The tunnel opened up to a wide, almost empty room. A large, locked door stood to one side with another opposite them which seemed to lead to yet another glass tunnel. As they gingerly explored further they spotted an elevator to the right.
Jake tried the door as Sherry checked it out. Red light shone from the walls which did not fill her with a great deal of confidence in their escape route. Behind her she heard the sound of a boot impacting on metal and guessed Jake had no luck with the door. Sherry approached the control panel warily, jumping when a mechanical voice declared the elevator's power had been redistributed to an incubation chamber.
"Well that doesn't sound ominous at all," Jake said.
"It says we can reroute power from the reserve batteries. All we have to do is find them."
"Of course," Jake rolled his eyes. "Easy as that. It's not like we're trapped under the ocean with a bunch of BOWs, a distinct lack of ammunition and no idea of where to go next."
Annoyance stabbed at Sherry as she whirled on Jake, finding she didn't have the patience to indulge in his temper tantrums any longer.
"Yes Jake, that's exactly what we're going to do because we have no other choice. So quit whining about it and help me take out whatever the hell those things are!"
Sherry pointed back toward the door they'd just come through as several of the grey-skinned BOWs scrambled toward their raised voices. Jake felt a little queasy as one of them slithered toward them on the floor with the ease and speed of a grotesque snake.
"Now look what you did!" he ground out as Sherry looked at him aghast, flicking on her stun rod to preserve their ammunition which Jake had so helpfully pointed out was running low.
"Me? You're the one trying to kick down doors and yelling all over the place-"
"I'm not yelling!" Jake yelled.
Jake had decided to dispatch their attackers via hand-to-hand combat, having had similar thoughts as Sherry to save their ammo. He also found punching things a great stress reliever.
Sherry brutally stamped on the rubbery hand of the BOW she'd managed to knock to the ground. To her disgust the mangled appendage twisted itself free of the arm it was attached to and scuttled across the ground toward her. Sherry flinched as it leapt into the air toward her before spinning on the spot, one foot coming up to kick the hand clean out of the air... and straight at Jake's face.
Its fingers clamped down over his nose and mouth and Sherry saw Jake's eyes widen in shock from between the twisted digits.
Jake stumbled back as he wrenched at the hand, pulling it free as Sherry stared in horror until Jake pulled a knife from his boot and stabbed the hand into the floor. His expression was both fierce and bewildered as he looked at Sherry.
"Did you just throw a fucking hand at me?"
"It was an accident! I didn't know their hands come off!"
Their bickering ceased as they focused on the fight. The creatures were resilient and didn't go down easily but after a lot of sweating and swearing, mostly from Jake, the floor was littered with pieces of twitching ash-coloured monsters.
"I don't think these things die," Sherry observed, "they just regenerate."
"They're messed up, that's what they are." Jake grumbled and Sherry wondered if he was still mad about the hand throwing incident.
"Come on," he told her gesturing at the elevator. "Let's find these damn batteries."
The fight seemed to have alleviated some of Jake's tension and Sherry followed him toward a set of levers she hadn't noticed when they'd first entered the room. With a shrug from Jake that Sherry translated as, 'screw it, why not?' she took her place at the lever mirroring his. Together they pulled and waited.
A light flashed green and the same mechanical voice as before informed them they had activated the first reserve battery. Coincidentally the door which Jake had failed to break through opened, exposing another tall room in which several platforms were rising and falling above a floor of what appeared to be lava.
"Why do the bad guys always have to be so dramatic. What's wrong with a simple stairwell huh?"
Sherry found herself agreeing silently as memories of her time living with Derek Simmons in his mansion came to mind. She'd been granted special permission to leave the labs as long as she remained within the confines of the grounds and had always found something off-putting about the enormous murals and sculptures that adorned the walls and hallways. They served no purpose other than to brag, 'I'm rich enough to afford these even though they are extremely hideous'.
"Okay," Jake's voice interrupted her reverie, "you stay here and I'll go ahead and find the other batteries."
Sherry placed a hand across the doorway as Jake began to back up. The platform was far enough away that they couldn't simply step on.
"Hold on a second. I'm coming with you!" Sherry protested. The thought of them splitting up was insane.
Jake shook his head.
"Sherry, the floor is made of lava. Lava."
"I am indestructible," she countered as if Jake had somehow managed to forget.
Jake let out a guttural sound.
"You think you can survive falling into what is essentially a volcano?"
"I've probably got more of a chance than you." Sherry replied, unwilling to share that she had in fact been able to survive severe burns that would have killed most people due to the sheer shock of the pain. She didn't think it was something Jake needed to hear right at that moment though. "Besides," she continued, "what if there are more BOWs?"
"I can handle a few BOWs." Jake said flatly.
"What if there are two levers?"
Sherry looked pointedly back toward the elevator and saw Jake's shoulders slump.
"Fine," he conceded. "Just... don't fall."
Sherry tried not to roll her eyes at the particularly obvious piece of advice.
"I'll make the jump first and catch you on the other side," he continued.
"Ah yes, because that always works out well for us."
The words left Sherry's lips before she could stop herself. Jake's expression blanked out as his eyes fixed themselves on the revolving platform. Sherry stepped back sheepishly and waited, avoiding eye contact.
It still surprised her that Jake could move with so much grace and agility. His body was build for speed and power but he landed on the platform like some kind of cat. Sherry laughed silently at the thought of comparing Jake to a cat. A pouncing wildcat of some kind was more accurate.
"Quick, before it moves again," Jake called back.
Sherry pocketed her stun rod and got into position, her legs trembling with adrenaline as she eyed up the jump. Jake was waiting for her, his knees bent and hands open... and Sherry leapt without the slightest doubt in her mind that he would catch her.
It was probably the most agile landing she'd managed thus far. The platform moved just as Sherry fell into Jake's arms. He pulled her close, using his bent knee to offset any imbalance and Sherry felt him let out a long breath against her hair.
She couldn't help but smile up at him.
"Perhaps practise makes perfect."
The corners of Jake's lips twitched and Sherry knew he was fighting a smile. When he gave no witty come-back Sherry reluctantly began to step out of his grip. It was against his instincts to let her go but Jake knew he couldn't just stand there with Sherry pressed so tightly against his chest. It was causing some very distracting feelings.
They made the jump onto the next level with ease, although watching Sherry leap left Jake unable to breath until she was safely on other side. The second set of levers were easy enough to find and thankfully they were yet to be interrupted by another set of BOWs. Sherry also managed not to brag about being right about the two levers that needed to be activated simultaneously.
"That platform only goes back to the previous room," Jake observed.
"So I guess we follow this level round to another door," Sherry replied, sounding tired but determined. "We're halfway there."
"Why do you always have to be so optimistic. It's annoying."
"It's a part of my charm," she responded with a one-shouldered shrug.
Jake considered this as he followed Sherry's lead. Usually he would find the kind of light-hearted positivity she radiated deeply unsettling. It wasn't normal to be so cheerful, he thought. But at some point Jake had begun to find it endearing. To be able to see the hope in a hopeless situation... perhaps that was why he was still here, running around an underwater death-trap trying to save a world which never stopped getting itself in trouble.
Or, a sudden unexpected voice in his head whispered, it was the other thing. The thing he'd seen countless men fall victim too which, in his opinion, could make a fool out of even the most level-headed men. The word he refused to even consider could be the reason he was still following after Sherry despite his chance to escape guilt-free from the bargain he'd struck, which he realised was probably null and void now that Simmons turned out to be a traitorous son of a-
His thoughts fell short as they entered a room lit with an orange glow, filled with the stench of rot. Sherry gagged as they spotted large sacks hanging from hooks which were stained with something black, dripping onto the floor. A pile of the sacks had been left next to a garbage disposal chute and Jake's stomach turned. The things in the bags... they were bodies.
"These must be failed experiments." Sherry said weakly as they navigated the congealed substances coating the floor. "Those things that attacked us before... they made them here."
Jake had no desire to spend a second more than was necessary amongst the oozing remains.
"Let's find these damn levers."
The silence that followed was thick with unease. The only sound was the heavy dripping that fell at random intervals. He wished he could think of something to say to break the uneasy atmosphere but his usual wit and sarcasm wilted as he watched Sherry's shoulders shake. She seemed to be trying not to vomit.
Jake felt a tugging in his chest, an urge to reach out and try to offer some comfort. If this place belonged to Simmons there was no doubt Sherry would be blaming herself for failing to see through his manipulations. She'd think she should have done something to stop him, to stop this.
He remembered when they were taking shelter in the cabin and Sherry had spoken so woundedly of her father and the things he had done. Could he blame her for shouldering that guilt? Wasn't it something that hounded him too, the knowledge of his father's transgressions and the blood he'd been left stained with because of Wesker's legacy.
Jake had always wondered why he was capable of the things he did, why his own mother didn't seem able to love him as a child. He had his answers now in the form of his monstrous father.
The voice once again declared the battery at seventy five percent charge. Jake wound his arms in small circles, craning his neck from side to side in an effort to release the aching tension that was building. He wanted out of wherever the hell they were. Being underwater was much too similar to being underground and Jake hated the way it felt like the walls were beginning to press in on him. Sherry was already at the door watching the platforms carefully when he reached her side.
"So the good news is that we only need to find one more battery," she began.
Jake waited for the not-so-good news until he spotted what Sherry was frowning at above them. Through the large panels of glass he could just about make out the location of the next set of levers. He could also see the crackling electric fence that appeared to separate them. Once again Jake cursed whoever had designed the place.
"We have to split up," Sherry finished, casting a wary look in his direction.
"And that's the bad news huh," Jake muttered. "Someone really doesn't want to make it easy to get out of this dump."
Sherry moved, preparing to make the leap to the platform.
"Let's get this other with as quickly as we can."
With an agreeing nod Jake slid a sideways look in her direction.
"Can't stand to be without me super girl?"
Sherry paused before looking at him thoughtfully. Jake was unnerved by her expression, expecting a simple huff and roll of her eyes as she shrugged off his teasing.
"Actually, yes." Sherry responded simply. "So don't do anything stupid like getting yourself killed."
Before Jake could react Sherry strode forward and jumped through the air. She landed with ease while Jake's heart stopped beating for just a moment.
The platform rose and Sherry's figure disappeared from view while Jake remained rooted to the spot.
Sherry hated the idea of navigating the underwater facility alone, mostly because she worried that Jake's impulsive nature would lead him into some sort of trouble without her being there to reign him in. But she had to admit the quiet allowed her a few moments of relief as she was left alone with nothing but her own thoughts and echoing footsteps. Her heart was still pounding from the last words she'd spoken. It wasn't as if she'd confessed some great and undying love but from the look on Jake's face he hadn't seemed to be expecting her response.
Panic that had nothing to do with their current predicament began to pulse through her. Sherry had gotten used to ignoring Jake's teasing, flirtatious nature... but then he'd kissed her.
It may have been at the most inappropriate and confusing moment he could possibly have chosen yet he'd told her he'd wanted to do it, just once...
For just how long had he been thinking about it?
Sherry could still feel the thrill that had electrified her body back on the boat as she'd straddled his lap. What would have happened had they not been attacked?
And what about the other kiss they'd shared, the one she initiated when Jake had began to ramble at her and Sherry felt a cold stab of fear at his words. "I wasn't really thinking and if I crossed a line or something..."
Sherry didn't want him to tell her he regretted it or that it was just another of his impulsive mistakes, so she'd stretched up and pressed her lips to his... and it was as if her world turned upside down.
Claire had once described her as a 'late-bloomer', which had everything to do with her prolonged incarceration, but Sherry was far from inexperienced. She'd been kissed numerous times and had a few fleeting lovers. But nothing had ever felt like kissing Jake. It was like she wanted to let herself pour into him and forget every bad and terrible thing that had ever happened. The feel of his hands on her, his mouth opening hers to deepen the kiss until she felt unsteady on her feet... it was intoxicating. Overwhelming.
She regretted pulling away from him, seeing the look of hurt and confusion in his eyes which he quickly buried beneath his usual aloofness. He may have kissed her back but to tell him just how deeply she'd begun to need him, to want him, surely he'd laugh in her face and Sherry would have to make up some story about it all being caused by the adrenaline and the constant threat of death. Trauma made people do crazy things after all.
It was with great relief that Sherry found her way to the lever without being met by any more BOWs. As she stepped into the room lit by the buzzing energy of the electric fence Sherry felt her throat constrict with fear as she realised Jake was not yet there.
"Any minute now..." she mumbled uneasily to herself.
That was when she heard the unmistakable sound of Jake's voice echoing toward her. She would have laughed at the cursing, some of it in languages she didn't understand, had it not meant that he was no doubt fighting for his life while she remained trapped and useless.
Sherry called out, hoping that perhaps her voice would lure away whatever it was that he was under attack from. Silence met her ears before two gunshots rang out, making her start.
She braced herself as footsteps drew closer. Heavy, booted footsteps.
Jake appeared from the gloom with something dark smeared across his face and a scowl that made her heart leap.
"You're okay!" she breathed.
"I'm offended you would even doubt it," Jake told her with an easy smirk.
Sherry felt the flutter in her stomach that made her cheeks flush as she tried to wave him off nonchalantly.
"I was just worried about having to figure out how to pull both these levers on my own."
The chuckle that she once found infuriating now made her fingers shake, but Jake said no more. Sherry sighed with relief when the automated voice announced the elevator charged to one hundred percent and took a victorious step back, only to feel something grip her ankle tightly and send her crashing painfully to the ground. She heard Jake call her name as she recoiled from the squelching shape forcing itself through the grating of the floor.
The same BOWs that had attacked them before were now falling from the vents in the ceiling, shuddering and stumbling to their feet before lurching toward her. Sherry kicked out from her position on the floor, sending the first to throw itself at her spinning over her head. She rolled, pushing herself to her feet and grabbing for her stun rod.
The air sizzled and began to fill with the smell of burning. The slick skin hardened beneath the electricity before turning white, but the creatures merely shed the damaged appendages and continued their onslaught.
Sherry managed to catch sight of Jake tearing the head clean off the BOW, his expression twisted with disgust and hatred. Once that look may have frightened her and if she were totally honest it still plucked at something in her gut that told her she should be afraid. But when Jake's eyes met hers and she saw the way he examined her from head to toe, his expression easing as he realised she was okay, Sherry only felt the mutual instinct to protect.
The creatures finally seemed to cease crawling from every gap they could find until only one remained. Jake approached it with a snarl, ducking as it lumbered toward him with outstretched arms and elbowing it in the back so it stumbled forward... directly into the electric fence.
The creature screamed, its skin bubbling before turning white as it had done under Sherry's rod. The fence seemed to grow brighter as the creature began to smoke. Even Sherry swore loudly as flames erupted and the BOW fell forward, landing limply against the levers control panel.
Alarms began to screech.
"Unexpected power surge detected. Please use elevator for evacuation."
"What the hell," Jake kicked at smoking corpse, "first there's no power and now there's too much!"
In a small stroke of luck the electric fence had been knocked offline by the power surge, leaving them able to access the nearest door between them.
"At least the elevator works!" Sherry pointed out, only to freeze as she looked out at the platform they needed to ride back to the lower levels.
"Fuck," Jake bit out.
Around them was carnage. Electricity surged from the walls, striking at the platforms which had begun to spin frantically.
"That's the only way back to the elevator," Sherry sounded pained.
"Like I said," Jake hissed, "Fuck.
Note: Coming up... the confrontation with Chris and Piers. Chap 28 has been written and undergoing a few edits, so it'll be up soon!