Best of Intentions: Across the Line (ch. 25)

“How? How much money do these… these… these motherfuckers make?” I heaved, thumping a fist on a table. Ada, Rebecca, and Leon had all settled in Rockfort Island with Leon being the last to be recruited. Hacking government agencies had been so laughably easy that I'm eighty percent sure that it was a trap laid out by the CIA to catch over ambitious blackhats, but it mattered little when our goals were focused on Umbrella's remnants. 

I was in the Bus with the other team, all on standby for deployment. Our infiltration team was working through three entry points -- the science team, the development team, and the paramilitary. With those entry points, it gave us a pretty clear picture of Rockfort Island and the operation on it. 

First thing I had learned was Rockfort Island was built by a legitimate insane psychopath that was trying to out do Daedalus on who could create a more confusing layout for the island, along with an overfondness for puzzles. Why did you need a key that could only be gotten once you grabbed golden lugers from a room that cooked you to death if you removed them, so you could activate a merry go round to reach the second story of a bedroom where there is a secret study? I haven’t the faintest clue, and I felt like the day that I did understand was the day Umbrella managed to drive me insane. 

I genuinely felt bad for Ada, Rebecca, and Leon. I had no idea what I was subjecting them to when I sent them to that island. I thought dealing with the nutters that worked for Umbrella, but even the island was trying to drive those on it insane. No wonder Umbrella was such an absurd company. Not only did they exclusively hire morons, but you also had to be genuinely crazy to rise up the corporate ladder. 

“A secret base underneath the secret base. You have to get a goddamn ship wheel to rise up a goddamn submarine to get to the secret lab. What… I… I can't even call it a containment feature, because they built a goddamn elevator that leads to the same place!” Why are they like this? How were they like this? It didn't make any sense. 

I could only hope that the elevator came after when they realized having a submarine rise up and down to act as an elevator was horrifically inefficient. But I could not forgive them for simply not turning the already preexisting water submerged shaft into an industrial elevator and instead built an entirely new one about two hundred feet away. 

“How can they afford this? Do bio-weapons really make this much money?" I heaved, so sick of their insanity that I could cry. 

“Of all things, this is what gets under your skin?” Jill asked from behind me, sounding like she delighted far too much in my suffering. 

“These people lose the average GDP of a country on the regular, Jill. How are we supposed to kill the industry when people are shoveling that much cash into it?” I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose as I leaned back from the data that the agents that infiltrated the island provided-- codes, names of personnel, projects and so on. They weren't yet brought into the deeper secrets of Umbrella on the island, but that matter little. They just needed to get into position so we have the chance to secure those secrets. “Worst part is, this isn't their only secret base. I bet there are dozens of these things scattered across the world.” 

We already had evidence of a few. There were the public branches, of course -- one in Paris, another in England, Istanbul, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, and others. And, seemingly, with every public face, there were a scattering of satellite labs, similar to how it was in Raccoon City. There had been the US headquarters in the city, and then there were the labs hidden in the shadows. 

The picture that was being painted was roughly within my expectations. Various governments were Paperclipping Umbrella scientists, either with the carrot or the stick. However, there were other factors at play that pointed to my biggest concern being validated -- there were several secret organizations that were also poaching talent. Some would be Tricell, but not all. Not enough to explain how entire divisions of Umbrella were vanishing into the night without a trace. 

However, Alfred Ashford wasn't doing enough to truly map out his competitors. He was recruiting, he was vetting, and he was building up to something. But that something… It wasn't what I thought it was. I'm not sure what his plan was exactly, but it didn't seem to be the reformation of Umbrella under a different name.

“Then are we going to stop wasting time here?” Jill questioned with a cock of her head. “The three of them are in position, and the longer we wait, the more risk it is for them.” She wasn't wrong, but I had really hoped to find something of more substance from Rockfort Island. Bringing down the budding organization would be its own reward, but… 

A sigh escaped me, “I thought they would be more competent. You're right, that's my bad,” I added when Jill opened her mouth. “Maybe they know more than they realize. Or Alfred is keeping an ace up his sleeve. I'd like to extend the operation… but I think we'd lose more than we gain.” After all, the longer we were operating here, the deeper in the dirt Umbrella would dig itself and hide. I was already seeding more potential identities for the remnants to pick up and the lingered we stayed here, the more opportunities we missed elsewhere. 

Jill seemed a bit surprised that she convinced me so easily. “Alright -- I'll round up the others and prepare.” There was a nervous energy in her now but it was overshadowed by anticipation. I knew the assault squad had been waiting on pins and needles for the green light. 

“I'll give our agents a heads up. We'll wait for them to be in position,” I said, before a small grin found its way onto my face. 

Here came the fun part. 

…

“We are greenlighting the assault, Agent Tempest. How soon can you get in position?” Leon heard in his ear and he had to fight to not jump out of his skin as he sat in the barracks, reading a magazine on his bunk. 

His heart rate quickened when he realized what Rude said. It was finally happening? “I can be in position within thirty. And please don't call me ‘Agent Tempest.’” He requested in a low voice, closing his magazine as he sat up. 

“That's a negative, Agent Tempest. We have to use your Storm approved field name during a mission. That's espionage one-oh-one. Did you not read your secret agent packet, Agent Tempest?” Rude said, absolutely punishing him for not being in favor of the organization name. And while he was quite new to the spy lifestyle, he felt like secret code names shouldn't be used as a punishment. 

Leon just swallowed a sigh as he grabbed the backpack Rude had smuggled into the base. He was glad to be able to actually use it, because it felt like he was one surprise inspection away from having his cover blown. Shouldering the bag, he left the barracks, which was a large building able to house some three hundred soldiers but five hundred had been crammed inside. 

Because of that, it was pretty easy to slip by unnoticed since someone was always coming or going. They had entirely too much free time, Leon reflected, his gaze darting to and from groups. Some were arranged around makeshift tables playing cards, while others were drinking beer despite it being eight in the morning. They had drills to help eat up some of the time, but there was an air of listlessness across the military camp. They were recruited, but it didn't feel like they had a direction. 

It felt like Ashford was waiting for something. 

“I'm heading to the bridge now,” Leon informed in a low voice. There was a knot of tension between his shoulder blades, and he felt like every glance his way was going to give him away. That the alarm was about to go off as he unwittingly gave away the plan, but he made it to the bridge with little issue. 

It bridged a ravine overlooking the harbor, connecting the military base to the laboratory. Blowing it would isolate the lab, forcing the military population to go the long way or try to boat over. And that was his job. 

Ducking into a corner, he tapped the Veil on his face and looked down in wonder as his appearance changed. His military fatigues became a construction outfit complete with a reflective vest and a hard hat. With his bag once more in hand, he walked by the check point with a smile before heading down. Rude was right -- all you needed was confidence and to look like you belonged. “I'm at the bridge. Where am I putting these things?” 

“Give me a second to tap into the visual recordings and… there, there, there, and there.” Rude replied, and with each word, a spot was highlighted. “Plant them there and set the timer for twenty minutes. After that, get to the rally point for extraction.” 

Leon nodded to himself and followed the walkway towards one of the plant points. The package was a bundle the size of a brick. “What is this stuff, anyway?” 

“Thermite that explodes,” Rude answered, making Leon pause. “They'll melt through the structural support then detonate, causing a shock to the system. The bridge will collapse underneath its own weight from there.” 

“...and I slept with this stuff under my cot?” Leon muttered. 

“Well, it didn't go off, so there was nothing to worry about, now was there?” Rude replied, making him swallow a sigh. 

Maybe he wasn’t cut out for the life of a spy after all. 

…

“How are things coming, Agent Gale?” Rude’s voice filtered through her Veil -- and one thing was for sure, she was never going to give her new favorite toy up. He’d have to pry it from her cold dead hands. It made infiltration easy. Almost too easy, frankly.

“I’m wearing the research division’s face,” Ada answered easily, striding through the sterile hallways of the research lab. Other scientists ducked their heads and kept their gazes to the floor when they saw her coming, attempting to avoid her notice even as they walked by each other. She probably didn’t even need the Veil. 

It was typical behavior of a Type-A personality. If you put ten brilliant people in a room, then every single one of them would convince themselves that they were the smartest. More than that, they were driven to prove it. Positions of power tended to bring out the worst of it because they took it as validation that they were, in fact, the smartest person in the room. Likewise, it put them in a position where they felt the need to defend that position. 

“That was fast,” Rude noted. A trick? She was fairly certain that he’d have something that would allow him to tap into the Veil. She acted on the assumption that he was able to view her every move, waiting for confirmation that she was working both sides. 

“I got bored,” Ada replied, and it was even the truth. The security around this place was pitiful. Dreadful, really. Once they let them through the door, they essentially have the run of the castle. 

“Well, things are about to get less boring. Agent Tempest has sabotaged the bridge, and he's securing your exit as we speak, Agent Gale,” Rude replied and she had to suppress a twitch when she heard her code name. It wasn’t even a good one. That was more proof than anything else that Rude suspected her nature and motivation -- Agent Maelstrom, Agent Tempest, Agent Typhoon… and what did she get? 

Agent Gale. She was being punished for something she hadn't even done yet. 

“How is Agent Squall coming along?” Ada asked, using the identification card she had lifted from the real head scientist, who was currently drugged unconscious and stuffed in a broom closet. Rebecca reminded her of a mouse -- timid by nature, but when backed into a corner, there was nothing more ferocious. 

The bulkhead door opened revealing a containment lab. Monstrosities of all kinds floated in test tubes that flanked the walls, each one a different breed of monster in various stages of development. Her gaze flickered between them, idly wondering how much they would sell for on the open market before she dismissed the thought. Too obvious. And, as things were, she'd put her money on Rude when it came down to this spat with Umbrella and its successors. 

No, if she wanted to sit on the fence, she'd need to be much more subtle than that. 

“She's in position,” Rude answered, but didn't give her much more than that as she approached a terminal and started inputting a password she had stolen within hours of arriving at the labs. 

“I've had a thought,” Ada started, going through the command sequences that her stolen authority granted her. “You'd find more flies with honey. It wouldn't be an issue to take the samples and research with us. You could spoof it so they'll be harmless,” She pointed out, pulling up the window for sample ejections. Just to see if Rude reacted to it.

“No need,” Rude replied, his tone casual despite the topic. “I've already spoofed the data and laid out a trail of breadcrumbs. We don't need this trash.” 

Ada swallowed a sigh, tempted to take a sample. Just in case. Even beyond trying to play both sides -- that sample could be an ace up here sleeve whenever one side came knocking at her door when her actions inevitably came to light. The fact that they would didn't bother her. Frankly, it was the best part of being a spy. The knowing that she had to be at least one step ahead… 

But it was too much of a risk. For now, at least. 

Instead, she did what she came here to do. Pulling up the lock down initation, she input the code and hit confirm. The moment that she did so, an alarm rang out through the facility. There were sounds of shock and uncertainty that came from the scientists roaming the halls, racing towards the exits as the bulkhead doors sealed themselves shut. Nothing was getting in or out, for at least twelve hours. 

It was a solid strategy. Divide and isolate. The assault squad would hit the labs first, grab the data before anyone had a chance to delete it, then they would mop up the military assets. It was solid enough that it didn’t give her much wiggle room, which was a shame. She liked wiggle room. She did her best work when she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

“Well done. Sit tight for your cue, alright?” Rude said and that was that. Ada pursed her lips and, almost as if on cue, the phone that she smuggled into the lab started to ring. Making a split second decision, Ada took the Veil off of her face and set it to the side. And, making sure that she couldn’t be overheard, she stepped into another room. 

“You have good timing,” Ada noted, greeting the speaker with an amused tone. “Almost as if you’ve been keeping an eye on the island.” It was a shot in the dark -- Ada still wasn’t exactly sure who had hired her to get a sample of the G-Virus back in Racoon City. She had theories, of course. She wouldn’t have lasted as long as she did without having her own connections to feel out people who would want to hire her. 

The issue with being a freelance spy was you exclusively attracted the shady types of employer. 

“Are you within the facility?” Came the sharp tone through the speaker. White. Male. That’s all that she knew about her employer, and it didn’t exactly narrow things down. However, what did was the pool of suspects was those who were interested in bio-weapon. 

“How much are you willing to pay if I say that I am?” Ada questioned, more wondering how many zeroes she could wring out of him than anything. A thought exercise… which, admittedly, might become the real thing if he gave her the right number.. 

There was a small pause on the other end. Then, “Double your usual fee.”

Desperate, are we? There were few things Ada loved more than a desperate man. “That seems a little low, considering the risks. I’ll have you know my new boss is quite the terrifying man. Sink an island into the ocean like the wrath of God kind of terrifying. It’ll take a lot more than double for me to risk crossing him.”

“Five times your standard rate,” The voice agreed readily. Interesting. Very interesting. Someone didn’t so much as have deep pockets but was swimming in money. More importantly, he was willing to spend it. Meaning that he wasn’t interested in the bio-weapons for the sake of selling them to any tin-pot dictator that wanted to shake it’s fist at its neighbors or the US of A. Bio-weapons sold well, but they didn’t sell that well. 

He had backing. A lab. Money. This sounded like the kind of lead she could use as a counterbalance, but… barely. Dangerous. Very dangerous. She wasn’t exaggerating when she said that Rude intended to, as he put it, ‘control-alt-delete it from reality.’ 

“What exactly am I looking for?” Ada questioned, idly considering the odds.

“Code name, the Veronica Virus. Named after Veronica Ashford, pioneered by Alexia Ashford,” The voice answered. “Records indicate that she has been working on it for more than a decade.” Hm. He knew of its existence, but not the real juicy details. Also interesting. 

“I'll see what I can do. But, as always… half up front,” Ada said before ending the call. 

Then she paused, looking down at the terminal. She could search it, find trace mentions of this Veronica Virus… 

Or she could do something a little more interesting. 

She dialed another number and it only rang once. “Rude? I just got an interesting phone call…”