August 22, 1998

Alex yawned, running a hand through her hair. It was 3:00 in the morning and the streets were empty. It could have something to do with heavy downpour that had been plaguing Raccoon for three days, or it might have something to do with the recent murders. Kent had reassured her that there was nothing to worry about that everything was going fine at the labs. That did not make her feel better about the whole situation. Nor did she feel very good about the meeting she was currently driving to. Despite her orders to watch the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members, she had little doubt that meeting with Chris in the early hours of the morning wasn't part of her assignment….

Chris brushed aside the curtains. The street was empty, no sign of Alex. The rain had picked up about an hour ago, turning from a clod drizzle into a freezing downpour. Absently, Chris hoped Alex was being carful…in case the roads were slick.

"Do you really think she's going to show up?" Jill asked, from the couch. "I mean, she does work for Umbrella."

"I hope she does." Chris sighed, as he let the curtains fall back into place. "She's been hanging around the station for what…over a week now?"

Jill nodded, returning her attention to a magazine laying in her lap. Chris had his suspicions about why Alex had been hanging around the station. He assumed she'd been sent by her employers to keep an eye on them. She got one helluva show, that was for sure.

Chris had been sent on a leave of absence as of the 1`5th, for continuing to rail against Umbrella. Thought he doubted popping Irons in the mouth during a press conference helped his career any. Not that it mattered much, he'd be leaving in a day or two and he needed Alex's help. That's if he could convince her to abandon her position with Umbrella.

The sound of a car pulling into his driveway made him stiffen. His hand slipped behind his back to clutch the 9mm he'd started carrying on him since the Spencer Incident. He pushed the curtains aside and relaxed slightly as Alex climbed out of her Buick and walked slowly toward the door. A second later, a soft yet firm, knock echoed in the small living room. Jill glanced up from her magazine, eyes darting to the front door. Barry inched out of the kitchen, his magnum clutched loosely in his hand. Chris walked to the door and pulled it open. Alex greeted him with a smile, water running down her face and her long black coat. They stood there, staring at each other for several seconds. Chris noticed she was wearing her sunglasses, despite the darkness outside. Alex cocked her head, her wet hair flopping lifelessly against her face.

"Can I come in, or do you intend to drown me out here?"

"Sorry, come in." Chris stepped aside. Alex flashed him a second smile and stepped into the living room. Her mood darkened slightly as she finally noticed Barry and Jill.

"Didn't know it was going to be a party."

"More like a meeting.", Jill said coolly, relaxing her grip on the berretta on her lap. "An important one."

Alex shrugged, pulling off her jacket. She looked around for a moment, before dropping it on a chair near the door. She wiped her wet hands on her jeans and flopped down in one of the chairs. Barry tucked his magnum behind his back and sat down next to Jill on the couch. Chris didn't miss the small bulge at Alex's side. The slightly damp black silk dress shirt she was wearing wasn't helping to hide it in the slightest, despite that fact is looked to be at least a size to big. Briefly, Chris wondered if it had at one time belonged to the Captain. Either way, as she shifted herself he saw the flash of a holster at her waist and assumed it was the berretta she always carried.

"So is there a reason you called me?"

Alex's voice was a bit cold, with a touch of anger to it. Jill shivered slightly. Chris understood why, Alex sounded eerily like her brother. Her gaze shifted from Jill to himself. Chris moved across the floor and sat down in a chair to her right.

"We…well I have a proposition for you."

"And what would that be?"

"I want your help, to stop Umbrella."

Chris watched her carefully, gauging her reaction. Alex seemed to think it over for a moment, then abruptly stood up and moved toward the door. Chris managed to intercept her, planting himself between the door and her. She looked up at him adjusting her glasses slightly. The small gesture reminded him so much of the Captain, it made him sick.

"Chris I would appreciate it if you move out of my way."

"Not until you've heard me out."

"There is nothing more to hear. You want to overthrow Umbrella. I work for Umbrella. I'm sure you can see the problem."

"Your brother didn't have a problem with betraying Umbrella."

"That was my brother, not me."

"Look Alex, you know things about Umbrella." Chris pleaded. "If you would just help us."

Chris hated to sound like he was begging, but they needed the help. They needed someone that knew how Umbrella ran, knew their ways…more importantly, knew their security system.

"No."

"Why?" It was the only thing Barry had said during the entire fiasco.

"I have my reasons"

"What, you enjoy killing innocent people?" The amazement in Jill's voice overran any anger their might have been.

"I've killed many things Miss Valentine. Hunters, zombies, some things you three have never even seen. "

"And you don't care on bit about the innocent people Umbrella has stepped on along the way, do you?" Chris couldn't keep the accusations out of his tone, no matter how hard he tried.

"I just clean up the messes and keep people alive."

"So what happened at the Mansion, drop the ball did we?" Jill seemed to take bit of enjoyment from Alex's discomfort.

"I don't know. I wasn't in charge of that installation."

The way she said it, made Chris think there could be other labs in Raccoon.

"So I was right, there are other labs. Including one that is working on something called "G"

"Chris, you have been a busy boy." Alex finally pushed her glasses onto her head, looking him over with those piercing blue eyes. "However a word of advice. If you value your neck, you'll keep your nose away from anything having to do with the G-Virus. Now if you'll excuse me."

Alex moved past him, grabbed her coat from the chair, and reached for the door. Chris didn't really have an idea of what he was doing, until he spun around ,and grabbed her by the arm. A second later, he was looking down the barrel of a Desert Eagle. The bulge was still under her shirt, meaning she had apparently been carrying a second weapon he had not noticed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jill and Barry pull their respective weapons. Alex's eyes narrowed as she clicked back the hammer to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.

"Chris, I like you. That said, I don't want to know what your plans are. From the look of things…"She nodded toward a stack of papers on the table. "…you're leaving Raccoon. Smart move, as I've been keeping track of your movements for several days now. As of right now, neither I nor Umbrella have any idea where you are going or what you plan on doing. If you want it to stay that way, I suggest you leave me alone. ."

Alex lowered the weapon and slipped it back into her coat as she turned back to the door.

"You'll protect Chris, but you won't leave Umbrella, why?"

The confusion in Jill's voice was obvious. Alex stopped, but didn't turn.

"I want you to think about something very carefully. If I wasn't around to contain all those zombies and monsters do you realize how many people would be dead now? I haven't lost a single person I've been assigned to protect, nor have I ever lost a single installation that I was in charge of."

"That doesn't explain why you've been protecting Chris?" Barry asked, finally lowering his weapon.

"I wouldn't call it protecting. Yes, I've reported every movement that Chris and the rest of you have made." She shrugged. "Perhaps I haven't dug as deeply into his comings and goings as I could have."

"But why? If you feel that strongly about your job why risk it for me?"

Chris was thoroughly confused at this point. She talked about her position with Umbrella like he used to talk about his position in S.T.A.R.S., with pride. Why the hell would she risk it for him, when only seconds ago she was pointing a gun at his head.

"Because you remind me of Albert, before he worked for Umbrella." She pulled the door open and started to step back into the rain, but stopped again "If you do manage to bring down Umbrella I'll look forward to seeing you at my trial"

The door shut behind her with a soft click and a minute later they heard her car pulling out of the driveway.

"Do you think she'll say anything to Umbrella about this?" Jill asked, her tone going serious.

"No."

Chris wasn't sure of a great many things, but he was sure that Alex wouldn't say a word about what had happened…