(no subject)
Title: The Umbrella Conspiracy
Author: atrocious_x
Band: Avenged Sevenfold
Rating: R (Later to Change)
Pairing: Wait For It
Summary: Enter the world of survival horror -- Resident Evil, A7x style.
Disclaimer: Not real, dur. Capcom owns Resident Evil.
Note: Slashiness appears slightly.
00a-01][02][03][04][05
The Umbrella Conspiracy
Chapter 06
-The Secret-
Johnny and Brian disappeared, going their separate ways, and Matt stayed crouched on the balcony in the main hall, deep in thought. He had to think before he acted now -- he'd already made a few mistakes, and he couldn't afford to make any more. He knew that the Alphas were a smart group -- it wouldn't take long for them to figure things out.
He didn't know he'd have to carry out his orders so early -- he'd only received them a few days ago. The Bravo helicopter going down had been a fluke, along with Dan Jacobs' display of cowardice. He should've been more prepared though.
With a sigh, he stood up. He'd have to wait till later to be down on himself.
He knew the grounds of the estate rather nicely -- not to mention he knew everything about the labs, but he'd only ever been inside the mansion a few times. The place was full of mazes and booby traps; Spencer had been a bit on the crazy side -- he'd had the house built with all those mechanisms like in silly spy movies.
The captain's original plans had been to lead the Alphas and Bravos to the estate to clear the area before he went to the underground labs. He had the master keys and the codes -- they'd been sent with his orders. But the problem he faced now was that there were no keys for the door that led to the garden -- it was a puzzle lock. And that was the only way to get to the labs, unless he felt up for a midnight stroll around the woods.
Which sure as fuck ain't happening, he thought to himself, thinking about the dogs outside.
He threw a look around the hall. It had to be done tonight -- he had to get the evidence and make it to the labs. Dees had said that the puzzle keys were hidden only where Spencer could find them -- but he'd also been ranting about killer crows and monstrous spiders. And unfortunately, Matt hadn't spent time learning about the mansion -- he only remembered a few of the tricks of the trade.
But he didn't have to do everything -- if he explained to the others that he knew the way out, they'd waste no time in helping. And after he'd gotten the crest keys, and they were still fumbling around in the house -- he could slip out easily and escape.
With a grin on his face, Matt walked to the door that led to the balcony of the dining room. He had to admit, he was actually quite excited about the way things were going to go now. It was finally a chance to put his skills against the rest of the team, as well as putting them against the accidental test subjects that were hiding throughout the mansion. If he was able to pull it off, he'd be a very rich man.
Things could actually turn out to be fun.
The Umbrella Conspiracy
Chapter 07
-The Captain's Strike-
Johnny'd decided to check out some of the rooms towards the back of the house while he was there. The first one he tried was locked, and his picks were useless -- there was an etching of a helmet on the key plate, so he figured there must be a helmet key for it. Stupid house. The room across the hall from that one, however, opened easily enough, and he stepped inside.
It was a U-shaped room, and there was no furniture -- it was a viewing hall. Various paintings and portraits lined the inner wall, and black feathers lay scattered on the floor amidst dried bird droppings. Johnny's brow furrowed, and just as it clicked in his brain, there was the loud 'caw'ing screech that could only be from a crow.
He jumped and looked up, raising his Beretta out of habit, but he relaxed slightly. There were at least a dozen of the large black birds, all perched along the support bar for the track lighting which ran the length of the room. But the feeling of comfort didn't last too long, these birds seemed much larger than others, and they watched Johnny in a way that was just unnatural -- they gave him the creeps.
Loosing a staring contest with one, he quickly looked back around him at the room. He wondered how the flock of crows had gotten in. Then he remembered that flocks of crows were actually called murders of crows. What a coincidence.
He turned back to the door, obviously nothing useful in this room. Time to move on. Time to get away from the murder of crows.
He glanced at a few of the paintings on his way out, and noticed that there were switches underneath their frames. He assumed they were for the track lighting, but it was such mediocre art, and no one would waste so much time as to set up such an elaborate gallery. A baby, a young man...the portraits weren't bad, just...not inspired.
He stopped when he reached the door, grabbing the cool handle and frowning. Eye-level with him was a small panel labeled "spots". He pushed one of the buttons, and a single directional light went out, dimming the room. A few of the crows barked their disapproval, and at the sound of fluttering wings, Johnny pushed the button again, bringing light back.
He mentally laughed at himself, getting freaked out over the birds. They couldn't be that bad.
He looked back at the light switch and thought. If that controlled the lights -- what did the other switches control?
He turned off the light again, and walked to the first picture across from him -- a large painting of angels and clouds. The title was From Cradle to Grave, and there wasn't a switch below it. Johnny moved to the next.
It was a middle-aged man standing next to an elaborate fire place. There was a simple 'on/off' switch underneath of it, but there was no label or anything. Johnny shrugged, never know till you know, and he flicked the switch.
Behind him, the crows exploded into screeching motion, and they moved from the perch as one. They swarmed towards him, the sound of their beating wings overtaking the sound of his pounding heart, and he shot for the door. The first bird hit him as he had the handle of the door in his grip, its claws finding the back of his neck. There was another sharp pain -- this one behind his right ear, and he flailed out at the birds. He turned and punched out, somewhat pleased when he heard the surprised squawk from the crow that had been on his neck, and it let go.
He jerked open the door, falling out into the hallway, and as he hit the floor, he kicked the door closed. He lay there, back on the hard floor, while his shoulders and head were propped against the wall, just trying to catch his breath from such an episode. The silence was an almost too relieving sound, and he was much better out in the hall that smelled of death.
He sat up, and reached around slowly, feeling the wound at the back of his neck. His fingers came back wet and red, but it wasn't too bad, the blood was clotting, he'd be fine. He vaguely thought of what would've happened if he'd tripped in the room, but he threw it from his mind quickly. He tried to think of why the crows had attacked. But then he remembered the electrical noise he'd heard when the switch was flipped.
The support bar.
When he'd flipped the switch, it must've sent an electrical current through the metal bar the birds had been perched on. He didn't think it was possible for crows to be trained to attack, so the electric trap was the only thing he could guess. And that obviously meant that there was something important in that room, hence the reason someone had gone through so much trouble.
But trying to kill all of those birds was definitely out of the question -- there were too many. There had to be some way -- it was a trick. But then the simplicity slapped him in the face -- he had to push the switches in order.
"From Cradle to Grave." he said to himself.
If anyone had been around, he'd have been embarrassed. He gave a sigh; now all he had to do was wait for the birds to settle themselves again. After a few moments, he grabbed the doorknob, and cracked the door telling himself that he needed to be more careful. If he didn't, it could cost him his life.
"Zack -- it's Jimmy."
There was the sound of something heavy being slid across the floor, and a few moments later, the door opened. Jimmy stepped inside the small room quickly, reaching into his vest to pull out the diary.
"I found this journal." he said, as Zack shut the door once more. "When I was searching one of the rooms. It's as if there's some sort of research going on here, don't know what kind, but --"
"Virology." Zack cut in, and he grinned. "There was something useful."
He held up a stack of papers, and Jimmy took them from him, skimming over them shortly. His brow furrowed, he didn't understand shit.
"What is this?" he asked. "DH5a-MCR..."
"Strain chart." Zack said, still smiling. "That one is a host for generating genomic libraries containing methylated cytosine -- or adenine residues , depending."
Jimmy cocked an eyebrow, he felt like such an idiot around this kid. "Look, you're really cute and all, but I have no idea what you're talking about." he said.
Zack's face flushed, both at Jimmy's comment, and the fact that he'd started babbling again. And it seemed as if Jimmy hadn't even known he'd said it. Zacky quickly took the papers back, looking down at them awkwardly.
"Sorry," he said, smirking. "It's basically a lot of..uh..stuff on viral infection."
Jimmy flashed a small grin at Zack. "Much better." he said. "So a virus..."
He quickly flipped through the diary, mentally counting the dates from the first report of the accident in the lab.
"There was some kind of spill or outbreak on May eleventh." he said. "And within eight or nine days, the man writing this --" he looked back up at Zack. "Was one of those creatures."
Zack swallowed. "Does it say what the first symptoms were?" he asked.
"Uh, within at least twenty-four hours, he was complaining of itchy skin." Jimmy answered. "Swelling and blisters after that."
"Wow." Zack said, nervously fidgeting with the papers he held in his paled hands.
"Yeah." Jimmy said dryly. "Do you think there's any way we could know if we were infected?"
"Not without more information." Zack said almost gravely. "Everything in those papers are old -- real old. Ten years or more. I have to say that I doubt it's still contagious, if an airborne with that kind of speed and toxicity was still viable, all of Raccoon would be infected now."
Jimmy was relieved that he and the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. were pretty much safe, but when he thought about how all of the zombies had just been victims to the virus, he realized just how depressing the situation was.
"We need to find the others." he said, "If they somehow stumble into the labs...who knows.." He trailed off trying to imagine Johnny as one of the creatures. Not a pretty thought.
Zack nodded, nearing the door again. Jimmy smirked to himself, even without a gun the kid was willing to leave relative safety to help the others -- he'd definitely make a first-rate S.T.A.R.S. member. Together, they left the room, and hurried through the hallway, Zack sticking close to Jimmy's side. When they reached the door back to the first hallway, Jimmy paused, making sure his Beretta was loaded. He tossed an almost nervous glance at Zack.
"Stay close." he said. "The door we want is to the right, and at the end of the hall -- I may have to shoot the lock, and I'm not doubting that there's a zombie or two wandering around -- I need you to watch my back."
"Yes, sir." Zack said quietly, and Jimmy felt a small boost to his ego. Technically, he was Zack's superior -- it was kind of weird to have it pointed out however.
He opened the door, stepping through slowly, and training his gun expertly on the shadows straight ahead and then down the hall to the right -- nothing moved.
"Go." he said, and they started jogging down the hall, stepping over the fallen creature that blocked the way.
Zack turned to face the open stretch behind them as Jimmy rattled the door knob, hoping that maybe it figured 'Aw shucks, I'm just kidding. I'm just playing silly door jokes on you, here you go!' and unlocked itself. No luck, obviously.
He backed away and took careful aim. Firing at a locked door wasn't as safe as it looked in the movies, a ricochet could easily kill the shooter.
"Jim!"
He turned and found a figure at the end of the hall, stumbling sluggishly towards them. One of its arms were missing, and Jimmy vaguely wondered how that'd happened. A moan came from the creature, and the odor of death wafted over them.
Jimmy turned back to the door and fired twice. The frame splintered, and he quickly yanked at the knob, the lock giving, and the door swinging open. He quickly leaned over and threw an arm tightly around Zack's waist, spinning him around so that the Bravo stood behind him, and he aimed the Beretta with his free hand at the monster. The zombie had made it halfway down the hall, but had stopped when it reached the fallen one on the floor -- the one Jim'd killed earlier. He and the younger man watched in disgust as the zombie dropped to its knees clumsily, and thrust it's remaining hand into the crushed skull of the dead one, moaning eagerly. It brought a handful of gray matter to it's cracked and decayed lips, letting out animal-like noises as it tore into it.
Tasting bile rise in his throat, Jimmy hurriedly stepped through the doorway, pulling Zack with him. He hadn't even realized he'd still been holding Zack's hips until he shut the door, and relaxed in the silence of the hall. In fact, the Bravo was pressed so tightly against him that he could feel his quick heartbeat.
Zack's jade eyes were fixed on Jimmy's neck. He was blushing deeply, because of the blood that had rushed between his legs at the closeness of he and the Alpha. He felt like an idiot -- even at a time like this he could get a hard on. As he tried to control his own breathing, and think of some dry joke to add to the situation, he noticed Jimmy's chest had stopped rising and falling, as if the older man was holding his breath.
Ever so slowly, Zacky lifted his gaze. It locked with Jimmy's steel blue, and they just kind of stared at each other for a moment. Jimmy was grateful to be alive at the moment, but even more grateful to have another one of the team with him. He'd never realized just how innocent and young Zack was, the adolescent cuteness, yet the good looks he'd surely grow into with time. Without thinking, he slowly started leaning in. Zack's own neck stretched upwards, and time seemed to freeze for a moment as their lips came within a centimeter of each other's. But then Jimmy's eyes flicked over Zack's shoulder, down the hall, and he noticed not only an open door at the end of the hallway, but a dead zombie on the ground, it's head blown to bits.
Reality struck him like a bag of bricks.
"I'msorryZack." he said in one breath, arm sliding from the Bravo's shapely waist.
Zack quickly shook his head, feeling his cheeks heat up more than they already had been.
"No, no." he said quickly. "I don't know what came over me, we should find the others."
Jimmy nodded, and he took a deep breath, trying not to notice how things had been heating up for himself below his belt. He started around Zack towards the open door, clutching the Beretta tightly in one hand.
"Follow me." he said softly, as if Zack would stay there by himself.
He wanted to get back to the main hall with Zacky, but one of the team could have been just inside the door -- and that deserved a quick look. As they were passing the closed door on the right, Zack hesitated.
"There's a picture of a sword on the lock." he whispered.
Jimmy stopped, keeping his attention on the darkness just past the open door, but realized that there were too many ways to get side-tracked. He doubted that the rest of the team was still waiting for him. And leading an unarmed rookie into unknown territory was obviously not something to do.
He sighed, and lowered his weapon. "Let's get back to the main hall." he said. "We can come back later."
Zack nodded, and they started towards the dining room. Jimmy kept one of his hands hidden from view, and his fingers were crossed as he prayed to anybody that would listen that someone would be there for them.
Brian pointed his Colt at the crawling monster and fired, the heavy round sent gray fluids spraying over the floor. With a sigh, he lowered the revolver, reaching up to massage his left shoulder. The door upstairs had been solidly locked, and he had many bruises to prove it. And now he knew that he'd have to go back and try to bust open another door -- it was clear Jimmy hadn't come this way, if he had, the zombie Brian'd just killed would've been history.
So where in fuck's sake are you, Jimbo?
Of three locked doors, Brian had picked one on pure instinct. The kitchen he'd found had been heavily coated with dust, everything coated. He'd only continued that way because of the way it was disturbed on the floor. He'd had a small spurt of hope that it'd been Jimmy to disturb it.
He turned and started back, wondering how Johnny was doing. As he tried to convince himself his fellow Alpha was fine, there was a dull, echoing clatter behind him. He spun, dread immediately knotting in his gut, and he pointed his weapon randomly at empty air, holding his breath. There was another metallic clatter, and the low hum of machinery.
Brian let out a deep breath as he realized that it was just the elevator being used. He lowered the Colt slightly and waited. He didn't think the zombies were smart enough to operate the buttons of an elevator, much less open the gate, but he couldn't take any chances.
The elevator stopped with a dull clang, and there was a squeal of rusty metal hinges, followed by footsteps...
And Captain Sanders stepped into view, his sunglasses propped on his brow. Brian sighed, lowering his Colt the rest of the way cool relief swarmed through his body. Matt stopped in his tracks, and immediately grinned.
"Brian! Just the man I was looking for." he said lightly.
"Christ, you scared the piss outta me." Brian said, but then his good mood faltered. "Where did you go?"
Matt's grin widened. "Oh, right." he said, giving a slight snort. "Sorry about that." he said shaking his head. "I had a bit of business to attend to -- you know, nature was calling."
Brian smiled again, surprised slightly by such a confession. There were in such a situation and the captain had snuck off to take a leak? Matt reached up and lowered his shades, breaking their eye contact, and Brian felt a little awkward and nervous. Matt's grin was strangely creepy.
"Brian -- have you ever heard of White Umbrella?" the captain asked suddenly.
Brian shook his head, starting to feel very uncomfortable for some reason.
"It's a sector of Umbrella Incorporated, a very important division." he said. "They specialize in...biological research. The Spencer estate houses their research facilities -- but recently...an accident has occurred."
He brushed off a section of the island counter's top, before leaning against it casually, keeping his cool tone.
"This division of Umbrella has some ties to the S.T.A.R.S. organization, and not too long ago I was asked to...assist in their handling of this situation. It's a very delicate situation, mind you, very hush-hush.
"Now, what I'm supposed to do is get to the laboratories on the grounds, and put an end to some rather incriminating evidence -- proof that White Umbrella is responsible for the accident that's caused so much trouble in Raccoon as of late. The problem is --" he furrowed his brows mockingly, and scratched his forehead. "-- I don't have the keys...and that's where you come in."
Brian blinked stupidly. An accident, secret laboratories and secret research...
...and monstrous dogs and zombies loose in the god damned woods.
He raised his Colt and aimed it directly at Matt's shit-eating grin. "Are you fucking insane?" he demanded. "You think I'm going to help you destroy evidence, crazy bastard?"
Matt made a face, but the grin returned and he shook his head as though Brian were a child. "I don't think you understand, Mr. Haner. You don't have a choice in the matter." Matt leaned in closer and pretended the Colt was a microphone, speaking into it slowly, and keeping a cool facade. "A few of my friends from White Umbrella are outside your ex-wife's house right now -- watching your beautiful daughter as she sleeps. If you don't help me...why...she could be in grave danger."
Brian felt the blood drain from his face. He cocked the hammer back on his revolver, feeling a sudden icy hatred for his captain.
"Before you pull the trigger." Matt said, relaxing back slightly. "I should mention that if I don't report back to my friends fairly soon, their orders are to go ahead and do the deed anyway."
The words cut through to Brian's mind, and he tried to remain calm.
"You're bluffing." he whispered.
Matt's grin finally disappeared, expression slipping back into the unreadable mask he always wore.
"I'm not." he said in a harsh tone. "Try me."
For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Brian released the hammer back down and lowered his Colt, his shoulders slumping. He couldn't risk it, despite their divorce, he'd always have a love for his ex-wife -- not to mention that his daughter was his world.
Matt nodded, reaching into one of his pockets to produce a ring of keys. His manner had changed drastically to one of business.
"There are four copper plates somewhere in this house." he said. "Each one is about the size of a teacup and has a picture engraved on one side -- sun, moon, stars, and wind. There's a back door on the other side of the mansion where they belong."
He pulled a key from the ring, and slid it across the counter to Brian.
"This should open all of the doors in the other wing, well, the important ones at least." he said. "First and second floor. Find those pieces for me, and your daughter can rest peacefully -- and your ex-wife of course."
Brian reached for the key with numb fingers, feeling weak and afraid.
"And what about John and Jimmy?" he asked.
"Well, they'll want to help, no doubt." Matt said. "If you see either of them, tell them that the back door is the way out. In fact -- you should unlock every door you can, to help them help you."
Matt smiled again, and the friendliness of it belied his words. "And I would sincerely appreciate it if you didn't mention bumping into me."
Brian glanced at the key -- there was a little picture, a chest plate from a suit of armor. He slipped it into a pocket. "Where will you be?" he asked quietly.
Matt grinned again, and in a swift movement, he ended up pressing his body against Brian's, pushing the other man into the counter sharply.
"Aw." he said mockingly. "What's wrong? Afraid to be without me?"
Brian gritted his teeth but wouldn't answer, and Matt ran his fingers through the Alpha's hair, rolling his hips violently into Brian's.
"Don't worry, pet." he said. "I'll be around. And I'll contact you when the time is right."
Brian lowered his gaze, suddenly wanting to cry. "You'll tell them I'm helping you, right?" he asked, "You won't forget to report?"
Matt smirked, and leaned in, planting a harsh kiss on Brian's lips. When he pulled away he kept their faces no more than an inch apart.
"Brian, as long as you do what I say," he said in a husky tone. "You have nothing to worry about."
And with that said, Matt turned and started towards the elevator again. Brian stared after him, still against the counter, and he listened as the elevator gate opened, closed, and then the operation of machinery -- Matt was gone.
Author: atrocious_x
Band: Avenged Sevenfold
Rating: R (Later to Change)
Pairing: Wait For It
Summary: Enter the world of survival horror -- Resident Evil, A7x style.
Disclaimer: Not real, dur. Capcom owns Resident Evil.
Note: Slashiness appears slightly.
00a-01][02][03][04][05
The Umbrella Conspiracy
Chapter 06
-The Secret-
Johnny and Brian disappeared, going their separate ways, and Matt stayed crouched on the balcony in the main hall, deep in thought. He had to think before he acted now -- he'd already made a few mistakes, and he couldn't afford to make any more. He knew that the Alphas were a smart group -- it wouldn't take long for them to figure things out.
He didn't know he'd have to carry out his orders so early -- he'd only received them a few days ago. The Bravo helicopter going down had been a fluke, along with Dan Jacobs' display of cowardice. He should've been more prepared though.
With a sigh, he stood up. He'd have to wait till later to be down on himself.
He knew the grounds of the estate rather nicely -- not to mention he knew everything about the labs, but he'd only ever been inside the mansion a few times. The place was full of mazes and booby traps; Spencer had been a bit on the crazy side -- he'd had the house built with all those mechanisms like in silly spy movies.
The captain's original plans had been to lead the Alphas and Bravos to the estate to clear the area before he went to the underground labs. He had the master keys and the codes -- they'd been sent with his orders. But the problem he faced now was that there were no keys for the door that led to the garden -- it was a puzzle lock. And that was the only way to get to the labs, unless he felt up for a midnight stroll around the woods.
Which sure as fuck ain't happening, he thought to himself, thinking about the dogs outside.
He threw a look around the hall. It had to be done tonight -- he had to get the evidence and make it to the labs. Dees had said that the puzzle keys were hidden only where Spencer could find them -- but he'd also been ranting about killer crows and monstrous spiders. And unfortunately, Matt hadn't spent time learning about the mansion -- he only remembered a few of the tricks of the trade.
But he didn't have to do everything -- if he explained to the others that he knew the way out, they'd waste no time in helping. And after he'd gotten the crest keys, and they were still fumbling around in the house -- he could slip out easily and escape.
With a grin on his face, Matt walked to the door that led to the balcony of the dining room. He had to admit, he was actually quite excited about the way things were going to go now. It was finally a chance to put his skills against the rest of the team, as well as putting them against the accidental test subjects that were hiding throughout the mansion. If he was able to pull it off, he'd be a very rich man.
Things could actually turn out to be fun.
The Umbrella Conspiracy
Chapter 07
-The Captain's Strike-
Johnny'd decided to check out some of the rooms towards the back of the house while he was there. The first one he tried was locked, and his picks were useless -- there was an etching of a helmet on the key plate, so he figured there must be a helmet key for it. Stupid house. The room across the hall from that one, however, opened easily enough, and he stepped inside.
It was a U-shaped room, and there was no furniture -- it was a viewing hall. Various paintings and portraits lined the inner wall, and black feathers lay scattered on the floor amidst dried bird droppings. Johnny's brow furrowed, and just as it clicked in his brain, there was the loud 'caw'ing screech that could only be from a crow.
He jumped and looked up, raising his Beretta out of habit, but he relaxed slightly. There were at least a dozen of the large black birds, all perched along the support bar for the track lighting which ran the length of the room. But the feeling of comfort didn't last too long, these birds seemed much larger than others, and they watched Johnny in a way that was just unnatural -- they gave him the creeps.
Loosing a staring contest with one, he quickly looked back around him at the room. He wondered how the flock of crows had gotten in. Then he remembered that flocks of crows were actually called murders of crows. What a coincidence.
He turned back to the door, obviously nothing useful in this room. Time to move on. Time to get away from the murder of crows.
He glanced at a few of the paintings on his way out, and noticed that there were switches underneath their frames. He assumed they were for the track lighting, but it was such mediocre art, and no one would waste so much time as to set up such an elaborate gallery. A baby, a young man...the portraits weren't bad, just...not inspired.
He stopped when he reached the door, grabbing the cool handle and frowning. Eye-level with him was a small panel labeled "spots". He pushed one of the buttons, and a single directional light went out, dimming the room. A few of the crows barked their disapproval, and at the sound of fluttering wings, Johnny pushed the button again, bringing light back.
He mentally laughed at himself, getting freaked out over the birds. They couldn't be that bad.
He looked back at the light switch and thought. If that controlled the lights -- what did the other switches control?
He turned off the light again, and walked to the first picture across from him -- a large painting of angels and clouds. The title was From Cradle to Grave, and there wasn't a switch below it. Johnny moved to the next.
It was a middle-aged man standing next to an elaborate fire place. There was a simple 'on/off' switch underneath of it, but there was no label or anything. Johnny shrugged, never know till you know, and he flicked the switch.
Behind him, the crows exploded into screeching motion, and they moved from the perch as one. They swarmed towards him, the sound of their beating wings overtaking the sound of his pounding heart, and he shot for the door. The first bird hit him as he had the handle of the door in his grip, its claws finding the back of his neck. There was another sharp pain -- this one behind his right ear, and he flailed out at the birds. He turned and punched out, somewhat pleased when he heard the surprised squawk from the crow that had been on his neck, and it let go.
He jerked open the door, falling out into the hallway, and as he hit the floor, he kicked the door closed. He lay there, back on the hard floor, while his shoulders and head were propped against the wall, just trying to catch his breath from such an episode. The silence was an almost too relieving sound, and he was much better out in the hall that smelled of death.
He sat up, and reached around slowly, feeling the wound at the back of his neck. His fingers came back wet and red, but it wasn't too bad, the blood was clotting, he'd be fine. He vaguely thought of what would've happened if he'd tripped in the room, but he threw it from his mind quickly. He tried to think of why the crows had attacked. But then he remembered the electrical noise he'd heard when the switch was flipped.
The support bar.
When he'd flipped the switch, it must've sent an electrical current through the metal bar the birds had been perched on. He didn't think it was possible for crows to be trained to attack, so the electric trap was the only thing he could guess. And that obviously meant that there was something important in that room, hence the reason someone had gone through so much trouble.
But trying to kill all of those birds was definitely out of the question -- there were too many. There had to be some way -- it was a trick. But then the simplicity slapped him in the face -- he had to push the switches in order.
"From Cradle to Grave." he said to himself.
If anyone had been around, he'd have been embarrassed. He gave a sigh; now all he had to do was wait for the birds to settle themselves again. After a few moments, he grabbed the doorknob, and cracked the door telling himself that he needed to be more careful. If he didn't, it could cost him his life.
"Zack -- it's Jimmy."
There was the sound of something heavy being slid across the floor, and a few moments later, the door opened. Jimmy stepped inside the small room quickly, reaching into his vest to pull out the diary.
"I found this journal." he said, as Zack shut the door once more. "When I was searching one of the rooms. It's as if there's some sort of research going on here, don't know what kind, but --"
"Virology." Zack cut in, and he grinned. "There was something useful."
He held up a stack of papers, and Jimmy took them from him, skimming over them shortly. His brow furrowed, he didn't understand shit.
"What is this?" he asked. "DH5a-MCR..."
"Strain chart." Zack said, still smiling. "That one is a host for generating genomic libraries containing methylated cytosine -- or adenine residues , depending."
Jimmy cocked an eyebrow, he felt like such an idiot around this kid. "Look, you're really cute and all, but I have no idea what you're talking about." he said.
Zack's face flushed, both at Jimmy's comment, and the fact that he'd started babbling again. And it seemed as if Jimmy hadn't even known he'd said it. Zacky quickly took the papers back, looking down at them awkwardly.
"Sorry," he said, smirking. "It's basically a lot of..uh..stuff on viral infection."
Jimmy flashed a small grin at Zack. "Much better." he said. "So a virus..."
He quickly flipped through the diary, mentally counting the dates from the first report of the accident in the lab.
"There was some kind of spill or outbreak on May eleventh." he said. "And within eight or nine days, the man writing this --" he looked back up at Zack. "Was one of those creatures."
Zack swallowed. "Does it say what the first symptoms were?" he asked.
"Uh, within at least twenty-four hours, he was complaining of itchy skin." Jimmy answered. "Swelling and blisters after that."
"Wow." Zack said, nervously fidgeting with the papers he held in his paled hands.
"Yeah." Jimmy said dryly. "Do you think there's any way we could know if we were infected?"
"Not without more information." Zack said almost gravely. "Everything in those papers are old -- real old. Ten years or more. I have to say that I doubt it's still contagious, if an airborne with that kind of speed and toxicity was still viable, all of Raccoon would be infected now."
Jimmy was relieved that he and the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. were pretty much safe, but when he thought about how all of the zombies had just been victims to the virus, he realized just how depressing the situation was.
"We need to find the others." he said, "If they somehow stumble into the labs...who knows.." He trailed off trying to imagine Johnny as one of the creatures. Not a pretty thought.
Zack nodded, nearing the door again. Jimmy smirked to himself, even without a gun the kid was willing to leave relative safety to help the others -- he'd definitely make a first-rate S.T.A.R.S. member. Together, they left the room, and hurried through the hallway, Zack sticking close to Jimmy's side. When they reached the door back to the first hallway, Jimmy paused, making sure his Beretta was loaded. He tossed an almost nervous glance at Zack.
"Stay close." he said. "The door we want is to the right, and at the end of the hall -- I may have to shoot the lock, and I'm not doubting that there's a zombie or two wandering around -- I need you to watch my back."
"Yes, sir." Zack said quietly, and Jimmy felt a small boost to his ego. Technically, he was Zack's superior -- it was kind of weird to have it pointed out however.
He opened the door, stepping through slowly, and training his gun expertly on the shadows straight ahead and then down the hall to the right -- nothing moved.
"Go." he said, and they started jogging down the hall, stepping over the fallen creature that blocked the way.
Zack turned to face the open stretch behind them as Jimmy rattled the door knob, hoping that maybe it figured 'Aw shucks, I'm just kidding. I'm just playing silly door jokes on you, here you go!' and unlocked itself. No luck, obviously.
He backed away and took careful aim. Firing at a locked door wasn't as safe as it looked in the movies, a ricochet could easily kill the shooter.
"Jim!"
He turned and found a figure at the end of the hall, stumbling sluggishly towards them. One of its arms were missing, and Jimmy vaguely wondered how that'd happened. A moan came from the creature, and the odor of death wafted over them.
Jimmy turned back to the door and fired twice. The frame splintered, and he quickly yanked at the knob, the lock giving, and the door swinging open. He quickly leaned over and threw an arm tightly around Zack's waist, spinning him around so that the Bravo stood behind him, and he aimed the Beretta with his free hand at the monster. The zombie had made it halfway down the hall, but had stopped when it reached the fallen one on the floor -- the one Jim'd killed earlier. He and the younger man watched in disgust as the zombie dropped to its knees clumsily, and thrust it's remaining hand into the crushed skull of the dead one, moaning eagerly. It brought a handful of gray matter to it's cracked and decayed lips, letting out animal-like noises as it tore into it.
Tasting bile rise in his throat, Jimmy hurriedly stepped through the doorway, pulling Zack with him. He hadn't even realized he'd still been holding Zack's hips until he shut the door, and relaxed in the silence of the hall. In fact, the Bravo was pressed so tightly against him that he could feel his quick heartbeat.
Zack's jade eyes were fixed on Jimmy's neck. He was blushing deeply, because of the blood that had rushed between his legs at the closeness of he and the Alpha. He felt like an idiot -- even at a time like this he could get a hard on. As he tried to control his own breathing, and think of some dry joke to add to the situation, he noticed Jimmy's chest had stopped rising and falling, as if the older man was holding his breath.
Ever so slowly, Zacky lifted his gaze. It locked with Jimmy's steel blue, and they just kind of stared at each other for a moment. Jimmy was grateful to be alive at the moment, but even more grateful to have another one of the team with him. He'd never realized just how innocent and young Zack was, the adolescent cuteness, yet the good looks he'd surely grow into with time. Without thinking, he slowly started leaning in. Zack's own neck stretched upwards, and time seemed to freeze for a moment as their lips came within a centimeter of each other's. But then Jimmy's eyes flicked over Zack's shoulder, down the hall, and he noticed not only an open door at the end of the hallway, but a dead zombie on the ground, it's head blown to bits.
Reality struck him like a bag of bricks.
"I'msorryZack." he said in one breath, arm sliding from the Bravo's shapely waist.
Zack quickly shook his head, feeling his cheeks heat up more than they already had been.
"No, no." he said quickly. "I don't know what came over me, we should find the others."
Jimmy nodded, and he took a deep breath, trying not to notice how things had been heating up for himself below his belt. He started around Zack towards the open door, clutching the Beretta tightly in one hand.
"Follow me." he said softly, as if Zack would stay there by himself.
He wanted to get back to the main hall with Zacky, but one of the team could have been just inside the door -- and that deserved a quick look. As they were passing the closed door on the right, Zack hesitated.
"There's a picture of a sword on the lock." he whispered.
Jimmy stopped, keeping his attention on the darkness just past the open door, but realized that there were too many ways to get side-tracked. He doubted that the rest of the team was still waiting for him. And leading an unarmed rookie into unknown territory was obviously not something to do.
He sighed, and lowered his weapon. "Let's get back to the main hall." he said. "We can come back later."
Zack nodded, and they started towards the dining room. Jimmy kept one of his hands hidden from view, and his fingers were crossed as he prayed to anybody that would listen that someone would be there for them.
Brian pointed his Colt at the crawling monster and fired, the heavy round sent gray fluids spraying over the floor. With a sigh, he lowered the revolver, reaching up to massage his left shoulder. The door upstairs had been solidly locked, and he had many bruises to prove it. And now he knew that he'd have to go back and try to bust open another door -- it was clear Jimmy hadn't come this way, if he had, the zombie Brian'd just killed would've been history.
So where in fuck's sake are you, Jimbo?
Of three locked doors, Brian had picked one on pure instinct. The kitchen he'd found had been heavily coated with dust, everything coated. He'd only continued that way because of the way it was disturbed on the floor. He'd had a small spurt of hope that it'd been Jimmy to disturb it.
He turned and started back, wondering how Johnny was doing. As he tried to convince himself his fellow Alpha was fine, there was a dull, echoing clatter behind him. He spun, dread immediately knotting in his gut, and he pointed his weapon randomly at empty air, holding his breath. There was another metallic clatter, and the low hum of machinery.
Brian let out a deep breath as he realized that it was just the elevator being used. He lowered the Colt slightly and waited. He didn't think the zombies were smart enough to operate the buttons of an elevator, much less open the gate, but he couldn't take any chances.
The elevator stopped with a dull clang, and there was a squeal of rusty metal hinges, followed by footsteps...
And Captain Sanders stepped into view, his sunglasses propped on his brow. Brian sighed, lowering his Colt the rest of the way cool relief swarmed through his body. Matt stopped in his tracks, and immediately grinned.
"Brian! Just the man I was looking for." he said lightly.
"Christ, you scared the piss outta me." Brian said, but then his good mood faltered. "Where did you go?"
Matt's grin widened. "Oh, right." he said, giving a slight snort. "Sorry about that." he said shaking his head. "I had a bit of business to attend to -- you know, nature was calling."
Brian smiled again, surprised slightly by such a confession. There were in such a situation and the captain had snuck off to take a leak? Matt reached up and lowered his shades, breaking their eye contact, and Brian felt a little awkward and nervous. Matt's grin was strangely creepy.
"Brian -- have you ever heard of White Umbrella?" the captain asked suddenly.
Brian shook his head, starting to feel very uncomfortable for some reason.
"It's a sector of Umbrella Incorporated, a very important division." he said. "They specialize in...biological research. The Spencer estate houses their research facilities -- but recently...an accident has occurred."
He brushed off a section of the island counter's top, before leaning against it casually, keeping his cool tone.
"This division of Umbrella has some ties to the S.T.A.R.S. organization, and not too long ago I was asked to...assist in their handling of this situation. It's a very delicate situation, mind you, very hush-hush.
"Now, what I'm supposed to do is get to the laboratories on the grounds, and put an end to some rather incriminating evidence -- proof that White Umbrella is responsible for the accident that's caused so much trouble in Raccoon as of late. The problem is --" he furrowed his brows mockingly, and scratched his forehead. "-- I don't have the keys...and that's where you come in."
Brian blinked stupidly. An accident, secret laboratories and secret research...
...and monstrous dogs and zombies loose in the god damned woods.
He raised his Colt and aimed it directly at Matt's shit-eating grin. "Are you fucking insane?" he demanded. "You think I'm going to help you destroy evidence, crazy bastard?"
Matt made a face, but the grin returned and he shook his head as though Brian were a child. "I don't think you understand, Mr. Haner. You don't have a choice in the matter." Matt leaned in closer and pretended the Colt was a microphone, speaking into it slowly, and keeping a cool facade. "A few of my friends from White Umbrella are outside your ex-wife's house right now -- watching your beautiful daughter as she sleeps. If you don't help me...why...she could be in grave danger."
Brian felt the blood drain from his face. He cocked the hammer back on his revolver, feeling a sudden icy hatred for his captain.
"Before you pull the trigger." Matt said, relaxing back slightly. "I should mention that if I don't report back to my friends fairly soon, their orders are to go ahead and do the deed anyway."
The words cut through to Brian's mind, and he tried to remain calm.
"You're bluffing." he whispered.
Matt's grin finally disappeared, expression slipping back into the unreadable mask he always wore.
"I'm not." he said in a harsh tone. "Try me."
For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Brian released the hammer back down and lowered his Colt, his shoulders slumping. He couldn't risk it, despite their divorce, he'd always have a love for his ex-wife -- not to mention that his daughter was his world.
Matt nodded, reaching into one of his pockets to produce a ring of keys. His manner had changed drastically to one of business.
"There are four copper plates somewhere in this house." he said. "Each one is about the size of a teacup and has a picture engraved on one side -- sun, moon, stars, and wind. There's a back door on the other side of the mansion where they belong."
He pulled a key from the ring, and slid it across the counter to Brian.
"This should open all of the doors in the other wing, well, the important ones at least." he said. "First and second floor. Find those pieces for me, and your daughter can rest peacefully -- and your ex-wife of course."
Brian reached for the key with numb fingers, feeling weak and afraid.
"And what about John and Jimmy?" he asked.
"Well, they'll want to help, no doubt." Matt said. "If you see either of them, tell them that the back door is the way out. In fact -- you should unlock every door you can, to help them help you."
Matt smiled again, and the friendliness of it belied his words. "And I would sincerely appreciate it if you didn't mention bumping into me."
Brian glanced at the key -- there was a little picture, a chest plate from a suit of armor. He slipped it into a pocket. "Where will you be?" he asked quietly.
Matt grinned again, and in a swift movement, he ended up pressing his body against Brian's, pushing the other man into the counter sharply.
"Aw." he said mockingly. "What's wrong? Afraid to be without me?"
Brian gritted his teeth but wouldn't answer, and Matt ran his fingers through the Alpha's hair, rolling his hips violently into Brian's.
"Don't worry, pet." he said. "I'll be around. And I'll contact you when the time is right."
Brian lowered his gaze, suddenly wanting to cry. "You'll tell them I'm helping you, right?" he asked, "You won't forget to report?"
Matt smirked, and leaned in, planting a harsh kiss on Brian's lips. When he pulled away he kept their faces no more than an inch apart.
"Brian, as long as you do what I say," he said in a husky tone. "You have nothing to worry about."
And with that said, Matt turned and started towards the elevator again. Brian stared after him, still against the counter, and he listened as the elevator gate opened, closed, and then the operation of machinery -- Matt was gone.