Viral Solutions (Worm/Resident Evil)

[Frostbyte]

Kayden Anders couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. She kept looking around as she approached the door to her penthouse apartment. Things had been tense in the city, ever since that new hero had been attacked in her home. Damn it, Bradley.

She sighed and stepped inside, pausing as she saw the light on in Aster's room. "Theo? Is that you?" She froze as she entered the room. There was a stranger standing in front of Aster's crib, a pistol in hand and pointed at the sleeping infant. She took in her features all at once. Long black hair, a white doctor's coat stained red with dried blood. Gas mask sitting on a chair beside her. Kayden recognized the face as one that had been all over the news for the past few weeks. Taylor Hebert was in her home. "M-Medicus?" She wondered how quickly she'd be able to lift her hand and blast the girl before she did anything. As if sensing her thoughts, the teen thumbed back the hammer on the pistol.

"Hello, Kayden Anders. Or should I call you Purity?" She gave her a soulless smirk. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure how this whole 'unwritten rules' thing works."

"Medicus, please. Just...just step away from-"

"Shut up. I'll be the one talking here." The pistol pointed at her for a moment, and Kayden held up her hands in a placating manner. "Sit down." Kayden sat.
She took a moment to sneak another glance at the younger cape. The girl didn't look good. There was a nasty scar across her throat, her hair looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks, and there were deep, dark bags under her eyes. "I want to ask you a question, Kayden." Taylor moved her hand so the pistol was pointed at Aster again. "Just play along, and nobody gets hurt."

"Medicus, please-"

"Shut up! Stop calling me that!" Kayden shuddered as the girl's eyes changed, gaining reptilian slits and glowing red irises. "Medicus is dead! Hookwolf killed her!"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry M...Taylor." The girl huffed, but seemed to calm down for the moment. The silence stretched, and the tinker started to fidget. Keep her talking, Kayden. "Y-you, uh, said you had a question?"

"Right. Right, the question." Taylor closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Kayden almost flinched back from the sheer hate they seemed to hold. "Tell me, Kayden. Purity. Whatever. Why is it that the villains seem to be the only ones who get benefits from the Unwritten Rules?" Kayden's jaw dropped for a moment. She tried to figure out what to say. "ANSWER ME!" Taylor roared.

"W-we aren't, Taylor." The girl scoffed, starting to pace around the room.

"Don't bullshit me, Kayden. If the rules apply to everyone, why hasn't anybody come after Skidmark at his home, the way he did to Squealer? The way Kaisers' thug went after Fluer? The way you Nazi fucks went after me and my dad?! Because it seems to me, Kayden, that villains only care about the rules when they work for them." The Tinker was ranting now, waving the gun wildly. Kayden shifted where she sat, and the girl took a deep breath, seeming to calm down. "That's not the question, anyways." She looked directly into Kayden's eyes, and Purity shivered at the emptiness she saw in them. "Who told the Empire my identity, Kayden?"

"I don't know."

Taylor pointed the gun at Aster and started pulling on the trigger. Kayden felt like her heart might just stop right then. "Don't lie to me, Kayden."

"I don't know! I really don't know! Jesus, fuck, would you point that gun somewhere else?! If you have to shoot someone, shoot me! Please! She's just a baby, Taylor!" Kayden was almost sobbing at this point. The girl looked at her for an agonizingly long time, then finally let her arm drop.

"Fine. I'll choose to believe you." Taylor stepped away from the crib at last, pulling out a cell phone from her coat and tossing it to Kayden. "Call Kaiser. I want you to deliver a message for me."

"When?"

"Now." Kayden swallowed.

"I won't unmask him." Taylor glared at her.

"I don't need you to. Call him. Now." Kayden dialed the number.

"Who is this?" Max's voice came through after a few seconds. "How did you get this number?"

"Kaiser. It's Purity."

"...Kayden? What's going on?" Taylor spoke, then.

"Put him on speaker." Kayden did, holding the phone out. "Hello, Kaiser." There was a long pause before her ex-husband spoke.

"What do you want?" Taylor hummed, tapping the pistol against her thigh for a moment.

"I don't suppose you could bring my father back to life? No?" She let out a hollow chuckle, speaking before he could. "Well. That's a shame. I suppose I'll just have to settle for putting you through the same thing as me."

"Medicus-"

"That's. Not. My. Name." Her voice was a soft growl. "It's not nice, is it? Learning that somewhere you thought was safe isn't."

"If you hurt them-"

"You'll what? Kill me? Kill my family?" She huffed out a laugh. "Can't do worse than you already have, Kaiser."

"What do you want?" Taylor probably couldn't tell, but Kayden could. Max sounded angry, but his voice shook slightly. The man was afraid.

"I want you to feel the way I did. I want you to know that I'm coming for you. And I won't stop. Not until your Empire has been turned to ash." She smirked. Before Kayden could react, she'd lifted up the pistol and fired twice. The cape blinked, feeling a spreading pain in her gut. "Better hurry if you want to save her. I hear gut wounds are agonizing." Kaiser was shouting something through the phone, but Kayden couldn't hear him. A boot stomped down by her head, accompanied by the sound of something crunching. The girl, Taylor, was standing over her. "Goodbye, Kayden. When Kaiser comes, remind him what happened here. Tell him I'm coming." She paused on the threshold of the apartment. "I suppose I need a name, don't I? Medicus is dead, after all. From now on...call me Tyrant."

 

[Frostbyte]

I made my way out of the apartment complex, slipping out through the back door and into an alleyway. I reached into my lab coat and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, then shrugged the bloody garment off, tossing it into a nearby dumpster. I wouldn't need it anymore. Besides, the only blood on it was mine, and what could the police do about a girl who was supposed to be dead? I lit a cigarette and took a drag, walking away from the alley. I could hear sirens approaching. Now that was interesting. I'd thought the Empire would try to take care of Purity themselves by sending Othala.

I made myself scarce, looking up as thunder rumbled overhead. Thunderclouds loomed overhead in the night sky, threatening a storm. It had been like this almost all day, without the rain actually coming down. The world almost seemed like it was holding in a breath, waiting for something to come along and release the storm. For just a moment, I entertained the arrogant thought that I was what it was waiting for, before brushing it aside.

I made my way through the city streets, sticking to the back alleys. I didn't need to be found, at least not yet. Not before I was ready for it. Especially not by the PRT or Protectorate. They'd either try to force me into the Wards "for my own good," or just kill me on the spot because of what I'd become. Because of what I could create. Absently, I reached up to rub at my eyes, taking another drag from the cigarette. Ever since I'd gotten my powers, I'd been plagued by nightmares about what would happen if even a single one of the viruses or creatures I could create got loose. At best, they'd make Brockton Bay the new Ellisburg. At worst, well...they'd make Bonesaw green with jealousy, probably just before whatever it was gnawed her face off.

I hissed imagine sudden pain as I felt a burning against my fingers. Fuck, I'd gotten distracted and let my cigarette burn all the way down again. I sighed and dropped the butt to the ground, making sure to stomp on it. I paused when I realized where I was. I'd walked back to my house without noticing. I swallowed. Even from here, I could see the damage Hookwolf had done when I'd decided to try and at least fight back a little before being taken. It felt so wrong, seeing the house like this. As I walked closer, the damage became clearer to see. There were great, reading holes in the walls that I didn't remember being there before. The door was broken down, hanging off of one hinge, with a strand of police tape across the threshold. I stopped in front of it for a moment. It had been a week since I was last home. Since I had died. Since dad had died. I wasn't sure if I was ready to be here again. A crack of thunder made the choice for me, as the storm that had been brewing all day finally decided to cut loose. The rain came hammering down in a moment, soaking me through in seconds. With a sigh, I ducked under the police tape and into the house. I had to swallow the urge to run as soon as my eyes adjusted to the dark. Thanks to the virus infecting me, the dim light might as well have been daytime with how well I could see. Not that I wanted to, at all. While there weren't any of the chalk outlines I half-expected to see, there was still dried blood on the wooden floor. I did my best to ignore it, making my way over to the basement door. I might as well make the most of this, after all. I was fairly certain I still had a few leftover samples in my lab. If the Nazi's hadn't somehow gotten to them, at least.

Well. It seems like that door I insisted dad install paid off, after all. There were deep scratches on the surface, obviously from Hookwolf, but he hadn't been able to pierce it. The bloody handprint on the biometrics scanner I'd built and installed told me they'd tried to use my corpse to open it. They'd underestimated my paranoia. The things I made could not be allowed to escape. No matter what. Since the house was still standing, they hadn't pushed enough to set off the counter-measures I'd built into my lab. I placed my hand on the scanner. It beeped twice, then turned green. The locks disengaged with an audible thunk.

Looking over my lab, I was struck by how little I'd managed to do in the month I'd been active as Medicus. I had a few green herbs growing, a few scattered empty vials, and an unfinished medical scanner. For all my talk of wanting to change the world, I hadn't done too much to achieve that goal. Maybe if Hookwolf hadn't come along... I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. No point in dwelling on what-ifs. If I started, I don't think I'd ever stop. I walked over to the mini freezer dad had gotten me and opened it. Most of the samples inside were unfortunately no longer viable, but there was one that just might work. I pocketed it and turned to leave. For a moment, I considered burning the place down, just to be sure, but I ultimately decided against it. If anything, it would only tell everyone in the damn city that I was still alive, and had been back home. Better to just leave. I paused as a rancid scent hit my nose. Oh, god, was that me?! Yeah, no. It might be a mistake, but I'm definitely taking a fucking shower before I leave. Besides, I could still hear the storm raging outside. I probably couldn't catch a cold or anything like that anymore, but being soaked to the bone would still be an unpleasant experience. Especially because I didn't actually have anywhere safe to stay the night. So. A shower, and then waiting out the storm. That sounded simple enough.