Chapter 10
Love taught me to cry
"Who's that Mommy?" The little blonde girl signed and verbalised warily glancing at Number One, then at Alice and then back up at Claire again.
The redhead fixedly stared down at the bright green eyes with a blue ring around them, before looking up to Alice for help.
"Her Aunt?" Alice offered looking almost as lost as Claire was. "Our clones were raising her. Together." She confessed, not quite sure why she felt so apprehensive in telling Claire that, it wasn't as though Alice had created the family herself.
The redhead nodded in understanding and crouched down till she was eye-level with the little girl.
"That's Aunt… Uh… Janus." Claire signed back in answer. "And that's Uncle Luther, Uncle Chris and Aunty Jill." Claire smiled warmly and saw the young girl relaxing. "Will you go with Uncle Chris for a moment please?" Claire asked. "I'll come and get you shortly."
Becky nodded reluctantly but grew more confident at the big open grin Chris was sending her. Claire watched him take the girl's hand and when she was sure Becky was comfortable with her brother, she turned to Alice and Number One, standing side by side. Had the redhead not been so distressed by the girl, she would've done a double take at the sight.
"Her name is Becky." Alice started without waiting for Claire's questions. "Her real parents are dead." Alice motioned to the home that Jill and who Claire assumed was Ada, just exited. "I haven't had time to tell her the truth yet." Alice said guiltily, suggesting that in reality she hadn't had the heart to tell the little girl what had happened to her real parents.
"I've just planted the purging device. " Jill sounded almost remorseful as she presented Claire with the picture of Becky's birthday party. "Maybe this will explain things more." She handed it to Claire who stared long and hard at the photograph looking like a deer caught in headlights.
She looked at Chris chatting animatedly with Becky and then back to the group in front of her.
"She doesn't really think we're her parents does she?" Claire asked looking anxious and nauseous at the thought.
Alice looked so… domesticated in the picture. Surely the girl could see the difference.
"We can deal with that once we get out of here." Alice offered and Claire nodded distractedly.
"Will you put this in your bag please?" She asked Jill holding out the picture. "I think she may want it when she understands." Claire explained and Jill took it from her nodding her agreement.
The redhead then turned on her heal without another word and walked away still seemingly in shock.
…..
Alice watched Claire walking hand in hand with Becky. The little blonde apparently drawn to the leader most out of everyone around her.
"Where did Claire learn how to sign?" Alice asked Chris as they walked through the streets of Moscow.
"When she was little her best friend and our neighbour was deaf. She picked it up quite fast." Chris smiled sadly.
"Don't tell me something happened to her friend." Alice groaned, wondering why Chris could never tell her any good stories about Claire's childhood, like a little Claire running naked through the house after refusing to take a bath or something. Normal, happy kids' stuff.
"His family moved away, about two years after our mother left." Chris shrugged. "Was a shitty couple of years there for a while."
Alice sighed.
"Do you know who Wesker reminds me of?" Number appeared next to Alice.
"Steven Seagal." Alice stated without having to even think about it and both woman burst out laughing, Alice happy for the distraction from her morose thoughts on Claire's childhood.
Chris chuckled too and increased his pace slightly to give the two some privacy.
"So how'd you end up with Jill?" Alice asked after they'd sobered up and she realised that her quiet companion Ada had told her almost nothing lest Alice had straight out asked the woman.
"Umbrella got me after I survived Tokyo. Experimented on me for a while, then decided they needed you to make more super clones and I was scarab'ed and sent in as a place holder so Claire wouldn't get suspicious." Number One answered casually but at the mention of the redhead her eyes drifted to Claire and lingered with a look Alice recognized instantly.
She halted abruptly and her eyebrows scrunched together as her mind was flooded with too many images of Claire waiting for her to come home, Claire embracing Number One and thinking it was her. Claire showing her feelings of relief in the loudest and most clearest way Claire knew how.
Alice clenched her jaw as her hands scrunched up into fists at her sides. Number One understood instantly what the problem was and puffed out her chest as she raised her chin and perfectly matched the murderous glare she was receiving.
….
No matter how long she held onto the tiny hand in hers, Claire just couldn't get used to it. She wasn't sure waiting to tell Becky the truth was such a great idea. The girl seemed very smart, she was already suspicious of Alice's drastic change in appearance. From her picture, Claire and her clone didn't look that different at all. She guessed that that was why Becky clung to her so. At the moment, she seemed to be Becky's only constant.
Jill and Ada stopping and gaping at something behind them had Claire following their gazes and she stared in confusion at Alice and Number One glaring each other down as though they were getting ready to attack one another.
She turned to Jill who just shrugged at her questioning look.
"I'll be right back." Claire signed to Becky and her hand was instantly replaced by Luther's who started Becky off on a conversation to distract her from whatever was about to happen between the lanky brunettes.
….
"How exactly did you take my place?" Alice gritted out visibly bristling with rage at the mere thought of anyone else being with Claire, let alone someone she trusted so much.
Number One simply lifted an eyebrow.
"What you gonna do Alice?" She smirked even though her eyes remained serious. "Blast me to pieces because the Red Queen used the scarab to instruct me to warm Claire's bed in your absence?"
Alice's nails dug into her palms, enough to draw blood. She couldn't remember when last she had been so angry. The degree of her rage felt completely irrational yet she could do nothing to stop it from boiling inside of her.
"I didn't see you wearing the scarab two minutes ago when you looked at her like that." Alice snarled back.
…
Claire's eyes widened at what she was hearing from where she'd halted just a few feet away, cautious to approach whatever argument was taking place. Initially she had thought that Umbrella had somehow taken control over one of them again, that was until she heard Alice's last words.
The redhead had never seen Alice jealous before. Alice was arrogant enough to not have shown her feelings in the past and over the months, she'd become more confident in their relationship to not have to feel insecure. It seemed to Claire that the only person on the planet to make Alice feel anxious though, was a clone of herself. A clone who was staring right back at her with a haughtiness typical to Alice's.
Was it not for the intense expression on Alice's features, Claire would've burst out laughing at the obvious clash of ego's she was witnessing.
"She's a beautiful woman. I will look if I want." Number One sneered and Alice took a threatening step forward that had Claire lose all sense of humour regarding the escalating altercation.
Number One however, stood her ground unflinching.
"How dare you?" The clone demanded shakily, trying to real in her own anger. "After everything we've been through Alice? You insinuate that I would willingly disrespect our friendship by doing something that deliberately disrespects your relationship?" The clone's anger was fast being replaced by hurt and Alice was deflating with every word.
"I'm merely two years old. And most of that existence was spent fighting Umbrella or the Undead or being held captive to be experimented on. I haven't had the chance to live a life that was any different to yours. No chance to develop my own memories…" She muttered the last part sadly before taking a deep breath. "So what did you think was gonna happen when the me that I am now, who is essentially the you who roamed the Nevada desert, met the woman that changed everything?" Number one half accused half asked Alice whose head was ducked low as she guiltily averted her eyes from her friend.
"She is everything you said she would be and more. The way you described responding to her, it happened to me too and if all the hundred and sixty six copies of you had survived Tokyo and were here now, they would feel the exact same way as well!" Number One exclaimed heatedly pointing at Claire who jumped as she hadn't expected that they had even realised she was standing right there. "That's not our fucking fault Alice." The clone calmed down slightly. "I didn't ask for this." She said gruffly. "She looks at me as though she's looking at you and I can see the exact moment when she remembers that I'm not. She knew it instantly, the moment I stood in front of her for the first time on the deck of the Arcadia, she knew. And still you want to come and get in my face?"
"I'm sorry." Alice said lifting her gaze to meet Number One's. "I should've known better. I should've known you wouldn't."
Claire watched the dramatic change taking place in front of her, both women's stance gradually changed: jaws slackened, fists unclenched. Number One even managed a little smirk. It was like they forgave each other everything instantly.
"Yes I wouldn't." Number One reasserted. "But if Claire wanted to, I wouldn't say no." Her smirk broadened and to Claire's surprise Alice laughed at the statement.
"Please, like she'll go stooping after being with me for this long."
"Exactly, for too long. She's probably bored of you already. And I'm way younger than you." Number One rolled her eyes like she was stating the obvious.
"Who do you think is sexier Red?" Alice turned her attention to Claire for the first time, causing the stunned woman to start again as both brunettes turned their identical eyes on her at once, both sets sparkling with unabashed amusement.
Regaining some of her composure, the redhead rolled her eyes at them and turned back to where the rest of the group was waiting and curiously watching the scene unfold.
"Why don't you two pack your egos away and ask me that again when I'm not as anxious to get the fuck out of this hell hole." Claire shouted over her shoulder, pretending to have been irritated by the hold up, but instead her chest was swirling with wave after wave of warmth at Number One's words. The clone had basically reaffirmed the strong connection her and Alice shared. It was probably the most romantic thing Claire Redfield had ever heard in her life.
….
"There was a problem with the remote detonator." Jill whispered next to Claire as they stared at the rubble blocking their route to the submarine pens, a clear sign that the Red Queen was well aware of their presence and the route they intended on taking. "I had to activate the timer; we have a little over an hour to get out of here."
Claire sighed. "You couldn't have told me this before?"
"You had enough going on. Now that Umbrella has blocked the way, it adds about ten minutes to our escape route, but Ada says we can still cut through the factory. Which will leave plenty of time to get back to the VTOL."
Claire nodded and followed behind Ada toward the factory.
Upon entering the large warehouse though, the entire team froze as they came face to face with the mass production of clones that served to populate the Red Queens simulations. All around them thousands upon thousands of copies were being transported throughout the factory on conveyer belts like they were nothing more than a range of dolls on their way to be packaged and shipped off for distribution.
Initially Claire had wanted to move the Arcadians to Umbrella Prime, but upon seeing the faces of Carlos and Alice and even little Becky moving passed her, she became resolute that the facility needed to be destroyed. What Umbrella was doing wasn't right. Especially given the intense conversation she had overheard between Number One and Alice. She looked to Number One now who seemed to have turned a sickly shade of green as she vacantly stared ahead of her, refusing to look at the copies.
"Where's my real mother!" Becky shouted suddenly, her voice piercing the silence that had befallen the group. "Who are you?!" The girl shouted at Claire with teary eyes as she ripped her hand from Claire's briefly faltering grip.
She'd forgotten about the reality that Becky was still caught up in. Claire had actually become used to the tiny hand in her own. Alice took a step toward them and Becky instantly turned and started running back the way they came.
"I'll go get her." Claire said sadly when Alice made to go after the distraught little girl. Becky had been suspicious of Alice from the start.
She hurried after Becky, realising that they were running out of time and when she exited the large factory, her blood ran cold in her veins as she was met with a gang of heavily armed Undead on Motorcycles riding toward a stunned Becky a few feet away.
There was no time for Claire to contemplate the unique attributes the Las Plagas Undead displayed. They were by far the most rational of the infected, able to carry weapons and perform tasks, they were the perfect soldiers, following orders blindly and were extremely hard to kill. Claire didn't think of the information Jill had briefed her on, instead she ran forward and covered Becky's body with her own, turning her back on the gang of Undead as she braced herself for death.
As the loud thundering of the submachine guns reached her ears, Claire was grateful that Becky couldn't hear them. She held on tighter to the little blonde and hoped that Alice would hear the gunfire and be in time to at least save Becky.
Claire gritted her teeth as a bullet grazed her shoulder, trying not to cry out and upset Becky even further who would undoubtedly be able to hear the vibrations of a scream from where she was pressed safely against Claire's chest.
She kept her gaze down, trying to calm her heart rate which was impossible at that point, thinking about her friends aboard the Arcadia and K-Mart… God, what would they tell K-Mart? She thought of her time with Alice, how in spite of the life threatening situations they both faced on an almost daily basis, she always thought that they would have more time together…
Suddenly she was enveloped in a familiar warmth as Alice's body encircled her own and Claire instantly felt safe.
She smiled to herself knowing that everything would be okay now. Her calm was disturbed however, by the disconcerting jerks Alice's body gave at what Claire could only assume were the Undead's bullets piercing her lover's skin. But Alice can't be killed by bullets, Claire tried to sooth her anxiety. Why was she not using her mental ability to just stop them like she'd done at the house? Was she drained already? Had Umbrella been torturing her and was she now too weak?
"Noooo!" A loud anguished scream forced Claire to look up at the entrance of the factory to see Alice standing there with her pupils blown and her eyes shiny with tears, some already running down her cheeks as her melancholy mixed with her rage and Claire realised who was actually holding her and what that meant for the entirely human Number One.
Everything was silent around them. The gunfire had halted the moment Alice had screamed. Jill moved first, retrieving Becky from Claire's grip who was staring at Alice vacantly staring at Number One still holding onto Claire.
The redhead turned around as carefully as she could and as she dreaded, the clone fell limp into her waiting arms. Claire stared down into bright green eyes.
"You okay Red?" Number One rasped softly, and was it not for the eerie quiet that had befallen the Moscow environment, Claire wasn't sure she would've heard her at all.
After she nodded weakly that she was, the clone then turned her head to stare in the direction the Las Plagas Undead had been approaching from and a lazy smirk spread across her face as she took in the small pieces of flesh and chunks of meat that covered the fallen bikes and weapons and a big portion of the street. It looked as though the bodies had gone through a wood chipper and was then diced into finer pieces.
Claire turned her head to where Alice was standing and staring at the destruction she had created, the rest of the group stood next to her, Becky shielded protectively in Jill's arms from the sight of the massacre.
"We'll meet you at the VTOL." Claire told Jill, who understood that they were running out of time and ushered everyone back into the factory.
All except Chris though, who stubbornly stood his ground, weapon at his chest, vigilantly scanning the area. Jill had instructed him on the route they should follow to get back to the VTOL and Chris was determined to make sure both his sister and Alice made it out of the facility before it was purged. Claire gave him an appreciative smile as she was now able to focus her full attention where it was needed most, without worrying about being blindsided by a possible attack.
"Alice?" Claire asked tentatively and finally Alice seemed to come back to herself as her pupils receded and she looked at Claire as if seeing her for the first time with pure relief, before her eyes shifted to the brunette that lay so very still in Claire's arms.
Alice walked toward them and knelt down in front of Claire and took hold of Number One's hand. The clone opened her eyes at Alice's touch and smiled. Alice let out a strangled sob and lifted Number One from Claire, hugging the clone to her body.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Alice chanted repeatedly as she held onto Number One, who in spite of her fatal injuries, managed to weakly return Alice's embrace. "Thank you for saving them." Alice rasped before she gently lowered Number One back into Claire's lap.
The redhead reached out to take Alice's hand, her heart breaking at Alice's relief at her and Becky having survived and her sorrow at Number One having given her life for that purpose. She looked from Alice down to Number One who was staring up at her wistfully.
"This is for the best Red. You were bound to leave Alice for me. And we can't have that." Number One laughed then wheezed and coughed as Alice chuckled morosely.
Claire tried to smile down at the brave woman in her arms, but only managed a painful grimace as she sniffed while tears blurred her vision and she had to blink them away.
"You need to take care of her okay?" Number One told Claire who nodded obediently as most of her attention was on making the woman dying in her arms as comfortable as possible. "She's a stubborn fool." Number One grinned tauntingly at Alice. "You need to protect her from herself." She told Claire as she looked at Alice. "Can I ask for a kiss?" Number One asked Alice sadly, finally letting go of the joking façade. "One that's for me, and not because she thought I was you?" The clone implored Alice with teary eyes and the original turned the exact same pleading look to Claire, who understood what Alice was asking her and gently shifted the lanky brunette in her arms to reach up and cup her cheek.
She received a lazy grin at the gesture so bright and lively it belied the weakened state of the woman in her arms.
"You are your own person." Claire husked at the brunette. "That's how I knew on the ship you weren't Alice." She smiled as she brushed a dark brown lock of hair behind Number One's ear.
Claire wished that she could say more to assuage Number One's need for individuality but there was no time for speeches then.
"Thank you for saving us." Claire whispered hoarsely, before she bent down and gently pressed her lips against Number One's who pressed back softly and chastely before her lips pulled into a smirk again and she let out a long heavy sigh.
Claire pulled away slowly, having felt the exact moment Number One's body had gone limp in her arms. She stared at the woman for a few moments, who looked as though she was merely asleep and turned back to Alice who was quietly crying.
Claire reached out her hand again to take hold of Alice's.
"The timer." Claire croaked. "We need to go." She explained wishing they had more time. Alice needed more time, she needed more time. Number One deserved more time.
"I can't just leave her here." Alice cried softly. "She doesn't deserve to just be left here, like she wasn't a real person."
Claire looked around the abandoned streets and saw what she was looking for. She gently handed Number One over to Alice and got up to shoot through one of the store windows, stepping through the glass and gathered a few sheets. She ran back but stopped as she watched Alice clutching onto the Number One's body, crying hoarsely as her whole body shook as she wept for her friend.
Claire looked at her watch that was synchronised with Jill's and she waited a few more moments, watching the sight in front of her, her heart clenching each time Alice hiccupped in between heart-wrenching sobs. When she couldn't wait any longer, she went to help Alice wrap Number One in the sheets and the lanky brunette carried the body to the VTOL, so Number One could be buried at sea.
….
Claire pushed the VTOL fast and hard as the blinding blue-white light behind them tried to catch up with the aircraft. They'd made it back with only a few minutes to spare. Jill thankfully, already had the engines running allowing them time to secure Number One's body in the back of the VTOL.
In the cockpit next to her, Alice was holding on to Becky for dear life, shielding the young girl from the destruction they'd created behind them, comforting the little blonde as the VTOL shook from the shockwave the blast had sent after them.
In spite of her initial distrust toward them both, Becky had taken well to the fact that Claire and Alice were not her real parents after she'd learned the truth. However, given all that had happened to the girl, Claire didn't blame her for blatantly ignoring the obvious and just continuing to cling to the tall brunette, as though Alice were in fact her real mother.
After engaging the autopilot and setting course for the Arcadia, Alice finally stopped gently stroking the girl's hair, an action Claire suspected was soothing to both of them since the loss of Number One for a second time was surely resting heavily on Alice's heart.
"We need to go to Washington." Alice whispered gruffly as she looked up at Claire.
The redhead reached out and gently touched Becky's shoulder and the girl looked up at her. Claire stiffened and she was momentarily stunned by the two sets of identical teary green eyes staring back at her, she finally recovered and asked Becky to go sit in the back with her Uncle Chris and Uncle Luther.
Once the girl couldn't see them anymore, Claire glared at Alice.
"You seriously expect me to fly you to Albert Wesker?" She stated icily.
"No you're right." Alice conceded. "We'll go back to the Arcadia and I'll take the VTOL and go to Washington on my own."
"What?!" Claire shrieked as she hit her fist hard on the console of the cockpit causing a few of the passengers in the back to start as the roaring engines had muffled most of the two women's conversation up until that point. "You really think I'm going to let you leave again?" Claire shouted angrily.
Alice clenched her jaw in visible agitation.
"Let me leave?" She queried in an eerily polite tone, cocking her head to the side and raising an eyebrow in challenge.
"You aren't leaving again, especially not to go to Wesker." Claire gritted out resolutely. "I don't care if he wasn't that cannibalistic psycho who set his dogs on us on the ship, but he's still a psychopath nonetheless. And you need to stop fucking trying to do everything on your own!" She shouted angrily.
Alice sighed out loud.
"What do you think will happen if I don't go Claire?" Alice asked with a look of powerlessness that had the redhead instantly mellow out. "He will come and get me." Alice answered her own question. "On the ship, where over two thousand people would be in danger because of it."
Claire looked away from Alice, staring vacantly at the blinking controls in front of her for a few long moments, clearly deep in thought. She then set her shoulders confidently, before punching in a set of new co-ordinates.
"You are not –
Alice started to protest but was cut off by a threatening glare from the redhead.
- I'm compromising." Claire said angrily. "You insist on going to Wesker, I will fucking take you to Wesker and stay there to take you the fuck away from him again. I'm not sure what you think we are, but each time you insist on running off on your own, no matter how much good you try and do, it's a slap in the face of my ability to think and decide for myself. And it completely undermines our relationship. So as you have clearly made up your mind, I have as well. And since we both respect the other enough to trust in those decisions I guess this argument is over." Claire told her stunned looking lover as she still visibly seethed at the prospect of going to Washington. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find out just what the fuck I'm flying into. Please keep an eye on things here." Claire smiled politely with her eyes still glaring at the brunette and left the cockpit and a bewildered Alice behind.
In spite of her still being upset with Alice, well more so at Wesker rather than the lanky brunette, Claire couldn't resist smiling at Becky sleeping soundly in Luther's arms. She squeezed the man's shoulder in thanks and he grinned back at her, before she made her way to where Jill and Ada were seated to the side, subtly holding hands, but letting go the moment Claire arrived.
The redhead pretended that she hadn't seen anything, wondering why they even felt the need to hide their relationship when it was clear as day to anyone who saw them together, and focused on Jill instead.
"May I speak with you for a moment?" She asked her friend, sending an apologetic smile to Ada for interrupting.
Jill nodded and led them further to the back of the VTOL where Number One's blood stained sheets only served to reinforce the redhead's resolve. Claire hoped that if she lowered her voice enough, Alice wouldn't be able to hear their conversation over the engines.
"How loyal is Ada to Albert Wesker?" Claire asked her friend conspiratorially.
….
Alice watched quietly as Claire landed the VTOL on the rooftop of a dilapidated White House. They had to navigate through a sky filled with flying Undead and Choppers fighting off a substantially larger mass than had surrounded the prison. It was only a slight comfort to know that the Arcadians weren't the only humans left on Earth.
Of course Wesker would make this his stronghold she thought to herself, wanting to laugh at the pure pretentiousness of the man, but growing increasingly tensed with having almost everyone she cared about, this close to her arch nemesis turned 'ally'.
She knew better than to continue arguing with Claire, there was no point, best was to focus on what she went there to do: Try and assess how trustworthy Wesker was. The man had saved her and assisted them in destroying the Red Queen and Umbrella Prime. He clearly wants to work together as they had a common goal, but Alice didn't really trust that he quite understood the term 'working together'. It was more likely that Wesker had intentions of controlling her as his own personal bio-organic weapon against the Undead.
"Come here." Alice told Claire softly before they were about to disembark.
The redhead turned toward her and allowed Alice to examine the wound on her shoulder she'd been trying to pretend was not bothering her. Alice gently took hold of Claire's arm and ripped the sleeve off of her shirt and then proceeded to gently clean the injury.
"Becky needs to stay on the VTOL with Jill and Luther." Alice murmured as she finished wrapping the wound with a piece of torn t-shirt she'd scavenged on the VTOL and Claire nodded that she agreed before thanking Alice for dressing her injury.
Jill would be able to fly them to safety should anything go wrong inside the White House and Becky seemed most comfortable with Luther, other than her and Claire. And the girl was also still sleeping quietly in his arms. Ada had to take them to Wesker and Chris wasn't going to let Claire out of his sight.
The four of them were met by a uniformed soldier, who did nothing to disarm them and led the Arcadians through the cluttered hallways of the White House, to the Oval Office, where Wesker stood in wait behind the presidential desk, with a broad smirk on his face.
"Project Alice. So good of you to make it." He sneered. "Why don't we step outside for some privacy?" He offered politely.
Alice felt Claire tense next to her but gave the redhead a reassuring smile.
"I killed him once Red. I can kill him again." She announced confidently and loud enough for the entire room to hear.
Wesker only chuckled at the implied threat and Alice waited for Claire's affirming nod, before she followed Wesker out onto the rooftop.
…..
Alice stood staring at the large gathering of Undead seemingly having mutated into a variety of different monsters. She wondered what the ones flying around once were… Bats perhaps? These weren't merely humans that were infected, these were Umbrella experiments that had been unleashed unto the world.
"This is the last that remain of us, of the human race. It seems we're bonded against a common foe. This is why we needed you back. The Ultimate weapon. This is humanity's last stand. The beginning of the end." Wesker continued his recruitment speech which Alice had barely been paying attention to as she wondered if she should just kill the duplicitous man right then and there.
Alice stiffened though as she scented Claire climbing onto the rooftop, the redhead laughed ominously at Wesker's words as she went to stand on the man's other side. Alice wasn't comfortable with having him in between her and Claire, but the redhead had purposely moved there and Alice was starting to wonder if Claire was that upset with her that she'd rather have the former Umbrella Chairman next to her than Alice.
"Of course I had hoped that your clone would make it out as well. Having two of you would've helped our cause considerably." He continued unperturbed at Claire's arrival but then focused his attention on the redhead. "But at least we still have the Redfield's on our side. The Arcadia, under your leadership, would be a valuable assest in the upcoming war."
Claire turned to him with narrowed eyes.
"Are you really that arrogant that you think I would ever trust you enough to join forces with you?" She asked. "Cause I know you aren't stupid. Perhaps just clinically insane." She pondered mockingly tilting her head to the side in question. "I'm dying to know Wesker, in which of your realities did you think that I would ever allow you to get away with the torment you've put Alice through over the last seven years?" She asked casually.
He stared into cold, hostile blue eyes for a moment as if trying to gauge how serious the redhead's threat was.
"You can't kill me. I'm immortal." Wesker smirked smugly. "Just like Project Alice. Only better." He grinned menacingly.
Claire matched his eerie grin.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you." She told him matter-of-factly and Alice readied herself mentally to step in, should Claire be pissed off enough to actually engage an infected Wesker, who only chuckled at the redhead's proclamation.
"For Alice. For Number One. For all of Alice's clones who had tried to make a difference in Tokyo, the same way you claim to want to do now. For all those humans your psycho clone ate. And for those who lost their lives at the hands of Umbrella when you were Chairman of the board, and decided to sell off the virus to the highest bidder. You are responsible for this." She motioned to the Undead masses surrounding the White House. "You were in charge of Umbrella when the Outbreak started. You were in charge of the decisions that only served to propagate the spread of the virus even further. And you will be held accountable."
"Is that so?" He smirked unaffected by the redhead's speech.
Claire nodded decisively before gunfire sounded and Wesker easily dodged the sudden rain of bullets targeting only him. Alice looked up to see Chris armed with a smoking rifle and drew her weapons at Wesker's inevitable retaliation. Predictably he turned to Alice, anticipating her attack. Clearly thinking she'd orchestrated the ambush, but as soon as he turned his back to Claire, the redhead swiftly moved forward and stabbed a hypodermic needle into his neck and the former Umbrella Chairman collapsed onto the floor.
Claire smirked down at him as he writhed on the rooftop looking fatigued and in pain.
"What have you done?" Wesker growled glaring up at the redhead whose dark grin only broadened.
"I made you like me." Claire retorted. "Only I'm better."
Wesker wheezed as the antivirus Claire had retrieved with the help of Ada Wong fought to eradicate the T-Virus inside of him.
"Don't do this. You need me." Wesker warned.
Claire finally drew her Glock and aimed it at his head.
"What I need is for you to die." She told him icily before sending her entire clip right into Wesker's head and torso.
"Let's see you come back from that." Claire smirked before raising her eyes to meet the stunned brunette's. "I'm sorry for doing what I asked you not to do, but it had to be done." She told Alice sternly before walking back to her brother.
The befuddled brunette followed silently after Claire as she spoke to Chris.
"You need to take control of things here."
"I know a few of the guys. A lot are military men, so I should be able to get everyone organized by the time you get here." He told Claire, and the redhead's icy façade dropped as she smiled gratefully at him before looking back at Wesker.
"Maybe you should keep an eye on his body… Make sure the antivirus really worked, and that he is in fact dead. You may have to kill him again… It took a while for Number One to become fully human." She eyed the body suspiciously. "And burn him. Make sure there's nothing left of the bastard."
"Will do Ma'am." He grinned and Claire rolled her eyes before hitting him playfully on the arm.
"Ada really came through for us; I'm thinking that she should stay here with you? Probably Jill too, they've been inseparable since they were reunited."
"No I'll be fine. Go relax on the ship for a few days. We'll deal with that," he casually nodded to the Undead as though he was referring to a heap of leaves that needed to be discarded from the backyard, "when you get back."
"The Arcadia will lay anchor at Annapolis in a few days' time. I'll contact you on the emergency frequency." Claire told him before leaning in for an awkwardly sweet hug. "Stay safe." She whispered.
"You too Sis."
…
The flight back to the Arcadia was spent in uncomfortable silence. Alice and Claire were in the cockpit as Becky still slept in Luther's arms, blissfully unaware of all that had taken place in the mere two hours they'd spent at the White House. Jill and Ada seemed to have mastered the art of communicating without words as they sat intimately close to one another, without actually touching each other in an overtly intimate manner. Alice had been too caught up in her own thoughts to even try and engage the pensive redhead in any form of conversation.
She wanted to feel offended and indignant at the fact that Claire hadn't informed her of the plan to take out Wesker, especially after the speech she was given about doing things on her own. But the redhead knew her well enough to have taken into account the fact that Alice would've never let Claire put herself in danger like that. So many things could've gone wrong, but as was often the case with Claire Redfield's plans, it all worked out perfectly. The redhead was a tactical mastermind.
Alice remembered the way Claire had led her Convoy through the desert. They were a highly organized group, able to defend themselves proficiently and even avoid attacks from the Undead. It was Claire's plan that had gotten them to the two Choppers behind the gates of the Nevada facility without any casualties in spite of the massive amount of Undead surrounding the place.
Claire had also saved Alice's life on numerous occasions and that without any of the abilities and training Alice possessed. Her respect for Claire and her capabilities were immeasurable, and Alice had to admit that whenever there was even a hint at danger, Alice acted entirely on her protective instinct without regard to her own safety.
The redhead landed the VTOL in the holding Hanger on deck. They had tried to contact Mikey to open up the Hanger Bay, but didn't manage to get a hold of him and Alice saw the redhead's tension increase even further. They disembarked from the large aircraft and were met with Leon and eight other men, all carrying weapons they shouldn't have been in possession off.
Claire bristled instantly as another man brought out K-Mart, who was bound and gagged and the barrel of a gun placed against the young blonde's temple.
"No one else needs to get hurt Claire." Leon smirked at her. "All we want are the access codes to the armoury, hanger and docking bays, and for you and your freak to leave our ship."
….
A/N: Apologies for the lengthy chapter, wasn't sure where to cut it off. As for Becky's origins, I've created her backstory, left a few hints here and there, but for now there are obviously bigger fish to fry.
R.I.P Number One.