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[antaxzantax]

Umbrella Pharmaceuticals - Chapter 46

Summary: Albert Wesker and William Birkin receive the news that the Antarctic base has been destroyed.

January 12th, 1983

At two o'clock that night I received an urgent circular: the Umbrella base in Antarctica had been destroyed by an explosion. The president and the chief researcher had survived. No further details were given.

I ran to William's bedroom. I knocked on the door and he opened it. I knew from his contorted gesticulation that he had also received and read the circular.

He reacted with disbelief at first. He didn't believe it. I assured him that yes, it was true. Then he mumbled about whether the investigation there hadn't blown up. I shrugged; I didn't know. Confused, he sat up in bed. How were we supposed to interpret this event? I told him not to rush into it, to wait for further clarification of the facts or to see what the consequences of the event would be.

I warned William to return to his old style of work as soon as possible. The imagined rivalry he had had with Alexia had poisoned his will and slowed our performance since 1981. I reminded him that Alexia, even if she had lost her project, was still the daughter of Umbrella's president and still twelve years old. By contrast, we were poor twenty-somethings who depended on a favorable evaluation to survive.

He seemed to take it well, despite everything. The other researchers spoke of Alexia as a kind of eminence. I learned that those who talked the most had been Edward Ashford alumni at the university or Ashford fellows through their private foundations. A truism, however, that heightened William's illusory competitiveness. For the sake of his badly bruised pride, he began to double the hours worked for nothing, refusing to admit his hatred for a 10-year-old he would ever meet and against whom he measured himself to prove his worth.

So many years of being the class favorite and receiving accolades had not prepared him to face the certainty of being outclassed by a gifted, multi-millionaire little girl. It wasn't worth it, but William didn't give up the battle. He clung to the Hunter project as a sign of his greatness and vowed to achieve the unassuming 100% efficiency demanded by Spencer. He increased the number of guinea pigs and, consequently, the money. Arklay's director called us in and put us both in a room: either we cut back, or we'd be out on our asses. William moderated his eagerness to preserve the remnants of his dignity but kept up his unattainable pace.

Finally, with the circular in hand, William's hell could have come to an end. I sensed it when he gave himself a nervous smile. Maybe this was the jolt his mind needed to come to. Maybe it wasn't. I don't know. In any case, I left his room worried about the future.

Albert Wesker

[antaxzantax]

Rockfort Island is Alfred's ironic hell:

-Alfred rules the island like a tyrannical king, surrounded by subjects...except he is a puppet king with no real power beyond what the actual rulers give him and doesn't have Alexia at his side.

His situation isn’t really his fault, it’s mainly Alexia’s. Alfred has few options since Alexia’s cryostasis chamber is located in the Antarctic Base, an Umbrella facility. He can’t move her somewhere else, so he has to keep her safe there for 15 years. That means Alfred has no choice but to cooperate with Spencer and the rest of Umbrella. He was 12 when he had to take over the facilities, far too young. In order for this to be possible at all, he certainly had to agree to unfavorable conditions. Going too far out on a limb later is not a good idea either, considering what happened to James Marcus or his grandfather Edward. Not drawing too much attention to himself and his facilities is much better for Alexia’s safety than Alfred trying to challenge the balance of power in Umbrella. His hands are somewhat tied here, thanks to Alexia. Alfred could certainly abandon his beloved sister and build a better life for himself, but he would rather die than do that. That’s not an option for him.

Alfred’s position on Rockfort Island probably gives him access to a lot of top-secret information, including information that could be very damaging to Umbrella. Regardless of whether Alfred is popular in the company or not, he seems to enjoy a great deal of trust. So, his position doesn’t seem to be all that bad.

Alfred also has a dissociative identity disorder, which is obviously not being treated, and he seems to be paranoid to a certain extent. His mental state is worrisome, to say the least. You should also keep that in mind.

Considering the overall situation, I think Alfred is actually doing a pretty good job. Besides, if Wesker hadn’t attacked Rockfort Island and Claire hadn’t been there, Alexia could have succeeded with her plan. Then Alfred’s suffering would have paid off.

[antaxzantax]

The Queen and the King Ant object in Code Veronica are made of ruby and sapphire. That is a fitting choice to represent the Ashford twins since ruby and sapphire are varieties of the same mineral - corundum (aluminum oxide). Even the gemstones are twins, so to say, slightly different but still the same. The different colors of ruby and sapphire are caused by impurities. In the case of ruby, the color originates from chromium(III) ions, and in the case of sapphire, it’s iron and titanium ions, which cause the blue color. While corundum must at least contain 1% chromium before it has a deep red ruby color, sapphires only need 0.01% titanium and iron to be deep blue.

[antaxzantax]

Umbrella Pharmaceuticals - Chapter 45

Summary:

Alexander Ashford and Alexia land at the Antarctic base.

I

Turbulence shook the plane as if it were going through a wormhole. One of the jolts spilled Alexander's unscrewed thermos. He and Jonathan scrambled to clean up the puddle of coffee on the floor and the droplets scattered on the wooden folding table. Alexia lulled herself sleepily into her thick, hooded fur coat, indifferent to the slip.

Stress had kept her from sleeping more than two consecutive hours for the past week, and the lack of sleep sharpened her irascibility. Five days before take-off, Elizabeth insisted that her granddaughter not go to Antarctica. Alexia replied so aggressively that her grandmother was struck dumb with surprise. Alexander sat down with her on the bed in her bedroom and asked her to explain what had happened. Alexia refused to answer. Surrendered, Alexander left for a moment. Alone, Alexia activated the mechanism of the music box and sat back down on the bed to listen to Berceuse.

After the incident with Elizabeth, Alexia met Dr. Sarah Charleigh, her new psychologist and specialist in gifted children. They only met twice. In the first session, Alexia filled out a personality questionnaire. In the second, Charleigh delved into her dreams and expectations. For the third, Charleigh would contact her by radio to start working on stress management and her newly acquired insomnia.

II

Alexander wiped his coffee with the handkerchief Jonathan passed him, chalking the slip up to fatigue. The last month's preparations had exhausted him.

He had to approve several lists of employees drawn up by the Institute. A research team of young, competent, ambitious and open-minded scientists. A trusted cleaning and maintenance staff. And a cadre of subordinates who were promised a higher base salary in exchange for their confinement at the South Pole. In terms of transporting personnel and materials, Alexander cut the lower quintile's allocation to tighten the budget. Harman turned to the Wilson brothers to scavenge Newcastle's municipal rubbish dump for bunk beds and lockers. For extra pay, the Wilsons took chairs, tables, desks and kitchen appliances. For a second allowance, the Wilsons collected food from local suppliers and soup kitchens.

Alexander reinvested the savings in one last decision. He ordered Martin to fly to Antarctica to dismantle and seal that site. Martin returned with the last report of the Code: Veronica project and photographs showing the lab's demise. He had destroyed the machines and sealed off the two entrances with a thick layer of reinforced concrete. Alexander glanced at the report.

“My children.”

He felt a sudden unease, similar to that of the Spencer mansion. The words he reread choked him.

He threw the report into the burning fireplace. The flames disintegrated the document.

He would die keeping the secret for the memory of his father and to protect his family.

III

The airplane landed on a makeshift runway cleared by snowplows. With the engines shut down, the five crew members descended the ramp in a line. The cold froze the ends of their hair and flushed their cheeks. Alexia, hood up, led the group to the entrance. Alexander set the two suitcases he was carrying on the ground and helped his daughter pull the frozen latch. The metal sheet gave way, and they stepped inside a half-buried building: first, Alexia, chief researcher; second, Alexander, director of the base; third, Martin, security chief and bodyguard; fourth, Jonathan, assistant butler, domestic assistant and cook; and fifth, Michael, pilot and staff supervisor.

It was hot inside. Alexia took off her hood. Alexander shook the ice from his beard and hair.

“Ready?” Martin nodded affirmatively. “Go.”

[antaxzantax]

You have been blessed by high quality Minmo. Reblog to grow strong and healthy.

[antaxzantax]

Isolation

Chapter 5

December 25

Greg was doing much worse today. He went to Isaac after all and will spend the next few days in the infirmary. This stubborn man should have done this yesterday. Even though the pain had eased by the evening, his hand was already almost twice as big as normal. The hand and now part of his forearm are dark red, even more swollen, and look badly infected, with pus and other liquids oozing from the wound. It seems as if the skin and the underlying tissue around the bite are dissolving. I hope Isaac can treat this. We have antibiotics here, but we don’t have any antidotes. Normally, they would be unnecessary here. Even if we would have some, it would hardly be the right antidote. What should we administer for bites from unknown giant white ants? In fact, we don’t even know whether it is really venom or bacteria. At least the storm will subside in the next few days, then we can call for help. Greg has to stay strong that long.

We burned all the contaminated food as quickly as possible this morning. We also searched the pantry again and discovered two more ants. One was lying dead next to a poison bait. They seem to be working. The other one was killed immediately. We are now checking every hour to make sure that no more of these dangerous bastards turn up.

December 25 Addendum I

The strange occurrences have been piling up lately since Dr. Edwards arrived here. At least the last one lifted our spirits a little. Marcus and Michael were carrying out some maintenance work on the supply systems today. When Michael came to us frantic, we feared that there would be more problems. But instead of broken pipes, he told us that he had been attacked by a tentacle monster. It had grabbed him by the leg and pulled on it. When Marcus shouted from the other side of the room what was going on, it let go and disappeared down a supply shaft. The attack came unexpectedly and was over quickly, and the area where it happened was only sparsely lit. Michael couldn’t describe exactly what he thought he had seen, except that a tentacle about 10 cm wide had grabbed him. Nobody believed Michael, but we all followed him and looked at the scene. As expected, there was nothing to see, even though the grid that was supposed to cover said supply shaft was indeed on the ground. On closer inspection, we noticed three bolts were missing, and the last remaining one was completely rusted through. No force would have been necessary to remove it from the bracket. It could have fallen out on its own. A look into the supply shaft with the flashlight showed nothing but dust. There was also no sign of an attack on Michael’s leg. That was the end of the matter for most of us. He had probably got caught on something in the semi-darkness, a cable or a hose, perhaps. However, Michael insisted that he had really seen something and asked Marcus to check the shaft. Marcus just said that he won’t crawl around in any shafts just because Michael had been watching his strange Japanese cartoon porn for too long yesterday and was overtired and fantasizing about tentacle monsters today. Lena then suddenly said she would do it, she would crawl into the shaft. She wants to see the monster too. But before she could crawl in, Jeff stopped her and said he had another idea, we should wait a minute. After all, ants may have somehow made it into the supply shaft. In such a cramped environment, it would be extremely dangerous to come across them, especially if there is more than one. We should definitely not try to kill them with our bare hands, and it’s impossible to run away in such a tight space.

I was also curious by now and waited with Michael and Lena for Jeff to return. The others had left. It took about 40 minutes, and we almost thought Jeff had forgotten us, then he came back with his robot. He had to dig through the snow to get to his lab, he said.

Oh yes, the robot. Jeff’s pride and joy. It is remote-controlled and was actually developed to drive into narrow crevices in rock or ice. It has a camera that sends images live to a small screen and is equipped with a device for taking samples. Thanks to a long cable, it can also be retracted if the battery runs out. Jeff has not yet been able to use it. A trip to the region where it was to be used was not planned until the beginning of February. Jeff wanted to use the supply shaft exploration as a dress rehearsal. However, it didn’t go quite that quickly, as we first had to familiarize ourselves with the technology and study the operating instructions.

After another 45 minutes of driving around in the open space and testing functions, we finally got going. It was so exciting, even though there wasn’t really anything interesting to see. We stared spellbound at the screen. The floor of the shaft was slightly sloping at first, but then it went straight on. To our left were pipes and cables, and to our right, only the wall of the shaft, in front of us, everything was dark that was not covered by the lamp’s light. The camera’s resolution wasn’t the best, but we could see enough, even some dust flakes flying around right in front of the robot. After a few meters, the supply shaft made a right turn. There was nothing out of the ordinary here either. By now, Lena and Michael were annoying Jeff by begging him to control the robot for a while. But Jeff blocked their attempts with an “If you break anything, I’ll kill you”, followed by a lecture on how expensive it is. After that, it was quiet, and we just continued to watch.

The shaft made a few more turns and split every now and then. As it runs under the entire facility and supplies the buildings with heat etc., we started to speculate after a while about where we were. However, we had previously chosen the directions rather randomly and hadn’t paid attention to where we were going from the start, which made things more difficult. It was quite possible that we had traveled through some areas several times. We couldn’t find any tentacle monsters. But something else. At a turn, we discovered a pool of some kind of liquid. At first, we thought it was just water leaking from a pipe, but as we got closer, we saw it was greenish. Jeff took a sample of the slightly slimy stuff. We then examined the spot more closely. The liquid formed a puddle about 10 cm in size on the floor and was clinging to a support for the pipes. This was damaged and had sharp edges. Had something cut itself there? A trail of green drops continued for about 2 meters into a shaft, then stopped. We drove a little further, but then the shaft split again. It was impossible to say where the cause had disappeared. We drove along all three possible paths but couldn’t find anything. It must have been in the northern part of the facility, although we couldn’t say exactly where. And Dr. Edwards is also located in the northern area. Is that a coincidence? However, Michael said that the supply shaft access in the northeastern storage building is not in her quarantine accommodation but outside in a small extra room. He will ask Harry to check it thoroughly soon, though.

After a while, we stopped exploring as we didn’t find anything unusual, and the battery was running low. Once the robot was back, we made our way to the lab. We wanted to find out what the green stuff was. It was worth shoveling snow again. Under the microscope, we saw plant cells? They were a bit oddly shaped, but I remember enough biology to recognize plant cells with their chloroplasts. Jeff, Lena, and Michael agreed, and that explains the green color. But what are photosynthesizing plant cells doing in a dark shaft at the South Pole? Where did they come from? What’s the story behind the trail? Plants can hardly move around. And what does this have to do with the tentacle monster? We were all a bit perplexed. In any case, we also stored the sample of the liquid. Maybe we can have it examined more closely too.

December 25 Addendum II

Harry was a bit annoyed that I wanted to ask him about Dr. Edwards so late, but then he told me how she was doing anyway. She’s still in good health, but the fact that she didn’t eat until the evening yesterday and that she got a smaller portion today bothered her immensely. She really seems to be quite hungry and doesn’t just want to eat out of boredom. Apart from that, the conversations with her yesterday and today were a bit boring, according to Harry. She only talked about one Game Boy game, Pokemon. The same game that Louis* desperately wanted for his birthday. He was so excited, didn’t talk about anything else, and forced me to memorize countless names of these little animals. The picture he drew me before I left, of me sitting on a Laplass (is that what it was called?) floating in the Arctic Ocean, is hanging in front of me right now. Dr. Edwards apparently behaved similarly to Louis. All she did was telling Harry which of these animals she had caught, which had evolved, and which battles she had won. She didn’t really go into other topics, or she quickly turned the conversation back to her game. I then told Harry that Louis had been busy with the game for weeks and that he could look forward to more exciting days of similar conversations. I can well imagine the look on his face when I said this.

Harry said that when he hears Dr. Edwards talking so enthusiastically about the game, she reminds him of a child. If she had been 10, it wouldn’t even bother him, but when a mid-twenty-year-old acts like that, it’s slightly disconcerting. He doesn’t really know how to deal with it and just listens to her. Well, maybe that’s how you are if you’ve never had any hobbies apart from work? On Dr. Edwards’ list of oddities, I’d only put it in the midfield.

*Louis Carter, my nine-year-old nephew

Start/←Prev/Next→

[antaxzantax]

Isolation

Chapter 5

December 25

Greg was doing much worse today. He went to Isaac after all and will spend the next few days in the infirmary. This stubborn man should have done this yesterday. Even though the pain had eased by the evening, his hand was already almost twice as big as normal. The hand and now part of his forearm are dark red, even more swollen, and look badly infected, with pus and other liquids oozing from the wound. It seems as if the skin and the underlying tissue around the bite are dissolving. I hope Isaac can treat this. We have antibiotics here, but we don’t have any antidotes. Normally, they would be unnecessary here. Even if we would have some, it would hardly be the right antidote. What should we administer for bites from unknown giant white ants? In fact, we don’t even know whether it is really venom or bacteria. At least the storm will subside in the next few days, then we can call for help. Greg has to stay strong that long.

We burned all the contaminated food as quickly as possible this morning. We also searched the pantry again and discovered two more ants. One was lying dead next to a poison bait. They seem to be working. The other one was killed immediately. We are now checking every hour to make sure that no more of these dangerous bastards turn up.

December 25 Addendum I

The strange occurrences have been piling up lately since Dr. Edwards arrived here. At least the last one lifted our spirits a little. Marcus and Michael were carrying out some maintenance work on the supply systems today. When Michael came to us frantic, we feared that there would be more problems. But instead of broken pipes, he told us that he had been attacked by a tentacle monster. It had grabbed him by the leg and pulled on it. When Marcus shouted from the other side of the room what was going on, it let go and disappeared down a supply shaft. The attack came unexpectedly and was over quickly, and the area where it happened was only sparsely lit. Michael couldn’t describe exactly what he thought he had seen, except that a tentacle about 10 cm wide had grabbed him. Nobody believed Michael, but we all followed him and looked at the scene. As expected, there was nothing to see, even though the grid that was supposed to cover said supply shaft was indeed on the ground. On closer inspection, we noticed three bolts were missing, and the last remaining one was completely rusted through. No force would have been necessary to remove it from the bracket. It could have fallen out on its own. A look into the supply shaft with the flashlight showed nothing but dust. There was also no sign of an attack on Michael’s leg. That was the end of the matter for most of us. He had probably got caught on something in the semi-darkness, a cable or a hose, perhaps. However, Michael insisted that he had really seen something and asked Marcus to check the shaft. Marcus just said that he won’t crawl around in any shafts just because Michael had been watching his strange Japanese cartoon porn for too long yesterday and was overtired and fantasizing about tentacle monsters today. Lena then suddenly said she would do it, she would crawl into the shaft. She wants to see the monster too. But before she could crawl in, Jeff stopped her and said he had another idea, we should wait a minute. After all, ants may have somehow made it into the supply shaft. In such a cramped environment, it would be extremely dangerous to come across them, especially if there is more than one. We should definitely not try to kill them with our bare hands, and it’s impossible to run away in such a tight space.

I was also curious by now and waited with Michael and Lena for Jeff to return. The others had left. It took about 40 minutes, and we almost thought Jeff had forgotten us, then he came back with his robot. He had to dig through the snow to get to his lab, he said.

Oh yes, the robot. Jeff’s pride and joy. It is remote-controlled and was actually developed to drive into narrow crevices in rock or ice. It has a camera that sends images live to a small screen and is equipped with a device for taking samples. Thanks to a long cable, it can also be retracted if the battery runs out. Jeff has not yet been able to use it. A trip to the region where it was to be used was not planned until the beginning of February. Jeff wanted to use the supply shaft exploration as a dress rehearsal. However, it didn’t go quite that quickly, as we first had to familiarize ourselves with the technology and study the operating instructions.

After another 45 minutes of driving around in the open space and testing functions, we finally got going. It was so exciting, even though there wasn’t really anything interesting to see. We stared spellbound at the screen. The floor of the shaft was slightly sloping at first, but then it went straight on. To our left were pipes and cables, and to our right, only the wall of the shaft, in front of us, everything was dark that was not covered by the lamp’s light. The camera’s resolution wasn’t the best, but we could see enough, even some dust flakes flying around right in front of the robot. After a few meters, the supply shaft made a right turn. There was nothing out of the ordinary here either. By now, Lena and Michael were annoying Jeff by begging him to control the robot for a while. But Jeff blocked their attempts with an “If you break anything, I’ll kill you”, followed by a lecture on how expensive it is. After that, it was quiet, and we just continued to watch.

The shaft made a few more turns and split every now and then. As it runs under the entire facility and supplies the buildings with heat etc., we started to speculate after a while about where we were. However, we had previously chosen the directions rather randomly and hadn’t paid attention to where we were going from the start, which made things more difficult. It was quite possible that we had traveled through some areas several times. We couldn’t find any tentacle monsters. But something else. At a turn, we discovered a pool of some kind of liquid. At first, we thought it was just water leaking from a pipe, but as we got closer, we saw it was greenish. Jeff took a sample of the slightly slimy stuff. We then examined the spot more closely. The liquid formed a puddle about 10 cm in size on the floor and was clinging to a support for the pipes. This was damaged and had sharp edges. Had something cut itself there? A trail of green drops continued for about 2 meters into a shaft, then stopped. We drove a little further, but then the shaft split again. It was impossible to say where the cause had disappeared. We drove along all three possible paths but couldn’t find anything. It must have been in the northern part of the facility, although we couldn’t say exactly where. And Dr. Edwards is also located in the northern area. Is that a coincidence? However, Michael said that the supply shaft access in the northeastern storage building is not in her quarantine accommodation but outside in a small extra room. He will ask Harry to check it thoroughly soon, though.

After a while, we stopped exploring as we didn’t find anything unusual, and the battery was running low. Once the robot was back, we made our way to the lab. We wanted to find out what the green stuff was. It was worth shoveling snow again. Under the microscope, we saw plant cells? They were a bit oddly shaped, but I remember enough biology to recognize plant cells with their chloroplasts. Jeff, Lena, and Michael agreed, and that explains the green color. But what are photosynthesizing plant cells doing in a dark shaft at the South Pole? Where did they come from? What’s the story behind the trail? Plants can hardly move around. And what does this have to do with the tentacle monster? We were all a bit perplexed. In any case, we also stored the sample of the liquid. Maybe we can have it examined more closely too.

December 25 Addendum II

Harry was a bit annoyed that I wanted to ask him about Dr. Edwards so late, but then he told me how she was doing anyway. She’s still in good health, but the fact that she didn’t eat until the evening yesterday and that she got a smaller portion today bothered her immensely. She really seems to be quite hungry and doesn’t just want to eat out of boredom. Apart from that, the conversations with her yesterday and today were a bit boring, according to Harry. She only talked about one Game Boy game, Pokemon. The same game that Louis* desperately wanted for his birthday. He was so excited, didn’t talk about anything else, and forced me to memorize countless names of these little animals. The picture he drew me before I left, of me sitting on a Laplass (is that what it was called?) floating in the Arctic Ocean, is hanging in front of me right now. Dr. Edwards apparently behaved similarly to Louis. All she did was telling Harry which of these animals she had caught, which had evolved, and which battles she had won. She didn’t really go into other topics, or she quickly turned the conversation back to her game. I then told Harry that Louis had been busy with the game for weeks and that he could look forward to more exciting days of similar conversations. I can well imagine the look on his face when I said this.

Harry said that when he hears Dr. Edwards talking so enthusiastically about the game, she reminds him of a child. If she had been 10, it wouldn’t even bother him, but when a mid-twenty-year-old acts like that, it’s slightly disconcerting. He doesn’t really know how to deal with it and just listens to her. Well, maybe that’s how you are if you’ve never had any hobbies apart from work? On Dr. Edwards’ list of oddities, I’d only put it in the midfield.

*Louis Carter, my nine-year-old nephew

Start/←Prev/Next→

[antaxzantax]

I always wait until the story is completely finished before I rewrite a chapter.

Isolation

Chapter 4

December 24

There are better ways to spend Christmas Eve than killing ants. Big, white, winged ants. We could hear Greg’s* screams almost throughout the entire facility when he went into the pantry today to get the food. These critters were sitting on various foods. None of us had ever seen ants like that. They were as big as my palm! But we didn’t worry about that for the time being. We had to save as much food as possible from the insect invasion. After all, we won’t be able to get new supplies any time soon. We took what didn’t seem to be infested out of the pantry and distributed it to various other rooms while a few of us made sure that the ants didn’t come along too. Then, we split into two teams. Lena, John, David, Jeff, and I inspected the rescued food again and packed it into the tight containers. The others killed the ants. If something is still infested, the ants should not be able to spread to everything, so we only distributed a few foods per container. We even had to use the new unused waste barrels. Lena caught some of the ants in cups. She thought we could perhaps have them examined. A pretty good idea since we can barely do anything with the insect slush from the dead ones. The only problem was that they could eat their way through thin plastic containers with their huge jaws pincers. After a minute, small holes were already visible in the plastic. I hope the plastic of the barrels and the other containers holding the food is thick enough to prevent them from getting through. Lena then quickly took the cups outside so that the cold would kill the critters. However, the ants turned out to be quite resistant to the cold. They slowed down quickly and stopped moving after 15 minutes outside, but as soon as they were brought back into the warmth, they started moving again. We then left them outside for five hours, after which they remained immobile. However, to be on the safe side, they will stay outside overnight. Tomorrow, we’ll put them in the ice core storage.

As for the exterminator team, they squashed as many ants as they could find. Everything was full of gooey ant slush. It wasn’t an easy task. The chitinous shells are very hard, so it takes a lot of force to kill these insects. Unfortunately, Greg was bitten on the left hand by one right at the beginning. The bite had bled and hurt a lot, and his hand was very red and swollen later on. He could hardly move it after a while, whether due to some kind of venom or the swelling, he couldn’t say. We told him several times to contact Isaac, but Greg said he would be fine. At least the pain apparently had subsided a little later.

As the ants were very aggressive and dangerous, the others put on the thickest clothes possible and fought them with shovels, frying pans, and similar objects. Some of their clothes are now so full of holes that a lot of them can only be thrown away. Michael also wanted to kill the ants with an improvised flamethrower consisting of a deodorant spray and a lighter, but the others stopped him before he could burn down the whole building. The infested food is now outside for the time being. It will be burned tomorrow to prevent the ants from spreading again.

After the exterminator team had given the okay, we searched again the adjacent corridors and rooms several times but found nothing, at least for the moment. We then distributed some poison bait in the pantry and the corridor, just in case any ants had survived. We have to store the food somewhere else for now.

Eating was delayed until the evening. We had already told Harry and Isaac beforehand. They were also supposed to tell Dr. Edwards. Looks like she won’t get her extra food portion now. And as Greg’s hand is still in a bad state, David and John have taken over the cooking today. We’ll take turns over the next few days. Nicole just said that it would be best if she didn’t cook. She can even burn water. We’ll also have to ration our supplies a bit. Tomorrow, we’ll go again through what we’ve managed to save, but initial estimates are that about a third had to be thrown away. We won’t starve, but that’s a bitter loss.

At dinner, we discussed about the ants. Nobody could say what kind of ants they were and where they came from, not even Jeff, who has somewhat of an interest in ground-dwelling insects. Some food was probably contaminated with ant eggs, which have hatched now. This wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened. But the other times, it was mostly food moths or mealworms, not giant ants. At least we have some pest control products here. Hopefully, they will help. As they are so big, we speculated that the ants might be a tropical species, and as the bites are very painful, they might be related to fire ants. What was strange, however, was that they all had wings, even if they only flew short distances. Normally, only mature animals have wings. Perhaps it is also an as-yet-undiscovered species. In that case, however, I could have done without discovering them here on our supplies.

I didn’t even have time to talk to Harry today. But if anything had changed in Dr. Edward’s health, he or Isaac would have let us know.

*Gregory Naul’s cook, supplies

Start/←Prev/Next→

[antaxzantax]

Code Veronica X (2001)

[antaxzantax]

Alexia Ashford in Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (2000)

[antaxzantax]

Resident Evil: Code Veronica (2023)

[antaxzantax]

Red's Guide to Resident Evil [Volume Four - Resident Evil : Code Veronica X (2000)]:

Scenery: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [+1]

Characters: Claire Redfield [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] | Steve Burnside [1] [2] [3] | Albert Wesker [1] [2] | Alexia Ashford [1] [2] | Fake Alexia Ashford [1] [2] | Alfred Ashford [1] [2] | Rodrigo Juan Raval [1]

Pairings: Cleve [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] | Weskerford [1]

Creatures: T-078 [1] | Nosferatu [1] | T-Veronica Steve [1] | All [1]

[antaxzantax]

Umbrella Pharmaceuticals - Chapter 44

Summary: James Marcus discusses with Oswell E. Spencer his stay at Umbrella. Alexander Ashford meets with the Jacob's Circle about their plan at the Antarctic base. Alexander presents Alfred and Alexia with two music boxes.

I

Dear Jamie:

I am glad to hear that your passion for the Progenitor virus has not let up since its genesis in the 1960s. However, I would not want you to be completely blinded by it. Umbrella is a company that needs to be managed. I know you hate politics, but it is part of corporate practice. If research into the Progenitor virus is to continue, the money must flow. Without funding, the prodigious affair that began in Africa is over. I gave you the Training Centre out of goodwill, as a friend, in exchange for nothing more than the availability of your scientific talent. I only ask you to reconsider your position. This is a crucial moment, and we cannot afford any mistakes. If you still feel that your career in this corporation is over, I will be the first to organise an honourable farewell. In any case, contact me for whatever you need. It would be dishonourable for me to let a trifle cloud our long and fruitful friendship.

Your friend,

Oswell E. Spencer

II

Oswell:

I appreciate your words and goodwill. For the time being, I have reconsidered my position and will still stay at Umbrella on the same terms. However, I will need an increase in funding. I am not unaware of your priority with the Arklay laboratory, but I underline that research of the highest level is still being carried out at the Training Centre. In this connection, I will ask you for one last favor: my former PhD student, Brandon Bailey, I am requesting his transfer from Africa to the Training Centre. His valuable experience will help me in the development of my projects.

James Marcus

III

I have spoken to Oz. Your transfer will be next month. Bring all the material for the exit plan.

J.M.

IV

Alexander Ashford and Anthony Campbell presided at the table of the Jacob's Circle. Alexander as the rightful heir of the former Grand Master, Edward, and Anthony on behalf of Grand Master Mary-Anne, who was absent due to ill health. Behind him on the left, the portrait of Veronica Ashford. On the right, that of Rupert Campbell.

The Inner Circle, consisting of fifteen members, had been convened to decide on several issues raised by Ashford, the most important of which concerned Umbrella. The fifteen members, including the under-chiefs of the Campbell and Douglas clans and an Irish Catholic bishop, listened attentively to the Grand Master's proposal.

“Spencer still doesn't want any Jacobins working for Umbrella?” asked an elderly man in Scottish, dressed in Douglas clan tartan.

“No, no one. He made a deal with my father,” Ashford replied in the same language.

The fifteen members murmured among themselves. Campbell nudged Ashford closer.

“Won't it be possible in Antarctica?” he whispered.

“No,” he replied quietly. “Martin will come with me, but no one else. I don't want to risk it. The Institute is still vetting personnel at the base.”

“What do you think of the plan, ladies, and gentlemen?” Campbell raised his voice.

The murmuring stopped. A woman in the Campbell clan tartan raised her hand.

“I have a question about the virus. When Princess Alexia completes her development, where will the virus be hidden? At the Antarctic base?”

“First in my father's old private laboratory in Newcastle.”

“And then?” added the Irish priest.

“At St Andrews. One of our members who is a professor there will have the means to ensure its temporary concealment until the contract is signed and it is released. Any other questions?”

The fifteen members looked at each other in silence. There were no further questions. Ashford rose. Campbell and all fifteen members rose at the same time.

“Brothers and sisters of the Circle,” he continued in Scottish, “the convocation ends with the approval of the plan for the next five years. I pray that God will favour us in our undertaking.”

“Amen,” they all shouted in unison.

V

There was a friendly but naive king

who wed a very nasty queen.

The king was loved but

the queen was feared.

Till one day strolling in his court,

an arrow pierced the kind king's heart.

He lost his life and

his lady love.

The lyrics, engraved on a gold plate on the inside of the lid, flowed to the rhythm of the simple and beautiful melody. It was a feerical composition that enraptured the two children sitting on the tiled floor.

Their father had given them two identical, bulky music boxes for Alexia's graduation. Their only visible difference was the ant-shaped jewel that Alexander had included in the lid's opening mechanism in memory of Alexia's recent discovery: a blue ant for Alfred and a red ant for her. The piece corresponding to the insect's abdomen could be removed to operate the box's latch or unlatch it by inserting it. Both the jewel and the box were two masterpieces of craftsmanship worth their weight in gold. However, both children's fascination was not with the technical quality of the set, but with the song. The unnamed song that their father had ordered to be composed for them and which the twins had christened Berceuse.

Berceuse because it inspired a strange nostalgia for their early childhood, when both twins always lived together and without worries, when they imagined themselves as the protagonists of an endless fairy tale.

Alexia and Alfred held hands for the first time in three years.

They would never be separated again.

Nevermore.

[antaxzantax]

New user name

After being Gerald Dürden for over 10 years, it's time for a changing. New ID is Antax Zantax in internet.

[antaxzantax]

Umbrella Pharmaceuticals - Chapter 43

Summary: Albert Wesker and William Birkin receive the news that Alexia Ashford will be working for Umbrella as chief researcher. Based on Wesker Report's official Wesker Report's 2 file.

July 27th, 1981

Today we received a piece of news in Arklay. Umbrella Pharmaceuticals had hired a ten-year-old girl as chief researcher. Her name: Alexia Ashford.

Alexia Ashford is the daughter of one of Umbrella's two presidents, Alexander. Unexpected but reasonable. As in any other organization, nepotism runs through Umbrella's veins since its founding. Whatever else it is, what it is about it does not concern me. However, the news has provoked a reaction in Birkin that I did not like.

In less than a month I will be twenty-one years old, and Birkin is already nineteen. Our record as the youngest heads of research in the corporation may have been broken, but our reputation is unblemished. It is we who are leading the major biological weapons projects and deciding the direction the T-virus is taking. However, it seems that to Will our unblemished track record is not enough.

His reaction was tremendous. His eyes rolled back in his head and his breathing quickened. Glancing sideways at him, I immediately knew that his heart had dropped to his stomach and his testicles had risen to his throat. His cheeks were burning, and his fists were shaking. I asked him what was wrong, and he didn't answer. He just stood there clenching his fists. Then he reread the news and cursed loudly, slamming his fists on the table. The coffee cup spilled on the table, splashing me. I insulted him. William insulted himself and then walked out of the lab. He slammed the door. He was out for a few minutes and came back. He slammed another table while I wiped the coffee stains off with a piece of paper. I insulted him again to see his reaction. He put his back against the wall and stood there, crestfallen. He muttered something intelligible.

Silence.

That's how the real-world works, I told him. They have the money, and we are the suckers who work to earn their money. They have the power, and they do what they want with that power, including placing their children, I tried to reason. But William was stuck in place. He raised his head and we looked at each other. I saw a fawn wounded by an invisible bullet. The loss of innocence. The denial of reality: that no matter how good you are, you are nothing more than an anonymous pawn in a chess game to which you are not invited.

I fear the consequences. William is a teenager pretending to be an adult.

Damn it.

Albert Wesker

[antaxzantax]

Isolation

Chapter 3

December 23

Something frightened the dogs this morning. Marcus was about to feed them when he saw that they were all huddled together in the far corner of their kennel. With their tails tucked between their legs, they were yelping and whining. It took him quite a while to calm them down to some extent. Fortunately, they were not injured. After the dogs were taken care of, he first searched the area himself to find out what the cause was before he asked us for help. Lots of snow falls quickly, and the wind does its bit, not to mention the very limited visibility. Any remaining tracks shouldn’t be swallowed up by the snow. None of us noticed anything. The storm is quite loud, so you can hardly hear any noise that doesn’t come from the immediate vicinity of the building you’re in.

It can’t really have been wild animals. There are no animals here that are big enough to scare the dogs like that. Therefore, our first thought was that someone else from the Umbrella facility had shown up. So we mainly looked for vehicle tracks and also for footprints leading into or out of the research station, in case they had parked the vehicles outside. The search lasted over an hour and a half. We looked inside and about 100 meters around the station, but we found nothing, no vehicle tracks, no footprints. We were just about to stop when John discovered something we had not paid attention to before. A large amount of snow had fallen from one of the buildings, exposing the roof. It was slightly odd despite the strong wind, as the snow on the roofs is usually a bit icy and not so easy to move. There were also markings that looked like claw marks in several places on the roof and at the top of the wall, always two long, almost parallel lines. Marcus said that perhaps there were larger pieces of ice in the pile of snow that had left the patterns as they slid down. The noise this made may also have frightened the dogs. Nobody was really satisfied with the explanation, not even Marcus himself. Wouldn’t chunks of ice be more likely to create irregular scratch marks? Would a pile of falling snow really scare all the dogs? However, none of us had any better explanations. Judging by the size of the scratches, the animal should have been about the size of a human. Also, there didn’t seem to be any footprints leading to or away from the spot, as far as anyone could tell. It must have had wings to get onto the roof and away. That makes even less sense.

As for Dr. Edwards, I tried to ask Isaac about her, but he just said he wasn’t allowed to talk about his patients. She’s not really his patient, though. He hasn’t examined her due to the risk of infection, and unless she gets sick, it will probably stay that way. Moreover, her condition concerns us all. Fortunately, Harry is more talkative. I’ll just stick to him from now on. He said she was still doing well. She has a healthy appetite and has asked if she can have more food. Harry wants to ask about that, even though we don’t have that much leeway when it comes to food portion sizes. She gets the same amount as the rest of us and is already an extra mouth to feed. I’m sure AAD won’t be happy if they have to deliver unscheduled supplies. Otherwise, she seems to have taken a liking to the Gameboy. Harry has now got her rechargeable batteries and a charger, so she doesn’t use up all our batteries. She said she played until the batteries ran out. Quarantine must be really boring.

As she doesn’t seem to know anything about current events or has any hobbies, Harry tried small talk about her life this time. He said he wasn’t intrusive and also told her a few things about himself. Nevertheless, she wasn’t really talkative about it. In the beginning, she answered, albeit somewhat short, but later, she avoided some questions or simply ignored them before she wanted to change the subject. She didn’t say exactly where she came from, only that she was from England. From a small town that Harry wouldn’t know anyway. Her father is dead, she doesn’t know where her mother is. Apart from that, she has a twin brother with whom she gets along well. Harry asked her if we should contact him when communication is back on track, but she said she’d rather tell him everything in person when this is over. She was privately tutored as a child, and her studies were primarily distance learning. However, she didn’t want to say where she studied. That’s strange. I can somewhat understand her keeping quiet about things that have to do with her work, but something like this? Is she afraid we’ll check her statements? If only it were that simple. I would check her background if I could. I just don’t think she’s telling us the whole truth, at least she’s hiding something.

She was more talkative when it came to traveling. As a child, she had once spent a week in London and a few days in Edinburgh. Apart from that, her father took her on business trips to various countries from time to time. However, she either had to go along to the business meetings or stay in a hotel. She didn’t see much of the places they visited. Her father must have been quite a workaholic if he never went anywhere with his children when it wasn’t for business trips. As a teenager and during her studies, she never traveled and only focused on her career. Maybe that’s why she’s the way she is. It’s kind of sad if you never see the world during your youth. A lack of money was apparently not an issue in her case. Besides, she was very interested in what Harry told her about his trips to Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, and New Zealand. He had to describe everything down to the smallest detail, at least as far as he could remember. Harry also offered her to visit him when he is back home in Brisbane. He would show her around the city. They could also go on trips to other cities, or spend a few days in the Outback. She said maybe she would really do that if her brother could come with her. I wonder if her brother is as weird as she is.

Start/Prev

[antaxzantax]

Umbrella Pharmaceuticals - Chapter 42

Summary: Alexia Ashford graduates from university at the age of ten. Alexander Ashford and Anthony Campbell discuss her future job as chief researcher at the Antarctic base.

I

Alexander and Anthony had their third cup of tea.

“Research assistant in Bonn. A renewal of her previous internship contract.” Anthony scribbled on the paper with his platinum pen. “Unless you can think of something better.”

Alexander stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“I'm not going to Raccoon City and I'm not going to Paris.”

“What if they find out? Falsifying an employment contract is easy. But then, how will you justify Alexia's absence? They could call the police.”

Alexander smiled sardonically.

“I've been there.”

Anthony tucked the platinum pen inside his jacket.

“Why are you always so difficult? What are you supposed to do in Antarctica?” Alexander looked sideways at Anthony. “Why don't you stay home?”

“I can't. I can't work anywhere else but Antarctica. That's where the lab is.”

Anthony put his glasses back on. Alexander approached him.

“We must get back to my father's research. We've invested too much money in this, and we've just signed a sales contract with the Department of Defense.” He sounded calm and firm. “I can't give up.”

Anthony sighed in defeat.

“Your father's got us in a lot of trouble. So, what do you propose? What do you want to do?”

“Give me a couple of years. Convene the Circle before I leave at the end of the summer. I'll try an idea.”

Anthony took a sip from his cup.

“What idea?” he asked with interest.

Alexander shifted back in his chair.

“A new virus.”

“Like the Progenitor?”

“Different. And better.”

“And I suppose Alexia will be the one to develop this new virus? And when she does, what happens next?”

Alexander began to swirl his teacup without finishing it.

“I might rethink my partnership with Spencer.” Alexander held Anthony's gaze.

The red-haired man increased his attention.

“You mean leaving Umbrella? I thought you wouldn't say such a thing out of love for your father.”

“My father loved the Progenitor, not the company. The company is nothing more than a front. A means to cover expenses and make a profit. The virus was the only thing that mattered to him; it's the only thing that matters. The plan... If we had this new virus, we could mobilize the Circle to put it into circulation. I own half of the Progenitor. The Stairway of the Sun patent was signed by my father and Spencer. He couldn't sue me. And... I'm sure it would be to his advantage if I left, and he kept the whole company.

“Are you sure? Spencer's good, but he's not as good as we are. We're a dynasty and he's a self-made man with no heirs. Without our support, Spencer will have a hard time getting the company back on its feet, mainly because all the profit from the exit would go to us.”

“It's not about that. It's not about the money.”

“So?”

“Pride.”

Anthony laughed.

“Spencer's not just going to let me walk away,” Alexander continued. “He needs me in front of him to remind himself how good he is. To reassert his power. My father was better than him, and because I'm not the same, he feels powerful. We need a good excuse to break the association with minimal collateral damage. Besides, I'm not leaving Umbrella empty-handed. That would be stupid.”

Anthony finished his tea.

“I understand your position.”

“Tony, I need that employment contract. I'll pay someone to take care of the problem you mention.”

Anthony glanced at the papers on the coffee table.

“What would Alexia's job be?”

“Chief researcher.”

“And will this new virus be public knowledge?”

“Secret, for the moment.”

“Yeah...” He sighed. “I hope your plan really works because, if it fails, you're going to get us all in a lot of trouble. I don't want Alexia to end up like your father.”

“She won't.”

“What about your mother? What does she think about that?”

“She flatly refuses.”

“It's understandable.”

“I'll convince her.”

Anthony stopped fiddling with the papers.

“Great-great-grandfather Rupert was right. Better we wait in the castle than try our luck on the battlefield again. But you're great-great-grandmother Veronica's son. You Ashfords are all about action, aren't you?”

“We're not going to sit around vegetating in a castle while the rest of the world spins endlessly. Without the crown, all we have left is hegemony.”

Anthony shrugged.

II

Flashes. Cheers. Noise. Crowds. She took the podium in a cap and gown. The crowd fell silent. She swallowed, paralyzed with fear. The speech was concise and forceful. The president and professors applauded behind her. Flashes. The reporters repeated the same questions. What do you intend to do after your degree? Are you going to work at Umbrella? What was your secret to graduating so young? She hid her nauseating discomfort with a fake smile and answered with empty words. She satisfied the insistent reporters and they left. Adults milled around her. Despite her short stature, she stood out as an outsider to the natural laws that governed the space. During dinner with university officials, she escaped to the bathroom and vomited. No one noticed. Her father kept smiling and chatting with everyone. But no one talked to her. She didn't exist. In the minds of those old men and women, she didn't exist. She was an award, she thought. An exceptional diploma. A front page in the newspaper. A picture on the wall. She left the dining room pretending to go back to the bathroom and left. She hid in the garden outside. Sitting on the edge of a potted plant, she began to look for a glimmer of joy. And there it was. A row of ants.

She had graduated in physical biology and chemistry with a major in virology. Adults assumed she would be as brilliant a scientist as her grandfather Edward. But she liked insects. During the last two years, she discovered her fascination with entomology. She wanted to specialize in the latter, but her father insisted that she would have time after graduating. However, there was a sudden change of plans. In her scarce leisure time, she discovered an article about a little-documented plant and ant species. For some reason, the two species were living together in symbiosis, and the reason for their coexistence was unknown. At first, she was inclined to take this small discovery as a mere curiosity. Then her perspective changed when she turned to the plant and the ant for one of her experiments. It turned out that the symbiosis between the two species could be due to a parasite or a virus. Alexander bought some samples. A Latin American scientist handed them to him. The possibility of a new project.

At first, she was happy. Seeing all her passions converge into one thing contributed far more to the successful completion of her university degree than the insubstantial encouragement she received from family and acquaintances. So, she focused on what made her happy, which was the first emotion she had experienced since starting university.

Her grandmother noticed. On the few occasions she travelled to the United States, she noticed that Alexia barely made any effort to make an expression. Alexander put it down to her usual expressionlessness, but Elizabeth contradicted him. Her behavior was strange. She spent the day locked in her study or room, always alone, and only spoke when she had to answer a question. She appeared sad and tired. Elizabeth wanted to know the reason for her attitude, but Alexia lied. She didn't want anyone to know how she was really feeling, not even her grandmother. Because no one understood her, and no one would help her. She could only depend on herself.

Elizabeth regretted her obvious change from a lively, energetic child to a listless, withdrawn one. Alexia hid the pain of the comment and locked herself in her room. She opened the first book she could find and began to study.

Senior year was different. Her father and Spencer hired her for six months as a research assistant at Umbrella's headquarters in Bonn. It was there that she rediscovered happiness. She used the six months to formalize her research project and, sure enough, she discovered a retrovirus embedded in the genes of the queen ant. Alexander urged her not to reveal the results. She didn't care about her father's secrecy. She was happy. Happy to research what she liked and happy to work for herself and without constant adult supervision. Although she was not allowed to take on too much responsibility to avoid legal problems, Alexia led her own research team for the short six months. She recounted the experience to her brother, whom she had not seen in person since she started university. She missed him. But they were different, and she could not afford to be emotionally dependent on anyone, not even her brother.

She finished her work as an intern and graduated at the top of her class. A week before the ceremony, Alexander and Anthony met with her to sign a forged employment contract. Research assistant in Bonn. Chief researcher at Umbrella Pharmaceuticals' Antarctic base.