A/N: Sorry for the delay. I ran into a case of writers block. I knew exactly what I wanted to write, but every time I wrote it I wasn't happy with it, so I did another playthrough of Chris' campaign in the game just to get back into the swing of things. But let me tell you, seeing that the reviews had hit the 100 mark certainly kicked my butt into gear lol. I seriously felt like I was pulling teeth with this chapter, so I'll go ahead and apologize if this is not my best work.

I'll be upfront with all of you; I'm not entirely sure when the next update will be. This is partly due to the lingering writers block, but is mostly a result of the holidays. There's just so much to do that all my free time is spent decorating, Christmas shopping, wrapping, and rearranging the decorations I put up. It's just really chaotic right now.

And Chris' hostility towards the idea of Piers and Riley being together will be explained in this chapter.

Piers raked his fingers through his hair, still trying to process the fact that both Riley and himself had been declared bio-terrorists while he sat at the kitchen table. He hadn't thought that Merrick had that kind of control, and neither had the others. At the most, he'd thought his control might have seeped into the military, maybe a few government officials, but not to anyone who could sway the President to such extent. Then again, if enough men and women in the government and military came to the President with evidence against them, the President was bound to believe that the reports were true. A grim thought entered his mind about the possibility of the President himself being controlled, and that thought sent a chill down his spine. If he was under Merrick's control, they truly were screwed.

Sighing, he looked at Chris and Jill who were also seated at the table. He looked for any indication that one of them suddenly had an idea, but they looked just as lost as he felt. He had to wonder if Claire and Riley had thought of anything, but he didn't want to go ask quite yet.

Riley had been pissed and frightened after leaving the family room, and though she'd calmed down in his arms, Claire insisted that she take her back to the guest bedroom so she could relax and the two of them could talk. He hadn't appreciated Chris' sister taking Riley away from him when she'd just started to calm down, and neither had the virologist if the scowl on her face had been any indication, but they didn't argue. Besides, Piers needed to get a plan together with Chris and Jill.

Unfortunately, they weren't going to have much time to discuss the matter.

Thirty minutes ago, Chris and Jill had both been called by the BSAA and informed that they were to report to DC HQ in one hour to discuss Piers and Riley. To keep up the persona that they didn't know where the two were, they agreed without question.

So, for the past half-hour they'd been trying to formulate a plan before he and Riley left for the house they'd be hiding in for a while, at which time Chris and Jill would then head to HQ. They had laid out the facts the young virologist had given them and what they already knew in an attempt to find a weak spot, but the problem was that they really didn't know much about Merrick except that he was using devices based off Wesker's design to control people, was running illegal experiments, was now the head of Neo-Umbrella, and a few other things, but no physical proof. The only thing they really had to go on was China.

With nothing left to add to what they already knew, Piers sighed and asked, "What now?"

"I don't know," Chris admitted. "The world's not going to believe the testimonies of two suspected bio-terrorist, so turning yourselves in is out of the question unless you're looking for an execution."

"Couldn't we go to the President and stand up for them?" Jill asked, looking over the notes they'd taken.

Chris shook his head. "All that would do is have us pegged as accomplices. We don't have any evidence to have Merrick even considered to be a traitor anyways." Shaking his head at the papers and map he had in front of them, he said, "I hate to say it, but if we're going to stand any chance at convincing everyone that Merrick is the terrorist, someone's going to have to go to China. That's where he told Riley his main building is located."

"Getting there is going to be a problem," Piers grumbled. "The Chinese government has closed their doors to non-citizens without proper BSAA authorization, and I doubt any of us are going to be welcomed in with open arms."

"Um, I think I might have a way into the country."

The three of them looked in the direction of the hallway as Riley appeared with Claire beside her. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she still looked a little shaken by the President's announcement, her fair skin a few shades paler than it should be, but she wanted to help and that want had brought her out of the safety of the guest bedroom.

"Riley?" Chris urged when she remained silent for a few seconds longer.

Licking her lips, she walked over and looked at the map on the table. "My dad spent ten years in China before I was born doing some medical work for the local relief groups before taking his skills to tribes and villages around the world. He still went there though to visit old friends, and he even took me there for a few weeks at a time off and on since I was three," she explained, and tapped the label "Hong Kong" on the map. "There's a woman named Didi Chang here who used to work regularly with my father whenever he was in the country. She's a doctor with a local relief group there and she, well, let's just say she helped him get into places he shouldn't with her group if there were serious medical needs that needed to be met or if someone needed to get out of the country."

"I think I've come across her name a few times," Claire commented, leaning back against the wall. "She's a big supporter of Terra Save. But I don't understand why she's never joined either Terra Save or the BSAA – I heard she was given an invitation but declined."

Piers nodded more to himself, looking at the map. Never would he have suspected that she would have had that kind of connection in China, but he was incredibly gratefully that she did. However, to hear that her friend refused to be a part of the BSAA and Terra Save was concerning.

"Can she be trusted?" he asked, needing to know.

Riley nodded without a second's thought. "Most definitely. The only reason she opted not to join either group is because she's already at odds with many in the Chinese government because of her 'do it with or without permission' mindset – if she can't get permission to help people, she'll do it behind the government's back, which is why the group she's with doesn't have a formal name. Most people call the group simply the Relief. The group itself is damn near selfless, but she helps the victims of bio-terrorism however she can even if it means putting herself at risk. Not to mention she watched out for me in China whenever my dad was busy and is more of a mother to me than my own is. I still keep in contact with her." Sighing, she shook her head. "She's probably already found a way to weasel into the quarantined zones by now to get aid to the people inside or get them out."

Chris considered her words for a long moment before he finally asked, "Do you think you can get a hold of her?"

"I should be able to, yeah. I just need to know who all needs smuggled into the country," she replied.

"Me," Piers said before anyone else could even open their mouth.

"Piers, if the Chinese government finds out you're in China, they won't be happy about it considering they believe you're one of the people responsible for the mess," Jill pointed out. "They won't arrest you – they'll kill you."

He knew there was significant danger in traveling to China when the world thought he was a terrorist, but he didn't see any other option. "Both you and Chris need to do what the BSAA says for now or else they'll think you're all 'in league' with me and Riley. Claire can do more to help use through Terra Save, and I can't think of anyone else willing to go. This is the only way."

Neither the soldier nor the agent appeared to like the idea of having to play ball with Merrick for now, their hate for the man stronger than it ever was before, but how could they deny that Piers was right? If they went to China against the BSAA's orders or spoke in favor of he and Riley, they would be branded as accomplices or something and wouldn't be able to help as much as they could behind the scenes.

The Captain sighed, running his hand over his face tiredly, but said, "All right. We'll stay here and handle things from this end while you search Lanshiang for answers."

"I'll update you regularly, Captain," Piers promised. Looking to Riley, he asked, "Can you call up your… what?" The look on her face had brought him to a halt.

Riley crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him through the narrow slits of her eyes. "You keep saying that 'you're going to China', and that 'you'll update everyone'. I'm fairly certain you mean, we are going to China. I'm coming with you."

Piers shook his head adamantly. "You're not going."

Lanshiang had been as close to a nightmare as it could get when he and Chris were there a few days ago. J'avo had been all over the place and swarmed like locusts, and then when the gas fell over the city it became overrun with the undead as well. Word was that things were getting worse by the minute, and with a target on their backs for the disaster there, he wasn't going to risk her safety by bring her along.

Riley, however, wasn't going to accept staying behind so readily.

"The hell I'm staying!" she snapped angrily, dropping her arms to her sides. "You'll need my help!"

Sighing heavily, he rose to his feet and demanded, "Can you shoot a gun?"

"I can learn."

"Are you familiar with grenades, firearms, and the range and operation of other weapons? Do you know how to take down the different varieties of J'avo quickly and efficiently?"

Some of the confidence left her face, but she replied, "No, but you can teach me. I'm a fast learner."

"Riley," Chris interjected, also standing. "China is ground zero for the C-Virus, and you can't go in with the intent on learning how to fight. You need to know exactly what you're doing and getting into before you find yourself faced with a threat like a J'avo or the undead. I understand that you want to help, but be realistic – you don't have the experience required to help Piers with this."

The woman gaped at her friend, visibly offended, before snapping her mouth shut. "No experience, huh? Okay then, tell me what I'm saying…" She began talking quickly but no one followed a single word she was saying, unable to understand where one word began and ended, much less where a sentence was in the jumble of words flowing effortlessly from her mouth.

She was speaking Chinese.

"You speak Chinese?" Jill asked, clearly surprised.

Licking her lips, Riley nodded. "My dad spoke it fluently and taught me the language along with Italian. Never could learn Spanish though. Didi made sure that I had constant lessons whenever I was in China with Dad, and by the time I was ten I was speaking it perfectly."

"So you speak the language, that's great," Piers admitted. "But I can have your friend translate for me if I need to."

Riley smirked.

"What?"

"Didi doesn't understand English," she declared, smiling knowingly. "So good luck with talking to her and everyone else."

Piers groaned, putting his hands on his head before bracing them on the table, hunching over a bit. He knew Spanish, but Chinese sounded like gibberish to his ears. He didn't want her coming with him, but he couldn't thoroughly search Lanshiang without having a translator with him, something that hadn't occurred to him until now.

Losing her smile, the virologist looked to everyone before stepping over to Piers to further her case. "Piers, I've worked for Merrick for years and know what to look for in Lanshiang, more or less. If I can get into his facility I might be able to manufacture a cure of some kind or make a vaccine to give to the uninfected. At the very least I'll recognize drugs and the like that we can bring to the table that will prove his the terrorist. Besides, I need to monitor you just in case something goes wrong with your arm. You did say that it was hurting earlier."

"Do not bring my arm into this, Riley," he snapped sharply, taking her aback a bit.

Claire frowned, catching the sharp tone along with everyone else in the room, and he bit his tongue at their expressions. He hadn't meant to snap, but his arm was fine. Everything was fine.

Riley worried on her lower lip, surprised by how he'd snapped at her, and said nervously, "I didn't mean anything by it. I was only saying that it might be best that I accompany you to China anyways because, well, uh, because your arm's bothering you and I still want to make sure that there aren't any negative side effects as a result of the cure. I don't even know what was in it." Diverting her eyes away from his, she rambled on as though he wasn't there, "Damn it, I should have looked at the contents and paid attention to its creation. Maybe… no, that wouldn't have gone into it. I don't think there will be any bad side effects but, shit, I don't know. I could always –"

"Riley," Piers said loudly, cutting off her nervous rambling.

She bit her lip and went silent, looking at the floor. That only furthered his irritation at himself for acting the way he did over her comment about his arm.

Chris stared at Piers for a long moment before walking up to Riley. Placing his hand on the woman's shoulder, he suggested, "Why don't you go bring Jill and Claire up to date about your friend and get a plan together for China? Might as well get a hold of Didi while you're at it and see if she can get you two into the country."

Piers' eyes snapped to his Captain, both shocked and pissed that he'd told Riley that she was going. "Captain, she can't –"

"Other room, Piers," Chris ordered tightly. "Now."

The young man snapped his mouth shut and followed Chris to the laundry room where they could talk privately without the others hearing them.

Slamming the door shut, Chris said, "Like it or not, she's right. She knows Chinese, has connections in China that we don't, and knows what to look for in Merrick's facility. The smartest thing to do is take her with you. You're just going to have to give her a crash course in weapons."

"Crash course," Piers repeated irritably. "She froze up when we were escaping and damn near lost it because we had to leave her friend behind. I know that she's been in war-zones before, but she hasn't been in a situation where she won't be surrounded by armed escorts, let alone in a situation where she's a target. I don't think she can handle the stress."

"Tough, she's going."

Lips thinning, the young man shook his head. He didn't agree with her coming along in the slightest, no matter how helpful she would be. She was one person he didn't want to risk getting hurt.

Unable to argue with his Captain once he made up his mind and gave an order, he sighed, "I'll teach her how to use a gun after we reach that safe house."

Figuring that was all, he made to leave.

"I'm not done," Chris announced, voice lower than before. "I don't know what your problem is with your arm, or what is running through your head, but do not take it out on Riley. She's trying to help."

Piers shrank a bit, feeling as though he was a kid being scolded by his dad. He recovered quickly, though, and argued, "I don't have a problem with my arm. I just don't think she should have brought it up."

That was only half true, but he didn't bother coming clean that he wasn't entirely happy with his arm since he himself wasn't entirely sure why it frustrated him to the point where he didn't even want to talk about the limb.

Chris snorted. "Right. Just ease up. I don't need you hurting her."

"Hurt her? All I did was tell her not to bring it up. Why have you been riding my ass and giving me the snake eye since I came into the kitchen earlier?" he questioned, utterly confused.

Approaching him, the taller man came to stand in front of him, and said quietly in case anyone was eavesdropping, "In case you haven't noticed, she cares about you. I can see it, and so can Jill and Claire. And I get the sense that the feeling's mutual, am I right?"

Piers kept his mouth shut, and that was answer enough for Chris.

"Were it up to Claire, she'd have set you two up by now, but given how you are I don't think that's a good idea."

Piers couldn't deny that he was a little offended by the remark, and demanded quietly, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get me wrong, you're a good guy, Piers, and a good friend, but I know how you are with women," Chris explained. "If a woman so much as hints that she wants something more out of the relationship, you leave her with some lame excuse, making her just another name on a list of women. I don't intend on seeing that happen to Riley."

There really wasn't anything Piers could say about that and he kept quiet while he thought of an appropriate answer that wouldn't get him hit upside the head. Chris had said more than once that Riley was family whether she was related or not. If he was even half as protective of her as he was of Claire, there was no question that he might find himself getting smacked upside the head if he said something wrong.

When it came to women, he liked to keep it casual and stuck with short term flings simply because his job was hard for some to chew and understand, but there were times where his current girlfriend would decide that she wanted more out of the relationship. Whether it was the desire to move in or meet each others parents or what, the notion of things going past casual quickly killed the mood and he called things off.

But Riley wasn't in the same category as those women had been. She was different, special. He didn't know exactly what feelings she had for him seeing as they didn't know each other too well, but he was curious to see where a relationship might go.

"I wouldn't do that to her," Piers promised, hoping to assure the Captain. "Now's not the time for a relationship, but… things would be different with Riley."

Chris stared at him for a long moment as if trying to find truth in his words on his face before passing judgment. He wasn't the woman's father, nor did Piers require his blessing to pursue her, but he'd rather have the go-ahead from Chris lest he face the repercussions of going behind his back.

After a moment, the older man sighed, "I'm holding you to that."

Somehow he made such a simple phrase sound like a threat.

Piers merely nodded and left the laundry room to find Riley and the other two women, feeling more guilty than he did going into the other room for snapping at her over his arm. He just didn't want to deal with his issues towards the new limb, let alone broadcast his problems with it to the others or have her bring it up as ammunition, whether she meant to or not.

Wandering into the living room, he found them sitting on the couch with Riley rambling away to who he presumed was Didi in Chinese. Whatever she was saying sounded positive at least, her tone light, so he hoped that meant all was going well.

She heard him come into the room and looked up, uncertainty on her face.

He walked over and Claire scooted over so he could sit beside her on the couch, and he gave the virologist a half smile, hoping that would be enough to convey that he wasn't going to argue further and that he was sorry, though he'd actually say it once she was off the phone.

To his relief, the meaning got through and she returned his smile before getting back to the conversation.

Sitting back, Piers made a list in his head of things he'd have to teach her before and during their journey to China and hoped that she was up to the challenge.

They had a lot of work to do.

Coffee keeps me awake to write, but reviews keep me motivated to write!