the most lethal viruses there is. They'd been dead for weeks; neighbors had complained because of the smell. The papers the police found in the lab suggested that all three men were research assistants to a Dr. Nicolas Dunne, and that they had allowed themselves to be deliberately infected with what they understood to be a harmless cold virus. Dr. Dunne was going to see if he could cure it."
She stood up, crossing her arms tightly. The agonythose men must have endured; she'd seen pictures of Marburg victims. From the initial headache to extreme amplification in a matter of days. Fever, clotting, shock, brain damage, massive hemorrhaging from every orifice, they would've died in pools of their own blood. "And your professor thought it was Griffith?" Jill asked softly. Rebecca forced the images away and turned to Jill, finishing the story the way Dr. Vachss had. "Griffith's mother-her maiden name was Dunne."
Barry let out a low whistle, as Jill and Chris exchanged a worried look. David was studying her intently, his gaze cool and unreadable. All the same, she thought she knew what was going through his mind. He's wondering if this changes things. If I'll go with him to see this Caliban Cove facility, now that I know it's being run by people like Griffith. Rebecca looked away from David's intense scrutiny and saw that the rest of her team was watching her, their faces tight with concern. Since that terrible night at the Spencer estate, they'd become like a family to her. She didn't want to leave, to risk never seeing them again... but David's right. Without the support of the S. T.A.R.S., nowhere will be safe for any of us. And this would be my chance to contribute, to do what I'm good at...
She wanted to believe that it was the only reason, that she'd be going to fight the good fight, but she couldn't help the tiny shiver of excitement that ran through her at the thought of getting her hands on the T-Virus. It would be a golden opportunity to study the mutagen before anyone else, to categorize the effects and pick apart the virion right down to its smallest capsid. Rebecca took a deep breath and blew it out, her decision made. "I'll do it," she said. "When do we go?"
Chapter Three
Jill felt her heart quicken at rebecca's words, a feeling that things were happening too fast and that they weren't prepared. Her decision seemed sudden, even though Jill really hadn't doubted that she'd volunteer; Rebecca was a lot stronger than she looked. She glanced around Barry's wide, open living room, discreetly noting the reactions of her teammates. Chris's face was strained, his mouth drawn as he stared absently at the map of Caliban Cove, while Barry walked across to one of the living room win- dows, staring out past the curtain and scowling at nothing in particular.
They're worried about her, and maybe they should be; Griffith sounds like a serious psycho... but would any of us have hesitated if we'd been asked to go? It just proved that Rebecca was as committed as they were, also no great surprise. Getting to know the young Bravo had been one of the only bright spots in the frustrating days since the mansion had burned. The girl had been unfailingly optimistic about their chances against Umbrella even after their suspension, and had worked tirelessly to keep all of their spirits up. She was brilliant, too and yet she never flaunted it, or came across as condescending when she was attempting to discuss aspects of the T-Virus with them.
Rebecca looked a bit distraught herself, glancing around at the three men in the room. Even David Trapp seemed vaguely uncomfortable with her deci- sion, probably because of Rebecca's youth. Men. She's young, she's cute, and she's undoubtedly smarter than all of us put together, but the young and cute part tends to make them overlook the rest. Jill caught her eye and smiled encouragingly. At Rebecca's age, Jill had been a professional thief, and a good one. She was worried about Rebecca, too, but only because she'd grown to care about her. The fact that she was a young woman wasn't a reason to underestimate her talents. Rebecca smiled back, and walked over to sit by her as David nodded hesitantly at his newest teammate.
"All right, then. Good. There's a plane leaving for Bangor at twenty-three hundred hours, with a con-necting flight to a field just outside of