A/N: Okay, part of this chapter has the characters conversing in French. O.o Since I am far from fluent in the language, ( I only know one phrase: Omelette du Fromage--the cheese omelet, and Bonjour--hello ) I have decided that I would be better off just writing it all in English and you can pretend that it is in French, k? =^.^=

By the way, I only know about the cheese omelet because I adore 'Dexter's Laboratory'. =D ( The earlier ones, the later ones just got ridiculous ) ^^ Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Stratford, England, 1504 ( Renaissance )

There was much work to be done in the Wells household. Chores kept piling up and seemed never to get done. Dishes here, wash there, then there was the whole business of taking what goods you happened to be selling that particular week to market.

On this particular afternoon, the only child of the house--a petite twelve year old girl with wild red hair--was watching her mother melt wax for candles. Curious, she looked on in fascination as all the old and useless wax from candles long since spent molded together into the contours of the sturdy iron kettle suspended over the hearth. It was a process she had seen many times before--as long as she could remember, in fact--but it never got old watching the varying hues of white and yellow swirl together, the lumpy stubs smoothing out and melding into liquid ivory; a beautiful shade of almost undiluted white. It seemed almost magical.

Sighing, the girl's mother, Margaret, relocated to a chair where she could fashion wicks for the new supply. Momentarily, the elder woman's eyes fell to her daughter, and a frown upset the edges of her mouth. It seemed her child could never take anything seriously. This was a setback in these particularly trying times. Soon she would be ready to wed, and what kind of self-respecting man would want for a wife a daydreamer who would rather chase butterflies in the field, or go climb the trees near the lake, than do housework or mind the family?

" Veronica! "

The girl turned with a sigh. She knew some form of chores awaited her. Earlier this morning she had had the misfortune of glimpsing a basket of dirty clothes that might as well have had her name on it. Absolutely despising laundry the way she did, Veronica had opted to pretend she didn't see the dreaded basket. A shame that simply ignoring chores did not make them vanish. No doubt her mother wished for her to break out the laundry tub, heat the water, and wash them. Then there was the wringing and the folding, putting away...Veronica winced. She would much sooner do dishes than a tub of laundry.

" Yes, Mother? " She replied in fluid French, speaking their native tongue. The family was originally from France.

Her mother regarded her sympathetically, staring deep into those violet-blue eyes. They brimmed with youth, innocence, and hope. All of which were lost to Margaret.

Not three years ago her husband Richard, one of the best blacksmiths in town, had succumbed to a violent illness that had come horrifyingly close to taking her own life as well. Life had never been the same since. It was very hard for a single mother to earn a living in an era where men had all the power and women were thought of as little more than property. There simply wasn't much a woman could do to earn money. It wasn't fair. It especially was not fair to little Veronica, who didn't get to enjoy half the pleasures as her more well-off cousins who were blessed with luxuries such as going to school. Though Margaret had tried many times to attract and wed a man of higher class, at twenty-seven years of age she was considered an old maid and not desirable for marriage among the majority of plausible suitors. In addition to this, she was a Wiccan, and in these superstitious ages she had to be especially careful about whom she let know this. Too many people confused Paganism with witchcraft and sorcery. Too many people feared what they did not understand.

The laundry really needed washing. She should ask Veronica to do it, save herself some time for other, more urgent work.

She should, yet she hesitated.

How long ago had it been since she had last enjoyed a good break? The family was very poor and practically had to beg for their food each day. Life was little more than mere survival right now. She found herself too busy working and trying to make ends meet so her and her daughter may survive another day to worry much about weather or not she was happy.

But wasn't that what life was all about? Enjoying what you could of it while you existed? Why deny her daughter a moment of happiness? Why force her to grow up sooner than she had to? Surely just this once would not hurt.

" Veronica, I need you to gather the sacred herbs and flowers on the hilltop. Then maybe later on tonight once I am finished with the chores we can perform a prosperity spell."

There. That wasn't so bad a task. Veronica loved magic with a passion. It would give her something to look forward to. As an added bonus, it would provide more ingredients for the herbal remedies she concocted to heal the sick. Grateful patients always gave what they could spare, and every little bit helped. In many instances it had kept them from starving.

Veronica was all too eager. " Herbs? Great! " Take that dumb old laundry! Not today! " I shall start at once! " She rubbed her hands together cheerfully. Tonight was going to kick so much butt! " Can't wait to do the spell! " She started for the door, her plain and tattered brown dress bouncing with her step.

Her mother smiled warmly after her. " Be careful, Veronica."

" I will, Mother." Veronica sang, skipping out merrily into the bright sunlight and rushing for the lush, grassy hill.

***********************************************************************

Not more than twenty-five miles off the coast of Majika Island, 2004

The storm had at last subsided, and now a cool gray mist had settled across both land and sea, cloaking the island in a veil of mystery. Well it's about time. Wesker thought, starting the engine, That was some storm. He frowned, thinking of the delay and what it meant.

It had made for one painfully tedious night, that was for sure.

But now the sky was clear and there was nothing blocking his path to Majika.

************************************************************************

Somewhere on Majika Island...........

The old lava-cave was quite; it's three occupants sound asleep. Since the storm had lasted much longer than they had expected, and since a typhoon at night was not the best opportunity for drying your clothes or finding your friends, Alan and Alexis had at last surrendered to the idea of some shut-eye. Now they were snuggled protectively to either side of Seth.

The boy tossed about in the blankets, suddenly restless. Almost fully awake, he opened one eye. What he saw was so strange, it caused him to open both eyes and bolt straight up.

What is that?!

The air directly above him shimmered, as if it were water being rippled. Am I still dreaming? Both curious and a little frightened, he sat for a moment and continued to watch this strange phenomenon. He had to be sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him before he bothered Alan and Alexis.

Wow! That's pretty....quick as a flash, the ripples in the air formed a circle; a mad vortex of energy swirling in breathtaking blues and purples that glowed with an abnormal intensity.

Seth's mouth hung open. The circle above him was big enough to be the rim of a decent-sized wading pool! The air in the center of this 'pool' was suddenly animated with flashes and whippets of white lightning, transforming the atmosphere around it into a frenzied hurricane of swirling colors and shimmering sparkles.

As he watched, the whirlpool shifted, and now the color of the inner area was predominantly blue, with flecks and splashes of other colors here and there to give it an insane but dazzling appearance. Strangely enough it made no noise, save a faint, almost inaudible crackling; like dry leaves on a Autumn day.

Seth remembered seeing something like it in Sci-fi movies: a porthole, that's what it was called. Most adults tended to believe they were fake, that they didn't really exist, but here he was, sitting with one not five feet away! He had to show Alan and Alexis! They were going to miss it!

" A..." An excited Seth barely had time to utter the first sound of the letter 'A' before a radiant funnel of violet and burgundy exploded from the porthole and sucked him in. All in the time it took to bat an eye.

Barely a second had gone by before the very same porthole retched back and jettisoned out a brown-haired teenaged boy clad in blue jeans, white Nike sneakers, and a green T-shirt depicting an out-of proportion pterodactyl; wings spread. The startled young man landed in a awkward heap smack-dab between Alan and Alexis with a muffled "Oof."

Alan's eyes snapped open immediately, and in just enough time to catch the faintest glimpse of a rapidly-shrinking portal winking out of existence.

Alexis woke right after, and backed away quickly at the sight of a stranger so close.

" What the hell is going on here?! " Alan bolted upright, regarding the stranger with feral red-and-yellow cat's eyes.

His sudden movement surprised the boy, who jerked back and unwittingly hit Alexis in the nose with his elbow. Regaining his feet, he leapt up and spun around to see who he had hit. A most confused, bewildered expression crossed his face.

" Oops. Sorry."

His voice was unlike any she'd heard in the past, it held a certain warmth to it, and Alexis thought it sounded a bit like Chris's voice. She studied him with growing curiosity. He doesn't look threatening. The stranger before them looked just like any other typical teenaged boy with a thin, kinda gangly body, somewhat well-toned muscles, and dark brown hair that was as of now a little on the disheveled side.

There was something familiar about those fudge-brown eyes, and the light that burned within them. In fact, she was starting to notice that this newcomer bore a resemblance to Chris. Weird.

Alan, however, seemed not to notice. All he knew for certain was that this guy had come out of nowhere, a fact which deeply disturbed him. The poor lad didn't even get a chance to explain himself before Alan was all the way up had him pinned against the side of the lava-rock wall.

" Who are you? " He sneered, his tone less than friendly. He drove his right hand a little deeper into the boy's throat, choking his air supply.

" Alan, what are you doing?! " The teen gasped, eyes wide and bulging, " I'm not sure what the deal is here, but you're acting like I just ate your last pizza-pocket or something. Chill man. It's just me."

Alan released his hold and let the newcomer drop, a bit embarrassed that he'd been so quick to resort to violence. After all, regardless of how he'd ended up in the cave without being heard, he was just a teenaged boy. Not unlike the way he himself had been once. That doesn't automatically make him innocent, but he at least deserves a chance to explain himself. Alan thought. He looked sheepishly to Alexis and was rewarded with a frown of disapproval.

Great. Nothing like having a second opinion when you acted like a jerk.

Alan backed off, leaving the teen room to collect himself. " Sorry. I just..." He fumbled for words, felt himself in the spotlight, " It's not a very good idea to surprise me like that. Someone could get hurt." As he said this his eyes changed back to a tranquil blue-green. Perhaps it was too late to fool this new person into believing he was normal, but he hoped the action would at least make him appear less threatening. He was all too aware of what effects seeing such strange eyes had on a person.

The young man rubbed the red spot on his throat. " Ow. Someone like me." He made a face, " A little rough, don't you think? "

" I didn't mean to hurt you." Alan replied coolly, unsure yet whether he meant that or not.

Alexis approached Alan from the side. Her curious blue eyes were fixed on their guest. " Who are you? And how did you know Alan's name? "

Alan flinched uncomfortably. " Oh, I really hope you're not one of the Umbrella soldiers from Muscatine, because if you are I just want to say that what I did that night..."

The teenager lowered one eyebrow and lifted another in classic confusion. " Oooookaaaay. I am just going to pretend this is not happening. Nope." He shook his head. " That's the last time I eat four-day old potato salad right before bed." He paused, taking in his surroundings before wiping a hand across his face.

Alan shook his head feverishly. " You can deny it all you like, but the truth is that this is really happening, so you might as well come to grips with it. You knew my name. How? "

The teen nodded agreeably. " Yes, how, that's a very good question. How did I get in this cave? And why, why, why can't I remember the past oh, say, eleven or so years of my life? " He shook his head, an action which spoke of fear and genuine confusion. " Man, whatever you guys slipped in my drink..."

" What are you talking about? " Alan said in a tone of disbelief, " You're acting like you know us, and while it's good to hear you weren't in on that little Umbrella operation--forget I even mentioned that, on second thought--I have never seen you before in my life. I'm sorry, man, but if there's any drugs involved, it's you doing them."

" Hey, where's Seth? " Alexis was first to pick up on the fact that the boy was missing.

Alan scanned the perimeter quickly, his anxieties rising. Damn.

The brown haired teenager looked as though he'd just been slapped. " Okay, I call a time-out! " He walked up until he was standing no more than three feet in front of Alan and Alexis, tapping his fingers into his palm in the classic gesture.

The pair ceased their visual searches around the cave and studied him impatiently. Little Seth was out there all alone, and they needed to find him sooner rather than later. If anything were to happen to that little kid....

" This has gone too far. Now I'm up for a good laugh-a-minute dope 'em up and play with their heads prank as much as much as the next person, but this is taking it a step too far, don't you think? Come on, you guys are acting like you don't even know me! It's me, Seth! I know you, Alan Stephen Wesker. Alexis Alexia Ashford. See? I even remembered your middle names you almost never use! I grew up with you two...more or less, I think. " He shook his head, frustrated. " That's where my memories get kinda fuzzy. Like trying to watch the TV in science class. But I know you."

Alan blinked, shocked. " You're Seth? As in Seth Redfield? " This was a lot to process. But he can't be...Seth was only five, this boy is at least sixteen...he can't have aged eleven years in overnight! But all his senses lead credibility to Seth's claim. The young man before him did look like he could be an older version of Seth. He smelled like Seth. His voice, though deeper, carried some of the same inflections as the child's. And what do you know? He even resembled Chris! Not a lot, but the two shared the same basic shape of face. He even had Chris's nose.

Alan crossed his arms in a very Wesker-ish fashion, baffled and awed at the same time.

" You can't be! " Alexis marveled, though in truth she already believed him and had accepted the fact that mystical forces were at work here, " Seth Redfield is only five! "

Seth shook his head, amused and a good deal shocked himself. " Nope! Survey says...sixteen! Sorry Miss Ashford, you don't win the year's supply of hair-gel products, not like you need them anyway. Now I know something's wrong here...what year is it? "

" 2004." Alan said without missing a beat. He knew where Seth was heading with this.

Seth laughed wryly. " Just as I thought. Now, I may be fuzzy on the exact details, but last I checked it was 2015. I'm pretty sure of that."

" And I'm pretty sure it's not." Alexis countered, " Which means....Seth, this is very important. What was the last thing you remember before you...wound up here? "

Seth crumpled a hand against his forehead, straining to remember. " Let's see...I was in my room...can't remember now exactly what it looked like, and that is seriously creeping me out. But I do remember that I was listening to some music and watching TV. Then this shiny portal-thingie decided to manifest itself in front of the TV. Being reasonably surprised, I remember thinking how cool and pretty it was before it sucked me into it. Next thing I know, I'm here." He threw up his arms in demonstration, " And you two are acting mega-time weird with a capital 'W', so I'm guessing I somehow went back in time. Wow. This is crazy." He studied the strange expressions of his friends before adding, " And now you probably think I am too." He crossed his arms curtly, echoing a posture Chris so often used.

" Actually, I think you hit the nail on the head." Alexis agreed, fascinated, " After all he weird things that have been happening lately, why not? "

" Whoa, this is incredible! " Alan marveled, accepting the truth and finding himself fascinated with it, " You're really from the future? That's...awesome! " He stepped forward and tapped Seth's shoulder, halfway expecting him to vanish into thin air.

Seth pushed his hand away carefully. " Hey! Easy there, you could hurt a guy doing that."

" I take it you know of my virus then? "

" Yeah. T-2. Makes you all superhuman...ish. I thought you were going to murder me a minute ago."

" All this is really cool and all," Alexis piped up, " but if you're here, what happened to our Seth? The five-year-old? "

" I don't know," Seth admitted, overwhelmed, " but...hey...still here, so I'm guessing my younger self is alright. You know, because if something really bad happened to him it would affect me and all." He shook his head again, trying to sort the many thoughts and questions running rampant through his mind. " Wow. So I really did go back in the past. But I'm still not clear on where we are. You two hang out in caves often? 'Cause it doesn't seem to me like you did."

" No." Alexis shook her head slowly, her eyes shifting to the small crawlspace leading out into daylight, " To put it in a nutshell, the Stars gang, including Alan and yours truly, decided to vacation on Majika Island. Admittingly, that probably wasn't my best idea. A freak storm blew up out nowhere and a weird flash of lighting caused us all to appear in different places on the island. Alan saved you --the younger you--and I from a pair of wolf things and we found this cave to weather out the storm. When we went to sleep, you were still a kid..."

" Wait a minute." Alan broke in, looking Seth up and down, " I did see a weird flash out of the corner of my eye just before I noticed there was someone new in the cave. A split fraction-of-a-second before that, I thought I heard Seth, little Seth, start to say something."

" So you're saying that maybe our Seths switched places? " Alexis said, picking up his train of thought.

" There's no maybe about it." Seth stated confidently, " Unless you can think of a better way it could have happened. If it's alright with you two though, I think I'm going to stick with the 'switching places' scenario right now, 'cuz it makes the most logical sense, and anything else would just give me a headache."

" You know, I would have to agree with that." Alexis said, noting that Seth was very cute. Hey, he's not bad looking. Not as handsome as Alan, but Alan doesn't have that cute boyish look going for him. Seth just looks so cuddle-able!

It was true. From a girl's perspective, Alan was devilishly handsome, but in a dangerous way. If you tried to snuggle him you just might end up with a broken jaw.

Seth was just cute and looked like the type you could just spill your heart out to with just about anything. Alexis was willing to be he would not have a hard time catching a date.

" What do you remember about us? " Alan asked, stifling back his comments about the way Alexis was eyeing his half-cousin over like candy.

Seth shrugged, walking over to the glowing embers of the fire and staring at them intently. " Not much. I'm losing memory faster than an Alzheimer's patient. I barely remember my own parents. Just basic things that I know to be true but can't explain why...it's almost like I have amnesia, but without me forgetting who I am. I know that Alan is my cousin and Alexis is the daughter of Alfred and Alexia. I can even remember why that's bad, and about the little stint my dad pulled with Alexia and the linear launcher. Oh, and my mother fought the Nemesis in Raccoon City. And your dad..." He pointed to Alan, " seriously, seriously hates my dad. With a passion. Funny, I can remember stories passed on to me from before I was born, but I can't remember what I did yesterday. Or even where I've been the past eleven to twelve years. It's weird. Like this in an episode of The Twilight Zone."

" Well, I guess we'll have plenty of time to figure it out later." Alan said, peering outside at the better weather, " Right now, who's with me for getting out of here and finding the others? "

" Me! " Alexis and Seth decreed in perfect unison.

Alan turned and lead the way out the narrow entrance.

Alexis turned to Seth and smiled. " Look, I don't care how you got here, but it's great to have you with us! " She gave her friend a quick hug before turning to follow Alan.

Seth returned the smile. " Yeah. I guess if I had to be thrown back in time, this seems like one of my best choices."

***********************************************************************

An aircraft rumbled in the distance, loud enough to draw the Redfield sibling's attention skyward. They'd been hiking on and off all night searching for the others and/or the jet, pausing only briefly for rest and short intervals of sleep. With legions of the undead on the loose, it just was not a good idea to stay put in one place for too long. You might end up zombie kibble. So hearing a jet fly by brought both relief and a worry. Maybe it was someone who could help them. Or maybe jet-thieves had stolen their only ride off this infernal island.

Chris sure hoped it was the former. What with all the luck he and his team had been having over the years, he often wondered if he had a karmic debt or something. It just seemed too uncanny that any one person could possibly have this bad of luck.

The gods were not kind to Chris Redfield. When he first glimpsed the sleek black airliner speeding towards the island, he felt relief. Not the Stars jet. If it were it would have the S.T.A.R.S. logo and be a silvery metallic gray. That was good. The gang's one sure ticket off the island was still safe.

The comforting sensation, however, was short-lived as recognition kicked in, and the curse of bad luck that had been mercilessly hounding the S.T.A.R.S. captain played it's cruelest joke yet. He knew this jet; the distinct shape, the glossy black exterior...it was the very same Alan had used to take them all on that little adventure in Africa. Which meant....

Oh no. God no. Wesker! Why did this guy have to be everywhere? Why couldn't he go off and do something to benefit mankind, say commit suicide? Do I have a magnet in my head that attracts Wesker to me?

Beside him, Claire reached the same conclusion. Her lower lip twitched and her face went slack with horror. " Chris, Wesker's...."

" I know. Maybe he'll pass on by? " Yeah, and maybe I'll sprout wings and hover over the island. Chris's mind chided. The jet was getting closer and closer, and, in fact, sinking lower in the sky. There was no question about it: he planned to land on Majika.

And that spelled doom for Chris and everyone else. They didn't even have their weapons! Well, Chris had an uzi, but what good would that do against Wesker? Seriously? The man could move faster than a lot of the cars that passed Chris on the freeway. While a bullet through the brain would kill him, Wesker was not going to be standing around and letting his enemies pull off a good shot. Wesker and the T-2 virus versus me and an uzi. Now there's a very scary thought. I might as well kill myself and save him the trouble. We have to get out of here!

" He's coming this way! See the bare ground we're standing on? We're in a clearing and it's the perfect place for him to land! "

Chris looked down. Naturally, Claire was right. They were almost in the middle of a large clear patch of ground bordered on two sides by trees and jungle, one side by a tall and treacherous lava ridge, and one side the ocean. It was one of the few places on the island an aircraft could land. And they were standing right in the middle of it. Like idiots. He swore silently. Someone up there sure hated him a lot.

Crystal looked up, confused. She saw a jet flying overhead, but why were the adults acting like that was a bad thing? " Daddy? "

Her father barely noticed she was there at all. All he could think about was Wesker, and how grossly unfair any battles were going to be. Even worse, thanks to Alan enlightening them on the full extent of the T-2, both he and Claire knew that running was not going to do much good. With those amazing senses it would be relatively easy for Wesker to find them, regardless of where they went or how well they hid.

" Airplane! " Crystal declared proudly, blissful in her ignorance. She did not understand what the jet represented, or that it meant her life as well as the lives of her family and friends were in very real danger. She simply knew that it looked like Jay-Jay the jet plane, and like the craft her and the others had boarded to reach the island.

Chris scooped Crystal up in his arms in one hurried motion, his face ashen. " Come on! We'll hide in the jungle! " He galloped towards the lush greenery. The dense vegetation with it's bright and striking colors would help to conceal them, and the all the fragrant scents were sure to throw Wesker off their trail for at least a little while. Bird sang merrily in the canopy. Monkeys chattered. A small animal he thought to be either a rat or a squirrel scurried under the leafy protection of a large, vibrant fern. He ran faster.

Now the roar of the jet was almost deafening.

Crystal moved her mouth and said something, but her words were lost. Judging by her happy-go-lucky smile though, she was unafraid.

Must be nice. Damn, we're not going to make it! Wesker was too close and coming too fast. No way he could have missed them. He had almost made it to the tree-line when the familiar sensation of wrongness reared it's ugly head. Claire was not with him.

" Claire! " He turned on a dime and saw Claire rising from the ground, the victim of a hapless rock half submerged in the dirt.

The timing could not have been worse. The jet landed not twenty feet behind her.

************************************************************************

Alan noticed the jet flying in and was quick to identify it. His heart sank with the discovery. Apparently we can be out stranded on a remote island and he'll still find us. Damn.

" Isn't that your dad's jet? " Alexis asked with a look of concern. Wesker's arrival couldn't have been at a worst time: they were still on the island.

" Yes." Alan replied, straining his eyes to get a better look. " And it's landing! Oh boy, I have stop this! If he finds out that there's anyone else on this island....the others are in serious danger! "

The craft was coming down a ways off, towards the ocean. A distance of three miles, maybe, as the crow flies. There was no time to lose. He could not let his dad hurt anyone. Period.

" Oh man, whenever Wesker goes to a party it's always to put a stop to it." Seth moaned, remembering some very scary facts about Wesker, " Alan, wh..." the rest of his words were lost, however, as Alan sped off; a blur of motion which quickly faded into the trees.

Seth smacked a palm to his forehead, shaking his head in frustration. He turned to Alexis. " He always does that, doesn't he? Rushes off and forgets that we don't happen to have rockets strapped to our feet."

Alexis nodded, worried. " Yep. That's our Alan. Come on, let's follow."

Seth raised an eyebrow, as if Alexis had just suggested they go jump off a cliff. " You're kidding, right? If he's going to Wesker, why exactly do we want to tag along and get killed? Not that we could catch up with him, anyway. "

" Because," Alexis replied, already bursting out in the direction Alan had went, " I have a feeling he may need our help."

" Ugh. He may need our help? You Ashfords are crazy, you do know that, right? " Seth quickened his pace and dashed after her until both of them were in an out-and-out run. He sided up with her and gave her a lopsided grin.

Alexis laughed, winking at him, " Yep. We are. Get killed by Wesker. That's the plan. Darn you, you have me all figured out! And here I was hoping I could trick you into not following me so I could die alone."

" Oh, no," Seth chuckled, skipping over a fallen log, " I'm far too clever."

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The door to the aircraft popped open and an all too familiar black-clad figure dropped down, a figure bearing a strong resemblance to Alan.

Wesker.

Reacting on pure horror-driven instinct and worry for his sister's life, Chris set Crystal down. Actually, it was more of a drop; he couldn't be bothered with time-consuming extra care. He locked eyes with his daughter for a split second, his expression frantic and pleading. " Crystal! Run for the jungle, now! " He jabbed a finger in the direction of the ferns and trees, " Hide! " She needed a head start. She had to understand the importance of this, had to.

At last it was occurring to the youngest Redfield that all was not well. Her face shifted, finally registering the worry. Her daddy was upset about something, and that made her upset. Even at her young age she could sense the urgency in his voice; the importance of what he was telling her to do. Without a word she turned and dashed off for the trees, her eye set on a rare gigantic flower known only to grow in the tropical climes that would easily hide a small child.

Chris started for Wesker. Claire was up and burning dirt now after Crystal, but it was no use. She would never be fast enough.

So it ends. This was it, this was finally it. Chris knew he was going to die. But he was going to do it fighting, defending those he loved with his last breath. It was a noble cause. He would matter. Sacrificing yourself so that those you care about may live...that's not such a bad way to go. His hands reached into the folds of his clothes and clenched tightly around the cold steel of the uzi. Maybe Wesker would knock it away from him, maybe not. In any case, he didn't have anything to lose by trying.

For a blessed moment, Wesker just stood there in front of his stylish jet--his sleek black clothes blending nicely with the color of the craft. His neat blonde hair was slightly ruffled, the perpetual aviators rested in their usual spot. At first he seemed surprised. Then a cold, merciless grin quickly slid across his smooth features.

He knew.

He knew there was no escape this time; his enemy would at last fall.

Chris prepared for the worst, bring his uzi fully up in an unusually fast arc and prepared to completely empty it on his old adversary.

He was quick. Wesker was quicker.

A blur of black--that was all Chris saw before his arm was tossed violently to the side and his weapon was flung from his hand.

All in the time it took to bat an eye.

Wesker grabbed him up roughly by the base of the neck and cast him to the side. Easy as taking out the trash. He mused silently, savoring the moment.

Chris landed fifty feet away; his flight coming to a painful end against the sharp lava-rocks off the ridge.

Now Claire was barely ten feet away from Wesker. It would be so easy to catch her and kill her. And that was exactly what he would have done, had not something else caught his eye at that very moment. His slitted pupils narrowed behind the shades, taking in the sight of little Crystal darting into the fauna. Behind a giant flower, to be more specific.

The innocent little lamb. The very thing Chris Redfield would fight to the death to protect. And die he would. Just not now. How much more preferable would it be to make him wish he were dead? Emotional torture could be so much more fun than physical at times.

Claire wasn't the prey he sought, no. It was Crystal. He was going to hit Chris where it hurt the most.

Wesker zipped for the retreating girl as if he were being shot out of a gun.

Chris sprang up, ignoring his screaming muscles and bruised flesh. He realized at that last horrible moment what Wesker meant to do and ran to intercept him. Ran his hardest--faster than he had ever before. I'll never make it in time! Was pretty much the only thought on his mind, and sad to say he was right.

Wesker reached Crystal before even Claire had gotten within fifty feet of her. He grabbed the child up from her hiding spot by the nape of her neck and hoisted her to chest-height, holding her out like a prize catch.

Crystal squealed and cried out in pain. Fresh red blood dripped where his blunt yet powerful nails pierced the soft pink flesh of her neck in a deathgrip.

" Stop! " Wesker commanded, using the same authoritive, no-nonsense voice he had used in the past to quiet his team and kill arguments during the S.T.A.R.S. meetings back when he was captain.

Chris and Claire froze in their tracks, seeing Crystal's plight and wisely obeying. Claire was only a little ways in front of her brother, despite Chris's being thrown and having to get back up. That spoke volumes by itself.

" Wesker," Chris pleaded, his voice hoarse and dry, " You don't want her. Take me instead...what went down between us, she had nothing to do with it. Please, if there's any shred of decency or honor left in you at all..." He trailed off, unsure of what else to say. It was hard to know how Wesker would react in any given scenario, and he didn't want to say the wrong thing.

Wesker paused a moment, as if considering. His sharp eyes allowed him to better savor the sheer terror and worry on the face of both brother and sister.

In the background, Spade was just starting to emerge from the jet. Only Wesker noticed her.

His eyes then shifted from his own daughter to Chris's daughter. Crystal's now scraggly, ruddy-red hair was caked and clotted here and their with clumps of mud. So was her little pink Girls Rule shirt and shorts. She was missing a sandal.

Gingerly, almost lovingly, he turned her head slightly towards him, saw her glittering blue eyes. She struggled in his grasp, useless. " Leggo! You're hurting me! " She cried, tears streaming down her dirt-stained face.

Wesker's smile broadened. " Oh, but that's the idea! " Swiftly, before anyone had time to so much as flinch, he took her head with his free hand and moved the other up along the base of her skull, at that very instant twisting savagely to one side. There was the satisfying snap of ripped cartilage and breaking bones.

She died instantly.