'Needles, Pain, Fire, Help…'

Clammy eyelids jerked open from the hazy dream's Adrenaline jolt. Angelica had been plastered to her computer board, an exhaustion induced sleep making even the rigid surface of her desk comfortable. Since her assessment, and for the last few days, Angelica had become a glorified paperwork filer. And Wesker had Lots of it...Detaching herself from several papers, the yawning woman stretched and looked at the clock.

"Shit, it's past

one a.m..."

Having barely eaten during the day, her stomach began to growl in disapproval. Creeping from the back filling office, Angelica tiptoed into the S.T.A.R.S lounge and headed for the fridge. Poking around inside seemed adequate after finding an uneaten grapefruit and bottled water. Peeling the fruit as she made her way back down the hall, Angelica stopped short to observe something she hadn't noticed before.

Stopping short, she eyed Wesker's office curiously as the soft glow of a light was on inside. She looked rather comical, leaning back on one foot, a partial piece of the grapefruit sticking out of her mouth. Side stepping slowly, she turned the handle, peeking in. Buried under what seemed another enormous stack of paperwork, Wesker's hunched over figure met her inquisitive gaze from behind the captain's desk. Continuing to write in whatever report in hand, he didn't look up at her intruding form.

Surprised, she cleared her throat.

"Uh..hey, didn't think anyone was still here. I kind of face planted for awhile. Didn't know you guys stayed this late.."

Finally his eyes met hers over the paper he had been writing on. Even he looked drained for a change..Motioning for her to enter, Wesker stared at her carefully as she curled up in one of the plush chairs. His office was spacious, clean, and devoid of most decor save for the various team pictures that dotted the walls.

A large , heavy wooden desk was his primary work space , a small stack of file folders on one side, a couple of pictures of the newest recruits on the other. Her eyes focused on them briefly , one showing a young man with hair that swept over his eyes, the other of a girl with a short pixie cut.

"They don't, only I do on occasion. Did you make copies of those medical histories you procured from Chambers?"

Of course he was referring to the Bravo medic that was on picture number two. . The young woman was not a day over nineteen, and yet she had the mental capacity of a woman thrice her age. Short and with dark hair and emerald eyes, the flighty girl had introduced herself earlier that day. The team constantly picked on Wesker for hiring her personally, also about this picture on his desk.. In truth he had more pressing matters and just had not filed it with the others quick enough.

Angelica had been immediately impressed with the chatty girl, and liked the free spirit. Nodding in affirmation, Angelica sunk her teeth into another piece of the pink grapefruit's flesh. Sitting Indian style in the leather seat, she eyed her commanding officer with interest.

"Yep, is that a new recruit ? "

She motioned at the folder on his desk. He nodded, putting down his task.

" Leon Kennedy. He will be transferring to us once his police training is final. "

Steepling his fingers, he paused, the worn man rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. Wesker was not much older than she, yet with the stress of the day, and the paper pile; the man almost looked miserly. It did not help she had added two black eyes from breaking his nose during the assessment. Wesker arose suddenly, cursing as one of his hands cupped at his face, reaching for a box of tissues on the desk.

Angelica's eyes widened as blood spatter dripped onto his desk despite the hand's placement.. Standing up, she placed her fruit on the arm of the chair, and advanced towards her irritated companion.

"What's wrong? Are you ok? "

Wesker's eyes shot daggers in her direction, his voice sounding more nasal than normal as he cupped at his nose.

"Ever since you broke my nose, it's been bleeding off and on. Chambers did her best .. but it has not remedied the fact. The girl is a medic but I swear she is terrified of me."

Angelica rolled her eyes, amusement at the statement evident. . Reaching towards him, she batted his hand away gently, placing her thumb and forefinger on the tip and bridge of his nose. Her attentive eyes stared at the bruised spot with a surgeon's calm. Her other hand pushed him to sit lightly at the edge of his desk, to bring him to her height level.

"She probably was scared to do much more damage to that pretty face of yours. Lucky you've got me, now hold still."

With a deft flick of her wrist, Angelica snapped his slightly crooked nose back into place with a crack. Wesker grunted at the sharp pain, blood pouring more profusely than before. Tilting his head gently to the side, she fished out the napkin she was planning to use for the pilfered grapefruit, replacing his soaked tissue. The rouge liquid stopped its flow after a few seconds.

"She didn't reset your nose completely. If you ever break it again, it will bleed again, just not as much because you'd be tearing open an old wound instead of making a new one."

The female scientist blinked her eyes gently, as she retreated the cloth to search for any escaping fluid that may have escaped saturation. Satisfied there was none, Angelica aimed the red and white paper towards the trash can in a throw after wiping off her own fingers. Wesker reached up tentatively and pressed his fingers to the side of his nasal area, testing the reset. The taste of blood was swallowed back, not even acknowledged. Narrowing her eyes as she huffed lightly, Angelica twisted her mouth in chagrin as she noticed that the cloth had not made its mark to the wastebasket . She crouched down to retrieve the sticky, wet thing, its pungent scent filling her nostrils. The smell made her woozy, almost..hungry. She was a scientist.. Never squeamish or flighty against blood before. What.. Was happening.

She stood up stiffly, and suddenly, nearly tripping over the corner of Wesker's desk. A strong arm snaked about the woman's waist, steadying her. His lips brushed close to her ear in a gentle whisper, which the woman found completely uncharacteristic of the man she knew. She had known him for years under the Umbrella guise , his actions always blunt, less than tactful, and downright condescending. Her opinion of him had always been a determined yet rash man, ruled by anger, and devoid of compassion.

However here in this new environment.. She was seeing all sorts of new things. Chuckles at the water cooler, arguments over break room yogurts, cracking snarky jokes with Burton and Forrest during marksman training. This was unknown waters for her..

"Are you alright?"

An unfamiliar voice rasped from the guttural insides of her throat, her voice sounding alien in nature to her own ears. Turning her eyes upward, she looked at him with confusion. Her iris constricted, a metallic gold with flashed red rimming around the edge of the turquoise iris.

"I uhh..yeah, I'm ok.."

She turned within his helping grasp, eyeing him in an unfamiliar gaze that even he could not dissect. Wesker's arm did not release its hold however, his other hand sliding up to brush back Angelica's golden mane of hair from her eyes. He was gentle, almost curious in the way he touched her, his face now only inches away from hers.

His skin felt like fire when it brushed against her bare arms, his scent of clean linen and gunpowder causing an icy heat to settle into her chest. An unfamiliar, Rabid desire washed over the female, only clarifying her singular reassertion at its sudden appearance. Blinking slowly, Angelica's velvety voice barely spoke.

"What are you doing, Albert?"

A husky answer growled from deep within the broad chest of the S.T.A.R.S captain, his lips parting slightly as he drew closer.

"What do you think I'm doing, Doctor Burrows?"

He had done this before… many years ago..on a night filled with christmas lights and music. But that story was long over. They were two different people now..

Well at least she was. Retracting herself from his grasp, Angelica growled angrily.

"Experimenting...because that's what you do, Wesker. From one scientist to another..do not try to provoke a cause and reaction that could endanger others."

Wesker backed away from the woman, sitting back into his desk chair. His normal calm was unnerving as the man settled back into his seat.

"Just experimental protocol. I have to make sure you can keep yourself in check now that you are back in normal society . Certain. Stressors .. Opportunities may arise now that you are in a less controlled environment. I was merely gauging reaction time and decision making.. To see if your abilities compromise morals.. Take no personal stake in the exercise."

He flipped aside a small compartment, showing a small , hidden button on the desk. So there were safety measures in place.. Even here.

Moving about the desk, she leaned over the chair he resided in, planting her hands on either side of the arms .Her face betrayed no emotion, stony eyes locking onto his. Advancing upon him, her soft lips moved upon his unexpectedly, pressing flush against his mouth in a forceful movement. Fingertips ran through his blonde hair to the back of his neck, sending a jolt of pleasure down Wesker's spine.

Slowly his wide, surprised, eyes closed, surrendering to primal sexuality. Without warning, his wrists were pinned to the chair arms by her unnatural strength , mouth ripped away from the warmth of its company. His dazed eyes opened, meeting Angelica's calm emotionless expression. His unfeeling demeanor was reflected in the lovely face, something that unsettled him to have shown back to him..

"Your experiment is complete, I should hope. Tell Birkin what you will of my self control. Next time you want to see if my morals are compromised, just man up and ask a girl for her number."

Letting her 'superior' loose, Angelica moved towards the door. Blood pumping through his veins rapidly, Wesker could not manage to say a word, merely placing his chin in the on his gloves hand as he watched her head towards the door. Despite it.. A smirk curved at the right side of his mouth.

Picking up what was left of her snack off the chair, the object of his frustration looked back over her shoulder. The mock salute was sounded off as she winked, disappearing into the dark hall .

"Goodnight, sir."

Three months later

Raccoon City Park.

11:30 p.m

Redfield sipped on a cup of steaming coffee, his dark eyes blankly staring out of the car he was sitting in. Both he and partner Jill, had been staking out the park for the last few days. That was immediately after the "cannibal murders" that had been reported in that area. The police operative and newest STARS recruit Leon Kennedy had personally asked for the S.T.A.R.S help, the local force completely baffled as to what or who were causing the gruesome murders.

Seeing as this was Jill's day off, Wesker had sent Angelica to fill in for the night. She wasn't as talkative as Jill, and the cheerful demeanor he had met on the first day of meeting the young woman seemed to all but have disappeared over the last few months. Angelica looked as if not sleeping was a second nature, the darkness around her eyes blending into the shadows. Holding out his coffee thermos, Chris gently nudged the preoccupied woman.

"Want some?

Finally, she snapped out of her staring stupor and nodded.

"oh..yea. Sorry, I'm just a bit out of it."

Smiling at his partner understandingly, Chris grabbed a secondary mug and began to pour. Receiving the hot beverage thankfully, Angelica sipped at its liquid warmth slowly. Closing her eyes, she tried to sort out all the evening sounds that were convulging into migraine inducing noise. The enhanced hearing made sitting there uncomfortable, not to mention the close proximity between the park and Arklay Facility. The news reports had been oddly coincidental with the odd disappearance of weekly information no longer coming for both she and Wesker from the facility.

Trent was no longer answering her messages, and there had not been any communication with any of the project managers in almost a month. The news reports also had been a source of stress for the entire S.T.A.R.S, becoming more frequent and violent. The most disturbing of those being of a couple little girls who had wandered away from a family picnic.

After their brutal murder, Jill Valentine had volunteered to be on every single evening stakeout since, though no one knew why. Angelica had the gut feeling there was a personal stake in it..but had not the courage to ask such a question. Reopening her eyes, Angelica peered out the window once more, trying to let the speculations sift to the back of her mind. Squinting, she could see only a few joggers with their dogs, and a hint of red reflecting in the glass. As she rubbed her eyes, a masculine voice interrupted the woman's inward torture.

"What's on

your mind, Angie? You ok?"

Her strain of depressing thought was momentarily lifted as an encouraging smile met Angelica's eyes. Shifting uncomfortably, she set her jaw.

"Just kind of taking it to heart..you know the recent murders and all? Didn't expect something this horrible to happen in such a nice town like this."

A deep frown replaced the smile upon Redfield's lips.

"Trick to that is to not let it crack you. If you do..then you won't be able to help the people who still need it. Don't let it get to you, kid. We'll catch the son of a bitch who's done this, and when we do, they'll be hell to pay."

Nodding slowly, Angelica opened her mouth to answer, but only jerked her head suddenly. Her eyes became large and primal, as if frightened and yet protective.

"I heard a scream…"

Chris' eyebrows knit together in confusion, not having heard but the sound of crickets. Before even calling it in, Angelica had bolted from the vehicle. Running towards the park's woods, the woman was disappearing into the shadows fast. Following quickly behind with weapon drawn, Redfield cursed under his breath.

"Dammit, Angel!"

She hadn't thought, she just ran towards the sound of a fading heartbeat that thundered in her ears. Breaking into a semi lit clearing, what came into view was something directly from a horror story. Two, large animals were hunched over the prone body of a female jogger, tearing strips of flesh from the legs and stomach of the newly made corpse.

The beasts looked akin to skinned dogs, exposed sinew and muscle gleaming in the filtering moonlight. Turning towards her, the canine creatures growled at what they perceived as fresh prey. Swallowing down her initial shock, Angelica tensed. The creatures lunged for the seemingly defenseless woman. Leaning back dangerously, she drew her Bowie knife and her hand gun in one fluid motion.

Moments slowed into tangible time as the demons sailed above Angelica's backward bent body. She could feel the heat off of their muscle exposed bodies. … smell the rot.

In the same motion, she aimed her Beretta and sank the knife to the hilt inside one of the animal's underbelly. Keeping hold of the cutlery as the animal ripped its intestines open by its own propelling motion, the furious female fired the handgun simultaneously.

Bullets tore into the surviving dog, causing it to drop next to its fallen comrade. The other canine was still in the death throes, convulsing with a puddle of its own entrails and blood. Enraged, its injured partner lunged once more for Angelica, knocking the woman clear off her feet. Snapping, growling, the creature desperately tried to close its frothing jaws over her head. Struggling with only her hands, Angelica hissed through gritted teeth.

."Die you son of a bitch.."

The anger fueled her, as the sickeningly wet sound of tearing flesh pounded into her ears. Without realizing it, the woman tore the lower jaw clean away from the animal, blood spraying everything within reach. The creature fell away in shock, beating it's cranium against the ground before succumbing into the blackness of death. Crouching over after failing to stand straight, Angelica leaned against a brightly lit lamppost. Chris burst from the brush just in time to see the woman void her stomach of all contents. Pointing weakly at the body that lay a few feet from her, Angelica began to tremble violently.

"He..Help help her. I…I'm f.."

Still with his handgun held close, Redfield crept close to the torn body. Shaking his head, splayed organs and blood already gave him the answer they both sought. Looking over to his traumatized partner, the young man's face was void of any emotion. "She's dead…."

One week later S.T.A.R.S office

12:38 a.m.

Sleep, she didn't even comprehend the word anymore. After the mind shattering event in the park, Angelica had been given a week to recuperate. Ironically enough, the same offer had not been extended to Redfield, who had obviously been present at the same time as she. Either way, it was a welcome reprieve all except for the mountainous report about the encounter which Wesker had insisted upon. The odd part was he actually had been kind about it, remarking that it didn't have to be in until the end of her sudden vacation. Restless with her own inactivity, Angelica had decided to turn in the report early, and was now sitting in a plush computer chair in one of the back offices.

Huddling close to the computer, she idly checked her personal emails before settling down into business. Narrowing her eyes, the confused woman's face became terse. The account was filled with returned messages from her lab assistant, Lisa Trevor. Some even dated back over a year. It was as if the woman she had known for several years did not exist, The same with all her communications with any other employee at the Arklay facility that she had attempted within the last week.

Chewing upon her lower lip, she entertained a dangerous thought. Obviously her level of power could not answer the questions that lay unanswered, but maybe someone else's could. Fingers paused over the keyboard, the temptation causing them to twitch involuntarily. If she could just peek at some of the information that Wesker had..maybe that could unearth a few answers. Seconds ticked by, and finally the sin was given into.

Fingers flew across the keyboard, and within minutes, Angelica had slipped past her superior's encryption codes. Azure eyes scanned the harsh glow of the computer monitor, alighting on a communication that had just taken place only a few days ago. Evidently only she had been the one being cut out of the loop..The reports filled her eyes as she read through months of reports, various information flooding the screen as she settled in some that dated most recently.

Project Angel Report

Serum considered highly successful, but not highly compatible. Subject contains a rare blood type, when melded with the virus, becomes near impossible to replicate exactly. Subject was exposed to strain A during adolescent years . Strain B administered during stage two last year in official human trials. Next test subject is

scheduled for later this week, with variant strain of type T. Type G still too unstable and in animal stages only.

Tyrant B.O.W Project

Project subjects rsndered unsuccessful due to its highly volatile nature. Subjects was unable to be put in a

controlled environment. Project is to be reevaluated .

.

All research moved to Project Nemesis for further testing.

The most recent was a private correspondence to Wesker, having been received earlier that very day.

Umbrella Mission Report Update

The Arklay Facility has been compromised due to viral outbreak. Retrieve all data and transfer to

the Arctic Facility. Destroy all remaining evidence.

Incandescent hues flickered as they read the messages, understanding sinking in slowly and deliberately. A hollow feeling began to settle at the pit of her stomach, Umbrella's master plan unfolding finally.

The cannibalistic murders, why Wesker was watching her so closely, the whole reason she was transferred into Raccoon.. Angelica Burrows was nothing more than a means to an end. She was an experiment, and not for the betterment of mankind as she had been led to believe. She was an experiment for weapons,

human weapons.