Sacrifices
Chapter 8: Truth or Consequences
Jill moaned, turning her face away from the bright light. She opened her eyes, slowly, trying to bring everything into focus. As her vision cleared, she attempted to lift her arms, but something was preventing it. Panic seized her as she picked her head up, pulling at the restraints that held her down.
"Tell him she's awake." A voice sounded to Jill's left. She looked over, seeing a woman in a lab coat standing several feet away. She heard a door close as she strained her neck to look behind her.
Unable to free herself, Jill began to take in her surroundings. She was strapped to a table, which sat in the middle of a small room. There were no windows, save for a large black panel in the wall to Jill's right, which appeared to be some kind of viewing screen. And although she couldn't see the door, she rightly assumed it was behind her.
She started pulling at the straps, experimentally, trying to find a way to loosen them, when she finally took in her own appearance. Dressed only in her jeans, black tank top and socks, she realized all of the transmitters must have been found. Which probably meant that no one knew where she was.
Oh, God…
A cool hand touched her forehead, making Jill cry out in surprise.
"Get your hands off me!" she shouted. The woman in the lad coat gave her a stern look.
"Settle down, or I'll give you another sedative", she responded, calmly. A small flashlight was shone in her eyes, making Jill flinch against the sudden brightness.
"Where am I?" Jill questioned. The woman continued to check her over, saying nothing. She jerked her head away from the probing hand.
"Where the hell am I?" she yelled. The woman gave her a look of impatience and reached into her pocket, removing a syringe. She made a point of removing the cap and pushing the plunger, expelling a small amount of fluid from the tip.
"Right now, young lady, you are in a room with someone who will not tolerate this kind of behavior." She held the needle to Jill's arm and leaned over her helpless patient. Jill could feel the needle breaking the surface of her skin as the older woman's face hovered above her, menacingly. "Do you understand, Gillian?"
The two women stared at each other for a moment, a test of wills being waged, as Jill's ragged breathing punctuated the silence. Finally, Jill relented, nodding her head in compliance. The last thing she wanted was to be unconscious in this woman's presence. The woman straightened up and recapped the needle.
"Good. Just remain calm, do as you're told, and we'll get along just fine." She dropped the syringe back into her coat pocket and started moving around the table, checking the straps that were holding Jill down.
The woman picked her head up as she heard the door open. The corners of the room were cast in shadow by the lights above her, but Jill knew who it was the moment she heard his voice.
"Hello, Doctor" he greeted. "I've just been informed that our guest has awakened." Jill's eyes followed him as he came forward to stand beside the table. "Well, Officer Valentine, it's a pleasure to see you again."
Jill looked at him with a puzzled expression. She had seen him somewhere before.
"Who are you?" she asked. He noticed the look on her face and smiled.
"I suppose I should be insulted that you don't recall our prior meeting, but, of course, it was a very busy time in your life, what with the Spencer debacle, corruption charges, and then your suspension from the police force." He paused, waiting to see if he had jogged her memory. "Although, I must say, your life has continued to move at an extremely hectic pace for some time now, hasn't it?"
Jill studied him, carefully. He was well over six feet tall, with a lean athletic build. His platinum blonde hair was kept neatly cropped. Instinctually, she thought he might have been in the military. But his eyes are what held her attention. They were a rich, green color. Almost like emeralds.
That was when she remembered.
"The hearing…" Her voice trailed off. He smiled, broadly.
"So, you do remember. Now, I should be flattered."
"You lied", she stated, flatly. He nodded.
"True. But, it was for a good cause." Jill looked at him in disbelief.
"A good cause?" she said, incredulously. "You told them we were taking bribes, you son of a bitch!" Jill lifted herself as far off the table as she could, violently jerking at the straps around her forearms.
"Now, now", he scolded. "You mustn't get yourself all worked up. Contrary to what you may believe, it was not our intention to do you any real harm. What happened at the Spencer estate was an accident, after all. If the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members had left well enough alone, we would never have attempted to destroy your careers. But, unfortunately, you persisted in your investigation, leaving us with little choice." Jill gave one final tug and dropped her head back to the table in frustration.
"Spare me the 'it was only an accident' story", she sighed. "You deliberately lured the police out there so you could gauge the performance of those abominations you created. The fact that our commanding officer was on your payroll made it very convenient. You could get the data you were looking for, and he would destroy all the evidence."
"Ah, yes…the mysterious Captain Wesker", he mused. Jill closed her eyes for a moment as her thoughts drifted back to the man who had almost killed her. His had been the ultimate betrayal. Her friends and teammates would still be alive if it weren't for Albert Wesker.
"There was nothing mysterious about him", she spat. "He was a traitorous bastard that would sell his own soul for a buck."
"You're right, of course. Still, he did get what was coming to him in the end, didn't he?" Jill decided to keep her recently acquired knowledge about Wesker to herself.
"And what about all the people in Raccoon City? Did they have it coming, too?"
"Another unfortunate accident. Once the virus made its way into the general public, the only way to stop it from spreading any further was to wipe out all traces of it. Umbrella did try to save all of the civilians in the city who were unaffected, but the virus spread much quicker than we had imagined. We even lost most of our own people in the process." Jill narrowed her eyes at him.
"Oh, you mean during 'Operation Watchdog'?" She knew by his expression that she had caught him by surprise, and it felt good.
"It appears that Colonel Ginovaef left out a few details of his encounter with you in Raccoon City." His tone belied a hint of respect.
"You needn't worry," Jill started, "Nicholai was the perfect killing machine Umbrella trained him to be. He murdered without remorse. You would have been proud." The man ignored Jill's sarcastic tone.
"He wasn't the only killing machine roaming around the city", he added. "And yet, somehow, you managed to outmaneuver them both. Your performance was quite impressive." Jill felt another swell of anger rising within her. She knew he was referring to that monster, that thing that had killed Brad right before her very eyes. A familiar pang of guilt flared up as she remembered that horrific moment. Although, logically, she knew there was nothing she could have done to save him, there was a part of her that believed she should have died trying.
"Someday, Umbrella will pay for what it's done" she responded, dully. "You can't honestly believe that you'll get away with killing thousands of innocent people. If I managed to escape, you can be sure a lot of others did, as well."
"The Colonel told us you had perished in the explosion", he announced.
"Wishful thinking", she shot back.
"Still, I can't help but wonder what other facts the Colonel may have, shall we say…embellished?" Jill remained silent. "Something else has come to light since your arrival here."
"What?" she asked. He glanced sideways at the doctor, who had been standing by, listening.
"You've been exposed to the T-Virus." Jill's steely facade began to slip.
"How do you know that?" she demanded.
"A simple blood test. Now, the question is, how did you survive?" Jill did not respond. He continued on. "There can only be one answer." He paused to bring his face down closer to Jill's. "Someone gave you the vaccine." Jill met his sharp gaze.
"You're right", she confirmed. "It was Nicholai. He had a change of heart and saved me." The man straightened up and grinned slightly.
"Very amusing. I see you have a sense of humor, Officer Valentine. That's good…because, you're going to need it." His expression turned serious.
"What do you want from me?" she questioned, trying to keep her voice steady.
"You have information", he answered, simply. "The good doctor here has been requested to extract that knowledge." He waved his hand toward the woman, who was now standing on the other side of the table, looking down at Jill. She reached a hand into the pocket of her lab coat and smiled. The same pocket she had placed the syringe, Jill noted, feeling a shudder run down her spine. She turned to look back at the man.
"I won't tell you anything", she said, defiantly, knowing it was a lie. His smile returned.
"Perhaps not. But, we'll never find out if I don't let the doctor get to work." He looked down at Jill and for a moment she thought she saw a look of sympathy in his eyes, until he smiled, and she realized it must have been her imagination. He turned and headed toward the door, pausing as his hand gripped the doorknob.
"I'll leave the two of you to get better acquainted." He closed the door quietly behind him. Jill looked up at the woman, feeling a knot of fear twisting in her stomach. The doctor pulled a tray over to the side of the table.
"Shall we get started?"
***
"Miss Ames!"
Claire realized that the desk clerk was calling to her. He had called out the name several times as she strode through the lobby, but she was not used to using an alias, and had been ignoring him. He finally came around from behind the desk and started after her. She turned to face him as he approached the elevator.
"Sorry", she offered. "I must have been a million miles away." The clerk smiled in understanding.
"No problem, Miss. I just wanted to give you this. It was left at the desk for you."
"Are you sure it's for me?" she questioned, a tone of suspicion in her voice. No one else knew she was here except for her travelling companions.
"Yes, I'm sure", he replied. "I came on duty late last night, just as the man dropped it off. His instructions were very specific."
"What man?" she asked.
"Mister Collins. Room 520. He gave it to me right after he checked out." Claire stared at the clerk for a moment. Something wasn't right here.
"About six foot two. With brown hair and blue eyes?" The clerk nodded.
"That sounds like him." Claire reached out and snatched the envelope from the young man's hand. The clerk glared at her in annoyance and turned to leave. She grabbed his arm as he turned away from her.
"What time did he check out." Her tone was almost frantic.
"Just before one a.m." He glanced down at her hand and she released him. "Will there be anything else?" Claire shook her head and slammed the elevator button.
***
"What do you mean he's gone?" Chris asked. "Gone where?" Claire turned her gaze to him.
"I don't know." She handed him the letter she read only moments earlier. Chris took it from her and read it aloud, so everyone gathered could hear.
"Claire. Sorry I had to run off like this, but I think I may have a way to find Jill. Unfortunately, I can't take the rest of you with me. I haven't had a chance to tell you about what's been going on in my life since we separated in Raccoon. I've been working with an organization that's trying to get rid of Umbrella. They're called the HCF. The work I've been doing hasn't exactly been legal, but at least I feel like I've been able to take action. After you left, I nearly went crazy waiting to hear from you, and worrying about Sherry's safety, when these people approached me about coming to work for them. I was pretty skeptical, at first, since their method of recruiting me wasn't very reassuring. But, after some time passed, I realized that it could be a long time before I heard from you again, if ever. I didn't want to sit on my ass and wait for some Umbrella goons to come knocking at my door. I needed to find a way to keep Sherry safe, and these people did that for me. I know this doesn't make a lot of sense right now, but I will explain everything as soon as I can. In the meantime, I left you a cell phone so I can contact you the minute I have anything to report on Jill's whereabouts. I also left a key for you. It's to a safety deposit box at a bank in Los Angeles. Sherry will know the one. I've been stashing away as much money as I can, just in case I ever needed it for a rainy day. If you don't get a call from me within forty-eight hours, then chances are you probably won't hear from me at all. In that case, be sure to take the money and use it to take care of Sherry. You're the only person I can trust, Claire. I know she'll be safe with you. I'm sure you're about ready to kick my ass right now, and hopefully, you'll be able to get that chance. Take care of yourself. And give Sherry a hug for me, even if she thinks she's getting too old for them. Leon." Chris finished reading the letter, but continued to stare at it, a frown forming on his face.
"Great. First Carlos, and now Leon", Barry muttered.
"What the hell is the 'HCF'?" Rebecca spoke up. Dick looked over at Claire.
"Can this guy really save my kid?" Claire reached out and took Sherry's hand, squeezing it tightly.
"If Leon says there's a chance, then I believe him", she responded, smiling at the younger girl. Sherry looked utterly miserable.
"He shouldn't have gone alone", she said, softly. Claire knelt down and wrapped her arms around Sherry.
"I'm supposed to give you this", she whispered, pulling her into a warm hug. "And don't worry about Leon. You know he always manages to land on his feet." She let go of Sherry and stood up, noticing that Chris was still staring at the letter. She walked over to stand in front of him. "What is it, Chris?" He picked his head up and she saw his face had turned ghostly pale. He reached out and gripped her shoulder.
"I've seen this before", he stated. Claire looked a bit confused.
"Saw what before?" she asked. He squeezed her shoulder tighter.
"HCF." Claire widened her eyes in surprise.
"Where?"
"Antarctica. It was on Wesker's uniform."
***
Leon made his way through the parking lot until he found the car he was looking for. He opened the back door and threw his suitcase in, then climbed into the front passenger seat. The driver regarded him with a cool expression.
"Hello, Leon." He turned to face the voice.
"Hello, Ellen. How are you?" The redhead focused her gaze on him.
"I've been better. I don't understand the sudden need for all of this secrecy", she admonished. "I could have picked you up at the correct terminal." Leon grinned.
"I prefer to keep an air of mystery around my comings and goings, if you don't mind." Ellen eyed him, skeptically.
"There is a difference between being mysterious and being paranoid. One would think you didn't trust me, Leon." His smile faltered.
"Sorry, Ellen. Trust is a rare commodity these days."
"Agreed."
"So, any news?" Ellen slipped two slender fingers into the breast pocket of her blazer and removed a small piece of paper. She handed it to him.
"She's located at their facility in Virginia." Leon read the note.
"I didn't know they had a place in Virginia." Ellen shot him a look. "Oh, I guess that's the point, right?" She ignored his question.
"Arrangements have already been made. Our team will attempt extraction in…" she paused to glance at her watch, "…three hours."
"Three hours?" Leon almost shouted. "I wanted to be there."
"There wasn't enough time", Ellen explained.
"But she doesn't know who they are. There's a chance she'll resist going along."
"Considering her current situation, that would be foolish." Leon sighed with exasperation.
"What if she gets hurt?" Ellen cast him a look of impatience.
"You asked me to help you, and I have. Now, let's leave that situation to be handled by those best qualified for it. In the meantime, we have other business to discuss." Leon eyed her with suspicion.
"What 'other' business?" he queried.
"I think it's time for you to meet our superior."
***
Well, another chapter, at long last. Sorry for the hiatus, but my computer ran amok. Fortunately, no small animals were harmed, but I was beginning to suffer from Internet withdrawals. The next chapter will be up very soon (as long as my little friend with the hard drive behaves). Later, folks.