Chapter 29
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's get to work," the voice of Trent said over the security feed on the monitor.
Jackson Courtlandt shook his head as he sat in one of the plush chairs on a corporate jet inbound for a secret destination. Dr. Thomas Sidney and The Thanatos Tyrant were still with him, but only Sidney had been watching the feed from the library in The Spencer Castle in Italy with him. Jackson was relieved to have been right on looking in on the founders, figuring that was where they were currently hiding, glad that wherever they had been the previous few months hadn't remained the case.
In all actuality, Italy had been where they were going, so they could restart their mission against the founders, but after having seen what was transpiring, Jackson had the pilot change course.
Standing behind Jackson, Sidney sighed. "The B.S.A.A. What is Trent's game?"
"You heard what they called him," Jackson said as he turned his swivel chair to face the other man. "One said Mr. Darius and the other said Victor. We made a massive error twenty years ago."
Sidney looked confused as he stared as his partner in crime.
Jackson rolled his eyes. "He's James and Helen's son."
Realization instantly hit Sidney as his features changed from confusion to shock. "I…"
"We both forgot," Jackson finished for him. "There's no sense in being sloppy, and so from now on, we're going to have to change the way this game is played and destroy everyone that has connections to our enemies."
Standing up, Jackson moved to a large system display mounted on the wall and looked over the information that was spamming in. He could hear Sidney moving over to join him.
"What's all that?" Sidney asked.
"Responses from survivors of the attacks," Jackson replied, glancing to Sidney. "Survivors of the others that were taken as fools by Ada Wong." Shaking his head, he looked back to the screen. "There aren't that many, but it'll be enough to begin again."
"What exactly are we going to do?" Sidney asked. "The press are going to have a field day with Umbrella. I highly doubt we can cover up the mass homicides."
Jackson nodded. "Yes, there's too much to cover, and too few of us to actually accomplish anything, especially with Amanda Whitney now off the playing field amongst the others that committed the murders. I find it fascinating that the scarabs apparently deactivated after each host accomplished their missions. The security feeds all showed the devices just falling off the victim, leaving them vulnerable to arrest. We'll have to go underground and rebuild from the ground up now. I'm sure the authorities will be looking for us for questioning too, so this isn't going to be a cake walk."
"Will we still be Umbrella?" Sidney asked.
"I think we're going to need to become something more than that if we hope to survive," Jackson replied.
A phone went off and Jackson moved back over to the chair he'd been sitting in before. Picking up the jet's wall phone, he placed it to his ear. "Jackson."
"Senor Courtlandt?" a smooth Spanish voice asked on the other end of the line.
"Dr. Sera," Jackson replied. "I'm glad to hear you –"
"I don't know what the hell happened in Paris, but it's all over the news out this way," Sera stated in a rushed tone.
"Calm down," Jackson said. "I'm going to fax your lab information about what's occurred and what our next steps will be."
"Am I staying on mission?" Sera asked.
"How close is Lord Saddler's efforts?" Jackson asked.
"Very," Sera responded.
"Then stay on mission," Jackson commanded. "I want vital data as soon as he commences. Going onward, you're going to be very important to our new efforts. Umbrella may fold, but our new order will reign supreme."
"Very well, Senor Courtlandt," Sera said. "I'll be in touch."
When Jackson heard the click on the other end, he hung up the phone and turned back to Sidney with a grin on his face.
The grin made Sidney uneasy. "I don't know what there is to be happy about right now."
"When one door closes, Tom, another opens," Jackson told him. "Have some faith."