Chapter 33: Hunting and Gathering

I don't own anything. Resident Evil belongs to Capcom and Tomb Raider belongs to Core Design, Crystal Dynamics, and I think Square Enix. The only thing I own is the changes made to the stories of the Tomb Raider games/comics and Resident Evil games/comics/CG movies, the Government branch S.P.E.L.L., the person that has taken over Kathrine Warren's life, and Rose Warren. This story also will be bloody, violent, and have cursing. It's rated T for Teen.

Country: Russia, State: Siberia, City: Siberian Wilderness, Place: Near Kitezh, Area: Soviet Installation, Month: November, Day: Wednesday 29th, Year: 2000, Time: 05:15 KRAT…

Leaving the caverns, they looked around at the snowy expanse. They were back to being cold again.

"Alright, Nadia. We're back at the Installation." Lara called into her radio. "Any advice on where to start looking?"

"Okay." Nadia began as she seemed to be thinking. "First the seed pods…the flowers grow inside the caves around here…" She began as Leon looked at the old fire pit. "There's never enough of them to make you sick, so you should be able to gather them safely." She paused a moment. "The livers should be easy. The deer around there feed on the flowers, so you'll just need to track them. As for the insecticide, I have an idea where we can find some." She continued. "Grandpa taught me to read Russian, so I'm going through some old equipment manifests to see if I can find out where they stored it. I'll let you know what I find."

"Okay, we'll gather the pods and livers in the meantime." Kat informed as Lara put her radio away.

"So…we're going hunting?" Leon asked.

Kat nodded. "Yeah. Hunting and gathering." Kat looked at Leon with a warning. "And don't say a thing about women being the better gathers because we see many shapes and sizes and colorful things better than men."

Leon frowned and shook his head. "Is that a movie reference for something that has not come out yet?"

Kat then frowned. "Oh wow, I don't know. It was part of a stand-up comic's jokes. I don't know if he is popular now or not. I don't really follow his career."

As they all checked their bows and other gear quickly Lara smiled. "Next time we rest, you have to tell the joke then."

Country: Russia, State: Siberia, City: Siberian Wilderness, Place: Near Kitezh, Area: Soviet Installation, Month: November, Day: Wednesday 29th, Year: 2000, Time: 05:38 KRAT…

The first thing they went after was looking for the flower seed pods. They entered one of the many caverns and found the flowers. They looked like a mix of honeysuckle, petunia, and a hint of morning glory. They grew on a series of vines that held fast to the crack filled walls.

"These look like the ones from when we entered the vale, but not as brightly colored." Kat voiced as Lara walked over to them, fixing her mouth covering that Leon and they had made back before they entered the vale.

"We just need the seed pods." Lara agreed as she harvested them. "We just need three more clusters of five to split between the three of us."

Leon nodded. "That's what Nadia said at the mill, yeah."

It was in another cave that Nadia radioed them as Lara collected another cluster of flower pods.

"Guys. Got something you'll want to hear." She said sounding worried. "I'm patching you three in."

"Bravo Team is still MIA, we haven't gotten any transmissions since the distress call." Said a male voice. "We're going to send a rescue party." He said as Lara finished up colleting the pods then looked at Kat and Leon seeing them both shake their heads, this was not good. "Finish up your patrol around the Soviet Installation, see if you can pick up the native girl's trail. She's involved in Bravo's disappearance somehow, and we need better intel before we send more of you in there." He said as the three walked out of the cavern.

"Copy that." Said another voice.

Kat pulled her radio. "Can you get somewhere safe? Don't say were, but can you?"

"I'm already there. I have plenty of snares up too. Why can't say where?" Nadia asked.

"You know how you can patch into Trinity's calls?" Leon asked into his radio. "They can do the same to us."

"Wow. Okay, I'll be careful then. I must finish looking over these manifests, but if worst comes to worst, I can use an escape hatch that leads to some tunnels. They'd never know." Nadia said confidently.

After a moment of walking, they ducked into cover when they saw some of Trinity's patrol. Nadia spoke again.

"Is this…normal for you, guys?" She asked making the three frown as they each drew their bows and notched arrows. "I'm not used to it…you know…people trying to kill me."

Lara took a breath as she loosed her arrow, killing one of the men before ducking back behind cover and pulling her radio. "I don't think it's something you get used to." She explained as Kat and Leon squinted at the two other men looking for the source of who killed their teammate. "Just…" She watched as both loosed their arrows. "Stay safe…"

Leon and Kat looked to Lara as they moved out of cover. They couldn't have said it better.

"I don't think we'll ever get used to it." Leon voiced. "Just more…"

"Indifferent?" Kat offered. "A way of life."

Leon looked at her. "Sounds like fancy words for getting used to it."

"No…I…" Kat closed her eyes looking away, the image of Leon later having to re-kill his own team so many years from now flashed in her mind. How he was as broken as she was right then. 'No. I'm not going to let it get that far. I'll try to stop that from happening.' She didn't know how to word it. She knew that they would. That all three of them and anyone connected to them would be used to the people trying to kill them. The thing they wouldn't be used to, would be loss.

"Kat?" Leon asked waving a hand in front of her face as she'd gone still and quiet. "Are you here or…" He didn't want to say her old name if that's what'd happened. He was really hoping she wasn't developing DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder).

Kat shook herself. "I zoned this time." She said, thankfully in her American accent.

That relieved him and Lara.

"Where'd you go then?" Lara asked.

"The…the future…things I need to prevent." Kat said as she looked at the snow.

"Like…" Leon probed gently.

"Simmons and Landsdale. I'm updated on their investigations. The problem is that it's through S.P.E.L.L. and the things I know about are not in their bracket." Kat said as they walked to a new cave after looting the men's bodies. "Landsdale is FBC, Simmons is the right hand of the president."

"So…it's slow going?" Leon asked as he already knew about them.

"Very. Lots of red tape and go betweens." Kat groaned. "The temptation to stalk Simmons specifically and kill him myself is getting very tempting."

"Given what you've said about Simmons, can I help?" Leon offered both jokingly and seriously.

"Same, got plenty of shovels and locations in mind for his body." Lara added.

Kat smiled. "Thanks."

Country: Russia, State: Siberia, City: Siberian Wilderness, Place: Near Kitezh, Area: Soviet Installation, Month: November, Day: Wednesday 29th, Year: 2000, Time: 08:59 KRAT…

The three were crouched behind a log. After they collected all the pods, they now needed to find six livers. If it was only for one person then they'd just need two, but it was the three of them. Lara and Kat were helping Leon learn how to track and how to hunt. Kat helped by drawing on old memories. Lara by experience. Two of the deer they found, were just a carcass, from what looked like a wolf attack. Strangely the wolves didn't take the livers or much at all. Something interrupted their hunt. The last four they were going to have to hunt.

Lara had already taken down two of them. Both were bucks and one looked a bit sickly. Kat and Leon were both looking at two different deer from their cover. Kat drew back and waited for Leon to do the same. Taking the hint, he did so. They both aimed. Kat was sure she had the sight on the doe. It wasn't a wet doe so that was a good thing, she would not feel bad about killing it. Leon wasn't as sure on his buck. It was close to the female and if he missed, he could ruin Kat's shot. But he took a breath. Then as if thinking as one, Kat and Leon let go of their bow strings.

Their arrows flew next to each other before getting wider the farther they went out. Both hit their targets. Kat's imbedded in the head of the doe, Leon's the Buck's neck. Both were deep enough to kill their deer targets. Kat's deer died instantly, Leon's was choking a bit before it died. They came out of cover and cut the livers from their kills as Lara kept watch. Leon could tell Kat hated this bit, but knew it was necessary. He even saw her pet the dead creatures and whispering something. After getting the skins, antlers, and some of the meat, Nadia called them on their radios.

"That chemical from Grandmother's notes…Fen-oh-thigh-uh-zine…" She sounded out slowly, it was a word she hadn't seen before. "I think I've found it." She said as they packed their things away and washed their hands with melting snow. "They stored it in the lower levels of the Copper Mill, where they used it to deal with the termites in the summer."

"Are you sure it's the same chemical, Nadia?" Lara asked into her radio, as if they had the wrong one it could kill them, put them into a coma, or make them too sick to fight.

"I'm sure it's the chemical Grandmother's recipe mentioned, but I'm not sure that it will be safe to drink." Nadia said like it was obvious.

"We'll find out soon." Leon said.

"Heading there now." Kat voiced as Leon packed snow around the livers in the cloth they were storing them in to keep them cold and fresh. Lara opened her pack and tucked the bundle into her bag.

Country: Russia, State: Siberia, City: Siberian Wilderness, Place: Near Kitezh, Area: Soviet Installation/Copper Mill, Month: November, Day: Wednesday 29th, Year: 2000, Time: 09:14 KRAT…

Climbing up onto the wooden supports, the three spotted a box in a room of the copper mill. Once they entered, Leon and Kat kept watch as Lara opened the box. They had run into two small groups of Trinity guys after all. There could be more or a patrol.

"Perfect. The amount we need is here." Lara pulled her radio as she looked to the table by them. "Found it." She informed Nadia as Kat picked up the box and moved it to the table before rejoining Leon in keeping watch. "I'm mixing the ingredients now." Lara said as she got out the seed pod bag and liver bag. "Any word on that patrol?" She asked as she got out three glass bottles.

"Just picked up another transmission…" Nadia informed as Lara squeezed the liver juices into each bottle. "They're on the move." She said as Lara crushed the seed pods over each glass, getting their powders into the blood from the livers, before capping them and shaking them to mix them. The levels of Vitamin C in the liver blood was her biggest concern, even over the insecticide.

"Where are they now?" Leon asked as Lara focused on getting the chemicals separated to mix it more safely, this part was very delicate.

"They're…" Nadia suddenly paused as Leon and Kat squinted. "Oh no…" She gasped as Kat hissed in anger at seeing some shapes moving. "They're headed straight for you." She warned as Kat reached for her bow. "You might be able to sneak past them, but it's probably too late. Sorry guys, I didn't see them sooner."

"…Damn. I'm not done." Lara growled as Leon drew his gun as the figures got closer. "Hold them off while I do this."

Leon and Kat nodded as Kat started looseing arrows at the runners.

"Mind being Legolas with me?" Kat asked as she hit two different people, downing them.

"Wouldn't one of us be Aragorn?" Leon asked as he squeezed off a few shots, taking out two as well but they had more people to take down as a few were coming into the mill's yard.

"Hair's too light." Kat smiled as she switched to her rifle and fired a shot at a woman who was trying to climb up the trains.

"Not light enough for an elf though." He pointed out as he looked to Lara. "Mind if I barrow your Assault rifle, Lara? It's got a longer range then my handgun."

"It's on my back…" Lara nodded as she started mixing one of the bottles. "One is done, two more."

Leon nodded. "Got this?" He asked Kat, then saw as she fired another shot before ducking into cover to reload. The shot hit a man climbing a fence and weirdly sent him flipping backward ass over tea kettle. "Yep, you got this."

Kat snorted rolling her eyes as she got her eyes on another target coming out of cover. Leon got the assault rifle off Lara and rejoined Kat. As Kat lined up a shot, Leon spotted a guy trying to do the same to her. He took aim after switching the setting to semi auto. He then pulled the trigger and sent a good burst of bullets at the guy trying to shoot Kat.

The bullets hit the around the guy, forcing him into cover. Kat pulled the trigger and killed the woman she'd been aiming at. She reloaded behind cover.

"One more…" Lara told them.

"Same." Leon and Kat said as they both looked to each other.

"North side, behind the third train." Leon told Kat.

"On three?" She asked him.

He nodded peering at the edge of their shared cover. "One."

"Two." Kat nodded as she looked to the spot Leon had pointed out.

"Three." They both stepped out of cover.

They as one aimed down their sights at their shared target. Both seeing they had the man; they pulled the triggers. A small burst of bullets from them and the man didn't stand a chance. Leon's got the man to startle out of cover and injured him. Kat's killed him.

"Done." Lara said as she shook the last bottle. "One for each of us." She handed Kat one bottle and Leon the other.

Their radios beeped and Nadia spoke. "Ready to see if the antidote works?"

Leon wrinkled his nose at the liquid inside. It looked like thin very dark orange red. "Not looking forward to it." He voiced over his radio as he looked at Kat.

"We haven't got a choice." Kat sighed.

"If it works, I'll make my own and meet you guys in the Vale." Nadia said as they put their bottles away.

"We'll let you know when we get there." Lara said before they all set off to go back to the Vale.