Genesis - Keith R. A. DeCandido [75]
Eventually, he found his voice. "What—the fuck—is that?"
"One of the Hive's early experiments, produced by injecting the T-virus directly into living tissue. The results were unstable. It was being held in stasis until you cut the power to its storage unit. Now that it has fed on fresh DNA, it will mutate, becoming a stronger, faster hunter."
As the Red Queen spoke, Matt watched as the eyeless thing's flesh—if you could call it flesh—rippled and expanded. The head altered, becoming more angular. The claws expanded, and the torso lengthened.
"Great," Rain muttered.
"If you knew it was loose, why didn't you warn us?" Matt asked the computer.
Alice, however, was the one who provided the answer. "Because she was saving it for us—isn't that right?"
The computer spoke matter-of-factly. "I didn't think any of you would make it this far—not without infection."
Rain turned her sweat-drenched head and looked at the monitor. "Why didn't you tell us about the anti-virus?"
"This long after infection, there's no guarantee it would work."
"But there's a chance, right?"
"I don't deal in chance."
Matt looked around the room. He saw the other door, the one with the number pad.
What the hell.
He went over to the door and started entering numbers at random. At this point, they didn't have a damn thing to lose.
Rain had gotten up, grabbed the fire axe, and looked at the large window.
"Fuck it."
Then she collapsed onto a chair.
"No pressure, guys."
"You require the four-digit access code."
Matt resisted the urge to shout, "No shit!" Instead, he just tried more numbers at random. Maybe he'd get lucky.
Right, lucky. Hey, there was a first time for everything, and after thirty years of life, he was due to have good luck with something.
"I can give you the code, but first you must do something for me."
Matt stopped entering numbers and looked up. The computer was dealing?
"What do you want?" Alice asked.
"One of your group is infected. I require her life for the code."
Matt recalled Rain's earlier characterization of the Red Queen as a "homicidal bitch." That seemed a lot less hyperbolic now.
Alice was livid. She pointed at the monitor, which still showed what was left of Spence's body next to the metal case he'd stolen from this very room. "The anti-virus is right there on the platform—it's right there!"
"I'm sorry, but it's a risk I cannot take."
Before Alice could yell again, Rain spoke.
"She's right."
She tossed the axe she was holding at Alice, who caught it unerringly.
"It's the only way. You're gonna have to kill me."
Matt shook his head. First Kaplan, now Rain. Did Umbrella train these idiots to all be suicidal?
"No." Alice spoke with finality.
"Otherwise we all die down here."
No, not suicidal, pragmatic. To a fault.
A sudden noise grabbed Matt's attention. He looked up to see the thing that killed Spence throwing itself against the window.
Matt had no idea what the window was made of—it obviously was some kind of Plexiglas or some other extra-tough substance—but it may not have been tough enough. The monster's first attack left a hairline crack.
It was only a matter of time before it got through.
"The PlastiGlas won't hold forever."
Rain got down on her knees and leaned forward, like she was a French Revolutionary waiting for King Louis to take her head.
Or maybe a samurai warrior about to commit seppuku.
"Do it," she said.
Alice looked as aghast as Matt felt. "Don't. Get up."
"Do it."
"Rain, please, get up."
"You don't have long to decide."
"Do it."
"Kill her."
"No."
"Do it now!"
The creature smashed into the window.
"Kill her." "Do it!"
"Rain—"
"Do it!" "Kill her." "No!"
Alice screamed, hefted the axe——and smashed the Red Queen's monitor. A second later, all the lights went out, and what few systems were working powered down.
Emergency lights came on a moment later. "That's some axe you got there," Matt said. Alice shook her head. "The axe didn't do this." A