- "I remember this place.", said John with a certain dose of nostalgia in his voice. "My dad and I used to come here for a drink after a hard-day's work. Well, back when things were… Different."

The café was torn to bits, probably by tank grenades. Leon turned left at the next intersection and looked at the GPS in front of him:

- "We're almost at the rendezvous point. How are you holding up?"

- "I'll live. It hurts a bit less, at least."

Helena turned her head and glanced at the backseat. John was now sitting up. 'He isn't half-bad for a rookie.', she thought. He had a certain resolve on his face and stoicism in his posture.

- "Um… Does anyone actually know anything about the leader of the J'avo?"

- "No. Chris is supposed to fill us in once we get there."

- "Fucking A. We're walking blindly into a mess, and we don't even know who to point the gun at."

- "You were pretty enthusiastic about coming back here a few days ago. Now it sounds like someone made you come and pushed you off a plane.", Leon remarked.

- "Well, technically…", John smirked, "I don't know, really… I guess I had hoped it wouldn't be this bad. Coming back here from America was like 'Exit Wonderland, enter shitstorm."

They sat in silence for a few moments. There was no one in sight, but the sounds of fighting could still very well be heard. The car suddenly stopped and the roaring engine died down. All three exited the vehicle.

- "It's out of gas.", scoffed Leon. "We'll continue on foot, it's not far fro-"

- "RPG!", screamed Helena.

The rocket blast knocked them back a few feet. The car was blown to smithereens in a fiery inferno. John' vision went blurry as he was trying to get up, holding his wounded leg. By instinct, he pulled his M9 Beretta out and started searching for targets. He didn't need to try very hard, as enemies surrounded the three of them, outnumbering them at least six to one. The J'avo started raining lead on them. Leon, Helena and John returned fire, but their morale started weakening. Helena took cover behind rubble, while Leon helped John get behind a stack of sandbags. The trio tried fighting back, but bullets flew to close to their faces. They were suppressed.

Suddenly, an unknown group of soldiers opened fire from a nearby building. The enemies started falling one by one, and shifted their attention to the building. Too late. A few seconds after, the deafening roar of a heavy machinegun echoed out through the derelict streets. The high-pitched ringing sound of shells could be heard as the last target dissolved into a black liquid.

A loud 'Clear!' came from the building, and then, the soldiers left the cover of the shadows. They were led by a tall, muscular man, wearing a buzz cut. The look on his face was serious and proud.

- "Good timing, Chris."

- "Leon.", the man saluted.

- We had trouble getting here…"

- "You got shot down, I know. We saw the explosion from the streets. Sorry, I could've sworn we eliminated those AA guns a few days ago. I'm glad you are safe, at least."

- "We lost the pilot, and one of our teammates was injured when we touched ground."

Chris approached John and gazed at him, like he was evaluating the rookie.

- "A new addition to the team. Name's Chris Redfield, glad to meet you." Chris extended his hand. John shook it and said:

- "I'm John Roland, D.S.O. The pleasure is all mine."

Chris suddenly had a slightly confused look on his face, but quickly snapped out of it. John continued:

- "I've heard about you, Captain."

- "Hah, I can't imagine what Leon told you about me."

John smiled, still holding Helena's shoulder. Chris then turned towards agent Harper and said:

- "I believe we've already met."

- "Yes, back in China."

- "Right. Now, on to the matter at had. It's true that we've suffered heavy losses, both army and B.S.A.A., but we've finally got the J'avo cornered. The leader and his best men are holed up in the Town Hall. The problem is, they've turned the building into a damn fort."

Chris took out a map and placed it on top of a ruined brick wall. John glanced at it – the map was full of black and red markings, depicting enemy positions, camps, bunkers and supply depots.

- "These three streets lead from the Square of Duke Ivan to the Town Hall. The enemy has set up machinegun nests here, here, and here.", continued Chris, pointing at the markings on the map. "These three nests, as you can see, are set on choke points. If we try to storm their positions, they'll mow us down in a matter of seconds. That's where you three come in."

Chris lifted his gaze and look at the trio. Leon was looking at the map, while Helena was checking John's wound.

- "You need us to sneak behind their lines and sabotage them?", said John while applying fresh bandages on his wound.

- "Yes. A small group will be able to get by them without attracting attention, and we weren't able to send any men to do that since we're to busy defending key points throughout the city. Now here's the catch: You three must split up and take out all three nests at the same time. That way, we'll have the element of surprise, and will be able to charge the town hall immediately." Chris then looked at John's leg, and continued:

- "That is, of course, if you…"

- "No, John's leg is hurt", Helena said, "He won't be ab –"

- "I can do it.", John interrupted her.

Leon smiled, and said in a low voice:

- "He may not look like much, Chris, but the kid's got guts. Give him a shot."

- "It's not that… I'll talk to you in camp.", Chris said in a serious manner. He sighed, then said:

- "OK then, that's settled. C'mon, lets go back to camp. You can rest there."

- "We will head out straight away!", John said.

- "John, I admire your courage, but…"

- "Listen, badass", Helena said, obviously annoyed, "you might feel the need to play Rambo, but I'm tired. Leon's exhausted, too, and your wound still hasn't closed up well. We have to rest, and you're coming with us to camp. Got it?"

John opened his mouth as if he wanted to reply, but changed his mind and just sighed.

- "Yes, OK. You're right."

Leon nodded in approval, and Chris smiled.

- "Allright everyone, move out!"

They were sitting in camp, waiting until it was almost dawn. The sabotage was to be done in late night, and the attack at dawn. Leon was cleaning his rifle and talking to Chris. Helena was munching down on some canned food. John was standing rubble a bit farther from camp, looking at the Town Hall. Suddenly, Chris and Leon started arguing about something.

- "He needs to stay back. What if he fails to do it?", said Chris.

- "The kid has the right to –"

They then looked around to see if anyone was listening in, then started whispering. John was looking at Leon's lips, trying to read them:

- "H.s g...a f.n. o.t s..n.. o. l..e."

John gave up. What ever Chris thought of him, he was gonna prove him wrong. He won't let a small wound stop him from sabotaging that machinegun and joining the attack. Not now, when, they've come so far. He then averted his gaze back to the Town Hall. 'He is in there. I don't know who he is, but tomorrow, I end his life for causing all of this. I can literally feel the bastard.'

His trail of thought was interrupted by Helena. She had brought him some canned food.

- "Eat. You'll need it.", she said.

- "Thanks. I appreciate it. What about you?"

- "I've already had some."

They stood on the rubble, looking into the distance. The night sky was occasionally lit up by distant explosions.

- "Why do you hate him so much?", Helena interrupted the silence.

- "Huh?"

- "You hold a grudge against the J'avo leader. Why?"

- "Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you hate the man who threw your country into chaos? Who destroyed everything you once held dear?"

- "I thought you hated this country."

- "Yes, but I loved it's people, it's culture… It's beautiful landscapes… And that bastard ruined it all."

John seemed furious, disgusted even, but his face was calm and his breathing steady. He was now standing up straight. The first aid spray did the job, and John gradually adapted to the pain. He no longer paid any attention to the wound, nor did it hinder him in any way.

- "I know how it feels to lose family to the B.O.W.", Helena said.

- "This is no longer a matter of personal vengeance. The J'avo are a threat to world-wide safety."

Helena knew it wasn't like that. Something sparked in John's eyes every time he said J'avo.

'He is putting a brave face on, but I know it must be tough for him', she thought. 'Being Edonian, he must've seen a few familiar faces, both dead and infected. He's holding it together rather well, considering everything.'

Now that she thought of it, she wasn't much older that him, only 24 years old, when she watched her sister fall into that endless abyss. She felt a lump in her throat, and even though she wanted to say something, she couldn't. Her eyes started tearing up, but she was determined to hide it. Not in front of him, the rookie. She was supposed to represent a strong and resolute person, a bulwark of national safety, a woman of duty and –

- "You're thinking about your sister, aren't you? I've heard what happened to her. I'm sorry for your loss.", said John, putting his hand on her shoulder.

- "How did you…"

- "Lucky guess."

He was looking into her glimmering eyes. After a few moments, she looked away, blushing a bit, although John couldn't see it because they were standing in darkness.

- "I can't let my feelings hinder me in – "

- "We're all human, Helena.", said John. She looked back at him. "It's OK to have feelings. Let it out, you know?"

He had a reassuring smile on his face. She smiled back.

- "Hey, we're moving out in a couple of minutes. Get ready." It was Leon, and he was already geared up. Helena checked her ammo, and John put his clear-glass ballistic glasses on. Miraculously, they survived the fall and the RPG blast.

The soldiers gathered up around the map. Leon took out his PDA and tried calling HQ once more, in hopes they could establish communications.

- "Leon! Guys! Thank God, we thought we lost you! What happened?", Hunnigan shouted. Her face on Leon's PDA was terrified and relieved at the same time.

- "Our plane was shot down. We lost the pilot, and John was injured, but other than that, we're alright. We landed 30 km off-course, though, so it was a long trip to the rendezvous point. I tried contacting you but we lost communications with you."

- "Yeah, we lost the frequency of your personal channels. We searched all day for your signals."

- "We met up with Captain Redfield, and have devised a battle-plan. We have the J'avo leader surrounded in the Town Hall."

- "Sounds like you've got it all figured out. Good luck people, I'll inform the President about your situation."

- "Thanks. We'll keep you posted." Leon hung up.

Chris looked at the three of them and then said:

- "As soon as you give us the 'all-clear' we will move in and assault the Hall. Alright? See you in the attack."

The team nodded, then started climbing though the ruined buildings. Some of the Edonian government soldiers shouted:

- "Srećno brate!"

(Good luck, brother!)

- „Hvala. Vidimo se ispred skupštine!"

(Thanks. I'll see you at the Town Hall!)

Chris then added from afar:

- "Be careful! Most citizens were evacuated, but those that weren't were mostly infected with the C-Virus! Watch your backs!"