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The Reaper's Image	By : ShadowMuse Category: +M through R > Resident Evil Views: 1432 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The following story is based off the video games Biohazard/Resident Evil, created by Capcom. I, in no way shape or form, am making any money off of this.

Chapter List
- 1-The Reaper's Image
- 2-1976
- 1
- 2
Author's
Notes:
Well, I honestly didn't intend to go ahead and post this chapter. I wanted
to wait until I had Chapter Three complete. But I figured, what the hell.
This just means it might be a day or so until I get the next one out.
Although a small warning, I am starting a new job in the next day or so and
might be away from my computer. If it takes me longer, forgive me, but
duty calls.

CHAPTER
TWO
1976

Images
of broken light, which dance before me like a million eyes,

That
call me on and on across the universe,

Thoughts
meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox they

Tumble
blindly as they make their way

Across
the universe

Jai
Guru Deva Om

Nothing's
gonna change my world

Nothing's
gonna change my world

Nothing's
gonna change my world

Nothing's
gonna change my world

�Across
the Universe� � The Beatles

Arklay
Mountains, 1976

�Its
enough to make one cry, is it not?�


A drawling male voice broke through Maris Lacey�s determined
concentration. She was only a
couple chapters away from finally finishing the book she�d been trying to work
on all summer. The majority of the
reading had occurred on her journey to Raccoon City. The
following train ride to her new �school�, Umbrella�s Arklay Management
Training Facility, had unfortunately yielded disappointment as the others had
broken down into a boisterous excitement. The
chaos hadn�t died down until they were ushered off the train and through the
facility into a large room, complete with a podium and heavy wooden desks able
to seat at least two people comfortably beside each other.
She�d found relief as her fellow trainees quieted down to a hushed
chatter while they waited for the head of the facility to appear.


Ah, sweet silence! She
thought � until the young man sitting in front of her had turned around and
spoken. She had sat at the back of
the room for a reason, and now it seemed the best laid plans of Maris Lacey were
all for naught. �Yes, indeed,� she answered dryly, refusing to
look up from her page in case it was just a small interruption, �it is enough
to make one cry.� Of course, she
had no clue what the boy was talking about, but it didn�t matter. Her own personal feelings on being interrupted happened to
match up with his comment; why not agree?


�All of them, hand-picked because they�re supposedly the best and
brightest young minds Umbrella can find � and here they are, acting like
little children at a carnival.�


Excuse me� She
lifted one eyebrow and raised her head from her book to look at the man.
A deep shuddering twitch rolled over her as she realized who was
addressing her. �Francis, I
didn�t know it was you, hello.� She
attempted her best diplomatic smile, although deep inside she wanted a man-sized
hole to open up and swallow him forever.


Francis Telford was the son of her father�s close personal friend and
one of the directors for Umbrella Corporation.
Rumor had it his father had even worked personally for Edward Ashford for
a while and had become quite amiable. Maris
doubted that, but regardless of the truth the Telford family was still pretty
close to nobility within the upper-class echelon, especially in Umbrella�s
nouveau-riche social circles. So
although she would have preferred to tell him to screw off she had social code
to uphold. However, that didn�t
stop Maris from harboring an almost innate hatred for the irritating little
prick.


�Yes, I tried to get your attention earlier on the platform, but you
didn�t see me, and then I couldn�t find you on the train.�


�My apologies.� So
that was you yelling like a moron at me?
Thank god I ignored it� �It�s
been quite hectic today, I agree.� She
looked around. �I haven�t had
much time to read my book.� Get
the hint and go talk to someone else.


�Yes,
yes,� He motioned with one hand while brushing his other through his short
brown hair, �there hasn�t been much time for anything today.
And there hasn�t been one interesting thing at all.
Rather dull day if you ask me� My
god, and to listen to the incessant droning of those little flies��


Maris�s
mind automatically shut out his rant. She
knew he was discussing the �lesser-born� individuals in the crowd and she
didn�t particularly want to listen to that at the moment.
Let�s see, chapter 15, page 352�

(-X-)

I�m
late, I�m late, I�m late.
William Birkin�s thoughts repeated into a mantra as he rushed through
the corridors, trying to remember the directions to the classroom the new
trainees were supposed to be waiting in. He�d
been unceremoniously held up by one of the managers.
Apparently there�d been a small issue with some of his paperwork and
it�d taken nearly a quarter of an hour to fix it.
Bureaucracy at its best; it was enough to make him already wonder if he
was going into the right profession.


It seemed like forever before he managed to find the lobby and in turn
the classroom off the first balcony overlooking it.
He tried to throw on his breaks, but instead slid, his shoulder impacting
with the thick wooden door. His
face scrunched up into a winch, a burst of unpleasant, yet mild pain branched
through his arm. The momentary
collision faded quickly though and he rebalanced his stack of texts and
notebooks in his arms. Here
goes�


William nudged open the door and squeezed his way in, �sorry, sorry.�
He apologized, noticing more than a few of the trainees were looking up
at the doorway in confusion. The
last thing he had wanted was attention this early on in the game. He was never really one for social situations.
Without thinking he tried to close the door with his foot, but managed to
hit it just hard enough so that it slammed shut.
Immediately he felt his face flush as a light chorus of laughter
accompanied by irritated mumbling started up.
His eyes dropped to the floor, avoiding the others� gaze.


The instructor was sitting on the edge of the platform in front of the
podium. William was thankful he
hadn�t interrupted anything. �I�m
sorry for being late.� He told
the man. His nametag read �Pierce.�
He proceeded to explain what had happened.


�Well, at least you�re here on time.�
Pierce said, �it�s a wonder anything gets done around here with those
idiots in the office.� The last
bit was muttered more to himself than anything, but held a small note of an
informative air. �Find a seat,
Dr. Marcus shouldn�t be very long now.�


�Thank you, sir.� William
replied, and turned to find a seat. This
is already shaping up to be such a wonderful day.
He mused, sarcasm scorching his thoughts.

(-X-)

So
much for reading.
Maris decided it just wasn�t her day for completing the chapter, much
less the book. First it was Francis
with his arrogant dribble and then that dorky looking kid who managed to not
only apparently test the strength of the classroom�s door, but also make a lot
of noise doing it. Yet she
couldn�t be too annoyed with him. He
looked so lost and uncomfortable in this place.
Overwhelmed. That�s
the word. She corrected herself
mentally. In a way she could
relate, but she�d been fending off that feeling since childhood so she�d had
more practice. She�d bet her
entire year�s allowance that he was new blood.


That also meant he was fresh meat for the other kids, the one�s who had
family already working for Umbrella like herself.
She felt a little sorry for him, and the fact he happened to look so
young and vulnerable made it worse. His
light brown hair seemed to fall in just the right length to frame his incredibly
boyish features. That included a
pale complexion with a gentle dashing of freckles.
He was in for it � and bad.


One of the other trainees insisted on proving her right by finding the
time to stick his foot out and trip him. Books
and papers tumbled to the ground and the young man fell flat on his face. Maris felt a tremor of anger at this. It was not necessarily because she felt sorry for the poor
kid, but mostly because there was a certain level of respect and honor to be
upheld in certain families, and that wasn�t one of the ways to do it.
It rather made one look foolish and barbaric, something nobility was
supposed to strive to rise above not excel at.


Francis laughed. This
didn�t shock her at all.


She shoved her book to the edge of the table and without even looking
around stood up and moved gracefully around to the aisle.
The boy had already sat up on his knees, nursing a bloody nose from where
he�d hit the floor so hard. He
paused to look at her warily. With
a sigh she reached down her hand. �You
should really watch where you�re going. Some
people,� she glared up at the boy responsible for tripping him,
�sometimes leave things lying about where they shouldn�t.�


The bloodied boy gulped, and after a moment of thought reached up and
took her hand. �William Birkin.� He
introduced himself, trying to wipe the last bit of blood off his nose, but only
managing to create a ruby smear.


Maris pulled out her handkerchief and handed it to him.
�Maris Lacey.�

(-X-)

Birkin�?


Everyone�s
attention was directed to the commotion in the middle aisle, so no one saw the
way an older teen�s head raised from his notebook.
It was the first time he had chosen to take any apparent interest in any
of the other trainees. Of course,
his introversion was really a way to keep any unwanted interlopers from
disturbing what he was really up to. His
trusty notebook was now home to the multiple facts and rumors he�d heard about
the other trainees as well as his own personal opinions.
He was well aware of the dog-eat-dog competition present within the
Umbrella Corporation and planned to start early setting up a system enabling him
to keep track of threats, possible allies, and those just not worth paying
attention to.


He�d
done a little digging before arrival and found few who he truly believed could
come close to threatening the procurement of a decent position within the ranks.
One of those names had been William Birkin.
He was a top-notch researcher even at his young age and was predicted to
come out pretty well at the top of whatever he set his mind to.
He�d have to keep an eye on him, although there might be one promising
sign.


�Accident
prone. Slightly outcaste.� He
jotted down in his notebook on Birkin�s page.
However, this small victory didn�t mean anything.
Dynamics were liable to change swiftly in this kind of setting once
everyone realized that it wasn�t necessarily the people you knew, but the
amount of raw talent you had. Frankly
Birkin had more raw talent than most of the crowd put together.


Lacey, I�ve heard that name, too, somewhere.
He thought to himself, pen tapping against the paper rhythmically as he
pushed his sunglasses back up. Come
on, Albert think! He proceeded
to wrack his brain. The information
was just beyond reach and apparently refusing to come to him.


Before he could dredge up any useful tidbits he was drawn back to the
scene in the next aisle over. Maris
Lacey had bent and was helping Birkin retrieve his scattered possessions.
Meanwhile someone had come to stand behind Lacey and waited for her to
stand back up before placing a hand on her shoulder. She instinctually spun around, a growl rising deep in her
throat, �What the fuck do y��


Albert Wesker actually smiled. It
was the deep, self-satisfying smile of one that has just witnessed a big mistake
and gained pleasure from the fact that it was someone else�s.
The way Lacey�s aquamarine eyes widened into a near-comical mask of
fright and absolute horror was priceless. He
would have given anything for a camera in that moment.


Apparently she had thought that it had been one of the other trainees
intent on causing more trouble and instead came face to face with the head of
the facility. All of the girl�s previous bravado and apathy towards the
others disappeared. �I�I�m
sorry, I� thought you� were� them.�
Her words even seemed to drain of power as she spoke, trailing off slowly
into a mere whisper.


Dr. James Marcus regarded the petite girl wordlessly for a minute.
His face was placid as he considered her.
Meanwhile the room had grown deathly still, as if even the wood was
holding its breath. Marcus was a
man that demanded respect, and fear. His
presence was paralyzing. �Maris
Lacey.� He stated, after taking a
quick look at her nametag. �I
see.� Those two words were said
like a realization that her name explained everything.
Albert felt perhaps it should and it frustrated him he still hadn�t
figured it out.


Abruptly he reached out, took one of the books off the pile she was
holding. �Yours?�
He asked, then dropped it back after reading the title.


�No, Dr. Marcus, sir.� She
answered. She had seemed to gain her voice back, for then at least.
�They�re his.� She motioned her eyes back to where Birkin was standing
uncertainly.


�Ah, Mr. Birkin.�
Marcus said, sounding more pleasant at the scientist�s presence,
although his voice dropped to a slow curious tone to inquire, �What happened
to your face?�

�I fell.� / �Someone tripped him.�
Both Birkin and Lacey answered at the same time, which earned them
contemptuous glances from each other.


�Don�t let people walk all over you.�
Lacey hissed at the young scientist.
Albert didn�t imagine she was too happy for her efforts of helping him
out being rewarded by his covering up what really happened.
If it had been Albert he would have taken that chance to thin the crowd.


�Hm.� Marcus made a low pondering noise as he walked passed the
two. �Miss Lacey is right Mr.
Birkin. However,� when he arrived
at the podium he turned and looked at her, �you did address me in an
insubordinate manner and for that we�ll speak after the meeting.�


Maris Lacey�s lip twitched. Perhaps
she was attempting to stifle a scream.


Albert turned the page and wrote another note, �Maris Lacey: Speaks
before she thinks.�

(-X-)

The
meeting didn�t last long. Marcus�
opening speech lasted almost a half hour, after which the newcomers were given
room assignments, roommates, and schedules.
The real informative speeches would be given the next day as everyone was
splitting off into their own specific sector of expertise.
It was rather anticlimactic really, but William was thankful for the
speedy departure. Five minutes
stuck in that room was bad enough, much less thirty.
The only good thing was that he grabbed the empty seat next to the girl
who had helped him out. Of course,
after Marcus had gotten onto her she grew silent and stuck to herself, fidgeting
uneasily with the book on the table in front of her.


He wanted to say something to her, but he didn�t know what was
appropriate. �Thanks for getting
snapped at because of me� didn�t quite cut it.
But finally, when everyone was filing out of the room to head to their
allocated spaces he spoke, �Maris?� Just
her name, but he�d see her reaction and go from there.


It took her a moment to reply, but when she did it wasn�t quite the
reaction he would have hoped for. Her
tone dripped with malice and controlled anger.
�Do me a favor,� She said, directing just her cold blue eyes on him,
�and don�t talk to me. I really
can�t afford any more trouble � especially on your behalf.
Take care of yourself from now on.�


William didn�t show it outwardly, but his soul flinched.
�I�m sorry. I didn�t
mean to��


She just waved him off and shook her head as she climbed to her feet and
stepped passed him towards the door. Her
whole demeanor was tense with rage and she reminded him of a coiled snake ready
to strike. He made a decision then
and there to try to avoid her. He
hadn�t intended to make enemies this soon, but he supposed it was just another
notch on his belt of mistakes. Dejected
he pulled himself up and followed the crowd.
He was just in time to see Maris stopped beside the stairs, the boy who
had tripped him needling her.


�Good job, Lacey. If you
want I�ll help you go pack. Considering
you won�t be here for much longer.� He
laughed a loud, obnoxious laugh.


Maris smiled, and it was the kind of smile that only meant one thing:
that somebody was going to be doing the opposite, real soon.
Without warning she twisted her body and bent her arm.
The boy cried out in pain as her elbow smashed forcefully into his nose.
He was knocked backward and landed on his ass, still screaming and
holding his face. She cracked her
knuckles, and noticing blood on her hands leaned down and wiped them on the
boy�s vest. �No thanks, I think
you�ll be too busy in the nurse�s office.�


William watched as she walked away, awed by her actions.
The entire time she�d held the same apathetic expression.
As far as anyone was concerned, by that look she could have just been
taking afternoon tea.

Well, our dear Maris has a tendency to try to get the last word in now
doesn't she? God, I don't know why but I love that scene. How about
you? She sure had a temper back at that young age.
R&R as always. I promise I won't bite.
Next Chapter

We return to 1998 and the Arklay Facility where something dark moves beneath
the surface, waiting... And our hapless anti-heroes begin to face their
past.
- 1
- 2
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The Reaper's Image