AN: Fun story time. I had this uploaded a couple days later after I uploaded chapter nine. I thought I had published it but turns out I didn't. /knee slap

Chapter Ten: Burning Throats

Masa exited his room and approached the group of scientists, impatiently waiting for him, judging by their annoyed tapping of their feet. Masa held up a hand in apology. "((Excuse me, gentlemen," he said. "((I had a problem that had to be dealt with immediately))."

"((We don't have time for this Masa,))" one of the men said. "((We are wasting crucial time here))." He turned to the table and picked up a vial of clear liquid. He handed it to Masa who took it with a confused look. "((This is the essence of the Twin. But we've modified it.))"

The other men smiled with satisfaction as the Asian man grinned. "((We've successfully combined the extract of your Gargoyle with the Twin.))"

Masa frowned. "((The Gargoyle is a failed experiment of mine. Why would I be happy that you've wasted my time showing me that you've tainted the Twin's DNA?))"

The Chinese man's face fell as Masa's disappointment and anger slowly crept up his face. Wrinkles appeared around Masa's eyes as his eyes narrowed.

"((Masa, don't you see?))" one of the other men chipped in to his colleague's relief. "Your Gargoyle may be a failed creation in your eyes, but it had potential to be a powerful weapon due to its monstrous size and strength. You said it yourself, if a Gargoyle went against a Twin, the Gargoyle will triumph.))"

"((The reason why the Gargoyle is a waste of my time is because it was stupid. It had no brain. It didn't think. It killed its own kind and injured itself when there was nothing else to tear apart,))" Masa said. "((So unless you've merged the Gargoyle's strength with the Twin's brain, then I clearly made a mistake in investing in you.))"

The scientists smirked in response as Masa stared at them. A smile tugged at the ends of his mouth. "((I suppose I did make the right choice then.))"

Jaegar punched the wall besides him in anger. He scowled as he shook his hand in pain from hitting the steel wall. He was angered at how Masa had treated him yet again. No matter how hard he had tried, he was never seen as an equal to the man.

Leon quietly watched Jaeger curse in German and occasionally punch the walls again. His fists must have been bloodied and bruised underneath his gloves by now. He glanced around, stopping short at the other mercenary walking besides him. He was a shorter man, stayed silent the entire walk. Leon turned his attention back to the angry agent who relentlessly cursed at Masa.

Leon recalled Jaeger's reaction to Masa talking about Helena. Jaeger had lost it when Masa talked of beating her in front of him...again. Leon's fists clenched at the thought of Helena being mercilessly beaten by these people. He still wasn't clear of her relationship with these people, besides Jaeger of course. But it was clear that Helena was running away from them. But why did she say that she was being framed by them? It was possible that she was being blackmailed again.

Leon felt immense worry and pity for Helena. She was pulled into a complicated situation yet again. Leon wanted to shield her from a life filled with misery forever. He wanted to take her away somewhere, where no one can get to her and protect her forever. He felt Helena deserved a life like that, after everything she's been through and what she lost on the way. Leon found it amusing when he knew he went through much more than her yet didn't think he deserved a luxurious life filled with peace. He was born for the chaos and chaos was made for him. The world needed him and he couldn't leave it yet. But if Helena were to ask of him to leave with her, he would.

Leon believed she was the one. There wasn't going to be anyone else after her. And if he lost her here or anywhere, he will be alone for the rest of his life. Even if there was a chance with Ada, it wouldn't be the same. Their relationship never started as Ada was married to her work and Leon was too preoccupied with his. Even if he had tried hard to make it happen between them, they were fated to be partners in crimes forever.

The three stopped in a large room filled with hot steam. Large tanks of steel surrounded the walls with the sounds of sizzling coming from them. Large machinery worked behind them and from glance, they looked like engines. Jaeger turned his head around, seemingly looking for something. "Rick!" he shouted loudly over the ear-deafening sounds of the machinery.

Leon caught sight of a man dressed in a white lab coat that has been dirtied by dirt. Jaeger's eyes found him as well and marched over to him. He grabbed the collar of the coat and pulled the man up. "Rick!"

The man adjusted his glasses and gave Masa a toothy grin. "Hallo there, Jaeger! What brings you down here?" The man had a thick curly brown hair that fell a little over his thick glasses that made his eyes look a little too big. His tan skin made the dirty coat look brighter. Bright brown eyes beamed up as Jaeger scowled.

"You fix the cameras, yes?!" Jaeger shouted.

Rick wore a confused grin as Jaeger's words were overwhelmed by the noises of the machine. Jaeger rolled his eyes, grabbed the man and dragged him out of the room. Leon and the mercenary quietly followed.

Jaeger shut the iron door behind them, effectively shutting the loud noises from the engine room. "Why are you fixing camera in engine room?" Jaeger asked.

Rick laughed heartily, annoying Jaeger even more. "My dear fellow, this isn't the engine room! It's the-"

"I don't care!" Jaeger snapped. "Did you fix the cameras?"

Rick stared at Jaeger blankly and then nodded happily as he recalled what Jaeger had asked him to do when they got on the ship. "No!"

Jaeger dropped him to the ground and angrily stomped away. Leon and the other mercenary quickly followed. "You useless, waste of DNA," Jaeger scowled. "I'll find him myself!"

"Wait!" Rick shouted. Jaeger stopped and glared at him. "Don't you want to know what I was doing in nuclear reactor room? We were in the nuclear reactor room by the way."

Jaeger rolled his eyes. "What were you doing in there?"

"I got a voicemail from Drescher! She sounds fucking pissed," Rick said.

Jaeger turned back on his heels and resumed walking. "She always angry with you, Rick."

"She's dead."

Jaeger swiftly turned back with widened eyes. Rick nodded, his face grave. "I lost the signal from her a few moments ago. I was supposed to meet her at 6 to pick her up. I had my men waiting for her at the location. She never arrived. And you know how she is with time. She's very punctual."

"...Do we tell Masa?" Jaeger said.

Rick sighed. "We can't hide it from him. It'd be stupid too. We need to take action with this. It'd be best if we tell him now."

Jaeger scowled. "God damn it. You know he will take it out on you or me."

Rick winced. "You better not fight back this time. You remember what he did to both of us when you did."

Jaeger scoffed. "Then he better not choose me."

As the two started walking, Leon followed, feeling a arrow of hope pierce his chest. It must have been Hunnigan who found out who Agent Drescher was. He felt relief that he made the right choice to stick with her even if it meant going behind Helena's back. He knew he could trust Hunnigan to protect Helena.

Helena's eyes fluttered open. She was seated in the corner of the captain room, where she was before she blacked out. She struggled to stand but found it impossible. Her bones and muscles ached from the mesmerizing pain that echoed throughout her body. Masa was never a man of mercy. He believed in equal treatment as well. Man and woman should take the same hits. So he beaten her until she was an inch from death. Death even watched her getting beaten. Maybe it was because Death thought this time, Masa would go too far. Helena sighed. That would make her lucky.

She brought up her trembling fingers and touched her lips. They were swollen and still bloodied. She couldn't open both her eyes, one of them was too swollen. With one eye cracked open, she looked around to find the room empty. She pulled herself up but a shock of pain forced her back down. Her mouth gaped at the intense pain coming from her left leg. She felt it gently and felt a wet spot on the back of her knee. It was a bullet wound. Masa had finally taken the hint and shot her leg. Helena rolled her pants up and stared at the black hole in her leg with shock, as if she had never seen a bullet wound before. She was shot before, but that was a long ago. Helena ripped a part of her pants and tied around the bleeding wound tightly. She whimpered in pain as she forced the clothing tightly around the tender wound. She couldn't take out the bullet yet. She'd lose too much blood and she needed her consciousness.

Helena pulled herself up, using a nearby desk to give her leverage. She got up using her uninjured leg and as soon as she put a hint of weight on her bullet leg, Helena almost collapsed back down from the pain. It felt like her left leg's bones were shattered and the weight forced the shards of her bone stab her tender flesh. She couldn't rely on her left leg anymore. She stood up, putting all the weight on her good leg.

Helena saw her reflection from the framed map of the ship. Masa was generous to her and didn't give her any black eyes this time. But there were bruises around her left eye and it hurt her to open it. He had aimed for her mouth yet again. But she remembered to clench her teeth so she didn't lose any teeth this time. Her lips were stained with her blood and she brought up her hand to wipe it away. A sharp pain jolted her, forcing her against the wall for support. She placed a hand over her stomach and remembered Masa had kicked her there repeatedly until she passed out.

Helena's eyes widened with hatred and unfaltering madness over the man. She wanted to kill him, so much. She should have taken the shot. He would have beaten her either way. Maybe if she shot him, he would have killed her.

Helena spat some of her blood onto the ground. She scowled as she lifted the bulletproof vest and thick jacket to reveal a large dark bruise on her stomach. The vest did nothing to protect her from Masa's powerful kicks. The bruise had a mixture of red, purple, and greenish yellow that covered a large part of her stomach and waist. She opened her mouth to utter out a short cry of pain when she touched it lightly. But she found no voices coming out of her parched throat. She had screamed in pain for hours during the beating.

Helena, with the upmost care, pulled the clothing down and hid the grotesque injury. She bit her dry lips and used the wall as support as she made her way to the door. She pulled on the knob, opening it only to be face to face with a mercenary aiming a gun at her. She staggered back in shock as the mercenary closed the door in front of her.

Of course she wouldn't be left unguarded. Helena looked around for her gun and found it taken away from her. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to find some kind of weapon to use for her escape.

Helena dragged herself over to the desk and opened the drawers. She pulled out a pen whose tip was missing. She lowered her head in misery and hopelessness. Even if she were to find a weapon, how was she supposed to fight her way out? Masa would most likely be near her and with her injured leg, she can only go so far.

Helena dropped the pen down and covered her face in frustration with her hand. Tears were threatening to pour from her eyes. She didn't want to go back to her old life with Masa. She wanted to stay in the United States with Leon. She got a taste of freedom and having a life of her own, as a human being, not a experiment. Hot tears dripped from her eyes and trailed down her face. She wanted to go home. Home where Leon was.

She needed to get to him. She needed to get him out of here. If he died here, she would never forgive herself. But how? She was stuck in here with an useless leg and no weapons. She broke into quiet sobs, feeling lost and helpless.

The pen rolled from the desk from Helena's shaking sobs. It fell on the ground on the cap and launched the cartridge high in the air, hitting the ceiling and falling back on the desk. Helena gazed at the pen and then looked up in the ceiling.

Her eyes widened at the vent. It was big enough for her to get in. It was her way out.

Helena quickly wiped her tears and looked around for a way to get up there. She could use the desk but it won't be enough to get her all the way up. Her eyes stopped at the chair in front of her. It was a rolling chair but she could take off her vest and use the wool lining to secure her balance. Balancing on the chair won't be easy even with the wool, but it would be better than balancing the smooth table without anything.

She glanced down at her left leg and then back up at the vent. She needed to do this, for Leon.

Helena took off her vest and spread it across the table. She made her way around the table and sat on the desk. She pulled the heavy chair up, mustering all the strength left within her. As it was halfway up, she pulled the chair up sideways and rested it on the table before setting it upright. She took in gasps of air and knew she didn't have much time left before someone came in to check up on her. Helena pulled the chair up and set it on the inner vest's wool. Now it was time for her to get up.

Helena touched her leg gently and shuddered with pain at the slightest touch. The pain was too sensitive but she didn't have a choice. She needed to get up to the vent. As soon as Helena got on her knees, the pain intensified, numbing Helena's mind and senses. She bit her lips from crying out in pain. Bullets of sweat formed around her forehead and her hands started shaking. But she kept them steady as she gripped on the chair's handles. She pulled herself up using her right leg first and then put a little weight on her left leg.

Helena wanted to scream. Tears sprung from her eyes as she lifted her right leg, putting more weight on her left leg. Her mouth twitched as she forced her mouth shut. Her trembling never stopped and it shook her balance. She got on the chair now. She was on her knees. She raised her arm and put it on the chair's top to pull herself up. She was careful not to put too much weight on the chair so that it won't roll off the vest. She carefully pulled herself up and stood upright on the chair. The pain was too much for Helena and she shifted all the weight from her left leg to her right. The chair tilted a bit and Helena gasped. She quickly put weight back on her left leg. She winced but quickly clamped her mouth shut. She breathed heavily as her eyes were locked on the vent. The bolts were rusted with bronze coloring. She just needed to have several pulls of it to get it loose. Helena's mouth opened to let out silent cries of pain as she put weight on both legs to reach up to the vent. Her fingers wrapped around the rusted slits of the vent. With all her might, she jerked it down, sending down shock waves of mesmerizing suffering from her leg. The torment of standing on her fragile leg was too much for her.

Leon! Do it for Leon! she cried in her mind.

Helena jerked on the vent again and let out a loud gasp from the torture. Outside, the mercenary turned his head towards the door behind him, having heard something. But when no other sounds followed, he turned back.

Helena jerked at the vent again and one of the bolts came loose. With it came a loud creak and the mercenary outside turned his head again. He griped his gun as he stared at the door.

Helena forced the last remaining bolts with a cry of pain and frustration. The bolts came loose and she dropped the vent to the ground with a loud 'clunk'. Immediately, the mercenary burst into the room, only to see Helena standing on top of the desk. He dropped the gun to the ground and ran towards her. "Hey!" he shouted. Helena held onto the vent and forced herself to get up.

Go go go go go! Helena screamed in her mind as she started to panic when she couldn't pull herself up. The man grabbed her left leg and Helena scowled in pain. She kicked the man off with her right leg, sending him crashing to the ground with the chair. She was now hanging off from the vent. Helena felt her arms shaking.

Get up get up get up get up

Helena slowly pulled herself up. Her left arm made contact with the cold ground of the vent. She swung her legs and got her right arm inside the vent. Her head was now in the vent and her body halfway there to freedom. Helena clenched her eyes shut as she forced her leg up to swing her way up again.

You can do it! You can get out!

Suddenly, she felt a grab on her leg pulling her down. Helena desperately made a grab for anything to hold onto in the sleek vent. She slid down and crashed onto the floor. She gasped as Masa stared down at her, his feet coming down at her face the last thing she saw.

"What the fuck?!"

The twin's attention turned quickly around to a soldier standing in front of it. It slowly rose as the infected lunged at the panicking soldier. In a giant leap, the twin pushed aside the infected in its path, crushing some under its feet and grabbed the screaming man. The mouth of the twin widened as the throat bulged as if something was crawling out of the twin's throat. The man's scream never faded for a second as the black slug slithered out of the twin's mouth and dove into the man's open mouth. The slug forced its way into the man's body and the twin dropped him onto the ground. The man scurried away as the throngs of the infected ran past him and attacked his fellow mercenaries. Gun shots rang and screams followed.

The man backed until he was against the wall. His eyes caught a infected staring at him longingly, his mouth dripping with saliva. He growled at the mercenary who clumsily grabbed for his gun. The infected's head was crushed by a large hand. The mercenary's eyes widened as the twin grabbed the infected and tore him in half. It then grabbed the remaining body and threw it at the infected, who tore it to pieces with their teeth.

The man felt a burning sensation in his stomach. He lurched over and held his stomach in pain. Why was this thing protecting him? Was it because of that slug he swallowed?

Another mercenary was thrown next to him. He glanced over and saw her mouth stained with black liquid. Another twin appeared and stood next to the other twin. The two quietly stared at the two mercenaries.

The man quickly went over to the female and grasped her shoulders to sit her up straight. "Did you swallow it?!"

She lurched forward and threw up. The man screamed and scampered away from her when it was blood. He watched in terror as the woman screamed in agony as blood profused from her eyes, nose, and mouth; as if she was being pushed out from the inside. In a second, her entire body exploded, leaving nothing but bloody pieces. The blood sprayed on the man's face, who was frozen in fear. His heart pounded against his chest and his gasps accelerated. Was that going to happen to him too?

The twin who came with the woman slumped away. The man gazed at the twin that infected him. What were they waiting for?

The man felt a burning feeling coming from his throat this time. He heaved and to his horror, it was his blood. He was going to follow the woman's fate. "No...NO!" The man grabbed his gun as the burning sensation continue to grow by the second. He was going to end it faster. A quick death, not like that woman.

The twin screamed, "NO!". The man became startled at the sound of a woman's ear piercing scream. His moment of faze allowed the twin to grabbed the man's arm. Before the man could react, the twin twisted his arm around. The sound of bones breaking mixed in with the screams of the man. The gun in the man's hand was dropped. Blood spilled from the man's face as the twin released him. He screamed in torment and felt his body about to split into two.

His final moments took him back to his memory of his parents, who thought he was studying in school to become a doctor. The tuition was too expensive and he had no choice but to become a hired mercenary. He knew he was going to die. Regret filled his mind as he wondered who was going to take care of his aging parents. Tears sprung from his eyes as he felt his chest thumping, like something inside was trying to get out. His last scream echoed through the halls, forever freezing his twisted face full of pain as the newly birthed twin burst out, screeching.