Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Infected Body
"Save the questions for later, Chris," Jill rasped, pulling Chris through the wreckage-strewn house toward Claire. At that very moment, Barry entered the room. Panic was etched into his eyes as he caught sight of Claire sprawled on the floor. Yet, his surprise deepened upon seeing Jill.
Jill, naturally, noticed his reaction. "Barry, not now," she snapped. "Chris's sister, we need to move her."
"R-Right," Barry stammered, hurrying toward Claire, who convulsed uncontrollably. But her condition didn't seem to concern him; he scooped her up and headed for the garage.
"Who's that?" Chris queried, peering through the garage door. He caught sight of the man who had taken down the monstrous assailant, with Jill aiding him onto the floor.
"It's... Ethan Hunter," Jill replied tersely, rummaging through a medical kit. "Unless he's feeding me a line, you're familiar with him."
"Hunter?" Chris furrowed his brow. "That can't be. I watched him—"
"Die?" Jill cut him off. "Well, he's clearly not dead, as you can see. Now hush and swallow this." She shoved a pill toward Chris, a painkiller. "It should hold you for now; your ribs look like they've seen better days."
Meanwhile, Ethan moved methodically toward the fallen monstrosity, which struggled to regain its footing. Upon recovery, it locked eyes with Ethan and unleashed a deafening roar.
"Come on, you bastard," Ethan spat. "Bring it."
As if in response to his taunt, the creature charged him like a raging bull, its arms leading the way. Tendrils erupted from its back, shooting through the air like projectiles, homing in on the man it considered its foe.
With a graceful swiftness, Ethan sidestepped the oncoming assault and swung his right arm toward the monster's limb, slicing it clean off and sending it crashing to the ground. Without hesitation, a cluster of tendrils sprouted from Ethan's midsection, snatching the severed arm and engulfing it whole.
The creature stumbled, visibly startled by Ethan's unexpected maneuver. It roared again and, to Ethan's astonishment, the arm's absence was replaced by a writhing mass of constantly moving tendrils, a grotesque spectacle.
"Who's hiding under all that flesh?" Ethan murmured. "Another scientist? The mastermind behind this facility? And can you hear me, Wesker? Can you hear me through that monster's ears?"
Once more, the creature unleashed a thunderous roar. The tendrils that had become its new appendage suddenly lunged at Ethan. But rather than dodge, Ethan allowed them to pierce his limbs and penetrate his body.
However, the outcome the creature desired didn't come to pass. The tendrils turned against it, initiating the transfer of the creature's biomass to Ethan. The creature shrieked in agony, futilely attempting to halt the process. It tried to retract its own tendrils, but they merely reattached themselves. Ethan advanced toward it, observing as the creature's biomass dwindled.
Finally, mere seconds later, the creature was completely absorbed, leaving only faint traces of blood on the ground.
A torrent of memories flooded Ethan's mind, experiences he would soon relive.
—
Oswell Spencer, the mastermind behind Project Blacklight, had laid the groundwork for the theory. To control humanity through the virus, to augment one's strength through biology, to ascend to godhood among mortals. Yet, now, he found himself confined to his office chair, secured with nothing more than duct tape, by his own creation.
Project W... A quest to identify a suitable host for the virus's incubation, a venture that had claimed the lives of countless children, all for his own gain and the cause he believed in.
"It's been a while, Dr. Spencer," the man before him remarked, holding a vial of green liquid. "Remember me?"
"Subject 777," Spencer acknowledged. "You've grown. You've been of use over the years."
"I go by Albert now, Doctor, as you're aware," the man, Wesker, replied with a thin smile. "Do you see this? Magnificent, isn't it? The fruit of your labor, the result of the unwilling sacrifices of my brethren..."
"What's your purpose here, 777?" Spencer queried, seemingly unflustered. "You've obliterated years of research and unleashed the flawed virus on the town. I'd have to call that a rather foolish move."
"Foolish? No, no, no..." Wesker chuckled. "Your organization thrives on secrecy. I'm sure the higher-ups would be displeased if things took an unexpected turn."
"And you believe we couldn't contain it swiftly?" Spencer challenged. "How naive. Is that your goal then? To dismantle the very organization that birthed you? You won't succeed. Cut off one head, and ten more will sprout."
"I have no intention of severing heads, Doctor. Not yet," Wesker continued, sidling up to the desk and loading the green serum into a syringe. "But, hypothetically speaking, if the body of the beast were to become infected, would the head still grow?"
Spencer scoffed. "You can't corrupt us, 777."
"Let's put that to the test." Wesker injected the green serum into Spencer's neck. The elderly man displayed no immediate reaction, merely fixing his creation with a venomous glare.
Initially, nothing changed.
"Birkin," Wesker called out a name, and abruptly, the office wall was obliterated, revealing a grotesque monster. "Your research has borne fruit, Doctor. I can control them. I can hear through their ears, see through their eyes. But it all seems... flawed. Every one of them transforms into a creature like him, and this green strand was just created hours ago with my own formula that I designed. Hopefully, you won't join their ranks."
"What makes you think you're clever enough to unravel the puzzle we've been piecing together for years?" Spencer asked, remaining calm despite feeling his muscles twitch.
"This will work, stand up." Wesker commanded, and Spencer promptly tore through the duct tape as newfound power surged through his veins and stood up. "See? It worked."
"Did it?" Spencer raised his hand, displaying it to Wesker. It began to darken, turning red and black as muscles spasmed uncontrollably. "You have much to learn, 777. Our organization and the government will hunt you down, and perfecting the virus we were developing here will prove challenging for you. If only... if only you had stayed here and played the obedient dog a bit longer. You might have achieved your goals."
Wesker's smile wavered as he watched Spencer's consciousness fade, transforming him into another flesh puppet for him to manipulate.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone