Arklay Research Facility
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| Resident Evil location | |
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| Arklay Research Facility (Spencer Mansion) | |
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| Establishment Date | 1960 |
| Location | Remote region of the Arklay Mountains, northwest of Raccoon City. |
| Population | Inconsistent due to dangerous nature of research. |
| Transporatation | Access via facility helipad only. |
| Operated By | Management, research and security personnel. |
| Used As | Clandestine research facility, illegal biological weaponry. |
| Famous Locations | Not applicable. |
| Notable Events | The Arklay Incident of 1998 (details below). |
| Notable People | Architect George Trevor, Lord Ozwell E. Spencer, Research subject Lisa Trevor. |
| Current Status | Destroyed by S.T.A.R.S. unit. |
The Arklay Research Facility is the setting of the original Resident Evil video game and its remake. It is managed by the Umbrella Corporation and disguised as an isolated mansion located in the Arklay Mountains region, outside of Raccoon City. It is often referred to as Spencer Mansion.
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[edit] History
The Arklay Research Facility was originally commissioned for construction during the mid-1960s. It was designed by architect George Trevor and named after Ozwell Spencer, co-founder of the Umbrella Corporation and the individual primarily responsible for the financing of the "Progenitor" and "Tyrant" viral research programs. Soon after its completion, further construction was carried out by Umbrella, with the addition of a subterranean laboratory and helipad facility. However, the mansion itself, and the traps and puzzles located within, were designed and constructed by Trevor at the behest of Lord Spencer.
[edit] Research
Soon after the modifications were in place, the entire Trevor family was invited to join Spencer at the mansion to celebrate its completion; however, the family was taken prisoner, with George separated from his wife. As George and his family were aware of the mansion's existence, Spencer had decided it prudent to have them all eliminated for the purpose of maintaining the secrecy of the facility. George initially escaped his holding cell and attempted to flee, but after several days wandering the mansion, unable to locate an escape route, his strength eventually waned. Towards his end, George discovered that his attempted escape had been orchestrated by Spencer, in order to test the facility's design. He eventually starved to death. His daughter, Lisa, and wife, Jessica, became the subjects of Spencer's viral experiments, with Jessica dying early into the program's life, a blessing in disguise as would eventually become apparent. From the late 1960s onwards, Spencer Mansion was used by the Umbrella Corporation to conduct cruel and unspeakable experiments on the Trevors' surviving daughter, Lisa, who would be forced to suffer decades of misery at the hands of the Arklay Research Team. In 1978, the T-Virus, successfully created after years of research on the then recently discovered ebola virus, was created by a team of scientists lead by chief researcher, Dr. James Marcus and his prodigal assistants, William Birkin and Albert Wesker. This research was primarily conducted at the Arklay Management Training Facility, located nearby, until Dr. Marcus' was assassinated by the ambitious Birkin and Wesker, who would then steal his research and relocate to Spencer Mansion where research of the T-Virus would continue under the pair's authority.
[edit] The outbreak and the "Arklay Incident"
As Umbrella's influence within Raccoon City grew, so did their ability to construct and conceal even more grandiose research facilities and projects. William Birkin was transferred to an inifinitely more advanced laboratory located directly beneath Raccoon City to continue research into an even deadlier viral strain, the G-Virus, whilst Albert Wesker was chosen to head up the newly formed "Special Tactics And Rescue Service" unit in order to constrain and supervise Raccoon City's law-enforcement community. Although Birkin and Wesker were no longer involved in the T-Virus research, another researcher by the name of John was transferred from Umbrella's Chicago branch to assume control of Spencer Mansion's projects. Research continued steadily for years at Spencer Mansion until May of 1998, when the T-virus was leaked through the mansion by the invigorated James Marcus (see James Marcus for details regarding this event), infecting almost every member of the facility stationed there. As mentioned in diaries and memos left throughout the facility, the entire security team was either infected or killed almost immediately, and at least half of the research team had died in the initial outbreak, with the other half displaying symptoms of T-Virus infection. The various projects and creatures housed at Spencer Mansion were also affected, and safety and security protocols rapidly deteriorated. Spencer Mansion became a battlefield, with the handful of remaining researchers attempting to fend off a wide array of ferocious monstrosities created by their own hands. Realising death to be imminent, some of the survivors commit suicide, whilst others reflected on the atrocities they had helped perform for the Umbrella Corporation. John, the facility's chief of research, who had despised the crimes being conducted at Spencer Mansion from the beginning, tested positive for T-Virus infection. He then attempted to atone for his past actions by asking that his lover and fellow researcher, Ada Wong, destroy the facility to prevent further infection and alert the media to Umbrella's activities. His requests, however, would go unanswered, as he had placed his faith in the wrong person. Through all of this, the horribly disfigured and mentally deteriorated creature that was once Lisa Trevor had also escaped captivity and begun a search for the mother she had lost decades earlier. After being forced to endure so much agony at the hands of Umbrella's researchers, Lisa no longer trusted anybody, and was more than willing to kill any that would stand in the way of her one and only reason left to live.
Weeks after the initial outbreak at Spencer Mansion, the T-Virus infection rapidly spread throughout the Arklay Mountains, and news of cannibalistic deaths in outlying Raccoon City began to filter in at an alarming rate. Although mutilated corpses had been found in the Arklay Mountains and its rivers, which flow through Raccoon City, as far back as the late 1980s, in June and July of 1998, the body count drastically increased. There had been reports of a vicious cult operating in the Arklay Mountains for several years and the increased number of bizarre murders drove Raccoon City's Chief of Police, Brian Irons, to blockade all roads leading into the mountains for fear of further casualties. The newly formed S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team was then assigned an aerial reconnaissance mission in the Arklay Mountains on July 23. Umbrella operative and supposed S.T.A.R.S. captain, Albert Wesker, who had learned of the outbreak at Spencer Mansion, decided that this would be an ideal opportunity to gather test data for his creations housed at the facility. Sabotaging Bravo Team's helicopter, Wesker ensured that the S.T.A.R.S. would be forced to the ground to battle Umbrella's creations.
On July 24, S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team was assigned a search-and-rescue operation, after the Bravo Team had mysteriously dropped out of contact the previous day. After locating the Bravo Team's ruined helicopter, Alpha Team was attacked by the T-Virus infected guard dogs formerly housed at Spencer Mansion. The Alpha Team was overwhelmed and forced to seek shelter within the derelict facility, which by this time had been entirely overrun. Finding the corpses and severely injured members of Bravo Team also trapped within its walls, the Alpha members discovered various research notes and files implicating the Umbrella Corporation in illegal bio-weapons research programs. Wesker, having intended to eliminate the S.T.A.R.S. unit all along, resorted to blackmail and murder in order to buy just enough time to ensure that he would be able to unleash his ultimate creation, the Tyrant, and pit it against the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members. However, this action would wind up costing Wesker his life, and the Tyrant would ultimately be destroyed by the S.T.A.R.S. team's remaining members. Spencer Mansion was then obliterated via an auto-destruct mechanism activated by the Alpha Team following their escape. The infected creatures, personnel and research facilities were all obliterated in the explosion which also cost the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members any hard evidence against the Umbrella Corporation. This lack of evidence, coupled with the smear campaign conducted by Umbrella's corrupt lackeys, Mayor Warren and Chief Irons, would eventually lead to the unit being scorned and ignored by the public for their outlandish claims and accusations. Two months later, a second accident in the underground Raccoon City facility would occur, which would portray the "Arklay Incident" as a mere shadow by comparison.
[edit] Staff
This is a list of personnel assumed stationed at the facility during the T-Virus outbreak. This information comes from various documents and reports collected by the surviving S.T.A.R.S. operatives during the incident. Due to the informal nature of many of these notes and memos, there are several instances in which only the first or last name have been given.
- Chief Researcher: John Fay. Albert Wesker was only able to make sporadic visits, due to his guise as a S.T.A.R.S. officer.
- Consultant Researchers: Albert Wesker, E. Smith, S. Ross.
- Researchers: Jon Toleman, Martin Crackhorn, Henry Sarton, Steve, Robert, David, Eric.
- Chief of Security: "The man in dark glasses", presumably Albert Wesker.
- Visual Data Room Manager: Keith Arving.
- Guards: Scott, Alias.
- Animal Keeper: Peter.
- X-Ray Subjects: Alex Bennett, Clark David, Ed Fisher, Gail Holland.
[edit] Notes
It is unknown if the X-ray subjects were actual employees of the facility who were tested for signs of infection, or were actually test subjects from the research team's experiments. It is mentioned in John's letter to Ada that the personnel who survived the initial outbreak were tested for symptoms of infection, although an X-ray scan would seem a largely ineffective tool for such an examination. Having studied the "Progenitor" and "Tyrant" strains for many decades, it is very likely that the research team would already know this, therefore the scans were likely those of test subjects.
The Spencer Mansion has undergone many changes throughout each successive release, most prominently and contrastingly between the original title, and the Nintendo GameCube remake. In the original 32-bit Sony PlayStation release, the hall has an almost regal appearance, with white, marble walls and tall pillars. There is a staircase with a red carpet leading to the second floor balcony. On the side of the stairs, there is a small table with a typewriter.
In the remake of the game, the hall has an almost gothic theme. The walls are dark and there are many candles along the stairs. The hall is larger, branches into more rooms, and there is a secret passage behind the stairs leading to an altar. There is also a large, medieval chandelier hung from the ceiling.
[edit] Spencer Mansion in other media
The Spencer Mansion also appeared in the original film adaptation, Resident Evil.
[edit] Resident Evil
In the 2002 film adaptation also titled Resident Evil, the Spencer Mansion is the emergency entry point for the subterranean research facility known as "The Hive". The mansion was built by the Umbrella Corporation to house two security operatives charged with protecting the location and was named after Spence Parks (one of said operatives). Just like its video game counterpart, the mansion is riddled with hidden passages, puzzles and fail-safe devices, some of which are unknown to (and designed to be used against) the operatives. The mansion was constructed as an alternative access and escape point for The Hive.
In some drafts of the script, Spencer Mansion is known as the Looking Glass House.
[edit] Trivia
- The mansion was completely re-designed for the 2002 Nintendo GameCube remake.
- The location is colloquially referred as the Spencer Mansion, after its original owner, Ozwell E. Spencer, co-founder of the Umbrella Corporation. However, the name is completely fanmade, as it has never been used in any of the games. In the novelizations written by S.D. Perry, the location is referred to as the Spencer Estate.
- In SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, the player can find a hidden room which resembles the mansion's hall. There, the player can challenge several zombies and Shinji Mikami (the creator of the Resident Evil series) to card duels, all of whom are serious contenders.
- In Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble for the Nintendo DS, several rooms in one of the stages were modelled after the rooms in the Spencer Mansion.
- George Trevor was also hired by another of Umbrella's co-founders, Edward Ashford. Ashford was impressed with Trevor's work on Spencer Mansion, and wished for a similarly grandiose house, himself. However, the designs were left incomplete, due to Spencer having Trevor killed. The partial designs were later used to construct the living areas of the Ashford's Antarctic facility.
- It is odd that some doors were locked in previously visited rooms. Examples being the door leading to the attic where the "Yawn" is located, even after Richard Aiken had only retreated from the area moments before the player finds him. The door leading to the "Aqua Ring" is also sealed, despite Richard managing to enter the area after being rescued by Chris Redfield. The door leading to the balcony where Forest Speyer is located is also locked. It is quite possible that Albert Wesker was using his Master Key to lock and unlock doors to hinder the progress of his colleagues, as he wished to stall them long enough to use them as combat subjects against the Tyrant without actually killing them before gathering the required combat analysis data.
- The game's creators have acknowledged that the remake of Resident Evil has supplanted the original as the canon title. However, many hardcore fans still firmly believe that the original release should be considered true, in much the same way as fans have come to view "Operation Bacillus Terminate" and "Mission Code XX" as debatable plot events.
