Day 0

It was a very busy day. The first was tomorrow, technically speaking it was at midnight tonight and we were still moving things in. All of the heavy lifting was finally done at least. There was a set up of standard furniture: a small dining table with two chairs, a large couch in the living room so I wouldn't have to sit too close to Wesker if we were both sitting there, a coffee table in front of the couch, and all the major kitchen and laundry appliances were installed. Wesker's cell was simple with a twin bed, a desk with a chair, and a dresser. My room was more comfortable and accommodating with a queen bed, a desk with a chair, a dresser, an armchair, a small tv stand for the tv we had yet to bring in, and a locked safe for my gun. Nothing had been stocked yet as that was my job since I would be the one living here and eating the food.

As we agreed, there were no microphones but there were cameras everywhere except for my bathroom though there was one in my bedroom upon my insistence. It was just another precautionary measure, I was able to turn it on and off depending on whether I felt like I needed it. They were all equipped with night vision and there would be around the clock surveillance of the monitors to keep an eye on the situation. The tech department was doing a final check on the cameras to make sure they all worked. So we all had to work around each other in the small prison as we hurried to get everything finished but we managed somehow.

Both Jill and Claire went shopping with me for all the necessary items the prison would need using BSAA money which felt weird to me as I had only ever used the organization's money for weapons and tactical gear. I had to remind myself that this too was a mission so this was all necessary. We ended up making three trips, three. The whole thing took way longer than it should have and I really regretted not going by myself. I would have gotten the basics and been back within a single trip. That was originally the plan but Claire wanted to make a day of it, something about the last time she would see me. It was a joke but something inside me winced.

The first trip was for supplies for the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, and basic bedding for Wesker as I was bringing my own. I was tempted to get him something colorful which the girls thought was hilarious but I thought better of intentionally pissing him off so we figured something black was a safe bet. We dropped everything off at headquarters for someone else to take down so we didn't have to go all that way just to leave again.

The second trip was for food, plenty of it. The girls disapproved of some of the junk food I got but my dietary habits were fine and I had the body to prove it so they backed off. We all seemed to avoid the question of what Wesker would like though both Jill and I grabbed some items we remembered him liking back in STARS. Neither of us said anything or acknowledged that's what we were doing because it fell under those mixed up feelings we shared. Again we dropped everything off for someone else to take down, asking that they put away the things that needed to be either frozen or refrigerated.

The third trip was for personal needs and the things from my apartment that I was bringing. We stopped by my place first for my clothes, bedding, the small smart tv I hardly used, my laptop, and my favorite green coffee mug that said 'built like a boulder' on it. Then we went out to a few different stores to get various items including a few notebooks, a box of pens, and things the girls thought I should have to keep entertained. At some point Claire grabbed a child's chemistry set and wouldn't let me say no to it because she thought it was funny. I was sure there was another joke item they weren't telling me about because they both got very quiet after running off while I was looking over something else. It seemed to be Jill's idea since she was the one that paid for it and rushed it out to the car. She seemed proud of herself for it too and was trying to keep Claire acting casual. By this point I just wanted to be done so I didn't even try to figure out what they had grabbed. Our last stop was managing to get all the books Wesker wanted. Some of them were old classics, some read more like textbooks, and some actually were textbooks. While we were in the bookstore, the girls threw in a few recommendations though I didn't really read fiction. But I wasn't in the mood to argue so they got me a few books I doubted I would pick up. After that we were finally on our way back to finish getting everything set up.

Since the security system wasn't yet turned on and she had already signed the form of secrecy, Claire was able to come down with us to help. By the time we arrived, everyone else had finished with what they were doing and were gone so it was just the three of us. We started in the kitchen, putting away the rest of the food before moving on to the small appliances, the pots and pans, and the dishes and utensils. We moved onto Wesker's cell and we all hesitated at the door. He'd never been in here yet and already it was awkward and tense. I tried to shrug away the feeling of dread creeping over the edges of my senses. I cleared my throat to get the girls' attention and smiled at them.

"Why don't you two get my stuff and start in my room?" I suggested and they both agreed with quick nods before going to do that. I took a deep breath and finally stepped through the threshold. I didn't like being in here and the man wasn't even here yet… I dreaded what it would feel like when he was here. As far as I knew they were planning on moving him in later tonight. I glanced at my watch, a few more hours at least and we were almost done so it was fine. Even if we didn't finish in my room, I could just do it later. The important thing was to get this room finished so I would hopefully never have to come back in here again. I momentarily spaced out as I thought about the different situations that could arise that would force me back in here. I shook my head and took another breath so I could hurry and get this over with. There was no way for me to know what was going to happen so I would just have to deal with whatever came as it did.

I started with the bathroom supplies leaving the toilet paper where it went, stocking the shower shelf with soap and shampoo, a small bottle of hand soap on the sink, and a tube of toothpaste along with a sealed toothbrush there as well. Then I made the bed, quickly getting the sheets and the pillow settled in a typical military style. Then I moved on to the clothes we were providing for Wesker, mostly just dark colored sweatpants and tshirts. Again he invaded my thoughts as I wondered how he would look in something so casual, especially since he wasn't being allowed his sunglasses. I shook my head free of such thoughts again and tried focussing solely on what I was doing. The clothes were already folded so I just arranged them in the drawers of the dresser, again in a military fashion. If he didn't like it then he could rearrange it himself. I wondered if he would rearrange anything in the room or just leave everything as it was. I set the books on top of the dresser and left the notebooks and pens on the desk. The last thing I did was leave a small metal trash can in the bathroom area. I did a quick sweep of the room to make sure I didn't forget anything before finally leaving with a brisk pace.

"Hey, how are my two favorite people coming along?" I called happily as I entered my own room for the next month, trying to hide the anxiety I was feeling. But of course they saw through it and gave me sympathetic smiles in return.

"Well we got your clothes put away and your bed made." Jill pointed out as she started pulling out my bathroom stuff from the bags.

"And we set up your little entertainment toys." Claire mentioned with a gesture to the top of the dresser. I looked over some of the stuff, seeing fidgeting toys and puzzles. I rolled my eyes, again thinking that I wouldn't need such things but I was still grateful that they were thinking of me. "Let us know- well, I guess just Jill, if you need or want anything else." Claire said as she started to check herself for her own belongings.

"It's only a month, I'll be fine." I reassured her with a questioning gaze. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah it's getting late and I have to work in the morning." she said as she hugged me and I hugged her back tightly. "I know you have to be up to come back here at midnight but try to get some sleep after that, okay?" she pleaded with me, still not pulling out of our embrace- not that I would let her go if she tried. I was trying to play this off like it was no big deal but it was a very big deal and I really didn't want to do it.

"I'll try." I told her though it was muffled in her shoulder. We stayed like that a moment longer before I finally told myself to let her go.

"You can text or call me whenever." she reminded me with a reassuring smile and I nodded as I thanked her. We said our goodbyes and she left. I heard Jill sigh and looked at her to see her rubbing her head. It'd been a long day for her too.

"How are you holding up?" I asked as I moved to help her carry stuff into my bathroom and start putting everything away.

"I've got a headache but I'm fine." she told me and I could hear the tiredness creeping in her voice. I wanted to tell her to go home and try to sleep but I knew she wouldn't listen, I wouldn't either if she told me to do the same. So I dropped it and we continued to work. We finished in the bathroom and then got the tv hooked up. "Are you sure you'll be okay alone with him?" she asked as she placed the trash can while I unpacked my laptop and set it up on the desk.

"I don't know Jill, it depends on what he's really planning." I answered truthfully while putting all the extra stuff in the small closet in my room. "But you'll be watching over me so I'm sure I can handle him well enough until you arrive to back me up, partner." she smiled at that and nodded. Though she had cleared all the physical tests, Jill was still on desk duty until she finished her required therapy so she volunteered to be the main overseer of this prison. We silently hugged to tell each other that everything would be fine. I was sure it was the longest hug we had shared but we'd both been through a lot recently and there was only more to come. When we did finally part, she handed me my mug with a small smile.

"All set." she said and I sighed as I looked down at my mug before putting it on the desk next to my laptop. I took my gun and it's holster off of my belt and locked it in the safe before we left my room. I locked it behind us and we quickly cleaned up before heading for the exit. I looked over the prison again, trying not to think about how the next time I was in here I would be trapped with Wesker for a full month. I only had a few hours left. "Come on, let's go get a stiff drink." Jill nudged me and I liked the sound of that so I gladly left with her.


See? Short. I know I could have expanded on this chapter so much by going more into the shopping trips or other things I skimmed over but honestly I didn't want to because I'm on Chris's side about the shopping. Call me lazy but I want to get to the main plot of the story. It's fine like this anyway.

~Arren