Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil. If anybody does, give me a call. ;)

So, I'm back! *sigh* Wow, I wrote this a lot sooner than I thought I would. I don't think you have to read Retribution in order to enjoy this story. If you did, then I'm sure you'll know the OCs I've placed in here a lot better. Either way, I hope you like this. This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written.

"In news today, Paragon Pharmaceuticals has donated over $2 million to a charity that helps families in Kijuju, Africa who have been affected by the massive viral outbreak that occured almost a year ago. Paragon's Director of Human Resources Michael Stakes had this to say..."

The camera cut to a clean cut man with dark brown hair and eyes. The crisp Armani suit that he wore conveyed a feeling of professionalism and importance. He had a smile plastered on his face which was amazing considering the flashes from cameras should've blinded him. But he kept his cool which didn't seem very hard for a man like him.

"Thank you for coming today. I would just like to say that Paragon deeply sympathizes with the families who have gone through such a tragedy. We have a small sample of the said virus and our scientists are working feverishly to create a cure so nothing like that will ever happen again. Paragon is dedicated to excellence and serving the world, and with that said, I am pleased to announce that we have donated $2.2 million to a charity which works with families who were affected by the Uroboros outbreak. Thank you. That'll be all for today."

Stakes gave a small wave as the media were shouting different questions, begging for an exclusive. But he didn't give them any. He was immediately ushered inside a black SUV which was surrounded by a large group of bodyguards all dressed in suits. Once the car pulled away, the police started to break up the crowd and ordered everyone to leave the area.

Chris shut off his television and threw the remote against the wall. Paragon was just creating more good publicity so they could continue their illegal activities. He knew what they were really up to. Hell...he had been kidnapped and used as a damn test subject by them. But there was nothing he could do. The government refused to prosecute or even accuse Paragon of illegal testing for fear of a public backlash.

"Paragon is dedicated to excellence and serving the world..."

That sentence just made his blood boil. Lies...it was all lies. Paragon was just another Umbrella. Pretending to care about the people only to turn on them and use those same people as test subjects. Chris gritted his teeth and slammed a fist on the table.

---

Alexandra Archer was working on her computer when there was a knock at the door. She looked up from the screen and saw a member of her team walk in. He sat down and handed her a beige colored folder. As Archer scanned through it, the doctor was looking at a photo sitting on the cherry wood desk.

"Are these your parents?"

"Yes." She replied, not even looking up from the contents of the folder.

"Where are they now?"

"In the ground." She shut the folder and threw it onto the table. "They're dead." She said it without even a blink.

"Oh...so, is the Director pissed?" The young scientist asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Only that we lost Wesker."

"Uh..he does know that you brought a clone with you right? That it wasn't the real Wesker?"

Archer continued looking at him, her face emotionless. "No. I guess I neglected to tell him that. I'm sure he'll have figured it out by now." She pointed to the beige folder, "So, there's a problem."

"Wesker's genetic makeup makes it so we can't inject Cormac's virus into him."

"So we can't use Wesker..." Archer sighed. "And after we wasted all that time pulling him out of that god-damn lava pit..." she muttered, massaging her forehead.

"So...what are you going to tell the Director?" the scientist asked.

"I don't know. I'm thinking about it right now. You keep working on Wesker."

"Alright. Goodnight ma'am."

Her phone rang, and after letting it ring a couple times, she picked it up. "Archer."

"Ma'am, the Director wants to see you in his office."

"Thank you." She hung up. This was going to be a long night.

---

Claire couldn't believe she had actually agreed to go to a dinner party. She hated dinner parties. Leon had invited her...well...more like begged her to come with him. His boss was throwing a party to reward Leon and the other agents after they had completed a particularly tough case. Claire looked around the room nervously. Everywhere she looked, there were only other agents with their own dates. She was startled when someone came up from behind and wrapped their arms around her waist.

"You look beautiful. And you were telling me you had nothing to wear..." the familiar voice of Leon spoke into her ear.

She could feel his breath on the nape of her neck and that sent shivers down her spine.

"I only came because you gave me that look of yours..."

He let out a laugh, his laughter quickly becoming infectious and Claire soon let out a small laugh of her own. "And what look would that be?"

"That puppy dog look..." She spun around to have their faces only inches away from each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "...It gets me every time."

There was a loud 'ahem' which caused Claire to look over Leon's shoulder. Leon turned slightly and saw a fellow agent standing there. Claire pulled away, slightly embarrassed that they had been watched.

"Hey there Kennedy!"

"Hey Ralph!" The two agents exchanged handshakes and a slap on the back.

"Good job with the case."

"You too." Leon said, trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible so he could get back to Claire.

Unfortunately, Ralph didn't get the hint. "Who's this?" He motioned to the redhead standing beside Leon.

"I'm Claire. Claire Redfield." She extended her hand for a handshake, but Ralph took it in his hand and planted a soft kiss on it.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Redfield."

Claire couldn't help but blush a little. That type of attention was something she wasn't used to. Ralph gave a little smirk.

"Easy there pal...let's move along." said Leon.

Ralph laughed and nodded. "Alright, sorry, sorry..." He leaned in, "Nice catch there Kennedy..." He whispered with a quick wink before walking off to enjoy the party.

Leon shook his head.

"Jealous, Kennedy?" teased Claire.

"Me jealous?" Leon rolled his eyes, "Come on, let's get some food."

---

Archer let out a deep breath as she stood in the same dark office belonging to the Director of Paragon Pharmaceuticals.

"So, I spoke with your team. You failed to mention that you brought a clone with you to Oakfort."

"Did I? It must've slipped my mind."

"Is there a reason why you didn't mention it?"

"I didn't like the product. It wasn't up to our standards. It wasn't up to Paragon standards."

"It seemed fine to me."

"If you've forgotten, it mutated out of control."

"Well then, what about Chimera?"

"Cormac's virus? Well...we have a problem there too. It seems like my team has been stumped by Wesker's unique genetic makeup. The addition of an unknown viral sample doesn't allow us to introduce Chimera into his body. The virus senses it and treats it as a foreign body, quickly killing the parasite off before it has a chance to nest and grow within the subject."

"If there's no use for Chimera, then Paragon will have wasted a lot of time and money on Cormac. Our investors want a demonstration of Chimera's power."

"If you want a demonstration, there is another way."

"And what would that be?"

"Well, before we get into this, I suggest we carry out Plan B in another one of our facilities. Somewhere private..."

"I'm listening."

---

The party was dying down and Claire was getting tired. There were only a few stragglers left, including Leon and herself. Leon had tried to leave on several occasions, but he was always stopped by an old friend or a fellow agent. Now, he was talking with his boss and Claire didn't want to interrupt.

"Have a good night Ms. Redfield." a voice said from behind her.

She jumped and spun around to see Ralph standing there with a glass of wine in his hand.

"Are you going home, Ralph?"

"Well, that depends, do you need a ride home?"

Claire looked back to Leon who didn't seem to be enjoying the conversation with his boss. He looked away for a split second and their eyes met. She smiled and gave a small motion to the door and to Ralph. Without hesitation, Leon quickly ended the conversation and was by her side. He wrapped one arm around her waist and planted a kiss on her cheek which caused Claire to turn a deep shade of red.

"You heading home Ralph?" he asked.

"Yeah." Ralph couldn't help but laugh at the situation. 'Kennedy must really like this girl.' The two shook hands. "I'll see you back at work on Monday?"

"Definitely." When Ralph finally disappeared out the door, Leon turned to Claire. "I'm sorry for taking so long. The boss tends to rant."

"It's ok."

"You want a ride home?"

"Sure, that'd be great."

"Come on. Let's go." He said as he pulled her closer to himself, trying to shield her from the cold outside.

---

Chris let out a soft moan as he opened his eyes. There was only a small amount of moonlight which lit up the room ever so slightly. He didn't know why he woke up, but it wasn't anything new. He had never been able to sleep through the night, especially after he joined the BSAA. All the things he had seen...all the things he was going to see...it never gave him any good dreams, that was for sure. One hand ran through his hair while the other felt off to the left side of the king-sized bed. It was a surprise when he felt nothing. He looked over to find the occupant gone.

"Jill?" he said, still trying to shake off the sleep that was plaguing him. There was no answer. "Jill?" He tried again but there was still no reply.

He threw the covers aside and got out of bed. The bedroom door was left slightly ajar and he though that Jill had just gotten up to go to the washroom or to get a drink. He stepped out and crept up to the bathroom, making sure not to scare Jill. But she wasn't in there. The washroom door was wide open and the lights were off.

"Jill? Are you in the kitchen?"

He made his way to the living room and peered around, but there was no Jill.

"Valentine, if this is some sort of joke, it's enough."

Suddenly, someone grabbed him from behind, wrapping a hand around his mouth, silencing him. A device was shoved into his neck, and searing pain shot through his body, overloading his senses and causing him to collapse to the floor. Chris could taste blood and he figured he must have bitten his tongue. He tried to move his arms and legs but they refused to obey and just stayed still.

'Damn it...a taser..."

There was movement all around him as he heard people mumbling. There was a loud metallic clattering sound as something was rolled into his apartment. Two strong men lifted him up and plopped him on a stretcher. Restraints were drawn across his chest and his legs as he tried to yell out for help, but his body refused to comply. He was rolled out of his apartment and he heard the soft voice belonging to one of his neighbors speaking to his attackers.

"Oh my goodness, is he alright?" The kind voice belonging to Ms. Potter asked.

"He's alright ma'am. Just suffered a seizure. We're taking him to the hospital."

"Oh...he has a sister...Claire Redfield! I should call her..."

"We will do that ma'am. Now please, go back to bed. We're sorry for disturbing you."

'No, no, no! They're not taking me to the hospital!' Chris tried frantically to say those words, but again, he failed. He was only able to let out a small whimper. As Ms. Potter shut her door, Chris felt his heart sink. 'No...' Then everything went dark...

---

Claire was awakened by the sound of her cellphone vibrating. She looked at the clock to see that it was 5:30am. Opening her eyes, she reached out just in time to catch her cell as it fell off the nightstand. Looking at the caller ID, she was a bit confused to see Edna Potter flashing back at her.

"Hello?" she answered, stirring the person sleeping beside her.

Leon opened his eyes and gave her a tired and confused look.

"What?! When did this happen?!"

Leon was fully alert now and concerned at the sudden outburst from the redhead.

"No, I'll be right there! Don't touch anything!"

She hung up and sprung out of bed.

"What's wrong?" asked Leon, already getting out of bed and getting ready himself.

"One of Chris' neighbors just called me. She said that Chris was taken by paramedics to a hospital after he suffered a seizure."

"When did this happen?"

"Around 1am. She said that the paramedics told her they would call me."

Leon shook his head, his years of training kicking in. "No, that doesn't make any sense. There's something weird going on."

"That's what I'm thinking. I'm heading over to Chris' apartment right now."

"Alright, but I'm coming." Leon replied, grabbing his weapon and holster before they dashed out of the room and to the car.

Hey, so I have yet to decide if Wesker will be a large part of this story, because as mentioned above, Paragon can't use him in their experiments (but that won't count him out altogether. Don't worry Divine Arion, I know how much you love him. I love him too much to leave him out of the story, tee hee!)

Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter and hope you stick around for rest of the story. Please leave a short review (pretty please?) and I'll see you on the next chapter.