"Fight me yourself, Wesker." I challenge him boldly. It would still be pointless—Jill and I combined had lost against him. There was no chance I'd beat him on my own. Wesker smirks.
"But what would be the fun in that?" He taunts. "A disgruntled employee fighting his former employer. But a deadly lovers' quarrel… so much more interesting." I take several rapid shots at him, but he dodges the rifle bullets as easily as if they're going three inches a minute, not twenty-three thousand feet per second. Jill draws two submachine guns from thigh holsters, and I dive into cover a moment before she opens fire. I won't survive two minutes, slugging it out with both of them in the open, so I try to figure something out. There's an open doorway a few yards from me, hopefully leading to an exit. I toss a flash grenade down in front of them, then run for it. The door leads to a stairway, which leads to a small maze of side hallways and corridors.
They pursue me, but I stay quiet. Between Wesker's constant taunts and the distinct clomp of Jill's boots, I manage to avoid them. Twice, I get the jump on Wesker and put several bullets into him before he can react. He totters and almost falls, but within a few seconds he's recovered and I have to run away. I'm about to jump out and shoot him in the back again when he glances at his watch and simply darts off, out of the maze and into the main room. I follow at a safe distance as he trots up the stairs, pausing to answer a phone call.
"Yes. I see. I'll be there shortly." He clicks the phone off, now walking casually towards an exit. Jill is nowhere to be seen. I haven't run into her for at least a few minutes. Wesker pauses at the top of the stairs, turns.
"Play time is over. How very fortunate for you." He tells me icily, looking straight at me. "Fortunately, I don't need your partner for my work. She can keep you company for now." I hear footfalls behind me and turn around—just in time to get kicked in the face. I stumble and bring my arms up to block her attack, only for her to sweep kick me in the leg. I fall, and she seizes the opportunity to put me in an arm lock, twisting my arm and disarming me. She's stronger than I ever remember her, and I can't hold back a moan as joints threaten to dislocate.
"Jill, snap out of it!" She twists my arm in response. "C'mon, pull yourself together!"
"Nice move, Chris." Wesker chuckles as if I'm genuinely funny. "I'll leave you two to… catch up."
"Jill Valentine!" I shout her name. "Wake up! Don't you recognize me? It's Chris!" The grip on my arm weakens a little.
"Chris…" Jill mutters, as if dazed. Her eyes focus and she seems to just now realize what's happening. "Chris!" She releases my arm and takes a few steps back. With visible effort, she yanks the collar of her battle suit down several inches, revealing a glowing read device, like a mechanical spider, embedded in her chest. Relief and horror wash over me. Jill's not working with him—but what the hell did he do to her?
"Fascinating." Wesker observes, and I remember that he's a scientist as well as a murderer. "Still resisting at this advanced stage. Commendable. But futile." Jill looks at him, horrified, and holds her hands out, begging for mercy. He removes a small remote from his belt and twists the dial, making her scream and double over. Wesker glances at me briefly. "No more times for games, Chris. I've got work to do." He walks into the elevator. I charge him, but the doors slide shut and he vanishes.
Behind me, Jill's head snaps up, and she crouches, hissing. The red thing on her chest—Jill obviously wanted it off. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's not hard to guess that it's how Wesker is controlling her.
"Alright…" I tell her, ignoring the hissing and snarling. "I'll take it off." I approach, and she neatly back flipped, falling ten feet to the floor below and landing with ease. I almost step on my handgun before picking up. Shooting the device seems like a good idea before I realize how idiotic it would be. A bullet could easily be deflected off it and into her, or simply tear through the device and into her heart. I have to do this the hard way.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
She breaks free of the control and drops the weapons, crying out and grabbing the sides of her head. I hesitate for a moment, then body slam her and take her to the ground. She loses control and snaps back into killer mode, but now she's disarmed and pinned under someone over twice her weight. She lands several thrashing blows, but I grab at the device and manage to pry one side up and slip my fingers under it to get a better grip. I feel… plastic tubing? Jill thrashes when I touch it and almost throws me off. I overcome the inhibition not to hurt her and firmly strike her in the temple. She falls back, stunned. Knife. I yank a folding knife out of my belt and carefully slip the blade under the device. It slices through the surgical tubing and I easily rip the device off with my other hand, leaving a circle of puncture wounds and protruding surgical tubes that look like they lead to her heart. I grimace at the sight, knowing I'll have to get her to a hospital as soon as possible. Jill thrashes again, but weakly. I stand up, kicking the two submachine guns away in case she's still not in her right mind. She staggers a few feet, clutching at her chest, then collapses. I rush forward, alarmed, and check her pulse.
It's strong. She's also breathing normally.
"Jill!" I shake her arm. She doesn't stir. Being out in the middle of the throne room doesn't seem safe, so I pick her up and carry her down a side hallway, taking us out of sight. It would be a long hike back to civilization, and I didn't think we'd make it safely if I was carrying her… I barely made it on my own. We enter a small room with a few pots and a strange crypt which creeps me out, but it seems safe enough. I kick aside the pots and look around to make sure there aren't any snakes or spiders, then set her down against the wall. She's heavier than I remember, but it's been years since I held her.
"What happened to you?" I whisper, glancing at the ugly wound on her chest. My first-aid kit still has some bandages and disinfectant, so I clean the gashes as best as I can, being careful not to let anything get into the tubing. Once it's clean enough, I rip open a packet of gauze padding and tape it over the wound to try to keep anything from infecting it. Through this, she still doesn't move. I glance at my watch. It's late afternoon.
"Two hours." I tell her, kissing her forehead gently. "If you're not awake in two hours, I'll carry you out of here." I check the area one more time, then sit down next to her. She's unconscious and I'm low on ammo, but I feel a lot better.
Scratch that, I feel like God himself has come down from heaven and patted me on the back. Jill is alive, and I've got her back. Wesker can go rot in another castle for all I care. The search is over, and I don't have to worry about what Wesker will throw at me, or what traps I'm walking into. All I have to do is get her out of here, and I know I can do that.
"We're going to be alright." I promise her quietly. "I'll keep you safe... I'll do it right this time around."
Her steady breathing is comforting and I put my left arm around her shoulders, letting her lean against me instead of the stone wall. My right hand is resting on my 9mm pistol, just in case anything shows up. The clock still ticks on, but for now, we rest.
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