Resident Evil: Tangled Web

By: PhantasmBabeIvory

Author's Notes: Hope you all enjoy the new update. Sorry it took so long.

I am part of a writing group that has been critiquing this story for me, one chapter at a time. Based on their suggestions, I have revised and updated the entry before this. Please check that out before reading this to avoid any confusion. Thank you.

Chapter Twelve

Elliott followed up his talk of looking for a way out by beginning to take stock of what was in the apartment. He found a spiral bound notebook and a ballpoint pen in a desk drawer. He was making a list of anything that could be used as a weapon or as a means of breaking out when Claire captured his attention.

"You know, I don't remember getting sick at all anytime within the past year," Claire said, rubbing her left arm with her right hand. "Didn't think much of it until now. I went for a checkup about two months ago, but didn't even need to have my blood drawn." She looked up at Elliott when he didn't say anything in response. "I tried to be so careful. I've dodged a bullet more times than I could count." She paused. "I wish I'd found out before now that I'd been infected. Hell, I wish I'd never been at Wilpharma that day. Then none of this would be happening."

"Are you up for talking about it? What happened that day, I mean?" Elliott asked.

Claire sighed and crossed her arms. "About two months before, Wilpharma was suspected of unleashing a virus in India. Turns out that wasn't a lie, but it wasn't known at the time. My company, Terra Save, was investigating Wilpharma's activities. When Wilpharma wouldn't provide evidence of their innocence, Terra Save's scathing comments on the news hurt Wilpharma's reputation and their stock plummeted. Around this same time, a lot of my company's volunteers started behaving radically and were making the whole affair even worse. I flew into Harvardville, the city that served as Wilpharma's base of operations, to see about resolving the conflict. However, an ex-employee of Umbrella and Wilpharma's head researcher, Frederic Downing, was only interested in making money and selling bioweapons to a foreign military. I'll spare you a lot of the sordid details, but circumstances found me alone with Frederic at Wilpharma's headquarters late at night when he made the decision to bomb the building. His intent was to fake his death and frame a local extremist named Curtis Miller as the one who committed any and all crimes. Frederic ultimately failed on both counts. Like Wesker said, he was far too sloppy at covering his tracks."

Claire shifted her stance. "In short, a shard of glass wound up in my leg as a result of the bombing. The virus could have gotten into my bloodstream in any number of ways." She paused. "I believe Frederic intended for me to die in the explosion. Bet he'd be surprised to see me now. He'd claimed that Wilpharma had attempted to manufacture a cure for the G-Virus, but failed. I don't know if that was a lie or not. In either case, I'm glad Frederic's rotting in prison."

Elliott pondered this. "Am I correct in thinking the injury wasn't serious enough to require medical attention?"

Claire nodded. "It wasn't. I was already feeling better three hours later when Frederic was arrested." She looked startled by her own words once they left her. "I guess now I know why. Granted, the injury didn't heal overnight, but I did recover from it pretty quickly." Claire sighed. "The effects of the virus sure didn't waste time kicking in."

Elliott hesitated. When he spoke, his tone was guarded and he hoped that she knew he was trying to tread carefully. "Seems like a decent perk to possess."

Claire snorted. "So long as it doesn't result in being held captive by a megalomaniac," she said bitterly. She was silent for a long moment. Rubbing her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, Elliott."

Elliott leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. "Don't be. Believe it or not, this is not the worst thing a girl I've been involved with has put me through," he said softly.

That got Claire's attention. "Interesting thing to say. Care to talk about it?" she asked.

Elliott sighed. "Cliff notes version – Her name was Jasmine and she had a talent for manipulating people. She really messed with my head." Elliott paused, then looked over at Claire. "Jasmine never would have gone out on a limb for me like you have. I'm sorry I ever entertained the idea that you could be just like her."

Elliott guessed from Claire's expression that she was expecting him to share more. He shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "That was more serious than I wanted to get. There has to be more important things we could talk about."

Claire blinked. Her answer surprised him. "I feel like I could use a fresh perspective. I remember you said you're good at reading people. Did you glean anything from Wesker and his team?"

Elliott chuckled. "You mean you're not tired of talking about them yet?"

Claire began pacing back and forth. "It's going to weigh on me otherwise. Wesker's given me plenty of cause not to trust him. I doubt he's telling the truth about what he wants with me. If you were given any clue what he's up to, I'd like to know," Claire said.

Elliott hesitated. "It's hard to get a read on him. I think it would largely depend on what Wesker meant when he said he'd like to build a better world. And I obviously struck a nerve when I asked if Spencer had ever betrayed him." Elliott scratched the side of his head. "What I did pick up on is that Wesker doesn't like distractions. I've noticed that he'll steer a conversation back to a preferred subject if it deviates too much. Also, Wesker seems to want to make sure you're comfortable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have scolded Excella for calling you an investment or provided you with a cushy apartment. I'm not saying that makes up for the fact that he's cut us off from our lives and the people we love. But he could be a lot crueler about the terms of our imprisonment."

"Thank God for small favors," Claire said dryly.

"Sorry I can't offer more insight. You were right when you said Wesker is good at keeping secrets. And Raymond is an even harder person to get a read on. He seems to be the sort of person who does what's expected of him without question. If he ever actually spoke, I'd be able to tell you more." Elliott paused. "As for Jessica, if I didn't think she was dangerous before, I'm even more convinced now. She's not in this just for a paycheck. She really believes in Wesker and whatever his cause is. And Excella shares the same mindset as Jessica, but also has a lust for power on top of it."

Claire stopped pacing and turned to look at him. "I bet Excella would just love to be in my shoes."

Elliott smirked. "Nah! Excella strikes me as too high maintenance to wear sneakers."

That wisecrack got Claire to smile for an instant. "That's true. Even still, I wouldn't mind giving our power-crazed CEO my healing factor if it meant we get to go home."

Elliott stood up straight. "Be careful what you wish for. I doubt Excella would oppose Wesker like you would. She's too firmly entrenched in his court." He began rubbing at the bandage covering his bruised knuckles when it started to itch.

Claire's gaze was drawn to his hand. "We should think about changing that," she said, gesturing to the bandage. "Don't want you getting an infection."

Elliott nodded absently. "You sound like my sister, Katherine," he said wistfully.

Claire hesitated. "You know, you told me you're close to another sister named Lisette, but you haven't mentioned her since we've been captured. You didn't even act like she'd be worried about you like Katherine."

Elliott looked down. "That's because Lisette is mentally challenged. Sadly, she probably isn't even aware I'm gone," he said quietly.

Claire's eyes were wide when he looked at her. "Oh, my God. Elliott, I'm so sorry," she said remorsefully.

Elliott shook his head. "It's not your fault, Claire." He lightly gnawed at his lip. "It's just, sometimes fate isn't kind to everyone." Elliott let out a deep breath. Anxious to change the subject, he said, "Now, medical supplies would be in the bathroom, right?"

Claire nodded. She turned and started for the room in question. Elliott followed and seated himself on the side of the tub. He peeled off the gauze and tape while Claire was going through the medicine cabinet. His knuckles still looked pretty banged up, but at least it didn't appear to be bleeding. The urge to scratch at the wound was so intense, however, that Elliott clenched the rim of the tub with his free hand to restrain himself.

Claire was all business when she kneeled in front of him, took his hand in hers, and tended the injury with an alcohol wipe. It was a good thing her gaze was fixed on Elliott's bruised knuckles, or she would definitely have questioned why he suddenly tensed up. Her t-shirt's neckline wasn't revealing much skin, but there was something about both her proximity and focus that was attractive. He shifted his weight and tried to force the thought from his mind.

Unfortunately for Elliott, Claire looked up when he moved. "Are you okay?" she asked. Without letting him answer, she added, "Does it sting?"

"It just itches a lot. It's fine," Elliott said, fighting to keep a straight face. He cleared his throat, trying to think of something else to say. Before he could speak, he heard a loud clunking sound behind him.

Elliott jerked around at the same time that Claire looked up, both of them instantly on edge. At first, Elliott couldn't determine where the noise had come from until he heard a clattering from inside the vent. "What the hell?" he said, getting to his feet and stepping around the tub to get a better look.

Claire grabbed Elliott's arm before he could get too close. She opened the nearest drawers until she found a nail file. Elliott took a page from her and grabbed a pair of scissors from the same drawer. He understood the reasoning; investigating a strange noise wouldn't be a good idea without protection.

Elliott let out a deep breath as he stepped up next to the vent, tightly gripping the scissors like a weapon. He put his free hand to the wall, leaning closer to peer through the grate. A large bright blue light assaulted his vision without warning and nearly blinded him. "Son of a bitch!" Elliott cursed as he stumbled back. He rubbed his eyes to try to diminish the afterimage. "What is that?"

Elliott felt Claire grip his shoulder. There was a tremor in her voice when she spoke. "Elliott, look."

Elliott followed her gaze to the far wall. Seeing neon-blue light-generated words forming on the white tile was the last thing he expected. He waited until the sentences were fully formed before reading it aloud. Elliott guessed that the message was being typed remotely as he and Claire watched.

"Sorry I don't have time to be subtle," Elliott read. "I'm being watched just like you. Wesker has eyes and ears everywhere except for this room." Elliott waited until some more sentences replaced the first three before continuing. "Apologies that I couldn't save you from being imprisoned. I'll try to make up for it. Will be in touch. When you see a light inside the vent, it means I'm available to talk. Signed, RogueChild."

It took Elliott several seconds to recognize the username. RogueChild was the same person who'd sent Claire an obscure email days before the kidnapping had occurred. "Just what we were missing," Elliott said sarcastically, crossing his arms. "A potential savior who's proving to be unreliable."

"A potential savior who knows where we are," Claire pointed out. "That's more than we had a few minutes ago."

"Yeah, but who is this person? And why didn't he or she come to our rescue when it counted?" Elliott asked.

Claire turned to look at the vent. "Put that on the list of questions to ask when RogueChild gets back to us."

Author's Notes: I have much of the story figured out, but am open to suggestions for the next few chapters. I'll try my best to incorporate any ideas thrown my way. Go nuts, guys.

I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I will try to update the companion story, Razor's Edge, in coming weeks.

Also, check out the poll on my profile page if you haven't yet.