Sorry this took months, but I had a bad case of this weird type of writer's block where you know what to write but for some ungodly reason, you just can't write it down. Also being a junior in high school has made me busy and grrrr to it all! Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 8 Truth UnveiledBirkin and Wesker walked down the cold cement hallway somewhere in the depths of the Training Facility. Birkin was holding a clipboard with some printed papers on them. He skimmed through the pages over and over.
"It just doesn't make sense," Birkin told Wesker in frustration, "Do you really believe this to be the true identity of that crazy young man? Impossible! But if somehow it was true, then Umbrella would be finished!" The scientist was obsessively panicked by this fear for it would be much more difficult to work on his experiments if the company he was working for was destroyed. The two co-workers turned a corner in the hallway and walked towards the wide, thick metal door of an elevator.
"If the old conspiracy against Dr. Marcus is revealed then Mr. Spencer's career will be over. Not to mention ours too," Wesker said with strange calmness. He understood the problems that strange man of the leeches posed, but he had plans. He wouldn't let that freak screw up his new experiment. He pressed the upper arrow on the small control panel next to the elevator. It glowed yellow and the whirring of the cables bringing the elevator down could be heard, "So the time has come at last."
"What are you going to do?" Birkin asked with concern. He knew how reckless and unpredictable Wesker could be, and sometimes how foolish he was at times.
"I will simply say goodbye to Umbrella. The biological weapon utilizing the T-Virus has almost been completed. All I need is combat data." Wesker's calm tone and mischievous smile made even Birkin's skin crawl.
"You can't be serious! I refuse to abandon my work!" Birkin shouted angrily, "I have completed my research on the T-Virus, but I need a little more time to complete my work on the more powerful G-Virus!" Wesker turned his head to see the elevator doors open. Birkin tensed up. Would Wesker let him continue his research?
"He has to! I won't have it any other way!" Birkin thought, "I can't just throw away my life's work! Albert has to understand that!"
"Do as you wish," the S.T.A.R.S. captain smiled as he walked into the elevator, "I will follow my initial plan and lure the S.T.A.R.S. members into the mansion. They're superior combat training will make them perfect test subjects." He chuckled sadistically as he pressed the button for the first floor.
"Fine," Birkin sighed with relief, "In the meantime, something must be done about that mad-man!" Birkin let out when he got an idea, "I remember that URC has a self-destruct system somewhere in the basement. I'll find it, set it off, and annihilate the place into nothing more than a mass of rubble." William smiled at his plan to get rid of the mysterious boy as the doors of the elevator closed and Albert ascended to the surface.
"No vengeance for you sir," William thought, "My work will outlive yours by far! I am the true leader of Umbrella now!"
Rebecca clung for dear life to a rusty beam. When the infected primate and Rebecca had fallen through the floors, Rebecca fell to the next floor and grabbed a metal beam that was sticking out of the edge of another hole. The primate didn't catch anything and it fell to its death. Below the young cop was a deep, black abyss. She looked down and couldn't see the bottom. She didn't even hear the crazed ape hit the bottom. The echo of its scream had already faded away which made Rebecca even more scared. Another frightening fact was that when Rebecca grabbed the metal beam, the force of gravity and the momentum she developed while falling had pulled on her arms and tweaked the joints in her arms, hands, and fingers. It ached already and the pain just kept getting worse the more she held on. Rebecca was afraid that her grip would give out if she reached for her radio to call Billy for help. She tried to pull herself up, but she wasn't strong enough and there wasn't anything to place her feet on to help stabilize herself and push up. She yelled as loud as she could for help, hoping Billy would hear her. She heard some growling in the torture chamber above. She looked up and saw three more primates looking over the edge of the hole at her. They started screaming and jumping angrily because she was out of reach for a kill.
"Damn! There's more of them!" Rebecca thought as she tried to yell louder over the screeching of the apes, "Well, at least they can't get me from here." Suddenly, one of the infected primates jumped through the hole, aiming to land on her and fulfilling its bloodthirsty instincts. Rebecca screamed when it grabbed her back. Before it could bite her, Rebecca reached behind her and grabbed its foot. She tore it away from her, but now the thing was on her arm. It bit into her wrist, searching for the artery. Rebecca immediately pulled her arm up and smashed its head into the bar. The top of its head split open two inches deep, destroying its brain. The blood sprayed on Rebecca and soaked the bar, making it slippery and hard to hold onto. The monster went limp and dropped down into the unknown below.
Rebecca painfully grabbed onto the bleeding bar again with her injured hand. She looked up at the remaining creatures, hoping they wouldn't try to jump down and attack her again.
"Stupid thing! What do they think they're going to do after they kill me while I'm hanging here! They would only die with me when I fall. Oh, who am I kidding? These things don't think! All they know is hunger, not common sense!"
One of the monsters was about to jump down when they heard a loud, "Hey!" echo through the room. Rebecca saw the primates turn towards the door in the dungeon and screeched. In an instant, they forgot about the injured cop and focused on the new intruder. The B.O.W.s vanished from Rebecca's sight and she heard cracking bones, screams (both human and monster), and a shotgun blast. Moments later it was silent until Rebecca called for Billy.
"I hope he didn't get killed by those things." She thought.
"Rebecca!" Billy called, "Are you okay?" He looked in the hole and saw her hanging from the bar. He was scratched a little on the arms, but seemed to be fine.
"My arms hurt and my right wrist and neck are crap, but besides that I'm okay."
"What happened?"
"I don't know. The floor just broke after one of those primates attacked. It fell pretty far, but I caught this bar and jammed my arms. Then another one jumped and tried to kill me. He bit my wrist, but I was able to kill him. I don't know how much longer I can hold on." Rebecca sounded really scared.
"Alright, I'm gonna get you outta there. Where do I go? The boiler room?" Billy sounded concerned too, but was trying to stay calm.
"Yes, that must be it since there's no place else to go that's available. Wait, what about Liana?"
"I left my radio with her. She's safe. She'll be alright. Do you still have your radio?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, stay calm. I'm coming to get you. You'll be okay, just hang in there!" Billy got up and started running towards the door.
"Hurry!" Rebecca yelled. She heard the rusty bar bend and screamed, "Oh my God, hurry!"
Billy sprinted through the guard's quarters and into the half burned tarantula nest. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, not thinking about possible monsters lurking in new parts of the Training Facility he was about to enter. He didn't even think about where he was going or even the condition of Liana. All he was thinking about was what would happen if Rebecca died. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. He couldn't let an innocent girl like her die, not another. He didn't even bother stopping to turn the knobs on the doors he encountered. He just rammed his shoulder into the doors and forced them open.
He quickly came upon the boiler room. He saw that Rebecca was right in that the steam wall was now gone.
"She's always right." Billy thought. Even if the steam wasn't gone, he still would've run through it. He didn't care what would've happened to him if he did. He'd rather get all his skin seared off by hot steam than let Rebecca die. He could still feel the heat off the metal of the giant boiler as he ran around it. He snatched up a blue and two green herbs and put them in his pocket before he reached a small stairwell. He jumped down to the bottom and rammed open the decomposing peeling-paint door.
The texture on the room inside was stony and dark. There were more torches and to the left was an alcove with a stone circle of animal statues. It looked somewhat like a fountain. There were small torch dishes ready to be lit next to each of the six statues along with an inscription. There was a horse, a snake, an eagle, a wolf, a mountain lion, and a deer. Behind the statues was a hallway that was blocked off by metal bars. Billy ran down the hall in front of him.
"Hang on, Becks! I'm almost there!" Billy thought. He didn't notice the three killer primates in the way until he tripped over them. He fell on his stomach and the monsters grabbed his legs, preventing him from getting up. He rolled over onto his back with his shotgun ready. He shot the first one in the chest when it jumped at his face. It flew across the room from the impact and hit the wall by the door Billy just came through. Billy ignored the two other creatures and tried to get up. He didn't have time for these things. He had to get to Rebecca and fast. He only raised a few inches when the other two jumped on his chest. His quick reflexes allowed him to hit them in the head with the butt of his shotgun. They screamed as they tumbled off of Billy and into the wall. He scrambled to his feet and started running again. He was almost around the corner when he felt something jump on his back. Out of surprise and instinct, he immediately slammed his back up against the wall, making the primate let go. He turned around and saw it was the first primate he attacked with the shotgun. It was torn up from the blast and had been mashed into a wall, but this small being was still alive.
"Don't you damn monkeys ever die!" Billy screamed as he pointed his shotgun at the primate again and pulled the trigger. He only heard a click. Before the monster could stabilize itself from being rammed into the stone wall, the human raised the butt of the shotgun up and slammed it down on the primate's head like an ax on wood. It's skull split and its blood and brains emptied out onto the floor. Next to the primate was a clip of handgun ammo with only five bullets in it. Billy quickly picked it up and pocketed it as the other two enemies jumped at Billy. He pulled out his pistol and shot them both in the head before he turned the corner and saw a rusty metal door. He was about to open it when he discovered the hall turned right into an oval shaped wooden door.
"Which one is she in?" Billy thought, "I guess I'll just have to guess and hope I'm right." Billy was about to open the first door when he heard screaming coming from the other one further down the hallway.
"Rebecca!" Billy cried as he dashed down the hall.
Rebecca screamed as the bar broke in half. The slant made it even harder to hold onto. It was so badly rusted it quickly started bending, making the piece Rebecca was holding onto vertical. She tried to grab onto another piece of metal with her good hand, but her injured hand slipped and she fell. She closed her eyes when she felt the metal slip away and prepared for death.
"I'm not ready to leave yet! I never got to say goodbye to mom or dad or my sisters. At least it will be quick. It's a long fall," Rebecca thought, "I'm sorry I couldn't hang on anymore, Billy. Goodb-"
"Rebecca!" she heard Billy's voice. She opened her eyes and looked up. He was holding onto her left wrist with a frightened and desperate look in his eyes.
"Billy!" Rebecca was never so glad to see him.
"Hang on. I'll pull you up." Billy grunted as he started pulling. Rebecca got a grip on his wrist. Billy stood up as he pulled her and when she was high enough, Rebecca put her foot on one of the pipes sticking out of the hole and pushed in attempt to help him with the lift. As she did this, she ended up launching herself up and ramming into Billy, causing him to fall backward. He landed on his back with Rebecca on top of him with her arms around his neck and he hugging her around the waist.
"That was way too close. I almost lost her." Billy thought as he closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath. He tired himself out running so far and then lifting her out of a hole. He wouldn't let go of her. It was as if he needed to make sure she was still there. He was almost a moment too late. He found himself on the verge of crying out of relief and release of fear of losing her for good.
"Thank you," Rebecca sighed, "I thought I was dead for sure."
"Don't mention it," Billy stated, "I'm just keeping my word. I promised to protect you, remember?" Rebecca smiled and they both just lay there hugging each other. Rebecca rolled off of him when she was startled by the beep of her radio.
"Rebecca, do you copy? This is Enrico." Enrico said over the radio.
"This is Rebecca." She said into the radio as she and Billy stood up. Rebecca quickly surveyed the room. It was rustic and looked somewhat like a mine. Only one overhead lamp was in the room and there were long wooden crates, cardboard boxes, a typewriter, and cables off to the sides of the room. One of the long wooden crates had an ink ribbon on it.
"Have you managed to locate Coen yet?" Enrico asked. Rebecca paused and glanced at Billy. He looked back at her. His expression wasn't of building anger or anything, but of fear and acceptance of what was to come.
"Oh shit, she's gonna give me up, isn't she?" Billy thought, "She has to. She's a rookie. They always follow orders. So be it. I should have known I couldn't run. At least we know one of her friends is still alive. That's good."
What was Rebecca going to say? He couldn't really be guilty, not the way he's been acting. It wouldn't make sense. Sure she had her orders, but Billy just saved her. Would betraying him be any way to repay him for all the worry and protecting he's done for her? Of course not. But if she helped a convict like him, she wouldn't only lose her job, she'd probably go to jail too.
"Rebecca, answer me." Enrico ordered. Rebecca took a deep breath.
"No sir, I haven't found him yet," Rebecca answered, "I'll continue my search for him, over." Rebecca finished quickly with a smile before she put her radio away. Billy was shocked.
"R-Rebecca." Was all he managed to say.
"My first mission and I'm already disobeying orders," Rebecca shrugged but was still smiling. She felt so good about what she did, "So much for my great law enforcement career, but we probably won't li-" she was cut off when Billy quickly cupped her face. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
"Thanks." He said as he hugged and kissed her again. He wanted to kiss her on the lips so bad. He tried doing that at first, but he deliberately missed because he was afraid she'd hit him if he didn't miss. The most he could do right now was to just hold her, which still felt nice to him.
"Anytime," Rebecca answered as she hugged him back. She was surprised at what Billy just did, but she liked it nonetheless. He reacted so fast she didn't even notice that he was aiming for her lips at first. Rebecca then noticed the claw scratches on his arms, "You're hurt." She pulled away and took out her first aid spray.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about me. You on the other hand," Billy took her injured wrist and looked at the deep bite mark, the bite on her neck, and the claw marks on her shoulders, "You first. You need it more than I do."
"Okay," Rebecca sighed as they both sat on the crate. Billy took the spray and sprayed her on the injured spots. She was starting to get used to the pain of using it so she didn't scream, but only clenched her teeth and fists. She had to suppress the urge to cry out though since she couldn't stand the pain nearly as much as Liana could. When her wounds were healed, Billy gave her the herbs he found and she gave him the seven shotgun rounds she found along with one of her handgun ammo clips. Then she got up and took the remainder of the first aid spray and started spraying the remainder of the substance on Billy's cut arms, "Billy…you aren't the one that killed those 23 people…are you?"
"He can't be. He must be innocent." She thought. The convict was silent.
"You can tell me," Rebecca continued as she threw the can away, "Whatever the answer is, I won't pass judgment. I just need to know the truth." Billy sighed. He was afraid she would ask. Even if there were some advantages he could see in him telling the story, he hated thinking about the incident.
"It was around this time last year," Billy told her, "Our unit was ordered to Africa to intervene in a civil war. Our mission was to raid a guerilla hideout located deep in the jungle. You know what I mean by a guerilla right?"
"People who use hit-and-run tactics also known as guerilla warfare?"
"Heh, yeah you got it, Sherlock," Billy said with a smirk, "Anyways, the hideout was far away from our entry point. Some died from the heat, others were killed by the enemy. In the end, only four of us survived. Only…there was no guerilla hideout."
"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked with concern in her voice.
"The idiots in charge had us operating based on wrong information!" Billy said angrily, "But we couldn't just go home empty handed, oh no. Our leader ordered us to attack an innocent village!" Billy looked so pained and angry that Rebecca didn't know what to do next. Billy grew even worse when the memory started echoing in his head again.
Billy's leader and two other soldiers rounded up the villagers in the center of the village. Billy could never forget the looks on their faces: fear, confusion, and sorrow.
"Get rid of them! Kill them all!" the leader ordered. Billy gasped at what he heard. What the hell was going on? Have his comrades completely lost it? He ran up to his commander.
"Please, sir! Cease fire immediately!"
"Shut up!" the man screamed as he hit Billy in the head with the butt of his assault rifle. Billy fell to the ground and he felt himself going dizzy, "Do it!" the man's voice echoed. Billy gaped in horror when his comrades opened fire on the small crowd of 23. He somehow found the strength to get up and race towards his leader again. He felt like shooting the bastards for what they were doing, but he knew he wouldn't be able to do it.
"No! Don't! Stop!" Billy screamed his plea. He almost reached his leader when the lunatic suddenly turned around and shot him just below the collarbone.
Billy's old bullet scar stung. It felt like the bullet was still in him. He now wished he just raised his gun and shot the three psychos in the head. Rebecca just stared at him wide-eyed.
"Did you really execute those innocent people?"
"Shut up!" he yelled as he got up and faced the wall. Rebecca quickly backed up in fear, "It-it doesn't matter anymore! That was then, this is now!" Billy said half to himself, "You-you said you wouldn't judge me!" Billy picked up the ink ribbon and threw it at the wall, shattering it. Rebecca let out a startled yelp as he did this.
"They always judge me! They always do! Nobody ever keeps their word! No one ever listens!" Billy thought.
"I'm not judging you. But it does matter," Rebecca said sympathetically as she walked up behind him, "Look, my people think you killed those MPs in the van, but I don't think you did," Rebecca grabbed the front of his shirt and made him face her, "It was those leeches right? When they attacked you were able to escape! Is-isn't that right? You didn't do any of it! You didn't kill anyone, right?" Rebecca seemed worried about him, but hopeful in his answer. Billy pushed her away and turned to the wall again.
"You don't get it! I have only two choices: either I return to the marines and serve out my sentence or keep running for as long as I can! That's all!" Billy finished while hitting the wall with his fist. Rebecca slowly walked up to his side and put a soothing hand on his shoulder. She felt him flinch and try to shake her off him, but she wouldn't let go.
"I thought you didn't care if you were executed," Billy's conscience told him, "And now you're upset about it?"
"It's because I…I…it's not right! It's the principle of the matter! I shouldn't take the fall for a crime I didn't commit! There's no justice for the victims in that!" Billy shot back in his mind.
"Mmhm. That makes sense," the voice agreed, "But that's not the real reason, is it? Now you don't want to die because you found something worth living for. Now you have friends, people who really care."
"…Yeah, I admit it. That's the truth. I'm not alone anymore. Now I have Akiko and…Rebecca," he thought, "I can't leave her. I won't!"
"You really like her, don't you? Ha! And you speak as if she's already yours! What makes you think she'd want someone like you, especially when you keep pushing her away when she's only trying to help!"
"I want to help, Billy. There has to be some way I can." She said as if on cue.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" Billy sighed to himself as he turned to Rebecca. He softly kissed her on the check, "Sorry Becks. And thanks. I know you're only trying to help me. You're a sweet girl." Before Rebecca could respond, they started hearing cries of fear and sorrow from above.
"Oh no! Akiko!" Billy remembered as he scrambled for Rebecca's radio and contacted her, "Akiko! You there? It's okay, girl! We're okay and we're right here! Can you hear where we are?"
"Billy?" the girl sobbed.
"You okay, babe? You safe?" Billy asked.
"Oh God, I did it! I'm sorry! Oh God! What have I done? I gotta get outta here!" she blubbered back mostly to herself.
"Akiko? Can you hear me? We're coming to get you, so just stay where you are and keep calm, okay?" Billy told. There was no answer. Rebecca took her radio back.
"Liana?" Rebecca called into it, "You still the-" She was cut off when the young bio-weapon jumped at an angle through the hole Rebecca fell through. When her feet contacted the wall, she pushed off horizontally, flipping herself over the second hole and landing in front of the two humans. She must have been able to pick out where their voices were coming from with her keen hearing. She dropped Billy's radio on the ground and leapt into his arms with tears streaming down her face. She broke down into crying again. Billy just held her, not knowing what to say. Her legs suddenly gave out and she started to fall. Billy held onto her and lowered her to the ground so they were on their knees. Rebecca sat next to her and held her too. She seemed so weak and brittle, like she would shatter into a thousand pieces if they weren't careful.
"Mommy! I'm sorry, Mommy!" she kept crying out as if she were standing right there in the room. It was as if Rebecca and Billy didn't exist to her even though she was holding onto them, and them to her. Her soft mezzo soprano voice was turning into a hoarse sound of grief. It broke her friends' hearts to hear the overwhelming despair she didn't deserve. Rebecca heard the sound of beads and looked behind Billy. In Liana's hands was a blood-soaked rosary. She was holding them so tight that they looked like they were about to crumble to dust in the grip of her deathly white knuckles.
"God, what have I done! Dad, I'm sorry! It's all my fault!" she sobbed.
"Liana, what happened?" Billy asked softly. After hearing the question, Liana only cried more. Billy just held her tight and slowly rocked her in attempt to calm her faster. Rebecca petted her thick head of hair and nearly started crying herself. It seemed like centuries before her constant crying faded away into nothing more than sniffles. Her voice was worn badly and was exhausted from her cries. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't get more than a whimper out.
"You calm enough to talk now?" Billy asked. She nodded into his chest and finally unearthed her face from it. She calmly rested her throbbing temple on his chest and hugged him, still holding onto the rosary.
"Can you tell us what you saw that made you faint, what happened to your parents?" Rebecca asked, resting her head on the girl's shoulder and rubbing her back. Liana let out a shaky sigh and closed her sore eyes.
"When I woke up that one night. At least I think it was night. Anyways, they were trying to break out of their chains as you know. But they looked so…so…strange. I could hardly recognize them by their sounds and actions and faces. The rusted chains of their's eventually snapped. I was excited that they broke free, but something didn't seem right about them. They seemed more like animals than anything else. They started staggering towards me. They had turned! They were zombies!" she whimpered, "My father grabbed my shoulders and I saw his eyes. They were so dead. I don't know what thoughts passed through my head, but I reacted on pure instinct. And when I pushed him my chains broke and he flew across the room and the back of his head slammed into the wall and split open. His skull split too and he was dead. I stood in shock at what I did and at my sudden burst of strength. Then when my mother was about to grab me from behind, I sensed her and immediately jumped and did a back flip over her. My feet landed on the ceiling and when I pushed off at her I drew my claws for the first time. They pierced my fingertips, but I didn't even feel it in my bloodthirsty rage! Then I…I…" she quivered, "I decapitated her! And I liked it! I held her head in my hands with her open eyes and gaping mouth and pure white flesh! Only then did I come back and see what I did! I was in complete shock. And while I was paralyzed like that, the scientists watching me came in and injected a sedative into my neck. Then it was over and I wasn't conscious until earlier tonight."
"Oh my God! That's terrible! You poor girl!" Rebecca commented.
"So, what you saw in your hands earlier was your mom's head?" Billy asked, shocked.
"Yes!" she sobbed, "I killed them and I enjoyed it! This is all my fault!"
"No, no it's not!" Billy told her, resting his head on hers, "You were only defending yourself. They would have killed you! You put them out of their misery. Nobody wants to become a drone and attack their own daughter. And it's not your fault you enjoyed killing them. Those damn scientists made you that way! It's all their fault, not yours!"
"He's right," Rebecca agreed, "You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness. Those evil scientists should. Besides, if you didn't become so powerful like you are, we would have died a long time ago. What you've become freed your parents and saved us. We don't care what you are. We love you anyways for who you are. You're our friend."
"Thank you," she sniffled as she let go of Billy and hugged Rebecca, "I love you guys too." Rebecca hugged back and the two humans smiles warmly.
"Where'd you get that rosary?" Rebecca asked.
"I found it under some chains in a puddle of blood in the dungeon. It was my mother's." she said as she pulled away and looked at it.
"So you're Catholic, huh?" Billy asked. Rebecca motioned if she could look at it and Liana gave it to her.
"Yeah. My dad must have been the only guy from Japan who was Catholic," she laughed, "My mom was French and her family had been strong Catholics for ages. She went everywhere with that thing. It's funny. I looked nothing like my parents, but I'm like a clone of my mom's mom, Joan."
"So you remember your family entirely now?" Billy asked.
"Almost. I remember my parents and everything, but something else is missing." Billy took the rosary, placed it around Liana's neck and pulled her hair through it.
"It's pretty. You look good with it." Billy complimented. Liana smiled and got up. The others followed suit.
"Thanks guys. You two are a real blessing. You're great friends…the only friends I have left."
"Only cuz you're just so awesome!" Billy exclaimed as he gave her a bear hug, "I love this girl!"
"Yey! I'm loved!" the girl yelled happily as she bear-hugged back.
"Group hug!" Rebecca said as she pounced on the two and hugged them.
"I love you all!" Billy and Rebecca yelled simultaneously, "Jinx! Aaa!"
"Wow! That was creepy!" Liana laughed with her friends.
"Okay, okay. We better get going again." Rebecca said as she took Billy's radio and clipped it to his pants.
"Uh-oh, is Rebecca trying to get in my pants?" Billy said with a teasing seductive voice. Liana laughed.
"Good God! Shut up, you obnoxious pervert!" Rebecca said while trying not the laugh. She walked to the door.
"But I'm a loveable obnoxious pervert." Billy smiled.
"Don't rub it in!" Rebecca admitted as she walked out.
"Ooo! Does Billy-willy have a crush?" the bio-weapon poked with a grin.
"Shut up!" Billy blushed and walked out. Liana giggled to herself.
"Match-maker, match-maker make me a match!" she sang as she skipped out happily.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! This is my present to you all! Love you!
