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Off get it OFF…
She fell backwards, slapping at the creature that had already reached her shoulder and was skittering toward her face, toward her mouth…… and then Leon was grabbing her, roughly pulling her up with one hand as he snatched at the animal with the other. Ada stumbled against him, clutching at his waist to keep from falling. The bug clung tenaciously to the tight fabric of her dress, but Leon had a good grip. He tore it away, shouting as he flung the flailing thing across the room.
"The Magnum!"
The weapon was stuck in Leon's belt. Ada jerked it free, saw the creature land near the giant, motionless heap that had birthed it, blasted to death by Leon…… and fired, managing to get a clean shot despite how off-balance she was, how deeply unnerved she was by how close she'd come to being implanted. The heavy round clanged against the floor, rust chips spattering up and the creature was blown into an ugly stain against the back wall. Obliterated. Nothing moved, and the two of them just stood for a moment, leaning against each other like survivors of some sudden, terrible accident – which, in a way, they were. The entire firefight had taken place in less than a minute, and they had come out unscathed, but Ada wasn't going to kid herself about how close it had been, or what they had just managed to destroy.
G-Virus.
She was sure of it; the T-Virus couldn't have created such a complicated creature, not without a team of surgeons – and they'd seen it growing; how big, how powerful would the creature have become if they hadn't walked in when they had? The beast might have been some early G-strain experiment, but what if it had been the result of a leak? What if there were more of them?
The sewers, the factory, the underground levels -
–dark, shadowy places, secret places, where anything could be growing…
Whatever the situation, the trip to the labs wasn't looking like a walk anymore and Ada was suddenly very glad that Leon had decided to come along. Since he was so goddamn insistent on going first, if some– thing attacked, she'd have a better chance of surviv-ing…
"Are you okay? Did it hurt you?"
Leon, one arm still supporting her, looking into her eyes with a heartfelt concern. Ada realized that she could smell him, a clean, soapy smell, and pushed herself away. She handed the Magnum back to him and straightened her dress, studiously inspecting it for rips to avoid looking at him.
"Thanks, I'm fine. Don't sweat it."
It came out harsher than she meant it to, but she was rattled, and not just by the implant's vicious attack. She glanced at him, and wasn't sure how to feel when she saw that her response had caught him off guard. He blinked slowly, and a kind of coolness settled into his gaze, indicating a strength of character that she hadn't bothered to give him credit for. "Paintball, huh?" he said mildly, and without an– other word, he turned to pick up the package she'd planted. Ada stared after him, telling herself how absolutely ridiculous it was to care what he thought of her. They were about to embark on a journey in which she might have to desert him, or watch him sacrifice his life in order to save her own…
… or kill him myself. Let's not forget that, friends and neighbors. So who gives a shit if he thinks I'm an ungrateful bitch?
Straight up. She should thank him, for reminding her. Ada stooped down to retrieve the shotgun, feeling like she needed to do a better job of keeping her priorities straight and feeling an emptiness inside that she hadn't noticed in a long, long time.
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
She fell backwards, slapping at the creature that had already reached her shoulder and was skittering toward her face, toward her mouth…… and then Leon was grabbing her, roughly pulling her up with one hand as he snatched at the animal with the other. Ada stumbled against him, clutching at his waist to keep from falling. The bug clung tenaciously to the tight fabric of her dress, but Leon had a good grip. He tore it away, shouting as he flung the flailing thing across the room.
"The Magnum!"
The weapon was stuck in Leon's belt. Ada jerked it free, saw the creature land near the giant, motionless heap that had birthed it, blasted to death by Leon…… and fired, managing to get a clean shot despite how off-balance she was, how deeply unnerved she was by how close she'd come to being implanted. The heavy round clanged against the floor, rust chips spattering up and the creature was blown into an ugly stain against the back wall. Obliterated. Nothing moved, and the two of them just stood for a moment, leaning against each other like survivors of some sudden, terrible accident – which, in a way, they were. The entire firefight had taken place in less than a minute, and they had come out unscathed, but Ada wasn't going to kid herself about how close it had been, or what they had just managed to destroy.
G-Virus.
She was sure of it; the T-Virus couldn't have created such a complicated creature, not without a team of surgeons – and they'd seen it growing; how big, how powerful would the creature have become if they hadn't walked in when they had? The beast might have been some early G-strain experiment, but what if it had been the result of a leak? What if there were more of them?
The sewers, the factory, the underground levels -
–dark, shadowy places, secret places, where anything could be growing…
Whatever the situation, the trip to the labs wasn't looking like a walk anymore and Ada was suddenly very glad that Leon had decided to come along. Since he was so goddamn insistent on going first, if some– thing attacked, she'd have a better chance of surviv-ing…
"Are you okay? Did it hurt you?"
Leon, one arm still supporting her, looking into her eyes with a heartfelt concern. Ada realized that she could smell him, a clean, soapy smell, and pushed herself away. She handed the Magnum back to him and straightened her dress, studiously inspecting it for rips to avoid looking at him.
"Thanks, I'm fine. Don't sweat it."
It came out harsher than she meant it to, but she was rattled, and not just by the implant's vicious attack. She glanced at him, and wasn't sure how to feel when she saw that her response had caught him off guard. He blinked slowly, and a kind of coolness settled into his gaze, indicating a strength of character that she hadn't bothered to give him credit for. "Paintball, huh?" he said mildly, and without an– other word, he turned to pick up the package she'd planted. Ada stared after him, telling herself how absolutely ridiculous it was to care what he thought of her. They were about to embark on a journey in which she might have to desert him, or watch him sacrifice his life in order to save her own…
… or kill him myself. Let's not forget that, friends and neighbors. So who gives a shit if he thinks I'm an ungrateful bitch?
Straight up. She should thank him, for reminding her. Ada stooped down to retrieve the shotgun, feeling like she needed to do a better job of keeping her priorities straight and feeling an emptiness inside that she hadn't noticed in a long, long time.
TWENTY
Mr. irons had been a very bad man. A sick man. Sherry supposed she'd known it all along on some level, but seeing his secret torture chamber, like some mad doctor's workshop, made it a lot more real. The room was just gross, bones and bottles and a smell even worse than the zombies. Perhaps that was why seeing the shape on the floor, the incomplete body shape beneath the bloodstained tarp, didn't bother her half as much as Claire seemed to think it would. Sherry stared at it, wondering what had hap– pened exactly. "Come on, sweetie, let's get going," Claire said, and the forced note of brightness in her voice told Sherry that Mr. Irons had been severely messed up. All Claire had told her was that Mr. Irons had attacked her, and then something had attacked him, and that there was a chance they could get somewhere safe if they went down into the basement. Sherry had been so relieved to see Claire at all that she hadn't bothered to ask questions.
Not big enough to be a whole person under there…
did he get eaten? Or chopped into pieces?
"Sherry? Let's go, okay?"
Claire laid a hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her away from what was left of the police chief. Sherry let herself be led toward the dark hole in the corner, deciding that it was best to keep her questions to herself. She thought about saying that she didn't care that Mr. Irons was dead, but she didn't want to appear rude or disrespectful. Besides which, Claire was trying to take care of her, and Sherry didn't mind that at all. Claire went down the ladder first, and after a second, called up to her that it was safe to come down. Sherry stepped carefully on the metal rungs, feeling really happy for the first time in days. They were doing something, they were getting out of the RPD station and headed for escape; whatever else hap-pened, it was a good way to feel. Claire helped her down the last couple of rungs, lifting her and setting her on the metal floor. Sherry turned and looked around, her eyes widening. "Wow," she said, and the word whispered away into the dim shadows and came whispering back, reflected off" the strange walls. "Yeah," Claire said. "Come on." Claire started walking, her boots clanking out ech-oes, and Sherry followed closely, still looking around in amazement. It was like a bad guy's lair in a spy movie, some factory passage inside of a mountain or something. They were on a catwalk surrounded by rails, a murky green light coming up through the grate floor from somewhere far below and although there was rough brick to their right, to the left was an actual cave wall. She could see giant, dripping pillars of stone that stretched off into the dark, natural forma– tions of rock that were stained green by the weak and ghostly light. Sherry wrinkled her nose. As interesting as it was, it smelled pretty rotten. And she didn't like the way that sound carried in the chill air, making everything seem hollow. "What do you think this place is?" she asked softly.
Claire shook her head. "I'm not sure. Between the smell and the location, I'd say we're in part of a sewage treatment plant."
Sherry nodded, glad to know and even more glad to see the way out just ahead of them. The walkway wasn't very long; it turned left, and there was another ladder at the end, one that went up. When they got to it, Claire hesitated, peering up at the opening over-head and then back around at the dark and empty cave.
"I should go up first… how 'bout you climb up right behind, but stay on the ladder until I say it's clear?"
Sherry nodded, relieved. For a second, she'd been afraid that Claire was going to tell her to stay down here and wait, like before.
No way. It's dark, stinky, and lonely. If I were a monster, this is where I'd be…
Claire went up, boosting herself easily through the hole, and Sherry clambered up just behind, holding the cool metal of the rungs tightly. After a few seconds, Claire's long, slender arms reached down to help her out. They were back on solid ground, a short cement hallway that seemed incredibly bright after the cave. Sherry figured they were still in the sewage plant; the smell wasn't as bad, but the hall was bordered on the left by a motionless river of sludge water, maybe a foot deep and five or six feet across; the muddy water ran off in either direction, one end through a low, rounded tunnel, the other stopped by a big metal door. It was all overlooked by a kind of balcony, but Sherry didn't see any stairs.
Which means… oh, yuck. "Do we have to?" she asked. Claire sighed. '"Fraid so. But look at the bright Side – no sane monster would follow us through that."
Sherry smiled. It wasn't particularly funny, but she appreciated what Claire was trying to do – it was the same as covering up Mr. Irons's body, or telling her that her parents were probably safe.
She's trying to shield me from how bad things really are…
Sherry liked that, so much so that she was already dreading the moment when Claire would leave her for good. Eventually, she would; Claire had a whole life somewhere else, her own friends and family, and once they got out of Raccoon, she would go back to wherever she came from and Sherry would be alone again. Even if her parents were okay, she would be alone… and though she wanted very much for them to be safe and well, she wasn't looking forward to the end of her time with Claire. She was only twelve, but she'd known for a couple of years that her family was different from most. The other kids at school had parents who spent time with them, had birthday parties and went on camping trips, and had brothers and sisters and pets. She'd never had any of those things. She knew that her parents meant well, and that they loved her, but sometimes, she felt like no matter how quiet and good and self-sufficient she was, she was still in their way…
"You ready for this?"
Claire's soft, pretty voice brought her back to the situation, reminding her that she needed to be more alert. Sherry nodded, and Claire stepped down into the dark, dirty water, reaching back to help her. The water was cold and greasy, and came up to Sherry's knees; it was gross, but not puking bad. Claire motioned toward the big metal door to their left with her new gun, looking as disgusted as Sherry felt.
"Looks like we're going to…"
A loud noise from the balcony cut her off, and they both looked up, Sherry instinctively moving closer to Claire as the noise came again. It sounded like foot– steps, but too slow and too loud to be normal…… and Sherry saw a man in a long, dark coat walk into view, and felt her mouth go dry with fear. He was a giant, maybe as tall as ten feet, and his bald skull gleamed as white as a dead fish belly. She couldn't see him clearly because of the angle, but she could see enough – and she could feel that he was bad, that there was something very wrong and bad about him. It radiated off of him like sickness. "Claire?" she squeaked, her voice breaking as the giant man stalked across the balcony, as he started to turn toward them – slowly, so slowly, and Sherry didn't want to see his face, didn't want to see the face of a man that could frighten her so deeply by just walking onto a balcony…
"Run!"
Claire grabbed her hand and the two of them ran, splashing through the thick water toward the sealed door. Sherry concentrated on not falling, on praying that the door would open -
– don't be locked, don't be locked! -
–and on not looking back, not wanting to see what the giant, bad man was doing. The door was close but it seemed to take forever, each second stretched out as they fought against the weight of the cold and oily water. They stumbled to the hatch and Claire found its control, slamming at the button in a kind of panic that made Sherry even more afraid. The door split in the middle, one half sliding up into the ceiling and the other slipping beneath the rippling waves. Sherry didn't look back, but Claire did. Whatever she saw made her leap through the door, pulling Sherry off her feet and hurtling into the long, dark tunnel that lay behind the hatch. As soon as they were through, Claire fumbled at the wall and the door slid closed behind them, sealing them into the dripping darkness. "Don't move and be quiet," Claire whispered, and in the very dim light that came from somewhere up ahead, Sherry could see that she was holding the gun out in front of her, trying to search the heavy shadows for any new threats. Sherry obeyed, her heart pound– ing, wondering who, what that man had been – it was the man Claire had asked her about before, that much was obvious, but what was he? People didn't get that big, and Claire had been scared, too… Clink. A metal noise, soft and muffled from the wall behind her and Sherry felt the water around her feet start to move suddenly, a swift rush of current that pulled on her legs, pulled her off balance…… and she stumbled, tripped, plunging face-first into the cold and nasty water as the current got stronger, sucking her backwards. Sherry reached out, trying to find something, anything, to hold on to, and felt slimy stone whip beneath her clutching fingers as the waters rushed her away, away from Claire.
– can't breathe -
Sherry kicked wildly, twisting her body, her eyes stinging from the bad water and managed to take a breath as her head broke the surface, as she realized that she was in a tunnel, a pitch black shaft no bigger than the vents from the station. The swift waters carried her along, Sherry taking deep gasps of the foul air overhead, forcing herself not to struggle against the relentless power of the hissing liquid. The tunnel had to end somewhere and wherever it came out, she had to be ready to run.
Claire, please find me, please don't give up on me…
She was lost, blind and deaf, sliding down through the dark and farther… and farther away from the only person who could protect her from the nightmare creatures that had taken over Raccoon.
Annette no longer doubted that her husband had escaped the laboratory levels. Not only were half of the facility entrances unsealed, the fences that sur– rounded the factory had been breached and the sewer tunnels, the tunnels that should have been mostly empty, were crawling with human carriers that had to have come from outside. Even as advanced as they'd been in terms of cellular deterioration, she'd had to shoot down five of them just to clear a path from the tram to the sewage operations room. After what seemed an eternity of trudging through the semi-treated, inky waters of the labyrinthian system, she came to the platform she'd been looking for. Annette stepped up into the concrete tunnel, gazing warily at the closed door a few meters in front of her. Closed and undamaged, a good sign, but what if he'd gone through before he'd lost all trace of human intelligence, before he'd grown into an un– thinking, violent animal? Even now, he might still retain something resembling memory; the truth was, she didn't know. The G-Virus hadn't been tested on humans yet…
… and if he did go through? If he made it to the police station?
No. She couldn't, wouldn't entertain the possibili– ty. Considering what she did know about the progres– sive chemophysiologic changes – what he would be capable of doing if the virus worked the way it was supposed to – the thought of him getting to an unin– fected population… well, it was unthinkable. The station is safe, she thought firmly. Irons may be an incompetent ass, but his cops aren't. Wherever William is, he couldn't have gotten past them. She couldn't afford to believe anything else; Sherry was there, if she'd done what she was supposed to do and besides being her own flesh and blood (which, she reminded herself, was reason enough), Sherry played a very important role in her future plans. Annette leaned against one cold and sweating wall, aware that time was running out but simply unable to go on without resting for a moment. She'd been counting on the encoded territorial instinct to keep him close to the lab, and had been so sure that she would find him, that her live, human scent would lure him to her… but she was almost at the end of the contained area, and all she'd found were a dozen ways in which he could have escaped.
And Umbrella will be here soon. I have to get back, I have to activate the fail-safe before they can stop me.
William deserved to be at peace, but beyond that, destroying the creature that had once been her hus– band would eradicate all of her doubts about the success of her objective. What if she blew the lab and escaped, only to find that Umbrella had captured him? All of her struggles, all of his work, for nothing… Annette closed her eyes, wishing that there was an easy way to make the decision that had to be made. The fact was, William's death simply wasn't as crucial as getting rid of the lab. And there was a good chance that they wouldn't find him, that they weren't even aware of his transformation…
… and it's not as though I have a choice. He's not here, he's not anywhere.
She pushed away from the wall, walking slowly toward the door. She would check the last few tun-nels, perhaps see if the conference rooms showed any sign of damage and then she would go back. Go back and finish what Umbrella had started. Annette pushed the door open…… and heard footsteps, echoing through the lonely corridor from somewhere up ahead; the hall was shaped like a "T," the sounds melting into them– selves, making it impossible to tell from which direc– tion they were coming, but they were the strong, sure steps of an uninfected human, perhaps more than one, and that could only mean one thing.
Umbrella. They've finally come.
Rage boiled up through her, making her hands shake, her lips curl back from gritted teeth. It had to be them, it had to be one of their murdering spies; besides Irons and a few of the city officials, only Umbrella knew that these tunnels were still in use and that they led to the underground facility. The possibility that it was some innocent survivor of the spill didn't cross her mind, and neither did running; she raised the handgun and waited for the heartless, murdering bastard to appear. A figure stepped into sight, a woman in red, and Annette fired…… bam, but she was trembling, screaming inside, and the shot went high. It ricocheted off the cement wall with a whining, zipping sound, and the woman was raising a weapon of her own…… and Annette fired again, barn-zip, but suddenly there was another one, a blurred, flying shape that leapt in front of the woman, knocking her out of the way, all of it happening at once…… and Annette heard the cry of pain, a man's cry, and felt a burst of roaring triumph.
Got him, I got him…
But there could be more, she hadn't hit the woman and they were trained killers. Annette turned and ran, her dirty lab coat flying, her wet shoes slapping against the cement. She had to get back to the lab, fast. Time had run out.
Not big enough to be a whole person under there…
did he get eaten? Or chopped into pieces?
"Sherry? Let's go, okay?"
Claire laid a hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her away from what was left of the police chief. Sherry let herself be led toward the dark hole in the corner, deciding that it was best to keep her questions to herself. She thought about saying that she didn't care that Mr. Irons was dead, but she didn't want to appear rude or disrespectful. Besides which, Claire was trying to take care of her, and Sherry didn't mind that at all. Claire went down the ladder first, and after a second, called up to her that it was safe to come down. Sherry stepped carefully on the metal rungs, feeling really happy for the first time in days. They were doing something, they were getting out of the RPD station and headed for escape; whatever else hap-pened, it was a good way to feel. Claire helped her down the last couple of rungs, lifting her and setting her on the metal floor. Sherry turned and looked around, her eyes widening. "Wow," she said, and the word whispered away into the dim shadows and came whispering back, reflected off" the strange walls. "Yeah," Claire said. "Come on." Claire started walking, her boots clanking out ech-oes, and Sherry followed closely, still looking around in amazement. It was like a bad guy's lair in a spy movie, some factory passage inside of a mountain or something. They were on a catwalk surrounded by rails, a murky green light coming up through the grate floor from somewhere far below and although there was rough brick to their right, to the left was an actual cave wall. She could see giant, dripping pillars of stone that stretched off into the dark, natural forma– tions of rock that were stained green by the weak and ghostly light. Sherry wrinkled her nose. As interesting as it was, it smelled pretty rotten. And she didn't like the way that sound carried in the chill air, making everything seem hollow. "What do you think this place is?" she asked softly.
Claire shook her head. "I'm not sure. Between the smell and the location, I'd say we're in part of a sewage treatment plant."
Sherry nodded, glad to know and even more glad to see the way out just ahead of them. The walkway wasn't very long; it turned left, and there was another ladder at the end, one that went up. When they got to it, Claire hesitated, peering up at the opening over-head and then back around at the dark and empty cave.
"I should go up first… how 'bout you climb up right behind, but stay on the ladder until I say it's clear?"
Sherry nodded, relieved. For a second, she'd been afraid that Claire was going to tell her to stay down here and wait, like before.
No way. It's dark, stinky, and lonely. If I were a monster, this is where I'd be…
Claire went up, boosting herself easily through the hole, and Sherry clambered up just behind, holding the cool metal of the rungs tightly. After a few seconds, Claire's long, slender arms reached down to help her out. They were back on solid ground, a short cement hallway that seemed incredibly bright after the cave. Sherry figured they were still in the sewage plant; the smell wasn't as bad, but the hall was bordered on the left by a motionless river of sludge water, maybe a foot deep and five or six feet across; the muddy water ran off in either direction, one end through a low, rounded tunnel, the other stopped by a big metal door. It was all overlooked by a kind of balcony, but Sherry didn't see any stairs.
Which means… oh, yuck. "Do we have to?" she asked. Claire sighed. '"Fraid so. But look at the bright Side – no sane monster would follow us through that."
Sherry smiled. It wasn't particularly funny, but she appreciated what Claire was trying to do – it was the same as covering up Mr. Irons's body, or telling her that her parents were probably safe.
She's trying to shield me from how bad things really are…
Sherry liked that, so much so that she was already dreading the moment when Claire would leave her for good. Eventually, she would; Claire had a whole life somewhere else, her own friends and family, and once they got out of Raccoon, she would go back to wherever she came from and Sherry would be alone again. Even if her parents were okay, she would be alone… and though she wanted very much for them to be safe and well, she wasn't looking forward to the end of her time with Claire. She was only twelve, but she'd known for a couple of years that her family was different from most. The other kids at school had parents who spent time with them, had birthday parties and went on camping trips, and had brothers and sisters and pets. She'd never had any of those things. She knew that her parents meant well, and that they loved her, but sometimes, she felt like no matter how quiet and good and self-sufficient she was, she was still in their way…
"You ready for this?"
Claire's soft, pretty voice brought her back to the situation, reminding her that she needed to be more alert. Sherry nodded, and Claire stepped down into the dark, dirty water, reaching back to help her. The water was cold and greasy, and came up to Sherry's knees; it was gross, but not puking bad. Claire motioned toward the big metal door to their left with her new gun, looking as disgusted as Sherry felt.
"Looks like we're going to…"
A loud noise from the balcony cut her off, and they both looked up, Sherry instinctively moving closer to Claire as the noise came again. It sounded like foot– steps, but too slow and too loud to be normal…… and Sherry saw a man in a long, dark coat walk into view, and felt her mouth go dry with fear. He was a giant, maybe as tall as ten feet, and his bald skull gleamed as white as a dead fish belly. She couldn't see him clearly because of the angle, but she could see enough – and she could feel that he was bad, that there was something very wrong and bad about him. It radiated off of him like sickness. "Claire?" she squeaked, her voice breaking as the giant man stalked across the balcony, as he started to turn toward them – slowly, so slowly, and Sherry didn't want to see his face, didn't want to see the face of a man that could frighten her so deeply by just walking onto a balcony…
"Run!"
Claire grabbed her hand and the two of them ran, splashing through the thick water toward the sealed door. Sherry concentrated on not falling, on praying that the door would open -
– don't be locked, don't be locked! -
–and on not looking back, not wanting to see what the giant, bad man was doing. The door was close but it seemed to take forever, each second stretched out as they fought against the weight of the cold and oily water. They stumbled to the hatch and Claire found its control, slamming at the button in a kind of panic that made Sherry even more afraid. The door split in the middle, one half sliding up into the ceiling and the other slipping beneath the rippling waves. Sherry didn't look back, but Claire did. Whatever she saw made her leap through the door, pulling Sherry off her feet and hurtling into the long, dark tunnel that lay behind the hatch. As soon as they were through, Claire fumbled at the wall and the door slid closed behind them, sealing them into the dripping darkness. "Don't move and be quiet," Claire whispered, and in the very dim light that came from somewhere up ahead, Sherry could see that she was holding the gun out in front of her, trying to search the heavy shadows for any new threats. Sherry obeyed, her heart pound– ing, wondering who, what that man had been – it was the man Claire had asked her about before, that much was obvious, but what was he? People didn't get that big, and Claire had been scared, too… Clink. A metal noise, soft and muffled from the wall behind her and Sherry felt the water around her feet start to move suddenly, a swift rush of current that pulled on her legs, pulled her off balance…… and she stumbled, tripped, plunging face-first into the cold and nasty water as the current got stronger, sucking her backwards. Sherry reached out, trying to find something, anything, to hold on to, and felt slimy stone whip beneath her clutching fingers as the waters rushed her away, away from Claire.
– can't breathe -
Sherry kicked wildly, twisting her body, her eyes stinging from the bad water and managed to take a breath as her head broke the surface, as she realized that she was in a tunnel, a pitch black shaft no bigger than the vents from the station. The swift waters carried her along, Sherry taking deep gasps of the foul air overhead, forcing herself not to struggle against the relentless power of the hissing liquid. The tunnel had to end somewhere and wherever it came out, she had to be ready to run.
Claire, please find me, please don't give up on me…
She was lost, blind and deaf, sliding down through the dark and farther… and farther away from the only person who could protect her from the nightmare creatures that had taken over Raccoon.
Annette no longer doubted that her husband had escaped the laboratory levels. Not only were half of the facility entrances unsealed, the fences that sur– rounded the factory had been breached and the sewer tunnels, the tunnels that should have been mostly empty, were crawling with human carriers that had to have come from outside. Even as advanced as they'd been in terms of cellular deterioration, she'd had to shoot down five of them just to clear a path from the tram to the sewage operations room. After what seemed an eternity of trudging through the semi-treated, inky waters of the labyrinthian system, she came to the platform she'd been looking for. Annette stepped up into the concrete tunnel, gazing warily at the closed door a few meters in front of her. Closed and undamaged, a good sign, but what if he'd gone through before he'd lost all trace of human intelligence, before he'd grown into an un– thinking, violent animal? Even now, he might still retain something resembling memory; the truth was, she didn't know. The G-Virus hadn't been tested on humans yet…
… and if he did go through? If he made it to the police station?
No. She couldn't, wouldn't entertain the possibili– ty. Considering what she did know about the progres– sive chemophysiologic changes – what he would be capable of doing if the virus worked the way it was supposed to – the thought of him getting to an unin– fected population… well, it was unthinkable. The station is safe, she thought firmly. Irons may be an incompetent ass, but his cops aren't. Wherever William is, he couldn't have gotten past them. She couldn't afford to believe anything else; Sherry was there, if she'd done what she was supposed to do and besides being her own flesh and blood (which, she reminded herself, was reason enough), Sherry played a very important role in her future plans. Annette leaned against one cold and sweating wall, aware that time was running out but simply unable to go on without resting for a moment. She'd been counting on the encoded territorial instinct to keep him close to the lab, and had been so sure that she would find him, that her live, human scent would lure him to her… but she was almost at the end of the contained area, and all she'd found were a dozen ways in which he could have escaped.
And Umbrella will be here soon. I have to get back, I have to activate the fail-safe before they can stop me.
William deserved to be at peace, but beyond that, destroying the creature that had once been her hus– band would eradicate all of her doubts about the success of her objective. What if she blew the lab and escaped, only to find that Umbrella had captured him? All of her struggles, all of his work, for nothing… Annette closed her eyes, wishing that there was an easy way to make the decision that had to be made. The fact was, William's death simply wasn't as crucial as getting rid of the lab. And there was a good chance that they wouldn't find him, that they weren't even aware of his transformation…
… and it's not as though I have a choice. He's not here, he's not anywhere.
She pushed away from the wall, walking slowly toward the door. She would check the last few tun-nels, perhaps see if the conference rooms showed any sign of damage and then she would go back. Go back and finish what Umbrella had started. Annette pushed the door open…… and heard footsteps, echoing through the lonely corridor from somewhere up ahead; the hall was shaped like a "T," the sounds melting into them– selves, making it impossible to tell from which direc– tion they were coming, but they were the strong, sure steps of an uninfected human, perhaps more than one, and that could only mean one thing.
Umbrella. They've finally come.
Rage boiled up through her, making her hands shake, her lips curl back from gritted teeth. It had to be them, it had to be one of their murdering spies; besides Irons and a few of the city officials, only Umbrella knew that these tunnels were still in use and that they led to the underground facility. The possibility that it was some innocent survivor of the spill didn't cross her mind, and neither did running; she raised the handgun and waited for the heartless, murdering bastard to appear. A figure stepped into sight, a woman in red, and Annette fired…… bam, but she was trembling, screaming inside, and the shot went high. It ricocheted off the cement wall with a whining, zipping sound, and the woman was raising a weapon of her own…… and Annette fired again, barn-zip, but suddenly there was another one, a blurred, flying shape that leapt in front of the woman, knocking her out of the way, all of it happening at once…… and Annette heard the cry of pain, a man's cry, and felt a burst of roaring triumph.
Got him, I got him…
But there could be more, she hadn't hit the woman and they were trained killers. Annette turned and ran, her dirty lab coat flying, her wet shoes slapping against the cement. She had to get back to the lab, fast. Time had run out.
TWENTY-ONE
Leon stopped to adjust his shoulder harness, so Ada walked on ahead, musing over how surprisingly clear the first few tunnels had been. If memory served, this corridor let out right next to sewage treatment ops; past that was the tram to the factory, and then the machine lift to the underground. Conditions would probably get worse the closer they got to the labs, but with the trek as trouble-free as it had been so far, she was feeling optimistic. Leon had been uncomfortably quiet since they'd opened the path into the sewers, only talking when it was necessary – watch your step, hold up a minute, which way do you think we should go… she didn't think he was even aware of the defenses he'd put up, but she was getting better at reading him. Officer Kennedy was brave, he was at least above-average in the brains department, he was a crack shot and he didn't know dick about women. When she'd blown off his attempt to comfort her, she'd confused and hurt him and now he didn't know how to interact with her. He'd chosen to withdraw rather than risk another rejection.
Really, it's for the best. No point in leading him on when it's not necessary, and it saves me the trouble of ego-stroking…
She stepped into the intersection of the empty hall, thinking about the easiest place to part company fromher escort…… and saw the woman, just as she fired. Bam!Ada felt chips of concrete spray across her bare shoulders as she brought the Beretta up, a blur of emotions and realizations flashing through her in the instant it took to react. She wouldn't be able to return fire in time, the woman's next shot would kill her, anger at herself for being so stupid – and recognition.
Birkin!
She heard the second shot – and then she was hit, shoved out of the way and falling to the cold floor as Leon cried out in pain and surprise, his warm bulk landing on top of her. Ada took a deep breath, shocked and amazed as she understood what had happened, as Leon rolled off of her and clutched at his arm. She heard running footsteps and Leon's harsh panting, and sat up.
Oh, my God. No shit.
He'd taken a bullet. For her. Ada stumbled to her feet, bending over him.
"Leon!"
He looked up at her, jaw clenched against the pain. Blood seeped through the fingers of his hand, pressed to his left armpit. "I'm… okay," he gasped, and although his face was pale, his eyes clouded with suffering, she thought he was probably right. It undoubtedly hurt like a son of a bitch, but it wouldn't – shouldn't kill him.
It would have killed me, Leon saved my life…
And on the tail of that thought, Annette Birkin. Still alive. "That woman," she blurted, the guilt hitting her even as she turned to run. "I have to talk to her." Ada took off, sprinting around the corner and down the hall, the door at the end standing open. Leon would live, he would be fine, and if she could catch up to Annette, this whole goddamn nightmare would be over. She'd studied the file photos, she knew it was Birkin's wife and if, by chance, the woman wasn't carrying a sample, she'd sure as hell know where one was. She ran through the door and stopped short of jumping into yet another water-filled tunnel, pausing just long enough to listen, to scan the surface of the rippling murk. No splashing sounds, and there were still lapping waves to the left…… and a ladder bolted to the wall, leading up to a fan shaft.
… goes to operations.
Ada plunged into the water and made for the ladder. There was a hallway farther along, but it was a dead end; Annette would surely have opted for es– cape. She quickly scaled the metal rungs, refusing to let herself think about Leon (because he was fine) as she peered through the shaft and saw that it was clear. Mrs. Doctor was probably still running, but Ada wasn't going to walk into another bullet. Through the shaft, a quick peek past the dead, massive blades of the vent fan at the far end, and back down another ladder. The giant two-story chamber that housed the sewage-treatment machines was emp– ty of life, as cold and industrial and strewn with equipment as she'd expected. There was a hydraulic bridge that spanned the room, raised to the level she'd exited on – which meant that Annette must have gone down via the west ladder, the only other way out. Ada flipped through her mental maps as she started across the bridge, remembering that it went down into one of the treatment center's dumping grounds…
"Drop it, you bitch!"
Behind her. Ada halted, feeling a pain inside – the pain of a hearty slap to the ego. The second time she'd screwed up, badly, in as many minutes, but there was no way she was going to obey Annette's hysterical command. The woman's aim was for shit and Ada tensed, preparing to drop, to spin and fire… Barn-ping! The shot hit the floor next to Ada's right foot, glancing off the rusting bridge. Annette had her. Ada dropped the Beretta, raising her hands slowly, turning to face the scientist.
Jesus, I deserve to die for this…
Annette Birkin walked toward her, a Browning nine-millimeter trembling wildly in one outstretched hand. Ada winced inwardly at the sight of that shaking gun, but saw a possible opportunity as An– nette moved closer, finally coming to a stop less than ten feet in front of her.
Too close. Too close, and she's right on the edge of a
total collapse, isn't she?
"Who are you? What's your name?!"
Ada swallowed heavily, putting a stutter into her voice. "Ada, Ada Wong. Please don't shoot, please, I haven't done anything…"Annette frowned, backing up a step. "Ada… Wong. I know that name – Ada, that was John's girlfriend's name…" Ada's mouth dropped open. "Yes, John Howe! But… how did you know? Do you know where he is?" The disheveled scientist glared at her. "I know because John worked with my husband, William. You've heard of him, of course – William Birkin, the man responsible for the creation of the T-Virus."
Annette fairly glowed with a mix of pride and despair as she spoke, giving Ada hope; it was a weakness that she could use. Ada had read the files on William Birkin – read about his steady climb through Umbrella's hierarchy, the advances in virology and genetic sequencing… and about the scientific ambi– tion that had made him a veritable sociopath. It looked as though his wife was operating on a similar plane – which meant that the Mrs. would have no problem pulling the trigger.
Play it dumb, and don't give her a reason to doubt it. "T-Virus? What's…" Ada blinked, then widened her eyes. "Doctor Birkin? Wait, the Doctor Birkin, the biochemist?"
She saw a flash of pleasure cross Annette's face, but then it was gone, and there was only despair. Despair and the flickering of bitter madness, deep in her bloodshot eyes. "John Howe is dead," she said coldly, "he died three months ago at the Spencer estate. My condo-lences, but then, you're about to join him, aren't you? You're not going to take the G-Virus away from me, you can't have it!" Ada started to shake all over. "G-Virus? Please, I don't know what you're talking about!" "You know," Annette snarled. "Umbrella sent you to steal it, you can't lie to me! William's dead to me now, Umbrella took him from me, they forced him to use it! They forced him…"
She trailed off, her gaze suddenly far away. Ada Tensed, but then Annette was back, her eyes welling up with tears, the weapon pointed at Ada's face. "A week ago, they came," she whispered. "They came to take it, and they shot my William when he wouldn't give them the samples. They took the case, they took all of the finals, both series – except for the one that he managed to keep, the G-Virus…"
Annette's voice raised into a shout suddenly, a pathetic and somehow pleading shout. "He was dy-ing, don't you see? He didn't have any choice!" Ada understood. She understood all of it. "He injected himself, didn't he?"
The scientist nodded, her limp blond hair falling across her eyes, her voice a whisper again. "It revi-talizes cellular function. It… it changed him. I didn't see – what he did, but I saw the bodies of the men who tried to kill him, afterwards… and I heard the screams."
Ada took a step closer, reaching out as if to comfort her, her own features set into a mask of sympathy, but Annette thrust the gun at her again. Even in her sorrow, she wasn't going to let Ada get any closer.
But it's almost close enough… "I'm so sorry," Ada said, lowering her arms. "So the G-Virus, it leaked, it changed all of Raccoon…" Annette shook her head. "No. When the Umbrella assassins were stopped, the case was broken. The T-Virus leaked – the lab workers hit by the airborne were contained, but there were rats, you see. Rats in the sewers…" She paused, her lips trembling. "… unless Wil-liam, my sweet William has started to reproduce. Implanting embryos, replicating… it shouldn't be time for that yet, but I…"
She broke off, her eyes narrowing, the madness sweeping over her again as visibly as a crashing wave. High color flared in her pale cheeks, her red-rimmed eyes glossy with paranoia.
Get ready… "You can't have it!" Annette screamed, spittle flying from her cracked lips. "He gave his life to keep it from you, you're a spy and you can't have it…"
Ada ducked and leapt, pistoning both of her arms beneath Annette's, shoving the gun up and away from both of them. The Browning discharged, sending a round clanging off the ceiling as they fought for control of the weapon. Annette was physically weaker, but she was driven by demons of hatred and loss, the edge of insanity lending her strength -
– but no sense -
Ada let go of the gun suddenly and Annette stum– bled, not prepared for the unexpected move. She crashed against the railing of the bridge and Ada charged, driving her elbow into Annette's lower belly, hitting her beneath her center of balance and Annette half-turned, her mouth an open darkness of surprise, her arms pinwheeling for bal– ance – and she plummeted over the railing, silently, not a sound until the dull thump as her body hit the floor some twenty feet below. "Shit," Ada hissed, stepping to the rail and looking down. She lay there, facedown and motionless, the gun still clenched in one thin white hand.
That's just great. Walk into an ambush, not once but twice for hell's sake, then kill the one crazy bitch who can tell you where the samples are…
A low moan floated up from Annette Birkin's body and she moved, hunching her back, trying to roll onto her side.
Shit shit shit!
Ada turned and ran across the bridge, scooping up the Beretta as she hurried for what looked like a control panel next to the fan shaft ladder. She'd have to lower the bridge, get to Annette before she could crawl away…… except the panel was for the fan, and as another painful moan – a slightly louder moan – echoed up through the chamber, Ada knew she didn't have much time.
The dump, I can go through the dump, circle back around through one of the tunnels…
Even as she thought it, she was jogging for the west ladder, hoping that the pitiful scientist was injured enough to stay down for a minute or two. There was a small balcony at the end of the bridge that looked over the dump, and the metal ladder hung down from an opening at the far right. Ada lowered herself down as quickly as she could, dropping the last several feet onto a cement landing. The dumping area was a large boxy room, the walls heaped with industrial debris – smashed crates, rust– ing pipes, wire-encrusted panels, and rotting card-board. She stepped off the landing and into almost three feet of black sludge, the cold, gooey muck rising up to her thighs. She didn't care, she only wanted to get to the lady Birkin, to bring an end to her time in Raccoon -
– except something moved. Beneath the opaque and stinking liquid, something big moved. Ada saw what might have been a reptilian spine slice through the murk in front of her, saw and heard a stack of boards topple into the water some ten feet away in the same instant.
You gotta be kidding me…
Whatever it was, it was big enough to change her mind about the hurry she was in to get to Annette. Ada backed to the platform and boosted herself up, never taking her gaze from the indeterminate shape as it curled back through the lapping sludge…… and rose up in a sudden, violent spray of dark– ness, coming straight at her. Ada raised the Beretta and started to fire.
There was a tiny elevator platform in one corner of the empty conference room, a square of metal that apparently went down. Claire hurried toward it, fetid water dripping from her clothes, feeling horribly lost and anxious to keep moving, to find Sherry.
Please be alive, baby, please…
She'd found the drainage hole, but no Sherry and after agonizingly long moments of screaming into the rushing water, of trying to squeeze into the tiny hole, she'd forced herself to abandon the effort. Sherry was gone, maybe drowned, maybe not, but unless the flow of water suddenly decided to reverse itself, she wasn't coming back. Claire found the controls for the one-man lift and punched a button. A hidden motor whirred and the lift descended, inching down through the floor, proba-bly taking her to some other empty hall, some other blank and unknown room – or worse, directly into the path of yet another unnatural creature. She clenched her damp hands in frustration as the lift slid slowly down, wishing that it was faster, that there was some way to speed up her search. She felt like she was running blind, taking whatever path was in front of her; from the tunnel where Sherry had been lost, she'd found a dimly lit corridor and then the unadorned and somehow sterile conference room. It was like an endless funhouse – sans fun – and she was feeling pretty shitty for bringing Sherry into it; if the girl was dead, it would be her fault… She shut down the futile thinking before it got any farther, making herself focus. Self-recrimination was a killer, and she couldn't afford it. The elevator was lowering into a hall, and she crouched down, pointing Irons's heavy gun in front of her as her new surround– ings rose into view. The concrete corridor had another lift at the other end, and was intersected by a second hall, maybe forty feet away and next to the junction there was a body propped against one cement wall, what looked like a cop… She felt a mix of shock and distress, her eyes widening as she took in the cop's slack features, the hair color, the build…
… that's… Leon?
Before the lift hit the floor, Claire jumped off and ran toward the crumpled figure. It was Leon, and he wasn't moving, either unconscious or dead, but no, he was breathing, and as she crouched in front of him, his eyes flickered open. His hand was high on his left arm, his fingers wet with blood. "Claire?" His blue eyes seemed clear, tired but aware.
"Leon! What happened, are you okay?"
"I got shot, must've blacked out for a minute…"
He carefully took his hand away, exposing a small ragged hole just above his armpit, oozing red. It looked painful, but at least it wasn't gushing. Wincing, Leon pulled the shredded fabric of his uniform over the hole and put his hand back over it.
"Hurts like all hell, but I think I'll survive – Ada, where's Ada?"
The last was delivered almost frantically, Leon struggling to push himself away from the wall. With a soft groan, he fell back, obviously in no shape to move. "Lie still, just rest for a minute," Claire said. "Who's Ada?" "I met her at the station," he said. "I couldn't find you, and we heard that you can get out of Raccoon through the sewers. The city's not safe, there was some kind of a leak at the Umbrella lab, and Ada wanted to leave right away. Somebody shot at us, and I got hit – Ada went after the shooter, down that hall, she said it was a woman…"
He shook his head as if to clear it, then frowned up at her. "I have to find her. I don't know how long I was out, but not more than a couple of minutes, she can't have gone far…"
He started to sit forward again and Claire stopped him, pushing him back gently. "I'll go. I… I was with this little girl, and she's lost somewhere in the sewers. Maybe I can find both of them."
Leon hesitated – then nodded, resigning himself to his injury. "How's your ammo?" "Uh, seven in this one…" She patted the weapon that she'd taken from the squad car, tucked in her belt. It suddenly seemed like a million years ago, that wild ride. "…and seventeen in this one." She held up Irons's gun, and Leon nodded again, his head rolling back tiredly. "Okay, that's good. I should be able to follow in a few minutes… be careful, alright? And good luck."
Claire stood up, wishing that they had more time. She wanted to tell him about Chris, about Irons and Mr. X and the T-Virus, she wanted to find out what he knew about Umbrella, or if he knew the way out of the sewers, but this Ada might be facing down a sniper right now, and Sherry could be anywhere. Anywhere at all. Leon had closed his eyes. Claire turned and started down the intersecting hall, wondering if any of them had a chance to make it out of this madness alive.
Really, it's for the best. No point in leading him on when it's not necessary, and it saves me the trouble of ego-stroking…
She stepped into the intersection of the empty hall, thinking about the easiest place to part company fromher escort…… and saw the woman, just as she fired. Bam!Ada felt chips of concrete spray across her bare shoulders as she brought the Beretta up, a blur of emotions and realizations flashing through her in the instant it took to react. She wouldn't be able to return fire in time, the woman's next shot would kill her, anger at herself for being so stupid – and recognition.
Birkin!
She heard the second shot – and then she was hit, shoved out of the way and falling to the cold floor as Leon cried out in pain and surprise, his warm bulk landing on top of her. Ada took a deep breath, shocked and amazed as she understood what had happened, as Leon rolled off of her and clutched at his arm. She heard running footsteps and Leon's harsh panting, and sat up.
Oh, my God. No shit.
He'd taken a bullet. For her. Ada stumbled to her feet, bending over him.
"Leon!"
He looked up at her, jaw clenched against the pain. Blood seeped through the fingers of his hand, pressed to his left armpit. "I'm… okay," he gasped, and although his face was pale, his eyes clouded with suffering, she thought he was probably right. It undoubtedly hurt like a son of a bitch, but it wouldn't – shouldn't kill him.
It would have killed me, Leon saved my life…
And on the tail of that thought, Annette Birkin. Still alive. "That woman," she blurted, the guilt hitting her even as she turned to run. "I have to talk to her." Ada took off, sprinting around the corner and down the hall, the door at the end standing open. Leon would live, he would be fine, and if she could catch up to Annette, this whole goddamn nightmare would be over. She'd studied the file photos, she knew it was Birkin's wife and if, by chance, the woman wasn't carrying a sample, she'd sure as hell know where one was. She ran through the door and stopped short of jumping into yet another water-filled tunnel, pausing just long enough to listen, to scan the surface of the rippling murk. No splashing sounds, and there were still lapping waves to the left…… and a ladder bolted to the wall, leading up to a fan shaft.
… goes to operations.
Ada plunged into the water and made for the ladder. There was a hallway farther along, but it was a dead end; Annette would surely have opted for es– cape. She quickly scaled the metal rungs, refusing to let herself think about Leon (because he was fine) as she peered through the shaft and saw that it was clear. Mrs. Doctor was probably still running, but Ada wasn't going to walk into another bullet. Through the shaft, a quick peek past the dead, massive blades of the vent fan at the far end, and back down another ladder. The giant two-story chamber that housed the sewage-treatment machines was emp– ty of life, as cold and industrial and strewn with equipment as she'd expected. There was a hydraulic bridge that spanned the room, raised to the level she'd exited on – which meant that Annette must have gone down via the west ladder, the only other way out. Ada flipped through her mental maps as she started across the bridge, remembering that it went down into one of the treatment center's dumping grounds…
"Drop it, you bitch!"
Behind her. Ada halted, feeling a pain inside – the pain of a hearty slap to the ego. The second time she'd screwed up, badly, in as many minutes, but there was no way she was going to obey Annette's hysterical command. The woman's aim was for shit and Ada tensed, preparing to drop, to spin and fire… Barn-ping! The shot hit the floor next to Ada's right foot, glancing off the rusting bridge. Annette had her. Ada dropped the Beretta, raising her hands slowly, turning to face the scientist.
Jesus, I deserve to die for this…
Annette Birkin walked toward her, a Browning nine-millimeter trembling wildly in one outstretched hand. Ada winced inwardly at the sight of that shaking gun, but saw a possible opportunity as An– nette moved closer, finally coming to a stop less than ten feet in front of her.
Too close. Too close, and she's right on the edge of a
total collapse, isn't she?
"Who are you? What's your name?!"
Ada swallowed heavily, putting a stutter into her voice. "Ada, Ada Wong. Please don't shoot, please, I haven't done anything…"Annette frowned, backing up a step. "Ada… Wong. I know that name – Ada, that was John's girlfriend's name…" Ada's mouth dropped open. "Yes, John Howe! But… how did you know? Do you know where he is?" The disheveled scientist glared at her. "I know because John worked with my husband, William. You've heard of him, of course – William Birkin, the man responsible for the creation of the T-Virus."
Annette fairly glowed with a mix of pride and despair as she spoke, giving Ada hope; it was a weakness that she could use. Ada had read the files on William Birkin – read about his steady climb through Umbrella's hierarchy, the advances in virology and genetic sequencing… and about the scientific ambi– tion that had made him a veritable sociopath. It looked as though his wife was operating on a similar plane – which meant that the Mrs. would have no problem pulling the trigger.
Play it dumb, and don't give her a reason to doubt it. "T-Virus? What's…" Ada blinked, then widened her eyes. "Doctor Birkin? Wait, the Doctor Birkin, the biochemist?"
She saw a flash of pleasure cross Annette's face, but then it was gone, and there was only despair. Despair and the flickering of bitter madness, deep in her bloodshot eyes. "John Howe is dead," she said coldly, "he died three months ago at the Spencer estate. My condo-lences, but then, you're about to join him, aren't you? You're not going to take the G-Virus away from me, you can't have it!" Ada started to shake all over. "G-Virus? Please, I don't know what you're talking about!" "You know," Annette snarled. "Umbrella sent you to steal it, you can't lie to me! William's dead to me now, Umbrella took him from me, they forced him to use it! They forced him…"
She trailed off, her gaze suddenly far away. Ada Tensed, but then Annette was back, her eyes welling up with tears, the weapon pointed at Ada's face. "A week ago, they came," she whispered. "They came to take it, and they shot my William when he wouldn't give them the samples. They took the case, they took all of the finals, both series – except for the one that he managed to keep, the G-Virus…"
Annette's voice raised into a shout suddenly, a pathetic and somehow pleading shout. "He was dy-ing, don't you see? He didn't have any choice!" Ada understood. She understood all of it. "He injected himself, didn't he?"
The scientist nodded, her limp blond hair falling across her eyes, her voice a whisper again. "It revi-talizes cellular function. It… it changed him. I didn't see – what he did, but I saw the bodies of the men who tried to kill him, afterwards… and I heard the screams."
Ada took a step closer, reaching out as if to comfort her, her own features set into a mask of sympathy, but Annette thrust the gun at her again. Even in her sorrow, she wasn't going to let Ada get any closer.
But it's almost close enough… "I'm so sorry," Ada said, lowering her arms. "So the G-Virus, it leaked, it changed all of Raccoon…" Annette shook her head. "No. When the Umbrella assassins were stopped, the case was broken. The T-Virus leaked – the lab workers hit by the airborne were contained, but there were rats, you see. Rats in the sewers…" She paused, her lips trembling. "… unless Wil-liam, my sweet William has started to reproduce. Implanting embryos, replicating… it shouldn't be time for that yet, but I…"
She broke off, her eyes narrowing, the madness sweeping over her again as visibly as a crashing wave. High color flared in her pale cheeks, her red-rimmed eyes glossy with paranoia.
Get ready… "You can't have it!" Annette screamed, spittle flying from her cracked lips. "He gave his life to keep it from you, you're a spy and you can't have it…"
Ada ducked and leapt, pistoning both of her arms beneath Annette's, shoving the gun up and away from both of them. The Browning discharged, sending a round clanging off the ceiling as they fought for control of the weapon. Annette was physically weaker, but she was driven by demons of hatred and loss, the edge of insanity lending her strength -
– but no sense -
Ada let go of the gun suddenly and Annette stum– bled, not prepared for the unexpected move. She crashed against the railing of the bridge and Ada charged, driving her elbow into Annette's lower belly, hitting her beneath her center of balance and Annette half-turned, her mouth an open darkness of surprise, her arms pinwheeling for bal– ance – and she plummeted over the railing, silently, not a sound until the dull thump as her body hit the floor some twenty feet below. "Shit," Ada hissed, stepping to the rail and looking down. She lay there, facedown and motionless, the gun still clenched in one thin white hand.
That's just great. Walk into an ambush, not once but twice for hell's sake, then kill the one crazy bitch who can tell you where the samples are…
A low moan floated up from Annette Birkin's body and she moved, hunching her back, trying to roll onto her side.
Shit shit shit!
Ada turned and ran across the bridge, scooping up the Beretta as she hurried for what looked like a control panel next to the fan shaft ladder. She'd have to lower the bridge, get to Annette before she could crawl away…… except the panel was for the fan, and as another painful moan – a slightly louder moan – echoed up through the chamber, Ada knew she didn't have much time.
The dump, I can go through the dump, circle back around through one of the tunnels…
Even as she thought it, she was jogging for the west ladder, hoping that the pitiful scientist was injured enough to stay down for a minute or two. There was a small balcony at the end of the bridge that looked over the dump, and the metal ladder hung down from an opening at the far right. Ada lowered herself down as quickly as she could, dropping the last several feet onto a cement landing. The dumping area was a large boxy room, the walls heaped with industrial debris – smashed crates, rust– ing pipes, wire-encrusted panels, and rotting card-board. She stepped off the landing and into almost three feet of black sludge, the cold, gooey muck rising up to her thighs. She didn't care, she only wanted to get to the lady Birkin, to bring an end to her time in Raccoon -
– except something moved. Beneath the opaque and stinking liquid, something big moved. Ada saw what might have been a reptilian spine slice through the murk in front of her, saw and heard a stack of boards topple into the water some ten feet away in the same instant.
You gotta be kidding me…
Whatever it was, it was big enough to change her mind about the hurry she was in to get to Annette. Ada backed to the platform and boosted herself up, never taking her gaze from the indeterminate shape as it curled back through the lapping sludge…… and rose up in a sudden, violent spray of dark– ness, coming straight at her. Ada raised the Beretta and started to fire.
There was a tiny elevator platform in one corner of the empty conference room, a square of metal that apparently went down. Claire hurried toward it, fetid water dripping from her clothes, feeling horribly lost and anxious to keep moving, to find Sherry.
Please be alive, baby, please…
She'd found the drainage hole, but no Sherry and after agonizingly long moments of screaming into the rushing water, of trying to squeeze into the tiny hole, she'd forced herself to abandon the effort. Sherry was gone, maybe drowned, maybe not, but unless the flow of water suddenly decided to reverse itself, she wasn't coming back. Claire found the controls for the one-man lift and punched a button. A hidden motor whirred and the lift descended, inching down through the floor, proba-bly taking her to some other empty hall, some other blank and unknown room – or worse, directly into the path of yet another unnatural creature. She clenched her damp hands in frustration as the lift slid slowly down, wishing that it was faster, that there was some way to speed up her search. She felt like she was running blind, taking whatever path was in front of her; from the tunnel where Sherry had been lost, she'd found a dimly lit corridor and then the unadorned and somehow sterile conference room. It was like an endless funhouse – sans fun – and she was feeling pretty shitty for bringing Sherry into it; if the girl was dead, it would be her fault… She shut down the futile thinking before it got any farther, making herself focus. Self-recrimination was a killer, and she couldn't afford it. The elevator was lowering into a hall, and she crouched down, pointing Irons's heavy gun in front of her as her new surround– ings rose into view. The concrete corridor had another lift at the other end, and was intersected by a second hall, maybe forty feet away and next to the junction there was a body propped against one cement wall, what looked like a cop… She felt a mix of shock and distress, her eyes widening as she took in the cop's slack features, the hair color, the build…
… that's… Leon?
Before the lift hit the floor, Claire jumped off and ran toward the crumpled figure. It was Leon, and he wasn't moving, either unconscious or dead, but no, he was breathing, and as she crouched in front of him, his eyes flickered open. His hand was high on his left arm, his fingers wet with blood. "Claire?" His blue eyes seemed clear, tired but aware.
"Leon! What happened, are you okay?"
"I got shot, must've blacked out for a minute…"
He carefully took his hand away, exposing a small ragged hole just above his armpit, oozing red. It looked painful, but at least it wasn't gushing. Wincing, Leon pulled the shredded fabric of his uniform over the hole and put his hand back over it.
"Hurts like all hell, but I think I'll survive – Ada, where's Ada?"
The last was delivered almost frantically, Leon struggling to push himself away from the wall. With a soft groan, he fell back, obviously in no shape to move. "Lie still, just rest for a minute," Claire said. "Who's Ada?" "I met her at the station," he said. "I couldn't find you, and we heard that you can get out of Raccoon through the sewers. The city's not safe, there was some kind of a leak at the Umbrella lab, and Ada wanted to leave right away. Somebody shot at us, and I got hit – Ada went after the shooter, down that hall, she said it was a woman…"
He shook his head as if to clear it, then frowned up at her. "I have to find her. I don't know how long I was out, but not more than a couple of minutes, she can't have gone far…"
He started to sit forward again and Claire stopped him, pushing him back gently. "I'll go. I… I was with this little girl, and she's lost somewhere in the sewers. Maybe I can find both of them."
Leon hesitated – then nodded, resigning himself to his injury. "How's your ammo?" "Uh, seven in this one…" She patted the weapon that she'd taken from the squad car, tucked in her belt. It suddenly seemed like a million years ago, that wild ride. "…and seventeen in this one." She held up Irons's gun, and Leon nodded again, his head rolling back tiredly. "Okay, that's good. I should be able to follow in a few minutes… be careful, alright? And good luck."
Claire stood up, wishing that they had more time. She wanted to tell him about Chris, about Irons and Mr. X and the T-Virus, she wanted to find out what he knew about Umbrella, or if he knew the way out of the sewers, but this Ada might be facing down a sniper right now, and Sherry could be anywhere. Anywhere at all. Leon had closed his eyes. Claire turned and started down the intersecting hall, wondering if any of them had a chance to make it out of this madness alive.
TWENTY-TWO
Annette hurt all over. she sat up slowly, feeling sick from the seeming hundreds of aches and pains that yammered for her attention. Her neck and stomach hurt, she'd jammed her right wrist, both knees felt like they were swelling, but it was the sharp pain in her right side that was the worst, because she thought she might have cracked or even broken a rib.
You horrible, horrible woman…
Annette leaned back, supporting her strained neck with her uninjured hand, but saw only metal and shadow; Ada Wong, the bitch from Umbrella, had apparently run away. She'd pretended not to know anything, but Annette wasn't stupid; Ada was proba– bly already on her way to the lab or coming after her, anxious to finish her off.
Umbrella, Umbrella did this…
Annette crawled to her feet, using the rage to overcome the pain. She had to get out, to get to the laboratory before the spies did, but oh, she hurt so very much! The stabbing sensation in her gut was terrible, a knife sawing at her insides, and the lab seemed a million miles away…
… can't let them steal his work…
She staggered toward the door to the cavernous room, one arm wrapped around her burning chest and stopped, tilting her head to one side, listening. Shots. Echoing through the chill air, coming from the adjacent dumping grounds and a second later, she heard a thundering hiss, more shots, splashing -
– Annette grinned, a tight, humorless grin. Perhaps she'd get to the lab first, after all.
The bridge, lower the bridge, don't let her es-cape…
Tired and aching, Annette stumbled to the hydrau– lic's controls and activated the span's descent. The powerful hum of the bridge's motors drowned out the noises of whatever battle was being waged, the plat-form rotating down and locking into place with a heavy clang. Annette pushed herself away from the wall, falling against the console by the door. She found the switches for the ventilation fan and flicked them up, still smiling grimly as the whining start-up high overhead grew into a dull roar. Ada had run into trouble in the dump, and Annette wasn't going to let her just climb back out of it; with the bridge lowered and the shaft blocked, Ms. Wong would have to fight her way through.
Hope it's a pack of tickers, you bitch, I hope they're tearing you to pieces in there…
Annette turned away from the console and fell, the pain and dizziness too much, her bruised and swelling knees hitting the floor and sending fresh needles of agony through her legs…… and the door in front of her opened. Annette raised the gun but wasn't able to aim, expending what was left of her strength just to keep from screaming in suffering and frustration.
William, it hurts so bad, I'm sorry but I can't…
A young woman crouched in front of her, a look of wary concern on her smudged face. She was dressed in cutoffs and a vest, dripping with sewer water and held a sleek and heavy handgun, not pointing it directly at Annette, but not pointing it away, either. Another spy. "Are you Ada?" the girl asked tentatively, reaching out to touch her and it was more than Annette could stand, to be touched in pity by some heartless, scheming corporate pawn.
"Get away from me," Annette snarled, slapping at the girl's outstretched hand weakly. "I'm not your 'contact,' and I don't have it on me. You can kill me, but you won't find it."
The girl moved back, a look of confusion on her dirty face. "Find what? Who are you?" The questions again, and the fury passed, leaving her numb. Annette was tired of playing games; it hurt too much, and she just wasn't strong enough to fight anymore. "Annette Birkin," she said wearily. "As if you didn't know…" She'll kill me now. It's over, it's all over.
Annette couldn't help it. Tears trickled down cheeks, tears as futile as her plans. She'd failed William, she'd failed as a wife and a mother and even as a scientist. At least it would end now, at least there would finally be an end to the anguish…
"Are you Sherry's mother?"
The girl's words stunned her, snapping her out of her exhausted collapse as sharply as a slap to the face.
"What?! Who… how do you know about Sherry?" "She's lost in the sewers," the girl said, speaking quickly, her voice tinged with desperation as she shoved her handgun into her belt. "Please, you have to help me find her! She was sucked into one of the drainage shafts and I don't know where to look…" "But I told her to go to the station," Annette wailed, the physical pain all but forgotten, her heart pounding out waves of horrified disbelief. "Why is she here? It's dangerous, she'll be killed! And the G– Virus – Umbrella will find her, they'll take it, why is she here?"
The girl reached for her again, helping her up, and Annette didn't fight, too weak and terrified to fight. If Sherry was in the sewers, if Umbrella found her… The girl stared at her intently, looking somehow guilty and afraid and hopeful all at once. "The station was overrun – where do the drains go? Please, An-nette, you have to tell me!"
The truth dawned into her exhaustion and fear like a ray of bitter light. The drains let out into the filter pool – which hap-pens to be right next to the factory tram. The fastest route to the labs. It was a trick. The girl was using Sherry's name to get to the facility, to get information about the G-Virus. Sherry was still at the station, safe and well, and this was all an elaborate ruse…
… but Umbrella knows the way, why would she ask if she knows already?It doesn't make sense!
Annette raised the gun, her aching wrist trembling, and backed away from the girl. Her confusion was too big, the questions too many and because she couldn't be sure of anything, she couldn't pull the trigger. "Don't you move. Don't you follow me," she snarled, ignoring the pain, reaching back to push the door open. "I'll shoot if you try to follow me." "Annette– I don't understand, I just want to…" "Shut up! Shut up and leave me alone, can't you all just leave me alone?!"
She backed through the door, pushing it closed on the surprised and frightened girl, squeezing her arm against her bruised or broken ribs as soon as the hatch was shut.
Sherry…
It was a lie, it had to be a lie, but it didn't change anything, either way. She could still make it, she had to make it back to the facility, to finish what she had started. Turning, limping and gasping, Annette stumbled into the cold darkness of the connecting tunnel, letting each terrible, aching step be a reminder of what Umbrella had done. * * *
A cold, silent cavern, the walls sheened with ice, and I am lost. I am lost and exhausted, running and afraid for a very long time, so I sit down to rest. So quiet, so cold, but my arm hurts, I'm sitting against a wall that has grown spines, and one of them is digging into my flesh, piercing me. It hurts so badly, and I have to get up, I have to find someone, I have to……wake up.
Leon opened his eyes, aware at once that he'd hazed out again. The realization made him catch his breath, the sudden fear jolting him fully awake.
Ada, Claire – Jesus, how long?
He gently pulled his hand away from his arm, the blood gummy and thick between his fingers. It hurt, but not as sharply as before and the bleeding had stopped, at least at the entrance; the shreds of his torn uniform had clotted to the wound, forming a stiff seal. He leaned forward, reaching around to touch where the bullet had come out; again, a hardening, tacky patch of fabric beneath the pulsing ache of the wound. He couldn't be positive, but he thought that the bullet had gone straight through the flesh, missing the bone completely – which meant he was extremely god– damn lucky.
Even if it blew my arm off, Ada's still out there and I sent Claire after her. I have to go after them.
He thought it was the shock of the trauma that had made him black out, rather than the pain or blood loss and he couldn't afford any more time to re– cover. Clenching his teeth, Leon pushed himself up with his good arm, his muscles cold and stiff from the damp chill of the concrete. His left shoulder brushed against the wall, and he gasped as the pain intensified briefly, stabbing and hot, but it ebbed, receding to the duller throbbing sensation after a few seconds. Leon waited it out, breathing deeply, reminding himself that it could have been a hell of a lot worse. When he was finally on his feet, he decided that he could take it; he wasn't light-headed or dizzy, and although there was blood on the floor and wall, there wasn't nearly as much as he'd thought there would be. Careful not to jostle his wound, Leon turned and walked down the corridor to the closed door at the end, moving as quickly as he could. Through the door, he was faced with another water-filled tunnel stretching off in either direction; there was a ladder on the wall to his left, but he didn't even want to guess at how to climb it without ripping open the wound – besides which, there was a loudly spin– ning fan at the top. He struck off to the right, stepping down into the dark water and sloshing forward, hoping that he'd see some sign as to where Ada or Claire had gone.
You horrible, horrible woman…
Annette leaned back, supporting her strained neck with her uninjured hand, but saw only metal and shadow; Ada Wong, the bitch from Umbrella, had apparently run away. She'd pretended not to know anything, but Annette wasn't stupid; Ada was proba– bly already on her way to the lab or coming after her, anxious to finish her off.
Umbrella, Umbrella did this…
Annette crawled to her feet, using the rage to overcome the pain. She had to get out, to get to the laboratory before the spies did, but oh, she hurt so very much! The stabbing sensation in her gut was terrible, a knife sawing at her insides, and the lab seemed a million miles away…
… can't let them steal his work…
She staggered toward the door to the cavernous room, one arm wrapped around her burning chest and stopped, tilting her head to one side, listening. Shots. Echoing through the chill air, coming from the adjacent dumping grounds and a second later, she heard a thundering hiss, more shots, splashing -
– Annette grinned, a tight, humorless grin. Perhaps she'd get to the lab first, after all.
The bridge, lower the bridge, don't let her es-cape…
Tired and aching, Annette stumbled to the hydrau– lic's controls and activated the span's descent. The powerful hum of the bridge's motors drowned out the noises of whatever battle was being waged, the plat-form rotating down and locking into place with a heavy clang. Annette pushed herself away from the wall, falling against the console by the door. She found the switches for the ventilation fan and flicked them up, still smiling grimly as the whining start-up high overhead grew into a dull roar. Ada had run into trouble in the dump, and Annette wasn't going to let her just climb back out of it; with the bridge lowered and the shaft blocked, Ms. Wong would have to fight her way through.
Hope it's a pack of tickers, you bitch, I hope they're tearing you to pieces in there…
Annette turned away from the console and fell, the pain and dizziness too much, her bruised and swelling knees hitting the floor and sending fresh needles of agony through her legs…… and the door in front of her opened. Annette raised the gun but wasn't able to aim, expending what was left of her strength just to keep from screaming in suffering and frustration.
William, it hurts so bad, I'm sorry but I can't…
A young woman crouched in front of her, a look of wary concern on her smudged face. She was dressed in cutoffs and a vest, dripping with sewer water and held a sleek and heavy handgun, not pointing it directly at Annette, but not pointing it away, either. Another spy. "Are you Ada?" the girl asked tentatively, reaching out to touch her and it was more than Annette could stand, to be touched in pity by some heartless, scheming corporate pawn.
"Get away from me," Annette snarled, slapping at the girl's outstretched hand weakly. "I'm not your 'contact,' and I don't have it on me. You can kill me, but you won't find it."
The girl moved back, a look of confusion on her dirty face. "Find what? Who are you?" The questions again, and the fury passed, leaving her numb. Annette was tired of playing games; it hurt too much, and she just wasn't strong enough to fight anymore. "Annette Birkin," she said wearily. "As if you didn't know…" She'll kill me now. It's over, it's all over.
Annette couldn't help it. Tears trickled down cheeks, tears as futile as her plans. She'd failed William, she'd failed as a wife and a mother and even as a scientist. At least it would end now, at least there would finally be an end to the anguish…
"Are you Sherry's mother?"
The girl's words stunned her, snapping her out of her exhausted collapse as sharply as a slap to the face.
"What?! Who… how do you know about Sherry?" "She's lost in the sewers," the girl said, speaking quickly, her voice tinged with desperation as she shoved her handgun into her belt. "Please, you have to help me find her! She was sucked into one of the drainage shafts and I don't know where to look…" "But I told her to go to the station," Annette wailed, the physical pain all but forgotten, her heart pounding out waves of horrified disbelief. "Why is she here? It's dangerous, she'll be killed! And the G– Virus – Umbrella will find her, they'll take it, why is she here?"
The girl reached for her again, helping her up, and Annette didn't fight, too weak and terrified to fight. If Sherry was in the sewers, if Umbrella found her… The girl stared at her intently, looking somehow guilty and afraid and hopeful all at once. "The station was overrun – where do the drains go? Please, An-nette, you have to tell me!"
The truth dawned into her exhaustion and fear like a ray of bitter light. The drains let out into the filter pool – which hap-pens to be right next to the factory tram. The fastest route to the labs. It was a trick. The girl was using Sherry's name to get to the facility, to get information about the G-Virus. Sherry was still at the station, safe and well, and this was all an elaborate ruse…
… but Umbrella knows the way, why would she ask if she knows already?It doesn't make sense!
Annette raised the gun, her aching wrist trembling, and backed away from the girl. Her confusion was too big, the questions too many and because she couldn't be sure of anything, she couldn't pull the trigger. "Don't you move. Don't you follow me," she snarled, ignoring the pain, reaching back to push the door open. "I'll shoot if you try to follow me." "Annette– I don't understand, I just want to…" "Shut up! Shut up and leave me alone, can't you all just leave me alone?!"
She backed through the door, pushing it closed on the surprised and frightened girl, squeezing her arm against her bruised or broken ribs as soon as the hatch was shut.
Sherry…
It was a lie, it had to be a lie, but it didn't change anything, either way. She could still make it, she had to make it back to the facility, to finish what she had started. Turning, limping and gasping, Annette stumbled into the cold darkness of the connecting tunnel, letting each terrible, aching step be a reminder of what Umbrella had done. * * *
A cold, silent cavern, the walls sheened with ice, and I am lost. I am lost and exhausted, running and afraid for a very long time, so I sit down to rest. So quiet, so cold, but my arm hurts, I'm sitting against a wall that has grown spines, and one of them is digging into my flesh, piercing me. It hurts so badly, and I have to get up, I have to find someone, I have to……wake up.
Leon opened his eyes, aware at once that he'd hazed out again. The realization made him catch his breath, the sudden fear jolting him fully awake.
Ada, Claire – Jesus, how long?
He gently pulled his hand away from his arm, the blood gummy and thick between his fingers. It hurt, but not as sharply as before and the bleeding had stopped, at least at the entrance; the shreds of his torn uniform had clotted to the wound, forming a stiff seal. He leaned forward, reaching around to touch where the bullet had come out; again, a hardening, tacky patch of fabric beneath the pulsing ache of the wound. He couldn't be positive, but he thought that the bullet had gone straight through the flesh, missing the bone completely – which meant he was extremely god– damn lucky.
Even if it blew my arm off, Ada's still out there and I sent Claire after her. I have to go after them.
He thought it was the shock of the trauma that had made him black out, rather than the pain or blood loss and he couldn't afford any more time to re– cover. Clenching his teeth, Leon pushed himself up with his good arm, his muscles cold and stiff from the damp chill of the concrete. His left shoulder brushed against the wall, and he gasped as the pain intensified briefly, stabbing and hot, but it ebbed, receding to the duller throbbing sensation after a few seconds. Leon waited it out, breathing deeply, reminding himself that it could have been a hell of a lot worse. When he was finally on his feet, he decided that he could take it; he wasn't light-headed or dizzy, and although there was blood on the floor and wall, there wasn't nearly as much as he'd thought there would be. Careful not to jostle his wound, Leon turned and walked down the corridor to the closed door at the end, moving as quickly as he could. Through the door, he was faced with another water-filled tunnel stretching off in either direction; there was a ladder on the wall to his left, but he didn't even want to guess at how to climb it without ripping open the wound – besides which, there was a loudly spin– ning fan at the top. He struck off to the right, stepping down into the dark water and sloshing forward, hoping that he'd see some sign as to where Ada or Claire had gone.