'Status report'

'We ran into a giant B.O.W on our patrol of the perimeter,' Leon sighed as he started to report back to Hunnigan. He hadn't managed to check in with her yet, and it had been a few hours since the groups run-in with the B. . 'There seemed to be three of them. From what intel we could gather, they were the only ones around.'

Leon sighed again, his head starting to throb. He'd left the other two teams not long ago, now sitting in the hotel room him and Claire had found down the hall. Claire had gone to clean up as best she could, after discovering that not all the rooms had running water anymore. Leon had slumped on the dusty duvet, trying no to let his aching body get to him. He wasn't sure of the damage he had taken yet, but he was sure after some rest he'd be able to go back out for further recon with the others the next morning.

'Any intel on the virus used to create these B. ?' Hunnigan's voice came through the speaker of his phone, slightly crackling due to the lack of signal.

'No, honestly I didn't get a good enough look. I think Sherry may be able to give you more info on that front.' A wry smile played on his face as Claire silently walked back into the room. She was about to speak when she realised Leon was reporting in.

'Understood. We need to get a good idea of which virus is being used. If it's the newer one Sanders has created, we need further intel on how potent it could be and how best to tackle the virus.' She paused to think for a second, before making notes on her computer. A moment passed before she continued. 'We need you to gather some more intel if possible. Report back to me at 0900 with the rest of the team and BSAA agents. I need to give another debriefing. Hunnigan out.'

Leon's screen went black as Hunnigan finished the call. Leon took a deep breath as he got up to stretch, wincing and breathing through his teeth as he did so. He lifted his shirt up to see a swollen, purple mass on the side of his chest. He gently touched it and winced, his fingers instantly recoiling.

'That stings,' he hissed as Claire got closer to him. They both sat on the bed beside each other, deciding what the best next move was.

'You've been through worse, you're just getting old,' Claire chuckled a little. 'We all are. Sherry and Jake are the next generation.' Her smiled wavered as she thought a little bit.

Claire hadn't intended on getting back involved with the action behind the fight against B. and bioterrorism. She was quite happy back at TerraSave, helping those who had experienced bioterror first-hand and needed help. She had been there 15years ago in Raccoon, but nobody had really heard of bioterrorism before, nobody knew how to help her cope and she didn't know where to go for it. However, after the island incident a couple or years ago, she realised that no matter how hard she tried, she'd always end up having to be on the fighting side. Thankfully, she had connections and it wasn't long before she joined the brutes.

'Yeah, well, age is just a number,' Leon said with a slight coyness. Typical sarcastic Leon. At least his sarcasm took the edge off when things got tough.

There was a knock on the door before Chris walked into the room. He looked worn out, but as calm as ever.

'So, what's the plan?' He asked, sitting on the chair opposite the end of the bed.

The room was drab, not much different to the other two the other teams had found. The hotel had definitely been left in a hurry, with belongings still on the floor and dust gathering everywhere. They even managed to find someone's left over cosmetics and a mobile phone in the bathroom. They were used to it however, and were grateful to have somewhere safe to sleep and recoup.

'Not sure, other than Hunnigan wanting a report at 0900.' Leon leant back, resting on his arms. 'Is there really a need to talk about it this late?' Leon huffed, not really wanting to talk to Chris right now. He had obviously worked with him a couple of times, not through choice, however. They usually bumped into each other out in the field, or were forced to work with one another through their employers. Leon didn't dislike the guy, but he wasn't so keen on him either. He seemed to have too much confidence in himself, and Leon wasn't sure he trusted that. That is how you get cocky. But then again, what could he say? He could be just as cocky – you get confident after being in the field so long. Plus, he was his future brother-in-law, and the siblings had always been really close. He couldn't really hate the guy.

'I guess not,' Chris said as he got up to leave. 'We'll meet here at 0800 tomorrow.' He didn't turn back to look at the couple as he left the room, softly closing the door behind him.

'Sherry?'

Jake tapped lightly on the door. She'd been in the bathroom for a while, and he was starting to wonder what it was she was doing. He waited outside the door for another couple of seconds before going back to look out the window. Strolling past the bed, he was disgusted by the state of the room. Had he stayed in 5* hotels every time he was on a job as a mercenary? No. But, he definitely expected better than this working for the DSO. He wouldn't have taken the job otherwise. Giving up his mercenary life to work for the DSO may have been a mistake after all. Is it more stable money? Sure, although not as much per job. But does he need the protection that comes with it? 'Course he didn't. He was a fucking mercenary.

Jake sighed as he looked out of the window, seeing the streetlights down into the city still on. The power hadn't been turned off yet then it seemed. He gave a quick glance over the city, trying to see if he could spot those B. they all bumped into before; he knew Sherry was the only one to take one of them out, even with quite a bit of trouble. It looked particularly dark tonight, the clouds overcast and cold. Jake went to lean against the window, using his shoulder to prop him up, the chill from the glass seeping through his top.

What the fuck was that thing? He thought to himself as he looked around the dark perimeter of the city. He remembered how it must have been at least 10feet tall, was broad, covered in the most disgusting substance he had ever known to exist. Not even in the slums of Edonia did he smell anything so fowl. He thought of how powerful it was too, considering it looked like a humanoid slime. It flung Sherry several metres with minimal effort, and from how Leon looked when he got back, he was flung around quite a lot too. Jake hadn't worked with the seasoned agent much – never actually – but from what he has heard, it takes a lot to knock him down. Considering the state he was in when he and Claire got back, that creature has got some power. It didn't worry Jake – he's faced tougher enemies in his lifetime.

There was a shadow, moving across the street in front of the hotel. It was there for a second, not even a second, but Jake definitely saw it. He moved closer to the window, pressing his face against the glass, his breath instantly forming a cloud of mist against it.

There was nothing there.

He spun round as he heard a noise behind him, tensing up ready for what was there. Sherry was stood at the bathroom door, looking tired and pale. Jake relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. Maybe he was just seeing things.

'You took your time,' Jake smirked, starting to walk towards her. She just shook her head, her hair swaying against her face.

Sherry slowly made her way to the bed before lying down, sighing as her body hit the surprisingly soft bed. She wasn't going to sleep under the covers, that would have been too far. Who knew who had slept in that bed last, and how long ago? She closed her eyes, and felt the bed dip as Jake sat at the end by her feet. She looked over at him and gave a slight smile.

'We'd better get some rest,' she said, rolling over to lay on her side.

She was sore, surprisingly sore considering her abilities. Those hits from that B.O.W were surprisingly powerful, more so than any B.O.W she had faced before. She took a steadying breath as Jake got up off the end of the bed with a slight grunt. He walked over to the small loveseat at the end of the bed and sat down, a small plume of dust coming up from the fabric as he did so. Sherry looked at him with a quizzical look, wondering if that was where he was going to spend the night. But before she could ask, her eyes became heavy and her breathing deeper as she drifted into sleep.

Jake however, couldn't sleep, spending most of the night watching the window, certain he had seen something. He wouldn't let it get near them, wouldn't let any of those creatures come within a mile of that hotel. He couldn't, or they would all be in danger. He sighed, thinking about they were already a man down. Knowing Leon though, he would probably be out in the field again at the next opportunity.

How does he do it? Jake thought to himself, shaking his head and giving a slight chuckle. It was certainly a determination not seen in the mercenary field. He was starting to see why Sherry looked up to him as much as she did.

He sighed again, taking another look out of the window into the pitch-black night. Nothing. Not a single sign of life or sound of movement. He took that as his cue to finally try to sleep. He relaxed, leaning against the back of the loveseat, gently closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. A quick nap couldn't hurt.