The Reaper's Image

The
Reaper's Image

CHAPTER
ONE

Reunions

How much is real?  So much to question

An epidemic of the mannequins contaminating everything we 

thought came from the heart – but never did right from the start

Just listen to the noises – null and void instead of voices –

Before you tell yourself it's just a different scene

Remember it's just different from what you've seen

I'm looking at you through the glass,

Don’t know how much time has passed

And all I know is that it feels like forever…

“Through the Glass” – Stone Sour

Raccoon
City, 1998

“Are
they sure this is the best hotel in town?” 
The whiny voice of her managerial assistant was full of disbelief as she
leaned over to whisper in her ear.  The
snooty tone held the telltale signs of her upscale pedigree.  She had probably never had to want for anything in her life,
especially not a fancy five-star hotel. 

Of
course, neither had her boss.  Maris
Lacey had been born into the silver-spoon club herself, but had fortunately
learned the diplomatic ability of pulling it out of her mouth every once in a
while to speak.  No one liked a snob
for very long, unless you were another snob, and even then the threads wore
loose from time to time.  Maris had
only been a teenager when she’d first experienced snob-weariness and she’d
never been cured.  However, it
helped to have good breeding when working for a company like Umbrella, and when
your father had been a loyal employee promotions were sure to abound as long as
you had enough sense to stay ahead of the game.

“This
is Raccoon City, Carmen, not New York City.” 
Maris reminded the petite little brunette again. 
As far as the older woman was concerned Carmen Blake could have been
naturally bleach blond; she acted like it most of the time. 
That particular sentiment often left Maris feeling irritated and
wondering how a woman – and Maris used woman loosely with Carmen – such as
her had ever gotten to the position she had. 
It either had to be family ties, political ties, or a list of sexual
favors the length of Maris’s arm.  Somehow
Maris felt Carmen probably lacked the talent for the latter. 
There was no proof of that, but it was just a gut feeling.

Young
Ms. Blake rolled her eyes in a defeated manner and replied, “Well, that
shouldn’t be an excuse for a lack of proper accommodations. 
I can only hope that when the training facility is brought back online
they’ll improve.”

“Perhaps.” 
Maris told her, checking her watch once more while having an evil little
private thought.  Perhaps for me,
but I’m beginning to think I should request you be given quarters near the
basement.  When she smiled at
that Carmen smiled back, no doubt mistaking the act for a hopeful motion instead
of the self-gratuitous satisfaction that it really was. 
“If you’ll excuse me Carmen, I do believe I will retire for a while
before we go to meet the others.”

“Yes,
ma’am, of course.”

Maris
nodded, readjusting her bag on her shoulder so she could press the elevator
button.  A nice rest after their
long trip sounded excellent.  Maybe
a bath, some room service, and a trip down to the hotel bar and dining room
before the meeting.  Lord knows
I’ll probably need it.  She
thought, her features twisting into a mask of apprehension. 
How long had it been again?  Five
years, or was it ten?  She had never
wanted to return to this place.  Her
superiors had known that, but she supposed she understood the reason why, of all
people, she had been called back to this god-forsaken township. 
She played their words back to her once more:

“You
were one of our most talented trainees Ms. Lacey, and we believe that out of our
employees you would be the best choice to help us bring the old management
training center out of its metaphorical ashes.”

She
hadn’t wanted to take the assignment, but in the end there hadn’t been a
choice.  Her only hope was that once
everything was operational again she could pass the facility over to Blake and
return to her old post.  Umbrella
was a fickle entity, but predictable.  She
might have to threaten to quit and go elsewhere, but eventually she’d get what
she wanted.

103-C. 

Keys
jingled and she heard the lock snap out of place. 
Maris left the stuffy hallway behind and closed the door behind her,
resting her back on the beveled surface.  After
a few moments of blissful silence she forced herself to move. 
There was unpacking to do as well as papers to look over. 

“No
rest for the wicked.”  She cracked
to the empty room.  And
you’d know all about wickedness, Maris Lacey.

(-X-)

“Don’t
be so hysterical, Annette.” 

“I’m
not being hysterical.”  Annette
Birkin replied.  Her voice wavered
slightly in that tone that wives used when they were trying to explain something
to their husbands but they refused to see reason. 
They’d been through this same conversation off and on for a few days
and he still wouldn’t acknowledge that anything out of the ordinary was going
to happen.  The fact that William
was being sent back out to the old training facility was enough to put her on
edge, but alone she might have moved on and attributed her trepidation to the
memories of what had happened there.  However,
it wasn’t just the new assignment that had her miffed, it was Her. 
“I’m just trying to—“

William
smiled a gentle and reassuring smile, placing a finger to her lips and instantly
quieting her.  “I understand what
you’re trying to say, but I’m trying to tell you that there’s nothing for
you to worry about.”  He meant it,
and she knew he meant it, but he still wasn’t getting it.

Annette
sighed and leaned back against the counter, her arms automatically crossing over
her lab coat.  “I still don’t get how you can say that. 
Just because you want the past to disappear doesn’t mean it does, and I
remember how it was back then.  You
just can’t throw all that away.”

William
Birkin shook his head, his smile vanishing. 
“Yes, yes you can, and I have.  There’s
a reason they don’t call us the three musketeers anymore. 
Its because the dynamics have changed.” 
And they have.  He
told himself.  The old trio that had taken the Umbrella Corporation by storm
twenty years ago had disbanded.  He
only spoke to Albert anymore, and that was only when there was something
business related they needed to discuss.  Time
changed things, and more than anything it affected the bonds between people. 
Their bonds had severed long ago.  He
remembered when and why clearly.  For
that reason he was sure that any past that had happened would be dead and
buried, lost to memory only.

(-X-)

It
was quite serene in the bar.  Only
light music drifted in the dimness, the soft melodies weaving a dreamlike
surrealism through the room.  He was
on the hunt, and he was sure he’d find his perfect prey before too long.  With unexpected grace he slid into one of the booths and
waited.  Twice he had to tell a
waitress to leave him be.  It had
been in a nice manner, of course, he had a reputation to uphold. 
“Waiting for someone.”  He
explained the second time around and that had been the end of the unwanted
attention. 

           
A good hour had passed with only
an extravagantly packaged and overpriced bottle of water to keep him company. 
Then she had appeared.  Time
had not diminished her dark beauty, and by the look in her eyes had also failed
to change her on the inside as well.  She
brushed long strands of raven black hair away from her face and back over her
shoulder as she chatted with the bartender.

           
“Irish coffee,” He heard her
say as she pulled out a few bills.

           
“Starting early, aren’t we,
Mary, darling?”  He gave her a
Cheshire cat grin as he sidled up beside her, leaning one arm on the bar counter
as he spoke.

           
She didn’t even look at him when she replied, “out of all the people
I know, you should know the best not to call me by that name.”

           
Albert Wesker chuckled.  “Easy,
Mal.  It’s been a long time, and I
wanted to just see if you were still that way or not.”

           
“Old habits die hard, Albert.”  Maris
said, finally twisting on her seat to look him in the face. 
She would have looked him in the eyes if not for those damned sunglasses. 
Twenty years and he’s still wearing those fucking things. 
“And what is it your business what I consume anyway?”

           
“S.T.A.R.S. may be a special division, but I’m still an officer of
the law.”

           
Maris let out a derisive laugh.  “Umbrella
has a great sense of humor, don’t you think?” 
She commented.  “I mean, you,
a policeman.”

           
“Its not that funny.”  He
told her, his lips in a tight, thin line.

           
“Of course it is.  You just
don’t have a sense of humor is all.”  She
politely nodded to the bartender as he set down her coffee.

           
Wesker changed the subject.  “I
see you’re still addicted to your caffeine, although it appears you’ve
turned it up a notch.”

           
“Just today, old friend, just today.” 
She sipped at her drink. 

           
“William?”

           
Maris didn’t answer, but her body language answered for her. 
She sat up straight, her back tensing as she took another sip to avoid
acknowledging his question.  Her
eyes, usually such a vibrant deep aquamarine, dulled at the mention of the
Umbrella scientist. 

           
“Mal, it’s been twelve years.” 
He shook his head.

           
“Has it really?”  Her
tone wasn’t too convincing, in fact it withheld tones of direct knowledge. 
He wouldn’t be surprised to learn she dated her calendar with those
dreaded days. 

           
“I hope you won’t let your pathetic mental state effect our
assignment.”  He told her. 
It was harsh, but it was a truth she needed to hear.

           
“I’m not being pathetic.”  Prick.

           
“Annette’s been on the warpath since she found out you were part of
the reclamation team.”

           
“Really?”  Maris seemed to brighten up on that note. 
She’d always hated the woman, and to hear she wasn’t too happy made
things a little more tolerable.

“She
even cursed when the rumors got around that you were going to stay on and take
up Marcus’s old post.”  Albert
said evenly.  “Head of the
Management Training Facility, huh?  You’ve
definitely come a long way from the bratty little teenager who wanted to break
all the rules.”

“Look
who’s talkin’ blondie.”  Maris
smirked.

Albert
laughed lightly, a wicked smile playing over his features. 
“But some things will never change…”

(-X-)

Maris
met back up with her glorified secretary after she and Albert had parted. 
He had left earlier than she had, almost disappearing into the shadows as
he went.  She had always been amazed
with his ability to sneak around she swiftly and gracefully. 
It was almost as if he’d been crafted just for that purpose. 
When she’d heard he’d transferred to the investigation bureau she
thought it was about time.  Scientist
though he was, his inborn talents lay elsewhere. 

           
“—and there will have to be a complete overhaul of the electrical
system.”  Carmen was saying when
Maris snapped out of her thoughts.

           
“That sounds expensive.”  Its
not that Umbrella can’t afford it, but that’s a lot of unnecessary work,
and more time I’ll have to spend in this shithole town. 

           
“It probably will be, but it will be better in the long-run. 
If one of those ancient wires shorts out it might cause a fire and
we’ll lose the entire building.  It’s
cheaper to rewire now than rebuild the entire thing later, don’t you agree?”

           
“Perhaps.  We’ll have an in-company electrician take a look.  Find
me a list of decent contractors.” 

           
“Yes ma’am.”  Carmen
took a note down in her little notebook she carried around. 

           
Maris smoothed her suit-jacket one more time and checked her skirt before
she led Carmen inside the Umbrella office building. 
It was almost time for the meeting between the parties in charge of the
reclamation.  She’d had two Irish
coffees and a shot of vodka and she was still too clear-headed to ignore the
unpleasantness of the whole ordeal.  Why
did they have to insist I work with William; they must have realized the
disaster they were creating.

           
“Anything wrong, boss?”

           
“No, Ms. Blake.”  Keep
your nose out of my business, Miss Blake. 
The last person she needed realizing that something was amiss was the
rumor-queen.  More than once Maris
had sworn that Carmen should have had a weekly byline in a bad gossip magazine. 

           
“The others are already here, Mrs. Lacey.” 
The woman at the front desk said.  “They’re
expecting you.”

           
“I never married.”  She
answered without thinking.

           
“What?”

           
“Never mind.”  Maris
shook her head.  She didn’t know
how many times it would take people to get it through their heads she wasn’t a
missus.  “Conference room E,
right?”

           
“Yes.”  The secretary nodded.

           
With a sigh Maris said, “Great.”

(-X-)

“Maris
Lacey has arrived.”  The voice
over the intercom said.  William
Birkin’s head immediately came up from the papers he was going over. 
It had been so instinctual he had no chance to stop it. 
He cleared his throat and went to straighten his collar in an attempt to
hide the action.  In mid-movement he
froze as he noticed Albert was watching him.

           
“Yes?”  He tried to sound annoyed instead of guilty, but he had
always been a bad liar.

           
“I saw that.”

           
“You see everything.”  William
muttered, “You always have.”  I
swear to God, sometimes I think he’s omniscient.

           
“Its one of my many gifts.  Its
like you with your science and Maris who—“

           
“—is now in the room and would appreciate the personal chatter to
cease.” 

           
Both men’s heads swiveled over to her. 
There was a moment where time stretched and seized. 
It was not lost on any of the three that this was a significant occasion;
the last time they were all together was Birkin’s wedding. 
And Maris had only attended that long enough to sign the registry, stir
up some trouble, and leave. 

           
“You look very nice, Mal.”  William
said.  And she did.  He
couldn’t ignore that.  She was
beautiful in a way that few could be beautiful. 
If he didn’t know better himself he wouldn’t have believed that she
was his age.

           
“Your tie’s crooked, William.” 
Maris replied. 

           
“Oh…”  His hands automatically went to fix the problem, fidgeting
with the long thin cloth like he’d never seen one before. 

           
“…”  Maris shook her
head and sighed, reaching out and pushing his hands away. 
In seconds her nimble fingers had already re-tied and smoothed it down. 
“You never could tie one of these right.  Isn’t Annette training you properly?”

           
William tensed and Carmen, sensing that a chilly topic had been breached,
smiled warmly at Wesker, “Agent Wesker, hello! Carmen Blake. 
I’m Maris’s assistant.”  She
reached out her hand, attempting to balance the papers and folders in her arms. 

           
Albert gave a cold, but amused smile and took it. 
“Hello, Ms. Blake.  Let me
help you with those.”  He was
allowed to lighten her load and showed her to a seat at the conference table. 
“How are you liking Raccoon so far?”

           
“The hotel is awful, but I suppose its pretty here.” 
She gave him a coy grin, “and if all the views are as good as this I
might stick around for a while.” 

           
Maris almost retched.  She’s
flirting with him.  Jeez. 
It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen this before.  On the contrary, their entire friendship she’d had to watch
the lesser females throw themselves at his feet. 
Unfortunately if she thought about it long enough she might have to admit
if it wasn’t for sweet little William she might have done the same thing all
those years ago – so she didn’t try to think of that too much. 
The mere thought of her lusting after Albert Wesker was too much for her
mind to comprehend.

           
“Well, I might have to give you a private tour…of the city
sometime.”

           
And he’s flirting back.  It
was a little too much of a déjà vu for Maris. 
She coughed and brought their attention back to she and William. 
“Perhaps we,” she said, and we meaning you two, “can
work out tour dates some other time.  We
have many plans to cover in a short period of time.”

           
“Yes,” William agreed.  “If
we’re to get things running smoothly we can’t risk mistakes.” 

           
A lack of mistakes around Carmen might be too much to ask, but Maris
could pray.  The three standing took seats: Carmen across the table and
just a couple chairs down from William, and Maris beside Albert. 
As she made herself comfortable she leaned over and whispered harshly in
his ear, “You try to fuck my assistant and I swear I’ll ass-rape you
with a chainsaw.”

Albert
looked more amused than shocked.  “Always
so colorful.”

“Like
a rainbow.”