A/N: This story takes place after the events of Resident Evil 7/Not a Hero/End of Zoe, and it is based off of that game's physical depiction of Chris Redfield.

Chris Redfield just wanted a shower.

It'd been a damn long couple of weeks. After exterminating the bioweapon threats in Dulvey, Louisiana and retrieving Zoe Baker from the contamination site, he had a brief stopover at BSAA headquarters for a debriefing before he could return home. As soon as he stepped inside his modest one bedroom apartment he stripped off all clothing from his aching body and headed straight to the bathroom.

He wasn't in the shower for more than thirty seconds before his cell rang.

God damn it.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam. He snatched up his smartphone with a dripping hand. "Redfield here."

"It's Veronica."

Chris bit back a sting of annoyance. Veronica was the BSAA's contact with Blue Umbrella. Any communication she had with him outside of a mission had to be done through the BSAA first. Why was she calling now?

"Probably not the voice you wanted to hear after all the ruckus at Dulvey, I'm guessing."

Chris breathed. He may have been irritated but he was still a professional. "It's fine, Veronica. What's wrong? Has Zoe been released yet?"

"The Baker survivor is being kept under quarantine until we can confirm she's completely clear of infection. But this call isn't about Dulvey."

Chris wiped the moisture from his face. "Well, don't keep me in suspense."

"Blue Umbrella has received clearance to contact you directly with the details of a new mission. It's time sensitive and we have to move fast. An information package has already been sent via your BSAA email but I still need to brief you verbally on what to expect."

So much for that vacation, he thought grimly.

Chris hiked up his towel and took a seat on his couch. "Another contamination?"

"Not quite. At least, we don't think so. Have you heard of Avalon Station?"

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"Avalon is a deep-sea mining station located two miles below the surface of the Atlantic ocean. Its purpose, publicly, is to harvest minerals from the ocean floor. But we've recently received some strange intel related to their operations."

"How strange?"

"According to human resource documents that we've seen, they're currently hiring new personnel. On their docket: biomedical scientists, microbiologists, and one archeologist."

"To harvest minerals? That doesn't make any sense."

"Precisely. This raised a red flag. So we dug a little deeper and found that Avalon has been restructured as a scientific research laboratory. And we want to find out why."

"You think they're developing bioweapons?"

"What we think, Redfield, is that they found something of interest to the scientific community. And anything of interest to the scientific community is at risk for exploitation by private groups and the black market."

"You don't have to tell me," Chris grunted. His whole life had been defined by the opportunistic greed of powerful, clandestine organizations. "Do we think they're in league with The Connections?"

"No, we don't have reason to believe The Connections is aware of Avalon. We're taking every precaution we can to keep it that way."

"So what's my role in this?"

"Your performance in the Dulvey mission impressed us, Redfield. With permission from the BSAA, we're hiring you and two other agents to visit Avalon so you can interview staff, observe whatever their research may be, and ascertain whether or not they are in violation of the Raccoon City Accords."

"Avalon is cooperating with all of this? That seems hard to believe."

"They're run by smart people. They know it's in their best interest to cooperate with any outside investigations at the risk of their station being shut down and destroyed. If they have nothing to hide, if their research is on the level and has nothing to do with viral weaponry, then this should be a fairly easy operation."

Chris couldn't help but snicker. "Famous last words."

"If you'd prefer another BSAA agent is sent in your place, you have the seniority and authority to make that decision. But your success rate in this field is unparalleled. We wanted to make sure you were presented with the mission first. "

Flattering, he had to admit. Since their inception Blue Umbrella had done everything they could to make him feel useful and important. No doubt a marketing tactic on their part, but Chris couldn't deny that they were accomplishing genuinely good things together. If they hadn't collaborated with the BSAA to take down that E-Type bioweapon in Dulvey...

Chris reached his bedroom and took off his towel. His decision was already made. "When's the dispatch?"

"0900 hours."

He glanced at the time. That was only an hour away. "I'll be ready."

"Remember to read your information package. You and your team will be briefed on the rest of the details on your way in. You'll be arriving at the same time as Avalon's newest employee..." She trailed off a moment with a sound of papers being shuffled. "The archeologist. Dr. Adam Mifune. The purpose of Avalon's research hasn't been revealed to him yet either, so he'll be going in as blind as you will."

"Comforting."

"Good luck down there, Redfield."

"Copy that." He ended the call before he could change his mind.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the bedroom mirror. Short brown hair, stubble he hadn't shaved since Louisiana. The same chiseled, athletic features he'd always had (Romeo, his sister Claire liked to tease whenever he'd caught someone's flirtatious eye), albeit with bags under his eyes that made him look as weary as he felt.

Already, he could feel the familiar, warm build of adrenaline in his gut. Part anticipation, part excitement, and part fear. He didn't like the idea of being isolated underwater, but he could tough it out. He'd been through worse. And this new employee they'd be accompanying, this Dr. Mifune - hopefully he could help Chris figure out what the hell Avalon was doing down there.

He toweled off, packed a bag, and pulled on his combat gear. With one final glance of his stoic, unshaven face in the mirror, Chris headed off to start the new mission.