Chapter Two
When did life become so….complicated?
She looked up at the white walls around her, watching, listening to hear if the child in the other room was still asleep. Even with her hyper sensitive hearing she would strain, just to hear her child breathe. Settling back into her chair, Angelica watched the dwindling fire crackle and pop before her. Three years ago she thought that the end of complications had arrived…but she had been so very wrong.
It started only a week after returning to the Artic facility; the nausea…the vomiting. At first she begged her mind to believe it was stress, but after collapsing at the foot of her desk one morning, the scientist could not deny the tell tale signs…. She was with child. At first she flew into a rageful fit, throwing things, punching walls…it had cost a lot to fix, but it was worth taking out her strength on an actual person. The check ups had been with a woman who looked remarkably like an old friend… She could remember it like yesterday.
Sitting upon an exam table, Angelica fiddled with her necklace. She watched the auburn haired woman closely, but shook her head. Lisa was long gone.. The ultrasound jelly made her wince as it was applied to her stomach, the female before her chuckling gently. "They all do that…it is abit cold.. Is this your first?" Angelica nodded, not daring to actually tell the doctor that she winced because it had felt…warm. "Yes…" As the sonogram machine showed the black and white image of the fetus within her, Angelica felt her heart stop. It had only been three weeks by that time, and the baby already was registering as almost four months along.. The visits only happened twice more before the actual birth. Out of some sense of tradition… she had forgone finding out the sex of the child. The pain was …normal when she had felt her water break, but yet it actually did not hurt at all… There was pressure, but the new nervous system she was endowed with did not communicate pain…
The first time she had held her daughter, all fresh and new, the woman knew that she would be in danger… Both parent's bloodlines ran through the child, its accelerated growth was proof of such. Angelica kept to herself that the father was Wesker, even though…somehow….Trent seemed to have known. He transferred her to the Tokyo facility, then back to the construction of the Arklay facility before the need had arisen for her to return. Wesker had proven uncontrollable during her absence, and at least twenty dead scientists was definite proof. Under direct orders not to make the man aware of his offspring, she had distanced herself from him all together, merely on weekly visits to affirm his stability. Even now she was in a section of the facility that was put aside for her and the child…. And it was becoming more and more apparent to Angelica that she was a prisoner here just as Wesker had become…
Getting up from her seat, the woman moved to her child's bedroom door, peeking through the cracked opening. Poor little girl…psionic powers had manifested shortly after she had turned two…. And somehow they were tied directly to her emotions. She was only three and a half, yet she looked at least a year or so older, her intelligent blue eyes framed with long lashes that she would bat to get her way. The child adored sweets….and animals… One day she had seen something in a magazine dealing with a kitten/ rabbit crossbreed. Angelica smiled as she saw the animal sleeping at the foot of the bed, its hind leg twitching. Her child was intelligent…but the name had officially been, Mr. Cabbot…despite the fact it was the name of the breed. The youngster had insisted that it should be named such, because it was male, and was indeed a cabbot… She had her father's literalism…
Moving to the bedside, Angelica brushed golden bangs from the child's forehead. One day she would give her a normal life….she just had to find out how…
…
Chris looked over at his wife from across the desk, thumbing his nose at her as her mound of paper work was finished before his. The woman chuckled as she went out of sight, forcing a sigh to escape his lips. He had been approached by their enlister when they came to the office, his news urgent. The information had been concealed from Valentine at the time, by mere fact that McNeil was not sure it would be appropriate for her mental health. And he was right… Ever since the news of Umbrella had hit the media, she had been none stop trying to block the company at every turn. The reporters had given her their time, but after the gesture of good faith to Raccoon, not many would now side with them. Within the last month or so…all had seemed squeaky clean…until now. BOW reports on the black market had sky rocketed, forcing the BSAA into action once more, and now they were wanting two operatives to do a recon mission in the Artic….
Feeling around in his back pocket for the cell phone which was vibrating, Chris jammed his thumb on the touch screen answer button. "Hello, Claire." A cheerful squeal came from the other side, forcing Redfield to jerk his head back. A quick apology came after. "I'm sorry, that was Mikey. I'm baby sitting for Rebecca…hard to still think she has kids now…no..no, Mikey, don't play with the bug spray!" Clattering came after the statement, and a satisfied sigh letting the man know his sister had indeed gotten her bug spray back…. Bug spray…" Heh…he's just like his mom. Just make sure he doesn't get you in the eyes, Claire. So, what's up?" A small sigh came again, one that was hesitant, but the Claire Redfield still pushed on. "Chris….have the dreams stopped yet?" At this Chris covered the outside of his phone, looking to see if his wife was nearby. She was not… "It's been a month…she's occasionally still gets jumpy, but that is about the extent of it…why?"
Upon their return trip from Africa, Jill had been placed under severe mental surveillance. The woman had suffered a great deal of trauma, and as a result, had post traumatic stress disorder. At first Jill refused to acknowledge the problem, but after falling asleep in the bathtub with her husband and waking up with her holding a razor blade to his neck….she had admitted herself to a local rehab center. She had been discharged almost a year ago, but unfortunately the continuing therapy had not ridded her of the violent dreams. Often Chris would sleep on the couch to avoid getting kicked…..or bit…or any number of other means of being bodily injured. They both had been going to a therapist…and with the group sessions…the episodes had almost stopped.. At first he had been so worried, the man had gone to his sister for aide, but now…as she said her next words… he wished he hadn't. " I was making sure, because I talked to Sheva and she said she knew a good doctor that could prescribe a mild sedative…"
"You did WHAT? Claire, I told you that no one knew about this…how could you?" The enraged sibling shouted as loud as he dared, ending his sentence in a deep growl. Claire immediately went upon the defensive, her voice becoming snippy and angry. "Look, I was just trying to help…I hate seeing you both struggle like this…" The older Redfield's voice dropped dangerously low, his eyes blazing despite the fact his sister could not see. "No, you look…I am doing just fine helping her. I raised you after all…now I have work to get to, Claire. We will see you Saturday for dinner, as always. Good night…" Not waiting for a response, Chris hung up the phone, and not a moment too soon. Jill rounded the corner with two cups of coffee, her eyebrows raised.
"Goodness, hun. I could hear you fussing all the way down the hall. Is everything ok?" Chris looked up at his unsuspecting wife, forcing a smile. "Yeah…it's just Clair being..well Claire…but sit down, will you?" Jill sat across from him as she handed the steaming cup over. She watched as he passed a tired hand over his face, an inward struggle evident in his laugh lines. Leaning forward she rubbed his hand. "What is it?" Chris took in a deep breath, not sure as to whether he should let the chips fall on the Umbrella mission, or wait until the next morning for McNeil to debrief her…. Deciding the former came at a hard choice.
"There's something we should talk about….regarding Umbrella…you may get your chance to take them out after all…."
…
The chair felt amazing. His eyes traveled the room as he noted each and every detail that was designed into it. The old Estate had been torn completely down, and rebuilt into a sleeker design. The modern world would call for modern technology after all…
Trent set his glasses down upon the steel topped desk, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he continued to read the blue prints for the new Arklay facility. It would not merely be a series of underground tunnels, but it would be a structure all unto itself. The base would extend down like a cylinder, and out from it department tunnels for the various filing rooms. Lower down would be the more…important experiments, and their workers. The new design would be like a hive, each and every compartment serving a useful purpose, with now chance of mistake. The halls would be securely guarded with laser technology, and a foreign object would be sliced to shreds at the touch of a button. Should any chance of a virus get out, the computerized system would isolate it…. The Red Queen…she had been used before, but now with her updated software, she would be an AI of supreme intelligence.
Looking up from the paper as an intruder made their presence aware, Trent smiled. "Ah, have a seat, my dear." The woman complied promptly, her hands smoothing out her crimson business suit. In turn Trent stood, folding his hands behind his back. It was time to become…philosophical.. " Do you know what my dream is, my dear?" The woman slowly shook her head, her silence prompting him to further his statement. "My dream is to succeed where Spencer did not. The man made my mistakes for me, so that this company would have a leader strong and intelligent enough to bypass those mistakes the second time." Trent turned, a dark eyebrow rising as he leaned against the front ledge of his desk. "Now I am quite aware that you know the ins and outs of this company quite well, and that is why I have asked you here." The woman squared her jaw, a cynical eyebrow rising in return. "Are you sure it was not because I posed a threat."
The thought seemed to have amused the man greatly, his lips peeling back into a chuckling smile. "Ah, my dear, if I viewed you as a threat…we would not be having this conversation. I am well aware you are skilled…but not skilled enough to run forever…" The threat was taken with an emotionless stare, her eyes watching him closely as he moved back behind his desk. Brushing down his suit, he sat once more, folding his hands. "I asked you here so that a talented person such as yourself would have a new start…You can either accept this offer…or we can have a disagreement that would lead to an…unsavory ending on both parts." The woman leaned back, a smile breaking her full lips in turn. "I do believe we have a deal. Most men are not cunning when speaking to me…but we both know my soft spot for Umbrella has waned over the years. What do you have to offer me…besides my life of course." Trent grinned deviously as he took a thick packet from his file drawer. Throwing the bag to her, he cleared his throat obviously. "One and a half million up front as discussed, the rest will be later if the mission goes as planned. I want you to keep an eye on her, and if she makes a move to leave….kill her and take the child. I won't have a motherly instinct ruin my plans… Is that understood?"
Ada Wong smirked with her painted lips, fingering the bag. Looking back to her new employer, her dark eyes sparkled viciously. "I think I can handle it…"