Chapter 7
Tricell facilities were state of the art, both in structure and in purpose. Crow usually preferred to stay out of the laboratory and research areas, but today was a different matter. He didn't care much for the spotless rooms of tile and stainless steel; that was more Excella's and Wesker's taste. They were boring, usually quiet with only the sound of instruments and glass coming into contact. Maybe he could have appreciated it more if he had Wesker's scientific mind.
Instead of the usual boring work, however, he had something to keep him entertained, namely, an infuriated Excella.
"What do you mean you can't find her!
The screech was even louder than normal due to the confined walls of the lab. The person on the receiving end of her verbal assault, a French woman that Crow figured was one of Tricell's security officers, flinched as Excella glared at her. "I'm sorry, Mademoiselle Gionne, but we have been unable to locate Ada Wong as you requested."
"Useless, every last one of you! How much has my company paid for your services? I expected better from former Commandement!"
"Perhaps…if you would give us permission to access government databases?" the woman asked meekly. "Our current resources are so limited. We might be able to-"
"And have a dozen countries descend on my company when they discover our operations?" she interrupted with an indignant hiss. "You stupid cow, I told you that there is to be no confrontation with government!"
Crow sat back and watched the whole spectacle comfortably from a lab stool. While it was a pleasure to see Excella so beautifully furious, he couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the other woman. She was just pushing middle-aged, with blond hair in a chic, yet strong, masculine cut. Her solid build, and the fact that Excella referred to her as former French special forces, spoke volumes of her experienced. She was dressed in a formal business suit, tan and striped black. Maybe a little old for his taste, but nonetheless a woman who looked like she knew how to maintain herself in more than one way.
The harsh reprimands continued endlessly, highlighting both her failures and uselessness to the company, and every so often Excella would switch back to her native Italian to let out a string of frustrated curses. The French woman actually winced as she leaned forward, yelling into her face with a jab of her fingers.
"Andate tutti a 'fanculo! Now get out of my sight!" she roared, and then spun away on her dress heels. The French woman remained frozen in place, still reeling from the effects of the assault, slowly backed away, then quickly left the lab.
Excella stalked back to her work station where he sat smiling. "I told you trying to track down Miss Wong wouldn't work."
Her face turned snake-like, green eyes glittering as she glared at him and bared her teeth. Crow submitted with another smile, accepting the fact that she was angry, but letting her know just how right he was all along. To an independent and haughty woman like Excella, that was punishment enough.
"You think this is funny?" she asked tightly.
"I'm sorry, my dear," he apologized quickly, getting up from his stool. He moved behind her, placing his hands onto her shoulders and lightly massaged them. "I shouldn't be so blunt. I realize what a situation this is for you, but why tax yourself needlessly over Ada Wong? The 343s performed marvelously in the field, and your work nearly brought the Americans to their knees. We should be celebrating the victory!"
The white labcoat over her dress was stiff and pressed under his hands, smelling of starch that mixed with other chemical smells from the lab. He much preferred the feel of the silk she wore beneath it; its skirt was so short that the hem of the coat nearly passed it.
Excella scoffed, but relaxed marginally under his hands. "I'm scrapping the entire line. Mindless brutes…Most were barely able to control themselves and attack the correct targets. I don't have need for such lack of subtlety. Had they been organized, Graham would have been dead." She sighed in frustration and shrugged his hands off. "And now this brutta is running around and I'm surrounded by incompetent fools! I paid for the best, and they still can't find her? If my captain wasn't so tightly tied to the public, I would turn her useless body into a test subject."
"Start thinking like that, and you'll end up just like Umbrella," he said, then cocked his head as an idea came to him. "Perhaps you've been overworking? You put a lot of time into the 343 series. Why not take a small vacation and do some traveling? I know a few places that are absolutely gorgeous this time of the year. It may help to get away from the rest of the world's noise."
"The idea sounds tempting," she replied, but he picked up a trace of sarcasm in her voice. "But I don't need a vacation. What I need is to strangle Ada Wong with my own hands." She made a show of squeezing her hands together, an oddly animated gesture coming from her. "Oh, the misery I will put her through when I find her…"
"Ada Wong can't be found because she doesn't wish to be found," a third voice chimed in.
Crow glanced over his shoulder. During Excella's hissy fit, Wesker had been brooding quietly at a workstation, mixing chemicals with his back turned to them, only now had he stopped. Crow saw his sunglasses in his hand, and he was rubbing at his eyes. Whether in fatigue or frustration he didn't know; he usually showed neither. The tone of his voice suggested that they had both missed something blatantly obvious, which sent a set off a ping of irritation in him, but Excella beat him to it.
"Oh, clearly, Albert," she snorted. "I never dreamed the brutta would want to try and hide after all the trouble she has caused. In fact, I was hoping she would turn herself in so I could execute her myself."
Crow folded his arms and ignored Excella sarcasm. She was venting frustration on anything that breathed. "Normally you don't spout off obvious facts without some purpose, Albert. I assume you're going somewhere with this?"
Wesker shifted on his stool, turning away from his neatly organized work, but not before replacing his glasses. Excella had yet to see the red cat irises that lurked behind the lenses. "That's just what it is: a fact. You can't find something that doesn't want to be found." He leaned back with a smooth casualness, as if talking about tomorrow's weather, tucking the tail of his labcoat back. Beneath it he wore a dark suit and tie, similar to Crow's own attire, but not of the high designer fashion.
"Debatable," Crow argued. "I can think of a number of times when someone or something didn't want to be found, yet I still found it, but that's beside the point. You're saying we can't find Ada because she is too good at hiding, and I'm inclined to agree, which is why I suggest we leave her to her own devices. She can't do anything to Tricell at this point, since she doesn't know we've taken shelter with them. At the same time, we can't commit to a world-wide man hunt for her."
"Also debatable," Wesker countered with a grin. "You, above all people in the organization, valued security and secrecy above all else. Ada has already proven her capabilities in her last attack. Whether you care to admit it or not, she is looking for us, and she wants blood. Out of all the threats we face, she is the most dangerous, because she knows firsthand our resources and capabilities as individuals. Everyone else feels safety through ignorance."
"Well, as you so kindly put, she doesn't want to be found," Excella said. She sneered at him and leaned forward slightly, hands on her hips. It was one of her most condescending poses, and she was directing it at Wesker. "Are you suggesting we just let her continue terrorizing my company?"
Wesker turned to her with that perpetual grin, completely unfazed. Combined with his sunglasses, it was an unreadable face, like he knew everything there was to know, including the knife about to plunge into your back. It dared you to turn around and look, but if you did, he might just be the one to stab you.
"Not at all. In fact, I supported your decision to eliminate Ada. Your methodology would have been one I considered, had I not known what I know about her. And may I make a correction, Miss Gionne? Tricell isn't your company yet."
"Oh, well thank you for the timely advice," she replied sarcastically with narrowed eyes. "I'm sure my accountants don't mind having to hide enormous amounts of money in the company payroll to fund private mercenaries."
"Then perhaps you would like some more advice, seeing as how your first attempt was unsuccessful?" Wesker asked mildly.
Excella's eyes widened as she swelled with anger. Crow bit his lower lip, bemused with Wesker's audacity. His expression hadn't changed, as if he hadn't infuriated one of the most powerful women in the world. Despite the cool exterior, he knew enough of his partner to know he had somewhat of a problem with grudges. Retaliating tit for tat, no matter how small, was just a way of keeping the karmic wheel in balance…
…and a way to keep Excella in her place. Oddly enough, they had gotten along just fine, and this spat was unusual.
Probably brought on by her own frustration and temper. Definitely not something the board of directors would like to see run the company.
Amazingly, Excella exhaled hard and shot a glare to the side. "I'm listening," she spat in a very reluctant submission.
"Tell me, Miss Gionne, how do you think Ada Wong operates?" Wesker asked patiently.
Excella considered her thoughts for a moment. "She works alone. She has resources, but after being cut from you, she has less. I gathered as much from the files you gave me."
"Yes," Wesker said with a nod. "However, I wouldn't deprive her of credit: she is very skilled in what she does, which makes her the problem that she is. She doesn't know who to attack, but whoever she does pays a very hefty price, one we've paid already. If it wasn't for Irving's unique ability to slip away at the last moment, I daresay we would have a problem."
"So she needs to be eliminated," she said, folding her arms impatiently. "We have already established this, and you know I don't like to be lead around, Albert. Now what are you implying?"
"She can't continuously attack every corporation on the globe by herself. She will try to gather information to strike precisely, which gives us a little time. Instead of trying to find Ada directly, find something she will go to that can easily be found," Wesker said. "Something that can be watched to wait for her presence, because she will need it to find us."
Perplexed at such an odd suggestion, Crow's brow furrowed. It wasn't unlike Wesker to be a little cryptic when he talked, and the way he phrased it, it sounded like he had things already planned out. What would Ada be looking for that would lead her to them? The entirety of the organizations database was in a location known only to the two of them. There wasn't anything else she could deliberately seek out.
Then it hit him.
"The American government," he realized, then grinned at his partner's cunning. "Leon Kennedy."
"Exactly. Ada has neither the resources nor the manpower to fight on her own. Yes, she can sabotage and slow us down, but eliminate us altogether? I think not. The American government wants her as much as we do, but she has a voice for herself in their ranks. Our last attack proved just how dire their situation is, and I think that very shortly they will hear from Ada."
"And what then?" Excella asked. "We've already attacked the Americans. If Tricell continues to push into their boundaries, they may suspect something.
"I agree, which is why you must be discreet. Otherwise, if she reaches the government first, everything she knows they will know, and instead of dealing with a single rogue agent, we will face an entire nation with far greater resources."
"As clever as that sounds, Albert," Crow said dismissively, "Why exactly would she voluntarily surrender herself to the Americans? In addition, why wouldn't she have tried to strike that kind of deal when they captured her in Prague? She would have had a better bargaining position then. Now, they'll likely just lock her up after the ruckus she caused on their home turf."
Wesker shrugged. "It was simple. Ada didn't know whether to continue to trust you or not. Her mind was made up about me, but until you sent her to eliminate Donovan, she held some shred of loyalty to you. By the time she realized we were both trying to kill her, the government was past negotiations."
All three of them fell silent for a minute, weighing the options that Wesker put out for them. Crow hated to admit it, but Ada was more of problem then he cared to admit. If only there was a way to sway her back to reason. Until that time, however, she was on her own, but he was more than confident in her ability to survive. In fact, the upcoming game of cat and mouse intrigued him.
"Well, Miss Gionne?" Wesker asked. "Crow and I are your humble guests in Tricell. What you wish to do with your funds is your choice, though I will admit that a task like this will be very expensive. We may have a few ideas for you as well, since the organization was formed for this sort of task."
Excella hmphed. "A small price to pay for an assurance of power, wouldn't you agree?" She considered Wesker for a moment…for too long a moment, in Crow's taste. "I suppose I owe you thanks, Albert. I never dreamed your mind could work in such surprising ways."
"I'm a very surprising person, Miss Gionne," was all Wesker replied.
Crow cleared his throat impatiently before the dialogue could encroach further into his territory. "Then I guess it's settled. We will lend our support in tailing the US government. Wesker and I can supply contacts, information, anything you desire."
At that moment, Excella's phone chirped on the lab table. She answered it with an irritated sigh. "Yes? Ugh, must you incessantly call me, Ricardo? What is it this time?"
She paced off with the phone glued to her ear. On the other end, Ricardo received a watered down punishment the security officer did. The call was more of an inconvenience than anything else, but Crow was beginning to get the distinction that she just enjoyed pushing him around. When her silence stretched for longer than usual, he glanced over to her. She was listening intently.
"I will contact you shortly," she said into it as she turned, then glanced to Wesker. "I will bring him with me." She snapped the phone close then once again looked at Wesker, thinking deeply. "Ricardo wishes to see me, Albert, and he asked that you accompany me as well…would you care to explain why?"
Wesker's face didn't change expression, but his silence lingered for a second longer than usual. "I'm afraid I have no reason, Miss Gionne, unless Irving supplied one."
"Then I suppose we will have to hear his reason when we meet him." She turned to Crow. "If you don't mind, darling, I wish to take care of this matter quickly, as it may hold quite a bit of significance to our plans."
"And would you care to fill me in as to what that call was about?" he asked casually.
She smiled, a little coldly for his taste. "Not just yet."
What a tease.
"Very well," sighed Crow. "In the meantime, I will start gathering my contacts and resources for your staff. I can assure you, if Albert's plan works, it will be the end of your worries of Ada Wong."
"I can't wait," she replied, then leaned into him and pecked his cheeks. That greeting and farewell always set his blood boiling to have her that close and lay her lips on him. "Ciao, darling."
Excella left with Wesker following leisurely after her. Now alone in the lab, Crow felt like something of a third wheel. But Wesker was always business before pleasure. He would have her back sooner than later, and he would find out what this cryptic development from Irving was. It was unlike Excella to play something so close to the chest, and the fact that Wesker had been requested was even stranger.
Whatever it is, I think things are going to get very interesting.