As Cold Blood Runs

by Fuuraibou

(Complete Prequel to Eyes of the Beholder) In a short matter of weeks, Leon Kennedy's life will be shattered as he discovers love, hate, fear, and even himself in a struggle for his own life.

2. Revelation

As Cold Blood Runs

Dedicated to Randy Averett, my uncle. May he rest in peace. I would also like to thank Jake Linderman for the idea of "Bio-Port Incorporated", which from what I understand, is a real company near Lansing, Michigan that does produce anthrax vaccines.

Of course, I don't own Resident Evil, although I wish I did. All new characters, places, and creatures that DON'T appear in any of the RE series games, however, are of my creation, as was the plot of this story.

CHAPTER 2: Revelations

The next morning: 6:00 AM

I stirred out of my sleep, and checked the small alarm clock on the endtable by my little hide-a-bed. 6:00 AM. Damn, it was early, but I had important things to accomplish. I stepped into my blue jeans, and slipped my black leather coat over my white t-shirt. I groggily walked into the kitchen, and turned on the coffee pot. I then started to flip on light switches, and Chris, who had slept in the floor, shouted.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" he groaned. He sat up, still in the same clothes he had arrived in: a white t-shirt, and black denim jeans. He then boosted himself up, and headed towards the bathroom. Great. The Jolly Green Giant had awakened. I grabbed a coffee cup, and poured some coffee into it. Claire always thought I was crazy for drinking my coffee black, and she always added tons of cream and sugar to her's, not to mention sometimes even chocolate milk. As I sipped from my cup (That shit was hot!) I heard the toilet flush, and Chris stepped back into the room.

"Grab me a cup, will ya Leon?" he asked groggily.

"Sure," I answered. "Cream or sugar?"

"Nope, just black, thanks," he answered. And Claire and Chris were family? I grabbed another cup, and poured some. He came into the kitchen, and took the cup.

"So, where we headed this morning?" he asked.

"Clarkson Federal Building, we're meeting up with a guy named Mick Stevens," I answered. Just as I spoke, Claire, wrapped in a black robe, came into the kitchen.

"Good morning, guys," she sighed.

"Mornin', sis. Sleep well?" Chris asked, with genuine concern. Sleep well? Nightmares?

"Yeah, but I did have a dream about him," she answered. Chris gave a painful look, the first such show of emotion I'd seen of him, and he turned to me.

"I think you two have some things to talk about. I'm going after breakfast," he said as he put on his faded denim jacket. Claire went to stop him.

"But we got stuff here..." she began.

"I said, I'm going to get breakfast. McDonald's ok with everyone?" he sternly said.

"Yeah, just make sure you get Sherry something without sausage. She hates it with a passion," I said.

"OK, I'll be back in an hour," he said as he walked out the door. Claire went and sat down on the couch, and I grabbed another cup for her, with all of the cream and sugar she normally put in it. I sat down beside her, and handed her the cup.

"What's wrong, Claire?" I asked, and she burst into tears. I put a comforting arm around her, and she cried into my shoulder, the 2nd time in 24 hours. Damn, I was so confused.

"You were right, they were waiting for me," she began. "I had to escape from an island near Paris, and we wrecked in the antarctic. Steve and me."

"Steve?" I asked.

"Yeah, Steve Burnside. That bitch Alexia turned him into some killing machine and sent him after me, but Chris shot him. He told me he loved me, and he died," she wept. My God, I thought, no wonder Chris is so concerned, and she's so depressed. It hurt, just to see her hurt and know that there was nothing I could do. I just sat there and tried to comfort her, which proved to no avail. At what seemed to be the most inappropriate time, Sherry lumbered out of the bedroom. I signaled for her to head back, and she nodded and headed back for the room.

"Claire?" I began

"What?" she answered.

"You need to be strong. If not for yourself, then for Sherry. She needs you," I said. She sniffled, and nodded.

"You're right, Leon. I need to be strong for her and for Chris," she replied. "Thanks, Leon. I don't know what I'd do without you." I flashed her a smile as she went towards her bedroom. But as serene as things seemed to me right now, I was in for a suprise.

Reunion: 9:00 AM

The cab pulled in front of the tall Clarkson Federal Building, in Manhattan. It was humongus, with windows everywhere. It looked more like a tall corporate headquarters than a government building, but it was the right building nonetheless. Chris stepped out, and had the Arabian driver pop the trunk, and began taking large bags out, which had all of our weaponry and medical supplies. I helped him with them, and we began treking towards the front doors. Please God, I thought, no revolving doors. And luckily enough, there weren't. We stepped through to the receptionist's desk, a skinny old lady, and she smiled.

"Welcome to Clarkson Federal Building. Can I help you nice folks?" she asked.

"We need to speak to Marshall Mick Stevens, please." I answered.

"OH! Mr. Kennedy! I'm sorry I didn't recognize you! Yes, he's waiting on the 14th floor conference room for you!" she said, acting surprized. We gave our thanks, and headed for the nearest elevator. Jesus, it was cramped.

"Ugggggggggggh! It's too tight!" Sherry moaned.

"No kidding," I said as I punched in '14'. The elevator began with a jolt, and after an uninteresting ride, we reached the 14th floor. We filed out, and were met by Marshall Stevens.

"Mr. Kennedy, I presume?" he mockingly asked.

"Yep, along with Chris and Claire Redfield, and Sherry, whom you've already met," I replied.

"Pleasure to meet you all," he stated. "Come on, Agent Thompson awaits." We walked into the large conference room, which all it had was a long table, chairs, and one of those SmartScreens(nothing more than a screen attached to a computer that acts as a really big monitor, hanging on the wall). Sitting in one of the chairs was a tall, lanky, brown haired man, along with two kids, a little brown headed boy and a blond headed girl.

"Ark, you crazy son of a bitch, how are you?!" I shouted, excited to see my best friend from my academy days. He looked at me, and jumped up shouting.

"Leon Kennedy! What the hell you been up to?! It's been ages!" he shouted as he hugged me. Stevens looked at us strangely, as if trying to understand what was going on.

"Do you two know each other?" he asked.

"What? You bet I know him! He was my best friend growing up, and we were one-two in the academy!" Ark answered excitedly.

"Yeah, make sure you tell them who was number one, Ark," I said, elbowing him.

"Screw you, Leon," he laughed. But soon he got a little more serious. "Rott, Lily, come here. This is that guy I told you about, his name is Leon," he said. Rott looked at me nervously, and Lily turned away.

"Hey, now. Leon's a friend of mine, guys. You can trust him," Ark told them. They looked back at me, and walked up.

"Hello, sir," the boy, who I guessed was Rott, said with a heavy British accent. "I'm Rott, and this is Lily, my sister." Yep. I was right.

"Hi, guys," I said as I shook their hands. "And speaking of introductions, this is Chris and Claire Redfield, and Sherry Birkin," I said.

"What a motley crew," he joked. "So I finally meet the infamous Redfields," he said as he shook Chris' hand.

"So can we finally get down to business?" Stevens asked. We nodded, and sat around the large table. Stevens stood by the smart screen, and touched the image of a button on it. A large map of Michigan popped up, with red dots on Lansing, Lebannon, and what I guessed to be the chemical plant. He touched the unnamed dot, and a map of the plant popped up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the North Lebannon Chemical Plant, owned by Umbrella, Inc. A week after I spoke with Leon, this plant was raided by armed soldiers of Bio-Port, which is now being considered a competitor to Umbrella," he said.

"Bio-Port?" Chris asked. "Ain't they the only distributers of the anthrax vaccine to the branches of the military?"

"Yes, and they also produce over-the-counter and prescription medications," Stevens answered.

"So what would they want from a chemical plant owned by Umbrella?" Claire asked.

"I'll take that one," Ark said. "Rumors are about that the first human-enhancement project is being led by Umbrella, and the syrum used is built off of the same root DNA sequence as the G-Virus. If Bio-Port really wanted to compete with Umbrella, then they would need the research that Dr. Birkin did."

"Right," Stevens said. "So that's where you come in. We need you to infiltrate the deserted facility, and try to obtain the G-Virus sample and the so-called "Genesis" data."

"Genesis?" I asked. "What the hell is that?"

"The human-enhancement data. It is unconfirmed, but an unfinished specimin may also be within the facility. If so, you must find it before Bio-Port sends in its retreval teams," Stevens ordered. "You leave by helicopter from the city at 0400 hours, and arrive at the plant by 0530. Thanks to our computer surveillance department, we have found that the first retreval team will enter the plant at 0730, followed by 2 and 3, at half-hour intervals. If all goes well, then there will be nothing of the plant by the time that team number 1 arrives."

"Well then, I suggest that we find something to do with the children," Claire said.

"We'll place them in protective custody here in the city," Stevens offered.

I shook my head. "No, I have a better idea."

"What?" everyone asked.

"We'll take them to my parent's house," I triumphately shouted.

Departure and Arrival: 8:30 PM

The black Explorer pulled up in my mom and dad's front drive in Manhattan. The house was still the same as I remembered it, being I hadn't been home in six years. It was a really nice one-story brick house with some nice flower beds out front. I walked up to the front door, and rang the bell. After a short period, my 16 year old, tall, dark headed sister Amy answered.

"Leon?!" she squealed. "Welcome home!" She jumped up in my arms and I gave her a big hug.

"Hey, kiddo. Mom and Dad home?" I asked.

"No, but they should be here in a minute," she said. "I can't believe this! It's been so long!"

"Yeah, too long," I answered.

"Hey Ark! Long time no see!" she shouted as Ark hugged her too.

"Yeah, my god you've grown! Last time I saw you, you'd just turned 10," he said.

"Who are the others?" she asked.

"Oh!" I shouted. "I almost forgot! This is Chris, Claire, Sherry, Rott, and Lily. They're friends," I said.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"Guys, this is Amy Lynn, my sister," I said. She grew irritated over my use of her middle name, which she always did, and that's why I called her that. Sibling rivalry. She slapped my arm and her face contorted into one of shock.

"Dammit Leon, you know that I don't want anyone calling my Lynn!" she shouted.

"Watch that mouth young lady," I sternly said. She sighed and flipped me the bird. She walked in, leaving the door open behind her. I began to walk in, and noticed that Ark was the only one following me.

"Come on in, guys," I welcomed. "You're all welcome here." We walked into the living room: Ark and I took the recliners, Claire, Sherry, and Chris sat on the couch, and Rott and Lily sat on the loveseat. Amy sat down in a beanbag chair sitting right in front of the tv.

"So, Leon, what brings you back to Manhattan? I thought you were transfered to Racoon City," she said. My mind went blank, and my face contorted in pain, as did Sherry's, Chris', and Claire's.

"Amy, I don't think you need to ask about that, just know that something bad happened," Ark calmly said. Amy had a confused look on her face, but she didn't say anything more. I snapped out of my trance when I heard the door open, and heard my dad's voice.

"Amy? Amy? We're home!" he shouted.

"Dad! In here!" Amy shouted. "I've got one heck of a suprise!" Dad and Mom walked in, and went into total shock seeing Ark and I in the living room.

"Oh my god!" my mom, Patricia Kennedy, shouted. "Leon! Ark!"

"Son! What are you doing here!" my father, Scott, shouted.

"Just in the neighborhood, thought I'd drop by."

The truth is out there: 9:15 PM

I was sitting out on the porch swing out behind the house. I didn't bother trying to explain to my parents about Racoon. That is what Ark was doing, actually. I was too nervous. Too much on my mind. I turned and saw Claire, in a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt, walked out and sat down by me.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," I answered.

"Why aren't you talking to your mom and dad? They're waiting for you," she stated.

"I can't face them. I can't figure out what to say," I replied.

"Leon, you told me before we left that I had to be strong. That I had to do it for Sherry. Well, you need to be there for Pat, Scott, and most of all, Amy," she said.

"How can I be strong when I can't even be strong enough to say what I want to someone?" I asked.

"What? What do you want to say to who?" she asked back.

"It's to you, but I just can't say it," I groaned.

"What do you have to say to me, Leon?" Claire asked, more than likely having a pretty good idea what I had to say.

"Claire, before you left, I had something I wanted to say to you. But you stormed out of there before I got the chance. Now I have the chance, I can't say it. But, I guess it's worth a shot," I whispered as I moved closer to her and looked her in the eye. "Claire, I...I...I love you."

Her face turned red as a beet, and she turned from my gaze. "Leon...I don't know...what to say," she whispered.

"Claire, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, I mean, with Steve and all," I said as I stood up. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Don't be. Because...I wanted to tell you the same thing, but I couldn't because I didn't know about you...and...Ada," she softly spoke to me.

"Does this mean..." I began. She looked me into the eyes, and we began to draw closer...

and closer...

and closer...

WHAM! Who the hell was it now?

"Leon! Dad wants to talk to you!" Amy shouted. "So get your tongue out of Claire's mouth and get the hell in here!" Sometimes I just hated my sister.

Father and son: 10:00 PM

Claire and I walked inside hand-in-hand, to see my dad at the kitchen table.

"Son, you and I need to talk...in private," he said.

"I'll be right with you," I said as I kissed her cheek. "Just let me talk to Dad for a minute."

"OK," she said as she headed back towards the living room.

"What's up, Dad?" I asked.

"Leon, why couldn't you tell me about what happened in Racoon City? Why did Ark do it?" he asked.

"I just couldn't say. Even today it still frightens me," I chided.

"It was horriffic, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah," I whispered.

"Listen, Lee. Do you remember when you were 3, and you saw that boat wreck at Niagara Falls?" he asked. I did; it was one of the most traumatic experiences I've ever been through. 3 people died, and I saw it. I had nightmares even after Amy was born, which...well, if I'm 23, and Amy's 16, so, about 4 years. "I told you that if something ever scared you like that, that you could talk to me. Why did you hide it?"

"Dad, it's, well, alot more than three people died. Try 30,000," I whispered.

"Well, whatever happens tomorrow, I want you to come back alive," he said as he headed down the hall towards his bedroom.

"Oh and, Lee?" he asked.

"What Dad?" I asked again.

"You got one helluva woman there. Take care of her."

Well, the plans are laid out, and things are about to get bad. Why did I call it Revelations? Well, obviously you didn't read the damn thing! Chapter 3 to come very soon. Our heroes will thrust themselves into the face of danger, and a new(and I mean new, not a CAPCOM character)character will join the ranks of Leon and company. Watch for chapter 3 soon!

Oh yeah, thanks again to Jake Linderman!