Sherry attempted to peel her eyes open every few minutes, but the harsh white light that greeted her with every attempt made it difficult.
Her body felt foreign, like she had no control over it, and yet she had control over her head. Why can't i.. move anything?
Finally, her overwhelming curiosity took over, and she forced her eyes open with one swift motion. She hissed at the harsh pain but kept her eyes open, hoping the white light would dissolve into a more bearable sight, and eventually it did.
The white melted away and revealed a small room - a hospital of room of some sort, with one huge mirror (but Sherry knew all too well from her days in government custody that it was a window) dead in front of her, a door to the right of it. Sherry's heart beat picked up in speed when she examined herself - she had her chest tied town with ropes, her hands separately tied to either side of the bed and her legs tied down to the end of the bed together.
She groaned upon realizing that her guns and phone had been taken. Figures. At least they hadn't stuck her in a skimpy hospital gown, and left her in her own clothes.
Struggling was useless, Sherry knew as much, so she lied there completely still for a few minutes, gathering her thoughts. Where the hell am i? I.. i was with Adrian on the mountain trail- Adrian! Sherry frantically looked left and right, but she was the only one in the room. She hoped Adrian was safe, but had a sinking feeling that he badly hurt, or worse.
I-i was on the mountain trail.. when a guy.. the guy knocked me out! but he did something first.. something in my neck? he injected me with something.. god but with what! Sherry was starting to get panicked. She knew the G-Virus would most likely over write any virus in her system as it had done many times before, but why was she so convinced that this time was different? She didn't feel different in anyway, she could see, hear, smell, touch, and yet.. she had a sinking feeling she was missing something right in front of her.
Its just nerves! it didn't affect you, it never affects you, nothings different! She repeated over and over in her head, attempting to slow down her now fast breathing and calm herself, but she was in a trance that put her in a panicked state and kept her there, no matter what she did.
That was, until she heard the door from her right click, and open. Sherry instantly stopped her loud, fast breathing and looked up.
"Ah, Miss Birkin, you're awake! good." Said a tall figure, slowly shutting the door behind him. He had a thick Italian accent and was - by any standard - quite handsome. He had slightly long ruffled black hair and wore a nice - probably Italian - suit, with no tie, and the top 2 buttons messily unbuttoned. He wore a friendly smile but Sherry knew all too well it was a devious smile, full of greed.
The way he looked at her was like a man looking at new livestock for sale, and it brought back horrible memories of being watched from an operating room by more scientists than she could count. She shuddered at the horrible memory and finally worked up the courage to speak.
"W.. where am i?" she croaked. She hadn't spoken a word since she woke up and only now realized how strangely sore her throat was.
"In Africa." he deadpanned, pulling a chair over to Sherry's bed and settling into it.
"I'm aware of that - where am i right now?" she asked with a slight edge in her tone, and tugged on the ropes around her hands impatiently.
"You're in my facility right now, but we plan to move you." he said, taking out a blackberry and diverting all attention to the screen. If there was one thing that annoyed Sherry to no end, it was when she was having a conversation with someone and they pulled out a phone; not only was it rude, it was incredibly obnoxious.
"What the hell are you moving me for? what did you do to me?" she hissed, glaring at him, though he never looked up to meet it.
"Perhaps i should start from the beginning?" he said, shoving his phone back into his pocket and shifting in his seat. Sherry nodded slightly and he continued. "My name is Alrigo Lo Verde, I worked with Umbrella for a year as an apprentice with your father, where he allowed me to view progress on the G-Virus before it all fell apart. I then moved to TriCell for about 2 years - though my position was taken by the great Albert Wesker." he said, sounding quite sarcastic about the last part. Jealousy perhaps?
"You sound quite sore over it." said Sherry, sounding bored. Alrigo acted as if he hadn't even heard her, and continued.
"I had a relationship with the late Excella Gionne during my time there, but she chose to sheepishly follow the god himself." he shook his head once he finished. "I can't say i didn't see it coming."
Sherry felt a twinge of sympathy for him, and for Excella. Both Jill and Chris had once told Sherry of the events in Africa, and from what they told her - Excella was used because of her position as a CEO in the company, and whether she deserved what came to her was never clear from there way of telling it - though if she was used by Wesker's hand, Sherry guessed she didn't.
"Before the two plunged the company into an unrecoverable nose-dive into the ground, i managed to steal samples here and there of what Wesker occasionally brought into the labs for 'testing' - with these samples, i was able to develop my own virus, though its still in its beta stages."
Sherry softened her glare and darted her gaze from the door to him, hoping someone would walk in and stop what she thought he was about to lead into.
"And let me guess.. the virus is unstable, and the G-Virus can fix that." she mumbled.
Alrigo happily clapped his hands together. "My, you do take after your father! he was brilliant you know, a real visionary."
Sherry clenched her fists. Shit.. What the hell do i do now?
"You seem calm enough now, are you ready to stand up and come take a few tests with us?"
Sherry contemplated her options. Alrigo towered over her, and looked pretty strong, so taking him on in a physical fight would be no use. Alternatively, Sherry was pretty fast, and any bullets that caught her were sure to just heal after a few minutes - so really, it was her only option; Dashing for the nearest exit. Take the opportunity when it presents itself Sherry.
"Oh, and i recommend you don't try anything funny. As well as that agent that was with you, we have also detained a Jake Muller."
Sherry held her breath, and went pale. They have Adrian? They have Jake? "How? how the hell do you have Jake?" she gasped
"Plenty of time to explain later my dear, but right now we need you to take a few tests for us. If you're a good girl and follow my orders, i'll allow you to see both the agents." he said, with a rather impatient tap of his foot.
"O.. okay." she said finally. What else was there to say? if she ran and actually got out, they'd probably kill Adrian and Jake right off the bat, so she'd just have to tough it out, and take any opportunities to escape with the 2 when it presented itself.
"You're quite obedient Miss Birkin, you may prove to be a much better chip than the original." he said with a sickly grin. He clicked his fingers to signal two guards into the room, and the slowly undid Sherry's ropes.
Sherry exhaled when the ropes around her chest were loosened and finally removed. She sat up and stretched for about 5 minutes before hopping off the bed, standing beside Alrigo. She couldn't help but notice how he was nearly the same height as Jake.
"Lets get this over with." Sherry mumbled.
"Chris! what the hell is going on?!" shouted Leon from across the makeshift DSO center, set up in the abandoned ghost town in what appeared to be a hotel.
Chris was just walking inside when Leon rushed over, looking both frustrated and exhausted.
"Leon, Hunnigan told me Adrian and Sherry were joining you and your party, why the hell didn't you wait for them?" Chris barked angrily
"Hunnigan didn't tell me anything about them! i had no idea they were even here - last i heard Adrian was on a paid vacation!" Leon barked right back.
"How the hell did Hunnigan not call you? you're fucking required to check in every day with her! 2 agents joining in your party is something worth mentioning!"
Leon was about to reply when he realized what Chris had just said. "Come to think of it, Hunnigan hasn't called for about 3 days.. "
"Well fucking call her Leon, and let her know we've got 2 agent's missing, and Jake to boot!"
"What? Now Jake's gone?" Leon asked, dumbfounded by what he said. Chris ran both his hands through his hair and he groaned.
"Up on the mountain trail, some guy towed Jake away, Sherry and Adrian were unconscious. The guy sounded pretty spooked, but i could smell a rat the entire time. He said they were going to the DSO but there isn't a wing in Africa."
"What the hell.. " Leon mumbled, shaking his head at every word. "This is just incredible, how did we manage to lose the fucking three of them?"
"Just.. one thing after the other, and we lost them." Chris said, now with a pounding headache that made him wince with each thump. Both him and Leon walked over to a small table with coffee and both grabbed a cup. Leon angrily fiddled with his phone but it seemed whatever he was attempting wasn't working.
"Fucking signal has been down all day!" Leon yelled, shoving his phone back into his pocket and pinching the bridge of his nose in anger. Chris nodded slowly. "Hunnigan obviously hasn't been able to reach you, any of the other agents make contact?"
"No, not a single call." he said, sipping on his coffee.
"Leon, that guy who took Jake, Adrian and Sherry, we need to find him - or them - before something bad happens." Chris said softly, attempting to keep as calm as possible for the already fuming Leon.
"Implying something bad hasn't already happened. What if someones badly hurt? or killed? What if they know about Sherry, and G? What if they know about Jake? Jesus Chris, they have an array of reasons for wanting them.. These guys are smart, we haven't even been able to find them, how the hell do we even start looking?"
Chris shook his head, thinking for a moment. "Doesn't Jake have one of those badges for trainees? you know, the ones they give to the agents they're not sure if they can be trust with the real thing?" he asked.
Leon shrugged. "Yeah i think s- Chris, you're a fucking genius!" Leon said, punching him on the arm and running off to the other side of the hotel. Chris had to take up a jog just to keep up with him
"Leon, what the hell?!" he asked, following him into a small room with nothing but cables and about 3 monitors. "Anita, any word from the DSO?"
A young girl with long brown hair turned to see the 2 men standing in the door way, and shook her head. "Hello Agent Kennedy, I was on the phone with Hunnigan about 2 hours ago, she tells me there systems were hacked about 2 days ago and they've been working to resolve the issue - she said she will contact me as soon as everything is back up and running, i will keep you updated." she said sweetly
Leon shook his head and walked over to her. "Okay that's good, but i need you to get up a signal on all the trainees trackers in there badges."
Anita looked at him curiously. "Sir.. all of our agents are accounted for, who are you looking for?"
"Trust me Anita, just get up the GPS." he said, focusing on the monitor that was dead in front of her. She typed in a few codes and analyzed the screen for a few moments before a map popped up, with a cluster of green dots appearing in the hotel.
"Come on.. " Leon mumbled, staring at the screen. "Sir i-"
The screen popped up an alert message and zoomed out from the hotel, and showed a single dot way over past the mountain range.
"Holy shit.. its Jake! It has to be Jake!" Chris shouted.
Leon threw his arms in the air and smiled, laughing. "Thank god! Chris, grab a van, we need to get going!" he shouted, unable to contain his happiness and relief.
Chris ran out and Leon heard him shout for a van to be brought around. "Anita, keep me updated with the DSO, We'll be right here." he said, pointing to the dot on the map. "I'll call you at 9 PM tonight, if i don't pick up, send back up immediately." he stressed the last word, and ran out of the office to meet up with Chris.
"So Cowboy, whats the plan?" Chris asked, starting up the van. Leon laughing, "Make it up as we go along, planning takes the fun out of it."
"The fun." he echoed with a laugh. Leon took out his phone and rechecked the co-ordinates. "Okay, past the mountain trail, up the road for 20 minutes, its a sharp left up near the cross, and we should be there.
Chris nodded and they pulled out from the hotel, and sped away towards the mountain trail.
"You fuckers gonna let me out yet?" Jake yelled down the long and seemingly endless halls. He had 2 guards watching him, who walked up and down the halls, never acknowledging him when they did pass his cell. Jake wasn't all that surprised when he heard no reply from either.
After a while of staring at the wall directly opposite him in his cell, Jake looked out into the other cells. As well as noticing he was alone in regards to prisoners being held - from what empty cells he could see anyway - he also noticed how all the cells were identical, save for his own.
Jake's Cell had thicker iron bars, and recalled Nazaire's comment about them being new just for him.
Wait.. what? how the hell did that guy know i was gonna be here? I've only been in Africa for 2 days, and just how the hell does he know Wesker's my father? well.. maybe that cats been out of the bag for a while, but-
"Day dreaming, Mister Wesker?" asked a smug sounding Nazaire from just outside his cell. Jake tried not to let it show that Nazaire had given him quite a fright - Jake's mercenary training taught him to be vigilant and be able to better sense the presence of an enemy, and yet Nazaire went completely undetected by his heightened senses - like a shadow.
Jake looked up to see him leaning against the iron bars against the opposite cell with 2 body guards standing either side of him, both looking as emotionless as possible, while Nazaire took on a smug smile of triumph, which annoyed Jake to no end.
"Wheres Sherry." he growled, standing up and gripping the bars so tight that it made his knuckles turn white.
Nazaire's smug smile remained on his face, "Who now?"
Jake knew he was only trying to get him mad, but he hated when people played dumb with him, and it just infuriated him when it came to Sherry. "Sherry Birkin you asshole! the girl that ass took from me 2 fucking hours ago!" Jake yelled, motioning to the body guard on the left of Nazaire.
Nazaire shrugged. "The cute blonde my boss has taken a particular.. interest in?" he purred.
"He what?" Jake mumbled. He felt his heart rate speed up and suddenly felt the urge to punch the iron bars until they gave way, giving him an escape, and a way to punch Nazaire directly in the face.
"Yes?" Nazaire said, pressing a small ear piece against his ear, listening to the other end. After a few moments, Nazaire's smirk grew wider. "Ah, the players are set then! lets get this show on the road." he happily beamed, and looked back up to meet Jake's now hard glare.
"Mister Muller, i believe we have an old friend for you waiting in the conference room!" he yelled, clapping his hands in front of him, and motioning the guards to open Jake's cell.
"Sherry?" he asked, grunting in anger as the 2 shoved Jake out of the cell and into the corridor.
"No, the play has not reached that act quite yet."
Quite the theatrical type. "Then who the fuck wants to meet me?"
"Why, none other than the great Alrigo Lo Verde!" he said, patting Jake on the shoulder - which nearly drove Jake to take a chance and punch him straight in the face, but decided against it when he heard the click of the bodyguards guns on his back.
"The old guy remembers me then." he said as nonchalantly as possible.
"Oh, trust me Mister Wesker, once he learned of your.. family tree, he's been dying to meet you."
Jake shrugged and walked a bit more briskly in order to stay a few inches in front of Nazaire, and attempted to shut him out until he continued
"That, and he's still.. shall we say sore about what happened during your last encounter."
Jake looked at Nazaire curiously. "What? what the fuck does that mean?" he practically yelled, which earned a swift jab in the head by one of the bodyguards guns.
"I was told to get you from your Cell to Mister Lo Verde, not explain your betrayal to him. I'm sure you and him will have plenty to discuss!" he stated, pushing the elevator button as they reached the end of the hall.
Jake thought for a moment. I never 'betrayed' that fucker; i did the job, i got the money, i left. What the fuck is this guy even saying? he's got it all wrong.
Jake was shoved in by the body guards and Nazaire followed, pressing the button once inside which closed the doors. To Nazaire's surprise, Jake never replied, and remained relatively silent for the few moments they were waiting in the elevator.
"Oh and.. so sorry for what Alrigo may tell you about my recent actions." Nazaire said, keeping his eyes glued to the elevator doors. "It wasn't personal, simply business."
Jake eyed him curiously, "If i find out you hurt Sherry, i will personally escort you to hell myself."
Nazaire smirked. "Don't worry, Sherry's not the one i hurt."
Sorry this took so long to get out - been trying to sort a summer job among other things! Phew, things are going to get a bit crazy for the next few chapters, since now we're just about to get into Alrigo's plan and motives, and a bit of a plot twist! all to look forward to next chapter kekekeke
Hope you liked this chapter! thanks for reading!