Chapter Text
It did not slip Albert’s mind, the fact that his little audience shared an uncanny resemblance to himself and Alex. He presumed this was either another secret project of Spencer's using his or Alex’s DNA to experiment with or an eerie result of his already bizarre dream trying to build faces to fill this unusual little world he found himself in. The man certainly shared Alex's style with a wilder twist judging by the earring and dark inky markings on the left side of his face. His penchant for long barreled magnums was certainly a bit of Albert's own personal taste sneaking through.
The man had watched him from afar like a strange bird standing vigilant upon his roost. Only when Albert called to him, did he finally waver from his post like an amused sentinel enjoying the show that the S.T.A.R.S. Captain was putting on for him. Albert smothered his displeasure as he offered a peaceful approach to build a bridge of communication between them. The man obliged, and now he found himself huddled up inside the shelter of a former subway station platform waiting for this Zeno to return with a change of attire. They weren't far from the main perimeter of what Zeno called the ARK facility. Supposedly it was a remnant of Umbrella's past. That meant high security and close surveillance. Zeno promised to find him a disguise to get him inside.
Albert was beginning to question whether the odd man could truly be trusted. He wasn't prone to easily following white rabbits into undisclosed holes but he was willing to take the chance when the alternative sounded like it came with big teeth and a penchant for hunting easy prey. Zeno didn't carry around a handcanon like that without a reason. He shivered as the cold continued to settle into his bones with the setting sun. He could feel the dew in the air as it leeched into his clothes and clung to him like a damp blanket. It was uncomfortable. He rubbed his hands together to thaw the chill that had crept into his fingers making them grow stiff and locked up.
He was just beginning to see the vague imprint of his breath in the darkness when the quiet rustle of movement drew Albert's gaze towards the entryway of the subway platform. Aside from the barren rocks and occasional sun scorched weeds creeping up through the cracks, there were no other signs of life to be had. His pale blue eyes searched the darkness as the pale visage of Zeno emerged. He had a black tactical duffel slung over his shoulder that he offloaded at Albert's feet.
“Here. You'll need to get changed into these to get inside the facility.” Albert's attention lowered to the bag. He wasn't squeamish about nudity in the slightest bit, but the thought of removing his clothes in these temperatures was far from ideal. Begrudgingly, he obeyed as he unzipped the bag to inspect the contents first to see what exactly he was working with. It was full of high quality riot gear that he would expect of the Emergency Response units for Umbrella's Specialized Security force. It was fortuitous that he was familiar with this kind of equipment and the training of those types of personnel. This disguise was going to be a cake walk for him to pull off. He started the meticulous task of undressing out of his S.T.A.R.S. uniform as he piled the dirty garments into the duffel bag and traded them out for the new ones. Zeno was quite adept at guessing Albert's size at a glance. The fit was immaculate.
Once he was dressed, he closed the duffel and hung it over his shoulder as he dutifully followed in Zeno's steps back the direction he came. There was a secret above ground entrance that Albert hadn't known about before. Zeno clearly had the necessary clearance as he punched in the special security code to gain access to the hidden elevator. Albert stepped in behind him. The visor of the security helmet he wore limited his vision and felt tight with the inclusion of his sunglasses beneath the frame of the headgear. There was enough space for eyewear thankfully as his faceplate lacked the adequate amount of filtration for harsh oncoming light through the visor. The tint was purely for aesthetic and not functionality to his mild annoyance on the matter.
The halls of the facility were well lit despite the late hour. Bright white lights gleamed off of the surrounding polished surfaces with their glossy shine that seemed to be a personal choice to assault his vision at every turn. He was grateful he had the forethought to keep his glasses on as he stalked the quiet halls directly at Zeno's heel. He halted when Zeno halted and patiently observed his surroundings while the other man swiped his private keycard or punched in his personnel code to gain admission into different parts of the facility as they moved deeper into the residential zone.
Eventually they came to a location that Albert presumed was Zeno's living quarters. The automated door slid open as Zeno stepped inside, beckoning Albert to follow behind him. With a cautious scan of the space, Albert was impressed with the low comfortable lighting that came on at Zeno's command. The space was large, bigger than his own master bedroom in his private home. There were dark blue plush rugs that littered the floors in a carefully orchestrated perimeter that limited exposure to the cold white tile floors. Luxurious wood framing on every wall and shelf, and a large opulent canopy bed with black curtains drawn around to offer privacy to the space made him somewhat envious of the man. At the bedside on the right was a large terrarium case where a plant appeared to be encased within. It appeared to be a unique specimen, and well loved judging by the state of the art set-up Zeno had arranged for its care.
“This is where you'll stay for now. I've made arrangements to assign you as my bodyguard. Your codename is Leander.” Zeno turned to face Albert as he continued to explain this, handing the S.T.A.R.S. officer his new keycard that the white haired man apparently had the time and impressive amount of forethought to have created on the spot as part of Albert's new cover. This went on to include already adding Albert to the regular roster for the facility so he can receive meals from the cafeteria and personal necessities from the supply depot within the building. That was something that was going to have to wait until morning, however, as the facility was about to undergo night time curfew. Security would be heightened and the checkpoints more closely monitored than before. The timing of their arrival was serendipitous to say the least.
“Do you have a change of clothes for me to borrow so that I may clean up before I rest?” Albert inquired as he studied Zeno's casual stance as the man began undressing from his expensive suit jacket to hang up on the wooden pegs beside the wardrobe.
“I do.” Zeno assured him without ever looking back over his shoulder. “Feel free to take a shower while you wait. I'll place them on the sink in the bathroom.”
Albert looked around the room until he spotted the second door by the terrarium and presumed that to be the entrance to the bathroom that he needed. It seemed like a simple enough process so far. Everything appeared to be aligning too perfectly for this to be anything but a dream. Regardless of that fact, he was kind of intrigued by the strange world his subconscious was creating for his own odd entertainment.
Nevermind. His perfectly agreeable experiences hit a frigid wall when the hot water that washed over his aching body with a blissful reprieve suddenly switched to ice cold without any warning whatsoever. The yelp that was ripped from his chest as the chill of the spray pelted his bare back like tiny icicles was impossible to suppress. He panicked and fumbled for the faucet to slam the water off while standing there shivering and soaking wet from head to toe after the unpleasant rinse to wash off the soap that had clung to his lower back and collected between his thighs.
A quiet huff of breath could be heard poorly stifled through the bathroom door and the rapidly dissipating steam as Zeno announced. “Did I forget to mention the hot water is set to a usage timer?”
“You did.” Albert growled in displeasure through the doorway as he scrambled to tug a towel over his wet body to ward off some of the chill. However hopeless that effort may actually be in the end. He was even colder now than when he came in from the damp evening earlier. Thankfully Zeno had left a change of clothes for him folded neatly upon the bathroom counter. There was even a brand new toothbrush still sealed in its plastic packaging along with a new tube of toothpaste. The preparedness was deeply appreciated as Albert donned the boxers and black cotton pajama pants. A white long sleeve cotton shirt with a deep v-neckline accompanied it. It felt more in alignment with something Alex would wear to bed or to laze about her private condo on her off duty days. Not at all like his preferred choice of sleepwear but beggars couldn't be choosers.
There weren't even any slippers available to shield his bare feet from the floor. Grimacing to himself, his tired eyes fell to notice that Zeno had collected his discarded riot gear while he was in the shower. Even his sunglasses had been moved to Albert's mild annoyance. When he vacated the bathroom to find the other man, his weary blue eyes pinned the set of unsettling golden eyes in place.
“Because I have a sense you're about to ask, they're with mine over there.” Zeno intercepted whatever question Albert was about to unleash as pale eyes swiveled in the gestured direction. There was a shelf on the same wall as the bathroom doorway and the wardrobe where a decorative jewelry stand shaped like a tree of some kind held two sets of earrings. Zeno had exchanged his from earlier today for a more comfortable night time stud, and placed his unique set of sunglasses in a small case on the table near the tree’s roots. Albert's were resting beside them, also folded neatly and situated inside a protective translucent sleeve to keep dust from gathering on the prescription lenses.
“I see.” Whatever reprimand he had been rearing to lob at the strange man had fallen clumsily from its position and was quickly replaced with a note of surprised appreciation. “Thank you. That's very thoughtful of you.”
His gaze tracked back towards Zeno to find the man preparing to settle in for the night on the left side of the large luxurious bed. The right side had the blanket already untucked and folded open as an invitation to Albert to share the space together. He wasn't unaccustomed to the practice of sharing sleeping space with another man, typically reserving such moments for the close knit companionship that came with his unit in S.T.A.R.S., but to do so with a stranger like this felt a little unusual. Especially one that resembled such a close likeness to Alex. The black coloration of the sclera that surrounded the gold iris of Zeno's eyes was just as unsettling for Albert. It felt like sleeping unguarded beside an unpredictable bioweapon, and yet he knew well enough from their first encounter that Zeno was anything but human. Yet the man remained quite cordial despite the circumstances of their meeting.
Albert could imagine more than a few people would love to get their hands on someone like Zeno, Spencer included. He was a marvel of bio-engineering. No other specimen made by Umbrella's hands could possibly compare to the beauty and complexity of what he was. Even Albert himself was somewhat envious and hopeful that Zeno would permit him a later opportunity to examine his body more closely. For now, the urgency of sleep was pressing persistently against his eyelids until they began to grow far too heavy and clumsy to deny any longer. He crawled into the open space on the right side of the bed and settled in. The strange yet vaguely familiar plant seemed to observe Albert through the terrarium glass. It was unnerving when he swore he saw the leaves move entirely on their own.
Zeno had rolled onto his right side so he was facing Albert. The position wasn't too uncomfortable with the notable amount of space between them thanks to the sheer size of the bed itself. The dark inky lines that crawled down the left side of Zeno's face spread along the length of that side of his neck down towards his shoulder and collarbone. Albert silently traced it like a maze guiding him to a place plentiful with secrets. It vanished behind the thin white fabric of Zeno's white v-neck sleep shirt. The other man tucked the blankets around his shoulders, mirroring Albert's own level of comfort as those eyes burned through the darkness like embers.
“Good night, Albert.” Zeno bid softly.
“Good night, Zeno.” Albert returned out of a moment of companionable impulse much like he would were Chris the one bidding such affections before their team turned in or went home for the evening. Those golden eyes slipped closed as the room settled into total darkness mere moments later. It was an impressive set up for the lighting that briefly intrigued Albert as to how such a system was implemented, whether by biological factors that were remotely monitored or by the coincidental absence of movement to trigger any motion capture lighting settings. Or perhaps much like the infernal shower, the lights themselves were also on a preset timer?
It was hard to say as Albert fell asleep to such lingering yet intriguing thoughts that danced through his head.
The morning came. Albert expected to wake in his own bed in his own master bedroom, with the ringing of his alarm clock beckoning him to rise and ready himself for another day of work. Instead he found himself staring at the black fabric canopy above as Zeno went about his morning routine without stirring Albert from sleep even once. His ability to move quietly was either very impressive, or Albert was simply just that tired to have ignored the noise of a stranger so close to him for so long.
Zeno had a nice white suit on again today. This one had far more embellishments with decorative silver studs on the cuffs and a neatly folded collar. He wore black leather gloves on his hands and must have freshly polished the pair of dress boots judging by the faint scent of shoe polish lingering in the air. He was pouring a mixture of water and what appeared to be blood into the terrarium where the plant rearranged its petals to face the bright U.V. light beaming down inside its case. Its floral bud opened as it unfurled its vibrant crimson petals like scarlet droplets peeled back to face the world and unwary prey.
“Here Nano, eat well my heart.”
Albert pushed himself to sit upright from the bed as he pulled back the blankets to free his legs from their faux entrapment. He shivered impulsively when his bare feet touched the floor. Smothering a grimace at the realization that his slippers were not present for him to step into, he begrudgingly allowed them to rest upon the plush rug. A part of him was disgusted at the mere idea of walking around barefoot in this place. He understood that there was a good chance Zeno was the only occupant and the man clearly cared for his space with an immense attention to detail, but it wasn't Albert's level of detail that put him off. The floors were a breeding ground for bacteria and a cause of many transferable problems that he would rather not have to deal with, period.
Caught between his silent mental berating of the living conditions of lab occupation, and the very clear sapling of a literal bioweapon being kept like a class pet, he was struggling to pick his subject of complaint so early without an appropriate amount of caffeine in his system. He decided the latter was less likely to get him shot so he leaned cautiously away from the case as he remarked.
“Is that a specimen sapling of Plant 42 in your terrarium?”
Zeno turned a look that was borderline murderous in its capacity to dare Albert to say one singular negative comment about his little pet. “His name is Nano and he’s a seedling from a Plant 43 specimen. If you have the gall to insult him, I will personally see to it that you're fed to the Garmr.”
The venomous edge in the man's voice was to be respected, and Albert understood well that this was one of those rare instances where a line was placed and should never be crossed. He didn't know what exactly a Garmr was, but it didn't sound pleasant. Today was not a day he wished to test the boundaries of his new companion as he conceded.
“My apologies if anything I said upset you. I was merely curious. I didn't expect a bioweapon to be kept with such a flagrant disregard for containment protocols.” Zeno’s expression hardened as those golden eyes burned through the tinted lenses of his own prescription flip-down glasses. Albert supposed that was an adequate response to his foot-in-mouth comment given the present condition of the man he was talking to.
“My apologies.” He insisted again. “It's been a long couple of days and I'm afraid my head isn't on as straight as I would like it to be.” Zeno appeared willing to accept that excuse as he returned his attention to the plant -codename Nano?- to resume making adjustments to the humidifier.
“Get dressed. This should only take a short time. The breakfast hour is starting soon.” The command was an easy enough one to lose himself in. Albert rose to find the tactical gear that Zeno had prepared for him last night. He was beginning to realize there was a very good chance that all of this wasn't a dream like he previously expected. That perhaps, as crazy as it may sound, all of this was real. It was an incredibly bizarre reality to consider but one that he'd face with few complaints.
Or so he thought.
“How do you fuck up perfectly good coffee?” Albert stood at the drink arrangement table where large pre-heated casks of hot water were awaiting their use. They had individual packs of instant coffee available for use but no sugar or creamer options. While Albert was perfectly capable of taking his coffee black under extreme circumstances, this was a vile insult against nature and God itself. It was completely inedible and that was impressive considering he's even drank the half burnt sludge that Barry calls coffee while they did their wilderness survival training drills camped out in the Arklay Mountains.
Albert was unaware that he was no longer by himself or even in Zeno's presence as he adjusted his grip on his tray. A gruff voice crackled through the tinny mask of the Elite Security headgear. A man that Albert recognized immediately by voice from the secretive Umbrella Security Service, and further confirmed with a brief partial glance up to meet the red eyed lenses of his unique visor. "They have a talent here. Unfortunately it's the only talent they seem to have."
It was unsettling to find the Grim Reaper himself standing at Albert's side, but simultaneously comforting to see something somewhat familiar present still. He snorted in amusement as the older man reached for the spigot of the water cask to fill his cup with the steaming hot water regardless of his distaste for the drink itself. Albert suspected desperate circumstances made one settle for far lower standards after so long in this field. He decided he wasn't that desperate yet and opted for purely hot water. He hoped he could make some sort of fruit concoction if he mixed the freeze dried fruit pouches into the drink and let it sit long enough to be passable.
With his drink choice secured, he found Zeno waiting by the doorway to exit the cafeteria for him. Albert was perplexed when he noticed almost nobody stayed to have a seat to eat their meals, and the resident cafeteria staff didn't seem at all surprised by the activity. He withheld his question until they were back out into the hallway alone.
“Is there a specific reason no one eats in the cafeteria?”
“Everyone's reasoning is different.” Zeno answered easily but paused after a beat. He continued to make his way through the winding maze of corridors that made up the complicated interior of the residential levels of the ARK facility. When Albert was beginning to expect no further answer would come, Zeno finally spoke up. “There was….an incident. A stabbing that took place within the cafeteria specifically. The residents started avoiding the location as much as possible.”
“Oh. I imagine that was quite an unpleasant encounter while partaking in one's meal.” He had tried to disarm the tension with a sly jest but Zeno's expression only proved to appear tight and uncomfortable.
“You could say that.”
There was no further elaboration on the subject as they came to the automated doorway that led to the private corridor to Zeno's quarters. Albert was already beginning to piece together the layout of the most immediate locations to their present accommodations after only a couple trips in passing. Once back inside of Zeno's room, he was permitted the freedom to finally relax and remove his headgear. It was uncomfortable and incredibly stifling with his sunglasses stuffed into the already rather tight space. It was a relief as he settled onto the edge of the bed facing Nano's terrarium where Zeno had left the U.V. lights on in their absence. Zeno settled down on his own side of the bed as both men set their respective trays on the bedspread and balanced their drinks on the nightstands on either side. Albert began by pouring his dried fruit into the cup of steaming water. It had a plastic lid on top that he used to seal it shut again to let it steep for a little while. Then turned his attention to their breakfast this morning.
Even while ravenous after sixteen hours without a proper meal in his stomach and a long day of strenuous activity yesterday, Albert found his appetite wavering in the face of his current spread. There were what he could only assume may have been scrambled eggs made from a preservative powder of some kind. They were far too pale and rubbery to be from a genuine fresh egg of any kind. Beside them was generic wheat bread and one small tab of butter to split between two slices, untoasted and cold. There was some strange white substance that may have been yogurt or cottage cheese. It was hard to say at a glance. The meat was a premade flash cooked hockey puck that might have passed for a sausage in far more desperate circumstances.
“You're on strict rationing I presume?” Albert clarified as he inspected the tray in front of him. To which Zeno didn't even look back at the officer as he poked his own pitiful breakfast tray.
“We received a surplus of our supplies just yesterday.” It was hard to tell whether Zeno sounded more disappointed or defeated at the moment as he decided to finally bite the bullet -or the puck in this case- and started to consume the pathetic excuse of a meal. Albert recalled Umbrella always had a stellar assortment of meal choices for its employees within the facilities. It was one of the few privileges and luxuries all members of the staff, from the lowest janitor and guard to the highest paid researcher were given easy access to. The coffee was adequate, the meals were diverse and well rounded with plenty of variety for even the pickiest eaters to find something to satisfy their palette during long shifts. There was always plenty of fresh options available, though he supposed they did lack that luxury given the state the city was in. Albert wasn't sure if the whole country was like this or just the vicinity of Raccoon City.
Eventually he gave in to try the eggs. They lacked any kind of flavor whatsoever. Albert would kill for just a little bit of salt to go onto this to give it an ounce of taste as he forced the unappetizing bite down his throat. It slid painstakingly down into his stomach. Albert dreaded what a few days with a diet of this manner would do to his digestive tract.
‘I’ve had MRE’s more flavorful and substantial than this.’ Even their S.T.A.R.S. camping rations were a banquet in comparison. The fruit tea concoction he made was somewhat palatable enough to wash it all down with. He didn't avoid the stomachache that inevitably began to creep up on him as he set his empty tray aside. Zeno was still eating with a reserved expression that appeared closer to painful resignation judging by the set of his jaw and the slant in his shoulders.
Hoping to fill the uncomfortable silence while actively ignoring the even more uncomfortable gurgling protests of his gut, Albert broached a different topic to focus on. “Is there an archive that will provide me with information spanning the last thirty years?”
“There is.” Zeno confirmed as he set his tray aside on the bed before pushing himself up to his feet. Albert cocked his head to track the other man's movements as he rounded the bedframe to approach Nano's tank. “The NO-AH artificial intelligence system that operates the intricacies of ARK for all of its inhabitants also manages the archives. It covers a considerable amount of time reaching as far back as before Spencer's passing and even before the Raccoon City incident.”
“Perfect.” Finally he was getting some good news. He could work with that. It was a good way to collect intel on the present circumstances of this bizarre world he found himself in.
“However, it'll have to wait.” Zeno interjected in Albert's premature celebration as he shut off the terrarium’s lights. Albert was expecting it to be carefully monitored and heavily secured, but instead the other man explained with a matter-of-fact tone of voice that reminded him so much of Alex and her cutting tongue. “I have a mandatory meeting in half an hour and you will need to be at my side in attendance as my bodyguard. Am I understood, Leander?”
The pointed reminder caught Albert off guard briefly before he swiftly collected himself with the reminder that this was his new alias in this world. He was to accompany Zeno throughout the day to every aspect of his role within the ARK facility. It was certainly a new situation for Albert. He was so accustomed to being the top dog in charge that being the one trailing at someone else's heel among the throngs of scientists and security personnel was a new feeling for him. He imagined Alex would have gotten quite a laugh at his expense were she here to witness it.