Chris watched his sister's back as she disappeared down the corridor. Something about her overall appearance was bothering him, but he pushed the thoughts away. Claire always hated it when he hovered over her, and, considering that he hadn't seen the woman in almost three months, he didn't want to spoil their time together by annoying his sister.
"Huh, she's going to be mopping about this later," Saya sighed, "she will be feeling guilty after all this."
The comment caught Chris's attention, and the soldier turned to the Asian doctor with a quizzical look.
"Guilty? Why?" Chris asked.
"Well, it isn't like she gets a lot of friendly visitors often. I can tell she was overjoyed to have you here, but with all this mess, unfortunately, with this mess, Claire has barely been a proper host, and that will haunt her."
Chris felt a pinch of guilt at the woman's words. He knew Claire was a strong girl. Claire had always been independent, but she valued family like nothing else. She probably missed him as much as he missed her; maybe he should consider dropping by more often.
"You seem to know her well," Leon said casually, looking around the place.
"We are old friends and colleagues," Saya said, picking a notepad and scribbling something, "we have grown close after sharing so many night shifts side by side. I am not sure which of us spends more time in this building. Maybe we should start a contest on that."
"Night Shifts?" Chris asked, "She has night shifts?"
"Well, her promotion carried a lot of extra work," Saya explained, "Sometimes the amount is ridiculous, especially when the other chiefs are calling and asking for help. She's too kind to say no. Sometimes she has so much work that she just gave up going home at night. I do the same, so eventually, we ended up making each other company."
"So, she hasn't been going home?"Jill asked.
"She does, but rarely. Deep down inside, I believe she prefers it here because that way, she won't feel lonely. You know she lives alone, and sometimes when something bothers her or she wakes up from a nightmare, it is nice to have someone to chat with and have some hot chocolate."
"Nightmares?" Barry asked.
"She still has them?" Moira asked.
Chris looked at the girl, and he saw Barry put his arm protectively around his daughter.
"Yes, it has become a regular thing lately. I heard yours have become less frequent," Saya said, tilting her head.
Moira nodded and looked at her dad.
"Natalia and I used to have them for a while, too," Moira said, and Barry rubbed her back comfortingly, "but they have almost stopped completely."
"Well, that's good," Saya nodded, "unfortunately, our Claire wasn't so lucky."
"I didn't know she still had them. I mean, we all lived a nightmare on that fucking island. She should have told me. Talking it out might help."
Saya smiled and sighed.
"You know she wouldn't say a word," Saya shrugged.
"Well, why not? We went through that hell together."
Chris was the one with the answer to that.
"Because she always keeps quiet," Chris sighed, "It's been like this since she was a kid. Claire never says anything when she is having trouble with something."
"She doesn't want to worry us, probably," Leon said.
He had spoken with her a few times on the phone. She usually asked how things were doing, and when he returned the question, she merely said she was bored or lots of work. On the phone, it was hard to tell when the girl was hiding something, and the younger Redfield was proficient in that area.
Their chat was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the automatic doors opening. They had expected it to be Claire, but instead, a tall blonde man wearing a black security uniform came in, walking impatiently.
"Ok, Redfield, why did you need me? It better be for a good reason, because I've got to reboot the system, and that is not doing itself."
The blonde stopped dryly and stared at the group in confusion.
"Ok, now this is weird..." he said, turning to the Asian doctor.
"Wallace," Saya said, surprised, "What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean? Red called me up here. Isn't Redfield here?"
"Well, that depends on which Redfield, kid," Barry snorted.
"What?"
The man was visibly confused, but it was Moira who cleared it up for him. She pointed at Chris lazily.
"What my dad means," Moira said, pointing at Chris, "he is Chris Redfield. I mean the Chris Redfield, you know. Claire's beloved brother?"
"Oh! Now, that makes sense. I'm Grant Wallace, Head of cybersecurity. he said, shaking Chris's hand ceremoniously, "It's an honor to meet you, at last, brother. Forgive my lack of courtesy. I am in a rush since I need to fix the crap those hackers did to my precious system. Let me be a little more specific, then, is Claire here?"
"No, she isn't here," Saya said, crossing her arms, "She left some minutes ago to find you."
"She... what? Why?"
"Why?" Saya said, indignantly, "You called her, and now you ask why?"
"What? I never called her. She was the one who asked me to come up here."
"This isn't time for jokes," Saya chastised him. "We all heard it. You said that there was something in the Command Center you wanted her to see."
"I never said..." Wallace said, "I was in command, and she told me she was having issues with the security system in the lab. She even told me to drag my lazy ass up here, or she would make me pay."
Everyone fell silent, and it was then that something clicked inside Chris's head. If the man had not called Claire, and he was there. Who was waiting for Claire at the Command Center?
"Where is the Command Center?" he said with a grave tone, "Save the talk, just answer…"
"Basement, but…"
Saya's eyes went wide, and Grant fell into realization.
"It is a trap. Someone lured Claire there," Chris said furiously.
Before anyone could react, Chris was already running out of the room, followed closely by Leon and Jill.
Everyone fell silent. It was then that a switch clicked in Chris's head.
"Where is the Command Center?" he said with a grave tone, "Save the talk, just answer…"
"Basement, but there's no one at the Command Center," Wallace said, "and you say I called her down? There's something wrong there."
Wallace's eyes widened, and he looked at Chris in shock.
"Someone lured Claire there," Chris said furiously. "It is a trap!"
Before anyone could react or say anything, Chris was making his way through the corridor, heading for the stairs. The others exchanged glances, and with no more to say, Jill and Leon ran after him.
"Claire, you better be in one piece when I get there," Chris thought out loud as he ran down the stairs, followed by Leon and Jill.
Leon was the first one to follow him as soon as they had found out that Claire was potentially in danger. They were good friends; that fact was not a secret. Both had gone through a lot during the first outbreak in Racoon City, and those kinds of events usually created everlasting bonds between people. If there was anyone as worried as Chris was, it had to be him.
The second set of footsteps were Jill's. The woman seemed worried.
"We need to hurry. I want to be wrong, but if I am not, Claire will need our help," Chris told his companions.
Claire wasn't a damsel in distress. If she had to kick some asses, she would do it without trouble. But if she got tricked down there, she would not have been able to foresee the ambush that awaited her, and the element of surprise would leave her in a disadvantageous position.
They reached the Command Center in a short time. The office door was ajar, and there was no sign of Claire anywhere. That made Chris have a bad feeling.
The trio stepped into the room cautiously. There were evident signs of a struggle: papers scattered on the ground, furniture turned over, and few bloodstains on the floor. There had been a fight, and Chris prayed with all his heart that the red liquid on the ground wasn't Claire's blood. After inspecting the place, they came to the sad conclusion that it was empty.
Chris cursed himself for being late as he watched helplessly around the empty room.
"Shit, where are you, Claire?" Chris growled.
"Chris..."
The soldier turned to Leon. The man had crouched, and he was holding something silver in his hand. Chris recognized it at once.
"That's Claire's necklace."
"It seems she got ambushed," Jill said, after looking at the scene, "No deaths, as there are no corpses, but judging by the looks, someone got beaten into a pulp."
As long as that someone wasn't his sister, it was fine. Chris could live with it.
"Three attackers," Jill said, "Male and trained. I think Claire knocked out two, but she missed the third one. They can't be too far."
"We gotta move if we want to find her, then."
Jill nodded. The group was ready to step out when Jill stopped them and brought a finger against her lips, telling them to be silent. Someone was outside the room. The trio exchanged looks and took cover to listen.
"That bitch didn't go down without a fight, huh?" an unknown male voice said, "she's feisty. I guess that is why they are interested."
"She's tougher than the other ones," a second voice said, "what do you suppose they do with them?"
"That's none of your business. Our task is to collect the subjects. The rest is up to them," the first man said. "Now, move. You don't want to be in the city when they drop those presents in the city."
"Now that's going to be a show. What do you think those guys will send this time?"
"Some of their ugly pets, probably."
Chris looked at Leon and Jill. Those last words made the hair on the back of Chris's neck stand up. They were planning an attack on the city, and if it were as bad as Chris imagined, Hughesville would soon turn into a second Lanshiang Catastrophe.
"Let's see how those stupid TerraSavers handle that," the first voice said with amusement.
The trio held their breath as the voices receded. Chris had to restrain himself from attacking the men with his fists. Those men were his best chance at finding Claire. He would make them pay, but until his sister was safe and sound, he would let them go.
"Are they planning to launch an attack here?" Jill asked, "I can't believe this."
"We should get used to this crap," Chris said with anger, "Jill, go back to Barry and the others. We need to warn the BSAA about a possible bioterrorist attack asap. We need the forces to get moving before things get out of control."
"Yes, of course," Jill nodded, "what are you going to do?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Chris said, fiercely, "I am hunting down those assholes and getting my sister back."
"Chris, don't get me wrong, but going after them all on your own..." Jill said, and Chris growled.
"If I wait, I'll lose them. I can't let that happen."
"Yes, I understand that, but you can't expect me to let you go alone."
"He won't," Leon said. "I'll go with him. I'll help him get Claire back, so you can focus on evacuating the people before this becomes another tragedy."
Jill looked at them and hesitated.
"I have Leon as my backup. I will be fine. The attack will happen soon. If we want to save as many people as we can, we need to hurry. I am sure everyone in TerraSave will help us."
Jill nodded. The woman turned on her heels and ran back through the corridor, leaving the soldier and the agent behind. Chris knew that Jill was reluctant to leave. She loved Claire, too, and the idea of the girl getting kidnapped by a bunch of terrorists didn't make her happier than it made Chris. However, duty was a duty; the woman turned on her heels and ran back through the corridor, leaving the soldier and the agent behind.
Chris turned to Leon and found the agent fidgeting with his mobile phone.
"I contacted Hunnigan and asked her to help us track down Claire's kidnappers."
"Great, that will come in handy," Chris nodded, "Did you bring any weapons?"
Leon gave him a smile of irony and showed him the holster under his jacket.
"After all these years," Leon said, "They never leave my side."
"Tch, it must be nice to have the government's permission to carry your toys," Chris scoffed, "Fair enough. Let's move, then."
The two men rushed out of the room, following the path that the two chatting men from earlier had taken. It wasn't long before Leon and Chris caught up with them. It was a group of six men wearing black suits and masks. One of them, as Chris noted, was carrying an unconscious Claire over his shoulders. The sight was enough to make the man's blood boil, and the soldier clenched his fists, ready to throw a few punches.
The eldest Redfield looked at Leon, sending him a tacit plan, and the man nodded. They pulled out their guns and shot, aiming at the legs. The first man fell to the ground. The group was confused for a moment, but they soon reacted to their attackers. Three of the closest men began to fire back while the remaining ones sneaked away with Claire. It was evident that their priority was getting her out of the building.
Chris cursed. He had no time to waste, and the men were right in the way. He looked at Leon, and the blonde nodded, raising three fingers, counting down. When the last finger was out, the two jumped out from their cover and began firing at the men. The encounter lasted a couple of minutes, and soon the three attackers laid dead on the floor.
Leon seized the chance to check the bodies.
"What's that?" Chris asked, seeing that Leon had pulled out something from one of the body's pockets.
"A badge. I recognize it. It's one of those small terrorist groups that have ties to Neo-Umbrella," Leon muttered, "I'll let Hunnigan know. Let's get Claire back before they escape."
"Roger to that," Chris nodded.
The two men made their way through the empty corridors until they reached the underground parking lot. Chris and Leon made an abrupt stop when a black van passed them at full speed and broke through the parking entrance.
Chris glared at it and ran to the guard's office. The guard was on the floor. The soldier checked his vitals and concluded that the man was dead. There was nothing that he could do, so he picked a set of keys and rushed to grab one of Terra Save's vehicles.
It took them nothing to catch up with the van, and Chris was glad that no traffic had tried to stop him for his reckless driving. He could picture his sister's lecture about it in his mind, but considering the circumstances, Chris thought that his recklessness was reasonable.
"There they are," Leon said, putting out his gun, "keep it steady. I'll try to stop them."
Chris watched Leon stretch out through the window and began shooting. His accuracy was on point, and Chris was grateful that the agent was pointing at the tires only. It was the safest way to stop the car without the risk of hurting Claire in the crossfire.
"Leon, watch up," Chris said.
Two men were coming through the van's windows with their guys aiming at them. The exchange of fire was unavoidable, and Chris had to maneuver the car the best he could to avoid the incoming fire.
"The bastards came prepared," Leon groaned, reloading his gun. "I guess this won't be easy."
"Has it ever been easy?"
"Right," Leon snorted. The blonde aimed his gun and shot the man on the left.
The bullet hit the man cleanly on his forehead, killing him instantly.
"Nice shot," Chris smirked.
Leon smirked at the compliment, but the light mood short-lasting.
A loud crash resounded in the street as one of the closest buildings collapsed right in front of them, blocking the way and forcing the black van to make a turn to dodge the flying debris. A strong inhuman roar echoed through the city, and Chris found that howl unpleasantly familiar.
"Shit," Chris groaned, pushing the door open, "not this guy again."
"Friend of yours?" asked Leon, doing the same.
"Old acquaintance."
The ogroman let out a savage howl, hitting the nearby buildings with his large hands. The men in the black van had stepped out with their cargo. Claire was still unconscious. They seemed to have forgotten about their human chasers and were only concerned with finding a way to escape the infamous creature. The ogroman, however, had other plans. It snatched a couple of the more unlucky men and broke their bones with its hand.
Their fate wasn't one Chris wished for anyone, not even those damned terrorists.
"Great, just what we need," he growled.
"I am guessing you know how to deal with this guy," Leon asked with a frown.
"Yeah, and I can tell you we are not ready for this fight."
"Why am I not surprised?" Leon sighed. His attention got momentarily diverted from the monster as he watched the men take Claire through an alley. "Chris..."
Chris followed the blonde's sight and frowned. They ran to the alley to chase the escaping group but got violently stopped by the Ogroman punching the street. Chris and Leon rolled in opposite directions, evading the hit and the flying rocks.
"Shit," Chris cursed, "Are you okay, Leon?"
"I've been better," Leon groaned, "Any ideas?"
"Yeah, you follow those assholes. I'll take care of this guy."
"Are you nuts?"
"Don't worry. I know how to deal with it," Chris replied, "I'll distract it. You get Claire."
Leon pondered their options and nodded. Chris wasn't a rookie. He was a veteran with even more experience than Leon in some things. If someone could deal with that thing, it was him. Leon took some of his extra ammunition and threw them to Chris.
"Take this. You'll need it."
"Really. Where were you hiding these, huh?"
"I've got my tricks. Be careful, Chris."
"You, too, and make sure Claire is safe, or I'll kill you myself."
Leon snorted. He gave Chris a wave and ran into the alley, leaving the soldier to face the ogroman.
Chris could only trust that the man would save his sister; then again, Leon had proved himself a competent fighter and probably was the person that worried most about Claire, after himself, of course.
"Time to do some clean-up."