Chapter 14: TV98S/B

"So who long are you both staying here?"

Isaac wasn't necessarily a subtle man. He could be a sneak when he wanted, but when it came to dealing with someone he rather not, he laid his dislike on thick. He blamed it on the Spencer genetics.

Piper looked to him with a blank pair of blue eyes, her brows slowing furrowing as Isaac waited for her response. An angered sigh caught in her throat, her annoyance just bubbling at the surface just to be around her biological brother. Somehow, someway, Isaac knew how to push her buttons just right and how far. Every time she was around him, he always reminded her of…

"I'm not too sure," she finally replied. "Did you need Flynn and me out by a certain time?"

A smile of hidden meaning grew on Isaac's face, his hand rising to wave with little effort while he gave a small chuckle. He stood from his seat, striding for the exit of the lounge, needing to put space between him and his sister. As much as he hated to admit it, they were a little too much alike; personality and traits wise. At least Sheva had different tastes and interests so he could listen to her for long hours without growing bored. Also, Sheva wasn't hiding anything from him, Piper was.

"By no means am I trying to push you two out," he claimed, stopping to look back her. "School will be starting soon, therefore teachers, students, and staff will be arriving soon within the next month. If you can handle children running all around you and never having privacy, you are always welcome."

Piper's fake smile faltered. Children. She hated children with a passion. Doing her best to blow it over, she knew Isaac was trying to get on her nerves. She nodded at Isaac, saying a farewell as he departed to do whatever it was he did exactly.

One month. That's more time than what she needed. Things were moving faster than she expected and she was gaining trust from the one person she needed it from. She had one month to complete what she needed to. And by God, she was going to finish what she came here to do.

A small beeping brought Piper from her stupor, her eyes traveling to her wrist wrapped with a watch. The timer had gone off, reminding her it was time to feed Flynn his medication and no doubt he was probably in desperate need of it. In the last few days his condition had gotten progressively worse, his dependency on his medication increasing so much Piper almost feared she wouldn't have enough to last.

Piper stood as she shook her head, ridding herself of her worries. Unfortunately, Flynn's medication supply was a major worry she needed to consider, but there was so much more at hand. She just needed to keep Flynn stabilized long enough to finish what she needed and then the worry would be gone. She just needed time and luck. Two things that never seemed to be on her side.

With an anxiously tapping foot, Alyssa watched as the waitress with white hair and kind blue eyes set a plate of food in front of Chris. It was obvious he kept himself from digging in, probably to show some manners in front of his elder. Wanda, the waitress revealed her name, asked Alyssa one more time if she had changed her mind at all about having something to eat, but the younger woman shook her head politely and chose to stick with her coffee. Wanda nodded with a gentle smile and treaded to somewhere else in the quiet diner.

"M'kay, you can tell me now," Chris gave Alyssa permission.

Within ten minutes, Alyssa had arrived to Millie's Diner, but Chris chose to take his sweet time. He didn't show up until twenty minutes after she made it to the meet up location. He claimed there was traffic, but even in a busy city like this it didn't take long to get to a nearby diner. Alyssa knew he probably slept a while longer and then bothered to get his butt out of bed to meet her after her frantic call. When he did finally show up, he made her wait to tell him anything about the evidence from the investigation in the Spencer estate. He demanded food before she told him anything and Alyssa was holding on to dear life not to yell at the man.

"I haven't gotten any news about Alomar or Wesker, but evidence has appeared that has brought on a brand new lead. However, I'm not completely sure if this evidence will bring us closer to our missing peoples or if it's a whole other case." Alyssa paused to sigh. "Knowing Wesker, though, he always had some sort of tie with Spencer and if new evidence has shown up in one of the Spencer estates, Wesker is more than likely involved. My guess is that he's linked to what we found."

"And what did we find?" Chris asked with a bored expression, swallowing down a mouthful of food as he gestured with his fork impatiently for Alyssa to continue on.

"I'll spare you the anticipation and get to the big stuff," she murmured, gulping down coffee to give her a boost of energy. She needed it now more than ever. "We found two pairs of fingerprints at the Spencer mansion. Now they were recently made which makes it more confusing, but… One of the pairs we found belonged to Steve Burnside."

Alyssa jumped with surprise when Chris suddenly choked on his food, his boom of a cough having her jolt out of shock. Slamming a fist to his chest, he forced the food down the right pipe and chugged the whole glass of water that had been two thirds full. Once done, he stared at Alyssa with wide eyes, staring at her in disbelief.

"I know, I know. It sounds crazy but the evidence proves that those prints belonged to Burnside. They ran the prints five times. It's true."

Running his hands through his hair, Chris leaned down until his head touched the table. Alyssa grabbed the plate in front of him before he kissed his eggs. She could hear him breathing heavily, his back rising and falling while she was left waiting for any further reaction. It scared her a bit, to see him so shocked and so…not himself.

"Chris?" she called him. Laying a hand on his shoulder, she leaned down too and tried to get a look at him. "Are you all right?"

He rose suddenly, letting out a long and heavy breath as he looked around the diner, his eyes going back to Alyssa with a questioning stare.

"How…are you…what?" He began to shake his head sternly. "No. Nope. He can't be alive. I mean, the kid had a fucking axe holding him down! And he, you know…" Chris gestured with his hands over his body, signifying a larger physique, most likely Burnside's mutation. "Not after all what happened… He couldn't have survived all that, Alyssa."

"I'm not lying and neither is the evidence, Chris. Steve Burnside must be alive to make those fingerprints at the Spencer estate. He's alive," she reaffirmed. "I know it's hard to swallow and I know Claire was very much involved."

"Oh, God. Claire," he mumbled, hiding his face in his hands. How was he going to tell Claire?

"Look, it's seems impossible and like it's pushing us farther and farther away from finding Sheva and Wesker, but this might have gotten us closer to finding them. We are going to find Sheva and we'll delve more into what this whole Steve Burnside is, where he is, and what's happened to him. I just…I need you to stay calm and to help me with all of this. With you, we can find Sheva and Wesker and learn more about the Burnside case. Okay?"

With a slow nod, Chris agreed. He knew that he'd been slacking with his aid in finding Sheva and for that he was sorry. In all honesty, he was lost. He didn't know where to start, where to look, or what to think of it all. The longer the days went on, the more Chris began to consider the idea that Sheva had gone willingly with Wesker. She could have gotten away if Jake was trying to force her to come with. Sheva was one of the best when it came to combat, she could have easily warded off Muller. So what other possible reason had she gone with him?

It was an understatement to say Chris had lost some hope along the way.

But it was now as more evidence began to unravel that he needed to be involved with finding Sheva. He needed to get to the bottom of this all, he needed answers, and he needed the truth. Alyssa needed him, Sheva needed him, and if Wesker was out there running free, then the world would need him one more time to stop his longtime rival. It was a time of now or never.

"Alright, I'll be there for everything from now on," he promised. After Alyssa nodded confidently and he settled into his side of the booth, his appetite lost, he did his best to wrap his head around everything. "You said there were two pairs of fingerprints. Who else's was there along with Steve's?"

Alyssa explained the identity of this person, revealing her name to be Piper Mulligan and that she had never been connected with the Spencer's before. Her prints were littered over consoles, desks, and many other surfaces. Alyssa's theory was that Mulligan was most likely involved with Burnside. However, their connection was uncertain as were all of Mulligan's connections.

"I called an old friend." Alyssa checked her phone quickly to find no reply had yet to be received. But it wasn't like she'd get an answer right away. It'd take a day at the least. "Her name is Yoko Suzuki and she's the best hacker I've ever known. She used to work under Dr. William Birkin with Umbrella before the Raccoon Incident. She's going to look into Piper Mulligan's background for me and get back to me as soon as possible. And knowing Yoko, I'll hear from her very soon. Believe me, I trust her more than anyone else on this planet."

"Let's hope this gets us closer to finding Sheva and Wesker," Chris half mumbled, his exhaustion catching up along with the hangover of all he was told just minutes before finally hitting him.

Alyssa rested her chin in her hand, her gaze going to look at the darkened sky above the buildings. All the streetlights drowned out the stars, creating this cocooned feeling that always left Alyssa feeling suffocated. With a sigh, she linked her hands together and faced Chris, knowing that they were on to something no one had ever expected. She could only imagine what HQ was going to have to say.

A hiss escaping his lips, Flynn wiped his sweaty forehead as he tossed his shirt to the side, the normally simple movement of taking off his clothing causing pain to strike his entire being. He fell onto his bed, his chest heaving quickly with agonized wheezes as he listened to Piper mumble under her breath something about all of this being ridiculous. He kept from grunting when she sat on the bed too, hovering above him.

He jerked with the feeling of her cold hands on his chest, her fingers tracing the small device below his breast muscle just below his heart. She pushed on this small mechanism that was embedded into his skin, a pained moan vibrating in his throat. Piper scoffed, being not as gentle as she twisted the top of the device and eyed it carefully. Flynn chose not to watch as she pulled up a syringe filled with red liquid, its congealed consistency always making his stomach turn.

He knew she was going slowly just to make him hurt. He snatched a pillow from the bed and being tearing it, the pain in his veins just making his strength increase. Teeth gritting, he felt the serum eject into his heart, the liquid giving him quick relief as his arms went limp and the torn pillow fell to his face. He shifted uncomfortably when Piper pulled the needle out of the device where she had initially injected him with the serum filled syringe and she twisted the mechanism's top again to close the opening.

"All done," she told him with a slight bitterness.

Piper rose from the bed, going to her suitcase and pulling out her bag supposedly filled with toiletries and feminine hygiene products. She capped the used syringe and placed into the small bag, her fingers shuffling through the few she had left that were still full. At this rate, she'd be empty within a few days.

"Ugh, we're almost out," she grumbled. "You have to take it easy, Flynn. Whatever you're doing is making that serum last only a fraction as long as it did a few weeks ago. I only have a few more dosages left."

"So make more or something," he angrily stated. "And don't call me that when we're alone. I hate that name."

"Believe me, Steve. You don't hate it as much as I do. But you know what I hate more than that stupid name? Your whiney attitude. You're going to blow our cover before anyone can have an idea that something is wrong."

With a scoff, Steve sat up, grasping a new shirt and slipping it on. "Are you kidding? They probably already know. They're just sparing your pride and playing along. They're blind if they can't see you for who you really are."

"And who am I really, Steve? Hmm? Tell me," Piper stood before him, her hands on her lips as she looked at him with a superior look in her eye.

"Where do I start… Ah, I know. You're a spoiled little brat that was never good enough for father so you tried proving yourself but only to keep failing and revealing just how much of a loser you really are."

He knew it was coming. An idiot would have been surprised by her next action. Piper slapped him hard and before he could turn his face back to her, she punched directly on the device below his heart. A cry of pain bubbled in his mouth but he refused to let it escape, holding onto it with all his might so he could keep the sound from reaching Piper's ears.

"Say one more thing and that cute little redhead will be no more," she hissed into his ear. "I know where she is, what she's doing, and who she's with. You know she seems very happy even after accepting your death all those years ago. Claire Redfield will be a lifeless body if you talk to me that way one more time. And if you even think about telling anyone about anything here, I will rip her apart, limb by limb, and hide her everywhere for you to find each and every piece. Do you understand?"

She could feel his body rigid underneath her, his teeth gritting behind his lips as he kept from meeting her stare. After a moment or two, he finally gave a stiff nod. She crawled off him, standing to straighten herself out before she went zip up all her belongings and make it seem as if nothing was suspicious.

"So what are we going to do about the serum?" Steve questioned, his voice strained after being assaulted in a very vulnerable spot.

With a sigh, Piper crossed her arms over her chest and thought. The serum to keep the T-Veronica Virus in Steve's bloodstream, TV98S/B, was essential to keep Steve from mutating. He could control the virus on a miniscule level, but with the T-Veronica based serum, he could live life as normal human being. But it had to be a constant dosage as well as precise. If he was given a drop more or less of the serum, he could mutate to new extremes and the mutation could possibly be irreversible. It was something neither he nor Piper would like to find out.

"There's a lab here in the lower levels, but no doubt it's being occupied," Piper thought aloud, biting her nails as she contemplated her choices. She flew her hands out in frustration, knowing that her choices were slim and her chances were scarce. "If it comes down to it, we push this faster and get back to Australia sooner. Once we get home, I'll make another batch and that should keep you stable long enough to accomplish what we came here to do."

What you came here to do, Steve thought bitterly. "Alright, sounds simple enough."

"Ha, of course you'd think it sounds simple," she spoke resentfully. "We still have a lot to do with Sheva and Wesker. Just remember, stay away from Wesker. He sees you, this all goes to shit. He'll recognize you in a heartbeat. We don't need to worry about Isaac. He's suspicious but he's too much like Dad to act on anything. As for Sheva… Well, I'm not sure where I am with her exactly. I think I've gained her trust. It's just that she's too close to Isaac. But, I'm progressing and in time, we'll get to our grand finale!"

Piper looked up with gleaming eyes, causing Steve to shiver uncomfortably as she hummed approval at her own plan. With nervous movements, he scratched his buzzed hair and kept his eyes to the floor.

"I don't know, I like Sheva." Once that was said, he could feel Piper's glare on him, her eyes burning into his skin like fire. "I mean, I was thinking… What if you gave her a second chance or something? She's a good person."

With a sudden flinch, Steve raised his arms when Piper pulled her fist back and was ready to aim, but she stilled her movements to see him cower. Upon relaxing, she stepped forward and grabbed his face, her thumbs on his temples as she smiled deviously at him.

"She will get no such treatment," she practically purred. Her eyes narrowed to slits, her teeth showed as her smile grew into the joker's grin. "Traitors don't get second chances in my book."

Author's note: I was kind of nervous to write Piper saying such things about Claire and what she'd do to her, but I put it in there anyway because she is a Spencer and I want that to be very apparent. I was also on the fence to start showing her colors in such full force, but this story needs to start moving and shaking, so "Evil-Piper" it is!

Comix777: And you are correct about Flynn's dirty little secret. Looks like the cats out of the bag. So, do you still hate Piper? ;)
littlevamp: We both know Wesker was probably fighting a real major internal war when he declined Sheva's "kiss request", haha. Thanks, dearie! :)
Sheva Redfield: Haha, I'd be very embarrassed if Wesker turned down my kiss! And you're totally right, he can't take a joke. What a grump! Have a good day. :)

I'm hoping ("hoping" being the keyword) that I can write this story in a total of 25 chapters. So, we're halfway there. The ending will have to be written in more than a few chapters only because it has a lot going on and I have A LOT planned. Thanks for sticking with me! Review? :) Oh, real quick. Do you think I need to change the rating on this? I don't want to get in trouble, you know, but I'm never too sure what qualifies as a 'T' rating or a 'M' rating. Help, please!

-Sarai