One Step Closer to Nowhere

Chapter III

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47 moved through the shadows of the corridor, avoiding the other CCTV cameras. He could picture the entire layout of the facility in his mind. There was a security desk around the next corner which happened to be next to the elevators to the lower levels where Birkin's lab was located.

As the assassin approached the corner he could hear the tapping of a keyboard. He calmly and quickly took a peek around the corner. Only one guard, as expected. 47 took a small coin from his pocket and threw it down the opposite corridor. It produced a loud ping as it bounced off the polished floor. He pressed back against the wall as the tapping of the keyboard stopped. Then came the expected noise of the chair creaking as the guard stood up, followed by the faint sound of footsteps.

47 could tell exactly how far away the guard was from the sound. As soon as the guard came into 47's line of sight the assassin took two silent steps towards him. Before the guard even had a chance to draw his weapon, 47 had wrapped both his arms around the man's head and twisted sharply. There was a loud crack as the guard dropped to the floor, dead.

He pressed a finger to the earpiece in his right ear as he dragged the body behind the desk.

"Agency, this is 47. I'm inside the facility."

"Diana here, 47. Good work. Proceed to Dr. Birkin's lab."

"I'll contact you again when I have eliminated the target. Out."

47 pulled out a card-key from his pocket and slid it through the card reader next to the elevator. The metallic doors opened almost immediately and he stepped inside. He pressed the button for B3 and prepared for any resistance when the doors opened again.

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"It's...perfect!" Birkin exclaimed as he held the one of the vials of G-Virus in his hands. His eyes gleamed in contrast to the dark circles under them.

"And Spencer wants to take it away from me. A lifetime of work only to be snatched away by a fool!"

The electronic lab door opened as Birkin was still gazing at the G-Virus.

"Sir, I-" Dr. Elliot began. "Is that the G-Virus, sir?"

"Yes."

"This...this is terrific! I can call Lord Spencer and tell him that you have finished his virus and he won't have to send anyone to kill us." said Elliot, smiling broadly.

Birkin scowled. "This room is soundproofed, isn't it Elliot?"

"Of course, sir. All the labs were when-"

Before Dr. Elliot could finish the sentence, Birkin pulled a small handgun out of a workbench drawer and fired a shot into the young scientist's chest. He fired several more times as Elliot slumped against the wall and eventually slid to the ground leaving a trail of blood.

"Nobody will be taking MY virus! Especially not Spencer or anyone else at Umbrella! I have done what I needed to do here. Umbrella and this city can rot for all I care." he told the lifeless corpse at the door.

"Now I just need to figure out a way to get out of here without every Umbrella operative in the city coming after me."

William Birkin had an idea or two on how to take care of that problem.

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47 removed the piano wire from around the security guard's neck as he dragged him into the elevator. He tensed slightly as he heard the faint sound of voices coming around the corner. Two of them.

He quickly opened the elevator's service panel and pulled out one of the circuit boards and a handful of wires. He stepped out and managed to manually slide the doors shut just as two female scientists appeared from around the corner. The appeared slightly surprised when they saw 47, but not at all worried. Visitors were uncommon but not unheard of.

"Can we help you?" asked the older of the two, who looked to be in her late forties.

"No. Thank you. I'm here to meet with Dr. Birkin. I presume he is in his lab?" answered 47.

"As always. He usually spends a minimum of twenty hours a day in there. I don't think he's slept in days. Speaking of which, we really must be getting back to our living quarters. It's been another long day."

"I suggest you take this elevator." said 47, gesturing to the one that was still working. "The other one seems to be broken."

"Thank you, Mr..?" asked the younger woman.

"Reiper. Good night, Doctors." said 47 as he began walking down the corridor in the direction of Birkin's lab.

Umbrella really didn't focus as much on security as they should, 47 thought.

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The light from the computer screen illuminated Birkin's smirk as his fingers danced over the keyboard.

"This little diversion will keep Umbrella so busy that I'll be half way around the world before they even realise that I'm gone." he thought. "I'll need to take Sherry with me to do some further testing on the effects of the G-Virus. She is too valuable to leave behind. I'll have Annette bring her to me."

Birkin finished typing and hit the Enter key for the last time. He stood up and checked the small silver briefcase and the workbench. It contained a viral injection gun and several vials of viruses and antidotes, including the three G-Virus samples. He took one last look around his lab before he grabbed the handgun and virus case from the workbench.

As he turned to leave the electronic lab door slid open. He raised his gun an aimed at the unfamiliar man in the doorway. He was tall, completely bald and his icy blue eyes seemed to pierce right through the doctor. Birkin also noticed the gleam of the overhead lights on the man's silver handgun. There was no mistaking why he was here.

"It didn't take Spencer long to send one of his underlings." said Birkin, sounding a lot more calm than he felt.

"I assume that contains the G-Virus, Dr Birkin." 47 replied, nodding to the silver briefcase in Birkin's left hand.

"It is MINE!" the doctor shouted angrily, his hand beginning to tremble slightly.

"You have no other choice, Doctor. Give me the case." said 47, wondering about the body on the ground next to him. Birkin was obviously unstable.

Birkin hesitated for a moment and then 47 noticed the doctor's finger tensing on the trigger. The assassin fired twice, both shots hitting Birkin directly in the chest. The doctor slumped to the ground behind the workbench.

As blood poured from his wounds, Birkin fumbled with the case and managed to grab the injection gun and a vial of G-Virus from it. As 47 cautiously moved around the workbench, his gun still drawn, the doctor used his last ounce of strength to inject the virus into his arm. The assassin noticed the doctor's movement and ended it with a single shot to the head.

47 holstered his Hardballer and walked over to the body. After he checked for a pulse and found nothing, he checked the injection gun. He removed the empty vial and saw that it was labelled "G-Virus". He put the empty injection gun back into the case and checked the other vials. There were still two G-Virus samples and other valuable viruses and antidotes left.

"Agency, this is 47. I have competed objectives one and two. Birkin is dead and I have recovered two of the G-Virus samples. His lab will be destroyed shortly."

"Excellent work as always, 47. Proceed with your third objective. Contact me again when you have exited the facility. Diana out."

47 was making a quick check of the lab when he noticed the computer screen was flashing. Birkin must have been working on something earlier. As he read the screen he felt what could almost be described as fear.

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Username: Birkin, W.

Password: ---------------

Password Accepted.

Welcome Doctor Birkin.

Initiate emergency override

Enter Emergency Authorisation Password

Password: ----------------

Password Accepted.

Initiate T-Virus release: Raccoon City Sewers

Initiate T-Virus release: Raccoon City Mall

Initiate T-Virus release: Downtown Raccoon City

T-Virus Release Confirmed: Raccoon City Sewers

T-Virus Release Confirmed: Raccoon City Mall

T-Virus Release Confirmed: Downtown Raccoon City

Estimate infection rate after 24 hours

Estimate infection rate after 48 hours

Infection rate after 24 hours: 67.1 of population

Infection rate after 48 hours: 98.3 of population

Estimate time until first infected becomes deceased

Expected time: 1 hour 37 minutes

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47 noticed that the virus was released over twenty minutes ago. It would already be spreading across the city. The only reasonable course of action was to escape before the military had the city quarantine.

"Agency, we have a problem."