"What the fuck was that thing?!" Sheva yelled.
Chris glanced at the gigantic creature they'd just brought down with machine guns and looked at his partner, she was soaked to the bone and he could tell by the strained lines on her forehead that her tears were mixing with the rain. His gaze slowly traveled over the fallen bodies of Delta Team as she pulled their tags.
"Where are you, Josh?" she murmured.
He approached her. "You don't have to do this, you can still back out."
Sheva shot him a look like he was insane. "What about you? I can't just leave you here alone."
He looked away for a moment. "I've got a personal stake in this."
"A personal stake?" she repeated. "You mean that picture…the one of that woman?" When he didn't respond she added, "Look around, we both should get the hell out of here."
"I can't…you're right…that girl in the photo looked a hell of a lot like my former partner who was supposed to have been killed and I didn't know what to think." He ran his hand through his hair. "When I saw that data from Delta Team, I knew…Jill is still alive."
"And this Jill…is important to you?" She bit her lip. "Are you even sure it's the same person?"
"I'm positive," he answered without missing a beat. "We were partners for a long time, I'd know her anywhere." With a slight nod he started to walk away.
"Wait," Sheva called. "We're partners and you can't…" she clenched her fist. "I can't just let you walk away. No I won't let you go alone." She followed after him, slightly perturbed that he still hadn't looked back at her. "I said wait, dammit."
"I don't have much time, I have to find her."
"I'm going with you," she said firmly.
He stopped and turned around. "Why?"
Sheva stared at him for a long moment before replying, "Because these are my people dying out here, I can't just turn my back and walk away."
He leaned in close. "A second ago you were ready to just cut and run. There are no more orders from this point on, it's just us."
"We partners," she retorted. "To the end, now let's get moving."
Chris smirked. "Copy that."
At the end of the docks in front of them was a small motor boat, while Chris took the top seat, starting the engine and turning on the flood light so they could see into the dark night, Sheva sat by his feet and wondered what she had just gotten herself into. Glancing back at him, she hoped that drink was worth it.
XXXXX
Despite the pain in her calf, Sheva couldn't concentrate on anything aside from Chris' hand and the fact that it was currently pressed against her side. She hadn't gotten herself hurt in the first place but at the moment she didn't mind.
"I can walk on my own," she heard herself say though immediately, she wondered why.
"No, you're wounded," Chris countered as they continued through the hall. "The minute I let you go onto that raft I knew it was a mistake."
"I can take care of myself and let's get this straight. I'm just letting you do this to make you feel better and because that damn crocodile came out of nowhere."
Chris smiled. "Of course but until we find somewhere to sit so I can look at that, I am helping you walk."
Sheva scoffed though didn't protest again, she didn't even know what had prompted her to attempt to get him to break away his touch. No, that wasn't true, she did know. It was because of his old partner and the fond look in his eyes when he'd talked about her all those long hours ago. Before the two of them had gone off into the marshlands without a real plan and fought dozens of enemies while protecting each other and calling out to one another. They had been doing all of that because they were partners, she was his partner right now in this moment.
So why did it matter that he was referring to this Jill as his partner? It shouldn't…but it did and it was driving her insane trying not to think about it.
"What the hell is Tricell doing here?"
Snapping out of her drowning thoughts, she saw what he was referring to, a few feet away from them were two tents with the Tricell logo printed on the flaps.
"They helped fund the BSAA," Sheva commented as they headed to the closest tent. "Why would they be here?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Chris said helping her onto a bench inside the tent. "Now let me see your wound."
Sheva shifted on the bench. "It's not a wound, just a scratch and I'm fine."
Chris glared up at her though a grin broke onto his lips before he could finish it effectively. "We aren't going anywhere until you let me see the wound. So please take off your boot."
Biting the inside of her cheek, Sheva unbuckled her boot and took it off, glancing away as a blush darkened her face when he laughed.
"These are the cutest socks I have ever seen," Chris said brushing his hand onto the back of her calf. "Pink and blue polka dots huh, never would have pictured you wearing these."
Sheva pulled her foot away. "They're warm and…fuzzy and can we just get this over with. We have a mission, remember?" She rolled her pants over her knee.
Chris focused on the blood oozing from the gash just below her knee and made a face. "I can tell this hurts and not just because you winced when you moved your pant leg." He pulled out a small first aid kit from one of the pouches on his belt and began wiping it clean. "I was terrified you know. When that thing came out of the water and I couldn't see you for that split second. I thought the worst and I…just if we can help it, let's stick together. No more splitting up."
"What, you don't want to be like Scooby and the gang?" she asked with a large grin.
He chuckled. "You really studied your old cartoons during that year in America, huh?"
"It helped me focus to have background noise," she answered with a shrug. "Plus who isn't entertained by a talking dog, all of them that those 90s cartoons had to offer." She watched him begin to wrap gauze around her leg. "You were terrified…how come?"
He paused for a moment before continuing. "I don't want to lose another partner and you're starting to grow on me. There, you're all good…feel better?"
She rolled her pant leg back down and pulled her boot over it, glad to have covered her embarrassing sock. "It does, thank you."
He stood up and looked down at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "Let's get this dog and pony show on the road then."
Sheva grabbed her pistol and nodded. "I knew you had to have more of those in you."
Chris leaned down. "I have got way more than that in me, now let's move."
Sheva let him leave the tent first and accidentally let her eyes flit over his butt and couldn't help but make a grabbing motion with her hands. Stifling a giggle she followed after him.
XXXXXX
The room was bare save for an elevator and control panel in the center. With both guns raised, Sheva and Chris checked and confirmed the area was empty. They whirled around, pistols cocked when a click echoed from the shadows behind them.
"Josh," Sheva said lowering her weapon, a smile spreading across her lips as she approached him. "Oh thank goodness you're okay."
"You two are still alive," he said putting his own gun away.
"How did you get here?" Sheva asked.
"We were at the port when we were attacked," he replied shaking his head. "Somehow I ended up here." He glanced around. "Where's the rest of the team?"
Chris looked away. "There were complications."
"Damn it."
"It's just the three of us now," Sheva piped.
Josh looked at the two of them. "Why did you not retreat? We are no match for them."
"I've got unfinished business," Chris answered, on the defensive.
Sheva shot him a brief glance. "The data that contained the B.O.W. experiment details also had a picture of a woman. He believes it's his former partner so…here we are."
"It's more than just a belief," Chris retorted. "I'm going to find Irving and get some answers about just what is going on around here."
Josh looked at the faraway look Sheva wore. "And you're going along with this?"
Before she could give an answer, running interrupted them and the three soldiers pulled up their weapons and watched as their enemies came towards the windows.
"We'll have to chit chat later," Chris said. "What are our options here?"
Looking for an escape route, Josh spotted a door on the upper level and gestured towards the elevator. "Let's get to the second floor. It looks like there may be a way out there."
The sound of a chainsaw whirring broke through the tension in the room and all three of them exchanged worried glances.
"Well we had better figure something out and quick," Chris muttered.
XXXXX
Irving's words still repeated in Sheva's mind as they drove along in silence. He'd mentioned a woman named Excella and of course his ramblings about Uroboros and how it was going to change the world's order. The thing that made her wonder the most was how he'd seemed so familiar with Chris' name, almost like he knew him and glancing at him now, she knew that was on his mind as well. But there were supposed to be answers in this cave they were approaching but were they ready to hear it?
Sheva sighed and pressed her face against her palm.
What if they did find his old partner…would he want to replace her? No, she couldn't think that way, they were partners now and she trusted him.
Sheva cast a brief glance in his direction and realized there was something more than just trust there and wondered and hoped it might be there for him as well.