Chapter 4 - The Antarctic Base
Note from the author:
Time for Jill Valentine to be added to the story.
I hope you will enjoy! Don't forget to review, if you have any kind of feedback. Thanks :-)
Why should I stay here?
Why should I stay?
I'd be crazy not to follow
Follow where you lead
Your eyes
They turn me
Yeah, everybody leaves if they get the chance
And this is my chance.
Radiohead, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, In Rainbows
Nebraska's body is entangled in comfortable sheets and the thought of ever leaving this bed comes unwelcome into her mind.
At closer inspection of her bodily state she has to admit though that she's in need of a shower and most of all she has an empty stomach and craves for breakfast.
As she stretches herself, she notices the empty spot next to her and somehow isn't surprised about Wesker being absent already.
For a few minutes she enjoys having all of the bed to herself and with a flush of contentment she recalls their passionate night before struggling herself up into a sitting position.
Immediately any drowsiness is gone as she sees a mysterious white cardboard box at the end of the bed that definitely wasn't here yesterday.
Quickly she shoves the sheets off her body but decides to wrap them around herself instead as being naked suddenly awakes a feeling of self-consciousness.
On her knees she approaches the object.
It's decorated with a red bow and an envelope is stuck under it.
Taken by curiosity she pulls the square object out and rips it open, unfolding the card that it contains.
The text on it is written in black ink, the letters quite elegant and neat.
Without the shadow of a doubt she can tell that it is Wesker's handwriting.
A new life, a new wardrobe?
Meet me on the roof when you're ready.
I'd be pleasured seeing you in this.
Nebraska can't help but to smile and wondering what there is going to be inside, she quickly undoes the bow and shoves the top of the box away.
What comes to light puts an expression of sheer doubt on her face.
It's something black. And it's something that seems to be more than tight.
"What the fuck, Wesker?", she mutters as she unfolds the material and categorizes it as a catsuit.
But at closer inspection it turns out to be something more than that - it's some kind of one-piece battle suit. Or at least this is what she assumes it to be.
She takes a peek down to her body under the sheets and at the small size of the suit, asking herself if she should really do that.
Is she his Barbie doll now, or what? Does he suddenly have the need not only to sleep with her but also to dress her?
Thinking back though to how perfect their last night was and how much he gave her, she decides to at least give him this pleasure today.
Before doing this to herself, she decides to hop under the shower to shoo any remaining spirits of laziness away.
As she is done, she dubiously glares at the suit once more for a few minutes, just to give in with a sigh.
With unexpected ease she dresses herself in the dark attire, noticing how thick yet flexible the material is.
There's an almost invisible pattern of light grey rectangles on it, probably for camouflage effects.
Fitting to her wardrobe she finds a pair of black leather gloves and high-heeled combat boots that she quickly puts on.
Expecting to get a shocking sight she steps in front of the mirror and throws at a glance at the stranger's reflection in it.
She swallows heavily, realizing that it has been ages since she has truly seen herself.
The suit snuggles up against her curves, pushes her breasts up and perfectly accents her butt.
It pretty much leaves nothing to the imagination anymore as she concludes.
'You're going to pay for that', she thinks before leaving his quarters towards their rendezvous point.
As she steps on the roof, she briefly has to squint her eyes as unexpected bright sunlight is domineering the day.
Wesker is standing at the far end of the roof, his back is turned towards her, but with his sensitive hearing he catches her silent steps.
"No comment about the suit, Wesker! I don't want to hear a single word about it!", she warns and quickly steps towards him.
He is wearing a skin-tight jacket and trousers that are made of the same pattern like her battle suit.
Showing her a half-smile, she knows exactly that his eyes are appreciatively scanning every part of her body right now.
Even though he is wearing sunglasses, she doesn't have to be a genius to figure that out.
It's that unnerving smirk on his face.
Despite the fact of having been naked in his arms for several hours last night, there's a feeling of uneasiness inside of her and she crosses her arms before her quite revealing cleavage.
"Why the hell is there a helicopter standing here?", she asks dumbfounded.
"We're going away. Take off is in fifteen minutes. I'm glad you came in time, otherwise I would've dragged you out of bed. You have quite a deep sleep. Like a stone."
"Whoa, whoa … slow down, man", she utters confused. "Going away? Where to?"
"Antarctica", he answers as unimpressed as if it were only a mile away.
"Ant-" She finds that she can't speak anymore.
"You're going to need that."
Wesker throws a dark, hooded cloak towards her and she catches it rather clumsily, before pressing it against her chest.
After this action she finally finds her voice again:
"So, we're leaving in fifteen minutes to a place that is like two or even three hundred air miles away from here and you don't find it necessary to fucking tell me that in advance!"
"I assumed, you would be pleased to finally get away from here", Wesker counters while throwing several wrapped up things and a small box inside the vehicle.
"Well … yes, of course I'm glad to get away from here. It's just so … unprepared. What about my stuff?"
"It's not unprepared at all. All necessary steps have been taken" And before she can interrupt him again. "That also includes your stuff."
The word 'stuff' he spits out rather annoyed, putting special pronunciation on the 'f' at the end.
There is no sign of the caring man that he was last night and admittedly he frightens her a little bit.
Seeing the worried look on her face, he takes a step towards her and brushes her cheek with his hand. But there's no trace of love or consolation in it.
"Your work on the virus will start as soon as we get there."
"Mhm", she murmurs and can't help but to let her thoughts drift to what she is going to do with him during the long and cold nights in Antarctica.
"Don't even think about it", Wesker interrupts her little daydream. "We're going to work. Time is precious these days and it won't automatically stand still when I pleasure myself in bed with you. There are more important things that deserve our focus right now."
She knits her eyebrows in a frown.
Why the hell is he acting like last night never happened?
One moment he swears his undying desire to her and the next he acts as if none of it has ever happened.
He's like a cheetah, she realizes. Resting for a little while, his mind focused on the things he temporarily wants just to suddenly race away from her, gaining as much distance as possible.
It's hard to keep up with him.
"More imp-" For the second time her voice is gone, but this time because of the pain that takes over her heart.
Why is he so cruel?
Suddenly she feels stupid for having even allowed last night.
How much wiser would it have been to just leave him standing on top of the roof and go to her room instead.
Only that being wise nor logical thinking aren't supported by her virus anymore.
Once again it has lured her into his arms and once again it has made her bending herself to his will and his power.
Her cheeks flush in anger, shame and most of all weakness.
"Nebraska" His voice is soft, his hands enfolding her upper arms. "You know, I didn't mean it like that. It's just … our schedule is tight. In a few days, we'll have to embark on a journey to South Africa. Our final destination for preparing our vision."
Nebraska can feel a shiver run over her skin despite the fact that the day is quite warm.
'Our vision'.
Hearing those words makes her realize what she has agreed to become a part with.
He truly has consumed every single part of her body and mind just like that goddamn project has taken over his.
"I got it just fine, don't worry", she says bitterly, freeing herself from his gentle grip to quick turn around and step away from him in the opposite direction.
"Where the hell do you think you're going? Get in the chopper", he commands.
"I'm going to get something to eat, if that is allowed, my master", she snaps sarcastically while swooshing away. "I'm fucking starving."
The black chopper lands many hours later in a vast land of eternal snow.
The pair, completely dressed in black, stands out like two shadows.
"May I?", Wesker asks and offers Nebraska his hand to help her out from the helicopter.
Suspiciously she looks at his outstretched hand which seems to be the first approach of gaining her affection back.
It's been a long flight and even though she's exhausted from it, she can still bring up the strength to be mad at him.
But tired of running the risk to cause another fight over such a small thing, she decides to grab for it.
"Thanks", she murmurs and immediately lets off it after her black boots have touched the icy ground.
She squints her eyes as the merciless Antarctic breeze crashes against her face, pushing several strands of her hair across her face, shortly robbing her sight.
She strokes it back and tugs it under the thick hood of the coat that Wesker has given her.
The midnight sun is burning down from a clear, blue sky and when she exhales the air turns into little white clouds.
Wesker on the other hand doesn't seem to be impressed by the cold at the slightest as he shows no reaction to the freezing temperature.
It doesn't surprise her though. At least he's not human anymore.
"Where are we going?", she asks doubtful as she looks straight ahead and sees nothing but seemingly endless surfaces of snow.
"You'll see soon enough", he answers, adjusting the hood over his head as well.
His tone is as cold as the air but she can see that a half-smile is playing around the corner of his mouth. A tense excitement suddenly fills her stomach.
"Come on", he commands and steps away from the chopper towards North, where a gathering of snow covered hills can be seen.
Her black combat boots step onto the frozen snow and it slightly crackles under them as they proceed together over the flat, powdery surface.
The march feels like an eternity and Nebraska asks herself why he had to land the chopper that far away from the actual destination.
Just as she's on the verge of getting annoyed with him once more, they reach the top of a hill.
They come to a stop and astonished she realizes that in between these majestically built mountains is something like a secret quarter.
The building is about the size of an average house and has been covered with a metallic material.
The surfaces are perfectly flat and covered in snow and ice, which almost camouflages the walls with the icy rock behind it.
From the outside it seems like nothing special.
There are no windows, no towers or other things that usually make a house look fascinating or maybe even intimidating. It looks harmless.
It could have been a simple scientific research station where records from glaciers are being held.
Nebraska knows that this was exactly what Wesker has been aiming for.
And knowing him, these walls are only the tip of the iceberg - literally.
They are probably nothing but the entrance to a secret elevator that leads far, far down into earth … or ice in this case.
"Wow", she breathes, forgetting about any bad emotion she has felt towards him before. "This is where we're going?"
"Welcome to the Antarctic Base", he says over the howling wind, an unnerving smirk on his face.
Once more he stretches his black gloved hand towards her motionless body and this time she doesn't hesitate.
She grabs for it and tightly holds on as he takes her down the hillside.
The inside of the hut looks like it hasn't experienced any human care in a decade.
There's an old wooden desk leaned against the left-hand wall, several broken chairs are scattered around the room and the windows aren't very see-through anymore.
All is covered in dust and cobwebs and Nebraska can't help to wrinkle up her nose from the intense smell that wood gets when it's constantly wet for a long time.
"It's just a cover-up", Wesker murmurs and determined steps towards an antique closet in the far left corner.
"I assumed that", she comments in return, smiling weakly.
Behinds its doors is what finally makes her imaginations about this place become reality.
There's a stainless steel door built inside the wall. Next to it is a numeric key pad.
Too quick for her sight Wesker punches in what sounds like a 8-digit code and after hearing a low beeping sound, she knows that their access has been granted.
Together they step inside the elevator that is located right behind the door.
"Holy shit!"
She can't hold that exclamation in as they reach their actual destination after a seemingly endless ride down.
She shoves the hood off her head, causing lots of little snowflakes that have been caught in the fabric to rain down on the floor.
Her stature gets bathed in bright, white light as she slowly steps down the corridor that is built of milky glass.
"What on Earth is this place?", she asks intrigued by the futuristic design of the facility.
"I know we could've worked on the virus from pretty much any laboratory. But the reason why we came here is a person."
"A person?"
Surprised to hear that there seem to be other people down here, she briefly looks around the area.
To her it looks like this place is deserted. There's no sound of life down here.
"Someone who is the carrier of the last piece that we need in order to develop the virus."
A cold smile shows at the corner of his mouth.
"Her name is Jill Valentine."
She follows him down the corridor, to the left and then straight ahead once more until they reach a room that makes her jaw drop open in disbelief.
The room seems ordinary at first sight.
There's a computer system, some probably non-functioning monitors attached to the right-hand wall and several locked cabinets.
But this is not what catches her attention.
It's four white contraptions that are lined along the left-hand wall.
While she's busy staring at the several pods, Wesker is starting up the computer system that is standing in the center of the room.
She has to admit that these contraptions remind her of coffins.
And although everything is white, clean and sterile, it's like standing inside a chamber.
She steps towards one of the pods and tries to get a glimpse through the dark glass.
Shocked she stumbles a few step backwards as she recognizes a human face behind it.
Goosebumps crawl over her skin.
"There … there are humans in there?"
She inhales in hope to get rid of a sudden sick feeling in her stomach.
"Wesker! There are fucking humans in there! What have you done to them?"
"Meet Jill Valentine", Wesker announces, ignoring her accusing question as one of the white pods makes a hissy sound and then slowly opens itself causing a flood of a clear fluid pouring out over the floor.
Nebraska is sure that this isn't just plain water as there's a whiff of a chemical smell itching her nostrils.
Her heart starts pounding in anticipation and fear as her eyes wander from watching the substance on the floor to the naked woman inside the pod.
She is small, quite a few inches smaller than Nebraska, and of curvy stature.
Her skin is pale like milk and seems almost see-through.
Big parts of her light skin are covered in dark, purple bruises.
Her eyes are closed and wet strands of her fair hair are stuck to her angled cheekbones
"What have you done to her?", Nebraska says breathless, feeling unexplainable sorrow insider her heart.
Ignoring her demanding for answers once more he makes himself busy taking her body in his arms.
That slight sting of jealousy she already felt when she saw him confidentially sitting together with Excella returns in her heart.
She doesn't like the way he is touching her. Just like she disliked the way he said her name.
"There is something inside her body that we need in order to create the desired virus."
"Inside of her?", she replies while warily watching where Wesker's hands on the woman's naked body are being placed.
"Get the blanket inside the bag I have brought, will you please, Nebraska?", he requests, his voice cold and controlled.
Nebraska frowns, asking herself how much arousal of having this naked woman in his arms he is hiding with that tone. But she tries to tell herself that she is nothing but overreacting again.
There are other things on his mind right now, like that 'essence' that seems to be inside her body.
It is easy for him to separate work from pleasure. She envies him for that.
No matter what she looks at, no matter what she touches, he is always on her mind. Always.
"Where are we going to take her?", Nebraska asks, handing him the thick, white blanket.
"The laboratory next door, of course."
Carefully he wraps the woman named Jill Valentine in the fabric and then takes her in his arms.
Her head falls backwards over the curve of his strong underarms, revealing her white swan-like neck.
"She's not dead, is she?"
"No, she's in a state of cryogenic sleep."
"Why was she in that fluid? How could she even breathe in there?"
"One step after the other", he replies exhausted. "I've got no time to answer your questions now. Also, there's a difference between being curious and just plain nosy."
She huffs, narrowing her eyes at him.
"And there's no difference between being an asshole and a jerk."
The laboratory turns out to be similar looking like the room they were in before.
Only that the pods are being replaced by several floor to ceiling glass tubes that contain strange looking flowers.
She closely leans towards one of them and takes a look at its dark red petals.
"What the hell are these?", she asks frowning.
At some point he has to reply to one of her questions, right?
"I have a feeling they're not for decoration … or romantic purposes."
After placing Jill's limp body on the examination table in the middle, he eventually chuckles.
"They are the base of every single virus Umbrella has ever created. The plant has its roots in ancient West African cultures. The flower is highly poisonous and they believed that everyone who survived consuming it had the right to be their king. Stairway of the sun … that is their name."
"Stairway of the sun", she repeats quietly, like it's a prayer.
The researcher inside of her is suddenly back and intrigued she listens to his words.
"Are we going to work with them?"
"Yes."
"To create what exactly?"
"The Progenitor virus …" He sighs. "Instead of asking questions like a child all the time, we could be working right now. We both know that you're not in need of details. You're a smart woman, dear."
She turns around, a brief, almost sad smile on her face.
"Rumor has it."
The needle that is being inserted inside her arm breaks through the fog of unconsciousness.
It burns even more than this dark reality she is trapped in.
The air streaming into her nostrils is thin and cold, nothing in comparison to the warm water that was pumping through her lungs before.
The feeling of drowning in a warm bath is gone.
If only it would have killed her. That endless fall.
There are faint voices rushing through her brain, subdued noises, a language she's not capable of understanding.
Hands are working on her body. But these hands are unfamiliar.
They're not rough and brutal like the ones she has felt many times on her before.
They feel gentle. Her lips part themselves slightly.
"Chris?", she breathes, her throat struggling those words out like a knife would be cutting her insides.
Nebraska's eyes shoot open in surprise and as she staggers a step backwards, she almost lets the blood sample she just took fall to the ground.
"Chris", Jill whispers once more, before her head lumps sideways to land with a thud on the metallic surface of the examination table.
"Wesker …", Nebraska utters in a panicking voice. "I think, she's waking up."
"It's about time." His voice behind her.
He was here faster than she thought.
Stepping to Jill's side he reaches for her chin with his gloved hand and props it up.
Her eyelids flutter as he strokes a few strands of her blonde hair aside to get a look on her pale face.
Jill Valentine. In his hands.
His lips twitch in amusement as he moves another needle to the side of her neck, shooting a red fluid inside of it.
For a few seconds she lies still, breathing evenly.
Nebraska's breath hitches and fear rushes through her weak limbs, as Jill's body reacts to the substance in spasms.
Her eyes fly open, but she can see nothing but white in them as her back and hips buck upwards.
The attack doesn't last longer than twenty seconds, but it's enough to make her heart race.
"What the hell did you just inject?", she shouts, her breath escaping in pants. "You're fucking sick!"
"P30. Go and work on the virus", he answers unimpressed.
Without even questioning the meaning of this she turns herself away from him to get to the only distraction she can get down here. Work.
This woman. Jill Valentine. She doesn't go out of her head anymore.
The look in Wesker's eyes when he injects her with that fluid and watches her body bend in pain - nothing but pure pleasure.
Every single day it is the same procedure.
He thrusts that needle inside her neck, watches her struggles against it, before putting her back in that strange, chemical fluid.
And who knows what else he's doing to her, when she's not in his presence.
His eyes … yes, she can see something in them that makes her stomach revolt.
Four days have passed since they have arrived here in the Antarctic Base and her work on the virus is going fortunately flawless until now.
But the white of Jill's eyes, the screams of pain, her bruised, naked body floating inside that pod … they don't only haunt her while lying in bed at night, but also her dreams.
What the hell is Wesker's purpose with her?
Why didn't he kill her after they got their sample of the T-virus antibodies?
Why does he keep injecting her with that drug he calls 'P30'?
Something tells her, that she isn't just some random, kidnapped woman to him.
They have a story together. A past.
Right now she is quitting work in the laboratory for today.
She knows that Wesker will follow a few hours later as he doesn't require the same amount of sleep that she does.
That'll change though, as soon as her virus would have reached the peak of its development.
But before she's able to at least fall into a slumber, she has to pose the question that is burning inside of her all day already.
"She's of special meaning to you, isn't she?"
Her back is turned towards him as she covers the petri dish in front of her with a thick cloth.
She doesn't dare to turn around.
The last few days she can't look into his eyes anymore without squirming in fear.
Without seeing that pervert look of possession and control over this woman in them.
But this is only her human side. Her virus can't help but to create that unnerving feeling of jealousy inside of her. Wesker hasn't touched her for days.
His mind focused on nothing else but that woman.
Wesker hesitates to answer her at first, but reconsidering the fact that he has already shared quite a bit of his past with her, it wouldn't hurt to go more into detail.
"Do you remember how I mentioned killing Ozwell?"
She swallows. How could she forget that?
"Yes", she answers, feeling how tense her body is.
"Jill and her former partner Chris Redfield pretty much caught me red-handed."
"So, she's a witness?"
"More or less. They both wanted my head." To her surprise he chuckles quietly. "They attempted to kill me that day. But of course their ridiculous attacks were no match to mine."
"What happened that she ended up here? And where is Chris? Is he … dead?"
There's a long silence between them and she can sense his anger.
"I do wish for that", he says darkly. "But no … I was about to blow my final strike on him when Jill … she stupidly sacrificed herself for his life by tackling us out of the window. We took quite a long drop to say at the least. I treated her severe wounds. Before I went to take on work in America, I spent several years in this facility. I've fixed her."
"And Chris?"
"Go to sleep now, Nebraska. There's nothing more to say tonight", he abruptly closes the story as it reaches chapter 'Chris Redfield'.
For a moment it's quiet in the room and Wesker hopes to have finally satisfied her need for information. But still this woman doesn't go out of her head.
The silence gets interrupted by the crackling noise of a zipper being undone which causes him to slowly turn around.
The frontside of her suit has been opened to reveal half of her breasts and a trail of ivory naked skin down to her navel.
She doesn't know why she's doing this nor where this sudden longing for him comes from, but it needed out.
Maybe it would finally turn back into the man that he was before they arrived here, snap him back to reality.
"I don't want to sleep. There's something else my body requires", she says, completely freeing herself from the tight attire and then slowly paces towards him.
Wesker sighs, his jaw working in disapproval. "Nebraska, I-"
"What, Wesker? What? Why is it that we only have sex when you want it? Don't you desire me anymore?"
"It's not like that, Nebraska."
"It's not like what?", she asks hurt. "It's her, isn't it? Jill …"
"Oh god …", he mutters under his breath. "Do you think it isn't hard for me too?"
The warmth of his body is eating its way to her own flesh, heating her cells up.
Her gaze is pointed towards the floor, her lashes throwing long, dark shadows under her tired eyes.
She didn't even know, there was still a place in his mind for her.
"Do you know how hard it is for me to not be able to do this …"
His fingertips run along the curve of her spine and instantly her skin tingles.
"Do you know how hard it is to not be inside of you every night?"
She closes her eyes and leans her forehead against his chest as he lays his protective arms around her.
Physical exhaustion makes her silently soak in air as her vision gets blurred by unwelcome tears.
"It's hard. Very hard, dear. But we'll have to get through this before we can have each other again."
"Why are you refusing a bit of pleasure so much?", she asks quietly. "I need you, Wesker. I need you so much. My body aches for you … I'm trying to fight it, but I think it will never stop. This longing for you inside of me … you don't even understand."
He puts a finger under her chin and props it up so she can meet his cat-like gaze.
She can feel the rough texture of his leather glove as he wipes a single tear on her cheek away and she tries hard to not think of how ungentle these hands have been to Jill.
"You don't understand either", he answers with controlled anger. Anger against himself. "You're making me weak and … human. I can feel my fucking heart in your presence. It's all things I don't need right now. All I'm asking from you is to let me focus on this one goal of my life."
"Please", she begs in a whisper, curling the tips of her fingers around the tight fabric of his shirt, palpating his strong muscles below it.
"Please."
Standing on the tip of her toes she slightly stretches herself to assault the skin of his neck with sucking and biting until her lips greedily land upon his.
"Please."
Her voice in his ears, sweet and seductive in their din.
Her fingers, experienced and fast, undoing the zipper of his trousers.
She digs her hips towards his until she can feel him undeniably getting hard against her own groin.
She lays the palm of her hand against his growing erection and moans into his lips as he finally loosens up under a growl of capitulation and grabs for the part of her legs just below the ass to slam her back against the cabinet at the wall. The thud reverberates through her bones.
"Please", she sighs desperately for one last time, before all words leave her and her throat can't do anything else anymore, but produce ecstatic moans as he pushes his solid member inside her sweet wetness with one swift move.
She's so turned on that not a minute after him entering her, she already starts to climax, the waves of release going through her body in racking spasms.
He can feel her ragged breath against his shoulder slowly turning into dramatic panting as she tightly grabs his strong shoulders.
He presses her tightly against him as after a few more powerful thrusts he comes himself.
Gathering their breaths, they hold each other for a minute until she can hear his dark voice dragging her back to reality.
"Go. Now."
There's a sudden and scaring tenseness in his voice and body.
She knows that he is angry at himself and mainly angry at her for causing him to lose control, to distract him from things that are more important than becoming one with her body.
A rush of guilt fills her heart and not daring to look him into the eye, she lets him put her back on the ground, her knees almost not supporting her weight as she walks off towards their dormitory.
It was selfish and stupid to seduce him like that, she knows it.
But it was like she said, she needed him.
Needed him to confirm the fact that there is no-one else but her and that he would never, never throw her heart away and bruise her the same way he did Jill Valentine.
The woman that will never leave her dreams.