AN: BUSTED! Now Wesker has to explain his story. But how much will he divulge? Let's find out, shall we?
All eyes were now on Wesker as the aquamancer sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was REALLY hoping to keep this side of him hidden. But thanks to Queen Reya, that just went right out the window the minute she opened her mouth. Then again, bonding with the young girl beside him and having two different mindsets was probably a trigger for that. He just hoped that his two comrades and the young redhead were willing to listen to his side of things. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he took a steady breath and began to speak.
"Many years ago, I was forced into numerous experiments that were all part of something Spencer called Project Wesker. I was one of thirteen children that were kidnapped and brought to the lab for this purpose. Day in and day out, we were poked, prodded and anything else they could've done to us, they did."
He scoffed then. "What didn't they do, might have been a better statement. When they put me through the first experiments, I was frightened. I was just a boy, I didn't know what was happening, and I did anything I could to try and get away…" Wesker had to stop for a moment as he felt his emotions welling up in his chest, forcing him to take several heavy breaths. Anger, hatred for Spencer… and sorrow because he was helpless at the time to stop them.
Reya frowned in sympathy and placed a small hand on his own. "Take your time, Albert. I know this is hard for you to recall, but you will feel better speaking of it. Bottling emotions is bad for your health, mentally and physically." She spoke softly and watched as the tension in his body slowly left him.
"...I appreciate the kind words, Queen." he says after a moment's silence. Seeing that he had the full attention of his peers, he continued.
"At first I had no one, not a friend or ally. Even my eventual best friend thought nothing of me at the time. But over the course of the first period of experimentation, I met someone who would become very dear to me, and helped me maintain what little innocence I still had left, before Spencer could rip it away. Unfortunately for us both, as time passed I saw her less and less, and my memories of her became vague, lost in a sea of thoughts. Shameful to think of now… until recently, when she made a return to me. It did not take long for her to remind me of what I was fighting for, and she helped me remember my vows to fight Spencer and bring him down, for his crimes against myself, and my fellow 'Wesker Children', as he called us."
"So lemme get this straight: You work for Umbrella and also work for STARS? Why work for Umbrella if you knew what they did to you?" Claire asked him.
"It was Oceania, the woman whom I think of as a mother, who gave me the idea of staying with Umbrella. I was to be a spy within the organization, breaking them down from within. The goal was to collect as much incriminating data as possible, so that it might be used to destroy them. But, it was not the only reason…"
He paused, watching their reactions. When they said nothing, he followed up.
"There was something else that caught my attention… Tell me, did you think Project W was Spencer's only special project? It was not…there were several others that Spencer had begun," Wesker says.
The group went wide eyed. There were MORE twisted projects?! As if sensing what they were thinking, Wesker nodded to them.
"Indeed, and the most troubling of which, is known as Project Sacred Beast. True to its name, Spencer not only wanted people like me to be at his side, but also he wanted beasts at his beck and call. Their names were Queen, Chimaera, Lucian and Succubus. These were to be his sword and shield with the Queen being the most powerful…" His eyes then turned down to Alana.
"... And Alana was to be the Queen."
"WHAT!?" exclaimed the three of them while Reya turned her head away, disgust and anger in her silver eyes.
"Indeed… I have seen into the mind of my new vessel… and what he had planned for this innocent child is beyond inhumane," growled the queen dragon.
"Spencer did his research into the legend of Queen Reya and he hoped to find her resting place and bind her spirit to Alana. However, the crystal one of his agents had found was stolen away and could not be located… until now," Wesker continues.
"But how did the crystal get down here?" Jill wondered, rubbing her chin in thought.
"An excellent question Miss Valentine, but isn't that what we're establishing now?" Wesker retorted with mild sarcasm. "Regardless, it did not turn out quite the way Spencer had initially intended. As it happens, Queen or Reya, in this case, is actually NOT the most powerful…"
"But how is she not? According to legend, Queen Reya is the Creator of Magic and she is known to be the most powerful being in the world. Who could top her?" Claire asked, not believing what she was hearing.
Wesker chuckled to himself. "You have fallen into the same trap that Spencer did, You see, he knew there was a queen, but what he didn't know was which one. He captured a queen yes, but she was not the one destined to become the strongest. That… would be Queen Fay, ruler of the Succubi. Demon Queen of her circle of Hell, known as Lust. Spencer didn't realize he had also captured her, and had no clue how powerful she truly was, because she can suppress her powers."
"How is that possible? How could Spencer not know he had not one, but TWO Queens under his possession?" Jill gasped. "And how is she stronger than Reya? That shouldn't be possible!"
"Because Hell doesn't follow human rules. It follows its own rules. And in Lust, Queen Fay is the one who sets these rules… She can make herself as weak or as powerful as she wants. She isn't bound by Earthling magic. Reya's powers are weaker than hers as a result." Wesker calmly stated.
"Holy shit… now that I think of it, you're right, Wesker. Hell is an endless realm, according to some of the anthropology classes I took. And with her being Queen, she can draw strength from her realm and… oh boy, she COULD beat her!" Claire spoke, clearly in awe at her power while Reya sat in shocked silence.
Someone was more powerful than she was, the Creator of Magic?! And it came from a demoness, of all beings?!
"Quite likely, yes. Fortunately for us all, Desire Demons or Succubi as they are more commonly known, rarely like to conquer. Their main desire and reason for existing, is to entice and pleasure… be it themselves or their quarry. Queen Fay likely has no interest in conquering Earthrealm." Wesker assured them.
The others seemed to be satisfied with this, but it would be Chris that would bring them back to their original point with Wesker and his ties with Umbrella.
"If I might bring this back on track…" Chris muttered loudly.
"Ah yes, my apologies. I got… distracted. (ahem) As I was saying, that project was one of the reasons why Oceania convinced me to return to Umbrella as a spy. And also because… the recipient of the Succubus soul was one of my fellow Weskers. I do not know who, however. All I know is, of the thirteen Wesker Children, only four survived. Myself, Alex, Laura and Felicia. Any of those three could be Queen Fay, but all three are missing…" Wesker continued, returning to his original point.
"Shit… this is so much to take in…" Jill muttered, running a hand through her hair. "To think that all of this and so much more was happening beneath our noses… what else has been happening that we've been blind to?"
"Plenty. Umbrella has moles within the police department, sending them updates of our actions and methods. No doubt they have been manipulating everyone all along. I also have reason to believe Chief Irons may be on their payroll." The man in black recounted.
"Irons?! No way!" Jill exclaimed in anger. That fat whale was a mole for Umbrella?! And with him being Chief… that meant he had free access to any data and paperwork they had been submitting about any and all reports.
"I knew I smelled a rat with him…!" Reya hissed, her eyes glowing dimly as the rocks around them began to quiver with her power leaking out of her vessel.
"Now hold on just a sec. Keep your horses tethered. What I have said so far is just a rumor. I have no evidence to back up my claims, as of yet. It may turn out I am wrong about Irons, and that he may just be a fat walrus. We should not jump to conclusions just yet…" Wesker quickly said, holding up his hands in a placating manner.
"... It's not a rumor, Wesker. Whenever my vessel was around him, he kept watching her, like a wolf stalking its prey. He knows it's her, the one that escaped. He's been eying her ever since she came to the station. I saw into his pigheaded mind: he's been waiting for an opportune moment to snatch her back and take her to Spencer in hopes of garnering more favor with him," Reya shook her head, shooting him an angered look. "His thoughts disgusted me, but I had to stomach it, just to make sure my vessel was not going to get hurt."
"Of course he would watch her! She is a child with free reign of the police department, containing many things a child should never see! It would be his job to keep an eye on her! What you have is circumstantial evidence! At best!" Wesker shouted back at her, no longer content to remain calm and quiet.
He was irked by such accusations without sufficient evidence to prove otherwise. If there was something he hated, in his time as an officer, it was people getting into trouble for something they didn't do, or people being persecuted without proof.
"No, Wesker! It's not circumstantial! Irons is being paid by Umbrella! He's their lapdog and he wants Alana brought back to Spencer! I know what I saw! I can show you! If Irons ever gets ahold of her, she's going to go through hell again, but worse!" Reya snapped back at him, some rocks cracking under her pressuring power. "He's biding his time, Wesker. If he did it awhile back, all of you would've noticed, you especially. He's waiting until the right moment to strike and by that time, you won't even notice until it is too late and Spencer will have his weapon!" Reya argued back.
"You are blinded by your hatred! If he wanted to do as you claimed, he could have done so LONG before now! Explain that, your almightiness!" He spat insultingly. "You can't possibly know that. Even you cannot predict the future! You aren't some transcendental goddess! You are a dragon, and I think a fool as well!" He argued back.
"No, but I know how men like him think. I've seen what they do when they see a golden opportunity to gain power and will stop at nothing until they get what they want," Reya hissed. "Irons is waiting in the dark until he finds his point and he will pounce on it. That man is a monster in sheep's clothing," Reya growled.
"No Reya, you know what men were like in YOUR time. This is OUR time, and humanity has changed since then. Humans are liable to change their tones, opinions and actions on a whim. When the game changes, so do its players. Irons MIGHT be a traitor now, but you cannot assume he will be five minutes from now. Life is not black and white, everything is constantly moving, like the flow of time. And if you cannot recognize that, then you are a stubborn, old fool. Maybe he will ultimately turn out to be a traitor, but we cannot truly know, until that moment arrives." He fired back with such conviction, and venom in his voice that even Reya had to pause for a moment.
Reya was panting a bit at this point, but with Wesker's convincing tone, she felt her anger die away. What if he was right…? What if Irons WAS planning on turning against Umbrella? As her anger faded, so did her power, causing her to slump back down onto the shelf she had been sitting on.
"... I… I suppose you are right in that manner. I suppose I could wait until we have evidence… but at least, we need to keep an eye on Irons. I still don't trust him," she says in a more calmer tone.
"If… if you are right, and he does turn on us, then I will freely admit my mistake. But I am willing to see the good in him… as to whether or not he still has any… time will tell." Wesker finally said after several tense moments of silence.
Reya heaved a sigh before suddenly holding her head in her hands, groaning in pain. "Damn… I'm tired... I have exhausted a lot of energy. I must retreat for now to rest… Please, everyone, keep an eye on Irons, for Alana's sake. If I am right about him…" Before she could say anymore, her presence faded away and Alana regained control. But the mental exhaustion was too much and as she began to fall, Wesker was right there to catch her.
"Alana!" The others cried out in worry as the aquamancer now held the unconscious girl in his arms.
"Quiet, all of you! Can't you see the poor girl is exhausted? Get out of her face," Wesker pushed them away, holding her close.
But now their minds were abuzz with thoughts. If Irons WAS a traitor for Umbrella, then they would have to be more careful around the station. Anything they say or do could be tools for people like Umbrella to use against them and could do some serious damage to STARS.
"We should get out of here. I need to get Alana home, where I can monitor her health. I imagine the rest of you will want to enjoy your newfound wealth? Don't spend it all in one place, Redfield." Wesker smirked at his semi snide comment.
"Shut up, Captain," Chris insultingly shot back, though he too was smirking a bit.
With that, the group began to make their way out of the cavern, but not before Chris and Claire found large rucksacks to use in grabbing some of the gold laying around. No doubt this was going to put some serious money in their bank. Irons and his paltry payments could kiss their asses… fat walrus.
