Listened to Vicarious by Tool for this chapter. I love it.

Claire awoke shaking and covered in sweat. Her alarm was going off and in her sleep induced mind it was the most annoying sound she could fathom. She glared at it and soon jammed the button on top to silence the piece of crap. WOW, she was very cranky. Maybe it had been the dreams, even more vivid then normal had had her tossing all night. She sighed and stretched on the bed pointing her toes downward and arching her back. She winced then. The spot on her shoulder was a little sore, but what had crossed her face to wince, was actually her stomach. It felt tight like she had done 100 sit ups the day before. She must be getting burned out if her body was aching more than normal.

The morning was hectic, but after packing her backpack and shoveling down an egg and toast she was soon straddling her bike and setting out to New York. It would be a long ride.

About 5 exhausting hours later she was sitting on her cheap bed, in the cheap hotel roughly seven blocks from the event. She cringed as she stretched her legs out, the open road was hell sometimes on those damn bumpy roads. She felt grossed out even sitting on the bed, in her mind she wondered how clean the sheets really were…..then she decided not to think about it.

Her phone range insistently. She answered as soon as she saw the name.

"David I'm here."

"Good. This is really important Claire so listen closely." She took a deep breath.

"Roger, what's up?" David sounded stressed, she was a little worried.

"One of our contacts that was supposed to come meet you, he disappeared. I got suspicious so I looked around his apartment….Claire we found some bugs." She cursed.

"It's fucking umbrella isn't it?! Is our operation over?! Do they know?" She lowered her tone. Feeling stupid and childish she hadn't even looked around the room….she was up against the devil itself of corporations and she was acting like a blind damsel. She looked around shrewdly. David continued.

"We don't know what Umbrella knows because these were not traced to Umbrella." She fell silent.

"Are you thinking there is a third party involved? Someone tailing us maybe?"

"All I can say is it looks…..well it looks military, and I kind of broke into your apartment Claire and your place was rigged to." Her eyebrows rose.

"But I always check my place like every weekend!" She stood up, she felt uncomfortable. Someone unknown knew exactly where she was going probably, and if they were in with umbrella they could be looking to ambush her.

"Listen Claire that doesn't matter now, we need this opportunity we may not get it again. So do your best, and instead of heading back here to the city I will text you once I know you're out of New york. We will get a meet up spot with some friends about 2 hours out of your location….I don't want to say where yet. And Claire…." He sounded very grim and wouldn't speak for a few minutes.

"What David….?"

"If you are caught I know you'll do the right thing." The line went dead. She sat there for a moment thinking about what he said. She was putting herself here in this situation, and the result could be her death that was for sure. Claire felt funny, she couldn't bring herself to care if she died or not really, other than leaving Chris behind….her motives were all in. After Raccoon, after all those dead families, after Steve there was no redemption now. She stood and looked out the window; her finger rubbed a worried circle over her holster under her jacket.

"Bastards will pay any way necessary."

It was time, the night of the gala to be exact. She wanted to scream her frustration. True to her suspicion umbrella had snipers in the buildings across from where the event took place.

FINE.

She would have to get up close and personal then. She dressed in the dress she had picked out with the money David had sent, and soon she was looking at herself in the mirror. She had wanted to cover as much skin as she could but in case she had to run she went with a dress that wouldn't hinder her. It had a red top, it fit her tightly and made her breasts seem bigger than they should. She glared at them and tried to adjust. She didn't need unwanted attention at the moment. The dress then faded into black as it stopped a few inched above her knee. It was pretty giving so she tried a quick jog to the other side of the room. Her legs were free enough. She stopped for a moment and leaned on the wall.

She must be coming down with something, she ached all over her body and she felt a spasm in her stomach for a moment. She cursed and ran to the bathroom. She felt the sticky telling sign.

She pulled her panties down and saw to her horror she had started her period. She cursed again and took care of it. Why would she start now? She wasn't due until three more weeks.

She looked hastily to the clock as she grasped a pair of boy shorts of the desk and stepped into them.

She took a final look at herself in the mirror. She left her hair down and didn't bother doing make up, she just put a little glass on her lips and a little liner on her bottom lid. She had to fit the part a little at least.

She took her picture of Chris of her desk and looked down at him. She pressed it to her chest and let out a breath she hadn't released she had been holding.

"I love you" was all she had sent, a quick email. She knew he would worry, but she had to say it in case…in case she didn't get a choice to come back. She took his picture and placed it in her clasp. Her little mini audio recorder was nestled between her breasts hidden well enough, and her gun was strapped to the inside of her thigh. She paused…. Took her ticket to the gala and her "press" pass and headed for the door.

She was grateful the shoes were flats, because the hill up to the door was annoying enough with her body making weird aches and pains. She had to have the flu coming on or something. She felt so tired; she knew the only thing that was keeping her going was the adrenaline.

Getting past the metal detector was tricky. She literally hitched a "ride" on the catering truck. She knew she was pushing her luck so bad; she was almost caught three times just doing that.

Once inside, ticket shown, and press pass giving her access to the inner area she started to tremble. She was so close. This was so up close and personal as she stared into the eyes of hundreds of Umbrella employees, the killers of Raccoon City. She clenched her fist and strode forward like a fallen angel ready for blood. She stopped a waiter and knowing a classy place like this wouldn't dare card she took a glass of Champaign. She sipped it very lady like…it sure wasn't as good as doing shots with Chris in the kitchen on new year's. She started to make her way towards the larger area; she needed to scope out where the illegal things might go down. She felt a little more confident once the Champaign started warming her tummy.

Her confidence was short lived. Emerging from a particularly pact part of the room she saw her own personal devil. He was in an all-black suit, his trade mark for sure. He wore his glasses of course to help hide his eyes. He stood there straight and dominating, those around him seemed weak in comparison. His blond hair was slicked back as it always was. She literally felt her heart stop, and at that moment she felt her body tighten threw a wave of pain. She clenched her jaw to keep from making any noise.

She felt behind her and started following the wall, never taking her eyes of him. From this angle he would never see her as long as she didn't come out from the shadow of the balcony. She felt her vision going red, she wanted this man dead more than anyone else! She felt her gun on her inner thigh and wondered for a moment if she could just end him there, go to jail for life…..see his brains splattered on the perfect white table spread behind him. She felt a heat roll over her, causing the room to seem cold. She shivered and grasped the curtain next to her. This was more than emotion; she physically felt her body growing warmer than usual.

Albert Wesker stiffened as though hearing a noise; his head swiveled and snapped on Claire, she could picture the red eyes behind the glasses. Her mouth opened but no sound released. How had he seen her?! She remembered herself and narrowed her eyes. She straightened up and stayed right there next to the crowed of people. There was enough non Umbrella personal that she knew he couldn't kill her right there, there would be too many eyes. She never took her eyes off him, even as he excused himself and made his way over to her. She could hear the tap of his black shoes as his stride picked up. How was she going to shake him? How was she going to survive the night at all…..