Resident Evil_ Extinction - Keith R. A. DeCandido [59]
Ignoring her, Furnari looked at Alice. “Go on through, Ms. Abernathy. Dr. Isaacs is expecting you.”
More than anything, Alice wanted to punch Furnari in the nose. Instead, she drove ahead, grateful at least to have it confirmed that Isaacs was behind this.
“They’ll want to kill us both.”
That was the first time Angie had spoken since they left West Lafayette.
Angie went on: “They’ll want to dissect us, find out why we’re immune when no one else is. You’ve got to turn around.”
Alice said nothing. But she imagined that if she could, she’d be crying right now.
Just as she got through the cordon, she heard a commotion behind them. Looking up at the rearview, she saw a familiar minivan barreling down 94 and not slowing for the checkpoint.
It was Molina’s minivan. And Carlos was behind the wheel.
Even as Alice mentally cheered, her foot slammed down on the accelerator. She’d been to Detroit only once or twice in her life and had never really learned her way around the city, so she had no idea what streets she was taking once she got off 94, but no matter where she went, Molina’s minivan—and, after a minute, several cop cars, sirens blazing—followed her.
Conveniently, there was no one else on the streets—apparently, martial law had been declared in Detroit, and no one was allowed on the streets who wasn’t authorized—which meant Alice could zoom through side streets at seventy miles an hour without even seeing another car, besides the ones following her.
Turning a corner, she found herself at a giant building complex with Umbrella’s older logo—a stylized U with an umbrella sticking out of the right-hand portion of the letter—atop it. The Detroit branch of the Umbrella Corporation had always been a minor facility, but with the practical elimination of all the West Coast locations, it had grown in significance.
About fifty armed members of Security Division were waiting for them at the parking-lot entrance. Four of them stepped aside to let the SUV in. Then they closed ranks and started firing on the minivan, which had just turned the corner to follow them.
Through the rearview, before going down into the underground parking garage, Alice saw the minivan fly past the entrance, Carlos at the wheel, Molina and L.J. firing at the security guards, who fired right back, riddling Molina’s minivan with holes.
Alice silently wished them luck as she pulled into a spot where Isaacs and four more members of Security Division were waiting for them.
Wearing a lab coat over a dress shirt and tie, Isaacs looked staid as always. He almost smiled as he said, “Welcome home, Alice.”
“Thank you, Dr. Isaacs,” Alice said unwillingly.
Peering into the SUV’s backseat, he added, “And I see you brought a friend. Very considerate, as we were wondering what happened to Dr. Ashford’s unfortunate daughter.” He sighed. “Still, I’m afraid she’s not terribly useful. The form of the T-virus her late, lamented father infected her with bears very little resemblance to what’s floating about in the air now. It’s mutated far beyond her ability to be useful to us.” Isaacs straightened up and looked right at Alice. “So I’m afraid you’re going to have to kill her.”
Without hesitating, Alice unholstered her weapon and aimed it right at Angie.
SIXTEEN
AFTER
Claire wandered around the camp they’d set up near the Desert Trail Motel. They did this every night, not always in a town—park all the vehicles in a circle, and keep everyone inside them. Like the way they used to circle the wagons against Indian attacks in the Old West.
The difference was that the Indians were just defending their land. But Claire’s homesteaders were trying to survive. In truth, they were more like the Indians, being overrun by a superior force.
It was a helluva way to fight a war. Every time the enemy got one of you, they