Joey, Claire and Steve barged out of the building and stood on top of the stairs watching to see if enemies were near. Steve took the lead.

"The airport is this way to the right! Let's go!" Steve walked down the stairs but jumped back up from almost getting hit. Suddenly, a tall, rocky-like Tyrant made its presence felt, terrifying the three survivors stiff. The creature was very similar to the T-103 from Raccoon City. Only Joey caught the resemblance.

"Well, aren't you a familiar face!" It didn't take Claire long to catch on to the resemblance.

"Oh my god! Joey, is that…?" Claire wondered if that was the same beast that haunted them in Raccoon. Joey shut that thought down.

"No, it's not. We killed that one. This is much more pissed off….and naked." The tyrant grew agitated and continued the attack on the trio. Joey, Claire and Steve all aimed for the head of the beast with hopes of stopping it. They were able to stagger it as it dropped to one knee.

"RUN!" Claire screamed and made her way with the guys to get to the airport. As they almost made it to the gate, the tyrant jumped high and landed in their way. It was not going to give up that easy.

"Damn, he ain't letting us go without a fight." Joey said.

"Well that's exactly what we're gonna give him." Claire said as she continued firing at the creature's head. The group was on their last round but the one from Joey's magnum was enough to finally put down the creature. It struggled for balance but finally fell flat on its face.

"I don't like this. That was too easy!" Joey said with relief but also wonder. Claire agreed with him.

"Yeah. Let's not keep our guard down. We have to go now!" The trio proceeded through the gate and into a submarine that would take them down into an underground airport. They made it into a large area with large doors and control panels laid. The large plane stood right in front of them and ready for take off.

"This is our chance to escape! Let's go!" Steve ran down to enter the plane but Joey and Claire stood still with bad wonders.

"Claire, I don't like this."

"I know. Something is wrong here." They had a mutual feeling of uncertainty. Why would Alfred have this here for them to escape? There was a catch as there always is one.

"Hey! There's no time to daydream! Let's go!" Steve managed to get Joey and Claire's attention and they finally joined Steve in the plane. The inside of the plane was rather smaller than it appeared from outside but it didn't change it was the trio's way out. Steve had some knowledge of how to work a plane so he was able to get it started and moving. "Ok, here goes nothing." Steve got good enough space to take off. He raised the lever and slowly, the plane elevated and took off into the air while the island behind them blew up into smithereens .

"Holy shit! We made it! Joey jumped for joy as he celebrated along with Steve and Claire. "Freedom is an amazing feeling!" Joey continued to celebrate as Steve and Claire were laughing up at Joey's silliness but no doubt they were happy as well to be out. Steve was too distracted that he almost lost control of the plane. The plane turned a bit and caused Joey and Claire to lose their balance. Steve regained control of the plane and Joey was on the floor back first when he caught Claire from falling. That feeling that occurred in the castle had returned to Claire, but this time Joey felt it too. It was no secret to either now that they felt something for each other, a true connection as they stared into each other's eyes. Joey cares about Claire and Claire cares about Joey. It was only a matter of time before they reveal their true feelings to each other. Claire got up and sat next to Joey.

"You know, I'm really wondering if you get tired of saving me all the time." Joey laughed as he sat up next to Claire.

"Not really. It's kinda fun really."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well I get to spit in the face of evil. Mostly I get to help and protect you and be by your side. Kind of a win/win situation for me." Claire laughed at Joey's cute response and knew he meant every word. After the laugh died down, Joey thought it was the perfect time to talk normally. "So I never got to ask this but I've been very curious. What is Chris like?" The subject brought Claire's smile a down little but she knew Joey meant well and wanted to know more about him.

"Chris is what you would expect out of an older brother. Protective, stern, a bit of an hard ass. But I honestly am glad to have him as my brother. Me and him get along so well. I know he'd do anything for me." Joey was touched to hear the story of Chris. He seemed like the all around hero type and idol figure.

"He sounds like a great guy. Hell, he's related to you so I'm sure he's also awesome." Claire cracked up laughing with Joey joining her. They were obviously having a nice time acting normally away from danger. This moment showed that these two would quickly hit it off if they had met under normal circumstances...or would they? After the laughing died down, they returned to smiling and staring at each other. Both youngins lost their smile and turned to wonder as something weird was happening. Their faces were very slowly moving towards each other. Their eyes slowly closed and their lips were almost close to contact. But before they made contact, the plane rattled and knocked the two lovebirds off balance with Steve struggling for control of the plane. A red siren went off in the plane. Something was seriously wrong. Joey helped Claire up and sat next Steve. "What was that all about?" Joey asked.

"I don't know. What the...it says the cargo hatch is open." Claire stepped up and volunteered to check it out.

"I'll go back and check it out."

"Thanks. I'll unlock the cargo door for you." Steve flipped the switch and the door behind them unlocked.

"I'll go with you." Joey said to Claire as he got up.

"Oh no, it's fine. I got this."

"You sure?" Claire saw Joey had a bit of a concerned look on his face but she nodded with a smile to reassure Joey she got this. "OK, be careful." Joey said as Claire opened the cargo door to check out the source of the disturbance.

There was no clear sign of whatever was causing the disturbance. Claire observed the cargo hold thoroughly and finally noticed the source of the disturbance and it was in the form of the tyrant that attacked the group earlier. It was no surprise to Claire as she figured he went down too easy."

I knew you were playing dead! Time to make sure you stay down!" Claire loaded up her pistol and aimed high at the creature, and fired, perhaps as one would expect, but a massive beast such as this one maintained it's advance, swinging it's enormous fists. Claire managed to dodge by the skin of her teeth and knew guns were not gonna do much for this creature. She looked around and noticed a catapult system on the plane and noticed the launch panel. She dashed for it and pressed the red button to launch a group of metal boxes toward the tyrant and smacked it toward the open cargo door. The creature came close to getting knocked off but was still strong enough to hold its own and knock the box back into place, rattling the plane.

Joey and Steve were taken by surprise and wondering what the fuss was about.

"What the hell was that?" Joey said as he got up, locked and loaded. "I'm going back there." Steve stopped Joey before he went trigger happy.

"Don't worry about it. It's probably nothing."

"How are you so sure? If the plane rattled, it's probably something big." Joey arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "You're new to the whole Umbrella resistance thing aren't you?" Steve grit his teeth,

"Look man, there is no need to talk down to me…" Steve said defensively. Joey was disgusted by Steve's ignorance.

"Look Steve, you don't know what me and Claire have been through, ok? If you seen the shit we've seen and known the crap we know, you would understand why I feel how I feel. Since you do not know what I went through with Claire, don't you dare tell me what I need to and don't need to worry about, alright?!" Joey was doing more than talking down at Steve. Steve was clearly angry but he knew damn well Joey had great points. He does not know what they went through in the past. He just should've kept his mouth shut. Joey sat down to relax after telling off Steve. but he still couldn't help think about Claire. He did trust her to take care of stuff but still prayed she was all right.

Back in the cargo hold, Claire was not doing so well. She had gotten thrown across wall to wall while waiting for the catapult to recharge. She had coughed up blood already and was in a very weakened state but so was the Tyrant. It was bleeding profusely in the chest from Claire's shots. Claire was crawling on the floor struggling to get up. She looked away from the floor due to the sound she had been waiting for. The sound signifying that the catapult was ready to fire. Claire immediately got up with all of her leftover strength and limped toward the panel. The Tyrant noticed Claire and tried to get up to stop her. Claire made it to the panel and looked back at the Tyrant.

"You lose, big guy." Claire pressed the button and the catapult launched again. The Tyrant got smacked down and finally went out of the plane, followed by a huge explosion. The boxes must've been filled with explosives. Claire was relieved and made it back into the cockpit where Joey and Steve awaited. Claire leaned on the door relieved to be alive after that fight. Her attention was drawn to Joey's sudden outburst.

"Ok, I can't take this. I gotta see if Claire's ok. You sit down and shut up." Joey cocked his and headed toward the cargo, but had no reason to now as Claire was already back. "Oh...hey. You're back." Joey was taken by surprise with Claire smiling at Joey.

"Aww, was somebody worried about me?" Claire had that teasing tone as she was messing with Joey, but he played along.

"No not at...yeah, I was actually. You ok?"

"Yeah, just had to deal with a giant cockroach that had to be stepped on." Joey smirked at Claire's smartass reply but he was convinced everything was cool until he noticed Claire's limping.

"Alright, sit down here, now." Claire's face cringed when Joey noticed the limp. She should've expected he would figure out that something was up. The young Redfield obeyed and sat down on the floor while Joey sat next to her and examined her. "Limping, holding your arm that is cut, coughed up blood?! Claire, what happened back there? That had to be some cockroach to do this damage." Joey had it figured out. There was no point in hiding so she came clean.

"Ok, brother of a cop. The Tyrant from before got in and gave me a number. But I killed him." Joey was a little taken back. He knew she was capable of killing the creature but should've done the right thing by calling for help.

"I knew that thing was playing dirty! Claire, while I know you're capable of dealing with those big bastards, you should've called me for help."

"I had it all under control. I didn't want to worry you!" Claire said.

"Well no offense but you didn't do a good job. You took so long, I began to worry and now you're hurt!" Joey was explaining the feeling of worry he had while he patched up Claire. Claire shook Joey off and said something that truly shocked him.

"I understand where you're coming from , Joey. I do but believe me it was better me receiving the damage." Joey was surprised to hear Claire say she'd rather be hurt than him. Curious, he asked.

"Wha….why?"

"I….I couldn't imagine seeing that happen to you if you were there. I care about you, Joey. I do a lot." Claire went from serious to saddened and tearful real quick. "I don't want to lose you." Claire was now in tears as she admitted to caring about Joey. The thought of losing him would truly tear Claire apart and from what Joey was seeing, Claire doesn't want that to happen. The feelings were quite mutual but Joey didn't know how to say it back right away. All Joey could do was bring Claire in close and comfort her.

Steve watched the spectacle with an indiscernible expression, and then turned away as he was jerked sideways by the handles. He had lost control of the plane and a new alert sound was being made. Joey and Claire popped up and returned to Steve's side.

"What happened now?" Joey asked.

"I don't know. The plane just changed direction on it's own." Steve observed a yellow blinking light. "It's flying on autopilot mode! I can't set it back to manual control!" A monitor above Steve suddenly turned on and focused in on none other than Alfred Ashford, who still had makeup on and a feminine voice.

"My apologies. But I cannot let you escape now. Muhahaha!"

"Alfred! You cross-dressing freak!" With that insult from Claire, the monitor turned off and Alfred disappeared. They gang didn't know what to do. They had no control over the plane and where they are heading is a had no choice but to wait and see what was next. To kill time, it seemed like a great idea to finally rest after the hell they have been through, especially Claire after the fight with the Tyrant. Steve chose to stay sitting at the pilot seat to prepare for any surprises. Joey decided to sit on the ground behind the seats and rest against the plane wall. Claire decided to join Joey and rest her head on his shoulder. Joey of course had no problem with it and decided to rest his head on hers. While they laid comfortably next to each other, they still had to prepare of what Ashford had in his box of tricks. What would come next is a mystery. Only time will tell.

Meanwhile back in the U.S, Leon used the information Umbrella had on Chris to find him. He was thoroughly searching through files and information to get to Chris in time so he can be sure Joey and Claire can make it back in one piece. Leon's eyes lit up and finally came across a track on Chris. He looked to be located in an isolated cabin in Europe. Leon was able to contact Chris via a private live chat. Leon typed first and hoped Chris would respond.

"Is this Chris Redfield? This is Leon Kennedy. I have an urgent message from Claire." Leon waited for Chris to reply. He had hoped he'd be willing to listen and think it was an Umbrella employee using Claire to get to Chris. To Leon's small surprise, Chris replied.

"Ahh the rookie. How do you know Claire? What's wrong?"

"Thank god you answered. I met Claire when Raccoon City went to hell. She emailed me a couple hours ago telling me Umbrella is monitoring you."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Claire has been looking for you. She went to the Umbrella HQ in Europe and got captured and sent to Rockfort Island. She's there now and an outbreak occurred. She's surrounded by Zombies and needs you, Chris." Leon forwarded Claire's email to Chris to read it.

"Ah hell. I should've figured she'd go looking for me. Thank you for the help, Leon. I'll head out there now." Leon was relieved to tell Chris about Claire, but there was another concern still.

"Wait, Chris. I need you to also look out for my little brother, Joey. He was with us in Raccoon but went after Claire after I told him about her email. I'll send you a picture." Leon remembered he had a picture of Joey in his PC in case of emergencies like this. He sent Chris the picture so he can identify Joey. Chris replied.

"Got it. I'll keep a look out for him. Thanks again, Leon." With that, Chris disconnected from the chat and went to go save his sister and Joey. Leon was happy he was able to contact Chris and tell him about their siblings. While he was happy, he still could not help but wonder how Joey and Claire were doing themselves. He did figure with Joey there, Claire would be in good hands.

Back on the plane hovering over the cloud covered skies, Steve, Joey and Claire were as they were before. Steve was sleeping in the pilot's chair and Joey and Claire were sleeping with their heads together. Steve was the first to wake up and check on the situation. He examined the altitude meter and was surprised with what he discovered.

"Latitude: 82.17 degrees?" Steve's wondering woke up Joey and Claire, bringing them to be curious as well. "Holy shit! We're over the antarctic!" Steve's realization shocked both Joey and Claire, causing them to speak at the same time.

"What?!" Claire sat in the chair next to Steve with Joey behind them while the three observed their surroundings. Claire noticed something interesting on her side.

"Those are the planes that left the island right before us!"

"Then that must mean….this place belongs to Umbrella!" Steve's great guess brought disgust to Joey. Another place that belongs to Umbrella is the last thing they need right now. As the skies cleared up, the group realized the plane was already almost on the ground heading toward an observation tower. Joey was the quickest to react. "Oh shit! Brace yourselves!" There were no seat belts so Claire and Steve had to get up to take cover. Before they could make a move, the plane had already hit the ground and crashed toward the tower, sending the survivors off balance and on the ground. They laid unconscious temporarily but they were lucky the plane didn't drag on any further as they almost hovered over a deep hole within the tower. After a few minutes, Claire was the first of the three to awake. Joey was the first person she noticed and crawled by his side.

"Hey, wake up Joey." In Joey's mind, he was imagining he was sleeping on a big bed in his house. Hearing Claire's angelic voice was soothing to Joey and probably to him was the best thing to wake up to. As Joey awoke, he unfortunately returned to the dark reality of waking up in the trashed plane. At least Claire was there by his side.

"Ugh..my head is ringing!" Joey got up on his knees holding his head. "Claire?...what happened?"

"We crashed into the tower and got knocked out."

"Oh man...at least we're alive. Go check on Steve, can you? I'll get the door open here." Claire went to check on Steve while Joey opened the door and kicked down the steps which fell off into the pit of darkness. Joey jumped down to examine the area. It was cold, quiet but clear. Claire emerged at the doorway and looked nervous about the jump. "Don't worry, I'll catch you." Joey reassured. Claire carefully jumped down and landed but lost balance and fell into Joey's arms, sending him down too. They were in the same situation as on the plane with Joey catching Claire with him on the ground and her on top. That comfortable close feeling they shared had returned. Claire got up and held her hand out to Joey.

"Nice catch, Stud. Thanks." Joey grabbed Claire's hand and got pulled to his feet by Claire. Steve stood standing tight lipped as he observed another touching moment between the two lovebirds.

"Any year now kiddo!" Joey got Steve's attention with that. He finally jumped down and joined the group. Claire and Steve observed the area while Joey check out the plane. "Well, this plane ain't going anywhere. This place is pretty much a big ass freezer and we have to get out or else we'll freeze to death. Now, as much as I personally hate the idea; we'll have to split up and find a way out of here." Claire and Steve agreed to the plan and headed off on their own. It was now once again a race against time to escape.

While agreeing to head off on their own, Claire waited till Steve was gone to follow Joey. The strong connection they had formed helped Claire feel she would rather be by Joey's side. As she had Joey in her sights, she skipped up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I hope you don't mind I tag along." Joey was again surprised and also not surprised. Looking down at the beautiful redhead, how could he say no?

"No, not at all. Let's go." Joey and Claire walked off together down a pair of stairs into a dark and not so quiet hallway. As they stepped forward more, a sudden disgusting sound can be heard haunting the halls. "Ugh, what the hell is that noise?" As they turned the corner, Joey regretted asking and witnessed a horrific sight. One that would cause Claire to almost throw up. The horrific sight was of a hall full of bodies and eggs encased in cocoons.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Claire said as she retreated and acted like she really was going to puke. Joey had his gun up and backed up from the hall.

"Claire, as much as I don't blame you for being sick, we got a big problem here." Claire looked down the hall and understood what Joey meant. There were a pack of giant moths flying their way.

"Oh my god!" Claire and Joey backed up and fired their pistols at the pack with hope to kill them all. Bullets were flying and blood was splattered, but the two managed to be rid of the oversized moths unharmed.

"That was bad." Joey said. Claire agreed.

"Yeah, let's keep going." Joey and Claire kept moving down the dark cold halls of the facility and to their surprise, came across a normal looking office. It was odd that there was such a room in this place, but it seemed like the perfect time for a quick rest.

"I don't trust this room. But it's a nice break from out there." Claire agreed with Joey's suspicion of the room but it was indeed better than being in the halls with the moths and wrapped up bodies. Joey decided to investigate the bookshelf while Claire attended to a computer she noticed on the desk in front of her. She turned it on to see if there were files to aid them in their escape. While she had no luck, Joey did. Not with the books, but of his sightings. Joey turned around to face Claire who was on the computer bent over, he could not help but notice her rather "intriguing" figure. Joey could not help himself but be almost in a hypnotized state while admiring her shapely figure. This did not go unnoticed by Claire, who caught Joey starring in the reflection of the monitor, when she turned around, he quickly turned towards the bookshelf, feigning an acute interest in a book he had randomly pulled off the shelf. Claire chuckled.

"Men, the more things change, the more they stay the same." Joey arched an eyebrow.

"And what exactly do you mean by that, Miss Redfield? Last time I checked, it was not a crime to admire the "gems" in society." Claire laughed out loud at this.

"Well, that's one way to put it, Mr. Kennedy, I remember Leon dignifying himself the same way once before you and I become an "item", so to speak." Joey chuckled.

"That's my older brother for you, maybe he was just trying to take his mind off things that night." Claire turned her head,

"Meaning?"

"Part of the reason he was nearly late for his job was because he had recently broken up with girlfriend, and got completely and utterly hammered to numb the pain." Claire sighed.

"So that's what the deal was, well, I'm glad he's got Jill by his side."

Before Joey could agree, his attention was diverted to an abnormal voice coming from behind the bookcase.

"What the hell was that?" Joey checked out the bookcase and noticed a button on the top of the shelf. He pushed it and in result, the bookcase slid back and revealed a secret passageway. As Joey peeked his head out, the monstrous sound got louder and nearer. He retreated and looked at Claire. "There's something in there alright. Doesn't sound friendly like everything else here."

"What do you think we should do?" Claire asked. Joey had two ideas in mind. One being to leave it be while the other is to check it out. Joey choose the idea he liked the least.

"Maybe...we should go check it out." Claire was surely surprised by the decision.

"What?!"

"Just to see what we're up against, you know?" Claire was hesitant at first but thought it was best to know what they are up against.

"OK, you're right."

"Alright, let's go. You got nothing to worry about. I'll be right here by your side." Joey's assurance brought a smile to Claire's face.

"Yeah, my guardian angel, right?"

"Right!" Joey and Claire followed the hall into an empty small room.

"There's nothing here?" Claire wondered.

"Uhh...not exactly." Claire saw Joey looking down to the ground which was actually a steel mesh floor. They could see into the room below them which was the home to a humanoid like B.O.W.

"Oh my…!" Claire could not believe what she saw, neither could Joey.

"It looks like it's tied up. He won't be a problem. Let's go." The sight of the creature was enough to send shivers down your spine. No doubt the two survivors had seen enough and wanted to move on. Joey and Claire returned the room with Joey pushing the bookcase back into it's original place. "Better safe than sorry."

"Hey Joey, look at this!" Claire had found a picture on the desk they must've missed before. It showed one man and two children. There was a name on the plaque. "Alexander Ashford...that must be Alfred and Alexia's father"

"Uhh...Claire? I just had a weird thought. You don't think that thing is their dad, do you?" Claire held her stomach in disgust of the thought. Would they really be that low to experiment on their own father?

"I don't even want to think about that." Joey agreed and refrained from continuing on the topic.

"Right, sorry. Let's get going." Joey and Claire exited the office back into the rotten, moth-infested hallway where more moths came out to attack. They failed as Joey and Claire dropped them with ease. They continued their way into a room where a conveyor belt machine laid in the middle of it. There was a balcony above them which for some reason brought Joey back to the police station in Raccoon. Only more cold, dark and probably more dangerous. As the two made it around the machine and near a pair of steps leading to a door, a sound of boxes dropping can be heard loud and clear and close by.

"Now what?" Claire said furiously. From a far, a zombie is seen walking from a corner aimlessly.

"Huh, one zombie?" Joey said with wonder. But the real surprise came when the zombie was suddenly decapitated by a hopping creature. It came face to face with Joey and Claire with it's razor sharp claws and intimidating heavy breathing. As it creeped up toward the two survivors, it could be seen better as a Hunter with reddish skin.

"Oh god...not them again!" Claire and Joey immediately recognized the hunter as the creature they fought in Raccoon City. Claire was not too comfortable being in the same room as the creature that almost killed her in the diner. "You're not getting me this time!" As Claire said this, she fired many rounds into the creature. She was able to weaken the creature to the point where it was on the floor in a pool of its own blood squirming around. Joey walked up and put the creature out of its misery and focused on Claire.

"You alright?" Claire took a deep breath and nodded her head. The two proceeded up the small stairs and through the door which led outside.

"Oh god, it's so cold out here." Claire said. It was a weird area to be in. There was a metal balcony above them but there was also a hole in front of them. Where it went was a mystery not meant to be discovered. Joey and Claire got startled when the doors to their left opened. They had their guns aimed high but once again, the poor soul was yet again Steve.

"Son of a bitch, really? Every damn time…"The young man shook his head.

"Christ, this kid is hopeless." Joey shook his head.

"I heard that dammit!" Steve snapped, which prompted Claire to chuckle. Joey smiled at this, if Claire was happy, that was all he needed. He went over to Steve,

"Take it easy, big guy. We'll toughen you up." The group moved forward, until they heard a familiar cackle. "Alfred!" Where he was in the wide room was a mystery, as he didn't seem to want to stay still.

"Come on out, you bastard!" Steve was getting really tired of this mess with Alfred.

"It will soon be time for the Queen's awakening…" The madman's voice echoed throughout the area as the massive construction implement sailed towards them.

"Holy shit!" Joey said as the group nearly dodged it.

"Queen's awakening?" What kind of garbage are you spouting now?" Claire demanded.

"How dare you! No matter, in any case, you're near the end of my maze, this is your final test."Steve went up the stairs, and saw Alfred's red jacket.

"There you are!" He fired a few quick shots, which he knew at least a few of em hit Alfred. "Guys, we ought to split up, it'll be easier!" Joey smiled.

"Now you're making sense."

"Claire to your left!" Steve shouted, the massive thing narrowly colliding with Claire. Alfred then poked his up over a fence,

"Got you!" Claire aimed her Browning High Power and fired. Alfred grit his teeth and reloaded his sniper rifle. He laughed, "I'll see the Queen very soon!"

Joey spoke up, "Claire! Shoot the crane!" Claire noticed the crane above Alfred. It looked like a perfect chance to end this once and for all. While it was clear, Claire got out of cover to get a better aim at the crane. Claire was about to fire, but all of sudden, her gun was shot out of her hand by Alfred. Claire was a sitting duck. She was out of cover and in serious danger.

"Now I've got you where I want you!" Alfred said as he slowly walked up a couple steps. He pulled out another sniper round and loaded it. "I've been saving this bullet just for you." Alfred took aim at Claire and was about to fire with an evil smirk on his face.

"NOOOOOO!" Joey jumped up out of cover and ran toward Claire. Alfred had pulled the trigger already and the bullet was speeding toward Claire but would not hit her. Joey had pushed Claire out of the way and faced Alfred.

"Gasp!" After Joey gasped, everything went silent. The gunshot still echoed in the area. The only sort of motion next was Joey clutching at his chest. His shirt is covered in blood and it was where the hole in his shirt was. Joey had been shot. Claire was still on the floor but looked back at what was going on. She saw Joey still clutching his chest but fell back into the wall, sliding down to the ground. She was overtaken with the feeling of numb disbelief and went over to Joey.

"D-don't you die on me!" She half shouted, Joey gripped her hand.

"Ahaha!" Alfred was laughing maniacally as he reloaded his rifle. "Not the result I wanted but one down, one to go." Alfred had his rifle aimed at Claire again but Alfred did not expect Joey to pop up with his last bit of strength and fill the crazed man in red with bullets of his own. The struggle caused both men to fall off the balcony. Joey landed on the ground while Alfred fell into the dark deep hole. That was the last of Alfred Ashford. Claire and Steve immediately ran down to be by Joey's side. Claire was next to Joey while Steve checked out the hole Alfred fell in. Joey faintly spoke as he wiped the tears off of Claire's face.

"Claire, it's gonna be ok. Steve...I have something to say to you, so listen. You better take good care of my Claire, or else I will torment you beyond the grave, even still, you remind me of my older brother, when he was younger." Joey focused on Claire again whose eyes were still filled with tears.

"J-Joey...please."

"I'm sorry Claire...I love you." With the last bit bit of his strength, Joey pulled Claire into a kiss, where Steve remained silent, eyes trained on the ground. As he looked back up, Joey's head was slanted over. He was dead and Claire was still holding his hand with her head to his and let out the tears of a broken heart.

Steve wanted to cry as well, but he had to hold it together, for Joey. "Y-you got it, man." Steve tried to put on a crooked smile, but ultimately failed, he placed a hand on Claire's shoulder. "We have to go." Steve said quietly. Claire knew Joey was going to live up to the promise he made on Rockfort, but this was something she was not ready for. Claire was still heartbroken but also anxious, how was she going to explain this to Leon? Claire slowly stood up.

"Goodbye Joey…..I love you." With Claire's last words to Joey, she left with Steve to escape. She was very uncomfortable leaving Joey like that, but escaping was something Claire was sure he wanted for her to do. Steve cleared his throat.

"You know, this was something my mother told me when I was younger, just because someone is no longer with you physically doesn't mean they are gone, we are the successors of the ones who lived in the past." Claire was able to grow a smile but for only a short time. Steve continued his speech. "Joey is still with us, Claire. With you of course. Right here." Steve pointed to an area on Claire's chest where her heart is. Claire put her hand to her still broken heart but Steve had a great point.

"T-thank you Steve...You're right about what you said. I know Joey will always be with me but..." Claire returned to her state of tearful sadness, preventing her from continuing to speak. Steve placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Let's just try to focus on getting out here. Ok?" Claire wiped her tears and looked at Steve. She nodded in agreement and somewhat was able regain herself. The duo moved forward, and came out to a catwalk, amidst a blizzard, it didn't take long for Claire and Steve to start shivering.

"Man, it's cold! We can't waste time out here." Steve was quick to point out. Things were about to go from bad to worse in light of the current situation, a monstrous howling reached the duo's ears as they made it to the bottom of the ladder, surrounding by knee high snow banks…"Alexander." Claire muttered. Steve turned to her. "Who?" Claire cleared her throat while remaining on the move so as to avoid being struck down by the beast. "Alexia and Alfred Ashford used their father as an experiment for the T-Veronica Virus, to see if he could coexist with it, as we can see now, that did not quite go according to plan, and so he was sealed here. I'm still not quite sure of all the things he can do, so it's best we remain cautious while we fight him." Steve nodded in the affirmative, despite having little to no use of his arms and legs, the man once known as Alexander Ashford was surprisingly swift, thankfully, Claire had a rather trained eye due to her time in Raccoon City, and Chris' training prior to that, Steve however, had to work a bit harder, especially with the intermittent white outs resultant of the strong winds. The monster didn't want to seem to stay and subsequently, this made it rather hard for the two to draw a bead upon the creature. The creature seemed to be an easy target but then surprised the hell out of Steve and Claire by growing long tentacles out of his back and was able to attack with them.

"Whoa there, Doctor Octopus! I don't roll that way, so calm down!" Steve quipped. Claire snickered at Steve's remark but returned focus on the creature. Claire noticed the exposed heart of Alexander.

"Steve! Look at his chest! That's his weak spot!"

"You sure?" Steve asked.

"Not much of a choice. Just shoot!" Claire and Steve loaded round after round into the chest of Alexander. Some made it directly while some did not.

"Shit! I'm out!" Steve shouted. Claire checked her gun and pockets for ammo.

"Me too! Now what!" The monster had already leaned over in a weakened state but was still a threat to the young survivors. Claire remembered the knife Chris had given her long ago. She pulled it out and had a terrible idea. One that she had no choice but to do. Claire flipped the knife around and ran toward the weakened Alexander.

"Claire, what are you doing?!" Steve shouted. Claire got close and kicked the creature down to the ground and stood over it.

"I've got you now!" Claire raised her knife and thrusted the knife into the heart of the monster. Alexander let out a deafening roar that rattled Claire but she still stood tall. The monster now laid motionless in a puddle of his own blood. Alexander Ashford was no more. Claire backed away with her bloody knife and looked at Steve. "I think he's dead." Steve nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it's ok now. But that was dangerous getting close to him like that. He could've hurt you." Claire looked down away from Steve. She knew he was right and she should've known better. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just really want to get out of this place and be done with all the zombies and monsters." Claire and Steve made their way out through the blizzard but Steve couldn't help but feel sorry for Claire. It was odd for her to just jump into danger like that, but it was obvious she was still in pain from losing Joey. Steve could not blame her at all. She had lost her loved one and was still lost in result. He had to keep up on his promise to Joey that he'll get her out of this place alive and well.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the antarctic base, Alfred was limping into the same office Claire and Joey was in and sat down in a chair.

"Forgive me, Alexia. I thought I could finish them alone. That cursed boy...even though he is dead, he still thwarted our plans." Alfred was bleeding a lot from the shots Joey filled him up with, but somehow he still was talking trash. But not for too long. Alfred picked up a snow globe with a dragonfly symbol on the case. "Awaken from your slumber and bring forth the great Veronica!" Alfred pressed the symbol on the snow globe which was actually a button that activated the decorative toy. Alfred slumped over and dropped the globe on the floor. He had finally died. One evil was gone but another would appear right away. There was a dark room below the office Alfred was in with many tubes on the floor coming from one large capsule flooded with water and contained a woman inside. A monitor on the capsule lit up with the words "Code Veronica Activated" on it. The whole room suddenly lit up with machines turning on one after the other. The woman was more visible now and the woman was a mysteriously still young looking Alexia Ashford. She opened her eye wide open and no doubt was ready to continue what her now deceased brother failed to do.

Back outside, Claire and Steve found a snowmobile in an open field and ran up to on opposite sides to get in.

"Our lucky day. The keys are in it!" Steve pointed out. Before Claire could open the door, she noticed movement behind Steve and was terrified with what she saw. Steve noticed Claire's concerned look and turned around. But before he fully could, he got snatched away by large green tentacles with spikes.

"Steve!" Claire was scared stiff until she noticed in the window's reflection that there were now tentacles behind her. She turned around to face them but could not do anything about it. Steve was gone, Joey was dead, Claire was truly helpless. One of tentacles attacked Claire and knocked her out. She laid unconscious in the snow then was dragged away by one of the tentacles. Where Steve and Claire were being taken was a mystery. A mystery that will indeed be unraveled soon with a truly grisly discovery.