Axius twists and turns in his bed, unable to find sleep. It has been over a month since Savage disappeared. The fear for his safety leaves Axius tired and unfocused to extreme points. His calm face and curious demeanor are replaced by baggy eyes and a depressing attitude. He's losing it with what has happened, he couldn't protect Savage.
Spencer finds this change in personality all too obvious. Axius becomes lazy in his work, leaving for bed early, and avoiding everyone in general. He decides that it's time to tell him the truth.
During dinner, Axius sits across from Spencer on a long table, turning over and flipping around his food, far too depressed to eat. Spencer lets out an annoyed sigh before saying, without any ease into it, "You're brother is alive. Happy now?"
Axius slowly moves up and looks to Spencer. He gets up and begins walking towards him. Without needing a question, Spencer continues. "Alex wanted him for an experiment, something of the psychological sort. He's been led to an island where the experiments happen. She hopes to find an answer for my immortality through mind swapping. To do this, however, she needs confirmation this will actually work for humans. Tests on animals showed promise, a dog acting like a mouse and vice versa. However, we needed a "strong body," something almost human, to show that the human mind of another can control a new body. Your brother was the perfect fit. If he survives the virus without any… side effects and malformaties… well, no new ones at…"
Spencer stops short as Axius slams his fist onto the table and brings a knife to Spencer's neck, enraged by the comment. "He's… NOT AN ANIMAL!" He lets out a roar of sound with each word. "He's my brother, not a thing, not a guinea pig, AND NOT AN ABOMINATION!"
Spencer lets out another sigh before he continues. "I will say this once, so pay attention. If you want to find him, I'll tell you where he's at. My men are far from capable from stopping you, and the only one who is isn't here, at the moment. That being said, if you leave to get him, you'll meet a far worse fate. I had hopes you would give answers, but your existence only taunts me of the virus's true potential in a higher being. However, you have been a loyal servant. If you choose to stay, and swear never to turn on me again, I'll forget this ever happened, and so will you. Now, what's your answer?"
Without another word, Axius rams the knife into Spencer's hand as it rests on the table. Aside from a quick flinch, he remains come as ever. Within moments, security runs in, guns trained on Axius. "No," Spencer says, "let him go. Tell him what he wants and inform Alex of his arrival."
Axius storms off, leaving them to mend Spencer's injury, except for one, which is dragged off by Axius to tell him what he wants.
Within a day or so, Axius finds the island, day turned to night, but he noticed none of it. His focus was set on finding his brother, wanting to reunite with him and find a new home. His faith in his master has been lost.
The days go by without concern. Savage has done everything as he's always done them for a month now, yet each day feels different, and far from any good feeling. The people become less active, faces begin to vanish, yet all that anyone knows is either they left for a new home, work in the mines, or dead. Many become suspicious, some even blame it on Savage for being a sign, an omen for bad times to come. However, he cared little for anyone else. Borsh has been a good mentor, but last he heard of him was over a week ago. All he got was a note saying the Overseer found him a "new purpose." The only one left he cared for is Allison now. Seeing her safe and sound brings comfort and ease to these quiet days. However, this night is anything but quiet.
Before he drifts to sleep, the low sounds of sobs can be heard as they echo through this new ghost town. Any other day, before this change, it would have gone unnoticed, but he even knows where it was coming from, Allison's home. As he leaves his home, fear for her safety drives him to enter hers without even a knock. He finds it just as empty. The rushed sounds of footsteps come from upstairs. Allison rushes down, but her energy soon fades as she she's Savage. "I'm very sorry," he says, "I thought… nevermind. I'll leave and…," he's stopped as she wraps her arms around him from behind. He can't see it, but tears run down her eyes. "Please," she pleads in a weak voice. "Don't go… not you too."
He sits her down and talks to her. "What happened? Where's your father."
She pauses, only for one moment, before releasing her feelings.
"I don't know?! He left, just like everyone else. I haven't seen him in days. He said he'd be back in a few days, but it's been a week now and nothing. Everyone is gone, leaving us. I can't take it, I CAN'T! I'm supposed to be strong, BUT I CAN'T … without papa… without you. If you leave… I'll… I'll…"
Her words are lost in sobs and tears as she lets it all out. Her pain stops her from forming coherent words or anything. She cries out loud. The wails echo through the town, but at this point, only Savage is here, and he must answer them. He embraces her as tightly as possible. He whispers into her ear. "It's okay, I won't leave you. ...Never."
He repeats this and plants a kiss on her forehead. She clings on for dear life, thinking he'll be gone the moment she lets go. He does everything in his power, no fiber of his being wants to leave her, but this draws his focus away from what's behind the front door. Allison looks behind him in shock. Before he can react, he feels a sharp pain in his neck, like a needle, then… darkness.
The next moment comes to a shock. He slowly regains consciousness, feeling a soreness in his neck. However, try as he might, his arms won't move. He feels restrained from moving at all. Suddenly, he feels something. His body is leaning forward, his arms restrained back, and his neck rests on something cold. As he moves his head, he can feel the burning sensation on it, then sees the blood. He tries moving his head away in horror as his head is locked into a medieval stock, lined with a blade all around its circumference. He tries to stay still, avoiding the blade. Suddenly, he looks up to see a light flashing before him. His eyes adjust just enough to make out a person in front of him, Alex Wesker.
"What… what is this? What have you done?!" he says in horror, his heart racing now for what she'll say.
"My, my," she replies, leaving no sign of any shock to this situation. "You really are a fool. Do you honestly think you came here by accident. You see, I'm the overseer," with those words, his heart reaches a hundred beats at least. "I used this island to my advantage, for the people made great guinea pigs."
Suddenly, he stops her. "Where's Allison?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO…," he stops as she kicks him down, her foot pushing his head lower and lower, cutting his neck more. He's only alive because these injuries can heal, but very slowly.
"Please wait," she says, "it's rude to interrupt others."
"Now then. She's safe. I'm keeping her for later, but soon, none of that will matter. Right now a strand known as the 'T-Phobos Virus' runs through your body. What I want to know is can you resist the effects? Will you survive, or will you die? Either way, you should try to sleep now for…," she looks to her watch, "maybe five minutes, because it's the last bit you'll receive in this lifetime."
With that, she leaves. No reason, no explanation, nothing. Savage has been made to do this, but his body is too weak to fight back. With each twitch of movement, his body is damaged more. The doors close, and he's left in the dark. What follows is a horrifying sight. Two metal coffins move away from the sides of the door. He is unable to see what sticks out of them, until a light illuminates them. Pipes stick out with flames exiting them. His eyes open wide with terror as the flames grow within seconds, blasting onto him. From the other side of the door, his cries of agony rip through the lab as Alex waits a moment before leaving with a small grin on her face.
When the flames stop, he wriggles in pain, his instincts telling him to move and do something, but he couldn't. His clothes burn onto his skin, his flesh, not burning, but oozing, trying to heal the damage. His face was the most severe as the left side oozed down like melted clay. Any tears he would make simply seep into the openings, providing the only ease to this heat. He remains there, trapped, force to await more torture, to bring out his fear.
