Hello Everyone! Hope you all are doing well!

I also wanted to give everyone a warning that rape is mentioned in this chapter. It is not graphic, rape is only mentioned as part of a character's history.

Chapter 7

June – August 1979

Albert watched from behind his dark shades as Dr. Carl Berg read from the podium in the front of his and William's lab. "Not only will a Doberman Pinscher be an inconspicuous weapon, they should be fairly easy to control. Dogs are trainable and are highly intelligent creatures who are capable of understanding and remembering multiple commands."

"Indeed," Albert said, attempting to sound interested. He wrote dog next to Berg's name on the notepad in front of him. "How do you plan on proceeding?"

"I know the Raccoon City Police Department has a K-9 training unit that utilizes Dobermans," Berg replied. "I was hoping to establish a connection there and take some of the animals rejected from the program."

"Animals are rejected due to their inability to follow commands or maintaining self control," Albert pointed out. He paused for a moment. "This could either work in your favor or against you in a weapon. It all depends on how well you engineer the creature."

"Yes, Dr. Wesker," Berg nodded his head, cheeks a little flushed at his slight oversight.

"Dr. Birkin and I have a name for you to call at RPD," Albert said, remembering Officer Irons who pulled William over during the driving lesson some months ago. "He owes us a bit of a favor."

"Thank you Dr. Wesker," Berg said. He looked over to the person sitting directly to Albert's right and made a face. "…and Dr. Birkin."

Albert followed Berg's gaze and turned to look at William, pressing his lips into a hard line. His partner's head was bent so far low over his desk that Albert could only see his crop of dirty blond hair. The other boy was writing furiously on his own notepad and Albert could bet that none of the notes had anything to do with any of the presentations they've had today.

Albert cleared his throat and William's head snapped up. "That's great Doctor…"

"Berg," Albert hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

"Berg," William finished, head going back to his notes.

The older blond resisted the urge to smack his partner upside the head. "We'll let you know."

Berg bowed slightly and backed out of their lab. The door had just barely closed when Albert swiveled his chair to face William full on.

"What did you think of that one?"

"Hmm?" William looked up again. "It sounded good."

"Do you know what his was about?"

William opened his mouth and closed it.

Albert sighed. "Do you know what any of them are about?"

"Someone suggested a plant, a frog, and a fly, " William rattled off, reading Albert's notes.

Albert rolled his eyes and turned away from William. "We have David Burnside next."

William scrunched his noise and looked at Albert's list. "Which one is he?"

"David Burnside, reddish brown hair, green eyes, enough freckles to accurately represent the population of Illinois."

Recognition still did not cross William's face. "Uh…sure."

Albert shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's a good thing you are salaried…"

"Doctors," Victoria walked in holding a clipboard. Her skirt swished around her legs as she walked and Albert found that he needed to remind himself to look at her face. "Doctor Burnside is ready for you."

"Perfect," Albert glanced over at William. "Are you going to pay attention to this one?"

"I have more important things to do besides help these rats," William insisted.

Albert was about to say something but Victoria cleared her throat. "Should I send him in?"

"Yes."

Victoria nodded and spun around to get Burnside. Her skirt swirled around again and Albert forced himself to look at William.

Albert raised his eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," William snapped, hiding his notes again.

"Touchy," Albert muttered, rolling his eyes.

The door opened again and Dr. Burnside walked in. "Hello Dr. Birkin and Dr. Wesker."

Albert grunted at the high-pitched tone of Burnside's voice. He never understood how a man in his early thirties sounded like a teenager whose voice was still in the middle of cracking. William didn't say anything as he was again scribbling away on his notes.

"So what do you have for us today, David," Albert asked once Burnside reached the podium.

"I have decided to propose a snake BOW," Burnside answered. "I plan on using a garden snake due to how common they are in most parts of the country. They would be easy to find, breed, and then mass produce them."

"You are assuming that the potential client would be attacking somewhere within the United States," Albert pointed out. "While garden snakes are quite common, they will stick out if the weapon is deployed in a place where garden snakes do not typically live."

Burnside nodded, his reddish-brown hair flopping forward with each movement. "I thought that we could eventually expand the type of snakes to include multiple species."

"That would take more funding as we do not know if snakes as a whole will react the same way or if their different genetic make-up will cause them to all react differently."

"Yeah," Burnside agreed. "I would hope that the project could expand."

"Don't we all," Albert wrote snake on his notepad and then put a check mark next to it. "Is there anything else you have in mind?"

"Not really."

"Well then, I guess we are done," Albert motioned to the door. "Good afternoon."

"Thank you, doctor."

Burnside exited the laboratory and Albert sighed. These presentations were only supposed to be five minutes but he was bored. No one had come up with a great idea that blew him away. He checked his watch and sighed again. Four more presentations to go.

"Have you thought any more about your prototype?" Albert asked William, looking over the other proposals.

It had been two days since they were presented with the other researchers' proposals for the BOW Spencer wanted for his new T-Virus. Though all the ideas would be effective, none of them stood out a revolutionary.

"Yup, I already figured out my project," William handed him a folder and sat back at the lab table. He plopped down in his chair, looking quite pleased.

"Already?" Albert tried to sound unaffected. He opened the project folder and began reading it. The proposal was fairly short and briefly outlined the use of reptiles as a base organism for the new weapon with small contributions of mammalian DNA. "The DNA of a mammal? What are you thinking?"

William gave him a crooked smile. "Human DNA."

Albert sighed and handed him back the proposal. "Spencer is not going to approve that."

"Then what are your plans for the weapon?"

Albert put on a blank face and stared at him. In all honesty, he really didn't have any ideas on what to make of the project. He figured he would just pick some predatory animal that the others hadn't picked yet. Sure, it was nothing special and was just like all the other proposals but Spencer was sure to approve of it. "Spencer has not approved any use of human test subjects besides the Trevor specimen. We cannot just do as we please and it is a waste of time to even suggest such a thing. It makes more sense to use the resources we do have and work from there."

"That woman is so full of viruses it would be difficult to come up with a clean result using her DNA," William rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "I've been telling you for quite some time that we can't even hope to understand the T-Virus's full potential until we have experimented on humans. And I wasn't necessarily talking about actual humans, just fertilized human eggs."

"Fertilized human eggs?"

"I was thinking that if we injected the fertilized eggs with the genetic codes of reptiles and the T-Virus we could grow something and groom it into the perfect weapon."

"You're thinking about combining a fertilized human egg with reptilian genetic codes," Albert repeated, staring at the younger scientist over the edge of his glasses. "You didn't exactly outline any of this in your report. According to that, you're injecting a reptilian egg with human genetic codes."

"That's for...obvious reasons..." William said slowly. "I think it would be a great...surprise for Mr. Spencer if it works. If it doesn't, well, then he wouldn't know."

The older scientist considered this for a moment and realized that William might have actually come up with a solution to the problem. Human DNA would provide a valuable insight into the complexities of the T-Virus and when William's experiment was a success—which Albert was sure of because William was never wrong in these matters—it could prompt Spencer into giving them human test subjects for different experiments.

"So what are your plans for a prototype?"

Albert turned away from William and faced the papers on his desk, trying to hide the frustration that made its way across his face. "I'm working on it."

Albert paced up the main stairwell that led to the dining hall. He reached the top, grunted, spun around, and walked back down the stairs. It was five thirty in the morning and, while he would usually be waking up at this time, he didn't get any sleep that night. He spent hours lying awake, unable to get comfortable, trying to come up with a proposal for Spencer but didn't come up with anything. After two hours of staring at the ceiling, he gave up and dressed, hoping to clear his mind.

Nothing he came up with was any good. All his ideas sounded exactly the same as all the proposals made by the other scientists. He really wished he'd come up with Dr. Boufford and Dr. Adey's idea, which was to make an aquatic weapon with a large great white shark as the test subject.

While the mechanics and testing techniques were exactly the same, trying out an aqua based weapon hadn't crossed anyone's minds thus far. Using the shark would open up a whole new level of weaponry that could potentially bring in millions to the company.

It really shouldn't be this difficult for him to come up with something, he reasoned, reaching the bottom of the stairs. He turned around and began climbing back up them. Surely there was something he hadn't thought of yet...

He reached the top and started back down again. Perhaps he could convince William to partner with him? Doubtful. He knew William wanted this to be his grand project where he could get his name out there in the professional community. He would not be sharing the spotlight on this one.

The clock in the facility chimed six times and he sighed. Breakfast would be served by now and he hadn't eaten since dinner ten hours ago. His stomach growled and he took it as confirmation that he should go to the dining hall.

He entered the brightly lit dining hall, eyes skimming over the rows of tables and chairs, the few individuals who were up at this time, until they came to rest on Victoria. She was sitting alone at a table in the corner, her back towards him. While he always knew that she arrived before he and William to breakfast, he did not know that she got up this early, especially since she did not live in the dormitories like some of the other scientists.

Since her back was toward him, he glanced in the window for a quick once over on his reflection. He was dressed in a black slacks and a fitted black button-up that he left open at the top. The blond hair was hanging perfectly around his face and his signature smirk across his face perfectly finished off the look. Albert wasn't entirely sure why seeing Victoria warranted concern over his appearance but this had become a new routine for him.

Once he grabbed his usual breakfast of eggs and pancakes, Albert sat down across the small table from her. Victoria looked up when he sat down, her green eyes meeting his for a brief moment, and then she went back to playing with a small glass jar. She rolled it across the table to one hand before sending it back to the other. When Albert looked closer, he could see something small being tossed around in the jar. "What is that?"

"It is a web spinner," Victoria responded. She switched the position of the jar so that it was facing Albert. With a quick flick of her wrist, she sent the jar rolling to the scientist in front of her. "I found it in the entry hall."

Albert caught the jar in his lap then held it up. The spider was about as big as a dime and it scampered all around the jar. He supposed it wasn't happy by the constant spinning Victoria had subjected it to. "Why do you have it?"

"I wondered what effect, if any, the T-Virus would have on it," Victoria explained, folding her hands on the table in front of her. "You and Will have been talking about that project Spencer gave you and I thought you could use the spider as a base organism. Web spinners are quite poisonous and perhaps the T-Virus could make more powerful as a bio-weapon."

Albert nodded his head and placed the jar upright between them. He continued to watch the spider move about its current holding space, fascinated by how frantically it moved around the jar. Once Albert grew bored of watching the small creature, he refocused his attention on his companion. "What made you think of a spider?"

"Doctor Adey, actually," Victoria admitted. "When she and Doctor Boufford were discussing their shark proposal, she mentioned that she chose the shark because it is what scares her the most. I thought about other common phobias and arachnophobia is the most obvious. Not only would you be able to kill the target, but you could strike an untold amount of fear in them."

Albert raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Cruel, but I like the idea."

"Just trying to help," Victoria responded.

The conversation died and both went back to eating their meal.

"You're up early today," Victoria commented once she finished her eggs.

"Couldn't sleep," Albert answered. She tilted her head to the side so he continued. "I was thinking about the new T-Virus project."

"Ah," Victoria leaned in closer to him. "William still keeping his project to himself?"

Albert grimaced. "Yes."

Victoria nodded her head slowly. "Do you know what it is?"

"Yeah," Albert said, moving his pancakes around his plate. "He's going to test on human eggs and use reptile DNA."

Victoria frowned. "That's not legal."

"That's what I said," Albert took a bite of food. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "I think Spencer would approve it."

"He would," Victoria agreed. "He does not necessarily care if his company goes by the books so long as no one blows the whistle on them."

Albert grunted. "Indeed."

They went back to eating their food.

"Anyway, if you chose not to use the spider, I'd like to submit it myself."

"Only people with doctorates are allowed to submit projects."

Victoria nodded her head slowly, lowering her gaze. "I figured as much but I thought I'd ask."

Albert cocked his head to the side. "Why don't you have a PhD?"

"What do you mean?" Victoria asked, even though Albert could tell she knew exactly what he was asking.

"You're smart. Not to the level that William or I are at but you are just as smart as the rest of the scientists here. You're detail oriented and have enough patience, as demonstrated by how you can deal with William's lack of organization. Your ideas are good."

"That's the first time I've ever heard you compliment someone," Victoria said dryly.

"When it brings me closer to my goal, I am willing to act of out character."

Victoria sighed. "It's complicated."

"And?"

"I didn't finish school and left Johns Hopkins my third year. In order to be hired as a researcher you need to finish at least your bachelor's."

Albert raised an eyebrow. This story was much more interesting then he initially thought. "Saying something is complicated means it does not exactly follow the proper channels. You know someone inside?"

"No," Victoria shifted her weight.

"Sleep with someone?"

Anger and pain flashed across Victoria's face. "No." Her voice was deadly calm but Albert could tell she was working very hard to control it. She stood up and pushed her chair in before grabbing her bag and shoving the jar into it. "I have work in my office." She spun on her heel and marched away from Albert, not looking back.

Albert watched her exit the dining hall, slamming the door as she left. He pursed his lips into a line. Clearly he had pushed a sensitive button and yet…Albert frowned. What was he feeling? Remorse for upsetting her? He pushed the thought from his head. No, he was Albert Wesker. He did not feel remorse.

But here he was, feeling bad about upsetting her. He blew out a deep breath through his nose. Apparently she was the second person he could not stand to see in pain. William and Victoria, he thought to himself, both of you are going to be the death of me.

Finally he made up his mind. Once he bused his dishes, he exited the dining hall and made his way down the stairs towards the labs. He reached the main laboratory and started to head towards his office when a voice called out to him.

"Albert?"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Hello, Mark."

Johnson's head was peaking out of his office. "Are you looking for Victoria?"

Albert paused. "Yes."

"She's in here," Johnson said, stepping out. He motioned Albert in. "My office is more private."

Albert raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Ok."

The blond cautiously walked the opposite direction of his office to Johnson's. Before going in, Johnson placed a hand on his shoulder and made sure to look Albert in the eye. "I know it is not necessarily your strongest point, but please be gentle."

Albert nodded, unsure of what Johnson was talking about. "Yes."

Johnson still looked uncertain but allowed him to pass.

Albert entered Johnson's office and closed the door behind it. It was a good-sized room off to the side of the main lab. He had a desk, bookshelves with literature books, and a couch that looked like it once belonged to his mother. His bookshelves and desk were covered with pictures of Rose, Annette, and Johnson's other daughter, Vanessa. All of them were vacation pictures or shots of various graduations.

Victoria was standing in the middle of the office, arms crossed over her chest.

Albert pressed his lips into a line again. Apologizing wasn't his style so he thought for a moment. "I was not trying to be crude."

"I know." Victoria said quietly.

A heavy silence filled the room.

"I was a biology student at Johns Hopkins university," Victoria explained suddenly, her voice emotionless. "I was going the medical route. In my third year, one of my professors asked me to discuss a lab report with him in his office. While there he assaulted me. I fell into depression and failed my classes, resulting in my expulsion. When he found out, my professor said that he knew someone that could get me a job at Umbrella so long as I do not go to the police or report the attack. At the time, I was too ashamed to admit what happened so I agreed and began working under Dr. Johnson as a full time assistant."

Albert didn't know what he was expecting but it definitely wasn't that. "I see."

"With my expulsion, I figured I'd never get a good job or get back into a good school," Victoria's voice was still dead. "I took the job so that I didn't go through what he did to me for nothing."

Albert remained quiet. It seemed that everyone at Umbrella had a story, something that made them dark but that was necessary. The work they did was not always legal and it took a certain type of person to turn a blind eye without feeling guilty. Everyone had some kind of past, and that was hers. "How long ago?"

"Four years ago," Victoria replied. "Five this November."

What was the appropriate thing to say in this situation? Albert thought about saying "I'm sorry" but that did not seem fitting. He figured normal people with normal emotions would know what to say but here he was, at a total loss for words.

"Anyway," Victoria said, her voice returning to normal. "Now you know."

The summer months passed slowly with focus on creating massive amounts of the T-Virus as well as continuing experiments on the Trevor specimen.

William was particularly anxious for the outcome of his precious new project. He moved his desk so that it was closer to the phone, anxiously awaiting Spencer's call. On top of that, all he talked about was the potential of the T-Virus using human DNA and Albert was getting tired of his obsession. But, Albert thought somewhere in the back of his mind, with William focusing on his T-Virus project, he was not focusing on Victoria.

Albert submitted the web spinner project under both his and Victoria's name, though making sure to hide it from William. Though he didn't think the project would get more notoriety then William's, he felt that he could still make adjustments to the project to make it more interesting then just a spider with the T-Virus.

It was midway through August when Johnson came into their lab, making sure to close the door behind him. "Good afternoon gentlemen."

"Afternoon," William said, not looking up.

"What are you both up to?" Johnson asked cheerily, stepping up next to Albert's lab station.

"Updating all the system's files on the Trevor specimen," Albert answered as he tossed another file to the side. "Not much has changed."

"Well that tends to be the case with the Trevor specimen," Johnson produced a large manila envelope from his lab coat. "I have something I think you both want to see."

William spun around in his chair and his blue eyes went wide. "Is that what I think it is?"

Johnson smiled, a smile that a father has before giving his children the perfect present. "We will just have to open it won't we?"

William dashed across the room to Johnson's side, eyes still wide with excitement.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Johnson asked, handing him the envelope.

William didn't even respond. He snatched the envelope out of Johnson's hands and started ripping it open. He dropped the shredded remains of the envelope on the floor and began furiously reading the letter inside.

"Well?" Albert asked after a few seconds of silence.

"He approved mine," William said breathlessly. "He approved it!"

"Congratulations!" Johnson said, clapping the younger scientist on the back.

"He approved everyone's," William continued reading the document. "We are to start testing tomorrow!"

Hope everyone enjoyed my update :) Please review and follow!