Interlude the third

Ada stared out the window of the passenger plane, her eyes half-open, watching the clouds pass beneath them. They'd made it out of DC…she wasn't sure how, they really shouldn't have…but they did. And now they were heading west…Urban Sprawl was suicide in this, they had to go somewhere empty…somewhere that Umbrella wouldn't have worried about. If such a place even existed. Sirius Arnold had been far too meticulous for Ada's tastes.

They small group of survivors was spread out, each sitting in a different spot on the plane. None of them had known each other before this had gone down, and none of them seemed interested in knowing each other now. Which was understandable…they needed time to come to terms with what had happened. Even Ada wasn't quite sure how to wrap her mind around 'the end of the world.'

Maybe things weren't as bad as she suspected. If it was only major cities, than millions of people would survive and once the virus faded they could…Huh? Her leg was vibrating.

It took her several seconds to realize that it was her cell-phone, zippered into the flat pocket against her hip, that was actually vibrating. She'd forgotten she was even carrying the machine…after all, cell phone service seemed pretty unlikely, with the world ended. And the list of people who had her number was short, and probably growing shorter by the minute.

She stood up, suddenly glad she'd decided to sit in the back of the plane, and nearly dashed the few steps to the small bathroom, slipping inside and closing the door behind her. She yanked out her phone, staring at the caller-ID, which was blank, of course. And then flicked the vibrating phone open and brought it to her ear. "Hello."

"Hello Ada."

The voice was slick and to the point, with just the right amount of slime on every letter that she instantly knew who it was. "Wesker! I knew it was too much to hope that the end of the world somehow did you in."

"I'm touched by your concern, Ada. Where are you?" Straight and to the point, just like always. Ada had hoped to never hear from the man again…after the botch up at Raccoon, the two of them had not been on the best of terms.

"On a plane, I'm getting as far away from this mess as I can. What do you want?" She leaned back against the wall of the bathroom, letting her eyes close. She wasn't going to yell…her first outburst had probably already attracted attention, and she didn't need these people asking questions.

"Far away from this mess? Haven't you been paying attention, Ada? There is no 'far away' from this mess. As far as I can tell, every city with a popular greater than a thousand has been effected. Surely you didn't think there were places in this world that Umbrella couldn't reach?" Wesker actually sounded surprised, and Ada had to resist the grimace that had formed on her face. He was right…but she had hoped.

"There are places without cities, Wesker."

"Yes, there are. I am in one myself, actually." There was a pause. "I have secured a small, safe place in northern Montana. It has a landing strip, you should come here. I am certain we have much to…discuss."

"As though I would trust you, Wesker." Ada rolled her eyes, pushing herself into a standing position. "You're slime, and you'll always be slime."

"Yes…but I am slime with a safe, secure place to live, free of the zombies and the monsters, and almost entirely self-sustaining. I will text the coordinates to you. Come…or don't come. The choice is yours." With a click, he was gone, and Ada found herself staring at her now-blank phone, her mind whirling. She couldn't go to Wesker…that was like walking into a snake pit. But…

With a beep, a text-message appeared on her phone, displaying a list of longitude and latitude numbers.

She took a breath and reached out, shoving the bathroom door back open and stalking down the aisle to the cockpit, leaning inside and tossing the cell-phone to her pilot, Ernando. "Change heading." She said, then turned to face the other occupants of the plane.

It was obvious they'd at least heard her voice, even if they hadn't heard what she was saying. "I…may have found a safe place for us with an old…friend. For now, anyway." She held up a hand to ward off their comments. "Just trust me. But be careful…make sure you stay armed, and wary…there's no telling what will happen when we're there."

She dropped her hand to her side, and winced at the sudden barrage of questions. Not that she could really answer any of them.

Two weeks ago…

Sirius Arnold entered the room silently, his feet bare and his eyes narrowed. He had not returned to the ark for almost a month, as he had finished the planning for Cleansweep and organized the last of the Noah's Ark project, but now, finally, he had returned. After the release of the virus, there wasn't anywhere else he could go.

The room he entered was plain, with three grey-green walls and a forth of glass, a large computer panel before it. A thin man with wire-rimmed glasses and wild black hair was seated at the panel, his feet up on the edge, reading a magazine.

"Fernsworth, how is she?" Sirius asked, coming to a stop to peer into the large window.

"Fine. She's taken up kickboxing, actually. And she keeps breaking her dresser. But otherwise…she's fine." Fernsworth glanced up for a moment, shrugged, then went back to his article.

Inside the room Vivica sat on a cushion in the middle of the floor, her pale hands resting on her knees, her legs crossed and her eyes closed. She was beautiful, with long dirty blonde hair, dressed in a pink sundress that contrasted her pale, almost blue skin.

"Move," he said to Fernsworth, who glanced up at him for a second before shrugging and pushing away from the counter, his chair rolling across the small room. Sirius moved a second chair in front of the counter and sat down, reaching out to press the intercom button. "Hello Vivica."

The reaction was immediate, as the girl unfolded from the floor, her eyes opening, a smile appearing on her face. "Father! I did not expect you to return so soon." She crossed to the large window, placing her pale hands on the glass.

"Yes, I know. I believe I shall be around more often, though." He smiled through the glass at her. "How do you feel?"

"I feel wonderful!" The teenage girl placed both her hands against the glass, as though she were trying to find some way to reach Sirius. "The doctor took me for a walk through the gardens yesterday…it was so pretty! I can't wait to see the rest of the world. I've been reading about thing called Old Faithful, and…"

"Yes, yes…I am sure we will be able to go eventually. But how do you feel?" He emphasized the last word, and watched as the girl seemed to wilt slightly, taking a step back from the glass.

"Oh…I don't really know. I have not felt any different…that way…since you were here last time. I think I'm stronger though." She glanced over her shoulder, a guilty expression on her face, to study the wreckage of her most recent dresser. "I keep breaking things without meaning to."

Sirius nodded his head. "Do not worry about it, Vivica. We can always replace these things." He reached out and placed his palm flat against the glass. "Just be sure not to hurt yourself."

"Oh, of course father!" The girl stepped back, her hand coming up to press against the glass, and suddenly the window cracked in several places, spiraling out from the young teenager's palm, spider-webbing up to the edges. Sirius took an involuntary step back, staring at the glass. Hmm…

"Oh! I…I am sorry, father." Vivica literally jumped back from the shattered glass, staring at her hand. "I did not mean…"

"Do not worry about it, as I said. A window is easily replaced." Sirius forced himself to smile. "I will see you…tomorrow, alright?" He turned away before she could respond, moving towards the door. "Doctor, if I may have a word?"

Out in the hallway, Sirius didn't say anything for nearly a minute, staring at a biohazard symbol that was etched into the wall. Finally, Fernsworth cleared his throat. "Sir?"

"What? Oh…right." Sirius pursed his lips, staring at the door they had just emerged from. "I think she is ready for stage three. Is everything prepared?"

"Stage 3? I…of course, everything is ready but…are you certain, sir? She is still so very…" Fernsworth trailed off, waving his hand vaguely in the air as though searching for the right word.

"Human. She is still so very human. But we shall see how she is after stage three. Besides, even if she remains this way, we must begin to train her. She will be no use to use as a timid little girl." Sirius turned and walked off down the corridor, Fersnworth watching him go.

"Yes'sir." He finally said, and Sirius paused, glancing back.

"And remember, no matter how she looks…she isn't human. Don't ever make that mistake."

"…Of course, sir."