A/N: Oh, my God... Honto ni gomen! I didn't think that I would be so busy! Anyway, for those of you who will continue to read, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I really didn't think it would take me SOOO LONG! Oh, boy... but anyway, this is, of course, Chapter 5. Um.. yeah.. I've taken enough time as it is... just read. Gomen nasai...

'Thoughts'

Resident Evil: Simply Murder

Chapter 5

Claire continued to stare into the chamber in disbelief as Chris looked around, finding the control panel.

"Damn! Why can't there be a button that says 'open'?" Just as Carlos peered in, the figure inside stirred, causing him to jump back.

"AH! He opened his eyes!"

"Got it!" The lid opened; smoke emitting and crawling along the floor. The person leaned up, looking around. His skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat as if he was in a steam room and his expression was stern but exhausted. Claire crept closer, kneeling down next to him.

"Steve...?" He looked down at her for a minute before emerging from the pod. His outfit consisted of a black T-shirt with a dragon etched in white down the front with a black button-up with red flames at the base and all the buttons undone. He had black, baggy pants, lace-up boots, and his trademark wrist buckles. Claire stood, running in front of him. "Steve?" His expression remained the same, him staring at her dully. "Steve? Are you okay? You have no idea how happy I am to see that you're alive."

"Hey, Chris, that's the kid you told us about?" Leon whispered.

"Yeah, I guess. But...."

"Steve? Say something." He continued to stare. "Steve, you're scaring me. Is something wrong?" He tilted his head at this point, giving her a funny look.

"Who are you?" Claire paled, pupils shrinking.

"W-what?" He shifted his weight, crossing his arms, now more awake.

"Who are you?" She shifted her weight a bit, feeling a little uncomfortable under his intense, yet seemingly annoyed gaze.

"You don't remember me? I'm Claire. We met at Rockfort Island, Alfred Ashford, he ----" Steve gave her a stern look, uncrossing his arms.

"Look, I know who he is. How do you know? Were you on the island too? How did you escape?" Claire couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked at him nervously, stuttering her words.

"Steve..... I-I was with you the whole time.... we... we escaped together..." He gave her a sour look.

"Uhhh.... no."

"But---" He held up his hand.

"I said no."

'Umbrella bastards. What did they do to him?!'

"Claire...?" She looked at her brother, still in some slight shock.

"Chris, didn't Wesker say that his 'organization' had him. He-- that report!" Saki , who was standing near her at the moment, jumped at her sudden exclamation.

"What? What report?" Chris asked.

"I found a report about Alexia Ashford on Mitch's computer. That's what it was talking about..."

"Chris?" Chris snapped his head in the direction the voice came from, finding Steve looking at him intently.

"Um...yes?" Steve narrowed in eyes in thought, pointing at him weakly.
"You're Chris Redfield. I've... I've heard of you before." Claire grit her teeth, closing her eyes.

"Yeah, from me." Steve glared at her.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Claire Redfield!!!!"

"It's not ringing a bell!!" he snapped. Chris came up, resting a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Okay, okay. Break it up," Carlos said, stepping between them. "You guys fight like you're married." Claire's face reddened, turning and crossing her arms.

"Okay, on a lighter note: the penguins are gone," Leon said, peering out the tiny window. Saki looked at him, walking closer to the door. Steve raised an eyebrow, a look of confusion on his fine features.

"Penguins?"

"Long story, Steve," Chris replied. Carlos threw his hands up, walking up next to Leon who was still holding up the door.

"Let's get outta here, man," he said, "I'm not liking the aquarium from Hell."

"I agree," Chris said. He then turned to Steve. "Steve, are you coming with us?"

"Whatever. Better then being locked in that coffin. By the way, thanks."
"Don't mention it. Hey , Leon, can you move that door?" Leon scoffed.

"Thanks to that stupid virus."

"You too?" Leon turned his attention to Steve. "I have one of those freaky viruses too."

"The T-Veronica virus," Claire said flatly.

"How do you know that?!" She growled, rolling her eyes in frustration.

"Claire, calm down."
"Shut up, Carlos!" Steve shook his head, turning back to Leon and Chris.

"Anyway, could we stop somewhere before we leave? I know where the serums are." The ex-cop's intense hearing served him well, causing him to shift slightly as he turned to face Steve.

"Serums?" Leon's attention was undivided now. "Serums for what?"

"All the crap they have as far as I know." Claire perked up.

"That's true, Leon. The files I found claim Mitch made a cure." She pulled out the disk she had made, handing it to her brother. "This is almost everything on Mitch's computer."

"Almost?"

"We don't need Solitaire, Chris." He took the disk, examining it a bit before putting it in his side pack.

"This is everything?"

"There wasn't much. But I found the files specifically on the G-Virus and they made an antidote," Claire finished. Leon was startled as Saki glomped him, almost causing him to lose a slight his grip on the door.

"See, Leon-koi, you'll be okay," she exclaimed.

'I can only hope,' he thought, his face stern. Saki paused, giving him a worried look.

"Leon? Leon, are you okay?" He blinked, snapping out of his trance.

"Huh? Yeah, let's get out of here..." Armed and waiting, they watched as Leon pulled the door away, revealing an empty hall. Remaining brains from whatever penguins they had shot from before littered the floor and some of the wall. Also, the stench remained.

"Smells like the mansion," Chris muttered.

"They really left," Leon said, looking around.

"You were guessing?" Saki asked. Leon blushed a bit, being caught.

"Well, see, it's hard to see out of that window and it's kinda hard while holding the door up so... maybe. It's more of an educated guess from my limited view," he explained, causing her to laugh. Claire made a face at the sight of the mess.

"Poor penguins..."

"Claire."

"Carlos!" He sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I give up..." They walked out, scanning for movement, guns ready. After checking the hall, Chris turned to the newcomer.

"Well, Steve, lead the way." Steve cracked his knuckles, getting in front and looking at the group.

"You got it. But.. uh..," he looked around at them, "do you guys have an extra gun or something?"

"Sorry, we don't have any full automatics," Claire sneered. Steve backed up near Carlos and Leon, keeping his eye on the crazed redhead.

"What's with her?" Steve asked.

"Maybe it's her 'time of the month' or something," Carlos murmured, causing Leon to stifle a laugh. Saki shook her head in disgust.

"No, Steve, we don't. Sorry," Chris said.

"No, here. Use mine," Carlos said, handing him his gun. He pulled out the Remington, grinning. "Still has a few rounds left."

"Right, here we go."

"Hopefully, we won't run into any of those Hunters," Carlos said, shuddering. "Things are gonna give me nightmares for weeks."

"Or those poor penguins."

"Claire," came the chorus.

---

"Perfect." Mitch was in the boiler room, setting the water pressure. "Now the compound will flood. My beautiful creations, you will be free. Free to roam the world." He laughed to himself, preparing to leave. "Now I just need to get rid of those people and Wesker." He hurried down the empty hall, stopping at his office. Once he noticed that things were moved, he started to panic. "No, they didn't." He raced over to the computer, hitting a few buttons to find a mid-game of Solitaire. "NO! They have my research! All of it!"

"Have all what research?" Mitch spun around.

"Wesker!" He walked in a bit, surveying the room.

"That would be me. What's the problem?"

"Those sons of a bitches have all my work on the G-Virus and the G-Tyrant Program!" He nervously ran a hand through his hair. "I remember what's in it, but they have a copy. I need to destroy it! Nobody can have it! Wesker, I want you get it from them. Destroy it! Destroy them!" Wesker gave a deep sigh, scanning the room once more before looking at Mitch. He didn't understand why he'd decided to put up with this but he was too far in to back out now.

"Very well. At least I get to kill someone," he murmured, looking at the crazed man over his shades. "Consider it done." Replacing his sunglasses, he left the room. "And that someone will finally be Chris."

"Stupid bastards... that belongs to me. I want it back. I hate them! All of them!" Mitch took a deep breath, calming himself. "They're all going to die. Then no one will have my virus."

---

"This should be the room." The group entered, scanning for movement.

"Ah... more fish," Saki murmured, peering into the tank that covered the fall wall. "Evil fish..." Leon chuckled, causing her to blush furiously. "Don't you agree?" He nodded, remembering how Wesker pushed him into the water. He then shuddered upon remembering the feeling of that horrible fish under him, waiting to swallow him whole. He was also beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get used to these repeated brushes with death. Shaking that thought off, he looked over at the cute, ruby-eyed girl before him, coming up and lifting her shirt slightly, catching her off guard. She gasped, reflexively knocking his hand away.

"How's your hip?" He asked, ignoring her swatting.

"I'm okay..." she murmured, blushing harder.

"Okay, that's enough flirting. Let's find these serums," Carlos said, smirking. Steve came up to a cabinet that covered the wall. Opening the door, he groaned upon seeing a good number of potions.

"Oh, man... This isn't cool. How the hell are we suppose to know what's what?"

"Hey, look at this," Chris said, pointing to the far left. There was a small strip of letters, one next to each row. "It's like a grid. And there's numbers at the top." Saki picked up a clipboard from one of the desks, scanning through it.

"Here's the list." She searched the numerous names. "G-21, Chris."

"What's that?"

"G-Virus serum and... V-19, T-Veronica antidote." Claire came up, swiping the clipboard from her grasp. "Hey!"

"Then what the hell's the rest of it?" Saki gave her a death glare. Leon walked up, rubbing her head before turning to Chris.

"Well, I'm ready. Hook me up. This stuff's been fighting me for awhile." Saki glanced at him from the corner of her eye, noticing something.

"Leon! All your cuts are healed."

"That's the only good thing," he said, frowning.

"Please don't hurt me, Carlos," Steve said, watching Carlos check for air bubbles in the needle before turning toward him.

"Oh, quit your whining and calm down." He set the needle down, tying an elastic band around the boy's arm and searching for a vein.

"I'm not whining," Steve muttered, his eyes wandering off.

"Yeah, yeah, hold still." Chris shook his head, looking over at Leon.

"Ready?"

"Always." He walked up to Leon, grabbing the elastic band from Carlos once he'd untied it from Steve's arm.

"OW! C'mon, Carlos, that hurt."

"You're whining again." Steve sighed, looking at the fish swimming in the tank.

"Leon, why don't you sit down," Chris suggested, walking over to the cabinet and grabbing G-21. Leon did as he was told, feeling a bit tired anyway. Saki came over, wrapping her arms around Leon from behind, kissing his head.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I will be in a minute." Claire grunted in disgust before continuing to look through the list she'd taken from the ruby-eyed girl. Frustrated, she wandered over to one of the computers, searching the files.

"Hm... Well, apparently most of those vials are duds. They wanted to keep them to go over what they did wrong. Being how those were the last ones, they're okay," Claire muttered, still reading from the computer. Chris found a vein, grabbing the needle and getting it ready. Once he was, he noticed Leon wasn't looking at him.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I- I'm just not comfortable with needles," he replied, head still turned. He was looking at Saki who was leafing through a random book. Once she noticed he was staring at her, she came over, kneeling down.

"Afraid of needles? You've been fighting zombies, Hunters and --" Leon gave him a bit of a glare.

"I'm not comfortable with them as much anymore. I've never had a big problem, but when you see Mitch standing there... just waiting... to ... Look, okay, needles are not on my good side right now," he stated, looking at Saki again. She frowned, kissing his hand.

"Okay, chill. This is just gonna sting for a second." Nodding, Leon closed his eye, flinching once he felt it pierce his skin.

---

"Okay, I've destroyed all the results and anything that will lead to me should be disposed of..." Mitch continued to mutter to himself as he stormed down the hall, carrying a small, steel briefcase. "Hopefully, Wesker will kill those bastards and then..." He grinned, weapon sticking slightly out of his lab coat from his belt. "I just have to turn on the machines that start the water pressure sequence." He walked into the said room and proceeded to enter the code. "Done. Now for Wesker."

"Where should we go now?" Mitch froze, grasping onto the briefcase.

"Where's the door we came through?"

"We can't go that way." Mitch's eyes widened, recognizing the last voice immediately.

'Leon!'

"Why?"

"Iie! We can't go that way!"

"What's the matter with Saki?"

"Long story." He peered out, seeing that they had already passed him. Saki clutched onto Leon's arm, causing him to chuckled. "It's okay. We won't go that way. Not unless you guys are up for a swim?"

"Hell, no! There's a shark, isn't there? I've had enough shark for one day!" Carlos snapped.

"Okay, Carlos. It's okay," Chris said, patting his shoulder. Mitch smiled, making sure his weapons were ready.

"Leon!" The said person froze, gritting his teeth. "I want you to kill them," Mitch commanded, coming into view. "Kill them all. I order you to." The group froze, gazing at Leon, hoping the virus still didn't have a hold on him. He smirked, turning to face the mad scientist, crossing his arms over his bare chest .

"I don't think so."

"What?" Leon's eyes were a dark shade of purple, a sign that the virus, though strong, was dying. "You son of a bitch, you fou--" His eyes darted over, noticing something. "You!" He pointed towards his target. "How did you escape? Did they let you out?!" Steve glared, aiming his gun at him.

"What's it to you? I'm leaving with them and you can't stop us!" Mitch practically had a vein popping out of his forehead.

'How could this happen? All my work! Damn it all!'

"Where's Jack?" Claire demanded. Mitch blinked, realization coming over him.

"What? Why the hell would you--- That traitorous bastard! I knew it! I should have killed him when I had the chance a long time ago! This is his fault!" Mitch dug into his lab coat, causing the others to tense. He pulled out a tiny grenade, smiling. The group flinched, a few of them backing away.

"What the---!!"

"Good-bye.." He pulled the pin, throwing it. "And don't worry, Jack and Wesker will join you soon enough!" He cackled, running off.

"Shit!" They all turned, running like hell. As it went off, they went flying, some hitting into the upcoming wall. Looking back, Chris could see the fire that was slowly making its way toward them, spreading.

"You guys okay? Do I need a head count?" Chris asked, getting up and dusting himself off.

"For God's sake, Chris, define it," Saki murmured, leaning up.

"Well, we're alive if that's what you mean," Steve confirmed, rubbing his head.

"Can I just stay like this?" They turned to find Leon lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Saki stood, leaning over him.

"You want to stay here?"

"Good point," he replied. She smiled, holding out her hand, helping him up. Once up, he dusted his pants off, glancing at the others.

"You're not burned, are you? You still need a shirt." He shook his head, watching Saki give a relieved sigh.

"Are you complaining?" She blushed.

"No, I n-never said anything like that." Claire sighed in disgust, earning a glare from the ruby-eyed girl. "Do you have a problem?"

"Maybe."

"Jealous," Saki muttered.

"Excuse me?!" Leon went a bit wide-eyed, stepping in front of Saki, facing Claire.

"Hey! Calm down! We almost died just now and you two are fighting."

"Cat fight," Carlos whispered, earning his own glare from Leon, "Hey, what?"

"She started it!" Claire screamed, pointed behind the ex-cop.

"Iie, you did."

"We're in the middle of a disease-ridden complex. Can we leave?" Steve interjected.

"Yes, please." Carlos came up next to Leon.

"They're fighting over you," he whispered, causing him to blush.

"I realize that!" He sighed, blushing harder. "Okay! Now that bastard is getting away. What are we going to do because fighting with each other isn't very productive!" The fight quieted, all eyes now on Leon.

"Hey, man, calm down." He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

"I'm okay..."

"But he's right," Steve started, "What are we going do?"

"We can't go out the way we came, not unless we find another way to get there. Saki and I ran into Wesker and now there's a shark loose over there."

"Well, unless we find some sort of map, we'll have to wander for now."

"I hate wandering," Claire whined, stomping her foot for emphasis.

"Have no choice."

"Wonderful," she muttered with great sarcasm. Slight growling caught their attention as they turned noticing that the penguins had returned. They froze, hoping that they would pass by.

"I take it those are those penguins you were talking about," Steve whispered, barely moving an inch.

"Yeah," Saki squeaked back. The flock started toward them.

"Shit! Run!" They took off, randomly firing at them.

"So much for wandering," Steve puffed.

"Nah, this is speed wandering."

"Oh, give it a rest, Carlos," Claire snapped. They raced down the narrow hall, passing numerous doors finally going into the one at the end. Once out, they slammed the door shut, Leon and Chris leaning against it. Steve leaned on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Leon looked up, recognizing the room immediately. To be sure he got off the door, looking at it to find the carving of Genbu, the tortoise/serpent etched into it.

"Genbu. This is perfect, we can leave," Leon said between gasps of air.

"Genbu? What the hell's a Genbu?"

"Saki told me about it. He's a god that helped protect ancient China. It's a myth, right, Saki?" Silence. "Saki?!"

"Where is she?"

"No, she was with us. Running away from those things with us...," Leon whispered.

"What if she's still in there?"

"You've been wrong on each one of your assumptions, Carlos, but this time," Chris looked at the door," I think you may be right."

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?!" Leon went to open the door, Chris stopping him.

"Wait. Even if she is in there, we know for a fact those things didn't get her. We have to wait for them to leave."

"I don't care! I'll go alone."

"Leave her. She's not important anyway." Leon froze, slowly turning to face Claire.

"What did you just say?" Though clearly pissed, Claire was still startled by how cold his voice sounded.

"We came for the information. Not some little girl." That was it. Leon stalked up, Chris having missed grabbing him, and slapped her. She kept her face turned as he started screaming at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Just some little girl?! Even if that was all she was, what about Sherry Birkin in Raccoon City? She is a little girl! Yet you went out on a limb to get her to safety. So, you better listen and listen good. Saki is more important to me then you can even comprehend. Now I'm going to save someone. Sorry, Redfield, but it's my turn to steal the spotlight." With that, he whirled around to find everyone else staring at him. "What?" They backed off. They then froze as the P.A. system came to life.

---

Saki's muffled scream was lost in Wesker's hand as he dragged her down the hall. Finally, he let her go, drawing his gun. She gasped for air, eyeing the weapon now aimed at her chest. Wesker had heard them running down the hall and managed to snag her as she passed the door he was in.

"What did Mitch say?" He demanded, taking off his shades to see better in the dim lighting. Saki's eyes widened upon seeing his cat-like eyes. He pushed her with the gun a bit, gaining her attention. "Well?"

"What?"

"He said he was going to get rid of me, right?" She nodded slowly, keeping her gaze on him. He laughed at the cruel irony, finally turning his attention back to his hostage. "In any case, where's Leon?"

"He was with me. You didn't see him?"

" 'Fraid not. Oh, well. He'll come soon enough. He did promise not to leave you after all." Saki glared a bit, yelping as he grabbed her wrist, dragging her further. He squeezed, nearly crushing it.

"Wha- ow, what is it you want?" Tears sprang to her eyes in pain.

"Personally, all of you dead." She tensed a bit, feeling uneasy. "But I need those viruses and their antidotes."

"So why do you need Leon?" They entered a large boiler room, random machines emitting smoke and steam as they passed. They continued across the wide room, Saki trying to pull her wrist away every now and then. He suddenly stopped, looking at her.

"Well, normally, I would say its none of your business but you probably aren't going to live very long..." He smirked at the look of terror in her face. "The virus."

"But he's cured." He started walking again, dragging her.

"Doesn't matter. I know some people who'd want to examine him." She glared at him, suppressing an urge to hit him.

"So he's just a lab rat!"

"Life's a bitch, sweetheart." She rolled her eyes, tripping slightly.

"Oh, yeah. That's real charming," she replied with a sigh. "Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere."

"Damn you and your smart ass answers," she snapped, trying to free herself. They came up to a doorway, Wesker pulling her in front of himself. He traced her jaw line with the barrel of the gun, seeing she was shaking visibly.

"You will behave, won't you?" She slapped him. As he turned back to face her, he gave her a feral grin. "Hm... I like you..." He slammed her up against the door they were in front of. She grunted as her head hit hard, making her dizzy. "That wasn't very nice, you know."

"Go to hell...," she spat.

"Already there, dear. Though," he began kissing her neck, feeling her tense up, "you could change that."

"G-get off of me! Hentai! Y-yamero!" She kneed him in the gut, not only making him stop but causing him lose his breath.

"Very nice, indeed," he mumbled, looking down at her. "I'll just make Leon pay for it instead. Wouldn't want to hurt a pretty girl like you."

"Wh- what are you talking about? Make him pay?" He roughly grabbed her shoulders, bringing her close. He ignored her questions.

"You and I could have a lot of fun," he said, giving her a once over. She glared, fidgeting in his grasp, causing him to chuckle evilly. "My, my how cute you are when you're angry," he exclaimed, throwing her through the now open doorway. Being it was automated; he closed it, entering the locking code.

"What the hell are you doing?! Let me out, Wesker!!!" Her cries were muffled to him. He turned, laughing as he walked away.

"Don't worry, I'll be back." He chambered a round as he reached the hall once again. "Now then, where is that damn--"

"Wesker!"

"Found him," he mumbled, doing a 180 back into the boiler room, finding Mitch up in the middle of one of the catwalks. "Mitch, there you are. I was hoping you would point me in Redfield's direction."

"Haven't seen them."

"Hmm..." He eyed Mitch's briefcase. "So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be prepping our escape?"

"Oh, I did. It's on the east side, waiting. I was... uh... looking for you." He put the briefcase down to rub his arm, pretending it was heavy.

"Well, then, I guess I don't need you anymore." With that, before Mitch had a chance to grab his weapon, Wesker fired; the shot hitting Mitch's right shoulder.

"AH!!!! You son of a bitch!!! What are you doing?!" Saki looked out, seeing Mitch clutching his arm and Wesker aiming his gun at him.

"People are so easy to play," Wesker murmured to himself more then to Mitch.

"Wesker, you--" He fired again, disabling his other arm. "Bastard...! Double-crossing son of a bitch!"

"Who's double-crossing? I never worked for you from the start. You see, I broke my contract with Umbrella. In fact, main headquarters thinks I'm dead. I was just on a mission for my new employers."
"So Wesker was here for the G-Virus all along," Saki muttered to herself, "and now he wants Leon..."

"Nice working with you," he said with a smile. He fired twice, watching Mitch fall into the tank below the catwalk. Hearing screams, he looked over at where Saki was being kept. "Poor girl, now I've traumatized her... Oh, well." He chuckled, fetching the briefcase. "Now I have my getaway and the virus. Just one more thing..." There was a sudden blaring as the P.A. system coming to life, the female computerized voice giving the message.

"Attention. Please exit the complex. Ten minutes till detonation." He pulled his shades out, putting them on.

"Hmm.. more then enough time."

---

TBC...

Index: (Saki's Japanese)

Iie - no

-koi - added at the end of a name to show great affection

Hentai - pervert

Yamero – stop

A/N: And that's Chapter 5... turned out a little more R-rated then originally planned (Wesker... made him a little sexy...). Oh, well. So yes, it was Steve. I HAD to bring him back. I read both the book and played the game and cried both times. He was so cool. They always have to kill some of the best characters. Why couldn't they kill Claire instead? I hate her. The only reason she's here is because of her ties with the T-Veronica incident. Nothing more, nothing less. But anyway, hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner. I'm not sure if it will end up being the last one or not. We'll have to see.

Again, reviews are nice. They make me want to continue otherwise I see no real point. So, yes, they are greatly appreciated.

Ja ne,

Hotaru Sasaki