"10 minutes until detonation"

Steve spun the axe in his hand before charging at the wounded mutation. In turn Gareth lept in the air before he started to spin, his now spiked arms trusted in front of him aiming straight at his predecessor. Steve rolled out the way and quickly swung his axe at the dark blur scoring a direct hit to the shoulder. 6612 landed heavily on the cold stone floor, the shoulder wound heavily seeping with blood. Steve wasn't able to admire his strike before having to dive out the way of another spinning attack, rolling back to his feet he was poised to strike when a leg buckled under him. He fell on one knee and glanced over to the leg in question, a deep wound right across his calf. He could feel the warm liquid dripping down his skin, Veronica was healing him but the time it would take was unknown, he never had such a serious injury to his mutated self, bullets never did that much damage. He returned to his feet putting as little weight on the injured leg as possible, now he was at a major disadvantage. Even though 6612 had a more serious injury he continued to attack the speed and precision, unlike Steve who was now finding it harder to stand with each swing and evade. The newest Veronica creation just kept producing attack after attack.

Steve was being overpowered and was forced hard against the wall, losing the grip on his weapon as it crashed to the floor. Gareth's wounds were healing far quicker than his. He wasn't going to give up, not when Claire is waiting for him.
"Gareth, finish him!" Regan's tone was irritated, even he knew they were cutting a fine line with the detonation sequence.
It was then Steve realised that the other had never dropped the sword that previously planted itself deep into his back. Still placed in one of the elongated arms it swung at the former Rockfort prisoner, he was trapped in the corner, no weapon, no escape.
All he could do was defend himself, raising one of his thick muscular arms to block the sword from hitting the intended target, his neck. It became a power struggle once more as Steve felt the sword cut deeper into the green flesh, he was losing the battle once more.
He managed to raise his leg and kick the monster away, grabbing his axe once more before diving to the center of the room, he couldn't be pinned like that again.

"5 minutes until detonation all employees evacuate immediately"

Steve suddenly saw that the monster was getting distracted, realising that Billy had moved from that hatch and was now firing into Gareth's back with what little magnum ammo he had left he used the moment to attack fiercely.

'The hatch...' If what he was thinking worked they could still get out of here..or at least one of them.

Steve ran whilst Gareth set his sights on Billy, grabbing one of the fallen statue weapons off the floor he stood in front of the perspex wall before throwing the smaller weapon directly at the other Veronica monster hitting him directly into his left shoulder.

6612 stopped his advance towards the man and turned back to his predecessor, immediately lunging into his spinning attack to finish the weaker Veronica.

Just as he planned Steve lept out the way in time to see 6612 crash into the wall with heavy impact, destroying more than half of the blocked escape route. This was the chance Steve had been waiting for. Blow after blow fell on Gareth, finally severing each of the arms joined to his back.

Billy knew this would be his only chance and sprinted to the ending battle, tightly holding the syringe he quickly released the purple liquid into the open flesh wounds.
An ear-piercing cry echoed around the room, Gareth's main arms returned to their original state and grabbed Billy. Raising him as high as he could by his neck, trying to squeeze the handful of muscle. Only he couldn't, the pain was so severe he dropped him almost immediately. The cries kept continuing as he stumbled towards Regan who stood in shock.
"What the hell did you do!?"
Billy smiled "A little parting gift from one Rebecca Chambers" Throwing the empty syringe to the floor beside him.
Regan snarled "Gareth finish them!"
The pale body slumped to its knees, the tall figure gradually returning into the human it once was, holding it's hands out to its master for some form of help.
Samuel stood his ground glaring at his most prized work in disgust, it had failed him and now he was left with his old subordinate and the original Veronica carrier, something he never wanted to happen. It should have been him and Gareth standing over the dead bodies of the two men, the payback for ruining his precious facility.
Billy had picked up the submachine guns that Steve had dropped when he mutated and held one out to his side. A green hand quickly changed to human and took the weapon taking a few further steps towards the thing his blood helped create. Automatic gunfire echoed around the room as he ended 6612's life.
The old man looked at the remains of his creation, lifeless, blood spilling out of the skull, to the two triumphant men in front of him, beyond them the way to safety. He ran only to be instantly caught by Steve and thrown to the ground.
"Running away from your problems? You seem to like doing that alot...sir." Billy snarled.
Regan smirked "It's fine, we are all going to die anyway, there is no escape for you now Coen. You and 0267 will die here with me!"
Steve grabbed his other sub machine gun and pointed them both at the skull of his tormentor, Billy did the same with his magnum.
"Well you both have a reason to kill me, so go a head...do it. But you'll never get out in time."
Billy lowered his gun "As much as I would love to make you pay for putting me on death row, to be the new experiment in the Arklay labs, all the things you have done to Steve, Rebecca and Claire. A quick death for you isn't righteous for all the people you have killed." He shoots Regan in the knee at close range, ripping the ligament from his body. The scream of Regan's pain pierced their ears.

"30 seconds until destination"

Claire and Rebecca made it outside, the setting sunlight turning the sky bright orange. Taking out any Cerberus in their line of sight they quickly made their way up the hill and looked back at the facility. What seemed like seconds felt like hours, waiting for the sight of the two men they left. Rebecca looked to the side and saw the mansion, its beautiful architecture highlighted in the orange glow. It looked welcoming, yet behind the double doors hid a terrifying secret.
An explosion in the distance shook the ground what could only have been Understock prison.
"It's started" Rebecca turned to Claire, her eyes were fixated on the exit they took from the facility.
The shockwave from the second explosion pushed them back, the mansion was decimated, the horrors inside destroyed in the blink of an eye.
"Billy! The facility is about to blow! Where are you!?" Rebecca yelled down her radio just as the facility went up in flames. The two woman fell to the ground,
covering each other from the flying debris.
"STEVE!" Claire yelled as loud as she could. Quickly jumping to her feet she saw the chaos of the three explosions. Three large craters all joining together, building materials scattered over a large radius, it looked like a giant scrap heap.
"Billy please respond" Rebecca was doing her best to stay calm "Billy, please are you there? Are you alright?" She waited and waited receiving no reply.
Claire couldn't wait any longer and rushed back down the hill to where the facility once stood, Rebecca following just as quickly.
"Steve, please...not again." Tears finally escaped as she lifted up any piece of rubble out the way. They had to find the two men, leaving them was out of the question.
"BILLY? STEVE?" They both yelled out the names in hope of some response.

"Over here!" Steve's muffled voice calls out as he pushes the debris away to show his location. The two women rush over to him, quickly grabbing pieces and throwing them to the side. The younger man's head was visible, caked in dust. Seconds later the path was cleared
"Here, take him." To the two women's surprise he pulled Billy from under him. "He's out cold"
His face was bloodied and his shoulder dislocated, As soon as he was free from the rubble Rebecca immediately got to work on tending to him whilst Claire helped Steve.
Grabbing the last two water bottles the medic quickly doused a rag and delicately wiped the bloodied that covered Billy's features, trying to determine where the wound was and the severity.

Claire gave the other bottle to Steve who swiftly doused his face. "I tried to cover him, but I was too late"
"It's okay, you did good. He's still alive, that's all that matters." She pushed one of the dripping bangs off his face "You're both still here. Are you alright? You
need Rebecca to give you a check over?"
"I'm good, Veronica sorts that out, just concentrate on him"

Billy was covered in cuts and bruises, Rebecca took the time while he was out to pop his shoulder back into its socket and to work on the large wound which started at his right temple and stopped just above his right eye. She mentally thanked Billy for the medical supplies he brought, stitching the wounds back together before carefully wrapping a bandage around his head.
"That's all I can do until he wakes.."
"I'll carry him..." Steve looks around at the destruction before turning back to Claire.
She nodded as Steve carefully picked up the older man to slowly make the trek to the awaiting jeep.

"I was about to send a search party..." Barry's concern was lifted when Claire stepped through the door of their newest safe house swiftly followed by Rebecca
"Have we got any spare beds?"
Barry looked puzzled until he saw two men behind them, one carrying the other "Yeah upstairs.." He looked to Claire as Rebecca escorted Steve to an empty room.
"So you goin' to tell me who those two are?"
"The guy unconscious is Billy Coen, and the guy carrying him is Steve Burnside"
"THE Steve? The one you've been looking for since Antarctica?"
Claire smiled "The very same...but what has happened is a long story.."
Barry listened to the story from when they departed, even taking notes, it turned into a mission debrief. "You sure he's not going to turn on us?"
"I wouldn't have brought him here if he was...I wouldn't have come back...if it weren't for Billy Becs would have died multiple times and if not for Steve we'd all be dead. He saved Billy when the building self destructed."
Barry stroked his beard in thought before finally nodding "Chris and Leon were always saying how trustworthy you are, I have no reason to doubt them."

Two days had passed since they escaped the facility, Claire had been asleep the whole time whilst Rebecca worked day and night keeping watch over Billy. Claire walked into his room to see him awake, but Rebecca sleeping soundly with his hand slowly stroking through her hair. She smiled and quietly walked over.
"How are you doing?"
"A little stiff and a pounding head, but I'll live.." He looked to Rebecca "I've only just woken up, she took one look at me and fell asleep, got lovely manners this
one."
Claire chuckled "She refused to go to sleep until she knew you were alright, more than 48 hours with no sleep will knock anyone out.."
He ran his fingers soothingly through the medics hair. "After all she's been through she deserves it..How's Steve?"
"I haven't seen him since we got here, I've been sleeping after I explained everything to Barry...have to say it was a shock when he found out you were alive. Becs didn't even tell me until the ride to the facility."
"She did it to protect me from everyone..."
"Just goes to show how much she would do to protect someone she cares for."
There was silence before Billy spoke once more "Since she's not awake to ask her...what was in that syringe Claire?"
"She believed it to be able to kill the Veronica cells, like an anti-virus. Did it work?"
"More than what it should.." Rebecca stirred "..no doubt slowly killing him before Steve put it out of its screaming misery."
Billy removed his entangled hand from the sleeping Medic "Claire, is there any chance you take her to her bed?"
"Sure, you just keep resting."
Billy laughed "It's all I can do..."
Claire scooped Rebecca in her arms and carried her to the next room. Gently placing her under the covers. The poor girl hadn't slept since her near death experience against the experimental clone.
With Rebecca in bed she was about to head back into Billy's when she saw a faint glow coming from the other end of the short hallway.

She softly knocked on the door and peered through into the dimly lit room. Steve sat on the window ledge looking out into the night sky.
"Steve?"
"You know..this is my first taste of freedom for as long as I can remember. A warm, comfy bed, a view of the sky, no torture, no interrogation."
"Can't sleep?"
He shook his head and turned towards the woman who walks into the room. "Too many things going on in my head, remembering everything...I only slept when I was shot full of drugs.."
She sat on the edge of his bed "It doesn't get easier you know. All these infiltrating Umbrella facilities, there is always a new horror waiting for you to reveal it.
Can't say I've slept soundly ever since Raccoon City."
There was silence, yet Steve was clearly focusing on something, it wasn't that hard for Claire to read his face.
"I..." he sighed trying to find the right words "..Claire...I...damn it.." He looked back out the window "All this time..before they brainwashed me..I never forgot
about you...I mean it. You were the person that kept me sane all that time.." He felt a sudden hand resting on his back comforting him, the warmth radiating off
it was soothing, relaxing him. It took a while before he finally turned round and looked deep into her eyes.

'Do you love him?' The memory of Rebecca's words on the night they travelled to the facility was on a loop in her head. From helping escape to him dying in front of her. To finding him again. After hearing all he went through, that her name was the key factor. It was clear he still deeply cared for her.
"Claire?" She snapped out of her thoughts looking to the man in front of her. "You okay?"
Without hesitation she softly placed her lips to his, Steve was taken back but didn't protest.
Their lips parted, Claire cupped the younger man's face "I love you..."
Steve smiled and held her close whispering the same three words before their lips contacted once more.

"You all packed and ready to go?" Barry gathered the group together
"Ready as ever" Steve slams the back door of the jeep shut as David shuts his.
"Alright, as usual keep your guard up, expect the unexpected and stay alive. Carlos, David ready?"
"Whenever you are boss." Carlos did a half assed salute
The three men clamber into their jeep and set off to their next area.
The remaining four watch them drive away before Steve opened the side door for Claire "Ladies first"
"Well you clearly need to step in first" Claire joked
Steve jokingly pushed her before their lips contacted for a handful of seconds before Claire took her place inside the jeep.
Billy shook his head "You guys better not be like this the entire way"
"Like you're any better" Rebecca shoved Billy to the driver's side.
With all four ready in the jeep they speed off in the opposite direction to Barry's team, it was time to finish Umbrella.

It's not Resident Evil if it doesn't end either cheesy or someone driving away.

Thank you to everyone who stayed with the story, I hope I haven't disappointed you that much...

special thanks to Hotaru for all the kind reviews and to everyone else who has followed, favourite and reviewed, it means a lot.

~graytreason