CHAPTER 4:

WRECKAGE AND RELICS

Billy looked over at Henry as the ex-Marine was being healed by Hermione. "So…any bright ideas that don't end with us being involved in something like a train crash?" he asked wryly.

Henry shot him an annoyed look, rendered all the more impressive by the burning wreckage around them. "Be thankful that we all arrived at our destination intact and sane. Between Marcus and the American branch's incompetence…"

Henry then proceeded to begin extinguishing the flames with Aguamenti charms, while Hermione and Luna healed Billy and Rebecca (the four Sentinel-enhanced humans not needing healing). Lisa was currently doing some reconnaissance. They were almost certainly at the Umbrella Executive Training Facility. And not a moment too soon.

As predicted, a number of BOWs were loose on the train. Between Marcus' leeches, zombies, and a massive scorpion, they had their hands full. Thankfully, the Alohamora charm allowed them to bypass virtually all locks, save for the broken ones. However, Henry had decided to clean out the train of any BOWs to reduce the risk to others, and that had nearly cost them, when they had barely been able to get the train to brake in time. Okay, they derailed the train, but they were alive, and intact, more or less. The injuries Billy and Rebecca had suffered were relatively minor.

"So, what next?" Rebecca asked.

Henry pursed his lips. "We track down Marcus. We'll also need to find the self-destruct sequence trigger for this place at least, to contain the BOWs and any zombies. We will also check this place to ensure there are no other surprises Marcus left behind. The Alohamora charm can bypass any of the puzzle doors, thankfully."

"Puzzle doors," Billy said flatly.

"Spencer had a fetish for puzzle doors, doors that only unlock when you have all the pieces of, say, a crest, or certain emblems. The Spencer Mansion is riddled with them, and this place is probably no exception," Henry said. "They would slow us down considerably if we did not use the charm."

"Those special forces soldiers," Rebecca said. "You think they're from Umbrella?"

Luna nodded. The corpse of one of those soldiers was nearby, having been attacked by a leech. With Rebecca healed, she gestured for the STARS medic to come over, and pointed to the familiar logo on the shoulder. "The Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service," Luna said. "Publicly, when Umbrella wants to admit it, they are a PMC owned by Umbrella that acts as a means of rescuing civilians from biohazard outbreaks. Privately, they're used for anything from escorting BOWs all the way to assassination. The UBCS were the ones sent to kill Marcus. Many of those are war criminals, exiled soldiers, and mercenaries. HUNK's rather nice, though."

Hermione shook her head. "Few in the UBCS are. I thought that Carlos guy wasn't too bad, but that Nicholai…"

There was a noise from the exit, and Lisa came in. "We are definitely at the Training Facility," the tall woman said. "We will have to make a brief trip through a sewer, and then we'll be in the entrance hall."

"No BOWs?" Henry asked.

"None that I have noticed so far, but that means little. Before we came here, I did research on the BOWs they were testing here. Plenty of arthropod BOWs, along with the primates codenamed 'Eliminators', and there's the possibility of Hunters."

Henry stared, before he snapped, "Damnation!"

"What's the matter?" Rebecca asked.

"Hunters…" Henry muttered. "We need a shotgun of some sort if we can find one, or maybe a grenade launcher or a heavy-calibre handgun, a magnum of some kind. We are fine against Hunters, but you and Coen…"

"They're bad enough to need a shotgun?" Billy asked.

"Think of the bastard mutant offspring of a gorilla and a velociraptor, capable of decapitating a human with a single swipe of their claws," Lisa said. "They run fast, jump high and far, and they are vicious."

"What do you mean you'll be fine?" Rebecca asked. "I know you have magic, but…wait a moment. You healed us when the train derailed…but you didn't heal yourselves."

Henry, after a moment reproaching himself for his slip of the tongue, decided to come clean. It was perhaps something of an impulsive move, but he needed to gain their trust, and it was better to tell them now than for it to come out later. After all, they couldn't conceal that they had powers beyond magic for too long. "We did not need to. In a manner, all four of us are BOWs ourselves. Enhanced strength, stamina, speed, and senses." With his fingernail, he cut open the palm of his hand, and let the blood fall to the ground, before it burst into flames. "All thanks to my mother's greatest creation: the Sentinel Virus. A chimaera of a number of Umbrella's viruses, and perhaps one of the safest, relatively speaking. You read about my performance in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Chambers? Did you happen to read about how I defeated a dragon?"

"I did, but…I thought that to be a form of self-transfiguration," Rebecca said, staring. "You…experimented on yourselves?" she added in a horrified hiss.

Henry rolled his eyes. "My mother experimented on me. Hermione and Luna were given the refined form of Sentinel. Lisa…" He looked over at Lisa, who stepped forward, intending to tell her story herself.

"My father was the architect of the Spencer Mansion, George Trevor. My mother and I were trapped by Umbrella and turned into guinea pigs for their viruses," Lisa said. "It was partially thanks to me that a number of their bioweapons exist. Not that I knew anything about them at the time. The mutations distorted me in body and mind, and it was only Alexia's experiments on me that allowed me to regain my sanity and intelligence. The fact that my body is relatively…normal in appearance now is a bonus. You have no idea what it is like, to be little more than a rabid monster, trapped in a grotesque body, not knowing where your mother or father are. The four of us here are more than human. I don't doubt that many would call us monsters."

"So, why don't you kill us?" Billy asked suspiciously.

Rebecca scoffed. "Leaving aside whether they want to do it or not, if they want to, they could wipe our memories. Wizards have a spell that can erase memories and plant new ones. Plus, if they really wanted to, they could use the Imperius. That's a mind-control spell, and one of the Unforgivables, but if they really wanted to, they'd use it."

Henry nodded approvingly. "You make good points, Chambers. And the truth of the matter is, cooperating with STARS will help my mother, and Umbrella, in the long run. Not these cretins in the American branch, but the true Umbrella."

Luna smiled. "After all, what does an umbrella actually do? It keeps the rain off you. It protects you."

Hermione added, "I know it's asking a lot for you to trust us, but…"

Rebecca shook her head. "It is. But you know more about this, and you've been upfront with most of what is going on. And if you wanted to cover it up, there are so many ways you could have done so by now. I'll trust you for now. But I'll be keeping an eye on you four."

Henry nodded in acknowledgement, before he found a chunk of masonry that had been dislodged by the crash, a hunk of stone the size of a cricket ball. In one hand, he crushed the stone into powder. "By all means, do so, Chambers. Just remember what we can do before you try anything rash…"

Rebecca found herself talking to Hermione as they journeyed through the sewers. The two precocious young women had clicked over their intelligence and their overachieving ways, and Rebecca was certainly full of questions. "So, I get that the T-Virus creates those zombies. What are the others?"

"It'd take a while to list them," Hermione said. "Sentinel is basically a hybrid, as Henry said, of multiple viruses. And it is continually being improved. For example, sometime after Luna and I were first infected, we were given an upgraded version, allowing us to move at speed."

Billy stared. "That's…scary. Alexia isn't trying to make a supersoldier army to take over the world?"

Henry scoffed in disdain. "You have been watching too many movies. Imagine you do manage to take over the world. Imagine the sheer amount of work you would need to undertake in order to keep it under your control. And while we are strong thanks to Sentinel, we are far from invincible, though I am sure that many who would gain our powers would feel that way. Foolishly."

They soon clambered up a ladder, Lisa going first and opening up a heavy metal hatch. The sextet looked around at the mansion-like hall they found themselves in. Opulent, but clearly past its glory days, with dust everywhere. And there, at the head of the stairs, was a large portrait of an older Doctor Marcus.

"Is this the guy you said caused the outbreak?" Billy asked.

Henry nodded. "He has been resurrected via his own BOWs. Remember that leech man we fought on the train?"

Rebecca grimaced at the reminder. Fire spells proved most effective against that bizarre amalgamation of leeches in Marcus' form. "That's what he looks like?"

"Not now. He looks like what he did when he was younger. The leeches basically rejuvenated him," Henry said.

Suddenly, a strident voice blared out from hidden speakers. "Attention! This is Dr Marcus! Please be silent as we reflect upon our company motto. Obedience breeds discipline. Discipline breeds unity. Unity breeds power. Power is life."

"Sounded like something out of a fascist rally," Hermione muttered with a scowl. "Was that automated?"

"Probably," Henry said. "But Marcus admitted he was here when I spoke to him earlier. He may have just triggered that just to get a reaction from us…"

Marcus smirked as he heard that from the surveillance he had on the entrance hall. Ashford's brat was on the money. However, he had bigger fish to fry, as he hacked into the surveillance feed leading to where he knew Wesker and Birkin were cowering. He watched as one of the screens showed Wesker…along with Alexia. Birkin was not present. "Well, what a surprise," Marcus said. "I didn't think you two would deign to work together."

Both of them scoffed, and Wesker said, "Doctor Marcus…you look rather hale and hearty for a dead man."

Marcus blinked. "How did you…?"

Alexia shrugged. "My son told me. You have your ways of communicating with your children, and I have mine, Marcus. I have to say, though, becoming a BOW agrees with you. Your looks have improved, even if your temperament has not."

"Still the precocious prodigy, Alexia," Marcus said. "You intend to work with my murderers?"

"I am cleaning up the American branch's mess," Alexia retorted. "Being the CEO of this company is closer to a janitorial position, much to my irritation. Incidentally, accusing Albert and William of being murderers is somewhat rich, considering that you are not dead…nor that your own hands are clean. Even before becoming a moving midden of Hirudinea(1), you used other people for test subjects. Admittedly, so did I…but that is something of the norm for Umbrella. I shall not waste my time or breath on trying to persuade you from giving up your crusade. Having you killed was one of Spencer's better ideas. Sadly, I have to clean up after him. Or rather, my son and his entourage shall do it."

Marcus merely scoffed. "You have sent your son and his cohort to their deaths, Alexia Ashford. You underestimate my true power, and nothing will get in the way of my revenge. Do you have nothing to say, Albert?"

"Not really. I am just wishing I had popcorn while watching your little catfight," Wesker said with a shrug.

Alexia chuckled. "I shall certainly make some up for when you die, Marcus. You claim that I underestimate your true power. But you underestimate mine. It shall be a battle of our minds by proxy, through the children of our minds. Your BOWs, and those infected by Sentinel. Maybe you are more powerful than my son and his allies." Her blue eyes narrowed, boring into Marcus' soul. "But I doubt that."

"All doubt will soon be wiped away in an infernal palimpsest that will sweep the world, Alexia," Marcus sneered back, though a small kernel of doubt and fear gnawed at his heart, something he would never deign to admit. "Umbrella has no place in my new world order, no matter who is in charge of that petty fiefdom. I remember you having this curious obsession with ants. They are easily stepped on."

"With all due respect, Doctor Marcus," Wesker purred, his tone making it clear that no respect was due at all, "so are leeches. I remember that lovely squelch they made when I killed those you had been working on after killing you. A crying shame I was not more thorough."

"Indeed," Alexia said. "You are a relic of Umbrella's past, Marcus. And you have no place in its future." Her face twisted into a cold sneer. "So be a good boy, and die, for good this time." Then, the feed cut off.

Marcus scoffed, trying to dispel the uncertainty he now felt. To himself, trying to bolster his confidence, he said quietly, "Words are all you have left, Alexia. And misplaced faith in your son, his companions, and their new virus. But just because it's new doesn't mean it is better, after all. I will show you the ruined corpses of your pawns you have sent to die Alexia, and you will understand the full depths of your folly…"

But the only thing he heard in response were the echoes of his own words, as if mocking him with the hollow nature of his declaration…

CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:

Well, sorry for the wait. But here it is. Plus, Rebecca and Billy had to find out about Sentinel some time. Might as well be now.

Anyway, we'll be having a series of time skips from now on, as well as alternating between Henry and company, and Alexia.

Review-answering time! Emperor Vanquest: Alexia is working on moving most of the European branch away from bioweapons development, and intends to use the American branch as a scapegoat if need be. She's also been cultivating alliances with other pharmaceuticals companies like Tricell. Effectively, she intends to paint Spencer, Marcus, Wesker and Birkin as dangerous lunatics. She's also been getting more sway within the US Government. The problem is, Racoon City is very much a holdout of the old regime's influence.

Kilare T'suna: Well, potentially it's as powerful.

scottdragoon: Well, wait and see.

1. Hirudinea is the biological subclass all leaches belong to. Fun fact: the medical use of leeches is also called hirudotherapy. No, really!