Chapter 25
After the Osprey finally descended into an open shaft at the far end of the oil refinery and landed, Dr. Albert Wesker lowered the ramp and exited with Steve Burnside following after him. He immediately recognized that they were in a sewer system, and deciding on the best course of action, moved for a large, circular grate, hoping that would be a good enough entrance point.
"Are we even going to talk about the fact we probably killed whoever was in that other plane?" Steve asked as he followed after Wesker.
"That other plane, as you call it, was an Osprey," Wesker responded. "Much like ours, and whoever was on there is the least of my problems. I caught a brief glimpse of whoever it was that the other Osprey was firing at, and I don't want to be here long enough to have a confrontation with those people."
"So, what are we going to do?" Steve asked.
Wesker grabbed the massive grate and used his unbelievable strength to pull the grate forward and out of its groves, entering a new area that looked oddly like a massive train station. He had been expecting more sewers. "The Red Queen has to be shut down, or I'll never get to Italy. That's my primary concern for now."
Steve followed Wesker in, but he stopped moving, hearing sudden growling noises. "We're not alone in here, man."
"Yes, I know," Wesker calmly stated, pulling one gun from his holster while retrieving another gun from the hidden pocket in his jacket. He tossed the second gun to Steve. "Here. I may or may not need assistance."
Steve caught the gun and felt instant relief to have it in his hands. However, that relief went away the moment he saw the dogs come out of the shadows, stalking toward them. When they barked and took off at them, Steve instantly began firing.
"Out of my way!" Wesker ordered of the dogs as he opened fire. He had to step to the side as one of the dogs jumped at him. He fired off several rounds, downing the Cerberus.
Steve somersaulted through the air suddenly as one of the dogs attacked, as if instinct took over completely. He landed on his feet, shocked at what he'd just done. "I've never done that before!"
"Fantastic," Wesker stated. "Stay focused."
Steve nodded and fired more rounds at the dogs.
Suddenly a train rode into the station and came to a stop.
"Onboard!" Wesker yelled, moving for the train.
Steve followed after, but he stopped dead when the door opened and an Asian woman in a red dress appeared standing in the middle of the doorway.
"Are you the welcoming committee?" Wesker asked. "Frankly, I'm disappointed Sergei isn't here himself."
Ada Wong pulled up a handgun. "Stay sharp, Albert." She fired rounds, hitting Cerberus that were stalking toward Wesker and Steve.
"Woah," Steve said, looking back at the carnage. "I think she's on our side."
Wesker smirked to Ada. "I take it you're not here of your own free will then."
"Oh, I am," Ada countered. "But I'm not here to help them any longer. I want Brandon Bailey's insanity ended."
Wesker tilted his head. "Bailey? What does he have to do with this?"
Ada stepped aside. "Come aboard. We'll talk. It's a long trip."
Wesker stepped past Ada, but as Steve was moving forward, she put up her arm, stopping him. "Who is the kid?"
Wesker looked back. "Evolution, my dear."
Ada moved her hand aside. "He looks like he walked out of a Hot Topic."
Steve winked to her as he moved past. "What about your Victoria Secret look, lady?"
Ada rolled her eyes and pressed the button that would close the door. She then moved to the controls at the front and pulled a lever, starting up the train. Finally, she looked back toward Wesker. "This facility is supposed to be Umbrella controlled, but as you'll find out, everyone that was Umbrella is dead. A faction called The Connections came here and murdered everyone."
Wesker tilted his head. "I've heard of them. They operate in Europe primarily. Some terrorist organization."
Ada shook her head. "Cover. They're run by former Umbrella primarily. I don't know everyone that's in the hierarchy. Just Brandon Bailey, Sergei Vladimir, and Peter Jenkins."
Wesker laughed. "Peter Jenkins? I knew I shouldn't have let him run off back in Raccoon City. I don't quite understand why one of the Umbrella founders is part of all this."
Ada smirked. "It's complicated, but they want Umbrella destroyed. The Hive below us was just the beginning of their bigger plans."
"So, you're trying to stop them from destroying Umbrella?" Wesker asked.
"I want them both gone," Ada replied. "You're my best bet. I am backing the right horse, aren't I, Albert?"
"When you're with me, you're guaranteed to be on the wining team," Wesker assured her.
When the train came to a stop, they all stepped out at a dead end where a massive hole laid in front of them, going downward to more levels of the facility.
"Is that the Hive at the bottom?" Wesker asked.
"It's a secondary entrance," Ada replied. "The primarily one is at the center of the oil refinery. We…" She trailed off, seeing movement at the bottom. "Damn."
"What?" Wesker asked.
"We've got company down there," Ada replied, pointing downward.
At the bottom, Ivan the Tyrant stood, staring up at them with his brother Anton the Tyrant beside him.
"The Tyrant Twins," Wesker said. "I've met Ivan before, but this is a first for the other."
"Anton," Ada told him. "Sergei's attack dogs."
Wesker smirked. "I'll handle this. You two follow my lead." With that, Wesker jumped, plunging downward toward the bottom where the twin Tyrants waited.
Ada pulled out her hook launcher and then looked to Steve. "Don't tell me I'll have to carry your ass down there."
Steve shrugged. "I can take care of myself, lady."
"Good," Ada coldly stated before firing her hook launcher and sailing off.
Steve moved forward, looking down as Wesker seemingly glided down to attack the two massive creatures below. He could feel something inside him, a feeling that he could do the same thing as well, and so, Steve took the plunge.
Leon Kennedy fired rounds, scoring headshots galore from the multiple zombies that had been alerted to the approach of living flesh. He could tell the outfits. Most of these people had been part of Umbrella Special Forces, but they were all dead, and it appeared that they'd been this way for some time. Whatever had happened at this facility, it hadn't been recent.
Leading the way to a set of stairs, David Trapp moved up the catwalk, everyone in the team seemingly following suit. He had considered having everyone split up, but considering that they knew next to nothing about this facility, it wouldn't be wise to do so, and so he continued to lead the team of six onward across a slick catwalk.
"Everyone, watch your step," David told them. "It's slick up here."
"And so damn cold," Kevin commented from nearby.
Clattering noises, moving very fast could be heard, and they all tensed up. Hunters moved around the corner, jumping and screeching as they saw the targets.
John pulled up a magnum and opened fire, knocking one of the Hunters right off of the catwalk and to its doom below.
Rain raised a shotgun and blasted one of the Hunters to the catwalk. It screamed on its back for a moment before dying.
Carlos fired his minigun, wildly taking out three of the Hunters with multiple bullets.
The targets all out of the way, David moved to a door and opened it slowly, sweeping the room with his handgun before stepping inside, Leon covering him as he went. "We're clear. Everyone, in!"
As the team filed into the massive room, they continued scanning the area, not wanting to miss anything. Moving around a bunch of cargo containers, they came upon a large cargo elevator with the Umbrella logo on it.
"This has to be the entrance," Kevin pointed out.
"It most certainly is," Rain stated as she moved over to a control panel at the far end. She pulled out a keycard and swiped it, bringing a computer display to life. "My credentials haven't been revoked. That's a good sign. We can prep for entry to The Hive this way." She pressed buttons and then pulled on a lever before moving back onto the elevator.
A grinding noise started up, and they all began to move downward, the shaft seemingly beginning to stretch for miles.
"Into the belly of the beast," David stated.
"How far down does this go?" John asked.
"We could be on here for a while," Rain replied.
"Terrific," Kevin said. "I've always enjoyed a good ride."
"You talking about the elevator, or all of those girls you dated in high school?" Leon asked.
"Why can't I be referring to both?" Kevin asked.
Carlos laughed.
"Stay focused, gentlemen," David ordered.
A scream echoed throughout the chamber, and before they knew it, BOWs were dropping from hidden chambers that they'd already passed in their descent. Lickers, Hunters, and Eliminators were coming out of the woodwork, ready to attack them, ready to kill.
Wesker landed on his feet like a cat, ironic considering the shape of his eyes, and smirked. "Greetings, gentlemen."
Ivan and Anton merely stared at him.
"How disappointing," Wesker said. "The Tyrant Series really needs to get some communication upgrades."
Ada swung down from her hook launcher and landed beside Wesker.
Steve somersaulted mere feet before the ground and landed in a crouch on the other side of Wesker before standing back up. "These guys don't look so tough."
"Don't get cocky," Wesker told him. "They're stronger than you think."
"And unpredictable," Ada added.
"Welcome to the end of all things," the voice of Sergei Vladimir stated from a PA system.
"Sergei," Wesker hissed. "Why don't you show your ugly mug?"
Sergei laughed over the speakers. "I'm afraid I have more important matters to attend to than two traitors and a child."
"Hey!" Steve yelled. "I'll kick your ass!"
"My brothers will keep you… entertained," Sergei promised. "Die well."
"Get ready, son," Wesker said.
"What is with you and calling me that?" Steve asked, finally getting a little annoyed with this stranger that he barely knew.
Ivan and Anton finally moved forward with ungodly speed, rearing their right arms back at the same time like they were mirror images of each other.
Wesker chose to ignore Steve's comment as he smirked, ready to stretch his legs.