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 Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:09 am
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(This fic is based on an OC I created. The story takes place during RE2 and RE3, and includes characters from the games.)
Chapter 1 - The Sibling
July 20, 1998
The young woman rolled over, cracking a single eye. She glared at the buzzing alarm clock for a full five minutes, before finally silencing it with the snap of her palm. She yawned loudly as she sat up and pushed several strand of sleep tangled hair out of her eyes. After contemplating whether or not she should call in sick, she finally gave in and swung her legs out of bed. She stood up, cracking her neck loudly, before stumbling into the bathroom.
Twenty-one year old Alexandra, or Alex as she preferred, was tall, standing at 5’9”. She was also thin, but not in a sickly way. In fact one would best describe her build as athletic. She had a mess of jaw length white blonde hair and dark piercing cobalt blue eyes. Though her eyes were covered by dark sunglasses more often than not. She was also blessed with a pale pallor that no amount of tanning could darken. Ironically, she never burned either. Her features were soft yet prominent. All in all, she looked like the girl next door, of course looks could be deceiving.
Alex emerged from the bathroom thirty minutes later, wrapped in a towel and looking slightly more awake. She jerked open the drawer of her bureau. It took her less than thirty seconds to yank out a pair of stone washed jeans, several undergarments, and a faded R.P.D. tank top with the S.T.A.R.S. logo on the back. She’d stolen it from her brother, several months back, not that he’d ever notice it was missing. She pulled her hair back into a short ponytail as she headed for the front door.
She grabbed her sunglasses off a side table near the door, along with her car keys, and an I.D. badge. As she clipped the badge on one of the belt loops on her jeans, she reached under the table for the final item her job required…a 9mm Beretta. Alex popped the clip, nodded her approval and slide it back home. She looked thoughtful as she slipped a shoulder rig on and shoved the Beretta in the holster. Her job was to keep William Birkin alive and humans weren’t the only things she had to protect him from.
No, Alexandra Wesker thought to herself, humans were her last concern…
Alex steered the Buick into traffic anxious to get to work, despite the fact she still had about two hours before she was supposed to be there. But with the news of the cannibal murders, and panic spreading like wildfire around Raccoon, she was sleeping less than usual, maybe four hours at a time. Meaning she was getting to work just that much earlier and being slightly less paranoid about Birkin’s welfare that much earlier.
The news was saying it was a cult and the cops weren’t saying a whole hell of a lot. Every other day or so Chief Irons would give a press conference, reassuring the public that everything was being done to find the culprits. In fact, Irons had announced just last night that he had assigned S.T.A.R.S. to the case. This seemed to calm the ignorant masses, unfortunately Alex was one of only a handful of people who really knew what was going on. Then again, she wasn’t entirely sure what she was being told was the truth. But you didn’t ask questions. If you did, you could find yourself becoming a science project with the snap of your employer’s fingers.
Alex groaned as the trill of a cell phone cut over the radio. She knew who it was, even before she pulled the car over and yanked the cell out of the glove compartment.
“Hello?”
“Alexandra, I need you to pick up several files from Dr. Wesker. Bring them with you.”
Alex listened to the dial tone for a moment, before clicking the phone off, and tossing it on the passenger seat. She pulled the Buick back into traffic and headed toward the police station. Birkin, as far as Alex was concerned, really needed to learn a few people skills. She knew that would never happen, Birkin was too wrapped up in his precious G-Virus to worry about good manners. Most of the time he didn’t even realize she was in the same room with him until he needed her to do something. Like running errands or being a middle man between him and her brother. It wasn’t a coincidence that William Birkin’s bodyguard/personal assistant was also the S.T.A.R.S. Captain’s sister. Umbrella never dealt in coincidence, even if events sometimes appeared that way.
“Hey there good looking.”
Alex turned slightly as she slammed the driver’s door closed. Forest Speyer smiled brightly as he crossed his arms on the roof of Alex’s Buick. Forest was a good looking man, with long thick brown hair, and a nice muscular build. He was exactly 6’, making him only three inches taller than Alex. A physical point he happened to relish. Forest liked his women tall.
Alex smiled back, pocketing her keys. She liked Forest quite a bit actually. In fact she had known him since she’d first moved to Raccoon seven years ago.
“How you doing?”
“Pretty good.” Forest’s smile broadened. “I see you’re ready for work.”
Alex’s eyes strayed to the Berretta and her ID badge for a moment. As far as Forest, and anyone else knew, she was security for the Umbrella offices downtown. Of course what none of them knew, was that downtown literarily meant under the town. She was indeed head of security, but for the underground labs, not the head offices on Main.
“No rest for the weary. Speaking of which, have you seen my brother?”
“Office, last time I checked.”
“Thanks Forest.”
Alex quickly slipped inside, leaving Forest to deal with a meter maid that was just pulling up next to Alex’s car. She giggled to herself as Forest tried to keep the shapely young cop from ticketing Alex’s car for illegal parking. Thankfully, the doors swung closed shutting Forest off in mid-explanation.
Alex shook her head, stepping quickly across the station’s lobby. She was amazed at the size of the place, every time she walked in. Before becoming the R.P.D. the building had been City Hall, a museum, and a library, not necessarily in that order.
She walked across the marble floor and through the western door. She passed several officers on her way to the stairwell, most of them nodded toward her, a few said hello. Most of them knew her on sight, and not just because of her brother. Alex used to work at the R.P.D., before taking a job with Umbrella. She’d made friends with every cop from the Arson Detectives to the Meter Maids during her short tenure as field report Secretary. Not that one could really call two years short.
Alex was breathing like she’d just run a marathon by the time she reached the door to the S.T.A.R.S. office on the second floor. For some odd reason air conditioning had never been routed to the west wing’s second floor. Secretly Alex thought Chief Irons just did it to aggravate Albert. The two men both worked for Umbrella, but Iron’s position was far below Albert’s and it ticked Irons off to no end.
Alex stopped in front of the office, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead. Despite living in the north for so long, Alex’s tolerance of heat, gained in her youth, still survived. It wasn’t the heat that was getting to her or even the humidity, it was the stifling feeling of being indoors.
Just as Alex reached for the door, it swung open…almost clipping her in the head in the process. The only thing that saved her face from a nasty bruise was her quick reflexes. A second later Brad peeked around the door edge, spotted Alex, and blushed a bright crimson.
“Hey Brad. How are you on this fine day?”
“Fine…fine…”
Brad trailed off, his face going even redder.
“Come on Brad, move.” Kenneth sounded slightly perturbed as he stepped from behind both Brad and the door. “Good way to break her nose or her glasses. Not that breaking her glasses would be a bad idea, considering she never takes them off. What is this need you and the Captain have about wearing sunglasses inside a building anyway?”
“I picked up the habit from Albert, he wears them because his eyes are light sensitive. I suppose you noticed he wears them at night as well.”
“I’ve noticed.” Kenneth eyed her for a moment, then shook his head. “Even without the glasses, you’d know you two were related. It’s hard to believe you’re five years younger than him.”
“Speaking of my brother, is he in there?”
“Wait, that means you’re twenty-one right?”
“Yea.” Alex tilted her head, giving Brad a sly smile. “You’ve known me for three years and you thought Albert and I were the same age?”
“Well…yea.’ Brad shrugged. “It’s not like I ever thought to ask how old you were.”
“Now you know. By the way where is my brother?”
“Meeting with Irons. He should be back in a few minutes though.” Kenneth grinned and nudged Brad toward the end of the hallway. “As for me and esteemed colleague have things to do.”
Reluctantly, Brad allowed himself to be herded down the hallway and out of sight. In the meantime Alex shook her head, a smile plastered to her face. She chuckled softly to herself and slipped into the S.T.A.R.S. office.
Chris eyed the rather large mess covering his desk and wondered if he should sweep it all into a trash can or try going through it. In the end he just decided to dig through three months worth of memos and old reports to find what he was looking for. Chris and paperwork had never gotten along well, going all the way back to Grade School. It didn’t like him and he didn’t like it. Even Captain Wesker, as meticulous as he was, couldn’t get Chris organized.
“My God, I think it’s actually gotten worse.”
Chris glanced up from the open desk. Alex was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, and shaking her head. Chris smirked, allowing the papers he’d been digging through to fall back into the drawer. Which included two week old newspapers, a B&E report that was two months old, and a rent receipt for an apartment he hadn’t lived in, in over two years.
“There’s a system at work.” He gestured to several stacks of teetering files. “It has an order to it.”
“Sure there is.” Alex nodded, sarcastically, boosting herself up onto the only clean spot the desk held. “It’s called being sloppy.”
Chris laughed, shaking his head. Alex held her smirk for several seconds more, before finally breaking out into laughter herself. Still chuckling, Chris leaned forward and gave Alex a sly grin.
“So Alex, when are you and I going on that date?”
Alex arched an eyebrow and leaned forward, her lips only inches from Chris’ ear.
“As soon as you clear it through my brother.”
“That won’t be happening anytime soon.”
The deep voice echoed through the small office. Chris looked up and saw the Captain framed in the doorway, he didn’t look very happy either. Not that Chris could really blame him, the situation didn’t look exactly innocent. Chris flicked his gaze from Wesker to Alex, who was still only inches from his ear. Alex’s smile broadened as she leaned forward and gave Chris a peck on the cheek, something that did not appear to amuse Wesker in the slightest.
“Don’t be so worried.” She whispered as she pulled away. “Albert isn’t going to shoot you in the middle of the R.P.D.”
Chris rolled his eyes as Alex turned her attention to Wesker, smiling brightly.
“I was waiting for you.”
Wesker didn’t reply, instead he continued to glare at Chris. Chris shifted uncomfortably, taking great interest in an out of date calendar on his desk. Alex rolled her eyes, pushed herself off the desk, and walked toward her brother. As she approached, Wesker turned his critical gaze from Chris to her. Alex stopped directly in front of him, arms crossed and looking quite defiant. Chris chanced a glance at the two of them, expecting an argument at any second. Instead, Alex broke into a smile. Being only three inches shorter than Wesker, it wasn’t difficult for her to perform her next task. She pulled herself up to her full height and gave Wesker a sisterly kiss on the check.
Wesker said nothing, but Chris did notice that his body seemed to lose what tension it had been holding only seconds before. While the two siblings stared at each other, Chris took this opportunity to slip past them and out the door.
Wesker only spared half a glance at the retreating Redfield, before returning his full attention to his baby sister.
“I trust you didn’t come here to flirt with Redfield.” He grimaced slightly, then tilted his head to look over his sunglasses. “Did you?”
Aaron rolled her eyes, flipping a hand at him to dismiss the topic. Wesker scrutinized the red tinge in cheeks for several seconds, before pushing his sunglasses back into place, and walking to his desk.
Albert Wesker stood an imposing 6’0”, with broad shoulders, and a well muscled athletic frame. In High School he’d played football and ran track. So it came as little surprise he was still pretty fit. His hair was a slightly darker blonde than that of his sister’s and he wasn’t as pale skinned, but they both shared the same piercing cobalt blue eyes.
Wesker sat down, resting his forearms on the desk. Aaron boosted herself onto the desk itself, pushing a framed picture to the side. There was a few seconds of silence, then a soft tapping sound echoed in the office.
“Well Aaron?”
“Birkin said you had a file.”
Wesker sighed heavily, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small key ring and leaned over the left side of the desk. There was a jingling of keys, a soft click, then a clanking noise as Wesker pulled the bottom drawer open. A second later he sat up holding a thick file folder in his hand.
“Is this another one of those files I can’t look at, because I might contaminate it?”
“Aaron, you were deeply involved in the Tyrant Project from inception to finished project.” Wesker kicked the drawer closed, then swiveled to look his sister in the eye. “How the hell could you contaminate a file by looking at it?”
Aaron shrugged. “Ask Bates.”
“The man is an idiot.” Wesker snapped. “Why Kent hired him is anyone’s guess.”
Aaron shrugged and slide off the desk, the file tucked under her arm. She glanced at her watch, then slide her sunglasses into place. Wesker granted her a ghostly smile and shook his head. The sunglasses were a trick she picked up from him, although he had good reason to wear them. She used them as an intimidation tactic, which he had to admit worked out quite well for her.
“Back to work.”
Aaron spun around and headed for the door. Wesker gave a brief nod, pulling a few papers toward him…memos that really held little to no interest for him, but still needed his attention.
“Hey Albert…”
Wesker glanced up, noting Aaron had stopped at the door with one hand resting lightly on the handle.
“Be careful huh?” She shrugged. “Just got a feeling.”
Wesker arched an eyebrow, then slowly nodded. Aaron nodded back, before slipping out the door. Wesker leaned back in his chair, folding his hands on his lap. Briefly he wondered is she knew about his plans, then dismissed that train of thought. Aaron had no idea what he had planned, which was all the better for her. After all, Umbrella did not take kindly to betrayal…
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:12 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 10:59 am
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:44 pm
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:32 am
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Chapter 2 - The Incident
July 25, 1998
Alex leaned against the kitchen counter, watching the coffee machine perk with bleary eyes. She yawned, idly pushing a S.T.A.R.S. coffee cup back and forth. The clock on the microwave read 5:49 a.m. The sun had barley risen and she was already up and ready for a day at work. She didn’t need to be up this early of course, is was her day off. The only explanation was that she was used to getting up early and Birkin’s sleep habits, or complete lack of sleep, was rubbing off on her.
“Finally.” She mumbled, reaching for the pot. “Damn thing is slower than molasses in January.”
Suddenly the phone rang. Alex snapped her head around, taking several seconds to recognize just what the sound was. Three thoughts ran through her head as she grabbed for the phone on the counter. Two; Their was some kind of outbreak at the labs. Three; There was an outbreak and something had escaped. But her number one concern was Birkin. As head of security, not to mention the personal bodyguard of William Birkin, she would be the first informed should there have been an incident.
“Hello.”
“Alexandra Wesker?”
The voice was unfamiliar. She knew everyone that worked in those labs and this wasn’t an employee.
“Yes.”
“This is detective Martin’s at the R.P.D. There’s been an incident…”
“What kind of incident?”
“If you could come down to the station, we could…”
“Listen here buddy.” Alex’s voice was clipped and tinged with anger. “You tell me what the hell is going on.”
“Miss Wesker, we don’t like to give out this kind of information on the phone. As I said, if you could please…”
“Fine.”
Alex hit the end button and tossed the phone on the counter. She didn’t bother to notice that it slide into her coffee cup, or that both hit the floor with a crash. Instead she stalked through the living room, snagging her glasses and keys before storming out the door.
It normally took her twenty minutes to get to the R.P.D., on this morning it took her a flat five. She abandoned the car in front of the R.P.D., with the right front tire sitting on the sidewalk. As soon as she stepped into the lobby, she headed directly up past the fountain to the Reception Desk. A young woman with straight black hair was typing on a computer when Alex cleared her throat.
“Excuse me…”
“You’ll have to wait.”
Alex narrowed her eyes at the woman’s snotty tone. She was already upset and worried. When she got like this, she had the tendency to get very easily pissed off. However, she was trying to control her anger. So instead of pulling her gun, which she hadn’t realized till now she’d even grabbed, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat again.
“Miss, I received a…”
The woman sighed heavily, but never took her eyes from the computer.
“I’m sorry but you’ll just have to wait, some of us have work to do you know.” The Receptionist flicked her fingers back toward the front doors. “Just have a seat Missy and wait like a good little girl.”
For a moment, Alex was completely stunned. However, surprise turned to anger, fueling the anger already present from the worry over Albert. Finally Alex smiled.
“Alright.”
The woman grunted in reply as Alex carefully scrutinized the desk. After a full minute Alex found what she was looking for. She reached down and yanked the CPU’s power cord.
“Oh no!”
The Receptionist stared at the computer like the world had ended, before turning her shocked gaze to Alex.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I need some information.”
Alex smiled, the CPU’s power cord dangling from her right hand. The smile was cold, it went a long way toward convincing the Receptionist she wasn’t someone with which to ********. The fact she was in cut-off sweat pants, a wife beater, and no shoes helped to push the Receptionist toward the conclusion that perhaps she should tell Alex whatever she wanted to know. Of course the gun in the shoulder rig wasn’t helping the Receptionist’s nerves either.
“Uh…how can I help you miss?”
“Detective Martin’s office.”
“Eastern door, first door on your right.”
Alex dropped the cord, pushed her sunglasses up with her index finger, and headed through the eastern door. She knew where she was going. Back in her time with the R.P.D. the offices she was heading to were used for I.A., Internal Affairs. She stopped in front of the double doors, immediately noticing the sign at eye level.
“Things haven’t changed.”
As soon as she stepped through the door, she was met by a young slim man in a dark blue suit.
“Can I help you miss?”
His tone was slightly clipped as he looked her over. Her response was also clipped.
“I received a phone call from a Detective Martin, concerning my brother Albert.”
The man’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded. “One moment.”
Alex sighed heavily, tapping her foot impatiently as the young detective stepped over to a glassed-in office. He knocked lightly then stepped inside. A minute later he reappeared.
“Detective Martin will see you now Miss.”
Alex stepped past him into the office. As the door shut behind her, the man behind the desk stood and extended his hand.
“Miss Wesker, I’m Detective Martin.” He motioned toward one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Please have a seat.”
Alex sat down, crossing her legs. Despite the clothing, or lack there of in the case of shoes, she somehow managed to look professional and lady-like. Martin absently straightened his tie and again took his seat. Alex was competent at reading people, one might go so far at to say she was rather good at it. What she saw in front of her was a broad-shouldered man with thick black hair, chiseled features, and a very nervous expression. As if to reinforce this observation, Martin again fiddled with his tie.
“Would you like..”
“Detective, can we cut the bullshit?” Martin’s eyes widened slightly as Alex pulled her sunglasses off. “What interest does Internal Affairs have with my brother.”
“I’m afraid, Miss Wesker, there has been an incident. I can’t discuss the full details with you at this time, but it appears…” Martin lowered his eyes, not eve able to meet her gaze. “I’m afraid your brother is dead…”
Chris approached the gate of the cemetery, looking apprehensive. It was raining again and his dark brown hair, even as short as he kept it, was plastered to his face. The water rolled off his leather jacket in rivers as he stepped inside, heading toward a certain grave.
Four days had gone by since he’d been forced to survive a nightmare straight out of horror movie. But he hadn’t been the only one. Jill, Rebecca, Barry, and Brad had survived as well. Considering Brad abandoned that that night, Chris chose not to include him in the plans he and the others were making. Because right now, no one believed their story. No one believed that world’s largest pharmaceutical company, and biggest employer in Raccoon, was creating bio-weapons.
No, they were believing umbrella…
The mansion hadn’t been used in years, except for storage. The explosion of said mansion, caused a chemical reaction. This of course was the reason behind the hallucinations the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members had experienced. That was what the media and the high ranking brass at the R.P.D. were believing, that the S.T.A.R.S. team had been investigating the mansion for signs of the people responsible for the recent cannibal murders, something happened, and the mansion went up in flames…taking most of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha and Bravo teams with it, not to mention the people responsible for the cannibal murders. And that was it, case closed. The truth they had been telling the entire time, was swept under the carpet. Their story considered to be nothing more ramblings from people who’d been influenced by some stray chemical fumes.
The funerals had been yesterday, all of those killed because of Umbrella’s science projects were laid to rest with full police honor. All except one that is. Chris stopped, spotting Alex standing in front of a grave. She was soaked to the bone, but didn’t seem to notice. He was particularly grateful that the media hadn’t found out about her private viewing and burial of her brother. Perhaps she was the one the media had been hounding the most, despite the fact she hadn’t been near the mansion that night.
Stories about zombies, man eating plants, and giant killing machines hadn’t been the only things swept under the carpet. The news of Captain Wesker’s betrayal had also been left out. How Chris had stood there, watched Wesker shoot Rebecca point blank in the chest, and then release an eight foot bioengineered Tyrant. That’s how Wesker lost his life, speared through the chest by an out of control science monstrosity, not in some explosion. Even with the cover-up, the story had leaked to the media and the circus had been going on ever since. In fact Chris hadn’t talked to Alex since she’d come to the R.P.D. a couple days ago…
Chris sat at his desk, absently looking over an official report of the ‘Spencer Incident'. It was a load of crap really, the only reason he was scanning it over was to give himself something to do while he though over what had really happened that night…especially concerning Wesker…
Chris had always thought the Captain was rather cold and closed off, but he had never expected him capable of betrayal and outright murder. He supposed that if he had been wrong about the Captain, might he not also be wrong about Alexandra?
Chris’s head snapped up and his hand reached for his gun, as the office door creaked open. Alex stood framed in the doorway, a cardboard box tucked under one arm. He had expected her not to look too well, after all she had lost her brother and Chris suspected they had been close. Still, he was shocked to see just how bad off she was. She had always been pale, but now she was so white she was almost translucent. Her sunglasses were atop her head, so Chris could plainly see the heavy dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes themselves were red and he suspected it was the result of crying and lack of sleep. She also looked as though she may have lost some weight, her clothes hung on her like they were three sizes too big. Even her hair had not escaped unscathed; it looked limp and had lost its sheen. It was the first time he had ever seen her do nothing with it, it had always been pulled back into a ponytail or slicked back like her brother’s. Now it hung over her face like a veil.
“Going to shoot me Chris?”
Her voice was hoarse and gravely, making her sound older than she was. She smiled weakly at him as he released the grip on his Beretta. For the first time, he noticed she wasn’t wearing a gun herself. For as long as Chris could recall, he only knew of two other instances when she hadn’t been carrying her ID badge and gun.
“Sorry, bit jumpy as of late.”
“I think…I think, I can understand why.”
And at that moment, Chris knew there was more to Alex than met the eye. The tone of her voice told him she knew what he knew, what all the mansion survivors knew…the truth about Umbrella’s real source of income. He wasn’t entirely surprised, not like he would have been before the mansion. His only questions was just how much did she know and how much of her feelings toward him were true or a simple act.
“I.A. said I could collect Albert’s things, now that the investigation is closed.”
Chris shrugged as Alex sat down at Wesker’s desk, sitting the box at her feet. She sighed, looking over the open drawers and litter that covered the top of the desk. Chris said nothing. He knew what had happened of course, because he and Jill had been responsible. They’d gone through the desk like a tornado, looking for anything that would prove their story. They hadn’t found anything, not even a stray memo.
“Damn Internal Affairs.” Alex snapped, eyeing the mess. “They didn’t need to go this far and even if they did, they could have at least cleaned up after themselves.”
Slowly Alex picked through the mess, absently straightening papers as she went. Chris leaned against the wall behind her, watching with great interest. She carefully picked dup a small 5X7 frame and placed it in the box. Chris remembered snapping the picture for her last year, about six months after he had arrived in town. Wesker and Alex were standing in front of the R.P.D.’s gate. Wesker was wearing his blue S.T.A.R.S. uniform and Alex was wearing a black Umbrella security uniform. It was the first and only time he ever saw her wear it.
“Looks like they weren’t smart enough to figure this one out.”
Chris stepped forward slightly, as Alex produced a set of keys and unlocked the lower left drawer. He was more than interested in what was in there, even Jill and her lock picks couldn’t get that thing open. However he was slightly disappointed as Alex pulled out a chrome Desert Eagle.50 caliber Magnum. She popped the clip and pulled the slide back to eject the round in the pipe. She set the safety and laid the gun in the box, it was then Chris noticed the R.P.D. emblem set into the grip.
“I thought the Captain only carried the M92F that Kendo did up for us.”
“Sometimes you need more stopping power that even a modified 9mm can provide.”
Chris arched an eyebrow as Alex pulled out eh last item in the drawer, the Captain’s S.T.A.R.S. shield. She ran her fingers lightly over the badge, emitting a small sob. Chris stepped up and laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. She dropped the badge in the boas she reached up and touched his hand.
“I’m sorry Alex.”
Alex smiled dimly. “Not really, but I thank you for the sentiment.”
She squeezed his hand, stood up, and lifted the box off the floor. Her eyes strayed to one of the photos on the wall, as she shifted the box into a better position. The photo in question had been taken only two weeks ago and featured the S.T.A.R.S Alpha and Bravo teams in front of the S.T.A.R.S. chopper. Alex started to reach for the picture, then suddenly thought better of it, letting her hand drop to her side. Without another word, she turned and headed for the door.
“Hey, Alex, wait a second.”
Chris quick stepped to his desk, as Alex turned in his direction. He yanked one of the drawers out and up-ended it on the desktop. The contents of said drawer spilled across the desk, some of it landing on the floor. Chris pushed the contents around, ignoring the strange look Alex was giving him, his attention more focused on whatever it was he was digging for.
“Here.” He held out an 8X10. “We all got a copy, Wes…the Captain hung his up.”
“You don’t want it?” Even as she asked, she reached out and took hold of the pictured by the offered corner. “I mean Forest was…that is...”
“It’s alright...” He murmured, briefly recalling the friendship she was hinting at. “You keep it.”
Chris released the picture and Alex carefully laid it in the box. She looked up, her shiny with tears. She stepped forward and kissed Chris gently on his cheek, whispering in his ear as she drew back.
“Thank you .”
She flashed him a tired smile and slipped out the door.
And now here he was was, standing in the middle of a cemetery in the rain. Alex was standing in front of her brother’s grave, her back toward him. Between them lay an ocean of questions. Chris tightened his shoulders and walked forward…
****
Alex stared down at the grave, ignoring the rain running down her face. There had been no viewing, and no service. She hadn’t even been there for the actual lowering of the casket. There was no body, but she’d buried a coffin anyway. In fact, Albert’s was the only body not found in the wreckage. Umbrella’s excuse to the R.P.D. was that Albert had been too close to the initial blast.
But Alex knew the truth. ..
Alex was barley home a minute when her phone rang. She grabbed the receiver from the end table, already anticipating who was calling.
“Wesker”
“Ms. Wesker, your presence is required at the head office.”
A second later, the dial tone clicked on. She dropped the receiver on the cradle and stepped into her bedroom. She had not worried about her appearance during work or even outside of work in a long time. This meeting, however, was a different matter.
Douglas was not a board member, nor was he head of operations for this city or any other. No, Douglas was the cleanup man. His job was to investigate situations, deem a course of action, and report to whomever was in charge his findings.
He had not been in Raccoon for this current situation, he was here on another matter. With the latter taken car of he had been asked to look into the mansion incident. He had already looked over the tapes recovered from the security system and reported his findings. All that was left, was a simple conversation.
“Mr. Douglas.”
Douglas looked up, his piercing emerald green eyes revealing none of his thoughts. The young secretary smiled back at him, no fear in her face or gestures. Ice, as she had come to be called had been his right hand for years, she knew his moods better than anyone…living or dead.
“Yes?”
“The young woman is here.”
“Very well.” Douglas flipped the file shut and stood, buttoning his suit jacket.
“Show her in.”
Ice nodded and disappeared. Douglas leaned against the edge of his temporary desk, lighting a cigarette. He looked up as the door opened. Ice entered first, followed by a tall woman wearing a black UBCS combat uniform and dark lensed sunglasses. This was the first time Douglas had come face to face with the younger of the Wesker siblings He had, of course, read all the files concerning her. Sill, it did not entirely prepare him for the icy presence standing rigidly before him.
“Ms Wesker.”
Douglas shook her hand, taking note of her strong sure grip. He had met the older sibling on several occasions and found their resemblance to be uncanny. He was also mildly turned on by her superior height and slicked back white blonde hair. Douglas himself was a slight 5’5” with light ash brown hair, that he always wore in a crew cut.
His eyes flickered between Wesker and Ice, noting the drastic differences between the two women. Ice was short, standing only 5’1”, with a slim build than almost made her look malnourished. Her hair, always won in a tight bun at the bas of her neck, was dirty dishwater blonde. Her eyes were a pale almond an perhaps her best feature. Ms. Wesker’s were hidden at the moment, but he knew them to be a dark cobalt blue.
Night and day, yet both radiated strength and resolve. A smirk flickered across his features briefly, as he wondered just who would win if the two were pitted against one another. Looking as Wesker’s file, he knew she was qualified, but there was more to Ice than met the eye.
“Please have a seat Ms. Wesker.”
Douglas inwardly smiled at her catlike grace as she took her seat in front of his desk. A second later, Ice was at his side, standing in her customary position on his right.
“Ms. Wesker, I expect you know why you’ve been called here today?”
“Indeed.” Wesker’s voice was calm, cool, and professional. “The Arklay facility is nothing more than a very large hole, the surviving S.T.A.R.S. members are screaming zombie, and my brother is no longer among the living. I expect this meeting has something to with the latter situation.”
“You are very sharp Ms. Wesker”
“I did not gain my current position by being ignorant Mr. Douglas.”
Douglas was only mildly surprised that she knew who he was. After all, his reputation was as notorious as both the Wesker siblings. A small smile flickered across his lips as he opened the file in front of him.
“Indeed Ms. Wesker, your file documents your rise through Umbrella well. As does your brother’s file, document his rise. But you see, there in lies the problem.”
Douglas flipped the filed closed and leaned back in his chair. “Your brother appears to have chosen the road less traveled. In other words, he attempted to betray Umbrella.”
He let the statement sink in, watching Wesker’s reaction closely. She betrayed nothing. Her shoulders never tightened or slumped, her head stayed erect and facing him. Douglas was neither surprised nor upset as this development. True,. It would have made his job easier is she had showed some sign of knowing or surprise at his disclosement. But there were other ways.
Douglas always had other ways of finding out what he wanted to know…
Alex snapped out of her thoughts, unmindful of the rain running down her face and soaking through her dress. Her haggard appearance had changed little since she had seen Chris on the 27th.
A lot of it had to do with Albert’s death, the rest had to do with the four hour talk and moving viewing. Watching her brother being impaled, over and over again had done little for her physical and mental state. Still, she had come out unscathed…relatively speaking of course.
As far as she knew, her job position was secure, as secure as it could be given the situation. It also appeared that Umbrella ad no intention of turning her into a science experiment any time soon, which was always a comfort.
She stepped forward laying a single white rose on Albert’s gravestone, his favorite. As she turned away, she saw Chris walking towards her. He was as soaked as she was. He stopped just in front of her, hands stuffed into his pockets. She shivered, it was late July almost August but, the rain was cold as ice. Chris shrugged out of his jacket, the one Claire had given him with the Made in Heaven logo on the back. He stepped forward and slipped the jacket over her shoulders. She gave him a strained smile and slid her arms into the sleeves.
“Do you want to talk about it?”, he asked, genuinely sympathetic.
“No.”
That word alone was enough to stop any more questions. Alex turned, gave him a peck on the cheek, and walked away from the grave stone. Suddenly she stopped, remembering her last few minutes with Albert. She turned, looking back at Chris, the rain now starting to soak through his blue tee shirt.
“Chris I want you to listen carefully to what I’m about to say, there are things going on in Raccoon. The Spencer Installation is just the tip of the iceberg. If you value your life, you’ll let it go.”
She started to walk away again, but Chris grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face him.
“What are you talking about?”
“There are things I know that would make you despise me. I know, or should I say, knew what they were doing at those labs under the mansion. I knew about the Tyrant. I also know that if you don’t stop, if you continue to go after this, you’ll wind up just like the rest of the S.T.A.R.S.” She started walking away again, and this time Chris didn’t stop her. “Please, forget about the Mansion and Umbrella. I don’t want to see you end up like my brother.”
She walked out of the cemetery and never once did she look back… |
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:45 am
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Chapter 3 - The Assignment
August 13, 1998
Alex sat at her desk, busy adding a new technician to the database. Normally, she’d have had Davis do this, but he was unavailable at the moment. He was currently assigned to cleanup duty, escorting the truck that would haul the failed experiments to the factory out of town for incineration. Not a pretty job, hence the reason she’d given it to him. Insubordination was something Alex could not and would not tolerate.
She was just finishing up, when Keith Alexander came through the door. He was a well built man, in his late twenties, with just the right amount of thick black hair. When they’d first been introduced, Alex thought he’d have a problem taking orders from a women six years his junior. She’d been wrong. Keith was a professional and recognized that Alex was as well.
“What do you need Keith?” She didn’t even bother to look up from the computer as she asked. “It had better not have anything to do with Bates.”
“As a matter of fact, Bates wants to see you in his office. I’m not going to repeat the order verbatim, but the basic idea was that you drop what you’re doing and head there immediately.”.
“Oh goody, just what I needed today.” Alex hit the final keystroke and pushed away from the desk, giving Keith a rare smile. “So what were his exact words?”
“Oh something like Tell that sunglass wearing boss of yours to get her a** down here, before she finds herself running cleanup duty on zombies. Something like that.”
“Like he has the balls to do that, not to mention the authority.” She sighed, climbing to her feet. “Take that new technician down to lab three, while I go see what our esteemed leader wants.”
Alex walked down the corridor, slowly. She had every intention of drawing out the walk to Bates’ office, as much as possible. She nodded at a few security personnel as she walked. Three were stationed in front of Birkin’s lab, one was inside the anteroom…her orders. Birkin allowed no on inside the main lab except Annette and herself. Much to the chagrin of Bates.
Officially Bates ran the labs here under Raccoon, at least on paper anyway. In reality, he was nothing more than a glorified babysitter, who wrote a lot of reports. He had no authority over any decisions regarding experiments, that was Birkin’s domain. He had no say in security shifts or placement of personnel, that was her job. Basically he was left with authority over his personal secretary and little else.
Which made him a major a*****e, who quite enjoyed bothering her with useless and trivial matters. He didn’t dare bother Birkin, stupid as he was…he wasn’t that stupid.
Alex looked over the door to his office, an old technician’s office by the machine elevator, with an irate expression on her face. Sighing again, she adjusted her glasses and opened the door…not even bothering to knock. Melanie, Bates’ personal assistant, was shoving a few files into a nearby cabinet. The man himself was ignoring the papers on his desk, because he was busy staring at the poor woman’s a**. Alex cleared her throat, crossing her arms. Bates snapped his head up to glare at her, as Melanie scuttled out of the office and down the hallway. No doubt the woman was grateful for Alex and her timing. Alex smiled and sat down in a nearby chair, not bothering to remove her sunglasses.
“Keith said you wanted to see me.”
“Yes though I sent Keith after you twenty minutes ago. Where have you been?”
Bates puffed himself out like an old laying hen. Alex almost burst into laughter. If he though he looked intimidation, he was sorely mistaken.
“I was busy. Some of us around here, have actual work to do.”
Alex cracked a smile, as Bates’ face turned a bright shade of scarlet. He recovered quickly, shuffling several papers together while clearing his throat.
“I wanted to speak to you about Davis.”
“What about him?”
Alex’s mood darkened considerably. Davis was a major kiss a**, leading her to believe that he’d gone crying to Bates after being reassigned. Not that it would do him much good.
“I would like to know why he was assigned to escort the disposal truck.”
“Not that it is really any of your business, but …”
Alex was cut short, as Bates suddenly slammed a hand down on his desk.
“It is my concern Miss Wesker, I am in charge of this base and I demand to know
why Davis was reassigned!”
“He was reassigned for insubordination.” Alex said calmly, as she adjusted her sunglasses. “I do not take kindly to those under me, making trouble.”
“Oh really, and here I thought is was for comments he made about your treacherous brother.”
Bates smiled like a shark. Alex merely stared back at him, her face betraying nothing. Bate’s smile slipped, as he realized the brother remark was having the impact he’d hoped for.
“Davis has been giving me problems for months now, he was warned. He crossed the line, and I shipped him to the disposal plant for a month or two.”
Which was the truth, despite the fact he had indeed made some rather rude comment about Albert. In actuality, the man didn’t like taking orders from a woman, especially a woman ten years his junior.
“I want him back here…today.”
Bates then waved a hand toward her, dismissively. To say Alex was angry, was an understatement. She slowly stood up and approached the desk, placing both hands on it’s shiny surface.
“How does it feel to want?”
“You have your orders Wesker, I suggest you follow them.”
Bates glared up at her…she glared back, the sunglasses still firmly in place. Nothing aggravated Bates more than those sunglasses.
“I don’t take orders from you. You are not my boss or have you forgotten?”
Alex smiled slyly as Bates turned red and stood up slamming his hands on his desk. Their poses were perfectly mirrored, especially since Alex could match his 5’8” frame.
“Listen to me you little blonde bitc…”
“If you wanna walk out of here, don’t finish that sentence.”
Alex stared him down, one had fluttering over the Desert Eagle in her shoulder holster. Bates, unfortunately, didn’t back down.
“Don’t threaten me girl. You’re walking on eggshells as it is. So I suggest you take yourself back to your office, be a good little girl, and follow my orders.” Bates’ voice was unusually quiet. Alex was seething. “And take off those damn sunglasses!”
He reached for the glasses, but Alex was faster. She grabbed his wrist, her face turning into a perfect imitation of her brother’s. Bates paled at this sudden change. Anyone would pale under that smug sneer, tinged with just the right amount of dark humor.
“I repeat…I don’t take orders from you.”
Her voice was ice as she tightened her grip, twisting Bates wrist enough to make him yelp.
“Am I interrupting?”
Alex turned, her left hand already going for the berretta she kept in a thigh holster, her right still held Bates in a steely grip. The man at the door, was dressed in an expensive three piece suit. He was tall, around 6’1” 6’2”, with dark brown hair combed to perfection. Michael Kent smiled, as if the notion that his top Security officer breaking the wrist of the man in charge of the Raccoon labs was no big deal. Alex moved her hand away from the berretta, but didn’t release Bates. Kent moved across the floor and took a seat in one of the empty chairs.
“Would someone mind explaining?”
Kent’s voice was cool and calm. Alex may hate Bates, but she had the up most respect for Kent. He was, after all, the man in charge of every installation in Raccoon City and the only man she took orders from.
“A minor disagreement about my current fashions.” Alex said, giving a slight smile.
She released Bates and took the seat opposite Kent. Bates fell into his own chair, rubbing his wrist.
“I’m not dealing with her anymore!” Bates seemed to find a backbone with Kent there. “I want her out of my lab!”
“Your lab?” Bates lost whatever backbone he’d had only moments ago, under Kent’s piercing green eyes. “The last time I checked these were Umbrella’s labs.”
“I’m…I’m sorry Mr. Kent, but she’s a loose cannon, I can’t deal with her anymore!”
“If you would quite trying to do her job, then maybe you wouldn’t have these problems. Now, I will speak to you later.”
Kent turned his attention to Alex, effectively dismissing Bates. He scurried out of the room, casting a glare in her direction as he slipped out the door. Alex ignored him.
“Now Alex. I have some business to discuss with you.”
“I assumed this wasn’t a social call.”
“You get more like your brother every day. Let us hope you do not make his mistakes.”
“I have no intention of betraying Umbrella.”
“Very good. Now you are being reassigned. We want you to keep an eye on the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members, especially Redfield. He’s been poking around.”
“Alright. Whose going to run security around here, certainly not Bates.”
The thought of that pompous a** running security, made her sick.
“No, Keith Alexander will be in charge, until you assignment is over.”
“Very well, is there anything else?”, she asked, getting to her feet.
“Not even a question as to why you were selected for this assignment?”
Kent looked her over as she stopped, her hand resting on the doorknob. She turned, absently adjusting her glasses. The fact that the small gesture very much resembled something Albert Wesker would do, did not escape Kent’s attention.
“I would assume it’s because I was closer to the S.T.A.R.S. team, more than any other person in Umbrella.”
“Sharp mind you have Alex. Mind it doesn’t get you in trouble.”
And with those parting words, Alex left the office. |
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