Wesker didn't have much in the way of emotion, but he was pleased that things were going according to plan. Initial contact had been made with the lovely Claire Redfield, West had done his job, and now he sat patiently as he watched the Anti-Umbrella group break into the lower levels of an abandoned Umbrella lab set deep underground beneath the beautiful city of Paris. The information of this particular lab had been intentionally leaked to Chris' group, so that they no had choice but to investigate. It was a lost cause as they would find absolutely nothing here. An outbreak had occurred earlier, and though a few of the researchers had actually survived, this
Multiple screens were mounted on the walls of the surveillance room allowing Wesker to see everything and anything he wanted. Chris, Claire, Leon, and Jill had broken into teams while infiltrating the main entrance at the lab, and now they had regrouped, looking confused. Wesker turned on the audio function, curious to hear their frustrations.
"I don't get it," Jill Valentine said, looking down the hallway they now faced. "There's nothing here. Didn't your contact say that this was lab was fully active?"
Leon frowned. "He did. He was from a trusted source, so I don't understand why he would give false information."
"Unless..." Claire began, gaining the attention of her group, "he wasn't the real contact. Think about it. We ran into none other than Albert Wesker during the party. Maybe he had something to do with this... actually I'm sure of it. That's the only explanation." She let out an aggravated sigh and kicked a wall in frustration. "So blind."
"I think that's a valid point," Chris said. He looked to each of his team members, running a gloved hand through his hair in an almost sheepish manner. "Well, since we're here, we may as well try to find anything useful. Abandoned or not, keep your guard up. This did belong to Umbrella."
"Yeah, no kidding," Leon said, keeping his Beretta at the ready.
Jill opened something small and thin. Wesker punched in a few buttons to get a closer look. Apparently, she had a PDA of some sort, and the layout of the entire lab was displayed on the small six inch screen. "According to this, the main test lab should be straight down this hallway."
"What's on the way?" Chris asked, slowly walking down the dark path.
"A break room and a few offices," Jill answered after a few seconds.
"Ok. Seeing that there doesn't seem to be immediate danger, how about we split up here and meet back in the hall in fifteen. Each of us can take a room," Chris asked.
"Sounds good," Claire answered. She was already opening a door that was cracked open, using the hand that held a small flashlight to push open the door completely.
"You should be proud," Jill commented to Chris in approval before she walked past him.
"I am," Chris said with a smile. "Like you wouldn't believe." He made his way to the break room while Leon and Jill took the paths that lead them to dual offices and connected cubicles.
Wesker pushed more buttons, keeping Claire on the screens in front of him at all times.
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Claire had never seen so much blood fill a single room in all of her life. It was on the walls, on the desks, the floors and even the ceiling. Usually, streaks of a bloody hand print could be seen on the walls, but this time it was streaks of white that she could occasionally see. The walls were already soaked in blood, and whoever was trying to get away, grabbed at the stucco cover, wiping at the red that painted it. The room wasn't very big, but in the corner, she saw a decayed body. The skull had a large hole in it, and a few inches away from its hand, she saw a handgun. "Poor bastard," Claire said softly. She had seen so much in her short life, and it was sad to say that she had become desensitized to much of the gore she came across. But she knew what it felt like to feel cornered, to feel helpless and scared. It was only because of Leon and Sherry that she didn't go completely insane with fright.
The smell death was stronger than she remembered. This was the first room she had been in that the smell was so potent. Her nostrils were beginning to burn, but she couldn't understand why. There was also something else that she smelled. It was decaying flesh, but she could also smell moisture in the air. That didn't make sense. The body was nothing but bone, so what was the foreign smell of flesh?
She heard something above her. When she looked up, she could see a few drops of what looked like water about to fall from the air vent. The first drop fell, and she stepped away just in time to see it splatter to the floor. That wasn't water, it had more of a gooey texture. "Oh shit," was all she had to say, when the vent burst open, and a long tongue shot out at her.
Claire dodged easily, watching the Licker's tongue fly past her head and then retract back up the vent. A large flat body came crawling out of it, attaching itself to the ceiling. She could see its exposed brain and the large gaping teeth that protruded out of its wet slimy mouth. It dugs its claws into the ceiling keeping is body hovered above her. The sharp tongue darted out again, but this time her body reacted against the logic in her mind. Her left hand dropped the flashlight and within a split second she grabbed a hold of the tongue, digging her nails into the middle of the rough length of flesh. She could feel the blood gushing out of the wounds she inflicted, and with a rough tug, she brought the Licker down, watching it crash into a desk in the center of the office.
It screeched and thrashed about, regaining its footing, and looked extremely pissed off. It snapped its head back trying to pull its tongue back from her grip. She held on tightly, only letting go for a fraction of a second to pull sharply and bring it closer to her inch by inch. When the Licker was close enough to her, she delivered a strong ax kick to its head and dug her boot into the base of its neck. She pulled the trigger on her Beretta, firing three shots into the grotesque head.
The Licker twitched involuntarily, but she knew it was long gone. Claire looked down to see the tongue in her hand and she immediately dropped it, backing away in shock. What had she done? Was she out of her freaking mind?
"Jesus, Claire, you all right?" she heard Leon behind her. He rushed up to her, doing a small double take when he saw the Licker. "Well, obviously, my man points are in jeopardy here," he joked. When Claire didn't answer him, he touched her elbow. "Hey, you ok?"
Claire looked at him with fearful eyes, but she recovered. "Yeah, just got a little scare. Wasn't expecting that, that's all." But it wasn't the Licker that bothered her at all; it was her. There was something definitely going on with her body.
Chris' voice echoed from the radio strapped to her hip. "Heard gunfire. Are you both all right?"
She brought the radio close to her mouth. "Yeah, we're fine. Did you find anything?"
"Nothing yet, but we could use a few more pairs of hands and eyes. This place is huge," came the response.
"Got it. We'll be over in a few minutes," Claire said, walking out of the office, ignoring Leon's questioning stare.
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There were three rows of testing tubes set up in the main lab, and most of them still contained the perished subjects inside. Only a few had been broken, but it was probably that small number that caused the whole place to be abandoned. The computers had been destroyed, and piles of documents littered the floor. There was broken glass everywhere, and the countless vials and trays were either shattered or destroyed beyond repair. It was strange that the lights still worked in this part of the secret lab, but it made things easier for them to see.
"Anything?" Chris asked, scanning over the papers he held.
"Not sure," Jill said over her shoulder. "Then again, this is all science talk, so I'll save these for Rebecca to go over." She tucked many of the notes into her butt pack.
Claire and Leon entered the the lab shortly after, going into the routine of "research cramming" finding anything that could give them leads on either the status of the other test labs or the creation of a possible antidote for the new versions of the virus.
After ten minutes, a large monitor beeped to life. Albert Wesker, sunglasses and all, greeted them. His gloved hands were under his chin, and he had an uncharacteristic smile on his face. "Ah, Chris, how nice to see you again," his voiced boomed over the PA system.
"Wesker," Chris growled, dropping the papers in his hand. He and the others now grouped around the monitor, but Claire kept back a few steps, the memory of the party still fresh in her mind.
"I apologize that I am unable to greet you in person, but that will happen in due time, I assure you," Wesker continued.
"What the hell do you want?" Chris spat angrily. He protectively stood in front of her Jill and Claire.
Wesker waved his index finger at Chris. "Tsk, tsk. You were never very patient now, were you? This matter, believe it or not, does not concern you at all. In fact, I wish to speak with your sister."
Claire felt all eyes on her, even the red fiery pair that belonged to her enemy. She wouldn't back down from, so she kept hers on Wesker's face, feeling her cheeks burn. "What do you want?" she repeated her brother's question, but it held far less venom.
"How are you feeling, dear heart?" he asked. "You seem to be well."
Claire didn't offer any answer. "Don't answer me with another question," she said calmly. "What do you want?"
"Straight to the point," Wesker said. "I like that. Miss Redfield, trust me when I say that your condition is no coincidence or struck of luck."
"What condition?" Chris asked, completely putting himself in between Claire and Wesker's line of vision.
Wesker's lips turned up, and Claire knew it was because he saw her beginning to pale. "Have you noticed any changes?" Wesker asked her, the words gliding over Chris' stature.
Claire's small nod gave him approval to continue. She couldn't hide this from Chris and the others any longer. First it was the cup two weeks ago, then she had dove out of harm's way when a drunk driver had driven straight into the light pole she had been leaning against. Now the incident with the Licker had her convinced that something was going on with her body. Even her senses seemed to be enhanced lately. "What's happening to me?" she asked softly.
Wesker cocked his head to the side. "You feel it, don't you?" he asked. "I'm assuming that by now your sense of smell and sight have improved drastically, and your reflexes have become sharper and more precise?"
Now she could feel the burning stare of her brother. "What is he talking about, Claire?" he asked in concern.
Claire was finally able to tear her eyes away from the screen for a moment. "There's something wrong with me, Chris," she said in fear. "I'm... I'm doing things that I've never been able to do before."
"Now, my dear, I wouldn't look at your situation in a negative manner," Wesker said.
It finally clicked. The false information, Wesker's sudden appearance, and the changes in her body. She looked at her left bicep where she had been cut at the holiday party. There wasn't even a scar; the wound had healed completely. "Am I infected?" she asked.
"Infected has such a negative connotation to it," Wesker smiled.
"You son of a bitch!" Chris shouted. He grabbed Claire by her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. "We're going to find you a cure, sis. Don't worry, I'll take care of you." She felt Leon's hand on the small of her back, trying to offer her moral support.
"There is a cure for her special condition," Wesker cut in. He held up a small yellow vial. "I carry the only sample of it. My proposition is with you, Miss Redfield. I require a specimen to test out the newest generation to the G-virus, and you are the one I have chosen."
"Why me?" Claire stepped forward.
"Jill has been infected before, but an antidote has been administered to her body; however, that makes her blood stream tainted. Miss Wong, who I am sure Mr. Kennedy is quite familiar with," Wesker said. Claire took a second to look at Leon, but he averted her gaze. Wesker didn't miss a beat, "well, her blood has been tainted by Dr. Birkin. As for Miss Chambers, I require a body that has matured fully. And I must say, dear heart, that you have blossomed beautifully. If you require more reason than that, you are simply the younger sister of Chris, and it brings me such pleasure to watch him suffer," Wesker sat back, toying with the antidote between his fingers. "And my proposition is that you and you alone come to find the antidote before it's too late-" he frowned when he saw her pointing a gun at her own head.
"Then I'll just kill myself," Claire declared. She could feel the nerves in her fingers twitching, and her hand was shaking. But if it came down to this, then it had to be done. There was no way in hell that she would turn into one of those monsters. Never could she forget what happened to Steve.
"No way!" Leon was by her side, trying to bring the gun away from her head, but she shook him off.
"Once I come back, I know my family will do what they have to," Claire's voice began to break. Chris would understand why she made such a hasty decision. He would do the same.
Wesker's smile returned and his tone was more arrogant than ever. "That would be an alternative, but it is one I advise that you do not take."
"And why not?" Claire gritted through her teeth. Her thumb pulled down on the hammer of her Beretta showing Wesker that wasn't screwing around.
"What flows through your blood is a generation of the virus that has not been tested. You do remember what happened to Dr. Birkin and Alexia no doubt? Even though I do not know the full effects of the virus after your death, I can quite promise you that you will come back as something much more frightening that the good doctors combined. Are you quite sure that your "family" has the necessary skills and equipment to kill you? You could quite easily take their lives from them in a moment's notice. Do you want that on your conscience?"
He had to be bluffing. But at the same time, she wouldn't put it past him to test out the limitations of another virus he created. And since she was the only family Chris had left, Wesker would probably go out of his way to make sure she would suffer more just make Chris hurt. Claire faltered, the gun in her right hand came away from her temple. Was it possible that she would be reanimated into something that Chris couldn't kill? She remembered Dr. Birkin and Alexia well. They were transformed into monsters that she, Leon and Chris barely managed to escape from. It took the destruction of a city and part of a continent to ensure the deaths of the ex-scientists.
"Good girl," Wesker said when he saw Jill take the gun from Claire. "Now, as I was saying. I have the only antidote to your condition, and if you want it, you must retrieve it from me. However, you must do it alone."
"Like hell she will," Chris said angrily. "Wesker, I swear to God, if anything happens to her..."
"As I have said," Wesker interjected. "The virus remains untested. I must see what Miss Redfield is capable of. Now you have the option of waiting out the the effects of the virus, but there is no telling how much of the real you will be left," he said, turning his attention fully back on Claire. "I await your answer, dear heart. Don't worry about finding me; I have my ways of finding you."
That was the last thing Wesker said before Leon and Chris fired upon the monitor, destroying it completely.