The first steps into the train Scott manned the controls in the front section and continued the descension. Sherry was resting well and was awake. Claire hunched down by her. "Sherry…" she said. "How are you holding up?"

"A bit better. I'm not as tired as before."

Parker felt around Scott's wounds on his torso, ignoring his protest and grunts. She ran her index finger along his cavities and against the ridges, they were thick and smooth. His blood was dry and clotted, sealed the wounds well. "Doc, you're bleeding."

"I don't have time to bleed."

"Your coat is in tatters..."

"Just a flesh wound, Parker."

Scott waved his hand and shooed Parker away. The platform stopped smoothly; they arrived at the destination. Scott was stepping into the back. "We're here."

Claire picked up Sherry in her arms. She was fairly light for her age, it was no problem carrying her behind Leon, Scott and Parker as they left the locomotive. "Where are we?"

"We're four floors below ground level, but we're finally at NEST." Scott pointed to a small room adjacent with a small path leading to an inactive elevator. "We can bunker down at the security room."

The security room had signs of recent use, the computers were still on even though it was just displaying live static and a metal kettle nearby on the table under them was warm. Security manuals and documents covered all over the floor without any care for tidiness or organisation for the matter.

Bed and four lockers were in the back of the room; the bed was slept in also recently. Claire placed Sherry on the bed softly to rest and pulled a chair close to her to sit on. Sherry looked cold, so Claire took off her jacket and put it on her while she slept.

Scott went to the row of lockers nearby; started ransacking each of them in his own time. Parker was confused with the static on the monitors and leant on a chair at the desk to stare further into the screen.

Sherry woke and saw Claire watching over her like a hawk. She had waited patiently for her to wake. "Claire?"

"How do you feel?"

Sherry sat up and felt Claire's red leather jacket snugly around on her. Up close it still had the brand new smell. "Isn't this your jacket?"

Claire hushed Sherry and laid her back down on the pillow. "You can have it; its yours now, for good luck."

"Thank you."

"Do you miss your parents?"

"No… They're always preoccupied with their research. Even though I'm an only child, neither of them had any time for me. I prefer to be alone."

Scott passed Claire and Sherry by and took off his lab coat and tattered shirt, leaving him shirtless and still bloodied. He had a red med-pak and a small tin case in his hands. "I love you like a sister, Sherry. Even when I'm not around, you will always have Alexis."

"I haven't seen her since June; I miss her."

"You need to understand that your parents do love you, you and Alexis. It's easy to be consumed with work these days when you're expected to work to tight deadlines and carry your own weight in a massive company; not like it's a good life but it pays the bills…"

"You chose family over work," Claire said, "didn't you, Scott?"

"Yes, and I haven't regretted it since. Don't get me wrong, it's hard to raise a kid with the economy falling apart but there are alternatives. I took extra jobs on the side, Cindy worked extra shifts; we even attended classes. William is just too vain to quit while he's ahead, or admit he's been wrong; his greed can be suffocating to those around him. He and Annette does care for Sherry's safety and future, I just fill in the blanks when they're not around."

"Which is all the time. Right?"

"If not me, it be Alexis; wherever she is."

Claire brushed Sherry's hair. "You see, there are so many people who care for you; you'll never be alone. Scott will make a cure and we can all make things right..."

"You can count on it," said Scott. He chucked his lab coat and shirt on the desk next to Parker and opened his med-pak. He left the tin case alone next to Parker – she was still staring at the monitors uncomfortably.

Sherry whimpered as her body suddenly convulsed. Claire and Leon lurched closer to her. "She's getting worse," said Leon.

Scott rushed about inside one of the lockers and took out a larger medi-pak and scattered its items on the desk behind him. He took out a small syringe and squatted down to Sherry. "Hold tight, this will help you." He injected the colourless liquid into her neck.

Sherry moaned and continued to rest on the bed. It was almost as if she was out cold.

"What was in that?" Claire asked.

Scott brushed the injection area with a dab of wool. "It's a bit of an anti-virus; made to be a crowning jewel of sorts. Very good for slowing down infections, yet, it isn't strong enough to kill them. I speculate we have around ninety minutes before she convulses again."

"Got any more? Could really come in handy."

Scott shook his head. "Resources have been scarce for nearly two years now; won't find any anti-virus down here. Not even the pills."

Scott stood up and went back to the med-paks. He packed as much of the medicinal equipment he could into the smaller green one he carried on his backside. He took another syringe, an absorbent patch and some surgical suture and walked back to the lockers to stand in front of the mirror inside the third locker.

Claire was able to see what Scott was doing in the mirror's reflection. She chose to sit down by Parker. "Will you be okay, Scott?"

"Yeah… William landed a good hit on me back on the platform, I just need to treat myself a bit." Scott injected the syringe's chemical into his neck, and with a short breath, he went to cleanse the gaping claw wounds from the dried blood and infections with the soft patch

"Doesn't it hurt when you do that?"

"Intensely..."

Leon stepped forward. "Won't you be infected with G from that wound?"

"No. The superiority of the G-virus is so advanced a bite or a scrape wouldn't infect, only through… ugh… reproductive breeding could a victim be turned into a carrier. I'm not related, so I would make for a terrible host or carrier.

"We heading back out there soon?" Claire asked.

"Once I've patched myself up…" Scott exclaimed. "Oh?" He forced his fingers into a fresh suckling bullet wound and pulled out a 9mm bullet. Claire gagged at the sight of it all. "Must've missed that one." He threw the bloody bullet over his back, and it landed by Claire's feet.

Claire chuckled. "Guess I know you can take a bullet."

"I've had a lot of people shoot at me lately."

"Parker," said Leon, "you haven't said anything for a while. Anything on your mind?"

Parker looked away from the fuzzy static at Leon. "Not really. Just… staring at static. Was hoping to spot a few things but I got nothing."

Scott walked over to Parker and unplugged the monitor, then did the same for all the other monitors. "Staring at static will damage your eyes." He went back to the lockers and stood in front of the large mirror again, to resume his work. He sealed up one of the three gashes excellently with surgical precision, and now moved on to the next one.

Parker folded her arms and started playing around with the medication Scott left out on the desk and slowly moved to the brown tin case. She poked it and picked it up, looking for a way to open it. It was locked with a cheap padlock. "What's in this, Scott?"

"My prescription is in there, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop touching it."

The large three cavities in Scott's torso was stitched and sealed with surgical perfection, the type he's known for. The bleeding was gone, the bandages were on, and Scott was feeling super. Sherry's condition was stable and there was plenty of time to spare to cure her.

The idea everything was coming together was a positive thought; that eased the dire mood. Scott fired up the kettle and stepped out the room for a minute to leave it to boil; he had taken the tin case with him.

"So, what's the game plan?" Leon finally asked.

"We find a vaccine for Sherry, and get the hell outta here."

"Right, and if things aren't that simple?"

"It had better be; we have enough on our plate as it is..."

Leon smiled. "We'll get that vaccine, just you watch."

Parker turned around in her swivel chair. "I can see what Zaac saw in you Claire; he likes strong women."

Claire felt like she should be at little distraught but she was met with a sense of bitterness. "Thank you, Parker, but I can't think about him right now, not when we're so close."

Scott came back inside; his eyes were wide and alert. He scuttled straight past Parker and the boiling kettle to point at the monitors. "What did I tell you about those monitors? Keep them off."

Parker chuckled. "They are off."

Scott looked around the back of the monitors. The switches for the wall outlet were all off yet he could still see and hear the static. "They're on… I can see them. The loud buzzing and everything."

"Doc, are you okay?"

Leon chuckled. "Do you need to sit down?"

Scott inhaled loudly and often; he was almost hyperventilating again. He seemed to have symptoms of a bad cold. His eyes were dilated and heat felt around him was noticeable. "Coffee…"

Parker sat Scott down on the chair she was leaning on and searched out for a cup suitable for a coffee. One within an arm's reach was plain white with a sickly staining of brown on the inside. "Uhh, here you go…" she said slowly. Scott snatched the cup from her hand and started filling it up with the water from the kettle mid-boil. "You forgot to add the coffee..."

Scott nodded with slight disgust. "There's none down here."

"So you're fine drinking… boiled water?" Claire said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's just warm; the kettle's shit, I dunno why." With twitchy eyes, Scott stared at Claire. "Not thirsty enough to drink coffee this early anyway…" He sat down at the desk and set his tin case on it. Then took out an empty syringe and a small unmarked bottle. He carefully extracted some liquid with the syringe through the cap and wiped the needle.

"What's in the syringe this time?" Claire asked.

"Epinephrine." Scott jabbed the needle into the veins of his left wrist and promptly injected the chemical into his body. After a suddenly jerk, he smoothly sank into the chair. "I have an adrenaline deficiency."

With Scott taking short breaths, Parker took the chance to satisfy her curiosity and took a peek in Scott's tin container while he was none the wiser. She was startled when he suddenly leapt out of his chair, and for a second she thought he was going to scold her. Instead of doing so, he threw away his mug and hushed everyone in the room.

"We didn't say anything," Claire pointed out.

"Everyone just quiet down." Scott stuttered. "Quiet down..." He placed his ear on the screens of every monitor, stopping on the one furthest away in the corner opposite Parker. There was absolute silence, Claire and Parker dared not to bother whatever game Scott was playing.

He was so preoccupied Parker took the chance to check inside the tin case he seemed overly protective about. She flipped the lid and noticed small phials of the purest of whitest powder she had ever seen. Didn't look like any prescription she seen in her life. Scott finished whatever he was doing and sat back down.

"Finished?" Claire asked. "You're kinda freaking me out over here."

"Claire's right. Now that you're here, we need to-" Leon couldn't finish his request as Scott was still acting up.

"I'm not a freak!"

Leon and Claire exchanged a look of visible concern. "Listen, Scott," Leon said firmly, "we need a plan. You know this place better than anyone here. Shall we?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah… You know this place better than anyone here. Shall we go?"

Leon hesitated, feeling confused. "I just…" He sighed. "What's going on with you?"

"I might be able to answer that," Parker said with a phial in hand. "Scott… what's inside these?" Scott stammered and swore under his breath though didn't answer. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this powder looks like cocaine."

Leon almost lost hope for the man he had only just met down in the sewers. "You can't be serious..."

"I am, Leon… I know what drugs look like when I see them."

"What?!" Claire exclaimed, jumping from the chair she was sat upon. "Scott! You're on drugs?"

Scott noticed that his prescription tin case was seized; he forgot to pack them away. "It's… how I get by…" He stammered. "It's my medication..."

"How long have you been on drugs for, Scott?" Parker surprisingly said with a mean scowl.

Scott scratched his itchy cheek and chin. "My physician prescribed them-"

"Not an answer..."

"Two years… It... started as a means to help me cope with the stress, and to focus more on my work. I cannot condone my dirty habits, but it was necessary I-"

Parker exclaimed. "Necessary?!"

Scott stammered. "H-Hear me out… Two years ago, I was a wreck. I'm talking full-on miserable, distracted and in debt like you wouldn't believe… Cocaine was the only thing that gave me the energy and focus to get out of bed in the morning. I've been meaning to look for healthier alternatives, I swear-"

"You don't just need alternatives, you need an intervention!"

Claire cleared her throat. "Once we get out of the city."

"Once we get out of the city," Parker repeated. "Thank you."

"Umbrella always thought of me as a wild card…"

Claire stopped Parker's interrogation and forced her attention. "Listen, Parker, we're wasting our time..."

"You're right." Parker set down the tin case. "We're here for Sherry, and this is getting us nowhere."

"Scott, can you just hold it together until we cure Sherry?"

"Yes..." Scott exhaled and breathed normally. "The effects don't last too long; I'll be back to my usual self in a minute or so."

"That'll do… Scott, get your… things together and let's go already; we're moving."

"One moment, please." Scott put away his epinephrine and syringe back into the tin case and went to the lockers behind him.

He opened the fourth locker and took out a couple of weapon that was just collecting dust. A M79 break-action grenade launcher and with a six-pack of acid grenade shells. For himself, he had a Spas-12, an American classic.

"I have something for you, Claire."

"Oh goodness…"

"The R.P.D. had plenty of these in stock, I guess they're not gonna be needing them down here, that's for sure." Scott chucked the launcher at Claire; she caught it easily with a wide grin.

"Thanks! This'll come in very handy."

"I took the liberty of salvaging what I could while I was stuck down here." Scott handed Claire the yellow grenades. "Time well spent, I gotta say."

Claire slung the M79 over her shoulder via sling; it was the perfect length. "Will Sherry be safe here?"

"The room is sturdy with soundproof walls." Scott threw on his dirty shirt and strapped on a harness, one with several pouches around his waist. He stuffed each of the black pouches with ammunition from the locker. "She'll be fine as long as no one knows she's here."

"I'll watch over her," said Parker.

"Good to hear," Leon added. "Let's go."

After Leon left, Claire stopped Scott. "Were you acting strangely because of the things you took?"

Scott snorted, "Yeah… It was for medicinal purposes, I swear."

"I hope so..." Claire looked back at Parker. "Keep Sherry safe; we won't be long."

Parker nodded. "I'll keep radio silence, unless something comes up."

"Cool." Scott threw on his lab coat and left the room with Claire.

Exiting the security room with Scott at her side, they all followed a sign that said "MAIN SHAFT", leading to what else? The main shaft. A long corridor lead to an elevator, but there was a terminal that required a key. At the shutter doors, Scott looked back at Claire who had a blank expression and was still lingering outside the security room.

"Got something on your mind?" asked Scott. "Your curiosity is glowing."

"Is it that obvious?" Claire folded her arms. "The more I think about it, the less I can trust you. I'm finding it really hard to cooperate..."

"It's not about the drugs is it?"

"It's not about the coke."

"Listen, I have my reasons for taking them. You have my word."

"I'm sure you do." Claire sighed. "You're one of the people responsible for G, and you're a coke addict-"

"I'm not an addict!"

"You get the point. Over the years I was dating Zaac..." Claire sauntered up to Scott and stopped. "I felt you were the caring brother type like mine. You worked for Umbrella, you knew William, and you had something to do with the G-virus..."

"What do you want from me?"

"The truth, Scott."

Scott looked away from Claire and rubbed through the standing hairs on the back of his neck. Thinking about his actions. Claire stepped into his view. "If I tell you the truth… there's no going back. You'll think of me as a monster."

"I can live with that."

"It's only for fairness and for the better you hear it from me than any asshole like… Richard or Annette…" Scott took off his spectacles and put them in his rear pocket. "It started a little over two years ago… I was just a trainee back then, doing what you would expect a student of sorts would do. Study…"

"Was that before or after you took drugs?"

"Before everything. I was the top student in all of Umbrella's history, top of every class, hardly anyone came close to my qualifications. Umbrella has some of the country's most intelligent people, and I studied for and under most of them… I owe them for everything I learned since I joined back in 1990."

"That's right. Zaac said you studies at Raccoon University, a place funded by Umbrella… That was then, this is now. What happened two years ago?"

"I sold myself out… Umbrella's director ordered the assassination of one of the other surviving founders of the company, and William had the glorious idea to use the operation to elevate their fondest trainee. That being me… The director obliged and used the assassination as a means to test my loyalty. I wasn't told about the operation until it happened..." Scott's shoulders sagged forward and his back slouched.

Claire pressed on. "What happened?"

"William and the U.S.S. accompanied me to what I thought was just a standard Umbrella procedure or protocol. An initiation into the working world of researchers perhaps… I was soooo naive back then."

"Why?"

"Because when I recognised the facility, I thought we were there to see my favourite teacher - the other living founder. I was always happy to see him you see; he was my idol… above anyone else, I looked up to him. Then that day I was told that he had committed unforgivable atrocities against Umbrella and the director… I couldn't believe it…" Scott's shoulders dropped lower and his eyes tears. He stayed strong and didn't stray into despair. "My idol committed… murders and acts against nature and humanity..."

"That's what Umbrella does..."

"It wasn't always like that though, I never knew the horrors Umbrella hid in their closets during my scholar days… I worked long and hard to be like those biologists and virologists, yet I knew nothing of their tainted history.." Scott wiped his face with his dirty sleeve and straightened his back. His tears were still irritating his eyes to a bloodshot red. "The director had evidence that the other founder was conspiring against him, and after I heard of his… disturbing track record I wanted nothing to do with him. If he overthrew the director, he would have the country's pharmaceutical giant to fund his inhuman research. Someone had to do it, but I couldn't bring myself to killing him-"

"Who did you kill?" Leon interrupted.

"Marcus… Doctor James Marcus…"