Chris coughed heavily, trying to catch his breath. His throat was raw and what little breath was getting into his lungs was painful. He highly suspected the first hit he had taken had severely bruised his ribs.

Suddenly a loud thudding noise caused Chris to snap his head up and look toward Alex. She was banging her fists on the tube and pointing toward the rear of the lab. A second later Chris saw why she was freaking out. A large creature stepped around the tubes, causing Chris to take a step backwards. It was at least seven feet tall, if not more, with brownish skin. But it was the right arm that drew his attention. It was overdeveloped and drug the ground. In contrast it's left arm was almost non-existent. Chris didn't have to be told the thing he was looking at was a Bandersnatch.

The Bandersnatch flicked its eyes to Chris, even as Chris was searching the ground for his dropped Beretta. The creature let out a low growl, just as he spotted his weapon near the stairs. Chris dove for the gun as the creature's right arm shot out and smashed a hole in the wall where he had been standing. Chris did a roll and come up in a crouched position, gun raised and aimed at the Bandersnatch. He fired the gun in rabid succession, the shots peppering the Bandersnatch's neck and chest. Unfortunately the Beretta loaded with 9mm rounds just did not have the stopping power to take down the Prototype Tyrant.

"Now I'm fucked…"

Alex saw the problem before Chris did. She knew for a fact his shots weren't going to do the creature any harm from the start. The problem was, she was locked in a reinforced cryo-tube and couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Alex glanced around frantically as Chris ejected a spent clip from his Beretta and slammed in another one. The Bandersnatch was turning to face him when Alex finally realized what she had to do. She grabbed her DE from the waistband of her pants and ejected the clip. She also jerked back the slid, ejecting the round from the pipe as well.

She glanced at Chris, who was still firing as he backed down the stairs. The Bandersnatch was still in the process of turning and Alex was supremely happy the scientists had never worked out the issue with its underdeveloped leg muscles. Just as she scrambled into her pocket for a magnum clip, Chris was ejecting a second clip from his Berretta and slamming in a third.

Alex pulled the clip from the lower cargo pocket of her combat pants, ever so glad Davis had thrown it into the briefcase with her gun. She slammed the clip home and loaded a round into the pipe. She always carried Teflon coated hollow points in her guns. Not only did they present excellent stopping power, as the bullets flattened upon impact leaving a massive exit wound, but they could go through almost anything even Kevlar. The operative word here was almost, there were some things even Teflon coated rounds wouldn't cut through. She had lucked out with the Contamination Room window back at the Training Facility, it hadn't been as thick as it should have been. The glass of the cryo-tube was far different, much thicker and designed to hold a Nemesis or Tyrant. She needed a much tougher round for this job.

Chris stumbled backwards down the stairs as the Bandersnatch finally made its turn toward him. He knew what was coming and the only chance he had was to throw himself backwards down the stairs, not a thought he really relished. But he had spotted Alex's dropped AK-47 down there, though he doubted it would do him much good.

As Chris ejected his third clip and prepared to slam in the last one he had for the Beretta, he caught a glimpse of Alex in the tube. She was holding a shooter's stance, pointing what looked to be an automatic magnum. Without thinking twice Chris hit the floor, flatting himself out on the stairs as much as possible.

Two seconds later, three shots rang out in the lab. The first was slightly muffled and was followed by shattering glass, the second two were loud and clear in the silent lab room. The Bandersnatch jerked first left then right, letting out a loud growl like roar. Two more shots and it finally fell to the ground and ceased moving.

Slowly Chris stood and looked up toward the tube in which Alex had been trapped. She was still holding her shooter's stance and breathing heavily. There were several cuts on her face and arms, and the sling that had been holding her right arm hung loosely over her chest. Ever so slowly she lowered her gun and evened her breathing.

"You alright?"

Chris nodded, noting the concern in her voice. Alex breathed a sigh of relief, stepping out of what was left of the tube her brother had thrown her in. She moved carefully across the glass on the floor and kicked the Bandersnatch in the ribs to make sure it was dead.

"I really hate these things." She gave the thing another kick for good measure and turned toward Chris. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, maybe a couple bruised ribs though." Chris looked first to the shattered tube then back to Alex. "What the hell kind of ammo are you using?"

"Normally Teflon coated hollow points. Unfortunately those wouldn't have gone through the glass…I had to pull out the clip with the Armor Piercing rounds."

"Christ, you are armed for bear aren't you?"

Alex shrugged. "I like to be prepared. After Raccoon I decided that sometimes you need just a bit more than a hollow point can provide. Would have saved me a few scars if I'd known before Raccoon, of course. But hey, live and learn."

Chris just shook his head. He knew now that even before Raccoon, Alex had been a force to be reckoned with, he just never saw it. There was also another thing he hadn't seen coming, Wesker's resurrection. He hadn't gotten a clear look at Alex's reaction to her brother's reappearance but he had heard her and the emotions in her voice when she spoke to him.

"Alex, about your brother…"

Chris stopped as Alex's expression changed, turning from relief into a cold stare. She reached up and slid her sunglasses over her eyes.

"What about him?"

"You didn't know, did you?"

The silence stretched out between them for almost a full minute, finally she spoke. Her voice was cool and calm, eerily like her dear big brother's. Something that was not only unnerving for Chris, but slightly scary as well.

"Oh yea, I knew." Her tone was thick with sarcasm. "I'm just such a damn good actress you know. I mean I did such a good job showing my grief after he supposedly died right?"

"Alex, all I meant was…"

"I had to watch a security tape of my brother, my only family, getting a claw shoved through his chest. I had to hold a look of complete indifference as I watched his dead and lifeless body fall to the floor, while the head assholes of Raccoon City threw endless questions at me about what Albert had been really up to, or whether or not I planned to betray them. Over and over I had to watch that fucking video!"

Alex's tirade trailed off with a sob as she turned away from him. Chris climbed the stairs slowly, stopping just behind her. He hadn't realized they had put her through so much after Wesker's supposed death. He never suspected they would have forced her to watch a tape of the Tyrant killing her brother over and over.

Gently Chris touched her shoulder. She tried to shrug him off, but without much force. Slowly he turned her toward him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. It was enough. Alex sobbed into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. Chris mumbled a few words in her ear as he stroked her hair.

Despite the outbreak, despite the danger of Wesker returning, and despite the impending need to find Claire, neither of them moved for several minutes. And as they stood there one thing became blindingly apparent…there were feelings between the two of them that went beyond a simple friendship…

Claire glanced at the map in her hand, then up at the hallway in front of her. Behind her Steve was watching their rear for anything unnatural that might decide to come up and bite them in the ass.

After finding their way off the catwalk it hadn't taken them long to realize that this installation was no safer than the island they had just left. As best as Claire could figure, one of the infected from Rockfort had somehow gotten here with other survivors and the T-Virus had just spread from there. Needless to say Steve and Claire both agreed they needed to evacuate the area as soon as possible.

A little digging around and some ammunition spent had finally found them a map of the facility and a map of the surrounding area. According to the latter there was a weather facility about five miles from the installation and according to the former the Installation had a fair amount of snow cats near the helipad. The only problem now was getting to the helipad.

Claire glanced back down at the map one last time before deciding on the route to the right. She lead the way, Beretta in hand, with Steve right behind her toting around the MP-5 Alex had given her.

"I hope we're getting close, I'm freezing here."

Claire laughed. "Whiner."

"I love you too."

Claire giggled, shaking her head. Despite her first impression of him, Steve was proving to be a rather dependable. At least he had a sense of humor.

Claire turned another corner and pushed open a large steel door. The area was covered with ice, a deep hole in the middle of the room. None of that really drew Claire's attention, what was important to her was the winding staircase leading up. Up meant out at this point and Claire was all for getting out.

She headed up the stairs, being a bit more careless than she should have been, because when she was just five steps up, two shots ricochet off the railing. She spun around, realizing too late she was horribly exposed. A few feet from the door, through which she and Steve had come, stood Alfred and his sniper rifle.

"Bye, bye Miss Redfield!"

Alfred's high pitched declaration was followed by a tittering laugh as he pulled the rifle to his shoulder and sighted in on her through the scope. As the shot rang out, Claire stiffened waiting for the pain. When none came she slowly opened her eyes and saw Alfred staggering toward the open pit clutching his stomach…Steve holding a smoking gun.

There was a loud scream as Alfred fell into the pit, no doubt to his death. Claire cringed, he was nuts but she didn't think anyone really deserved to die like that. Steve hurried over to her, looking pale and shaking slightly.

"You ok?"

Claire nodded slowly. "I'll be fine once we get out of here."

"My sentiments exactly."

The two hurried up the stairs, emerging onto the helipad five minutes later. The wind was biting and they both knew they wouldn't last more than a few minutes out here without some kind of protection. Steve spotted the snow cats first. The two of them ran toward the large vehicles, feeling relief for the first time in what seemed like years…they were going to escape…

Alfred stumbled down the hallway, blood dripping from the gunshot wound and several gashes he had received from the fall into the pit. He had miraculously survived, but he knew he couldn't last much longer. His leg was shattered making the long walk to Alexia's lab that much more excruciating, but he didn't appear to care. For the first time in a long time he was thinking with a clear mind and he remembered everything that needed to be done.

He knew the woman sent by Umbrella was not his beloved Alexia and suspected she might be Dr. Wesker's baby sister. He also knew where is precious sister was and that he had to get to her before it was too late, before she left him again.

He staggered into the lab, collapsing at the steps that lead to Alexia's cold holding cell. Suddenly the machines awoke, filling the small room with noise and flashing lights. Alfred smiled as a large tube raised from the floor and the liquid keeping his sister safe drained. The lovely blonde woman, with the face that matched his, awoke and her clear blue eyes fell on him as he reached toward her.

"Alexia…"

Wesker walked quickly through the facility, heading for the sub that was waiting to take him to the Antarctic Facility. He didn't like the idea of leaving his sister behind, but it was imperative that he retrieve the sample he had been sent to get. Besides, as much as he hated to admit it, there was no one safer he could leave his sister with then Redfield. He was positive the man would die before letting anything happen to Aaron.

He had not been as blind as most people thought he was back in Raccoon. He had easily seen the budding affection between his beloved baby sister and Redfield and it had been something that he had not been pleased with in the slightest.

"We're ready sir."

"Then let's be on our way…"

Wesker only hoped when the time came Aaron would stay out of the way and not interfere. He didn't want to hurt her if he could help it…

Alex looked up at the plane she and Chris had finally managed to find, then glanced at Chris. He smiled back at her and Alex couldn't help but blush. She coughed then turned her attention back to the jet.

"You can fly it right?"

"Indeed I can."

"Good, cause I can't."

Chris smiled and helped her into the rear cockpit. It took him only five minutes to get the jet into the air and flying toward the coordinates Alex gave him. She pondered the ramifications of finding out her brother was alive. She knew one thing for certain, her life had become complicated with men. With Albert, Chris, and Alfred now inexplicably tied to her, she knew that at some point she would have to make a choice.

A choice that would change her life forever…