Resident Evil : The Beginning of the End
By Ben Anderson
Chapter 1
Trent stood before the group he had personally assembled over the past few months. They were all patiently awaiting what their mysterious contact inside Umbrella was going to say. Trent paced back and forth in the new safe house just outside of Paris, where the team had recently moved in. It was just a simple one-bedroom apartment in a rundown neighborhood just outside of the city. The paint was peeling, and the apartment reeked of stale cigarette smoke and alcohol. The bedroom had been turned into a communication station complete with radios, a computer and a GPS tracking system. The works. All supplied by their mysterious benefactor.
The living room was now a makeshift bunk room/meeting room. Right now, the cots were all folded neatly in the corner and several chairs had been placed in a row. The various members of the new team now occupied all of the chairs. Trent was currently pacing nervously back and forth in front of them.
"You have all been through a very hard few months. I have kept a very close eye on all of you. Each of you has surpassed my highest expectations. All of you have survived horrible atrocities at the hands of White Umbrella, against all odds." Leon stood up. Trent, surprised, turned to look at him.
"Look, Trent. I know I am kind of new to this operation compared to some of the others." He looked at Chris, Jill, Barry and Rebecca in particular. "But I think I speak for all of us when I say that we really appreciate the help you have given us, however cryptic it might have been." At this, Trent had to smile. He had been forced to give them obscure clues in order to help. If any of the higher-ups at Umbrella suspected him, the game was over. "Without you, many of us would not be here right now. But frankly, we don't know a thing about you. Who you really are or what exactly your master plan is."
"I understand your concern, Mr. Kennedy. I know that I have not been forthcoming with any of you. But I did that for your own safety as much as mine." Trent frowned deeply. "I think it might be time to tell you my story. It should clear up most, if not all of your questions. My mother and father, created the T-Virus." Everyone in the room gasped, shocked. Trent continued as if nothing happened. "They were working on a breakthrough medication to treat cancer patients, re-grow degenerated tissue and repair damaged vital organs. They were going to rid the world of countless diseases. But Umbrella could only see the implications of bio-weapons. Thus, White Umbrella was born. They…my parents…were killed, murdered, when I was just a child. I vowed revenge on Umbrella for what they had done. I changed my name, got a job working for Umbrella. I clawed my way to the upper levels of Umbrella, until I had gained their trust and respect. I did this, so I could bring them down. I wanted to destroy their lives like they destroyed mine. I wanted to make them pay for what they did." Trent lowered his head for a moment. "So there you have it. My life story, as it were."
Trent paused for a moment, surveying the group again. "Back to business. As you know, Umbrella has moved their headquarters to Paris. And it just so happens they have moved right next to their biggest competitor, Biotech. I don't believe it was a coincidence. Either Umbrella wants to keep a closer eye on what Biotech is doing. Or worse…Umbrella and Biotech have teamed up. Either way they must be stopped." He paused once again. "Now that you know what we are doing here, I have a few introductions to make." Again, Trent smiled that knowing, almost menacing grin. He motioned to the back of the room with one hand, not taking his eyes of his rapt audience. "Leon, I believe you've met Ada Wong?" Leon gasped as Ada, a woman who he believed to be dead, walked into the room. Ada was a tall, slender woman, just as he remembered her, with just the right mix of secrecy and seduction. The last time he saw her, she was wearing a low cut red dress. Tonight, however, she seemed to be dressed a little more comfortably. Ada was wearing tan slacks, and a tight tank top underneath a type of blouse. As Leon watched Ada enter the room, memories of Raccoon City flooded his mind. Ada dying in his arms on the ledge. Her last words just before she fell, "Go. Live." Chasing after her through the sewers and Umbrella's facility deep underground, beneath the RPD. All these memories flashed by in seconds, and with them came his old feelings. Mistrust at first, then a kind of affection. As she walked up to Leon, she smiled, her eyes flashing.
"Hi, Leon." Almost as suddenly, her smile was gone and she was looking at the floor, as if ashamed.
"Ada? How…what…what happened? I saw you die…I saw you fall…how…?" Leon stumbled over his words. Relief at seeing Ada safe and alive battled with confusion. He and Claire had become quite close after escaping Raccoon City with Sherry, but before that, he thought he might have had something…something…with Ada. What was left of his neatly ordered world, after Umbrella came into his life, came falling down around him as the news and proof of her survival came to light. Without thinking, Leon ran to Ada and embraced her. After a slight flinch and a brief hesitation, Ada returned the gesture. The rest of the group was confused, at best. Claire a little confused, a little jealous and a little hurt.
"Leon," Ada said softly as she backed out of his grasp, "You might want to sit down." Leon's confusion did not go unnoticed by Ada. "There are a few things you might want to hear before you get to excited, all right?" Leon nodded slowly, and sat down. "All right, first off," Ada began. "When I fell, I should have died. Between the fall and the bullet wound, I should have died. But I didn't. I landed a floor or two below, on a catwalk. I saw the Tyrant. I knew it was headed after Sherry and the G-Virus sample inside her pendant. I managed to crawl after it. I ended up on a ledge just above where the Tyrant was attacking your friends. I found a machine gun up there and used up what was left of my strength to toss it over the railing."
Claire looked up from her lap, astonished, "That was you?" Ada turned and nodded before continuing.
" I didn't even hear the shots, I blacked out. The next thing I remember was being carried through the building by Trent, seeing the sunlight and hearing explosions in the distance. You see Trent sent me on my mission to obtain a sample of the G-Virus. But then I met you and things got…well, they got complicated." Leon looked down at his hands and blushed. "After that, I woke up in my apartment, with a note from Trent, telling me to get to Paris as soon as I could. My wounds had been dressed and were healing miraculously well. A few weeks later, I managed to hop on a plane, and here I am." Ada concluded her speech and sat down in an empty chair on the opposite side from Leon. Trent stood up and walked back to the front of the room.
"Which brings me to my next introduction. I am sure you have all heard stories, but please give me a chance." Trent looked at the floor and frowned. The rest of the group waited in silence. "Albert, would you come in here please?" And just like that Albert Wesker, former S.T.A.R.S. captain turned traitor stepped into the room. His ever-present sunglasses slightly pulled down, revealing bright yellow reptilian eyes.
"Pleasure to see you again so soon, Chris." Albert Wesker smiled as Chris' jaw dropped wide open.