Chapter 9
It was hard for Wesker and Birkin to accept the truth, even after they had watched the videos and read the reports and seen the evidence with their own eyes. They were scientists, educated and trained to believe in and base their work on certain unchangeable tenets, permanent biological rules that no medical miracle could overcome. To see the work of the Progenitor, to see how it turned all their assumptions upside down, froze their blood to ice.
The Progenitor killed its host. And then it resurrected the host as something else. A creature that moved as if alive, but with no heartbeat and no respiration. Medically, biologically, the host was dead, killed by the Progenitor, but it moved and sensed and appeared to be alive once more. To think of what the host had become was a terrifying thought indeed. It was dead but not dead, alive but not alive. It was both.
Neither Wesker nor Birkin said the words that popped into their heads, and neither did anyone else in the entire laboratory. They knew what the hosts had become, but they could not say it because they were scientists, and scientists could not believe in such things. Certain words were strictly forbidden.
Words like “undead.” Words like “zombie.”
But there really was no other word for it, none that made any sense. Some of the scientists used terms like “post-resurrection phase” and “second-stage host” but they were just complicated ways of saying what the hosts really were. They were alive, and then dead, and now neither. And the word “zombie” was really the only one that fit.
But even that wasn’t right. Usually, the word was reserved for undead human beings, not monkeys or dogs or any of the other animals the Progenitor had been tested on. And although Wesker had not specifically asked, Marcus answered him.
“Yes, humans have been infected. Early in Progenitor’s history, there were a few incidents, before we knew what we were dealing with. And there have been a few lab accidents where researchers were exposed. We haven’t had an accident like that in at least seven years. Our safety measures are much more thorough now.”
“How many people, total, have been infected?” Wesker asked. “That you know of.”
Marcus rubbed his chin. “Perhaps two dozen,” he said vaguely. By the sound of his voice, Wesker estimated the true number was double that, maybe higher. Fifty people infected, turned into monsters. Fifty lives destroyed, because of a miracle cure disguised as a nightmare plague.
“What was done with them?” he asked.
“The only thing that could be done,” Marcus answered simply, as if the question was self-explanatory. Perhaps it was. “They were isolated and caged, to be experimented with and studied. If that was not possible, they were destroyed. They were not human anymore, and we could not allow the infection to spread. We had no choice in the matter. We have no choice.”
“I wasn’t judging you,” Wesker said.
If Wesker wasn’t, Birkin surely was. Right off the bat, he situated himself in one of smaller labs, engrossing himself in the medical potential of the Progenitor. He surrounded himself in a handful of like-minded scientists and began working on how to transform the regenerative-yet-destructive power of the Progenitor into something beneficial to humanity. In that sense, his work had not changed much from before, but instead of working with some nameless enzyme, he was working with the Progenitor itself.
Wesker’s work went along a very different track. By some unknown biological mechanism, the Progenitor mutated certain animals when they were infected. Some animals became substantially larger during their post-resurrection phase, and some changed more drastically. Some breeds of dogs, including the Doberman Pinscher, had their fur and skin seemingly melt away, revealing the bloody muscle and sinew beneath. Birds lost their feathers along with their ability to fly. Chimpanzees and howler monkeys became unbelievably vicious and savage. Their eyes turned red as blood, and like the dogs, they lost hair and skin in hideous patches. Insects in particular grew to several times their original size and gained frightful new abilities, such as spiders which could spray acid-like venom at their prey. Wesker dedicated himself to cataloging and studying the effects. It was fascinating work, but Wesker suffered from nightmares more frequently.
The Progenitor killed its host because during replication, it interrupted necessary cellular functions and interactions. Hemoglobin in the blood could no longer carry oxygen, the intestines lost the ability to absorb minerals, the heartbeat became intermittent and finally stopped entirely, the nerves stopped transferring information to the brain, and synapses in the brain stopped firing. The host died when its body effectively shut down due to hundreds of biological malfunctions.
But the Progenitor virus was regenerative. It kept the cells alive, strengthening them, even as it killed the host. And when the cells lived, the host lived. But with the Progenitor effectively sabotaging such necessary functions as respiration and brainwave activity, the host could not live as it had lived before. So it remained animated, but not strictly alive. The Progenitor kept the host moving like a remote control moving a toy robot.
And when the body stopped maintaining itself, it began to fall apart. Hemorrhages were common, especially from the mouth, ears, and other orifices. The eyes turned glaucomic white or filled with blood, blinding the host. Sometimes, the spinal cord stopped working and the host became completely paralyzed.
Since the host’s cells were still technically active, the body did not decompose right away, at least not the same way a corpse did. But even the Progenitor did not keep the cells alive permanently, and some died off faster than others. Eventually, within a day or two, decay began to set in. Bodily fluids like blood, lymph, and bile would go first. The host’s skin dried out and began to rot as well, and within a few days the host would become visibly decomposed. But as long as the bones, muscles, ligaments, and other tissues remained intact, the host could continue to move around for months or even longer. Depending on environmental conditions and other variables, a host could could remain ambulatory for years.
At the other end of the spectrum, the host seemingly gained advantages from its loss of life. With no need to eat or breath, it could survive underwater with no sustenance for an unknown amount of time. In fact, it could not be killed by almost any non-physical means. Drowning, asphyxiation, starvation, freezing, and poisoning no longer had an effect on the Progenitor’s victims. The only way to kill them was through traumatic physical means. Burning, electrocution, dismemberment, and other forms of extreme physical damage could destroy them. Trauma to the brain sometimes resulted in host death, at least temporarily, but the corpse would have to be disposed of rapidly or else the Progenitor might yet revive it. Fire was the preferred method of disposal.
“What do you do with them?” Wesker asked one day while in the lab, reviewing slides. “With the infected bodies, once you’re finished working with them?”
“We have a chemical treatment plant a few miles away,” Marcus said. “All of our organic waste material is sent there. It’s treated with chemicals and other corrosives, destroying any trace of contaminants.”
“You have another facility out here in the mountains? Does Umbrella own it?”
“Of course. The local residents don’t know about it, though.”
“The government in Raccoon City must know.”
“Yes,” Marcus said, “but the local government of Raccoon City and the Umbrella Corporation have been working together for years. How do you think we were able to build all these laboratories?”
“What do you mean? There are other labs nearby?”
“Didn’t you know? There are three separate labs within the county limits. The training facility, the main Arklay facility run by Dr. Spencer a few miles away, and another lab in Raccoon City. We also own the chemical treatment plant and two other industrial sites.”
“I had no idea,” Wesker said. “And the local residents don’t even know?”
Mar
cus scoffed at the thought. “Umbrella owns most of the town. The mayor’s office keeps it under wraps because we donate so much money for city projects. The mayor of Raccoon City is practically an employee of Umbrella.”
Wesker turned his attention back to the video screen in front of him. “I guess that explains a few things.” He made a mental note to keep that information in mind. Having the local city government essentially on the payroll could come in handy.
Unlike Birkin, Wesker did not devote himself to researching the medical possibilities of the Progenitor. He could not force himself to look on the bright side. The Progenitor, despite having some qualities that might aid medical research in the future, was not at its core a medical breakthrough. It was a virus, not a cure.
In order for Birkin to accomplish his goal, he needed to find a way to negate more than half of what the Progenitor did. Birkin only wanted a small portion of the Progenitor, and to get it he had to nullify the rest. Wesker, on the other hand, wanted the Progenitor in its entirety. He saw the virus not as a tool for medical advance, but as a powerful weapon. The Progenitor was like a biological bomb, an epidemic to end all epidemics.
“You should be working with me,” Birkin said one evening in the small break room. It was almost midnight and both of them were still working. While Wesker snacked on a candy bar to give him some quick energy, Birkin was downing his tenth or twelfth cup of coffee that day.
“Marcus wants us to work together, but it’s hard to do that when we’re working on totally different projects. You’d be a huge help,” Birkin said, subtly stroking Wesker’s ego, which usually worked. “The guys I’m working with now just aren’t visionary enough, they can’t improvise their methods.”
“I’m not interested in what you’re working on,” Wesker said, munching on the candy bar. “Sorry, but that’s the way it is. Besides, I’m getting pretty far with my own stuff, I can’t stop now and switch to something else.”
“How can you not be interested?” Birkin asked incredulously. “We’re working on the cure to cellular diseases, man. That’s the biggest thing there is.”
“It’s also the hardest thing there is,” Wesker replied. “The virus kills everything it touches, and you want to turn it into the exact opposite. You’re chasing a dream.”
Birkin sipped his coffee. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Okay, let me rephrase it. You’re chasing a pipe dream.”
“Don’t be such a pessimist. The key is right there, Wesker. It’s right in front of us, we just have to find a way to get it out.”
Wesker leaned back and folded his hands behind his head. He was exhausted from spending all day behind a microscope, but he dared not go to sleep yet. There was so much to do. “Look, Will. The virus is not reducible. It heals the cells but it also kills the host, and those two qualities are inextricably linked. You can’t have one without the other. You’re trying to make cold fire.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“No, I’m not. You know how the virus works, you’ve read all the reports. It invades the cells and makes them damage-resistant, and that’s exactly what kills the host. When the cells gain that ability to heal, it also interrupts other cellular functions. The host dies from the very thing you’re trying to single out.”
“At least I’m trying to do something positive,” Birkin shot back. He knew Wesker had a valid point; many of the other scientists there felt the same way. When feeding Wesker’s ego didn’t work, Birkin resorted to making him feel guilty. “What are you doing all day? Just infecting more and more animals to see what happens.”
“That’s science,” Wesker said. “Throw some chemicals in a test tube and see what they make. We’re experimenting.”
“There’s no point to it.”
“We’re learning,” Wesker said, ignoring the harsh tone in Birkin’s voice. “Isn’t that what you’re all about? Learning for the sake of learning? The more we know about the virus and the way it works, the better off we’ll be.”
“You should be looking for a way to halt the infection, to stop the virus from spreading, not just finding more species to infect with it.”
“We probably will, just not right now. We’re still studying the virus. Once we know exactly how it spreads, then we can work on prevention. Marcus said something the other day about setting up a crew to work on developing a possible antivirus.”
That got Birkin’s attention. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious. We’re not going to do it tomorrow, but it’s the next possible step. That’s the project that you should be working on. It has a much higher chance of success.”
Birkin sat back and thought it over. For the moment, he had forgotten about trying to sway Wesker to his side. “I guess all they’d have to do is keep the cellular functions from breaking down. Introduce some kind of intermediary substance to keep the cells working properly without affecting the Progenitor.”
“And to do that,” Wesker said, setting up his victory in the argument, “we have to understand exactly how the cell functions break down. We need to study exactly what the Progenitor does, and to do that, we have to continue to infect lab animals. Therefore, the work I’m doing is just as important as yours, if not more so.”
Birkin shook his head. “You could have said that to begin with.”
“Didn’t think about it until now,” Wesker said, standing up. “Now, I’m going outside to smoke a cigarette. Don’t make any huge discoveries when I’m gone.”