First off I'd like to apologize about the late update. School has not been kind to me lately. I just "love" homework and tests. -_-
Alice remained like a lump on her swivel chair in the control room as she relayed the same message on the transmitter every 5 minutes. And with every 5 minutes, Alice couldn't help but lose a sense of hope that there were even any survivors left. She closed her eyes, clearly in deep thought of how they would be able to manage in Arcadia, Alaska.
"Thought you could use some caffeine to wake up," Luther stated as he brought in a steaming cup of coffee.
Alice didn't even open her eyes. She remained in her chair with her feet propped up on the table, the transmitter device in her left hand, and the other hand waiting for what Luther assumed was the coffee he had brought for her.
He passed it to her outreached hand before grabbing a seat to sit right next to her.
Alice muttered a barely audible "Thank you" to Luther.
"Well your welcome I guess. Now mind telling me why you seem so lifeless. Or super lost in thought? Whichever the two it is."
Luther crossed his arms as he waited for the response. As the minutes passed, Luther gave a sigh of frustration before taking a sip of his own coffee.
Alice opened her eyes and turned to face Luther. "I was just thinking. That's all."
"Mind telling me what you were exactly thinking about?" Luther asked curiously.
Alice's face remained expressionless as she responded dully. "Yes, I do mind."
With that being said, Alice turned the other way to face the frontal window as she relayed the message right on time as it hit the 5 minute mark.
"Well I see you're not the social one today. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Luther asked sarcastically.
Getting no response back, Luther got up from his chair and left the room to make a routine check of the ship's occupants.
Alice could tell Luther was upset at her not responding back. Alice just didn't know why she had to act the way she was acting. She couldn't help it. For years Alice worked to build a wall around herself so that she would never become attached to anyone else again. She didn't want the pain from getting close to someone only to have them die right in front of her. It happened with Angie, and it happened with Carlos. If she just let her guard down even once to bring in Luther, Jill, Claire, and Chris closer, then they would probably die. Umbrella seems to kill all those that Alice deeply cares about. The worst thing about it for Alice though, is she can't do anything to stop it. The sense of helplessness is the one thing that is never lost for her.
XXXXxxxxXXXXX
Jill exited her cabin once more as it was now seemingly late at night. Or at least, late enough so that many onboard the Arcadia wouldn't recognize her on the top deck of the Arcadia. It had become rather routine for her. Take a brisk walk around the Arcadia at dawn when most of the ship's occupants were asleep, get breakfast with Chris, and then head back down to her own cabin for most of the day. Then when night came along, she headed back out to the top deck for some much needed fresh air and space.
Just as Jill opened the door heading out to the deck, she ran smack dab into the overshadowing figure of Luther.
"Sorry Jill I didn't see you there," Luther said apologetically as he helped her up from the floor.
"Funny. This is the second time I have run into someone today. First Claire, and now you. I'm starting to think my reflexes are a bit slow," Jill mentioned as she dusted herself off.
Luther smirked and followed Jill to the outer deck of the Arcadia. "Well maybe you are slow."
Jill turned around, her eyebrows raised slightly. "How can you judge my speed when you can't exactly keep up with me?"
Virtually all her memories came rushing in as the days passed. Including those of the fight that took place onboard the ship, and she remembered real well the nasty punched she delivered to Luther.
Luther gave Jill a taunting nudge before backing up a bit away from her. He remembered the story Chris had told him awhile back. It was some story about how Chris met Jill, and that Chris got his butt kicked by her. If anything, he knew she would take up a challenge. Especially when someone taunts her, so he decided to exploit that.
"If you had speed then maybe you could have stopped me from hitting you," Luther retorted.
"First off, that was not a hit. That was a nudge if anything. Practically didn't even feel it. And second off, if you don't want your ass kicked than you better stop it."
It was the only warning Jill was going to give him. Not that she couldn't see what he was trying to do. She could read Luther like a book just like she could read Chris. Luther was taunting her into a little playful scuffle. But Jill doesn't play fight, she fights without showing mercy. Courtesy of the S.T.A.R.S combat training she received.
"Well I guess you are going to have to try and kick my ass because I'm not going to stop. I could use a little training," Luther stated as he moved himself into a fighting stance. Never once did his goofy grin fall off his as he continued to talk back to Jill.
Jill inwardly laughed while she kept her stoic face intact. She wasn't about to let her guard down. "Fine with me. I could use some exercise, or rather, the little warm up that you are going to provide."
"Oh don't worry it won't be a warm up. I'll give you a good exercise. You look like you need it," Luther daringly replied.
The look of anger that flashed across Jill's face didn't go unnoticed by Luther. He overstepped the boundary, and Jill was going to make him pay dearly for that mistake.
She didn't even enter a fighting stance and instead, launched a kick aimed at Luther's torso….
xxxxXXXXxxxx
Chris walked into the controls room while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He grabbed the swivel chair to the right of Alice and sat next to her.
"Aren't you tired of being miss messenger already? Go ahead and get some shut-eye Alice."
Alice just shook her head. "You look like the tired one Redfield. Maybe you should get a couple more hours of sleep. Luther and I can cover for a little bit longer."
"I can't go back to sleep now that I'm awake so hope you don't mind me hanging out for a bit here."
Alice did mind, but didn't have the heart to say it out loud. She was still in a foul mood, yet tried her best to hide it. However, thoughts of her hateful mood were suddenly interrupted by sounds. Sounds coming from what she guessed the deck.
"Do you hear that Chris?"
"Hear what exactly? All I can hear is the static from that stupid radio transmitter."
If Chris couldn't hear it than Alice pretty much assumed it was her enhanced hearing that was picking it up.
Alice kicked off from her chair and peered through the window to the deck below. Sure enough, she could see the source of the sound. Two figures covered in the shadow of darkness were fighting. One was apparently much taller and bigger than the other.
"What do you see Alice?" Chris asked.
"Take a look down there," she answered back, pointing at the two people fighting.
Chris placed his hand on his gun holster, ready to pull it out if needed.
"Shit. Could that be Umbrella?" he turned to ask Alice.
Alice watched as the smaller figure below grabbed the bigger one and threw him or her upward. Straight at the glass windows where she and Chris were behind.
Alice reacted and flung herself at Chris, knocking him down to the floor and shielding him with her body. And not a moment too soon because the glass windows shattered a second after they hit the floor.
"Thank me later," Alice muttered as she rolled off Chris while bring up her revolver at the unknown assailant. Actually the assailant was the opposite of that much to her surprise…
xxxXXXXxxx
Claire gave out a long yawn as she stretched on her bed. She looked to her clock, and it showed that it was 4a.m. She groaned as she tore her gaze away from the clock.
"15 minutes until my next shift with my idiotic brother. I'm going to need a good amount of coffee before I head up to the controls room."
xxxXXXXxxx
"Luther? What in the hell were you doing?"
He could only manage a groan as he shifted over onto his back.
Alice shifted her focus from him to the door as it was slammed open by Jill. Jill appeared wide-eyed at the scene before her. Broken glass littered the floor, and a remarkably unharmed but apparently still in pain Luther lying on the floor.
"I can explain," Jill said quickly.
"Yes please do Jill. I'd love to know why you were fighting in the first place, and on top of it, managed to ruin the windows of this ship," Alice hissed.
"You would think those windows would have been more solid considering this is an Umbrella made ship. I thought they had top of the line equipment and stuff," Chris muttered.
"They were already damaged from the fight with Umbrella beforehand. I'm not surprised they gave away like that, especially with that new human projectile on the floor over there." Alice pointed to Luther as he got up. "I mean I know were low on ammo but couldn't you have found a better alternative Jill?"
"We were practice fighting," Jill replied coolly. "It might have been a little bit aggressive, but he needed some training so I offered to help him."
Chris moved to Jill's side and gently put his hand on her chin to tilt her head to face him. For a moment, it looked like Chris was planning to just randomly kiss her, but in reality he was just assessing the damage. Alice was pretty much thinking that it wouldn't be too long anyway before he did kiss Jill. The look Chris gave Jill showed more than just concern.
"Jill, you look like you were in some horrific accident, not in training," Chris said as he touched her now forming black-eye.
Alice turned to glare at Luther. She gave him a, what-the-fuck-were-you-thinking-look. Or at least, that's how Luther interpreted it.
Luther shamefully walked to Alice's side. "It was my fault. I might have enticed her into fighting with me."
Alice inwardly chuckled. She knew that Luther didn't know a thing about Jill's attitude. Well that is, until now.
"And you are the reason she got all these cuts and bruises," Chris angrily replied.
"Now hold on a minute Chris, he isn't the only one to blame," Alice countered. She didn't need someone else pounding on Luther too. Luther looked just as beat up and exhausted as Jill.
"You are right about that Alice. You can take some of that blame considering this was your shift to manage the ship!"
Alice could feel the anger boiling up inside her. "Why don't you stop pointing fingers and go tend to Jill's injuries. Make yourself useful."
Jill didn't like the remark that Alice sent back at Chris. Alice of all people should be the level headed one. "Alice was that really necessary to say? You know all of us are working to keep this ship running and keep the occupants safe."
xxxXXXxxx
"Claire! Wait up!"
Claire knew that voice all too well. She smiled.
"What is it K-Mart?"
"Nothing really, I was just wondering where you were heading."
"You ask me this everyday K-Mart. You know it's my turn to take the next shift so I'm heading up to the controls room. Now mind telling me why you are up so early?"
"Oh you always ask me this same exact question everyday!" K-Mart dramatically replied. "But if you really must know, it's because I chose this shift with you and Chris."
Claire ruffled K-Mart's hair with one hand as she had a mug of coffee in the other. "If you say so kiddo."
"Stop calling me that!" K-Mart tried to act mad about it, but her attempt failed as she couldn't hold back her smile from Claire. K-Mart would never admit that she took the shift just because she liked being around Claire. Claire is like the older sister she always wished she had.
"I think today is going to be a good day K-Mart," Claire said smiling.
"Why do you think that?"
"I just do," she replied back, opening the door to the control's room. "Or perhaps not," she mumbled as she looked at the scene before her…..
Sorry if this chapter wasn't up to what you were hoping for. This was more of a filler chapter if anything so that I can transition back to the main action story, but i still hope you liked it. And thank you to those who reviewed!