Author Note: Continuation to Secrets and Flies that starts three months after the end of the last one. Love, betrayal, suspense and action are on the menu for this story as we watch our favourite band of Umbrella renegades give it there all to hopefully bring a final end to there hellish lifestyle once and for all. To do that, assistance will be required from some, unconventional characters.
I do not own the characters & this will be very different from any RE movie and/or video game plot (to date)
Please read & review as you wish!
B.
Updated 05-July-2021: Minor edits/ changes to match the end of Secrets and Flies
Calm Before the Storm
- 7 -
Ada released the pressure on Alice's throat. She dropped her pistol to her side, taking a step back. Known as Umbrella's best assassin, Ada removed her helmet, revealing her chiseled jaw line and short jet black hair. Leon stood beside her, extending his hand for Alice to take. She shrugged it off, not wanting any assistance from the two people who just attempted to kill her. Alice re-holstered her discarded shot gun, scanning the aftermath on deck.
Crackling flames engulfed the whole bow section of The Arcadia. There was no more gun fire, no explosions, everything was quiet. Metal shards lay about, lodged in crates, people, even the steel plating to the ship. Scorched corpses belonging to those she swore to protect were almost indistinguishable from the Umbrella Operatives, the deck boards slick with blood. For the first time in years, Alice felt nauseous from the smell of gasoline and charred flesh. She looked up at what remained of the bridge. The windows were blown out, the frame a blaze of orange and red. Last Alice knew, K-Mart and Angela were up there.
The small morsel of humanity left inside of her wanted to go and make sure everyone, especially Claire and Angela, were alive and safe. In the haze of smoke she could no longer see Luther pulling Claire from the water, or Jill manning the turret gun.
"Is there some place we can talk?" Leon asked, breaking Alice's concentration.
Alice nodded, "Follow me," she stated flatly, leading the way.
They walked single-file through a hatch under the broken metal staircase that led to the bridge. The stairs were taken out when the helicopters targeting the bridge exploded in the sky. Alice closed and locked the door behind them, leading the two stowaways through a maze of deserted halls. It was a lucky break in light of the battle that just raged outside. She led them to Claire's stateroom, figuring it was the safest place to talk, at least for now.
The replay of Claire diving into the ocean only moments before the Umbrella bird crash landed on the deck leapt into Alice's mind. Her fingers twitched, fighting the urge to abandon Ada and Leon and regroup with the people she trusted. Not only that, she saw what was left of the bridge. If K-Mart and Angela didn't make it out of there in time, they were likely dead. As concerned as she was for her friends, right now, Alice needed to figure out two things; what was Leon Kennedy doing working with Ada, and why did they disguise themselves as Umbrella soldiers. The more she understood, and the longer the kept them from the rest of the crew, the better.
"Where are you taking us Abernathy?" Ada demanded.
Alice ignored the woman and pushed open the stateroom door to her left, switching on the light. Leon and Ada entered, inspecting the décor of the small room. Alice closed and locked the door behind them, taking a seat on the unmade twin bed. The scent of Claire still lingered on the sheets, but she was the only one who could smell it. Ada straddled the only chair, using the back to rest for her arms. Alice noticed a hidden throwing knife tucked into a garter strapped to her left thigh. Leon remained standing, his arms crossed and back against the door. The small room now began to feel claustrophobic.
"How does Leon S Kennedy a well known resistance fighter become friendly with Ada Wong, a ruthless Umbrella Assassin?" Alice asked, jumping straight to the point.
"So, you have heard of me." Ada muttered, drumming her fingers on the wooden chair.
Alice narrowed her eyes, "In the worst way possible."
A smile tugging at Leon's lips, enjoying the playful banter between the most deadly women he'd ever met. Alice was just a myth to his crew back on the mainland, so in a way it was an honour to be standing only a few feet from her. There were theories about a woman who was able to bond with the virus and become the ultimate weapon, but no proof.
Leon pushed the blonde locks from in front of his eyes, clearing his throat, "I know this seems unconventional, but hear us out." he stated, meeting Ada's eyes with a nod, "Give it to her," he ordered.
Ada sighed, unclipping a PDA from her left hip and tossing it to Alice who caught it mid-air. She turned on the screen, her blood beginning to boil. Her grip tightened on the small handheld device, the plastic cracking in her palms.
"Hello Alice,"
The slicked back blonde hair, dark sunglasses, and Matrix styled jacket were unmistakable. It should have come as no surprise that Ada was still the faithful lap dog to her homicidal master.
"Wesker," Alice seethed behind gritted teeth. Foolishly, she believed he died in the helicopter explosion when she, Chris and Claire originally took control of The Arcadia.
"A normal person would respond with a Hello, but you are far from normal, aren't you Alice."
She looked up at Ada, a sneering smirk across her ruby red lips stared back at her. It seemed like a life time ago, but there was a time when she was like Ada; a drone to the corporate giant which kept a roof over her head and food on the table. The piece that did not fit this messed up jigsaw puzzle was Leon. He always retaliated against Umbrella, even before the end of the world. He was in a way, the poster boy violent uprisings, avenging his sister who died using an Umbrella product.
"How-"
"Did I survive? I'm sure your mind is racing with questions Alice, but we don't have time for questions, only action." Wesker interrupted.
Not only was he infuriating, Wesker was also a rude, pompous jackass. "Action? Against what, you're the enemy, you started all this."
"Mr. Kennedy, will you be so kind as to elaborate."
Leon cleared his throat, "Wesker is no longer the head of Umbrella Alice, and Ada here no longer works for them either. We're all on the same side." He saw the blonde narrow her eyes, "I would not be standing in this room speaking with you right now if it wasn't true." he reasoned.
As much as Alice hated to admit it, Leon did make a very good point. There would be no chance in hell someone like Leon would get this close to Wesker and Ada without some sort of power shift. She agreed that arguing over semantics was a waste of everyone's time, and that explanations were overrated, but if she was going to sell this to the rest of her crew, she needed something.
"If Wesker's no longer the head of Umbrella, then whose left to issue the orders?"
"The Red Queen," Wesker's voice came from the PDA.
"The Computer," Alice whispered, shaking her head, "You can't be serious."
Never one for conversations and always about the action, Ada shifted in her chair, getting tired of this back and forth. "This is a waste of time," she muttered.
Alice ignored her, thinking back to the same homicidal computer that almost got herself and Matt killed in The Hive five years ago. The same AI that killed the team sent to check for survivors, and the very same thing that controlled Claire, Jill, and countless others with those red scarab bugs. That was who was now in charge of what remained of Umbrella. The Red Queen has an endless supply of mindless drones willing to sacrifice their lives, and bio weapons far from human, with a single agenda; exterminate anything in her path.
"She gained control following my apparent, death. The Red Queen orchestrated the first attack on The Arcadia with Jill Valentine, and has been tracking you since Moscow." Wesker explained.
It was hard to tell from his stoic image, but Alice swore she saw a smirk. Holes in the timeline of events were beginning to make sense. Like it had been, and will be, Alice was the cause of everything. This raid was orchestrated as a safety measure, a fire bombing of sorts. That homicidal computer believes that the only people threatening her master plan are aboard this ship.
"Wesker was able to piggyback onto The Red Queens signal, that was how we knew to be apart of the strike team." Ada explained, nodding at the PDA. "He's the one who saved your life."
Alice jumped to her feet as Ada grazed over the handle to her knife, ready to strike if necessary. "Never will there be a time when Wesker saves mine or any one else's, life." Alice snarled. "It was his doing hat made me become what I am, what I hate to be." Alice would rather die and become one of the undead before ever giving Albert Wesker credit for her being alive today.
"If you recall, I took that away from you. I gave you back your humanity and yet, your desire to feel powerful outweighed your humanity. You went to Moscow on your own accord." Wesker added.
Alice bit her tongue, tasting blood. She wanted this conversation to end, afraid she would reveal the real reason she left The Arcadia in the first place. There was no telling what Wesker, or The Red Queen would do if they learned of Angela's pregnancy. If The Red Queen was truly behind all this, then partnering with the people who knew her best was their only chance.
Alice stood, shoving the PDA into Leon's chest, "This was great, but I need to make sure my people are alright."
"The only way your people are going to be alright is if we work together." Ada said, now standing behind Alice, "Now that you've injected yourself with the T-Virus we can end this, for good." she added.
Alice met Leon's eyes, "What made you trust the organization you swore to destroy?" she asked.
"The same thing that's kept you in this room Alice. I want to end this just as bad as you, and if doing so means allying with my enemy, then so be it."
Alice closed her eyes to think for a moment. This could all be a trap, a double cross, but that was likely her hatred for Umbrella talking, not reason. Everyone was tired of fighting, tired of living every day as if it could be their last. Claire deserved a better life, Angela deserved a world where she could raise her child in peace.
Alice sighed, opening her eyes, "What do you need from me?"
"We need you to come with us to Washington D.C. The Red Queen is using what remains of the White House as a command center. It will likely be heavily guarded with monsters that go bump in the night." Wesker explained.
"Not to mention thousands of Umbrella drones, high powered weaponry, and God knows what else." Ada interjected.
There was no way she could leave The Arcadia for a second time without telling the others. She'd prefer it if they were standing at her side as opposed to rallying against her. They were all fighters, well trained in weapons and hand to hand combat. They would be assets to the resistance, and it sounded like as much help as possible was necessary to succeed.
"Even with my abilities, I won't be enough. We're going to need reinforcements." Alice stated.
"Who did you have in mind?" Leon asked. He saw the disgusted look on Ada's face at the thought of more people joining them in Washington.
"My crew here on The Arcadia. They are trained, skilled survivors."
Leon nodded, opening the door, "Lead the way,"
Ada pushed past Alice, looking her straight in the eye, "Looks like we're going to be working together after all, Project Alice."
Leon saw the scowl on Alice's face, "Trust me, after a few days the two of you will be the best of friends." he stated, stepping into the hall.
"The day Ada and I become friends is the day hell freezes over."
"I'll send a helicopter to your location within two hours, and Alice, I'm glad to be working with you again." Wesker added before the screen went black.
"What will it take you to be friends with him?" Leon asked.
"A fucking miracle." Alice muttered, leading them towards the cargo hold.
T.B.C.
Lets see where this goes shall we?
Please let me know what you think in the form of a review, and what might happen in the next chapter. Thank-you!