Chapter 5: Dig it Deeper

There were twists and turns, dark passageways and secret chambers. The longer Claire followed William, the more she became lost, confused, and worried. The RPD was long behind them, and now grimy sewer tunnels and maintenance catwalks surrounded them, creating a maze from which there was no escape. Her time spent following the researcher and thinking of a way to escape led her to believe that she would only get herself lost forever beneath the streets of Raccoon City. The sewers weren't as cold as the surface, where the snow and ice layered, but it was still chilly.

William apparently knew the routes well, and blabbed on about this and that with scientific terms and explanations that went right over Claire's head. He had been quiet and reserved at first, but soon opened up after the silence had ate at them for awhile. Claire could tell that the man preferred talking over silence, as though he felt uncomfortable and so chose strange topics just to pass the time. He rubbed his sore eye here and there between mostly one-sided conversations as it puffed up and started to discolor.

Over time, Claire surprised herself by becoming somewhat comfortable around him. William seemingly didn't want to hurt her. And though she could tell that he wished that Wesker would've just killed her instead of causing all of these problems on his part, he still treated her like a person, he even unlocked the handcuffs for her. He came off as quite eccentric to Claire, but she had no problem figuring out that he was a complete and total genius.

"How are you friends with Wesker? You two are complete-"

"Opposites?" William finished, cracking a small smile. "Yeah, we get that a lot. We've known each other since we were kids. Grew up together. Guess we just accepted each other like that. He's like a brother to me. I remember the first day we met. He was eleven and I was nine. You know what he did?"

Claire had a feeling this would stretch into a crazy tale, but decided to humor him. It was the only way she would keep sane while walking through a dark, eternal labyrinth beneath the city. "What?"

"Punched me in the nose. Broke it, that little shit."

"Such a strong, brotherly bond," Claire stated sarcastically. "And that just reinforces my feelings that Wesker is a total lunatic."

William chuckled. "Oh, you have no idea. But frankly, I have no room to talk. Okay, we're here."

They had arrived to another elevator. A bracelet William wore chimed, and the digital control pad for the elevator unlocked. William called it, and the doors glided open easily. This elevator was much more advanced and clean compared to the one they took to get down into the sewers. They stood side by side as the elevator descended deeper underground, soft tunes playing from speakers. Claire didn't understand where they could be going. They had gone so deep underground, the lower altitude made her have to pop her ears. She caught William poking at his eye.

He pouted. "Is it black?"

Claire, for some reason, felt guilty now. "Sorry."

"Eh, it's alright. Not the first time I've gotten a nice shiner! I certainly understand why you did it and don't blame you."

Claire braved asking a question. "So, what are my chances of getting out of this alive?"

William was quiet for a long moment, chewing on his lip. He fidgeted restlessly and when the elevator doors slid open with a ding, he practically threw himself out of the platform. "Uhh, coffee? I think I could use some."

He was nervous, which made her nervous.

She swallowed hard. "William?"

He sighed. "No one's ever beaten Albert at his own game."

William rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of some advice to give her. A tired huff escaped his lips. "Look, you seem like a nice girl and all, but I ain't the best at giving false hope. You'll probably be dead in a few hours, just depends on Al's mood. I'm really sorry this happened to you." He then shook his head and gestured her to follow him. "C'mon, I better get you into one of the break rooms."

His words struck her with dread, piercing her heart like ice. She took a deep breath, blinking back tears, and followed after the researcher. She probably wasn't going to survive much longer, but if she somehow did, her only way out would be to beat Wesker at his own game. Whatever that game was.

They walked side by side through white hallways, lit by LEDs and unbearably clean. They passed by many laboratories, testing chambers, and rooms with heavy machinery. Other researchers wearing white lab coats and slacks like William passed them by, carrying syringes or clipboards or sealed containers. They all wore a strange bracelet like William that unlocked doors and elevators automatically. Some hardly noticed her with William, while others suspiciously glared her way as they walked by.

"Dr. William Birkin, you have an urgent matter that requires your attention in the East Area, ward B-113."

Claire looked up, hearing the polite, digital female voice echo from some speakers in the hallways.

So his last name is Birkin...

Claire kept seeing the Umbrella logo on the walls where directions were painted. There were security cameras all over the place, some of them above doorways or in corners even followed people. Claire couldn't believe it. She was in an Umbrella Corporation building underneath Raccoon City! But this place didn't come off as a place studying cures or medicines. This place gave her chills, feelings of darkness and vile greed. Something was very wrong here.

"What is this place? What do you do here? You work for Umbrella?"

"That's all classified," William answered curtly. "I'm sorry, but I sure as hell can't let you find out what exactly is going on down here. If you find out, you'll definitely be killed, and it won't be by Al. It'll be by me. So, just keep it to yourself, okay?"

Claire grew quiet, her nerves constricting as much as her lungs. Though this place vented heat to keep employees comfortable, Claire felt like she was freezing. She saw animals in cages in one room, and saw researchers flicking syringes in another.

"Will, there you are!" came a woman's voice behind them.

William hissed, spinning around with Claire as a slender, middle-aged woman with blonde hair pulled into a loose pony tail approached them. She wore a white lab coat and light blue jeggings, her wrist aglow with the same digital wristband the other researchers wore. Her red heels hollowly clicked through the hallway, a clipboard in her arms. Her blue eyes were drawn immediately and curiously to Claire and her eyebrows furrowed.

"It's the wicked witch. Stay quiet and go along with me," William whispered.

"Will, who is this? And what the hell happened to your eye?"

"Hi, honey! Uhh, this is Claire…she's doing business with Al. Claire, this is my wife, Annette. Oh my eye? Must've bumped into something."

Claire stayed quiet, not liking the stare down by the older woman. Annette seemed suspicious, eyeing her and William.

She shook her head, glancing down at her clipboard. "Okay, well then I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that Albert is on his way down as we speak. Hanes requests your presence in his ward. The last batch of tissue analyses came back with varying results and he needs your approval."

Shit!

Claire's heart nearly exploded upon hearing that Wesker was on his way down here. She twitched anxiously, feeling ill, holding it together, but apparently not good enough because it didn't go unnoticed by William's wife.

"Great. Well, I will definitely take care of that after I hand Claire over to Al personally. We're just going to wait for him in the break room up ahead."

Annette put the clipboard to her chest, glaring at her husband. "Drop the act, Will. Albert never comes down here when he's supposed to be at the Spencer estate. What's really going on here?"

"Well, you see, um…"

"Get to Hanes. I'll take her to the break room."

William nodded, defeated. He started past his wife, but paused and gave one last look to Claire. Claire didn't know him too well, but felt his expression portrayed mostly concern, although she couldn't be sure if it was for her or something else. Without saying another word, he left them alone in the corridor and went on his way.

Annette marched past Claire. "Follow me."

Claire stayed quiet, trailing William's wife down the hallway until they entered a small break room complete with a few tables and chairs, cabinets, and even a kitchenette. There was two vending machines, one for snacks and one for drinks. Like the rest of the building she had seen, it was strikingly clean.

Annette motioned to a chair at one of the tables, but Claire wasn't about to sit down. Wesker was on his way at this very moment. Nausea boiled in her stomach and she resisted running over to the nearest trash bin to puke. Annette studied her, sliding her glasses off her long nose and hanging them on her shirt.

"You…are scared. It's all over your face, all over your body language," Annette stated calmly. She moved closer to Claire, her eyes never leaving the younger woman. "Let me guess…you were in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Claire gaped at her, shocked at how easily she had guessed.

Annette's lips thinned, and for a brief moment, Claire saw contempt on the woman's face. Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke again. "For God's sake, Albert, you and your twisted games."

Claire wanted to ask her questions, but her eyes kept darting to the door and back to Annette, sure that Wesker would walk in any second. Would he kill her when he arrived? Would she never see Chris again? Would he live the remainder of his days wondering what happened to her? That's what she feared the most.

Annette seemed to carefully consider her next words. "As much as I'd like to learn how you got into this mess, we don't have the time. Listen to me, and listen well, Claire. You do what Albert says. Don't listen to anyone else's "advice" to try and get out of this. You will live longer if you just do as he says."

Claire quickly shook her head. "I can't. I won't. He'll kill me and my brother."

Annette tapped her fingers along the clipboard. "Albert must see something in you…like you in some way. Otherwise, he would've killed you on the spot. If you want to try and fight your way out of this, be my guest. But I assure you, like the others, you won't get very far."

"O-Others?"

"Never mind that. You can't be here. You mind Albert, you don't ask questions, and you leave. Don't come back down here. There's no nice way to say this, but…the only reason you're still alive right now, and William or myself hasn't killed you, is because of Albert."

Claire's temper flared. "I didn't ask to be brought here! That fucker Irons made William bring me here! I'm just trying to get away from that psychopath! Please, you have to help me!"

Annette looked torn, frowning, pitying Claire as her eyes kept glancing to the door.

She sighed. "I'm sorry. The only people who know how Albert works are William, Colonel Sergei, and Ada Wong. William and I cannot risk our research. And even if he wanted to, my husband's too much of a coward to stand up against his best friend. Sergei will kill you if he finds out about you. And if you happen to meet Ada, then you're way too deep in this mess to escape anyway."

Annette was reluctant to help, not wanting to risk this mysterious research. Claire didn't care about what they were doing down here, she just wanted free from Wesker. She just wanted Chris safe. Still, she appreciated the older woman's forthrightness.

"I take it all the others…died?"

Annette's eyes fell to her clipboard. "There are fates crueler than death, Claire. I'm not one to sugarcoat things, but such a fate may likely befall you if you fight Albert. You want a chance to stay alive, you best just obey him. That is…if he isn't on his way down here to kill you as we speak."

Every bone in her body, every single Redfield fiber and sinew told her to fight, to not give in. Claire clenched a fist tight, barely trembling. She nodded at the older woman, swallowing bile.

"O-Okay."

Claire couldn't quite read Annette. She seemed stern, wary, but Claire swore she saw some sort of guilt, shame maybe, crease the edge of her eyes...As if she wanted to help deep down, but to do so would be an unspeakable crime within this place.

"I'm sorry you-"

Her words were cut off by the sound of door hinges squeaking, the break room door swinging open. Annette lowered her head, turned her back on Claire, hushed and rigid. Claire's spine went ice cold, her nerves biting with electricity. The fear, the adrenaline, hell even anger consumed her, made her lightheaded, but she froze, unable to move.

No, no, no, noooo…

Claire felt like a deer caught in headlights as that door swung open. Wesker's tall, muscular frame stepped inside, making Claire's breath catch in her throat. He left the door open behind him as he entered, sunglasses neatly in place, hiding the glare of his eyes. He hardly acknowledged Annette as she passed by him for the exit, clipboard hugged to her chest.

"Good morning, Albert," Annette stated briskly.

Wesker gave a curt nod, eyes never leaving Claire. "Anne."

Annette closed the door behind her and was gone, trapping Claire inside and alone with the crooked STARS Captain. His two steps towards her caused Claire to become flighty. She backtracked away from him, quickly putting a table in between them, as though it was a safe barrier.

Wesker sighed, pulling off his sunglasses and slipping them inside his black jacket. It was the first time she saw him out of uniform. He wore a black, formal outfit instead today, with the same kind of bracelet the Birkins had. His blue eyes pierced her, and Claire could tell he was none too pleased with her screw-up.

"Less than 24 hours, and you've already caused me quite the inconvenience. You're more imprudent than I first thought. Or perhaps you're just deaf? Maybe I should kill you and your brother to spare me the headache."

Claire shook her head. "Don't hurt Chris! Please!"

Wesker walked over to the table, making Claire tense. He slowly prowled around the table towards her, hand sliding along the surface. Claire retreated in the opposite direction of him, her eyes not leaving his lean, muscular frame or those intense eyes.

"And you?" he questioned.

"I learned my lesson. I swear I won't do it again."

"You learned your lesson?" Wesker sneered, amused by her words. He chuckled softly, the sound prickling Claire's skin as he continued to circle the table for her.

Claire glanced at the door, tempted to escape through it. She knew it would be futile. Without one of those wristbands, she wouldn't get far. With control she didn't know she had, she planted herself in one spot, knowing this game of keep away around the table would only continue until she gave in. She flinched when Wesker reached her.

His tall frame leaned into her, the smell of his cologne tickling her nose, making her stomach flip. She avoided his gaze, internally screaming to wake up from this nightmare.

"You've cost me a considerable amount of work today," he said, the low tone raising her heartbeat considerably. He gracefully reached up and took a strand of her hair into his fingers. "Caused a bothersome thorn in my side by the name of Irons. And you've also stirred up some trouble. Chris thinks you are missing since the truck is parked at the RPD and you are nowhere around. How do you propose we fix that without having you turn up dead in a ditch somewhere?"

He tugged on her hair. Hard. Claire clamped her jaw, felt his other hand encase her throat. A hand that could choke her easily. The power she felt in those hands. It did weird things to her insides. She groaned.

Claire's heart pounded so fast, it threatened to burst straight from her chest. She could only imagine the thought of Wesker killing her and tossing her into a ditch to be found with no evidence. Leaving Chris behind to go insane as he searched for answers, perhaps succumbing to Wesker as well.

"Fortunate for you, dear heart," Wesker purred in her ear, his hold on her throat loosening, caressing instead. "That's not my style. So, how will you correct this?"

Dear heart? Was that some kind of pet name for her? She wanted to be disgusted by it...but she wasn't. To her dismay, it did the opposite.

Claire quickly buried that realization and focused. It was up to her to come up with a credible story to tell Chris to cover this up or risk killing them both. Her mind raced over ideas and solutions, her brain on overdrive from pulsing nerves.

"I-I told Chris I was going out with some friends today! I'll-I'll tell him I was at the library…got sidetracked with a friend or something!"

The large, public library was just a couple blocks down from the police station. Claire went there a lot while she was down. It would make sense, except maybe Chris had checked there already.

"Are you certain that will be enough to satiate Chris's worry? He's already been out searching for you with other STARS members, has already contacted a few of your friends. He's even called me. So at this point, I'm out there on my day off from work searching for you. Not convincing enough, dear heart."

Claire wished he would give her space, his towering form and the intoxicating smell of his cologne was making her light headed. His touch felt like electricity zapping through her nerves, icing her skin.

"I-I'll tell him I dropped the truck off and got a ride over to a friend's house! L-Let me call him. He'll believe me, I swear."

Claire was confident it would work. Growing up with Chris taking over as her guardian after their parents passed away made him quite protective of her. He had great intuition, which made him a great cop, but Claire had nearly mastered the art of throwing her brother off. She wasn't a saintly little sister, at least not as much as he thought she was.

Wesker seemed to consider it. "Very well. I'll take you to a phone and then I will return you home. But I assure you, dear heart, if your story raises suspicion, you and Chris are dead. You better be a good actress."

She barely nodded, and almost collapsed when he moved away. He motioned at her to follow him. Claire's feet did not want to obey, but she reluctantly trudged forward. As Claire followed Wesker through the white hallways of the underground institute, William veered around the corner up ahead, walking briskly, rigid like a board, eyes wide and face pale.

Wesker halted so suddenly, Claire bumped into him. He must have sensed his friend's trepidation. "What is it, Will?"

"Sergei! He's here!" William hissed, trying to stay quiet, on the verge of having a panic attack. "Hide her or we're all dead! Annette's stalling him right now. I think Irons called him down here! He wants to talk to you about a girl…it has to be Claire!"

Claire didn't know who this Colonel Sergei was, but judging by how William shook like a frightened small dog, she figured he was bad news. She looked up at Wesker, saw him clench his jaw. His eyes narrowed, and he grabbed her arm with intense strength and started dragging her in another direction.

William followed after them, his voice shaky. "H-Hide her in the storage r-room!"

Besides looking a little irked, Wesker was completely calm. Claire had a good dose of nerve, a perk of her Redfield blood, but Wesker's seemed superhuman. "No time. She's going in one of the lockers in your lab."

"That'll be the first place he looks!" William complained.

"Not while I'm around."

They entered a large laboratory. Claire wanted to fight Wesker's hold on her arm, but knew that this was a matter of life or death. She hardly had any time to look around, only seeing glimpses of laboratory equipment, papers strewn about, large x-ray monitors, empty vials and syringes, and strange…creatures in glass tubes before the STARS Captain opened a tall locker in the back, and shoved her inside. He slammed the door and Claire pushed her back into the metal in the hopes of disappearing. She could see out of the vents of the locker and saw Wesker and William standing side by side. They were near a table, pretending to go over some papers. Claire tried to slow and quiet her breathing.

"Stay quiet, dear heart," Wesker stated. His tone was a warning, but there was a strange gentleness to it that threw her for a loop.

Wesker knocked the fidgeting William upside the head. "Will, compose yourself. You'll give us away."

"I'm sorry! I'm having a bad day!"

"What happened to your eye?"

"Claire punched me."

Wesker sighed. "Don't tell Sergei that."

"I'll tell him you did it. He'll believe me. Wouldn't be the first time you punched me."

"Nor will it be the last if you don't shut up."

Claire saw Annette enter the laboratory, the sound of her heels echoing with light taps. A few uniformed mercenaries followed right behind her. There was a tall, broad man as well, dressed in a brown trench coat and a blue military uniform underneath that was different than the others. The uniform had the Umbrella logo on the left breast. He was clean shaven, with silver hair and a scar across his right eye that left it useless. His only eye was an icy blue and it scanned the laboratory as he entered.

"See? Here they are," Annette said, sounding annoyed. "You better have a good reason for disturbing us like this, or I will be reporting to Spencer. We're on a timed schedule with perfecting the Golgotha and I will not allow you to put us behind."

The broad, scarred mercenary signaled the other mercenaries to stay put, disinterested in Annette's warning. Claire saw the military-style weapons the other mercenaries held as they waited by the door. These guys meant business. What the hell were they all involved with?

"Relax, Mrs. Birkin. I'm here because Irons called me with quite an interesting story. He claims there is a girl that knows too much running around with Wesker." The towering man glared at Wesker and William with bridled scorn. "Is this true?"

"It was true. I've already disposed of her," Wesker answered. His response was calm, completely sincere sounding, although with an undertone of boredom and apathy, as if this Colonel should've known better.

Sergei was definitely Russian. His accent was thick, and Claire wondered what he had to do with Umbrella. He walked forward, stopping just on the other side of the table near William and Wesker.

"Is that so, comrade? You aren't one to be sloppy or leave loose ends. How did this girl find out too much?"

"What does it matter if the threat has been eliminated? I've already reported to Spencer. So, it seems your trip down into NEST was a waste of everyone's time. You're out of your jurisdiction anyways, Sergei. The Birkins handle threats here and Irons and myself handle threats within the city. You need to remain at the estate."

Sergei chuckled with a wicked grin. "My jurisdiction has no boundaries when it comes to the safety and reputation of Lord Spencer and Umbrella. Besides, I have probable cause. But go ahead. Play your game, comrade. You better hope I don't find or hear anything more on this girl. Kill her like you two did your mentor, James Marcus, or turn her into an experiment like Lisa Trevor, I don't give a damn, but do not put Lord Spencer and Umbrella in jeopardy or I will kill you myself. Do I make myself clear?"

Wesker's tone was icy cold. "You always do, Sergei."

"Very clear. Crystal," William blurted.

"Good," Sergei replied, rubbing his palms together. He then noticed William's black eye. "William, what happened to your eye?"

"Albert punched me."

Sergei studied him, suspicious, and then shook his head and turned around. He motioned for his mercenaries to head out, and they left the room first. Annette stepped out of the way as the Colonel came through, but the Russian man stopped in the threshold of the laboratory, glaring over his shoulder at them.

"You can manipulate and control and deceive many people, comrade, but don't think for a moment that you can fool me."

With that, the Colonel left with his men. William just about collapsed out of relief. Annette rubbed her temple, glaring over at the two men. Wesker opened the door and pulled Claire out.

"That was a close call," William said, leaning on the table for support.

Annette pointed at Wesker. "This is all your fault, Albert. I have no idea what you're planning and what you expect to get get out of it, but do not risk us in the process! You owe William for far too much, so you-"

"Okay, honey," William interrupted, grabbing his wife by the shoulders. "He gets the point! Al, I suggest you make like a tree and leave."

Wesker nodded. "It looks as though you and I will have to remind Brian Irons where his place is."

"Agreed, bud."

Wesker and Claire headed out after that. They traveled through the massive underground base, taking a much different route than what William and Claire took to get down there. Claire stayed quiet as she walked with Wesker, even more lost than before. Her mind raced over what she just saw, realized how close her life was from being taken back there. She felt mentally and physically exhausted, and so had no energy to defy Wesker in any way as he led her through tunnels and concrete hallways, secret passageways, and old, rusty elevators.

When they reached level ground, they came out into an Umbrella Pharmacy a block away from the police department. Claire couldn't believe it as they walked out of the store without a strange stare from any of the employees. Wesker's Jaguar was parked at the curb outside. Wesker opened the door for her and she climbed in.

"Who was that guy?" Claire asked after Wesker got in and started up the luxury sports car.

"Sergei Vladmir. Somebody who will kill you if he finds you."

"Why are you risking so much to keep me alive?"

Wesker smirked, slipping on his sunglasses and glancing over at her. "That is quite a conceited assessment to make. Are you so sure it is only you? Perhaps I have a plan involving you that is worth the risk."

She grew quiet as the Jaguar pulled away from the curb, the engine rumbling under the hood as Wesker drove for Chris's house. Claire knew her grave was being dug deeper and deeper each passing moment. She thought back to what Annette and William suggested. No, she wouldn't listen to Wesker, allow him to control her, use her in whatever way he was planning. Her only chance was to fight back. She had to find a way to get Wesker exposed to the public, to get him out of the way without leaving a trail for Umbrella to follow her. If no one had ever beat Wesker at his own game before...she would have to be the first...

A/N: Chapter 5 has been updated/revised! I sure hope everyone is liking the updated version and new direction this story is going! :)

As of 10/12/21 this chapter has been updated/revised once more, fixing minor grammar and adding more content. Thank you!