Title: Finding Evil: Part eight.

Author: quew

See part one for disclaimers, archiving info and classification.

Warnings: Contains blood, gore, zombies and the occasional giant snake. Please do not read if easily offended. Also contains occasional to frequent swearing. Oh, and although I've been pretty mean to Paris so far…I'm afraid he has at least one redeeming moment. But don't worry, it won't last.

Rating: Nc-17 overall, although parts vary.

Notes:

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Sam and Lanna were desperately checking doors nearby, throwing themselves against the solid steel as the snake continued advancing. Paris was feverishly re-loading his guns and checking that everyone else's were ready to go. Nadia snatched the hatchet from her belt and cocked her arm back, letting it fly. It bounced over the giant animals' scaly hide, the snake not even seeming to feel it.

Running back, Sam and Lanna checked the double doors again. They were electronically locked, and there seemed to be no way to open them without the proper access card. In desperation, Lanna shot out the keycard reader, but all that happened was the door made a funny beeping noise and stayed resolutely shut.

'That always works on films!' She screamed, glancing over her shoulder.

The snake was only twenty feet away, huge fangs revealed as it hissed at them again. At the close distance, the hiss was more like a deafening roar and they drew together, raising their weapons.

As one, they braced themselves and started firing, sending shot after shot toward the advancing beast. Suddenly, Nadia dropped her gun and started the motor to her 'saw, pushing back toward the doors.

Before anyone could stop her, she'd thrust the weapon into the intractable steel, making the machine scream in protest.

'What are doing??' Paris yelled.

She didn't answer him, forcing the whirring 'saw into the thin join where the two doors met. Having figured that they opened like lift doors, into the walls, she tried again and again to force the chainsaw between them. She yelled in victory as the 'saw went through, affording her a little glimpse of the room beyond.

Having figured out what she was doing, Lanna was silently urging her to hurry as, though the beast was not approaching as quickly, it was still approaching slowly and inexorably.

The chainsaw was being forced in the gap it had made and Nadia was throwing her weight from side to side. The doors groaned as they were forced open inch by painful inch. The end of the chainsaw started to bend, teeth snapping off and the motor smoking. Nadia screeched and stuck her foot in the gap. She pulled the 'saw free and reached back for her axe when, unexpectedly, the doors tried to snap shut again, trapping Nadia's foot between sharp edges.

She screamed as her legs gave way, dumping her in between the legs of the others. Someone one else shouted something unintelligible, and Nadia looked up.

The snake was on them, its head bobbing and weaving above their heads. They were still firing but all the snake did was roar its pain at them, unable to back away. It opened its mouth and they saw a huge tongue in-between two glistening fangs.

Kathryn was trying to pull Nadia's foot from the door and they watched in horror as the snake appeared to be choosing its victim. At least the shots were now making a visible effect, green blood spraying across the sterile grey walls.

Suddenly it shot forward and everyone leapt sideways, flattening themselves against the walls. Nadia found herself nose to forked tongue with thirty feet of angry snake. The large beasts' eyes were mesmerising, large and gold flecked. The mouth opened and she was surrounded by harsh breath.

Paris felt the sweat trickle down his neck as the snake inched forward, closing in on the immobile woman. He looked across the wide body and caught a glimpse of Kathryn, Lanna and Sam, horrified and frozen, and something inside him snapped. Drawing the knife from his shoulder, he took a deep breath and leapt.

As if his movement had broken some spell, the others raised their weapons and started firing again. At such close range the bullets tore chunks out of its body, covering them with its thick blood. Paris fought for handholds as the creature started to buck, thirty feet of pure muscle thrashing in the confines of the corridor. He crept forward slowly, slipping as the beast suddenly realised the tables had turned. It was trying to turn its head to get at the people hurting it and failing, its huge head banging against the walls. Cracks appeared in the thick concrete.

Nadia looked up at the beast as it roared, staring right down its throat. It fixed her with a baleful glare as gunshots ripped apart its body, and she revved the 'saw one last time. As it lunged for her, she screamed and threw the machine straight down its throat, watching as the battered 'saw was swallowed by the monster.

It let out a scream like none so far, and Paris took the opportunity to pull himself onto its flat head, raising his knife in both hands and thrusting it down into the soft matter of its eye. If they thought it had been thrashing before, it was nothing to what happened now. Paris was thrown into the wall, slumping bonelessly to the floor just out of Nadia's reach and the others started to panic as they were dangerously close to being flattened by the snakes body.

Finally, with one last spasm, the snake was still.

#

'Paris?' Sam crept forward toward the still form of her team-mate as the others made their way past the dead monster's body.

While Kathryn helped Nadia to sit Lanna and Annika took the axe from the other woman's back and put it into the gap being held open by her foot. Together, they forced the door open far enough open for Kathryn to pull the woman out. Working together, the soldier and the scientist managed to open the door and wedge it with the axe.

'He's alive,' Sam said, relief evident in her tone as she crouched over the blonde man.

Lanna bent down next to her and helped her to drag the surprisingly heavy man through the gap, resting him against the wall. Nadia slumped unceremoniously next to him, groaning as Kathryn prodded her foot.

'Are you okay?' Lanna asked softly, watching as the scientist pulled the boot from her foot.

'I'll live,' Nadia said, smiling even as Kathryn carefully peeled off her sock.

'You threw away the chainsaw,' Lanna said.

'Told you it would come in handy,' Nadia replied, winking. 'I was right and you were wrong.'

'Is that all you can think about?' Lanna threw up her hands in mock indignation but a grin was sneaking onto her face.

'Just admit it,' Nadia laughed. 'Say I was right, come on.'

'No way,' Lanna placed a hand on her shoulder and Nadia's retort died on her lips. 'I'm just…'

Raising a hand to cover the other woman's, Nadia nodded, 'I know.'

'Someone give the hero some sympathy?' Paris groaned, opening his eyes.

The women grinned and leant forward, kissing him on both cheeks. He was too stunned to think of a response.

#

'Your foot is fine, just bruised,' Paris said, replacing his medical supplies into his pack. 'It's going to be a little painful, but I don't think there's any permanent damage.'

Nadia nodded and then looked past him. The others were at the other end of the relatively small room, which seemed to be some sort of briefing room. It was dominated by a large table surrounded by comfortable chairs, and filing cabinets were placed around the edges of the room, a small side door in shadow on the right.

Paris put her arm around his shoulders and helped her upright and they hobbled over. The conversation did not seem to be a happy one.

'What the hell has been going on down here?' Lanna said, waving a file at Kathryn and Annika.

Sam, buried in another filing cabinet, suddenly popped up with a thin file clasped in one hand. 'Boss…I think you'd better see this.'

Lanna turned and snatched the file, skimming through its pages. 'It's just a personnel file for something called…' she turned it over …'Tyrant. Weird name.' She shrugged and tried to hand it back, impatient to question the scientists again.

'Torres,' Sam said, 'look who is on the list.'

Lanna angrily re-opened the file, reading quickly. 'Sam, I don't…oh…' She showed it to Paris, who went pale and said,

'It's got to be some sort of mistake.'

Torres rounded on the scientists, 'do you know Albert Wesker?' She asked. They both nodded.

'He's our boss, the lead scientist on the project,' Annika added.

'What's the big deal?' Nadia asked, perplexed.

'Albert Wesker can't be your boss,' Lanna said, 'Because he's our boss. He's the captain of S.T.A.R.S.'

'What?' Kathryn said. 'That can't be right!'

Lanna didn't say anything, but she opened her jacket and drew a pouch from the waterproof inner pocket. Opening it, she pulled out a crisp white sheet. 'Here.'

Annika took it and unfolded it. In bold black ink, the S.T.A.R.S logo dominated the top of the page.

'It's our official orders,' she said as Annika and Kathryn read. 'Look at the signature at the bottom of the page.'

Sure enough, the scientists saw a familiar signature scrawled underneath the orders, with the name printed in block capitals underneath. Albert Wesker.

'What is going on?' Kathryn asked, not really expecting anyone to have an answer.

'Maybe I can help,' an unfamiliar male voice said from the side door.

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