The Once Forgotten Nightmare

by BlueAce918

RE main characters Chris, Jill, Claire, and Leon join two OC's in a struggle for freedom when they're kidnapped by a jaded scientist trying to rebuild the Umbrella legacy. Rating T for mild language and some violence. For those that don't want a slight recap of the RE history, skip to chapter 2.

1. Chapter 1

June 8, 1998

Raccoon Times.

Dead Woman Brings Toll To Eleven

Early this morning Raccoon Police discovered the body of an as yet unidentified woman in Hope Park. The woman, who appeared to be in her early twenties had been mutilated in a similar fashion to the other victims, bringing the toll up to eleven since the attacks first happened in May. Citizens of Raccoon City are being encouraged to remain in doors after dark, and not to venture into Hope Park alone. The once popular jogging and recreation area has now been deemed a hazard zone.

No new evidence about these murders has emerged, however Police Chief Brian Irons held a press conference this morning to help quell the worried citizens. "We are doing everything we can to put an end to these horrible murders. We will find these killers and they will face the justice they deserve." Was all the condollances he offered the citizens. When asked about why the Special Tactics And Rescue Squad hadn't been brought in to help Irons stated "We are using all resources available to us. As of this moment we do not feel help from S.T.A.R.S. is nessicary."

The S.T.A.R.S. have been a part of the Raccoon Police department as a separate division for over thirty years. It was created by the government as a way to counter acts of terrorism, but in recent years its officers have been used in many applications. Members are trained in many forms of combat, as well as tactical maneuvering. They have been used in the past during hostage negotiations, bomb defusals, as well as search and rescue. Chief Irons himself was a part of S.T.A.R.S. in his younger years.

Although they work as their own separate autonomous department, they do not have the freedom to join an ongoing investigation without the request from the chief. Which leaves the citizens of Raccoon wondering why they haven't been brought in to help.

June 24, 1998

Mountain Post

Umbrella Donates to Fund Search and Rescue Efforts.

Early this morning representitives from the pharmecutical conglomerate Umbrella announced that they would be aiding in search and rescue efforts by donating both money and supplies to the Raccon City Police Department. Umbrella, who operates a plant right in the city, provides jobs for more then half the city's citizens and feel that it is their duty to help defend this great city.

In an interview Sharon Dodgers, spokesperson for Umbrella stated "We at Umbrella feel that we must join the cause and do everything possible to help locate those still missing. Our workers deserve to know their friends and families are safe and we will see to it that they are returned to their homes." She went on to express her gratitude to S.T.A.R.S. for their hard work and dedication. "I look forward to working with the members of S.T.A.R.S. and believe that our partnership will be instrumental in solving this case."

When S.T.A.R.S. Captain Albert Wesker was asked about the pairing he sang a slightly different tune. "Although the S.T.A.R.S. thank Umbrella for their donation, we will solve this crime through police work, not charity events. My team is already hard at work piecing together the puzzle. We have the best and brightest on hand and we will handle this situation."

He would provide us with no further comments. As of now we thank Umbrella and S.T.A.R.S. for their cooperative support, and pray the missing make it home safe.

July 22, 1998

Raccoon Times

S.T.A.R.S. To Deploy To Arklay Mountains

Yesterday evening Police Chief Irons and Mayor Harris announced that they were finally sending S.T.A.R.S. into the investigation as a full rescue operation. The squad will be sending in Bravo team early tomorrow morning to search the forests at the base of the mountains.

With the recent string of cannibalistic murders, starting in May, Irons has determined that the situation is too great for RPD to handle alone. He is working close with Captain Wesker, in hopes that S.T.A.R.S. can flush out the supposed cult living in the forests. We pray that they are swift in the location of the killers, and wish them luck.

August 17, 1998

Mountain Times

S.T.A.R.S. Members Vanish

Special Tactics and Rescue Squad members, have been missing since yesterday. Many people believe that the groups accusations against Umbrella have caused the four survivors of the Arklay Mountain incident to go into hiding.

Survivors Barry Burtin, Rebecca Chambers, Chris Redfield, and Jill Valentine have been shunned by both the RPD and the citizens of Raccoon for their outlandish accusations against Umbrella. The former S.T.A.R.S. returned from the mountains only a couple weeks ago, and quickly went public. Speaking out against Umbrella and insisting that the company had been working on a bio-weapons experiment.

The Spencer Mansion located in the Arklay Mountains became quite the popular spot, but as of yet no evidence has been found to prove what the former S.T.A.R.S. are claiming. Stories of walking dead, and mutilated giants have left the former squad members in bad standing with the community.

Umbrella itself had little to say on the matter. Spokesperson Sharon Dodgers simply stated "Umbrella has done nothing but help protect this City. We created medications and make up. Not bio-weapons." The war between the two groups has sparked quite the split of the citizens of the city.

"The S.T.A.R.S. probably caused this problem in the mountains and they blame Umbrella to take the pressure off them" Said Robert Cole, a researcher for Umbrella who has been employeed there for over twenty years. "It's simply a case of he said she said. We at Umbrella will continue as we always have, this incident will not be our downfall."

As of now there is no new information on the wearabouts of the former S.T.A.R.S. Some believe they have simply gone into hiding. Others believe something more serious has happened, however there is no way to tell for sure what has happened.

September 18, 1998

Raccoon Times

Cannibal Killer Strikes Again

The body of a teenage boy was found inside Hope Park yesterday afternoon showing similar injuries as the victims back in May. Hope Park, which lies at the base of the Arklay Mountains was the site where the first attacks were found, and is now again the subject of controversy.

Chief Irons and Mayor Harris are planning to hold a press conference tomorrow to discuss the incident and do everything they can to help calm the shaken citizens of Raccoon City. Irons has stated that he is recruiting fifty new officers, from around the country as a counter balance for the now dismantled S.T.A.R.S. team.

The officers should be arriving within the next couple of days and Mayor Harris is particularly confident that the RPD's new numbers will help put an end to these killings once and for all.

October 3, 1998

Washington Post

Viral Outbreak Destroys City

As the explosions have finally settled down in the Midwest, we have learned the truth about the viral outbreak that devistated the small city of Raccoon, only a couple of days ago.

Survivors Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield have come forward, with similar accusations as the members of S.T.A.R.S. had back in July. Other survivors of the incident including former S.T.A.R.S. member Jill Valentine, and two young girls named Sherry Birkin, and Eliza Cole have confirmed the story.

If the accusations weren't shocking enough, we here at the Washington Post have received numerous photos from Raccoon City, taken just before the bombs were deployed. The photos which are too graphic to display here, confirm the stories the survivors have told us. Mutilated bodies, walking dead, and strange experimental animals reveal a horror story.

The pharmecutical company Umbrella has been shut down pending an investigation by the CDC, and we here at the Washington Post are very interested in the results.

August 15, 2013

4:17 PM GMT

Chris Redfield:

Southern California was hot this time of year. And muggy, he couldn't forget muggy. It was nothing compared to Africa, but it didn't make him feel any better. His shirt clung to his chest with a mixture of sweat, and deodorant and he glanced up from under the broken air conditioning unit in his younger sister's apartment.

"Hand me that screw driver." He motioned with his right hand as he used his left to hold the metal bracket in place. "Once I get this screwed in you should be all set."

The girl standing in the room with him complied and handed over the tool without a word. She was clad in blue jean shorts, a pair of flip flops, and a dark purple tank top. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a simple pony tail, as it usually was, and the wisps of hair too short to make it, hung around her face. She frowned a bit and ran the back of her hand across her forehead as she watched her brother work.

It was remarkable that he could fit under the a/c unit at all. Chris Redfield was built like a tank. The forty four year old, was almost six feet tall, and was solid as a rock. His arms were bigger than her head, but yet he still managed to wedge himself into the small space beneath the air conditioner, and pull it all apart. By this point his t-shirt was drenched, and he felt like he needed a shower. His jeans were covered in dust from the old vents, and his dark hair was speckled with bits of dirt that had fallen down on top of him. With a couple quick turns of the screw he finally lifted himself out from under the unit and wiped his hands off on his jeans. He glanced at his sister and frowned a bit, with concern.

"All right, why not tell me why you really called me over here. I know you're capable of fixing a broken air conditioner." He crossed his massive arms over his rather broad chest and tapped his foot at her.

"Nothing is wrong. It's just ever since ra-" She stopped talking and shuffled her feet on the floor, averting her eyes away from his stern gaze. "You've been so busy, is it so wrong for me to want to spend time with my brother?"

Chris felt a stab of guilt flow through him at his sister's words. He hadn't exactly been around much for her, since everything had happened with Umbrella and Tricell. The BSAA had kept him busy, and off in remote corners of the world, making sure that the bio weapons that the pharmaceutical company Umbrella had created didn't get released into the hands of terrorists. BSAA. Bio-terrorism Security and Assessment Alliance. It was his job.

"Listen Claire, I know that things haven't been right for a while, but you don't need to use a broken appliance to get me over here. Just tell me you want to see me." He took a step toward her and wrapped his arms around her petite frame. She felt almost fragile to him, but he knew better to think of his sister as weak. She was anything but. Claire was a fighter, always had been, and despite her small stature, she could, and would, kick his ass if needed. "Just sometimes I get busy, and can't always come visit. You know if you needed me I would be here no matter what was happening."

"I know... It's just..." She took a step away from him and frowned as his phone rang. "You should get that. It could be Sheva."

Chris scowled and nodded. His partner, Sheva would be calling him any day now with information about a new terrorist group that may have gotten their hands on a sample of Umbrella's most recent bio weapon. And sure enough, as he saw her image reflected on the screen of his cell phone, he glanced at Claire with an apologetic look. She gave him a shrug and turned to head into her small kitchen.

"What is it Sheva?" He asked into the phone.

The crisp British voice on the other end informed him that she had located the main group and would be heading out to deal with them in the morning, and he was expected to be there. He sighed and agreed before hanging up and sliding the phone into his pocket. His South African partner wasn't usually so formal sounding, and it told him that something was probably seriously wrong if she seemed so worried about the situation. He knew he was going to have to leave tonight, and he felt horrible to do so to Claire.

"Listen Claire…"

She held up a hand as he entered the kitchen, and gave him a small, yet soft smile.

"It was good to see you Chris. Just be careful okay?"

He looked down with a frown, but nodded. He didn't say goodbye to her as he walked to the door of her apartment and turned the handle. They never said goodbye. To them it was too final. Instead he turned to her and placed a hand into his pocket.

"Once this is over, we are going to take some time away from all of this, Jill and Leon too. We all need a break."

She nodded and her smile grew to a more genuine one. "That sounds nice Chris. Just focus on this mission, and we can figure the rest out later."

With that he turned the handled of the door and vanished into the hallway. For a moment he leaned against the door to her apartment, wondering if he should just call Sheva back and tell her he couldn't get a flight. It wouldn't be the first time he had made some sort of excuse to avoid work. He had done it plenty when he was younger and working in the S.T.A.R.S. But this was different.

Sighing inwardly he finally pushed himself off the wall and began the trek down the long hallway to the complex exit. He wondered for a moment what could be going on and why it was Sheva sounded so odd. But the thought was soon pushed out of his mind as the afternoon sunlight, and heat hit him. He would have to make it to LAX by the evening, and glancing at the roadway he began actually questioning whether he would make it or not.

"Excuse me sir? Can you give me directions?"

Chris paused a moment with his car keys in hand, and aimed for the driver side door of his Toyota Tacoma. Glancing over his shoulder he glanced at the man who was jogging up to him. The special agent in him assessed the man in less than a second. Business suit, briefcase probably filled with paper work, brown leather shoes, designed to look more expensive than they really were. He was mid to late forties, with dark brown hair that was graying at the temples. He had a decent build, and was only a few inches shorter then Chris.

"I'm sorry but I'm not really from around here."

The man came to a stop and panted slightly, trying to catch his breath, and he glanced up at Chris from behind a pair of thin framed glasses. He looked like a lawyer, and Chris didn't particularly care for lawyers. But he knew he needed to be polite, and so he waited for the man to get himself situated. Although he kept himself aware of possible escape routes, just in case the man tried to rob him. That was thing about what he had been put through in the last ten or so years. He was paranoid, hell they all were.

Relax Redfield. The guy's probably telling the truth, not everyone you meet is a secret agent out to kill you.

He forced himself to relax, and gave the man a lopsided smile as he finally seemed to get his breathing under control. "I was trying to find Hotel Solemar. Do you know it?"

Chris blinked and tipped his head to the side. Oddly enough the man had picked the one place in San Diego, besides Claire's apartment that he actually knew of. In fact he had taken his sister to Jsix, the restaurant there for her birthday just a couple days ago. He turned away from the man and motioned down the highway.

"Hop on 94 W and continue to F st-." He paused as he felt a bee sting right at the back of the neck. He swatted his hand but felt nothing there. "F street, take a left onto 6th a-" He paused again as he felt a sudden wave of exhaustion come over him, and he turned to face the man in the suit. He felt suddenly dizzy, and it was making him want to vomit. The man looked a bit concerned and put his briefcase down on the ground.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good. Maybe it's heat stroke."

Chris could hear the man talking, but it sounded far away, like he was in a dream. His vision waivered and within a couple of seconds, everything was dark.

August 16, 2013

06:08 AM GMT

Eliza Cole

Run Eliza, run… Don't stop… Don't ever look back…

The twelve year old heard her father's words echoed in her mind as she ran through the empty streets of Raccoon City. The clapping of her dance shoes was drown out by the thumping of her own heart. She kept repeating his words over and over as she ran. The monsters all around her were moaning from the dark alleys and Eliza pushed her body to keep moving.

Her father had told her to go to Mr. Mortin's house. But when she arrived, she was faced with the same gruesome scene she had left at her own home. And so she ran again. She didn't want to keep running. She wanted to find a quiet place to hide and wait for everything to disappear. As she saw the abandoned garage, she knew if she made her way inside she would be safe. She could curl up in a dark corner and if she wished it enough, it would all go away.

She slammed the door open, even as the creatures closed in behind her. Her lungs burned, and her legs were beginning to feel like jelly from all the running. They were calling for her, as she closed the door and ran to the back, huddling down in a small corner and pulling her legs close to her chest. Eliza squeezed her eyes closed, and hugged herself, trying not to hear the sounds that began to surround her.

Thump… thump… thump…

She wasn't aware of her own screams as she shot up in bed. Her body, covered in a cold sweat and she struggled to catch her breath. She was in her own room, in her home, just outside of D.C. She was a twenty eight year old adult, not a twelve year old child. Eliza rested her body against her head rest, and closed her eyes trying to regulate her breathing. She hadn't thought about Raccoon in a long time, and with her mind swimming as she began to gain back her focus, she questioned why she was thinking about it now.

She had done a good job of pushing those memories to the farthest reaches of her mind. She had seen what Umbrella had done. What her father had helped make. He worked at the chemical plant on the outskirts of town. When he had rushed home that fateful night in September, he had been shot. He told them all to hide, that something had happened. He called it a leak and that they needed to escape the city.

Eliza opened her eyes and looked around the room, as her heart finally settled down to a semi-normal beat.

BAM!

Eliza screamed for the second time and without hesitation she snatched her 9mm off her end table, sacrificing her glass of water and alarm clock. She locked onto the man standing in her doorway and leveled her gun. As her glass fell to the floor and shattered her attacker swung his own gun around and locked eyes with her.

For a moment they stared at one another. Neither moved, and nothing in the room made a sound. Eliza didn't blink as she stared down the Matilda that was pointed between her eyes. They stayed that way for only a couple of seconds, but it felt like hours ticking away.

"El? Drop the gun." his voice seemed to float across the room at her. It was calm sounding, but firm. Her mind knew that she needed to comply with his request, but she couldn't convince her body to follow through. "Eliza…. Put it down…."

She kept her emerald hues locked with his sapphire ones but slowly, she lowered her weapon letting it fall into her lap, with an almost defeated look. Her partner, Leon Kennedy was there in an instant, scooping up the Beretta and resting it on the end table once again before turning his attention back on her.

"El? Are you alright? What happened?"

She shook her head at him, and her curls swung around her face. She needed a moment to relax herself before she was ready to be interrogated, and he seemed understanding of it. He dropped his weapon on the mattress out of her reach and took a seat on the edge of her bed waiting for her to gain control of her emotions. Part of her wanted him to leave so she could have a moment to herself. The other part of her wanted nothing more than for him to stay right where he was.

She shifted her eyes toward him and looked him over. He seemed tired somehow, his dirty blonde hair hung around his face and he had dark circles under his eyes. She opted not to mention it; instead she leaned over the edge of the bed and lifted the alarm clock by the wire resting it back in its spot on the end table.

She hesitated a moment as she registered the time. It was just after six in the morning, and she let out a sigh as she rubbed her temple. She could see that he was still in his pajamas and she felt a little bad for waking him up. Especially when it was over something as stupid as a bad dream.

She lived closer to base then he did, and on more than one occasion he had stopped at her house for the night. He had his own key, and she had to admit that having someone there with her most of the time, was a lot better than living by herself. Even if he wasn't there all the time, it was still nice to know that he could be. And she was certainly happy that he was there now, even if it was just a bad dream.

She could feel him watching her, and she turned to face him

"I'm fine, I just had a nightmare"

He scoffed the sound seeming so natural coming from him. He made it a lot. She expected him to tell her not to be a baby, and that she needed to get over the incident at Raccoon City. But instead his look softened and he brushed a curl out of her face. He could relate better than most people, since he himself was a survivor of Raccoon. They had never encountered each other during the outbreak but when he found out that she had survived he had made a point to meet her.

It wasn't long after their first encounter that they requested to become partners. That was four years ago. They got along well, and had done a lot of things together. He let his hand fall into his lap and closed his eyes a moment as if he were struggling with some sort of internal debate. One side had clearly won out as he opened his eyes and pulled himself into a standing position.

"I still think about it too." He stated after a moment

She was surprised at how candid the statement was. Normally when Leon talked it was littered with sarcasm and a lot of passive aggressiveness. But not this time, this time he seemed distant, and almost sad. She pulled herself to her feet and walked over resting a hand on his shoulder before heading around the bed to clean up the broken glass from her water.

She carefully lifted up the large pieces and placed them into the trash bin next to her end table. She heard Leon leave the room and she ignored him, assuming he left to go change. She continued picking up the pieces and blinked as the dust pan was suddenly in her field of vision. She looked up at Leon and took the dust pan with a smile.

"Thank you…"

He nodded and headed out of the room again, yawning as he vanished around the corner. Eliza finished cleaning and sat on the floor a moment trying to remember her dream. She didn't really want to remember but something in the back of her mind urged her to keep thinking about it. It was a basic memory, for as much as she could remember, and after a couple moments she gave up trying.

The shock with Leon had taken most of the memory back out of her mind, and she had to admit she wasn't that upset about the fact that she couldn't really remember it. She pushed herself to her feet and made her way out of the bedroom and headed to the kitchen, still trying to remember her dream. The shower was on in the bathroom, and as she rounded the corner into the kitchen she was faced with a new problem.

I forgot to pick up coffee….

The empty container stared up at her from the counter top, and she made a face at it. She felt like it was taunting her somehow. If there was a morning she needed her coffee, it was this morning. She sighed and leaned against the counter, glancing out the window at the two cars parked in the driveway. Leon's white jeep wrangler and her Blue Toyota corolla sat there, begging to be driven. She stood and snatched her keys off the hook next to the door and walked over to the bathroom, knocking on the door.

"Leon?"

She heard him pause in his movements, and a muffled sound floated toward her. She cracked the door a little so he could hear her better.

"I'm going to get coffee." She made sure to sound louder than the water, and he pulled the curtain back enough to poke his head out.

"Can you get me a large? Black" He asked.

She nodded and headed out into the hall, closing the door behind her. She fiddled through her key ring and took hold of the one for her car. The trip would take her just over twenty minutes, especially at this time of the morning.

Double checking that she had her wallet she slid into the car and started the ignition. The engine roared to life and she reversed down the driveway.

Clunk…

She blinked as the engine started to die out, and she pulled the vehicle forward back to her spot, just as the car died completely. She grunted and tried to start it again, turning the key in the ignition. The car sputtered sadly and she let out an exasperated groan before getting out of the car and slamming the door shut in annoyance.

She tromped back up the porch stairs and stepped into the house, snatching Leon's keys off the hook. She deposited hers onto the counter and Leon leaned into the kitchen with a confused look on his face. Eliza sighed and motioned out the window with a frown.

"My car won't start."

He followed her gaze and looked out the window.

"I'll take a look at it this afternoon"

She waved the key at him before heading out for the second time. His jeep was bigger than her car, but she had driven it a few times before. She turned the key and heard the car come to life. Without waiting for his car to short out, she backed out of the driveway and headed down the road.

She made the ten minute trip, humming to the radio and bobbing her head slightly. The lights of the coffee shop illuminated the otherwise dark road. She pulled into the parking area as the sun began peaking over the horizon. The hazy morning twilight gave the area a creepy undertone.

As she pulled around the building she blinked, noticing the orange traffic cones blocking off the drive thru. There was a crude paper sign informing her that there was a problem with the speaker, and all orders would have to be taken inside. Cutting the wheel, she pulled the jeep into a parking spot and headed into the building.

It was a simple looking café, with some round wooden tables tucked into the corners, and large cushioned chairs. The decorations on the wall made it look like a knock off Starbucks. The walls were littered with contemporary photos in black and white of downtown D.C. and she found herself looking at them as she waited for the cashier to take her order.

"Good morning. What can I get for you this morning?" The young man working the counter gave her a lopsided smile and she ordered the coffees.

It was a simple order, and it only took a minute or two for the guy to get them ready and hold them out over the counter for her. Eliza slid the money toward him and took the drinks out to the car. She placed her coffee on the roof to free a hand to open the door, and something flew by her head pinging off the metal of the jeeps frame.

Eliza dropped Leon's coffee and spun around, her senses on alert. She scanned around her, listening for any sort of movement. For a moment or two nothing moved, and nothing made a sound. She frowned as her heart began to beat harder, and she slid her hand behind her to find the lock with her key. Turning it in the lock she spun and pulled open the door, snatching her own coffee off the roof and sliding inside. She would take a moment before heading back in to replace his drink; right now she needed a minute to figure out what could have hit the car.

She scanned the windows from the inside, for cracks and found nothing. Pushing the door open again she stepped out of the vehicle and ran her hands over the frame feeling the small dent. She looked at it a moment and glanced around trying to figure out what could have hit the jeep. Hopefully Leon wouldn't notice.

As she turned back to the jeep she spotted something rolling around on the ground. Pulling her attention back down to it she crouched and lifted it off the cement, looking at it. The small piece of metal looked like a silver BB, and Eliza rolled it around her fingers.

"Stand up, and don't turn around"

She closed her eyes and sighed. How could she have been so stupid? She knew how to handle situations like this; she had been trained to do so. The drills replayed in her mind as she straightened herself up. She felt – what she assumed was a gun barrel – pressing into the small of her back. She didn't speak; she simply complied with the demand, and kept her body facing the car.

"Get me your wallet, and hand me the car keys."

"I have to mo-"

"DO IT!"

She nodded and pulled open the car door and leaned inside. Her fingers reached for her wallet, but as her eyes fell onto her cell phone sitting in the center console she shifted her hand and tapped the call button twice. It would dial Leon, and she prayed that he answered the phone. She pulled the keys out and dropped them on the ground so she didn't need to turn toward her attacker.

Eliza watched the word connected appear on the cell and she lifted the wallet off the passenger seat, and began talking suddenly.

"You can have my wallet, I will drop it on the ground. Just lower the gun and I'll let you have whatever you want." She tried to give out as much information as she could, without giving away what she was doing. She felt the man press the gun harder into her back and yell something about giving him what he was asking for.

Before she could react he was grabbing her and pulling her away from the car. She struggled, not going to be taken so easily, and she began yelling out what she could see. Describing everything she could about her attacker, and the area. She just prayed Leon could understand her through the phone. She felt something hard smack her in the back of the head and everything went fuzzy.

Leon… help me….

August 15, 2013

1:26 PM GMT

Nick Parker

"It's not that complicated to understand. Just take the files down to the lower office and hand them out to the people listed on the folders. Do I need to come down there and show you how to do your job?"

The director of the BSAA was yelling into his cell phone at some asshole that couldn't figure out how to pass out paper work. And as a result Nick Parker and his partner Jill Valentine were stuck in the waiting room, sitting around when they should have been seen over fifteen minutes ago. He didn't like waiting around for things. He could be patient when he needed to be, but when it came to waiting for assignments Nick was never really very patient.

His feet had already been propped up on the small coffee table in the office because it annoyed the Director, and if he was going to keep the two of them waiting like this then Nick was going to make sure he did everything he could to drive the man nuts. He saw Jill glance at him, but she seemed a little worried about something. Like her mind was in a different place.

She was an attractive woman, he couldn't lie about that. She was slender, with nice curves that were semi hidden at the moment by the tactical vest she wore over her blue BSAA shirt. But he knew they were there. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck, and she had a baseball hat perched on top of her head. He realized after a moment of thinking about it that Jill always seemed to be in a hat of some sort.

He could remember a time when she had brown hair, in fact the first time the two had ever worked together she was a brunette. When he had seen her again with her blonde hair and asked about it, she had said she didn't really want to go into detail. As much as Nick hated mysteries, he could see that it was something that upset her, and he had never pushed the matter. Just as now, he wasn't going to push why it was she looked so goddamned worried. He shifted his eyes to the clock on the wall and let out a sigh.

"Something bothering you Parker?" Jill's voice was sweet, and almost delicate. He had to admit he had a huge crush on the woman. He saw her tip her head to the side, and wrinkle her forehead with concern.

He got a grin on his features. Partly because he didn't want to worry her, and partly because he had worried her. "Yeah, just hate being called for a meeting, told to be here on the dot, just to be kept waiting while the boss chats on the phone."

He could see the agreement in her eyes, even though she never outwardly agreed with him. The two of them had taken their jobs seriously and as the Director pushed the office door open fully, he rose to his feet without another thought on the matter. Instead he simply walked into the office and took a seat in one of the velvet padded chairs that stood in front of the oak desk.

He had expected Jill to sit down right after him, and when she hadn't he turned in his seat to look at her. She had an oddly blank look on her face, as if she was mentally somewhere else.

"You plan on joining us at some point Miss Valentine?" He heard Director Reese ask rather sarcastically from the other side of his desk.

For a moment Nick thought about defending her, but she had already responded and sat down before he was given the chance. It wasn't fair to blame her for being a little distant. She had been through hell and back, and although he himself would never fully understand the trauma she had faced in her life, it didn't change the fact that he sympathized with her.

"Listen you two I have an assignment for you. We have confirmation that an organization in Vietnam has gotten a hold of sample…" he glanced down at the folder in front of him "T-74A/QB apparently it's an offspring of the T-virus that you are quite familiar with Jill." Nick watched the man look at Jill a moment and he made a note to ask her about it later. "I have a chopper ready to take the two of you to Vietnam where you will be in charge of stopping and eliminating this threat to global security. Is that clear?"

"Yes Sir" He responded. He wanted to head off as soon as possible. It had been a while since they had last gone on a mission at all, let alone one like this. And he had never been to Asia at all. Maybe after they had eliminated the threat the two of them could do a little sightseeing.

He heard Reese mention something about Chris Redfield, to Jill but he had stopped paying full attention once his assignment was given to him. It wasn't in his nature to worry too much about what other people were thinking, but if Jill became too much of a problem with her worries he would bring it up in casual conversation. Instead she simply asked when they were going to be leaving, and upon the answer – tomorrow at 0700. Be at the office no later than 0615 – he was up and headed out the door behind Jill.

Latching the wooden frame he turned his attention to her again, and couldn't help but wonder what it was that was bothering her so much. Was she getting tired of the job? It wasn't unheard of, and it certainly wouldn't surprise him. There were times when he himself found it hard to continue on with a mission that was becoming more work than it should have been.

"You think this will be as easy as it sounded?" He heard her ask from a few feet ahead of him

Speaking of missions that become more work than they should be…

"Fuck no. It never is. It's going to be a crap shoot and we both know it. You know the golden rule Jill. The easier the mission sounds, the more likely we're about to get fucked." He knew the response was a little on the harsh end, but Jill's smile told him that in some way she agreed with him.

Every agent for the BSAA knew what happened when a mission – especially one involving bio-weapons – sounded easy. It ended up being the worst day of your fucking life. And this mission sounded way too easy to be any good at all. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy a challenge; just it would be nice to actually have a relaxed mission once in a while.

Nick had only partially heard Jill suggest they get something to eat, but at the mere mention of food, his brain had gone right to the small deli downtown. They had a couple of booths, a nice atmosphere, and the best damned reubens you could ask for. Jill hated reubens, which he found funny. He was often using them as a way to mess with the blonde he called a partner. As he caught up to her he opened his mouth to speak and was suddenly cut off by Jill.

He watched her put a hand up, and he raised an eyebrow in response.

"I told you, I don't like them" She sounded very matter-of-fact.

He made a mock annoyed face, by scrunching up his features, as if he had smelled something awful, but he locked his eyes with her, intensely. . "Come on Jilly! You've never had these reubens."

"Not going to happen today Park, now let's get moving before they close."

"But they're a twenty four hour diner…." He made the comment sound superior on purpose. He knew she hated that more than anything else in the world and no matter how serious he tried to look he couldn't contain his laughter at the horrible look on her face.

He loved to irritate her; it was how their relationship worked. He ragged on her, and she put him in his place. He knew when not to push something, and so her payment for having such an understanding partner, was also having one who couldn't let the chance to torment her pass by. He had never said anything that would hurt her, or really upset her. He just liked to annoy her from time to time.

The two made their way down to the parking garage in silence, and climbed into the '06 Aspen crossover and slid his assault rifle into the back seat. It wasn't like he was going to need it at the deli. The trip there was as silent as the walk to the car. Some people would have felt uncomfortable by it, but Nick enjoyed it in a way. He didn't always need to be talking to enjoy someone's company. Sometimes not saying anything could have just as much an impact as saying something. Besides, to him it was good practice.

There were times on a mission where they wouldn't be able to speak, and they would need to read each other's body language and subtle signs to understand what was going on, or how to move. Even though this wasn't one of those times, he made a note to keep his eyes on her movements, and as they pulled into the parking lot of the small deli he was surprised to see how many cars were parked there. A silver, beat up SUV in particular had caught his attention.

It was parked in the rear of the lot, and they had passed it as they pulled in. The thing was a piece of shit, not unlike most of the cars that you would see in down town New York. But something about it made him feel uneasy. The windows were tinted, and he couldn't see if there was anyone inside, and that thought alone made him keep his eyes on the vehicle as they passed it.

"They look busier than normal" He pulled his attention away from the car and turned it to his partner, as he heard her observation.

"Maybe there's a special on reubens" He couldn't help himself. He felt the grin come over his cheeks, as Jill just rolled her eyes and walked inside.

"Perhaps, but I'm still not getting one." She was the one grinning now, and Parker could do nothing more than shrug and slide into one of the few open booths near the back of the deli.

He found himself lifting the laminated menu off the Formica table top, even though he already knew what he wanted. Hell he already knew what Jill wanted. They weren't allowed to be creatures of habit. It was bad for business. If they pissed off the wrong group for example, it was deadly to get caught in a routine. Jog the same path every day and you opened yourself to get jumped on your run. Eat at the same place every time you go out to eat and someone could easily poison your meal.

To him it was just paranoia, but he had seen friends of his suffer for those reasons. So when it came down to it he never allowed himself a routine. Except what he ordered at restaurants. There were certain freedoms he was prepared to let the BSAA take from him, but what he ordered when he went out to eat was not one of those things.

He glanced up at Jill to find out if she really was getting what he figured she was getting and found that she was looking down at her cell phone. It wasn't a surprise really. He even knew who she was thinking about calling. She always got the same faraway look on her face when she thought about Chris Redfield. The two had been partners for a really long time, had been through hell together, and it was clear that the two had a bond.

He had never been able to figure out why it was the two were no longer partners, but he honestly didn't care. He liked Jill as a partner, and whatever had happened between her and Redfield to keep them apart then lucky for him. She was smooth under pressure and quick on her feet. He also knew, without a doubt in his mind that she had his back if he needed her too.

"You callin' Redfield? Tell him I said 'Hi' in all serious I know what you want. BLT right? I'll order for you, go call him. You've been thinking about calling him for weeks now." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

He certainly hadn't expected the reaction he got from her. The look on her face bordered on ferocity, and he was a little shocked at how flushed her cheeks got. He cursed himself silently as he ran a hand through his hair. Leaning his head back against the padded booth he closed his eyes and grunted.

Great job asshat. Now she's probably pissed.

He opened his eyes and stared for a moment at the buzzing fluorescents of the deli's dining room. He would need to say sorry when she came back in. She didn't like being called out on her feelings for Chris. Nick himself had only met Redfield once, but he was aware even back then that the two had something going on. Whether they knew it or not was a huge question. Whatever it was Jill didn't seem to enjoy being asked about it and normally her jokester of a partner respected that.

"Can I get you something sir?"

Nick blinked and lifted his head to look at the waitress who was standing at the edge of his table. She was a decent looking girl, probably in her late teens, and her smile was pleasant enough. He found himself smiling back and placed his order. He had made sure to get Jill a diet soda; she never did like the regular kind. As the waitress – who was named Chrissy – walked off he turned his attention around the small deli.

There were a couple of booths tucked into the U shaped sandwich shop, and a half a dozen stools lining the main counter. The place was designed to give quick service. It was the type of place that worked best when getting people in and out as fast as possible, while still making quality food. He figured that was why he liked it so much. Reminded him of the places he would go with his grandfather when he was younger.

Chrissy came back with the two sodas and placed them onto the table top with another smile. Without hesitation he lifted the glass and put the straw into his mouth. With a quick sip he shifted his eyes to see what was taking Jill so long. What he saw caused him to throw himself out of his booth and grab for his pistol.

Fuck….

She was looking at him, with a surprisingly upset look in her eyes, and she was totally unaware of the man who was stalking toward her with the burlap bag in his hands. He cursed himself again for not having brought his handgun. He didn't need it; instead he bolted to the glass door of the deli and threw it open. The bell over the top of it sang out the familiar tune of the door, as he burst out into the summer sun.

By the time he had gotten outside, Jill was aiming her Px4 around at the parking area. The man was gone, and Parker felt the knot in his stomach loosen a bit. The things that happened in New York in the middle of the afternoon. Why would someone want to kidnap a BSAA agent?

I mean she's still in uniform for Christ sake.

He wiped his forehead and slowed his pace toward her, coming to a stop a few feet away from her. Her back was still toward him, and she continued scanning for any sign of her attacker.

"Jill, are you alright? Christ that guy tried to grab-"

What. The. Fuck.

He was suddenly submerged in darkness, and violently thrown to the grass. He landed hard on his shoulder, nothing serious, but damn did it hurt. He heard her yell his name over the sound of the struggle he was under, and as he was about to kick his attacker off him he heard two shots ring out in the summer afternoon.

There was a sharp pain in the side of his head, and for a moment he thought she had hit him. As the seconds ticked on, and he felt his limbs getting numb, he began to realize that his attacker had clocked him hard in the side of the head. It was taking a lot of concentration to focus on the sounds around him. He could tell his attacker had been hit by one of Jill's bullets, but the fact that there was only two shots fired, and he was still being wrestled with, didn't bode well for Jill. He felt another blow to his head, with a grunt, and his vision waivered. Unless he wanted a cracked cranium he had better figure out something fast.

The pounding in his head was becoming too much. He couldn't keep his bearings, and even as he felt his body lifted off the ground by what felt like two men, he tried to keep fighting. As he hit the van's metal floor, landing on his shoulder for a second time, he decided that his only choice was to wait until they arrived at their destination. He could hear Jill's gentle breathing nearby.

At least they didn't kill her…

As he felt the van speed off he began having a hard time keeping his mind from getting cloudy. He was becoming increasingly aware that in a moment or two he would slip into unconsciousness. And for as much as the thought worried him he knew that their disappearance wouldn't go unnoticed. He knew in the deep corners of his mind that help would come for them as soon as it could. But whether or not they would be alive to get it was the only question burning in his mind as he finally slipped into sleep.

August 15, 2013

4:17 PM GMT

Claire Redfield:

Claire tried not to show how much she missed her brother as she watched him fiddle with her broken air conditioner. He had been in town for her birthday, and had only been there for a couple of days. Her apartment wasn't really large enough for the two to share without slamming into each other at every turn, so had been staying in a nearby motel. She had promised herself she wouldn't call him over for something stupid, and she would patiently wait for him to stop by on his own. But before she had realized what she was doing, she had already called him up and told him about the broken appliance.

On the phone he had almost laughed at her, but he had just simply come over and went right to work fixing it. He had always taken care of her, their parents had both died before Chris had finished college, and the two had been together since. Though she was only six years younger than her brother, she always felt much more of a child around him somehow. She didn't know why, after all she had survived a zombie infested raccoon city, without him. He had come to her rescue when Umbrella had her captive on Rockfort Island, but then again, he was her older brother.

"Hand me that screwdriver" Claire blinked the thought away at the sudden sound of Chris' voice from under the air conditioner. "Once I get this screw in you should be all set"

She wanted to say something to him, anything as he held out his open hand waiting for the tool. But instead she simply pressed the plastic handle into the palm of his hand and frowned a bit as he pulled it into the abyss with him. She kept her eyes on him as he worked in his own silence, ignoring the dirt that had fallen all around him. His jeans were a mess, and his plain white t-shirt had become smeared with dust and sweat.

Claire stepped back away from him as he pulled himself to his feet and leveled his eyes at her. She felt uncomfortable with his harsh stare. It was like he was sizing her up somehow.

"All right, why not tell me why you really called me over here. I know you're capable of fixing a broken air conditioner." She scowled and let out a scoff as he crossed his arms over his chest. For a moment she was surprised he actually could cross his arms over his chest, although she opted not to make that a public thought.

"Nothing is wrong. It's just ever since ra-" She stopped talking. The raccoon city incident wasn't something that any of them liked to speak about. It had been the starting point to everything that had happened in their lives up to this point. Everything from his career with the BSAA to her work with the human rights organization TerraSave. She had joined TerraSave as a way to fight the release of bio-weapons, without having to be face deep in the muck she had already waded through three times before. She shuffled her flip flop across the carpet, and uncomfortably avoided his gaze. He was making her feel like she was being interrogated. "You've been so busy, is it so wrong for me to want to spend time with my brother?"

The last part came out a little snippier then she would have liked it too, but Chris hadn't seemed to notice. Instead he softened his look, and for a moment she thought she could see a twinge of sadness in his brown eyes. He spoke to her in a soft tone, one that he had used many times in the past when she was feeling particularly upset about something. She had heard him, but as he wrapped his arms around her, she had blocked out everything else around her. She felt safe with him, and ever since that September in 1998, she had never really felt safe.

She didn't want him to go, she wanted him to stay with her and for the two of them to vanish and just live out their lives without always looking over their shoulders. But that would never happen. Not now. Not with everything that had happened to them so far.

"I know… It's just…." She said after a moment. He had promised her he would be there no matter what happened, and she knew it deep down; but somehow she always felt guilty asking for him. His phone rang, and in a moment she had pushed out of his grip and backed toward the kitchen. "You should get that. It could be Sheva"

She tried not to let it show how upset she was with him. Or how much she had wished he had turned off his cell phone. And as he gave her the sympathetic look, she was already shrugging and heading into the kitchen. She didn't want to be mad at him, didn't want him to have to put his life and job on hold for his baby sister. But at the same time it didn't seem fair that after everything they had gone through, they still couldn't have time to be themselves.

She leaned against the counter, next to the sink, and her eyes flittered to a stain in the shape of a ring, left over from her morning coffee. She traced her fingers along the sticky surface with an absent look and took in a breath as she heard her brother's deep voice muffling into the room. The apartment wasn't large, but sound didn't carry well and she couldn't make out exactly what he was saying. Though she could tell that it wasn't very much.

His footsteps echoed off the hardwood floor, heading toward the kitchen, and for just a moment Claire's body tensed, and her heart raced. It's just Chris. Relax. She turned anyway, faster than she should have, and found him standing in the doorway.

"Listen Claire…"

She halted his words, as she held up a hand. She knew what he was going to say, and she knew she didn't need to hear him say it. She had to remember it was just as hard on him as it was on her, even if he hid it better. She put on a smile, and did her best not to look upset.

"It was good to see you Chris. Just be careful okay?"

He frowned and nodded, as he turned to the door and she followed him for a moment. Her eyes trained on his back. As he hesitated with his hand on the knob though she raised an eyebrow, and felt a wave of nerves flow over her. As he turned to face her with one hand on the knob, and the other stuffed into the pocket of his jeans, she became aware of the exhaustion on his face.

"Once this is over, we are going to take some time away from all of this, Jill and Leon too. We all need a break."

This time she really smiled. It had been so long since she had seen Jill, and although she had talked to Leon a lot since their time in Raccoon City, she hadn't had the pleasure of seeing him under such plain circumstances. It was a good, if not unrealistic, thought. She could picture it now, the four of them enjoying mixed drinks on some beach in the Caribbean. That was the first thought that came to her mind, but she pushed it aside to look at her brother.

"That sounds nice Chris. Just focus on this mission, and we can figure the rest out later."

He gave her a quick nod, and turned away from her closing the door behind him. She let her head hang as she heard the latch catch, and she fought to hold back her emotions. Something pulled at her chest, and she couldn't tell if it was anxiety over the fact that she would miss him, or if it was a feeling of impending doom. Whatever it was, she needed to ignore it and get on with her day.

What I really need is a hot bath she thought to herself as she finally tore her eyes away from the apartment door, and directed them to the tiny bathroom. She didn't have a tub; there was no room for one. Instead she had just a sink and toilet, with a stand up shower. It worked fine for showering, but every once in a while a girl just wanted to take a bath. She especially loved the kind of bath that had bubbles and scented candles.

She would have to make do with what she had, and as she sighed and gathered her things together she found herself wishing that she had taken that apartment in Old Town because at least that had a bathtub. She pulled the hair tie out of her locks and let the flow of brown cascade around her shoulders. With a quick shake of her head to release the strands from their previous captivity she turned on the water to get it up to temperature.

As she began to pull off her shirt she paused, hearing what sounded like a knock on her door. She dropped the fabric back down over her slender waist and poked her head out of the room to listen. Sure enough, someone was knocking at her door. It had to be Chris, he was always forgetting something. She didn't bother to turn off the water as she jogged across the room to the door.

"Just a second!" She yelled out as she turned the knob and jerked the door open wide. "So what did you forget this time…?" Her voice trailed off as her eyes locked on to the person standing in the door way. It wasn't Chris.

In fact she had never seen this man before in her life. Without a moment's hesitation Claire looped the ball of her foot around the bottom of the door and kicked it as hard as she could, trying to slam it closed before the person could enter. But he was too fast. His hand shot out like a bullet, stopping the wooden slab and holding it in place just a few inches from latching. She spun and kicked the door again, but to her disappointment her foot landed a solid blow with no success.

She thought about yelling for Chris, but there was no way he would hear her. He had to have made it to his car by now and was probably just pulling out of the parking area. Claire cursed to herself as she scrambled backwards away from the man who was now stalking into her apartment. She needed to find a weapon, or at the very least something she could use as a weapon. Her eyes scanned the room frantically as she could hear the man getting closer. Shit, shit… Her mind raced, and she spotted the cell phone sitting on the end table of her living room. Chris was the last person she had called, all she needed to do was hit the dial button twice and it would call him.

She dove for the phone, and the man dove after her. It felt like being hunted as she clawed at the couch to get to her feet. Luckily he wasn't as agile as she was, and he had missed her. She jammed her finger against the call button twice and saw Chris' picture pop up, followed by the word 'calling'. A part of her mind relaxed as she sprinted toward the open apartment door, she was almost home free, just a few more feet and she could get some-

WHAM

She never saw it coming. The second man's forearm clocked into her face like a baseball bat and she fell backwards onto her living room floor. Her cell phone slid out of her hand with the force of the fall and she saw it disappear under the couch. Her face hurt, and for a moment she was too stunned to really do much of anything except roll onto her stomach with a groan. She knew she needed to run, but her body was in too much pain to do anything more than curl up on the floor. Get up Claire! Get up and run! But it was too late. She could feel her body being lifted off the ground and slung over one massive shoulder.

"You almost let her get away… You're lucky I was here to cover your sorry ass." She could hear them talking, but couldn't seem to bring herself to do anything about it. She felt woozy, like the blow to the head was going to make her pass out. But she struggled to keep conscious.

"Fuck you. How would I know that the sister would be the hard one to handle?"

Sister?

Claire cursed to herself, as she began to lose her battle with her instincts. They must have been talking about Chris. Who were these people and where had they come from? Why were they taking her and her brother, and what was going to happen to them? So many questions swam in her mind as she began to fade in and out of reality.

"Dr. Girard said they must be alive. Radio Mendez and tell him we have the girl, remind him not to kill the brother."

That was the last thing she could remember, as her mind finally won the battle, and she slipped off into her subconscious.

August 16, 2013

6:08 AM GMT

Leon Kennedy

Leon shifted subconsciously in the bed as he slept. He was normally a heavy sleeper, being a special agent he learned to fall asleep fast, and deeply. Sometimes they only got an hour or so to rest before they would need to be on the move again.

Right now he was stretched out on a nice bed, wearing nothing more than a pair of sweatpants, and covered in a light sheet. It was the first time in a long time that he was able to get a real nights rest, and part of him felt a little sad at the fact that it wasn't even in his own bed. Then again, he had slept in the bed so often it was pretty close to it.

He was at his partner Eliza Cole's house. She lived much closer to the military base they worked out of, and he found it easier on late nights to stop over there, then to go home. He had arrived at her home at close to three in the morning, and climbed quickly into the bed, in the spare bedroom he had claimed for his own. This was where he slept now, his body stretched out under the sheet.

If he had been dreaming, he didn't recall. Anything that might have been happening in his mind as he slept had been lost at the sudden sound of screaming, coming from down the hall.

El is screaming… You have to go help her she could be in trouble…. You have to stop whatever is hurting her… You have to… WAKE UP….

He sat upright in the bed and his eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness of the room. Leon blinked a couple of times listening, trying to figure out if he had actually heard a scream or if he had woken himself up from a bad dream. As the high pitched sound, once again rang out in the hallway, outside his room he wasted no time jumping up and grabbing his Matilda off the bureau.

It was a VP70M capable of firing a three round burst. He had the handgun for as long as he could remember, though the stock required for the burst was not currently attached. He didn't care, he wouldn't need it.

As he took the turn out of his bed room and down the hall he ran through the protocol for an attack on a special agent.

Assess the situation, declare yourself as a special agent, demand compliance, eliminate the target if they fail to comply…

He kicked Eliza's door open and quickly swept the room with the Matilda leveled, searching for any signs of trouble. The room was as dark as the hallway, and his eyes were still adjusting to the low light levels. The sound of breaking glass made him swing his gun down toward the bed, where he found himself facing his own partners Beretta.

Eliza stared at him, with a strange intensity in her green eyes. She locked on him like a hawk, and it unsettled him slightly. He had seen that look in her eyes a couple times before, and for just a moment he worried he would need to disarm her physically.

"El? Drop the gun." He said to the empty shell of his partner. He made a point to sound firm, but gentle at the same time. Her delicate state right now could trigger a serious issue if he threatened her and she decided to take a shot. Eliza didn't miss. She had been a sniper in the military, and she was a crack shot at close range with her pistol. "Eliza…. Put it down…."

He stood there a moment, watching her trying to decide what he should do. He wasn't confident he would make it across the room before she fired. Her eyes softened and he thankfully didn't need to worry about it, as she slowly dropped the gun into her lap. He moved swift and fluid over to the bed, and snatched up the Beretta before she could change her mind, and placed it on her night stand.

"El? Are you alright? What happened?"

She shook her head at him, and he simply sat down on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to figure out what was happening. As partners went, Leon couldn't complain about his. She was strong willed, and brave. He had never seen her waiver in the heat of the moment, and she was always ready to cover him if he needed it. It was when they weren't in the field that he worried about her.

She had survived the viral outbreak at Raccoon City when she was so young, and Leon wasn't surprised that sometimes she had moments of post-traumatic stress. He knew that was what he was looking at now with her, the cloudiness in her eyes gave it away. As far as Leon could tell, Eliza was there physically, but mentally she was somewhere else entirely.

He had never heard the full story of what happened from her. She never tried to hide any of it from him, but there were parts she was missing. Parts she couldn't remember. Like how her father got into the city from the chemical plant, or what happened to release it so fast.

Leon shifted his eyes toward his partner and waited. The more he thought about Raccoon, and Umbrella the more angry he got. Those bastards killed thousands of people and then had the audacity to blame the survivors for ruining their reputation. It sickened him to think that they almost got away with it too. If it wasn't for Claire, and Eliza, and Sherry, and Ada….

Ada…

"I'm fine, I just had a nightmare"

Leon scoffed and looked at her, and immediately felt bad for it. He didn't mean to sound so superior, but the thought of Ada had pulled him away from the current situation for a moment, and he had reacted to that. But as he watched her now, seeing the way she hung her head, as if she was embarrassed by something, he felt like a complete ass. Eliza was sensitive about her memories of Raccoon, and his ability to understand and adjust to it helped make them as close as they were.

He frowned slightly and reached a hand over to slide one of her cabernet curls out of her face. He was an only child, but from the moment he had met Eliza he felt a connection with her. More of a connection then he felt with Claire or Sherry, and a different connection then the one he had felt with Ada. There was something different about her. He had only met her once or twice before requesting a partner exchange. He knew from the moment he met Eliza, that he needed to look out for her, he needed to protect her somehow. What he didn't understand was why the feeling was so strong. After a couple years of working with her he had decided to stop trying to figure it out. He felt a respect, and a sort of love for her. One that was different from the feelings he felt for some of the other people in his life.

He let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes. He wasn't sure if he should tell her that he thought about it too, or if he should lie and say that things just got easier if you pretended it was all a nightmare. But for as much as he thought about it, he knew he couldn't lie to her. She deserved to know the truth.

"I still think about it too." He said after a few moments.

The look of mild shock on her features, almost made him scoff again. Did she think he was some sort of robot that didn't have emotions?

She's probably surprised you actually told her about it. Now stop being an ass Kennedy and help her clean up the broken glass…

He knew this was the right answer, but he ignored his own mind as he found himself suddenly very tired. He glanced at her for just a moment as she placed her hand on his shoulder, the warmth of it spreading across his bare skin, but just as quickly she was ducking around the other side of the bed.

He assumed that it was to pick up the broken glass on the floor. He closed his eyes a moment before heading out of the room to grab her, the dustpan and brush out of the closet in the hallway. He pulled the wooden door open and gently picked up the little grey pan and headed back into the bedroom. She was quiet, gently picking up the large pieces and placing them in the bucket. He found himself watching her a moment before lowering the pan down toward her.

She smiled up at him and took it with a thank you, before he nodded, turned and left the room again with a yawn. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he knew that at this point it would be useless. It was around six in the morning, and even though he had only gotten three hours of sleep, he would need to wake up again soon anyway. So instead he opted to just get in the shower and get on with his day.

He made his way into the bathroom, and quickly turned on the water, and stripped down. He climbed inside and was comforted by the hot stream that pounded against his chest. He stood there for a moment, not doing anything more than letting the water hit his skin. Three hours of sleep wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He had worked on far less then that before, and this wouldn't be a problem, but it didn't mean he needed to like it.

He heard what sounded like his name, muffled by the water pounding down around him and he paused, trying to concentrate on the sound outside the room.

"Eliza?" He tried to sound loud enough for her to hear him over the shower.

He heard the door open a bit and could finally hear Eliza more clearly.

"I'm going to get coffee." Her voice was louder now, and much more distinct.

He grinned and pulled back the shower curtain enough to poke his head out. Water dripped down his dirty blonde hair and pooled on the tile floor of the bathroom as he looked at Eliza standing in the doorway. She didn't seem bothered by the fact that he was in the shower, and he had to hold in a grin.

"Can you get me a large? Black" He asked her, and watched her nod and head out of the room, closing the door behind her.

He found the motivation to actually get on with his shower, and he quickly ran through the process. He was probably only in there for a few moments, but the heat from the water, had relaxed his mind and woke him up a bit. His fingers lingered for a moment over a scar on his left shoulder. He was shot during the Raccoon incident pushing Ada out of the way, it had long since healed, but the memory of it lingered in his mind.

He pushed the thought aside and turned off the water. At least he didn't have anything pressing to do today; he could most likely take a nap later in the afternoon, and recover some of the sleep he had lost during his morning scare. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he deposited his sweatpants into the hamper in the corner and headed toward his room.

As he made his way down the hall he heard the kitchen door open and close rather loudly, and his curiosity pushed him to glance into the kitchen. He saw Eliza standing there, in her black capris and a purple shirt. The sleeves were three quarters length and she was wearing a pair of matching purple flats. He raised an eyebrow at her as she looked at him, and motioned to the window.

"My car won't start." She said in an exasperated tone.

He looked at the window, even though he couldn't see the car from his angle.

"I'll take a look at it this afternoon"

He wasn't much of a mechanic, but he was handy enough to be able to fix a simple problem the car might be having. If it was anything serious she would have to bring the car to a garage to get it fixed. But for what it was worth he would take a look anyway. Leon didn't wait for her to leave again before heading into his room to change.

It was already getting hot, and since it wasn't even seven in the morning, that didn't bode well for the day ahead. He pulled open one of the drawers and quickly snatched up a pair of jeans and a plain blue t-shirt. He wasn't a particularly fancy dresser, but when the occasion warranted he could rock a suit and tie. This however was not one of those occasions.

Thank God for that…. I'd melt in a suit in this heat…

He pulled his clothes on and headed into the living room to wait for Eliza. She hadn't been gone too long and he figured a half hour would be the longest he would have to wait for her. He flipped the television on to some show about emergency rooms and let his body relax on the couch. Closing his eyes he became aware again at how tired he really was. He figured a quick nap wouldn't hurt and so he allowed his mind to drift, wandering into an odd twilight between awake and asleep.

Brrrr brrrrr brrrrr

He opened his eyes and blinked at the sound that floated toward him from the coffee table where his cell phone had been laying. He grunted as he sat forward and looked at the screen, and when he saw Eliza's name flash by he raised an eyebrow and answered the call.

"Are they out of coffee?" He said sarcastically

What he heard on the other end made his heart stop.

"You can have my wallet, I will drop it on the ground. Just lower the gun and I'll let you have whatever you want." Eliza's words were muffled slightly, but he knew what she was saying.

His mouth ran dry as the next few moments ticked by, he could do nothing more than stand in the middle of the living room, with his cell phone pressed to his ear, listening to his partner struggle with someone. She was shouting out different things, but he couldn't really understand what she was saying. He could hear her screams fading into distance, as she was clearly dragged farther away from the phone.

He dropped the cell and ran for the back door. He knew what coffee shop she would have gone too, it was her favorite one and at least he would know where to begin. Taking a detour to grab his Matilda out of her room he snatched her car keys off the kitchen counter and flew out to the driveway almost diving into her Corolla.

Leon slammed the key into the ignition and turned it.

"Shit…" The car sputtered but refused to start.

That's why the jeep is missing. Way to go genius….

He shut up his mind, and pushed open the car door-

"Hold it right there"

-and froze, half out of the vehicle, and half in, and face to face with a 9mm handgun. He shifted his eyes up the barrel and looked at the masked man standing in front of him. For a moment Leon figured he could take the guy out, disarm him and force him to explain what happened to Eliza, but as his eyes twitched to movement to his left he realized there was another guy, stepping around from the back of the car.

"Listen…" Leon began. "I'm a special agent working for the gov-"

"We know who you are Kennedy. And if you ever want to see Special Agent Cole again, you won't be giving us any trouble. Our associates have orders to kill her if you do anything stupid, so it's in your partners best interested, to do as we say"

He scowled, but didn't have it in him to take the chance. Two gunmen trained on him, and Eliza's life hanging in the middle. He needed to believe that they were telling the truth, he couldn't take the risk of getting her killed.

"So what do you want…?" He words came out strained, as he fought with himself to keep his voice as calm as possible.

"You're going to put this bag over your head, and you're going to step out of the car with your hands where we can see them." The man tossed a simple, yet thick looking pillow case into Leon's lap and waved his gun at him. "We don't want your partner, we want you. So as long as you cooperate we have no reason to keep her."

Leon kept his eyes on his attacker for a moment before putting the bag onto his own head. He knew they were lying. If they had only wanted him they would have just attacked when she left, there was no need to involve her at all. He put his open hands out of the car and finished stepping onto the pavement of the driveway.

He wasn't out of the car five seconds before he felt something prick his neck. Some sort of an injection, something to make him easier to handle.

"You won't get…" His mouth felt thick. "away… the govern…men.." He couldn't form the words.

He felt his body begin to weaken, and he was distantly aware of arms holding him up and dragging him along the driveway. He struggled to keep his mind on the problem at hand, but as the sedative coursed through his system he found it more and more difficult to do so. There were long seconds of blackness, followed by sharp moments of clarity. But eventually he gave in, closing his eyes and letting the drugs block everything out.

August 15, 2013

1:26 PM GMT

Jill Valentine:

"It's not that complicated to understand. Just take the files down to the lower office and hand them out to the people listed on the folders. Do I need to come down there and show you how to do your job?"

Jill Valentine shifted awkwardly as she waited outside the director of the BSAA, North America branch's office. She slid her eyes and glanced through the partially open door to see the man sitting behind a large oak desk, talking rather loudly into the receiver of his cell phone. She wasn't sure who he was talking too but she assumed it was one of his assistants, who clearly had a difficult time understanding his job. She sighed and turned her attention to her partner, who was sitting in one of the waiting room chairs. His boots were propped up on the coffee table in front of him, and there was a medical magazine smashed under his feet.

She hadn't been working with Nick Parker for very long, but he had proven to be a big help to her in the few missions that they had taken together. Most BSAA field agents worked either alone, or in squads. It wasn't often they were assigned partners. She assumed the only reason they were pairing people up recently was due to the increase in bio weapon sales overseas on the black market. Since Umbrella's downfall, many of their viral experiments had been released and sold for millions of dollars to terrorist groups trying to dominate the globe in a large scale world war. Tension was high in all the power countries in the world, and it was all the BSAA could do to keep things from exploding into total chaos.

She remembered all the work she had done with Chris in the past and for a brief moment she wondered how he was holding up on his end. She made a mental note to call him later that afternoon to see how things were going. It had been a few months since the last time she spoke to him, and she missed him. He had been her partner and close friend since the Raccoon city incident, almost fifteen years ago. She heard Parker sigh, and turned her attention toward him again; the thoughts of Chris vanishing from her mind.

"Something bothering you Parker?" She tipped her head to the side as she spoke, and gave the man a soft smile.

Parker was a larger then normal guy. She wouldn't call him over weight exactly, but he was a little heavier set then most of the agents here. She was used to Chris' large muscle mass, and so it didn't really faze her to work with such a large male counterpart. He was dressed in uniform – just as she was – camouflage pants, combat boots, with a dark grey long sleeved shirt, with a combat vest over that. Normally he was covered in a variety of explosive devices and heavy weapons, but today for his trip to the Director, he opted to only bring along his standard issue SIG 556 assault rifle, which was strapped to his back.

He glanced up at her, with chocolate colored hues, and gave her a grin.

"Yeah, just hate being called for a meeting, told to be here on the dot, just to be kept waiting while the boss chats on the phone." He ran a gloved hand through his light brown hair and leaned his head back against the wall behind him.

She had to admit she agreed with him. It was rather annoying to arrive on time like you were told too, and then be kept waiting, as if you had nothing better to be doing with your time. Before she could vocalize this to him, however, the office door swung fully open and the Director motioned them to enter. He was scowling, and Jill couldn't tell if it was due to the fact that he was still upset about the phone call, or if there was something else going on that she wasn't going to like.

Let's be real Jill, you know it's the latter.

She couldn't keep the thought away as she stepped over the threshold and into the round office. It was beautifully decorated with a high ceiling, and windows that spanned the height of the wall. In the center of the room was the same oak desk she had stood in front of many times before, only this time there were two high backed, padded chairs in front of it. They were made of the same oak as the desk, and the blue velvet cushions reminded her of something you would see in a Victorian mansion. She gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of it. The last Victorian mansion she had been in was the Spencer Estate, where the Raccoon incident had first started, and that place had tried to kill her. The mansion itself had even tried. She was nearly crushed to death by a ceiling.

"You plan on joining us at some point Miss Valentine?"

Jill blinked and the visions of the Spencer Estate vanished from her mind.

"Sorry Director Reese." Without another word she took her seat, and ignored a look from Parker.

"Listen, you two I have an assignment for you. We have confirmation that an organization in Vietnam has gotten a hold of sample…" he glanced down at the folder in front of him "T-74A/QB apparently it's an offspring of the T-virus that you are quite familiar with Jill." He looked at her a moment before closing the file and continuing to speak. "I have a chopper ready to take the two of you to Vietnam where you will be in charge of stopping and eliminating this threat to global security. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir" Nick's voice rang out in the otherwise quiet office. He wasn't one to argue orders, and this one didn't seem so out of the ordinary. In fact it seemed pretty by the book as far as Jill was concerned. But something bothered her a little, if the virus was an offspring of the T-virus that she had encountered before with Chris, then shouldn't he be going in with her?

"And before you ask, he's already been given an assignment. He's been asked to look into something in Russia." Jill looked at Director Reese with a raised eyebrow, as if he had read her mind.

"When do we leave?" She asked.

"First thing in the morning, the chopper will be waiting to pick you up at 0700. I want the two of you here in this office no later than 0615 so you can be briefed once again before you leave. Now if there are no further questions the two of you should go and prepare." With that he gave them a short wave of the hand and spun his chair around as he dialed a number on his cell.

Jill stretched and looked at Parker as the two of them left the office. She could hear Reese, talking to someone about paper work, as Parker closed the door, but she didn't bother to pay too much attention to it. All she wondered about now was what sort of preparations she would need for tomorrow's assignment. Parker didn't seem to look too bothered by the whole thing, as he walked along calmly. He didn't seem to really ever be too bothered by things, at least not as far as Jill had noticed.

"You think this will be as easy as it sounded?" She asked him as she slid her hands into the pockets of her pants.

"Fuck no. It never is. It's going to be a crap shoot and we both know it. You know the golden rule Jill. The easier the mission sounds, the more likely we're about to get fucked."

She couldn't help but smile at his confidence. He was right after all. She had seen it happen so many times it wasn't even funny. When she was with Chris in S.T.A.R.S. they had a mission to go and repair a downed helicopter, and that's how the incident at the Spencer Estate happened. Not to mention how she had headed to Chris' apartment only a few months after to warn him about the viral outbreak, only to find herself trapped in Raccoon City during the zombie apocalypse. Or when Chris and she had gone to the Spencer Mansion to get some information, only to find their old captain Albert Wesker there, who tried everything possible to kill them. She pulled the brim of her baseball cap down a little lower on her face and held in a sigh. She really needed to stop thinking about those days. They didn't help matters, and honestly the more she thought about them, the more nightmares she had.

She changed her thoughts to the current mission. She needed to focus, if not for her own sake, then at least for Parkers. He didn't deserve to die because she couldn't focus during a mission. There were enough dead BSAA agents because of Umbrella. She wouldn't allow there to be any more on her watch.

"Let's go grab some lunch and figure out gear. I know you like that small deli down town." She gave Parker a smile and headed off without waiting for a reply.

The man never passed up the chance to hit one of the delis in New York City. In fact every time they were called into the NYC branch, since being assigned together, he had insisted they eat at a particular one. Claimed he once knew the owner and they had the best reuben you would ever have. Too bad Jill didn't like reubens, though she had promised him to try one someday. Today however was not the day.

She heard him happily following behind her and she gave a glance over her shoulder to meet his enthusiastic gaze. He was getting ready to say something to her as he got closer, but she held up her hand to stop him.

"I told you, I don't like them" She said

Parker scowled and wrinkled up his nose. "Come on Jilly! You've never had these reubens."

She shook her head again. "Not going to happen today Park, now let's get moving before they close."

"But they're a twenty-four hour diner…." Parker's voice dripped with an air of superiority, and he let out a laugh as Jill shot him a dirty look.

The sarcasm was a total Parker thing, but Jill had to admit she enjoyed it, at least somewhat. He knew how to be serious, and knew when to cut the jokes and focus on the job. But he also knew how to let the job go, which was something that Chris still had a hard time doing. It was one of the reasons they couldn't work together anymore. Jill was growing tired of spending her every moment trying to destroy a company that no longer existed, but Chris…

Chris won't stop fighting until it kills him….

Even as the thought came to mind she knew how serious of a statement it was.

There were still people out there, important people, who lost a lot for the exposure of Umbrella, and they didn't blame the pharmaceutical company. Instead they blamed the survivors. Claiming the group of them got together and twisted the truth into a horror story about zombies, and mutated people. Things like that didn't happen in real life. Once Raccoon City had been turned into zombies, and nuked they continued to act as though it were just some big ploy by the survivors to get attention.

Jill unlocked the black BSAA Chrysler Aspen Crossover and climbed into the driver seat of the '06 SUV. She clicked her seatbelt into place and put the car into reverse, as Parker closed the door and situated himself next to her. For a while the two of them didn't speak. They didn't make small talk or say anything at all. They didn't need too; instead they simply drove along the streets of New York City in total silence. Eventually Jill spoke, as she pulled into the parking lot of the tiny deli.

"They look busier than normal" She noted as she stepped out of the vehicle and headed for the dinners glass door front.

"Maybe there's a special on reubens" Parker gave her a grin and she shook her head with a roll of the eyes.

"Perhaps, but I'm still not getting one."

He shrugged his shoulders at her and took a seat at one of the booths. He lifted the menu off the table top and looked at it, even though he had little need to do so, he already knew what he wanted, had known since the moment Jill had suggested this place to eat.

She watched him a moment, and was suddenly reminded of Chris, maybe it was the way he scrunched up his nose when he concentrated. Or perhaps it was how serious he looked. Either way she found herself pulling her hand out of her pocket with her fingers wrapped around the cell phone's exterior.

"You callin' Redfield? Tell him I said 'Hi' in all serious I know what you want. BLT right? I'll order for you, go call him. You've been thinking about calling him for weeks now."

Jill felt her cheeks flush as he made his observation. And she got up rather quickly and stormed out of the diner to call him. She mumbled to herself about how Parker was an idiot, and how he couldn't possibly know anything that she was thinking, but she knew that wasn't really true.

She hesitated a moment as she looked down at the picture of Chris, reflecting back at her from the screen of her phone. A single strand of blonde hair fell down out of her baseball hat, and she brushed it out of her sapphire hues. Something felt suddenly very wrong, and she couldn't help but glance around her as she stood by the curb of the sidewalk just outside the dinner. She stared at her old partner's picture and her hands began to sweat and tremble slightly.

She was an expert at trusting her gut, and right now it was screaming at her that something was wrong. She jammed the call button and pulled the phone to her ear.

"We're sorry, But the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable at this time."

Jill tensed and looked at the phone in her hand.

Unavailable?

She hung up the call and quickly called it again. Same message. She felt her throat go dry. Chris never had his phone off, and why hadn't it gone to voice mail.

Unless….

Quickly Jill scrolled through her contacts until she found Chris' sister Claire. The only reason he would have his phone off was if he was with her. And it was her birthday a couple days ago so he must be with her. She held the phone to her ear, and her heart sank like a lead weight.

"Claire here! Can't come to the phone but leave a message and I'll get back to you!"

BEEP

"Claire its Jill. I just wanted to say happy birthday! And see how you time with Chris was. You're probably at work so just give me a call when you get this. Bye!" She hung up the phone fast and pressed it to her chest, as the anxiety built. She had tried to sound as relaxed as possible in her message. If Claire really was busy she didn't want the girl to worry about Chris. Last time she went looking for her brother she had nearly gotten herself eaten by zombies. Twice.

She glanced at the window of the diner, and could see Parker in his booth, just as his drink arrived. He sipped his soda through his straw and glanced at her before suddenly jumping to his feet. He was reaching to his waist as if trying to draw a handgun that he didn't have with him. Jill didn't hesitate instead she dove and somersaulted forward, just as the burlap bag came down toward her head.

She got to her feet in one fluid motion, - a thankful trick she had learned from her time with Albert Wesker – and she spun drawing her Px4 handgun. Whoever had been behind her was no longer there, but she swept her gun back and forth as her eyes shifted across the parked cars that littered the parking area. It was times like these she wished Parker had carried a handgun instead of his assault rifle. She heard him slam open the door to the diner but she kept her eyes trained on the parking lot.

"Jill, are you alright? Christ that guy tried to grab-" Parker's words got cut off by the muffled sound of a struggle. Despite her instincts telling her not to take her eyes off the last location of her assailant she spun in time to see her partner wrestled to the ground. She couldn't believe what was happening, first Chris and Claire not answering her calls, and now this?

"NICK!" She leveled her gun and fired two shots at the men wrestling on grass that bordered the dinner. She heard a grunted yell, and the familiar squish of a bullet ripping through flesh. She hated that sound, but at least it told her she had hit one of them. Silently she had hoped it wasn't Parker. She raised the gun again and aimed.

Darkness….

She never had time to react to the bag that was slipped over her head. Though she wasn't going down without a fight. She struggled and kicked her legs as best she could but it was no use. She felt the pinprick in her neck and knew in a moment what had just happened. Parker was probably already unconscious, and she was quickly joining him. She felt her body and muscles turn to jelly and before she could stop it, she was limp, and hitting the ground with a thump.