"Not far now, I can almost exactly pinpoint it on the other side of this group of trees." Ryan spoke up after their long silence, pointing towards the group of eight or nine trees ahead of them.
"I can sense something with the T-Virus below us. We've come to the right place, that's for sure." Alice replied, feeling the presence far below her inside the bowels of the laboratory.
Ryan kept his katana in hand as he neared the rough circle of trees, noticing right away that there was signs that there had indeed been a group of people that came here... but didn't leave. He crouched down and touched his fingers to the ground, thinking hard.
"This is the entrance... but how do we get inside?" Ryan commented, watching as Alice examined an oddly rectangular rock situated near one of the trees. He stood up and approached, quickly sensing the rock was electrified... thus it meant that it was a fake.
"That rock is being powered, that must be how we get inside. Can you do anything to it with your Telekinesis?" Ryan suggested, examining the fairly smooth rock with his eyes, scanning for patterns or unusual disfigurements. Nothing caught his eye until Alice gave the entire rock a lift, flipping it open as it was on hinges.
On the underside of the rock was an electronic keycard reader that clearly had been damaged with a blunt object with a fair amount of strength.
"Smashed it... It was probably the guards when they went inside. Maybe they got lucky and it opened for them after they smashed the damn thing." Alice suggested as she moved aside for Ryan to crouch beside it and give it a few experimental pokes with his finger. He paused for a moment, then drew back his fist and slammed it into the ground where the rock normally would lay. He buried his hand into the dirt and grasped several wires, pinching them experimentally as he concentrated on the energy surging through the plastic coated copper in his fingers.
Alice watched him at work, remembering that since he could sense the source, speed and direction of the electricity, he would easily find the entrance's locking mechanism.
With a rumbling noise coming from beneath them, Ryan smirked and turned around in time to see part of the grass nearby split apart smoothly and reveal an awaiting service elevator just like the one that was used at the Las Vegas Facility.
"We're in. Ready for some hack and slash carnage?" Alice smiled as she stepped onto the flat elevator, waiting for Ryan to join her.
"I'm always ready for that, Itoshii." Ryan replied as he stepped onto the elevator beside her and pressed the button to descend.
During the long descent, Alice noticed a faint sound, almost like something was skittering across the floor.
"You hear that?" Alice asked him Telepathically, her eyes narrowed as she flexed her fingers on the grips of her kukris.
"Yeah. But it's coming from below us. Something is alive down there for sure." Ryan replied, swishing his katana around in front of him. "Sounds like there's more than one."
Continuing their remaining descent in silence, the skittering sound grew louder and more sources could be heard. Alice was feeling a sense of dread... The sound reminded her of spiders.
"Web Spinners." Alice said just as the elevator stopped.
"This is going to be a pain in the ass with our Challenge... isn't it?" Ryan readied his katana, holding it in a distinctive two handed stance, the blade held in front of him at an upward angle.
"Not sure, never fought one of them, remember?" Alice readied her own stance and tensed as the doors opened.
Instantly the sounds were amplified, and they caught sight of a massive hairy brown spider ahead of them on the floor.
"Mine!" Ryan announced as he scanned the hall past the spider for others. He took a step back, then literally vanished from sight with a whooshing sound. A split second later he reappeared above the spider - clearly having jumped during his disappearance - and slammed the blade down into the spider's mass of eyes.
With a screech and snapping of its pincers, the spider tried to knock Ryan off it's back, but he held on and slammed his armoured fist into each remaining eye until it finally stopped moving.
"I'll chalk that one up as hand to hand. C'mon, we have to find any survivors from Michelle's team. Can you sense those Benwa balls or the bracelet now that we're inside?" Alice smirked as Ryan wrenched his katana out of the dead spider and rose to his feet.
"Yeah, they're about three floors below us, directly head by about fifty or so feet." Ryan pointed in the direction leading deeper into the labs. "They're stationary, but the whole place is still being powered, so I have to concentrate to isolate their magnetism."
"I have an idea... Can you sense the electricity in my body?" Alice realized. "If you can, then maybe we can use that to locate any of Michelle's team."
"I can, yes. But since the whole place is powered, I' almost blind in that regard. The only chance we've got is those magnetic therapy things. If we find them, then we can at least confirm a body... or a survivor." Ryan turned around as the sound of another Web Spinner reached their ears. "Next one is all yours, have fun!"
With a smile, Alice ran forward and straight for the approaching spider, but she suddenly ran two steps to the side and started to run along the wall for several feet before she landed on top of the spider's back and repeatedly stabbed the head until it died.
"Seems like they're weak from above, they can't do anything except try to knock us off their backs." Alice kicked the spider's legs aside as she started to walk deeper into the labs. "Let's get going, but from here on, it's first come, first serve for any kills."
Ryan jogged along the hall to catch up to her, then she took off into a run. He smiled and went after her for a few dozen yards until they reached a row of elevator doors.
Coming to a halt, Alice noticed that despite Ryan's assurance of power being supplied, the elevators digital display's were blank. She waited a moment for him to stop beside her before stating. "This is strange. Shouldn't they be able to move since there's power?"
Ryan approached one of the doors and touched the button experimentally. He turned back towards her and said. "They're being disabled. I can't do anything to them if they're being controlled by a computer code."
"Allow me to assist you, Ryan."
Alice spun around to come face to face with the unmistakible glowing white hologram of one of Umbrella's Queen AI's. She lowered her kukris and asked aloud. "How do you know his name?"
"Do you not recognize me, Alice? I am the White Queen from the Las Vegas facility. You, Ryan and Katie spoke with me before dispatching Dr. Issacs from his infected state almost a month ago." The hologram declared with a glance at Ryan. "Do you still require assistance, Ryan?"
"He can't talk anymore. His throat was ripped open a while ago, but the regeneration didn't completely heal his vocal cords, so now he is Telepathic. Only way to hear him is with the T-Virus." Alice explained while Ryan gave a sigh.
"I understand. However, I hypothesize that his Electrokinetic manipulation would allow him to provide power to my disabled systems, which would allow me to assist with your obvious mission here." The White Queen gave a nod, then walked towards Ryan. "Are you able to communicate in any other ways, besides your Telepathy?"
Ryan gave a nod, then began rythmically tapping the tip of his katana on the ground. After he stopped, the White Queen gave an understanding 'aaah' sound.
"Standard Morse code, do you also know hearing impairment gestures? Or as it is more commonly known, sign language?" The White Queen asked, but Ryan shook his head. "Well then, Please inform Alice of anything you wish to ask me from now on, so that she may relay them to me vocally."
"I have a question of my own, why are you in this facility? Aren't you based within the Las Vegas facility?" Alice approached the White Queen and sheathed her kukris onto her lower back.
"This facility is part of my associated network. Despite the facility being in a Level 5 Quarantine Lockdown, the facility itself is still fully operational. Aside from the doors, elevators and some of the lights, my systems are still active." White Queen replied. "However, as you've clearly realized by the presence of those two Web Spinner B.O.W's, I seem to have a bit of a... pest problem."
"First things first, we want to know about the last group of people to enter this place, are any of them still alive down here? We were sent here to find them." Alice said firmly, well aware that the AI wanted the entire facility to be cleared of B.O.W's.
"There have been two logged entries to this facility prior to your own. One group, and the other, a single person. My sensors indicate that all of the members of the larger group have been killed by the escaped B.O.W's. However, that single person is still alive. They are currently in the communications room, four floors below this spot." The AI replied, which made Ryan turn to Alice with concern.
"Is there any way for you to display a security feed, or a recording from earlier about them? Because if they are alive AND in the comms room, they're definitly from Umbrella." Alice relayed Ryan's question for a visual confirmation. "What U.S.S task force are they with?"
"They are not with the Umbrella Security Services divisions in any way. That person is an executive director. They even have a legitimate Level 6 clearance for my systems. But I must remind you that they arrive several days ago, and has not once left the communications room since then." White Queen explained in an almost hurried panic. "However, the facility has been sealed by my own sensors, not their clearance. In fact, they are currently in a communication with the Board of Directors at this very moment."
"Who is the registered user of that Level 6 clearance?" Alice asked, already forming an idea as to who she thought it could be.
"Executive Chairman Albert Wesker."