Author Notes: This chapter will start deviating from the traditional canon storyline of RE. Again, this project is just taking me along and I'm sharing it. I'm not going back through to edit beyond when I'm first writing paragraphs. This is for fun/a relaxation project. I hope you continue to enjoy it though.

Story: Quicken, Question, Quantify

Chapter Six: Counterpoint - Advance

"They say that in the second before our death, each of us understands the real reason for our existence, and out of that moment, heaven or hell is born."

-Paulo Coelho, 1947-present.

July 13th, 1998 – Racoon City – Umbrella NEST:

This was turning out easier than I'd first believed. All my various training was coming in handy here, people were much easier to manipulate than data. I knew from the way she pulled away from me that she wanted something, just about anything, to hold onto. That I could be, I could really become whatever was needed for my plans to succeed. Just remaining calm, supportive, vomiting up the lines we'd learned in the various classes for dealing with enemies or victims in the field. It all functioned so well, that I'd learned to have little faith in people long ago.

She was still hesitant with information, but I'd find an in for those details about her. I was a very patient man after all, and a broken creature like this one required a strategic touch if I wanted to guide her into taking the proper steps. I wasn't sure what had happened to her, only that it often left her near tears and that she was largely unwilling to discuss the specifics. It was rather more mundane to push her into relying on me than I'd originally expected. Some dull conversations about domestics and food seemed to sate her. Even if she managed to heal up her wounds, I didn't picture her walking away.

"Do you know anything more about them? They looked like zombies." She'd altered the subject back to the monsters, but I knew that would be a topic.

"Our understanding is limited. The virus does seem to spread through contact, but it doesn't always infect new hosts." I explained, I knew more of course. I'd helped spearhead the creation, but I couldn't tell her I was part of the reason for the beasts. "Part of my job has been trying to investigate it but also to contain it as new cases continue to pop up around here."

She only nodded; her mind obviously busy. Was there some sort of experience here that I wasn't aware of? None of the rival companies had reached this level of research as far as I knew. When I mentioned her distraction, she grew uncomfortable and avoided minutiae again. Searching for more information while providing little. I took the time to remind her of the confidentiality, though I hadn't expected her to tell anyone, I felt it might get her to trust me more as I was discussing this sensitive information with her freely. Trust begets trust.

Though, she continued to grow easily distant, so I challenged her ability to handle this. I didn't need a person solely reliable on me. I could manipulate her well enough, but I wanted her to trust and rely on me to a degree I could still separate from her without her melting down. Without knowing all of her past beyond the tiny tidbits she let slide on occasion, what I could truly control with her around would be limited. I needed her to tell me more, and patient or not, our timeline was slim.

I explained a little more about the virus and the zombie creatures it creates, several plots coming to my head as I asked her if she would come to the NEST. I didn't call it that, but all the same I knew I wouldn't be able to keep her from Birkin forever. I might need to move up my plan to betray Umbrella. I even went into detail that the labs themselves were compromised, and despite her fear about being made into an asset, she relented to accompany me to the site.

Only a few bits of conversation happened on the way to the site. I made a few more remarks to give the impression I cared. She had grown interested, and I had to appreciate that I had a body attractive to the opposite sex. Thankfully, it wasn't too long before we made it to the building that housed the main entrance to the NEST. I carried her inside, vaguely amused at all the stares I earned for the spectacle. I wasn't in the habit of being kind to any of these people…but none of them required it.

Birkin met us near his floor, likely having been made aware of me carrying her in. He went a little overzealous and she was nervous, but I leveled out ruffled feathers. I managed to keep her calm enough as he asked for samples. Then defended her, he looked frustrated slightly but kept his temper in line to be polite enough to get her to agree to it. She let him take more blood despite having let me do so recently, was she suicidal because of what happened to her? No, she knew it wouldn't kill her, just self-harming.

She answered a few dozen questions about her own or her family's health. I was putting my own plot together to see how I could get her to do what I wanted. I'd need something extreme to win her over. To make this work. She complained about her dizziness and I shook my head.

"You should have mentioned it if you were getting dizzy." A bit of annoyance, it was justified to sound worried right? "No sleeping. This isn't helping if you make yourself sick."

She frowned back and argued, good, she did have some backbone in there.

"Birkin means well, but he'll drain you dry if he thinks it will get him an answer." I couldn't understand people looking to hurt themselves. Not unless there was something to gain, but there was nothing here for her except her fears. "You are being needlessly reckless: I assume because of whatever happened to you. I think if you want to keep helping, you will be required to speak with someone about your issues."

More argument, defensive, she was much more frustrated than I was. Good, she already cared about my opinion. I doubled down on possibly removing her from the area and she was surprised. She could rise up to defend herself if needed but was still someone I could reason with. I was a tad harsher than first intended, but it worked out all the same. She wanted me to be the person she confided in. I'd planned to force the doctor to tell me everything she said anyway, but this was even better.

I played the game, commenting that it wasn't really what I did and that if it became too much she'd have to discuss with a real psychiatrist, but eventually let her think I'd relented to her plan. I even managed to get her to agree to leaving any further samples taken to me before Birkin returned. Now I just had to get his part of the plan into action. Thankfully, he asked to speak to me alone, having realized I was playing some sort of cover with the girl. I reminded her not to sleep before following him out of the room.

"What are you up to?" Birkin asked as soon as we'd gotten out of earshot.

"The girl needs to trust us." I replied. "At least me. If she can shut down our entire operation and we don't understand what she's capable of, she needs to be handled carefully. I believe we've been over this."

"Yes, outside the nest…but with the people we have here. The military, that's not required. She might be powerful but she's still human. She was falling unconscious already after her blood was drawn." Birkin replied. "We need a constant supply of samples if we're gonna push with this research. Could you imagine actually being able to forge the assets we have into tyrants?"

He was losing it these days. His eyes had glazed into a pleasant daydream as he talked about our goal. He should have gotten another interest years ago, some other goal than the t-virus. I had never had as clever a mind as his when it came to research, but he'd always limited himself in his own goals.

"We can work on that with what I have in mind." I commented. "If she isn't trying to escape, she'll be more willing. You know as well as I that morale can affect results."

"Only in minor ways." He complained but didn't protest further. "I'm not sure we have a choice though; you know what will happen if the experiments at the mansion don't succeed. We should just sedate her and take as much as we want."

Fear had entered his voice. His family was under threat by the corporation if results weren't good. It was a common method to control people, another reason having a family of any kind was unwise. If there were people you were attached to, it was easy to become a puppet. He had ceased to be the intelligent man I'd met years ago the moment he'd decided to wed. He'd already mentioned Annette, so did they have his daughter? Still, I'd promised to avoid Kagome ending up in a test tube, and I would do that. I took my word seriously.

"You can't know that that will actually work. Her wound seems to be healing faster than a normal person's, that could be true for her tolerance to drugs." I shook my head at him. "You aren't being rational because your family is involved."

"Should I be? I need this to work. You know the company won't keep putting up with a lack of progress." Birkin frowned openly at me. "Then, you always somehow get what you want from them. You probably don't feel nervous at all."

Rarely do.

"I just took a different path." I didn't want to go down this road again, he'd never been that glad I left years ago. "Listen. You'll get what you want in the end. Trust me to know how to get there. My gut is usually right."

"…" He hated to admit that but didn't disagree, so I continued.

"Right now, she believes I'm on the good side. On her side. If we're going to keep her here, we can get her to do so willingly. She has a hero complex. She feels she must be the one to save others. If we tell her that failing to behave will leave me harmed she won't challenge it." I explained. "I've already taken the latest sample of the controlled t-virus. Better stamina, I can survive you knocking me out and then using me as a way to put us both into testing. She won't know I was in on it, and thanks to my cover it's easy to claim ignorance as to Umbrella's real involvement."

"This seems like a lot of work for something like this. Since when do we get personally involved to this level of deception?" Birkin was still frowning at me. "Is there something about this girl you haven't told me?"

"You know more about her than me. I just want to keep her on a leash, and a willing person in chains is less likely to take them off. If she does happen to escape, she'll still trust me, and I'll be able to get her back." I explained. I had a few other ideas in mind, but I wasn't completely sure Birkin would go along and this was the only part I needed him for right now. It should be enough that he'd get a test subject for a while.

"I guess. As long as I get to use her for data." Birkin nodded slowly to my plan. "So, how I do I believably knock you out? I'm not really the sort that looks like I'd beat you upside the head with success."

Birkin was tall enough, though shorter than me. He had the scrawny unmuscular body of a researcher that had given up on any sort of physical activity at some point.

"There's a fire extinguisher near the entrance. You can bring some sedation for the girl after you knock me over the head with it. I'll make sure to go down as long as you hit me in the head. Think you can manage that?" I hoped so or the plan would go sideways. Thankfully, he nodded. He did have to move stuff around the offices from time to time, so his muscles weren't completely atrophied. "I'll go in as though I'm annoyed, and you can come in after. It should move fast enough she doesn't think about it. Just don't get overzealous and kill her."

"All right, let me go pull up the meds so I can down her while you're on the floor." He walked off. Thankfully we'd trained for a lot of scenarios growing up with Umbrella Corporation and having to trick people to keep operations going had been part of our training, even if it was a small part. He would manage. This should also take her out of my hair for a while since I couldn't keep taking off work at S.T.A.R.S. without suspicion. I planned to rescue her later, but Birkin didn't need to know that part. It was easier to let him think he was in control.

"Ready?" I nodded to him when he returned from the side office. Glad when he reached for the fire extinguisher, hitting the button that would keep alarms from going off throughout the building. He was on board then. "I'll go in first, follow shortly after and get me so she can't really warn me logically."

He nodded again and I went ahead. I often had control of the situations I was in, so there were times I overestimated my ability to predict all the pieces on the board. The gunshot going off behind me was one of those times. The pain erupted about the same time I recognized the loud sound. The girl had a frightened expression as I felt gravity coming up to meet me. I was barely able to catch myself before I hit the floor face first. My chest was on fire, and I coughed up blood in that short moment.

Shit…I'd underestimated Birkin's desire to keep this subject for himself. He'd gotten a gun when he'd retreated to his office. I was tough enough after the augmentations I'd been given that I was starting to get up when the second shot tore into my back. My face hit the floor that time. I wasn't keen on trying to get up again at least. Fuck, that hurt. Had he hit my vitals? I was nauseous despite the adrenaline and fear welling up. Was this it then? He was going to let me die here. I might have been hurt if I hadn't been planning to betray him eventually as well.

"Stop it!" The girl. I'd forgotten about her after I'd taken the second hit. A flash of light and another gunshot. Were they fighting each other now? My vision was swimming when I tried to look around from the floor. If it wasn't for the changes to my DNA, I wouldn't have lasted this long. I was fairly certain that last shot had gotten at least part of my kidney. "Leave him alone!"

She was still alive after the shot then. I heard Birkin let out a grunt after another few flashes of light. Was she using that ability of hers on him then? Good thing I'd kept her on my side? I let out a chuckle with more blood running over my chin. This was bad, it was not the plan at all. I heard her yelling again a moment later, simultaneously closer and distant but I couldn't focus. The world was growing cold and even the lights had faded. All my plans had come to this, Birkin…that coward had finally acted up…how on earth had he planned to explain my disappearance?

"Dammit, Sunglasses…didn't you tell me not to be reckless?" The girl was nearby, I vaguely got the sense of being moved. Sunglasses? "No, not you too."

Too? So, she'd lost someone else? Had they been shot twice in the back?

The black that washed over me, it was enough to clear away any other thoughts, ebbing away my warmth and other sensations until there was nothing. I knew death was coming, then I'd been wrong today. Even in that I'd proved thankfully incorrect. With a gasp I came to, red washing across my vision and anger curling through my bones. Birkin…the latest virus he created had returned me from oblivion though my appreciation was lacking given he was the one that pushed me to the precipice. I couldn't help but laugh at the shocked expression of the girl leaning nearby. She obviously hadn't expected me to come back by the tears still on her face. I lifted the bow she reached for before she could get it.

"I'm in control." I remarked, glad she didn't keep reaching for the bow. My head hurt slightly, there was a small alarm blaring and the lights were flashing through white and red. It wasn't overly loud and it still wasn't comfortable. The room was a mess, a few shots in one of the walls. Several of the containers were broken. I didn't see Birkin at all and the door had been sealed shut. What the hell had Birkin done? I hadn't just been out a few minutes.

"What happened? How long was I down?" I asked, surprised at the strength I felt, the lack of pain when I clearly remembered taking shots. I'd evolved with the latest virus and come back from death…I'd maintained my facilities for the most part. There was a distinct desire to bite the girl staring at me in abject horror. I could push it aside easily enough; however, I knew that such base instincts were beneath me.

"He shot you. I'm pretty sure you died." She stammered, still staring at me like I'd risen from the dead – accurate. "He ran away from me but shut the door and then a few minutes later I heard the sirens and the lights started flashing. What does that mean?"

"Birkin was a traitor." I remarked darkly. I heard the hatred in my voice as much as I expected she did. I wanted to destroy him. Birkin, that sentimental fool…he'd torn my plan away. Had he been hoping to turn this around as I had during the mansion event? He had several samples of the girl's genes now, but he hadn't taken her. That had likely been the plan and he didn't know what she was capable of. Still, with the alarms we couldn't linger here. If he'd released the virus into the whole facility, we had to first get out fast. It was a matter of time before the failsafe to destroy the whole of the building would be activated. "We need to move."

I was surprised when she offered me a hand as I rose. I didn't need it, in fact I felt better every passing moment. The virus had done something to reform me into a superior creature. I didn't need anyone's help anymore. Yet, she was the one thing that could threaten me…shed killed others infected with the virus with ease. I wondered idly if I should snap her neck here and now…but her aid gave me pause. If her blood was a key to stabilizing the virus, then any rash action here would only cause me problems. Instead of snapping her in half, as I was suddenly quite sure I would be capable of, I accepted her help and stood.

"How come you aren't…" She didn't know how to finish the question. Nor did I blame her. It was a strange thing to ask.

"Moaning and unaware of the world? I haven't the feintest idea." I replied honestly. "Now isn't the time to figure that out. We need to go."

She held her hand out, she wanted the bow. The weapon that she could shoot me in the back with again. I looked at it then at her. It wasn't exactly a comfortable feeling giving her the thing that could remove my second chance at life.

"I won't shoot you unless you turn like them." She commented, apparently even I was easy to read sometimes. I nodded to her, handing it back. If I wanted this to remain a trustworthy relationship I had to keep it that way. At least until I had more control over what was happening.

"Come on, we should find a computer and see if we can back up the data here." I said, pulling a gun from my holster and walking to the door. Thankfully my key card still let it swing open. I didn't see any creatures roaming the hall here. Perhaps he'd let his conscience get the better of him and he'd evacuated the other employees. I wasn't sure.

"Uh, here." She drew my attention back from where she was standing on the other side of the door. Her leaned over posture not at all the position you'd expect from a special services agent. She held out my sunglasses. I hadn't realized till now that I dropped them. She'd seen my eyes then. She wasn't treating me strangely, had the virus altered them as well? I took the glasses and put them on, my story had been sensitive vision after all.

"I'll lead the way, stay close. Don't wander off." I ordered, walking down the hall toward Birkin's office. His computer had the highest access in the facility. It was my best bet at getting a backup. She thankfully listened to me and pulled me back as I opened the door. A few of the zombies fell out, other researchers on this floor. He had released the virus then? I pulled up my gun, but lines of light were already cutting through them, sending them tumbling to the floor like marionette's whose strings had been cut. Would that be my fate if she aimed that bow at me?

"Can you sense them?" I asked. She'd paused me before they had fallen on top of me.

"Kind of. Not well…" She answered. "There's so much here it's nauseating."

She did seem as if she might lose the juice and cookies, she'd eaten earlier judging by her complexion. So, all of this was something she could combat but it did affect her. I nodded at that, moving into the office with her still just behind. "I'll try to make this swift."

I moved to the computer to type a few things in. The screen was different than usual, and I doubted that was simply because of the alarms. The data was backed up to the U.M.F. 013? That wasn't a great sign. My privileges were revoked. Red Queen? What sort of A.I. could just alter previous permissions based on its own thoughts? No, there was something behind this controlling it. I pushed the monitor off the desk, annoyed with this change. Was this Birkin again? Sergei? I couldn't know if it even went higher. I knew I wasn't going to receive any data.

"This isn't going to work, let's go." I nodded toward the door again, walking ahead of her. I generally didn't like being first in, but this would function well enough for now. She was not trained in hand to hand as I was. We headed toward the elevator; I was a little surprised it was still running. Was it a trap? There weren't really steps this low…even for emergencies with what we studied it was safer not to have them. Did he already begin the mansion experiment? Had he given up on it. I walked us on the elevator and hit the button. We didn't really have another choice.

"Did he kill those people?" She still wasn't used to this, not that I could say I'd gotten accustomed to having to kill my targets multiple times, but I had war training. I only nodded to her.

"I'm surprised he didn't kill you." I remarked. "What happened after he shot me?"

"He came at me with a syringe, but I shot it out of his hand. I got him twice and I'm lucky he never hit me before he ran out." She explained in better detail this time. "Will I be okay? If he released that disease in the air?"

"I expect so, if your blood can stabilize it, I can't imagine there would be negative effects." I replied, pulling my gun back up as we approached our floor. "Obviously we never got to figuring out exactly what effect your DNA has on it."

"There's something there." She snapped her head to the door, pulling up her bow and I let shots off as she also shot at a trio of larger zombies that ran inside when the doors opened. I got one in the head, which put it down. She got the second, the third slammed me back into the wall but it didn't hurt as much as it should. I brought both hands down, hearing the crack of bone where I struck the creature, spinning to kick it down the hall where more less advanced zombies approached. I rolled my neck and shoulder, was this the new strength of the virus Birkin had worked out? Just what would he be capable of if he could further refine it? I needed to catch up to him…

First, we had to get out. We both were shooting, either arrows or bullets, for several minutes before the mass stopped trying to come at us. Had Birkin opened up the other floors? This was going to be a mess. Raccoon City would fall apart given the population, though I expected panic was what Birkin was hoping for. It'd been my plan, so I couldn't put it past him to have come up with it as well. I glanced at her when we'd cleared the hall for the time being. She was sweating lightly and favoring her leg that hadn't been injured. I hadn't thought about her sprain in the emergency but she seemed to be doing well despite what she'd been through today.

"I think we're okay for now, it's hard to tell…it's like trying to pick out a clear contact in a river." She stated. "I'm not sure how fast I can go."

"I'll try to keep to your pace." I stated. Without any other data, she was the only thing I'd be taking out of her outside my rebirth. That required us escaping. We went through the hall, her often skittering and wincing at the bodies that sometimes twitched. The ones I took down weren't lacking the virus like the ones she did. We shifted through it, her far more nervous about the creatures than I was. It was a repeat of several halls and elevators before we finally managed to reach the top level. Thankfully we hadn't had to exit at the mansion.

"Captain Wesker, what's going on?" The girl that had taken us down earlier was still at her post and nearly shot when the elevator opened. "I've heard the alarms."

"The NEST is lost to us." I commented, she'd know what that meant. "Everyone needs to move to containment at the mansion. Now."

I nodded toward a chair for Kagome. At least the virus hadn't reached this site. We could lock down this exit. I opened the panel next to the elevator. I'd trained in most of these containments while actively planning to avoid their use and now I was the one pulling the trigger. The girl looked terrified at what I was saying, she was probably still new. She froze for several seconds while I pulled at some of the wiring and then clicked a few switches.

"What about survivors?" She asked.

"It's too late for them." I stated, it wasn't a lie. We hadn't seen a single living person on the way out. "Did Birkin come this way?"

"The doctor? I haven't seen him today." She remarked, which meant he'd escaped via the mansion. Or was still planning to let more of the beasts we'd arranged free. This would spell the end for Umbrella, which wouldn't be the issue if I didn't have to maintain cover. It also meant I'd be stopping Birkin, and given he'd been the one to betray me, I was very willing to play ball.

"Go, get people out of here. I'll be contacting S.T.A.R.S. soon." I told her, glad that she finally seemed to realize she needed to move. She rushed for the doors.

"How bad is this?" Kagome asked. I shrugged lightly.

"I'm not sure yet, but if Birkin left through the mansion, he could cause all sorts of problems. This could be a huge issue for the city." I explained, pushing a final button and pulling a level that dropped the lines on the elevator out, so it whooshed past us downward while the doors closed. "Come on, I need to make a call from my radio, and it looks like you could sit down."

I put the gun away swiftly and lifted her without asking, she could get over it. Right now, I could still maintain my cover as the captain of the S.T.A.R.S. team. The people here didn't seem to think I was any sort of traitor so I could get out word it was Birkin. No matter if I decided to jump ship later, I wanted to stay out of the water for the time being, so I'd linger on Umbrella's ship. It would ruin them to let this get out so I had to play the part I'd taken. I placed the girl in the passenger seat and leaned over her to grab the radio.

"Come in Alpha team, S.O.S." I stated, waiting to see if someone picked up. If Vickers was off flirting with Jill again, I'd need to remember to murder him later.

"Captain? That you?" Vickers voice came on. "Where you at?"

"The mansion we had considered investigating is where I'm headed, there are several reports of issues in the area. We need everyone on this." I had adjusted to giving out orders as an officer in the army and that continued in this position. "I expect you out there, I'm on my way. This is high alert, not an exercise. I want everyone alert and at their best, the enemies are dangerous. You've been given permission to shoot to kill any that attack you. Understood?"

"On it sir, I'll have Dewey start the copter up and get everyone called in that isn't already here. You want me to send Bravo team ahead? Or you wanna talk to Enrico?" He asked, I could hear him clicking buttons and hear dialing.

"Tell him it's an emergency and get them out here, don't take time to ask permission." I snapped, annoyed at his ineffective questions. "I have to get there. Hurry up."

I hung up the radio in irritation, almost breaking the plastic off the console. I was stronger than I had been, I needed to adjust to that…I glanced to the girl that looked surprised at what I'd done. Dammit, I'd need to watch that if I wanted to keep her complacent…frustrating given I was better now than I'd been…something more than human. Then, she was as well so politeness was in order. I offered a small nod and pushed myself out to walk around to the driver's side. Thankfully she'd already put her seat belt on because I wasn't planning to wait. I pulled out and away, noting that she grabbed her seat belt and her eyes were on me again.

"I'm still in control." I remarked, largely since she still had the bow in her hand. "I just am frustrated; this isn't how this was supposed to happen. I put us both in danger."

"I…"

She was interrupted by the radio coming on again.

"Wesker, come in. What's your problem?" Why couldn't Enrico just take my word on this?

"I didn't stutter, we need everyone on this. Remember the things in the woods. Consider that but hundreds of times worse if we don't stop it. Just get on the damn copter and come out. " I ordered, knowing I couldn't maintain this position once we'd gotten through the immediate danger. I wasn't even going to the mansion to help so much as I wanted to find Birkin. I had the petal to the floor, slipped through traffic with ease, my reflexes had improved as well. I had to admit my old friend had outdone himself with this prototype, I had certainly improved now that I'd been reborn. I meant to repay him the kindness of death.

"Uh, can you slow down?" She asked, reminding me again I wasn't alone. Her eyes were wide and dilatated, she certainly didn't know how to take my rush, so I nodded to her, taking it a little easier. "Are you sure you're okay? You aren't really acting the same…and your eyes…"

I glanced to the rear view at her mention of my gaze, even through the sunglasses I could see a red glow. The virus had further altered them then. Now they were red? Before I'd glanced away the glow had faded. Was it related to emotion then? At my curiosity they'd faded.

"I feel excellent actually. I think Birkin finally found a way to stabilize the virus when it's administered to maintain brain function and personal presence." I replied. "I'm still adjusting to some of it, but I'm definitely stronger than before. I'm still me though."

Better than, truth be told…but she was already nervous about what I was saying to her. She'd swallowed slightly, her eyes had flickered toward the broken plastic console. She wouldn't look at me anymore when she'd been staring before.

"What's wrong?" She'd been able to see things I couldn't. "Do you think it's not as stable as I think?"

"You still have the same miasma around you." She remarked, eyes outside. "It's definitely unnatural. I think maybe you feel fine now but that it won't last."

Degradation was a common part of any DNA, so that wasn't overly surprising. She was right though, that as I was, I'd probably not be able to last. I doubted I'd lose myself, but I could deform as so many others had…

"Well, if I fall apart, you can stop it." I remarked. "Perhaps we'll be able to find a method to still use your blood as a control factor. Assuming you'd ever want to subject yourself to another blood draw after that idiot."

I resisted the urge to grip the wheel in my irritation, I knew it would crush it and I wouldn't be doing myself any favors when it came to the girl's attention. I pulled the car suddenly to the side, weaving slightly as I pumped the breaks. The sky had gone from the dark navy blue of night to a brilliant orange with a plume of fire rising from the hill we'd been approaching. Shit, Birkin had set off the self-destruct. He hadn't even waited to see if test data could be collected, he was running. I spotted a helicopter in the distance and I knew it wasn't the S.T.A.R.S. team since it was heading away from the explosion to the north which was away from the city too. I finally came to a stop without hitting other cars and we both were leaned forward to look out at the fire raging above.

Options filtered through my head. Call Umbrella and have Birkin stopped or followed, but this was the largest installation in the area, and no one would get there in time. Call the STARS team and have them capture Birkin, but then he might spill my involvement in Umbrella. I could order them to take down his aircraft, but Enrico had already proved how little he listened. My phone dinged so I checked the message. Then I cursed and pinched the bridge of my nose. Sergei had lost track of all of Birkin's family. He'd been planning this. Was he going to do this anyway? Had he played me that well?

No, he wasn't that great of an actor. There had to be more at play here than I was aware of.

"You seeing that?" The radio came on again. "Wesker, come in."

"Yes." I managed after Kagome handed me the broken receiver. "We need to alter the plan. Contain this, get fire control involved. The local area should be evacuated. It's been dry and this fire already looks like it's spreading. Ignore the mansion and start picking up stragglers or removing threats."

The radio was silent for a while. Eventually a reply came. "Understood."

I sighed again. This day was not what I'd expected. All of this was tiring. Umbrella would fold, so my STARS cover was all I had until I figured out where Birkin had gone. He'd run out of samples, or whoever he sold them too would, then he'd come looking for the girl. Keeping her here wasn't wise.

"Hey, we gonna go help?" She asked, eternally the hero.

"I'm assessing." I replied. This all felt beneath me now that I had this strength. I didn't need my cover story; I'd never gotten all that attached to the other members. Many I actively disliked. Could I convince her to go with me though if I decided to run? "We can't run up on a fire, we'll just get surrounded by it. Birkin's altered the field of play. I think we should retreat, the team coming in is perfectly capable. I'm not sure we shouldn't pick up and run."

"Run, why?" She frowned at the idea.

"They'll be coming for you." I replied. "Birkin knows you were staying with me. I expect he took your samples to sell them to whoever helped you get away. A cure to a virus like this, can you imagine the financial boon if someone were to steal you and put you in that tube you're worried about?"

"Oh…" She was frightened again. "What about you though, your life is here, your dog."

"I've only lived here a few years; I can have one of the other officers take the dog. If you're right about my newfound lease on life I might not want to linger around people anyway." I explained, I could at least convince her to run with me. "I know of a few places we could go where Birkin might not look but our safest course would be to disappear."

She didn't answer right away. She was running her own options. I'd set in enough doubt and my rebirth had given me even further justification as to my need to leave. She finally nodded hesitantly.

"I see what you mean, but I don't have anything. I don't have any identification or passport. I don't have money. I don't see how I could help you, if you're right that they'll be coming for me…I don't want to put you in danger." Her bleeding heart never stopped leaking.

"It'll come off as selfish, but if you could help me keep this contained, I have every reason to stay near you and keep you out of enemy hands." I had no need to lie about it. It would have been obvious that I didn't mean it if I claimed I had no selfish purpose. Though I could also appeal to her morals. "Besides, if you hadn't stopped Birkin, he probably would have finished the job so even the virus couldn't have brought me back. I owe you."

"Okay…well, that still doesn't resolve my lack of identification." She was relenting steadily.

"I can deal with that. I've worked undercover before. I can get you something made before we run. We can do that now." I moved the car to turn it around. No matter what we did, we couldn't stay here.

"Then, let's do it. Let's get out of here and take this guy down. We can't let him keep doing this…who knows what else he'd be willing to do." She nodded to me and I smiled a touch. So far so good. Now we just had to get moving and get out of town.

End Chapter

Again, I didn't end up following canon as closely as I originally expected. Who knows, I might someday redo this and change stuff or add in more details. As a practice to largely just write in as single consciousness flow as possible for chapters this is where it went.

-Aura