-No Trust-
The sounds of explosions brought him back to himself. He couldn't have been unconscious longer than a few minutes because he was lying on the grass next to the helicopter. The Umbrella facility was crumbling in a chain of explosions. The remaining fog lifted and he sat up quickly.
He regretted the quick movement when his vision blurred for a brief moment and an enormous headache came on. Chris waited through the disorientation. He didn't feel anger. He did feel sad and tired, mostly tired.
Mental and physical exhaustion ruled him right now. He didn't have the energy to express a single emotion. Their mission objective to collect data failed. All they had was a ruined facility and a dead comrade.
"Chris!" Eva hurried over, anxious. "Are you okay?"
The girl swept her hair behind her shoulder and laid a hand on the side of his head. She stroked the gash on his forehead. Her finger lightly touched the cut but he flinched at the stinging sensation. Eva's anxiety for his well-being appeared to multiply ten-fold behind her eyes.
"How's your head?"
"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."
"You're Chris?"
He peered past Eva to see the woman in the red dress walking over to them. The woman had her gun holstered and the hookshot hung loosely in her left hand. She stopped beside Eva and tilted her head thoughtfully toward him.
"Chris Redfield?"
He eyed the woman carefully. "That's right..."
It was surprising when she held out her right hand for him to shake.
"My name's Ada Wong, and it is truly an honor to meet you. I have heard a lot about you and I mean it when I say it's an honor."
Still surprised, he slowly extended his own hand and shook hers before letting his arm fall back to his side. The woman lowered her hand and smiled softly. Putting the pieces together, he suspected why he thought he should know her identity.
"Kennedy... You helped him out on his mission in Europe when he was covertly sent to find the president's daughter. You were working with Krauser for Wesker while actually working for a third party."
"I know Leon," Ada said slyly, her eyes twinkling with fond thoughts. "I couldn't exactly play nice the whole time."
Krauser made a noise of discontent. "I doubt you've been loyal to anyone in your life. You look out for number one and that's all there is to it."
Ada smiled at him briefly but said nothing to address the accusation. She turned her eyes back to Chris.
"We'd better be on our way then, hm?"
"We?"
Was this woman he'd just met planning to go with them? He didn't understand how he continued to come into contact with the least trustworthy of companions. This was his life now that he had to leave the BSAA and find something new.
Ada Wong helped Leon in Europe. She also hadn't hesitated in ensuring the completion of her mission for her other employer. She took a sample of the Master Plaga from Leon at gunpoint. Wesker, Krauser, and now Ada. He didn't dare trust any of them but how long could he keep that up? A team needed to trust one another. There was no trust here. Except for Eva, Chris didn't feel safe around the others.
Ada strolled by him without an answer and got in the back of the helicopter. She sat down on a seat and looked expectantly his way. He guessed that was her answer. He was at a loss for words at the woman's straightforwardness and wasn't sure how to react.
Glancing over to where Wesker and Krauser were standing, he tried to get a read on what they thought. It was impossible to read Wesker's feelings with him wearing those dark sunglasses and Krauser appeared to be disgruntled as usual, so neither were any help. Eva wasn't much help either because he saw the teenager was fixing a look of utmost loathing on the other woman.
For now he supposed she didn't seem to mean harm. He went to the aircraft and started to climb into the back but then Eva came over and asked him a question with obvious discomfort.
"You know how to pilot a helicopter, right?"
He stiffened and distinctly felt Eva stiffening in turn. Steve's death replayed in his head. He got his act together and hopped back out of the chopper, climbing in on the pilot's side. His gaze kept shifting to the spot where Wesker and Krauser talked in low voices in the clearing.
A wave of anger rushed through him for no precise reason. He kept his composure and completed his task. He was finishing when the two got into the craft and a minute later, Chris piloted the helicopter up and away from the grassy field. Leaving Nevada behind, he sourly thought how Steve's death was for nothing. But then he reconsidered.
Umbrella destroyed their own facility. They did it to cover something, which meant the corporation had something they didn't want enemies to find. What was it? Were they at another dead end?
Wait. They might not be. A lead walked right into the apartment in Colorado. Melody had to know something. She was the sole creation of Umbrella that hadn't tried to kill him.
Give it time. I'm sure she'll try to murder me sooner or later.. Like it or not, Melody is still a product of Umbrella and they have murder imprinted in the genes. If I'm not careful, she could be the death of me...
