Chapter 4 is here, my friends...Rebecca and Cheryl continue their investigation as Black Falls hosts the County Fair - it seems a fun holiday weekend is about to start, right? But no one has ANY idea what's already been set in motion as more characters are brought into the story. And get ready, you veteran RESIDENT EVIL fans, you'll bear witness to the reunion of Claire Redfield and Sherry Birkin!
I hope you RE fans will continue to bear with me...not much has ever been said about the history of many of our favorite characters of that series. I therefore took it upon myself to be creative and fill some of those blanks, as you'll continue to see with our favorite medic, Rebecca Chambers, and the first lady of SILENT HILL, Cheryl Mason. Another question I've always wondered was what kind of family did Chris and Claire Redfield come from? Was their toughness passed down to them? Since Capcom never gave them (and others) more complete backstories, you'll see what I imagined for myself!
Also, what happened to Jill Valentine after RE5, and where the heck was she during RE6, when Chris was going through so much? Again I used my imagination, and here you'll find out!
RESIDENT EVIL X SILENT HILL: JUDGMENT DAY
written by Charles Spencer,
inspired by Ygure
CHAPTER 4:
"GOOD FRIDAY..."
-1-
Friday, August 30, 2013
The Redfield Ranch
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Inevitably, the stage had to widen...it wasn't just Cheryl Mason and Rebecca Chambers who had incredibly important roles to play.
For now, we shift our focus to one extraordinary woman who was sleeping in her bedroom in the main house of her family's cattle ranch. The spread was much larger than its nearest competitors, and still going strong with over 10,000 head of cattle to be managed at a given time. The strength of the operation, in spite of a slowly recovering economy, was a testament to the determination and never-say-die attitude of over four generations of the family who owned it.. But to really understand the ingrained strength the Redfields possessed, one simply had to meet the children of the current owner of the ranch, John Redfield, and his wife Maureen.
Claire Redfield slept soundly in her bed in the quiet dark of her bedroom, even though she had been through things that would have given more timid souls persistent nightmares. She had come home to spend a brief couple of weeks away from her work for TerraSave, an international organization that provided medical and political support to the victims of bioterrorism. They had their hands full, to say the least, helping people in the wake of the recent C-Virus epidemic. Claire needed a break from the constant work which showed no signs of slowing down for at least another year...she needed some quiet time, moments to refocus and put things in perspective. She felt the best place to do it was on the family ranch, with her dad and mom; while she was here, though, she was expected to do her part like everyone else on the spread. Claire didn't mind at all...compared to the daunting task TerraSave had undertaken, to help so many victims of the C-Virus across the world, working on a cattle ranch was positively relaxing.
Claire and her brother Chris had long ago taken different paths away from their family's business, something their father didn't completely approve of. Understandably, John hoped one day to leave the ranch to his kids, to not only keep it in the family but to ensure the family's future prosperity. Still, he and Maureen felt above all the most elemental of love for Chris and Claire...and they were amazed by the terrors the brother and sister survived in their lives.
On this early Friday morning, like her mom and dad, Claire Redfield slept soundly. She was beyond any concerns or desires. Or regrets.
And then her bedside phone rang at 3:17 a.m.
It only took two rings before Claire turned in bed, reached out and turned on the lamp...the same hand (reluctantly) picked up the phone and pulled it to her ear. "Mmnnn...hello?"
A voice she instantly recognized spoke into her ear: "Claire? It's Leon."
Just like that, Claire snapped to full awareness. She smiled and said, "Oh, hi! How are you?" She couldn't feel anything but warmth for Leon S. Kennedy, one of the dearest friends she had ever known, the man who helped her survive Raccoon City fifteen years ago. Then she realized how early it was. She quickly added, "Be advised you lose points for calling me so early!"
"I'm sorry, Claire, but I wouldn't be call like this if it wasn't important," Leon said. "I need to ask this a certain way, since this line is unsecure. Remember I promised I'd tell you the moment I knew where you can find a...certain someone?"
Suddenly, the beautiful brunette sat up in her bed, completely and fully awake. She knew exactly what the man meant. She looked into the dark with wide eyes. "Yes, I remember! Oh please, Leon, did you...?!" She was afraid to finish her words, to give voice to a hope she held in her heart for too damned long.
"Yeah, thanks to a friendly tip. She's in Berlin, Germany right now. She'll be there until tonight."
Claire almost breathed, "Berlin..."
"I also have her schedule, too. You'd better get a pencil and paper."
"O-okay!" She opened a drawer of the bedstand and got out a memo pad and pencil. "Go ahead!" In less than a minute Leon gave her the information she needed, and she wrote it down furiously. So full of emotion, not knowing whether to laugh or cry or both, Claire said in a voice choked with feeling, "Leon, thank you, thank you so much! I can't even tell you what this means to me..."
Claire almost felt Leon smile. "You don't have to. I already know. I know you'll want to go as soon as possible. I'll book a flight to Berlin for you while you're getting ready."
Leon was right...Claire was ready to drop literally everything to fly to Berlin immediately. If she had a chance, even a small chance to finally reunite with someone she'd yearned to see again for years, she wasn't going to lose it! But she was surprised by Leon's offer and she asked, "Y-you'd do that for me?"
Leon reminded her, "I work for the President of the United States, my friend...I can do a lot of things."
Claire and Leon spoke for another few minutes before they ended their conversation...they regularly contacted each other in one way or the other since the Harvardville crisis several years ago that was begun by Curtis Miller, an obsessed, violent man who ultimately degenerated into a monster. The last time they talked, almost a month ago, was when Leon told Claire about his surprise encounter with that 'certain someone'...Sherry Birkin, who survived Raccoon City's destruction with them. Chris had also met the girl just before the terrible events in Eastern Europe last Christmas, events that turned her brother into a amnesiac for months. Chris very recently reconnected with his family, much to their relief, and finally told Claire about his own brief meetings with Sherry, as well.
Claire finally hung up her phone...Leon said he'd call back in a few minutes to let her know which airline he'd booked tickets for her at Denver International Airport. But Claire sat on her bed, looking into the dark, and she lifted her hands to her chin almost in a gesture of prayer. She thought, Oh Sherry, to see you after so long...finally...! She couldn't help but flash back to that late September of 1998, when she arrived in Raccoon City one horrible night. She was looking for Chris, who had disappeared to go on an unofficial hunt for evidence to bring the Umbrella Corporation down for illegal bio-weapons research outside of town, which led to so many deaths of innocent people, including the loss of most of his fellow S.T.A.R.S. members, two months earlier.
But the events in the forest, even the infamous Mansion Incident, were simply a grim prelude to the apocalyptic nightmare Claire Redfield literally rode into on her motorcycle that night at the end of September. State and federal agencies were still in motion at the time, catching up to the fact that an entire U.S. city became host to a viral epidemic unlike anything imagined outside of a Roger Corman movie. By the time Claire and the rest of the world realized what happened to Raccoon City, it was too late. Fortunately, she met Leon S. Kennedy, then a rookie cop who had also just arrived in town. Together they began an amazing journey of survival within the flaming, decimated city.
Miraculously, Claire also found a lone, twelve-year-old blonde girl named Sherry Birkin.
Sherry Birkin's plight at the time was one Cheryl Mason would have understood perfectly. Sherry desperately wanted love...the love of her own parents, William and Annette Birkin, Umbrella scientists who were more dedicated to their viral research than to their only daughter. The hellish crisis was partly their fault, and they were both finally consumed by it. Annette died and William transformed into a nightmare creature that sought to reproduce by implanting an embryo in Sherry. It became a race against time for Claire and Leon to not only survive but to heal a little girl dealt a terrible hand by fate. Sherry was saved by an anti-viral agent that voided the embryo from her system...the girl was also incredibly brave and resourceful in her own right, and together the three escaped Raccoon City before it was eradicated by a low-yield nuclear strike executed by the U.S. government to stop the outbreak from spreading any further.
Afterward, Sherry was taken into custody by intelligence interests within the government...this in spite of the fact Sherry had bonded so deeply with Claire, and neither of them were happy about it. However, placing the girl in a form of protective custody and kept secret was done for what seemed to be understandable reasons. After Claire assisted her brother and Leon in gathering evidence against the Umbrella Corporation three months later, though, she didn't let anything stop her from visiting Sherry on a regular basis. (Again, a testament to the strength of Claire and her family.)
Years passed, and for better or worse, life happened. Very slowly at first, they began to grow apart. Claire's visits to Sherry steadily became less and less frequent because of her activist work. Those visits had to change to correspondence by letters eight years ago, when the blonde girl turned 18. Sherry then agreed to to work for the government in 2009, but because Sherry's letters to Claire were so tightly monitored by her legal guardian Derek Simmons, Claire never knew what kind of work the girl had been recruited for!
But Sherry Birkin, in all of her letters, never seemed to lose her spirit...she truly wanted to work for a higher purpose. To serve her country. To help people in the same way she had been helped by her hero, Claire Redfield. Claire could never question that, and the love they shared ever since Raccoon City could never, ever fade. Their last letters sent to each other, unfortunately, were about two years ago...and then there was no response from Sherry at all. Either she had taken on clandestine duties where she couldn't communicate with civilians...or she wasn't allowed to.
And only recently, finally, Claire found out why: Sherry Birkin had become a covert agent for the Division of Security Operations.
On her bed, Claire began to cry, again feeling the aching loss in her soul...the great regret of not being there for Sherry.
For the first time in too long, the hope she always held to see that precious girl again burned brightly.
Claire Redfield broke from her sadness when Leon called again to let her know which flight she'd been booked for, and then she began to move fast so she wouldn't be late.
-2-
About four hours later, as the sun slowly rose in the east, Claire Redfield was well on her way to Berlin. At the same time, much much further south, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance Lieutenant Jill Valentine was en route to Washington, D.C. on a C-130 Hercules military transport. Many of her colleagues were with her and in high spirits because of the positive conclusion of their work in Mexico City distributing the C-Virus vaccine to those who needed it.
But Jill might as well have been alone, and the expression on her beautiful face was thoughtful...her eyes serious.
She thought of Rebecca Chambers and the increasing tension between that sweet girl and a man she owed her life to...a man she fought with and would have gladly died for.
Jill finally came to a decision and made a call...she hoped to catch the lady she wanted to talk to before she left her home in Georgetown to go to work.
After one ring, she got an answer. Sheva Alovar, a fellow operative in the BSAA, spoke: "Hello?"
"Sheva, it's Jill!"
"Hi, Jill! Are you on your way back?"
"Yeah..." Jill Valentine frowned. "...but we have to talk. I'll need your help when I get to Washington." The veteran survivor hesitated for only a moment before she said, "You know as well as I do about Rebecca having trouble with Chris..."
-3-
Black Falls, Vermont
It was about 8:30 that morning when Rebecca Chambers and Cheryl Mason were phoned by one of the inn's staff and asked if they were ready for a classic, New England style breakfast. They were still dressed as they were when they woke up not long before, and Rebecca was full of her characteristic cheer when she told them, "Bring it up anytime, please!" Cheryl seemed not to care less...she smoked a cigarette at an open window as they waited for their food, quiet in her lonely way as she leaned on its sill...she looked outside at the green suburban area outside as she blew smoke into the open air. In spite of Cheryl's silence, Rebecca's feelings for the blonde could only grow. There was so much the brunette needed to know, but every time she gazed at the beautiful blonde and felt her quiet strength...any questions she had didn't matter so much. They still talked a little before their breakfasts were brought to them by the matronly woman who was the inn's co-owner with her husband. The food was as delicious as it looked, and it looked outstanding.
It certainly helped Cheryl's mood as they ate. She suddenly said, "Rebecca."
Rebecca quickly looked up at Cheryl as she was chewing on a big bite of pancakes...her cheeks were puffed like a chipmunk's. "Hm?"
Cheryl waited until Rebecca swallowed before she asked, "You never got to tell me. Why did a smart girl like you want to be a cop?"
"Oh!" Rebecca quickly took a sip of orange juice and wiped her mouth with a napkin before she answered. "Sorry. While I was in college, when I'd focused on medicine and chemistry, I thought I'd want to be a doctor or a chemist. Mom and dad wanted that, too. But..." She frowned a little as she remembered. "...as I got closer to my 18th birthday and college graduation - in that order! - it got to where I wasn't so sure anymore. My dad's a retired sheriff of this small town upstate from Raccoon City, and a part of me always wanted to know what it was like to be in his shoes."
Rebecca's frown shifted to a soft smile as she reclined into her seat, relaxed and fully opening herself to Cheryl. "Dad told me stories all the time about what happened to him while he was sheriff, and it kind of rubbed off on me. Deep down I wanted to enforce the law, protect good folks from the bad, and that need only got stronger over time. No cops and robbers fantasties, you know? No hunting for glory or fame. I just wanted to help people. So a couple of weeks before I graduated, I heard about S.T.A.R.S. in Raccoon City looking for a new medic for their unit, and I had to go for it."
Cheryl was leaning forward, resting on her elbows on the table top, as she listened...she was completely into Rebecca as she asked, "How did your parents react?"
Rebecca looked down awkwardly, but she didn't lose her smile. "They thought I lost my mind! I think I would have shocked them less if I said I wanted to be a nun!" Rebecca bit her lower lip, and Cheryl felt so warm because the brunette was so beautiful, within and without. So sweetly innocent as she looked into the blonde's eyes again. "But after graduation, after I was accepted by S.T.A.R.S., mom and dad said they were so proud of me. All that mattered to them was that nothing happened to me. Mom was the most worried, of course. She had lost count how many late nights dad worked, and she always waited for him to come home..."
"Are your mom and dad okay?"
Rebecca Chambers nodded as she felt so much love for her parents. "Yep, they're still going strong in retirement." She added, self-consciously, "And they're still worried about me."
Cheryl Mason's expression was solemn as she said, "I envy you, Rebecca." She truly did.
After they ate, they had their clothes returned to them from yesterday, fully washed. It didn't take long for Rebecca to dress in her crimson tank top, black slacks and opera-style gloves, which was mildly daring in the eyes of New England's old-fashioned. Cheryl hadn't changed the mostly anonymous clothes she wore either, except she exchanged her white t-shirt for a sleeveless black tee to wear under her flannel shirt. The moody blonde was still so beautiful in Rebecca's eyes.
At about 10 o'clock, Rebecca and Cheryl went downstairs to check out. Rebecca asked the couple who owned the bed and breakfast about Doctor Burton Young, who had moved from Silent Hill to Black Falls in the 1970's - just before that quiet town in Maine ceased to exist - and since became one of the area's most beloved citizens. The middle-aged husband and wife informed them they went to get their checkups from Young every year, and no one could find a kinder and more generous doctor. Most of those who lived in Black Falls, they said, would have been more than happy to give their testimonials about the man. Rebecca wondered how dramatically that would change if they knew everything she and Cheryl knew.
The husband offered, "If you want to talk to Doctor Young, today's going to be a bit busier than usual for the man. He's going to be helping set up the clinic and first aid stations at the County Fair when it starts at noon."
The wife said with praise, "Young does it every year to make sure fairgoers can get help right away if they have an accident while having fun, Heaven forbid."
Rebecca asked, "How long should he be there?"
"Just a couple of hours. Oh! We just got today's paper. Here..." The wife gave Rebecca a copy of the local tabloid. "It gives a whole list of things that'll happen at the fair for the whole weekend."
"Thanks! Maybe we can catch him while he's there."
"Oh gracious," the wife said, worried. "Are you or your friend sick or something?"
"Oh, no! We just need to talk to him about something important."
The husband had a dubious expression on his face. "Hm, if you two want to go to the fair for anything, it'll be best to start walking right now."
Rebecca frowned. "Why?"
"Rebecca!" The brunette turned to Cheryl, who was at the front door of the inn. She'd pulled back the lace curtain of the door and was looking outside its window...she looked back at Rebecca and said, "Just look outside and you'll see why."
Rebecca quickly moved to Cheryl and looked out the window, too. She breathed, "Holy crap!" The town's main street was choked with traffic in the direction toward the fairgrounds. The line of vehicles went back as far as the eye could see.
Cheryl said, "I know, right? Forget trying to drive to the fair."
The husband was there with them then, and he looked out with a mild expression. "Yep. Just as busy as last year."
The wife then approached them, too. She asked, "Are you both still parked in the back lot?"
Cheryl nodded. "Yes...?"
Rebecca quickly said, "We won't take up any spaces for anyone who's got a reservation today. Uh, where else can we park...?"
The husband shrugged. "People are going to find every possible open space for their cars in this town as the day goes. Only real place to go then is this grass field on the other side of the fairgrounds. That's where the rest of the visitors have to go."
The wife then gently said, "You two won't have to worry about that right away. Our first reservation today isn't until, oh, five in the afternoon. They might be later if the traffic keeps up like this!"
Cheryl and Rebecca looked at them hopefully. The blonde asked, "So...it's okay for us to stay parked on your lot until then?"
The husband shrugged again and smiled. "We don't see why not!"
Rebecca beamed at the couple and wanted to hug them both. "Thank you very much! I promise we'll be back before five o'clock, honest!"
They still exited out the back door of the inn so they could stow their stuff in their vehicles. The moment the back door closed, though, Cheryl Mason suddenly said, as if commenting on the weather: "By the way, someone has been outside since early this morning watching my car and your motorcycle."
"Wh - !" Rebecca Chambers halted dead in her tracks, stunned, and that made Cheryl stop too to look at her. The BSAA agent had the presence of mind to quickly recover her composure and keep her cool. However, Rebecca said with a little annoyance, "That's the second time in two days you told me something I could have known sooner!"
The moody blonde said, "Remember I can feel someone when they think of me, or their thoughts are directed toward me. It felt like whispers from a distance. Ugly whispers."
Rebecca looked worried. "It's one of The Order, isn't it?"
Cheryl nodded. "After you came into town to meet me, that had to get their interest. They had to start watching me sometime anyway, like Sheriff Gulager has been."
The brunette nodded. "Okay. Where are they?"
"Right across the street, parked on that lot." Cheryl then looked toward a hardware store's lot across the street from the back of the inn. "The white Oldsmobile station wagon." Rebecca didn't look directly at it, but on her periphery she couldn't help but see the white vehicle in the distance as it gleamed under the early morning sun.
"Okay, you've had more experience with these jerks. What should we do?"
Cheryl didn't look back at Rebecca before she said, "I'll show you."
And then Cheryl Mason boldly began to walk directly toward the station wagon from the back of the bed and breakfast, her eyes fixed on it completely. Rebecca Chambers' beautiful mouth almost dropped open. In a couple of moments Cheryl reached the end of the lot, then the sidewalk, and was about to cross the side street to the hardware store's lot. She never faltered on her direct course for the Olds.
The man who had been watching the inn most of that morning finally realized he'd been made; more than that, he was about to be confronted. He quickly put his wagon in gear...with a sudden squeal of its tires it drove quickly off the lot, made a right and went down the street. In less time than it took to tell, the unknown watcher was gone. Cheryl looked in the direction he left for a moment...after lighting a cigarette, she turned around and walked back to Rebecca. Cheryl said, "They don't like to attract attention to themselves. We're okay for now."
Rebecca had to wonder. "You're sure no one else is watching us?"
Cheryl nodded as smoke gently exhaled from her nose. "That won't last long."
"Okay. You didn't feel anyone watching us when we parked here?" Rebecca thought that they wouldn't have known where she and Cheryl would be this morning alone if it wasn't for Gulager, who suggested the ladies stay here for the night. It stood to reason he told The Order immediately after that.
Cheryl said, "No."
Rebecca nodded, feeling a little better. "You'd better give me your gun, Cheryl. While we have the chance, I'll keep it in my motorcycle in case any bad guy decides to search your car while you're away from it. They won't get far with my bike because they wouldn't know its secret compartments exist." They'd know even less about how to open them. "Your gun should be safe here."
Cheryl nodded, understanding. "I can't just carry my gun around, either. Here." Cheryl took her .45 Peacemaker out of her bag and gave it to Rebecca, who quickly knelt down next to her bike and opened one of its body panels to access the secret compartment on its right side. It only took a moment to secure the gun and then lock the compartment again. At least Rebecca still had her 9mm semi-auto in her handbag, and she had the federal authorization to carry a concealed weapon in any state. Cheryl mused, "I can still defend myself if I have to."
Rebecca stood and looked at her curiously. "You mean with your powers?"
Cheryl put her bag in her LTD's trunk and shut it before she looked at Rebecca again, and she shook her head. "I'm still scared of using my powers...really, really using them, you know? I meant I know Karate."
The brunette was surprised. "Really? What belt?"
Cheryl shrugged. "I'm okay, just a First Degree Black Belt."
She said that so modestly, but Rebecca couldn't help but be impressed and smiled. "I'd call that better than 'okay', Cheryl!"
Cheryl truly was modest and reflexively looked down as she almost smiled again...her voice was soft as she said, "Thanks." Rebecca then swore in her thoughts that before the day was done, she'd make the blonde smile, one way or the other! If Cheryl heard Rebecca make that promise to herself, she gave no indication. Chery Mason asked, "So, are you ready?"
Rebecca Chambers smiled enthusiastically. "Yep! Let's check out the fair!"
-4-
Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance
U.S. Division Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
A little after 11 o'clock, two visitors entered the office of Captian Chris Redfield unannounced...he didn't mind that because he knew and cared for them both deeply.
Both women marched straight to Chris' desk, pure business, and they were both fellow BSAA operatives. One was Sheva Alovar, who first met Chris four years ago. A naturalized American citizen, the exotic beauty returned to her birthplace in Africa and became partners with Chris to investigate bioterrorism there. They both discovered much, much more than they ever expected. Chris and Sheva relied on each other to survive one harrowing incident after another that led them to discover that Tricell, an international pharmaceutical corporation - and, in a dark twist of irony, one of the BSAA's biggest sponsors - was conducting terrible experiments on untold numbers of innocent people. Those experiments were for the sake of perfecting a supervirus, Ouroboros, that literally would have reached out to transform every human being on the planet. Chris and Sheva's pursuit of the truth finally led them to the man responsible, an evil yet brilliant madman who had been Chris Redfield's most hated enemy ever since the Mansion Incident in the forests outside of Raccoon City: former Umbrella genetic scientist and security chief Albert Wesker, who had also served as the leader of S.T.A.R.S. to keep tabs on local law enforcement, and then all but fed the special police unit to a host of bio-engineered terrors created by the T-Virus that fateful July in 1998.
The woman who accompanied Sheva was just as close to Chris...and intimately related to those events.
Jill Valentine had been one of the few survivors of S.T.A.R.S. to escape the forest mansion with Chris, Barry Burton, Rebecca Chambers and Brad Vickers. As confident and resourceful as she was beautiful, Jill easily equaled Chris in terms of ability and bravery. She wanted to help him gather evidence and expose the Umbrella Corporation for their crimes, but the formidable lady was in Raccoon City at the time the G-Virus outbreak brought it to ruin. Jill did her very best to make a last-ditch escape, but was severely injured and infected. Her one source of salvation at the time came from an unexpected source: an Umbrella mercenary, Carlos Olivera, who got Jill a desperately-needed antivirus. Healed, Jill and Carlos worked together to reach Barry Burton, who got them out of Raccoon City just before it was destroyed by the government. Jill continued on her path to bring an end to Umbrella...along the way, Carlos was killed by agents of the corporation as they ruthlessly sought to terminate possible witnesses, destroy evidence and escape justice. But Carlos Olivera's death wasn't in vain...Umbrella's role in the destruction of Raccoon City and their criminal research became known to the world. The U.S. government took action to make the corporation collapse financially like a fragile house of cards.
Shortly after that, Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield founded the BSAA with the support of their country's government, the U.N. and lawful pharmaceutical corporations. In 2006, Jill and Chris confronted Albert Wesker for the first time in years. They both did their best to stop Wesker, but the battle ended with Jill seeming to fall to her death with the madman. Stunned by the loss of his dear friend, Chris tried to carry on, but he became bitter and constantly questioned whether he was accomplishing anything in his crusade to stop bioterrorism. Unknown to Chris, however, Jill Valentine was still alive.
Jill was kept against her will, tested and examined by Albert Wesker, who discovered the G-Virus hadn't fully been purged from her system...in fact, it established an equilibrium with her genetic structure, making her both immune to the virus and incapable of transmitting it. Wesker used the results of those tests to his advantage, toward the creation of Ouroboros. At the same time, the madman decided to use Jill, make her into an involuntary servant to his every command through a mind control serum constantly fed into her body by a profane mechanism surgically grafted to her chest. It was a terrible twist of fate that she became a tool for a criminal and murderer she had passionately sought to bring to justice, even if it cost her life. But what she lost was her true self and free will...Jill Valentine remained the servant of her greatest enemy for almost three years.
But it was in 2009 that all changed: Chris Redfield and Sheva Alovar relentlessly pursued Wesker, he took an unholy glee in using Jill Valentine against them. Chris was beyond shocked to see the lady was still alive, and even moreso that he and Sheva were forced to fight her. For a time, because of Jill's heightened abilities and strength, the outcome was in doubt...thankfully, Wesker didn't expect how far Chris and Sheva would risk themselves to save Jill, to tear the device that kept her under Wesker's control from her chest. Jill was finally free and became her true self again, and while she couldn't play a direct role in the end of Albert Wesker, she had the satisfaction of watching Chris and Sheva literally blast the madman to Hell with a couple of rocket-propelled grenades.
It went without saying that Chris, Jill and Sheva shared a primal bond.
But on this Friday morning, Sheva Alovar and Jill Valentine stopped in front of Chris Redfield's desk. They were both full of purpose. And they were both clearly unhappy. Chris didn't realize that at first as he stood behind his desk and smiled warmly. "Hi, you two."
Sheva regarded the man and said, in a cool tone, "Chris."
Jill sounded just as low in temperature as she nodded and said, in mirror to Sheva, "Chris."
Chris added, "Glad to see you back from Mexico City, Jill."
The women gave each other a glance. Jill fixed on Chris again and folded her arms under her bosom. "Oh, you won't feel that way in a minute."
The light finally dawned on Chris: the only one who was happy in that office at the moment was him. He gave them a confused look as he asked mildly, "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm about to be taken to the woodshed?"
Jill Valentine then answered his question. "We need to talk about Rebecca. Now."
Chris Redfield flinched a little, but he didn't give in any way as his expression hardened. He quickly sat back down behind his desk and began to say, "I'm a bit busy - !"
Sheva Alovar glared at him. "No, you are busy now, Chris!"
Chris glared back at them both. "Did Rebecca put you two up to this?!"
Jill said, "No. You did." Her unhappiness was giving way to legitimate anger towards the man, in spite of their history together.
Sheva put her hands on her hips...she felt indebted to Chris for helping her get justice against Tricell and Albert Wesker, but that didn't matter at the moment. "Chris, I haven't known Rebecca for as long as you and Jill have, but that sweet, darling girl is a friend to me, too. And she deserves better!"
Jill nodded and said quietly, "Amen."
Chris sighed in frustration as he hung his head low. "Okay, okay, there's no need to gang up on me!" But he looked up at them as he sought to defend his position in a dispute that was simply between him and Rebecca. "But you know as well as I do Rebecca's at her best in the research labs - !"
Sheva frowned and countered, "But she has always wanted more than that, Chris. That I also know!"
Jill knew that as well, and she continued to look hard at Chris. "And we wouldn't feel the need to 'gang up on you' if you hadn't promised Rebecca long ago she'd become a full field agent!"
Chris shot back, "I promised Rebecca she'd be in the field with the rest of us when she was ready! And as far as I'm concerned, she still isn't ready!"
Jill shook her head. "Why?! She passed her final excercises for combat and counter-terror ops! That was three years ago, not long after she formally joined us!"
Sheva looked at Chris with a slow burn. "If I remember correctly, she had virtually the same scores as I did. I suppose that means I shouldn't be in the field, either. What would you call our working so well together in the past, Chris? A freak accident?"
Chris flinched. "Sheva, in case you haven't noticed, Rebecca's being a Medical Specialist hasn't stopped her from advancing! She's a Lieutenant now!"
"I don't understand the problem, Chris..." Jill Valentine was less angry and more confused now. "...but I do know rank isn't an issue. How many times has Rebecca come to you because she's unhappy? You don't have to tell me because she did, and she doesn't understand why, either! Rebecca doesn't feel like she's doing enough being kept in the labs!"
"Jill - !" Chris sighed again. "Rebecca's done a lot of amazing work for our organization as a Medical Specialist! It's not my fault if she thinks she isn't doing enough!"
"But you can do something to change that. She wants to make a greater contribution to our country and to the world, and none of us have the right to deny her that!"
Chris Redfield flinched again, but this time he took Jill's words personally...he started to get angry. "I'm not denying Rebecca a damn thing, Jill. I'd never do that to her. You should both know me better than that."
"I thought I knew you." Sheva Alovar looked down at the floor as she frowned, as she said with passion, "What are we supposed to think? What can be said to you? What can you say that would justify the way you're treating such a good and decent girl?" She looked at him again wiht hard eyes. "I have decided no matter what you have to say, I don't want to hear it!" Sheva then turned around sharply and began to walk away from Chris, back to the door to the office.
Chris quickly stood back up and called to her. "Sheva...! Sheva, wait a minute!" But the lady didn't listen...she left and slammed the door shut behind her. Chris shook his head angrily...and then he looked at Jill. He finally said, "You're not going to walk out on me, too?"
Jill Valentine's expression softened as she looked at Chris. She shook her head gently. "Even if I did...you know that like Sheva, I won't go far." Her posture relaxed then, but the frown on her beautiful face spoke volumes. "Would it help if you explained why you're stonewalling Rebecca? You've been telling her she hasn't been ready for three years when she knows she made the grade long ago." Her gaze became thoughtful as she examined the man. "Is this because of what happened to me? Is it because you don't want to see her hurt, either?"
His expression immediately softened. "No! No...I'd never want to see anything happen to Rebecca, but that's not it."
Jill looked down, reluctant to say what she wanted to next. "I know this isn't about what happened to two teams you commanded. It isn't about Piers."
Chris' expression became saddened as he remembered. "No, Jill. That...that wasn't too long ago." He had lost one team in Eastern Europe, and the post-traumatic stress combined with a head injury he suffered made him temporarily amnesiac...he became a drunken vagrant haunted by a guilt for something he couldn't remember. When Piers Nivans brought him back to the BSAA, as he recovered his memory, history repeated itself in China and Chris watched another team under his command die ugly deaths. And then he lost Piers, who stayed behind in Neo-Umbrella's undersea base when it was destroyed. Chris said thickly, "I had to go through a lot to realize that it wasn't my fault. My men...they made the choice to follow me into battle, and I was responsible for them...but I wasn't the one who killed them. And Piers...he made his own choice, too."
Jill nodded...she felt so much for Chris. "I wish I had the chance to know Piers. I...I-I wish to Heaven I came back to you sooner...I would have done anything to help you." She meant that with all of her heart and soul. When Jill Valentine returned to America after her rescue and Wesker's death, she was placed in protective custody for close observation and testing. More because she had the G-Virus in her than because of her extended time under an enemy's control, the government wanted to ensure she wasn't a threat. Partly because of the angry lobbying for Jill by Chris, Sheva, Rebecca and her family...partly because her tests confirmed she wasn't a threat, and partly because the government had virtually the same data from another subject who was both immune and not a carrier of the G-Virus that became part of her, Sherry Birkin...Jill was finally released from custody and regained her standing in the BSAA at the beginning of August. However, she experienced a drop in rank from Captain (the same as Chris, with whom she co-founded the organization) to Lieutenant. That last didn't bother Jill at all...as long as she could return to a normal life, a life she wanted, she couldn't complain. But in protective custody, she deeply regretted that she couldn't have been there for Chris to help him after what he went through in Eastern Europe...to be there with him as he fought Neo-Umbrella.
Elementally grateful to know Jill, Chris shook his head gently. "It's all right, Jill. I'm all right. I...I can't even say in words how happy I am that you're back."
Jill smiled softly...her voice was so soft too, in spite of years of experience with terrifying creatures that hardened her into a true warrior. "You only told me that about a hundred times since I was cleared. That means so much more than you'll ever know." The light in her eyes shifted and she began to say something else...but she looked down for a moment, suddenly awkward. She quickly regained herself and looked at him. "But Chris, I need to understand. If it isn't about guilt, if it isn't out of fear of losing Rebecca...what's wrong? Can't you tell me why...?"
Chris looked at Jill with a sudden mix of emotions crossing his hardened features. He said hesitantly, "I want to, Jill...with all my heart, I want to. But I can't." Jill stared at him. "I know how stupid that sounds, but I really can't! I..." He looked down then. "...I made a promise, and I can't break it."
"A promise? I don't understand...!"
Chris frowned as he looked down and said quietly, "I wish I could say more, but...I'm sorry."
Jill's lips turned into a line as she stared at Chris. The expression in her eyes were full of need. "I'm sorry too, Chris. I know you're such a good man...no. You're the best. In all of the years I've known you, that's never changed. And I know it never will. That's why I'll always be with you, and I'll always be by your side." She began to say, in a much, much softer voice, "It's why I..." But her voice trailed off as she frowned, too.
Jill wanted to tell him so much. She wanted to tell him what was in her heart, feelings that grew for the man over the years. But...
...Jill thought of Rebecca then. Jill found her voice again and said, "I'll always be here for you, Chris...but you're not the only one I hold dear in my heart."
Then...Jill Valentine reached into one of the breast pockets of her shirt, and she took out something. She looked at it fondly for a moment before she continued. "I still remember how some of us wanted to call this wonderful girl the team mascot back in S.T.A.R.S. But she's grown so much since then. We all have." Jill walked up to Chris' desk as her eyes gazed into his, and her voice urged him: "Please...don't do anything that will push her away." With a flick of her wrist, she dropped the object - a small wallet-sized photo - spinning onto his desk. And then she turned to leave.
Chris Redfield couldn't help but stare at the small photo as it laid on his desk...he barely heard Jill open the door and then softly close it as she left. The photo was of Rebecca Chambers in a green R.P.D. basketball uniform, grinning and so sweet in her tomboyish way, as she sat cross-legged with a basketball in her hands. She looked more ready to shoot hoops than fight crime...or monsters. It had been taken early that July in 1998. He sat down behind his desk in his quiet office, picked up the photo, and stared at it.
He finally said, "It isn't up to me, Jill. It's never been up to me."
-5-
Rebecca and Cheryl crossed through the heart of Black Falls south to the fairgrounds and got to sightsee at least some of the town. Most of the sights were on Kubrick Street, so it was easy to do. Prominent on one side of the main street for the town was Black Falls City Hall, but in front of the big building was something just as impressive. It was a huge, artfully sculpted carousel of bright colors and horses in varying poses of exuberant gallop. Children were riding on it happily as their parents watched. It was a community attraction that seemed out of place in front of the seat of the town's government, but if there was a story behind how it happened, Rebecca didn't care too much...she and Cheryl were here for other reasons.
It turned out Cheryl cared far, far less...Rebecca couldn't help but notice that the blonde gave the carousel a dark glance.
Curious, Rebecca asked, "Are you all right, Cheryl?"
Cheryl looked at Rebecca and softened in expression. She simply said quietly, "I'm not crazy about merry-go-rounds like that." Cheryl looked away as she added, "I had a bad experience with one."
Rebecca drew a little closer as they walked and gently took Cheryl's hand...she felt the blonde stiffen for a moment, and then she relaxed. Cheryl looked at Rebecca and squeezed her hand softly. The brunette smiled back sweetly as she hoped to somehow make Cheryl at least a little happier. They continued to hold hands as they walked, almost in pace with the stop-and-go heavy traffic. They became part of a growing current of pedestrians on the sidewalks who, like them, made their way to the County Fair.
Over four blocks down, in the approximate center of the town, Kubrick Street ended in a T-intersection...there at the end in the middle of Barker Avenue was Wyler Community Hospital, a seven-story building the color of ivory, the tallest building in Black Falls. To Rebecca, there was something a little off about the location of the building in the center of town. In her experience, most people didn't like hospitals...in a small town like this, it would have made more sense to have the city hall or a place of worship in its heart, a place where traditionally the people gathered. A hospital, though...there was nothing wrong with a place like that in any way, but...
As they approached the King Bridge, flowing with the current of families and couples and children around them, Rebecca Chambers said to her companion, "I hope you can answer this, Cheryl. It's one of the biggest questions I have, but...it's a little strange."
Cheryl Mason said in response, "You want to know what the deal is with the fog in Silent Hill."
Rebecca felt sudden discomfort again, but she kept her smile. "O-kay, it's getting a little creepy how you can hear my thoughts, especially when I'm not expecting it!"
Cheryl said, "For the past few minutes you've been wondering how to ask me about the fog...your thoughts were directed to me already. I couldn't help but hear you."
"Oh." As they held hands, as they walked into the shadow of the covered bridge, Rebecca looked at Cheryl curiously. "Cheryl, how did that happen? Was The Order responsible? I know the fog isn't natural; a lot meterologists I've spoken to about Silent Hill can't explain it!"
Cheryl said quietly, "I can...but again, you're really, really going to need an open mind to hear the answer."
"Okay...?"
After a beat, Cheryl Mason said, "I brought the fog to Silent Hill."
Rebecca Chambers stared at her, surprised. "You did? Y-you're saying your powers help you control the weather...?"
Cheryl suddenly stopped, and so did Rebecca as they held hands. People moved around and past them. The blonde gave the brunette a serious look. "That's not what I said. Rebecca...I brought that fog to Silent Hill from...somewhere else."
Rebecca frowned...her beautiful face expressed the genuine desire to understand. "I-I'm really sorry, but...what do you mean by that?"
The blonde gently but firmly led the brunette to one side of the bridge, so they wouldn't be in anyone's way...so there was less of a chance of anyone overhearing them. Cheryl looked down for a moment, her expression one of sadness and...shame? Her voice was very soft at first as she spoke. "It happened when Dahlia tried to make me the Mother of God in...in a ritual. When she was done, I-I was in agony. I was afraid out of my mind, and...I went crazy, too. What happened next...it's like in physics, every action has an equal or opposite reaction? I reacted without thinking, without really being aware of what I was doing, and my power reached out and found...another place. In the process, a...a-a bridge was formed connecting Silent Hill to that other place. Then the fog came and blanketed the town."
Rebecca felt more than a little fear because Cheryl was telling the truth. There was no doubt. "What was that other place, Cheryl?"
"I-I can't tell you. Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because you really wouldn't believe me then."
Rebecca drew closer to Cheryl as they held hands. She said softly yet earnestly, "Cheryl, I do believe in you...but you need to believe in me. I know you've never lied to me, and you shouldn't keep things from me. You can trust in me as much as I trust you, you really can!"
Then...Cheryl said, "The sky is red."
Rebecca blinked. "Wh-what?"
The blonde said, "Pigs are flying, too. Just look up."
Rebecca frowned again...she even began to get irritated. "Cheryl - !"
"I know. I just told you something that can't be true. The sky is blue and pigs can't fly. And that's exactly how you'd react if I told you anything more about the fog and other things in Silent Hill. You'll hear me, and you won't believe because it contradicts what you...no." Cheryl shook her head. "It would be a lot better to say it this way." She looked into Rebecca's eyes.
"You won't believe because you've never seen the things I've seen. More than that, you don't know what I know. It would all be...beyond you, Rebecca." Again, there was so much bleak knowledge in Cheryl's eyes. "You've seen some of the things I can do, and that's why you believe me so far. But there's so much I haven't been able to tell you because you haven't seen those things for yourself...and I hope with all my heart you never, ever do. Many of those things you'd be too afraid to believe in." The blonde's expression darkened to something beyond sadness, beyond horror, and tears began to fall down her cheeks. "But please, no matter what happens, believe in me. It's so important that you believe in me because I want the same things you do. I want to bring an end to those bastards before they hurt anyone else, I..." Her voice trembled as she said, "I don't want to lose you..."
Rebecca Chambers drew very close to Cheryl then, and her free hand lifted to touch one of the blonde's cheeks...and then to cradle the side of the girl's face gently, tenderly. The brunette BSAA agent who had also seen and experienced so much in her short life said, "It'll be okay, Cheryl. I do believe in you...we're in this together. You won't lose me and I won't ever fail you."
Cheryl Mason said softly in return as they looked into each other's eyes, "And I won't fail you. I'll die before I fail you."
A few moments passed before they finally, awkwardly returned to themselves as so many people moved past them.
They joined the flow again and it wasn't long before they reached the fairgrounds...they never stopped holding hands. The crowds were massive at the ticket booths. Time moved slowly until it was noon, and then it was almost an hour and a half before the women had their turn to be admitted inside. If they wanted to find Doctor Young, they had to move quickly.
-6-
Berlin, Germany
In another part of the world far from Black Falls, as Rebecca and Cheryl sought out Doctor Young, it was about 8 in the evening in Germany's capital, Berlin.
Imagine this. How would you feel if you were raised virtually without love by parents who devoted themselves more passionately to their work? That's a hard question to answer, of course, but compound that when your parents' work sets in motion a chain of terrible events that thrusts you into a literal living nightmare? You found yourself alone and desperately afraid, and there seemed to be no way out?
If you had the strength of will and courage of Sherry Birkin, you'd weather the bloody and terrible storm...her spirit and courage were even more remarkable considering she was twelve years old.
Almost 15 years later, Sherry Birkin took in the massive sight of the Brandenburg Gate with awe. She was on vacation, but it wasn't exactly 'free' time considering she had to keep her superiors informed of her whereabouts, and even had to give them a schedule for where she'd be going from one moment to the next! Part of that time was for relaxing and sightseeing...another part of it, the reason why she chose Berlin, was very personal.
Sherry gazed at the great city gate...she felt so small, but at the same time she got the sense that, because of the human effort involved in building such a monument, she could be capable of great, lasting things, too. This wasn't the first time she felt such things, though. Long ago, she discovered how truly wonderful and giving human beings could be, but such people were few and far between...that being the case, she knew how truly lucky she was to meet Claire Redfield. She made Sherry feel loved and valued in ways her parents could never have shown her...and she responded by giving her very best at critical moments to help Claire and Leon S. Kennedy survive Raccoon City. The loss of her parents sank in only after the nightmare, and Claire was worried for her, but Sherry told the truth when she said she was okay. She missed them and mourned them, in spite of her anger toward them for never truly showing her love.
Unfortunately, during that crisis, her father William - transformed into a monster by his G-Virus - impregnated Sherry with an embryo in a horrid attempt to reproduce. Claire and Leon saved her with an anti-virus vaccine that helped her throw up the embryo before it killed her, but there were side effects. The anti-virus didn't eliminate all of the G-Virus in her system, and she was made a ward of the government, kept in top-secret medical facilities for the rest of her childhood. Sherry understood from the covert intelligence agent who became her legal guardian, an influential man named Derek Simmons, that the reason for her 'protective custody' was twofold. One, the government wanted to be sure that the G-Virus within her wouldn't lead to her one day becoming a threat to herself and to others. Two, she had to be kept hidden and secret from a wanted criminal, Albert Wesker, who no doubt would have wanted to secure Sherry for his own gains.
After Wesker's death, Simmons offered Sherry the chance to become a government agent. The girl had finally been deemed as safe, but she still earned extraordinary gifts because of the adaptations her biology made to the G-Virus. Sherry said yes, mostly because she wanted to follow the example of Claire Redfield...her hero, the greatest person she had ever known.
A lot happened for Sherry after that, and especially during the past year. She lost her patron and guardian, Derek Simmons, who proved to be a traitor of the highest order. More importantly, Sherry played an important role in bringing an end to the recent worldwide C-Virus epidemic.
To say the least, Sherry deserved some vacation time.
Over all of the years that took Sherry Birkin from Raccoon City to Washington D.C. and all of the way here to Berlin, she never lost the kindness and courage that were always a part of her. She had grown into a truly strong woman who could make a difference for others. In all of those years, though, there wasn't a day she didn't think of the person who was her savior and idol...in spite of the fact her current lot in life kept her separate from Claire Redfield, Sherry thought of her every single day.
Sherry missed Claire so terribly.
It was then, almost like a miracle, Sherry heard a voice call to her from behind...a voice she knew so intimately: "Sherry! Sherry!"
Sherry almost couldn't believe it...she was nearly afraid to. But the young blonde woman still turned quickly to see, not far away, a woman about ten years her senior standing amongst the many people who milled to and fro in the shadow of the Brandenburg Gate. She was a truly attractive brunette with a ponytail who wore a buttoned khaki shirt over another long-sleeved red shirt, with jeans and boots. The lady held in her hands an infant-sized Robbie the Rabbit plush doll. The brunette's expression was elementally unsure, as well...she looked the same way Sherry felt, in fact.
Sherry recognized the woman instantly, of course.
Her wide eyes full of wonder, Sherry felt her heart start beating like a jackhammer as she felt herself walk toward the brunette. The blonde heard herself whisper, "Oh...oh, my god." With building strength, almost afraid to believe it, she said, "Claire...?"
Claire Redfield's expression became one of soul-deep regret this couldn't have happened sooner. In spite of the regret, she felt an incredible, transcendant joy that reached the core of her soul seeing Sherry again. She inhaled hitched breaths between her trembling lips as she cried, as tears streamed down her beautiful face...she hugged Robbie tight in her arms as she moved toward Sherry.
Sherry Birkin cried, as well...she wept hot, happy tears as she realized she wasn't just seeing things. This was happening...after so long, it was happening. She suddenly burst into a run as her voice rose quickly into a shout: "Oh...oh, Claire! CLAIRE!"
And then Claire Redfield dropped Robbie the Rabbit from her arms as she opened them wide, and for Sherry Birkin she felt twelve years old again as she rushed into those loving, giving arms she knew so well. Into the arms of a woman who protected and cherished her so much more deeply than her parents ever could have. Their bodies met, almost colliding, but Claire easily swept Sherry into her arms and they felt themselves spin around as they heard each other's breaths, felt each other's heartbeats, and the warmth of their embrace at that moment was perfection. They clutched each other tightly, desperately...they had been apart for too damn long and they knew it would be like death if they ever parted again.
Claire's smile expressed her perfect happiness as she felt Sherry in her arms. "Sherry...Sherry, I found you...I finally found you..."
Sherry laughed, and it was a beautiful sound to Claire. They felt themselves relax into each other needfully. And then the blonde felt elemental sadness and terrible regret of her own. She managed, "Oh, Claire...I-I'm so, so sorry! I've been a part of so many secret operations...I-I've had so much to do...!"
Claire could only hug Sherry tighter as her voice soothed: "Shhh. Don't apologize. Don't explain." She pulled back only a little, and they looked into each other's eyes. They both felt so much regret... "I-I've been busy, too. Life...i-it gets in the way, that's all!" It honestly hurt to step back from Sherry, but Claire had to, to take all of the beautiful blonde into her sight again...they still held each other's hands, not wanting to completely break contact with each other. Claire shook her head as she cried happy tears. "Sherry...my god, you look amazing! You've grown so much...!"
Sherry laughed like a little girl as she took in the sight of Claire, as well. "And you haven't changed a bit! You're so beautiful...so beautiful..." She suddenly felt a little self-conscious and looked down reflexively...to see the plush pink rabbit on the ground. Sherry gasped and quickly knelt down; she had to let go of one of Claire's hands as she picked up Robbie. She looked at the rabbit with affection and said, "Oh, Robbie!" She swiftly looked at Claire and said gratefully, "I can't believe you brought him with you!"
Claire grinned. "How could I forget this guy was always your favorite? I knew that couldn't change."
Sherry's expression softened as she remembered what she said to this amazing woman so long ago: "I grew up alone. But now that you're with me, I finally have someone to rely on..." Happy, grateful tears continued to spill down the blonde's cheeks. "Oh, Claire. I always knew I could rely on you. I knew that would never change, ever..." As she held Robbie the Rabbit in one hand, she rushed close and embraced Claire again fiercely. Sherry Birkin said breathlessly into the brunette's ear, "I love you so much, Claire...I'll always love you!"
"Sherry..." Again, Claire Redfield clutched the blonde tight...she said with emotion, "I love you too, little girl...oh, I love you..."
They both felt whole again...they both felt saved.
TO BE CONTINUED