Chapter Nine

Billy glanced at the radio's digital clock; it had been about forty-five minutes since he had talked to Mainframe. Which meant Hutch and the rest of his team would be mobilized by now, and very likely Duke had been apprised of the situation. As he drove, Billy prayed no one would jump the gun and try to get involved too early. If there was one thing Billy remembered from Rebecca's recollections of Wesker was that the man was ruthless. She had also mentioned that he was a damn good actor when he chose to be, and that no one had suspected him during the Spencer Mansion incident until the very end.

Having actually seen Wesker at work, Billy had no trouble at all believing that every word of it was true. And we both got suckered in, he thought. We both walked right into his trap.

Now here he was, about to knowingly walk into another one. But what choice did he have? He couldn't leave Edwin with Wesker, nor could he have left anyone else in good conscience. He know it wouldn't be above Wesker to commit cold blooded murder, not after sending two of his own S.T.A.R.S. teams into the Spencer Mansion to be butchered as he had. Billy couldn't stand the idea that anyone else was in danger because of their association with him.

Billy brought the rental to a stop about a quarter of a mile away from the quarry that he had been directed to, checking his Magnum and knife before climbing out of the vehicle. Without the benefit of air conditioning, the heat of the day was already starting to make itself known, and Billy pulled his hat down a little more to shield his eyes from the glare his sunglasses couldn't quite block.

The quarry wasn't a big one, and it hadn't been hard for Billy to find. There was something akin to relief in the Marine's mind when he realized the directions Wesker had given him and the coordinates that Mainframe had sent matched. It meant that the tracker and his lover weren't far from each other, at least. He made a circuit of the outside fence, keeping carefully out of sight. By the end of his recon around the facility, he had found no guards, and that seemed strange. Careless, he thought. That's not like him . . .

Billy slipped through the opened main gate, wishing he had been able to find some other way in. Coming in the front door was risky, but he knew that Wesker wasn't expecting him yet. He wanted to use that time discrepancy to his advantage, if he could.

Billy circled each of the buildings he saw immediately, still finding no sign of Edwin, Wesker, or anyone else. So he moved on, deeper into the quarry itself. There were still old pieces of equipment and machinery here and there, long since rusted to the point that they were inoperative. A few old scales, a wrecking ball that had seen better days, and other things that provided the Marine with adequate cover as he slipped further and further into the quarry. He had left his cell phone in the car, and his communicator had been set to "stealth" mode, so any unexpected incoming messages wouldn't totally blow his cover.

He was grateful for all the precautions, as he slowly turned a corner and found himself standing behind two men, both dressed in conspicuously plain clothing. Garbed head to toe in black, both of them were armed with pistols, but didn't seem to be carrying anything more deadly than that. A threat, but a minor one, as long as he could keep the element of surprise. He crept closer to the two men, the changing wind bringing their conversation to his ears.

"Man, why do we always get stuck guarding the entrances? How do we even know this guy's gonna show?" One man asked.

"The boss hasn't been wrong yet," the second man asked. "He'll show."

"And just what are we supposed to do, huh? He told us not to kill him."

"We're not supposed to do anything to him. Just keep the bait from getting away and keep out any outsiders."

Billy had heard enough, and he crept up behind the first man. The butt of his handgun connected with base of the man's skull, knocking him out cold, and he sank to the ground with a dull thump. Before the other guard could pull his pistol, Billy already had the Magnum turned on him. "Breathe wrong, and I'll blow your head off," He growled.

They both knew he wasn't kidding.

Billy forced the man, at gunpoint, to carry his partner into the nearest building, tying the unconscious man up with a length of stout rope he found inside, before Billy ordered him to the ground and did the same. He gagged both of them with a couple dusty work towels somehow left behind, and then continued onward.

It was nearly in the center of the quarry itself that Billy finally caught sight of Edwin. The man was propped up against an old holding bin in the blazing sun. Billy's heart constricted when he saw that the medic was not moving. He glanced around, still saw nothing, and although he knew he was walking into a trap, he hoped that he still had the element of surprise and would catch Wesker unawares. His encounters with the two guards earlier had gone quietly, and he didn't see any sign of the big blond He walked toward Edwin, gun in his hand. He barely had time to bring it up when a dark-clad figure came seemingly out of nowhere at him.

Billy pulled the trigger, firing at his would-be attacker. The shot went wide, and the figure barreled into him, driving the Marine down. Billy's hand was slammed into the ground, the gun spinning away from him, his hat and sunglasses spinning off in the other direction. He brought his knee up hard, and threw his weight to one side, trying unsuccessfully to throw off the body pinning his down. As the world finally came into something resembling focus, Billy found himself nose-to-nose with Albert Wesker, the blond man grinning down at him. "You're early, Lieutenant," he said. "It would seem I've underestimated your resourcefulness."

"Get off of me, you son of a bitch," Billy snapped, and swung a punch at Wesker's head.

The blond's head snapped to the side, caught off-guard, and his glasses were knocked off, skittering away like Billy's had. The gaze that turned back to him was blood red. Oh shit . . . Billy thought, Rebecca's warning about Wesker being a bio-weapon suddenly coming to the forefront of his mind.

Wesker, on the other hand, didn't look the least bit concerned as he rose to his feet, dragging Billy up by the front of his shirt. "Now, before you accuse me of not playing fair, you really should see that your lover is all right." He released his hold on Billy, spinning the Marine around before he could recover himself. Grabbing him by the hair on the back of his head, Wesker drove the other man back down to the ground with a vicious kick to the back of one of his knees. Billy went down, and hard, only barely managing not to bite his own tongue at the impact. His knee ached like he had been hit by a two by four, and the grip on his hair made his eyes water.

Several yards away from Billy and Wesker, Edwin slowly lifted his dark head at the sound of the two male voices and the ensuing scuffle. The medic was down on his knees with his arms outstretched, his wrists wound with a rough hemp rope that had been tied to rusting, yet still strong, steel rings set in the holding bin. Wesker's men had not been overly gentle when they had all but dragged him away from the blond man earlier. Struggling against Wesker's lackeys had earned him several blows and kicks, one of which had hit him flush on the temple, the punch throwing stars up in his vision and making his head reel with dizziness. The blow had the desired effect however, with the medic ceasing his struggles while the black-clad men had quickly and efficiently bound his wrists and tied him to the metal bin.

Blinking sweat from his brown eyes, Edwin's head still felt a bit fuzzy, a combination of the blow and the lingering effects of the sedative he had been given. Having lost all concept of time, he had no idea how long he had been bound out in the sun, the heat of the metal holding bin against his back leaving his shirt soaked with sweat.

Billy forced his eyes into focus, and tried to twist enough so that he could break Wesker's grip. With a snort of contempt, the blond man hauled Billy to his feet again, spun him around, and caught him with a backhanded blow that sent him skidding over the ground. The Marine winced as he felt gravel tearing at his skin and clothing, his ears ringing a little from the hit. Even if Rebecca hadn't warned him that Wesker was something inhuman, that particular confrontation would have told him clearly enough, Wesker's blows falling a lot harder than they should have. But the skid and tumble had the unexpected bonus of letting Billy have his mobility back, and it was a small mistake the Marine was grateful for as he scrambled to his feet again, taking the few moments of respite he had been given to glance toward Edwin.

The medic's clothes were dirty, his shirt sweat-soaked. There was a blossoming bruise along one side of Edwin's face, swelling the flesh around his eye a bit; and one of the lenses of his glasses was cracked.

"B . . . B-Billy . . ." Edwin's voice was a croaked out whisper, his throat so dry that he could barely speak.

"Sorry I'm late," the Marine murmured quietly, shooting his lover an apologetic look.

"Y-You shouldn't . . . you shouldn't have come . . ." The medic managed to get out. "Go . . . r-run . . .he's . . . he's Umbrella . . ."

"The hell I'm leaving you like this." Billy murmured, but before he could say anything else, he felt a hand clamping down on his shoulder. Without thought or hesitation, Billy spun in the direction his shoulder was being pulled, bracing one fist with the palm of the other hand as he drove his elbow into his attacker. The blow landed solidly.

Wesker didn't do more than skid an inch or two. "Not bad, Lieutenant." He said, before lashing out with another punch that knocked Billy backwards into the holding bin Edwin was bound to, the metal ringing hollowly as the Marine's skull struck it.

Edwin felt the reverberation of his lover hitting the metal bin against his back. "B-Billy!" he croaked out, the medic trying to twist towards the Marine, the rough hemp rope biting into the flesh of his wrists as he pulled against it.

Billy pushed away from the bin, wavering a little as he turned his head away from both men and spat a mouthful of blood into the dirt nearby. He didn't like this, not a bit. Wesker wasn't fighting him. Wesker was toying with him. Anyone who had been in a serious fight wouldn't keep giving him time to recover like this. He shook his head a little to try and clear it, and started circling Wesker again.

The two men circled one another for a time, until Billy finally broke the stalemate, swinging in at the blond man again with a solid hit that snapped the other man's head to the side. In reply to that, Wesker responded with another punch of his own, sending Billy staggering back a few steps. "I must say, Lieutenant, when my employers told me they needed me to bring in a bio-weapon, I was expecting more of a challenge than this. It's a pity." He punctuated this sentence with another sharp blow.

Billy's arms came up to deflect the blow, and the Marine was fairly certain he felt a bone crack. "I'm not . . . a bio-weapon . . . you son of a bitch," he growled.

Wesker laughed at that, swinging a punch into Billy's stomach that knocked the Marine to his knees once again. "You're not human anymore, Lieutenant." He purred into the Marine's ear, "any more than I am."

Edwin flinched at every blow that the blond man landed on his lover, the itch of tears in his dark eyes as he watched Billy go down once again. "N-No . . . s-stop . . ." the medic's voice cracked as he tried to call out.

Wesker didn't give Billy much time to dwell on that information, just a few moments for emphasis before he caught the Marine's head in a vicious kick that sent the blue-eyed man sprawling to his side on the ground, bleeding from his nose and mouth, his ears ringing, drowning out everything but Wesker's last words. Billy coughed and tried to rise to his hands and feet, only to find himself knocked down again. Movement was agony now, darkness threatening his vision every time he moved. Wesker didn't even need to strike him again as the Marine simply collapsed under his own dead weight.

"Billy!" Lifeline pulled against the ropes that held him, the medic struggling to get to his feet, the rough hemp biting into his skin. "P-Please . . . please stop . . . "

"You disappoint me, Lieutenant," Wesker said, shaking his head as he turned from the Marine and began walking toward Edwin.

The medic froze as the blond man moved towards him. "H-He's not a bio-weapon, I – I told you. The parasite is dead, we destroyed it . . . just please, leave him alone."

"Perhaps it is . . . mores the pity for him. He won't survive those injuries long," Wesker replied as he headed toward the medic again. "But perhaps it'll activate again once he's dead . . . he'd be a marvelously obedient creature then."

"It's dead!" Edwin reiterated, his tone much harder despite the tears that glistened in his dark eyes. "It won't come back."

Wesker only shrugged. "He's useful to my employers, one way or the other."

"Cobra." Lifeline all but spit the word out. "You think they'll just pay you and let you go after you hand Billy over?"

Wesker chuckled and leaned in until he was nearly nose to nose with the medic. "I think they won't have a choice."

The medic couldn't help flinching, unnerved by the blond's scarlet gaze as it fell on him. "Please . . ." he pleaded softly. "You can just let us go . . . nobody knows but us . . . I swear I won't say anything . . ."

"Oh, Edwin," Wesker shook his head and smiled a bit. "I didn't get this far by being careless . . . I can't have you running around knowing what you do. As for Coen . . ." The blond glanced back. "I think letting him go is rather beside the point."

"Please . . . whatever you want . . ."

"You're hardly in a position to promise me that," Wesker replied, a faint hint of a smirk on his lips. "Though you make it tempting to believe you. Is that how you lured the good Lieutenant away from his wife and child, perhaps?" The words were low, aimed to sting.

Edwin's coffee-colored eyes narrowed in uncharacteristic anger. His bound wrists crying out in protest against the jerk and pull, Edwin suddenly kicked out at the other man, his foot aiming for Wesker's mid-section. The blow landed lower than that, the aim thrown off by Wesker's close proximity. Wesker hadn't been expecting an attack from the other man, and the blow to the groin still hurt, sending the blond to his knees with a grunt of pain.

Lifeline didn't waste time savoring his small triumph however, the brunette striking out once again, this time aiming his kick for Wesker's close cropped head. The blow caught the man, but didn't knock him down, the former S.T.A.R.S. leader turning an enraged bloody gaze towards Edwin as he slowly rose to his feet again. "That was unwise," Wesker growled. "Unlike the Lieutenant, you're expendable."

Unconsciously, Edwin pressed his back against the sun-heated metal of the holding bin he was tied to as the other man made it to his feet, Wesker little more than half an arm's length away from him. Billy, very nearly unconscious, heard Wesker's murmured threat, a spike anger sweeping through him. He tried to move, his body responding with an explosion of pain that nearly blanked his vision. But this wasn't pain from his injuries; this was a far more intimate pain than that.

Wesker closed that distance easily enough, his hand shooting out to grip Edwin's neck, his grip hard. He was so engrossed in his task that he failed to hear the sounds of movement behind him as Billy, battered and bloodstained, sat up

Lifeline barely had time to gasp as the other man's fingers encircled his throat, the blond man lifting him from his feet slightly as he tightened his grip, effectively cutting off the medic's oxygen supply as he struggled in Wesker's one-handed grasp.

"Leave. Him. Alone."

The sound of a voice behind him brought Wesker back to himself, and he released Edwin abruptly as he turned. Billy was on his knees now, rising slowly to his feet, his movements stiff and slow. Wesker smiled, the expression altogether unpleasant.

Edwin unceremoniously hit the ground, his knees going out from underneath him as he was abruptly dropped, his arms crying out in protest as the ropes pulled taunt once again. Down on his knees in the gravel dotted dirt, his dark head bowed, the medic sucked in air.

Billy's eyes narrowed as he staggered forward a step, his bruises already beginning to fade, barely wincing as a rib was jolted back into place. "Leave him alone," the Marine repeated, his tone steadier now, louder, and possessed not of the Marine's usual red-eyed anger, but a cold-burning rage that left him extremely focused.

Hearing his lover's voice, Lifeline raised his head, the medic still trying to get his breath back even as he struggled to his feet, once again jerking against the ropes that held his arms outstretched. Leaning against the sun-heated metal of the bin, Edwin's dark eyes were on his lover, a small gasp of surprise escaping from him as a rather livid bruise on Billy's jaw began to fade away before his eyes.

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me, Lieutenant." Wesker all but purred as he started moving toward the Marine again, but more cautiously now.

"Shut up," the Marine growled. "I'm gonna fucking tear you apart."

Oh god . . . As Edwin watched Billy approach Wesker, the sunlight seemed to flash off his lover's eyes making them gleam golden, much like the eyes of a cat.

Billy and Wesker began circling one another again, each movement of Billy's causing a ripple of motion under his skin that wasn't entirely his own muscle. The Marine's gaze was narrow, promising death to the blond he was facing off against, Wesker's own expression almost ecstatic

They were two predators, both of them intent on a kill. This time, it was Wesker who grew impatient, and lunged at Billy, who sidestepped the attack just enough to let him land a punch in the blond's stomach, making Wesker double over his fist.

His arms slack against the ropes, Lifeline limply stood and watched as the battle between the Marine and the other man was renewed, his brown eyes following Billy's every movement now that it appeared that the Trojan Horse parasite had not been completely destroyed after all.

After that first blow, the two men went at each other with no holds barred. And although Wesker was the more powerful bio-weapon, Billy was the better trained fighter, and slowly began wearing down on the blond Where training and strength didn't serve him, pure unbridled anger did, and Billy eventually began overpowering the other man, clearly intent on keeping his earlier promise. He took the blows Wesker landed on him without flinching, responding with punches of his own that made Wesker stagger.

Unbidden tears rolled down Edwin's cheeks as he watched Billy and the blond man trade blows, many of which would have killed, if not seriously injured, a normal human being. Normal human being . . . no, the medic said to himself. He's not a monster . . . he's not a monster . . . the words were like a mantra, tumbling over and over in Lifeline's mind as the battle between the two men raged on.

Wesker finally launched into a vicious kick that sent Billy tumbling to the ground, taken off-guard by the blow. He came to a stop near his Magnum, however, and things came to an abrupt standstill as Wesker found himself on the wrong end of the powerful weapon. "I don't care how fucking strong you think you are," Billy growled. "Not even a Tyrant's been able to stand up to this thing."

"Billy! No!" Edwin called out, the medic pulling against the ropes that held him.

"You should listen to him," Wesker murmured, seeming unaffected by the weapon.

"Shut up!" Billy snarled.

The Marine's gun was pointed at Wesker's head, mere inches from his close-cropped blond skull, Billy's finger poised on the trigger.

"We have to take him in Billy . . ." the medic tried once again to reason with his lover.

"You know as well as I do they won't be able to hold him" Billy murmured back, his eyes narrowing when Wesker tried to move even a little; the blond was glaring daggers at him, but Billy held the Magnum steady.

"Billy . . . please . . ." the medic's voice pleaded with his lover. "Don't make him right. You're not like him . . . "

Whether it was those words from Edwin's lips, or the tone of his voice, it was impossible to tell, but Billy faltered a little at that, and suddenly Wesker was moving again, striking out at the Marine's jaw, his hand going for Billy's gun. The two struggled for a moment, before the gun went off and Billy dropped, clutching at his thigh as Wesker darted away, shouting orders into a radio, commanding a full retreat.

"BILLY!" Edwin screamed out the other man's name, straining against the ropes that held him.

The Marine tried to rise to his feet, and pursue Wesker, but it was too late. The blond already had too great a head start; and while the wound was already starting to close, his leg wouldn't yet support his weight.

"Billy!" The medic once again called out to the other brunette, his coffee-colored eyes moist with tears.

"I'm all right," Billy called out, pulling his knife and using it to speed the removal of the bullet, hissing as he freed the piece of lead from his flesh.

"Oh my god . . . are you okay?" Edwin could only watch even as he continued to struggle and pull at the rope, the rough hemp holding firm.

"Yeah . . ." Billy forced himself to his feet again, ignoring the bleeding wound. It was nothing; he could feel it closing down even as he staggered slowly toward his bound lover. The medic stopped his struggles as the Marine closed in on him, the golden glow fading from Billy's eyes as he reached Lifeline.

"Jesus Christ, they did a number on you," Billy murmured softly, wiping the blade of the knife on his jeans, cleaning his own blood away, before starting to cut the ropes binding the other man. "Stay still . . ."

Edwin did as he was instructed, though his dark eyes flicked over Billy's form while the Marine sawed through the ropes that held him. The medic's legs and arms were scratched, the result of being dragged and manhandled by Wesker's lackeys. In addition to the bruise on the side of Lifeline's face, his throat was mottled with the beginnings of several bruises, compliments of Albert Wesker's near fatal death grip earlier.

"I'm sorry about this," Billy whispered as he cut at the ropes, trying to be careful not to accidentally slice his lover in the process. The medic stayed quiet before sagging a bit against the Marine once he was freed, his arms falling limply to his sides, his muscles burning from being held outstretched for so long, his wrists raw from the rough hemp rubbing against his skin while he had struggled and pulled against his bonds.

"Anything seriously injured?" Billy asked softly.

"I don't think so." Edwin replied, his tone soft as well. "Although I think I'm a little dehydrated . . . I'll be okay . . ."

"We'll fix that once we get outta here," Billy said. "But let's get you out of the sun . . ." Falling silent then, Billy helped Edwin over to one of the buildings, easing his lover down in the shade of the structure. The other brunette sank down to the ground, leaning back against the weathered wood of the building and closing his eyes. Billy watched him for a moment, then dropped down beside him. After a moment's hesitation, as he took stock of Edwin's injuries again, he then slid an arm around his lover's shoulders and pulled him close.

Lifeline turned a bit, gratefully pressed into Billy's embrace, the medic slowly sliding his arm around the Marine's waist as his dark head rested on the other man's muscled shoulder. Billy felt the need to speak, to try and say something to break the silence that surrounded them, but found that he couldn't. There were no words for the emotions going through him, no good way to described how scared he had been for Edwin, and how grateful he was that the medic was now safe.

Likewise, Edwin could do nothing but cling to his lover and revel in the feel of Billy's warm body against his. In the three years that the two had known each other, the Marine had been close to losing his life just as many times. Yet unlike those previous times, it was the medic himself who had been used to try to bring about Billy's demise and the guilt that he felt over being so gullible and easily deceived brought tears to his dark eyes.

The medic's breath hitched a bit, and Billy made a soft sound, hugging Edwin a little bit closer. "You gonna be okay?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper.

"I'm sorry . . . so sorry . . ." Lifeline murmured against his lover's shoulder. "This is all my fault, I'm sorry . . ."

Billy's arm tightened around Edwin's shoulders, and he gave his lover a gentle nuzzle. "It's okay, Edwin," He murmured. "It's okay . . . I'm just glad you're safe."

"He could've killed you and it would've been all my fault . . ."

"But he didn't, and it's not," Billy insisted quietly, closing his eyes and gently letting his head rest against Edwin's.

The medic lifted his head a bit and pressed a shaky kiss to the Marine's jaw, heedless of the drying blood and dirt on the other man's face.

Billy smiled and moved his head away from that kiss, but only for a moment before he caught Edwin's lips with his own. There was no gentility in that kiss. The experience that the two of them had just been through demanding something much more needy and almost desperate.

It was only the need for oxygen that finally forced them to pull apart, and Billy hugged Edwin to him again. "We . . . oughta get going soon," he murmured quietly. "I don't wanna take a chance on running into 'em again . . ." The medic nodded his dark head a bit before loosening his hold on the Marine a bit, though he didn't immediately pull away.

Billy rose slowly to his feet, drawing Edwin with him and keeping the other man close as they headed for the front gate of the quarry, stopping only long enough for the Marine to retrieve his hat and gun, not wanting to leave too obvious a sign he'd been there.

As the two made their way back to where Billy had left the rented SUV, he filled Edwin in on Albert Wesker, from his involvement in the Spencer Mansion incident to his becoming a bio-weapon. He also mentioned that it had been Rebecca who had recognized the blond's picture and alerted Billy as to his true identity. The medic listened silently, finding himself somewhat repulsed by the knowledge that he had actually liked Charles Foxwell . . . no, Albert Wesker. Edwin had virtually invited the man into his and Billy's lives, trusting him with their most intimate secret, when all the while, the former S.T.A.R.S. commander had been using him, preying on the medic's trusting manner to get close and lure Billy into a trap.

"So see?" Billy said in conclusion as they reached the SUV, opening the passenger door and holding it for Edwin. "There's nothing to blame yourself over. The fucker did his homework; he knew how to play us both."

Lifeline nodded his head as he regarded his lover before climbing up into the passenger seat. Though it was true and made perfect sense, Edwin still couldn't help but blame himself for having been too trusting and for not taking Billy's concerns about the blond man seriously.

Billy circled around the vehicle, checking the underside of it before opening the driver's door and popping the hood. It was paranoid, he knew, but he had left the vehicle unattended more than long enough for one of Wesker's goons to have rigged a bomb in the vehicle. Billy suppressed a sudden shudder at the thought when he realized he hadn't even thought to check the SUV over before coming to find Edwin. That was sloppy, Coen, he chided himself as he finished checking the engine over. Finding nothing suspicious, he closed the hood and climbed back into the vehicle.

His safety belt secure, Edwin waited a bit nervously for his lover to finish his inspection and get in the vehicle. The medic couldn't help but feel a bit relieved when Billy turned over the ignition and put the vehicle in gear, the Marine all but peeling out of the concealed area he had parked in and out onto the road and back towards Monterey.