~Book XI: Bryant~

She just wanted to get somewhere in life after graduating from university. She was a biology graduate in the UK, born in Manchester. Good education and family wealth helped get her out there (of course, she had to start with simple jobs like working in a pharmacy or as a doctor's assistant), but nothing made her stand out more than her natural talent and interests. Out of sheer boredom, she would take basic viruses and experiment with them by mixing them together, seeing what she could create in her spare time. This interest is what led to her being employed by Umbrella, the company she believed to be just another pharmaceutics company – and a good one, at that.

She would do research or she would go about discovering new ways to treat diseases, illnesses and wounds. No one could doubt her talent and intelligence.

But one day, her loyalty to the company was unknowingly put to the test.

Email addresses would often begin with the initial of an employee's first name and continue with the surname. For example, Elizabeth's email address was "ebryant". She found herself tagged in an email sent to other employees, and the email looked like this:

To the select few who are reading this,

We have received reports of new viruses which could potentially exist in other parts of the world, and we need you to retrieve them if the rumours are true. You have all been assigned to different locations to investigate:

The email listed the other users, but Elizabeth had scrolled down to the one addressed to her.

Bryan: You are to investigate Asia. Sources have not been able to confirm which location contains the potential new virus, and the country within the continent has also not been confirmed.

THIS EMAIL IS CONFIDENTIAL. ANYONE WHO SHARES THE INFORMATION WITHIN THIS DOCUMENT WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES.

It was a little odd that her surname had been misspelled, as it missed the "t" at the end of it, but it didn't bother her. She did as she was told. She travelled to Asia and hopped from country to country and took notes on one particular common denominator: in the countryside, particularly in the villages, people would fall ill in identical ways if there were these strange pink roses nearby. Elizabeth chose to secure some of these roses and travelled back home to the United Kingdom.

She worked hard on those roses for months, managing to extract a sample of a virus, and she had even started mixing it with the viruses she had access to, but one night while she was working, she heard a click behind her head, and turning around only brought her brown eyes to face down the barrel of a pistol. Holding onto the pistol was a man she was unfamiliar with – an intruder. It had to be. He wore dark clothes and had his blond hair slicked back with gel, and he wore sunglasses to cover his eyes and possibly to even make it harder to identify him. Why else would he wear sunglasses at night?

Elizabeth, honestly, did not know how to react. If she moved, this man would pull the trigger. If she didn't… he still would.

"It was inevitable that one day the director would make a mistake," the man said in a somewhat smug tone. "Elias hasn't done any research. Only now has it been discovered that you received that email on his behalf."

Elias?

…Elias Bryan.

.

.

That's why her name was misspelled in the email.

It was not for her.

"So, I don't suppose you're going to tell me who else knows of your little trip to Asia?" the man questioned. He sounded like he was trying to be somewhat gentle, but at the same time he was trying to sound apathetic and smug.

She… hadn't told anyone about her trip.

"Nobody knows," Elizabeth practically whispered, her eyes still staring into the darkness of the barrel. "The email… it was confidential."

The man was silent, although his expression didn't change and his gun did not lower. "Mm," he eventually sounded while thinking about what to do now.

Elizabeth attempted to break the tension to save her own life, knowing that one wrong move or no move at all could result in her end. "I… extracted some virus samples," she announced, gesturing to the vials she was currently working with. The blond man lifted his head slightly to look at them.

"I see," he murmured. "Tell me, what have you discovered so far?"

"Well… I haven't done too much," Elizabeth admitted. "All I know is that the virus itself, which I have named the PR-Virus, makes others unwell when exposed to it. I've… even been mixing it with other strands such as the Ebola virus to see how dangerous it can become."

Even behind his shades, the man clearly was raising an eyebrow. "Nobody was told to mix the viruses with others," he pointed out.

"I know, that's… just my hobby," Elizabeth slipped out, immediately growing worried. Saying that might make her seem like a disobedient or corrupt employee.

"Hobby," the man nodded. He pressed the gun against Elizabeth's forehead. "Tell me more. Perhaps I will let you live… if you are worth sparing."

Now Elizabeth was panicking. One wrong sentence could be the end of her. Then again, how could she even be sure this guy intended to let her live at all? He might just want her information so that he could steal it for himself.

"I… find it interesting to mix viruses," Elizabeth explained quietly. "I did it before I joined Umbrella."

"Why?" the man pressed.

"It's just interesting," Elizabeth repeated. "I don't really know what I would do with such a pass time, to be honest… It just gives me something to do."

The man looked like he wanted to smirk, but he didn't. "How would you feel about mixing viruses such as the PR-Virus with others, but as an official job?" he asked openly. "If you accept, you will have access to the top-secret viruses only few Umbrella employees ever hear of. You will continue your research on the PR-Virus in your own lab. You will even be given human test subjects."

…Human test subjects?

"We test on… humans?" Elizabeth queried, her brown eyes wider than before.

"Yes," the man answered simply. "We perform inhumane experiments on them. We have viruses which can turn them into monsters. Weapons. Perhaps you could be useful in that field."

…He had told her too much, and she knew that. If she declined the offer, she was going to be killed.

"So then, Elizabeth Bryant, would such a promotion interest you?" the man asked her.

"…I have no other choice, do I?" Elizabeth reacted.

"Either your life changes or your life ends," the man pointed out. "And if you accept the offer but attempt to hide, we will find you. In fact… I'm certain that we'll do worse than kill you. So, make your choice now, Elizabeth, or else I will make it for you."

She simply could not refuse.

"…Alright," the young woman nodded. "I'll do whatever tasks I'm asked to do. I won't let you guys down."

The man could not contain a sinister smirk, but thankfully he lowered his gun. He pulled Elizabeth to her feet in a strong and swift motion. "I certainly hope you won't be a disappointment," he commented.

"I will not fail Umbrella," Elizabeth declared. The man simply nodded.

"Follow me," he then commanded. "We will be returning, and there we will discuss your future." As he began walking, Elizabeth hesitantly spoke up.

"Wait," she called, causing the man to stop his movement. "I don't recognise you at all. Who are you?"

She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was smirking again.

"My name is Albert Wesker."

At the time, the name meant nothing to her. He was just someone sent to kill her. She didn't doubt that she'd encounter him again during this new job of hers, but she didn't expect to have him take over her life in more ways than one.

She worked in the same field as the man known as Albert Wesker, and he was constantly keeping his eye on her. Nobody trusted her. Not someone who was so young with no past experience with Umbrella. Everyone expected her to break at some point, but she didn't.

Well, not for a while, at least.

Elizabeth was still doing research with the PR-Virus when Albert decided to turn his back on Umbrella. He knew that the virus had potential, from what he had seen of it, and had ideas for its potential use, but he needed Elizabeth with him if he wanted that virus. She knew everything about the virus and had strengthened herself to not blab to others. So, instead of attempting to steal it from her, he instead decided to bring her with him on his journey of betrayal. He promised her safety so long as she continued to work on the virus. Elizabeth had willingly accepted the offer, much to Albert's relief – he could not afford to risk leaving any information on the opposing side.

The young woman had continued with her research without getting involved with anything Albert did, but one day he came to her with something she thought she had gotten herself used to: a dead body. Barely even a man. This must have been the youngest individual for her to work on – usually she would experiment on living subjects who were much older.

"I need you to secure a sample of the t-Veronica virus from this body," Albert commanded. "You'll know what it is when you see it. And I need you to be very careful – this body is the last source for it."

"What happened to Alexia?" Elizabeth queried out of curiosity. "Wasn't she your primary target."

"Chris Redfield happened," Albert snarled. "Luckily, Alexia had infected this boy before her own death. Now, get on with it."

Of course, Elizabeth did as she was told. She cut at the boy's flesh, inspecting his fatal wound before delving into other intact parts of his body. She secured a sample for Albert, but he pushed her to gather more, telling her that she should keep three samples for herself so that she could experiment with the PR-Virus.

Something unusual began to happen, however. Elizabeth would come back every day and enter the room where the boy's body was being preserved, but she had started to notice that his large abdomen wound was gradually getting smaller.

It was healing.

Originally, Elizabeth just ignored this. This could have just been the virus reconstructing the tissue so that it could spread. The young woman even expected to see the boy become some kind of zombie, but something even worse happened.

She returned one day, only to find him sitting upright and rubbing his forehead, brushing his ginger hair out of his face. He wasn't moving like a zombie at all. He was moving like… a normal human.

The boy had his other hand resting against his wound, which was still present and clearly painful to him. His blue eyes reopened and immediately spotted Elizabeth, but he didn't look at all terrified. He just looked confused.

"Where… am I…?" he asked quietly.

Elizabeth couldn't answer. This was not an outcome she had expected. The boy was alive, and he had retained his will. All she did was slip straight out of the room, running desperately through the facility to find Albert.

"Albert!" she called, disturbing the man from his other duties, much to his irritation. "Th-The boy…! The t-Veronica one…! He's alive…!"

Albert looked severely unamused. "Alive?" he repeated. "Are you telling me that he is a walking corpse?"

"It's not like that!" Elizabeth told him. "He's actually alive! He's talking and everything!"

Still unimpressed, Albert chose to follow Elizabeth back to the isolated room, where indeed he saw Steve Burnside sitting upright with a confused expression on his face. He turned his head to face the duo, still not knowing what was going on.

"Hey… can one of you please tell me what's going on…?" he pleaded. "What happened to Claire…? Is she okay…?"

Albert's expression didn't change for a few seconds before he emitted a sinister chuckle through his teeth. Elizabeth was confused by this, and could see the teenager's growing expression of worry. Albert's following words didn't clear things up too much, but it gave Elizabeth some kind of understanding.

"When I told Claire that you would be coming back to life, Steve, it was supposed to be a joke," he mocked, stepping closer to the boy. "But it seems that your virus was able to do just that."

"What…?" Steve slowly reacted. "I… I don't understand… Who are you…?"

"Elizabeth, keep working on him," Albert instructed calmly. "There must be plenty more we can take from him."

"You want me to take samples from him while he's alive…?" Elizabeth asked Albert with obvious uncertainty. Albert nodded.

"That's an order," he reminded her. "Failure to follow orders… Well, I suppose you know the drill by now, don't you?"

"But he'll move and fight back," Elizabeth pointed out.

"Restrain him," was Albert's only response. He stared intensely at Elizabeth to watch her reaction, and it was clear to him that she didn't have the stomach to be so aggressive towards someone.

No doubt that would soon change.

"I will be checking on you shortly," the man stated. "Do not disappoint me, Elizabeth. I expect to see more vials containing the t-Veronica virus." With that said, he left the room.

Steve made an attempt to stand, not at all liking what he had just heard. "You think I won't hit you because you're a lady?" he growled, having to lean against the table with one hand as the other still held his large wound.

"Get back on the table," Elizabeth commanded, but by no means was she as emotionless as her superior. Steve bared his teeth and shook his head.

"Go to hell!" he snapped.

"They'll kill you if you try to escape," Elizabeth pointed out, struggling to maintain eye-contact at this point. "If they want me to work on you while you're alive, they don't intend to kill you. …They might let you go."

She knew that wasn't true, but she couldn't use brute force to pin this boy down. He would fight back and most likely do some damage to her, and he may even infect her with the virus. All it would take was a single bite.

Steve didn't look convinced, so Elizabeth decided to throw something out there. Something that Albert had just mentioned.

"What about Claire?" she asked the teen, seeing his eyes widen. "Do you want to see her again?"

Steve clenched his fists. "You won't let me see her…" he growled. "You're just going to kill me!"

"I would've killed you by now if I wanted to do that," Elizabeth said to him. "Just… do as you're told."

"No!" Steve roared. Elizabeth couldn't reason with him, so she had to use force. She tried to pin him down but he was still stronger than her, even in his wounded state, so she managed to hit his head against the table.

He stopped moving.

He was still breathing, but he had stopped moving. Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief and heaved him up onto the table, restraining him while he was unconscious.

She started to work…

It was easier than she thought it would be.

…Until he woke up.

"Hey!" he snapped at her, grimacing from the pain. "What the hell are you doing?! Get off me!"

"I can't do that," Elizabeth muttered. She used a scalpel to cut away more of Steve's wounded flesh, and the teen howled in agony.

"Stop!" he pleaded. "It hurts!"

She had to keep going.

Her hands trembled and her breaths struggled to go in and out of her lungs, with water growing over her brown eyes.

She was trying so hard to zone out as she worked, but his screaming was the only sound filling the silent room. He was wailing and sobbing, begging for the agony to stop, stating that death would be so much more merciful, but not once did she stop. Not until Albert came back in.

"I see you have gotten used to your current situation," he said to her.

"I've gathered more samples…" Elizabeth murmured, not looking at her superior.

"Good," Albert nodded, then eyeing Steve. "We don't want to risk allowing him to succumb to blood loss. Let him heal, and then come back."

Elizabeth did just that, but she couldn't get his harrowing screams out of her head. She worked further on the PR-Virus and used her own t-Veronica samples to fuse the two together, creating…

The VX-Virus.

This was a stronger form of the t-Veronica. It would allow the host to maintain their mind immediately after infusion, thanks to the PR-Virus being something the human mind could adapt to. An individual would be able to control when they transformed, too, and they would be able to keep said transformation under control both mentally and physically. So many mutant forms just grew and grew, but not the forms of the VX-Virus.

Elizabeth was in no fit state to be working. Not after cutting open a fully-aware teenage boy. Even worse: Albert had informed her of his past. She knew that he was sent to Rockfort Island because of his father – a former Umbrella employee. She knew what pain he went through there, and what he suffered afterwards. …This wasn't right.

At some point she had even vomited, but she couldn't let anyone see her weakness. Otherwise she might just end up like Steve herself.

With some form of hesitation, Elizabeth held a syringe to her arm which contained the pink fluid. If she injected herself with this, there was no going back. But she had to. It would strengthen her.

…And it would protect her if anyone tried to backstab her.

Needing to look away, Elizabeth thrust the needle into her arm and pressed down, pushing the liquid into her bloodstream. Her eyes grew wide, and slowly her irises went from brown to pink. It felt like she had just injected fire into her veins, and she was barely certain that she would survive.

Everything she saw was white. Was she going to be permanently blind? No, that shouldn't be her concern. Her stomach was clenching and cramping and every muscle in her body tightened. Her stomach acids were burning her, as was her blood, and a loud ringing was in her ears. This was just pure agony. Saliva even leaked from her mouth as if she were having some sort of seizure.

Albert had been observing, and eventually he burst into her room and grabbed her, pulling her up to her feet and trying to get her to face him.

"What have you done?" he hissed. Elizabeth was unable to stay focused on him, but after hearing the vague sound of his voice, she grabbed onto him firmly.

"Albert…!" she wavered as she wept. "I'm on fire…!"

"Get a hold of yourself," Albert commanded, backhanding her hard across the face so she fell to the ground. Elizabeth twitched and trembled, shocked, but slowly she seemed to regain herself. Her vision blurred but then cleared. The ringing in her ears vanished. The burning inside her cooled down, and her tight muscles loosened.

Slowly she lifted her head as mascara ran down her face, but the tears were no longer there. Her pink eyes glowed brightly as she stared at Albert, who looked as empty as always, if not with a hint of some kind of concern.

"Is this the PR-Virus?" he asked her as she staggered to her feet. Elizabeth shook her head.

"No…" she answered. "This is the VX-Virus."

She had to adjust to her new body, of course, but that didn't take long. Soon enough she was back to researching on Steve, only this time she lacked all empathy for him. She had gotten used to his screaming, and so had he.

But Elizabeth noticed something. Steve's wound had healed with green, mutated flesh, and the surrounding veins were also tinted green in colour. This wasn't a good sign.

The pink-eyed woman once again approached Albert and explained everything to him, and when he examined Steve for himself, he immediately had a plan.

"I have a small number of cryogenic chambers ready for use," he announced. "They were built for potential t-Veronica experiments. Put Steve into one of them; we'll come back for him in fifteen years."

"N-No…!" Steve protested. "I-I'm seventeen…! I've got college a-and friends…!"

"Your body is slowly giving in to the virus," Albert pointed out. "If you don't allow yourself to adjust by slowing down the process with cryogenic freezing, then you will become a monster again."

Elizabeth took off his restraints, seeing that he couldn't fight back anymore. He was in even more pain with his mutating wound, and he was constantly fighting for control in his own body.

He was weeping as she set him up, and Elizabeth stared right at him as unconsciousness was forced upon him.

Fifteen years would be a long time, so in the meantime she would continue her work with the VX-Virus.

Time went by. Elizabeth produced more samples of the VX-Virus, and she herself went through some changes.

She was confident. She was proud. But at the same time, she was unstable. She would beg Albert to let her help him, but instead she would always work in the background, following him from company to company.

And then they joined Tricell.

The more she worked with him, the more she was certain that he cared about her, but at the same time, she knew that he wanted her for her power. He was strong, but she was stronger. They both knew that. Elizabeth could make the world hers using her virus, but she didn't. Why?

…Because she didn't want to hurt Albert.

He was her weakness. She had spent so much time with him that she couldn't bring herself to turn the tables. She preferred being there when he needed her, and one day she knew that her virus would play a huge part in the new world he desired to create.

But Albert made a virus known as Uroboros, and that brought Elizabeth's vision crashing down.

He was being funded by a woman known as Excella Gionne, who Elizabeth immediately disliked. She could see what she wanted from Albert, but she wasn't going to get it.

Even though she knew this, Elizabeth could not control her jealousy. One day, when Albert was not present, Excella and Elizabeth crossed paths when doing their own research, with Elizabeth's various jobs being rather insignificant compared to Excella's.

"Does it hurt you to see that Albert wants my intelligence, not yours?" the black-haired woman asked. Elizabeth scowled and turned to face her.

"And what makes you say that, darling?" she pressed. Excella chuckled.

"He says you have been with him for a long time," she explained, "but now I am here. The world he wants… it's not for you, Doctor Bryant. It's for me and him. I will be his queen. You will… well, I'm sure he will give you a grand farewell party."

Elizabeth stepped closer to her. "I have something you don't have, darling," she told the other woman. "I have the VX-Virus. It's currently coursing through my veins as we speak. I could burn you up right now, but unfortunately Albert needs to use you for a little longer."

"It is you he is using," Excella frowned, with her hands placed on her own hips. "Your virus was produced long ago. It is out-dated. Uroboros will crush it."

Elizabeth marched closer to Excella, but the woman didn't seem at all threatened. "Watch what you say," the English woman snarled. "I can kill you easily."

She was suddenly pulled back and turned around, but before she could process who had grabbed her, she was slapped hard across the face, the force knocking her to the ground.

"Control yourself, Elizabeth," Albert calmly commanded, though a hint of frustration was in his voice. "I will be speaking with you about this matter later."

He always carried out his plans.

Later that day, the pair were alone together, and within a few seconds, Albert had Elizabeth pinned against the wall. One hand was around her throat, and his grip was by no means gentle. His golden-red eyes glowed brightly behind his shades.

"Are you trying to get in my way, Elizabeth?" he snarled through clenched teeth. "I need Excella for my Uroboros project. Control your hormones or else I'll make you my next test subject. Have I made myself clear?"

Elizabeth tried to nod, and Albert threw her to the ground.

Some time ago, such an action would have hurt Elizabeth. But she had grown used to it.

Not only that, but she could handle it.

The blonde woman pushed herself up to her feet, rubbing her own neck as she frowned at the man before her. "No need to be so rough, darling," she mumbled.

"Talking back again, I see," Wesker observed coldly. "Hmph. You women are all the same."

"You honestly think I'm the same as Excella?" Elizabeth snapped back at him suddenly. "I can assure you, we're quite different. She can only dream of the power I am capable of tapping into, but if she were to have a mere taste, her body would shut down."

Albert stared at her, as if examining her from afar and working out a complex equation in his head just to answer her question. Was she like Excella? No. She was not. There were some similarities, but their differences were much more apparent.

"No," the man then said to her, having not really focused on anything Elizabeth had said after her initial question. "You are not like Excella, Elizabeth."

It was merely an observation, but to Elizabeth it was so much more than that. It made her visibly grin. This was a reaction Albert expected from her, but it didn't bother him. He was so used to it now.

The blond man simply rolled his eyes and turned his back to her. "I suggest you stay out of my sight so that I can make progress on my work," he commanded. "Failure to follow even this command will put you in a… dislikeable predicament."

He didn't let her question him and he left the room. This conversation didn't bother Elizabeth at the time, because she knew she would see him again.

But she didn't.

One day she found a note attached to the door of the room she slept in at the time. A note written clearly in Albert's handwriting.

Elizabeth,

I need you to stay out of my business with Tricell.

Don't think I haven't seen how you and Excella glare and squabble like pathetic children. Your fights are preventing progress from being made, and I'm growing impatient.

This letter comes to you handwritten because, thanks to you, Excella does not trust me. I'd rather not have her intercepting my digital messages.

While I have your attention, let me give you some instructions, since our contact will have to be cut for some time: I need you to continue working on your virus projects. Uroboros is weak to fire, so when those with imperfect DNA transform into disobedient pests, I need you to dispose of them with a perfected VX-Virus.

If you make any attempt to contact me, I will kill you without hesitation. All I want from you is that virus. Update me on the progress when I next contact you, and if progression is slow then there will be consequences.

Do not fail me.

-Wesker

For the first part of the letter, Elizabeth felt her heart beat faster with rage, but she contained herself when seeing the instructions Albert had left for her. He trusted her. He trusted her more than Excella. He truly did want to rule the new world with her at his side, because both of their viruses were powerful and could work together! Her VX-Virus could destroy Ouroboros' rogue mutants! It was perfect.

…But it wasn't to be.

News had travelled to her fast about Albert's showdown with Chris. The woman did her best to show up to the scene, maybe to fight by Albert's side even if he didn't want her to, or maybe to help him if he was wounded.

A volcano was an odd place for a fight…

It was impossible to reach the destination in time to save Albert.

Upon arrival, there was nothing. Chris wasn't there. Albert's crashed plane was still visible. A small part of Elizabeth hoped he was still there and forced her to inspect as much as she could, but nothing.

All she could find on the ledge she stood on was a pair of shattered glasses.

Shades.

Just like the ones Albert wore.

Her hands trembled. Was this truly all she had left of him?

…It had to be.

Ouroboros had a weakness to fire. Where there's lava, there's fire. If the fight had ended, Albert must have been killed, and this time there was no coming back to life, because his body was gone.

Jump.

Jump in.

Join him.

…No.

That's not what he would have wanted.

He wanted her to use her virus to destroy the current world. He had asked for her to continue working on her virus projects. With him gone, it was up to her to take his place.

And that's exactly what she did.

She became Albert. She cut her hair and bleached it into a brighter shade of blonde. She flattened her chest as much as she could. She wore his style of clothes – long black coat and shades included – and stopped wearing make-up. She had to make sure Chris died seeing Albert's face. That was what that man deserved.

Elizabeth was so lost during this time, so the memories to her were still very vague despite being recent, but she did remember meeting Charles Fox. Charles, the young man who was the son of Alfred Ashford. They shared a mutual hatred for the Redfields, and that is why they teamed up to destroy them. Elizabeth was certain that her original t-Veronica subject, the boy who had become a man in hibernation, would be useful. Charles believed in her. They turned that boy into an assassin with a face Claire Redfield definitely could not harm, while the body was something Chris struggled to battle with.

And even the Lamb did not work.

She had come so close and worked so hard to put an end to Chris Redfield's life, just to avenge her beloved Albert Wesker…

And not she was at the mercy of her own monster's brutality.

~End of Book XI: Bryant~