AN: The next chapter is here! How will things between Chris and Jill be with their fight? In fact, how will this affect Alana and Chris in the future? One way to find out… HERE WE GO!
Raccoon City Hospital
7:46 am
A week later...
The constant beeping of the heart monitor would be the only sound inside Chris's hospital room as said Redfield was fast asleep in his bed. The doctors had managed to get him in stable condition upon his entrance into the ER. He had several broken ribs, one of them having punctured his right lung, a broken nose, a black eye and several stitches where he hit his head after Alana slammed him into the wall. The doctor had told Barry, whom had come by a few days ago, that he was lucky to be alive after the severe beat down Jill gave him. He decided to wait a bit before phoning Jill about Chris's condition. Though she was relieved he would live, she still felt extremely guilty about what she almost did.
Finally, she had gathered her courage and went to the hospital. She requested his room number to the nurse at the desk. "A-214. Down the hall, last room on the right," she told her.
"Thanks." With that, she headed down said direction and finally found Chris's room. Shakily taking a breath, she stepped inside and came to his bedside. She would take a seat next to him and placed a hand on his bandaged hand. "Chris...?"
His eyes opened slowly, his vision blurred both from tiredness and the concussion he'd also received, something the nurse hadn't told Barry. After a few moments, his vision cleared and a face came into view. He recognized the beautiful face of his partner immediately, though it was a moment before his body registered her hand on his. "Jill!" His voice was weak-sounding but still full of the same strength it always had. "What... what are you doing here?"
"I... I wanted to come see you." And once more for what seemed the umpteenth time, Jill began to cry. "Oh god, Chris... I'm so sorry for what I did! I was just so angry! I know that's not an excuse, but still..!" Her face fell onto his chest softly as she began to bawl. "Chris, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do this to you! I just wanted you to stop! That's all I wanted!"
"Jill please, stop crying. It wasn't your fault. It was my actions that led to this. I'm to blame, not you." He squeezed her hand in an attempt to console her. "I made a mistake and I paid for it. I admit it... I was wrong."
"Still Chris, I almost killed you! Look where I put you.." Jill would sniffle as tears continued to run down her face. "W-Wesker gave me a few months suspension for what happened back in the office." Sitting up now, she hid her face in her hands. "My god... what have I done..? Chris, I'm so sorry..."
Chris leaned up and grabbed her shoulders. "Jillian Valentine, get ahold of yourself!" He said sternly, almost breaking his voice. "What's gotten into you? You're stronger than this. You know as well as I, I had this coming..." he removed his hands and lay back down, having strained himself a little much. "You were angry, I get that. You wanted me to stop cause I was acting like Irons. You just snapped. Anyone would under that kind of pressure. Stop beating yourself up for giving me a piece of your mind. I deserved it. And as painful as this is... I needed it..." he trailed off as his head was pounding.
Sighing, she looked down a bit before finally giving a nod. "Whatever you say Chris. But still, that was no excuse for almost killing you. I just wanted this stupid fighting to end. I want us to get along. Isn't that what a team is supposed to do? We need to all work together and protect the innocent. That was our vow when we all became STARS members. Now with Alana's situation.." she leaned back in her chair. ".. That vow has never been so important to me, now that we know what Umbrella has done."
"Look Jill, you really think anyone back in STARS is gonna trust me after this? The things I did and said... there's no excuse for that. And anyway, you heard Captain Wesker, we can't do anything without proof. The courts aren't gonna charge Umbrella on Alana's word alone."
"I know... Umbrella has lots of people and money in their back pockets. There HAS to be something... why don't we ask Captain Wesker? Ask him about that mansion Alana was held at. Maybe THAT can give us some clues and evidence that could break Umbrella's mask," Jill replied. "Umbrella can't get away with this forever."
"It's a start, but we can't do anything yet. I'm the best marksman in the RPD and... well, I ain't going anywhere for a while..." he answered back sadly. He frowned, looking down at the covers and avoiding her eyes. "I'm sorry for what I did, but no amount of apologies are ever going to change the past."
"I know... and I'm sorry for beating you up like this..." She placed a hand gently over his bandaged one. "I just hope you and Alana can make it up to each other one day.." she sighed, rubbing her thumb against the back of his hand.
He looked up at her, briefly making eye contact. For the first time in a while, he began to realize just how pretty she was. Her sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks, luscious lips, bright smile... even her long brown hair that she so often tucked into her beret... he suddenly realized he was staring, and hadn't said anything while he was doing it. As for Jill, she couldn't help but admire how truly handsome he looked. From all those days she had worked with him in STARS, she never got the chance to actually get to be alone with him. His chocolate brown that held such a fire in them was what drew Jill's attention. He wasn't all about looks, however. His gallant attitude, when he was not being an ass, and his heart were two other traits that Jill appreciated in him. Finally, she broke the seemingly long silence.
"Barry said he was going to come in later with Wesker. He's going to bring Alana along since he doesn't want her alone in the office since Joseph and Brad are going to be repairing some of the helicopters," she explained.
"Ok..." He replied slowly, not looking very forward to seeing Alana or Wesker later. He would have preferred if it were just him and his partner. "...those racetrack curves..." he muttered to himself, not really focusing on what Jill had said, instead examining every inch of her he could see. He liked what he saw. Enough that he blushed slightly...
"Chris...? Are you ok? You look... distracted," Jill asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
He snapped back to reality. "Y-yeah... sorry, it's nothing." He grabbed a book and buried his face in it, pretending to read so Jill wouldn't notice his embarrassment. "So, about that mansion... any ideas how we're gonna get near it? If Umbrella really are conducting experiments there, it'll be heavily guarded." He changed the subject rather quickly.
"I know... we gotta talk this out with the Captain. If anyone has an idea where to go from here or what to do, it's him," Jill nods before hearing the door open. And in came Barry and Wesker. Alana was waiting outside the room. "Hey guys!" Jill smiled.
"Hey there, Jill. I see you decided to come today," Barry would smile towards the woman. Knowing the mindset she had been in the last week, he figured she needed time to regain her composure before coming to the hospital. Turning to Chris, he patted him on the shoulder. "How are ya holdin' up, Redfield?"
Not wanting to upset Jill any further, Chris would answer "I'm fine. I'll heal up well enough in a few more days." He glanced over at Jill. Damn but she was pretty. And still visibly upset. So he decided to try something. Removing the covers, the full extent of his injuries was on show. Slowly, he swung himself over the side of the bed and painfully got to his feet. Incredibly, he was walking.
Jill's eyes widened in shock before sighing in immense relief. Wesker raised an eyebrow at Chris, a smirk pulling the right corner of his lips. "Always the stubborn one, eh Chris?" he would chuckle. Alana's head peeked in a bit into the room and though she was relieved to see Chris ok, a frown marred her face. Sitting back on the chair outside the room, her emerald eyes diverted down to her lap. Those same words the scientists and those she met when on the run came back to her mind in full force, Chris's voice sticking out the most.
Don't come crying to me when that little rat offs you all! She's a freak! An unknown!
If you kill me now, all you will achieve is proving to every witness here that you are exactly what you say you aren't!
I ain't done with her yet, not yet by a long shot!
Get away from me, freak!
Monster!
Stay away from my kids!
STOP THIEF!
She didn't ask to be given these powers. She didn't ask for her parents to be murdered by Umbrella and force her on the run. However, her train of thought would be interrupted as Chris had managed to reach the door. "Hey Alana... I uh... I wanna talk to you. Is that okay?" He asked her awkwardly, clearly a bit apprehensive. "I'm not gonna say anything bad. I just..." he took a deep breath "...wanted to apologize. I was wrong. You... aren't a monster. I was. Because of what I was doing. I don't expect you to forgive me, I just wanted you to know I'm sorry."
She just nodded to him, not knowing what to say before heading off to get something to drink. She just needed to be alone for a bit to calm herself down from the negative memories running through her mind. However, what she saw when she got towards the waiting room made her stop dead in her tracks and hide behind a corner: two men, dressed in black tuxes, came walking in with one approaching the nurse at the desk. "We are looking for this girl. She's been missing for awhile. Have you seen her?" he would then show a picture of Alana.
"I thought I saw someone like her going down the hall with Captain Wesker," the nurse replied, pointing towards the hall.
"Thank you," the other nodded before heading towards the double doors ahead.
Alana's heart began to race; she recognized those men from the mansion! They were elite guards working for Spencer! Without looking back, she darted back for the room. "WESKER! BARRY! JILL!"
"Honey, what is it?!" Jill gasped, catching Alana in her arms.
"UMBRELLA IS HERE!" she would blurt out suddenly, making everyone in the room freeze, including Wesker, who then balled his hands into fists. Umbrella was making a bold move, trying to take Alana in broad daylight. What the hell were they thinking? Were they getting desperate to have Alana back? "Two men in black suits are heading this way! Please don't let them find me!"
Jill shushed her as she wrapped her arms around the young girl. "We won't, we promise." Then she turned to Wesker. "Orders?"
"One thing's for sure. We need to get Alana out of here before they get to the room," Barry spoke up while Wesker took her hand.
Chris stepped forward. He'd strapped on just his green combat vest, his Samurai Edge in its holster. His bandages were still very visible. "Get her out of here, I'll delay them. Umbrella aren't going to get their way with me."
"I'll stay with you. Jill, Captain, get Alana out. I'm not leaving my buddy behind," Barry said, grabbing his magnum and thumbing new rounds into the chamber.
"But-" Alana began to argue, not wanting them to get hurt because of her.
"Hey, will you let me have my moments too?" Chris half-joked. "If it helps me make up for my actions, I'll do it. Go!"
The two agents got closer, suddenly one spotted Barry. "Scheisser, STARS are onto us! Take 'em out!"
"GO! RUN!" Barry yelled out as the two STARS members got caught in a shootout, both guys hiding out in Chris's room as cover. Jill ushered Alana away with Wesker covering them from behind. Dashing through the back hallways, Jill suddenly stopped and whipped out her gun. "Alana, go with Wesker. I'm going back to help Barry and Chris."
"Jill no! You'll get hurt!" Alana shook her head.
"Just go. I'll be ok," Jill said before rushing back for the boys.
"NO! JILL!" Alana cried out.
Well, Chris sure hadn't been expecting to wake up and end up in a gunfight with Umbrella agents! "Damn! These bastards really won't that kid!" Barry scowled, ducking behind a desk to reload.
"Less bitching, more shooting!" Chris said, moments before... "ARGH! SHIT!" Bullets whizzed past him but one got lucky and hit him, carving a clean hole right through his shoulder. "Dammit! Bastard got my shooting arm! Barry, cover me!"
That's when Jill would come running back, and the first thing she would see was Chris hiding behind the door to his room, blood pouring from his arm. "Oh god, Chris!" she cried out, running to his side while providing cover fire. "I got a First Aid Spray. Here." Digging out a small white can with a red plus sign on the front, she began to spray the wound on his shoulder.
"Good thinking, Valentine," Barry nodded before shooting at the two agents taking cover just down the hall. A shot nearly got Barry as it whizzed by his left cheek. "Goddammit! That was close..." he hissed before he fired once more. "Where's Alana?"
"She's with the Captain. She'll be ok as long as she stays with him," Jill replied before poking out and shooting one agent in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. "Bulls-eye!"
The remaining suit turned to his injured partner. "You're on your own." He then broke from cover and ran for the hospital doors, leaving the wounded agent behind.
"His partner's split. Hold your fire! He might have information for us!" Chris said, laying off his shots. "Let's take him in."
"You got it, Chris. I'm sure the Captain would want some answers," Barry nodded before grabbing the injured male and hauled him to his feet. Then he and Chris would drag him out of the hospital. Outside, Wesker would be waiting with Alana riding shotgun in his squad car. "Captain, we got one of them!" he called out.
"Excellent! Bring him back to HQ, I have questions for him," he replied with a smirk while Alana gave a triumphant grin.
Chris made a tortured gesture. "Oh boy, Wesker's interrogations are brutal..." he trailed off when suddenly his body snapped together and went rigid, then flopped to the floor like a ragdoll.
"Redfield!" Wesker yelled, jumping out of the police cruiser and rushing to his side.
"Ugh... meds must've worn off, along with the combat high..." Chris would reply, his body wracked with pain. "S-sorry Cap, I gotta go back in..."
"I'll take him, Captain. You and Barry take this guy to the station," Jill said, trying to help him to his feet before carrying him back inside the hospital, using all of her strength to haul him back inside.
Barry would haul the guy inside the back of the car before shutting the door. "He's all yours, Captain. Make sure you give him hell for us, eh?" he said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Oh don't worry... I know more than one way to break a man." He replied slyly, allowing himself a smirk. "Take care of Redfield, then I'll see you back at the office."
Inside the hospital, the doctors and nurses were clearing up the mess with blank looks. Apparently gunfights breaking out was a fairly common occurrence here. They had replaced Chris' door too. "Jill, I really appreciate you staying with me. I uh... I missed being at your side..."
Jill smiled as she brushed a part of his hair to the left a bit. "You're sweet, Chris... and you actually stood up for Alana when those guys showed up. That was really awesome of you.." she spoke softly, laying a hand on his shoulder.
He blushed a little. "It took a lot, but I finally realized I was wrong. She's just a child and as a cop, it's my duty to protect her, not victimize her." He raised a bandaged hand and, trying his luck, stroked her cheek. "You have beautiful eyes, partner. It's hard to believe I never noticed before..."
Jill felt a warm blush covering her cheeks as he stroked her cheek. She continued to smile before hearing Barry coming back in. "How are ya holding up, Chris? You ok? Wesker took the asshole back to the station," he said as he holstered his magnum.
Chris hastily lowered his hand, not yet ready to reveal his feelings to company. "Aw, don't worry about me, Barry. I'll live. Having my partners here sure helps." He sat up and winced a little. "I need more morphine..."
Just then a nurse would come in and inject a needle into his right forearm and started up the morphine drip to ease the pain a little. "Your comrade needs his rest. So why not come back tomorrow?" she would ask of them.
But Chris grabbed Jill's hand, still wincing but now from the needle. "Stay with me... please. I don't want to stay here alone." His grip was surprising strong despite his current weakened state. If Jill were to lock eyes with him now, they would tell her more than he was willing to voice. Catching onto his tone, Jill finally nodded before taking a seat beside his bed. The nurse nodded in understanding before heading out of the room.
"I'm heading back to the station. I want to find out what that agent has for us..." Barry said before giving Chris an encouraging smile. "Rest up, Redfield."
He nodded as Barry left, finally leaving the two alone. Once again, Chris got out of the bed, sitting on the edge. Taking Jill's hand, he pulled her up into a hug. "I'm sorry for my behavior, I was being a terrible person. I made you so angry and upset. I feel terrible for that..." he just blurted everything out, unable to restrain himself.
Jill rubbed his back, saying nothing for a moment. "I forgive you Chris..." she whispered to him before moving to lay on the bed with him. "Just rest now..."
At the interrogation room inside the RPD, Wesker had come in. Alana was waiting on the outside with Joseph, holding his hand. Joseph knew how ruthless the Captain can be. When he wanted answers, he got them... one way or another. The man was handcuffed to the chair, but just gave Wesker a glare. Wesker said nothing at all, simply standing by the two-way mirror and staring back at the agent. One of Wesker's favorite techniques was not actually doing anything. This technique would usually unnerve his detainee so much that they would spill the beans in hysteria, simply to save themselves from whatever Wesker might be planning. This man, however, was proving to be very resilient. The blond just stared more, his eyes never leaving the man.
"He's not saying anything..." Alana frowned, looking up at Joseph.
"Don't worry, he'll spill soon enough," Joseph nods, not taking his eyes off the window. "If I know Wesker, he'll make him crack sooner or later. He can't stay silent forever."
Back in the room, the man smirked. If he thought that Wesker can crack him, he has another thing coming. Whatever he had planned, it was not going to work. "So Wesker... going back on us are ya?" he would suddenly say. "Where's the girl?"
Wesker raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak. His expression would have instilled fear in all but the toughest of men. Then, for seemingly no reason, he walked over and slapped the man before returning to his original position by the mirror. The man slowly turned back his head, smirking even more.
"Slapping me Wesker? Isn't that police brutality? Hehehehe..." he would darkly chuckle before shaking his head. "Don't think you'll get anything out of me, lapdog," he would then add.
Alana balled her hands into fists as she began to shake with anger. But Joseph placed a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, chica. Just relax," he said, stroking her hair then before hearing the door behind them open and in came Barry.
"Anything?" he asked and Joseph shook his head. "Tough one, huh? We'll see how long he can keep up that facade around the Captain."
"Why not make this easier and give back the girl, Wesker? After all, she's the key for our boss... she's the Project to jumpstart it all," the agent said, keeping that smirk on his face. "She's of no use to you. You think you can keep her away? Think again... like us, you're nothing but a puppet."
"I'M NOT A PROJECT!" Alana cried out, clapping her hands over her ears. "I'm not a Project! I'm not theirs!"
Barry came over quickly and wrapped her arms around the distressed girl. "You're not, Alana. Don't listen to that asshole. He's just trying to get a rise out of Wesker and you. Don't give in.." he said, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "We're not going to let them have you. Not if we have anything to say about it."
At this, Wesker again walked over to him. Raising a hand, it seemed like he was going to slap the man again. However, instead he slammed the agent's head down on the table. Before the agent could protest, a thick paper was pushed into his face. It read 'Warrant' at the top. Yet again returning to the window, Wesker smiled. "Your partner left you to die. You are of no use to Umbrella anymore. They let us pick you up. You are expendable. You may as well talk. In their eyes, you're already dead."
The smirk quickly left and shock registered in its place. "I... I was betrayed!? No! Master Spencer would never do this! He would not leave us to die!" he cried out, shaking his head.
Barry smirked. "At last, he's starting to crack a bit." Looking down at Alana, he continues. "See? Told ya the Captain could make him start singing."
"... I'm going in. I want answers, too," Alana said, getting out of Barry's arms and heading for the room before either guys could stop her. Opening the door, the young psychic came in.
"Ah! So the little project appears! What an honor.." the agent grinned maniacally.
Alana's eyes shimmered for a second before holding up her hand, shoving the man against the wall, chair and all. "I'm. NOT. A. Project!" she hissed in anger.
The agent managed a snicker, smirking down at the girl. "So... she's got some bite behind her. Looks like she's everything Master Spencer has bred her to be..."
Wesker smiled again. "He's all yours, little Wolff." He said, with a dark expression. "Try not to kill him." he added as he left the room.
The agent seemed to pale a bit as Alana mirrored Wesker's smirk as she held up both hands now. She spread them apart a little and she heard a snap as the handcuffs came loose. But he was still suspended in the air. From the other side, Barry and Joseph watched with wide eyes as Alana's power came to life before them. "Holy shit... Captain... is she really...?"
"Yeah, she's a real telekinetic." Wesker said almost proudly. "And now she is going to get a measure of her revenge against Umbrella, using him. We'll send him back to them with a message: We're coming for them." He balled his fists at his last sentence. How dare they do this to her! Not on his watch! Around the same moment, Wesker suddenly had an idea. It was time to sever his ties with Umbrella...
"What does Spencer want with me?" Alana asked calmly, yet her eyes held barely tamed anger.
"Why would I waste my breath on- GAAH!" The male would suddenly clutch his throat as Alana started to close her right hand a bit.
"One more time: what does Spencer want with me?" she repeated the question, eyes still shining with her power. But unknowingly, she was beginning to awaken a new power... the man would answer in a strained voice, trying to fight off her powerful grip.
"He.. He said something about... key to immortality!" he managed to choke out.
"Immortality..? Why me though? What do I have to do with this?!" Alana demanded as she kept her hand where it was for now.
"I-I-I-I don't know- AAHHH!" The grip tightened as she closed her hand a bit more.
"LIAR!" she yelled now, the room shaking a bit now from her rising power. "You better tell me or else! I want answers NOW!"
"Your blood... it's special! Your blood is what Spencer needs to achieve his goal! He said something about you being the genesis to a new world! Your DNA is what he needs!"
Slinging him to the next wall, Alana began to choke him even more almost to the point where he could not utter another word. "So your master thinks he can just use me whenever he wants?! That I'm nothing more than just a tool?! He's not going to get me! I'm tired of running away from you guys! This stops now! Tell this to your boss: Alana Wolff is no longer scared! I won't be his key! I'm not his Project! And if he wants me, I'll fight back! I WON'T LET YOU HURT ME EVER AGAIN!"
"Captain she's going to kill him!" Joseph exclaimed as the agent began to pass out.
Barry burst into the room. "ALANA STOP!" he shouted, making Alana snap out of her state.
The agen dropped to the ground as Alana fell to her hands and knees, tears building up in her eyes. Joseph stood in the doorway, still in shock over what he just saw. "Holy crap..." he spoke in awe.
Falling onto her butt, Alana kept her face hidden in her hair as she began to cry. All those years of pent up frustration and anger, despair and fear... and she finally was able to let it out. What was better for her, it was on an Umbrella agent. She hugged herself, her body shaking as she cried.
While all this was happening, at the hospital a few blocks away, something else was occurring. Chris, be it because of guilt or because of the morphine, was opening up to Jill. He told her everything that had been going on behind the scenes, what he'd done, what he'd felt... everything... except his feelings for her. It was no secret that he liked her, but there was more to it than that. More than he was willing to admit, even to her. Of course Jill was there to listen to him and stayed quiet while he was opening his heart and spilling it to her. All the while, she kept a hand on top of his own. She knew that he needed this, after what happened a week ago.
Like a true partner, she stayed with him.
Whew... longest chapter yet. At least Wesker and Alana got some answers from the agent. What more secrets does Umbrella have? Find out next time on RESIDENT EVIL: FALL FROM GRACE!