Jack couldn't see anything in front of him, but he knew that something was wrong. He felt wrong, like he didn't feel right in his own skin. His mind was sound, but his attempts to speak were futile. He couldn't form words, only manage a strange sound that didn't seem human.
'Whats going on? Where am I'
He had trouble remembering anything more than his name. He had very little to go on in figuring out who he was.
"Hello, Mr. Darby"
He knew that voice.
"How are we feeling?"
Jack knew he heard that voice, but his brain was working at only half capacity. He couldn't put a face to the voice, but he knew that it wasn't as friendly as it sounded.
"You've come along quite nicely. The virus seems to agree with you. Much better than that frail form you were born with."
Even though he couldn't see anything, Jack looked around to find the voice. To hurt him, to get away, Jack didn't know. It seemed like Jack was unable to think about too many things at once. Why was his mind having so much trouble trying to function? Jack couldn't feel for anything in the room, it was empty. The voice's owner was not in the room with him, so where could he be?
"Alright, you seem to have grasped the basic motor skills of your new form. Let's see how well you react to prey."
Just then, a door opened behind Jack and allowed enough light to for him to see what he looked like.
'What?!'
This was wrong, this was all wrong. This couldn't be him. Jack stared at his hands, his blood red, decaying, clawed hands. He'd seen this somewhere, he knew he did. But why was he like this? What did the voice do to him?
"Jack?"
A frightened voice came from behind him and he knew he recognized it somewhere. When he looked to see the source, his mind began to work a little faster.
'I know her.'
She looked familiar, too familiar. Her face, it looked like his. It looked the way he remembered that he looked. Why did she resemble him so much?
"Jackson?" She repeated with an even more frightened tone.
The tears from her eyes and the pained expression gave Jack another reminder. She didn't look like him, he looked like her...He got his features from her. How does that happen again?
"Go on, Jack. Greet your mother with open arms. Show her how much you love her"
'Mother, mother, mother...Wait!'
Suddenly, Jack remembered what mother meant. It meant caretaker, protector, someone who loved him...someone who cried when he was hurt...just like this woman was crying now.
'Mother! Mom!'
This was Jack's mother and something was wrong with her. She was upset, hurt, scared? It didn't matter. Jack remembered who he was and what he used to do in these situations. He walked to his mother, desperate to make her stop crying.
'It's okay, Mom. I'm here.'
That's what he meant to say, but he knew that wasn't what came out. She didn't look happy to see him. With every step he took forward, she took one back. He could tell that she recognized him, but why was she so scared of him?
'Wait.'
Jack stopped and looked at his claws again. He remembered what was going on. He was a monster and now his mother was afraid of him. He wasn't Jack anymore...But he still knew who she was. She knew he was still her son too...Right?
"Tell me, Ms. Darby. How far are you willing to go to end your Jackson's suffering? Better yet, how far will you go to survive? Will you make the ultimate sacrifice to save your life and set your beloved only child free?"
Jack looked back at his mother who was now aiming a gun at him.
'Mom?'
Why was she doing that? Jack would never hurt her. She knew that right? She was now breathing in gasps as if she was caught in a waking nightmare. Jack wanted to stop this, so he walked over to comfort her. Just as before, she only grew more scared.
"Jack, please don't."
'Mom, don't be scared.'
"Please...Please, don't make me do this."
'I'm not gonna hurt you. I could never hurt you.'
His mother stared at Jack with weak eyes and slowly lowered her weapon. Why did she look so defeated, so hopeless?
"I can't..."
Jack needed to help her. He supposed that's why he was running towards her at the speed he did so. He ran into her, intending to hold his mother until her fears would cease. But that's not what happened.
"Very good, Mr. Darby."
Jack saw that his mother was no longer in front of him, but now a few feet to the left of him and on the floor.
"Give in to your instincts."
She was shaking in pain and Jack was struck with fear. He looked at his claw and saw a fresh splash of blood dripping from his digits and onto the floor.
'No...Did I do this?'
Jack looked to his mother again, who had turned over on her back.
'Mom?!'
The left side of her face was completely mangled, only her right resembled the woman who had raised him. Once again, Jack wanted to go to her and help her. He began to move towards her and she desperately tried to shuffle away.
'No! Stop!'
He knew what he was about to do. He felt like he had control of his body, but he could not compel himself to cease what he was doing.
'What am I doing?! Stop!'
His mother was choking on her own tears, absolute terror plain to see.
'Why can't I stop this?! Why am I trying to kill her?!'
Jack could hear his words come out as snarls and groans, which only served to cause his mother to panic even more.
'Please, no.'
June had managed to stand up and stare at Jackson with a look of fear that he'd never thought she would give him.
'Mom, Run!'
As if she heard him, June ran as fast as she could, but the room was sealed. She had nowhere to go. Before she could even reach the far wall, Jack ran after her.
'No!'
Jack closed the distance and was within reach of her.
'Mom!'
Suddenly, he saw his claw tear into her back and knock her to the ground. He stopped and stood over her. She was covered in blood now, seemingly gasping for air.
'Stop...'
Jack knelt over her and pulled her closer to him.
'Please, Stop!'
She glanced at Jack one more time.
"Jack..." She sounded so hurt.
Jack dug his fangs into her neck and listened to her scream as he tore her flesh away.
'Stop! Please!'
His body ignored his cries as his claw began to destroy the other side of her face. Now she looked nothing like his mother.
'I'm sorry, Mom! I'm sorry!'
He began pulling her head to one side, hearing something snap as he did. Her head was beginning to detach. Suddenly, with one fleshy tear, it came off and hit the ground. Jack stopped his bloodshed to look at his mother's severed head. It was all shredded skin and torn flesh now. The only remaining part of his mother's beautiful face was her right eye. Her blue eye stared into him, as if it was haunting him on her behalf. He wanted to look away from it, to the mess he had made of his mother. But he couldn't, he simply went back to tearing her body apart. As he ripped her back open, pulling out what was inside, he screamed internally. He screamed louder than any human could scream. He screamed continuously, never taking a moment to breath. But his screams were not heard. Only more groans and snarls came from his disgusting mouth that was now caked in mother's blood. Despite him being unable to, in his head, he continued to scream.
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Jack felt a hand on his chest and instantly knew who is belonged to. He came to realize that what he'd just experienced was just a dream, the worst he'd ever had. He struggled to open his eyes, having a particularly difficult time with his right. He managed his left and saw two very familiar faces before him. His mother, who was the subject of the horrible dream he was just having, and Arcee. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her at the moment. Both of them stared at him with relief on their faces. They looked the same as his mother and Jill did when he woke up in that room after being bitten. Suddenly, everything came back to him. He remembered the last conversation he had with Arcee, how it ended before she went off to her mission. He remembered what happened after, everything that happened.
Jack suddenly remembered why he could only see out of one eye. The tall man with the shades had taken the other from him. Not even getting bit by a zombie could compare the pain he had put him through. Jack tried to push the thought behind him, knowing it would only worry his mother and his partner worse than they already were. And then he remembered his bite, along with what the tall man had said to him. He didn't know where he got the strength to move so quickly, but he pushed himself off of the berth he was resting upon. He had moved too fast to see Arcee's and his June's reactions, only hearing them call his name. He fell to the floor the moment he tried to run. He legs felt like noodles beneath him. He managed to stumble his way to a nearby wall and prop himself up against it while his strength came back. He saw them moving closer, but held his hand out to stop them. In truth, it was his mother he was more concerned for.
"Don't...Stay Away From Me!"
They ceased to move forward, each of them looking alarmed by his reaction.
"Please, don't come near me."
He looked to his mother, who he could tell had a thousand thoughts racing through her mind. He took a moment to realize where he was. It the was the base, his partner's home. Realization began to dawn on Jack as he understood what this meant. They must've been the one's who rescued him from Umbrella, which could only mean that...
'They know.'
Arcee signaled June to stay where she was and moved slowly towards Jack.
"It's alright, Jack. This is a safe place, remember?"
She moved closer.
"Arcee...Please don't let my Mom come near me."
"Why? You think she's that mad at you."
She knelt in front of him, examining all over. She could see how scared he was.
"Hey."
She lifted his chin up to look at her, the same way she did in the garage.
"It's okay, partner."
He knew that she was not okay, clearly looking at the eye he didn't have.
"Y-You know, don't you?"
Arcee looked downcast, giving him his answer.
"I do...And I don't care...I'm just happy you're still with us."
Jack felt a bit of relief. Arcee wasn't mad at him.
"Drug addict from Possum City, huh?"
"I'm sorry I lied, Arcee. I was just..."
"I get it, Jack. You were scared."
She brought him to her chassis.
"But you don't have to be anymore. Umbrella won't ever touch you again."
As much as Jack wanted to take solace in Arcee's proclamation, it was too late.
"Jack..."
He looked to see June walking over on the verge of tears.
"Mom, please don't." He choked out.
It was as if his words had hurt his mother. Arcee looked at Jack, understandably confused and worried.
"Jack, what's wrong? Why are you so afraid of your mother?"
Jack looked down, not wanting to see June's face when she learned the truth.
"I'm infected."
Arcee let go of Jack and took a step back. Without realizing it, she had placed her servo in front of June to protect her. He was grateful for that. June looked on with confusion, but she was clearly afraid as well.
"You have to keep everyone away from me."
"You're not infected."
Jack looked behind him and realized that Ratchet was watching them the whole time.
"You were administered a vaccine upon you're arrival. That was yesterday and you have yet to show any signs of change. You're clean, Jack. You are of no danger to anyone."
None of them knew what he knew. He didn't want to tell them, to destroy their hopes after what they must've been through.
"Jill, he's up!" He heard from a female voice that he didn't recognize, taking note of the name she had called for.
Jack looked over to where the voice came from. Standing at the corridor was a young looking woman with short brown hair, wearing a green and white outfit. She seemed to be as concerned for him as Arcee and his mother were.
Coming from around the corner, Jack saw a familiar face he hadn't seen in three years. Jill had run into the main hall and stopped when she saw the conscious Jackson. Very quickly, she ran over to him and pulled him into a tight embrace that made him feel less afraid. For some reason, he wasn't concerned about her being infected by him.
"Jack, your okay." She said above a whisper.
She pulled away to get a good look at the teen.
"Look at you. You...got big."
Jack couldn't help but look away bashfully, remembering the crush he had on Jill years ago.
"I guess I can't call you my little one anymore. You went and grew up on me."
For the first time since he regained consciousness, Jack smiled.
"Jill...I didn't know when I'd see you again."
Jill's face fell at Jack's words. She took one look at his eye and hugged him again.
"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm sorry this happened to you."
He hugged her reassuringly. He didn't blame her, not even for a second.
"Don't be...You still saved me."
Jill pulled away again.
"Actually, they saved you."
Jill pointed back to the corridor which was now occupied by the rest of the Autobots. Bulkhead had Miko on his shoulder, who was covering her mouth and trying not to cry. Raf stood in between Bumblebee and Rebecca, his mouth opened to a smile. Optimus looked on behind them, seemingly happy, yet distant. Raf was eager to greet his friend and set himself to make a run for Jack. Jack's face became frightened once more at the sight of he and Miko.
"Raf, wait!"
He stopped himself. Jack looked to Jill again.
"Jill, I'm still infected."
Jill's eyes widened. Rebecca instinctively pulled Rafael back.
"Jack...you're not infected. I gave you the vaccine. The second you got back..."
He shook his head as tried to explain.
"It doesn't work."
Everyone stood still and went as quiet as a crypt. Jill collected herself just enough to barely form a question.
"Wha-What do you mean, it doesn't work?"
Jack looked to his mother, who was still in a state of near panic.
"The T-Vaccine, it didn't cure me."
There was a long silence in the base.
"Of course it cured you. You're standing right in front of me."
Jack tried to remember what the tall man had told him about the virus.
"Take my blood and you'll see."
He lifted up his arm, the one the scar.
"It's still in there. I'm still carrying the virus, that's what he said."
'He?' Jill thought.
"I don't why I haven't turned. He told me..."
Jack struggled to remember the specifics of his conversation before it went bad.
"He said that it had changed somehow...I...can't remember what else."
Jack had exhausted himself from his panic and his struggle to recollect what the tall man had said. He began to sway as if he was ready to pass out.
"Hey, relax Jack." Jill said as she took hold of him to keep him from falling.
He held in head and shook it lightly to gather his strength. He looked around and saw that everyone was understandably nervous. Everyone except his mom that is, who was now tearing up. Rebecca had walked over with a syringe pack.
"May, I?"
Jack nodded and allowed this woman to take a blood sample. He tried his best not to look at Arcee or his mother.
"Jill...You have to keep me somewhere away from them. You and 'Bots are okay, but my Mom, Raf, Miko, they have to stay away from me. I don't want to risk them getting infected."
Jill took both sides of Jack's face.
"Jack, whatever they said to you was a lie. I know the infected when I see them and your not one of them. We're gonna get to the bottom of this."
Jill sighed, knowing that Jack wasn't going to change his mind until he was proven wrong.
"I'll keep them away for now. But Jack, I promise that you're okay."
Rebecca took her sample of blood and patched Jack up. She walked over to Ratchet, who lifted her up to the platform to begin examining the blood. Jack took one look at Arcee and June before Jill led them away. Both of them looked as if they were afraid of never seeing him again. Jill cast them a look as well, trying to appear as assuring as possible. It didn't seem to work. They both walked past the rest of the group, Jack trying his best not to get too close to any human besides Jill. As they turned the corridor and walked down the hall, he felt something grab his waist from behind. He looked down and saw Rafael hugging him tightly.
"Raf, don't!"
"I don't care."
He was crying.
"You're gonna be okay, Jack. I know you will."
He looked up, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"We'll help you...somehow."
As scared as he was for Rafael's safety, Jack couldn't bring himself to push him away. It had begun to occur to him how worried he and Miko must've been for his safety. Jack placed his hand atop Raf's head, comforting the crying child. Another stranger walked up to them, clad in military greens. He gently pulled Raf away and stood with his hands upon his shoulders. Jack gave him a grateful nod, which he returned respectfully. He seemed trustworthy enough to leave Raf in his care. Jill put her arm around Jack and they continued down the hall.
"Mr. Redfield?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"She'll take care of Jack, won't she?"
Chris looked down at Raf, who was still staring at Jack in the distance.
"Jill loves the kid as much as you do, Rafael. She's gonna do everything she can for him. I can promise you that."
He ruffled Raf's hair and led him back to Bumblebee. The two exchanged nods before he took his charge in his servo to comfort him. Chris looked up at Optimus, who had distanced himself when Jack walked by. He was now staring down the corridor which Jack had disappeared from moments ago.
"Prime."
Optimus looked down at Chris.
"Ready to go?"
His face became more determined.
"Ready when you are, Agent Redfield."
Chris nodded back and the two walked to the main hall.
"Ratchet, set coordinates and open the bridge."
"You're going over there, Optimus?"
"Yes, old friend. If we are going to make our next move against Umbrella, then we will need to make this alliance official."
"I take it that means we can expect more company."
"Indeed, old friend."
"Then by all means, let's bring in the specialists."
The ground bridge opened up and Optimus transformed. Chris got into the drivers seat and the truck drove through the vortex. Arcee stared at the bridge, still holding an upset June close to her. She held a fierce gaze in her optics.
"Don't worry, Arcee."
She looked to the medic.
"When they get back, we take the war to Umbrella."
Arcee felt the need to take a page from human vocabulary.
"Damn right, we will."
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Chris sat inside of Optimus' cabin in the heart of the Arizona desert. Somewhere in this vast and dry land was the location of a B.S.A.A. black site. Both the agent and the Prime were quiet as they waited for Chris' contact. Chris could tell something was bothering Optimus.
"You okay, Prime?"
"I am. Why do you ask?"
Chris stared out the window, trying not to pry too deeply.
"I know you're worried about the kid."
There was a moment of hesitation.
"Would you not be the same were it someone under your care?"
"I don't even really know the kid and I'm worried about him."
"Yes, Agent Redfield. I am concerned about Jackson's well being, both physical and mental."
"Look, I don't know what they mighta' told'em, but Jack is not infected. After six years, there's no way the vaccine didn't work. Umbrella was just trying to mess with his head."
"If that is was they intended, they have succeeded."
Chris looked down at the steering wheel.
"I know. Jack is...the kid's scared. I don't blame'em either, not after what happened."
"It goes much deeper than that, Agent Redfield. Jack had been afraid long before Umbrella came back for him. Since we had first met, I had known that something was wrong with him, that he had suffered in the past."
Chris readjusted in his seat, growing more interested in what Optimus was saying.
"It became most apparent when Jackson decided that he would better off away from me and my fellow Autobots for his own safety. His demeanor showed signs of trauma that went unnoticed by the other children. He had returned the following day, but continued to show signs of anxiety that were not common among humans his age. Over time, he seemed to improve. I believe it was due greatly to his interactions with my Second In Command, Arcee, who I had appointed to be his guardian. However, certain changes in his behavior would not go unnoticed by me. I would sometimes find him sneaking away from the others and seclude himself in one of our storage rooms. There, he would suffer what humans refer to as 'panic attacks'. I still do not know what had caused these episodes to occur, but I continued to watch him closely. Eventually, they too ceased and I believed that Jackson was making progress...Now, I fear it has all been undone at the hands of Umbrella and that he is worse off than before. Jack believes that he is infected once again and is a danger to the others. I fear of what he might do if he is left alone."
Chris thought about all the soldiers who had resorted to taking their own lives in the battlefield after believing they were infected. Optimus' concerns were justified.
"He just needs to know that you guys are there. Once he sees that he's not infected, it's just a matter of getting him through the storm."
Optimus was now silent in thought.
"We're both soldiers. We've both been through hell and seen what that can do to a person. Post Traumatic Stress can really destroy you from the inside out. Support is the best way to fight PTSD and Jack has got one hell of support system. I know you guys are like one big family and Jill loves the kid and his mom. Between her, his mother, and you guys, I know he's gonna pull through. But nothing's gonna make Jack feel better than knowing that these bastards aren't gonna be bothering him anymore. We need to make that happen.
"Indeed we do, Agent Redfield."
"Starting with this alliance and as if on cue..."
"Chris?"
Chris looked out the window and saw Clive R. O'Brian, director of the B.S.A.A. and it's third founder along with he and Jill. Optimus opened the passenger door, allowing him to climb inside.
"Director O'Brian, it's good to see again."
"You too, Chris. You and Jill have been at it hard lately."
"Umbrella ain't gonna stop themselves, Clive."
Clive took a look around the inside of Optimus' cabin.
"So what's with the Peterbilt? This ain't really your style."
"I admit that my vehicle form lacks subtlety, but so long that it maintains the illusion of common vehicle among humans, it serves it's intended purpose." Optimus' voice came from the radio.
"Uh, Chris...what the hell?"
Optimus started up and began to drive.
"Just sit back and enjoy the ride, Clive. You're not gonna believe what you're about to see."
They rode further into the desert until Optimus was certain to away from any prying eyes. After about thirty minutes, they came to a stop.
"Alright, time to get out."
"Chris, what's going on?"
Chris smiled mischievously as he exited the truck.
"You're gonna love this part."
The pair stepped out of Optimus' cabin and stood in front of him. Optimus began to shift into his bipedal form, leaving the director with a gaping mouth. Optimus fully transformed and towered above Clive.
"Greetings, Director O'Brian. My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots."
Clive caught his breath and looked at Chris.
"Alright Chris, you have my attention."
"Not me you should pay attention to."
"Director O'Brian, you are no doubt curious as to what I am and where I come from. Rest assured that in due time, all questions will be answered. What you need to concern yourself with now is why I am here. I am here to offer my assistance."
It took a moment for Clive to manage a question.
"Assistance in what, exactly?"
"In the downfall of a common enemy, Umbrella."
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"By the Allspark."
Everyone turned to Ratchet, who was examining Jack's blood sample along with Rebecca. She had just explained to him exactly what he was looking at.
"What is it, Ratchet?" Arcee asked
"Someone get Jill, she needs to see this." Rebecca ordered to no one in particular.
Raf stepped forward.
"She's with Jack in one of the storage rooms and we're not allowed in there."
"Yeah, apparently it's now a quarantined area." Miko said while making quoted marks in the air.
"C'mon, Miko. It's to make Jack feel better. Don't take it personally." Bulkhead reasoned.
"Jack's just afraid we'll get sick because he thinks he's infected." Raf followed up.
Ratchet looked grim from where he was standing.
"Jack is cured, isn't he?" Raf asked
Arcee looked at June, who kept her head down while nervously curling the fingers of her right hand.
"Like Agent Chambers said, Jill needs to see this for herself."
"I'll get her." Miko stated, clearly not as a request.
"No, Miko. You heard what Valentine said. Jack wants all humans to stay away." Bulkhead protested.
"I don't care what he says. I'm gonna go see him."
"I'll go."
Everyone looked over to June, who was now standing.
"I need to speak with my son, anyway."
Arcee immediately stood in front of her.
"June, that's not a good idea."
"Arcee, I've been around Jack everyday since the incident. I've cleaned and treated every cut, scratch, and bruise he's ever gotten. If I haven't been infected, I'm not going to be"
She looked up at Arcee with a very fierce gaze. For a second, she forgot that June was just an ordinary human mother.
"And you are not going to keep me from seeing my son."
This must've been the June that fought through zombies to get the vaccine to Jack in time. Arcee did not stand in her way any longer and moved aside to allow June to leave the area. Everyone felt chills from her presence.
"Is she gonna okay?" Rebecca asked from the platform.
"She will once she talks to Jack." Arcee replied. "I hope."
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"You look different."
Jill looked at Jack who had been mostly quiet since he was moved to the storage unit.
"Is that your way of telling me that I look older?"
"N-No, I meant your hair. It's longer. You used to keep it short."
Jill absently played with her tied back hair.
"Is that what you're into, short hair?"
Jack turned beet red.
"No! I mean...It looked good on you, but this looks good too. But I'm not into you...Uh, w-what I'm saying is..."
Jill nearly snorted in laughter as Jack dug himself deeper. She put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"Chill out, Jack. I'm just teasing you."
"Oh...funny."
Jill was glad that Jack was still able to act like a normal, awkward, teenager. Anything was better than the paranoid teen from earlier.
"I guess that solves the mystery of whether or not you still have a crush on me."
Jack's eyes widened and he dared not even glance at Jill.
"Oh come on, Jack. Of course, I knew about that. Whenever I was around, you were both excited and quiet at the same time. Plus, you told your Mom that you thought I was beautiful when you were twelve."
Jack put his face in his hands.
"Oh God! She told you that?" He said in embarrassment.
This all amused Jill.
"Hey, what are you so upset about? I'm the one who got replaced by a motorcycle."
"No! Nonononono, don't even go there. I got enough of that from Mom."
Jill began to laugh which caused Jack to shrink in his bed. Anything that kept him from worrying was a good thing.
"One of these days, you have to tell me the full story about how you two met."
"It's less epic than you think."
Jill smiled and shook her head. Jack looked at her as she became quiet, clearly thinking to herself.
"Jill?"
"Hm?"
"Look, I don't want you and Arcee to think what happened to me was your fault."
Jill looked back at Jackson.
"Jack."
"I know you both well enough to tell that's what you're thinking."
Jill inhaled then sighed. Jack certainly matured much more than she thought.
"I appreciate you saying that, Jack."
"But you still blame yourself, don't you?"
"Boot on the other foot, wouldn't you?"
"Probably...and you would be telling me not to."
"And you would think otherwise."
This was beginning to make Jack's head hurt.
"Even still, I know you guys did the best you could. Even with the 'Bot's help, you had the odds stacked against you."
Jack put his hand to bandage.
"This isn't on you...That creepy, blonde guy did this."
Jill took note of how he described him.
"Listen."
She took his hand.
"I know how hard this has been for you. I know this whole thing has left it's mark on you, especially now...We're here to help you get through it."
She squeezed his hand tighter.
"It wasn't fair that you and your mother had to deal with this for six years and could never talk to anyone about it...All that's changed now. The situation is different. Now, you can take it as slow as you need to. No one is gonna force you to talk about it if you're not ready. But I'm here now, so is Arcee. All of us are here when you want to talk about anything."
The gratefulness is Jack's eye was easy to see.
"It's gonna take some time, but we're gonna get through this...And we're gonna stop Umbrella, for good this time. I promise that this is the end of them."
He could feel a tear threatening to fall.
"But..."
He braced himself.
"There is one thing I need to know...and I'm sorry for making you think about him. The person who did this to you, do you remember what he looked like?"
Jack did remember and he was never going to forget it for as long as he lived.
"Yes."
Jill was reluctant to move forward, afraid of triggering something in Jack.
"Tall man, blonde hair, probably slicked back, nasally voice, sounds like a damn Bond villain, and he wears sunglasses?"
As she described him, Jack's one eye grew wide. That's was all Jill needed to see. She placed her hand behind his head.
"He's never getting his hands on you again, I swear on my life."
Jack looked at Jill, much less at ease as he was just moments ago.
"My Mom...Don't let him hurt my Mom."
"Of course not, Jack."
"Please...I can deal with this." He said, pointing to his eye. "But he will go after her to get to me and not just her, Miko and Raf...Please, protect them from him."
Jack was not a kid anymore. Was he ever, really? She had to wonder. She cupped the side of his face.
"You know I will, Jack."
He placed his hand over hers.
"That's all I care about."
This all surprised Jill. It was kind of sad, yet admirable at the same time. She had to smile at him again.
"How'd you get to be so brave, Jackson?"
Nostalgia washed over them both and they became silent yet content.
"Jill?"
Both of them looked to the doorway and was surprised to see June standing there.
"June, what are..."
"Mom?" Jack interrupted with noticeable concern.
"Rebecca wants to show something. She says it's important."
Jill looked back at Jack and could see that he didn't want her to leave him with June. But June clearly needed to be with Jackson. She was torn now. She looked back at June, who silently pleaded to let her see Jack. She couldn't keep her away from her son any longer.
"Jack, I'll be right back."
"Jill, no."
"It's okay, your mother's safe. I promise."
She rubbed his face affectionately and went to the exit. June mouthed a thank you as she passed. The two were left alone, Jack staring at the foot of the bed when she took the seat next to him.
"Please, don't get too close."
"I'm not worried, Jackson."
"I am."
June looked at her son and decided to throw caution to the wind. She hadn't held her son in what felt like forever, so she stood up and took Jack in her arms. He drew a harsh breath and tensed up in her hold of him.
"Mom!" He sounded like a frightened child.
"Jack, please."
"But, I don't..."
He stopped himself when he felt her trembling and heard her crying. Just like with Rafael, he thought of how hard it must've been for her while Umbrella had him. This was worse than the garage breakdown, worse than when he was bitten. He was secretly happy that he didn't see her reaction to his eye, though he felt guilty that he couldn't comfort her either.
"They tried to take you from me. I thought I'd never see you again."
Jack put his arm around June and rested his head on top of hers. Like her, he threw caution to the wind.
"Mom?"
"Yes?" She looked up.
"When I got bit...and you gave me the vaccine, Jill said you sang to me while you waited."
June would always sing to Jack whenever he was scared as a child or to herself when she went through difficult times. This seemed like one of those times.
"Can you sing to me again?"
June continued to look at Jack who had begun to stroke her hair. She placed her head back and wiped away a few tears. There was one song that she liked more than others.
"You remember songs of heaven
Which you sang with childish voice.
Do you love the hymns they taught you,
Or are songs of earth your choice?
You can picture happy gatherings
Round the fireside long ago,
And you think of tearful partings
When they left you here below.
One by one their seats were emptied.
One by one they went away.
Now the family is parted.
Will it be complete one day?"
She was beginning to calm down, her crying had stopped. Jack listened to the old hymn, feeling a sense of comfort from the words as well as his mother's voice.
"Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
Is a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?"
She was calm now, still hugging her son. No words needed to be said. Jack loved his mother and she loved him even more. And yes, he had the scar to prove it. But for now, silence was acceptable. Jack's only response was to give his mother a kiss on top her of head.
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Jill stood against the railings, looking none too settled. She had taken a look at Jack's blood sample and sure enough, he was still infected. But it wasn't with the T-Virus. It looked similar to it, but it didn't behave the same way the virus did. The T-Cells were completely inert and from what she could tell, functionally harmless. At least that would give him some comfort. But she had never seen anything like this before. If the vaccine didn't work, then why was the virus inactive inside of him? It clearly didn't get rid of it, but it seemed to neutralize it instead. Maybe the vaccine did work and it just needed to be perfected.
"Jill?"
She looked over at Rebecca.
"When Jack was bitten, how long did it take for you to get the vaccine to him?"
"I-I don't know, just over an hour, maybe."
Rebecca looked as confused by this as Jill.
"You said that he was bit by a zombie and then June stayed behind with him. You found Umbrella's hospital and found Umbrella ops agent who told you about the vaccine before he died. You ran back to June, went back to the hospital, fought your way through zombies, crimson heads, and hunter betas to synthesize the vaccine. Then you made it back but had to fight through even more zombies just to get to Jackson. Do I have that right?"
Jill nodded, unsure of where Rebecca was going with this.
"When you first left the two behind, Jack was showing all the signs of infection: fever, labored breathing, paleness?"
"Yes."
"When you went back, you said he had about an hour before he would change."
"Rebecca, what are you trying to say?"
"You got the vaccine to him moments before it would've been too late."
"Yeah, then he pulled through. You see? The vaccine worked."
"Jill..."
She sounded off, but not worried.
"There was no way that you and June could've made it back to Jackson before he turned. By the time you got the vaccine to him, he should have already become a zombie."
Jill gripped the railing behind her tightly.
"What does that mean?"
Rebecca thought for a moment.
"The virus was infecting him and it was changing him. Maybe the vaccine did stop it, I don't know. But Jack's blood slowed it down. On some level, he was able to resist mutation without it for a least little while."
Jill let go of the railing and walked up to Rebecca.
"So, what your saying is...Jack's body was trying to fight off the T-Virus?"
"Yeah, it would seem that way...With the way his blood is now, he might possess an immunity to it."
Jill stared at Rebecca with disbelief. Jack was immune to the T-Virus infection? With that knowledge, there was a number of possibilities that could be explored with his blood. But then, it made her realize something about Umbrella. They most certainly saw infinite possibilities as well. Now that she knew Wesker was still alive and was the one who went after Jack, it wouldn't just be his blood they would be interested. Jack wasn't just a curious specimen to them. If Wesker knew what they knew, he was the missing link to whatever endgame they have been trying to achieve.
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In the heart of the M.E.C.H. base, a silent figure made it's way through with ease. Any soldier unfortunate enough to cross it's path was met with a swift end. At the very least, they died quick and painlessly by way of a snapped neck or a suppressed bullet to the head. The figure could not take the time to hide the bodies, for it was on a mission. Finally, it found what it was looking for. There was a large console, filled with valuable information. The figure made it's way to the console and inserted a flash drive. The drive began uploading information ranging from other M.E.C.H. locations to something called the "Transformers". The figure saw images of what looked to be giant human shaped weapons made of metal. Suddenly, the figure was assaulted with several floodlights activating behind it. The blinding light was followed by the sounds of several rifles being aimed at it.
"I have to give you credit. It takes skill and alot of guts to infiltrate M.E.C.H."
The figure recognized the voice, not needing to turn to know who it was.
"Along with blatant disregard for your own life. Now turn around slowly with your hands up."
The figure did as it was told and revealed itself. She was a beautiful Asian woman with short black hair, wearing a red button down shirt, elbow length leather gloves, tight leather pants that hugged her figure, and heel tipped boots. Not the most practical attire for infiltrating a terrorist base.
"Ada Wong."
"Hello, Leland. You've aged horribly."
The scarred leader payed no mind to her insult.
"Take her weapons."
Her only weapon was a suppresses Steyr TMP on her hip. She also held a strange looking item that resembled a firearm strapped to her leg. Despite being at their mercy, the smirk on her face insinuated that she believed she was not in danger. Two agents deprived her of both arms, one copping a feel as he did. He was lucky she was being held at gunpoint.
"By the way, it's Silas now Ms. Wong."
"It doesn't suit you, Leland. So, what happens now?"
"If you were anyone else, I'd shoot you on the spot. But I'm curious as to who you're offering your services to."
"Come now, Leland. You should know about client confidentiality."
"And if I offered you double to go back and put a bullet in your client's head?"
"You couldn't afford a date with me, sweety."
Silas was none too pleased with Ada.
"Very well, Ms. Wong. We will get to the bottom of who hired you and what M.E.C.H. has that they want. Cuff her and lock her up."
Ada recognized the agent who moved forward as the same one who couldn't keep his hands to himself. No doubt, he was looking to grope her again. She also saw that he had her hookshot strapped to his waist. The fool didn't think to hand it off to someone else. He took her arms behind her, getting much too close for her comfort. She smirked to herself before she took action. As fast as a cobra, Ada flipped over her captor as he cuffed one of her hands. Landing behind him, she grabbed the other cuff with her free hand and pulled the chain against his throat. The agent struggled against her as every gun fixed on the two of them. Ada knew that this soldier was expendable. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
"Don't ever touch me again."
During her reversal, she let a small metal ball slip from her sleeve and land on the ground unnoticed. The ball exploded in a flash of light that drowned out the flood lights and blinded everyone in the room, safe for Ada who wisely looked away. The light died down and Ada made her move. She quickly snapped her hostage's neck and took her hookshot. While Silas and the others were still blinded, she fired it into the high ceiling. The hook broke through the glass of the skylight and pulled her up. Realizing what she was doing, Silas blindly fired in the direction where he heard the glass shattering. He didn't even come close to hitting his target. Ada was through the roof and gone in a heartbeat. His vision returned shortly after.
"Search the compound! Don't let her escape!"
The other agents fled to the outside in the hopes of capturing her. Silas knew better, however. Unless she was tied down with every chain they had, nothing could stop Ada Wong. What really concerned him was the person who hired her. There was only one man he knew of who could afford her services. But he had never been interested in M.E.C.H. or their plans. After all these years, why the sudden change? What was Albert Wesker after? It couldn't be the Transformers, could it?
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THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR, MY ASS!
Sorry I took this long to get the story up, but it is now Christmas Day and the last week has been hell. I love Christmas, but nothing can make me hate it quite like last minute Christmas shoppers. On the plus side, overtime up the yin yang. Now I can afford to buy bacon...I don't have really high life goals.
Ahem, so new chapter up. I plan this to be the last emotional chapter for a while. Maybe not, still have to write a scene with Jack and Arcee. But the plot is moving forward after two chapters of feels.
So we got a few nice little moments with Jack and Jill, Jack and Raf, and of course the return of June singing to Jack. I know that's not how the song is structured, but it felt better to remove the chorus until the end. I intend to write out Optimus' meeting with Director O'Brian out further in the next chapter. Also, looks like Optimus saw more than he let on in previous chapters. And do not worry, I will go into more detail about Jack's immunity next time as well. I have a few ideas of where I want to go with his storyline, mutation being one of them, but I gotta progress the story further before I make that decision.
But I know some of you want me to talk about the latest addition to the Resident Evil cast. Yes, Ada Wong is in this story and yes, a certain blonde government agent will be making an appearance in the future. I have a ton of ideas of how I want them to get involved in Jack's plotline. In the next chapter, more details emerge and the alliance becomes official.
Have a happy and safe holidays, don't drink and drive, and ship Dipcifica. I swear, Weirdmageddon 3 better deliver.