Chapter 13: What's in a Name?

The coast guard station was quaint in its position near the beach. It was a small colonial revival house, with white fading paint that peeled from the sea salt air. It was a standardized design that was used for a number of maritime service structures along the American coasts. It had been replicated on the Spanish coast for their military and eventually had been transformed into a tourist attraction.

Someone had put several wooden windchimes near the front door of the station and Claire couldn't help but shut her eyes to listen to it for a moment after Sebastian spoke.

Opening her eyes again, Claire considered the mercenary, not the man, she had come to know in the last few days. Every whisper of the previous Alpha Team Leader came with the reminder of how dangerous he was.

Ruthless, cunning, efficient and cold was what reports had said about him. He was one of the deadliest enforcers for Umbrella and it had been rumored he was still offering his services to the highest bidder after the corporation's fall.

"Blue Umbrella?" She asked, her eyes like a blade in the dark.

Claire had kept up with the Raccoon Trials very closely, as she was sure the rest of the survivors did. Umbrella had hired the best legal teams and had elicited every possible measure to discredit witness testimonies, implicate many of the other pharmaceutical corporations, and appealed decisions based on evidence on their written word as a corporation; emails, lab reports, equipment lists all came under fire in the court. As intended by the corporation's CEO, conspiracies grew in the highest court of the United States.

The final nail had been an incident where an anonymous source had sent classified data from Umbrella's very own computers. The proof behind who was responsible for Raccoon City came swiftly after that. Umbrella was found guilty of being responsible for the incident and the deaths of over 100,000 lives. The corporation had quickly dissolved from the loss to their stock, and only earlier this year had the bankruptcy cases been closed out.

Umbrella, as Claire knew it, was supposed to be gone but she wasn't a fool; Albert Wesker still walked free and so did many others.

When Leon had explained the Anti-Umbrella Pursuit and Investigation Team within the multi-branch of USSTRATCOM, Claire had been hopeful that their government was finally waking up. Chris and Jill had been doing their own work to establish a response to bio-organic weapons sales and distribution. Before the end, Umbrella had managed many different black-market trades, and they all knew the nightmare would continue.

Sebastian seemed to take an uncertain breath before he began to speak next.

"Blue Umbrella has been forming in this last year as the bankruptcy for the original company closed in March. Many of these individuals are people from the old company that weren't involved in the original B.O.W. research; the actual innocent people who showed up every day to just do their jobs. It's nauseating when I stare at it for too long, but their new focus is something I excel at." Sebastian explained as his right hand traced the top ridges of his left glove.

It was a tell that Claire was beginning to pick up on when he was becoming anxious. As anxious as a man known as Death becomes.

"At the request of an old friend, I joined. Teams are being created for research on anti-B.O.W.'s and combat data. I am part of one of the teams they send when they get a whiff of anything internationally. The fall of Umbrella didn't eliminate the threat of bio-organic weapons, as you may know, and people will pay high prices for someone with experience. Close Quarters Quarantined Battle Zone fighting style is something I have helped to develop recently." He met her eyes, and she could see something flicker in his gaze.

"I called in a favor when you got taken to the boat." Sebastian finished as he leaned back against the wooden wall of the coastguard station and put his elbows up on his knees.

A few beats passed and Claire looked down at her hands. The scars were bright up against the glow of the flashlight on the ground.

"Sebastian," Claire said with a measured voice. "You expect me to believe that Umbrella—Blue Umbrella are supposed to be the good guys now?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but Claire pressed on.

"Why were you so loyal to Umbrella?" Claire asked as she clamped down on her umbrage; the control in her voice nearly slipping.

Sebastian's gaze took in her posture; no doubt understanding her unique position.

"They paid well, simply put. It wasn't them I was loyal to. It was one woman, an executive, that I took my orders from." He metered out, watching as her face transformed slowly with each word.

"A woman? Is this where I learn you're married?" Claire said as she scooted back to the wall next to him, forcing herself to relax; her vulnerability was leaking from her posture.

Sebastian let out a hollow laugh in return and swung his eyes to hers again after he had looked away.

"People don't marry their attack dogs, Claire." He answered quietly.

Claire glanced up at the window and let out a sigh as she rested her head back against the wall. She hadn't slept more than a few hours each night for the past few days and it was starting to show in her ability to focus.

"Claire." Sebastian called, sounding far away.

A rustle of clothing alerted her to how close Sebastian suddenly was. She had closed her eyes for a moment too long.

"Tell me." Sebastian said as he was now crouched in front of her; his eyes missing nothing in her cowed expression.

Her cheeks were wet and she furiously blinked at the tears. The spiraling inner dialog slamming against the back of her teeth. She struggled to put it into words before another thought came to mind.

"Have you—" she cleared her throat and sat up, bringing her face closer to his. "Have you ever read the Greek lore on Hephaestus?"

"Somewhat." His response was quiet.

"I keep—" she started before biting her lip to stop herself from crying further. Ashley's screams were echoing through her mind. "—The god Hephaestus was cast from heaven for his deformities. Ultimately, he was thrown from Heaven to live amongst the humans; deemed unfit to hold to his titles and family."

Sebastian nodded carefully and waited for her to continue.

"Sebastian, I am now a walking liability. Just a weapon as intended and we have no current way of knowing what this virus looks like in my system or what exacerbates it. I could be stable one minute or trying to kill you or someone else the next. If by some miracle's chance, Blue Umbrella or otherwise, I make it… what happens after? I can't go home to my old life." Claire was looking down at her hands.

"How can I even work when a papercut could mean the difference of everything? I thought I was alone before, but now—" She laughed a broken sound and put a hand up to cover her eyes.

The right sleeve of her red jacket had burned off all the way up to the elbow; the melted leather was sticking to her skin.

"If you are as cunning as you're made out to be, you would kill me now, Hunk." She bit out.

She heard his release of breath before his hand was pulling hers from her face gently and he led her carefully away from the wall. With a quick lift, her petite form was draped across his lap, legs over the side of one of his crossed knees.

"You're not just a weapon, Claire. You are one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen, virus or not." his deep dulcet tone was sharp and measured as he spoke into her temple. "Also, let's not forget that Hephaestus was the only god to ever return from exile."

Claire shook her head in dismissal. All she could see was Steve transforming before her, the red of his eyes shining like a death warrant. Or Alexia, who burned away her human body to step into her role of madness.

Sebastian's deep chuckle pulled her attention back and she turned her head to look up at him.

"You were a living embodiment of fire long before you ever went to Rockfort. In Raccoon, you were racing through the night to protect a child; a crown of flame that held up my mission because I couldn't look away." He hugged her closer as he spoke into her skin.

"When you got to Paris, you infiltrated a compound, in a foreign land, to find your brother. You took out 87 trained men by blowing them up." He had begun laying gentle kisses to her cheek and moved slowly down to the side of her neck, speaking in between each press of his lips.

"And then you got on a plane with a near stranger and traversed into a dangerous territory because your desire to protect a man you loved came before your instinct to remain safe; still you burn."

He reached down and pulled her hand up, flipping her hand to reveal the scars again.

He was whispering in her ear, "This? This is their punishment, Claire. You took something from them and your body isn't mutating, it's thriving; I have more wounds than you do."

"And after, Sebastian?" Claire asked as she found herself responding to his touches. The moon's light from the south facing window caught in her hair as she tilted her head slightly to the mouth that began to suck lightly on her throat.

She could feel his slow smile lifting as his facial hair scratched her skin.

"Five days ago, I wouldn't have given a fuck about the people here. I could have walked out of here right now and I'd have had the enjoyment of unbroken sleep. I knew what I was here for: An assigned mission and you. I didn't even know what that would mean. I thought we'd be back on a helicopter the first night and I could just move on."

His hand slid up the other side of her neck before pulling her jaw toward him so that she was fully looking into his eyes. "Didn't I tell you I would take whatever you could give me? I'd like to find out what that looks like. Even now."

Hope grew dangerously in her chest. Somewhere between heaven and hell, Sebastian kept finding her. For purgatory wasn't a place but a condition of existence.

Claire thought of the Greek story of Sisyphus tricking Thanatos into his own shackles. As she stared into Sebastian's eyes, she realized she had bound a wreath of poppies around her wrists and whispered, "Mine." to the man known as Death.

Claire bit the inside of her cheek as she centered her thoughts.

"Are you sure about this? Aren't you going—" she stammered over her words, and to the question she had been avoiding. "—to continue your missions? What were you even here for?"

"I picked up a sample of the Las Plagas. It was sent away with one of my teams."

Claire jerked in his grasp, her brows furrowing as her mouth opened.

"The sample was dead. It had been too long since the person it inhabited had died. I was supposed to infiltrate the cathedral and get one of the live samples from Saddler's lab. Before I could do that, I saw you on the dais." He said before she could interrupt.

Claire let out a nervous breath. "You didn't send another sample?"

"Had better things to do." Sebastian admitted as he stared down at her. The fingers under her jaw slowly began to stroke down the ridge of her neck.

"You're about one of five people that have seen my face alongside the mask and what it implies; Kennedy being one of them now. I joined the agency for dual purposes: Free mobility for missions and the ability to have a face again while protecting my identity. Umbrella's protection is gone." Claire was looking into his eyes as she began to understand the man she was starting to truly trust.

"I heard you thank me in Raccoon, Claire, and it more than sealed you in my path." Sebastian leaned down and nipped her lips.

"For that matter, there's not a lot of people left who know that mask. You're definitely one of the only people to have ever seen it and reached out to it." He whispered the last word as something dark laced into his voice.

Claire let out a breath and leaned forward so that her face was inches from his. "I want to fuck you in that mask." She said, feeling bold.

Sebastian's delighted grin was stopped short as she said, "But first, Sebastian, how many relationships have you ever been in?"

"None."

"You're certainly not a virgin."

"No." His smile turned lupine.

"Is that what you're asking me for? A relationship?" She asked baldly before she held her breath.

"I'd like to wake up next to you every day and see what we'd like to call it. I'd like to try having a home."

Claire tilted her lips fully up to his. "That sounds like a good start." She said softly before she kissed him.

The sun was pulling up over the horizon, splashing Spain with the color of the morning. Claire could hear the distant call of the gulls as they flew overhead. She and Sebastian had made the trek back up toward the parking structure where Claire had fallen from previously. Sebastian had made her stop a good deal away from the edge as he peered over the collapsed side. When she asked what he was doing, he had responded that he had a newfound urge to look for his bag and thus his mask. Claire hadn't stopped smiling by the time he had climbed back up, bag in tow.

The pair had agreed they needed to head to Santander to meet with the remaining members of the agency. Not only was their base within the bay city, but so was the lab where Claire's blood had been taken. Claire knew that it was a slim chance that anyone on site would know what they were looking at, but once the results were sent out, someone was going to take a closer look. They had both formulated a plan that they would need to secure her blood sample while at the base.

If what Leon said was true, they had two days to gather as many people as possible and resources before heading to the second cargo ship near the island in the Bay of Biscay.

Much to Claire's disappointment, Sebastian knew how to hotwire the older truck they found sitting down the street. She had been hoping to return to the Honda Goldwing; the bulky motorcycle had grown on her.

Claire stood watch while he worked under the dash. When the old F-250 roared to life, they had set off quickly toward Santander with Sebastian behind the wheel this time.

With the sun nearing noon, the pair had made a quick stop at a quaint fueling station just outside of Ribadesella. Claire had loaded up on simple supplies such as bandages, food, and water. When Sebastian wasn't looking, she had also grabbed some pastries that resembled a doughnut. Once they were back on the road, Claire opened the bag in the truck and took a bite. She jumped at the sound of Sebastian's throaty laugh.

"Is that a Buñuelos?" He asked, glancing over at her from the road.

"Yes?" Claire answered with her mouth full.

He held out his hand. "You're a blast to travel with, have I told you that?"

She set one of the pastries in his hand and her mind was adding Buñuelos to the list along with Formula One. The picture of what he liked grew little by little.

Sebastian caught her smiling at him during the drive and he gave her a soft look before turning his gaze back to the road.

His hand on her thigh squeezed in a promise.

Santander was burning.

Plumes of smoke rose to the sky in great black spirals. The taller buildings in the city caught Claire's eye. The reflection from the sun on the intact windows looked like eyes beside the holes in the structure. It seemed that the jets had already made their run through the beautiful city.

Sebastian parked the truck near one of the shops near the main road that lead into town. He pulled out his communicator and opened a map Hunnigan had sent previously.

"Where did you get that? The communicator smashed in my hands at the hotel." Claire asked as she leaned over to stare at the screen.

"This one is mine." He said looking up at her face. "Doesn't depend on the U.S. satellites."

"More timely interruptions it is." She said out the side of her mouth.

Sebastian's smirk was telling as he turned back to the screen and pointed to the map. "Need to get to Canalejas. The agency set up their lab and extraction point at the Euro Stars Hotel Real."

"Why not the hospital?" She asked as she leaned back, reaching for the gun she had put in the glove compartment.

"Too much traffic. The military had moved in for triage at some point." He answered as he glanced out through the windshield.

"Ready? You only have my handgun, and it's limited on ammo. Stay behind me and let me take the front. You can watch our rear."

Claire nodded and breathed deeply. Sebastian had started to open his door and stopped as she grabbed his wrist.

"Please, let's only shoot who we have to if there's civilians left alive." She said evenly.

He held her gaze before he nodded once and proceeded out. He slipped his bag over his back and waited for her.

Claire slipped on the handmade leather backpack she had taken from the fueling station and made sure the safety was engaged on her gun before she slipped it into her thigh holster. Shutting the door quietly, she moved and followed Sebastian as he led her down toward one of the main roads.

An hour later, Sebastian put his hand up and looked around a corner. He looked back at her and shook his head, motioning to go back.

He pulled her into a back alley and murmured "Ganados." before he continued.

As they passed a narrow junction that looked out into the previous street, Claire caught sight of a group of them walking back and forth around a large fire. Her eyes widened as she noticed the bodies piled in the center. Claire's focus locked onto the small hand of a child that poked out from the bottom of the pile.

Sebastian's hand was firm as he grabbed the lapel of her jacket and pulled her slowly away from the sight.

The bodies in the streets had begun to look the same wherever they went but Claire always made sure to draw the distinctions; the crimes were mounting.

Toppled strollers, children's toys, car seats, and bright clothing caught her eye as they moved across the city. The dead had been a constant around them for days now, and Claire began to wonder how Spain would ever recover from this. Even when Saddler was dead, who would be left?

Claire reached for Sebastian's hand and squeezed. Seeming to understand, he said nothing as he squeezed back and kept her hand in his.

Just when Claire had thought they had made it around the bulk of the main group of the Ganados, a dull hum began to make itself known before a loud horn blared through the streets. The tall buildings in the district they stood in made it hard to immediately discern the direction it was coming from.

A crash behind her caused Claire to spin around. A large military truck had rounded the corner, rammed over a taberna patio, and gunned it toward her and Sebastian. The tables and chairs seemed to fly back in slow motion and Claire's brain struggled to keep up in her exhaustion.

"Claire!" She heard Sebastian behind her.

She dove off to the right, the truck whipping past and crashing into the shop they had just been standing beside. Sebastian had jumped through the glass window of the shop to avoid it and disappeared into the darkness beyond.

Claire grabbed her pistol and brought it up just as a huge man in camos, a bandolier and a red beret hauled himself out of the back of the cargo bed with a heavy grunt. His laugh was deep as she glanced down to see the Gatling gun in his hand start to spin.

More Ganados jumped out after the commando and began piling into the store that Sebastian disappeared into.

Dropping her arms, Claire turned to run as the shots began to spit at the mudbrick of the old-fashioned building behind her. Her ears briefly picked up the sounds of explosions from nearby; she could only pray that Sebastian was the one causing them.

The Gatling gun behind her continued for a few more beats before it paused; the laughing commando began to reload.

Claire huffed an angry breath and took that moment to unload five shots at his head as she leaned out from her position behind a shop wall. Two of the shots hit him in his temple and he roared, lifting a beefy hand to clutch his head. To Claire's frustration, he shook it off quickly before he began to fire again.

She sped off to the other side of the street and the bullets were slamming into a large delivery truck in the middle. She hunkered down behind a large metal trash can on the side of the street. When the commando paused to reload again, Claire picked up the sounds of shouts coming down from the shop she saw Sebastian disappear into. Her fear began to mount as she frantically searched around.

An ambulance sat further up the street; the door was still hanging ajar from when the crew abandoned it. She scurried over to it as she listened to the thundering steps of the commando rounding the large truck that had separated them.

As she skidded to the ambulance door, she blew out a breath to see the keys still hanging in the ignition. She hauled herself in the seat, pulled her seatbelt on, and twisted the keys in the ignition. The ambulance cranked over and she put it into gear with a thrust of her palm. When she could see the tip of the Gatling gun round the truck ahead, she narrowed her eyes.

"Do no harm but take no shit." She murmured as she glanced up at the staff of Aesculapius that represented the medical field on the dash; the eyes of the curling snake fell heavily on her as she floored the emergency vehicle forward and swung around the truck.

The commando's eyes lit up as he saw her, the gun began to spin once more, and Claire rammed him into the side of the delivery truck with a crunch of metal.

Claire yelled out as she slammed into the steering wheel. Gathering her bearings with a shake of her head, she looked up to see the commando struggling to unpin himself. Blood was leaking from his mouth when he snarled at her.

Kicking the door open, Claire leaned out, lifted her pistol over the ridge of the door, and unloaded her firearm until the large man let out a groan. He soon slumped forward onto the hood, the metal denting around his large frame.

For a moment, the only sound Claire could hear was her own staggered breathing. A sound of a door slamming caught her attention and she moved toward the shop that Sebastian was still in.

The bookshop was a mess. The explosive that had gone off previously had blasted back the tall oak shelves toward the walls, creating a parted sea of papers, wood, and bodies. Multiple Ganados with masks lay dead in ruins across the floor. Two more bodies lay in the doorway to the alley.

The door to the back was wide open, allowing her to get a small glimpse of the alley behind. Sebastian wasn't here and she felt relief flood through her as she took careful steps around the mess of the fallen enemies.

A gun cocked behind her and she went rigid, hands lifting.

"Turn around." An odd voice commanded in English.

Claire complied, turning to look up into a tall man's red-free but dilated eyes. He wore a jumpsuit like a painter would. The jumpsuit had seen better days with both knees ripped out and what looked like old blood on his left sleeve. His face was dirty and gaunt like he hadn't eaten properly in weeks. Given the situation, Claire wasn't surprised.

"You're not one of them?" The man asked, his eyes looking over her shoulder for someone else in the alleyway. His mouth was working over as he spoke, like the words didn't fit inside.

A survivor who had choked on his hope and more than likely filled his veins with something else.

"No, I'm not infected. I'm just looking for someone." Claire replied calmly, taking a step back.

She had three bullets left after the commando.

"Don't move." The man said anxiously, lifting the gun higher.

"Look, I'll just go. You can search the place; I was just leaving." Claire said as her heart started to pound.

"You're not from here, are you?" He asked as he inched closer. The thumb on his other hand was rubbing against his other fingers in a circular motion.

"No, I was vacationing here with my husband, who will be here any second, by the way. We don't need to do this; I'm no threat to you." Claire babbled.

She didn't want to have to kill any more civilians if it wasn't strictly necessary but she would defend herself.

The man's wild eyes lit up as he began to smile in glee. Flashing blackened teeth, he waved the gun toward the window as he said, "Oh, I don't think you're a threat, I think you're going to come with me and—"

A gunshot boomed from the front door and Claire flinched.

The man let out a scream before he was falling to his knees and clutching his left thigh where blood began to well up.

Sebastian walked through the broken front door, eyes gleaming with a touch of sun that filtered through the eastern window. With a practiced move, he slammed a fist into the back of the man's head, knocking him forward. The man wailed when he crashed to the ground and rolled onto his side as he tried to take the pressure off his now wounded leg. The man had begun to plead softly through each whimpering cry.

Sebastian ignored the sounds as he scooped the gun from the ground and looked up at Claire with hard eyes.

"You alright?"

"You didn't kill him." Claire stated as she lowered her hands.

"Hm," Sebastian said, tilting his head sideways as he considered the man. "I'm getting soft. Must be my darling wife rubbing off on me." He walked forward and put the man's weapon in her hands.

"Is that how I'll find out your real last name, Mr. Smith?" Claire said as she looped her arm through his and pulled him forward, away from the moaning man on the ground.

"You keep looking at me the way you do and you'll find out a lot more." He vowed as they walked toward the back alley.

"You know, it would be really nice to save you for once." She admitted as she blew her bangs from her eyes and stepped onto the street with his arm still linked with hers.

"You're gonna have to stop getting captured first."

Claire could feel his gaze as she flushed and pressed her lips together to keep from smiling any wider.

After another two hours of pushing through the city, Claire and Sebastian jogged toward a large pale building near the Bay of Santander. The classical architecture was white with trims of gold that caused a hue to ripple along the top under the late morning sun. On the left side of the building, a great dome top glistened proudly over the bay.

Sandbags surrounded the entire parking lot; the military had even chosen to put down anti tank barriers. Claire briefly hoped that Ganados with tanks was not a thing before Sebastian grabbed her arm and pulled her quickly behind him.

"Who's there?!" A voice called out.

Four men stood behind the tallest point of the sandbags. Four sheets of 7-gauge plated steel surrounded the makeshift tower that they had built. One of the men sat behind a mounted turret that was pointed out toward them. The man who spoke was older, with a large beard that disappeared into his half buttoned tactical shirt.

"Agent Sebastian Smith. I was sent in along with Ms. Redfield by the U.S. Division. We were dropped off near Lugo." Sebastian replied.

"Let's see some badges, move on up. Keep your hands away from your weapons."

The pair did as he instructed. Claire watched as Sebastian pulled out a wallet and flashed it toward the man. The man adjusted his gun at his side before he nodded and looked over at her.

"She's a civilian, brought in for special purposes." Sebastian explained, his grip on her arm tightened by a fraction. "Did Anders Orski arrive back?"

The man nodded and threw his thumb over his shoulder as he groused out, "Yeah, in the command center. Let them through, Mosey."

One of the soldiers standing near the wall jogged over to the hastily built gate and swung it open.

"Follow the path to the French doors. The dining room has been repurposed for the Command Center." Mosey said as he eyed Claire.

Sebastian was silent as he placed his hand at Claire's lower back and guided her along through the barricade and toward the building.

Soon, Sebastian pushed the once beautiful French doors open and led her inside of the hotel. The doors and the bay windows of the grand room had been boarded up and many of the tables and other furniture were pushed up against the boards for reinforcement.

Orski stood near a large dining room table with Diaz as they both chatted quietly. Diaz's equipment was spread along the table along with some dog-eared maps covering the polished tabletop. A pour-over coffee station sat on another table adjacent to the dining table.

A few other people were scattered along the far end of the dining room. The furthest corner had a trolley cart with various kinds of weapons laid out. One of the men sat in a chair as he cleaned a shotgun.

All heads swiveled toward them as Claire and Sebastian entered.

"You guys made it." Orski was the first to speak as he set down his coffee cup and walked toward them. His eyes were on Sebastian as he said, "I was worried after I found you in the pipe."

"I owe you for that." Sebastian said with a brief nod. His thumb was lightly stroking the skin of Claire's lower back as his hand rested just beneath the edge of her jacket.

Orski raised a brow and looked over at Claire. Claire got the impression that 'thanks' in any form wasn't something he said often.

Orski was looking at Claire with a kind but tired smile soon after. "You're harder to kill than I thought, girl. I won't lie, when we realized they had you on the boat I didn't think it was going to end up in a reunion."

Claire shrugged and motioned to Sebastian. "He thinks I get captured too much, but I call it a tactical repositioning."

Orski managed a grin and shook his head, he lifted a hand toward the coffee station. "Help yourselves, we're waiting for Hunnigan to contact us back." He stepped forward and picked his cup back up.

"You got back in video contact?" She asked hopefully as she stayed next to Sebastian.

"No, we have an interrupted signal, but we're getting messages in." Orski stated.

"What's the status of the air carrier out at sea?" Sebastian inquired as he glanced over at the silent Diaz.

"Quarantined, we got the message through in time before they could reach land. They've been hailed, but they aren't responding. They haven't come into contact with any of our other ships. However, with the F-18's coming in, I don't think it's a big secret on whether they're compromised or not. If they get too close to land, we'll…" he trailed off shaking his head. There were a lot of people on board.

"How many of us do we have?" Claire asked, glancing at the two men in the back of the dining room; they hadn't approached yet.

"Eight agents and a little over two hundred soldiers." Diaz replied, still looking at his equipment. His voice was higher pitched, but soft.

"The valley?" Claire asked, thinking of the cannon in Aviles.

"Yeah," Orski answered, meeting her eyes again as he got her meaning. "Lost a lot of good men and women. Many of the soldiers tried to help hold the area, but what can you do against a main battery?"

"And Michaels?" Sebastian inquired as he searched for the field doctor in the room.

"Over in the portable lab. His leg was wounded, so he's staying in there and keeps us up to date on the radio. You should go see him after this and get an update on your status, Claire." Orski suggested to her.

Sebastian's fingers tapped her back softly and she understood. They would need to get her blood sample soon.

The two other agents pulled up chairs and moved to join the rest. The blonde agent with his hair tied back in a bun studied Claire and gave her a nod. She returned the look and lifted her hand slightly in acknowledgment.

Sebastian took the seat directly to her right as she sat down. Claire found herself leaning toward him as anxiety brushed against her chest.

"The U.S. Agency has alerted higher command of the situation. This epidemic in Spain seems to have stayed near the coast. With what we saw in the mines, we will look to eliminate the threat within the underground network by setting some charges today. The Department of Defense has met and voted on third-party assistance for viable weapons given the size and nature of the issue. As a result, the USS Gladiator has been deployed and will reach us in twelve hours." Orski looked around at them.

"Claire and Sebastian?" Orski asked, opening it up to either one of them.

Claire took a deep breath and cleared her throat, "The president's daughter is dead."

Sebastian looked over at her. She hadn't remembered to tell him that little detail; she didn't know how to talk about that yet.

The two agents who hadn't formally been introduced shifted in their seats as they took in the information.

Claire began to tell them everything that had happened since Aviles. The only details she left out or changed were about the virus in her system, how she killed Ashley, and Sebastian's identity. There was a hushed silence to honor the dead but it felt hollow to Claire as they soon pressed on. Spain was covered in blood and still they burned the midnight oil.

She could feel it as she sat there and looked down at the ground. The slow transition of thought that was made over time. The whispers of reasons when friendships fell apart and when lovers leave. The small deficiencies that begin to slip through the cracks of a system before it fails and people lose hope.

This agency had taken Leon's will in two different ways; for Sherry and for her. They had sent him here on a botched surveillance mission and then they had called her.

Orski was speaking again but Claire felt a hundred miles away.

"'My hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms.'" Claire recited in her mind.

A hand reached up and grabbed her knee, the warmth through the glove felt wonderful. Claire cut her eyes toward Sebastian and she felt her anxiety lessen to see the same look in his eye. Tomorrow they would prepare, and then she would find Leon and end it one way or another.

A/N: Thank you to my two reviewers. I appreciate every review that comes through. Thank you for reading my story. I recognize Claire/Hunk is not a popular pairing, but it's one that bounced around in my head for years. Hunk is a man in a mask, and we never get to know much else aside from the fact that he's deadly, competent, and dedicated to what he does. So, I created a whole new man with flaws, a history, and a weakness. Bad men have their places in every story, but I loved the idea of him having just one chink in that armor: Claire.

Small fan-service or not, I will enjoy my time writing this.

Thank you!