that just wasn't
natural.
Birkin, Hojo, and Salven were under control though. They had been under the least pressure, and were all fairly confident. Birkin figured that his intellectual superiority and whatever super powers he had could take any monster out. Hojo didn't seem to realize the dangers beyond keeping Catherine safe.
So they waited inside the little one room hovel. Catherine forgot herself enough to began to tinker with the microscope and samples. Hojo suddenly leant over his shoulder.
"Catherine?" he asked, sounding extremely nervous. "Um... after this is over, do you want to go out?"
She gave him a cold stare, and for a moment he looked like he was about to flee. But he stammered out "You know, on a date."
"A date with you?" Catherine gave a haughty, derisive laugh. Her self confidence was back in full. If she couldn't deal with monsters, she could at least deal with this cretin. "Ha! I would rather go unarmed out into that cacophony! I am the most promising young researcher in Umbrella, and I have far better things to do with my time then deal with an idiot like you who probably is lacking in enough intelligence to TIE HIS OWN SHOES!"
He stared at her, dumbstruck. Then his head swiveled to see Birkin, who was laughing softly. His face turned a ruddy red, and he turned to swing the door open and stalk out.
Before he could leave, Alexia Ashford swept in. Cora gave a shout of surprise, swinging the gun up and firing twice. Alexia calmly sidestepped.
The air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Why was Alexia here? What was her plans?
"So, you still entertain thoughts of avenging that insensate urchin?" Alexia sneered. Cora was shaking with rage. With a howl, she flung herself at Alexia. Cassandra caught her arm, Salven caught the other one. Cora still tried to break lose. She was screaming, barely comprehensible.
"And I could kill you, too. But ... I've found a form of transporation. Follow me. Time is of the essence." and she calmly swept out again.
"Do we follow?" Cassandra asked. "We could leave." she glanced at Cora. "Cora, I know you're mad at her, but... we might die, and if we die, then you'll never get revenge."
"I'll kill her. I'll kill her, then I'll take the jet!" Cora snapped.
"Cora, I'm the BOW expert. Seeing how I've never had the T-Veronica under a microscope, I don't know exactly what it can do..." Cassandra grimaced at that, "but I know that if you try to take her on, she'll win."
Cora mulled over this, but then finally nodded. Catherine thought that her sister was being rather naive. The idiot would probably ruin Catherine's chances for escape the first chance that she'd get! Catherine didn't care about revenge. She just wanted to go back to the lab and go back to her normal life.
A girl her age's definition of a normal life probably would have been giggling empty headed over the latest sports team star, using inane terms like 'dreamy'. Catherine's life was the lab. That was all she needed. And as soon as she got back to the lab, then she would never go on one of these foolhardy missions again. But if anyone got in the way of her escape... Catherine grimaced.
"Can we leave yet?" she asked irritably, then strode out of the room. Cassandra, Birkin, Salven, and Hojo all followed. Cora was a couple of strides behind them, murder printed clearly on her face. Alexia was already halfway down the street, gliding along as if the corpses on the street were not there and as if she were deaf to the growls and howls of the monsters. Catherine didn't care about the corpses - if you were dead, you were dead - but the noises made her nervous.
Cassandra suddenly screamed as a corpse hauled itself to his feet. It was missing half a face, but it's jaw still hung open hungrily. It also had some sort of a rash spread over it's body, red but with white upraised hives. Every once in a while, one of these white domes would burst, sending out a thin vapor of a purple mist.
Cassandra let out another scream. She fumbled for her gun, but her eyes were stuck to the monstrosity lurching towards her.
"Cassie!" Catherine shouted. "Kindly shoot the monster, and let's go!" Despite her harsh words, her tone was not unkind. "Cassie?" Catherine's sister was shaking all over, and her hands were fumbling over the gun, but she could not tear her eyes away.
A knife burrowed itself into the side of the zombie's head, and it let out a confused 'Grauh?'. Cora had another knife slip out of her sleeve and into her hand. The distraction was enough for Cassandra to finally snap to her senses and to finish off the monster.
"Christ on a skateboard!" she blurted, staring at the body of the monster.
"Watch your language, Cassie!" Catherine admonished. Cassandra gave her a flat look, then hurried after the others. The jet now loomed in view. Cora's face tightened, and for a moment she looked as though she would attempt to stab Alexia in the back.
"Cora, I hope that you aren't planning to stab me." Alexia stopped in her tracks. Cora stopped as well, staring.
"How the hell..." Cora blurted. Alexia turned around, a small knowing smile on her mouth.
"You really think that I would let one of my assets run about, whilst I have no idea what it is planning?!"
Catherine hoped Cora was bright enough to realize that she wasn't going to win against Alexia now that the woman knew what Cora was thinking. Alexia's knowing smile never flickered at Cora's anger. "In that virus was a little ... something ... to create a bond between us. However, due to Birkin's idiocy, it only goes one way." she spat Birkin's name distatefully, those lips curling into a sneer. "You see, I can sense your neuromuscular activity."
Cora, being the cretin that she was, merely blinked. The comment made no sense to her.
"It means that she can tell, to an extent, what you're about to do." Cassandra explained. She had gotten over the shock of that monster quite nicely, at first glance. But her eyes were big and full of worry. She also had her hands clenched into fists. She was furious. She had grown attached, some how, to the Merandez girl. Catherine wondered why. The girl was useless at anything important in life.
Cora's eyes flickered to Alexia, then to Catherine, then to the others. Hojo was staring at her as though he had never seen her before, Salven had an odd look on his face, and Alexia was still smug. Cora took a slow step towards Alexia, then another.
Now Cora was nearly right in front of Alexia. She gave the older woman a cautious look - then her fist was swinging towards the Ashford. Alexia calmly caught it.
"Now, Cora." She said, almost jovially. "I had hoped that you possessed the merest sliver of cognition required to prevent such a foolish course of action. Oh well." and then she returned a hit of her own, a short clip above the woman's ear. Cora crumpled to the ground with a small cry. "There. That should make the trip easier."
Cassandra looked for a moment as if that she would try to take down Alexia, but she merely swallowed and studied her feet. At least she had more sense than Cora. Alexia led them inside of the jet, dropping Cora down in the back.
Armed men and a woman sat in the front seats, and worry painted their faces.
"Is Cora okay?" a woman asked her.
"What happened out there?"
"Catherine, Cassandra... you guys okay?"
Catherine merely sat down, sniffing and pulling her hair out of her face.
"Cora was ..." Catherine sat, then was cut off as Cass hit her in the arm.
"We're fine, don't worry. Now ... if we can get home?" and she flashed a brilliant smile at the others, somewhat lacking by her tired face. Catherine grimaced, rubbing her arm.
"You didn't have to hit me."
"We won't tell anyone about any of this." Cassandra said. "We're Cora's friends. If you tell, then I'll break your microscope." Catherine sullenly nodded.
Birkin, Hojo, and Salven were under control though. They had been under the least pressure, and were all fairly confident. Birkin figured that his intellectual superiority and whatever super powers he had could take any monster out. Hojo didn't seem to realize the dangers beyond keeping Catherine safe.
So they waited inside the little one room hovel. Catherine forgot herself enough to began to tinker with the microscope and samples. Hojo suddenly leant over his shoulder.
"Catherine?" he asked, sounding extremely nervous. "Um... after this is over, do you want to go out?"
She gave him a cold stare, and for a moment he looked like he was about to flee. But he stammered out "You know, on a date."
"A date with you?" Catherine gave a haughty, derisive laugh. Her self confidence was back in full. If she couldn't deal with monsters, she could at least deal with this cretin. "Ha! I would rather go unarmed out into that cacophony! I am the most promising young researcher in Umbrella, and I have far better things to do with my time then deal with an idiot like you who probably is lacking in enough intelligence to TIE HIS OWN SHOES!"
He stared at her, dumbstruck. Then his head swiveled to see Birkin, who was laughing softly. His face turned a ruddy red, and he turned to swing the door open and stalk out.
Before he could leave, Alexia Ashford swept in. Cora gave a shout of surprise, swinging the gun up and firing twice. Alexia calmly sidestepped.
The air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Why was Alexia here? What was her plans?
"So, you still entertain thoughts of avenging that insensate urchin?" Alexia sneered. Cora was shaking with rage. With a howl, she flung herself at Alexia. Cassandra caught her arm, Salven caught the other one. Cora still tried to break lose. She was screaming, barely comprehensible.
"And I could kill you, too. But ... I've found a form of transporation. Follow me. Time is of the essence." and she calmly swept out again.
"Do we follow?" Cassandra asked. "We could leave." she glanced at Cora. "Cora, I know you're mad at her, but... we might die, and if we die, then you'll never get revenge."
"I'll kill her. I'll kill her, then I'll take the jet!" Cora snapped.
"Cora, I'm the BOW expert. Seeing how I've never had the T-Veronica under a microscope, I don't know exactly what it can do..." Cassandra grimaced at that, "but I know that if you try to take her on, she'll win."
Cora mulled over this, but then finally nodded. Catherine thought that her sister was being rather naive. The idiot would probably ruin Catherine's chances for escape the first chance that she'd get! Catherine didn't care about revenge. She just wanted to go back to the lab and go back to her normal life.
A girl her age's definition of a normal life probably would have been giggling empty headed over the latest sports team star, using inane terms like 'dreamy'. Catherine's life was the lab. That was all she needed. And as soon as she got back to the lab, then she would never go on one of these foolhardy missions again. But if anyone got in the way of her escape... Catherine grimaced.
"Can we leave yet?" she asked irritably, then strode out of the room. Cassandra, Birkin, Salven, and Hojo all followed. Cora was a couple of strides behind them, murder printed clearly on her face. Alexia was already halfway down the street, gliding along as if the corpses on the street were not there and as if she were deaf to the growls and howls of the monsters. Catherine didn't care about the corpses - if you were dead, you were dead - but the noises made her nervous.
Cassandra suddenly screamed as a corpse hauled itself to his feet. It was missing half a face, but it's jaw still hung open hungrily. It also had some sort of a rash spread over it's body, red but with white upraised hives. Every once in a while, one of these white domes would burst, sending out a thin vapor of a purple mist.
Cassandra let out another scream. She fumbled for her gun, but her eyes were stuck to the monstrosity lurching towards her.
"Cassie!" Catherine shouted. "Kindly shoot the monster, and let's go!" Despite her harsh words, her tone was not unkind. "Cassie?" Catherine's sister was shaking all over, and her hands were fumbling over the gun, but she could not tear her eyes away.
A knife burrowed itself into the side of the zombie's head, and it let out a confused 'Grauh?'. Cora had another knife slip out of her sleeve and into her hand. The distraction was enough for Cassandra to finally snap to her senses and to finish off the monster.
"Christ on a skateboard!" she blurted, staring at the body of the monster.
"Watch your language, Cassie!" Catherine admonished. Cassandra gave her a flat look, then hurried after the others. The jet now loomed in view. Cora's face tightened, and for a moment she looked as though she would attempt to stab Alexia in the back.
"Cora, I hope that you aren't planning to stab me." Alexia stopped in her tracks. Cora stopped as well, staring.
"How the hell..." Cora blurted. Alexia turned around, a small knowing smile on her mouth.
"You really think that I would let one of my assets run about, whilst I have no idea what it is planning?!"
Catherine hoped Cora was bright enough to realize that she wasn't going to win against Alexia now that the woman knew what Cora was thinking. Alexia's knowing smile never flickered at Cora's anger. "In that virus was a little ... something ... to create a bond between us. However, due to Birkin's idiocy, it only goes one way." she spat Birkin's name distatefully, those lips curling into a sneer. "You see, I can sense your neuromuscular activity."
Cora, being the cretin that she was, merely blinked. The comment made no sense to her.
"It means that she can tell, to an extent, what you're about to do." Cassandra explained. She had gotten over the shock of that monster quite nicely, at first glance. But her eyes were big and full of worry. She also had her hands clenched into fists. She was furious. She had grown attached, some how, to the Merandez girl. Catherine wondered why. The girl was useless at anything important in life.
Cora's eyes flickered to Alexia, then to Catherine, then to the others. Hojo was staring at her as though he had never seen her before, Salven had an odd look on his face, and Alexia was still smug. Cora took a slow step towards Alexia, then another.
Now Cora was nearly right in front of Alexia. She gave the older woman a cautious look - then her fist was swinging towards the Ashford. Alexia calmly caught it.
"Now, Cora." She said, almost jovially. "I had hoped that you possessed the merest sliver of cognition required to prevent such a foolish course of action. Oh well." and then she returned a hit of her own, a short clip above the woman's ear. Cora crumpled to the ground with a small cry. "There. That should make the trip easier."
Cassandra looked for a moment as if that she would try to take down Alexia, but she merely swallowed and studied her feet. At least she had more sense than Cora. Alexia led them inside of the jet, dropping Cora down in the back.
Armed men and a woman sat in the front seats, and worry painted their faces.
"Is Cora okay?" a woman asked her.
"What happened out there?"
"Catherine, Cassandra... you guys okay?"
Catherine merely sat down, sniffing and pulling her hair out of her face.
"Cora was ..." Catherine sat, then was cut off as Cass hit her in the arm.
"We're fine, don't worry. Now ... if we can get home?" and she flashed a brilliant smile at the others, somewhat lacking by her tired face. Catherine grimaced, rubbing her arm.
"You didn't have to hit me."
"We won't tell anyone about any of this." Cassandra said. "We're Cora's friends. If you tell, then I'll break your microscope." Catherine sullenly nodded.