Chapter Twenty-One: Yateveo
Codename: YATEVEO(Y-1)
Lead Researcher: A. Wesker, B. Birkin
Attributes: Carnivore. Resistant to most herbicides. Creature is highly volatile when threatened. Consists of a central bulb, through which meat is ingested. Lining of the bulb consists of spines that are used to hold and devour its prey. Vines grow from the underbelly (approximately nine as of writing this report) and grow as large as twenty feet long and ten feet in width. Thones grow at the tip of vines to better grab their prey. Reproduces asexually. Bulbs (Y-2) grow from the vines. Y-2 grows from five feet across to seven feet across. When threatened, the Y-2 will open its bulb and shoot venomous barbs at its prey. This defense mechanism lasts until it's seedling stage (approximately 2 weeks) when it will detach itself from Y-1 and grow. For more information on Y-2, see 'Codename: IVY.'
WARNING: IN THE CASE OF EMERGENCY EXTERMINATION, USE V-JOLT THROUGH CONTROL CENTER SPRINKLER SYSTEM. HIGHLY TOXIC TO ORGANIC MATTER. ENSURE ALL PERSONNEL ARE IN CONTROL CENTER/OBSERVATION DECK BEFORE ACTIVATION.
Jill closed the file, popped out the disk, and tucked it in beside the journal in her vest's breast pocket.
"Seems simple enough," Chris said, arms crossed over his chest. There was an edge to his voice that seemed to convey but what will go wrong? As they walked out of Birkin's office toward the door at the end of the hall, Jill wondered the same.
When they first walked through the door into the Observation room, Chris thought that they had somehow stepped back outside. Everywhere he looked was green-overgrown ivy hung from the high ceiling and clung to the walls. The foliage seemed to grow from the metal floor. At the far end of the room stood a massive bulb that reached from the height of the room. Vines as thick as Chris's arm coiled around it's base, while others with miniature bulbs hung on the wall behind it. The tentacles at Yeteveo's base shifted, as though it detected someone in the room with it.
A small, raised room hung upon stilts to their right with a set of metal stairs leading up to it.
Chris nodded toward it and Jill returned the gesture. They stepped softly across the room and up the stairs, keeping the plant in their peripheral vision. The vines coiled and uncoiled but didn't make any other movement.
The observation deck was smaller than he had anticipated. A large window stretched the length of the room which overlooked another door on the opposite side of the observation room (no doubt to the hall that he and Jill had neglected to search). A computer terminal and various other equipment stood beneath the window. Against the wall was the metal grating to another ventilation shaft.
"At least we have a quick getaway," Chris muttered as Jill took to the computer.
Jill didn't respond as she pressed buttons on the keyboard. Chris watched over her shoulder. He thought they were stuck for a moment when a prompt asking for a password and username appeared. Luckily, a sticky note under the keyboard revealed just that information. What luck, Chris thought, tensing for what happened next. Surely it couldn't all be that easy. It never was.
After a few more minutes, Jill searched the computer for the sprinkler system. Her cursor passed over a prompt entitled 'Self-Destruct Sequence.' A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. He could almost hear that cool, female voice coming from cleverly placed intercoms-The self-destruct sequence has been activated. He could feel Tyrant's icy hand tighten around his face. Chris shook his head, coming back to the present so violently it nearly gave him whiplash. Keep it together, Redfield.
Jill was about to redirect the sprinklers to produce chemicals in place of water when a large red box appeared-PLEASE INSERT V-JOLT. A compartment near Jill's knee opened, revealing an empty cavity.
There it is, Chris thought bitterly. Jill wrapped her fingers at the edge of the keyboard.
"Now what?" she said, scanning the room outside. It was hard to spot anything other than the foliage of the creature, whatever lab equipment there was in the observation room had been long since covered up by the overgrowth, Chris caught something to the room's east side.
"There," he said, pointing to a rack of twenty-four inch tanks against the west wall. The rack was nearly invisible behind the foliage, only visible by the yellow "V-JOLT SOLUTION" stencil upon the container's side. "I'll go."
"No," Jill said. "I will."
"I don't think-"
"We don't want to disturb it," she replied, nodding toward the plant. Its vines lazily slid across the concrete floor. "I'm the lightest between us. Quieter footsteps."
Chris's eyes narrowed. He wanted to argue, to keep her out of danger. Not that she needed it.
"Do you trust me?" Jill asked.
Chris sighed, nodding in response.
Jill returned the gesture, readied her assault rifle, and turned toward the door back out to the observation room. He watched her make her way across the room, his body tense as he waited for the plant to make its move. Thankfully, it rested with its vines sluggishly sliding across the floor. Jill reached the tanks without incident and gently pushed aside foliage to grab onto the tanks. She turned back toward the observation deck, V-Jolt tank in hand. Chris sighed in relief. They were almost out of this, almost home free-
The door on the right side of the observation room opened and the two Umbrella goons stepped in.
Rain couldn't stop thinking about J.D.'s proposal, despite how she pushed it away. This kind of work, mercenary work, was something she had known since she was fourteen. Almost every moment of life for the last eight years had been dedicated to killing. Home had always been a rocky concept at best, constantly moving around the world depending on who hired her. Setting down roots somewhere with her favorite idiot wasn't the worst thing she could think of. It's a nice thought, she kept thinking. But life always had a bad habit of getting in the way of 'nice thoughts.'
She pushed the line of thinking away as they approached the door to the observation room. God only knew what Umbrella was 'observing' down here. Rain placed her hand on the door's knob, tightening her grip on her weapon, and then turned back to J.D.
"You ready?" Rain asked.
"Ready to go home?" J.D. replied, clutching his neck. "Been ready since we landed in this shithole."
"What's wrong with your neck?" Rain asked. J.D. quickly lowered his hand, staring at it as though he were just realizing where it had been. Now that Rain came to think of it, he looked a lot more pale than normal. J.D. coughed and then shrugged.
"Just a kink in it," he replied. Rain smirked.
"We'll have to work that out for you once we get out of here," she said. J.D. chortled and Rain turned back toward the door. They entered in what Rain at first thought was a forest. She didn't see the wooden stalks of trees, but foliage and vines clung to the floors, walls, and ceiling. Toward the northern end stood a massive floor bump at least as tall as a city bus and as wide as a semi-truck. It reminded her of that musical with the man-eating plant that constantly whined 'Feed me.'
Something shifted out of the corner of her eye. Rain raised her weapon, her finger tight on the trigger. It was the S.T.A.R.S. woman, yet aware of Rain and J.D.'s presence, carrying what looked like a mini oxygen tank.
"Drop it," Rain said. The woman, Jill if Rain remembered correctly, looked toward them. Her expression shifted from hard concentration to wide-eyed panic. Good, Rain thought. Now was payback for making her be their lap dog. In fact, a bullet in between the eyes was probably the only way to settle Rain's indignation. Rain tightened her finger when another figure darted from around the stairs leading to the observation deck.
J.D. raised his rifle and Chris shifted his aim onto him.
"Let's all take it easy," Jill said, her tone slow and even. As if she were trying to calm a child. It only pissed Rain off more.
"I said drop it," Rain said, thrusting her weapon forward as though to it was enough to say 'Drop the fucking weapons.'
"Not gonna happen," Chris replied.
"This is not something you want to do," Jill said.
"Oh, I think it is," Rain said. "Now drop it or you can stay down here and blow up with the rest of the lab."
"Where the Hell would you go?" Chris asked.
"Where do you think?" J.D. shot back. "The same way we came down."
"It's blocked off," Jill said.
"What?" J.D. asked. Rain felt her finger get restless. This was taking far too long and she could feel her grip loosening over the situation.
"A cave-in," Jill replied. "When your teammate decided to throw a grenade in the tunnels. It collapsed. We can still get out of here together. You don't have to-"
"Don't have to what?" Rain sneered. "Work for Umbrella. I want to. It's who I am."
And we've wasted too much time. Rain tightened her finger on the trigger, this time all the way-She gasped as something tightened around her leg with barbs that threatened to cut through the fabric. Rain was pulled off her feet. Her assault rifle fired, missing Jill's head by several inches, before flying from her grip. The wind evacuated her lungs as he back struck painfully against the ground, Rain grasped for her sidearm strapped to her leg, a Heckler & Koch G36K handgun, Gunfire came from behind and it took Rain a moment to realize it was coming from J.D.'s weapon. Rain felt her body being pulled forward.
She glanced up to find the bulb now lay on the ground and opened into a pink maw large enough to swallow her whole. Rows of translucent barbs (Teeth, Rain thought frantically) lined the mouth until it disappeared into blackness. Feed me, Rain.
Rain aimed her weapon and fired three rounds into the plant's fleshy interior. The vine around her leg tightened, forcing a scream out of her. Three vines shot past Rain's field of vision onto something that she couldn't see. To her relief, J.D. moved into her line of vision, shells covering the area around his feet as he moved. Round after round pieced the bulb, but it didn't face the creature. Rain lowered her gun and shot twice at the vine past her boot. The first bullet sent a set of black fluid squirting from the would. The second stuck just as the plant pulled, causing a tear that eventually ripped the vine in two. The portion around Rain's leg slackened. She kicked it off, crawling back in the process.
"Rain," J.D. said, taking his attention away from the plant for half a second to give her his hand. He didn't see one of the veins coil up and swing at him. A loud groan came from behind, like metal binding.
"J.D!" Rain said, but it was too late. The plant's limb struck J.D. squarely in the side. J.D. flew through the air, crashing hard against the east wall, and rolling to the ground. Rain managed to get to her feet, just as the vine arched toward her. She shot two rounds into it. The vine recoiled from the bullets, slinking back toward the main bulb.
One of the S.T.A.R.S. called her name. She ignored them. All that mattered was J.D.
Rain slid across the concrete floor and turned J.D. over. His eyes were closed but she could see the rise and fall of his chest. Rain sighed in relief. There was another groan from behind, this one louder than the one from before. Rain pulled J.D. up, pulling his arm around her neck when something made her stop-
The hiss of the sprinkler system.
Chris and Jill darted toward the observation deck as soon as Yateveo began their attack. Panic coursed through Jill's body, propelling her up the stairs with the tank of V-Jolt. Chris helped her slide it into the panel under the computer when the whole deck shook violently. The groan of metal bending filled the small room. Jill grabbed the side of the computer console to support her as he looked out at the disturbance. The first thing she saw was Rain, on the ground, being pulled toward the plant's open maw. Her partner fired round after round in the creature to no avail.
The second thing Jill noticed was the three vines stretched the length of the room and disappeared behind the observation deck. What Jill didn't have to see was those vines wrapped around the stilts holding the room up.
A window appeared on the screen:
V-JOLT CANISTER CONNECTED TO SPRINKLER SYSTEM.
ACTIVATE
Y or N
Jill stared at the screen and then turned her attention to the battle outside. Rain drew a handgun and fired at the vine that snaked around her leg. The bullets found their mark, snapping the vine in two.
"What are you waiting for?" Chris asked as the plant gave the deck's stilts another healthy tug.
"I can't!" Jill said. "Not with them out there!"
"Jill!" Chris said, though what he was about to say was lost to the image of Rain's partner flying across the room. He struck the wall and tumbled to the ground where he stayed. Jill felt her stomach twist when he didn't get up. "Jill! We have to!"
As if to punctuate Chris's point, Yateveo yanked once again at the stilts. The room buckled, and the windows overlooking the observation room were lower than they once had been. Chris reached forward, pressed "Y' and then "Enter."
In the confusion, it took a moment for Jill to process what he was doing.
A prompt appeared on the screen:
SPRINKLER SYSTEM ACTIVATED.
"CHRIS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Jill cried out. She ran to the door and yelled Rain's name. Anything to warn her of the incoming toxin. Before she made it to the first step, she felt Chris's arms wrap around her middle and drag her back under the roof of the deck. They were barely two steps in when the hiss of the sprinkler system activated.
Then came the screams.
Jill fought against Chris's hold. Even if she had escaped, she wasn't sure what she would have done. It was Iraq all over again. Jill felt hot tears well in her eyes. All the strength ebbed from her body and she slumped into Chris's arms.
"You can't save everyone, Jill," Chris said. "Especially those who don't want to be. Those two wouldn't have thought twice about pressing that button. They made their choice, now we have to make ours."
Jill nodded, the journal and floppy disk suddenly heavy in her breast pocket. She straightened herself and looked toward the ventilation shaft.
"Yeah," she said, her throat felt raw and her voice hoarse. "Let's go."
At first, Rain wasn't sure what to make of the sprinklers. Was it an automated system to water the plants? That line of thinking came to an abrupt halt when it landed on a plant and sizzled upon impact. Then it touched her neck. The scream came from her mouth without her knowledge. Rain glanced down at J.D., still unconscious. Droplets of the sprinkler liquid touched his face. He shifted, low moans issuing from his throat, as the skin became angry and red where the chemical touched his face.
Rain kept on top of him, shielding him with her own body. There was only the pain on her neck at first, but then she felt the fabric in the weaker areas of her tactical gear burn away and the chemical seeped in. It felt as though fire crept into her clothes, eating away at her tender flesh. Rain bit her lip, but the screams bounced within her head. Another chorus joined her and it wasn't until then she realized that she was only able to cover seventy-five percent of J.D.'s body with her own. He kicked his exposed legs as though to knock the offending liquid away.
The shower lasted for a couple of seconds, but it felt like hours. Eventually, the low hiss of the sprinklers disappeared, leaving Rain with the invisible fire burrowing into her skin. She couldn't move. She couldn't even think about moving. Her vision was crimson and all that mattered was the pain.
Rain wasn't sure how long she was out-minutes, weeks-only that when she came to every movement sent a violent wave of agony through her body. She rolled off J.D. The floor was damp, though whatever unseen drains had already emptied the room of whatever chemical agent had been sprayed.
The foliage, moments green and luscious, now hung from the walls brown and limp. The vines were withered and the main bulb opened and closed lethargically, clinging on to whatever bit of life it had left.
"Rain," J.D. asked, forcing himself up. He cried out when he moved his legs. Rain looked down to find the fabric of J.D.'s pants from the knee down to the top of his boots were burned. Deep crimson sores marred the dark skin of his shins.
Those fuckers, she thought through the pain. They did this! They knew that this would happen.
Rain pushed herself up, clenching her jaw. Her stance was weak at first, but her gait became stronger with each step. She stumbled a few times, only taking a couple of seconds to right herself. Rain heard J.D. slowly get up behind and follow her. She felt a weight in her hand and was surprised to find she still held her gun.
That's all I need, she thought. Enough to finish them.
Rain clambered up the stairs. When she reached the top, she didn't find the S.T.A.R.S. Only two abandoned backpacks and the grating to the ventilation shaft pulled off.
So that's how the fuckers got away.
She stumbled to the computer console, his screen lit and awaiting command. Rain had just set the self-destruct sequence for twenty minutes when J.D. entered the deck.