Edonia, July 23rd, 2008.
Sixteen year old Jake stared at his cellphone's screen before placing it on his pocket. He sighed heavily as the familiar door in the apartment building came to view; he shook his head slightly and opened the unlocked door, closing it softly behind him. He looked around the living room; the old red sofas were covered by a dirt layer and the T.V. stand was missing the television itself, he had sold it back in January to pay the electricity bill. He passed the kitchen, noticing the pile of dirty dishes by the sink and little dining table and promised that he would clean them up before leaving; he finally reached his mother's bedroom and opened the door slowly, earning a loud creak that made him wince slightly; his mother jolted awake, startled by the sudden noise in the calm atmosphere.
"Jake?" She muttered softly, eyes half open as the light coming from the open curtains hurt her eyes.
"Hey mom," He replied, he walked over to the curtains and shut them, earning a small nod in thanks "How you feelin'?"
"I'm alright." She told him with a small that faded quickly as she started to have a coughing fit, Jake grabbed the half-empty glass pitcher on the dresser and filled the empty glass on her nightstand; she eagerly took it and emptied its contents.
"I'm leaving tonight."
"You don't need to do this, I'll be fine. This is probably some flu that I got from working late in the fields with Nina; you know how some viruses take incubation periods. It'll pass and-"
"Monika," Jake interrupted harshly, he hated to do that but she will start once again to make up excuses to make him stay, he was doing this for her "You're not fooling anyone, to begin with a flu can't last for years and even if it did you wouldn't be taking all that crap." He motioned with his hand to the several orange pill containers on the nightstand.
Monika opened her mouth to speak and closed it, sighing in defeat; she looked at his son's eyes before placing her cold hand on his cheek "I don't want you to get hurt, Jake. You're my only child." Her voice broke slightly, she cleared her throat before continuing, determined to shed no tears in front of her son "I can't imagine a life without you, what you are doing is very dangerous, what if this time you don't come back?; I'm sure we can find some other way, I can sell the gold rings that I have in that little box under the bed."
Jake shook his head "We have already sold anything valuable we had," He grabbed his mother's hand from his cheek and placed it on the bed, letting his hand stand on top of hers "You're running low on half of those pills, I need to do this."
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before walking over to the door; her voice stopped him at the doorframe.
"Please, don't."
"Don't make this more difficult than it already is." He paused and listened to her broken sobs "Nina will keep an eye on you while I'm gone." He couldn't bring himself to look back as he walked over to the main entrance and grabbed his black coat with the Edonian Liberation Army badge on the right sleeve before leaving.
The air outside was cold and the illumination was poor in most parts of town, he walked downtown to the infamous bar called 'Lumia' known by the cheap costs of both beer and prostitutes; no doubt it was one of the most visited places in town. He walked into the crowded bar, the smell of beer and cigars greeting him. They knew better than to mess with him about his age, especially with that badge showing on his arm and his confident presence.
"Welcome home again, kid!" He glanced at the drunken man who raised his beer bottle in the air at the sight of him, Jake nodded in acknowledgment and that was it, he didn't had time to hear any drunken babbles.
He made his way through the crowd and sat on the table on the very end, a man was already waiting for him with a scowl on his face as he watched the time on the fancy clock on his wrist.
"I don't take delays kindly,"
Jake let his gaze shift from the familiar crowd to the man who spoke; his blond hair was slicked back and his eyes were shielded by black sunglasses whose color matched his attire from head to toe.
'Who the hell wears sunglasses indoors?'
"Shit happens." Jake replied carelessly.
"Nor did I expected a kid to do a man's job." The man continued, ignoring Jake's comment.
Jake snorted and leaned forward "Listen, I was sent to do your task for a reason, if you don't like it then you can walk away, it's as simple as that, got it? I won't waste your time as long as you won't waste mine."
A grave, humorless chuckle was heard from the man in black "I need you to deliver a package in Africa." He placed a small steel metal case in the table, the tri-colored logo of Tricell has embedded into one of the sides, Jake raised an eyebrow at such strange request.
"I'm a merc, not an errand boy."
Jake could swear he saw a red tinting behind the man's glasses as his jaw clenched. "You're a pathetic, ambitious imbecile that would sell itself for a small fortune to waste in places of this nature."
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Jake hissed as he stood abruptly from his chair, making its metal legs draw back and make a loud sound that was ignored by the rest. He glared intensely at the man in front on him who watched stoic the scene unfolding in front of him.
"The man that is willing to pay 30 000 dollars for your services."
Jake shook his head, incredulous "What could you have in there that is worth 30 grand?"
'Probably drugs, Tricell is a well-known pharmaceutical company. Nothing better than selling freshly baked goods in an exaggerated price for needy junkies around the world.'
"I believe this is a business were no questions are asked."
"Fair enough."
He could buy the monthly supply of pills for his mother with that amount and even buy her something pretty with the remaining money, like that dress she saw more than a month ago on the way towards the health clinic when she was strong enough to walk by herself and didn't need to stay in bed all day.
Jake sat again on the chair and stared intently at the man in front of him "What's the trick? B.O.W.s, contract killers or government agencies trying to get their hands on that."
"Everything."
Jake raised an eyebrow and then smirked "I like challenges."
"So I've been told." The man replied, he got out a fat stack held tightly by rubber bands and a small envelope and placed them on the table, gently sliding them towards him. Jake pretended to be uninterested by the money and inspected the contents of the white envelope, the man wasn't fooled by that and seemed pleased by his actions. "You will receive the rest from my partner, inside is all the information you need to know." Jake absently nodded as he stared at the picture of a young woman on her early twenties.
The deal was on, the man in black rose from his seat and walked past the table, stopping at Jake's side.
He spoke in a low, threatening voice.
"Failure will not be tolerated, do you understand?"
Jake smirked before looking up at him "Wouldn't be here if I had ever failed before."
Kijuju, July 28th, 2008
Kijuju was one of the hottest places he had been in; Edonia was usually cold with the occasional rise in heat in the summer but it was never as the excruciating temperature in Africa.
Jake was sweating more than the ordinary, making him prone to dehydration and soaking his shirt on the chest and back. Wearing black definitely was a bad idea, but it was all he had at the time; he was on his own.
He honestly expected more of a challenge, all he had encountered so far were confused habitants that didn't hesitate to attack him with whatever they could get their hands on, like crossbows, spears and the occasional axe or empty bottle. The behavior of the unaggressive locals was odd; they did their tasks with monotony, their actions almost robotic; they paid little attention to him or their surroundings making them look brainwashed and sedated.
Tricell had an underground facility, how about that?
It was a pain in the ass to get there, even with the map he had been provided with. It was a maze to even reach the location of the facility and then he had to go underground, apparently they were pretty keen of odd colored flowers that smelled like sun dried shit and caged animals. Talk about lunatics.
He cursed loudly as he once again walked through a hallway that probably led to nowhere; he was starting to lose his patience as he failed to find a trace of the woman named Excella Gionne. He came across another of the rusty metal doors and kicked it open, letting it bounce on the wall and scaring the woman inside whom immediately pointed a gun at his head.
"Who the hell are you?" The woman asked, her thick Italian accent making him raise an eyebrow. She was wearing a form fitting khaki dress with a low cut, accentuating her cleavage and curves while she kept her head in a bun close to the top of her head.
"I'm here to deliver you a package," He patted the case with his hand "So how about you put that gun down before you hurt yourself?"
She slowly placed her gun back on the little table beside her and walked towards him, her high heels clinking with every step she took.
"Don't be so cocky, I could put you down if I wanted to."
Jake watched amused as she snatched the case from his hand and typed the code in the electric padlock integrated in the case, she smiled pleasantly as she took out the red-colored vial and inspected it before putting it back on the case and shut it close, he caught a glimpse of the letters on the label: 'Las Plagas'.
"I believe you have something for me?"
She looked at him and gave him a mocking smile "Of course." She walked gracefully towards a cabinet and it opened as soon as her hand touched the smooth surface, she got out a plastic container with a syringe inside and placed it over the counter before taking out a wad of cash. She walked over to him and stretched out her hands for him to take the items; Jake took the money without hesitating.
"Do I look like a junkie to you?"
"It's a little present for you, an energy booster for taking the time to come all the way here." She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, Jake stared at her hand on his shoulder before taking the other item off her hand.
"There are better ways to pay for my troubles, you know?"
Excella smiled "That is all you'll ever get."
Edonia, August 1st, 2008.
Jake went up in the familiar wooden stairs that creaked with every step he took with a grin on his face, he managed to make 30 000 in a week, it was nearly half of the amount he would usually do in a month if he was part of a team in the Edonian Liberation Army. This was the first step to making himself known, if he continued this way he would escalate quickly and make even more money that was much needed in the Muller household. He had been underestimated by his age numerous times, but not anymore; he could do well and they would realize it sooner or later.
He inserted his key in the door lock and opened the door, closing it gently behind him. Nina was sitting over one of the couches with her hands covering his face as she sobbed; Jake smile dropped as he approached her and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. Worst-case scenarios filled him mind in the scarce seconds it took the woman to muster enough courage to look at him in the eye and wipe away the tears on her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Jake."
He hurried to her mother's bedroom, pushing the slightly opened door to find her bed empty and her medication scattered on the floor. He ran his hands through his short hair as he stared at the unmade bed and the curtains open, the chunks of glass from the pitcher were scattered on the left side of her bed along with the white pillows covered in little patches of dark blood.
"No…"
He sat on the edge of the bed, placed his elbows on his knees and let his head rest on his palms as he stared at the ground in front of him. She couldn't be gone, the doctors said there could be hope if she took everything they prescript, she was just starting to gain appetite and her skin didn't looked as pale and sick as it had been months before, then what the hell happened? Why did she had to die in such condition? He should have stayed, he should have aided her when she was at her lowest, but he couldn't.
He sighed heavily and picked up the broken frame next to the nightstand, it was an old picture of her carrying him in her arms as she smiled brightly at him, she was 23 at the time and he was a baby of just a couple of months ogling with curiosity the camera's lens, a ghost of a smile crept his lips before everything decided to sunk in. There was no hope left now; no late night conversations or midnight check-ups, no more gentle smiles in the morning and past histories at noon. Everything was gone. She would never return to be the radiant woman she once was.
He stood from the bed and heard a scrunching sound as his hand made contact with a piece of paper laying on the bed, he picked it up and closed his eyes tightly as he finished reading.
I love you, Jake. I'm so sorry to have to leave you like this. Please forgive me. And please, don't hate your father. I'm sure he loves you and is thinking about you, and I know you two will find each other someday. Stay strong.
He burst out of the apartment, ignoring Nina as he opened the main door forcefully and slammed it shut behind him. He was walking aimlessly in the pebbled roads of Edonia and eventually found himself just tired of walking, of listening to the meaningless conversations of the strangers passing by or the clink of bells made from the stores being entered. He let his body slid down beside the abandoned building of what used to be a meat shop, suddenly aware that all the stares he received were because of the tears involuntarily rolling down his face.
He had only cried like that when he was a kid and found out that Monika was sick.
He roughly swept them away with the back of his palm, ignoring the harsh texture of his gloves against his skin. His cellphone buzzed loudly and he slowly took it out of his pocket and stared at the screen with dull animosity and read the text message.
25 grand each, be at the Golden at 12. Shit's going down.
Jake sighed and let his head rest on the brick wall behind him, he felt emotionally drained and physically exhausted yet he had no desire of going back to the placed he called home to deal with the emptiness and the smell of death lingering in the air. The back of his head started to hurt and the only thing he could think of was that small vial he received a few days ago, his 'prize' for dealing with that shithole.
He fumbled with the little contents of his coat's pockets and slid out the syringe from its thick plastic container, twisting it around his fingers to inspect it closely. The red-colored liquid inside had black sediment at the end, on the side a label was printed with bold, red letters: PG67A/W.
'I've got nothing to lose now.'
He took off his belt and placed it around the middle of his left arm, biting down the end to keep it tight in place; he took of the bright orange cap from the syringe's needle and inserted it almost horizontally in one of the greenish veins on the inner part of his elbow, immediately feeling the warm liquid spread like fire inside his bloodstream. He spit out the end of his belt and placed it beside him, waiting for the effect of the so-called energy booster to arrive.
He stared at the empty syringe in disbelief; he didn't felt anything at all. His heartbeat kept steady and he was feeling just as shitty as he had been 5 minutes ago, false advertising at his finest.
He started to hear a high-pitched noise quickly overcoming the sounds of the street until all he could hear was that annoying note, his vision started to darken and blur until the color black predominated his sight, he shut his eyes tightly and told himself that he couldn't blackout, not now and definitely not because of that shit. Slowly, he started to relax and his ears picked up the murmur of the leaves brushing each other as the wind hit the trees, the familiar sound of car escapes and steps passing by until the high-pitched noise completely vanished; he slowly opened his eyes and was aware of the subtle change of colors, even the dull and faded paint of the several buildings and cars seemed brighter, the sounds were intensifying around him, picking up the faintest traces of sound nearby.
He got up and sent a reply to his boss before discarding the syringe into the nearest trash bin.
That shit definitely wasn't an energy booster, a part of him knew that, his behavior could be unpredictable as long as the effect lasted but at the time he didn't care. He was going to make sure his mother got the burial she deserved.
Kijuju, January 15th, 2009.
Excella's heels made an echoing sound as she walked towards one of the experimental rooms in the research facility; Wesker was inspecting files from a blue clipboard with interest, aware of her presence but choosing to ignore it for the time being.
"Can I ask you a question, Albert?"
"You may." He answered without giving her a single glance. Excella scowled at his lack of attention and shifted closer to his position with confidence.
"Why did you want me to give that messenger boy your serum?"
Wesker smirked and lay down the clipboard on the white metal counter behind him before drifting his complete attention to the woman in front of him. "I was merely testing a theory."
"You don't trust my work?" Excella asked, retorting "After all the work we've done together you still believe I'm nothing but a pawn in your game."
Wesker would be lying if he said that the woman's guts to face him weren't appealing in his eyes, she was smart and cunning, not to mention obedient. He almost felt pity for the future plans he held for her if Uroboros was successfully developed. "If I didn't trust you or your work, my dear, I wouldn't let you stay by my side as my right hand." Even if it was nothing more than a delusion, it was enough to please the woman.
"The subjects are reacting accordingly to Plagas Type 2."
"Good, proceed with the plan of poisoning the dam."
"As you wish." Excella stopped at the doorframe and turned to Wesker, who had his back turned to her. "Now that I think about it, that boy had many similarities with you."
Wesker smirked; she wasn't going to let that topic go that easily. She left the room and the door slid shut behind her without even waiting for him to answer.
Washington D.C., September 13th, 2013.
"When was that, again?"
Chris stopped in the middle of his sentence and leaned back on his sofa, this was the first time Jake had spoken up since he started telling him about Wesker, the younger man wasn't even looking at him, he kept staring at the picture on his hands with a scowl on his face "2009."
He was visibly taken back by that and pushed himself off the couch and started to look out of the window to the patio on Chris' house still clutching the picture on his hand "Did you know what was used to create those mutated things?"
"Uroboros?"
Jake shrugged and looked at him over his shoulder "Uroboros, the infected, everything." Chris thought his behavior was odd but opted to ask no further questions about that matter, this was a delicate subject to Jake, knowing the full extent of Wesker's power was hard to swallow, he tried to put himself on the other man's shoes.
"Uroboros was mostly made with a flower that goes by the name 'Stairway to the sun', it could only be cultivated in certain environments and is also the one responsible for the creation of the Progenitor Virus; as for the majini they were infected by Plaga Type 2 or 3."
"You have to be fucking kidding me." Jake muttered angrily, he glared at the picture on his hand as the memories flooded his brain. Chris rose from his seat, walked over to Jake and placed a hand on his shoulder; Jake pushed his hand away roughly.
"Are you alright?"
Jake kept staring intently at the familiar face in picture on his hand; the image of those days in 2008 immediately came to mind. His mother's wish came true before she even had the time to write it down. He crumbled the picture and let it fall on the floor; his voice came out lower and more forcefully than he intended.
"There's nothing left to do now except move on, carrying the burden of the wrong decisions made in the past."
I simply cannot believe that Jake wasn't involved in any of Wesker's plans, so here is my version of what would happen if Jake unknowingly aided Wesker pre-RE5 on his early years as a mercenary.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.
Disclaimer: Resident Evil and its characters belong to Capcom.