A Star's Descent

By evolution-500

Disclaimer: House of the Dead and Resident Evil are properties belonging to SEGA and Capcom respectively. I do not own any of these characters.

Chapter Twenty-One: New Direction

Rebecca shivered. "Did you guys feel that?" the medic asked.

"What do you mean?" Marini asked.

"I don't know," she said. "It's like...it's like something's changed."

Coen nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I feel it too."

"Perhaps the wheel of fortune rolls in our favor," Marini suggested.

Star tilted his head in thought. "Perhaps..." he said as he glanced at the hole in floor.

Rebecca watched him as he fidgeted nervously.

She had never seem him so anxious.

Coen shook his head. "I don't know, fellas," he replied. "I'm still waiting for a million dollars, a cheeseburger, six-pack..." The convict then started to make a suggestive feature over his chest with his hands, "and a smoking hot babe with a huge-"

Rebecca cut the convict off with a look.

"Uh...smile!" He feigned innocence. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? That was totally what I was going to say!"

"Uh huh," Rebecca deadpanned. "Yeah. Right."

He shrugged. "Meh, whatever."

Looking away, the medic glanced around the room that they were in. It appeared to be some sort of laboratory. To her right were a pair of desks, one with a monitor at the end. Behind the desks were shelves with clusters of jars and test tubes, while to her left was some sort of cabinet, its shelves lined with fluid-filled jars. Once she finished casting her eyes around, Rebecca noticed a scrap of paper on a nearby chair. Picking it up, she studied it curiously.

"What's that?" Aiken asked.

"'Laboratory Manager's Diary,'" Rebecca read aloud. "'Today, under Director Marcus' orders, I changed the platform entry code. Later, I asked what the source of the entry code was. He told me it was based on something significant in his children's growth. But, the director's a loner; he isn't married, and he sure doesn't have any children...What did he mean?'"

Coen scoffed. "So the douchebag's a loner, what a surprise!" he muttered. "Who the hell would like this asshole, anyway? Hell, why would anyone like him, for that matter?"

"To feel good about themselves, perhaps?" Aiken shrugged.

"So, if he has no family... where does that youth in the white robe fit in?" Rebecca pondered.

"Assuming that he isn't Marcus' son, do you think he could have been a student?" Star asked. "His notes make fond mention of "William" and "Albert", after all."

She shook her head in doubt. "I don't think so," Rebecca replied. "Besides, why would he be dressed like that? A frilly robe isn't something a practicing doctor would wear."

"Gay lover, perhaps?" Coen shrugged. "It could explain his scintillating sense of fashion."

"Focus, people," Marini chastised. "We need to look around and see if there's a way out of here. Come on."

Turning around the corner of the desks, Rebecca followed the other survivors, then froze. Past the shelves were four enormous two or so meter tall glass tubes filled with some unidentified fluid, probably formaldehyde, each containing a human specimen. Rebecca suddenly recalled the vision she had back on the train, of that strange netherworld with the encased figures and the alien experience she felt, and paled.

"Rebecca?"

The medic's breathing quickened as she continued staring at the tubes, her form shuddering.

"Rebecca, are you okay?" Aiken asked as he put a hand on her shoulder.

The medic closed her eyes and swallowed, then slowed her breathing. Count to four, breathe in. Count to four, breathe out.

"I know how you feel, rookie," Aiken said. "Just when you think you've seen the worst, Umbrella and Marcus find ways to top themselves."

'If only it were that simple,' she thought.

Opening her eyes, Rebecca looked to the wall and saw a glass freezer and a button to the right with a blue light overhead near the door. Stepping toward it, she peered inside and saw six test tubes filled with leeches.

"What are you doing?" Marini asked.

"To hide a leaf, put it in a forest," she murmured aloud.

Pressing the button curiously, she watched as the light over it along with the freezer turned orange, then blinked at the sight before her.

"Look at that!" Rebecca said.

The top test tube closest to the door was glowing. Turning the light off, she opened the door and took it out, studying it curiously.

"What are you doing?" Marini asked.

"I think this is what Marcus had been referring to in one of his notes," she said.

"Great!" Coen said as he snatched the container from her.

"Wait! We need a stripping agent! Don't-"

She watched as the test tube smashed onto the ground. The group stared to the pieces on the floor.

"...You broke it..." Rebecca muttered disbelievingly.

Coen shrugged. "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," he said. "Besides, my way's quicker."

Star reached down and picked up the broken pieces in his gloved hands, rolling a few between his digits. "Maybe we could still salvage it with a little glue or something," he suggested.

"You have any, Red?"

"No," the albino answered, then paused. "...Actually, yes! Yes, I do!"

He started to rummage through one of the suitcases. Coen raised a brow.

"You always carry glue around with you?" the convict asked.

"Not usually," Star replied.

"So what's the occasion?" Marini asked.

"Well...I had wanted to make a good impression," he answered. "I didn't plan on meeting you like...this." He shook his head, muttering quietly, "So much for good impressions." 

Taking out a tube of glue, he was about to unscrew the cap when Marini waved it off.

"Never mind that. Leave it."

Star looked up at the Bravo Captain. "Shouldn't we take it with us, though?"

Marini turned to face him, raising a brow. "Why?" 

"Perhaps it's a key," Aiken suggested.

"Don't be stupid, Richard!" The Bravo Captain retorted. "Who the hell makes a leech into a key?!"

"We know this thing has some significance to Marcus."

"Squishy things are lousy keys! My own children tried fitting French fries through keyholes when they were five and six and with no success, so, yeah, it's not a key."

"He might have a point, Captain," Star said, then pointed to the pieces. "If you look at them carefully, you can see what appears to be stone. Our leech may in fact have been a convincingly designed sculpture. Assuming this isn't a paperweight, it's possible that it could be a key of some sort...but that's just speaking hypothetically."

Marini shook his head. "Just watch, it turns out that both of you are right," he muttered.

"So do we take the pieces with us?" Star asked.

"Leave it," Marini said. "It's beyond salvaging, anyway. Come on."

The albino shrugged, then tilted his hand, dropping the pieces back to the floor and put the glue back into his bag. Casting one last nervous glance to the massive cylinders beside her, Rebecca followed the group as they rounded to the right, making their way to a door. Outside the room was a railed balcony that overlooked the floor that they came from. On the wall to their left were a pair of red buttons. Rebecca watched as Marini gave it a once over, then curiously pressed it. The group were startled by the sounds of gears moving as a portion of a wall suddenly rolled upward past the rails, completely blocking out the view of the room below.

"What is happening?!" Aiken exclaimed. "What the hell's happening?!"

"Is it a trap?" Star asked worriedly.

"No," Rebecca said. "I think we might have opened up another passageway down below."

Marini scowled. "What is with this goddamn place?!" he growled. "Every fucking corner and door isn't something simple, noooo! That would be too bloody convenient! What could I possibly be thinking?! Apparently the fucking guidelines for Umbrella has to be elaborate James Bond villain shit!"

Turning to their left, the survivors found themselves in an L-shaped corridor. Immediately ahead of them was a heavy metal door that was labeled as "Breeding Room". Approaching it, Rebecca inspected the sign.

'What's in here?' she wondered.

Grabbing the handle, the medic tried to turn, but stopped when it didn't budge.

"No good," she said. "The door's locked."

"Stand back, Rebecca," Marini ordered.

Moving out of the way, she watched as he kicked at the door with a bang, the metal clanging in its frame.

He grunted, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Should have known," he muttered as he turned to looked down the rest of the L-shaped corridor. At the far end were two other doors, one just straight ahead, the other nestled to its right.

"So," Marini said slowly, "which one should it be? Door number one? Or door number two?"

Before anyone had a chance to say anything, he threw up his arms.

"You know what? Fuck it!" he said as he approached the one ahead of them. "We'll start here."

Stepping through, the survivors found themselves facing another set of doors. To the right was another lab with three four foot high liquid-filled glass cylinders lining part of the wall, while in the far corner of the room was some sort of gas chamber. Opposite the cylinders were various desks with lab equipment, microscopes, and shelves containing various jars, while the floors were lined with scum and the bodies of some researchers clad in yellow HAZMAT suits.

"Let's check around for supplies," Marini ordered as he eyed the corpses. "Also, watch your step. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

The group dispersed, checking shelves and desks for anything of interest. Marini picked up a box of shotgun shells that were lying on a nearby shelf and started to reload his weapon, pocketing the rest.

On one desk, Rebecca spotted a note. Stepping over the bodies, the medic picked it up and started to read.

"'Leech Growth Records,'" she said aloud. "'February 3rd, 1978. Administered "T" into 4 leeches. Their will to survive leads them first to parasitism and predation. Then they breed and multiply. Such a single-minded biology makes them ideal candidates for bioweapon research.'"

"This is very reassuring," Coen remarked.

"'Afterwards, no major changes observed,'" she continued. "'February 10th, 1978. 7 days since administration of "T". Rapid growth to double former size, signs of transformation emerging. Spawning successful. They double their numbers in one hour, but their ravenous appetites leads them to cannibalism. Hastened to increase food supply, but lost 2. March 7th, 1978. Provided them with live feed, but lost half when the live food fought back. However, the leeches are learning from experience, and are beginning to exhibit group attack behavior. They are also ceasing cannibalism. Their evolution is exceeding expectations. April 22nd, 1978. The leeches no longer exhibit individual behavior, even when not feeding. They move as a collective. They consume everything I offer with remarkable efficiency. April 30th, 1978. An employee has stumbled onto my experiments. Can a human be a food source? How will the leeches respond?'"

The survivors said nothing. Rebecca watched as Star's mouth tightened into a grim line, his eyes hidden by the hood, his hands tightening around the handles of his bags.

"'June 3rd, 1978. A day worthy of commemoration. Today they began to mimic me! Surely they recognize their father... My wonderful children. No one will take you away...'"

"The guy has issues," Coen commented dryly.

"No kidding," Aiken replied.

Rebecca pocketed the note. "What a horrible person..." she murmured.

The others grunted in acknowledgement.

"I found some shotgun shells," Marini said. "Is there anything else?"

Rebecca glanced around the room, then paused at the sight of the gas chamber. A large metal door was sealed shut, while a large window on its side revealed its interior to be filled with a thick yellow/green haze. Pressed against the window was some sort of console that blinked with a bright red light.

She shook her head. "There's no way to know what's in there," the medic said. "According to this we need some sort of sterilizing agent to clear the room."

Marini sighed as he headed to the pair of double doors.

"Well, onward and upward."

* * * * *

In the next room, a small elevator hung next to the double doors, one that seemed to be used for transporting items between the upper and lower levels. The rest of the room was a long stretch of floor that were divided into three separate spaces by long walls, including the tiny little gap that led back to the gas room. After the survivors dispatched a pair of undead, one former guard and a HAZMAT-clad researcher, they checked the two other spaces. There they found upturned filthy blood-encrusted gurneys with knocked over IV units and a note.

"'Investigator's Report,'" Rebecca read aloud. "'Dr. Marcus. Cofounder with President Spencer, of the Umbrella Corporation. Disappeared ten years ago. The results of his research has been kept under wraps the entire time. The reason became clear here at the training facility run by Dr. Marcus...well, not here exactly, but underground.'"

The survivors murmured.

"There's an underground facility?" Aiken muttered.

Rebecca continued with her reading.

"'When we ventured below, we understood...There we found the evidence of Dr. Marcus' research into the T-Virus prototype called "Progenitor". The evidence of years of hideous experimentation that used..." she paused, trying to find the strength to continue. She cleared her throat, then resumed, "used...company employees as guinea pigs. We cannot know how many were forced to become test subjects, but based on the evidence, no less than twenty individuals were involved; some of them were taken deliberately to keep the corporation's secret safe. Where the Doctor is now I don't know. But considering the recent rapid growth of Umbrella Corporation, I can't help but think that this research is continuing. Yes...His experiment lives and continues to grow in the dark. Those things, the "fruit" of his research, they fill this facility.'"

She turned the pages, then stopped.

"What else is there?" Coen asked.

The medic shook her head. "That's all there is. Someone tore out the rest of the pages."

Star turned around and stormed back to the gas room.

"Star?"

He wordlessly exited. Following after him, she found the albino back in the L-shaped corridor, leaning against a wall.

"Star?" she called. "Are you okay?"

He said nothing, his back facing her, his bags on the floor beside him.

"What's wrong?"

Another beat. Finally, the red hood started to slowly shake from side to side in disgust.

"......How can anyone be so utterly...callous?" The albino said in a low and restrained tone, breathing heavily through his nostrils. "How is it possible for so much...evil to exist in this place? In these people? All these years, and not one damn person at Umbrella has a conscience?! All the money and education they could afford...and this is what they have to show for it?!"

Rebecca stared, taken aback. "You're angry," she said.

"Wouldn't you be? It's almost as if evil is allowed to grow and prosper around here unabated! People like that...feculent creature Marcus," he spat venomously, "can do whatever the hell they please and get rewarded for it while those who try to do good end up the ones being punished!" He punched the wall, causing Rebecca to flinch as he cracked a portion of it with his fist, his whole body trembling. "The sheer...hubris of these people!"

Rebecca watched the albino. Throughout the entirety of this mess, he was so calm and collected, so controlled. Even now, she sensed that he was refraining from unleashing the full extent of his rage, and it was a little frightening. By the same token, however, it comforted her.

"I know how you feel, Star," the medic said quietly. "I'm just as angry as you are about all this. I know it may seem like they can get away with anything, but believe me, that will all change. Umbrella will pay for what they've done. Marcus, too."

He exhaled. "I'm...I'm sorry for my reaction-"

"Don't be," Rebecca interrupted. "I'm actually glad you have! Your outburst shows that you have a moral compass, and that makes you human. In fact, it's probably the first time any form of...humanity, was ever expressed in this place. And it's quite refreshing." She patted him on the back. "So, go ahead. Get angry. Let it out of your system."

Star was quiet for a while.

"Star?"

"All this evil and loss of life...why?"

Rebecca frowned. "I don't know, Star," the medic said as she shook her head sadly. "I don't get it, either."

The albino continued staring at the wall. "I'm usually agnostic in the matters of life after death," he said slowly, "but I really hope there is a hell. And I hope Marcus is down there burning in it."

"I do, too," she nodded in agreement.

The hooded figure remained still.

"...Can I be alone for a minute? Just so that I can...recollect myself."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"Okay," Rebecca said. "Come back when you finished, alright?"

He nodded a second time.

"And if you need help-"

"I'll let you know."

"Okay." Rebecca said as she turned back to the door, giving him a wave. "See you later."

"Take care...Rebecca."

As the medic slipped into the gas room, a shiver ran through her back. She glanced around curiously. It was almost as if there had been a sudden plunge in temperature.

'Since when had it gotten so cold in here?' she wondered.

* * * * *

Marini's eye twitched as he stared at their latest discovery.

Facing one of the flipped over gurneys at the other end on a wall was a metal door with a relief of Marcus' face on it, his profile surrounded by his infamous mantra. But what really caught the Bravo Captain's attention, and to no end irritated him beyond belief, was an empty plaque on the door just beneath the relief with a very distinctive outline.

"Huh," Coen said. "I guess that thing was a key after all."

"What the fuck is wrong with these people?!" Marini muttered. "Does no one use regular keys anymore?! Or did they all just graduate from fucking supervillain school?!"

Hearing a creak of the double doors, he turned to see the medic looking puzzled.

"Is everything okay, Rebecca?" he asked as she approached.

She nodded.

"Yeah, Star is just upset," the medic replied. "He just wants to be alone for a minute."

"So why the confused look?" Aiken asked.

"Did it get colder in here?"

The survivors glanced to each other.

"No..." Marini answered.

"It's weird," the medic said. "As soon as I came back into the gas room, it's like the temperature had dropped."

Coen shrugged.

"Maybe a fan just kicked on," he suggested.

"Could be true," Rebecca said, though she looked unconvinced, then spotted the door with Marcus' relief. "Oh! So-"

"Yes, yes!" Marini waved, interrupting her. "The leech is a fucking key. And since it's broken, we can't get it open."

He paused.

"Unless..."

He got into a stance.

"One...two...three!"

He kicked the door as hard as he could. 

Not a budge.

"Let's try altogether," Coen suggested as he, Aiken, and Rebecca lined themselves up along his side, each of them getting into a stance. "One...two...three!"

Together, the Bravos slammed their feet against the door, and with their combined power, Marini watched with satisfaction as it crashed open with a bang. Peering inside, he exhaled.

"It looks like some sort of morgue," he commented.

Raising his shotgun, he disappeared inside. Studying his surroundings, he looked carefully around, then paused as he picked up a small brown cylindrical tank with two pairs of handles at the top.

Shaking his head sadly, Marini turned around and carried said-item under one arm.

"No way out of there," he said. "But, I did find this."

Taking the cylindrical tank from him, Rebecca studied the canister.

"You think this might be the sterilizing agent for that room?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

* * * * *

Returning back into the gas room, the survivors wandered over to the chamber. Rebecca connected the cannister to the console, attaching it with a set of tubes. Once she finished, the medic then pressed the console, then watched as the haze dissipated. Inside, a cadaver in a HAZMAT suit lied on the floor next to a key. 

Approaching the chamber, she stepped inside and picked it up, studying it curiously.

It was a large thick key made from brass, with one part of it engraved with the jaws of some sort of feline-like animal or monster. Turning it over, the medic saw the words etched on the back, then looked over at her companions.

"I got the Breeding Room key!" Rebecca called.

At that moment, the body sprung up onto her leg, causing her to shriek as it grabbed hold of her.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" the medic yelled as she shook it all about.

Marini stepped forward, raised up his foot, then slammed it down, crushing the zombie's head.

"Fucking zombies." he muttered.

The sound of a door opening drew everyone's attention back to the entrance as Star stepped inside.

"What happened?" he asked. "I heard a scream."

"It's fine, Wolf," Marini answered. "One of the bodies attacked, but the problem's been solved."

Rebecca watched as the albino studied him.

"Was anyone hurt?" he asked concernedly.

The medic shook her head, her heart racing.

"No," she said. "Just startled."

"Where the hell have you been?!" Marini demanded.

"I found something," Star replied. "You might want to see this."

* * * * *

Stepping into the L-shaped corridor, the survivors followed the albino through the door on their left. There they found themselves standing before a crow's nest, where inside was what appeared to be a control room that overlooked a platform with an aerial cable car. Upon seeing the latter, they let out several cheers, some of them jumping with joy.

"WHOO! Yes!" Aiken cried.

"Finally! A way out of here!" Rebecca said enthusiastically.

"You did good, Red," Coen said as he patted the albino on the back. "Nice one."

"Before we get too excited," Marini said, interrupting them, "we still need to make sure it's operational, so hold off on the festivities, people. We're not out of the shit just yet."

Approaching the door to the control room, Marini jiggled the handle. Locked. Giving a slight growl, he raised his foot and planted his boot hard against, smashing it open. Stepping inside, he glanced around at the consoles. At the far right hand corner of the room was a gaping hole in the steel floor. Approaching the machine, he studied it, then shook his head.

"It's no good," he said regretfully. "It's missing some parts."

Aiken kicked the wall. "DAMN IT!"

"Please, calm down," Star said.

"CALM DOWN?! EVERY TIME WE EVEN TRY TO MAKE A MOVE, THE GOAL POST IS MOVED TO THE OTHER END OF THE FIELD!"

"It's an inconvenience, but we have to go on."

"Why?!" Aiken demanded. "We're only going to meet more complications! Just watch, the tram won't be an exit at all but to another part of this shithole."

Star nodded.

"That could be true," he said. "But we have nowhere else to go. The only thing we can do is to push forward."

"We might not even make it."

"We might not," the albino conceded. "But we have to try."

"And what makes you think it will get any better?"

"I don't, but every step forward has been progress. Maybe not exactly what we want, but it's something. Please, don't lose hope."

The Bravo folded his arms, looking around with uncertainty. Star stepped in front of him.

"I know you are tired and scared," he said quietly. "We all are. But we can make it through this. Whatever the obstacle we face, we have to keep pushing ahead or at least try to find our way around it. The Hebrews were able to wander the desert for forty years before finally finding their way to the Promised Land. What is another minute or hour when compared to that?"

Aiken quietly digested his words.

"So how about it, Richard?" Marini asked. "Do you think you can muster the strength to continue?"

After a few minutes of silence, Aiken gave a nod.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah."

The Bravo Captain nodded.

"Okay." he said. "We're going to need someone to stay here to secure this place. Can you do that?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Coen, you keep him company. Rebecca, Wolf, you two are with me. We're going to check around, starting with that "Breeding Room"."

* * * * *

The "Breeding Room" was a large space filled to the brim with cages of varying sizes and absolutely reeked. One sniff of the air alone had made Rebecca gag out of reflex, forcing her to plug her nose the moment she stepped into the room. Even Star flinched.

"Jesus," Marini groaned. "It's like someone at the zoo just decided to not clean up after the animals."

"Apt description," the albino said as he held his collar up to his face, concealing his nose.

The trio wandered to the left, studying the cages.

"I guess that explains the baboons," Rebecca said. "But some of these are pretty big. I wonder what these other cages are used for-"

She cut herself off as it stepped around the corner, causing the trio to pause and stare.

"Get the fuck out of here," Marini swore.

The thing was about four or five feet tall, green and heavily muscled. From the scales glinting in the dim light, it was clearly some sort of reptile, but it was unlike anything Rebecca had ever seen or heard of. 

Walking on its hind legs on triple-jointed three-toed clawed feet, the creature had a vaguely simian outline, with long muscular arms that had three fingers and an opposable thumb on each enormous hand, the digits lined with razor sharp talons. It barely had any sort of neck, just an ugly squat snake-like head with slit yellow eyes that almost looked like it was fused together with its shoulders, just slightly protruding outward, somehow reminding the medic of a cobra.

 Opening its mouth, the creature let out a loud shriek, revealing sharp teeth as it was joined by a second creature that hopped on top of a nearby cage. 

Marini's response was to blast it in the face with a shotgun, causing it to stagger. 

Roaring angrily, it leapt high into the air, prompting him to fire again, knocking it back down while its mate leapt in Rebecca's direction, who barely had time to dodge aside as its claws raked across the floor. 

Star slammed one of his bags against the creature's head, causing it to stumble and sputter while Rebecca fired into its back.

"It's not working!" the medic cried.

"Aim for its face!" Marini called.

The albino continued to bludgeon the animal repeatedly with his bags before the creature backhanded him, knocking him off balance. Rebecca kept firing until she emptied her entire clip, then reloaded. 

The creature hissed as it approached the albino, raising up its claw to deliver the fatal blow. 

Before it could finish, Marini fired, blowing it off its feet, then fired again. Letting out a dying screech, it collapsed onto the floor in a pool of blood.

Rebecca went over and helped Star up to his feet.

"Are you okay, Star?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah," he nodded as he regained his footing. "Just had some wind knocked out of me."

He glanced at his bags, eying the claw marks. "Unbelievable."

The trio surrounded the fallen creatures, studying them curiously.

"What are these things?" Rebecca murmured.

"Whatever they are, they're hostile," Marini said. "Not to mention strong. REALLY strong."

"They kind of look like that creature with the trident," Star said.

Rebecca nodded. "Almost. And yet...not really."

She watched as Marini glanced around the room, then rounded the corner, stopping as he picked something up.

"Hey Rebecca, take a look at this!"

The medic made her way to him. He handed her a set of documents.

"'B.O.W. Report,'" she read aloud. "'Research to date has shown that when the Progenitor virus is administered to living organisms, violent cellular changes can cause a breakdown in the system. Furthermore, no satisfactory method has been found to control the organisms for use as weapons. Clearly, greater coordination at the cellular level is essential to enable further growth.'"

Neither Star nor Marini said a word.

"'I conducted a number of experiments in an effort to find a breakthrough," Rebecca continued. "This is my report: Insecta. Perhaps because these ancient animals have been genetically stable for millennia, when administered with the Progenitor virus they exhibited only explosive, high-energy growth and increased aggressiveness.'"

Marini shrugged. "Guess that explains why some of them get so big."

"'It is extremely difficult to envision using them as B.O.W.s. Amphibia. Injecting a frog with the virus resulted in an increase in leaping power and abnormal tongue growth. However, no change in mental ability was observed. Furthermore, an abnormal appetite resulted in the test subject randomly attacking all moving objects. Usefulness for B.O.W. is limited.

'Mammalia. The Progenitor virus was merged with monkey's cellular DNA, resulting in increased fertility. The resulting young exhibited improved aggressiveness and some improved mental capacity. (As a side-note, visual power was lost, but this was offset by an improvement in hearing ability.) However, they were unsatisfactory as weapons. It does seem that no progress can be made without making humans the base organism.'"

Star tightened his mouth, his gloved hands curling around the handles of his suitcases. "Disgusting."

Rebecca nodded. "It is." She shook her head. "I can't believe stuff like this is happening."

The albino glanced back over to the fallen reptiles. "So, where do these creatures fit in?"

She frowned.

"Maybe they were originally people that had been bitten by T-Virus infected reptiles? Or maybe they are part human? Perhaps this T-Virus can allow for cross-species hybridization?" she thought aloud. "I don't know."

Marini sighed.

"Great," he said. "So it's not just zombies, bugs, monkeys and leeches we to deal with, but fucking lizard people as well."

He cast his eyes around the room, then stopped upon seeing something at the foot of two large cages at the other end of the room. Rebecca watched as he went over and kneeled down, picking something up from the floor.

"What did you find?" she called.

"It looks like some sort of dial," he answered. "Probably for a safe or something."

Rebecca watched as he pocketed it, then turned around to face them.

"Okay," he said. "Let's get out of here."

The trio started to make their way back. Rebecca absent-mindedly banged against the door of a nearby cage, stubbing her toe in the process.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" she yelled as she hopped on one foot, massaging it with one hand.

"Are you okay, Rebecca?" Marini asked.

"Yeah, just banged my foot against one of these stupid cages," she said. As the medic massaged her sore foot, she paused.

Something wasn't right.

Glancing back to the cages, Rebecca studied each very carefully.

"What's wrong?" Marini asked.

"Take a look at the cages," she said.

"Why?"

"Just look at them."

The Bravo Captain and the albino complied.

"Do either of you see anything wrong?" she asked.

The former shook his head. "No."

"Exactly!" Rebecca exclaimed.

Marini frowned. "I don't follow."

Star pointed. "There's no damage," he said. "Look at them. They're all in pristine condition. None of them are broken or bent."

The Bravo Captain now understood what they were getting at. "So these things just didn't escape on their own..." 

"Someone let them out," Rebecca completed the thought.

The albino cupped his hand into his chin.

"What are you thinking?" Rebecca asked.

"We know that Umbrella have been running illegal experiments and only God knows what else on these premises, all for the purpose of creating weapons, but there's something none of us had really thought about," he said.

"And that is?"

Star looked directly at her. "How did the T-Virus get loose?"

Rebecca and Marini were quiet as they thought about the question.

"Sabotage, perhaps?" The former suggested.

"But why, though?" The albino asked.

Rebecca's brows knitted together. There's no shortage of possible motives.

"Greed seems to be the most obvious choice," she suggested.

"How do you mean?" Marini asked.

"Well," Rebecca said slowly, "if someone had perhaps thought of taking this T-Virus for themselves, maybe for the purposes of selling it at the highest bidder..."

The Bravo Captain nodded. "That's definitely a possibility," he said. "What about revenge?"

She hesitated. "That's...possible," the medic replied, "but a person would have to be completely thoughtless or psychopathic, just because...well...this facility is close to a town, and the people and animals living there would be at risk!"

"What makes you think Umbrella would care?" Marini said.

"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked.

Marini took a long time answering.

"...What are you trying to say?" Star asked quietly.

The Bravo Captain exhaled. "If you had potent viral weaponry...how would you test it?"

Rebecca and Star stared, horrified by what he was suggesting.

"You mean," the medic said slowly, "you think-"

"Yes," Marini nodded. "A field test."

"That is crazy!" Rebecca exclaimed. "Nobody would unleash this thing on a whole city!"

"Wouldn't they?" Marini said doubtfully. "Think about it, Rebecca. Umbrella is developing highly virulent weaponry in the middle of the mountains and a dense forest. Why build such a place here? Why not a desert or...I don't know, the arctic, or an island somewhere far off that's isolated, cut off from civilization, where any outbreak can be contained? Around here, all it would take is a leak and some unlucky bird or moose to get infected and carry it off to a densely populated area. Why carry such a risk?"

Rebecca desperately wanted to fight against such a disgusting idea, but the more she considered Marini's words, the more unsettled she became. There was something horribly plausible in what he said, and it was causing her stomach to churn and twist itself into knots.

"But how would they be able to contain it?" Star countered. "If this entire thing is some sort of munitions test as you indicate, that implies that Umbrella has countermeasures in place to make certain that the infection wouldn't spread any further."

"They could have underestimated it."

"True, but from the infected cadavers of guards and researchers wandering around here, though...I don't think that that's what happened."

"What do you think happened then, Star?" Rebecca asked.

The albino considered the question. "I like to think that Umbrella wasn't trying to infect the city. At least, I hope not." He glanced back to them. "Do you suppose..." Star said in a hesitant voice, "...that it's a competitor?"

Rebecca blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked, curious by his response.

"Well, how do we know that Umbrella is the only one doing this sort of thing?" Star said. "What if a rival company or organization wanted to infiltrate and steal company secrets, and, in so doing, tried to cover their tracks by letting these creatures loose?"

Rebecca blanched. The idea of other corporations doing stuff like Umbrella was disturbing. Hell, it hadn't even been something that she had ever considered, but to a certain extent, it made sense. With any marketplace, there was bound to be some form of competition somewhere, and the thought of there being other kinds of experiments, other kinds of horror stories that have yet to be uncovered.

Other kinds of creatures, monsters.

Corporatized monsters. Part of Rebecca wanted to laugh at the absurd image in her head, but another part of her felt absolutely sick at the disturbing thought. She sincerely hoped, and prayed, that that wasn't the case.

Rebecca watched as Marini considered Star's words, clicking his tongue absent-mindedly before giving a half nod to the albino.

"It's possible..." the Bravo Captain said slowly, "but...so far, we haven't found any evidence of that."

Upon hearing that assertion, Rebecca felt herself relax slightly, somewhat relieved. Star, however, didn't look entirely convinced.

"To an extent we did in Marcus' notes," the albino pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's more to do with the dick-measuring contest between Marcus and Spencer than industrial espionage. We haven't found anything to suggest that. Yet. Even more, these cages were only recently opened. Otherwise, why hadn't we encountered these creatures much, much earlier?"

The trio stared contemplatively around them.

"So...would that mean that...whoever was responsible...is still...here...with us?" Rebecca asked.

Marini glanced around conspiratorially, then narrowed his eyes at a security camera that hung on the corner of a ceiling.

"We'll think about it later. Come on."

"Wait!" Star said. "What about the creatures?"

Exchanging confused looks with each other, the Bravos looked back to Star in confusion.

"What do you mean 'what about them?'" Marini said.

"Shouldn't we take them with us or something?"

"Say what?!"

"I don't think people will be inclined to believe us if we were to say that we had been attacked by lizard men."

Rebecca paused thoughtfully. "He might have a point, Captain."

"I'm not hauling one of those fuckers! Are you? If either of you plan on carrying one of them, be my guest, but keep this in mind - they'll attract predators."

"It's just without proof-"

"Then cut off a limb, its finger or a tooth," Marini said.

Rebecca watched as the albino gave an appalled look.

"That's barbaric!"

The Bravo Captain shrugged. "Suit yourself. Now, come on."

* * * * *

Rebecca watched as Star crashed down to the second floor down below.

"Are you okay down there?"

"Yes," he said quietly with a wave as he pushed himself up from the library floor. "Just a bit sore."

The albino looked around, then cast his eyes back to the hole in the ceiling.

"It looks clear," he said lowly.

"Okay," Marini said as he slipped himself feet first through the hole, slowly lowering himself down.

Star pushed aside the toppled over furniture, reached up and grabbed the Bravo by his waist. "I got you."

Marini let go, then grunted as he sank into the albino's arms. 

Rebecca glanced down, then blinked several times. 

The Bravo Captain was staring nonplussed at Star while the latter held him up in the air underneath his armpits like a baby. To see a big guy like Marini being held up in such a manner, as if he were Simba from "The Lion King", made Rebecca giggle.

"The Circle of Life!" she sang.

Marini grunted. "Ha ha, very funny," he said. "Can you put me down please?'

The albino obeyed.

"Your turn," Marini said.

Rebecca shifted onto the floor, then slowly started to lower herself down. She made the mistake of looking down, then froze, causing her to instantly look back up to the ceiling.

"I can't! I can't do it!" she said.

"You can do it, Rebecca."

"It's too high!"

"We'll catch you," Star said.

"I'm scared of heights," she admitted.

"Just keep your attention on the ceiling and just let go. We will catch you," Marini said. "Just count to three. One, two, three and that's it!"

"Give me a minute," she said nervously.

Pulling herself up, Rebecca rested her chin on the surface and took in a deep breath.

"Just count to three," she said to herself as she swallowed nervously. "One. Two..."

Her eyes just happened to glance over at the desk at the end when she saw a face peering at her from the shadows, the full figure hidden. A long cut ran down one side of its brow, while the other side was damaged, his eyes glassy and pale white. Rebecca stared, startled.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The figure said nothing.

"If you're a survivor, please, come into the light. You don't have to be afraid. I'm a S.T.A.R.S. officer."

The figure remained still, though a look of derision etched itself onto his face at the mention of S.T.A.R.S.

"Are you injured? We're here to help."

The face sank back into the shadows.

"Who are you talking to up there?" Marini asked.

Rebecca looked around, blinking rapidly. Had it been her imagination?

"I...I thought I saw someone," she called. "My mistake."

She closed her eyes. "One. Two. Three."

She let go, then grunted as she landed on something. When she opened her eyes, she found herself carried bridal style by Star.

Marini grinned. "Aw how romantic!" he teased.

The teenagers blushed as the albino set her back down onto her feet.

She cleared her throat. "Thank you."

"Payback's a bitch, ain't it?" Marini said smugly.

Rebecca glared at him. "You are really petty, you know that?"

"Whatever you say...Mrs. Wolf," he said cheekily.

The medic stuck her tongue out at him as the trio made their way back to the entrance corridor. Opening the door quietly, they peered outside. 

Facing the entrance elevator, where a large wall used to be, was a tiny corridor to the right with a large classical painting. 

Stepping out from the library, the trio quietly walked toward it, then turned to the right to see two doors, one right in front of them, the other further down to the left. 

The former had a round indentation around the handle, while the latter was fancier and more elaborate, blue in color; like its twin door upstairs, this specific door also had Marcus' relief profile on the door with a small plaque with a leech-like indentation, with two female sculptures poised on both sides of the door and elaborate plant motifs scrawled along the wall behind them.

"I guess this is where we put the dial," Rebecca said as she pointed to the one closest to them.

"Yeah," Marini nodded, then pointed to the other door, "but I'm interested in seeing what that one has to offer."

Star stared at the indentation. "You know, I didn't really think anyone would make a leech into a key," he said.

Marini shrugged. "Welcome to Umbrella," he said. "The only company on earth stupid enough to think of such things. On a count to three, we kick the door open. One. Two. Three!"

The trio raised their feet together and slammed into it, breaking it open, then looked over their shoulders nervously to see if the noise attracted any unwanted attention.

Nothing.

Stepping inside and closing the door behind them, the survivors glanced around. 

It appeared to be a dimly lit office with a running overhead fan. Hanging from a wall to immediately to their right was a large painting, while ahead was a knocked over hook rack and a shelf with an anatomical human skeleton model standing between it and a cabinet with a glass window to its right, the skeleton staring in their direction. A tripod with a long candle stick and a bubbling aquarium filled with leeches rested close to the door, while to the left was a desk with a turned on lamp, which sat next to another door. 

Moving toward the cabinet, Rebecca watched as Marini pulled it open and picked up a long thin tube with pins at the end.

"We're going to need this," he said.

"What is it?" Rebecca asked.

"It's an input regulation coil. Probably for the aircar," he said, then moved toward the desk and started digging through, checking to see if there was anything worth salvaging. A satisfied grin made its way onto his features as he picked up a box of parabellum rounds.

Star stared at something in the cabinet. The medic watched as he reached inside and picked up the object, his eyes squinting.

"What do you have there?" Rebecca asked.

He looked directly at her. "Take a look at this."

Stepping to his side, the medic studied the object in his hand.

"Wha?"

It was an old graduation photograph with a group of men, but the most prominent figure of the bunch that practically dominated the photograph, taking up a good portion of the entire right side, was a young man with long hair. The moment Rebecca set her eyes on him, she recognized him instantly.

"That's the man in the white robe!" she said.

"What?" Marini said in surprise as he approached. Taking the photograph from her, Rebecca watched as he studied the picture, then flipped it around.

"'To James, in commemoration of your Graduation,'" the Bravo Captain read aloud, "'...1939.'"

Rebecca stared, perplexed. "...But...that's impossible!" she said.

"Are you sure this is the man you saw?" Marini asked.

"Of course we are! He was staring right at us back on the train!"

Star shook his head. "This doesn't make any sense," he said. "According to what we read, Marcus has no family. If that's true, then.....who did we see up on the mountain?"

The trio glanced around the room.

Marini pursed his lip, his chin lowered. "Could it be...Marcus?"

Rebecca frowned. "No, that can't be."

"Maybe he had plastic surgery?"

"Even if he did, I'm pretty sure no amount of plastic surgery in the world would make him look that young!"

Star lifted his head. "Do you think it could be...a ghost?" he wondered.

Rebecca and Marini raised their eyebrows at him.

"Really?" The former said disbelievingly. "That's the explanation you choose?"

"Just hear me out a second before ridiculing me," Star said, looking somewhat impatient. "We know that there has been tension between Marcus and Spencer. Suppose, though, that that had escalated to the point where Spencer had murdered Marcus. Or perhaps had Marcus murdered."

"And now his ghost haunts the woods looking for revenge? Shaking chains and all that?"

"Let me finish," Star said. "When I said that he was a ghost, I don't mean in the conventional sense. Maybe Umbrella captured and forced Marcus to become a participant in his own experiments, the creator in turn poetically becoming his own creation."

Rebecca thought about it.

"That idea is so utterly crazy...it just might be true," she said slowly, then did a double-take. "Actually, I'll do you one better. Let's work with the hypothesis that Spencer had killed Marcus. Or had someone kill him on his behalf. What if, perhaps, rather than experimenting on Marcus, Spencer or his cronies had fed him to his own leeches."

Star and Marini stared, taken aback.

"What?" they said, startled by the suggestion.

"Let me explain. We know that Marcus' T-Virus experiments have resulted in increased intelligence and a sort of hive mentality for his leeches, even to the point where they started to mimic him. What if in feeding Marcus to his babies, they in turn...somehow....acquired his memories, perhaps?" she said with uncertainty.

"A leech colony that thinks it's Marcus?" Star said.

"Is such a thing possible?" Marini asked incredulously.

"Well...I..." she trailed off, looking down doubtfully. "No, that sounds dumb. I don't know what I'm thinking."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Rebecca," Marini said. "It's a plausible explanation."

"Plausible. But it doesn't mean that it's right."

"It's a better explanation than the one I was going to give."

"Which is?"

"I was gonna say either aliens or pact with the Devil."

She gave a short laugh.

"Given the stuff we've been reading and seeing, I wouldn't be surprised if either were true," she said with a smile.

Marini waved to them. "Come on, let's check the back room."

Star and Rebecca nodded as they followed him. Quietly opening the door, Marini peered inside.

"Looks clear," he whispered.

Stepping inside, the trio entered the room. The Bravo Captain stared with disbelief.

"Oh you have got to be kidding." he muttered.

Covered in cobwebs, inside seemed to be some sort of private den that was lit by a couple of candles in an ornate candle holder on the wall, with four very large paintings hanging from the side. 

Two chairs seated opposite each other close to the entrance, while four expensive-looking vases sat on couple of decorative tables on top. In the far right hand corner of the room, behind one of the chairs, were two enormous trunks that had a spinning wheel resting against them, both of which sat in front of an old busted grandfather clock. 

On the opposite side, facing the trunks was a taxidermy falcon with its wings spread open, the bird of prey itself seated and balanced on a branch mount. 

What had really captured Marini's attention, though, was the statue that stood between the falcon and the grandfather clock; made from marble, a youthful figure resembling Marcus was dressed in flowing robes in a manner suggestive of Roman antiquity, clearly made to look like some sort of patron saint. 

Staring to the sky proudly, with one arm supporting the other by the elbow, the statue's left hand held out in the palm of his hand something green. 

A leech.

Rebecca watched as Marini stepped toward it, staring at the piece, then started to chuckle. Soon, both Rebecca and Star joined in, shaking their heads at the absurdity of it all.

"Why am I not surprised!" Marini said between breaths. "Just think, we could have stopped here first and gotten that other door open, but nope! Meanwhile Coen smashes the fucking thing!"

The trio laughed even harder at this, then slowly began to settle down.

"Ah God that's funny," Marini said as he wiped his eyes and took in a deep breath. Sighing, he picked up the leech sculpture and held it in his hand. "Well, there's no reason to take this with us."

He stared at it for a long time, then violently whipped it at the statue, cracking part of its face and completely shattering the leech sculpture.

"Fuck you, Marcus."

With that declaration, he spat on its image, then glanced back to his fellow survivors, nodding for them to come along.

* * * * *

Upon returning to the corridor, the survivors approached the other door. Rebecca watched as Marini took out the dial from one of his pouches and inserted the piece into the indentation, then pulled away with a nod.

"Yep, perfect fit," Marini said. "Now all we need is the combination for it."

Rebecca shrugged off her backpack and unzipped it, thumbing through the various pages inside before finding the note she was looking for.

"'Today, under Director Marcus' orders, I changed the platform entry code. Later, I asked what the source of the entry code was. He told me it was based on something significant in his children's growth.'" she murmured, then started to finger through the other pages. "Where is it? I have it here somewhere- ah! There it is!"

She read the passage, then grabbed the dial. "Six. Three. Seven. Eight."

Nothing.

Rebecca blinked. "What?" she said, puzzled.

How did she get that wrong? It said it had to do with his children's growth, so what did she miss? Grabbing the notes, she eyed them carefully.

'What am I not seeing?' the medic wondered.

She raised her head in realization. "Wait a minute."

The number "4" was written in red.

"I got you," she muttered aloud as she grabbed the dial. "Four." She scanned the other pages, then saw the words "double their numbers" highlighted in red. "Eight."

Rebecca continued searching, then saw the number "2" written in blue.

"Zer-no!" She paused. Ohh, that tricky bastard! The blue must indicate a subtraction. "Six."

"Six?" Marini said puzzledly. "Rebecca, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, Captain," she said irritably.

He raised up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay."

Rebecca eyed the notes, then saw the word "half" written in blue. "Three."

There came a click.

"I GOT IT!" Rebecca said excitedly.

Marini patted her on the back. "Well done, Rebecca," he nodded.

Grabbing the handle, the trio stepped inside, then glanced up at the platform above.

"You made it!" Aiken called.

Rebecca smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"Yep," she said. "Now we just need to-"

She was cut off as there came a squeal and an automated hum as a catwalk with a ladder connected to the rest of the upper platform. Looking to her left, she saw Marini by a lever beside the door. Glancing back to her, he gave a shrug.

"O-kay," she said. "And now all we need is-"

Star went over to the cable car and kneeled down, picking something up from the floor, then approached her. In his hand was what looked to be some sort of coil.

"I found this," he said.

Marini nodded. "We're going to need that."

The trio climbed up one at a time up the ladder and made their to the control panel in the control room. Rebecca watched as Marini took the coil from Star and inserted it into a slot, then installed the input regulation coil. Once it was installed, there was a loud hum as the platform and cable car lights came on. Three of the four survivors cheered loudly.

"We are back in business!" Aiken said excitedly.

"WHOO!" Rebecca whooped, her arms outstretched into the air.

"Finally!" Coen exclaimed.

Star gave no response aside from a small smile and a sigh.

"Now," Marini said, "let's get the fuck out of here."