"Never pay the reaper with love only…"


Claire awoke to see bright white light and groaned through dry lips. Every single part of her body was in pain.

"Oh… Shit…" She rasped and then became aware of movement around her.

"She's awake" murmured a female voice. Claire thought she heard footsteps and then somebody else spoke next to her ear.

"Miss Redfield? I assume you can hear me." It was Wesker's voice. A giddy thought occurred to Claire that if she was dead, she was surely in hell. Her vision cleared a bit and she could make out Wesker through the haze of white fog. She attempted a glare.

"Go… Away."

Then she remembered "Steve!" It sent a shock through her and she jerked, immediately realising she was chained upright by her wrists. Her hands were numb and her feet barely touched the floor. Claire wondered if her arms were going to dislocate.

A glance around told her she was in a lab and she noticed the person standing behind Wesker, slightly to his left; a young girl with sullen green eyes and red hair. The expression on her face showed concern for Claire and dark bruises around her wrists not quite hidden by the sleeves of her lab coat told the younger Redfield that she was not here by choice.

Pain suddenly lanced through her skull, hot and white, and Claire became aware of something liquid sliding down her neck and front. Straining to look down, Claire felt fear curl within her at the sight of the puncture marks Steve had left on her; the blood that ran from them stained her skin bright red.

"She's bleeding again!' The girl exclaimed "Why hasn't it stopped?" Wesker just looked coolly in her direction.

"That is what you should be examining, Tammy. I suggest you hurry or Miss Redfield here may bleed to death."

Tammy shot Wesker a look of pure hatred and then hurried over to Claire, pressing a gauze pad to the worst wound on her neck.

"I'm going to give you a small dosage of Aprotinin.' Tammy said to Claire as calmly as possible "It might combat whatever is causing this bleeding. Are you feeling much pain?" Claire nodded.

"Mostly my head… Did the blood loss make me faint?" She asked and Tammy shook her head.

"I'm not quite sure; I haven't been told what happened. Do you remember what happened before you passed out?"

Claire nodded grimly "Steve… He was biting me." Tammy went white and rounded on Wesker.

"Why didn't you tell me? You know Steve has a high concentration of the viral agent in his saliva! She could become infected!" She yelled.

"What…?" Claire whispered.

"That is actually what I want to happen, Tammy. This is an excellent chance to study how and if it is able to be passed from person to person." Wesker stated. Tammy looked sick.

"You can't get away with doing this to people.' She said "I hope somebody kills you for this!"

Claire saw Wesker's hand start to move but before she could warn her, Tammy had stumbled back, a hand flying to where Wesker had struck her, fast as lightening. A few ruby droplets of blood fell from her lip onto her white lab coat and Tammy very calmly and very slowly wiped her bloodied mouth on her sleeve.

"You can't hurt me anymore than you already have, Wesker.' She stated quietly and turned to Claire "Hold on, I'm going to get you that shot." And she disappeared out the door.

Claire watched her go, wishing she had not left her alone with Wesker. She turned her attention to him, feeling a rush of fury.

"What the hell did you do to her?" She demanded and Wesker gazed at her thoughtfully.

"You should perhaps be more concerned about what I am going to do to you." He said, taking a step towards her. It was one step too many and Claire fought the instinct to shrink back, knowing her restraints would not allow her far anyway.

"Where is Steve?" She asked meeting his red-gold eyes.

"Currently Mr. Burnside is indisposed.' Wesker explained "Had I not knocked him unconscious, he would very likely have continued to bite you until you were drained dry." Claire could hear the smirk on his voice as well as see it on his face.

"Please tell me what you've done to him." She requested quietly. It stung, having to ask that way, but Claire needed an answer. She needed to find out whether or not Steve was beyond saving.

"Since you asked so nicely.' Wesker's voice mocked her "Steve is now infected with a variant of the T-virus named T-Angelus; it was created by synthesising the virus with the DNA from prehistoric cells found in Siberia. It is unknown to us just what kind of creature the cells came from, however the resulting virus appears to award the host the benefits of the T-virus without those negative side effects I have no doubt you are quite aware of. Thus far, it also seems to interact well with the T-Veronica strain in Steve's body. Understand?" Claire nodded stiffly.

"Is it reversible?" She hardly dared to ask.

"If you are concerned about Steve's appearance, fear not.' Was Wesker's reply "As of so far it appears that extreme emotional surges trigger the mutation. When he is calm, he remains quite normal. He should be able to learn to control the mutation at will."

Claire couldn't admit to Wesker she had truly been concerned for her own appearance should the virus infect her, but it was at least a small relief to know Steve could still look human. That just left one question…

"He bit me and he killed Damien.' Claire stated "Why?" She knew there was no way the boy she knew could have done those things, she didn't care if it was down to the virus or some other sick interference, Claire just needed to hear it said that Steve was innocent.

"Ah, yes.' Wesker said as he nonchalantly leant against an examination table "Steve's behaviour is all due to the P30 serum, it enhances physical performance and leaves the subject quite open to suggestion. We have been dosing Mr. Burnside with it since his mutation, mostly to keep him docile. However, it proved useful to have him eliminate Saunders and attempt to transfer T-Angelus to you."

Claire winced. "Does he know what he's being made to do?" She asked.

"Most likely.' Wesker replied "Yes, I'm fairly certain he knows what he is doing, but he can't stop it. Though once you get to experience it firsthand you can do me the favour of confirming that theory." Claire's blood pounded furiously with rage.

"You bastard. I won't let you." She hissed.

"Hm. You won't exactly have a choice in the matter, my dear." He said, moving as to leave.

"My brother will kill you for this." She said quietly and Wesker paused, turning to her with a chilling smile on his face.

"Once you are under my control Claire, I'm afraid your brother will be the one to meet his end, and at your hand nonetheless.' He reached out and cupped her chin in his hand "Because I don't think he could ever bring himself to kill you." Claire jerked out of his hold.

"Fuck. You."

"No time for such luxuries I'm afraid' Wesker taunted, heading for the door "I'll see you soon, Claire."

He passed Tammy as she came back in and the young scientist did not take her eyes off of him until he was gone. She turned to Claire, her face softening.

"I'm sorry I was gone so long, are you alright?" She asked as she prepped a needle. Claire shook her head.

"He didn't do anything, but I… Think I'm going to pass out again" She said woozily. Tammy looked worried.

"I wish I could unchain you, but he has the key.' she was apologetic, swabbing a patch of skin on Claire's arm with alcohol "Damn him… This is going to sting a little." She slid the needle into Claire's vein and depressed the plunger slowly.

"Tammy… Why are you here? Did he kidnap you?" Claire asked, focusing on the pain of the needle to try and stay awake. Tammy smiled grimly.

"I was here by my own choice.' Said the redheaded girl "But that was before I knew what I was really doing. Before I knew he was…" She stopped, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Tammy removed the needle from Claire's arm then hastily wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry.' Claire said softly "When did you find out?" Tammy sighed.

"I wish I could say I was suspicious all along, but you wouldn't believe looking at him now just how charming he was; I never suspected he was anything like this. I only found out after he killed Damien. He was my best friend, and he had him killed just like that. I couldn't believe it." Tammy's voice was soft and broken. Claire wished she could reach out and offer the younger girl some comfort.

"It isn't the first time he's had people fooled, Tammy.' She said instead "In Raccoon City seven years ago, Wesker was working for Umbrella Corporation. He had infiltrated the S.T.A.R.S unit of the police and was made their captain. Wesker was ordered to lure them into one of the research labs and used them to collect combat data on Umbrella's weapons. Only four of the S.T.A.R.S survived."

"How do you know this?" Tammy asked in shock at the news.

"My brother is one of the surviving members.' Claire replied "Wesker betrayed Umbrella in the end, he's obviously been building up to this place ever since. I've met him once before now and he almost killed me twice. But Chris came for me then, he'll come for me now. We'll both get out of here, ok?" She promised.

"I hope you're right.' Tammy said quietly "I really do."

In California...

Ada pulled her rental car up to the curb near Chris' house and cut the engine.

"Finally." She sighed. Ada had been travelling non-stop since she left the facility. She had actually walked until she found a taxi and taken it straight to Simón Bolívar International Airport. From there she had chartered a private jet and held her breath when she used the Facility-issued credit card to pay for it, feeling a small thrill of victory when it went through. Let Wesker foot the bill. Evidently he had not had time to cancel it. Ada had considered ordering the most expensive meal and wine on the flight to spite him but she'd not felt hungry, just nervous. It was hard to sit there feeling as if the jet was crawling through the sky instead of speeding along at about six hundred miles per hour. The whole way she had thought about Leon and what she was going to say to him. The whole way she had drawn a blank.

She'd used the air phone so that when she landed she had a rental car waiting for her. She knew she had probably amassed a large number of speeding tickets since departing the airport, but they would never be able to track her down considering that her ID was registered to a Jiang Cho and would lead them straight to a phony address.

Ada rested her head against the steering wheel for a moment and thought about just how she was going to approach this; she knew that Leon was probably with Chris by now, Claire had most likely been missing long enough for her brother to start mounting the rescue and there was little doubt that Leon would be helping. She just prayed he wouldn't turn her away as her hand fluttered nervously to the flash drive in her pocket; it wasn't likely anything could be pulled from it but there was no harm in trying.

Regardless of her hesitation, she knew she would have to speak to Leon first; Chris would probably start interrogating her about Claire before he listened to a word she had to say. Glancing over at the Redfield's home she saw a group of people outside on the lawn sparring. One of them was a small woman of Asian descent. Ada wondered if she spoke Mandarin; that could be her key to getting to Leon without drawing too much unnecessary attention. Getting out of the car, she crossed the street. As the woman completed her match and went to pick up a water bottle from near the driveway, Ada approached her.

"Ni hao. Nin shi zhongguoren ma?" She asked softly. The woman turned dark, suspicious eyes on the red-clothed agent and looked her up and down before nodding slowly.

"Wo jiao Fong Ling."

Ada was relieved.

"I'm sorry.' She said in English "I have information concerning your mission, I was hoping to speak with you a while." Fong Ling looked cautious.

"Then you should speak to Chris Redfield. I am not in charge here." Ada shook her head.

"I should explain…' She said and switched back to Mandarin so they would not be understood if overheard. She introduced herself before detailing the situation and though Fong Ling looked hesitant; she eventually nodded and agreed to fetch Leon. Ada said she would be waiting in her car and went back across the road, sliding into the red BMW.

She tried to keep her heart calm as she waited, Ada didn't think she had ever been so nervous before. When Leon finally emerged from the house it suddenly became a matter of keeping her heart beating at all; he had obviously just gotten out of the shower because his hair was wet and a heat flush still lingered on his cheeks.

Keep your mind on the job! She scolded herself as Leon crossed the road.

"Ada. Why are you here?" His words sounded harsh but there was something hopeful in the way he looked at her.

"Hello Leon.' She said "Get in and we'll go for a drive." Leon didn't move so she smiled at him encouragingly.

"It's ok, things have changed since last time; Wesker wants me dead now." She held up the wrist she had damaged when Wesker had electrocuted her in the tunnel. It was tightly bandaged but Leon didn't look completely convinced.

"I don't know if I can believe anything you say, Ada.' He said, sounding almost regretful "And if I make a wrong move here, it's going to cost us badly." Ada's smile faded.

"Of course. I know that.' She said softly "What reason have I ever given you to trust me?"

"Ada…" Leon's voice was soft and he looked as if he were about to move closer to her but held back.

"Please, at least give me a chance to convince you. If I can't then I'll go away, I promise. You'll never see me again, but I helped you last time; you at least owe me this much." Ada said firmly, looking into his soft grey eyes.

He looked back at her for what seemed like an eternity, not moving. Ada was holding her breath but eventually Leon sighed, opening the passenger door and getting in. Ada allowed herself to put a hand on his arm.

"Thank you, Leon."

He didn't look at her and didn't say anything, but after a second placed his hand gently on hers.

"Buckle up." Ada said coyly and Leon hurriedly reached for his seatbelt; he remembered the last time Ada had driven him somewhere and wasn't about to forget it in a hurry.

They drove in silence until they reached a small coffee shop. Leon warily followed Ada inside and they slid into a booth near the back. Once the waitress had poured them coffee "just call when you wanna order" and Ada was sure they had their privacy, she began to fill Leon in on what had happened to Claire.

"… And when Wesker brought her in, I thought she was going to die. Something had attacked her out in that forest and there was blood everywhere. But Wesker saved her. He had the doctors patch her up and give her a blood transfusion. I think he wants to use her as bait.' She told him "I tried to help her when I was making my own escape, but the fact is that there was very little I could do. Claire is most likely still in the Facility." Leon nodded grimly.

"If that's the case then he probably won't kill her.' He said "But what made you come here, Ada?" His eyes begged honesty from her and Ada couldn't meet his gaze.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you.' She answered after a while "But what you really need to know is that Wesker has created a new virus, it's not like anything I've seen before. The T-Virus was originally intended to create super soldiers, but it was never practical since only one in ten million would actually turn into what Umbrella dubbed Tyrants. This one seems to work on anyone and he's already used it on Steve Burnside." Leon looked pale at the news.

"Fuck.' He said simply "That's… Fuck."

"I know." Ada agreed and Leon put his head in his hands for a moment.

"Ok.' He said at length "So you've basically just told me this is way more than a simple rescue mission; we were expecting that, but this sounds… Well, it sounds like we're screwed."

"I told you because if you're prepared, you might be able to fight it.' Ada disagreed "When I got out I had a flash drive with me containing enough evidence against the Facility for a whole army to be sent in, but Wesker fried it. Almost got me too. I don't think it'll be of any use now." She put it on the table and slid it across to Leon. He picked it up and examined the blackened plastic.

"Hunnigan can take a look at it, but you're right; it looks pretty useless.' He said "Any other bad news?" Ada cringed.

"Unfortunately, yes. Wesker has a serum called P30. It essentially allows him to control people once he injects them with it; it's not much use on humans because it's metabolized far too fast but once Steve was infected with T-Angelus…"

"Let me guess; works like a charm?" Leon finished dryly and Ada nodded.

"Twelve hours of total control. It also enhances physical ability to inhuman levels; think the strength of the Tyrant in Raccoon City but doubled.' She said and Leon winced as she continued "If I know Wesker, he won't stop with Steve; he'll use it on Claire too."

"Claire? But…' Leon shook his head "No. You said it wasn't useful on humans."

Ada looked at him meaningfully and Leon slapped the Formica-topped table in frustration.

"Fuck!" He cursed again loudly and Ada winced as she noticed heads turning in their direction.

"Leon, keep your voice down." She said lowly.

"You basically just told me that psycho is going to infect Claire with his fucked-up virus and then turn her against us!" Leon snapped and Ada frowned.

"I know, it's hard but right now we have to think about a plan." She said.

"Well, you came here and dumped this on me; I thought you had one" Leon said irritably and Ada slammed her coffee cup down on the table.

"I came here because for a year that bastard has had a noose around my neck. I had to stop counting how many people he was ordering me to kill because I'd have gone insane if I'd kept it up!' She hissed "And the only reason why I did it was because he convinced me that he'd kill you unless I obeyed him and you know what? I believed him." She got to her feet and stormed out of the shop, heading for the car.

As she passed an alley, Leon caught up with her and grabbed her by the wrist "don't just walk away from me like that!" He said angrily as he flung her inside.

"Let go of me, Leon!" Ada cried. Leon immediately relinquished his grip and looked away from her.

"I'm sorry, Ada. Really." He said and his voice was a lot softer than before. Ada rubbed the red ring of flesh where he'd grabbed her.

"Do you want my help or not?" She demanded and Leon frowned.

"Of course, we need the inside information." He replied tightly and Ada folded her arms over her chest.

"Then stop acting as if all of this is my fault;' she said, still hurt by his treatment "Because I know you hate the idea of me helping you, but you need me to and I can't if you're going to blame me for this."

"I wasn't blaming you, Ada!' Leon protested angrily "I was upset! What you said back there… Was it true? Were you really working with him because he threatened to kill me?" His voice had become gentle again and Ada couldn't handle it. She didn't want to talk about what Wesker had made her do; it was too painful.

"It was a mistake for me to come here.' She said, unfolding her arms and starting to walk away "I'll write up the information I have and send it to you, this isn't going to work."

Leon grabbed her before she could move that far and pushed her into the wall of the alley. Ada looked out to the street, panicked, but they were standing in a dark patch hidden from the street by a pipe and rusted fire escape. She turned back to Leon and his face was mere inches from her own.

"Stop it, Ada.' He growled "Stop doing that to me." His body pressed to hers and Ada struggled to remember how to draw air into her lungs.

"What? I'm not…" She said breathlessly as his hands tightened on her shoulders.

"You don't understand, Ada.' He said lowly "Every time you leave me like that... It fucking kills me."

"Leon, please let go!" She pleaded as his head dipped closer. He paused for a second.

"No.' He said and she saw a heated look in his eyes "I won't. Not this time."

Ada looked back at him and it felt as if she were melting. She had never wanted to cause Leon any pain, but she couldn't take back her actions. She wanted nothing more than to make it up to him, but she didn't know how.

Take everything, my body, my soul. You can have whatever you want, I just can't stand to hurt you anymore…

"Leon…" Ada gasping his name and it was all it took; he leaned in and kissed her desperately, his lips surging against hers as if she would disappear the moment he stopped. Ada's hands frantically pawed his front, finally slipping up inside his t-shirt where she found nothing but hard muscle.

Leon's hips pressed insistently against hers, the motion pushing her thighs apart and she felt him against her, already so hard. Ada's hands slid further up from his stomach to his chest, her thumb brushing a nipple. Leon groaned; his hands at the back of her head entwining in the silken strands of her hair and pulling her deeper into their kiss.

Ada instinctively pressed harder against Leon at the sensation of his tongue sweeping hotly in her mouth and her hand fell, touched him through his clothes and drew a low moan from his throat. His hands moved down, nails scraping her shoulders and arms and then they were at her hips, pushing her skirt up with some difficulty, they were pressed so tightly together. Ada fumbled with his zipper as Leon's fingers painted delicate bruises against her skin in his haste. She finally tugged it down and her hand moved inside, past his boxers and she gripped him; his flesh was hot and hard in her smooth palm and his mouth dropped open.

"Ada…" He choked out.

She bit her lip and looked away, suddenly wondering if they should do this here or at all. It had the potential to further complicate things between them and Ada didn't know if they could handle that. She glanced back at Leon and the look in his eyes was almost scalding; they were begging, pleading for her to keep touching him because he would never, could never voice it.

She gave up. She gave in.

Leon gasped as Ada began to stroke him, gently at first but then faster and harder as the sounds falling from his lips spurred her on.

"God.' He groaned "Let me… Want you so bad." His hands slid up her naked thighs, prying them apart just that one inch wider and then his hand was right there; just where she needed him the most. His fingers began to move in gentle, circular motions with just the right amount of pressure and her body burned for him. Leon's touches ceased for a moment as he pulled away her underwear. His eyes locked on hers for a moment, as if asking permission and it was all she could do not to scream.

"Please.' She gasped, and then repeated louder; "Please" his hand was driving her crazy; she needed more of him. As if understanding, Leon moved forward and meshed their hips together as he eased himself inside of her.

Ada's eyes fluttered closed as he continued to sink in until he was buried as far as he could go. He paused for a moment, disbelief that it was real fluttering across his face for a moment before he began to move. As his hips rolled into hers he captured her mouth again, his tongue plundering deeply and Ada found she didn't give a damn where they were anymore. She didn't care about the mission; there was only Leon and all the sensations she was feeling.

His name was a prayer on her lips as she clenched around him, as he lifted her leg up and around his waist, his other hand kneading a breast through her clothes. Ada moaned at the friction of his palm and the way he bucked into her like his life depended on it.

Leon… Leon, I love you.

"Fuck…' He breathed against her, his hair matted to his damp forehead "Ada…"

Ada felt she was close and knew Leon was too as his thrusts quickened. When he eventually tensed against her it was all she could do to hold onto his shoulders tight like he was saving her from falling.

But I already have…

She didn't know if Leon loved her like she loved him, but as he rested against her with his lips pressed into the crook of her neck, it didn't matter to her. All that mattered was that in that moment Ada could cling to him and breathe in his scent, telling herself he was the only thing in the world that meant a thing.

In Ecuador…

Steve Burnside came to groaning; his head felt like it'd had a cinderblock dropped on it.

His vision was a little foggy but he could immediately tell he was not at home; he was surrounded by slate-grey walls and the cold smell of mildew hung in the air. As Steve sat up gingerly, noting the cramped and uncomfortable cot he'd been laying on, he saw the barred door at the end of the sparse room.

Is this a prison? Did I do something?

He realised he couldn't remember a damn thing; trying to think about just how he had come to be in this cold, dark place just made his vision fuzzier and his head throb harder. Running a hand over the back of his head revealed a large lump the size of a walnut.

"… Ouch." Steve said thickly, perhaps more from the shock of finding it than the pain.

Noting a sink and mirror to his left, Steve pulled himself up, taking care to make sure his unsteady legs didn't suddenly give way. He inched his way to the sink and took a look at himself in the mirror and saw he was clothed in nothing but a pair of shorts. When he looked closer at his reflexion he couldn't help but gasp, blinking in surprise; his hair was longer and messier than he had remembered it to be, the auburn locks just scraping the top of his shoulders. When the hell had that happened? He noticed how pale he was too, his complexion, normally clear and healthy was so pale and ashen that it made the green of his eyes stand out dramatically. Leaning in just a little bit closer, he squinted in order to examine them; something seemed off…

Steve took an involuntary step back; the tiny capillaries in his eyes were bright green.

"What the hell is going on?" It was rapidly becoming clear that his apparent imprisonment was the least of his troubles. He wanted answers and the only way to obtain those was to get the hell out of that cell. Steve went to the door, rapping on it with his fist. The cold steel emitted a hollow echo and he peered out from the gaps in the bars.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" He called and waited for an answer… Nothing.

When it became clear that no matter how long he waited he would receive no answer, Steve slammed his hands hard against the door in frustration. The hinges whined in protest and Steve jumped when the door fell off its hinges and hit the ground loud enough to make his ears ring.

He moved forward cautiously and checked the door's hinges for any sign that they had been weakened, finding the steel to be twisted outwards. The young man stared at his hands for a moment and shook his head; surely not.

Poking his head out the doorway, Steve checked for people. When he saw the corridor was deserted he cautiously stepped out from the cell, shivering in the dank darkness. He drew in a deep breath, setting off down the corridor and praying he wouldn't meet any creatures like the zombies from that damn island…

Steve stopped dead in his tracks.

"Island…?' His head throbbed "What? I… Claire!"

It came flooding back to him; the capture, the uncertainty, the monsters. Then meeting up with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. Steve remembered how he had fallen further and further for her every single damn time they had met. He remembered how he had been caught by Alexia Ashford… And he remembered how he had died in Claire's arms.

"No. No. It can't be true." He croaked and looked down at where his fatal wound had been but saw nothing. Just what had happened to him? Steve's head seemed to throb for a moment and fragments of memories flew threw his brain;

"Please… Please remember me…"

"Steve… We have to get out of here!"

"STOP IT!"

"NO!" Steve stumbled back into the wall, his breath caught in his throat; if what he was remembering was real then Claire was in a lot of trouble and he… He was responsible.

He'd not decided to start running; Steve just found himself flying down the corridor faster than he could ever remember moving before. He knew Claire was somewhere close and needed help. Nothing would stop him from getting to her.

Don't let me be too late he prayed as he ran on through the black corridor; Claire's face the one thing guiding him through the darkness.

Elsewhere…

Claire had cursed from pain before, gasped and even yelled, but the agony of what was now happening to her body was making her scream;

Her flesh burned, flaring hotter and hotter until she swore her skin was surely bubbling. She felt the grinding sensation of her bones shifting inside her and howled louder.

"Wesker!' Tammy cried "What's happening to her?" Her eyes were wide in horror and though she was poised as if to help Claire, she wasn't moving; there wasn't really anything she could do.

"I don't know.' Wesker replied, calm even as the sight before him unfolded "Though it is probably nothing more than that the mutation is highly painful when conscious." Tammy looked repulsed at his impassive tone.

"I… I've got to help her!" But the second the young scientist took a step towards Claire's convulsing body, Wesker had grabbed her; his strong arms enveloping her waist and pulling her tight against his chest. Tammy's arms were pinned thoroughly at her sides and as he spoke softly into her ear, her skin crawled.

"Don't interfere.' He was saying "I want to see this happen… And somewhere inside, I know you do too."

Even as she struggled, Tammy could not hold back the thought that he was right. Never had she willed any pain upon Claire, and never would she wish it on any living person… But her brilliant mind was buzzing; alive at the sight of the science unfolding before her. Tammy felt sick, but stilled in Wesker's arms, knowing that he'd won on this one.

Claire gave a final cry as her skin turned an almost translucent blue and dark scales erupted upon it. When wings tore free from her back and spattered blood and clear fluid on the wall behind her, Claire fell unconscious and Tammy felt her knees go weak. Wesker let her go, causing her to fall unceremoniously to the floor.

"Fascinating…' He said quietly as he stepped forwards to examine Claire, her body hanging limply from the shackles encircling her wrists "How absolutely fascinating. If your brother could see you now, would he be disgusted, I wonder? Or perhaps he would find this as enthralling as I."

Wesker trailed his hand over a scale on her cheek and found it to be smooth and hard. Similar scales formed an almost armour-like covering on her breasts and upon her groin, trailing out and down her thighs. Her wrists and elbows had indentations invisible to a normal eye from where hard spikes of a keratinous material would erupt should Claire ever now need to defend herself.

"I hope I shall see Chris' face when he finds out what has become of you, my dear. Since the day your brother tried to ruin me, I have wanted to see him suffer as all that is precious to him is defiled and destroyed."

As Wesker brushed a finger over Claire's lips a small hand tugged at his leg weakly. He looked down to see Tammy, though still visibly shaken from his words and Claire's transformation, glaring up at him from the floor.

"Don't touch her." She hissed.

"I would much prefer it if you were unconscious right now." Wesker said uncaringly and kicked her so hard that the sound of a rib snapping was audible. Tammy's face grew white and she slipped soundlessly to the floor, joining Claire in unconsciousness. Wesker turned his attention back to her, smiling.

"This, Claire, is only the beginning."


Please see the link in my profile for notes on the chapters.