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The rumble of the HumVee engine was loud, nearly drowning out the sound of the radio that played on low volume.
'Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over..
But had me believin' it was always somethin' I had done.
But I don't wanna live that way,
Readin' into every word you say,
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know'
In the driver's seat, Molly shifted, eyes flitting occasionally between the road and the rear-view mirror. It was... unsettling. Zeno. That man looked just like Wesker. If it wasn't for the subtle differences; the piercing, his hair being just a touch lighter, the haircut and even the pallor of his skin... he'd be an exact copy. Finding out Zeno was a Wesker clone made sense. Before he'd injected Elpis, he had the reflexes she'd remembered, from back when she, Chris, and Sheva had fought their former boss.
It was her job to 'escort' Zeno- well, her team's job really, but they'd been called in unexpectedly by Chris, leaving her the only one available to drive- to a cell where he'd be interrogated about everything. Information on Spencer's writings on Elpis, The Connections, etc. Chris trusted her, after all she was his second-in-command in the Hound Wolf Squad. Lieutenant Jericho.
Yet she felt again like a rookie in the presence of a man so similar to the one she'd looked up to at 19. She was 47 now, but some things never faded, memories clinging to the brain like an infection. Her eyes trail down to her hand on the steering wheel, at the faint marks left by the T-Virus infection that had apparently laid dormant all these years. All Raccoon City survivors had had one. Thanks to Elpis, 'Spencer's atonement' Grace had called it, they could recover.
Again, her eyes trailed back to the mirror and her heart froze seeing those unsettling pale blues staring back at her.
"You seem nervous."
That fucking voice. Calm, similar and yet unique in its own way. This was a man who did not want to resemble his origins in anyway.
"δεν είμαι*. You just... resemble him, even though it is clear you've made such an effort try not to." she murmured, hands clenching around the steering wheel.
"Wesker, I mean. He was... he was my old boss, back in 1997 to 1998. I was-"
Zeno interrupted, leaning back in his seat, "in S.T.A.R.S. You, Redfield and Valentine. It's funny, isn't it? You follow those two like a loyal dog, it's a surprise you're even a lieutenant because you are no leader. You're so pathetic, little more than a whimpering pup, that I almost pity you."
Molly's jaw clenched, teeth gritting and it took everything in her not to snap or get emotional. In a way, it was true. After Wesker's betrayal, after Raccoon City's outbreak, she'd struggled and had no idea what to do with herself. Following her friends and dedicating her life to saving the innocent was almost mindless. She followed, they lead. And even as a leader of her own squad now, it felt wrong.
"Says the Βλακα* in handcuffs in my backseat. Couldn't even wait for an explanation before injecting something in yourself, ah? Όχι και πολύ έξυπνο εκ μέρους σου!*" she huffed, but a small smile rose on her lips. She couldn't let him get to her. Had he gotten his wish, people would've gotten hurt. He could insult her all he wanted.
The blonde in the back growled under his breath, and were it not for the cuffs he would have crossed his arms. In his eyes, she had no right to insult his intelligence. Had Spencer's writings not been misleading, he wouldn't be here. And even if he had, he would've broken the cuffs and snapped this bitch's neck for daring to mock him.
Molly paused at a stoplight, fingers tapping against the worn leather of her overworked HumVee's steering wheel. This thing needed repairs badly. "I am.. curious. Do you share any memories with Al- Wesker?" she inquired, genuinely curious. He knew a lot.
Zeno rolled his eyes, the action unhidden without those double-lensed sunglasses he'd had before. "No. If you're wondering how I know about you and your little friends, it is because I do my research. I liked knowing whether I'd have to deal with pests getting in the way of work. Needless to say, having Kennedy appear and not your little fun squad was a surprise."
Humming in thought, Molly went back to driving in silence as she had before. But Zeno wouldn't be Zeno if he didn't try to get the last word in.
"You look odd, for a human. Mommy and daddy were scientists, right? Did you ever think maybe you look like a freak because they had a hand in your creation?"
She snorted, looking back for a moment. "Heterochromia affects 1% of the human population, so while it is rare, it does occur. And more than 10% of all babies are born with birthmarks, permanent or no. I have genetic mutations humans can have. If my parents had their way, I'd be dead, because none of their ridiculous experiments were ever successful."
It was amusing, really, that without his powers all he could resort to were insults.
He may find her pathetic, but she'd had almost 30 years since she was a meek S.T.A.R.S rookie to grow a spine. Zeno's eyes narrowed at her amused demeanour. Well, insulting her wasn't working like he thought it would.
It wasn't even mocking, her amusement, but it felt like it. Felt like every person who interacted with him but stared at him, spoke to him, like all they thought of him was that he was nothing. Nothing but the 'imitation' Gideon had said he was.
He knew he wasn't Albert Wesker. He never would be. Didn't want to be. But that's all people seemed to see. But he felt he was better. He was alive and Wesker wasn't. Brought down by the rival he never was able to rid himself of. Chris Redfield, his obsession. Zeno wondered what Wesker had ever seen in that man for his obsession to be so strong. He had many years to kill Chris, yet he waited, and for what?
Truly, it was this thinking, his lack of knowledge, that cemented in the fact that he wasn't Albert Wesker. He was just a clone with no idea what his origin thought. How could a genius lower themselves to such petty levels when they could claim their victory?
It aggravated him. Albert Wesker was praised for his intelligence and ruthlessness, how he remained cold and focused only on his goal.
...why was Zeno even brought to life? If they wanted another Wesker, why did they mock him so? Why did they act as if they hadn't made him to be a clone, when they'd never get the original back?
These thoughts ran through both minds as the car ride continued. Molly, out of curiosity. Zeno, out of frustrating confusion.
He was brought out of his thoughts by Molly, whose voice was alarmingly gentle now.
"I sometimes miss him, you know. I cannot tell Chris or Jill that, I fear they'd hate me for it. But I do. Malicious intent or not, he offered me comfort when I was still stuck living with my parents. Made sure people backed off when they saw the bruises I'd come in with that I didn't want to talk about. I thought...." she paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath, "I thought he cared. I admired how strong he was, wanted to be like him. It broke me, inside, to find out he had always intended for us to die. I still have the scars on my chest where he shot me."
Were it not for her thick black turtleneck blocking the view, she'd look at those scars and reminisce. She always did when she went home, tired and alone, when the dark called for memories she wished to forget.
She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Even with the betrayal, I missed a man that was never truly real. I hated him, cursed him to άδης*, but I wanted that comforting presence back to tell me that I wasn't worthless, or weak, or..."
Zeno listened, both confused and intrigued. How could someone miss someone they claimed to hate? He could hardly imagine missing Gideon now that he was dead.
"You yearned for your Shepherd to lead you again, rather than guiding you to the slaughter."
A very apt description, perhaps. She loved sheep, and it fit. Damn it all.
"..yeah. Maybe I am just stupid for feeling that way, for telling you all this. Maybe I just yearned for a paternal figure that wasn't τόσο σκατά όσο ο πατέρας μου*- er, shitty, that is. Who knows. I just miss before that night, when I was foolish enough to believe I was cared about."
Silence filled the vehicle again. It wasn't until they reached the thick metal gates of the B.S.A.A base she and Chris were currently operating in that the silence was again broken.
"You may regret telling me all that. What if I tell your best friend about how much you miss a bioterrorist?" Zeno asked coolly, a corner of his mouth tilting up into a smug smirk.
The radio crackled, playing the soft melody the station had selected.
"That is your choice, μιμικύς*."
Scanning her ID, the gates opened and she drove in.
'I guess that I don't need that though,
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Somebody
(I used to know)
Somebody
(Now you're just somebody that I used to know)
Somebody
(I used to know)
Somebody
(Now you're just somebody that I used to know...)'