A/N- I admit it has been a while since I've wrote another chapter for the Ninth Castellan and I apologize for not writing any sooner. College has started again and I'm taking a writing course to hopefully get me inspired to write again. I'll get an idea in my mind but it dies on paper. I hope to change that around very soon.

Resident Evil © Capcom

Interrogation

Through a microscope lens, the researcher Luis Sera quietly studied the specimen in the Petri dish. The specimen in the dish resembled an oversized microbe. Roundish square body, four whipping tendrils at the end, and little thorn-like implements attached to two of the tendrils. This was what a Plaga looked like matured outside of a host body. Alone, they were harmless but when injected into a person or animal they were deadly. Luis had seen many of the horrendous Las Plagas experiments and had most likely headed a lot of the projects. With slender fingers the researcher zoomed in with the microscope, watching as the parasite uselessly flailed its thorny tendrils. The Plaga was no bigger than a dime and about as thin.

"If only you knew how many people's lives you have ruined," Luis spoke in a hushed tone to the parasite. The man regretted what he had been doing in the name of science. He knew he was nothing more than a pawn for Saddler and not only had he unwittingly caused a lot of strife for the villagers but a young American woman had also gotten dragged into the mess. The weight on his shoulders and the guilt he carried was unbearable. Nevertheless, he knew he'd have to bide his time to contemplate the take down of the man and his brainless cult. Saddler was smart, though, and Luis knew he couldn't make but the most subtle of actions before one of the brainwashed goonies or the big man himself would kill him. It was a frightening thought but Luis just wanted to right his many wrongs.

A low hum of a ceiling fan could be heard overhead in the humid lab. Several medical utensils had been laid askew along with Petri dishes full of tissue samples from successful and unsuccessful projects alike. An odor of decay and formaldehyde permeated the small room that Luis worked in alone. A metal door, opened only by a cardkey, remained firmly locked to keep any prying eyes out of the laboratory. The few Ganado scientists Saddler had were inadequate and often left messes that Luis had to clean up. Their tactics were clumsy and frankly amateur, so it left the man from Madrid to work in solitary. He preferred it that way to be honest. Luis slid the microscope away, his back aching from leaning over for so long as he reared back and stretched. Each vertebra gave a loud pop as he stood up from the sliding stool to exit the room. He had promised Lenore that he was going to give her a stronger parasite growth inhibitor as soon as possible and Luis knew her clock was rapidly ticking.

By instinct he knew where to go. Down the long gray hallways, through the double doors, up two narrow flights of steps, through a door accessible only by a green cardkey, through another door, and to the left of yet another hallway to reach the medicine cabinet that kept the pills. However, this routine trip was shattered when he came upon the cabinet. The thick metal doors had been ripped off their hinges and thrown aside as if they were cardboard. The Spaniard's jaw hung slack at who even knew what that cabinet held. Only he knew the contents and now every last pill bottle had been stolen. "Shit!" was the first word to come out of his mouth as he drew closer, hoping beyond hope that there might be one bottle that the thief had overlooked. No such luck. He slammed a fist onto the cabinet, angry at himself for not having at least one bottle on hand in case such an event occurred.

"I knew you were the one peddling this crap to that girl," a deep voice, clearly American in accent, came from behind the researcher. The man was made of muscle, a tight black 5.11 shirt accented the man's strong arm muscles and pair of desert camouflage fatigues with dirty knee-pads was worn on his legs. Short blond hair, topped with a red beret was on his head. The most distinct feature of the mystery man was a nasty scar that ran horizontally along his face. He confidently had his large arms crossed over his chest, a triumphant smirk on his lips, "It's surprising how easy it is to track you down."

"Jack," Luis said through gritted teeth, taking his time to turn around and face the American," Only a baboon like you that sold his soul to the Devil would have enough strength to pull those doors off."

That comment struck a nerve with Jack as he uncrossed his arms and let them hang loosely by his side. It was clear that the two men had no liking for each other. In fact, hatred could perfectly describe their mutual feelings towards one another. The American stood his ground, deep blue eyes narrowing while he spoke," I have to hand it to you for keeping it a secret for so long. That girl is as stupid as the last one but nowhere near as sneaky as the little midget. I'm curious to know why exactly you want to help her. It's useless."

As inconspicuously as possible, Luis reached around with his right hand to get a hold of the Red9 he had stuck in the back of his pants. So long as he kept Jack talking, he knew that he'd be extending time for himself. Luis scoffed," Whether or not you care to admit it, Jack, Saddler has you wrapped around his little pinky. You are no more than Ganado scum! The big man tells you what to do and like the trained dog you are, you follow. Why I was helping Lenore is because I don't want to see her become a lackey like you."

In the blink of an eye, Jack had went from standing ten feet away from Luis to pushing him against the wall, a large combat knife held securely in his grip. The shock of the attack had caused the Spaniard to lose the grip on the gun and have it clatter to the floor. The deadly sharp knife pressed against Luis's throat as Jack glared death down at him. A smirk crept across the American's face as both men stared down at the Red9. In a quick effort, Jack stepped hard on the gun with his combat boot and broke it into several pieces. He then let his eyes meet Luis's deep brown orbs. He chuckled," Looks like you're defenseless. Not like that gun would have done a thing towards me. I may be a 'lackey,' but I hold more power than you could dream of! If that old creep wants that sad excuse for a girl to become another ass-kissing Ganado, then let it be. There's nothing more fun than figuring out what his real plan with the girl is then killing her right as they begin. Hahaha!"

Luis cursed inwardly at his destroyed gun. That weapon didn't come cheap and now he truly was without any means to protect himself. Though his heart was hammering inside his chest, he kept his cool demeanor. If he let Jack know he was frightened, that would mean the man would've won. He risked swallowing as he stared up at Jack, allowing a nonchalant tone in his voice," I wouldn't expect anything less than that from you. It seems the bigger they are, the more they're compensating for things. You come in with this gung-ho attitude, weapons galore, but not a brain to back it up! You find it a good idea to kill people before getting the necessary information from them. You were America's finest Marine, huh? Looks like the standards have dropped phenomenally."

Jack's face was turning red at the insult as he slammed Luis into the wall once more, reveling as the man gave a groan of agony. He despised the Spaniard more now than ever as he let his knife tickle Luis's throat. A sneer formed on his lips as he drew closer, fury lining his face. Just a little longer before I can get rid of this jackass, too, the American thought. His voice was laced with poison," You keep your damn mouth shut! You don't have access to those precious pills anymore and I can make sure as hell you won't get the ingredients, either. I'm just taking my time before I get word to blow this little Hell on Earth sky high! If I happen to see you with any of these pills, I will kill you!"

Luis couldn't stop the sweat that trickled down his face. There was no doubt about it that Jack would keep his promise. What Luis truly feared was Lenore not getting the pills. The last thing in the world he wanted to see was the girl turn into yet another parasite-infected being that lived to serve Saddler. That thought made him feel sick. Jack shoved at Luis once more before letting him go and sheathing the knife. The Spaniard took no time in rushing past the crazed ex-soldier to make it back to the labs. He got a tickling in the back of his brain that told him he had at least one more bottle of growth suppressor hidden somewhere. The lab he entered was a little larger than the last one and housed cryogenically frozen Las Plagas experiments that had been dangerously successful. The last place he remembered seeing the bottle was in a drawer he had specifically locked. Tearing drawers open and rummaging through file cabinets proved fruitless. Drawer after drawer he searched, scattering notes and memos in the search for the bottle.

Frustrated, Luis left the room to find Jack standing outside the door, arms crossed over chest and a pissed look on his face. The American's instincts were right that the researcher wouldn't pay attention to the warnings. It took a swift right jab to the lean man's jaw to knock him out. Jack easily flung Luis over his shoulder to find a suitable place to lock the traitor in long enough to get the assimilation with Lenore to Los Illuminados complete. The muscle-bound man found an abandoned room and carelessly flung Luis on top of a stack of cardboard boxes that housed old files and various X-Ray prints. Wiping his hands off, Jack stepped outside of the room and locked the door, punching the cardkey reader in so that Luis would have no means of escaping. Jack gave a long sigh as he strode away," Wesker better pay me well for this."

A/N- I hope I kept Luis and Krauser in character. Those are two characters that I find hard to get into their minds. I do hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. I've got plans for the next chapter so stay tuned!