July 15, 1998, 02:40 AM
The underground laboratory was a sanctuary of glass and stainless steel, immersed in an almost religious silence broken only by the low hum of the ventilation systems and the intermittent beep of the equipment. The smell was aseptic, a mixture of ozone and sterilizing agents.
Eddie held a vial between his fingers with the delicacy of a jeweler. Inside, a bluish liquid pulsed with a faint, unnatural light. It was his version of the T-Virus, purified, stabilized. A single drop could rewrite the code of life or erase it entirely.
Sitting on a stool a few meters away, Alex watched him. Her legs were crossed, the stiletto heel of one shoe dangling slowly in mid-air. She didn't say a word. Her blue eyes were fixed on him, analytical, cold, yet crossed by a flash of something that resembled… curiosity. This man was an enigma. A puzzle wrapped in designer clothes and calculated arrogance. The more she tried to decipher him, the more the pieces of the puzzle seemed to multiply.
On the holographic screen in front of Eddie, double helixes of DNA rotated slowly. He was comparing his genetic sequence with that of the virus, looking for a grafting point, an access door to force the symbiosis. For years he had played the part of the spoiled son, the blond idiot under Spencer's watchful eye. Now that the old man's guard had loosened, every second was precious.
He had no systems, no video game cheats. He only had his brain and a determination that bordered on madness. If intelligence wasn't enough, he would fight. And if brute force wasn't sufficient, he would use science to tear science itself apart. There was no other way to survive what was about to happen.
"What are you working on, exactly?"
Alex's voice reached him, a crystalline sound in the laboratory's silence. She had stood up and was approaching, the sharp click-clack of her heels on the epoxy resin floor marking her steps. The discreet scent of her perfume tickled his nostrils. Even after all this time, her proximity still sent an electric shock down his spine.
"A graft," he replied, without taking his eyes off the screen. "I'm trying to combine my genome with the T-strain. If I succeed, my physiology will be rewritten. Stronger, faster. A superman, in a nutshell." He paused. "Sergei Vladimir came close, but his is an adaptation, not a true symbiosis. His serum grants strength, not immortality."
"You're well-informed," Alex observed, now by his side. Her reflection appeared on the screen next to his. "And what's your plan to perfect it?"
"I need data I don't have. I need to access someone else's work." Eddie turned to look at her. His face was so close he could count the golden flecks in her blue irises.
"And who would that be?" she asked, tilting her head, an almost amused expression on her face.
"William Birkin," Eddie replied, the name leaving his lips like a curse.
Alex remained silent. The amusement vanished from her face, replaced by a mask of cold evaluation. "Birkin doesn't share his work. He's paranoid, obsessed with his G-Virus. And if Spencer found out you were collaborating with him… you know what would happen."
It wasn't a question. It was a certainty.
"Of course I know," Eddie retorted, a sardonic smile forming on his face. "That old bastard doesn't tolerate betrayal. That's why I need your help. I want a meeting with Spencer."
Alex stared at him as if he had gone mad. "Are you crazy? You want to walk straight into the fox's den? Do you think you can convince him?"
"Oh, so you're worried about me?" he teased. "Afraid something bad might happen to your dear husband?"
She recoiled, her expression turning glacial again. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm just afraid you might die before you keep your promise." She turned, showing him her back.
Eddie laughed. "That won't happen. I know that bastard's weak spot better than anyone."
"And what would that be?" she asked, without turning, her black-lacquered nails drumming on the tablet she was holding.
"His fear of death. And his ego." Eddie's tone hardened. "I need you to go to him. Tell him I want to see him. And tell him… that James Marcus is back."
The drumming stopped abruptly. Alex turned slowly, her eyes wide with shock. "What? That's impossible. Marcus has been dead for over ten years."
"In this world, what the fuck is impossible?" Eddie retorted, his voice flat. "Have you forgotten the most common side effect of the T-Virus? The reanimation of necrotic tissues."
"How… how do you know that?" she stammered, her composure cracking for the first time.
"I found some old encrypted reports in the Arklay archives. And there have been rumors. Sightings of a man matching his description in the forest." It was a half-truth, but it would be enough.
Alex processed the information, her brilliant mind working at full speed. "If it's true… the implications are catastrophic. The experiments would come to light. The government would open an investigation."
"I know," Eddie confirmed. "And that's why Spencer will listen to me. He has no choice."
"He could just kill you. He's made people disappear for much less. Remember the mansion's architect?"
"That's where you come in," Eddie said, his gaze intense. "Tell Spencer about my talent. Tell him that if we work together, the chances of creating an immortality serum will increase exponentially. Tell him I can give him what Marcus and Birkin failed to give him. He won't refuse. His vanity won't let him."
Alex studied him for a long time, an unreadable expression on her face. "You know that old man far too well," she murmured finally. "Who are you, Eddie? Who are you really?"
He smiled at her, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Just a man who wants to live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor. And maybe start a family."
"A single wife?" she asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Well," he replied without shame, "if there were more than one, I wouldn't say no."