Chapter Twenty Six
The group raced to the end of the hall and up the stairs. Peter's mutated form glided along the concrete floor following closely behind.
"Hurry it up!" Page shouted from behind. Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of Ashford's body closing in.
Hernandez swung open the metal door, as best he could, and came rushing into the blinding raises of the sun. He shielded his eyes as everyone else ran out onto the roof. Page slammed the door shut immediately. The two looked for an object to bolt the door but there was nothing.
"What now?" Hernandez shouted as he propped his body against the steel of the door.
"I've taken the necessary precautions!" Page shouted.
"What does that mean?" The Lieutenant shouted.
"We should be expecting help soon!" She said. Tripper looked at Arynn and she looked at Hernandez. All three were weary of anymore surprises. Arynn hoped that what Page was saying was true.
"The brigade?" Daniel asked.
"No," Page answered. "Friends from London." Page said.
The group dispersed as Arynn looked around for another escape route. Tripper followed her. Page and Hernandez kept the door shut as Peter's body rammed against the solid metal door.
"Where is that chopper?" Hernandez shouted through clinched teeth.
"Not sure!" Page yelled back. "Half an hour?"
Arynn continued to hold onto Adam as she glanced around. There were various heights of treetops and neighboring buildings from where she stood. A tall cathedral made out the British skyline while office buildings and government structures contributed to the metropolitan horizon. Whatever city she was in; there was something strikingly familiar about it that reminded her of Raccoon City. Arynn couldn't hear the familiar sounds of automobiles passing each other from below or trains roaring along on old railroad tracks. There was something odd about the silence of the city. She could not hear anymore screams of survivors or groans and howls of the undead. It was as if the city had taken its last breath and died a quiet death.
"We can't stand here forever!" Page shouted.
"Arynn!" Hernandez said. Arynn turned and looked at the soldier. "We gotta do something!" He shouted.
Arynn stood quiet. She had an idea but she wasn't sure if it would work. "Open the door." She said.
Page looked at Hernandez and they both looked at Arynn bewildered.
"Are you out of your mind?" Page shouted.
"Daniel, get Adam and hide." Arynn said. "Page go with them."
"I can't believe this!" Page shouted as Arynn let go of Adam and the boy went running to Hernandez.
"Just do it!" Arynn shouted back.
The soldier and the young woman got from up off the door and immediately hid behind the entrance. Peter's body burst through and landed solidly in front of Arynn.
"Arynn…" Peter hissed as he collected himself into his human form again.
Arynn stood still. She was not sure of the next step to take. She looked at her side and Tripper nodded to her. Without words, they knew what had to be done. They tried unsuccessfully to destroy Peter back in the old lab and now here they were again facing the creature that no longer was the acclaimed researcher.
"Where is the boy?" Peter questioned.
"He's safe." Arynn sternly replied.
Peter grabbed Arynn by the arm and held her close to his face. "Don't lie to me, Arynn. I can smell him."
Arynn took out her knife and sliced Peter's neck clear from side to side. The creature let out a blood-curdling scream as black substance and clear fluid flowed from the wound. Arynn jumped from his grasp and back down to the concrete. She looked around for a last minute weapon but there was nothing. It was all up to her. A hunched over Peter instantly stood back up. The wound had already healed.
"I need your blood, Arynn." Peter hissed as he drew closer. Arynn started to back away.
"Why," she replied.
"You come from a line of viable hosts, Arynn." Peter started, "Your rare blood type was just what we needed."
"-for what?" Arynn demanded.
Peter took a step towards her, "We needed a host whose blood carried the ancient strand—a strand that our ancestors developed to fight off the first virus." Peter stopped and took in the fresh air. He then stared straight into Arynn's eyes. "My uncle did the research, Arynn. He found that only a handful of individuals still carried the strand. Type O negative with this O-H strand is very hard to find. The Residvius family line was one of the last potent genealogical lines in the world. We were lucky to find Nathaniel when we did."
Arynn's eyes opened wide as she thought back to the documents and various folders she tapped into back at Raccoon on Sabriel. He had been human once. He had a family and a life before Umbrella took it away. He was her grandfather and Umbrella sucked the life out of him.
"I have one question…" she stated and Peter smiled. "And just answer me truthfully. That's all I ask."
"I'm listening..." Peter replied.
"Nathaniel Residvius…" Arynn began, "He worked for Umbrella and became a lab rat in your uncle's dream of creating a virus that could destroy other viruses." Arynn took a sigh. "I understand why you used him. But why didn't you just perfect him?"
"According to my uncle, Nathan volunteered to be the first. He developed a tolerance to the virus and it somehow became a part of his genetic make-up. My uncle tried to reverse the process but it was too late. So he monitored his reactions to injections of some of the more fatal diseases known to man. His blood resisted each and every one of them. To my uncle, he was a medical miracle and a success. To Spencer, he was a modern marvel and Spencer wanted to create a formula that could produce more people like Nathan. Spencer wanted to create an army capable of resisting biological warfare. He wanted something that he could sell to the military."
Arynn slowly looked at Tripper and remembered what he said about Peter experimenting on both he and Page.
"What about Page and Joe?" Arynn asked.
"What about them?" Peter said slyly.
"I thought I was what you needed."
"Yes, you always have been." Peter started. "But I needed to make sure I could count on you. Enter Joesph and Page. In the beginning, they were supposed to be my assistants but they started to develop the same characteristics that you showed when my uncle experimented on your mother." Peter paused and looked out at the skyline. "Naturally, the company wanted to end my research—citing my work as waste of funds and failured results —well they were wrong."
Tripper looked passed Peter and saw Page and Hernandez watching earnestly. The tension between the Lead Commando and Peter was becoming unbearable as the researcher discussed his intentions for him and Arynn.
"My great-uncle, Edward was the one who opened my eyes to genetic research and how we could use the progenitor virus to effectively eliminate other viruses and save people." Peter continued, "But it was my uncle, Alexander who initially taught me how to combine the progenitor with other viruses to make a superior virus. I appreciate them for helping me understand genetics, but there was one thing that they both failed miserably in…" Peter said.
"And, what was that?" Arynn asked.
"They couldn't keep their experiments from dying."
"Okay so what about Sabriel?" Arynn asked, "He's the only tyrant that didn't become a total freak."
"Yes, that's true, "Peter sighed, "But he will. And when he does, there will be no stopping him. That's why Umbrella wanted him terminated."
"So why keep him alive, then?" Arynn questioned, trying to keep a certain amount of distance away from the infected man.
"Well isn't it obvious?" Peter asked as he stepped closer to her. Arynn narrowed her eyes, watching the ex-researcher caress her with his own eyes. Tripper clinched his fists. "I needed him to get to you…"
Peter turned back around from Arynn and folded his arms behind his back as he paced the concrete.
"I knew that you were going to look for answers as to why you didn't turn zombie in Raccoon, so I made sure that you'd stumble into finding Sabriel. And once I released him, I knew he would lead me to you." Peter stopped and looked at Arynn, "And my hunch was right…"
Arynn looked away. She couldn't bear the thought of what Umbrella would do to Sabriel. She turned back to Peter, agitated and annoyed with the situation.
"Then tell me where the boy is and I'll tell you everything." The ex-researcher slowly said.
"You are a monster," Arynn whispered enraged.
"You made me this way." The man replied.
"I made you this way?" Arynn cried out, "I didn't ask to be saved!" She said as she thought back to when the two first encountered each other. Peter had saved her from some gandharvas.
"I needed you to live. I needed you to incubate." Peter said.
"What?" Arynn asked.
"The 'growth' should've provided Harving's team with enough cells to create others…" The researcher said.
Arynn thought about the abnormal 'growth' removed from her stomach when she first arrived. It was hard to believe, it housed eggs that would lead to producing stalkers.
"There are so many things that you do not know about yourself." Peter said.
As Arynn stalled the mutated researcher, she saw out of the corner of her eye, Hernandez holding onto Adam. The boy looked agitated.
"Who would've known that your blood could keep my mutation stable? Arynn, I thought I didn't need you anymore but now I find that I do." Peter said.
Peter let out his hand and showed Arynn the disfigurement of his fingers and the protrusion of veins underneath. "Arynn, in life there are things that you have to understand. A virus is needed to regulate the populace. A host is needed to create the virus and a carrier is needed to keep the virus spreading. Once the virus has run its course, only then can the carrier be destroyed."
"So what are you trying to tell me?" the woman asked as the ex-researcher touched her shoulder.
"You are the host and the carrier, Arynn. But who would've known that you'd evolve into the cure?"
"Why not just end it here?" Arynn shouted, "You've put me through enough hell. Do you know what it feels like to have your whole family taken from you? To be told that the place you once loved and grew up in was all a lie and a cover-up for some Frankenstein corporation bent on playing God?"
Peter looked away with a smirk.
"For the last 5 years, I have been waiting for the moment to kill off every last one of you." Arynn continued, "You f**ing so-called researchers who think that they can mold and create humans. What you people are doing here is an atrocity!"
Peter looked up and saw that Arynn was staring at him. A twisted look had formed on the woman's face as she got close to the man.
"I may not be able to stop the outbreak here but I sure's as hell will stop you from continuing your work."
"Give me what I need and I will stop the virus from spreading," Peter said. "Just give me Adam and I'll give you what you've been waiting for…"
Arynn ignored the man as she continued to back away towards the edge of the rooftop. She saw Hernandez and Page. They faced Peter's back. He didn't notice that they were there. The four ran around to the entrance of the rooftop door and peered around the corner to watch Arynn and Peter.
"Do not touch me." Arynn sternly said as she neared the edge of the concrete.
"Arynn, what are you doing?" Tripper asked as he watched the woman step closer to the edge.
Peter stopped and stood his ground. "If you will not give me the boy then I will have to get him myself." He replied.
His tentacle reached clear around the roof entrance door and dragged Page out into the open. He wrapped his protruding arm around her neck squeezing it hard and tight. She screamed as Peter brought her over and dropped her before the woman.
"Get me Adam!" he yelled towards her. Arynn narrowed her eyes as she watched Page stand up and take out her gun. She tried to aim towards the man but he instantly grabbed the weapon and flung it over the roof. "Do not forget who you work for!" he yelled.
Page turned her head towards the roof entrance and called for Hernandez.
"Don't!" Arynn shouted against her wishes. "Hernandez get out of here!" she demanded.
The door opened and Arynn could see the soldier pulling the young boy into the doorway. Peter immediately reached for the two. Page jumped onto the man's arm trying to distract him.
"Eddie, take them and get out of here!" She shouted. Hernandez limped towards the door to the stairs while Daniel led Adam down the stairs. The soldier reached out to close the door. Peter's tentacle arm struggled to get free of Page while his other arm lashed out to open the door. Arynn immediately sliced his tentacle and the man screamed.
Arynn could hear a loud sound coming from somewhere in the distance. She looked at Tripper and he narrowed his eyes. Suddenly he ran for Peter and pushed the mutated man toward the edge of the roof. With as much strength as his legs to carry he rammed the man clear off the side of roof. Arynn's eyes widened she watched Peter's body fly over the edge. Tripper collapsed to the ground as he tried to catch his breath. Just as he was about to get up, Peter's tentacle flew up midair and latched itself onto the soldier's leg, bringing him down and dragging him to the edge. Arynn leaped down to catch the soldier's hand. She got him and started to pull him back.
Page helped her retrieve the man. They looked in horror as Peter's body lunged up from the side of the building landing between them. His human form grabbed Tripper by the neck and threw the man over to the other side of the roof. Arynn gasped as the soldier fell unconscious from the abrupt impact. It was just her and Page for now.
"What do you want!" Arynn screamed as she and Page backed away from the man.
"You know what I want." Peter said as his lowered his tone to the women. "It's always been you, Arynn."
"What about Adam?" She asked.
"He was created solely for your retrieval." The researcher added. "The boy was never meant to be of any use. Quick disposal."
Arynn swung out at the man and he caught her and twisted her around, locking her arm behind her back. His tongue slithered along the edge of her face as she closed her eyes.
Page looked away in disgust.
"Adam!" Peter shouted, his voice echoed throughout the lifeless air of the city. "Bring the soldier and his friend to me!"
Peter kept his grip tight on Arynn's arm and his other hand firmly around her neck. She could not escape him and feared the worse. To her horror, the door to the stairs flew off of it's hinges and Adam appeared from out of the darkness. He was completely translucent like his father. The virus had changed him into the very thing Arynn feared…the undead. Her hope was lost as the boy dragged Hernandez's struggling injured body out and Daniel. The boy stopped before his father and let go of the Lieutenant and the teenager.
"Adam, can you hear me?" Arynn quietly asked as she watched the boy turn to look at her.
"The virus has him," Peter said "There's nothing you can do for him."
Arynn looked away. She had failed the boy and she failed herself. Peter had won and she slumped her shoulders awaiting her fate.
"I'm going to consume you…" Peter whispered in her ear. "I will slowly devour your body and we will become one entity. We will become powerful, Arynn."
"I don't care what you do." Arynn said. "Just get it over with." She looked and saw that Tripper was struggling to get up. He was disoriented when he turned to see Peter's head rise up from his body as a water blob. It brought itself down towards Arynn's face.
The sound of revolving propellers was closing in and Arynn closed her eyes.
"No!" The Lead Commando shouted as he ran over. He started to punch at the monstrosity as it attempted to eat Arynn's body alive. "You can't have her!" The man shouted as he fought with all of his might.
Page joined kicking and punching Peter with such force that it sent the mutated man flying along the surface of the concrete.
"I've had just about enough of your diluted world!" Page shouted. She took out the Reaper Stalker serum again and filled it up with the rest of the vial. Tripper picked the man up by the face and let Page injected him in his neck.
The Lead Commando immediately threw the man to the floor and started kicking and punching him. Page picked up the man's arm breaking it in two while Tripper stood him up to. the mutated researcher was badly bruised.
"What is this?" Peter whispered. "What have you done to me?"
"All this time you thought you were invincible." Page said as she injected him again this time in his arms. "Once Arynn had given you the O anti-virus, I knew that we needed a more potent drug. Using your experimental Reaper Stalker strand, I knew it would make you virtually human."
Peter's eyes lit up as he thought back to underground jail cells under the Umbrella facility. He had trained Page under his wing, letting her into his world of science and evolution. He taught her what he could in hopes that she would make a fine replacement for Arynn but he never thought she would out wit him.
"You will regret this!" He snapped as he got out of Tripper's grasp and stumbled towards the center of the roof. Arynn, Page and the Lead Commando watched the weakened man struggle to stay on his feet.
"Daddy!" Adam's corrupted voice called. Arynn and Peter both looked to find the boy standing still in his transculscent form. He started to convulse like he did back in the underground chambers of the medical facility. Arynn came to the boy immediately and grabbed him before his body gave out.
"I got you. I got you," She whispered as she clutched the boy in her arms. He struggled to breath as he took his mother's hand tightly.
"I'm sorry, mommy." The boy said as he caressed his mother's face.
"Don't be," She sobbed. "You did what you were told."
"What's gonna happen?" He asked as he scrunched eyebrows.
"You're gonna go away."
"Where?" Adam lightly demanded. Arynn sighed and put her head on her son's head. She did not want to answer his question.
"You're gonna go somewhere safe. Somewhere I can't go."
The boy wiped a tear from Arynn's eyes and his breath became light and distant, just like his gaze.
"Okay." Adam sighed.
"I'll miss you." Arynn said as she watched a smile form on the boy's face. His eyes closed and his tense body relaxed against hers. Arynn huddled into herself as she continued to hold his lifeless body. She did not want to let go. She did not want to let her dream of being happy fade. She cried aloud and held the boy tightly.
Tripper and Page watched quietly as they held back their emotions over Arynn's loss. Tripper looked slowly to Ashford and saw for the first time doubt in the man's eyes and remorse. Was it possible that underneath that cold liquidity mass the mutated man still had a functioning heart? Tripper did not care to answer the question. All he wanted to do was see Ashford dead.
Arynn laid the boy gently on the concrete and watched as his body disintegrated into the hot surface. She held herself and thought about Adam's innocent eyes. Though he was manufactured, he was human and deserved a human life. She turned towards Peter and slowly approached him. Tripper and Page watched silently.
"You may have killed my family and destroyed my city," Arynn started as she walked around the weakened mutate, keeping a firm eye on him. "But you have not eradicated my hatred for you or your false company. I will hunt down everyone one of you sons of bitches and make sure fuckers like you never get your hands on the virus and start this bullshit all over again."
She came in closer to the man and watched him wobble. A twisted look formed on her face almost scaring the man.
"Look at you," She said. "You're pathetic."
"No, you're the one who's pathetic." Peter said. "I had to give you a son to keep you from taking your own life. I had to clone myself to give you what you wanted."
"What?" She whispered.
"Adam..." He said. "Did you think he was really yours?" Peter questioned as he coughed out clumps of blood and wiped away the putrid smell. Arynn looked down at the blood watching it simmer under the heat of the sun.
"All this time..." Arynn muttered. "You made me think..."
"No, I gave you what you wanted. I made you happy." Peter groaned as he grabbed his side. "One big happy family..."
Arynn took out her knife as she stepped inches away from the injured man. She thought about Adam and his failed existence. She thought about what he would've became had Peter let him be. He would've been normal, or at least normal in Arynn's eyes. He would have been Arynn's miracle and source of living. But now there was nothing left but a dying researcher and her wretched life. What was there to live for now? Arynn tilted her head and started hard into Peter's eyes.
"You know what, Peter?" She started as she grabbed the man's neck, "I made a promise to kill you and I'm going to keep that promise," Arynn said.
The helicopter was now a few yards away from the building and freedom was an ounce away. Tripper hurried to help Hernandez to his feet and Daniel to the of the middle of the building.
"You don't have the guts," Peter said fighting back her words. Blood dripped from his mouth and his eyes were red from the ruptured blood vessels in his sockets. She twisted the man's neck and severed his head clear off of his spinal cord. Peter's head rolled slightly stopping next to his shoulders. It let out a small sigh. Immediately his body began to disintegrate and formed a puddle of human remains.
Arynn put away her knife and lifted her head to the sky. She took in the air and exhaled. She felt relieved but tired. Although she stopped probably one of the last scientists under Umbrella's reign of terror, she still had to destroy what Umbrella left behind…the outbreak. Arynn glanced down at the vial before she put it away and noticed the multi-colored polygon symbol. It was the same symbol on some of the doors in the hospital and on the gun that she had carried. Tricell, Arynn said to herself. Now that she knew what it meant, she would have to put an end to whatever Umbrella handed over to the rival company. That meant putting an end to all that Tricell had it's greedy hands in.
"Arynn!" Tripper called as he grabbed hold of the rope ladder thrown down by the co-pilot. "Let's go!" The soldier shouted.
Arynn paused at the city skyline and then climbed onto the ladder with Tripper taking up the rear.
As the helicopter rose into the air and turned to face the late afternoon sun, Arynn sat down next to Tripper and put her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead and the two watched the skyscrapers pass under them.
"What a ride." Hernandez said with a sigh. He looked at Page with an assured smile and she nodded. "Where to?" He asked her.
"Anywhere but here," Arynn called. Hernandez laughed.
"London has called for drastic measures." Page said. "They're gonna nuke this place."
Arynn looked at Tripper. She did not want this city to succumb to the same fate as Raccoon City but she knew it had to be done. As the two watched the city disappear into the distance, Arynn began to cry softly. Tripper looked down at her and embraced her.
"I'm sorry about Adam..." He whispered. Arynn shook her head slowly.
"No, it's not that." She sighed. "I failed."
"What do you mean?" Tripper questioned.
"I never wanted to bring it here and let this place end up like Raccoon City."
"That was not your fault."
"Yes, it was." She said as she turned and looked at the man. "Just promise me, when the time's right, burn my remains. Don't let anyone take a sample of it."
Tripper looked into Arynn's eyes and saw a seriousness that he had not seen before. She was right. He had to do the right thing and make sure the nightmare did not spread to the rest of the world. Although he cared for her more than he cared for his self, he had to be rational.
"When the time comes." He said. "You have my word."
She looked away and watched the trees pass underneath the copter. Peter Ashford may have died but was the threat of another outbreak over? Arynn dared not to answer...