Letter to a Soldier, part 11

By: Hotaru

Notes: I didn't put notes for the last chapter. No one's reviewing! *tear tear* Why?! Doshite?!

--Friday, October 24th 10:30 a.m.--

Billy and Rebecca were in the living room, bags packed and ready to go. "How are you gonna tell him that you're leavin'?" Billy asked.

"Ah..I'll leave a note." Rebecca replied. "Even if it is a little informal."

"If you called him at work, he'd probably bitch and moan about having to cook and clean up after himself now."

"Probably. God, I'm itching to get out of this place. Too many bad memories."

"We can go early if you want. I don't care."

"I'll go call a cab."

Rebecca disappeared into the kitchen, and Billy sat on the couch and flipped through a magazine. "You want to bring anything food-wise onto the plane?" Rebecca called from the kitchen.

"Aren't we gonna be fed?" Billy replied.

"Yeah, I think. But something to snack on?"

"Whatever."

She returned a minute or so later and put two ziploc bags into her carry on luggage. "Okay. The cab will be here in about fifteen minutes. I can't believe I'm leaving." She said with a sigh.

"It's good...to get away. You've been through too much stress here." Billy added.

"Yeah. It'll be good to see Chris and the others. It's been years.."

"Wow. Years since you've seen your only friends?"

Rebecca nodded. "I got a question. Why the hell are you and Carlos here, and everyone else is on the East Coast?" Billy questioned.

"Well, Carlos had a house here, and he thought it'd be good if we remained sort of close to where Raccoon City used to be..I guess in case stuff started up again."

"So you got to stay with the dirt bag, and the rest of 'em stayed..."

"New York. It's easy to disappear there."

Billy shrugged and looked at the cable box. "Thanks...for coming with me." He said lowly. Rebecca looked at him.

"Why are you thanking me?" She asked.

"The idea of going to live with strangers who most likely won't trust me wasn't exactly ideal. But I know it'll be better if you're there with me."

"Aw. That's sweet."

"Hey, now. I don't do sweet."

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Rebecca glanced at the door warily. Carlos wouldn't be going home...maybe Annie? "Who is it?" Rebecca asked, walking towards the door.

"UPS." A voice on the other side replied. Unlocking the door handle, Rebecca opened the door a few inches. Men. In uniform.

Throwing her weight against the door, she tried to close it. "What the hell?!" Billy exclaimed, jumping up from the couch to help. A man stuck his arm through the crack of the door and slammed the door open.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Rebecca exclaimed. The man glared down at her before swinging his hang across her face, knocking her to the floor.

"You son of bitch!" Billy exclaimed, charging at the man. Rebecca slowly sat up from the floor, holding her stinging face, trying to shake away the dizziness she felt.

"Billy Coen you're under arrest for mass murder. You have the right to remain silent--"

Billy tried to fight the men off, but there was five of them, and one of him. One person held Rebecca back, and the others ignored her cries and subdued Billy. "Where are you taking him?!" She cried as they started to lead him out the door.

"Take her too." The main man ordered. "Grab those bags."

"Can't I at least say goodbye to my girl?" Billy drawled.

The men exchanged glances. The guy that was holding Rebecca shoved her forward to meet Billy. Without hesitation, Billy leaned down and kissed her. Quite passionately. Breaking the kiss, he put his lips near her ear. "In my bags...there's a number. Call my mom, okay?" He whispered, before the men pistol whipped him unconscious and dragged him out to a black SUV.

"C'mon little lady." The man holding Rebecca said, hoisting her small frame off the ground.

"I can walk you know." She spat, while another person took their bags to a second black SUV.

"Well I don't want you runnin' away on me now."

"Where are you taking him?"

"I can release that information." The man replied, tossing her in the back seat of the vehicle.

"Then where are you taking _me_?" She questioned.

"You'll find out when we get there."

"Don't fuck with me! I'm being taken against my will by people I don't even _know_--"

"Dammit, Jameson, shut her up."

The officer next to Rebecca pulled a black case out of a bag. Inside was a syringe and some sort of medicine. "W-what is that?" Rebecca asked, trying to move away from the man.

"It's just something to help you relax, sweet heart." The man beside her smiled.

"No, stop. I'm a medical doctor and I refuse to--"

"Too late. Nighty-night."

--Undiscolsed location, sometime later--

Rebecca woke in a small, dark room. She was laying on a stiff bed, a stainless steel sink and toilet on the wall opposite from where she laid. "Where am I..?" She asked, sounding like some cliché movie character.

"Welcome to Ragathon Base." A voice replied. The same man from before.

"Who are you?"

"You can call me Officer Jonas. And what's your name?"

"You already know that, don't you? What'd you do, tap my phone? Watch my credit card records?"

"Why don't you let _me_ ask the questions, hm? How do you know Billy Coen."

"I bet you know that, too." Rebecca answered.

"Just answer the question." Jonas said impatiently.

"We met on a train...in Raccoon Forest."

"What were the circumstances of your meeting?"

"At the time, I thought he was a killer, and I was supposed to arrest him if I came in contact."

"And did you?"

"No. I was caught off guard. I was a rookie. We ended up teaming up and helping each other out."

"Even though you were aware of his criminal history, you trusted him? Why?"

"I was all alone, I was scared, and I would rather have him there than be alone." Rebecca replied.

"Why didn't you report to your superior officer than you found him?" Jonas questioned.

"Because..I don't know."

"You foolishly believed he was innocent of his crimes. Did you _ever_ report to your superiors?"

"No. All of my comrades were killed. Billy was all I had."

"So you relied on him."

"Yes. We relied on each other, which is why we managed to escape. We went our seperate ways and I haven't heard from him until a few days ago."

"What were the circumstances of this meeting?" Jonas continued. Rebecca sighed.

"He just wanted to get in contact to see how I was doing." She replied.

"How did he come to be living in your house?"

"He needed a place to stay."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe he was between places." She decided to be as vague as possible so she didn't implicate either of them further.

"What about the luggage? Where were you going?" Their bags were in the corner of the cell.

"To visit some friends."

"Where?"

"The east coast. Can I go to the bathroom and get something to eat, please?"

"Not just yet. You'll have to write it all down." Jonas said, pushing a legal pad in her direction.

"Why? I haven't been arrested, I don't even know what I'm doing here." Rebecca said angrilly.

"He's still a wanted criminal. You deterred the United States Marine Corps in finding a wanted criminal. We don't know if there will be charges pressed against you, so if you'd just cooperate and write down what we ask, we'll get things moving."

"When can I see him?"

"We'll see."

"Well I'm not writing until you tell me when I can see him."

Jonas frowned smugly. "Get writing, and I'll go see alright?" He said finally.

"Fine. Thank you." Once he left the cell, Rebecca went over to their luggage and looked around in Billy's bag. She promised to call his mom. /Although...if we manage to get his mom to come, or talk to Billy, maybe she can convince then that he's innocent. They don't have a good relationship, but if she believes him, then they should too./ Finding a piece of paper with some information scrawled on it, she put it in her pocket.

Trying to be as vague as possible, she wrote up all the information she had on Billy. Jonas returned a little bit later with a candy bar and a bottle of soda. "It's all I could scrounge up." He said, putting them on the bed beside Rebecca.

"Thanks. I'm almost finished with this. When can I see him?" She asked.

"In a little bit. He's giving our men some trouble."

"Are you trying to get him to confess?"

"Yes."

"You can't make an innocent man confess. Why don't you believe that he didn't kill those people?"

"We have eyewitness accounts."

"Of who? His comrades? Come on, they're the ones who killed those people. Billy tried to stop his superior, and got knocked out. Just like the My Lai massacre, except he's innocent." Rebecca said.

"My Lai..." Jonas said.

"Yes. In Vietnam, some military company killed an entire village of women, children, and the elderly because they thought the Viet Kong would be there. Same thing happened in Africa, with Billy, except he tried to stop them. And now he's being blamed for shit he didn't do."

"Alright, just finish up with that and then you can go talk to him, alright?"

--Later--

"Where are you keeping him?" Rebecca asked, as she and Jonas walked down a long hallway towards where Billy was being held.

"A observation cell. You can eat lunch together." Jonas replied.

"Gee, you're being so hospitable now. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Would you rather eat alone? It can be arranged."

"No."

There weren't any other people walking around, which seemed suspicious to Rebecca. Just what kind of base was this?

"Alright, we're here. Now remember, he's under arrest, and anything he says can and will be used against him. So watch your words." Jonas warned.

"I don't have to worry about that because he's innocent." Rebecca insisted.

"Whatever you say."

Jonas unlocked the door to a dark looking room with no windows, just a mirror. Billy was sitting on a chair, staring at the table. "Billy!" Rebecca exclaimed, running over to him. His head shot up, as if he had began to fall asleep.

"Becky? What are you doing here?" He asked, standing up to give her a hug.

"They took me in too. They made me write down everything I knew about you, and everything that happened when we met."

"I hope you don't get yourself in trouble by covering for me."

"How would I? I just told the truth."

"What about me being a criminal, and you not arresting me and all that bullshit?" Billy asked.

"I just said that I was a rookie, and that I'd rather be with someone than be all on my own. If they can't believe that, then..." Rebecca replied.

"How have they been treating you?"

"Alright, I guess. I wish I knew what was going on. They can't just take someone against their will and drug them."

"They drugged you?"

Rebecca revealed the puncture wound on her neck. "Yeah, it was some kind of sedative so I'd shut up I guess. But this is illegal. I want to get out of here." She answered.

"I'm sorry you have to be here because of me." Billy apologized.

"It's better than being alone, isn't it?" She smiled.

"Yeah...hey, up, did you do what I asked..?"

"No, I couldn't. They scooped me up and tossed me into a cell. But I think I have a plan."

"And what's that?"

"Well, you and your mother don't have a great relationship, right?" Rebecca began.

"Yeah, and?" Billy said slowly.

"Well, if they bring her here, and let her talk to you, and...interrogate you, and if she believes that you're innocent, despite her not really liking you, then that might convince them that you're innocent too."

"That's a long shot..."

"I know. But I can't think of anything else. I mean, I could call Chris, but I don't know what he'll be able to do."

"He might be able to get you out of here, at least."

"That's not enough. I want these people to leave you the fuck alone." Rebecca exclaimed at the mirror. She knew they were behind there, listening.

"You and me both, babe." Billy replied.

"God I'm starving...they said we can eat together."

"How nice of them."

"Yeah, right? So what have they done with you?"

"Ah...asked me a bunch of questions, beat me around a bit. Nothing much."

"Oh my God, are you alright?"

Billy shrugged it off. "Yeah, you probably could hurt me more than them."

"Don't piss them off more. I'll find you a good lawyer, and we'll solve this somehow."

The door to the cell opened, and two guards walked in with trays of food and placed them on the table. "When can I make a phone call?" Rebecca asked.

"When we say you can." One of them replied, closing the door quickly.

"This is ridiculous." She sighed, looking down at the small meal.

"What the hell is this? A cheese sandwich? I haven't had a cheese sandwich since elementary school." Billy spat, slapping the sandwich back on the plate.

"I wasn't exactly expecting a sirloin steak but...water, a cheese sandwich, and an apple. Wow. Where are our tax dollars going to?"

"Billion dollar planes. This country sickens me."

"Billy, don't. You'll just piss them off, and they won't show you any mercy."

"I don't want mercy! I want to get the fuck out of here!"

He got up from the table and went over to the mirror. "You hear me, assholes? Let me out!" He shouted, shoving his middle finger against the glass before turning to pace around the room. An officer entered the room and approached Billy.

"You need to relax. We've called your mother, and she's on her way. And she's _very_ disappointed in you." The man sneered. Rebecca saw Billy clench his fists.

"Billy, don't." She warned. "Leave him alone. Get out of here if you've got nothing important to say." She said to the man.

"We're gonna lock you up for life, punk. Enjoy you're girl here while you can."

"Get the fuck out of my face or I swear to God--"

Ignoring Billy's threat, the man turned, smiled sweetly at Rebecca, and left. "Dirty son of a bitch." Billy spat, slamming down into the chair.

"You need to try to calm down. They're doing this on purpose. Even if they can't incarcerate you because of what happened in Africa, if you attack on officer, you'll get locked up." Rebecca said softly.

"Yeah, I know. They called my mom, just like I thought. Man, I haven't seen her in years."

"I wonder what she's going to say when she see's you."

"She'll probably slap me, and shove me and yell at me and accuse me of murder before settling down and actually listening to me."

--A Few Hours Later--

Rebecca was lightly sleeping back in her cell when she was woken by a loud bang. It was a man, not Jones, someone else. He grabbed Rebecca by the arm and yanked her up. "Hey, what are you doing?!" She exclaimed, as he dragged her into the hallway.

"Shut up." He replied.

"Where are you taking me?!"

"I said shut up. I'm doing you a favor."

Rebecca continued to scream and grunt and try to break free from the man's iron grasp. He pulled open a door and shoved Rebecca into a small room. It was the viewing room. She could see Billy sitting at a table, and a woman sitting across from him. "Why...why are you showing me this?" Rebecca asked.

"Like I said, I'm doing you a favor." The man replied, standing guard at the door.

"But why?"

"I knew Billy back when he was still a Marine, and he's a good guy. I figured it'd be good for you to see this."

"I take it no one knows that you knew him."

"Of course not. I don't want to go to trial, and I don't want them to threaten me into lying about it."

"When did she get here?" Rebecca asked lowly.

"A few minutes ago. She really hates him." The man replied, flipping a switch that would allow them to hear the conversation in the other room.

"What are you doing here?" Billy asked, crossing his arms.

"What do you think? My son winds up in prison, do you think I'm just going to sit at home and ignore it?" His mother replied quickly.

"You've ignored me up until now."

"So what?! You killed my husband!"

"Did I, Ma? Wasn't it you who insisted on not letting him have two helmets? Wasn't it you who forbid me to ride his bike? God, are you retarded or something? I was a teenager, who idolized his father, who had an awesome motorcycle. Did you really think that he wouldn't let me ride it?!"

"He promised me he wouldn't."

"And you believed him? He loved me, too you know." Billy scoffed.

"Sometimes I wonder why." His mother retorted.

"Leave. Get the fuck out of my face if this is all you're going to do."

"Why don't you tell me about these murders?"

"You've already decided that I'm guilty, haven't you?"

"What happened."

Billy sighed. "The company I was in in the Marines, they killed a group of innocent people. When I tried to stop my Captain, he knocked me out and proceeded to kill." He replied.

"You didn't kill anyone?" His mother questioned.

"Why would I? We'd been walking in the damn jungle for days, with nothing but water and nuts to eat. When we got there, all I wanted to do was sit my ass down and rest. I had no reason to shoot up the place."

"You've had a temper since you were a kid. I was worried you'd get arrested for burning your school down when you were 12. Why should I believe you wouldn't take the opportunity to kill people, when you were ordered to?"

"You have so little faith in me. Dad raised me so well. You seemed to forget he was my father." Billy muttered.

"Where have you been? Why haven't you called me?"

"Why the hell should I? You hate me! And how did I know that you weren't after me cause you heard about what happened in Africa? I thought you'd turn me in."

"Are you guilty?"

"No!"

"Are you guilty?!"

"No!"

"Swear on your father's grave!"

Billy jumped up from his chair and slammed his hands down on the table. "I swear on Dad's fucking grave that I didn't kill one goddamn soul!" He shouted at her. "You happy now?!"

The woman stood up, and knocked on the door that led out of the room. The door opened, and a officer appeared. "My boy is innocent. You let him go immediately, or you'll be speaking with my lawyers." She said, before walking out of the room.