Act 6: All in the blood
The trip to town was surprisingly peaceful save for the blistering winds that fought Ada and Drake whilst they sought refugee from the Razor's fury. Drake was worst off than Ada, bracing the elements in little more than bloodied, shredded garments. Ada noted the sheriff's silence as she helped balance his weight, the wounds he had received in his last fight taking a toll on the young man's body. No doubt Drake was in considerable pain, but Ada surmised that his silence had little to do with his wounds.
They came to a junction after minutes of walking, shadows of buildings loomed over them as Drake tried to make out where they were. "Thurston Avenue," Drake announced, eyeing a fallen signpost in the distance. "There should be a drugstore somewhere around," he said dryly as he broke away from Ada, taking a few steps forward to confirm his bearings. "There," he managed, pointing to a storehouse with a shattered window. Ada quickly returned to Drake's side, taking his arm as they headed in the direction of the drugstore.
Entering the establishment, the two could already see a corpse laying slumped over a cash register. Racks of medical supplies had fallen over, either blown down by the violent winds of the Razor or knocked over by seemingly mindless zombies. Drake stopped Ada from moving any further, glancing at the corpse with concern. "Can we be sure that it's dead?" he asked, wary of all the near-fatal encounters he had experienced with supposedly dead bodies. Wordlessly Ada whipped out her GLOCK with her free hand, firing a perfect shot towards the head of the corpse, the hot lead bursting the head like a melon splattering blood everywhere as the corpse slid down behind the counter.
"Sure we can," Ada answered humorlessly as she holstered her weapon.
"Huh," Drake uttered in mild shock in the direction of the counter as Ada rested him against a wall. Immediately she searched the store for bandages and other medical supplies. Ada's thoughts returned to the valuable diskette she had procured and the prized information it contained. An extraction via aircraft of any sort seemed unlikely while the storm raged and knowing Wesker, Ada doubted he'd risk losing any resources despite the greater gains that awaited him. Wesker just wasn't a gambling man. Still she couldn't risk staying in hostile territory any longer than she had to. She had already completed her primary objective by retrieving information on Blake's work, all she needed was to find a way out of Stonefeather Lake before Blake or Jeremiah Smythe caught up to her. Picking up an unopened pack of bandages, Ada wondered if Hartmann could be of any help in that respect. He'd proven useful so far though Ada was starting to feel that Hartmann was suspecting something. It was a complication Ada hoped to avoid but one she was familiar with dealing with. Heading towards Drake with the supplies, she wondered if it would come to that.
Drake was already dozing off before snapping back to the waking world with the sound of Ada's footsteps. He felt as weak as a kitten, the seizure he had suffered in Blake's mansion sapping him of his strength. Ada bent next to him, pulling her right glove off. She rested the back of her hand onto his forehead and then his neck. "You're developing a fever," she declared, helping Drake undo his shirt. Drake remained silent as Ada pulled off his undershirt to reveal the clean slash wounds on his right arm and the left of his torso. "This is getting to be a habit," Ada said in reference to their early encounter as she cleaned his wounds with an alcohol-soaked fabric. "You're quite the survivor."
Drake managed a small smile at Ada's last comment. He remembered Sheriff Sam O'Neil making a similar comment about Drake and his grandfather. "All in the blood," he whispered.
"Keep talking Sheriff," urged Ada as she wrapped his abdomen in bandages. The last thing a wounded man would do in the middle of a snowstorm was sleep. The risk of freezing to death was high as victims slipped all too easily into slumber, never to awaken again. "What's in the blood?" she pressed on.
"Mut."
Ada looked up from Drake's arm. "Pardon?"
"Mut. Deutsch for courage," he explained, watching Ada bandage the fresh wounds on his arm.
"I'm more of a Francophone fanatic myself," admitted Ada, finishing the dressing on Drake's arm. "You're German?"
"Me? I'm American. Born and raised on the last frontier of the Great American Wild," Drake answered with a smile as he put his clothes back on. "But we Hartmanns never forget our roots."
"They must be worth remembering," commented Ada while helping the young man to his feet.
"My great grandfather Klaus, he came here to Stonefeather from the Fatherland after fighting in the Great War. My grandpa saw action in North Africa during the second war. Dad served in Vietnam with the Rangers," he said, his exhaustion imminent in his voice.
"Strong lineage you hail from," Wong said as she waited for Drake to recover. His hands were on his knees, pausing to draw breath and gather his strength.
"Strong, among other things," Drake replied feeling his own strength returning as he thought of his grandfather who was still out there. He turned to Ada; the memory of her pointing her weapon at him back at Blake's still fresh in his mind. "What about you?" he ventured, twisting his arm slightly to accommodate the tightness of the bandages.
"What?" she responded, unsure of the question.
"What were your parents like?" Drake clarified his query, reaching into his pockets to dig out two empty clips and a box of handgun bullets. He placed them on the counter, looking over it to see the headless corpse Ada had shot. 'Better now while things are calm' he thought as he began loading the slugs into an empty clip.
Ada frowned as she watched Drake work. The question was meant as a test. That much Ada figured out easily. She had expected just as much from the sheriff since the incident in the mansion but was still bothered by his choice of question. No one had ever asked her about her past so bluntly. Not even Leon. "Well?" Drake asked, his eyes not lifting from his task.
Leaning against the counter where Drake worked, Ada sighed slightly. She considered her answer. "Don't ask me about my father," she began. "But my mother was an artist."
Drake looked up from his half-loaded clip and cocked an eyebrow. "As in one of those pop artists with no real talent or…"
"She was a real artist," she quickly added, smiling at Drake's less than positive view on pop artists. "Oil paintings. Scenery mostly. That was her forte." Ada suddenly looked at her boots wondering why she was telling Hartmann all this.
"Ever sold a painting?" asked Drake before starting on his second clip. He would have had three clips to work with but it seemed he had lost one in the course of his battles.
Ada shook her head slightly. "No. For her it was more of a passion than a profession. Not that her paintings weren't any good," she explained. She smiled as an old memory clawed its way out from her subconscious. "She brought me to France once. Paris, for an art gallery where some of her works were on display. Then to the countryside. Wine country. It was beautiful."
Drake gave Ada a thoughtful look. "She sounds like quite a lady," he said.
Ada nodded slightly, turning her face away from Drake. "She was," she replied almost whispering.
Drake looked at her for a moment. Memories of Alice Hartmann nearly brought a tear to his eyes. 'The strongest of us all,' he remembered his grandfather speaking fondly of his daughter-in-law. Her lost devastated Drake's father Kristoff after losing her battle with Cancer. Drake was only six when she died but fondly remembered the smell of her hair, the softness of her caress and the melody of her voice as she sang him to sleep in times past. It was an old wound that didn't need opening, Drake regretting thinking of such memories in so dire a situation. "I'm sorry."
Ada looked up at Drake in puzzlement. "For what?" she asked.
"For…never mind," Drake stuttered as he reconsidered his words. There were more pressing matters at hand. "So what now?" he queried. He watched as Ada seemed to dive deep in thought, analyzing the situation, but noted that her face betrayed nothing. Drake's thoughts drifted back to the incident at the mansion, grinding his jaw slightly. There was more to what was happening than Ada was letting on. His early question was meant to probe her defenses, to find a way to bring her guard down. The results were unexpected and accomplished nothing. If Ada was lying to him, she was doing a pretty convincing job of it.
"We can't stay here," Ada declared finally. She turned to Drake, her composure as strong as before. "We need to find a way out of town . The main road's-
"Been blocked. I forgot to mention that earlier. Someone's been keeping himself busy trying to keep us in town," he continued for her, sliding his clip slowly into the .40 Beretta. "I think this Smythe character has something to do with it."
Ada frowned slightly at the mention of Smythe. "There has to be another way," she said calmly.
Drake gave it a thought. "Well there is a tunnel that cuts through the mountainside to the east of town. It leads out to the main highway towards the border. I haven't checked it yet but-
"It's gone," Ada confirmed, remembering seeing the tunnel in question when she scouted the town.
"Crap," muttered Drake as he rubbed his temples. A thought struck him. He remembered back in Mayor Bernard's office, he read an entry in the Mayor's journal pertaining to the incident at the mines involving his father's death. "Unless…" he began.
"Unless what?" Ada asked as she drew closer to Drake.
Glancing at her, Drake considered his words. "Across the lake there are coal mines where most of the townsfolk work," he explained. He stopped himself, thinking of the risks included in his idea.
"Go on," Ada assured him, her interest piqued.
"In the eastern tunnels, there was an accident that opened up another path that leads into a chasm or a cave. This cave apparently leads out to Raven Creek on the other side of the mountains
"From there it's a two day trip to the next town. Problem is the Eastern mines aren't what you'd call stable. And who knows what's happened to them since this disaster started."
Ada weighed this new information carefully. Traveling all the way across town to the coal mines alone sounded suicidal for so uncertain a gambit. It would leave them out in the open for too long and Ada suspected that Smythe or Blake would be turning over every stone to find her, or rather the data she had stolen. 'Although the risks are considerable, staying here would be just as dangerous' she concluded. "How long will it take for us to get to the mines from here?" Ada asked, turning to Drake.
The lawman shrugged. "Assuming we don't run into anymore trouble, about an hour or so," he told her. "But if we're headed for the mines, we've got to find my grandfather first."
Ada nodded, completely forgetting about Drake's grandfather that apparently roamed the town by himself. She pulled out her gun and levelled it at a nearby rack, aligning her aim. "Then we'd better get a move on," she said at last, holstering her GLOCK. Drake nodded, holstering his on weapon as he followed Ada out the door.
The hours in the harsh winds didn't seem to bother Drake anymore as he walked around town in search of his grandfather. He checked the school once more since it was the last place he had seen his grandfather but found nothing. Concern and fear for the old man's safety gripped at Drake whilst he and Ada checked every opened house, shop and alleyway for him, running into a number of zombies which were dealt with easily thanks to Ada's impressive skill with a gun. After hours of searching, they came across a most disturbing sight. In the Town Square where the town held banquets and parties in times past, had now become a field of snow, blood and dismembered limbs. Arms stuck out of pure white snow like grave markers next to feet and legs that soaked the icy field in shades of dark crimson. Drake found the sight difficult to comprehend, turning to Ada in hopes of an explaination or an idea of what had transpired here but found her visage locked in a grim expression of thought and perhaps, fear. "What the Hell happend here?" Drake whispered as he looked around the bloodbath. He'd seen nothing like it before, grinding his teeth while his mind conjured up the appearance of the creatures that might have done this. The 'victims' were already dead to begin with. Zombies simply waiting to feed on flesh or a bullet to end their miserable existance. Somehow this fate seemed too much to Drake. To have thier corpses ripped apart and defiled so. These were people he knew, neighbours, old schoolmates, men and women he grew up with. The knot in his stomach tightened as he recognized the face of Trent North, a miner and friend, his face the cold blue of the frozen dead, his visage locked in an expression of wanton hunger despite its detachment from its body. Another name to add to the fallen of Stonefeather, another face to haunt Drake.
"We should move on," Ada said solemnly, resting a hand on Drake's shoulder when she noticed his fixation on the decapitated head. Drake gave the hand a cold stare which made Ada withdraw it slowly. The howls of the wind deepened as Drake stood statuesque in thought.
"Lets go," he said at last turning to Ada with contempt written all over his face. Ada wondered silently whether it was contempt for her or for himself.
A deafening roar broke Ada's chain of thoughts as she and Drake spun around, whipping out their weapons in readiness. They looked all about, seeing a blur of shadow veiled by snowfall pas them at lightning speed. Ada felt something brush against her face, firing a shot into the snow in reaction only to have her shot hit nothing. "What is that?" she yelled at Drake as she looked all around, a bitter taste enveloping her mouth.
Drake's eyes focused hard, catching sights of a huge figure running circles all around them, letting out low predatory snarls. He shot a glance at Ada who was equally panicked, holding her gun up, switching her line of sight at every sound that echoed out from the snowstorm all about them. A low growl from behind them forced Ada and Drake to turn around slowly, only to face their illusive predator. It stood on its hind legs, its towering height cast a similarly long shadow across Drake and Ada. Fur ripped open to reveal the bloodied flesh that trailed all the way down from the right side of the Kodiak's face, all the way down to the blade-like claws that now adorned its right paw. Naked arteries and veins throbbed atop the exposed portion of the bear's face, Drake noting the two large spikes that seemed to have been grown right out of its back. Its eyes glowed a shade of crimson, Drake immediately realizing that this was Smythe's doing. Warm saliva drooled from the Kodiak's mouth, its fangs sharp and covered in blood. It looked at Drake, then Ada. The two took a few steps back, their guns pointed to the ground out of fear that the creature would strike at the closest sign of aggression. It sniffed the air, looking at the two with a menacing stare letting out a blood-thirsty growl from its throat.
Ada made the first move, attempting a head shot as she raised her weapon. The blow came like lighting, the Kodiak's razor sharp claws tearing through the Kevlar body armor she wore. The strike flung Ada back, hitting the ground hard. Drake opened fire at the Kodiak, running to Ada's side. The shots were true but they probably had as much effect as bee stings as the Kodiak swung its deadly razor claw towards Drake. His sharp reflexes allowed him to avoid the strike, grabbing Ada by the shoulders as he dragged her up to her feet. "Run!" yelled Drake as he fired at the Kodiak again, only to have it shake off the shots like they were mere stings. But they were enough to annoy it. Ada lagged behind, feeling the wounds that adorned her chest. Drake turned in horror as the Kodiak lunged for her, forcing him to dive in her way. The two tumbled out of the Kodiak's way, Ada feeling a burning sensation as her body was wracked in pain. The Kodiak craned its neck slightly towards the fallen two. It got down on all fours and slowly headed towards them, anticipating the warmth of their blood. Drake recovered in time and blasted the beast point-blank in its head, the Kodiak roaring in agony as it rolled on the snow covered ground. "Come on!" he screamed as he pulled Ada to her feet. Rendered groggy by the attack and Drake's takedown, Ada was slow to react, trying her best to keep up with Drake but ultimately falling behind. The Kodiak was back on its feet, a scowl enveloping its demonic face as it eyed its prey in the distance. Drake stopped as Ada fell to her knees, unable to continue. "Crap..." muttered Drake as he saw the Kodiak running towards them on all fours with a speed that shocked Drake. Releasing Ada from his grip Drake fired at the Kodiak in an attempt to draw it away from the fallen Wong. "Ada!" Drake called out to her as he drew the Kodiak's attention. Ada looked to Drake, slowly rising to her feet. "Run!" he ordered as he himself started running, the Kodiak close on his heels.
Shaking herself awake, Ada felt for the slash marks on her body armor in fear. She looked at her fingers and let out a sigh of relief. No blood. The kevlar had barely saved her, Ada suddenly feeling vunerable for the first time. Drake and the Kodiak were out of sight but Ada could still hear the faint sounds of gunfire and beast-like howls. Without hesitation, Ada started looking for cover to recollect herself. If she was lucky, Hartmann could deal with the B.O.W and eliminate a dangerous variable. Or the Kodiak could kill Drake, saving her the trouble of having to do so herself in case he got out of line. Remembering what Hartmann said about the mines beyond the lake, Ada whipped out her thermal goggles only to find them shattered, most likely after the fall she took. She spat out a curse, tossing the goggles to the ground and ran blindly into the streets of Stonefeather.
The scent of blood was all too familiar to Weasel, being drawn to the bloodbath of the town square. He took a moment to appreciate the limb-layered plains before moving on to follow up on another scent. This one, a pleasant aroma. Another scent that Weasel was familiar with. The scent of a woman. "What do we have here?" mused Weasel as he bent slightly to pick up a pair of discarded goggles. He took a whiff of them, savoring the still-warm scent of his prey. With a smile, Weasel looked to the empty streets of Stonefeather, licking his lips in anticipation.
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'Jesus Christ! This thing can run!' Drake's mind screamed as the Kodiak roared from behind him, knocking away snow-layered cars the lay dormant on the streets effortlessly, its crimson eyes locked onto Drake. His legs felt like wax, forcing Drake to stumble to his knees while the Kodiak lunged for him. Rolling out of its way, Drake struggled to his feet to stare the creature straight in the eye, raising his weapon at it. Unsuprisingly unfazed by the weapon, the bear swiped at Drake, missing the lawman by mere millimeters prompting Drake to retaliate by sending another two slugs into the beast's chest. The Kodiak stumbled back, the gunshots finally having an effect. Adrenaline once again pumped through Drake's veins as he watched the bear finally back down from the blows.
He ran half a cirlce around the Kodiak as his trained hands worked at changing his clip. The click of the chamber being loaded sent the adrenaline up Drake's spine as he fired away at the mutated beast. The bear fell on all fours, keeping its head down to avoid the shots. Just as Drake was about to close in for the kill, the Kodiak rose on its two hind legs, its towering height stopped Drake in his tracks while it grabbed a nearby car with its paws. Drake's eyes widened at the realisation of what was coming, running for a nearby shophouse. Smashing through the wide glass window, Drake rushed for cover behind a counter. The car smashed against the shophouse with a thunderous sound, sending shards of metal and glass flying in every direction while Drake kept his head down behind the counter. Drake raised his head slightly to see the remains of an old Ford woody in pieces, the glass on its doors and windshields broken by the impact. Drake grinded his teeth as he looked for a way out, wary of the smell of a gas leak. The Kodiak peered through the wreckage of the car, its lumbering size squeezing its upper body through the shattered glass window of the shophouse, confirming its kill. Instinctively, Drake aimed for the gas tank of the car, hoping whoever the car belonged to had filled it up. He fired two shots, the first punturing the tank, sending gasoline squirting all over the floor, the second sending a spark onto the leaking gas. Fire trailed the small river of fuel into the gas tank, prompting Drake to keep his head down the counter again, hearing a huge explosion followed by a rush of blaring heat that washed over him.
Drake raised his head slowly, making certain that the Kodiak was gone while fire ensued the enitre building. He rushed for the door, diving into the snow as soon as he got out. He looked around, turning to see half of a burning woody sticking out of the shophouse. He grinded his teeth, noting a trail of blood that led away from the burning wreckage. It had survived, probably retreating to lick its wounds. 'Not a bad idea' Drake thought as he suddenly bent over from exhaustion, his hands on his knees. His grandfather and now Ada were out there with a town full of zombies and a monster bear. He was more concerned about Ada whom he left nursing a wound. As tough as she was, Drake was worried about the extent of her wounds. Just as he started to make a move, the sound of zombie bloodcalls could be heard from behind him, probably attracted by the fire or the smell of blood. Or both. "Wonderful," muttered Drake, steadying himself for another fight.
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It seemed like an eternity to Ada as she trudged through the thigh-deep snow that layered the street she had found herself walking upon. Without her thermal goggles, Ada was for the first time running blind in B.O.W infested territory with little more than a GLOCK and a half-spent Scorpion sub-machine gun slung across her shoulder. She winced at the pain that burned in her chest, having yet to properly check the extent of her wounds courtesy of the mutated bear.
The encounter with the creature left a bad taste in Ada's mouth. Animals were susceptible to numerous strains and variants of the T-Virus, but most were usual unstable mutations that would eventually disintegrate into bloodied carcasses after a few hours. The only animals successfully mutated were canines, insects and arachnids. Whatever had infected that bear must have been the strain of the virus that Blake was working on. Or was it? Ada had yet to encounter any animal B.O.Ws since the virus made its way through town, leaving Ada to assume the animals in town could not survive the mutation process. No zombie dogs, oversized insects or canine-sized spiders had ambushed her or were seen. Perhaps the bear was a one-off, just like Hartmann and his grandfather. Grinding her teeth, Ada's thoughts drifted back to the young sheriff, wondering if he had survived the encounter with the Kodiak. He certainly had a knack for coming out on top of some brutal encounters, be it by luck or his own skills. She thought back to the incident at the mansion. Scientists in Umbrella had always mentioned a possibility of encountering individuals with a strong Immunity system that could very well stop the T-Virus and its other variants in its tracks, though none had been found in the Arklay Mountains, Raccoon City and Code Veronica incidents. Few had such a favorable biological trait, fewer still could survive the zombies even if they did the virus. Hartmann's death would have been a waste. But still, there was the older man that Drake mentioned, Drake's grandfather. Perhaps there was still a way to get back into Wesker's good graces.
Ada's chain of thoughts was interrupted when she sensed something. Without the protection of her goggles, icy flakes of snow attacked her eyes, rendering her sight nearly useless but she knew something was out there, shifting her line of sight in all directions, struggling to make out anything through the dense snowfall. Her fingers felt numb as they tightened around the grip of her GLOCK, her breathing heavy. She was in no condition for a fight, but knew she had little say in the matter. The sound of footsteps on icy snow caught her attention, swinging around to see a man standing in plain sight, mere inches away from the barrel of her readied weapon. He was a man in his early thirties, slacking facial features and a mop of deep brown hair. He was dressed in a fashionable Armani suit he wore open, along with a plain white shirt underneath. His hands hidden in his pockets,he stood before Ada with an arrogantsmirk on his face, unaffected by the chilling frost all about him.
Ada kept her weapon trained at the man's head, knowing instantly that this was no friend of Hartmann or herself.
"They said you were a looker," he said, scratching his chin as he looked up and down at her like she were a fine art piece. "They weren't kidding."
Ada felt her gut tighten, the man took a step forward. " I wouldn't move if I were you," Ada threatened.
"Oh? Easy sweets. My boss just wants to have a little talk with you. Maybe even get his stuff back. 'Course, you could make this easy for the both of us and just follow me...or we could get rough," he said with a hint of humor in his voice. He raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Though personally, I think you'd like the rough stuff."
Ada smiled dryly, lowering her weapon. She jammed it into her holster, carefully reaching forthe flashbang that hung next to it. "Just a talk?" she asked.
Weasel raised his eyebrows in disappointment. "Yeah, and maybe some crumpets knowing the boss," he muttered. "Real shame. They said you had teeth," he said.
"Oh?" exclaimed Ada, pulling the safety pin out of the grenade and quicky tossing it in Weasel's direction. "They're right," she said before detonation, sending a blinding flash throughout the area. Weasel's eyes burned as he fell back, the ringing in his ears nearly driving him crazy.
"Miserable bitch!" Weasel screamed as his vision returned. He sniffed the air, detecting Ada's scent instantly. He dashed in the direction of her smell, catching up her her effortlessly. Ada swung around firing two shots at her pursuerer, watching in shock as Weasel deftly dodged both of them with ease. He grabbed her by her gun hand,throwing her to the ground and tossing her weapon away. Ada recovered quickly from the takedown, whipping out her knife in a slash manuever only to have Weasel catch her by the arm again, exerting such pressure on it, her knife fell out of it. Ada retaliated by smashing the heel of her boot in her attacker's face, the blow forcing Weasel back. A trickle of blood flowed slowly out of Weasel's nose as he felt for the bone in that sensitive area. Broken. While Weasel was busy with his own wound, Ada rushed for her weapon, grabbing the GLOCK and firing it in one fluid motion. Three well placed shots nailed Weasel in both his shoulders and his chest, sending him crashing to the ground. Ada rose to her feet, both her hands wrapped around the weapon tightly as she approached the motionless body. She gave him a kick and then fired another shot into his chest. Nothing. Slowly, she backed away from the corpse as blood flowed outwards, soaking the snow all about it. She sighed in relief turning around to change her clip as she headed for a safe spot to plan her next move. Upon taking her first step, Ada stopped, breathing heavily while she slid a new clip into her GLOCK slowly.
She turned her head slowly, catching a glimpse of Weasel rising to his feet. Ada pivoted quickly on her heel, raising her weapon.It was blur but Ada noticed a burst of flesh and blood knowing she had yet to pull the trigger. Two tendrils swept out on the ground,pulling Ada off her feet. Ada's eyes widened, watching in horror as she realised where the tendrils originated from. A large mouth layered with rows of teeth opened itself on Weasel's chest as the tendrils dragged her towards it. She fired at Weasel, the shots seemingly having no effect on Weasel as he gave her a sadistic smile. She reached for another grenade, tossing the cylindrical device into the mouth of Weasel's chest.The tendrils released their grip on Ada's feet, catching the grenade in mid-air and tossing it away from Weasel. The device detonated harmlessly away from them, sending up aburst of snow."Sneaky little bitch aren't ya sweets?" Weasel sneered, returning his attention to his target. Wong was already back on her feet, raising her Scorpion at Weasel, the laser painting her target perfectly. "How's about a little kiss?" he taunted her, unafraid of her weapon. Ada smiled squeezing the trigger only to have it knocked out of her hands by a tendril, striking from under the snow. The Scorpion fell, to the ground, a tendril pulling it towards Weasel. "Nice," he commented a he took the weapon in hand. He fired blindly at Ada, forcing her to roll out of harms way with quick reflexes. Weasel laughed maniacally, taking pleasure in tormenting his prey. Ada dived behind a nearby car, noticing a cut on her arm, probably from grazing a bullet. Panic began to set it, she was unarmed against a B.O.W mutation who was fully aware of his capabilites and Ada's situation. No way was he going to let go of her. Ada reached for her last grenade and fingered the ring of the safety pin while bullets shattered the glass and punctured holes through the car she used for cover. The sound of a click was all Ada waited for as she swept around the car, tossing the grenade towards Weasel.
Weasel's eyes widened, willing his free tendril to capture the grenade in mid-air. The grenade detonated upon touch, sending shrapnel flying in all directions, searing flechettes stabbing into his arm as he raised it in time to protect his face. The pain shot through him like fire in his veins, almost distracting him from seeing Ada as she picked up her knife. With expert aim, Ada threw her weapon towards her opponent, the blade slice through Weasel's windpipe with shocking ease. Before he could remove it Ada sent a well place kick into his neck, driving the knife deeper into Weasel's throat. Blood spewed out, staining Ada's boot as she backed off for another kick. Reeling from the attack, Weasel's blood boiled as the endless row of teeth that adorned his chest craved for flesh to rip apart. Ada went for his head with another kick but this time Weasel was ready for it, catching her foot mere inches away from his face. With superhuman strength, he swung Ada into the car, knocking the wind out of her. Falling to her knees, blood forced its way out of her mouth while pain paralysed her. A pair of polished shoes came into view as Ada raised her head to see Weasel smiling maliciously, pulling the knife out of his throat. He dropped the bloodied knife, lifting Ada by the neck. His fingers tightened around her throat, Weasel savoring the sight of her helplessness as her warm blood trickled down onto his hand. "The things I'd love to do to you," he whispered, "But the boss wants to get through with you first.". A tendril lifted up Ada's Scorpion. "Forgot your gun sweets," Weasel said as he whipped the weapon into Ada's temple, blacking her out.
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Drake picked up the knife from the ground, the blade practically covered in frosted blood. He looked around to see another weapon laying on the ground. A GLOCK. Ada's weapon. Lifting the weapon from the snow, Drake cursed himself for letting her go off on her own in the condition he left her in. He rose to his feet, noting the spent shells that lay all about the snow. Was it zombies? Or maybe the Kodiak? Drake noted the bullet holes and shattered windows on a nearby Cadillac. It looked more like a fire fight had occured. A shining object caught Drake's eye some distance away from him. At first he dismissed it as simply the brass of a bullet shell but could not help but check it out for himself. He squinted his eyes while he drew closer to the object as the shine died off, forcing Drake to feel for it with his bare hands, the icy cold snow nearly numbing his flesh. His search bore fruit as he gingerly picked up a small item off the ground, holding it carefully between his fingers. It was diskette of sorts, too small for any computer he'd seen. He pocketed the item, contemplating his next step. There was no body to confirm that Ada was dead though the possibilty of her becoming a zombie was high. "No," Drake said aloud, refusing to give up on an ally. He tucked Ada's GLOCK under his shirt and continued his search for his grandfather, silently hoping that both he and Ada were alright.
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"It's baffling to say the least," lamented Blake, staring at the screen of his main console. Smythe remained silent, his right hand rubbing his jaw slowly, his mind deep in thought. The screen played out an odd simulation of the results of exposing the blood sample they had found in Blake's lab to strains of viruses, from early versions of the T and G virus, the T Veronica and even Blake's own sample. Smythe had ordered that the blood sample be compared to a normal human's which meant Blake's. On the right side was a microscopic view of Blake's antibodies and the left was that of the intruder. "He'd be inhuman to be able to have so strong an immune system! I mean he'd probably be suffering from OIR" exclaimed Blake, referring to the condition Overzealous Immune Response.
"It was tested for any signs of vaccination?" asked Smythe, his eyes fixed on the other simulation.
"Yes. Nothing," Blake said, fairly confident of his analysis. He looked at the screen in wonderment. "I've never seen anything like it," he said.
"I have," Smythe said, prompting Blake to look at him in surprise. "Ages ago. But never in my wildest dreams could I imagine seeing it again in so remote a place. In so...pure a form." Smythe managed a small smile as memories came flooding back to him. "It'd be a waste not to follow up on this," he declared as he glanced at Blake, "Wouldn't you agree Wilson?"
"Well, it would give us an opportunity to test the limits of this immune system. Maybe even develop a new strain that could possibly overcome this super immune system. Then the weapon would be unstoppable," Blake grinned as he considered the possibilities. The dispersal method of the virus was foolproof hence if he could eliminate the short-comings of the virus itself, he could indeed create the ultimate weapon.
"Indeed," Smythe said, turning away from the screen to see Scarlett dozing off in Blake's chair. The sight brought a smile to his face. "Of course, this is all assuming that our friend survives the rest of this ordeal. And if we can retrieve the information stolen from us," he said, placing a hand softly on Scarlett's head.
"It is done sir," Hammer announced, suddenly coming into the main chamber. Smythe's smile slowly died off, turning to Hammer with a nod. He lifted his hand off Scarlett's head, careful to avoid waking her. Her innocence was her strength and Smythe would not allow anyone to taint it. He left the chamber silently with Blake and Hammer following closely behind. Deep in sleep, Scarlett walked bare-footed on a field of lush green grass, the sun shining on her face and Smythe sitting nearby, smiling at her. Nothing would bring her more joy. Nothing.
Ada's hands and feet were bound tightly as she laid strapped to an operating table of sorts by leather binds. A blinding light shined directly into her eyes. It was like staring into the sun, the rays of light piercing her eyes while her mind raced for an idea to free herself. "Comfortable sweets?" a voice said, Ada immediately recognising it. The table began to move, lifting its angle until Ada faced her nemesis. He looked uninjured from their encounter save for a number of bloodstains on his silk white shirt and a scar on his throat. Ada kept her face neutral, her eyes revealed no fear nor anger. Weasel drew himself closer to her. He rested his hand on the table,his face coming closer to her neck. He sniffed at her like an animal, rubbing his nose against the skin of her neck. Ada shut her eyes, clenching her fists but said nothing. "You smell good," he commented with a smile, his finger tracing the zipper of her body armor."I bet you like this huh? Getting tied up, feeling helpless while a big," he toyed with her zipper, "strong man like me plays with you."
Ada gave him a flirtatous smile. "Tell me if you see one."
Weasel's smile died, his hand suddenly on her neck. "Watch it sweets. I'm being nice here," he said as he slowly unzipped the vest.
"That's enough Weasel," a voice said. Weasel stopped as the zip came half way down, exposing the thick combat uniform Ada wore slightly.
Weasel backed off, not hiding the disappointment on his face. A tall figure walked into the room which Ada figure was an operating theatre with all the apparatus all about. He was a handsome, older man with distinctively sharp facial features and smooth, long white hair. But what captured Ada's attention immediately was his eyes, green like emeralds with a fire unlike anything she'd ever seen. She almost missed the other two that followed closely behind. One was a tall, muscular man with strong Slavic features that reminded Ada of Jack Krauser. The other with a short and stout man in his early forties, looking all too serious in his terrible blue stripped suit. Ada surmised that this was the sought Wilson Blake. " I apologize for Weasel's rudeness.He sometimes over-reaches the limits of his freedom," the man said as he shot Weasel a dispassionate look. Ada could see Weasel recoil in fear of this new comer, sweat drops forming on his forehead. He returned his attention to Ada. "Ada Wong. The illusive Red Butterfly," he said with a smile as he zipped up her vest.
"Jeremiah Smythe, I presume?" Ada said.
Smythe bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. "Yes. The tales of your beauty do you no justice. You're much more lovely than I had envisioned. However I'm afraid I will have to cut the pleasantries short. I believe you have something of mine," he said, his voice warm yet somehow discomforting to Ada.
She maintained her composure. "I'm afraid you won't find me the talkative sort."
"A pity. It has been such a long since I had a conversation with such," Smythe paused, smiling at Ada, "Charming company. However, I'm sure we could find time later. After you've returned what you have taken." He turned to Weasel. "You had her searched?"
"Yeah. Couldn't find anything except some Palmtop. Looked through her files. There wasn't anything on it," Weasel reported. Ada's heart jumped at the mention of her communicator. They hadn't found the diskette. But how? She had it all the while, unless she dropped it in her battle with Weasel.
"Curious,"said Smythe, returning his gaze to Ada. "I'm certain you have an idea as to where my files are. After all, we know you took them and even erased all traces of the originals. I'd like them back now," Smythe drew himself closer to Ada's face, the smell of his minty aftershave so strong it nearly brought a tear to Ada's eyes. He looked straight in Ada's brown eyes, locked in an almost hypnotic stare. "Where are the files Ms.Wong?" he asked softly.
Ada's heart thumped hard as she looked into Smythe's eyes. It was like a battle of auras, karma flowing between them like a river, a river that was flowing against Ada. Her lips parted slightly, panting while her gaze was still on Smythe's emerald eyes. "On...a diskette," she managed despite the protests of her mind. Smythe turned to Weasel who responded by shaking his head.
"And where, pray tell, is this diskette?" Smythe pressed on.
"I don't know."
"She's lying boss!" yelled Weasel, his fists clenched in agitation.
Smythe raised an eyebrow. "Ms.Wong, in this room, Weasel has more experience in interrogation than I do and often gets the answers I seek. However, I find his methods rather distasteful and would rather prefer to avoid such unneccessary blood-letting. But if you are lying to me, you would leave me no choice but to put you in his hands. And as you can probably tell, he has been looking forward to some time alone with you," he said. A gloved hand touched her chin, Smythe lifting her head gently to observe her brown eyes more closely. "I urge you to consider your options."
Ada's strength began to fail her whilst Smythe fixed his stare into her, almost like he was peering into the very depths of her soul. Ada flinched, unable to match karma with her inquisitor. Smythe backed away slowly. "She's telling the truth," he declared prompting a disappointed response from those all around him. "She doesn't know where the diskette is," said Smythe, turning his back towards her.
"But then where could it be?" whined Blake, panic thick in his voice. It seemed to Ada that he had much to lose in the matter.
Smythe turned to Weasel. "Search the area where you apprehended her. It might..." Smythe stopped himself. "No, no. Ignore that," he said, turning to Ada. He managed a small smile. "Our friend Sheriff Hartmann will do it for us," he said. "After all, as Sheriff, his duty is to protect and to serve."