Chapter 77 - Hidden Viper

Leaving the three of them to talk with each other, I walked over to the car. The driver looked at me in sheer horror like I was going to kill her, which was a bit odd. Jill and Alice looked at me with a smirk on their faces, almost like we were old friends.

"Something you find funny?", I questioned.

"No, you looked like you were having trouble trying to figure out how to deal with them.", Alice said, "The two of them like to joke about killing quite a lot.

"It's hard to tell someone how to act like family when I haven't really had one either. Also, I don't think they joke about killing...I trust they will kill if you push them.", I told them, "So to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting Umbrella's Number 2 and 3 Most Wanted?"

"Umbrella's Number 2 and 3 most wanted, whose above us?", Jill feinted ignorance with a smile, "Seriously though, we came this way to get your help to kill your father. We were on our way to kill him when...well obviously this shit happened. It slowed down our progress, and we ended having to make arrangements with Chris Redfield for support. Our team was killed enroute so we came to you hoping you might assist."

"Makes sense, I got his little sister in my group.", I chuckled, "Is he as big of a pain as her?"

"I haven't met her, but I can say Chris is a pain.", Alice agreed, "They are siblings so I can believe it."

"Either way, a pleasure to have you both onboard.", I said with smile.

Shaking hands with the two of them, I glanced over at the Intern again. Asking them who she was, they explained that she was an Umbrella Intern that worked for a scientist named Jessica. Inquiring about her location, Lucy ran over to give me that answer with a smile.

"Lying headless next to a road somewhere.", Lucy informed me, "The wench used a caravan of innocent bystanders as bait to escape a horde."

"Don't you hate humanity?", I questioned, "Why does that bother you?"

"I do, but even I would give them a quick death. A death at the hands of those cretins would be slow and terrifying...too much for an uninvolved party.", Lucy replied.

'So she does have a conscious...even if she'd still kill them.', I thought, 'That means there is hope for peace in the household.'

Glancing back at the Intern, she began to start sweating again which gave me cause for concern. I was certain I had never met her, yet she seemed to know me quite well. It was understandable that she would be worried as an Umbrella employee, but this was a bit much for an Intern. Even the janitors and security guards acted way less jumpy than her.

The more I looked at the her, the more I started to feel like she might have been a main character or something. She barely looked a day over twenty-one yet she was an Intern in Umbrella's Bioweapon branch. There was no way Wesker would have risked a party goer leaking classified information, yet he let her in. Thinking there was was something special about her, I decided to ask about what she knew.

<>

"So you are an Intern...how much do you know of the T-Virus, and everything else Umbrella was working on?", I asked using my system to see if she was lying.

"Umm...well I know just about as much as any Umbrella Employee would that worked in the labs.", she told me, "I know about the various viruses they were working on, and some of the cures for them. That said, none of the assets that were freed I have cures for."

Using my HUD to see if she was lying, it told me that she was hiding something. Her blood pressure spiked when she said Umbrella Employee, almost like she didn't consider herself one even though she was one. This made me slightly more concerned that I should recognize her face, but I just couldn't place it at the moment. Deciding to bring it up with the three back home, I pushed aside that lingering sensation in my mind again.

"Understood, well we are about done here.", I remarked, "Stay close to us so you don't end up dead."

Getting out of the car, she did as she was told and stuck close behind us. Once the city was secured, I led the entire group to the base where my Basic Training Instructor, now Base Commander, was waiting. Letting out a loud laugh as he saw me approaching, he smacked me on the back with a grin on his face. This old man was the loudest person I had likely met, outside the bedroom, and he used to use that voice to bark orders out at camp.

"Now that's what I call giving them the old beans!!", he told me, "I see you grew into an excellent soldier!"

"Haha...", I laughed dryly, "I see you are still as loud as ever Major Payne."

"Of course I am!", he snickered, "They didn't keep me around for my good looks! So, who are these women you got with you? These your partners from Japan? You need to find yourself a few hardy American women, and help out the cause! Haha!!"

"A pleasure, I am Saeko.", Saeko told him giving him a firm handshake.

Even though she was playing nice, I could sense her urge to kill him. She didn't take kindly to be called less of a woman compared to an American. Not only her, my other lovers didn't like the comment as well. Unfortunately though, this guy was the type to keep pushing people till he got a response. I had decked him in boarding school, but what they would do to him would make it look like I flicked his fore head. Noticing his signature mischievous grin form, I knew this wasn't going to end well.

"You have quite a good looking crew here.", he teased, "Though some of them are looking a bit-"

Feeling a wave of killing intent come crashing over over my shoulders, the look on his face was priceless. Puckering up like he had just licked the most sour lemon in the world, he was regretting opening his mouth. Telling him to give us a call when they were ready to provide air support, I told him we had a few things to look for in town before leaving. Simply nodding his head, he stood their reflecting on his choice of words. Gathering what we needed from the clinic in town, we went back home.

---In Flight---

Unsurprisingly Alcina's transformation took Alice and Jill by surprise. Forcibly disarming them before they turned her into swiss cheese, I told them she was under my protection. Accepting my words after a few minutes of explaining her place in our group, they reluctantly decided to trust me. Thirty minutes into our flight, Alice was already relaxing as the air rushed passed us.

"Still though, I never imagined I would be flying on the back of one of Wesker's escaped experiments.", Alice said.

"Mother Miranda made me into this, Wesker had nothing to do with it.", Alcina remarked.

"Umbrella is basically run solely by Wesker now.", Alice pointed out, "Not only that...I don't remember who was in charge of Umbrella back then. Pretty much anything that goes wrong in my life, I blame on him now. It's only fair after he ruined my life, and sank the world into this shithole."

"I should try using that too...", Alcina laughed, "That man is piece of shit...no that is too cruel to label shit! He is beneath shit!!"

"Preach it!", Jill sighed, "He killed most of my teammates!!"

Listening the three of them trash talk my father, I couldn't help but smile. These three had it rough dealing with my father, and it seemed to be a bonding moment for them.

'This is like that episode where Mr. Popo is giving the pecking order to Z Fighters.', I thought trying to hold back my laughter, 'Still though...why isn't the Intern getting in on this? She was almost killed by him, yet she has nothing to say on the topic...something is very off here.'

Asking me if something was wrong, Saeko took a seat next to me as Ilulu was on my lap talking with Zero Two and Lucy. Telling her my concerns about the Intern and the fact she never introduced herself by name, Saeko understood my worry. Saying she would kill her immediately if it made me feel better, I replied that it would only activate the dormant infection within her. The moment I thought about the infection she had though...I remembered why I knew her name.

"Hold it!!", I shouted getting up in a hurry as I stared at the Intern, "What is your name?"

"What do you mean?!", she shrieked.

"Victor, I was comfy!!", Ilulu pouted, "You could have warned me!"

"I am sorry Ilulu, but I think we have a rat among us.", I said in an angry tone, "Now Intern...answer the question."

"Alexia...", she replied trying to be as quiet as possible.

Grabbing her by the throat, I hoisted her into the air.

"Alexia Ashford, aka the scientist responsible for the T-Veronica Virus. You aren't an Intern, you are one of the most high ranking scientists Umbrella had!!", I snapped, "I knew I recognized you face!"

"Say what!?", Alice hissed in anger, "I know that name, she is one of Wesker's associates!"

"Fuck that man!! I am not his associate!! He stole my crowning achievement from me!!", Alexia seethed.

"She is a childhood genius like myself, completed college at age twelve and got her position at Umbrella thanks to her grandfather.", I said giving everyone a background on her, "Her father cloned her from the genes of the first head of the family."

"How did you know that!? I was so careful about my approach and hiding my history, I faked my death several years ago to slip back into Umbrella to finish my work.", she spat, "How did you know my face, those files were sealed."

"I have inside help...", I said holding her over the edge, "Give me one reason to not drop you over the edge. You won't survive the sudden stop from this height."

"Please wait!!", she shrieked genuinely this time, "Your father...he stole my work and all the credit I deserved. I want him dead just as much as you do!! All my life's work was spent on perfecting that virus, and he stripped me from all of it!!"

"Do you honestly think that makes me feel any better?", I told her.

"I...I will help you end the virus!", she swore, "Even though he adjusted it, the core of the virus is still my creation. We have different reasons, but both of us want to see that man dead!!"

"As much as I would like to see her die, she has the knowledge to end this.", Jill advised, "She is more valuable alive than dead at this point. We will just need to watch her carefully."

Weighing the options in my mind, I was hesitant to allow her to live. This woman was egomaniac, a woman who felt that the people around her was inferior. If I wasn't careful she could make something far worse than her initial virus, but she could also make a cure. Humanity was going down the shitter at a fast pace so we needed every opportunity to save lives that we could.

"Fine, but here are my terms.", I told her, "Firstly, you will live under my roof where I can have people watching you 24/7. Secondly, you will work directly under one of my partners without any issues. Thirdly, if I catch you trying to make another virus I will kill you in one of the most painful ways possible. Lastly, so much as hurt one of the people under my care...you will never know a day of peace for the rest of your one hundred years of life. Do you understand?"

"Yes!", she gasped starting to black out.

Throwing her back down on Alcina's back, she gasped for air as Ilulu, Lucy, and Zero Two glared at her with glowing red eyes. I had learned this through my dealings with Ilulu, if I designated someone as a potential threat she wouldn't hesitate to kill them if they went against me. Making their intentions known to Alexia, she looked at me with an angry look.

"Don't get angry with me, you have yourself to blame for this.", I retorted, "You are too full of yourself."

"I am a genius!! Some low IQ idiot like Wesker and you don't deserve any of my respect!!", Alexia shouted.

"Low IQ?", Saeko laughed, "Victor could have graduated with several degrees at twelve years old. What's your single degree compared to six?"

"Your bluffing!", Alexia spat, "Explain Darwin's Theory of Genetic Evolution to me!"

For the remaining duration of the flight, Alexia and I spent the time throwing our mental weight around. Easily countering one another's questions, towards the end of the time Alexia's mood brightened. Evidentially no one had really pushed her mentally so she saw herself as a superior being, even though that arrogance made her less of one.

---Several Hours Later---

"Here's a good one for you, explain the Theory of White Holes.", I chuckled.

"White Holes?", she asked, "You mean the theoretical celestial body?"

"Yes.", I said as we landed.

"I...", she stated stumped by this, "That wasn't in my field of study, that's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair, so deal with it.", I told her, "We have arrived at base, now stew on that and shut up."

Helping everyone off of Alcina, I immediately took Alexia to see Yuko. Along the way we ran into Ada, who immediately spotted her like a hawk. The moment their eyes met, a cat fight broke out between them.

"You bitch, you sold my work to Wesker!! You helped him claim my life's work!!", Alexia shouted jumping on Ada.

"Why the hell won't you stay dead!! I watched you died several years ago!!", Ada spat, "You are a bitch that thinks she is God's gift to the world!!"

"Both of you stop!", I said pulling them apart, "Alexia is going to be working on resolving the problem Umbrella caused. Ada don't try to kill her, we need her alive to help make a cure."

"You are going to trust this bitch with making a cure!?", Ada argued, "I wouldn't trust her to make a fucking pencil!"

"Ada, she is the designer of the virus base that Umbrella uses. We can use her knowledge to potential revert the Undead back to humans.", I stated.

Huffing loudly Ada left the seething Alexia behind as she stormed off. If it came to fight between the two of them, Ada would have won it. Alexia was intelligent and not that physically strong, I was pretty sure Saya could take her without the need for the enchanted gear.

"You should have let them brawl, it was getting good.", Rory laughed with a smile.

Sighing I told Rory she was crazy, and told her to go relax. Instead of doing that, she followed Alexia and I. Asking her if she needed something, she simply told me that following me usually led to excitement so she'd follow me. Sighing, I just gave up on telling her to leave. Deities were too whimsical to be reasoned with, and Rory was among the worst of them when she was bored. Meeting with Yuko in the lab, I introduced Alexia to her.

"I know her...", Yuko said crossing her arms, "She was one of our targets, but she supposedly died years ago. Once we saw Umbrella mark her as dead, we did the same. I am surprised she managed to fool both of us."

"It wasn't that hard.", Alexia mocked, "Your stupid intelligence departments weren't going to compete with a mind like-"

"If you don't shut up you won't have one.", Yuko laughed dryly, "I am a skillful surgeon that easily remove your brain. With Victor here, all we need is your brain anyways."

"Now...now hold on.", Alexia stated realizing her error, "I...I will help you, I promised Victor I would. Isn't that right?"

"She did, however the moment she tries to work on making a new virus...cut her hands off.", I told Yuko.

"Glad we agree on that.", Yuko said giving me a kiss.

"Hold on!! You two really are lovers!? I thought you were using typical male flexing to try and court me!", Alexia shouted.

Laughing at that, I told her she was at the bottom of my list of women I would date. Telling her she had a rotten heart, a cruel demeanor, and cold personality...I bluntly told her she was one of the most unattractive women out there. Staring at me like I had just kicked her in the gut, I told the team to keep a close eye on her. Leaving the room after that, they immediately put her to work.

"You know she is going to betray us.", Ada said as I closed the door.

"I don't know, I think we'd kill her before she became a problem.", Rory stated.

"If you are that concerned, I leave watching her movements to you. In the event you see something suspicious, you tell me and I will deal with it.", I compromised, "That should be within your wheelhouse of skills, right?"

"Yes, I can do that much.", she admitted, "Also, your partner Kyoko was looking for you."

"Oh, did something happen?", I questioned.

"Several somethings happened...", Ada snickered.

Sighing as I knew what she meant, I went to find out the damage the royals had caused.