Chapter 21

Trent stepped out of the office with Joseph Trevor Frost right behind him, a bitter scowl on his face. He shook his head. "I always knew the day would come that the checks and balances would have to be implemented, but I'd hoped that Umbrella would've folded before it became necessary."

Joseph's cat eyes were still burning red, but the light seemed to begin to dim slightly as he followed after Trent down the hallway. "I feel somewhat different."

"You've been purposefully holding back this whole time without even realizing it," Trent explained. "Me initiating your primary objective has unlocked your full potential."

Joseph laughed slightly. "Don't you think that could've been useful on Isla Tacano?"

"Perhaps," Trent said, finally allowing a smile to form, the scowl disappearing. "But the W-Virus is very unpredictable, and with William Birkin dead, I have no one that is knowledgeable on it to tell me exactly what to do."

"You took a huge risk resurrecting Albert with something you didn't understand," Joseph pointed out. "I guess the same could be said for me."

"And your brother would be without you," Trent reminded him. "In the end, everything that I've had to do has been for the betterment of mankind." He sighed. "I just wish I hadn't had to take life on top of giving it." He placed a hand firmly on Joseph's shoulder. "I hope you never have to make any of the hard decisions that I have over the years."

"You do it for your parents," Joseph said.

"Yes, but I don't know if they'd be very proud of me," Trent admitted.

"I feel like they would understand, Victor," Joseph offered.

Trent genuinely smiled at that, but the facial expression immediately dropped as a beeping noise sounded out. "That'll be Ocampo." He pulled out his communication device and pressed a flashing red button, holding out the pad to where Joseph could look as well.

Rain Ocampo appeared on the screen, clearly sitting in the pilot's seat of a fighter jet. "Mr. Darius. Commander Frost."

Trent nodded. "I take it the founders left Isla Tacano?"

"Not thirty minutes after you left, sir," Rain replied. "You were wise to have me take my jet from the boat."

"Where are you now?" Trent asked.

"I followed them to somewhere in Italy," Rain said. "There's a creepy looking castle on the edge of a cliff. We're pretty much in the middle of nowhere except for a small village."

"But you're close to Alghero," Trent said with a nod. "I know the place. Makes sense that they'd go there. My intel has told me that there's a very well-trained security team always watching the place. I want you back at base before you're seen. We'll return there in force."

"Yes, sir," Rain said. "Leaving now." With that, she ended the communication.

"You know they'll expect us to attack again," Joseph said.

Trent nodded. "Of course they'll know. I'm sure they're battening down the hatches as we speak, but I think this is a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I have it under good authority that Dr. Wesker very much wants to find Lord Spencer. We need them both, so we'll let slip to him where the founders are hiding."

"With Albert's abilities and lack of care for life, he'll slaughter them," Joseph pointed out. "Is that what you really want? They should face justice."

"They will, my boy," Trent promised. "I don't think they'll have to worry too much about Dr. Wesker with the imposter of James Marcus with them."

Joseph raised an eyebrow. "Do you know who he really is?"

Trent sighed. "I'm afraid I do, and it's my fault he's in that predicament. The night you and Dr. Wesker were resurrected, there was a third target acquired. He was going to have similar standing to you, but I was going to have him running a different area of my schemes. He disappeared after our first official conversation, and now I know why. I just don't know why he thinks he's James Marcus."

"I saw a device that was pulsating red on his chest," Joseph offered. "It was when we were in the mansion foyer. I couldn't tell what the device was with the robe covering it up, but maybe that's the cause."

Trent scratched his chin. "Mind control with a device on the chest. That sounds very familiar to a project that got shut down. At least, I thought it was. Dr. Bailey must've been lying to everyone. I expected him to be on Isla Tacano, but I never saw him." He shook his head. "Nothing is adding up."

Running could be heard nearing them as Trent and Joseph both turned. It was Kevin Ryman, out of breath and clearly concerned.

"What's going on, Kev?" Joseph asked.

Kevin took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. "I've been watching the surveillance on Chris Redfield and the others in Kaplan's absence. They're on the move."

"Where?" Trent asked.

"Half to Russia and the other half to Italy," Kevin replied.

Trent narrowed his eyes. "Then the ones going to Russia are after Sergei Vladimir. Why?"

"They got intel about him having access to The Red Queen and TALOS," Kevin replied.

Trent appeared shocked and confused at the same time. "What intel?"

Kevin shook his head. "Someone that clearly used to work for you: Ada Wong."

"She's alive?" Trent asked.

Joseph tilted his head, worry crossing his face. "I've never seen you so surprised, Victor. How is it that you didn't know any of this?"

Trent shook his head. "I don't know. There's clearly more going on than even the board of executives are privy to. We need to communicate with Redfield. Perhaps I can offer assistance."

"Good luck with that," Kevin said. "They don't trust you now."

Trent's lips pursed into a thin line. "She told them, didn't she?"

Kevin nodded.

"Told them what?" Joseph asked.

"I ordered Ada Wong to steal a sample of the G-Virus," Trent replied.

"Why would you do that?" Joseph asked.

"It needed to be studied by the right people," Trent replied. "I need to make defenses for all of Umbrella's wrong doings, and Birkin was keeping the G-Virus too close to the chest. Extreme measures were necessary."

Joseph sighed. "Well, now they don't trust you. That's going to be a problem."

"Chris is on his way to Italy with Jill, Barry, Rebecca, and his sister," Kevin informed. "They're under the impression that Jill's dad and two others are being held there."

"It's time to stop sneaking around, Victor," Joseph told him. "They deserve to know the truth. We're nearing the end of all this. You're going to be exposed anyway."

Trent nodded. "Fine. Kevin, find Director Palmieri. He is going with Joseph and myself to Italy while you go with Ocampo to Russia to back up their people. Only us five. After all the people we lost on Isla Tacano, I won't risk more of this base again."

Kevin nodded and took off to find Marco

Trent watched Kevin leave before turning to Joseph. "It's time to make that communication with Dr. Wesker, and I know just how to take care of it."

Dr. Albert Wesker flew the Osprey with his new son, Steve Burnside, seated beside him. He'd carried the boy from the back himself and placed him in the copilot's seat before taking off, but so far, Steve hadn't woken up. The W-Virus, more than likely, was taking its time rebuilding his body from the ground up, and Wesker hoped that the T-Veronica Virus would strengthen him even further. It was possible his new son would surpass even him, and that brought a smile to his face.

A beeping noise sounded out on the console, alerting him that a communication was coming in, and that sound seemed to be all it took for Steve to groan and open his eyes.

"Good morning," Wesker said. "How do you feel?"

Steve turned toward the voice, eyes narrowed in confusion. "Who the hell are you? Where's Claire?" He suddenly felt a pain in his head as his eyes began to burn. "What's happening to me?"

"Relax, son," Wesker calmly stated. "It's the virus taking hold. You'll be fine soon."

As Steve screamed, getting out of the chair and moving out of the cockpit, the agony causing his body to shake violently, Wesker pressed a button on the console to allow the transmission to come through, figuring that it was Mr. Trent, finally wanting his update on the mission that had been mostly a failure.

On the screen, however, stood a man wearing a black cloak with the hood up, concealing who he was.

Memories flooded into Wesker's mind from that first fateful night when he'd been reborn. "The checks and balances. You've finally been put on the playing field, I see."

The hood nodded. "Mr. Trent knows that you've been a bad boy."

"A voice modulator?" Wesker asked, not able to recognize anything about the voice. "How very disappointing. Though, it must mean that I am supposed to know who you really are, Mr. Checks and balances. How interesting."

"Mr. Trent has activated me after all this time, because of what you know," the hood told him. "You have been trying to find your son and you have taken someone to inject the W-Virus into."

"At least he should realize that the boy has the T-Veronica Virus in him as well," Wesker offered. "I have, in fact, held up my end of the bargain."

"You have always had such pretty words, Albert," the hood said.

"So, I'm on a first name basis with you?" Wesker asked, catching that little detail. "Believe it or not, you're already giving me names to cross off the list of who you really are."

"It doesn't matter who I am," the hood told him. "What matters is that you won't get away with any of your plans."

Wesker smirked. "We'll see about that."

"I know you want answers from Lord Spencer," the hood said.

Wesker pulled off his sunglasses, shocked to have heard this. "You know where he is."

"I'm going to send you the coordinates," the hood told him.

Wesker laughed, putting his sunglasses back on. "And how am I supposed to believe that this isn't a trap?"

"It won't start out as one," the hood replied. "I'm being legitimate with you, but your trap comes later. You'll find the answers you're looking for before the end. The question is, are those answers worth your failure?"

Wesker sneered. "I won't fail."

Steve slowly moved back into the cockpit, pain still clearly present on his face, but it appeared as if he'd calmed down a little, despite breathing very heavily.

"I'm sending the coordinates now," the hood told him. "Good luck, Albert."

The transmission ended and then a set of coordinates appeared on the screen. Pulling out a map, he began his search for the destination.

"What's going on?" Steve asked. "Who was that?"

Wesker placed his figure on a spot on the map and then looked up to Steve. "Strap in, son. We're going to Italy. I'll explain everything to you on the way." Watching Steve sit down, suspicion on his face, Wesker smiled sincerely. "Good, boy." He turned his attention to plotting the course. Lord Spencer would finally have to answer to him.

However, the moment he finished inputting the coordinates, an Umbrella logo suddenly flashed on the screen, and the controls locked on him. "What is this?"

"What's wrong?" Steve asked.

"I've lost control," Wesker replied.

"Must be like what Alfred Ashford did when he forced Claire and me to Antarctica," Steve said, seeing the Umbrella logo on the screen. "Someone's taken control of this plane."

"Yes, but who would have the audacity to…" Wesker stopped speaking as the Umbrella logo suddenly turned into a completely red, holographic representation of Sherry Birkin. "Sherry?"

"Dr. Albert Wesker," she said before shifting her eyes to where Steve was. "Prisoner 267 of Rockfort Island: Steve Burnside."

"Man, she knows my name and my prisoner number," Steve stated in shock.

"Who are you?" Wesker asked in a threatening tone.

"I am The Red Queen Artificial Intelligence," she replied to Wesker.

"Shit," Wesker said under his breath.

"You are attempting to bring violence to the company founders," The Red Queen said. "I am programmed to stop you from doing that and to bring you directly to my superior."

Anger fumed from Wesker as his eyes blazed red. "And just who is your superior?" He knew it couldn't be Simon Barr, the creator of her, nor would it be James Marcus since, as far as Wesker know, was dead. Someone else was controlling this homicidal bitch of a computer.

"Sergei Vladimir," The Red Queen replied. "Strap in, gentlemen. You're on your way to Russia where I promise you will die." And with that, the screen went black.

Wesker tried with no success to press buttons, flip switches, pound the controls, and even destroyed a few systems, but nothing was going to stop them from being taken where Wesker didn't want to go. "You'll pay for this, Sergei. I promise it."