Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the below peice of fiction. It all belongs to Capcom

Warning: Nothing today!

Authors Note: I'm still 'setting' the story up at the moment- we'll get into the nitty gritty stuff soon enough though, so don't worry! One of my goals of this story is to not only bolster up Wesker and Chris' relationship, but that of Chris and all of the STARS members too- after all, he did work with them for quiet a while and friendships were built. In any matter, I just wanted to thank you guys once again for all of the support, whether that be through reviews, favorites, watches, etc. You make it all worthwhile, and I hope you stick with the story!

Chapter 7- Rivalry

The rivalry is with our self. I try to be better than is possible. I fight against myself, not against the other. ~Luciano Pavarotti~

"Firearms- something we have to deal with on a daily basis in our careers. I am positive that all of you have fired weapons such as these, and have practised a great deal on your accuracy and weapon care procedures." Wesker stood before the men from Alpha and Bravo team in the shooting range, his pose seemingly relaxed with his arms crossed over his chest and feet spread slightly apart, his unloaded gun resting at his own side.

His men stood before him, listening carefully as he rambled on about gun care, preparation, and anything and everything except for the reason as to why he was carrying on like this. Chris was beginning to think that Wesker had a fondness for his own voice, which really didn't surprise him. Wesker seemed to have a fondness for a lot of his own characteristics.

"-And so finally, I would like to see what you all have inside you. I have read the reports detailing your abilities with certain firearms, but I would like to see them for myself… and that is why I have brought you all here today," Wesker finished, stepping out of his relaxed pose to go to the table where the training guns were sitting.

"Vickers, you're up first," Wesker barked out, motioning for Brad to approach the table.

Brad was visibly nervous as he approached the table and looked over the weapons, trying to find the handgun model he was most used to.

"I'm not much of a marksman…" Brad mumbled out, taking one of the guns while he fiddled with the protective ear covers that were resting around his neck.

"Mm, yes, I read that in your report- afraid of loud noises, apparently," Wesker said, ignoring the obvious coughs and snickers coming from the men behind him. "You're going to have to get over that rather quickly, Vickers. You may be the pilot, but you're going to have to do more than fly a helicopter."

Nodding, Brad went up to the shooting area and put his ear covers and safety goggles on, as did the rest of the men in the room, before loading his gun. Raising his arms, Brad got into the steady stance, although his hands were visibly shaking as he aimed the gun as best he could.

Biting his bottom lip, he glanced quickly at Wesker, who was standing a distance away beside Enrico, his presence boring a hole into Brad. Looking back at the target in front of him, Brad tried his hardest to concentrate on the center black circle before pulling the safety back and firing.

As soon as he pulled the trigger he had squeezed his eyes shut and almost flinched back from the weapon he was holding. Opening his eyes slowly, Brad surveyed the target for the shot he had taken, and noticed a hole grazing the 'arm' of the object.

"Put the gun down, Brad." Wesker's cool voice carried over to Brad, snapping the man out of his daze. Clicking on the safety, Brad put the gun down quickly and stepped out of the way as Wesker stepped forward to inspect the lone shot.

"You gave the target a rather superficial wound… which would be good if we meant to merely wound him." Brad let out a soft, relieved sigh- he had obviously expected Wesker to ream him out for the horrible shot. "But…"

Damn.

"This was supposed to be a killing blow- not to mention this shot was clearly by accident on account of you closing your eyes as you pulled the trigger. We will have to work on this, Vickers," Wesker stated, vexation coursing though his words. Slicking his already perfect hair back, Wesker patted Brad awkwardly on the shoulder before letting the frightened man hurry back to his spot beside his other teammates.

"Burton, you're up next," Wesker stated, stepping back to his respective place as Barry went to prepare his gun and set things up. Chris watched in the back of the room, a casual manner about him as he watched Brad fuck up.

He had this in the bag- he was a deadly accurate shot and he knew it. No one could match him, and he knew that his skills would surely impress Wesker and maybe make the man forget about the incident a week ago.

One week had passed since the beginning of STARS- one brutal week. Alpha and Bravo team hadn't even placed their new mouse pads down on their desks before Wesker and Enrico began sending them through the ringer, beginning intense training and exercises, all just to get a sense of where they 'sat' in technique and ability. Chris went home bruised and battered everyday, his eyes already closed as he hit the mattress, only to sleep for a few hours before he had to wake again, his joints and muscles protesting the movements.

But he loved it.

He felt like he was being pushed to the limit like he had been in the army. It was like he was training to actually change something, to make a difference. He felt like he had a purpose again- something he thought he had lost after the Air Force.

But all of this didn't erase the impending doom he felt whenever Wesker would assess his training style. So far, Wesker has been rather complimentary, but Chris wanted more than a simple nod or a satisfactory statement. He wanted to 'wow' his Captain.

And this could be his chance.

Watching his fellow teammates aim and fire numerous times, Chris watched the different techniques they took when they aimed and fired. Barry was more ridged and composed than he was, like it would take ten men to knock him down as he placed carefully aimed shots. Chris figured it was because the older man preferred to use Magnums, a gun that was by no means made for an amateur.

Next up was Edward, who had a good shot but it wasn't anything amazing. Chris didn't know Edward's story, but he knew that the man was used to firearms and it showed by how relaxed he was setting everything up. But he seemed to lack a lot of the confidence that came with firing a handgun- it appeared that he was used to something with a scope. But he still had a pretty good shot, despite the slightly unfamiliar territory.

And then it was his turn.

Striding forward to the respective area, Chris put his ear plugs on and slid the safety goggles over his eyes before loading the gun carefully, a relaxed and confident air about him as he did so. Raising his gun, Chris looked over and winked at Enrico and Wesker, a smirk playing at his lips before he looked dead ahead at the target.

One- Center hit.

Two- Center hit.

Three- Center hit.

Four- Center hit.

All 15 bullets had hit their target in the middle, except for two bullets which had strayed slightly and hit the second closest ring to the center. Putting the smoking barrel on the table, Chris took his goggles off, slid the ear protectors down, and moved out of the way so Wesker could look down the hallway.

There was silence in the room before Wesker finally spoke. "You missed two."

Chris could have pistol whipped his Captain right then and there, but instead opted to stiffly walk back to where he had been before, jaw clenched and fire burning in his eyes.

"You're up, Speyer."

Saluting casually to Wesker and Enrico, Forest went to his place and busied himself with preparing his gun while Chris shot nasty looks at Wesker when he figured the man wasn't looking. Two shots, so fucking what- he could do a lot better if he wasn't working with such shitty conditions, considering everyone was watching. God, he wanted to see what kind of shot Wesker had, seeing as how he figured that 13 shots dead center wasn't something to write home about.

Grumbling to himself, Chris completely forgot to watch Forest shoot before it was all over and Wesker was actually patting Forest on the back in a friendly manner. Enrico seemed incredibly happy too, and Chris had to look at Barry for a proper explanation.

"Forest had 14 center hits," he said casually, a smile gracing his lips as Chris' mouth opened and shut a few times.

**XX**

"Christopher, would you mind speaking to me for a moment?" Wesker asked as the men began to file out of the room and back to the office.

Nodding, Chris tore himself away from the group and walked with Wesker over to the area where all of the goggles sat.

"I would like to make you the marksman of Alpha team." Wesker cut right to the chase as he straitened out the goggles so they sat in prefect order.

"R-really?" Chris asked, a little taken aback by what Wesker had said. He knew he had a good shot, but judging by Wesker's previous reaction he had figured the older man wasn't very impressed.

"Yes, despite not being perfect I realize that you are an incredible marksman, and it would be a waste not to give you such a title. I may have been harsh before, but I want the best from my men," Wesker stated as he looked away from the goggles and glanced over Chris. "Besides, no one is perfect. Well of course, that is except for me."

Wesker smirked slightly and Chris realized the man had made a joke; a slightly narcissistic joke, but a joke none-the-less.

"Oh, well thanks. I would be, uh… honoured to take the title," Chris said, smiling awkwardly and then blushing slightly as Wesker gently squeezed his shoulder before walking out of the room, letting Chris follow behind.

Who knew such a small gesture like a shoulder squeeze would make Chris feel like maybe he hadn't completely fucked things up as a new STARS member.

**XX**

Chris had been rather quiet the rest of the day, a look of concentration flitting across his features every so often as he sat at his desk, eyes scanning through some mock reports they were supposed to 'study' in order to get a strong understanding of how their reports should be correctly filled out. Chris hated paperwork, even if he only had to read it, and simply stared at the screen without reading anything.

He was still hung up on the fact that Forest had actually beat him at something he thought himself to be the best at.

He was, of course, happy that he was the marksman of Alpha Team (and wasted little time in telling Brad and Barry the good news as soon as they were all back in the office), but the joy was being overshadowed by the confusion and slight irritation he was feeling for losing. It wasn't a competition, or at least it hadn't been planned to be one, but Chris was feeling that competitive edge wear away at his nerves.

Looking up slightly, Chris noticed Wesker was leaving the office, giving him an idea. As soon as the door was closed, Chris stood up and hurried to the Bravo team's office in search of Forest.

Knocking twice and then letting himself in, Chris scanned the room that was similar to Alpha team's office before striding towards Forest's desk where the older male was half asleep as he too stared at the computer screen.

Crouching down beside Forest's chair, Chris grinned at him as the Bravo team marksman sat back and looked down at the eager Chris Redfield.

"Hey Chris, what are you doing…?" he asked slowly, an eyebrow raised as Chris subconsciously grabbed a paperclip and began to play with it.

"I saw you smoking earlier- wanna go up to the roof with me to inhale some delicious nicotine and forget about these mock reports for a bit?" Chris asked quietly, eyes skirting over to Enrico every so often to see the man looked just as bored as the rest of his team.

"Sure, sounds like a good idea to me." Scooting out from his desk, Forest told Enrico quickly he was going for a smoke (because apparently Bravo team was allowed smoke breaks… lucky bastards) and followed Chris out of the room and through the police halls to the roof.

They didn't say anything to each other until they had both lighted up and were resting against the railing around the edge of the roof looking out across Raccoon City.

"So that training exercise was fun today, huh? I saw you've got pretty wicked aim," Chris said casually, opening up the conversation between the two.

Forest simply laughed and took a drag of his smoke before speaking. "Yeah, you're not so bad yourself. Although I gotta admit, I was pretty damn intimidated when I went up there. I sometimes choke when I have such a good marksman watching me."

"Well I have to admit, I'm a little surprised that you beat me. Not meaning to brag or anything, but I always figured I had the best shot in the police force," Chris said, smiling as well. Although he had intended to come up here to learn the ways of Forest so he could kick his ass come next shooting practice, he didn't mind learning more about the level-headed guy.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I figure those last two you missed were flukes, and all of mine were flukes as well… well maybe only a few." Winking, Forest gently shoved Chris' shoulder when the younger man got a smug look on his face. "Don't let that get to your head- next time we shoot I will kick your ass."

"Ha, like you said, the last ones were just flukes- I'll be ready next time." Looking back out across the city, the two men fell into an easy silence before Chris spoke again. "So… how did you get so good?"

"My Dad was heavy into guns- member of the NRA, collected certain models, you know the usual. Anyways, he would go out to the shooting range every other weekend, and when I was old enough he would take me along. I developed the love for it too and well… here I am now! What about you?"

"BB gun in the backyard and then a few years in the Air Force," Chris said, shrugging. "It became important for me to know how to aim, so I practiced hard at it. And then later I joined the RPD, where I continued to work with firearms… so I've just kept practicing."

"Ah yes, the Air Force. Why did you leave?" Forest asked, switching positions so his elbows and back were resting against the railing.

"I didn't leave. Got kicked out," Chris said. It was becoming easier to talk about it- to accept the fact that he was discharged without honours. He didn't like talking about it, but he also didn't resent himself and the Air Force anymore. That was certainly a step forward.

Forest made a face and shook his head. "Harsh man… but at least getting kicked out let you come join STARS. I'm glad I dropped out of College to pursue a career in the police force."

"What were you taking in College?" Chris asked, taking one last drag of his smoke before flicking it on to the ground and crunching it under his boot.

"I was in the Chemistry department, just taking all I could take on chemical reactions and their effect on the environment. I loved that stuff, but I found myself needing a little more excitement, you know? So I decided to join the Police and further my studies in explosives in my spare time."

"Explosives?" Chris' voice raised slightly, images of pipe bombs and dynamite in freezers flashing across his mind.

"Ha, yeah, I'm really into chemical reactions that end with an explosion. What can I say, I'm a guy! But it's come in handy, seeing as how I'm the explosive specialist for Bravo team- or at least that's what Captain Wesker says I am. We'll see how often we need to blast our way into a situation using dynamite, right?"

Chris laughed softly, figuring he wouldn't mind a dramatic entrance like that. Glancing at his watch, Chris saw they had been gone for ten minutes and figured Wesker was probably making his way back to the STARS office soon. Suggesting they leave, Chris and Forest returned to their offices with a new connection between the two.

Mostly it grew out of a rivalry- but Chris could see it being more of a friendly one than anything. With his mind at rest about his 'loss' for the day, he opened the door to the Alpha team's office with a smile on his face before he ran strait into Wesker.

"Oh crap, sorry!" Chris cried out as he pushed himself away from Wesker, who didn't seem fazed by the young man who had just crashed into him.

"Where were you?" Wesker's cool, accented voice carried through the room, chilling Chris to the bone. Letting out a shaky smile, Chris pulled out the paperclip from Forest's desk that he had slipped into his pocket and held it up for Wesker.

"I was, uh… getting you a present?"

Next chapter will be up soon enough~! I uh... forget what it's about though. I can tell you it involves Chris though! Oh, oh yeah and maybe some uh... revelations in regards to a certain marksmans growing feelings for his Captain? Hmm... I think I've said too much. Thanks again!