Author Note: Continuation to Secrets and Flies that starts Three months after the end of the last one. Love, betrayal, suspense and action are on the menu for this story as we watch our favourite band of Umbrella renegades give it their all to hopefully bring a final end to their hellish lifestyle. To do that, assistance will be required from some, unconventional characters...

I do not own the characters & this will be very different from any RE movie and/or video game plot (to date)

Please read & review as you wish!

B.

Update 05-Jul-2021: Minor edits and corrections to match the end of Secrets & Flies.

Calm Before The Storm

- 8 -

- Cargo Hold -

K-Mart didn't know how she managed to carry her unconscious friend down into the bowels of the ship, but she did. The battle was still raging outside, but gunfire and explosions grew fainter the deeper they went. The hull shook with every blast, knocking loose soot and dirt from the ceiling, like snow on Christmas morning. When she reached the metal blast doors, K-Mart suddenly remembered she did not know the code to get in. Angela and Claire were the only ones who knew it, and neither of them were in a state to provide it. Exhausted and frustrated, K-Mart laid Angela down gently on the floor, grabbing a metal pipe near by. With a surge of adrenaline, she banged on the door, screaming for help. Tears were hot on her blood smeared cheeks, her voice rasp with every scream, arms sore, but finally it paid off.

The doors parted, separating the rusted Umbrella Logo in the middle and disappearing into slats on the walls like some sort of futuristic design. K-Mart dropped the pipe with a clash, watching as the overhead lights turned on section by section. Scared faces of women, some clutching what few young children were aboard. The men, there to protect the women, put down their make-shift weapons, recognizing two of their own. Four men came rushing out into the hall, each grabbing one of Angela's limp limbs and carrying her inside.

"Where's the Doctor?" K-Mart asked following the men.

"Come with me," one of the women said, leading K-Mart through a maze of people towards the back of the cargo hold.

Whispers and murmurs cascaded through the scared souls hiding in the underbelly of the ship. Seeing two of their fighters down in the cargo hold, one injured, the other almost dead, made them fear for everyone else topside. Many went to go fetch water, towels, anything that would hopefully help. Others kneeled down and prayed, hoping someone could save the one pure thing left in this world.

The one and only Doctor on board was in his mid-thirties. He looked scared, his face pale and eyes wide and wild. His hands were shaking, looking as if he was about to throw up at amount of blood on K-Mart's clothes.

"Please, my friend, she needs your help." she pleaded, grabbing his hand leading him over to the cot the men had placed Angela on.

They propped her head up with pillows, her arms folded on her chest like a body at a funeral. The man took two steps back at the sight of Angela, almost stumbling over K-Mart. He looked at the young woman, seeing the tears in her eyes, fearing she was too late to save her one and only friend.

"I-I can't help you." he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"What do you mean? You're a Doctor, help her!"

He leaned in, noticing a crowd was forming around them. "I-I'm not a Doctor, I'm a Veterinarian. I saved animals not people."

K-Mart was tired of hearing excuses. No one was a fighter, but they were outside killing people, no one asked to be in this mess, and yet everyone has taken on roles that never once crossed their minds before. She grabbed his hand, leading him over to the bed.

"I'll help you, just tell me what you need and I'll make it happen." K-Mart replied.

The man looked at Angela once more, then to K-Mart, and then to the crowd that had formed around them. He knelt down, grabbing Angela's wrist and feeling a pulse. It was weak, but still there.

He looked at K-Mart from the other side of the cot, "Do you know how to thread a needle?"

- Topside -

After the final helicopter was shot out of the sky, the fighting on deck ceased. All ground Umbrella Operatives were dead, leaving only a small handful of Arcadian fighters alive, cheering at their success. Jill saw Luther pulling a rope from the other side of the deck with Chris running to go and help. She noticed that Jimmy, the young kid she thought was too young to fight, was right on his heels. While jumping over the sea of dead bodies, sliding in her combat boots in fellow survivor's blood, Jill caught the metal door under the causeway to the bridge close after a figure dressed in black.

Knowing Chris, Jimmy, and a few others were helping Luther, Jill cut to the right and made a dash for the metal door. She swiped a gun from one of the Umbrella corpses as she ran past, clearing the chamber. There was no way an Umbrella Operative was going to get inside the ship and kill the survivors down in the cargo hold.

Cautiously, Jill opened the metal door, sweeping her weapon left to right before continuing down the hall. Using what was left of her S.T.A.R.S. training, she checked her corners, cognizant of the narrow halls The Arcadia living quarters had to offer. With every turn, the halls remained barren. No sign of black fatigues or that Umbrella logo to shoot at like a target on a gun range. Jill approached the middle of the ship, her heart racing and what she hoped was sweat and not blood, dripping into her eyes. Before she knew it, she was at the causeway leading down to the cargo hold. The railing was dripping in blood. Someone or something had come through here not long ago. For the first time, Jill thought of the possibility that a bio-weapon was released onboard.

A door slammed from behind her as Jill turned, aiming the gun at the hall she had just come from. She double backed, putting her gun at her sides and tackling the woman in a black overcoat and red dress, slamming her body into the wall. She used the slide to her gun as a barrier, pressing it into the woman's throat. Within seconds the woman had her knife at Jill's throat, locking eyes with the renegade.

"Jill Valentine, how nice we meet again." Ada choked out.

"Who the fuck are you!"

Ada just laughed, "We used to work for the same side, fighting the good fight. Quite poetic if you think about it." Ada saw Jill make a move to strike so she pushed the blade deeper against her throat, drawing blood, "I'd watch it if I were you."

Jill searched her memory for this woman, trying to picture her at all. Everything between when she was taken by Umbrella to when Alice freed her from the Medusa bug was still missing. Whatever she did as a drone to Umbrella, was, what Jill thought, lost forever. Even if this woman was lying about her alliance, she had missing pieces to her memory.

"Jill! Stop!" Alice called, catching her friend's attention.

Ada took that opportunity to knee her captor in the stomach. Jill drop the gun as Ada raised her leg to strike again, pinning her against the opposite wall.

"Enough!" Leon yelled from behind Alice, "We won't have any allies to take with us to D.C. if you kill them all," he replied. Ada lowered her knee, releasing Jill from her grasp.

"I see you still have that obedience training," Alice muttered.

Ada turned her attention to Alice, "Bite me."

"Who the hell are these people? What's in D.C?" Jill asked, looking to Alice for clarification.

"I'll explain everything as soon we are all together. Where's Claire?"

Jill shrugged, "I don't know, I haven't seen her since the war started."

"She dove into the ocean after a helicopter exploded in the air. The last I saw, Luther was pulling something from the ocean, I assume it's her." Alice explained, making her way back to the bow.

"Shit! I left to follow what I take it to be one of these assholes in here. Didn't want anyone going after the survivors in the cargo hold." That was when Jill suddenly remembered the blood trail she had stumbled upon.

"Jill take them to the bridge. I'll bring the rest of the team and explain everything."

"I don't want to cause an alarm, but I saw a blood trail leading down to the cargo hold. If the survivors are still locked up, and none of their friends are running around, then someone or something is inside this ship."

Alice stopped, closing her eyes to stop a migraine from brewing. There were too many variables. If she left Leon and Ada alone in their Umbrella get-up they would be killed on the spot, or be forced to kill more innocent people, and there had been enough blood shed today.

"New plan, Leon, you and Ada go to the mess hall and stay put. Jill, go and deal with whatever is down in the cargo hold area, leave the survivors in there for the time being, I don't want to cause a panic." Alice explained.

"Got it." Jill stated, taking off back towards the cargo hold once more.

"Where are you going?" Leon asked.

"I'm going to get the rest of the team."

Before anyone else could protest, Alice had run off towards the bow and Jill towards the cargo hold, leaving Ada and Leon to find their way in the maze of corridors to the mess hall. If Wesker was coming within two hours, it did not leave them much time to tie up lose ends and explaining how Umbrella was now trying to take themselves down was going to require quite the explanation.

- Bow -

With one last pull, Luther and Chris managed to get Claire's soaked body up onto the boat deck. She was barely conscious, bleeding profusely from the left side just below her ribs. Chris ripped his sister's shirt, exposing the wound. It was deep, pumping more blood with every breath she took. Luther cut some of his own shirt to use as a temporary bandage to apply pressure. Claire screamed, coughing up sea water as the pressure and salt water cauterized her wound.

"She needs stitches," Luther stated looking at Chris.

"There's a first aid kit on the bridge, Jimmy can you run and get that for us." Chris stated, turning to the young kid.

At this point Chris saw him more as a protégé then a lone survivor. Jimmy nodded, taking off towards the bridge as fast as he could. Chris turned his attention back to Claire who was fighting the urge to stay awake.

"D-did we win?" she asked, her body shaking.

Luther nodded, keeping as much pressure as he could on her wound, "Yeah Claire, we beat those bastards to a pulp."

Claire smirked, glad that at least if she was going to die this way it wasn't all going to be in vain. Jimmy reappeared with the first-aid kit and Alice trailing him. Chris patted the young boy on the back, scowling at Alice, pissed that it was her doing that put his sister in this position to begin with.

"Claire, what happened?" Alice asked, taking over Luther's spot, removing the blood soaked fabric to reveal the gash in her lover's abdomen.

"Piece of helicopter nicked me in the water. It's just a scratch." Claire replied. She gripped Alice's hand, preparing herself for the pain as Chris began to thread the needle through her skin. "Son of a bitch!" she cried, feeling every pull and pierce.

"Almost done, you're doing great kiddo." Chris coached, threading with ease.

He was trained in this. When he was in the military he would be required to do emergency first-aid on his fellow soldiers all the time. The thought never crossed his mind that it would be his sister he would be stitching up. Chris cut the black thread with his teeth, tying the end into a knot, and wiping the blood surrounding the wound. Alice handed him a bandage from the kit, hoping this act of good faith would put her back in his good books.

"Thanks," Chris grunted, ripping open the packaging and slapping the bandage over the wound to keep it from getting infected.

Claire eyed her brother and Alice, the tension between them so thick it could be cut with one of the katanas strapped to Alice's back. She placed her palms on the boat deck, trying to sit up, but screamed in pain, collapsing back onto the deck in defeat. This broke the trance between Alice and Chris, both turning their attention to Claire.

"You can't move for a bit, you might rip your stitches." Alice warned while Chris nodded in agreement.

"Well, I can't just lay here all day. I'm sure if I had both of you help me, I could stand and at least make it back to my room to rest." Claire replied, remaining as stubborn as she was before she fell eight stories followed abruptly with being sliced by a helicopter blade.

Alice and Chris, with the help of Luther, got Claire to her feet. Her steps were small, wincing with every move and breath.

"Luther, can you take Claire to her room, I want to speak with Chris for a moment." Alice asked.

"Whatever you want to say to my brother, you can say to me." Claire said, the pain evident in her voice.

Alice sighed, "You need to rest, I'll be in to check on you soon, I promise."

Claire narrowed her eyes, "You're lying, and stop stalling."

Alice looked from one of her fellow comrades to another. The time for dodging questions and smoke screen answers was over. The only way she was going to regain their trust was to give a full disclosure.

"Go to the mess hall. There are two people there waiting for us, they have a plan to end Umbrella and I need your help."

Luther and Chris both helped Claire as they hobbled towards the latch leading to the hallway, passing the fallen Arcadian's and dead Umbrella Operatives. No one, not even Chris, questioned Alice any further. The time for explanations and apologizes was long over. Alice grabbed the shoulder of the boy she followed out carting the first-aid kit.

"What's your name kid?" she asked.

"J-Jimmy, is there really a way to end this?" he asked.

Alice nodded, "Where did you get that?" she asked, nodding at the first-aid kit spilled out on the deck.

"The bridge."

"Was there anyone up there?"

Jimmy shook his head and then took off to catch up with the other three. Alice closed her eyes, where the hell did Angela and K-Mart go? Did they die in battle? The bridge looked like it was firebombed from the outside so there was no telling what the inside looked like. That was when Alice remembered Jill's mention of a blood trail leading down to the cargo hold.

- Cargo Hold -

Jill had her gun out, descending the steps slowly and still following the trail of blood. When she reached the bottom, the hall was empty. The trail continued left, towards the cargo hold. There were no bodies, no boot, or other, footprints on the cement. When she turned the corner, she saw that the door was open and people were wandering around, not straying too far from the safety the hold had to offer.

She lowered her weapon, seeing the trail continued, the directionality of the drops leading her inside the cargo hold. Jill walked past the bewildered survivors, some of which cheered at her presence. With no formal call that the battle had ended, many were confused and disoriented. Why were the fighters making their way down into the ship? A young woman, possibly a few years older than Angela, was slouched against the threshold, indecisive if she should leave or stay. She was crying, loud long sobs as Jill knelt down to be at her eye level.

"What's the matter?" she asked, resting her gun on the ground.

The girl met Jill's gaze, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "Our beacon of hope, i-it's, gone." she muttered sobbing once more.

Jill was confused, what the hell was this girl talking about? She noticed a group of people huddled around a single cot. Jill recognized the blonde locks of K-Mart standing among the crowd. She made her way over, her heartbeat beginning to skip once more. What was K-Mart doing down here instead of up at the bridge?

"K-Mart, what's-" Jill started to say when her eyes fell on Angela on the cot. "Angie," She breathed.

Jill broke through the crowd and went to Angela's side, grabbing her hand that was clammy yet warm. She was still alive, but barely. Her eyes scanned the young girls body. Her pants had been cut, legs coated in dried blood. She had fresh stitches in her left shoulder from what looked to be a gun shot. In the corner was a man covered in blood. He was hunched over, hands slumped over his knees, and face pale.

"What happened?" Jill demanded about to go punch the guy in the throat.

"When we were up at the bridge, Angela got shot by one of the gunners. Not long after, she complained of pains in her stomach." K-Mart explained, taking a breath, "A-All I can remember is blood." she added, sobbing once more.

It was then that Alice had joined the group. She ignored the survivors, eyeing Angela on the cot, K-Mart covered in blood, and Jill looking like she was about to kill someone.

"She went unconscious, the only thing I could do was bring her down here to get medical attention. Alice, I-I didn't know what to do."

Alice smiled, embracing the young girl, "You did the right thing," she soothed as K-Mart broke down in her arms.

"And the baby?" Jill asked, this time directing her question to the Doctor.

He looked up, his lips trembling as he shook his head, "I-I did everything I could. I'm so sorry." he pleaded.

Jill balled up her fists, eyes stinging with tears before she pushed her way through the crowd and back out towards the door. Alice followed with K-Mart strapped to her side. Both tried to catch up with Jill before she did something foolish.

- Mess Hall -

Ada and Leon sat in the desolate mess hall. Leon was using the table as a seat and a chair as a foot rest, wiping blood from those dead from the side of his shoes. Ada sat beside him, using the tip of her knife to dig at the grime under her nails. She looked bored and unsatisfied with the new turn of events. They sat up when the doors at the end of the room pushed open. Three people, two men and one woman who looked to be injured, hobbled into the room.

"I take it you're our guests?" Chris called.

"I take it you're Alice's crew." Leon replied jumping down from his seat.

Claire looked up, her face pale as sweat was gathering on her brow. She needed to rest and hated it when Alice was right more than anything. Guiding her brother and Luther towards the nearest table, Claire sat on the metal bench, wincing in pain. The white bandage was now stained red with blood.

"I know you," she whispered, locking eyes with Leon, "You're Leon S Kennedy, a freedom fighter."

Leon smiled, brushing some blonde locks from his face, "And you're Claire Redfield. I heard about what you did in Nevada. Good work." he stated.

"And whose that with you?" Luther asked eyeing the woman who had death in her eyes.

Leon turned, "Ada Wong, former Umbrella assassin turned renegade." he explained as Ada sheathed her knife as a sign of good faith.

Chris and Luther exchanged glances, not fully convinced that she was batting for the good guys. Leave it up to Alice to align herself with a former renegade and a former Umbrella employee. What else was she keeping from the group?

"What made you switch sides?" Claire asked, her breath becoming more labored.

"I'm not sure she's switched to be honest." Alice replied from the doorway.

All heads turned to the three women who entered the mess hall. Alice was in front with Jill behind, K-Mart clinging to her side like Velcro. When the young woman saw Claire she ran to the redhead, sobbing into the nape of her neck. Claire winced at the force behind K-Mart's embrace, consoling the woman as best she could.

"Where's Angela?" Claire asked, eyeing Alice and Jill.

"She took a pretty big hit, she's recovering." Jill muttered. Claire saw the look in her eye, right now was not the time to ask more.

Chris slammed his fist down on the metal table before he got up, his finger in Alice's face. "I'm tired of following your orders blindly. Tell us who these people are and what the hell they are doing here, NOW!" He screamed, his voice echoing in the empty room.

"Someone's got a temper." Ada muttered.

Chris turned to her, eyes wild face flushed, "Watch it lady, I'll kill you if I have to."

"This isn't going to work if we don't co-operate," Alice stated, grabbing Chris's attention. All eyes fell on her, awaiting her explanation. "Leon and Ada, they came with the strike team, for me. There is a way to end this and it's in Washington D.C." she explained, walking around the group, "The three of us cannot do it alone, I need all of your help."

Alice conveniently left out for the time being that this plan was orchestrated by the previous head of Umbrella, Albert Wesker, and that a homicidal computer known as The Red Queen is now in control of the Umbrella Corporation.

"We cannot just up and leave, what about the survivors?" Chris asked.

"They will be fine, I promise."

"How the hell could you know that? Why would Umbrella not come back once word gets to Wesker that this was a failure and they send bigger, stronger weapons to take out the survivors?"

Leon was about to interject, but Alice raised her hand to make him stop, "They won't come after these people if we aren't here." she snapped.

"You're infected aren't you?" Jill asked.

She was no idiot, since seeing her on the bridge hours ago, Alice had changed. Jill now remembered where she had seen that red mark on Alice's wrist before, Angela's arms were covered in them from being injected with the T-Virus as a child. Why else would Leon and Ada be interested in her? It explained everything, how she knew Umbrella was coming, the flickers of the Umbrella logos in her eyes that she thought were imagined, but were real. Alice was no longer Alice, she was Project Alice a killing machine.

Alice looked at Claire, seeing the pain in her eyes, "Yes, I am." she replied, "When I left three months ago, I went to an Umbrella facility in Moscow. I injected myself with the T-Virus and made my way back here. Umbrella had been tracking me ever since I left Moscow. I tried to shake them, but the longer I was away, the more I feared they would just target The Arcadia and deal with me afterwards. I was wrong and I'm sorry." Alice explained, true compassion in her eyes.

"Innocent people have died because of you Alice, all of these people on The Arcadia, their blood is on their hands and no one else's!" Chris replied.

"I know, and nothing I do now will ever change that, but this is our chance to make sure no more innocent people die. If you come with us to D.C. we can end this, I know it."

Everyone remained silent either from either shock, anger, or both. Alice honestly didn't care how mad Chris was, or if Jill and K-Mart gave her the silent treatment from here on out, all that mattered was Claire. She would not blame the woman if she decided to end things, but Alice truly believed that everything she did, good or bad, was to keep her and the rest of the people in the room, alive. Having them with her in D.C. was the only way she could guarantee their safety. Leaving them here would be leaving them to die.

"I'm in." Jill stated, catching everyone, especially Chris off guard.

She eyed Ada, her intentions for going were not only to end this once and for all, but also to tap into that woman's skull about the missing chapter of her life. Jill nodded at Alice, but refused to look her in the eye. She was pissed that her comrade from Raccoon City did not confide in this plan with them before she decided to fuck things up so bad.

K-Mart raised her head off of Claire's shoulder, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands, her voice small and shaky, "Angela and I are in." she replied.

Alice smiled, turning to Luther to hear his decision, "I've always believed in you Alice. You saved our asses in LA, and now here, twice. I'm with you in D.C."

This left the Redfield siblings. Both Chris and Claire were pissed at Alice for different reasons, one for honour the other, love. Alice approached Claire, sitting down beside her on the bench. She reached for her hand, but Claire pulled away at the last second. The denial of simply holding hands hurt more than anything else. Alice needed Claire on her side for she was Alice's true super power. Regardless of the T-Virus, she was nothing without her other half.

"Please, I need you." Alice whispered.

Tears stung Claire's eyes, "Why now? You didn't need me three months ago." she shot back in anger.

Alice closed her eyes trying to keep her temper, "I'm sorry about that, truly I am. Let's end this together, like we always imagined."

Claire stayed silent, processing Alice's apology and beg for forgiveness. It took a lot for her say that with her humanity switch permanently in the off position. She narrowed her eyes, gritting through the pain, "I'll go, but not because you want me, because I want to end this hell once and for all."

Alice would take it, knowing that this was the best she would get out of Claire at the moment. She then looked over at Chris with his arms crossed over his chest, face flushed, and chest heaving with every breath.

"I cannot leave the survivors Alice, I cannot just abandon the people that have trust us with their lives for months." he replied.

"I can lead them." A young male voice came from outside the circle.

Chris turned seeing Jimmy who had followed them into the mess hall and was quietly listening to the whole exchange. He stepped up to the group, no longer the frail young kid Jill tried to convince to go down into the cargo hold earlier that day. He was a changed man now, covered in blood of not only the enemy, but also some of his own people, holding his head high and eyes bright with determination.

"You're just a kid Jimmy, I can't do that to you." Chris stated.

"I'm not a kid, I'm a warrior. Me and the remaining fighters, we can become The Arcadia's new crew, bring the rest of them to Brazil just like we planned."

Alice smiled, "You're a brave man Jimmy." She said as he nodded sheepishly, a bit intimidated and embarrassed to be around her.

Chris thought for a moment, it was crazy to leave him in charge, but if the rest of them became a crew and could lean on each other that was better than leaving fifty people in the hands of a young kid. Also, his trust issues with Alice, Leon, and Ada were through the roof. If he did not go, their would be no one to watch over his sister and Jill if things went south.

Chris nodded, slapping the young kid on the back, "I'm in, but not for you Alice. I'm in for Claire and Jill, they need someone they can trust." He replied, knowing that comment cut deeper than any blade.

"It's settled we're all going to D.C." Leon called with a smile.

"When and how are we getting there exactly?" Jill questioned.

"In an hour a helio will come pick us up." Ada explained, giving no more details as to who was actually sending in the bird.

The group nodded and dispersed, knowing exactly what needed to be done before they could leave The Arcadia. Leon grabbed Alice's arm, stopping her before she left the mess hall.

"In my experience, keeping secrets always gets people killed." Leon said with a smile.

Alice shook free of his grip, "In mine, it keeps people alive." she replied before walking off.

T.B.C.

Hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you think :)