Chapter Twenty

The construction site had been hard to maneuver, but finally four hours after the initial entering, they ha made it to the core areas. It felt strange..wrong how much the facility resembled its predecessor. The steel lines walls gleamed with a newness that only modernism could bring. They had not come across any guards, which made Chris wonder if a trap was in place… None the less they trudged on, scoping out the descending area that moved deeper into what was left of the Arklay Mountain Range. Redfield flared his nostrils as the air tickled his nose. This whole town reeked of stale death, or perhaps it was his imagination… But this place was not his old home… no matter how similar it was becoming. Chris slowed to a stop, casting a glance over to his partner as she did the same. Before them lay was looked like a keycard entrance, and they of course had none. Sucking in a deep breath, the tired male passed a hand over his forehead.

"So what now… " Sheva grinned as she held up a small tool from her pack and knelt. "I have a few talents of my own, Chris…hold on.." Pressing the object into the slot, she twisted the tool expertly to unlock the door. Her almond eyes narrowed as she worked, her nimble fingers moving to pry the mechanism from its casing. "They've upgraded.. If I'm not careful we could set off an alarm…" The red light upon the key lock flashed a brief red, then thankfully slid into the green. Sheva's smile began larger as she stood, twirling her tool with a flourish. "There we are…" Chris chuckled as they crossed into the newly opened hallway, neither operative noticing the laser trip that ran at the bottom of the door. The door seal locked behind them, causing Alomar to jump lightly. Chris looked back, his eyebrows scrunching. "You alright?" Sheva nodded slowly as she moved to his side, shaking her head as they slowly began to walk in the darkness. "My nerves are shot…it seems so familiar to Africa… " Redfield stopped, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey…this is just a recon. I understand…but remember she's my wife, and you have to be the sane one for the two of us… Hell you are the only one keeping me from going Commando in there.."

Sheva chuckled, but seconds later her eyes narrowed. A soft noise moved from further down the hallway…and it didn't sound like a guard… "Get down.." Both of them dropped into a crouch, each sliding to the opposite side of the wall. Chris' jaw clenched, the muscle looking about to distend to extreme. Hand guns were drawn, each chamber prepared. Sheva's boots barely made any noise as she stealthily moved to the corner of the hallway. What she saw looked like something she had dreamed about for almost three years. A canine that looked like a hybrid of some sorts stalked the lower hallway, kept at bay by an electro-field. Its sinewy muscles looked exposed and raw, though the size outweighed any Cerberus she had seen before. It must be three hundred pounds… seven feet tall when standing on its back paws. Dripping jaws snapped and snarled as the scent of its enemy drew near, the ravenous hunger showing in its eyes. Redfield shuddered where as Alomar's mouth fell open in shock. Just as she was about to retreat, the wrist radio flashed an incoming message.

Slamming his wrist with a finger, Chris hissed gently into the radio. Both feeds were activated when he did this, the static blaring in both partner's ear. "HQ we are kind of busy right now…" Chris' eye opened wider as the voice that filtered across was not his commander, but Kennedy. "Redfield, you have to call off the mission…" Redfield hissed into the receiver, his eyes going cobalt black. "Leon, I do not have time for your bullshit right now.." The man on the other side did not stop to argue, but merely cut to the chase. "Shut the hell up, Chris, and listen to me…

You and Sheva are in more danger than you could ever know…"

…

He watched her as she slept, his eyes roaming her perfected form. The virus had changed every aspect of her, but one… her heart. Angelica's form was strapped to a gurney, her body sedated and pumped chock full of the serum… That security giving serum that his little genius Frederick had made. After securing everything down, he would have to either premote…or kill the man. He hadn't decided which yet…

Trent leaned down over Angelica, his voice becoming gentle, like a crooning mother waking her child. "Wake up, my dear…" Slowly her blue eyes fluttered open, not recognizing the man before her at first. After the world came in into focus, she jerked, struggling against the steel cuffs that restrained her. She kicked and writhed, but to now avail…

"Where am I…what have you done with my daughter.." Angelica's voice sounded harsh and gravelly, her throat dry from her sedated state. Trent moved around her slowly, tracing a finger down her cheek. The woman jerked her cheek away, hissing between her teeth. "Don't you worry about that, Angel… she's being well taken care of, as are you…" Slowly the man held up the pinkish vial, moving it in a circular motion between his fingers. Angelica's eyes narrowed as the watched the object. Trent's lips split into a grin as he noticed her attention was caught. "Ahh..you still haven't figured out what this is… I'm surprised, considering you always have been such a sharp one…." Walking in the pacing fashion, Trent placed the glass syringe on the counter top. "I also believe you haven't understood why this took such an odd adversity to you were as it did not with Wesker…" Angelica leaned up as far as her shackles would allow her, a hatred burning from her glare. "What have you been pumping into us, Trent… And why… we used to be friends… and now you've become what you fought against all these years…" The man stopped short, slamming his palms down upon the plated gurney. It shook the structure, his face hovering inches above Angelica's.

"You have always been so intelligent yet you still cannot connect the dots. You are just like every pawn in a chess board , Angelica. And you have played your part in this game so well.. you became one of my knights in it instead… I did it because my family should have risen into this legacy instead of the Ashfords, and now Umbrella has come under the rule of its rightful owner… I will not make the same mistakes of the fool Spencer…" The smile moved back onto his trembling lips as the man composed himself, drawing his form away from the helpless woman. "Have you not wondered why the genetic similarities in your system have doubled… Of course you have been so preoccupied with your child's condition that you completely looked over the fact that she might be the cause…" Angelica's breath hitched in her throat as it dawned… The serum… the mysterious checkups Larson had been performing… They had been taking it from her child the entire time…

Trent smoothed out his suit, a triumphant look replacing any other emotion readable. He was enjoying her horror… He was savoring every second… "Oh yes, Angel… your daughter's genetic markers have the key to making the virus dormant in your and her father's system… She is the cure for the T-virus mutation, but only temporarily…for now… And for that, I thank you…." As Trent turned his back to leave the room on that devastating note, Angelica screamed at the top of her lungs. The sound was bloodcurdling and pitched in a manner that it echoed in the small room, forcing any worker that strayed in front to stare in fear. Trent's blood ran cold as he looked over his shoulder. The woman's eyes were becoming red even though the serum had been overdosed into her system ten minutes beforehand. The steel was bending as she struggled, her skin on her arms breaking under the strain. "I'll kill you… I'LL KILL YOU!" Backing into the door as he frantically waved on a troop of guards to administer a sedative. Trent's soul began to crumble in genuine fear even as the woman fell back into her unconscious stupor…..

Perhaps he was making a mistake…One that may cost him his life….

…

Cradling a glass of Scotch as he reclined in a plush chair, Wesker watched his own reflection in a wall mirror. Despite his age, mostly his physique hadn't changed… every muscle was toned and defined.. he had made sure of that during his solitude.. His hair was the same golden hue of his youth, despite the fact with the serum a few annoying strands of grey marked through… But what he couldn't get over was how old he felt…and still he wasn't ready to be what he had discovered…

"Will, are you ready for this?" William Birkin gave his friend a sidelong glance as he held his newborn girl in his arms. Chuckling light as he passed a finger over the child's nose. Shaking his head as he force handed over his daughter to Wesker, the man enjoyed watching his best friend squirm. "You never are… but Sherry's worth it…" Wesker hissed as the child moved within his arms, his shoulders moving upwards as he tried to hand her back. William kept his hands away, forcing the uncomfortable Albert to hold the child longer. As Wesker looked down, his demeanor changed as he watched the sleeping baby. Sherry looked more like her mother, but the nose was definitely Will's… He found himself staring in wonder at the infant, the perfect way she breathed…her tiny fingers… her tiny nose and eyes… Slowly he handed her back, shaking his head. "Never for me.. far too much baggage for just a fetus…" William shook his head, crooning gently to his daughter. "One day you'll change you mind…maybe. And that's the day you'll change the way you think and live forever, my friend…"

Taking a swig from his drink as the memory faded back into time, Wesker stared blankly forward. His daughter… he had a daughter with the woman that had become a worst addiction. What kind of a man could he be now with the responsibility of a child… Could he create a world for her that could become the type of place that people like them could flourish… no..he had tried that once and his freedom had been sacrificed… He had been caged like some animal…

Throwing the glass at the mirror, Wesker felt his weakness show through. No…he had none…and he would not let this child..this…human…thing get in his way… He had always been alone during the years, save for the few moments he had shared in a ship's bedroom with the woman of his fiercest match… Heaving from the strain of the throw, Wesker's crystalline eyes reflected in the shards of glass that lay strewn across the floor. In that moment he made a decision… His daughter would not become his weakness…

He would become her strength….

A/N

Whew… I couldn't leave that thing on that note…. Thank you guys for all the lovely reviews! They give me such encouragement! :D

Anyway…

Happy Reading!

Angie Burrows