While Noah was busy negotiating with Katherine and Jill, a secret conversation was taking place in a hidden room elsewhere within the banquet venue.
William Birkin—the chief head of Umbrella's Raccoon City operations and the man in charge of the Executive Training School—was sitting quietly in a chair. Across from him sat a woman with short red hair.
She was the same woman Emma had bumped into earlier, the one with the unmistakable aura of a seasoned soldier.
"So, they only sent you to talk to me? Just one person?" William complained, his voice thick with dissatisfaction. "Do you have any idea how much risk I took for this meeting? Do you know how much money I spent? If Umbrella's accountants or their internal security find even the slightest discrepancy in the bills or the guest list, none of us are getting out of this clean!"
William's griping was met with cold silence. The red-haired woman remained perfectly calm, listening to his outburst without blinking.
"Dr. Birkin, I am here to finalize the next phase of the plan. I am not here to listen to you whine," she said flatly.
"Ma'am, I haven't seen a single shred of evidence that the U.S. government is actually serious about acquiring my research!"
"I am from the Delta Force, Echo Six. My code name is Tweed, but you can call me Marissa. There is no need for you to involve high-level leadership right now."
"Even if you give me your name and your unit, you still haven't told me how you're going to get me out of here!"
"Dr. Birkin, if you want to keep working with us, I suggest you calm down," Marissa said firmly. "Otherwise, we're just going to sit here drowning in complaints and frustration, and we'll never reach the next step of the plan."
"Fine! Then you tell me—what's the move?"
Under Marissa's steady pressure, William finally managed to pull back his temper.
"Does Umbrella know you're attending this banquet?" she asked.
"Of course they know. Setting up these temporary buildings required a massive budget. I intentionally expanded the scope of this banquet just so I could find a window to meet with you. I practically invited the entire city just to create this distraction!"
"So Umbrella knows about your movements. What about this secret meeting?"
"I'm using the gap during the noon speeches. I ditched the other researchers—well, they're not just researchers, they're all spies—I had to shake them off to get this window."
"So, you chose to have a secret meeting while Umbrella is watching your every move and you're surrounded by spies?"
"Did we have any other choice?!" William nearly shouted. He felt like a monkey being played for a fool by the U.S. government. "Do you even know what kind of entity Umbrella's private security is? This was the only chance!"
"Dr. Birkin, I told you: do not get agitated. Our agreement was that if an opportunity arose, we would extract you during this banquet. But that was contingent on you carrying the relevant research data and samples."
Marissa paused, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized William from head to toe.
"It is quite obvious that you did not bring the samples. You don't even have the files on you."
"There are too many researchers around me! How could I possibly smuggle out the data you want under their noses?!"
"Then, as of this moment, you are not a high-value rescue target."
"But I have the info you want! I have the B.O.W. data, the virus intel, the inner workings of Umbrella... I can tell you everything! Every single detail! Just get me and my family out of here!"
"Dr. Birkin, your current proposal does not align with our previous agreement. We cannot assist you or your family unless you return to the lab and retrieve the actual experimental samples and data."
"If I go back now, I won't be able to just walk out again like this!"
"What about your wife? Or your daughter?"
"My wife doesn't have the clearance. And my daughter? Sherry? Absolutely not! I will not involve her in something this dangerous!"
"Then we will have to coordinate a new extraction plan. But the condition remains: we move only when you are ready to deliver exactly what we want. Do you understand?"
William struggled internally, but the answer remained the same. As a high-intelligence researcher, he realized that no matter how many Echo Six members were lurking around the perimeter, they weren't going to pull him out today.
To them, he wasn't the target. His virus and bio-weapons were the targets. He and his family were just the delivery boys who would be picked up as an afterthought.
"Fine. How about this?" William suggested after several long moments of silence. "In half a month, you send a team to launch a hard breach of the suburban Umbrella lab. You break me out, and I guarantee I'll hand over everything you need."
"Dr. Birkin, if we launch a direct assault on the lab, can you guarantee that the research, the data, and those bio-weapons won't be remotely destroyed by Umbrella Headquarters first?"
William froze. He had forgotten that for a second. Those labs were crawling with spies, Umbrella's cleanup crews, and fail-safe protocols. If the people at HQ detected even a hint of a breach, they wouldn't hesitate to wipe every piece of evidence—and everyone in the building—to cover their tracks.
"Then..." William's mind went blank. He was out of ideas.
"I have a suggestion," Marissa said, seeing that William was at his wits' end. "At the end of October, when the Raccoon City municipal pipeline repairs are finished, the city government will definitely invite you to attend the activation ceremony for the municipal upgrade. Try to bring the samples and data out with you then. What do you think?"
"What about my family?"
"We can guarantee that your daughter, Sherry, will be placed in a safe location beforehand. But Annette will need to attend the event with you so we can extract you both at the same time."
William listened to Marissa's plan and looked down in thought. It seemed this was the only other window he would have to leave the lab. But the samples and data... that would be difficult. Umbrella would likely be watching him like a hawk.
"But the samples and the info..."
"Dr. Birkin, that is your problem. Remember: without what we want, there is no rescue. A researcher who just 'disappears' without a trail is a liability that Umbrella could use as a weapon against us. The risk to the government is too high otherwise."
"I have all the information memorized!" William tried to emphasize his own value one last time, but Marissa cut him off.
"No samples, no data—no rescue."
Marissa repeated the condition with a tone that brooked no argument. William finally gave up his struggle and nodded in defeat.
Seeing him concede, Marissa stood up to leave.
"Remember: do not use email or any electronic communication unless it is absolutely necessary. It will trigger Umbrella's suspicion and could cost you your life."
With that, Marissa opened the door and walked out, leaving William Birkin alone in the room to contemplate a future that looked increasingly grim.