Chapter 12
“I understand. Yes, the situation is under control. Thank you,” Spencer said.
He set the phone receiver back in the cradle. He set his elbows on the spotless desk top and steepled his fingers, a practiced, repetitive gesture he had perfected over the years. But there was an almost unnoticeable tremor in his hands as he did so.
Wesker, sitting in the chair across from him, noticed it. His mirrored sunglasses reflected the setting sun behind Spencer’s large office window, making the glasses look a fiery orange. He sat in the comfortable leather chair with his hands in his lap and his legs crossed, his face completely passive. He suspected what Spencer was going to ask him, but did not want to give away his foreknowledge.
This was actually the first time he had ever met Dr. Ozwell Spencer, and he wanted the man’s first impression of him to be as calculating as Wesker’s first impression of Spencer was. He heard occasional rumors from the other scientists that Spencer was a hard man, and right away he knew they were true. Spencer looked like a man accustomed to giving orders.
“When was the last time you saw Dr. Marcus?” Spencer asked, his voice level.
Wesker thought about it for a few moments. “I haven’t seen him since about April. So that would be about three months.”
“Do you know where he’s been?”
“In his private lab underneath the astronomy tower, I would assume.” Everyone knew about the “secret” lab, so he made no effort to hide his knowledge of it.
Spencer nodded, pursing his lips. “He hasn’t left the lab in almost that entire time. Does that strike you as odd?”
“He hinted that he was working on something very important,” Wesker said. “I assumed that he was.”
“You assume a lot,” Spencer said, his voice sharp as a knife. He lowered his hands and set them flat on the desk, and his dark blue eyes flashed dangerously. “Now drop the act. You know why I called you here, so stop pretending to be naive. It doesn’t suit you.”
Wesker let out a breath, his heart racing in his sudden panic. “Okay,” he said carefully. “What do you want me to tell you?”
“Tell me your thoughts.” Spencer left it at that and sat back in his chair. His eyes were like laser beams, and they froze Wesker’s heart. He had greatly underestimated this man, if that was possible. Spencer was much more than what he seemed, and Wesker had already marked him as the coldest man he had ever met. Wesker found himself scared out of his wits. He didn’t think there were words to accurately describe what this old man was like. Words like “cold,” “cunning,” and “ruthless” did not do him justice.
“Marcus has been getting worse,” he heard himself say. “Even before he disappeared completely, I barely saw him. He visited the labs once a week, if that. He spent all his time in his private lab, but he never told us what he was working on.”
“Did his behavior worry you?”
“Not really,” Wesker admitted. “We’re all obsessed with our work. I just thought he was more obsessed that the rest of us.”
“He is obsessed, that much is true,” Spencer said, his voice calmer. Wesker’s heart rate reduced and his breathing slowed. He felt as if he had just awakened from hypnosis. “But his obsession is beginning to have negative consequences.”
“Like what?” Wesker asked.
Spencer sighed and turned his chair to look out the window. The Arklay Mountains were a popular scenic area, even though Wesker had never taken time to personally experience the beauty of nature, but the view from Spencer’s window was quite lovely. Wesker could imagine him, in his more-relaxed moments, gazing out the window with a peaceful expression on his face. Not now, however. His expression was anything but peaceful. There was anger, fear, bitterness, and frustration barely concealed beneath the surface.
“How long have you worked for Umbrella, Wesker?” Spencer asked.
“Two years.”
“You were promoted very early, you know. Some of the people in your training class are still working in the introductory labs. They don’t have the security clearance to know about the Progenitor yet. But you’re already in the primary lab with your own research team.”
“I’m not the only one.”
“Yes, your colleague William Birkin. I know about him as well. But I didn’t call Birkin here today, for several reasons. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Why?”
Spencer turned the chair back to its original position, setting his elbows on the desk and steepling his fingers once again. “I know everything that goes on in this company, Wesker. Even the things that people try to keep hidden. I see everything and I hear everything. Nothing escapes me.”
“I believe you,” Wesker said, and he did.
“And I can read people,” Spencer said, ignoring Wesker’s comment. “I control this entire lab complex because I can control people. I understand what makes them tick.” As he spoke, her pointed a long, sharp finger at Wesker. “And I know what makes you tick. You like to think you have people fooled, but you can’t fool me. Your every move, your every gesture, announces your intentions and desires to me like a megaphone.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Your friend Birkin wants to cure all diseases, and he thinks the Progenitor can help him do it. He wants to save mankind, he wants to create a super vaccine against all disease. You don’t share his beliefs.”
“No, I don’t.”
“That is what I’m talking about, Wesker. You aren’t working here to help mankind, you’re working here to help yourself. Your ambition comes off of you like a wave. I can almost smell it.”
Wesker didn’t know what to say to such a damning accusation, so he said nothing. Whatever ounce of confidence he retained after Spencer’s earlier burst of anger shriveled up like a raisin and left him defenseless. He had a vision of Spencer as a heartless judge about to sentence him to a life at hard labor.
Spencer smiled suddenly, and it scared Wesker down to his bones. “How does it feel to be put in your place?”
“I don’t like it,” Wesker said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Just remember where your place is,” Spencer said conversationally, “and I won’t have to put you in it again. You’re intelligent and ambitious, but just remember that those skills will get you absolutely nowhere if I say so. Do what I tell you and you’ll go far in this company. Defy me, and you will go nowhere but down.”
“Yes,” Wesker said, and then, “Yes, sir.”
“This is why I wanted to talk to you instead of Birkin. Do you see now? Birkin lets his noble ideas of right and wrong get in the way. He’ll go far in this company, but only because we can use his mind. He doesn’t have the drive to succeed the way you are destined to succeed, Wesker.”
“Yes, sir.”
Spencer smiled again, this time more naturally, and Wesker felt himself calm down. He had passed a test, but he didn’t know how and wasn’t about to test his luck by asking. He could not wait to get out of this office, if he lived that long.
“Marcus is no longer useful to this company,” Spencer said suddenly. “He’s never been very useful, to be honest, but at least he always followed my orders. Up until now, he obeyed the rules. He’s a problem, and I want you to take care of it.”
“What has he done?”
“Use your imagination. I’m not against breaking the law, as long as it’s done via the proper channels and leads to results. But Marcus has gone too far.”
Wesker’s brain processed what he was being told. Possible scenarios flashed through his mind like images from a slide projector. Marcus was breaking the law? How had he gone too far? Just what in the world was he doing down in that lab?
“How do you want me to handle the situation?” he asked cautiously.
“Once you see what has occurred, you’ll know the proper course of action. But I’m going to assign some men to help you.”
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br /> “You mean security?”
“Not exactly. They’ll be here tomorrow. Be ready at dawn, and go down into Marcus’ private lab. I’ll get you the entry code for the elevator. Be careful, and expect him to try to get rid of you.”
“And then what?”
“Go through everything. Go through all of his work. Search the computers, go through all his notes and files, whatever you can find. I want detailed information about what he’s been working on. He gave me a rough outline, but that was months ago.”
“Okay,” Wesker said, and leaned forward in the chair, preparing to stand up. He paused before doing so, waiting for permission.
Spencer waved a hand dismissively. “All right, get out of here. Remember, be ready at dawn. I’ll have the men meet you outside the tower.”
Wesker got up and walked to the door, trying to hide his intense relief at being allowed to leave the office. He would be happy if he never had to enter that room again.
“And Wesker?”
He turned around. “Yes, sir?”
“Do this right, and I’ll let you take over Marcus’ research. You can continue from wherever he left off.”
“Thank you.”
Wesker closed the office door slowly on his way out, and Spencer was alone again. He leaned back in his chair and took off his glasses to rub his sore eyes. It had been a long, difficult day, but at least it was over.
Wesker would take care of it, Spencer was certain. He might have some doubts or misgivings now, but they would disappear as soon as he stepped into that lab. He was scared and apprehensive, but that too would fade when he was faced with the severity of the situation. Spencer had faith in the young man, faith that his ambition would drive him in the right direction. He just had to take the first step, that was all. After this was over, he would emerge stronger and more sure of himself, and in the end it would benefit him. Also, it would forever indebt him to Spencer. Once, for giving him the opportunity, and twice, for showing him what would happen if he ever crossed the line like Marcus did.
Spencer felt no sympathy for Marcus. He might have let him get away with one murder, but not four. And certainly not when two of the victims were Umbrella employees. Unwilling human hosts could have been procured for him, if he’d asked. The main Arklay lab made use of them often enough. In truth, Spencer’s hands were already far bloodier than Marcus’, but that wasn’t the point.
All Spencer wanted Marcus to do was follow the rules, but apparently that was too much to ask for. Unfortunately, Marcus had taken the leap into madness, and showed no signs of coming out any time soon. Hence, Wesker would be sent in to clean up the mess. And there would be a mess.
Spencer just hoped that Marcus had actually accomplished something. He didn’t want all this effort to go to waste.