Intro: This is the third instalment of my Chris Redfield series. It will
have a sad ending but don't worry no one dies. It is set during a STARS
operation set in Africa.
Dedicated to the Veterans of the war in South East Asia. Let us never forget what you have done for each other. You went when your country called and fought not for us or for your country but for each other. Let us always remember.
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand
In a...desperate land
Lost in a Roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the King's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles
Ride the snake...he's old, and his skin is cold
The west is the best
The west is the best
Get here, and we'll do the rest
The blue bus is callin' us
The blue bus is callin' us
Driver, where you taken' us
The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall
He went into the room where his sister lived, and...then he
Paid a visit to his brother, and then he
He walked on down the hall, and
And he came to a door...and he looked inside
Father, yes son, I want to kill you
Mother...I want to...fuck you
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Doin' a blue rock
On a blue bus
Doin' a blue rock
C'mon, yeah
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die
This is the end
The End by The Doors
HOOK
Chris Redfield walked down the hall of the RPD building to the STARS office. Wiping sweat from his forehead he cursed quietly. Goddamn air-conditioner! It only worked in winter but the new Chief promised them that he would get a new one. It was the middle of summer and it seemed the heat had gotten to everyone! Jill was staying home today she was throwing up apparently from the heat. He smiled whenever he thought of her. He opened the door to the STARS office and stepped in. Barry was siting at his desk on the phone. Barry had taken command now that things had finally settled down and Umbrella was gone. Chris was his second in charge. Chris didn't know anyone else in the office except Leon his brother in law. Leon had just finished his basic training and was now at the rookie desk. "Look I gotta have those fucking rifles!" Barry screamed into the phone. Chris walked over to join him. "I'm using Vietnam era rifles down here!" Barry paused a moment. "I don't give a rats if you'll right your congressman, when you do remind him the people who ship those things count for one third of his votes!" He waited a moment. "Good." He hung up and looked at Chris. "Jill's sick." Chris said. "That's cool." Barry said. Chris sat down opposite him and put his feet up on the desk. He picked up a rifle that was laying on the floor. It was an old M16A1 from Vietnam. Chris pulled back the cocking mechanism and the barrel fell off. He looked quizzically at Barry. "I asked for M16's and they send this shit over." Barry said taking the rifle and tossing it across the room in anger. Chris stood up and stretched. He walked over to join Leon. Leon looked up from a stack of paper work with a frown. "How am I supposed to handle this?" He asked frustrated. All the other men in the office laughed. Chris smiled and picked up the stack. Walking over he dumped them into the sink and took out a book of matches. "Like this." Chris said. He struck a match and threw it into the sink. The stack of files caught fire and ignited. Chris brushed his hands together and smiled.
Chris sat at his desk opposite Barry's when his phone rang. He picked it up. "Redfield." He said. It was Jill. Barry looked up and saw Chris slowly put the phone down. There was a shocked look on his face. Chris looked at him. "Barry," He said. "Are you ready to be an Uncle?"
News spread fast and soon all the station knew. Chris was sitting in the empty STARS office when he got a call to come to the main hall. Chris shrugged got up and walked to the hall. When he opened the door he knew it was a trap, a giant hand grabbed him and pulled him out. Barry pushed him forward and a cheer erupted from the officers who stood around clapping. Chris blushed. "Barry!"
Chris walked up the path to his house and opened the door. He saw Jill sitting on a couch. He went over and sat next to her. They looked at each other. "Oh, honey." He said. He smiled. "Jill Junior?" She asked with a smile. Chris nodded blinking back tears of joy. They embraced.
Chris lay in bed, Jill curled up on his chest. The phone rang which startled him. It was Barry. "Chris we are needed at the station, the STARS have been called into action." Barry sounded tired and disappointed. Chris hung up the phone and slowly got out of bed. Jill stirred. "What are you doing? She asked. Chris told her. She cried softly. "Be careful." Chris kissed her and took her head in his hands. "I'll be back as soon as a can." He got his uniform in and walked out of the house. He got in the old Mustang and drove to the empty station.
Chris walked into the STARS office and took his seat. Everyone else was there. Leon looked a little depressed, Chris noticed. Barry spoke up. "This is Marshal Danes." He said introducing a man who walked over to a map of what appeared to be the Congo. "Gentleman," Marshal said. "Somewhere on this river is a group of terrorist's." The situation was a simple one. This group of terrorists had kidnapped some researchers and Uncle Sam would like them back. The STARS where to pick up their sent and bring them home.
Chris walked out of the Van with the rest of the team dressed in Olive Drab clothes carrying a duffel bag, with a rifle slung over his shoulder. They where welcomed by a group of STARS officers and wished good luck. Chris took a window seat across from Leon. He looked out the window and sighed. Good bye Jill. He would miss her immensely. He reached up and hit the AC button and lay back. Leon sat sadly in his own seat. He tried to act bravely but it was hard. Claire was back at home all by herself while he was going out to play commando on the Congo! This was not his idea of a fun time. The plane lifted off and they were on their way.
LINE
Chris and the other passengers stood up and gathered around the door. A crewman opened it and they where all bombarded by extreme heat. "God!" Leon said and reeled back. They almost waded out the door and down the steps as the heat rolled off the tarmac in waves. They rolled up their sleeves and unbuttoned their shirts. Chris looked around, breathing deeply. He notice a group of bags piled near a building where some men where picking them up and taking them toward the plane. His belly churned as he realised what they where. Black Body Bags.
The started their search at the research station near the base of the river. The place smelt of death. Dead animals lay about the place bloated by the scorching sun. The buildings where burnt to the ground a pair of tire marks lead out of the compound. Chris unslung his rifle. "Any idea why they kidnapped the researchers?" He asked. Barry shook his head. "None." Barry ordered one of the team to put out a smoke grenade to mark a helicopter LZ. Leon un-shrug the radio and called back the Huey. The team climbed aboard and followed the road leading away from the compound. They found the remnants of a camp and set down. They spread out to search the area. Chris wiped sweat from his brow. Sweat was pouring out of every crevice of his body. A shot rang out of the bush, which caught a man in the chest. The man crumpled to the ground. Chris raised his rifle and returned fire. The rifle clicked after the third shot. Jammed! Chris quickly went about trying to un-jam the thing. Leon breathed fas as he ran over to the fallen man. He was clearly dead. Blood mixing with the heat of the day made a horrible stench come from the man. With sweaty fingers Leon took the mans dog-tags. Oh, god, What am I doing here!? Chris cocked his rifle and sprayed the bush in front of him. There was a scream and then silence.
Two of the men carried the body to the chopper. Chris watched from his seat under a tree. He grimaced. Just like the old days, huh? I wonder what Jill's doing now? Then he thought for a moment. It had been three days at least since anyone was here. That sniper would to have waited around for three days in this heat! The determination worried him. Why the hell would he do that? Leon stared at the body bag as the two men carried it past him. He put his head in his hands. He began to shake. He choked and broke down into tears. Barry stared at the chopper as it lifted into the air and took off. He said a prayer then turned to the team standing around the LZ. "Come on let's get on that trail leading away over there." He said picking up the rifle on the ground next to him. The rest of them struggled to their feet and followed him down the trail the sniper had been blocking. It curved through the hellish Jungle of the Congo until it finally broke onto the river itself. "We'll rest here for a while." Barry said. Chris unslung his rifle and gear and walked over to the waters edge. Wading up to his waist he dunked himself under enjoying the cool fresh water. Leon watched him but was too scared to move. He found his mind again wandering to Claire who was back at home. He felt the same old feelings well up inside but he swallowed them down. Most of the team felt that way, sitting there on the edge of one of the most beautiful rivers in the world in the sweltering heat. It was a big step for most of them. Chris had been there and done that before but for Leon and the other rookies it was hell warmed over. The helicopter picked them up in the afternoon and flew them to a Ranger base further up the river. It was comfortable and air-conditioned, The STARS team had a room all to themselves, which was good. The Rangers looked at them and made jokes about their scared appearance until Chris and Barry set them straight with a point of a rifle.
It was near midnight and none of them slept. While it was cool they still lay naked on their bunks. Leon stared at the bunk above him which Chris slept in. This was really hard for him. The time slowly ticked by and he felt the old feeling rushing through him. "Chris how did you do it?" Leon asked. The others turned to listen. "Well," Chris began, smiling at his youth. "It wasn't easy. I felt as though I would never get out. Like I was stuck in time, time I didn't want. But I just accepted that I'm here. I'm now. And I made friends with as many people as I could, because they are in the same situation as you." He let that sink in. "Now get to sleep tomorrow I'm gonna teach you how to survive this shitty place."
Chris was gone when the Group woke. So was Barry. They walked outside and found Chris setting up the last of a training course. There was a trench, some low running barbed wire, and a million traps set up around the place. They gathered around Chris who unslung an AK-47 rifle. He pointed. "There is your breakfast." He said, indicating a box at the other end of the wire mess. He cocked the rifle. "Go get it." He fired between them. They all dropped and Chris fired burst near them. "Crawl!" He said. They did so going through the wire. Rounds buzzed over their heads. Leon was shaking from adrenalin as he crawled through the wire. He was crawling when the ground fell from under him. He landed with a splash in a foot deep pit of pigs blood and guts. He gasped in shock. The gore hit him right in the face and he realised. He was here, no. Home would need to wait. The rookies gathered around eating cold army rations, covered in pig gore, smiling. Chris walked over and joined them. "Was that fun?" He asked. "Before we go anywhere else we're gonna learn how to survive and work in this place. We're gonna slowly work our way up to it." Chris then ordered them into their own individual blood pit and posted a native guard to watch them. He then took off in a chopper with a Ranger and disappeared into the sun. The rookies sat in the pits staring up at their guards who never twitched, never moved and always watched them.
Chris returned in the late afternoon to find the recruits still sitting in their pits, the guards unmoved. Chris told them to get out. He put them in the trench he had dug and went to a weapon shed. He took out an assortment of weapons and placed them on the ground. By now it was dark and nothing could be seen. Suddenly a flare shot up into the air blinding the recruits. "Now you're blind!" Chris yelled from wherever he was. "What are you going to do now?" He fired on them. "Tonight we are going out there in the bush to ambush some guerrillas and nab a prisoner." He fired on them with different weapons, friendly foe. Teaching them the difference and how to identify them. He then called them out of the trench and loaded them onto the chopper before they could even stretch.
Leon lay looking down the trail in the pitch black jungle breathing slow looking down the sight of his rifle. Chris sure was crazy. But then again he was only trying to help them. Thoughts of Claire started to seep in but he forced them away. A silver moon disappeared behind some clouds and it became impossible to see. Something wet hit Leon's ear. Great a bird shit on me. Then it happened again. And again, and again. Rain poured down all around them as lightning streaked across the sky. From where he was laying Chris smiled. He had to control a laugh. He peered down the trail. The smile disappeared. There was something moving, in the dark. Thoughts of the mansion clouded back but he forced them away. He aimed down his rifle and got ready. A figure carrying an AK47 came into his sights. He squeezed the trigger. Leon was momentarily blinded by the muzzle flash, then opened up with his rifle down the trail.
Leon and another guy policed up the bodies. While Chris picked up a person he had shot in the leg. They called back the chopper and got out of there before the heat of the sun came back.
Barry walked out of the headquarters building with some fresh intelligence reports. He couldn't find the team anywhere. It was 12:00, mid-day. Chris walked out of the barracks and saw Barry. Walking over to join him he told him about the team's late night. "O.K. let them sleep." Barry said. He told Chris about what he had learnt from the prisoner. "We think they are going to attack this village right here." Barry indicated on his map. "We'll go in there fight them off, track them and wrap this up in less than a week." "Good then I can go home and watch over my wife." Chris said with a smile. Barry had been through it all before. Chris would get used to it. By the look of things he already had. "They are attacking in the afternoon when it is cool." Barry said. Chris nodded. "At least they're doing something right."
The chopper lifted off with the seven enthusiastic men on board. Chris personally made sure everyone was ready, checking weapons and gear. When he was done he leant against the back of the chopper and took out his wallet. He looked at a picture of Claire and Jill on his wedding night. He smiled. "Shit!" It was Barry. He pointed on the horizon. "Look!" Chris looked and saw the thick black smoke rising on the horizon. They where too late. The chopper landed in the clearing and the team went about picking up wounded and loading them on the chopper. Chris searched for tracks leading away from the hamlet. He found some. Only there was something wrong with them. They were too obvious. He gathered up the team and led them in. Barry called in an observation Chopper and surveyed from the air. Chris walked along the pushing an occasional leave aside when he heard the bolt of an AK47 click. He dove back the way he came and tackled the others to the ground as shot s rang out. The team slithered to safety and returned fire as Barry called in air support. A wall of fire was laid down from gunships as they buzzed past. When the fire died down Leon went forward to check it out. The sweltering afternoon heat seemed thick in the air. He pushed a thick rubbery leaf out of the way and was hit by a horrendous smell. He had not smelt anything like that since that night in Raccoon. He looked over the gore in front of him. Chris came forward. "Well they aren't gonna hurt anyone anymore."
Jill Valentine Redfield walked down the path to the letterbox and opened it. She took out the letters and looked up. A black sedan was parked across the street. When she saw it, it took off. Strange. She shrugged and walked inside.
Three Months Later
Chris Redfield ran across the sweltering tarmac toward the waiting Chopper.
"Come on you bastards!" He yelled at the team sprinting for the chopper. The adrenalin pulsed through him. The guys jumped on, Barry took the co- pilot seat and they lifted off. A village along the river was under attack and they where going in to save it. Chris inserted a cassette into a tape deck and pushed play. Today was the hottest yet. Bad Case Of Loving You by Robert Palmer blared out of the speakers as the whisked low over the trees. They where all experienced at this by now but their failure to effectively follow the enemy was starting to be a problem. Chris had taught them everything he could, but the enemy was very determined. None surrendered, fighting to the last bullet and then some. Chris poked his head out into the wind and looked at the approaching hamlet. "Positions!" He yelled as the men took seats at the doors aiming their rifles at the approaching village. As the chopper swooped over the village, the men inside took up targets and began shooting. The chopper circled around and they repeated the process. On the ground men where cut down in a hail of fire, all the while music beat out of the chopper and the heat swirled around them. The chopper touched down and the team jumped out. Running between shacks and hootches firing at the gunmen who were invading. A man came into Leon's sights, he closed his eyes and fired. When he opened them the man was gone. Leon pursed his lips and took up another target. Shooting Zombies was different. Now he was shooting a living breathing human. He did what Chris had instructed and thought about the innocent who had suffered. Chris shot a man in the knee and ran over, clubbing him with the rifle to knock him out. Raising the rifle to waist hight he fired a short burst from the hip and took down a group of three enemy. From the air Barry called in evacuation choppers for the civilians and then called I the F14 Tomcats. Picking up the team and it's prisoner as well as two enemy dead they lifted off. The Tomcats then went to work pounding the area. The chopper circled over the burning village. Chris picked up one of the dead by the collar. "Where is your hideout?" He asked loud enough so the man he knee capped could hear. He waited a second then threw the body out the door. Picking up the next he repeated the process. He the picked up the live one and asked him. The man stuttered then spoke.
When the chopper landed late in the afternoon the seven weary men walked toward the barracks to sleep. Chris Redfield walked into the main building and in the air-conditioned hall he walked over to a pay phone he lifted the receiver warily and dialled home.
Claire sat on the couch next to Jill watching a movie. Claire noticed Jill was dozing and slowly got up and turned the TV off. It wasn't easy for either of them. Claire slowly walked into the bathroom of the house she shared with Leon and washed her face. Walking slowly up the stairs she yawned and stretched. Walking to her bedroom she shut the door quietly and lay down. Feeling the cool Saturn sheets on her skin made her smile. Leon had told her when he moved in, 'We gotta get Saturn. If we don't have Saturn we are nothing.' Claire thought about where Leon was and what he was doing. She felt a tremendous wave of mixed emotion wash over her. Sadness, Loneliness, Fear. None of it good. She felt it clutch at her heart like a murderer strangling her. She sobbed. The door silently opened and Jill poked her head. "Claire?" The soft voice called. Jill walked into he room, sitting on the bed next to Claire. "What's the matter?" Claire let out a sob. "It's Leon." Jill took the younger girls head in her hands and cradled it, soothingly like a mother. "I tell you what tomorrow we'll drive upstate and we'll pick Sherry and we'll all go shopping and have some fun. We'll eat McDonalds and ice cream." Jill patted Claire's head. "And don't worry about Leon he misses you to, and don't forget Chris is over there too."
Almost Nine Months Later.
SINKER
Chris Redfield lowered the Rifle motioning for Leon to come forward. The guerrillas where close he could feel it. He pushed a palm leave out of the way and looked straight into the barrel of an AK47.
Blackness. Ominous. Fearful. Suddenly. Light. Life. Where am I? The last thing Leon Kennedy remembered was Chris slowly putting his hands up dropping the rifle he held. Leon squinted at the sun and looked away. He couldn't move. It was like a coffin. Then it hit him. He was buried up to his neck in the hot dirt. He looked around frantically. There was a man, he looked like one of the guerrillas, he was holding a bucket. He could hear a faint hissing. Oh God! Them man emptied the bucket on his head and Leon felt the slick slippery snakes crawling on his head and screamed. The guerrilla laughed and walked away.
Agony, Thirst, Fear, Fear! Clutching Fear! Leon opened his weary eyes and looked around he was in a bamboo cage out in the rain. He scratched at his mosquito eaten flesh. Claire. Claire. He whimpered. He shook violently, hit pounded his head and cried. He rocked back and forward on his haunches. He wiped the tears from his eyes. If you are captured don't panic, don't look scared, be strong and you'll be okay. Chris's words sunk in and he pursed his lips. Don't drink the rain, it'll make you sick. The human body can last without water for twenty four hours. Leon looked around. It was a hamlet like compound with a bamboo fence. The cage was bound by thick rope so he couldn't chew through it. Leon sat back. Don't panic, relax. They'll find you.
Leon was taken into a hootche and lashed to a pole. Guards watched him intently. Their eyes where clouded by evil, He saw as he looked at them. A man walked in holding a club. "You are a member of the RPD STARS, is that correct?" English, well educated. Too educated, like he was born in America. He talked slow and evenly. Leon kept his mouth shut. "I can see that you do not wish to talk." The man said. "But you will." He hit Leon in the stomach with the club. Leon groaned. He dared not scream. He gritted his teeth. The man hit him again this time in the face. Leon spat blood, chocking back tears and sobs. It was late night when they finished with him and sat him in the cage. Leon leaned against the side and it started to rain. He blinked looking out at the fence. He was through crying. He closed his eyes for a long time. When he opened them a blackened face stared back at him. The white eyes penetrating. It was Chris. Leon felt a wave of relief wash over him. Chris put his finger to his lip. Quiet. He took out a machete and cut the cage open. Leon crawled out with weak legs and crouched. Chris handed him the Machete and pointed to a guard nearby. Leon slithered over and slit the mans throat, taking his rifle. He crawled over and joined Chris. Chris pointed to a building. It was the bunkhouse tent. Chris cocked his rifle. Leon saw the look in Chris's eye, it scared Leon. It was a look of resignation and hatred. Chris got up and in a running crouch went over to the building. Leon followed. Chris opened the door and burst in, Leon close behind. They both opened fire cutting down the unsuspecting guerrillas. They kept firing until they where empty. Chris reloaded and stepped outside and shot down the guards who where running toward them. He aimed low on purpose. Leon could feel hatred radiating off him. Chris grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the front gate. Chris shot the two guards there. They walked outside and they where free.
Barry saw the smoke signal and directed the chopper in that direction. He looked back at the team of soldiers in the back some STARS the others Rangers. The chopper landed o the makeshift LZ and Barry jumped out. He saw the two men sitting near naked under the tree and ran over calling the medic. Chris pointed the rifle at him and lowered it slowly. He didn't say anything. Leon looked up at him in shock and disbelief. They were both loaded on stretchers and walked to the chopper.
Leon walked up the front walk of his house and knocked on the front door. When it opened he just stood there. Claire said something but Leon didn't hear it. He fell into her arms and cried. Sobbing he looked up at Claire. Claire kissed him on the forehead and walked him over to the couch. They both sat down and cried.
Chris drove the Mustang down the quiet street late in the afternoon. The place was quiet and Chris couldn't believe where he was. It was also cool he noticed. Even though it was summer. He pulled up outside his house and got out. He walked up the front walk and noticed something was wrong the dor was open. Chris ran inside and looked around. The place was a mess. "Jill!" Chris yelled frantically. "JILL!!!" No answer there was a note stapled to a wall nearby. Chris ran over and read it.
I'm sure I will enjoy your wife and child
as much as you would have.
By the way I would like my bankcard back.
A.B.
Wesker. He was alive! A tear coursed down Chris's cheek and he started to shake. Of course. The Guerrillas, faulty rifles. It was him all along. He buried his face in his hands and burst into tears.
Jill.
Authors note: Well that was a shocker!!! Wesker is alive!!! Now we really got some dilemma happening! Wesker has Chris wife and unborn son Leon is mentally scarred from his experience on the Congo! Well now I gotta work out how to resolve this. Till then feel free to write me!
Dedicated to the Veterans of the war in South East Asia. Let us never forget what you have done for each other. You went when your country called and fought not for us or for your country but for each other. Let us always remember.
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand
In a...desperate land
Lost in a Roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the King's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles
Ride the snake...he's old, and his skin is cold
The west is the best
The west is the best
Get here, and we'll do the rest
The blue bus is callin' us
The blue bus is callin' us
Driver, where you taken' us
The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall
He went into the room where his sister lived, and...then he
Paid a visit to his brother, and then he
He walked on down the hall, and
And he came to a door...and he looked inside
Father, yes son, I want to kill you
Mother...I want to...fuck you
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Doin' a blue rock
On a blue bus
Doin' a blue rock
C'mon, yeah
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die
This is the end
The End by The Doors
HOOK
Chris Redfield walked down the hall of the RPD building to the STARS office. Wiping sweat from his forehead he cursed quietly. Goddamn air-conditioner! It only worked in winter but the new Chief promised them that he would get a new one. It was the middle of summer and it seemed the heat had gotten to everyone! Jill was staying home today she was throwing up apparently from the heat. He smiled whenever he thought of her. He opened the door to the STARS office and stepped in. Barry was siting at his desk on the phone. Barry had taken command now that things had finally settled down and Umbrella was gone. Chris was his second in charge. Chris didn't know anyone else in the office except Leon his brother in law. Leon had just finished his basic training and was now at the rookie desk. "Look I gotta have those fucking rifles!" Barry screamed into the phone. Chris walked over to join him. "I'm using Vietnam era rifles down here!" Barry paused a moment. "I don't give a rats if you'll right your congressman, when you do remind him the people who ship those things count for one third of his votes!" He waited a moment. "Good." He hung up and looked at Chris. "Jill's sick." Chris said. "That's cool." Barry said. Chris sat down opposite him and put his feet up on the desk. He picked up a rifle that was laying on the floor. It was an old M16A1 from Vietnam. Chris pulled back the cocking mechanism and the barrel fell off. He looked quizzically at Barry. "I asked for M16's and they send this shit over." Barry said taking the rifle and tossing it across the room in anger. Chris stood up and stretched. He walked over to join Leon. Leon looked up from a stack of paper work with a frown. "How am I supposed to handle this?" He asked frustrated. All the other men in the office laughed. Chris smiled and picked up the stack. Walking over he dumped them into the sink and took out a book of matches. "Like this." Chris said. He struck a match and threw it into the sink. The stack of files caught fire and ignited. Chris brushed his hands together and smiled.
Chris sat at his desk opposite Barry's when his phone rang. He picked it up. "Redfield." He said. It was Jill. Barry looked up and saw Chris slowly put the phone down. There was a shocked look on his face. Chris looked at him. "Barry," He said. "Are you ready to be an Uncle?"
News spread fast and soon all the station knew. Chris was sitting in the empty STARS office when he got a call to come to the main hall. Chris shrugged got up and walked to the hall. When he opened the door he knew it was a trap, a giant hand grabbed him and pulled him out. Barry pushed him forward and a cheer erupted from the officers who stood around clapping. Chris blushed. "Barry!"
Chris walked up the path to his house and opened the door. He saw Jill sitting on a couch. He went over and sat next to her. They looked at each other. "Oh, honey." He said. He smiled. "Jill Junior?" She asked with a smile. Chris nodded blinking back tears of joy. They embraced.
Chris lay in bed, Jill curled up on his chest. The phone rang which startled him. It was Barry. "Chris we are needed at the station, the STARS have been called into action." Barry sounded tired and disappointed. Chris hung up the phone and slowly got out of bed. Jill stirred. "What are you doing? She asked. Chris told her. She cried softly. "Be careful." Chris kissed her and took her head in his hands. "I'll be back as soon as a can." He got his uniform in and walked out of the house. He got in the old Mustang and drove to the empty station.
Chris walked into the STARS office and took his seat. Everyone else was there. Leon looked a little depressed, Chris noticed. Barry spoke up. "This is Marshal Danes." He said introducing a man who walked over to a map of what appeared to be the Congo. "Gentleman," Marshal said. "Somewhere on this river is a group of terrorist's." The situation was a simple one. This group of terrorists had kidnapped some researchers and Uncle Sam would like them back. The STARS where to pick up their sent and bring them home.
Chris walked out of the Van with the rest of the team dressed in Olive Drab clothes carrying a duffel bag, with a rifle slung over his shoulder. They where welcomed by a group of STARS officers and wished good luck. Chris took a window seat across from Leon. He looked out the window and sighed. Good bye Jill. He would miss her immensely. He reached up and hit the AC button and lay back. Leon sat sadly in his own seat. He tried to act bravely but it was hard. Claire was back at home all by herself while he was going out to play commando on the Congo! This was not his idea of a fun time. The plane lifted off and they were on their way.
LINE
Chris and the other passengers stood up and gathered around the door. A crewman opened it and they where all bombarded by extreme heat. "God!" Leon said and reeled back. They almost waded out the door and down the steps as the heat rolled off the tarmac in waves. They rolled up their sleeves and unbuttoned their shirts. Chris looked around, breathing deeply. He notice a group of bags piled near a building where some men where picking them up and taking them toward the plane. His belly churned as he realised what they where. Black Body Bags.
The started their search at the research station near the base of the river. The place smelt of death. Dead animals lay about the place bloated by the scorching sun. The buildings where burnt to the ground a pair of tire marks lead out of the compound. Chris unslung his rifle. "Any idea why they kidnapped the researchers?" He asked. Barry shook his head. "None." Barry ordered one of the team to put out a smoke grenade to mark a helicopter LZ. Leon un-shrug the radio and called back the Huey. The team climbed aboard and followed the road leading away from the compound. They found the remnants of a camp and set down. They spread out to search the area. Chris wiped sweat from his brow. Sweat was pouring out of every crevice of his body. A shot rang out of the bush, which caught a man in the chest. The man crumpled to the ground. Chris raised his rifle and returned fire. The rifle clicked after the third shot. Jammed! Chris quickly went about trying to un-jam the thing. Leon breathed fas as he ran over to the fallen man. He was clearly dead. Blood mixing with the heat of the day made a horrible stench come from the man. With sweaty fingers Leon took the mans dog-tags. Oh, god, What am I doing here!? Chris cocked his rifle and sprayed the bush in front of him. There was a scream and then silence.
Two of the men carried the body to the chopper. Chris watched from his seat under a tree. He grimaced. Just like the old days, huh? I wonder what Jill's doing now? Then he thought for a moment. It had been three days at least since anyone was here. That sniper would to have waited around for three days in this heat! The determination worried him. Why the hell would he do that? Leon stared at the body bag as the two men carried it past him. He put his head in his hands. He began to shake. He choked and broke down into tears. Barry stared at the chopper as it lifted into the air and took off. He said a prayer then turned to the team standing around the LZ. "Come on let's get on that trail leading away over there." He said picking up the rifle on the ground next to him. The rest of them struggled to their feet and followed him down the trail the sniper had been blocking. It curved through the hellish Jungle of the Congo until it finally broke onto the river itself. "We'll rest here for a while." Barry said. Chris unslung his rifle and gear and walked over to the waters edge. Wading up to his waist he dunked himself under enjoying the cool fresh water. Leon watched him but was too scared to move. He found his mind again wandering to Claire who was back at home. He felt the same old feelings well up inside but he swallowed them down. Most of the team felt that way, sitting there on the edge of one of the most beautiful rivers in the world in the sweltering heat. It was a big step for most of them. Chris had been there and done that before but for Leon and the other rookies it was hell warmed over. The helicopter picked them up in the afternoon and flew them to a Ranger base further up the river. It was comfortable and air-conditioned, The STARS team had a room all to themselves, which was good. The Rangers looked at them and made jokes about their scared appearance until Chris and Barry set them straight with a point of a rifle.
It was near midnight and none of them slept. While it was cool they still lay naked on their bunks. Leon stared at the bunk above him which Chris slept in. This was really hard for him. The time slowly ticked by and he felt the old feeling rushing through him. "Chris how did you do it?" Leon asked. The others turned to listen. "Well," Chris began, smiling at his youth. "It wasn't easy. I felt as though I would never get out. Like I was stuck in time, time I didn't want. But I just accepted that I'm here. I'm now. And I made friends with as many people as I could, because they are in the same situation as you." He let that sink in. "Now get to sleep tomorrow I'm gonna teach you how to survive this shitty place."
Chris was gone when the Group woke. So was Barry. They walked outside and found Chris setting up the last of a training course. There was a trench, some low running barbed wire, and a million traps set up around the place. They gathered around Chris who unslung an AK-47 rifle. He pointed. "There is your breakfast." He said, indicating a box at the other end of the wire mess. He cocked the rifle. "Go get it." He fired between them. They all dropped and Chris fired burst near them. "Crawl!" He said. They did so going through the wire. Rounds buzzed over their heads. Leon was shaking from adrenalin as he crawled through the wire. He was crawling when the ground fell from under him. He landed with a splash in a foot deep pit of pigs blood and guts. He gasped in shock. The gore hit him right in the face and he realised. He was here, no. Home would need to wait. The rookies gathered around eating cold army rations, covered in pig gore, smiling. Chris walked over and joined them. "Was that fun?" He asked. "Before we go anywhere else we're gonna learn how to survive and work in this place. We're gonna slowly work our way up to it." Chris then ordered them into their own individual blood pit and posted a native guard to watch them. He then took off in a chopper with a Ranger and disappeared into the sun. The rookies sat in the pits staring up at their guards who never twitched, never moved and always watched them.
Chris returned in the late afternoon to find the recruits still sitting in their pits, the guards unmoved. Chris told them to get out. He put them in the trench he had dug and went to a weapon shed. He took out an assortment of weapons and placed them on the ground. By now it was dark and nothing could be seen. Suddenly a flare shot up into the air blinding the recruits. "Now you're blind!" Chris yelled from wherever he was. "What are you going to do now?" He fired on them. "Tonight we are going out there in the bush to ambush some guerrillas and nab a prisoner." He fired on them with different weapons, friendly foe. Teaching them the difference and how to identify them. He then called them out of the trench and loaded them onto the chopper before they could even stretch.
Leon lay looking down the trail in the pitch black jungle breathing slow looking down the sight of his rifle. Chris sure was crazy. But then again he was only trying to help them. Thoughts of Claire started to seep in but he forced them away. A silver moon disappeared behind some clouds and it became impossible to see. Something wet hit Leon's ear. Great a bird shit on me. Then it happened again. And again, and again. Rain poured down all around them as lightning streaked across the sky. From where he was laying Chris smiled. He had to control a laugh. He peered down the trail. The smile disappeared. There was something moving, in the dark. Thoughts of the mansion clouded back but he forced them away. He aimed down his rifle and got ready. A figure carrying an AK47 came into his sights. He squeezed the trigger. Leon was momentarily blinded by the muzzle flash, then opened up with his rifle down the trail.
Leon and another guy policed up the bodies. While Chris picked up a person he had shot in the leg. They called back the chopper and got out of there before the heat of the sun came back.
Barry walked out of the headquarters building with some fresh intelligence reports. He couldn't find the team anywhere. It was 12:00, mid-day. Chris walked out of the barracks and saw Barry. Walking over to join him he told him about the team's late night. "O.K. let them sleep." Barry said. He told Chris about what he had learnt from the prisoner. "We think they are going to attack this village right here." Barry indicated on his map. "We'll go in there fight them off, track them and wrap this up in less than a week." "Good then I can go home and watch over my wife." Chris said with a smile. Barry had been through it all before. Chris would get used to it. By the look of things he already had. "They are attacking in the afternoon when it is cool." Barry said. Chris nodded. "At least they're doing something right."
The chopper lifted off with the seven enthusiastic men on board. Chris personally made sure everyone was ready, checking weapons and gear. When he was done he leant against the back of the chopper and took out his wallet. He looked at a picture of Claire and Jill on his wedding night. He smiled. "Shit!" It was Barry. He pointed on the horizon. "Look!" Chris looked and saw the thick black smoke rising on the horizon. They where too late. The chopper landed in the clearing and the team went about picking up wounded and loading them on the chopper. Chris searched for tracks leading away from the hamlet. He found some. Only there was something wrong with them. They were too obvious. He gathered up the team and led them in. Barry called in an observation Chopper and surveyed from the air. Chris walked along the pushing an occasional leave aside when he heard the bolt of an AK47 click. He dove back the way he came and tackled the others to the ground as shot s rang out. The team slithered to safety and returned fire as Barry called in air support. A wall of fire was laid down from gunships as they buzzed past. When the fire died down Leon went forward to check it out. The sweltering afternoon heat seemed thick in the air. He pushed a thick rubbery leaf out of the way and was hit by a horrendous smell. He had not smelt anything like that since that night in Raccoon. He looked over the gore in front of him. Chris came forward. "Well they aren't gonna hurt anyone anymore."
Jill Valentine Redfield walked down the path to the letterbox and opened it. She took out the letters and looked up. A black sedan was parked across the street. When she saw it, it took off. Strange. She shrugged and walked inside.
Three Months Later
Chris Redfield ran across the sweltering tarmac toward the waiting Chopper.
"Come on you bastards!" He yelled at the team sprinting for the chopper. The adrenalin pulsed through him. The guys jumped on, Barry took the co- pilot seat and they lifted off. A village along the river was under attack and they where going in to save it. Chris inserted a cassette into a tape deck and pushed play. Today was the hottest yet. Bad Case Of Loving You by Robert Palmer blared out of the speakers as the whisked low over the trees. They where all experienced at this by now but their failure to effectively follow the enemy was starting to be a problem. Chris had taught them everything he could, but the enemy was very determined. None surrendered, fighting to the last bullet and then some. Chris poked his head out into the wind and looked at the approaching hamlet. "Positions!" He yelled as the men took seats at the doors aiming their rifles at the approaching village. As the chopper swooped over the village, the men inside took up targets and began shooting. The chopper circled around and they repeated the process. On the ground men where cut down in a hail of fire, all the while music beat out of the chopper and the heat swirled around them. The chopper touched down and the team jumped out. Running between shacks and hootches firing at the gunmen who were invading. A man came into Leon's sights, he closed his eyes and fired. When he opened them the man was gone. Leon pursed his lips and took up another target. Shooting Zombies was different. Now he was shooting a living breathing human. He did what Chris had instructed and thought about the innocent who had suffered. Chris shot a man in the knee and ran over, clubbing him with the rifle to knock him out. Raising the rifle to waist hight he fired a short burst from the hip and took down a group of three enemy. From the air Barry called in evacuation choppers for the civilians and then called I the F14 Tomcats. Picking up the team and it's prisoner as well as two enemy dead they lifted off. The Tomcats then went to work pounding the area. The chopper circled over the burning village. Chris picked up one of the dead by the collar. "Where is your hideout?" He asked loud enough so the man he knee capped could hear. He waited a second then threw the body out the door. Picking up the next he repeated the process. He the picked up the live one and asked him. The man stuttered then spoke.
When the chopper landed late in the afternoon the seven weary men walked toward the barracks to sleep. Chris Redfield walked into the main building and in the air-conditioned hall he walked over to a pay phone he lifted the receiver warily and dialled home.
Claire sat on the couch next to Jill watching a movie. Claire noticed Jill was dozing and slowly got up and turned the TV off. It wasn't easy for either of them. Claire slowly walked into the bathroom of the house she shared with Leon and washed her face. Walking slowly up the stairs she yawned and stretched. Walking to her bedroom she shut the door quietly and lay down. Feeling the cool Saturn sheets on her skin made her smile. Leon had told her when he moved in, 'We gotta get Saturn. If we don't have Saturn we are nothing.' Claire thought about where Leon was and what he was doing. She felt a tremendous wave of mixed emotion wash over her. Sadness, Loneliness, Fear. None of it good. She felt it clutch at her heart like a murderer strangling her. She sobbed. The door silently opened and Jill poked her head. "Claire?" The soft voice called. Jill walked into he room, sitting on the bed next to Claire. "What's the matter?" Claire let out a sob. "It's Leon." Jill took the younger girls head in her hands and cradled it, soothingly like a mother. "I tell you what tomorrow we'll drive upstate and we'll pick Sherry and we'll all go shopping and have some fun. We'll eat McDonalds and ice cream." Jill patted Claire's head. "And don't worry about Leon he misses you to, and don't forget Chris is over there too."
Almost Nine Months Later.
SINKER
Chris Redfield lowered the Rifle motioning for Leon to come forward. The guerrillas where close he could feel it. He pushed a palm leave out of the way and looked straight into the barrel of an AK47.
Blackness. Ominous. Fearful. Suddenly. Light. Life. Where am I? The last thing Leon Kennedy remembered was Chris slowly putting his hands up dropping the rifle he held. Leon squinted at the sun and looked away. He couldn't move. It was like a coffin. Then it hit him. He was buried up to his neck in the hot dirt. He looked around frantically. There was a man, he looked like one of the guerrillas, he was holding a bucket. He could hear a faint hissing. Oh God! Them man emptied the bucket on his head and Leon felt the slick slippery snakes crawling on his head and screamed. The guerrilla laughed and walked away.
Agony, Thirst, Fear, Fear! Clutching Fear! Leon opened his weary eyes and looked around he was in a bamboo cage out in the rain. He scratched at his mosquito eaten flesh. Claire. Claire. He whimpered. He shook violently, hit pounded his head and cried. He rocked back and forward on his haunches. He wiped the tears from his eyes. If you are captured don't panic, don't look scared, be strong and you'll be okay. Chris's words sunk in and he pursed his lips. Don't drink the rain, it'll make you sick. The human body can last without water for twenty four hours. Leon looked around. It was a hamlet like compound with a bamboo fence. The cage was bound by thick rope so he couldn't chew through it. Leon sat back. Don't panic, relax. They'll find you.
Leon was taken into a hootche and lashed to a pole. Guards watched him intently. Their eyes where clouded by evil, He saw as he looked at them. A man walked in holding a club. "You are a member of the RPD STARS, is that correct?" English, well educated. Too educated, like he was born in America. He talked slow and evenly. Leon kept his mouth shut. "I can see that you do not wish to talk." The man said. "But you will." He hit Leon in the stomach with the club. Leon groaned. He dared not scream. He gritted his teeth. The man hit him again this time in the face. Leon spat blood, chocking back tears and sobs. It was late night when they finished with him and sat him in the cage. Leon leaned against the side and it started to rain. He blinked looking out at the fence. He was through crying. He closed his eyes for a long time. When he opened them a blackened face stared back at him. The white eyes penetrating. It was Chris. Leon felt a wave of relief wash over him. Chris put his finger to his lip. Quiet. He took out a machete and cut the cage open. Leon crawled out with weak legs and crouched. Chris handed him the Machete and pointed to a guard nearby. Leon slithered over and slit the mans throat, taking his rifle. He crawled over and joined Chris. Chris pointed to a building. It was the bunkhouse tent. Chris cocked his rifle. Leon saw the look in Chris's eye, it scared Leon. It was a look of resignation and hatred. Chris got up and in a running crouch went over to the building. Leon followed. Chris opened the door and burst in, Leon close behind. They both opened fire cutting down the unsuspecting guerrillas. They kept firing until they where empty. Chris reloaded and stepped outside and shot down the guards who where running toward them. He aimed low on purpose. Leon could feel hatred radiating off him. Chris grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the front gate. Chris shot the two guards there. They walked outside and they where free.
Barry saw the smoke signal and directed the chopper in that direction. He looked back at the team of soldiers in the back some STARS the others Rangers. The chopper landed o the makeshift LZ and Barry jumped out. He saw the two men sitting near naked under the tree and ran over calling the medic. Chris pointed the rifle at him and lowered it slowly. He didn't say anything. Leon looked up at him in shock and disbelief. They were both loaded on stretchers and walked to the chopper.
Leon walked up the front walk of his house and knocked on the front door. When it opened he just stood there. Claire said something but Leon didn't hear it. He fell into her arms and cried. Sobbing he looked up at Claire. Claire kissed him on the forehead and walked him over to the couch. They both sat down and cried.
Chris drove the Mustang down the quiet street late in the afternoon. The place was quiet and Chris couldn't believe where he was. It was also cool he noticed. Even though it was summer. He pulled up outside his house and got out. He walked up the front walk and noticed something was wrong the dor was open. Chris ran inside and looked around. The place was a mess. "Jill!" Chris yelled frantically. "JILL!!!" No answer there was a note stapled to a wall nearby. Chris ran over and read it.
I'm sure I will enjoy your wife and child
as much as you would have.
By the way I would like my bankcard back.
A.B.
Wesker. He was alive! A tear coursed down Chris's cheek and he started to shake. Of course. The Guerrillas, faulty rifles. It was him all along. He buried his face in his hands and burst into tears.
Jill.
Authors note: Well that was a shocker!!! Wesker is alive!!! Now we really got some dilemma happening! Wesker has Chris wife and unborn son Leon is mentally scarred from his experience on the Congo! Well now I gotta work out how to resolve this. Till then feel free to write me!