Hey!
So I have had this chapter done for some time, just never got around to posting it. I apologize for any OOCness from any of the characters.
Chapter 5 is also done, but I will post that some other time (AKA tomorrow or Monday)
Special thanks to my kick-ass editor, Esmeraude11, as well as my excellent reviewer kyrogue23! Here, kyrogue, have some more Chris! hahaha
Don't forget to review!
XxX
Chris stood behind Nemesis for a moment and then said, "Well, you going to take her, then?"
Nemesis growled and Chris turned his back to the creature. The next time anyone looked, Nemesis and Sherri had vanished. Soon, they were ready to move out, deciding to go to Atlanta to see if the CDC had answers about what was going on. Chris appeared doubtful but he had agreed to accompany them. They reached the highway and drove for sometime before the whole convoy suddenly stopped. Rick jumped out, followed by Daryl, T-Dog, and Chris.
Two figures were on the road, one on its knees and apparently handcuffed, head humbly bowed. The other wore a uniform similar to Chris' and had a gun leveled at the figure on its knees.
"Piers?" Chris asked, walking forward slowly.
"Sir! I found him running from a zombie, and I saved him but then I noticed his Soviet tattoo and decided to detain him. He had the cuffs on already, so I left them." Piers said dutifully and Chris nodded.
He stood in front of the man and examined him. The man was younger than Chris by a decade at least, probably around Piers' age. He wore military style pants but his slender torso was bare, revealing bruises of varying sizes and colors adorning his pale chest and back. The man looked up and Chris saw a bruise along his jaw and a cut above his eye. His nose looked like it had been broken and his lip was busted. There was a gash on his scalp, staining his fair hair red with blood. His blue eyes looked slightly hazed and Chris smirked. The wound on his temple was fresh, or at least more recent than the others. Piers had hit him.
"Good call…" Chris growled hauling the guy to his feet. He smiled at Chris pleasantly.
"What happened?" Rick asked the man. The man shook his head and said something in Russian.
"He doesn't understand?" Rick asked nobody in particular and Piers shook his head.
"He doesn't speak English." The young man offered.
"We can't just leave him," Dale said from the RV, rifle at the ready.
Rick nodded and said, "We'll bring you, just…don't cause any trouble. Keep the cuffs on him." Shane nodded and took the Russian from Chris.
Piers leaned forward and whispered to Chris, "He's lying."
"I know; he does that often. Keep an eye on him." Chris ordered Piers, who nodded. Chris turned to Rick and the others. "This is my partner, Piers Nivans."
Everyone introduced themselves and Piers followed Chris to the RV.
XxX
Months earlier…
The room was dark, illuminated only by the glow of three computer monitors positioned around a single person in an arc. There was a light clacking as the figures hands danced across the keyboard, his eyes flickering back and forth between the monitors. Goggles sat upon his forehead, pushing his ink colored hair up and away from emerald eyes. His pale skin glowed faintly in the fluorescent light of the monitors. Behind him, a door opened and then the light was flicked on.
"Son of a bitch!" The man squeaked and pulled his goggles down with a grimace as real light flooded the room. Or at least brighter light then his monitors'.
"Jesus, Adrien, what the hell are you doing?" A tall man asked, ducking his head in order to enter the small room without hitting it on the ceiling.
"Morning to you, too, Damian," The smaller man grumbled, adjusting his goggles.
The two men were as opposite as light was to day. Adrien was of average height and had a slim, almost feminine build. His hair style was rather unique, being short on the sides and spiked on top with a long ponytail nestled against the nape of his neck. Another strange detail about the man was his hands. They were clean and well manicured. If one was lucky enough to touch them while his gloves were off, they would find them to be quite soft.
The other man stood at 6'9" without his boots on, the boots adding an extra 2 inches to his height. His red hair was speckled with grey and had grown out only a little from the standard military buzz cut. He had blue eyes that seemed to be able to look into your soul and make you want to throw yourself to the ground and confess all your sins. This man was the epitome of the jarhead marine. He wore a large trench coat and his left arm hung limply at his side, some sort of metal pauldron adorning his left shoulder. He was big and burly and certainly not a person you'd want to mess with.
"How the hell do you stand the darkness?" Damian asked and set a plate down next to the smaller man.
"I like the darkness. 'm not hungry." The younger man said, stretching. Finally he raised his goggles and blinked. Damian removed the foil and the smell of barbecue wafted through the room. Adrien stared at the plate ravenously and then descended upon the chicken like the wrath of God. Damian chuckled and sat down, setting a bottle of water next to the computer tech.
"When'd ya eat last, kiddo?" Damian asked. His voice was tinged with a light Southern accent.
"Not a kid." Adrien said around a piece of chicken, "Don't call me one."
"You act like one. 32 years old and I still have to remind you to eat?" Damian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I ate…recently. I dunno. I'm not starving." Adrien grumbled, shoving a piece in his mouth.
"Really? Okay, whatever you say. So what's the status?" Damian pointed at the center monitor.
"Eh. Same. Got a few soldiers on the move. Some people made it to Emory. Not much. You got bit?" Adrien gestured to the bandages on the redhead's arm.
"Yeah. The anti-virus works well."
"Don't care about the anti-virus. We need to ensure that the infected avoid us. Our men need to feel safe when we're around. Dead Cell is a big enough threat; we don't need the deadheads trying to chew on our boys, too." Adrien grumbled and began typing. The big man watched the younger one and then stroked his ponytail. Adrien jerked his head to glare at Damian, flipping his ponytail over his shoulder at the same time.
"I can't believe you actually agreed to that bet…" Damian said with a soft laugh. He leaned forward and grabbed Adrien, pulling the smaller man into his lap. Adrien squeaked and gave a half-hearted struggle before sighing and settling against Damian.
"What can I say?" Adrien ran his fingers through his hair and then leaned against Damian, eyes closed. "There's no system I can't hack."
XxX
"The targets are moving in, we need that system up!" A woman screamed frantically, running through the hall.
"We're trying, ma'am! Something keeps shutting down our power, and our computers are blacking out!" A man explained.
"How many soldiers are left?" The captain demanded as everyone rushed into the conference area. Three soldiers slammed the door and blocked it.
"This is it, sir. The base has been overrun." The woman said grimly.
"Alright, Ivy, here's the deal. Listen up! We're gonna go out there and get four of those choppers. Ivy's the best pilot we got, we get her out there and she gets that bird in the air. We'll go north to Atlanta, to the CDC. We'll get answers there." The captain said. There were only about 40 of them left besides Ivy and himself. Ivy nodded and all the soldiers grabbed their guns and headed for a back door.
"There are the choppers, run!" The captain ordered and everyone marched forward. Ivy froze as she saw all the zombies shambling towards them. From the side, about 20 more soldiers ran over, shooting the zombies.
"Run! Get to the chopper! Move, move, move!" Someone shoved her forward, towards the helicopter.
"Spencer!" Ivy exclaimed and the man smiled at her. "I thought you were dead!"
"They couldn't catch me, now let's go!" Spencer urged her forward and Ivy nodded, running ahead.
Less then five feet from the chopper, she heard her captain grunt and she knew he had fallen. The following growls and screams confirmed it.
"Captain!" She shrieked and spun around as the man behind her was mauled by zombies.
"Go, Ivy!" The captain ordered. Spencer pulled her forward.
"You can't help him!" Spencer exclaimed and Ivy nodded numbly, climbing into the chopper. Everyone shot at the approaching zombies as Ivy pulled the helicopter up into the air. She frowned and then spoke into her radio. "Robins Air Force Base has fallen. Next destination, Atlanta. We've been informed that it is a safe zone. We shall see..." Ivy spoke, but to whom she did not know. No reply came and she flew in silence, staring ahead. Her best friend, Spencer Giles, sat beside her in the co-pilot's seat.
"Thanks for your help, Spencer." Ivy said softly and smiled at the redhead next to her.
"You did well. These people are grateful."
Ivy sighed and then nodded and focused on flying.
XxX
It was roughly 100 miles from Robins Air Force base to Atlanta. There were five helicopters total. They flew in a diamond formation with one chopper trailing behind them. Ivy was on one side. Everything was silent, and down on the roads there seemed to be absolutely no life left.
They had just entered Atlanta when it happened. A creature jumped from a building and landed in Ivy's chopper. It had scaled the roof too quickly to shoot down, and bullets didn't seem to slow it down anyway. The chopper spun and tilted and soldiers screamed as the beast tore them apart. Bullets ripped apart the interior of the helicopter. Ivy was sprayed with blood as the monster ravaged her comrades, trying to keep the chopper in control so she didn't take out the others. It was in vain, because the chopper behind her, in a bid to avoid the carnage, swerved, its back propeller slamming into a building. The chopper fell from the sky in a hunk of burning metal and flesh. Spencer cried out as the creature bit his arm and pulled him away from Ivy. Ivy turned slightly, reaching for him. As he was ripped away from, the creature looked up and snarled at her. Just then, the rotors grazed the side of the building with a horrendous metallic screech.
Ivy screamed as the chopper careened into the building and exploded, the inferno of twisted metal and flesh raining down onto an empty street.
XxX
"Hello, Miss."
It was a few weeks before hell had broken loose, and Ivy was sitting with Spencer and some other soldiers, playing Silent Hill. They were on break from their duties since everything had been done for the day.
Ivy sat on the ground, between Spencer's legs. She had her head on Spencer's thigh and was smiling, Spencer running his fingers through her hair as the soldier that was currently playing was running from some big guy with a cheese grater on his head and a gigantic butcher's knife.
Ivy glanced up when the visitor spoke and she waved to the man.
He had black hair that was strangely styled; it looked like a normal, short hair cut, but a ponytail rested on the nape of his neck and slid down to his lower back. He had goggles on his forehead. He wore grey cargo pants, a grey long-sleeve shirt and a black vest with an emblem that Ivy did not recognize on his left breast. His boots were something that caught Ivy's attention. Knee-length, they tied all the way up front, and zipped on the side. They were black, appeared to be suede, and had what looked like fur on the interior, visible at the top of the boot, along the laces, and near the zipper.
"May I speak with you, Miss Ivy?"
Ivy looked puzzled but nodded and stood up. The strange man held out his hand and she took it. He gave her an extravagant bow and kissed her hand, receiving a glare from Spencer that only made the man smirk. Ivy missed Spencer's reaction, as her back was to him.
"I myself have always had a preference toward zombies. Walk with me?"
Ivy narrowed her eyes at him and the man chuckled. "Lieutenant General Adrien Belonè." He pulled an ID out and Ivy nodded and followed him.
XxX
Ivy slowly regained consciousness. She managed to crawl through the blaze and struggled to stand. A hunk of metal was in her side and her knee wouldn't support her weight. She forced herself to stand and grabbed a gun nearby. There was a loud screech and the creature pulled itself from the wreckage as well. It was a hulking beast, with huge claws and a long tongue. Its brain was exposed. Ivy emptied the gun into the creature and then ran as best she could, managing to limp towards a building. The door was locked so she was forced to go down an alley.
She slid to a halt as people entered the alley from the other side. No, not people. Zombies. She closed her eyes and turned. The creature was closer now, she realized with dismay.
She was surrounded and bleeding badly. She could feel the darkness tugging her down into its welcoming depths and she allowed it. With a thump, Ivy hit the ground.
XxX
"What can I do for you, sir?"
"I have something for you to think about, with your penchant for zombies and zombie-like creatures." Adrien smiled at her and lead her to a tower that overlooked the base. "Something for you to keep in mind. Think about a virus, so small you can't even see it, released into an airport. No, several airports, all over the world. One person would be infected, and within a year, most of the world population would be gone. A threat so very real…and one you couldn't defend this country against. So why fight for it?"
XxX
Ivy groaned and sat up with a grimace, pain in her back and shooting up her knee. That she was waking up at all was a huge accomplishment in her book.
"Easy," someone said and she screamed and tried to get away. She only succeeded in falling off the bed with a thud. A blond man leaned forward and helped her back to the bed, shaking his head. He had a dark jacket over a dark blue button-up shirt and jeans.
"What happened?" Ivy groaned, noticingthat she had been patched up. Her knee still ached, though.
"My partner and I saved you from that Licker. We saw your chopper go down and went straight to you. We're headed to the CDC; if you want you can join us. You don't really have anywhere else to go, do you?" The man asked.
"No…I guess not. The other choppers? What about the people who were with me?" Ivy demanded.
"Four choppers made it. We found someone else in your chopper, but we don't know if he's gonna make it yet. Giles, his tag says?"
"Spencer! Oh thank God…" Ivy whispered, laying back. The blond stood up and said, "My name's Leon S. Kennedy, my partner, over in the other room, her name's Helena. We're with the Division of Security Operations."
"Ivy Wynters. Second Lieutenant, Air Force," Ivy said with a yawn, rolling over onto her side. She hadn't slept-willingly for almost a week and a half and was exhausted.
Leon chuckled and said, "You've got about 6 hours, get some rest."
XxX
Ivy narrowed her eyes. "They have measures in place to prevent that."
"Who are they, my dear? Who are they, these people you trust your life and the lives of everyone in the country to? Where would they be if the dead came back tomorrow? Where would they be if the plague returned? Where would they be if this country crumbled?" Adrien watched her stumble for an answer. The man smirked. "Think about it, Ivy. You can't count on anyone but yourself, so why fight for this country? Why give up everything for a country that doesn't know who you are, that doesn't care if you make it home?" Adrien checked his watch and sighed. "Well, I need to scamper. I have friends waiting. Stay safe, Ivy," Adrien bowed again and walked her back down to her friends. She sat down and got comfortable, and Adrien had vanished.
XxX
When Ivy was stirred from her sleep, Leon was on his haunches next to her, a blonde woman standing behind him. Helena, Ivy presumed.
"What?" Ivy asked, seeing Leon's expression.
"You said Adrien. This could just be coincidence, but-"
"Yeah, he said his name was Adrien Belonè. I met him a couple of weeks before things went to hell. He was talking about a virus…why?" Ivy asked, sitting up.
"Adrien is part of a government unit that not many people know about. What they do is a secret even to most of the people they work with," Helena explained.
"Thing is…no one has seen Adrien in…15, 16 years. He and his partner vanished together, no one, not even the other members of his unit, know where they went. We haven't been able to find any information on the unit's current position or anything…" Leon frowned and looked up at Helena.
"It's possible…he has rejoined the unit and now they are preparing to counter the virus? Maybe their working so secretly so that their efforts won't be hindered." Helena suggested.
Leon snorted. "I doubt that. We need to go, we have to get to Emory University Hospital, and it's about 20 blocks from here. Can you walk?" Leon asked.
Ivy nodded and stood, grimacing. Her knee was threatening to give out but she could make it. She had to. "Lieutenant Wynters, at your service, sir," Ivy saluted and Leon smiled.
"Let's go, soldier. If you can fly as well as you crash, you'll be useful."
"Don't give anyone a hard time about crashing," Helena told Leon, who made a soft 'Hey!' of protest.
The two began arguing, and for the first time since this had all started Ivy actually felt somewhat safe.
"Can I see Spencer?" Ivy asked and the two stopped. Leon glanced at Helena, who nodded.
"But…keep your distance. We suspect he may be infected."
Ivy knew that, in a world like this, happiness couldn't possibly last very long. She prepared herself mentally and followed the two agents to Spencer's current location.
