Chapter 5: Haunting Ghosts From the Past
Rebecca sat at the table going over notes and flipping through the pages of Billy's journal, searching for any other clues that they had overlooked or missed. Her eyes skimmed the pages as she read that familiar handwriting, looking for something that could help them. As time ticked away and the night crept on, she studied the pages silently as Billy still slept in the recliner. Suddenly, something caught her eyes as she began reading one of the scrawled entries.
One thing I have asked myself repeatedly since I arrive here is how does Wesker keep his guys alive if the reactions and withdrawals are so bad with this drug? It's obvious he wants to use it for some ill purpose, but what good is a super drug if it kills everyone who uses or drives them completely insane? It has taken me months of being here and I am still trying to figure out what his plan might be.
A groan from the recliner where Billy slept drew Becca's attention for a moment then she went back to reading.
I now know that A.W. can be made into different strengths, so the stronger it is the stronger the effects and the worse the withdrawal. So far, it seems Wesker has been using lower doses in most of his experiments… but recently has been upping the dosage, hence the worsening effects we have been seeing. In the last three tests Wesker has done with his human guinea pigs, out of the 12 that were given higher doses of A.W. 6 died outright from the effects of the drug. Another 3 died during withdrawal, including one who hung himself. And one, as far as I know, is still sitting in a cell mumbling and raving like a complete lunatic. So only 2 survived the experiment with no immediate and obvious harm. There has to be more to what is going on and what Wesker is after. What is the point in using A.W. if it can't be controlled and everyone dies from it? I'll have to be careful, but I am going to have to try and talk to Wesker and find out what his plans are. Hopefully, he'll clue me in, after all, he keeps saying he wants me to be his second in command. So hopefully I can use that as some leverage to get some answers.
Rebecca jotted down a few things in her notes and then flipped through the pages again stopping at an earlier entry she had remembered skimming with Michael the other day.
It seems that A.W. is now being sold in powder form as Wesker says that is the most valuable formulation because there is full freedom to make whatever strength you want. Generally, its sold premixed for injection, and only his most valuable clients, like the mysterious UC client, are getting powdered A.W. right now. Wesker starts the guys off on low doses to get them hooked and to get them craving the power and rush that it gives. It seems he gives them small diluted doses on a regular basis to keep them hooked and then will give them a higher dose when he needs them to fight. The idea seems to be to use A.W. to create super soldiers. A little gives them an edge that would help them in a fight such as a run on a rival gang or a hit on one of the local hot spots. Higher doses would be for more dangerous and serious missions. And in typical Wesker fashion, he has made mention that deliberate ODs would be for suicide missions where it didn't matter who lived or came out so long as the mission was a success. That still doesn't explain why he's willing to lose so many in the process of perfecting this drug. There has to be something I'm not seeing.
Rebecca's attention was drawn away from the journal as Billy groaned loudly, talking in his sleep as he tossed and turned fitfully. Setting the journal down and closing her notepad she stood and made her way across the room. Kneeling down beside the chair she laid a hand gently on Billy's arm as she tried to wake him.
Billy's eyes flew open at her touch, eyes wide with fear for a moment until he turned and looked at Rebecca. As the realization that it was just a dream took hold, Billy slowly relaxed and sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to calm down his ragged breathing before a coughing fit took hold.
"It's ok Billy," she said gently, her hand on his. "You're safe. I'm here."
"Sorry Becca…" he muttered once he had calmed down. "Bad dream…"
"Need to talk about it?"
"Just more memories… of Wesker….and the gang….bad, bad memories…"
Rebecca gave his hand a gentle squeeze as she smiled softly in encouragement as she helped Billy sit more upright.
"Sorry if I woke you or anything," Billy said, having no real idea what time it was any more or what day it was even for that matter.
"No, you're fine Billy. I was just going over your notes, trying to see if there was anything we have missed, any clue we have overlooked to indicate what Wesker's ultimate goals might be."
"Any luck?" Billy asked with a wince as he stretched slightly, his back and sides protesting against the movement.
"Not really… Did you ever figure anything more than what you recorded in your notebook? Did you ever figure out who that UC client of Wesker's was?"
Billy shook his head and sighed as he looked at Rebecca.
"All I know is they were one of Wesker's biggest clients and got some of the largest and also some of the most concentrated batches of A.W. that Wesker had. Whoever they are, they had some powerful stuff being given to them, so there must have been some other reason why Wesker was giving it to them. He's not the sort of man to give the best of something to someone else unless he was getting a handsome return on it."
"Right, so it is likely someone with connections to military or political powers if what we suspect is true that he's trying to create an army of super-soldiers," Rebecca said thoughtfully. "Question still remains though, who has that kind of connection and power and what are they giving Wesker in return?"
"Well, until we figure it out, I don't know what all we can do to stop Wesker without knowing what his end game is" Billy said with a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. 'Anyways… you and Michael made any progress anywhere else?"
"Kinda, sorta, maybe. Not sure if it is connected to Wesker in any way, but we've been seeing a recent uptick in traffic in and out of one of the businesses on the outskirts of Raccoon City. Might be nothing but it's a lot of traffic and different kind of traffic than we normally see from them, and with every other business seeming to be on the decline lately with all the tension related to the gang wars and killings going on, just seems odd this one place is seeing a dramatic uptake in traffic."
"What company is it?"
Rebecca stood and grabbed the file folder off the table and walked back over and sat down as she leafed through the pages.
"Ah here it is," she said pulling out one of the sheets and scanned it quickly. "…a drastic increase in deliveries and shipping coming in and out of the Umbrella Corporation's laboratory and warehouse…"
"Wait, did you just say Umbrella Corporation?" Billy stared at Rebecca, eyes going wide. "Umbrella Corp? As in the big medical facility that researches diseases, vaccines, biological contagions, and chemical development? The same facility that has long been rumored to be working with the government to develop biological weapons and that has even been accused of doing human cloning experiments in the past?"
Rebecca's eyes went wide too as she stared at the papers in her hand for a moment and then looked at Billy.
"So, if Umbrella Corp is the UC Wesker has been sending the drug to then…"
"Then we have been missing the answer staring us right in the face!" Billy said with disgust. "I assumed UC was a code name for the client. I never figured Wesker would have just used their legitimate name! I am such an idiot!"
"We all overlooked it, it wasn't just you Billy," Rebecca said softly. "But if this really is Wesker's big client, then we have an even bigger question that we need to find an answer to- What the hell are they doing with A.W. and what are they giving back to Wesker? If the shipments being reported going in are from Wesker there are an awful lot of shipments going out as well to who knows where."
"If there is even an ounce of truth to those old rumors and past accusations against Umbrella, then it is not hard to imagine what one scenario might be," Billy said grimly. "They could very well be doing experiments for Wesker to further develop and test A.W. in a more broad and controlled setting than he has been able to."
"It would make sense to let someone like Umbrella do the heavy work of perfecting the formulation… while also doing the dirty work of running the bulk of the experiments and tests as well," Rebecca mused out loud, half to herself. "They have the facilities and the equipment for testing and development and they also have all the resources and staff to do something like that too. Wesker gives them the basic A.W. formulation he has created, and they perfect it and deliver him new and improved doses each time."
"That would also answer the one question that was always bugging me the entire time I was there trying to uncover what Wesker was doing. The last I saw of it, A.W. had such a bad effect on the body that it had a nearly 80% mortality rate for anyone who took more than the smallest does. Wesker was obviously desperately trying to find a way to use it without killing off all of his men. But far as I knew, up until the night that he attacked me, he had not figured anything out yet. Unless…. Unless I was his first test of the new formulation Umbrella created for him."
"You, you really think that is what happened?" Rebecca said looking at Billy for a moment, a hint of fear in her eyes.
"I don't know for sure… but it kinda makes sense doesn't it?" Billy asked. "I mean he gets it in his head somehow that I've betrayed him or am going to turn on him and he wants to do away with me. So, he gives me an overdose of the old A.W. formulation. The goons he sent after me he shot up with the new formulation Umbrella created for him to see how it worked and how it affected them."
"But we don't know if they survived or not or if the new formulation was more effective."
"Right, which could explain why there is still all this activity at Umbrella Corp. They are probably still working on it using the other aspect of their corporation for research, development, or genetic experimentation and human cloning."
"But Billy…there has never been any solid proof that Umbrella has ever done anything with human cloning. It has just been rumors and conspiracy theories."
"And what if there is a nugget of truth to those theories and rumors, Becca? What if they have been doing experiments with genetics and cloning? I mean think about it. Wesker has developed this drug that gives people super strength and speed, heightened senses, makes them impervious to pain, and basically turns them into one-track killing machines. But it kills almost everyone who uses it. Wesker is not the kind of man to just give up and work on creating another formulation of the drug. If Umbrella hasn't been able to fully perfect it, then they could be working to take care of the other part of the problem. If the drug formulation isn't what needs to be fixed in Wesker's eyes then it is the humans getting the drug that he is going to see as the weak link."
"But would he really go so far as to do human experimentations?"
"Come on Becca, you know this guy's rap sheet! You've been a cop in Raccoon City for how many years now? You know what he has been capable of. You've heard the stories from the gang members. Wesker and his gang are known as the modern-day mafia because everyone knows what they do but no one can seem to ever catch them. Wesker is not above playing with human lives more than he already is if it means he gets to see his twisted dream come to true and if it means he's the one in power."
"It still seems like a bit of a stretch…. But I guess it is something to look into," Rebecca said as she eyed Billy closely. "We had already been alerted to unusual activity at Umbrella so it is worth looking into farther. If Umbrella Corp is doing experimentations with human cloning and genetics then it would make sense why Wesker is tapping them to help him perfect A.W. It would help him get individuals who can withstand the effects of the drug. If he can't find the right men for his army then he will, in essence, make them himself. But still… that is one very big 'if" there."
"So, we can host a stakeout and see what is going on over there and…"
"We are not going to do anything," Rebecca said, a surprisingly stern tone in her voice. "Michael and I will see about organizing a stakeout to see what is going on at Umbrella Corp. But you, Mr. Billy Coen, are staying here. Wanted men can't go on police stakeouts. And besides, you are still in no condition to sit in a stakeout vehicle for 6 hours. You are staying here and are going to focus on getting yourself healed up."
"Oh, fine Miss spoil-sport," Billy said with a slight huff. "You do realize that eventually, I am going to go completely stir crazy in here right?"
Billy gave her a slight grin and chuckled. Rebecca smiled and shook her head.
"You will live," she said as her eyes met those piercing dark eyes that stared back at her.
For a moment everything froze in place as the locked eyes. Rebecca's mind played through those moments she had last seen Billy years before. Memories she had replayed countless times. She had spent the last five years wondering where Billy was and telling herself that he was better off now and that he had finally gotten the life he deserved. Yet now that he was sitting there, right there in front of her, now that she could see him and touch him once more, Rebecca was battling with her heart and mind again.
Pull yourself together Chambers, stop acting like a silly schoolgirl with a crush! You have more important things to do than let yourself fall for a guy you've spent the last five years trying to get over!
Rebecca shook her head, breaking the gaze as she turned from Billy and stared at the floor. Billy reached out a hand and laid it on her lightly without a word. Becca fought against everything in her heart and pulled her hand away and stood, facing Billy but avoiding eye contact.
"It's nearly two in the morning, Billy, better try and get some more sleep," She said simply as she walked away from the bed.
Billy nodded silently as he leaned back again, watching Becca for a moment as she tried to act busy as she fiddled with the papers on the small table. She kept her back turned to Billy so he couldn't see the flush of her cheeks as she mentally scolded herself. A short time later Billy had drifted back to sleep, but Rebecca was not so lucky as the war continued to rage inside her for most of the night.