How I Met Your Grandfather
Your Grandfather and I were never close before the Arklay Mansion incident; in fact, we disliked each other intensely. I was relatively new to the S.T.A.R.S team, and wanted to prove myself to the others; prove to them that I was worthy of my position in their close knit team. Your Grandad, however, made this difficult…
"Hey, Valentine! Fetch me a coffee would ya? Black, no sugar, I'm sweet enough already", Chris bellowed across the office with a smirk, and a wink for good measure.
"What did your last slave die of? I've been here almost a month now and you've never once asked another member of the team to get you a coffee, what makes me so different?" I replied from the doorway. I'd literally just walked into the office, and he was really starting to piss me off now.
"Hey, don't be so snappy, the rookie always fetches the coffee." He replied nonchalantly, a grin plastered across his face, he knew he was getting under my skin.
I bit, enough was enough. "I'm not a rookie! I may be new to S.T.A.R.S but I've earned my place here, I have experience! Maybe you should just concentrate on getting to work on time; I've noticed you rolling in half an hour late every morning, looking like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards! You're so unprofessional!" I could feel the heat rise in my face and my fists clenched. Who did this discriminative pig think he was?
"Woah, easy tiger. Feisty one aren't we? And don't you worry your pretty little head about my attendance record, I've already proven I'm worthy of being a member of S.T.A.R.S" Chris countered as he put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.
That was it, now it was time to roll out the big guns. "Oh yeah? Just like you thought you'd proven yourself in the Air Force? That ended so well for you didn't it?" I said smugly, I'd overheard the guys mentioning that this was a sore point for Chris.
In a split second, Chris's demeanour changed completely. "You have no idea what you're talking about, and unless you know the full story I suggest you never bring up that topic again." Chris said darkly before quickly standing up and leaving the room, sending his chair rolling into my desk.
Barry turned towards me and smiled that warm fatherly smile he had saved for the younger members of the team. "He doesn't mean any harm, you know? It's just his way of welcoming you to the team… As odd as it may sound. As for the Air Force, I should've warned you about that, Chris doesn't take it lightly when people bring that up. It's a long story, but it's not my place to tell you about it."
I sighed in defeat. Maybe I'd taken it too far? I got up from my desk and straightened my uniform, I was about to leave the office to find Chris and apologise when Captain Wesker walked into the room. He had a serious look on his face that was obvious even from behind the sunglasses; it was even more serious than usual.
"We have a situation Alpha team; this is not a drill. Contact with Bravo team has been lost, last point of contact was the Arklay forest. Get your gear together and rendezvous on the helipad in ten minutes; this is a search and rescue mission. Now move!"
My opinion of your Grandad remained much the same throughout the helicopter ride, however I felt I needed to apologise to him; what I'd said was a low blow. I prided myself on my professionalism and this man had drawn a completely inappropriate reaction from me. Unfortunately I never got the chance to apologise before we landed as he refused to even look at me, let alone speak to me. However, my thoughts of apologising soon evaporated once I saw the crumpled wreckage of Bravo team's helicopter and the dismembered remains of their pilot, Kevin Dooley, inside. It was then that I heard the desperate shouts of my team member, Joseph, and gunshots echoed throughout the forest. I sprinted towards the sounds, but I was too late…
"OH GOD, JOSEPH! JUST HOLD ON!" I could hear someone screaming Joseph's name, they sounded scared; petrified even. I began shooting mindlessly at the half-eaten beasts mauling Joseph's limbs one by one… Wait a minute, were they dogs!? It was only when I saw the decomposing creatures turn their attention towards me that I realised I'd been the person screaming, and now they wanted me too. I froze as they suddenly began to run full-speed towards me with Joseph's blood dripping from their jaws, and my body simply refused to react. I slowly took one step backwards and immediately lost my balance, falling helplessly onto the floor. It was then that somebody stepped in front of me and quickly began firing at the dogs, I looked up to see who my protector was and I couldn't supress the fleeting feeling of surprise when I saw their face. It was Chris. He efficiently disposed of a few of the creatures before leaning down to wrap his arm around my waist, dragging me up with him and shouting at me to move. I quickly picked up speed and he let go of my waist, choosing to run alongside me. I glanced back and saw we were still being hunted and they were gaining on us, fast. A feeling of panic suddenly crept upon me and kick started my adrenaline rush, it was then I noticed Alpha team's helicopter fly over the top of us and away.
"Hey, Brad!... Where's he going!?" Chris yelled in frustration.
All of a sudden, I heard a vicious snarl that sounded too close for comfort. Chris swiftly spun around just in time to see a dog leaping towards him, it was too late to draw his gun so he simply raised his arm in defence, time appeared to slowed down. Before we knew it the animal was blown away in front of our eyes.
"Chris, this way!" Captain Wesker commanded.
Chris and I glanced at each other for a small second before spinning on our feet and running towards him. I couldn't help but notice Chris' arm reaching for my waist again as we ran and I felt a small pang of a feeling I did not recognise. I brushed the feeling off, and concentrated on picking up speed again. Barry then joined the fray from seemingly nowhere and he and Wesker covered us as we got on front and gained some distance. We took turns stopping to shoot at the dogs and before we knew it mansion appeared in front of us through the fog.
"Make for that mansion!" I heard Chris yell.
And we did.
So, we were trapped in this eerie, old mansion with those "things" trying to claw their way in. I automatically asked if everyone was alright, but I could barely hear my own voice from the blood pumping in my ears.
Chris spoke. "Barry. Where's Barry?"
Wesker, Chris and I all looked at each other in disbelief. He was right behind us wasn't he? We stood in silence wondering what to do next when a gunshot rang out, it sounded close by.
I jumped. "What was that?"
Chris instantly volunteered himself. "I'll go and check it out."
Wesker didn't disagree. However I was thinking we should all stick together, you know, safety in numbers and all that? I never got to verbalise this before Wesker spoke.
"Alright, Jill and I will stay and secure this area." He said monotonously. Did he not care that Chris was going alone?
Chris nodded and went to walk away, looking me in the eye as he did so. He triggered that unfamiliar feeling in me once again. He began walking away when I suddenly spoke, even taking myself by surprise.
"Chris?" I spoke tentatively, and he turned to look at me. I paused, unsure of what to say before hesitantly speaking again. "Take care."
We looked at each other for a long moment, uncertainty etched onto both of our faces before Chris replied. It was a simple "Yeah", but the way he said it spoke volumes. It sounded compassionate and completely different from the Chris I had got to know over the past weeks.
I decided there and then I liked this side of your Grandad, the side that would protect someone who had outright insulted him, the side that would wrap his arm around someone to ensure their safety. This was the man I wanted to get to know more, and now he walking away into the unknown of this old mansion. I silently prayed that I'd see him again and we'd get back to Raccoon City alive.
The next time I saw your Grandad I was locked in a holding cell, I wasn't sure where I was exactly but I was damn sure Wesker had been the one to put me in there, however he was nowhere to be seen. That treacherous bastard.
"Chris?!" I was shocked to see his face on the other side of the doorway.
"Jill?!" I think he was just as shocked to see me too if the tone of his voice was anything to go by.
I ran towards the door, I was so happy to see a familiar face. Then I remembered the person behind all of this.
"Chris, Wesker's th-" I managed to say before Chris cut me off.
"I know." He stated.
He immediately moved to try and open to the door, pulling and pushing with all his strength but to no avail.
"I can't open it. Just wait, I'll be back." Chris spoke with determination. He instantly turned and ran back the way he came.
"Okay." I quietly whispered to myself. I was disappointed but somehow I knew Chris would come back for me.
A short while later a siren began blaring throughout the facility, a woman's voice was repeating that the self-destruct sequence had been activated, and I admit I began to panic as for a fleeting moment I believed your Grandad wasn't coming back for me. That thought was short-lived though thankfully when he suddenly arrived back at the door and unlocked it.
"Jill! Sorry I made you wait."
I stepped forwards and without thinking I grabbed his hand, smiling at him. "I knew you'd come."
He gave a small smile and then spoke. "Let's get out of here."
He didn't have to tell me twice. I was right behind him as we left the holding cell and made our way through the hallways. We made it to the elevator leading up to the helipad when Rebecca showed up and informed us it was her who activated the self-destruct sequence. We were all about to get on the elevator when an inhumane sound echoed through the hallways. I wasn't familiar with whatever the creature was, but I knew for sure it wasn't a positive sign. Rebecca and I instantly adopted a defensive stance and pointed our handguns in the direction of the sound.
"Those things are coming!" Rebecca said, the young girl sounded panicked, and rightly so.
"I'll take care of them." I said; a sudden wave of bravery and courage washed over me. Chris had saved me, now I was going to save him.
"Bu-", Chris raised his hand to protest.
I turned my head in his direction and cut him off. "Chris, you just get in contact with Brad somehow."
He slowly dropped his hand and reluctantly accepted defeat. "Okay."
Rebecca and I then moved further down the hallway to face whatever was coming our way. We soon dispatched of the reptilian type monsters Rebecca referred to as Hunters, and made our way back to the elevator. Rebecca had been caught once on the arm by one of the creatures' claws but other than that we were in fighting shape still. The elevator quickly reached its destination and we stepped out onto the helipad. To my dismay the feeling of relief didn't last long as yet another screwed up experiment burst through the concrete floor and instantly swiped at me, unfortunately I didn't have enough time to dodge its claw, and I was knocked unconscious, leaving Chris and Rebecca to take on the humanoid mutant by themselves.
I was woken up by somebody jostling me whilst carrying me, and then they lowered me onto a cold, metal floor. It took a few minutes for me to come to my senses before I realised your Grandad was sitting next to me, once my eyes regained focus I noticed he was watching my face intently. I felt slightly uncomfortable at the thought of being watched and chose to take this moment to glance around my surroundings; it appeared I was laid on the floor of Alpha team's helicopter. We'd made it.
I got up onto the seat with his help and we sat next to each other; not speaking a word, just sitting. I saw Rebecca asleep on the seats opposite and a sad feeling came over me at the realisation that Barry wasn't with us. I didn't allow this sad feeling to hang over me for long, if I knew Barry like I thought I did then I had a good feeling he'd manage to escape some other way. Your Grandad then told me something I wasn't expecting.
"I joined the Air Force when I was eighteen, straight out of high school. I wanted to be some big hotshot pilot, but I couldn't handle the authority. My commanding officer told me I was a natural leader, and I didn't take it very well when I was told what to do. He said I would go far in the Air Force if I'd just learn to accept the chain of command. I took this on board and kept my head down for a while, I was actually doing pretty well, until… The incident happened." Chris paused and swallowed, taking a deep breath he carried on. I sat quietly and just listened; I sensed this was the best course of action to take right now. "I was in the mess hall when I got called to see my commanding officer, it was then he informed me that my parents had been in a road traffic accident. Neither of them survived. This left my younger sister, Claire, without any guardians at the age of twelve. She was my responsibility now so I took Claire in and got us a family house on the base. She attended the school for the military children and she appeared to be doing well, but I wasn't. I slowly went to pieces and began drinking excessively, this lead to my downfall in the military, and I was discharged. This left me without a job or a home for both myself and Claire, I'd failed her. The only option was to send Claire to live with some distant relatives that we hadn't seen since we were really young, to provide her with stability, and I moved to Raccoon City to find a new career path. It broke my heart sending Claire away like that, but I knew it was for the best, for her anyway. We kept in contact whilst we were apart, speaking on the phone every day from a nearby payphone. It was one of these days that my old commanding officer happened to be in Raccoon City, and just happened to be walking past the payphone I was using. He collared me and said he knew what had happened, and how I'd had to give Claire up. He said he knew some guys on the police force there and despite my less than squeaky clean military career he reckoned he could get me a place on the force. He said I was "more than capable". And that's how I ended up with S.T.A.R.S. Claire still lives with relatives but at least now she can come visit me regularly, and she's doing so well since she graduated from high school. She's nineteen now and she's studying at Harvard, she wants to be an environmental lawyer. I'm so proud."
"Thank you for telling me." I finally spoke.
I could see by the soft smile on your Grandad's face that he loved your Great-Aunty Claire very much, and I longed to meet this person who brought so much happiness into his life.
I don't know where it came from but whilst watching the sunrise I began to feel so sleepy all of a sudden, I looked at my watch and realised we'd been running around that mansion for nine hours. It might not seem like a lot but when you're running for your life it feels like an eternity. I glanced up at your Grandad who looked exhausted himself; he saw me staring at him and looked at me curiously. No words were needed, we simply smiled at one another and he took my hand, squeezing it tightly and rubbing his thumb over the back of it. The last thing I remember before drifting off to sleep was my head lolling onto his shoulder, and him resting his head on top of mine.
We've been inseparable ever since.