Chapter Five

The stress of the previous night had forced him to wretch repeatedly throughout it's duration. Dark circles formed under his eyes, making his face severely gaunt and pinched in appearance. James Marcus slid into his seat at the oblong table, feeling the various stares upon crawling across him like maggots on a wound. His hazel brown eyes closed as he placed a supporting hand beneath his unshaven chin. Various murmurings coalesced in a giant hum. They all reminded him of mindless bees, milling about for a larger cause that they had no knowledge of. A single order, and they all fell in perfect, brainless line. He himself a overseer who gave the orders to monotonous drones. He had always been a lord of industry and science…a lord that was now being usurped.

The crashing noise of a suitcase being placed upon the polished table drew him from his downward, mental spiral, causing him to jump lightly. Birkin smiled down at him ingratiatingly, sitting in the seat adjacent to his former mentor. Wesker was not far behind, but unlike his partner, did not even give Marcus a second glance. Disgusting, after all the time and effort he had put into those two. Investing, training…all to turn back on him. They had once been like sons to him, and now thanks to the learned wisdom of Marcus…were going to one day rule this
Umbrella kingdom.

Sucking in a laborious breath between his clenched teeth, James let his cynical gaze travel to the young woman who had just taken her seat next to Wesker. Marcus scrutinized Angelica Burrows as she settled in. This girl had always been different from the rest… He had tutored her briefly during her teenage years, prompting her hidden intellect to its fullest potential. He hadn't seen her since her transference to the Arctic facility…

Kind, warm orbs returned his gaze, an oblivious happiness shining from their enchanting hues. She smiled at him, twitching her fingers in an appropriate wave. Only then did Wesker seem to take notice, a sharp glance from him thrown in Marcus' direction. Shooting back a delirious smirk, James straightened within his chair. Mentally checking himself, the proprietor stifled himself from rolling his eyes at the stragglers that finished streaming in. 'Better sit yourself up, James. Don't want to look..unprofessional…' Mentally goading himself back into his sleek façade, the elderly male smoothed back his hair, and straightened his suit sleeves. The meeting was now starting…

…

"Now that we have familiarized ourselves with each other and this facility, it's time to get down to business."

William Birkin was at the head of the oblong table, now clearly commanding the attention of the room. Dead silence washed over the company of people, their rigid stares directed at the man who stood before them. "We will be splitting into three majority groups. You have already made fully aware of our project managers; Dr. Angelica Burrows, Dr. Albert Wesker, Dr. James Marcus, Dr. Charles Trent, and myself. As a result of the grouping, there will be some employee shuffling. Don't bother repealing this, it has already been decided and approved by our company owner, Ozwell Spencer. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause." Birkin gave Wesker a knowing glance, the other man returning with a slight nod of approval. Birkin continued, purposefully ignoring the frightened glare that Burrows shot in their direction.

"Various assistants and trainers will be assigned different people who best fit their needs. The new roster will be sent electronically to your personal terminals within the hour. Now, Dr. Burrows, you will be assigned directly in the partnership of… Marcus..in the viral engineering department." The paper that Birkin had read this off of seemed to shake within his fingers briefly, as if he was amiss at what exactly he had read. Birkin's brow creased. This was closer to the 'project' than he felt comfortable letting the ever inquisitive woman. But there enough it was, signed by Spencer to allow her to be there. Maybe it was a 'two birds with one stone' mentality. Directing a challenging stare at the young woman, this time he didn't avert his eyes. Birkin could see she was fighting to keep composure, but she did so, despite the rage boiling beneath the surface at losing a battle she thought she had won earlier…

….

The meeting had proven arduous, but seemed none the less to pass in a heated haze. She could barely read the email that confirmed her worst fear. Lisa Trevor had been removed from her service and her new assistant…was Ada Wong. The walls had seemed to suffocate when she had told her friend, closing about her throat in a choking vice. Everything was changing, and Angelica loathed it…

The days dragged on into paperwork and bureaucratic mush that nearly made the woman forget why she had even come there in the first place. The seasons began to change, turning chilly and cold. Frost showed in the mornings, forcing Burrows back in the familiar comfort of her turtleneck sweaters. Marcus occasionally would pick on her about it on his good days, often calling her 'Mrs. Rogers.' And that's exactly what it meant…on his good days. The man's health and temper were fragile, or at least that was his excuse. On most days he kept her fairly busy, teaching even. After they had successfully managed to synthesize refined virus strains, Angelica was let in on his dream. The man had dreamed of using the virus to perfect human flaw, but had not yet found a way to inject a host without overwhelming its natural antibodies.

The woman honestly saw the genius within the thought, and within the man's mind. Marcus believed that it was possible to create a restorative strain that would create a bonding mechanism that gave the body into its own full potential. Unfortunately, they were just now entering the animal stages, and the earlier ones had proven to have a very low success rate. The virus had a habit of not being recognized in the body or laying dormant…or…the secondary and more common problem would appear. The virus would attack its host, causing a mutagen to appear. It would bond readily, and unnaturally, causing grotesque growths, and then soon after…death. Angelica had been nursing a lab rat slowly with an intravenous drip, praying that it would not turn out like the last.

Its predecessor had ripped out its own spine with four inch long fangs that grew at an alarming rate, its eyes becoming tri stalked and bloodily bulbous. As of late, Marcus had grown increasingly frustrated with his work, and often muttering 'No time, never any time.' Sometimes he would merely seclude himself from her, and order to be left alone. On those days, Angelica caught up on paperwork, or headed into town.

Raccoon was a refreshing blend of both small town and big city. It was busy, full of quaint shops and people who smiled. Everyone seemed to know each other, and you could always find little groups of pedestrians talking cheerfully on the sidewalks. With the change of season came the holidays. Garlands drenched the city, making the plainness of the facility painfully obvious to the young woman who lived there. It was this particular week before Christmas that Angelica decided to do something about it.

Standing with her arms folded, Burrows eyed the wide variety of Christmas trees. A cold wind blew golden strands across her face, forcing her to push them back with a gloved hand to see. Wiping the hair from her eyes, the woman stepped further into the false woodland. She was standing inside the Raccoon City Plant nursery, and hell bent on finding the perfect one. So many kinds littered the lot, a makeshift forest standing right in the middle of town. Blue pines, red cedars, evergreens…if she hadn't had her allergy shot already, Angelica knew she'd probably have puffy reaction eyes by the end of the day.

The sound of a happy little child squealing made her jump. Angelica watched wide eyed as something with a bright pink coat, and fiery red hair bounced by, scrambling under the pine tree that she had been standing next to. Jogging quickly clomped from behind, forcing Angelica to take a step back out of whoever was running way. "Claire! Claire! Where did you go?" A boy ran past, frantically searching for the little girl who was now safely hidden and giggling under the yuletide foliage. His dark eyes were large, soft brown hair tousled by the wind. The young man looked seventeen, maybe eighteen at best, but something within his cobalt eyes told a different story as to his age.

They were full of anxious, parental concern, many sleepless nights having stained in dark circles beneath his wide orbs. Smiling as she watched him search, Angelica moved to the tree where she had seen the child hide from her older sibling. Whispering gently as the little one looked up at her, Angelica bent on one knee to get a better view. "Are you Claire?" The girl nodded, the mirth that had danced in her blue eyes now transforming into hushed wariness. Burrows smiled reassuringly, her smile widening in innocent understanding. "I think your brother is looking for you, Claire." Inching from her hiding spot, the little girl looked around. Brushing off her little jacket, the child stuck out her small hand. Angelica grinned. The girl had spunk..

"I'm Claire Redfield, who are you?" Shaking the small hand in impressed surprise, Angelica admired the firm grasp. The girl barely looked over twelve…but she was confident. About ready to answer, Burrows was cut off by the brush next to them shaking violently. The older brother circled around as he burst forth from the plants, snatching his sister's hand away from Angelica protectively. Whispering harshly to his sibling, the boy's face scrunched in disapproving emotion. "I told you not to run off like that. And you're talking to strangers! We gotta get back to the group..you had me worried, Claire." Grumbling to herself, the little Redfield stared defiantly at her brother, yanking her hand back to herself. "I'm not a babbby, let go, Chris." Moving his grasp to the back of Claire's pink jacket, Christopher Redfield smiled sheepishly at Angelica.

"Uh..thanks for finding my sister. Sorry, she likes to wander off…"

Nodding, the older woman gave him a knowing smile. "No problem…" The redheaded child interrupted, squeaking in indignance. "I was just picking out a Christmas tree…" Lowering his head, Chris looked sympathetically at his sister. "You know we can only look, Claire…we can't actually get one." A look of sadness crossed over the little girl, the sudden pain in her sky blue eyes catching Angelica off guard. All petulance seemed to have left Claire, the maturity of someone who had suffered a great tragedy flashing briefly across the baby blues. Angelica's curiosity flared, her voice soft as it got the better of her. "Why can't you?"

The sound of a sharp whistle ripped through the crisp air, a calling shout following soon after. Chris' dark eyes narrowed in recognition of the sound, he left hand slipping into his sister's more willing grasp. "Uhm. We gotta go. They're calling for us. Merry Christmas!" Without further adieu, the two bolted through the feaux forest, Claire waving a parting farewell until the pair was out of sight. Moving from around the tree, Angelica chuckled to herself as she walked to the payment near the entrance. The man who served there smiled warmly even though his hands were rubbing together for their own warmth. "Did you find a tree you liked, hun?" Nodding in reply, Angelica pointed to a tall evergreen that stood in the middle of the lot. "That one over there." As she handed over the payment, she let her eyes travel to the entrance.

A bus was parked there, a small group of kids loading onto it in a single file line. The paint was peeling on the old, blue vehicle, and between the chipped letters, the prominent sign read : Raccoon City Orphanarium. Glancing back with her brows knit, Angelica frowned. "What's that all about?" The man sighed, a sad look passing over his eyes as he handed her the left over change from her money. "They bring them out to see the trees. The budget is too low for the place to buy one. Usually we donate a small one, but this year…new management and all….well we couldn't." Trailing off with a growl, the shop keeper followed her gaze, his face stained with the dislike for his own employers. Angelica watched in saddened realization as a little girl in a familiar pink coat disappeared up the bus stairs.

Casting her glance back to the blue pine that Claire had been hiding beneath earlier, Angelica looked back to the substantial amount of change back in her hand. A mischievous smile crept across her gentle lips as she held the money back out. "Actually, I'll take that big blue one too. Do you deliver?" The man nodded, rewriting the addition onto her receipt. "Where do ya need them taken to?" Blue eyes sparkled at him, the Christmas spirit finally taking hold of Burrows heart. "One of them just to the top of my car. The other…send to the Orphanage."

…

Trent had no idea what was going on. The last thing he knew was that Lisa Trevor had burst into his office, and dragged him down the hallway. Now, he was covered in pine needles, and helping an overly excited Angelica hand lights. Garlands and shiny balls of glass hung ornately across delicate branches, drenching the icicle lights allowed for a multitude of beams to sparkle festively. Lisa was giggling off to the side, just thrilled to be doing something other than filing. Since the meeting almost two months ago, she had been under stiff surveillance from Wesker, and had a workload twice of what a normal assistant would have.

Brushing the stray spines from his hair, Charles stepped back. Angelica was teetering at the top of a step ladder, a beautiful angel tree topper in her hands. Stretching dangerously out, the woman placed the fragile ornament in its rightful place. The little maroon dress fanned out perfectly, its black wind extending out behind wide, embracing arms. Balancing expertly on her heels, Angelica stared back down at her friends. Trent chuckled, still picking at his suit. "It's lovely, my dear." Slowly Angelica made her way down the ladder, checking her wrist watch. She had decorated the tree with half an hour to spare. With any luck, Marcus would let her in the laboratory to check in on Skeets the rat.

Lisa put her chin on Burrows' shoulder, sighing happily as she stared up at the lofty tree. "Oh, Angel, it looks great. Now I feel like it's Christmas. We have something to look at other than office walls! It's the best present you could have gotten us." Angelica blushed gently, her rosy cheeks dimpling in a grin. "Thanks, Lees. But I kinda got it for me. The holidays make for homesickness ya know?" Trent clapped a wide hand on her shoulder, grinning down at his former student. "We all know what you mean. But if we're done here, I have a meeting with Birkin to get to." The two women nodded, Trevor still enamored with the various lights to say much for a change. He waved upon exiting, as Trent pulling on his brown suit jacket that had been lying over the back of one of the sofa backs. Sitting down at the very couch that she had passed out on several weeks earlier, Angelica sipped on the coffee she had picked up on the way out of town at the Raccoon City Beanarama.

"So, tell me how it is to work for the Devil?" Jokingly Angelica bounced her eyebrows at her friend, patting the white cushion next to her. Lisa made her way slowly over, enjoying the relaxation time of a small chat. Settling in, the woman smoothed her reddish tresses down a slim shoulder, her eyes crinkling in entertained happiness. "Ehhh, not as bad as I thought. Plus, no offense, he's better to look at when bending over to get in the file folder." Trevor giggled like a schoolgirl, her rosy cheeks welling with a blush. Snickering at her friend, Angelica patted the female's knee in a playful reprimanding smack. "Ohh you're bad…but really, tell me everything…I'm looking for leverage to get you back." Slyly Lisa shifted her eyes to the left side, then back to the right. Finally giving her former employer a crafty grin, she shifted forwards. "Well, I did overhear an meeting that William and Wesker had last week…something regarding Marcus? I didn't hear much, they saw me standing by the copier too long and shut the door.." Angelica stopped mid-sip of her coffee, raising an arched eyebrow. Gulping back the silky liquid, she placed her cup down carefully, shooting a sideways glance at her friend. "You might wanna tell me everything you heard, in detail….."

…..

Knocking on the oaken door, Trent smoothed back his brown hair in the reflection of the window paned top. Frowning calmly, Charles sighed through his nose. His hair was so dark, but towards his ears, just at the hairline…was a touch of grey. It had been almost fifteen years since he had been acquired by Umbrella, and he always had thought that the stresses of the job had never made a…impressionable sight on him physically. But life was always getting more complicated, and now it seemed his hair was betraying his age.

The door swung open even as he tucked the last strand of chocolate locks behind his ear. Birkin's receptionist had a pile of files in her arms, and a bright smile pressing upon her lips. Blushing as that smile was turned his way, Trent bowed his head as she motioned for him to enter the office. "Good afternoon, Dr. Trent. He's waiting for you in the back office." Sheepishly, the scientist fiddled with his glasses. He had always enjoyed the company of this particular woman. She was efficient and pretty, something he both liked in a female. But outside of formality…he didn't even know her first name. "Ah, thank you Miss Laden! How was your vacation?"

The woman's smile broadened, her left hand extending out. Her fingers fiddled one another, a sparkling wedding band glittering in the light. "Mrs. Chambers to you, Doctor Trent. I got married finally!" Blinking in surprise, Trent inwardly winced. His heart sank, but he never showed it. The relationship was probably never meant to be….he was married to Umbrella after all. Forcing a weak smile as he hurriedly started to move towards Birkin's office, Trent graciously beamed. "Congratulations, my dear. I didn't even know you were seeing anybody. Any news on starting a family?" The question was meant as a half handed rhetorical statement, but the woman called out chattily as he moved away. "Harold was hoping to start trying in a few months… Heck we already picked out names…If it's a boy, Robert. If it's a girl, Rebecca."

Chuckling nervously, Trent shut the door behind him, ending the uncomfortable conversation abruptly.

William looked up from his computer, an understanding smile spreading across his face. "Talkative, isn't she? Should have heard how long the conversation was when I told her Julie was pregnant." Moving to the plush chair in front of the desk, Trent raised and bemused eyebrow. "Ahh, yes. The ever infamous Sherry Alice Birkin is going to make her appearance in a few weeks isn't she? How is your wife taking the pregnancy?" Folding his hands over his knee, Charles indulged himself with idle workplace chitchat, at least the common courtesy of inquiring to his coworker's spouse. William smiled tiredly, the dark circles of sleepless nights only showing under his eyes minorly. "She is as well as to be expected I suppose, but we need to save that conversation for another time. At the moment I have a proposition for you that is needing immediate attention. Only a few of us know this, and Spencer had deemed you worthy to be allowed the knowledge of some…privileged information. Have you been aware that James Marcus will be terminating his contract after the opening of the Estate Facility?" Trent snapped out of his languid pose, squared his shoulders back defensively. He was known as a man of information, but not even this office rumor had made it to his ears. Shaking his head vigorously, the man looked completely oblivious. "I was unaware, when was this determined?"

Birkin tightened his jaw, his dark eyes showing no forethought to the question. "Spencer made me aware of this at the beginning of the training quarter. We will be needing a new Viral Engineer Manager, and Spencer himself recommended you, Charles. It is a once in a life time position, and if you turn it down, will not be extended again. Your salary will match that of Marcus, and our laboratories would be at your disposal. You have only need to say yes…"

Charles Trent had never come across a question he could not readily answer. The man was brilliant in his field, being one of the first personal aids to the man he was now being requested to replace. Rubbing his forehead, Trent realized his palm had become clammy with undue stress, and his mind was clouded with doubt. Why after all these years would Marcus leave the company? After all, the man did own about a third..or at least that's what he had been told to believe. Trent's hazel eyes looked up, inquisitive nature prying itself from his lips before he had mentally halted himself. "Am I allowed to know the reason as to why James is vacating his position?" William shrugged, acting as if he had no more knowledge than the questioner. "Age perhaps? Retirement? My information is what I have revealed to you. But Spencer requests an answer by the end of the holiday quarter. If you need time to think on it, a couple weeks is all I can give…" Standing from his seat, the other man brushed off his jacket front in force of habit. Sticking a hand out in formal greeting, Trent nodded. "I will take you up on the offer to reflect on it. I will have a definite answer to you before the allotted time is up. Now, do we have any other business to discuss?" William shook his head; the firm shake finally releasing his appendage. As Trent moved for the door, Birkin spoke calmly. "Oh and, Charles….do keep this meeting confidential." In jest, the other man looked over his shoulder, a slim smile crinkling. "Threat or warning?"

Birkin looked at his colleague stoically, his face a mask of seriousness.

"Both."