Chris silenced the nagging whisper, taking a deep breath as he stepped back into the high gallery of the lobby and closed the door behind him. Beating himself up was no more useful than charging blindly around in a strange and dangerous environment, looking for revenge. He had to concentrate on what was important: the lost Alphas and Rebecca.
He walked toward the stairs, tucking Forest's weapon into his waistband. At least Rebecca would be able to defend herself.
Chris.
Startled, he looked down to see the young S.T.A.R.S. member at the base of the wide steps, grinning up at him.
He jogged down the stairs, glad to see her in spite of himself. What happened? Is everything all right?
Rebecca held up a silver key as he reached her, still smiling widely. I found something I thought you could use.
He took the key, noting that the handle was etched with a tiny shield before slipping it inside his vest.
Rebecca was beaming, her eyes flashing with excitement.
After you left, I played the piano and this secret door opened up in the wall. There was this gold emblem inside, like a shield, and I switched it with the one in the dining room and the grandfather clock moved, and that key was behind it.
She broke off suddenly, her smile faltering as she studied his face. I'm sorry… I know I shouldn't have left, but I thought I could catch you before you got too far…
It's okay, he said, forcing a smile. I'm just surprised to see you. Here, I found you something a little better than a can of insect repellent.
He handed her the Beretta, pulling out a couple of clips to go with it. Rebecca took the gun, staring down at it thoughtfully.
When she looked up at him again, her gaze was serious and intense. Who was it?
Chris thought about lying, but saw that she wasn't going to buy it and realized suddenly what it was about her that made him feel so protective, that made him want to shield her from the sad and sickening truth.
Claire.
That was it; Rebecca reminded him of his little sister, from her tomboy sarcasm and quick wit to the way she wore her hair.
Listen, she said quietly, I know you feel responsible for me, and I admit that I'm pretty new at this.
But I'm a member of this team, and sheltering me from the facts could get me killed. So-who was it?
Chris stared at her for a moment and then sighed.
She was right. Forest. I found him outside, he'd been pecked to death by crows. Kenneth's dead, too.
A sudden anguish passed across her eyes, but she nodded firmly, keeping her gaze on his. Okay. So what do we do now?
Chris couldn't help the slightest of smiles, trying to remember if he'd ever been so young.
He motioned up the stairs, hoping that he wasn't about to make another mistake. I guess we try another door.
Wesker didn't catch much of the conversation between Barry and Jill, but after a muffled, Good luck, from Mr. Burton, he heard a door open and close somewhere near by and a moment later, the hollow thump of bootsteps against wood, followed by another closing door. The hall outside was clear, his team off on their mission to find the rest of the copper crests.
Looks like I picked the right room to wait in.
He'd used the helmet key to lock himself into a small study by the back door, the perfect place from which to monitor the team's progress. Not only could he hear them coming and going, he'd be able to get a head start to the labs.
He held the heavy wind crest up to the light of the desk lamp, grinning. It had been too easy, really. He'd happened across the plaster statue on his way back from talking to Barry, and remembered that it had a secret compartment somewhere. Rather than waste valuable time searching, he'd simply pushed the hideous thing off the dining room balcony. It hadn't been hiding one of the crests, but the sparkle of the blue jewel amidst the rubble had been almost as good.
There was a room just off the dining hall that held a statue of a tiger with one red eye and one blue, one of the few mechanisms that he'd remembered from an earlier visit. A quick visit to the statue had confirmed his suspicions; both eyes had been missing, and when he'd placed the gaudy blue jewel into its proper socket, the tiger had turned to one side and presented him with the crest. Just like that, he was one step closer to completing his mission.
When the other three are in place, I'll wait until they're off looking for the final piece and then slip right out the door.
He considered going to check the diagram, but decided against it. The house was big, but not that big, and there was no need to expose himself to further risk of being seen. Besides, they probably hadn't managed to find any of the other crests yet. He'd already had a close call when he'd gone downstairs to retrieve the jewel, almost stepping directly into Chris Redfield's path. Chris had found the rookie and the two of them were blundering around, probably looking for clues.
Besides, this room is comfortable. Maybe I'll take a nap while I wait for the rest of them to catch up.
He leaned back in the desk chair, pleased with himself for all he'd accomplished so far. What could have been a disaster was turning out quite nicely, thanks to some quick thinking on his part. He had already found one of the crests, he had Barry and Jill working for him and he'd had the good fortune to run into Ellen Smith while he'd been in the library.
Oops, scratch that. It's Doctor Ellen Smith, thank you very much.
After fetching the wind crest, he'd gone to the library to check the small side room that overlooked the estate's heliport, the entrance concealed behind a bookcase. A quick search had revealed nothing useful, and he'd been about to check the back room when Dr.
Smith had shambled out to greet him.
He had tried to get a date with her ever since he'd moved to Raccoon, drawn in by her long legs and platinum blond hair; he'd always been partial to blonds, particularly smart ones. Not only had she repeatedly turned him down, she hadn't even tried to be nice about it. When he'd called her Ellen, she'd coolly informed him that she was his superior and a doctor, and would be addressed as such. Ice queen, through and through. If she hadn't been so damned good-looking, he never would've bothered in the first place.
But my, how your beauty has faded, Dr. Ellen…
Wesker closed his eyes, smiling, reliving the experience. It had been the ratty strings of blond hair that had given her away as she'd shuffled out from behind a shelf, moaning and reaching for him. Her legs were still long, but they'd lost a lot of their appeal – not to mention a fair amount of skin.
What lovely perfume you're wearing, Dr. Smith, he'd said. Then two shots to the head, and she'd gone down in a spray of blood and bone. Wesker didn't like to think of himself as a shallow man, but pulling the trigger on that high-riding bitch had been wonderfully– no, deeply-gratifying.
Like icing on a cake, a little bonus perk for taking matters in hand. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll run into that prick Sarton down in the labs…
After a few moments, Wesker stood up and stretched, turning to scan some of the titles on the bookshelf behind him. He was eager to get moving, but it might take the S.T.A.R.S. awhile to find the rest of the puzzle pieces and there was really nothing he could do to hurry the process; he might as well keep busy.
He frowned, struggling to make sense of the technical titles. One of the books was called, Phagemids:
Alpha Complementation Vectors, the next one was, cDNA Libraries and Electrophoresis Conditions.
Biochemistry texts and medical journals, terrific.
Maybe he'd get that nap in after all. Just reading the titles was making him sleepy.
His gaze fell across a heavy-looking tome sitting by itself on one of the lower shelves, bound in a fine red leather. He picked it up, glad to see a title he could read printed across the front, even one as stupid as, Eagle of East, Wolf of West.
Wait – that's the same thing written on the fountain.
Wesker stared at the words, feeling his good mood slipping away. It couldn't be, the researchers had gone nuts
