Chapter 1: Woman Specimen Subject

31st July, 1978 (Monday)

It was summer, 20 years ago and I was 18 years old when I visited there for the first time. I can still smell the stench of the air stirred up by the helicopter`s rotor blades.
The mansion looked perfectly ordinary from the sky, but on the ground, I sensed something that made me fear to tread.
Birkin, who was two years younger than me, was interested in nothing but the research paper he was reading.
We had only been assigned to that place two days previously, the same day they decided to close down the executive training centre we belonged to. This looked either carefully planned or pure coincidence, only Spencer knows.
Here, Arclay Laboratory, was the very place where Spencer himself had a base for `T-virus`research.

As we got off the helicopter, we saw the Laboratory Manager was waiting for us at the lift. I can`t even remember the guy`s name.
No matter what his official title, the laboratory belonged to Birkin and I from that day. We were given full authority as chief research engineers. This was of course, Spencer`s intention. We had been chosen.

We completely ignored the Laboratory Manager and got into the lift as the previous day I had memorised a map of the building. As for Birkin, he didn`t mean any offence but he never had time for others.
Being in our company for more than five seconds would have made most people angry. The Laboratory Manager, however, showed no response.
As I was an egoistic young man those days, I did not take any notice of his lack of reaction.
After all, while I was there I was merely dancing to Spencer`s tune and the Lab Manager knew his intention better than I did and reacted accordingly.

While we were in the lift, Birkin was concentrating on the papers, which contained detailed records on Ebola, a Filovirus, which had been discovered in Africa two years ago.
Even now, many people across the world are still studying Ebola.
But there are two distinct reasons why. Some are studying the virus in order to save lives, while others have more sinister reasons.

90% of those infected with the Ebola virus will die. Once infected, body tissue is destroyed within ten days. There is no vaccination and no cure. If used as a weapon it is incredibly frightening. Of course the treaty on Prohibition of Use of Biological Weapons had been in effect long before that so it was illegal to conduct research on the potential use of the virus as a weapon. However, it is perfectly legal to conduct research on it to prevent its spreading if it was used by someone else as a weapon.

It is only a thin line between the two researches - in fact there is practically no difference between the two. As you must investigate how it can be used as a weapon in order to know how it can be stopped.
This means it is possible to pretend that research is for the purpose of prevention and cure while your true aim is the opposite.

However, Birkin was interested in neither of these routes as the virus had too many imperfections.
Firstly, it dies easily when in contact with direct sunlight and can only survive outside the body for a few days.
Secondly, the virus does not have enough time to move onto the next host as it kills its initial host too quickly.
Lastly, the virus is transmitted in body fluids and secretions, which can be easily prevented.

However, consider this:
What if the person infected with the virus, could stand up and walk? And if, subconsciously they sought direct physical contact with uninfected people?

The Ebola gene is an RNA gene. RNA genes can mutate a human`s genes and that mutation would allow the human to have monster-like semi immortality?
This creature would be a `Human Biological Weapon`- to all intents and purposes as a human being but still infecting other humans as long as it is alive.
It was lucky for us that Ebola did not exhibit such characteristics. We could keep the Ebola with that particular capacity just for ourselves.

The organization, which was established around Spencer, was for the manufacture of `living weapon`. Officially, it was a pharmaceutical company specialising in a cure for the virus, but in reality it was a factory producing biological weapons.
The discovery of the `Founder virus`which can modify genes seemed to be the genesis of whole business.
In order to manufacture the `Human Biological Weapon`from the `Founder virus`, it was neccessary to develop a variant with that particular peculiarity enhanced.

That was the T-virus project.

The `Founder virus`is a RNA virus. RNA viruses are known to have a tendency to mutate. That tendency enables us to manipulate them, strengthening their certain peculiarities.

Birkin wondered if he could combine the Ebola gene with the mutated `Founder virus`to enhance its peculiarity. The sample of Ebola virus had already arrived to laboratory.

After switching from lift to lift we eventually reached the top security unit of the laboratory.
Even Birkin took his eyes off the report when we met `her`for the first time.

We knew nothing about her. She was the biggest secret at the laboratory and her data was never removed from the premises.
The records showed that she had been there ever since the institute was established.
She was 25 years old.
No one knew who she was or why she was there.
She was a human specimen to develop the `T-virus`on.

The experiment started on the 10th November 1967. She had been receiving injections of viruses for 11 years.

Birkin mumbled something -
Was it to curse? Or to praise?
We realized that there was no turning back.
Were we to lead the research to a successful conclusion or rot away like her? Of course we had no choice.
The sight of her bound to a shabby hospital bed moved something in our conscience.
Was it a part of Spencer`s plan?


Chapter 2: Alexia I

27th July 1981 (Saturday)
(Three years after the previous report)

Today a 10 year old girl was appionted as senior researcher at the South Pole Laboratory.
Her name was Alexia Ashford.
I was 21 years old and Birkin was 19.

Irritatingly, the rumour about Alexia of the South Pole monopolised discussions amongst Arkley`s reseachers.
The Ashford name was legendary to the old staff who had been at Umbrella long enough to remember.
Whenever the research came to a standstill they always said "If only Dr. Ashford were still alive".

Certainly Dr. Ashford was agreat scientist, one of the original research team who discovered the `Founder virus`, and the originator of the `T-virus`project.
However, he died soon after Umbrella was established. 13 years has passed since his death. What was the point of expecting anything from the Ashfords?
In fact, the South Pole Laboratory, which was founded after Dr Edward`s death by his son, had so far yielded no results.

So, not much can be expected from the granddaugther, Alexia!
However, from that day, our dotard subordinates started saying " If only Ms Alexia were here".

It seemed like there was no potential for future development in lab, as long as we had staff like those bunch of idiots, who could only judge people by their genealogy, instead of using their own sense of values.
Those fools could never take initiative and would remain as minor researchers even though they had one foot in the grave. But I was different, I had good judgement.

If I, as the chief researcher, had become emotional, the development of the `T-virus`would have been delayed even further. To achieve results, one must stay calm and make sensible decisions whatever the circumstances.

An idea came to me -

The success of the research relied on how to handle those ancient gentlemen. As they could drop at any moment, wouldn`t they be most useful if we were to use them for the most dangerous experiments?
The art of management is to utilise everyone beneath you.
However, Birkin was becoming a nuisance.
His reaction towards the Alexia rumours was so pathetic.

Although he never said it, he took pride in becoming the youngest ever chief researcher at the age of 16. But 10 year old girl had smashed figurative trophy to pieces. It must have been the first time he had felt defeated.
He could never approve of someone who was younger, with breeding. and a woman.
It was unimaginable that he was being affected by a personnel reshuffle in such a far away place, where there had been no achievements for so long. After all, he was still a kid.
Immature as he was, I needed him to pull himself together.

Over the last three years our research had reached the second stage. By then, the `T-virus`was becoming stable enough to be used to create `Living Biological Weapons`, better known as Zombies.
However, the virus would never be able to modify the human gene 100% - there are compatibilities between the virus and the genes because no one person`s genes are exaktly alike.
10% of humans would make a lucky escape and not develop the disease, even though a infected them with the virus. There was nothing we could do about this, no matter how hard we tried.
If it had a 90% success rate then it was good enough to use it as a biological weapon. But Spencer didn`t seem to be satisfied.
Our boss wanted a `stand-alone`weapon which could wipe out an entire population.

But, what for?

Essentially, the virtue of biological weapons was the low development costs. But our `Living Biological Weapon`was becoming extremely expensive.
Spencer would never have chosen path if he was looking for financial rewards.
If manufactured for use in conjunction with an orthodox weapon, it would have made a handsome profit. But to keep the research going to make a stand-alone, exterminatory weapon did not make business sense.

Why did he continue ignoring the cost?

If his aim was to monopolise the entire war industry by changing the very concepts of war, perhaps I could agree a little bit.
I still didn`t know what his true intention was.

Apart from Spencer`s intention, Birkin was engineering a living biological weapon with an increased emphasis on its ability to fight.
He was trying to create if not only through mutating human genes with the `T-virus`but also by adding another creature`s genetic information.
The fighting living biological weapon would kill all human beings, including those wearing body armour, or equipped with biological warfare suits and those humans who escaped from death through infection. It was later called `The Hunter`.

But we had to suspend the experiment for a while - to protect the specimens from Birkin.
Birkin, who had meaningless anger directed at Alexia, started acting abnormally.
He worked through the night at the lab time after time and repeated disorganized experiments one after another.
Me and my staff collected biopsy samples as quickly as possible before the specimens could die, but we couldn`t keep up with his speed.
The Manager of the Laboratory supplied the new specimens as if nothing had happened, but the didn`t survive long.

It was Hell.

But she, the female specimen, survived the hell.
She was 28 years old by then and had spent 14 years in lab.
The numerous injections of the `Founder virus`she had received over the past 14 years would have left her bereft of any logical reasoning, but if she still had any mind left, death would have been the one and only thing she wanted.
But she was continued to live. Why was she the only one to survive?
The experiment data did not highlight any difference between her and the other specimens.
We needed much more time to find out the answer to that question.


Chapter 3: Alexia II

31st December 1983
(Two years after the previous record)

My 6th winter at Arklay Laboratory.
Two almost stangnant years had passed without much achievement, but the turning point has finally arrived.

The catalyst was a report we received that morning.
Alexia had died at the South Pole institute.
It was said that Alexia was accidentally infected by the T-Veronica virus which she herself had developed.
At that time, Alexia was 12 years old, and was too young to continue kind of dangerous research.

A rumour began to circulate that Alexia had deliberately infected herself wiht the virus, but that seemed very unlikely. More likely, she had not got over the death of her father a year earlier and had made an error.
At the South Pole institute, Alexia`s research was then taken over by her twin brother, her only blood relative. But no one expected any worthwhile results from him. The Ashford family line seemed to have almost died out without producing anything of note. As I suspected, the legend surrounding family was no more than that.
Alexia`s death changed Birkin - or should I say it transformed Birkin back to the person he once was. It played a major factor in Birkin`s psychological well-being as his researchers started showing him more respect. With Alexia dead, there was no longer anyone who exhibited greater potential than him.

However, talking about Alexia in front of him was still taboo.
Birkin strongly disagreed when I tried to get hold of a T-Veronica sample.
I had to bide my time to find a better opportunity to find out the truth about Alexia`s research.
In spite of the fact that Birkin was in much stronger position he still never grew up.
However, in those days, I had much bigger issues to contend with.

The Arclay Laboratory was situated in the centre of a mountainous region, itself surrounded by a deep forest. I often went out for walks during my time there, but I never came across anyone else.
Helicopter was the only means of reaching the laboratory, making it inaccessible to outsiders. The remoteness of the area and lack of people is an important factor when choosing a site for an institute like this, in order to minimise a potential disaster if the virus escaped.
However, biological weapons were not as simple as that.
The viruses would not just infect human beings.
No virus chooses just one type of carrier.
For example, apart from humans, the influenza virus can infect birds, pigs, horses and even sea lions.
It complicates the matter further when you know that not all the species of the same family can be infected. For instance, ducks and chickens might become infected, but other species of birds are spared. More over, the same virus may take different carriers, depending on its variants.
It is impossible to know all the carriers for even just one virus.

The biggest problem is the high adaptability of the `T-virus`.
While Birkin was not contributing much I had been studying the possibility of secondary infection from the `T-virus`. What I discovered was that the `T-virus`has carriers in almost every single species. Not only animals, but also plants, insects, fish, almost all the species have a potential to multiply and spread the `T-virus`.

When I was strolling through the woods, I always thought -
Why did Spencer choose location?
There were so many species that co-existed in the forest.
What would happen if the virus escaped and came into contact with a creature capable of being a carrier?
If it were some insects, then they would not pose a big threat of secondary infection due to their size.
But insects can multiply to enormous numbers.
In that case, how far could the virus be spread?
Suppose it was some plants. It may appear at first that the possibility of widespread infection would be small as plants cannot move.
But what about their pollen?

This location was too dangerous.
Come to think of it, it made perfect sense for the Ashfords to choose the South Pole as a site for their laboratory.
In contrast, location, it seems, was selected in order to spread the virus.
But, that couldn`t be true, could it?
What did Spencer want us to do?

These thoughts were too important to share with anybody else in the laboratory. The only person I could possibly ask was Birkin. But, it was obvious there was no point in talking to him about it.
What I needed was more information.
Around time, I started to feel the limitations of my situation.
In order to find out Spencer`s true intention, I needed to be in a position which would give me access to the information I required.

I had no hesitation in giving up my present position for purpose. But, I did not want to be too hasty because if Spencer had any suspicions about my real motives, then the game would be up.
I concentrated on my research with Birkin so that my real thoughts would not betray me.
While we were keeping ourselves busy, the female specimen was almost forgotten about.
A failure, with no use, but still she lived on. We called her a failure because we could not get any valid data from her.

Until that experiment took place, five years later.


Chapter 4: Nemesis

1st July 1988 (Friday)
(Five years after the last record)

It was our 11th summer since we arrived at the Arclay laboratory.
I was 28 years old.
Birkin was then, a father with a two year old girl. His partner was also a researcher at Arclay.

It was hard to believe that anyone could marry and bring up a child while both of them worked there. On the other hand, because he was different he could continue his research at Arclay.
Only the mad could succeed there.

In those 10 years, our research finally reached the third stage.
A highly sophisticated `Fighting Biological Weapon`- with intelligence, which would obey programmed orders and act as a soldier. That was the we tried to create and we called it `The Tyrant`.
But from the beginning there was one huge obstacle - it was almost impossible to obtain a living subject on which we could base the Tyrant. The supply of genetically adaptable human beings for the Tyrant was extremely limited.
This is due to the nature of the `T-virus`.

The `T-virus`variant which was ideal to create the zombies and the Hunters was suitable for most humans, but it had a fault of making the carrier`s brain cells decline.
To transform the carrier into a Tyrant we needed to keep the carrier`s intelligence at a certain level. In order to overcome issue, Birkin had been working on extracting a variant which would cause the least damage to the brain when it was adapted perfectly to the carrier.

However, humans with a genetic match to variant were extremely rare.
The Genetic Analytic team`s simulation report told us that only one in ten million would be infected and transform into a Tyrant with the remainder becoming zombies.
It might have been possible to develop a more progressive strain of the `T-virus`which could make transform more humans into Tyrants. However, to push the research further, first of all we required human subjects with aperfect genetic match to the new variant.

There was little possibility that such a specimen would be supplied to us, because even if we scoured the whole USA, we would only be able to find 50 or so of them. In fact, at that time, even with the utmost effort we only managed to collect a few specimens with a close match.
Even from the outset, our research was at a standstill.

But one day, we heard a rumour that a European laboratory were working on a project to create a third generation Living Biological Weapon.

It was called the `Nemesis Project`.

I acted quickly to obtain a sample from the project so that I could use it to our advantage. Of course, Birkin was against idea, but time I somehow managed to persuade him. He had no choice but to admit that our research wouldn`t go any further unless we found the matching specimen.

A few days later, in the middle of the night, a parcel arrived from Europe via various transit points. It arrived to our heliport in a small box.

"Nemesis Prototype"

We had to pull many strings to obtain it from the French laboratory where it had been developed, but it could not have happened without the support of Spencer.
Birkin showed no interest at all, but he accepted the importance of the experiment.
The sample had been developed with a brand new design in mind.

A parasitic living body, created by genetical modification, - that was Nemesis.
A living body with intelligence, which was unable to do anything on its own.
However, once it parasitised the brain of another living being, it would take full control of the body and demonstrate its highly developed aptitude for combat. The project was to provide the intelligence and the biological body for combat separately and then combine them in order to create one living biological weapon.

if it was successful we no longer needed to worry about the problems we had previously encountered.
But there was anew problem in that it did not always settle in the carrier in the same manner as we desired.
On the report attached to the sample, we saw nothing but a long list of deaths.
The carriers lasted for only five minutes after Nemesis took control of their brains.
But, we already knew that an incomplete prototype would be extremely dangerous.
If we succeeded in prolonging the carriers`survival then we could hope to take the lead in the Nemesis project.
This was my aim.

Naturally, I was planning to use the female specimen.
With her unusual ability to survive, she could endure the Nemesis prototype for a long time.
Even if we failed, we would lose nothing.

However, our experiments took an unexpected turn.
Nemesis vanished when it tried to enter her brain.
At first, we could not understand what happened.
We never thought that she would take over the parasite.
That was the beginning.
Until then, she was barely alive but something was about to awake in her.
We had to start examining her afresh.

Over the last 10 years, she had been checked down to the minutest details, but we decided to ignore the past data and start anew. Now, for the first time in her 21 years of being here, something no one had seen was about to be revealed.

After much examination, only Birkin noticed it.
Something definitely existed in her.
This, however, went beyond the original `T-virus`project abd led us in a totally new and different direction.

That was the beginning of `G-Virus`project, which changed all our destinies.


Chapter 5: G-Virus

31st July 1995 (Monday)
(Seven years after the previous record)

It was summer again and 17 years from the time I first visited the place.
Whenever I went there I always remember the smell of the winds from that day. Nothing has changed since then, even the buildings and surroundings.

I could see Birkin, who had already arrived, standing on the heliport.
I had not seen him for a long time.
Four years have passed since I left Arcley Laboratory.
At that time, when Birkin`s `G-virus`project was approved, I applied for my transfer to the Information Bureau and was readily accepted. It must have looked natural for everyone that I was giving up my career as a researcher and seeking a change.

Actually, the `G-virus`project was beyond my abilities. Even if I did not have any reasons to find out Spencer`s true intention, it was true that I felt my faculties as a researcher had reached their limits.
In spite of the downdraft caused by the helicopter, Birkin never took his eyes off the research papers. Although it seemed he still visited Arclay regularly, he was no longer a researcher at that facility.
Sometime ago, he had been transferred to a huge underground laboratory in Raccoon City, which was his base for the G-virus project headed up by himself.

Quite honestly, four years ago, I never thought that Spencer would approve the `G-virus`project because it was founded on an unknown belief and deviated from the original concept of a biological weapon.
The distinct difference between the `G-virus` and the T-virus was that the organism infected by the `G-virus`continued to mutate by itself. Because a virus is an unprotected form of a gene, it can easily mutate. This mutation can happen when a virus is left in its own, but once a virus is in other organism, it is a different story.
A gene in an organism`s body hardly mutates even though its structure was modified by a virus, unless some external influences, such as exposure to radiation, takes place. However, an organism infected with the `G-virus`keeps mutating itself without any external influence until it dies.
Similar characteristics did exist in the `T-virus`.

When we placed the `Living Biological Weapon`under certain circumstances, we recorded some genetic recombination caused by an activated virus in its body. However, in the case of the T-virus it always needed some external influences to trigger the recombination and the results were always close to what we predicted.

G-infected organisms totally lacked such predictability.

No one could foresee what recombination it would take, and whatever the means to stop the process it kept mutating nonetheless, making our manipulation worthless.

Seven years ago, Birkin found signs of effect in the female specimen. On the surface she had not changed at all, but internally, she changed continuously and remained alive by merging and coexisting with all the experimental viruses she was administered. And the 21 years of internal mutation evolved her enough to accept the parasitic organism Nemesis.

The `G-virus`project was trying to push abnormality to the ultimate limit.
But, the end result of project could be either the evolution of the ultimate organism or total destruction.
Can we call a weapon?
What made Spencer approve project?

Even though I had been in the Information Bureau for four years by time, I could still not understand his motives. And now, Spencer does not even come to Arclay.
It is as if he had foreseen something was about to happen there.
The image of Spencer was fading away from me like a mirage in the desert.
But, an opportunity must present itself sometime.
If I can survive until then.

The lift was carrying both Birkin and me to the highest security level, to the place where we saw her for the first time. The new chief researcher John, Birkin`s successor, was waiting for us there.
He was transferred from the Chicago laboratory and was said to be an excellent scientist, but he seemed to be too normal to work for laboratory. He had doubts about the cruelty of the research and reported to his superior to correct the situation.

That caused a big enough stir even in the Information Bureau.

It was everyone`s opinion that if any information was leaked, it had to come from him.
We ignored John and started to give her the final treatment.
To kill her.

She has regained a little intelligence after taking in Nemesis. But, it resulted in nothing more than making her behave strangely.
The odd behaviour continued to escalate. Nowadays, she peels off other women`s faces and wears them over her own. The records show that she behaved in the same manner when she was first given the `Founder-virus`. We were never sure what made her react in such a way, but her termination was decided after three researchers had become her victims.

Now the study on the `G-virus`was on track she lost her status as a valuable specimen.
The termination of her vital signs was checked and confirmed repeatedly for the next three days. Then, the body was taken away to some location at the instruction of the Laboratory Manager.
Even now, I still do not know who she was and why she was brought here.
Of course it was exactly the same for other specimens.

However, if she had not been there, the G-Project might never have existed and if that was the case then Birkin and I would be in very different situations.
As I left Arclay Laboratory, I was things over.

Just how calculating is Spencer?

(The "Case" began three years after report)
________________________________________________________


Wer Weskers Report II auf Deutsch lesen möchte, dem empfehle ich folgende Seiten:
resident-evil-virus.de/weskersreport2.html

Gern geschehen & danke für die Ergänzung.

P.S.: wenn Euch Rechtschreibfehler auffallen gebt mir bitte Bescheid. Ich hab den gesamten report selbst getippt und (noch) nicht korrekturgelesen.

Dankeschön.
Die 2 Fehler hab ich mittlerweile korrigiert.