Yoh! Disclaimer: I don't own nothing'. Except pants. Resident Evil and it's many AWESOME characters are all property of Capcom and I am simply borrowing their likeness to "Zelda, Zelda, UGH!"

Resident Evil Blood

Chapter 13 – Subterfuge

Rapid City, BSAA Field Camp and Training Facility. Six years after Raccoon City. Present Day.

"Colonel," Carlos turned to McGivern. "Requesting permission to debrief the rest of the team. Sir."

Everyone turned to McGivern. "Granted," he acknowledged, nodding.

"Debrief?" Jill asked confused. "Debrief what?"

"About Chris Redfield," Carlos answered, his eyes drawn in and serious. "About where Chris has really been all this time; what he's been doing." Carlos paused. He knew this was going to hurt Jill, and Claire, and it made him suddenly hate Chris more for making him do this to them. "Our mission wasn't blotched Jill. It was sabotage."

"What?" Jill shook her head looking to McGivern and then back to Carlos. "What are you talking about?"

"Chris was involved in the sabotage of our mission," the latino restated.

"I heard you the first time," Jill snapped, suddenly angry. "But what the hell makes you say that?! Just because some stuff is strange doesn't mean he's suddenly some kind of terrorist-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on," Carlos cut her off. "First off, I'm not the one saying this," he explained while motioning towards McGivern.

Everyone in the room immediately turned to stare at the Colonel. "Sir," Jill began, still evidently angry. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, sir, but what the hell is going on?"

McGivern sat motionless for a moment then took a deep breath. He leaned back into his chair and sighed. "No disrespect taken, Agent Valentine. I can empathize with your frustration." He paused motioning for Jill to take a seat. "What I'm about to tell you is classified, so you must understand the sensitivity of the matter."

"Sensitivity?" Jill spoke out slowly. "What matter? What is going on?" Jill asked completely confused and irritated. She hated being in the dark. This obviously had something to do with what McGivern and Carlos had spoken about yesterday.

"Sir, perhaps you should start from the beginning," Carlos suggested. "Like how you explained it to me."

McGivern nodded as Jill sat down. He glanced around, suddenly slightly concerned as his gazed fell to Claire. She was quiet and looking down with a frown on her face. "Claire," the Colonel asked softly. "You OK..?"

"Um…" the girl wavered slightly, but cleared her throat and looked up. "I want to hear what you have to say about Chris."

McGivern's lips pressed against each other in indecision, but he nodded regardless. "You have a right to know," he agreed. "Let me start off by saying, I personally admire Chris Redfield. I do. His track record has been nothing but exemplary-"

"Please, Bruce." Claire held up her hands to the man. "Don't patronize me," she begged, her words without malice. "And just tell me what you know about my brother." He could see a definite disturbed fear in her eyes.

"Alright," McGivern conceded. He turned back towards everyone. "As some of you may know, I was once, and still am, a member of the US STRATCOM. Before the BSAA ever existed, we were the ones that monitored and tracked the movements of terrorist groups, such as certain key Umbrella operatives and those affiliated with that organization. When the BSAA was formed, the US government saw it prudent to pool resources, as well as members, along with the BSAA in an effort to form a more effective anti-bioterrorist front. For all intents and purposes, the effort was quite successful. Together, with its resources and amassed intel, and the experience and general knowledge found in the BSAA, it was only a matter of time before we picked up the trail of arguably the single most dangerous person on Earth: Albert Wesker."

A noticeable plunge in temperature ghosted through the room as McGivern dropped the name like a silent time bomb that forced a sudden shift in the room. He was well aware of the significance that man had played in the lives of every person in that room. And of how devastating his afterimage still haunted the agent's minds. He could see it in Jill's eyes, as her skin paled and her breathing near ceased. When he spoke now, there was no question of a doubt, the conversation had entered a new realm of seriousness.

"Russia, several miles south out of Petersburg, we picked up a rather disturbing… Image," he ended, not really knowing how to put it. "Trust me when I say that Chris Redfield, as well as you Agent Valentine, are both well known figures. Heroes even. Which is why, a few months ago, when this photgraph was taken, we were all quite shocked at its implication."

McGivern didn't even bother turning in his chair as he clicked a wireless projector remote. The lights dimmed and an image flashed onto the large screen located against the far wall behind him. It was of a bland looking rooftop. Snow had obscured many of the details as well as covered the vast area in the background around the building. A sharp contrasting figure dressed entirely in black stood alone amongst the falling white ice; his outfit strangely fitting in the dank atmosphere of that cold place. Although, his body was cloaked behind black cloth, it was quite easy to see a startling resemblance, especially when the silver framed red tinted shades sat so precariously perched on his face. There was no mistaking it – the image was clearly that of Chris Redfield.

"Chris…" Claire whispered, confirming everyone's thoughts.

"Our investigation led us here," McGivern spoke, his voice holding a flow of sadness back as he resisted rushing to Claire's side.

Months ago, when he had first met with the Redfield female, it had been under order to retrieve any possible leads she might unknowingly still have. The second time he had meet with her, had been under the guise to continue the ploy, coincidentally over dinner at a local fine restaurant. And the third time he had procured her presence, it was no longer a blatant excuse, but now an obvious intent to further ask her out. Not that Claire minded. She had found herself liking the man. Despite the age difference, she particularly enjoyed being with him. And from there, their relationship had grown. And here now, McGivern hesitated continuing his explaination as he felt the evident pain that washed over Claire's features. "Claire..?" he softly called to her.

"What was he doing there?" her voice whispered again. McGivern had never heard Claire sound so distant and devoid of feeling. So cold. And detached. "What was he doing in Russia?"

The man parted his lips. He hated what he had to say next. So he didn't. Instead, he simply clicked the wireless control and another image flashed onto the screen. It was the same as the previous one, except this time, there was another man entering the viewing area. Another man also dressed in black.

McGivern clicked the remote again, and again. And again. A series of photographs splayed out a pictorial movie, like a stop frame animation, of a moment in time on that rooftop. The man dressed in black wore shades on his face as well, except his were black, not silver. And he had blond hair. He was unmistakable. He was Albert Wesker.

Outside the room, down the hall, and around the corner, past the few guards that stood outside the debriefing room and next to the few guards that stood languidly around him, Chris stood leaning against the wall. He shifted his weight as he brought down one leg and calmly placed the other back against the wall. It wasn't a secret anymore. He'd been right. McGivern did know more than what he'd let on. Chris was just honestly surprised at how much more. He hadn't expected this level of intel. His cover was quite thoroughly blown. Completely.

Again, Chris cleared his mind as he continued listening in on their conversation. He heard Claire whisper his name and ask McGivern what he had been doing in Russia.

Shit.

He remembered exactly what he had been doing in Russia.

Shit!

He could hear the clicks of the remote control the Colonel was using to convey what was most likely incriminating photos. Of what, he had no idea, but he knew it must have been something terrible because after a moment of silence the heartbeats of the people in that room drummed out a cacophony of chaos that Chris thought they were all having heart attacks.

Damn it!

He could only imagine what might have been on display. Honestly, there was only one thing that could garner that type of reaction from everyone.

Wesker.

So his cover was absolutely completely undeniably blown.

Damn it... This is it, then.

Chris sighed, gritting his teeth, as he suddenly became quite ticked off. He hadn't wanted it to end this quickly. Not like this. He still had so much more that he wanted to do. He still wanted to spend time with Claire. And catch up a bit with Jill. Hell, he even wanted to hang out with Carlos and maybe pretend to get drunk and just have a good fucking time with everyone– for once! He fisted his hands, nails biting into his palms, as he fought the urge to slam them into the wall.

Damn it!

The few guards around him hardly took notice as Chris hid his frustration and heartbreak behind his shades. It wasn't fair. After everything he had been through; after everything he had done! All he wanted was a few days of happiness. All he had wanted was a few days to forget what he was… And what he was going to do…

Chris sucked in air and growled. He slowly exhaled, letting his anger dissipate. The pain and disappointment slowly dripped out of him, like a lifting fog, replaced by the cold empty void he had grown so familiar with. His nerves dulled and his insides fell numb.

I just wanted a few moments of happiness…

He dipped his head and closed his eyes, lowering his leg and pushing off against the wall. He turned to face the direction of the debriefing room. He took another deep breath and began walking up to the guards that nonchalantly watched over him.

…Even if I know I don't deserve it.

McGivern stopped the slideshow on an image of Wesker and Chris standing side by side on a nondescript platform surrounded by machinery and snow. Finally he spoke. "A day after these photos were taken, there was a BOW outbreak in the more impoverished area of St. Petersburg's slum district." He quickly continued after receiving an alarmed look from his audience. "The outbreak was minimal. Don't worry. The authorities received a distress call far in advance that allowed the containment and evacuation of the local area. There were miraculously, zero casualties. But that's besides the point," he redirected their attention to the screen.

Clicking on the remote once again, McGivern now showed them an image of Chris still dressed in black, only this time in a tank top, standing next to what appeared to be a dilapidated, older structure. "An outpost in Kenya, near the Kijuju district." He clicked the remote again. Another image of Chris popped up. This time he was again dressed fully in black. from head to toe; always the shades on his face. "This one while in northern Ethiopia." Another click. "South Greece on the island of Crete." Another click. And another. And another. "The list goes on," McGivern sighed, finally stopping on an image as bleak as the first. It showed Chris walking down a busy street covered in ice and snow. People around him dressed in long dark coats with cloaks and fur hats. "This photo was taken only two months ago, again in Russia, this time northern Moscow. Since then, we've had reported sightings of increased activity from both Redfield and Wesker. Often times, in conjunction with each other and usually preceding a BOW outbreak. We don't know what they're planning, or even what the purpose of the small scale exposures are about, but suffice to say, it can't be anything good."

McGivern stopped again as he let the information sink in further. He wasn't surprised to discover that, with the exception of Carlos, the rest of the team appeared too shocked to even speak. The look of disbelief that rocked their features chiseled in both fear, pain, anger and, most evident of all, betrayal. "I'm sorry to say," McGivern clarified, just in case. "But the evidence does point in the direction that Chris Redfield has teamed up with-"

"No," Jill finally answered as she shook her head. "That's not possible," she added in a weak voice. "He could never- would NEVER - work with that monster!" She looked away from the screen. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't.

"Jill," Carlos commended sadly. He, better than anyone, understood her relationship to Chris. They had known each other since before the world had gone to hell. They had both trained together as STARS and they had both escaped the horrible Mansion together. They had both vowed vengeance against Umbrella and particularly against Wesker. They had founded the BSAA and together they had fought the evils of bioterrorism and the groups that permeated its existence and that constantly threatened to destroy innocent lives. There was no one on Earth that Jill trusted more than Chris, so to hear that he had given up or, worse, had actually joined up with the enemy – with Wesker of all people! – It was a mind fucking slap to the face that she just couldn't deal with.

"It's not true," she said again. "It can't be true."

A shift in light announced that McGivern had clicked the remote again. This time it showed an eerily familiar structure. Jeremy visibly shook as he realized what it was. "That's…"

The colonel nodded. "The building your team just retured from, not even 72 hours ago." He clicked the remote again and the image zoomed in to show a close up of the roof. It became very apparent why this photo was so important. It completely confirmed Carlos' claims that there had not been a single structure that Chris could have used to pulley the team up.

"No pipes…" Jeremy voiced as Jill continued to shake her head in denial.

"No," she whispered, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Why would he…? I don't understand," she gasped, trying to control her breathing.

"Our operatives have already found evidence to suggest that this mission was actually planned from the start as a ruse. Several small explosions inside the building occurred shortly after your team evacuated. Upon closer examination, they appear to be what we believe were the remains of signal jamming devices. It's impossible to tell for sure though. It appears they were destroyed via remote control as a safeguard to keep us from tracing their origin," McGivern scoffed. "This of course implicates Chris as having an accomplice."

Jill still shook her head in continued disbelief as the colonel continued speaking.

"There were also holding cells," he stated as he clicked the remote again and a far off aerial view of the area showed four tankards strategically placed around the building. "Each of these was filled with infected hostiles. They were released via remote signal, presumably once your team had entered the facility."

"No…" Jill covered her mouth as she viewed the giants containers. She remembered them clearly in her mind. She had inspected them herself along with Boyd. They had been closed and sealed shut. They hadn't seemed unusual or suspicious at the time. In the photograph, the tankards glinted in the sun, clearly open. "It can't be…"

"He set us up," Carlos finally cut in. There was an evident rage to his voice. One that came from having been betrayed more than once by people he thought he could trust. Ghost images of himself; of his UBC team, being mauled to death by legions of undead, fluttered past his mind. Carlos near snarled at the haunting memories of Raccoon City. Umbrella had not only left him to die in that god forsaken hell hole, but had actually planned it in advance. THAT he could accept and come to terms with. They were the bad guys after all. But not THIS. Not from Chris. He had trusted him. They all had trusted him. "Hijo de su puta madre set us up," he cursed.

"We also found evidence of manipulations with the internal computers of the BSAA headquarters. The type of which can only be gained through intimate knowledge of classified security codes," the colonel glanced at Jill. "The kind only a BSAA agent such as Redfield, or yourself, are privileged to, Agent Valentine. Further analysis of the current records, verses a comparison to backups, revealed that the specifics of this mission in particular had been tampered with."

Jill buried her face in her hands again, no longer able to convince herself against the notion that Chris might possibly have thrown himself into lots with the enemy. "Why would he..? It doesn't make any sense! He hates Wesker! We all do!"

"Obviously not anymore," Carlos growled, leaning back in his seat.

"That brings me to our next point, although…" McGivern slowed down his trail of speech as if thinking things over. "It's known that Wesker used a virus to alter his mind and body," he turned to glance at the others, gauging their reactions. "It's possible…"

Everyone realized exactly what the man was hinting at seconds before his voice trailed off.

"You think Chris turned into a monster like him," Carlos finished for the colonel.

"You mean," Jeremy suddenly spoke up. "You mean that he's a BOW?!" He had heard the rumors and the stories, about how Wesker had given up his humanity that night in the mansion; that he had injected himself with a virus and had turned into a super human freak. But he thought it had only been a rumor.

"It…" Jeremy contemplated. "It would explain how he pulled all three of us up at the same time. And how he did all those head shots and-"

"No!" Jill quickly called out, standing up for Chris one final time. "No, you all saw his eyes! They don't look anything like Wesker's!"

Carlos looked like he wanted to argue, but Jill had a point. Chris had flashed them his unmistakably big brown eyes. They had all seen it. How could he argue that?

No one said anything. It was then that Claire finally broke the silence. "Those…" she crackled in a broken, dissosiated voice, as if not really wanting to speak. "Those aren't his eyes…"

"What?" McGivern finally gave in and slid his chair over to hold Claire's hand. She looked pale and out of place. He wanted nothing more than to hold her close and comfort her; to tell her that everything would be OK, but he knew he couldn't do that. Not to her. Not right now. He knew better. "What do you mean those aren't his eyes," he gently prodded.

"They're…" Claire looked up as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I know my brother's eyes. Those aren't his eyes," she shook her head involuntarily, breaking into a disjointed sob. "I don't know who that is, but that's not my brother. That's not Chris."

***************************** Author Time! *****************************

Yoh!

OK, you lucky readers you! One more chapter before I go back into the past and cover the "what happened one year ago" part of the fic! The consequence? It's going to have one HELL of a cliffhanger, bwahahahaha!

Anyways, I wanted to update yesterday, but I was at a convention again. Did anyone else go to Onicon? It was meh, but I made a Pedobear outfit and damn, that proved to be LOADS of high-larity! I spent the rest of the time dressed up as a BSAA agent. And I helped my brother record a few scenes for his student film. It was fun overall.

And now I'm back to my regularly scheduled program, heh. I'm going to be crazy busy in the next few weeks. I got a tournament next weekend in Houston, then I'm heading to New Jersey for another tournament the weekend after that, then I got another con after that on the next weekend in Dallas for another con, and then I got to go to Mexico for Thanksgiving and then it's back to another tournament in Houston on the first weekend of December and…. Yeah… Busy schedule, heh. So… If I miss an update or two, you'll know why, hahaha…. Damn, tournaments, too fun!

Oh! And don't forget to submit your song selections! I love hearing your choices in songs! Lots of fun!

And as always, please don't forget to review! I love hearing from you guys! Ya'll are so great!

On to the reviews!

2ScarletRibbons
Oh, I can so completely relate! Yeah, my cousin and brother got the H1N1 and they gave it to me, heh. But honestly, it wasn't that bad. Like at all. I mean, it was like three days of high fever that seemed to not want to break, but the whole time, we all felt like, whatever, no big deal. *shrugs* Maybe we just have a good immune system, heh. Are you feeling better? I remember you saying you weren't feeling too good. Ah! But yes! I can't wait to write the "past year" chapters… They are hot. I mean, no, REALLY hot. Like… Super delicious WXC every chapter hot. *awesome grin* Trust me… It is so good. Ah! Can't wait! I'm sure you'll like them, heh.

terracannon876
Oh no! Now everyone knows what's going on not just Carlos! What's gonna happen now?! Doom doom doooom! Heh. I hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for the review!

Desert Starr

What does not kill me only makes me stronger – Hohohoho! Yeeeah, I licked that N1H1 like it was a small child being bullied by a slightly larger child, mwahahaha! But anyways, yup. Let's just say that Wesker has Chris "trained" now. Took a while and lots of effort, but he's just how he likes him now, heh, heh. Oh, my yes, you do flatter me, heh. Thank you for the awesome review! I'm so happy that you like the chapter! Next chapter is the last one in the present tense. Starting chapter 18, it's all about what happened during that one year span in the past. Oooh, it's gonna be gooood! Eee! Can't wait to write that delicious smut!

snarryvader81
I'll try not to blow you too hard next time, heh heh. Ah, thank you so much for the awesome review! Yay! You are too kind! This chapter isn't too amazing, but I hope you can put up with it. I assure, the next chapter is much more interesting, and after that, mmm! It's a gold mne of deliciousness to come! Wheee!

Heh, this chapter was kinda story relevant, but not too much smexyness. After chapter 17, we'll get back to the hotness! And yeah, Wesker is cold blooded, but when the blood gets flowing, he heats up with the sizzling smexy. Heh. Don't worry, we'll see lots of that in the next batch of chapters to come. Yum!

DeathAngel90
Heh, thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter. Yeah, the sexy was turned up to lvl 9, yum. Ah, in the next chapter you're going to get to see just how much Chris has changed. It's… Yeeeeeah, you'll see! Hope you like it!

Hahaha! Yeah, sometimes, when I squint reeeeal hard, I can pretend that Salazar didn't thrust into Luis in the bad way and instead Saddler thrusted into him in the, well, still bad way, but the slightly less life threatening bad way, heh, heh. I have an epic Saddler outfit. I'ma dress up as Louis to Otakon next year, find me a Leon and show Ashley just why Leon turned her down for r&r, hehehehe. Oh, but yeah, it's at least another 15 or so chapters till Luis is gonna come out. I still gotta figure out a way to work him in to the plot, heh. I got this, yo.

Ultimolu
Hurt when they find out about Wesker and Chris is an understatement. I dare say they'll flip their lid and then get reeeeeal damn angry. I honestly can't even imagine them forgiving him. Frankly, they shouldn't. Wesker is a bastard and he has no hope of rehabilitation. So, it's going to make for a very interesting conflict. Hm. This is gonna be fun to write, oh yeah!

Yay! I'm very happy that you liked the chapter! This one wasn't too amazing, but the next chapter is going to be the stuff OMGs are made of, heh. Yeah, at the point Chris is at right now, he will choose Wesker, but honestly he has no choice right now. Since he's infected with the T-virus variant Wesker has, he can't go back to the BSAA. Especially because… Well, there is actually a BIG reason why he can't leave Wesker, but that reason is a secret right now. Heh heh. You'll see! It'll be revealed in the past tense chapters! Hope you like them too!

Mistress Mary D.
Yeah, I'm groovy now. Cho cho! Good to go! Oh, wow! Thanks! I don't know if I'd consider it the best WXC scene ever but wow, really, thank you so much! I'll do my best to write an even more delicious WXC scene in a few chapters! Yes! Wesker is ALL about manipulations. It's his thing, heh. Well, for all intents and purposes, Carlos IS right. He's basically trying to protect Jill and the others. If he thinks that Chris has gone over to the dark side, then potentially he is now a danger to them. Sad thing is, at this point, Carlos might be right for all we know. You'll find out in the next chapter just how far Chris is willing to go. Dum dum DUM!

Hina-86
Oh, trust me! I'm very cool with double posting, heh. I mean, hell, feel free to quadruple post! I love reviews! Yay! Heh, H1N1 was easy. Pshew. I don't know why people are making such a big fuss. I got this. Now, the T-virus… That'd be a little harder to survive for sure, heh. Hmm… Blond..? But my natural hair color is such a lovely shade of purple, cho. Heh, well, I hope you liked the chapter. Things are about to get real in the next one!

CarrieChaos

Heh, yeah. You'd be surprised at the things Wesker can get away with saying in lust filled situation, heh heh. I plan to quite thoroughly push the envelope with that exactly, cho cho cho. *nods* I'm really looking forwards to the chapters from what happened during that missing years, whooo! Ah, now I just need to find more time to type, heh.

livxuponxhope
Ahahaha! Yeah, Oh! I remember all the crazy times I had in French class too! Let's see if I remember our class' favorite saying… J'aime le foque et le cock. Bwahahaha! And the teacher was like, "Ugh, I hate the learn the animals part of this class." Hahaha! Ah, such a good time! Hope you like the next chapter too. It's the last one before we go into the past – which is full of yummy WXC all over the place! Yay! Ah, I really liked that youtube video! Awesome! Check out the two videos on youtube called "Chris Has Something to Show Wesker... [RE5]" and you HAVE to watch one called "The Ultimate Butt Dance" ( trust me, this is high-larious!) Chris is SO damned funny in it!

this is L
Heh. Your name is this is L (kiddin', I know it's L, heh). Oh, don't worry, I'm groovy now. H1N1's got nothing on me, yo, hohohoho! I'm trying to stay on schedule with the updates but this upcoming weeks are gonna be crazy, chooo. I'm gonna try though! Thanks for the review! Yay!

Harteramo
Indeed! I can tell you they ain't gonna be happy, that's for sure, heh. But next chapter will have a little on their reactions. Mostly it's about how Chris reacts, then I'm gonna go back in time to what happened during the year that Chris was missing, sooooo it's gonna be a while before we get back to this point in the story. Still, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I hope you like the rest of the chapters too! Thanks for the review!

ShivaTheDestroyer
Mwahahahaha! I am the king of cliffhangers! Ahahahaha! You think that one was bad? Pshawhahaha! Wait until you see chapter 17's cliffhanger! BWAHAHAHAHA! It is the most evil thing eva'!

T
Hahaha, oh, the slang. Yeah, I know no one actually talks like that, but some black kids at my school talk like that for the lols and the rest of us just join in and do our best to jack up the slang and it's just high-larious! Basically, it was just to make fun of the random stupid stuff the characters where saying, heh heh. Oh! I know! I can't stand how RE5 Chris looks! Bleh! Just imagine RE1 and RE:CV Chris for this fic. As far as I'm concerned, RE5 was a mistake and that ending never happened! Exactly! Wesker can't be gone. Besides, Capcom has a habit of bringing their bad guys back after they're supposedly destroyed, heh, so I'm not worried. Oh, I played RE5 on the PS3. You? I don't think there was a difference in the release.