A/N: Thank you to all reviewers! You're very nice people and I just want to give you all chocolates and kittens but alas, I think it's illegal to post kittens and your postman could be allergic. So you shall all just have to take this chapter as a thank you. I'll go and personally respond to each and every one of you…unless you left an anon review and then well…Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

"So what do you think they're doing down here?" Chris asked, bending over and looking through a beaker of teal coloured liquid. Part of him wanted to drink whatever it was but he suppressed the urge as a nagging at the back of his mind told him that it was probably poisonous.

Leon didn't bother to turn around as he browsed the bookcase, taking in a few notable titles before he arrived at the computer. "Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest it's something illegal."

Chris mouthed some unspoken words as he wandered over to a wall of glass tanks. He knew that if he spoke anymore, Leon would either find out that he's a complete dunce when it came to science or he'd just annoy his partner to death.

"Wonder where the scientists are... after all, it's safe to say this is some sort of research facility." Leon muttered, not really asking a question but merely giving a voice to his thoughts.

Chris approached a row of large glass tanks, frosted on the outside, or so he thought, but as he pressed his nose against the cold window he saw streams of condensation dripping down on the inside. Before he could even blink, a large body flung itself at the glass and Chris stumbled backwards, landing hard on his backside.

"What the fuck?" Chris screamed, batting himself all over his body with the palms of his hands as he lay on the floor, somewhat convinced that something was on him.

Leon snapped his head around and dropped the file, instantly running to Chris's side and crouching down. "What happened?" he asked, before he turned his head to face what Chris was staring at.

His eyes widened as he saw a large snarling monster resembling something from old English folklore. It was similar to what had attacked them in the corridor previously, however this one had more of a human form, but whatever it could be, it was far from human.

Leon got to his feet and walked slowly over, greeted for a second time by the monster, now growling at him and scratching the glass and pressing its body against the window. He wasn't sure what it was responding to, whether it was sight, smell or sound. He stared the face, the skin littered with so many deep lacerations that its previous form was unrecognisable. It was then that he noticed bits of white fabric attached to its body stained with blood. He tapped on the glass, watching it respond viciously. It was then that he noticed a small nametag on the floor, splattered with red.

"I think I've found the scientists," he said with slight horror as he backed up. "I hate to sound like a defeatist, and it really isn't in my nature to be so, but this is out of our league. I think we need…" Leon's voice trailed off, a sense of dread coming over him. Chris hadn't said anything stupid in the last thirty seconds...

Whipping around, Leon froze, his gaze meeting the rather discouraging image of Chris Redfield: weaponless with the barrel of a pistol to his head.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, his hand went to his holster instantly, despite knowing that he wasn't quick enough to take the attacker out without his partner being harmed. He felt a lump form in his throat as his mind replayed his training. His police training was telling him that saving your partner was the most important thing but his new training was telling him something completely different.

This is why I work alone, he thought to himself, his line of sight switching between his partner and the stranger.

"Come on boy, drop your weapon," the man said slowly, pressing his own weapon firmly against Chris's skull. "Don't make me blow our friend's brains out…well, what little he has."

Leon took in a deep breath, trying to read any signals Chris was sending him but all he could sense was fear. He aimed at both men once more before he allowed the gun to go loose in his hand. With a long sigh, he flipped the safety on and dropped the gun to the ground with a crash.

"This will be a fun inconvenience," the man muttered, smirking and motioning for Leon to join his partner as a hostage.

Leon complied, raising his arms submissively as he kept his eyes on the man. He had seen this guy's face before but he just couldn't place it. "Who are you?" He'd noted the man's posture and physique... scientists couldn't look like that; not even in a place like this.

The man chuckled as he struck Chris sharply on the back of the head with the butt of his gun before nudging the brunette towards Leon. "Why don't you tell your little friend, Mr. Redfield?"

Chris rubbed the growing bump on the back of his head, scowling at the man before he cleared his throat. "Leon, I'd like you to meet Albert Wesker, former S.T.A.R.S captain and world renowned asshole and backstabber."

"Now Chris, that is no way to speak about me," Wesker said slowly, walking over and sticking the gun into the small of Chris's back. "Walk." He snapped, shoving him forward into Leon.

Obeying the threat of the firearm, the two 'hostages' shuffled into the adjacent room, both taking in a sharp breath as they took in their new surroundings. Rows and rows of glass cages containing the same hybrid monsters as the previous room lined the walls, and in the centre stood a large autopsy table holding a corpse of woman.

"What the hell are you doing down here?" Chris snarled as Wesker forced them both into one of the empty glass cages, both men stumbling to the cold concrete ground.

"Research," he replied bluntly, keying in a code and locking the door. "Part of me wants to close the air vents on this little cage and let you suffocate, but as a researcher, you two are much too nice specimens to waste."

Chris scoffed, shaking his head. "Nice to see you haven't forgotten your roots."

Wesker smiled, crossing his arms and waving his gun. "I did feel like a change and I was a much better scientist than homicidal manic. Plus, the health benefits for this job are amazing."

"You're just a dirty little lab rat and-" he was cut off by an elbow to the gut.

"Stop antagonising him," Leon hissed through gritted teeth, glaring at his partner. "This is a mission and yes, this is a slight mishap, but dammit, would you just act professional for once in your lifetime?! Or do you always insist on acting like a damn fool?"

"You should listen to your little boyfriend. He speaks wise words," Wesker shouted from across the laboratory as he searched through a pile of paperwork. He took a number of files and a few loose sheets of paper before he left the room without saying another word.

As soon as the door slid shut, Leon delivered another swift blow to Chris's body, this time his arm. "You're the worst goddamn hired help in the world."

"Oh sorry, I didn't have time to kill him between shitting my pants and having the barrel of a gun lodged in my head." Chris remarked sarcastically, standing up and leaning against the wall. "Anyway, you don't understand. This guy is crazy. He would have caught us sooner or later. At least this way he didn't beat us to within an inch of our lives before he threw us in here to rot."

Leon frowned, staring at his partner as he stretched his legs out on the ground, built up fury finally being released. "Why couldn't you just have stood still or sat on a chair or just not touched anything? Why do you have to touch everything that doesn't belong to you? You just can't leave anything alone. Everything in the world is Chris's property. You have rights to just take everything and you just don't give a shit about the consequences of your actions." He ground his teeth together to fill the silence created by his outburst and fiddled with a loose thread on his fingerless gloves.

Chris turned around after a while and held a slightly shocked look from having heard his emotionless partner speak more than a sentence at a time that wasn't directly related to the mission. He was about to shout back at Leon but he couldn't help but notice the younger man was shaking ever so slightly.

"This isn't about us being in here, is it? It's about something else… right?" His voice was soft as he shifted over to place his hand on Leon's shoulder; only to have it forcibly removed by his partner jumping to his feet.

"Leave me alone. I'm going to figure out a way to escape this thing and then kill that guy or at least horribly mutilate him."

Leon continued to gaze down at his gloves, desperately trying to not look at the man next to him. He didn't need to deal with his feelings right now. They were his own personal problem and he refused to let them interfere with his job.

He clambered to his feet, pressing his palms against the thick glass. This was something that would require his brain and he didn't need his heart getting in the way.