A/N: Everyone belongs to Capcom except for Alex…
I wanted to thank those who have read and favorite or reviewed in Fan Fiction or dA and the lurkers out there! This is my first crack at the game verse so again thanks everyone!
"This is NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams."
"Good Evening, tonight we start off with the escalating violence in the former Soviet republic of Edonia. The conflict between the Edonian Liberation Army, also known as the La Vita Nuova, and government forces has gone on for over 2 years but now reports of terrorist cells moving in and using biological weapons have now surfaced. Here's NBC's foreign correspondent Richard Engel."
Alex clenched the edge of the flimsy table as she stayed perched on the end of the equally unstable chair. The media was being hand fed what the B.S.A.A. wanted them to know but other outlets had cracked the news of J'avo which was what they didn't need or want to get out but modern social networking lifted the shroud of secrecy. But after Raccoon City it had to be known this was going on. All of civilization had to face the evils of their fellow man and woman.
"We're outside the war zone in a nearby city that is deemed safe by the B.S.A.A. According to sources within the Liberation Army and government forces, the rise of bio-organic weapons has surged in the hardest fought parts of the Edonia. What we're about to show you is graphic in nature."
"Oh my god," Alex felt nauseous at the imagery unfolding on the screen. She could feel her body tremble like a leaf as her lips uttered, "It's Raccoon City all over again."
"As you can see some of the soldiers had been exposed to an unknown agent that causes instant mutation into creatures that locals have called J'avo, which is Serbian for demon. The numbers are unknown at this point in regards fatalities and exposure rates but all we know is that it's immediate in reaction once it penetrates the human body."
"Richard, do we know how this agent was introduced into the population?"
"We have received conflicting reports but the spokesman for Liberation Army is indicating it was consumed perhaps disguised as a vitamin or nutritional supplement that was distributed to the guerilla forces."
Her cell phone went off causing Alex to jump out of the creaky seat and land hard in the center of it. The legs shifted an inch as the force of her body press down then out.
"Hello?" She fought to maintain a steady voice.
"Alex, it's Claire. Are you alright? You sound scared."
"No, I'm watching the news and I had shut everything else out."
"Lemme guess, they're talking about Edonia."
"Yeah," she leaned back in the chair. "They're saying it was disguised as a supplement or drug then passed it out."
"Well it's not Umbrella though its stink is all over it. I wouldn't surprise me if some faction was still around."
"Which is what I'm afraid of," Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing herself to breathe.
"Why don't I come over? Jill's stuck at B.S.A.A. because of this and I'm off…"
"I-I don't know…."
"No I'm coming over. I don't have to work tomorrow and you don't need to be alone. Besides it's the holidays! No one should be alone during the holidays!"
"Okay," Alex conceded knowing Claire wouldn't back down. That was the trouble with the Redfields, once they made a decision no one could convince them otherwise.
"I'll be over in an hour."
Alex sighed and hit the end button. It wasn't that she wanted to see Claire it was she wanted to be alone at that moment. Seeing the graphic footage of the J'avo mutating and attacking anything human had been like the proverbial hole in the dike. But she had noticed something about the infected, something that made her snatch the remote and rewind back to the point the report started. Alex slowed the pace of the action and leaned over closer to the TV. The instant the first J'avo graced her screen she hit pause. For the first time her eyes were taking in the image of bio-organic weapon. Some retained human characteristics and traits: hair, legs, arms, but a third milky orb had developed in the center of the forehead. Another one had a hard wing extremity that shielded the rest of the body from gunfire. It too had a third eye like the other one. Teeth were uneven with random edges that were jagged or flat. Alex heard the shriek of horror break her lips as another one had four eyes! Two were smaller but all had discolored irises with specks of yellow and brown. The skin wrinkled around the eyes with blood oozing from around the skin.
If this was a horror movie she would've sworn the grotesque features and extremities were the work of a damn fine makeup artist who should get an Academy Award; only this horror flick wasn't something devised from an H.P. Lovecraft wet dream.
She pressed play but it went frame by frame allowing her to learn more about these mutations. Where the new eyes had emerged blood stained the flesh, trapped within the wrinkles of decayed skin and muscle. Channels of blue and red pulsed across the temples, threatening to erupt and burst through. A couple had bandages around swelled regions which struck her as odd. Most infected didn't and couldn't comprehend basic first aid, at least not the ones she had encountered in Raccoon. This was a sign of acknowledgement and acknowledgement led into intelligence. This was nothing like Raccoon City; no this made it look like a flu outbreak.
But that wasn't what frightened Alex the most.
The next frame lit up with what she counted five of the creations. They carried weapons ranging from knives to automatic firearms. They were organized. The lead J'avo was hollering at the others with the same mannerisms that a general would possess.
"No," she shook her head in self denial. "No, that can't be right! No…."
Her heart quickened as she watched the one in the tattered uniform that draped over its discolored decaying flesh throw up signals used in combat. Communicating!? Speaking!? Infected didn't do this! The only other infected that possessed any fiber of intelligence was Plaga but Plaga didn't grow moth wings or sprout random body parts when a bullet or knife shredded it apart. What sort of parasite or virus allows for spontaneous regeneration?
"Chris," she whispered with heavy sorrow and covered her face with shaking hands. The mug of tea she had prepared turned into an afterthought.
Edonia…
Chris sat on the edge of the bed, still dressed in his B.S.A.A. uniform. The wind howled beyond the rattling plane of glass as yet another clipper rolled in off the mountains. It was winter he had to remind himself. The vest and weapons sat to his right, resting after taking down nameless victims of the C-Virus. It had been a hard fought battle as he and his men were tasked with setting charges then destroying the rail cars in the center of town. The J'avo, which is what the rebels and civilians were calling the things, had proven to be harder to kill than first thought. Demon was right. They were the undead legions. Several companies had reported casualties but Chris had returned back with all of his men. He had not failed them.
He pried the pocket open, fishing the photo from its resting place, mindful as he unfolded the picture. A piece of heaven in the middle of Hell. The solitary light bulb swung lazily overhead, casting long shadows across the creases created from being pressed between his vest and chest. The wind howled through the gaps between the boards and windows, ushering frigid drafts that made Chris shiver subconsciously. The small heater oscillated and distributed the life giving warmth as best as it could but the cold was winning out.
"I'm still here," he spoke quietly as though she was sitting there alongside him. "I know it's another holiday apart but hopefully this mission will end and we can be together. God how much I miss you right now."
His breath was ragged as exhaustion settled over him. His right shoulder was growing stiff from being slammed against a solid wall of stone and mortar. The attending physician had examined upon their return, noting it would be a deep tissue bruise but it would hurt like a bitch as it healed. Piers had caught the size of the black and purple disfiguration as he was examined, knowing it looked worse than what it really was. The younger marksman had saved his ass from the Ogroman that stalked the East side of town. The damn thing had been to have been at least 30 feet tall. All it had taken was one punishing blow from the creature's fist to launch the captain midair into the inner wall of the walkway. It didn't help their situation that J'avo had caught up with the pair. Fuckers were fast and strong.
"Hey Captain," Piers lightly rapped on the rotted door.
"Come in Piers," Chris didn't flinch as the younger man accepted the invitation.
"Hey I wanted to check up on you to see how you were doing."
"I'm alright. My shoulder's gonna be hurting for a while but nothing I can't work through." Chris added a humorless chuckled at the end. Piers saw his captain gazing at the photo and felt a sudden sensation of intrusion on his part.
"Oh, I didn't see….." He pointed at Alex's picture. "I can go….."
"No," Chris lifted his eyes up noticing the awkwardness in the younger man's face. "No you're alright Piers."
Piers silently nodded with concurrence as his captain motioned for him to have a seat. The younger man pulled up the metal framed chair, spinning it around so he could rest his arms atop the back. The biohazards had fought the team with every foot of ground they gained. With each victory came loss and blood. Dodging RPG's, machine gun fire, blades slashing inches from their bodies, and the monstrosity called Ogroman. Piers had discovered it was derived from the Serbian word for large. Large didn't even begin to describe it. He had watched in horror as his captain was slung against the wall as the others had continued raining bullets on it. But they had been attacking the wrong part of it. The thing had a bulbous growth protruding from the shoulder blades which appeared to be the Achilles' heel. Chris had taken the first shot, striking the center of the growth. The creature howled and staggered back which confirmed what had been suspected.
"You miss her a lot don't you?"
It was more of an observation than a literal question.
"I do Piers," Chris closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "But this is what we do. She understands it all too well. But the separation and longing makes it harder."
"Well if it makes a difference we're making progress on containing the outbreak. The biohazards are concentrated in the central part of the town."
"Your optimism is contagious but don't get your hopes up of leaving this place so soon." Chris neatly folded the photo back up then tucked it back in his pocket. "We still have to search for any evidence of who was responsible. That can take weeks."
"Weeks?!" Piers shook his head. "But isn't there someone else to do that?"
"It's part of the job Piers. You know that."
"How do you do it Captain?" Piers tilted his head to the side, curious as to how his superior kept it all together.
"Do what?" Chris gruffly responded.
"Keep yourself from falling apart; not giving up."
"Hope," Piers got his answer. "The hope that we will put an end to this. The hope that the world will survive to see it free of the scourges of Umbrella and its factions. The hope of seeing her face again."
"You really do love her."
"Yes," a tiny smile cracked his captain's lips. "I really love her."
Piers was still young, not yet reaching that part of his life where he had found someone he was ready to commit to. The look that surfaced in his captain's tired features lightened the deep lines that creased his forehead and crow's feet that trailed the corners of his eyes. But he couldn't but help to admit he wished someday to find someone like Chris had. Having someone waiting for him to come back from missions, to welcome him home with open arms and deep loving smile. A few women could've been it but after the first time he went out on a mission the glamour of the B.S.A.A. uniform had dulled into the stark reality of what being an agent was. One by one they slipped from his life, washing their hands of him. Perhaps it had been for the best.
"You should get some rest," Chris stretched out on the flimsy mattress, tugging the itchy but warm wool blanket over him.
"Right," Piers nodded and headed for the door. He didn't turn the light off as the dark had been known to harbor death. The element of surprise was taken away if they could see the enemy approaching.
Chris exhaled and curled up into the fetal position, keeping the afflicted shoulder upright, conserving the little bit of body heat he could produce. It was still a battle to fall asleep with a light on but in war, sleep was welcome no matter where or how it was obtained. This was a luxury compared to some of the places he had been. Hardwood planks, dirt, sleeping bag, and gurney had been but a few of the many places he had called a bed. But each one was an imposter; nothing more than a means to allocate the tension from his aching bones and flesh.
Now he was in the middle of a shit hole somewhere in Eastern Europe, hoping to capture some form of rest before the next battle was upon them. He thought of Alex and the moment he would walk through the door holding her again. He could remember the scent of her shampoo and body wash, even now as the faint stench of decay seeped into the dreary quarters.
"Here," Claire slid the plate across the table in front of Alex. "You need to eat."
"I'm not feeling too hungry Claire," Alex started to push the plate aside but Claire cut her hand in front of the heaping serving of spaghetti.
"Nope," the redhead shook her head. "I'm not buying it. I know you're hungry. You can't let that news report get to you. I know it was horrible but this is my brother we're talking about. The same brother you're engaged to. So eat or I will tie you down and force feed you."
Alex raised an eyebrow at the last statement. "Seriously Claire? I think you mean the other way around."
Claire parked her hands on her hips waiting for her friend to pick up the fork. There was no way in Hell she was going to let Alex do this to herself. They weren't going to go through this again. The last time she refused to eat was right after…..
"Fine," Ales snatched the fork up and stabbed the plate of steamy noodles slathered in marinara. "But only because I don't want to see this go to waste."
"Sure," Claire added a smirk before going to make up her own plate.
"So have you heard from Leon?"
Claire turned around and joined the other woman.
"Not recently," she shook her head.
"How are you two getting along?"
"Alright I suppose," she shrugged and took in another bite. Alex knew a part of Leon was hung up on Ada Wong, the top agent for Albert Wesker when he was alive. Claire had been hurt when he withdrew from their burgeoning relationship as he was uncertain about his feelings over everything. But Alex had been sworn to secrecy when Leon called upon her one day.
"I've been seeing Ada."
"Does Claire know?"
"No and it would hurt her if she knew. I mean she's still upset about me breaking things off with her. Please Alex, don't tell her. I wanted to talk to someone and I know Chris and Jill won't take the news well."
"Understatement there Kennedy. Did you forget Ada worked for Albert Wesker? The word 'user' comes to mind. I mean Claire did see the great lengths you took upon yourself might I add, to protect her. Look Leon, I'm not one to judge but as the saying goes, beware Asian women who come bearing gifts and used to work for Albert Wesker."
The venom in her voice heralded back the memories of the past. Leon placed a hand on her shoulder and affectionately squeezed it.
"I know you don't like her Alex and I don't blame you after…."
Before Leon could finish Alex shot up a hand silencing the man. The pain was prevalent in the rich Caribbean jewels even as she battled to put on a brave front.
"Just be weary okay? Claire's my friend and she doesn't need to be hurt all over again."
"I know and I don't want to hurt her either."
"Then tread wisely where Ada is concerned."
Alex had remained silent about Leon's affairs because it wasn't her business to get involved in; unless Claire was hurt then all bets were off. But then again anything that was remotely associated with Albert Wesker, human or otherwise, she instantly hated or mistrusted. Ada Wong fell under the latter.
"I wish I could hear from Chris." Alex pushed the hill of noodles around her plate. "I miss his voice. I know that sounds cheesy right?"
"No," Claire was quick to answer. "It's hard being separated. I can see it in your eyes even now."
"I knew what I was getting into Claire."
"That doesn't make it any easier to deal with especially with it being so close to Christmas."
Christmas was a favorite time of the year for Chris. Before the accident that killed their parents, they would decorate the entire house with lights. The tree was magnificent. Their dad would insist on a real tree as the pine scent only made the experience even brighter. They would stay up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man in red only to fall asleep in front of the fireplace.
The tradition died with their parents.
"It won't be same decorating the apartment without him. I haven't even dragged out the decorations."
Her hand waved around at the lack of ornamentation for added effect.
"Which is why we are going to the mall then coming back here and drowning this drab place in everything Christmas!"
"Oh boy," Alex forced a smile.
Claire finally departed a few hours later, leaving Alex in solitude. She soaked in the tub for what felt like an eternity. The scorching heat enveloped her body, penetrating her chilled body before fanning out. The glass of red wine sat on the edge of tub, the perfect compliment for the end of the day. Well almost the perfect compliment.
I wish Chris was here. He loved soaking in the tub.
She lifted her arm from the watery embrace, taking the glass to her waiting lips. Alex told herself that he would be back soon and to have faith. But the images of earlier flashed in snippets making her groan and rub her temples. A headache was coming on from the compounding stress and anxiety. The time spent at the B.S.A.A. occupied her time, pushing her closer to the time this latest departure would conclude. Yet Alex chided herself for feeling selfish to a degree. Chris was putting his life on the line so that they can look at the future with eagerness and not dread.
"It's going to be alright," she drew a deep filling breath then slowly exhaled. "It's going to be okay."
We're getting closer to the angst! For those of you who aren't familiar with my writing style, I like to establish and develop the plot and characters.
