Hello everyone! Months later and here we are. Another chapter. I've started the new job as mentioned and I can't really write while at work anymore, just on slower days. And I lost a whole of docs that had a lot of ideas on it. I usually get an idea and then I write different sections at a time, eventually going back and connecting them. So that's been fun trying to remember what I've written. I hope you like this chapter and I hope you like where things are going. We may jump to the present sooner rather than later ;) Your support and kind words do mean the world and I thank you kindly for them. Enjoy.


'Yeah, I can tell you where that diary is. Follow me.'

Jill can't believe her luck! When Marvin recalled that Finn had been the guy working the case at the time, or at least the office charged with getting the book, she thought for sure he wouldn't remember a thing about it. A young woman's diary. The kind of thing you just…forget about.

Jill eagerly follows Finn, a twenty something year detective with RPD, to the archives. Oh, this could be the miniscule lead that they've been craving. Her mind is already swimming with what possibilities the diary could hold. What leads it could give them. Who it would lead them to.

'So, you're Redfield's new partner, huh?'

She inwardly rolls her eyes. Is that all she's gonna be seen as? Chris's rookie burden? 'Yes. That's me. Though…I guess I was hoping 'new' wouldn't be the word people would use for me.'

'Yeah, sorry, that'll stick with ya for a little while yet,' Finn remarks and glances over his shoulder. Man, how does Redfield not get distracted by how hot she is? Must be the woe is me attitude. That'll certainly do it. God, why the fuck did she have to go to S.T.A.R.S? She'd have been much more…appreciated if she was a regular cop.

Jill doesn't like the vibe shift when Finn holds the door open for her and then shuts it hastily. She allows him to move past her while she keeps herself close to the door. Finn moves past her line of sight as she hears him rummaging around boxes and quietly muttering to himself. Why does everyone seem to give off such an uncomfortable vibe? Is it simply her? Something isn't right. But she can't explain the feeling she gets. And it only seems to be with some of the people that work in the building. Certainly not everyone.

Finn pretends to keep rummaging around for something he knows no longer exists. Umbrella got their hands on that diary years ago and as far as he knew, they either had it destroyed, or filed it away for safekeeping. He remembers working that case. Reading what the girl wrote. It almost seemed fantastical. How could Umbrella be working on some kind of virus or whatever that had the potential to end human life as they know it? He thought they wanted to improve on the basis of humanity. The thought had seemed fantastical. The girl had obviously been reading too much Science Fiction.

Yeah, he hadn't believed a word of it until he met Birkin while with Bard and the mayor at some event. William Birkin had such grandiose ideas that it seemed to confirm what that girl was writing was true. Bard had inadvertently mocked Birkin saying that his research was decades away while his was months away from being complete. Very ominous note to that.

Still, the diary is gone. And now he has Jill alone, maybe he can convince her to join him for a drink.

Doesn't matter to him that she's probably the age of his youngest daughter, if anything that only makes her hotter to him. A woman like that hanging off his arm. He'd be the envy of everyone. They'd congratulate him on bagging such a young thing. Tell him how jealous they were. Yeah…

He begins to work on his excuses as he rounds the corner only to stop in his tracks when he sees Redfield waiting beside Jill with his arms crossed. He isn't looking at Jill as she's explaining something to him but rather staring straight across the room to him. With a look in his eyes that seemed to tell Finn he was on to whatever ploy he was trying to pull off.

'Oh, hey, Redfield. Didn't expect to see you here…'

'Uh huh. Bet you didn't,' Chris replies and Jill looks up to him confused. 'You get what we're after?'

God, Chris just has this stare that makes anyone so uncomfortable. It's a stare that has caught many individuals in a lie or the likes. 'Nah. I can't seem to find it. I hope it wasn't tossed after the flood.'

'Was it in the basement storage?'

Oh fuck, he's gotta lie a hell of a lot faster. That fucking stare…

'Yeah, remember how the old archives room was like, full to bursting? We had that spare storage room full with some of the boxes while we were deciding where to move things. Well, Jenny was deciding that before she left. Anyway, doesn't matter. That storage room had the pipe in it that burst. Right underneath it. It was just a soggy mess.'

Finn can see that Chris is debating his words. There was a flood. Chris should remember, he got hauled in on his week off to help move things from the basement to different rooms around the station.

'So…what you're saying is that you don't have that key piece of evidence?'

'No. Sorry, man. Jill was filling me in on what you needed it for. Sounded like that really would have helped too. What a shitty thing…' Finn watches Chris drop his gaze to Jill who offers a challenging one of her own to him.

She disappears from the room and Finn watches the sway of her hips before Chris rudely shuts the door on his view.

'Don't be a fucking pig. There's enough of them on the force already,' Chris tells him and Finn shrugs his shoulders, clearly not caring about the comment.

'What can I say, I like them younger.'

'She's the same age as Kristy, Finn. That's fucking gross.'

'Whatever, just cuz you can't appreciate her, doesn't mean others haven't noticed. And really appreciate her,' Finn declares and Chris narrows his eyes.

'Just stay the hell away from her,' Chris warns and heads to the door. This fucking place is a goddamn nightmare sometimes. Actually, it's most of the time.

'You can't be around her forever, Chris, you know that.'

Chris slams the door harder than he meant to and stalks upstairs to where he hopes Valentine has migrated to. Finn's comments still buzz around in his mind. If he hadn't showed up when he did, what was Finn planning on doing? He wants to believe that she'd handle herself but maybe…her naivety would be her downfall. Maybe to her, everyone is just nice.

He spots her about to head into the office so he shouts her name and she pauses.

'Yeah?'

'Come here, I just want to…tell you something.'

He can see her interest is high but there is a frown on her face so he motions her to follow him and then they disappear into the art storage room together.

'Okay, you have me here. What's wrong?'

Chris exhales. 'I just want to make you…aware of how some people act around here.'

He watches Valentine fold her arms. 'You mean like how nearly every member of the RPD are serial sexual harassers, misogynistic assholes and beyond creepy?'

Chris blinks and nods stupidly. 'Uh, yeah. Just...wanted to be sure you were aware.'

'I'm very aware.'

'Great. Okay…' Chris flounders on what to say next. 'You…know if anyone is…bothering you, you can let me know. I'll stop it.'

That seems to genuinely surprise Valentine because arches her eyebrow at him and folds her arms. Her look morphs into one that wonders if he's kidding or not.

'Wait, are you serious?'

'Of course. It's fucking bullshit. And you don't or shouldn't have to put up with it.'

Valentine softens her look. 'Are you going to start a fight?'

Chris smirks a bit. 'Do you want me to?'

'No. But...that's good to know. Thank you,' Valentine turns to go but she looks at him over her shoulder, eyeing him up. 'I can handle myself, you know.'

Chris begins to follow her. 'I don't doubt it. I'm here if you ever needed that little extra…whatever.'

Chris doesn't see her smile. It's reassuring to know that while they may not get along, or agree on…virtually anything, he's decent enough when it comes to that. And at least he has her back.

Strangely, while she is on guard around everyone in this station, Chris is not someone she feels she has to guard against. They simply clash head on. What you see is what you get with him. So why be defensive about it?

They won't ever like each other, but sometimes respect does break through. It's a small comfort. She grounds herself. Chris still bugs the shit out of her…she doubts that will ever change.


Jill inhales deeply and holds it. Exhaling slowly, she can feel the tension sink in once more. The disgust. The rage and anger. The glare she's giving this person before them. No, person was too kind a word to use. This man was a poor excuse for a human being. She feels Chris nudge her a bit to ground her and she fails to come down from her rage high.

She's had to stop Chris from lashing out a few times, now it's his turn to stop her. They decided to surprise Doctor Bard early. That was a mistake. He was combative and rude, cursing them and the nurses who came in to ask about patient care - his patients! He screamed at them. Berated them. Chris eventually had to shout at him to stop but one nurse had already had a breakdown and Bard promised her he would be going to her superior and having her removed. Cranky old man was a title that paled in comparison to Bard's disgusting lack of professionalism.

You can't handle a little criticism, that's your fucking problem. Too soft - all you nurses are fucking soft. Get out of this profession!

There was a fine line between constructive criticism and verbal abuse.

Bard went back to his microscopes, shouting at the nurse he'd just dismissed to bring him a coffee. The least she could do, in his eyes, was to not be useless. This would fix it.

'Remind me who you two are again? I've forgotten. Because I don't care.'

That annoys Chris. He can see Valentine is aching to go and check on that nurse but she doesn't dare move. She wants to tear a strip off of him. Chris can tell.

'We're with the S.T.A.R.S branch of the RPD.'

'Well why the fuck are you here and not out investigating those ghastly murders. What the fuck am I paying taxes for?' Bard snaps and hastily jots something down.

'I doubt highly he pays any taxes at all…' Jill mutters under her breath and Chris smirks. Fuck, so she does have a sense of humour after all.

'We're here because we want to ask you about an intern. Celeste Maratoni.'

There is no reaction. Bard has stopped scribbling, but only because he adjusted the microscope and in an instant, has changed slides.

'What about her? I barely fucking remember the faces of the nurses who pass through here.'

Chris grits his teeth. What a fucking dick. 'I don't get how you don't remember her, she was under your wing for twenty weeks…'

Bard looks up to them briefly. 'Under my wing? The fuck does that mean? I don't mentor nurses. You know nurses are just failed doctors, right? They can't hack it.'

That really rubs Chris the wrong way. His uncle's ex-wife was a nurse. And she was fucking good at it. Nurses are failed doctors? Fuck this guy. Doctors couldn't do a fraction of the things nurses do. Great. Now he's pissed. More so.

'She wasn't a nurse!' Jill exclaims impatiently. 'She was an intern student that you apparently took an interest in because she had some interesting thoughts on bioengineering. Celeste Maratoni. She allegedly died of an overdose…'

Bard simply stares at them. He's difficult to read. Though boredom would be an emotion that may be evident at the moment.

'What do you mean allegedly? It was confirmed by the coroner.' Bard remarks and goes back to looking at the microscope.

'I thought you didn't-...' Chris begins to call him out on his about-face when Valentine's elbow rapidly goes into his ribs. He eyes her. She shakes her head. Don't call attention to his jumbled response.

Jill inhales. 'Did she ever…give you cause for concern she may be in some kind of supposed downward spiral?'

Bard angrily sighs and looks back over to them. 'It is not my fucking job to watch over those fucking brats who come in here. Whatever that bitch wanted to do on her own personal time is none of my fucking business. I didn't care then so why the fuck should I now?'

Jill blinks and instinctively grabs the back of Chris's shirt to hold him in place. He had his fist clenched and she wasn't sure if he was about to deck Bard in the face for his comments regarding Celeste. Not that she could blame him.

'Well we've been tasked with looking into these current murders and you know what pattern we've seemed to discover? Every one of those victims, in some capacity, worked for Umbrella. That kind of connection, I'm sure you can appreciate Bard, is a little hard to ignore,' Chris states plainly and for once Bard pauses in his observation and note taking.

Bard leans back in his chair and glares at them. 'Does Irons know you're talking to me? I support a lot of his…philanthropic causes, one quick phone call and I can stop that. Imagine it. The reason some little fucking orphan doesn't get a new Christmas toy is because some piece of shit was poking around where he shouldn't be. You too, bitch,' Bard leans back further and addresses Jill. She dismisses him. Chris takes a deep breath and holds it. What's to stop him from decking Bard? The fact that he isn't sure if Valentine would have his back. Something tells him she would, though. In this case.

'Then tell us-...'

Bard cuts Chris off. 'How did you even know about Celeste? Was it Seth? Fucking running his mouth again?'

'No,' Jill interrupts firmly. 'As we stated, we've done our own digging. None of the family members we tried to contact would speak to us.'

They don't miss the relief on Bard's face. It's quite telling. 'Well that's fucking perfect.'

Jill continues on. 'We've had to do this on our own, which is why it was quite interesting to see that you'd personally see to securing the best coroner in the county for some dumb intern you claim to have no relation with. That you wanted to be sure all avenues were explored to soothe a broken-hearted family.

'Only the coroner seemed to lie on the official documents. None of the friends of Celeste would describe her as having a drug problem. No one but you and the coroner…so, what happened to her? Really?'

Bard rubs the side of his thumb against his index finger, a sign of either mounting annoyance or to soothe anxiety. 'If her friends didn't notice a drug problem then they weren't good friends. And are lying to you. Are we done here?'

Chris shakes his head. 'Not even close.'

'I have nothing more to say. The information you've received is wrong.'

'I dunno, Bard. The journalist we spoke to is a pro at investigative journalism,' Chris reminds Bard and Bard's face instantly sours.

'Ben Bertolucci. That asshole. His writing is god awful and his investigations shoddy at best. You can't trust anything that asshole writes about.'

'I'm not sure I can trust anything you talk about,' Chris counters and Bard rolls his eyes.

'I have way more leverage and sway with people well above your pathetic pay grades,' Bard snaps and slowly stands up. 'Now. I have told you my recollection of the events. Let me summarize: yes, there was some fucking student who happened to be working here. Her ideas on bioengineering were interesting but ultimately misguided. She had a drug problem, went out to party one night and died from her lifestyle choices the next day.

'That is undisputed information. The coroner's report says so. I don't care what anyone else says. That is all. You want anything else? Talk to my fucking lawyer. We're done. Get out.'

Chris lingers with Valentine for a few more minutes before their obvious presence annoys Bard so much that he shouts that them to get the fuck out.

'No problem. We'll be back with a subpoena,' Chris declares and Bard eyes him.

'Go fuck yourself,' Bard snaps and Jill rolls her eyes. She can see him reaching for the phone.

Once outside in the reception room, a nurse smiles at them. Chris notices that the smile doesn't reach her eyes. How could it working for some piece of shit like him? Jill walks over to the nurse and speaks to her briefly. Chris doesn't hear much of their conversations because of the hushed tones but he can hear the nurse describe Bard as difficult. And she's been the longest nurse to work for him. Eighteen months. Prior to that she was in the OB GYN ward. Quite the culture shock.

He heard Valentine ask what made her leave and this nurse, Angelica, said it was for a steadier schedule. Guess it was up to her whether or not the verbal abuse was worth working a 9-5.

Valentine converses with the nurse a bit more regarding Bard's character, his work and what he does with Umbrella and the Birkins. Sadly, Angelica didn't know much. She was rarely permitted to enter Bard's office when the Birkins were in there. Though she did recall that sometimes the Birkins and Bard got into shouting matches, and more than once Annette Birkin had come storming out and headed to another wing.

They were always hush hush on their experiments. Sometimes other Umbrella executives would come by. And then leave just as quickly. One time, Bard was supposed to be in for work but called her and said he'd be working out of Umbrella's labs for a fortnight. I'm close, is all she remembered Bard saying. I can't be disrupted by trivialities.

Valentine thanked her for her time and Chris turned over his shoulder to stare once more at Bard's office doors. He makes a mental note to include phone records for the last two years.

He and Valentine head towards the hospital entrance, walking in silence as they pass through the emergency room and out the doors. He glances at Valentine who seems to be off in thought.

'Well, what'd you think?' Chris wonders and she shakes her head. 'You were pretty mad in there. Thought for once I'd be the one having to hold you back.'

A rare smile tugs at the corner of her lips. 'Me too.'

'I'm not surprised we didn't get anywhere,' Chris replies and Jill sighs in agreement.

She turns back to the hospital. 'What about the Birkins?'

'Sounds like there may be a bit of a competitive streak between William and Bard. Could be an advantage for us.'

'What was that comment about Bard using Irons against us? Didn't you find that odd?'

Chris nods his head. 'Yeah. I mean, I don't buy that Irons philanthropic causes are anything more than good PR. But Bard's revealed that he may have leverage over Irons. Maybe a bit of blackmail.'

'Do you think we should…' Valentine trails off and looks up to him. 'I mean, do you think we should ask?'

Chris debates her question. If they're wrong, then they would have the whole department on their asses. It's a tricky thing to ask. Let alone if Irons will even tell them. He's involved in some shady shit himself, Chris is sure of it.

'Why don't we regroup at the office. Figure out our next move.'

They head back to the police car and for once, Jill doesn't really have a negative thing to say about the way Chris was back there. She wants to believe things will get better but she also has a feeling that it may also be a one time thing.


The drive back to the station is rather quiet. Jill assumes that they're both replaying the information over and over again, trying to see the cracks in the testimony or any other things that may give away what Bard was thinking.

Obviously, he was lying. That much was obvious. But why? What was really going on at Umbrella? Are they truly that secretive over the development of new drugs? That had to be it, right? It would make sense, the need to protect intellectual ideas from competitors. But bioengineering…what does that mean for the Birkins and Bard? And possibly Celeste. What interest does Umbrella have with bioengineering? Maybe she'll have to make a trip to the library after work to pull out some reading material.

She turns up to Chris. 'Do you know anything about bioengineering?'

Chris frowns. 'Not really. Why, what are you thinking?'

'I dunno, both the Birkins and Bard seem heavily involved in it. Whatever they're working on, maybe it's taken a different path and now…' Jill trails off, trying to formulate her thoughts but she can't seem to think what would drive the group of scientists apart. Different opinion on the end result?

'What?' Chris pries and Jill shrugs.

'I don't know. I'm not sure how to finish that. Why the arguments I guess…'

They stop at the final light before the station parking garage. 'Add that question to the list. We'll stop by Umbrella tomorrow and talk to the Birkins.'

'Do you know the history of Umbrella?'

Should he? Probably. Does he? Not at all. He shakes his head in response. 'All I know is that it was founded by two scientists.'

'What's the mission statement?'

'Don't fucking know, Valentine. Why?'

'Maybe they're subverting it. And Umbrella isn't aware.'

Chris contemplates that as he pulls down the ramp to the garage. A little group of scientists gone rogue? Possible. But still, why? Why go against Umbrella in secret? What do they have to gain? What's the end result?

He shuts the car off and he and Valentine sit in the car for an extra second longer. What's the plan? What do they do next? He sighs and Jill takes that as a silent dismissal and they get out of the car. Just as they do, they happen to notice Irons coming from around the back corner. No doubt using his exclusive elevator so he doesn't have to mingle with the rest of them if he doesn't have to.

He spots them as well and points to both of them. Chris looks at Jill.

'It's probably for me. I'll handle it…'

Jill holds in a sigh. Doesn't he get tired of always getting into some sort of trouble with Irons? Well, whatever it is, Irons does seem to be annoyed or mad at something the way he is stalking over to them. Jill notices that his gaze is fixed on both herself and Chris. Oh great, is she in trouble by default?

'What's the problem now?' Chris questions when Irons stops before them. Jill detects a heavy scent of smoke. Such a gross habit. Though she should be thankful - at least Chris is a courteous smoker.

'The fuck were you thinking?' Irons thunders and Chris frowns impatiently. He stays silent, waiting for Irons to elaborate. 'What the fuck gave you the right to march into the hospital and speak with Bard?'

Jill sighs. Yeah, they should have seen this coming. Bard contributes enough funds to Irons and his charitable causes that it's something that can be held over his head.

Chris crosses his arms. 'What do you mean? That's where our investigation was leading. So, I followed the lead.'

'You had no right to speak to him.'

'Says who?'

Irons gapes at Chris. 'You are well aware, well fucking aware, that anyone in relation to Umbrella must be presented with an agreement from Umbrella before we can speak to them. You fucking know that!'

Jill didn't know that.

'Rather than have him lawyer up and not say anything, I decided to question him - politely I may add - about an intern student he had. That's all I asked.'

Irons looks very…red in the face. Should they be concerned?

'That doesn't fucking matter. I don't want to have calls from Umbrella executives regarding harassment -...'

'That wasn't fucking harassment, you fucking know that!' Chris answers defensively and Irons dismisses that notion.

'If that is what some executive feels like while interacting with my law enforcement members, I can't downplay that.'

'Pick up a dictionary and define that word. If anything, Bard was a fucking asshole. Not only to me but to the staff working for him,' Chris counters and Irons starts to become a little more annoyed.

'It still doesn't negate the fact that you went to speak to an Umbrella executive without permission from the Board. We have procedures for a reason, Redfield! Start following the rules, for fuck sake.'

Jill notices Chris ball his fists. He shouldn't have to take the blame for every little thing. It was her idea after all, she found the connection. She should jump in too, offer an explanation if she can.

'Chief Irons, I was the one who found the connection that led us to Dr Bard. It was miniscule, but I wasn't aware of the procedure and don't recall reading anything about it. Had I known that, I would have secured permission to speak to him,' Jill exhales quietly, unaware of how long she'd been holding her breath for. Actually, she's fairly certain that the whole sentence came out in a rush.

Chris can see that Irons wasn't expecting that admission from Valentine - honestly, neither was he. Irons struggles to be mad at her. Impossible. She truly didn't know. That wasn't on her, that was on Redfield to communicate that. She's new, and honestly, he didn't think they'd figure out that Umbrella did have people involved in certain…things.

But as Irons continues to stare at that hot body of hers in front of him, really, that's the real crime, how fucking hot she is, the anger towards Redfield melts away. Well, it lessens.

Jill doesn't like the way he's leering at her, Chris must sense it as well, because he takes a step to the side to partially block Irons and his view of her.

It comforts Jill, that despite their animosity towards one another, he's intuitive enough to pick up on things like that. And he isn't afraid to call out the bullshit when he sees any woman at RPD either being harassed, ignored or talked over. She has to respect him in that regard.

'Well, Jill, I appreciate your honesty. However, that should have been something that was explained to you by Redfield. He knows better.'

'Can I ask why that is a policy?'

'You see, Umbrella is very protective of its intellectual properties. And they are very keen on ensuring that information doesn't get leaked or fall into the wrong hands.'

'They can't do that with a lawyer present? It has to go through the board of directors?' Jill wonders and Irons merely shrugs. 'No one finds that odd?'

Irons sighs. 'Whether it is or isn't, that is how Umbrella has chosen to do things. And we have to respect their wishes.'

Jill struggles to hide her dismay. 'I understand. Well, my apologies for that. Thank you for making me aware.'

'That all?' Chris demands and it seems to snap Irons out of his little daydreaming fantasy world. Almost like he remembers why he was mad in the first place.

'I don't know. Are you planning on bothering any more of Umbrella's employees?'

Chris shrugs. 'I don't know. Maybe. See where things go.'

Irons pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. 'That's not an answer. I still don't understand why the two of you seem to think Umbrella has anything to do with it.'

Chris opens his mouth for a snarky reply but Valentine beats him to get a word in. Probably best, just in case he gets another meeting with Irons.

'We just thought it was rather odd that the only connection all of the victims we'd been able to identify had was that they worked for Umbrella. We just wanted to see who knew what,' Jill explains, struggling to keep the nervousness out of her voice. She's not used to making such a big deal out of something. But her gut is telling her this is the right track. It has to be. Why else are they being impeded?

'I'd rather you leave Umbrella to me. I have a good rapport with many of the executives there. Anything you want to find out, send to me and I'll pass it along.'

Jill feels herself internally rolling her eyes. Surprisingly Chris remains silent, she thought for sure he'd have a comment about that. Maybe he's letting her deal with this since she butted in with her explanations.

Jill nods her head. 'Of course, if anything comes up, then we'll run it over to you.'

Irons seems pleased by her response, he directs his glare to Chris. 'See, that's the answer I want. It's a collaborative relationship, Redfield. You'd best remember that.'

'You fucking got it…' he responds dismissively, already turning to head back to the station. Jill feels torn. Obviously, she should follow Chris, but what if Irons has more questions? And yet, the compelling thought of being alone with him sends shivers up her back. So, she gives Irons a small nod and trots to catch up with Chris.

He's waiting for her in the hallway basement and eyes her. Jill is trying to figure out what he's mad about now. His arms are crossed and he's staring off into nothing. Jill stops in front of him and he frowns.

'Okay…what are you mad about now?'

Sometimes it's better to simply ask rather than assume with him.

'The idiot in charge of us, allegedly.'

'Well, if it was a rule then-...'

'Fuck the rule. Umbrella has such a strong hold over everything. Best not give them the opportunity to hide things, or give people a heads up,' Chris decides and Jill frowns at his statement.

'Oh…so you still want to go to see the Birkins?'

'Yeah, why? You think Irons is going to stop me? Fuck no. I don't care. Look, Valentine. Umbrella owns everything from politicians, to the judges, right to members of this very force. Word spreads and it gets back to Umbrella very quickly, so we have to act just as quickly.'

Jill pieces together his words and struggles to understand Umbrella's hold over Raccoon City. Maybe it's because she's new. Though she does make a point to do a little bit of background reading on Umbrella. It sounds like they're dirty, and everyone knows it but does nothing to stop it. Maybe they simply throw money at problems until they go away. Or at people to make them comply.

'Why is Umbrella playing dirty like that? It's like they're engaging in blackmail or they have something on everyone they work closely with from the outside,' Jill wonders and Chris starts heading back upstairs so Jill follows behind him.

'Who knows. They're probably doing a shit ton of illegal tax stuff. And hey, throw more money at your problem and it goes away. Probably lobbyists too. I dunno. I've never gotten the whole Umbrella thing, I try to steer clear.'

'They employ so many people in the city to begin with,' Jill replies and Chris shrugs.

'Yeah. Well, people need jobs.'

'Sure, I get that…to an extent. But I think the problem is at the top.'

Chris pauses and turns over his shoulder to Valentine. 'You want to go after the Board?'

There's amusement in his eyes, like he's sort of impressed with her rookie energy. Or relieved that she'll simply do all the running around until she realizes that she'll get nowhere and then tire herself out. There's that angle too.

Jill wonders if when Chris first started, he had all this exuberant energy as well. The want and need to make a difference. Only to be constantly stymied over everything. Powerful institutions protected the powerful people in charge. After a while, sure, it must become daunting to know that nothing will ever change. You're simply the pawn, and you move and do what you're told.

All speculation of course. It's something they'll never talk about because he doesn't care to get to know her. And she doesn't want to solicit information elsewhere because that's none of her business.

The less they know of one another, the better in her mind. Now they just have to come up with a plan if he's so dead set on seeing the Birkins. They need to see how much of a lead this will give them. They have got to exhaust it. Even if nothing more comes of it other than they simply all worked for Umbrella.

'I want to go wherever this lead takes us. And if it means we're going after a corrupt Board then so be it,' Jill finally replies flatly. Chris ponders her statement before he smirks at her.

'Good. We're finally on the same page about something.'

He continues into the office but she takes a second to process her emotions and thoughts. Fuck Chris, he should communicate more. Asshole. Jill rolls her eyes and heads on in. Can't wait to plan out that day.


It was an agonizing week to wait. They wanted to give Umbrella a decent time to breathe before they went after them again. Let them think that they were in the clear, that Irons successfully dealt with it.

Jill ended up spending a lot of time in the archives, trying to understand all of the bad things that Umbrella was accused of doing. Fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion. And slap after slap on the wrist. It was fascinating.

So were the detectives assigned to the case. Their notes were lackluster, poor on details and incomplete. Like she can only imagine these detectives going to whoever and just telling them they're there to kill time to make it seem like they're doing their jobs. Sadly, these detectives had retired already. When she had pressed Marvin for answers, all she got from him was that he was glad to see them gone. That they represented everything bad about the force.

Even the information she could dig up on the key scientists revealed very little about business practices, just simply their education, research publications - there was a lot of it - and awards they've won. Only two names consistently popped up. The Birkins and Bard. Well, aside from the founders of Umbrella. They had rather…out there theories but thankfully they didn't seem to go anywhere.

Some newspaper articles Jill did manage to dig up in the archives at both the library and Raccoon City Times building revealed some frequent trips to Africa made by one of the founders decades ago but allegedly it turned up nothing of consequence. The founders were celebrated in Raccoon City. Why?

'I'm sorry, but both Annette and William are extremely busy with their research. I'm afraid they don't have time to be disturbed.'

Jill shifts her gaze from the eerie feeling she gets from the incredibly sterile front foyer. Even the receptionist's desk is white granite with polished metal. Not a hair out of place on the receptionist's head. Jill can sense the more they push to see the Birkins, the more this lady will push back. She's been with Umbrella for twenty years, having started as a mailroom clerk and worked her way up to this position which she's held ever since. Jill's done her research. She was also recruited by Bard. Who may or may not have had a relationship with the woman who may or may not have been underage at the time. Ben the journalist couldn't confirm.

Which means this woman, Sylvia, knows how to control the front door and how to restrict the riff raff from getting in. Dressed in their uniforms, they stick out like a sore thumb.

'I understand, it's why I didn't want to take up more time than they can afford us. We just wanted to speak to them regarding a former intern of Doctor Bard's. We just wanted to sketch out a bit more of a profile of this young woman.'

Chris remains silent. It seemed better that Valentine did the talking. He just wanted to march in and demand answers. He also doesn't like the look that Sylvia keeps giving them. A once over, except this has been the third time now. Yeah, are they worthy of an audience? Probably not.

Sylvia lets out an impatient sigh. 'I don't see how that's important enough to pull them away from their research.'

Jill debates her answer. It isn't. Well it is, actually. Their help could help paint a better picture of Umbrella's practices. They need a response now. They're on the right track, Jill can feel it.

'Well, any information they can spare within five minutes would be beneficial. Surely they must take a coffee break?'

Sylvia lets out a laugh. 'Clearly you don't know scientists.'

Surprisingly, she does pick up the phone. She dismisses them from her desk, and in a small act of privacy and hopefully a good will gesture, they back away from the desk and stand off to the side. They barely hear the conversation.

'Nothing to contribute?' Jill wonders and Chris shakes his head.

'My way of getting answers would be simply finding them.'

'It's a secure building,' Jill reminds him and Chris shrugs. She wonders if he would actually shoot the multiple glass doors to get in and she realizes that she doesn't know the answer to that. She supposes it would be dependent on his mood.

There aren't even a lot of traditional lock and key doors for her to pick. Most movement is controlled by swipe badges. It is a highly secure building. Waiting for what has now turned into fifteen minutes allows them to observe a contractor enter the building and begin to clean windows. Not a job that she envies, but when it's time to move through the swipe door, and keen to see how it would happen, Jill is defeated by the man as he lifts up a lanyard and swipes himself in.

So, Umbrella must vet people they allow access to their building, no doubt it is a stringent process. Her head begins buzzing with ideas. Would they notice if a badge went missing? If one were to simply, maybe, fall into their hands and they went to clean windows on a Thursday morning at half past ten would anyone blink an eye?

'Yes? How can I help you?'

Both Jill and Chris look up to see a small woman standing before them. She is by the receptionist's desk and makes no effort to come forward. She's holding a clipboard and studying something on it.

She's a frail looking woman, pale blonde hair and blue eyes. This must be Annette.

Jill's taken off guard that she doesn't know what to say, she truly didn't think anyone would show up. Merely keep them waiting there for hours. Thankfully, she was surprised when Chris opened his mouth to engage first.

'Wow, didn't think you'd spare us the time.'

Annette looks up as she flips a piece of paper on the clipboard. 'With an attitude like that, I'm not sure either.'

'We are appreciative,' Jill adds hastily as she glares at Chris. He doesn't seem to care.

Annette arches an eyebrow and then rolls her eyes. 'Doubtful, however I had heard from Bard you two might be on the way over. You're late. As in, I expected you next day. But then again, today is fine. I needed a mental break.'

Jill tries a different approach before Chris can open his mouth and ruin things. 'What is that you are researching, Doctor Birkin?'

'I'm not at liberty to reveal that information.'

'Hopefully for the betterment of mankind,' Chris responds sarcastically. Annette eyes him with a look that could kill.

'It will, I have no doubt about that,' she counters but Chris seems dismissive. He goes back to wandering his gaze around the place, no doubt trying to find any potential weaknesses in whatever. 'Now, what is it that you want to know about Bard's intern?'

'Well, we heard she really looked up to you, Doctor Birkin,' Jill replies and she can see a slight frown cross Annette's features. But…she also hasn't taken her gaze off of her papers. It's hard to tell if it's the work or Jill's question.

'I barely remember the girl,' Annette counters. 'She seemed smart, asked good questions but she was Bard's hire. Not mine or William's.'

'So, what happened?'

Annette again frowns at the clipboard and circles something. 'She had a drug problem from what I understand. And sadly, in the end, it killed her.'

'Really? Did she even seem like the drug-using type?' Chris questions impatiently. Annette is simply parroting the same information as Bard. They no doubt conspired to relay the same information if questioned.

'I hardly know. She obviously hid it well enough. There are a lot of pressures in this career choice. Perhaps she couldn't handle it, and needed an illicit substance to cope.'

'Handle the pressure or Bard's berating attitude, constant office misogyny and harassment?' Chris challenges her and Jill feels as though she may throw up. His confrontational attitude is a fine line between breaking Annette down and having her simply walk right back into the office behind the forbidden glass doors.

Annette eyes Chris with some malice. 'Say what you want, but he is brilliant.'

'He's a lot of things, Doctor Birkin, and that quality isn't high on the list.'

'You can hardly fault the man for wanting perfection from his staff.'

'Right, you clearly don't get it,' Chris remarks and rolls his eyes. Annette eyes him before her gaze lowers and she flips another page on the clipboard.

Jill inwardly tries to take the conversation back to being less accusatory and more…empathetic to Annette's time. Chris could fuck everything up by constantly lobbing accusations at her. Or taking digs at her. Why can't he just reign that temper in for a split second and realize that one wrong move or wrong word would jeopardize everything.

'We just find that scenario hard to believe, Doctor Birkin. All of the investigations we've done on Bard's intern reveal a squeaky clean image.'

Annette sighs at the prospect of repeating herself. 'Again, she obviously hid her addiction well. I'm not sure what you want me to say.'

'Tell us what we want to know. No more bullshit,' Chris demands and Jill feels her nervousness rise. Annette will surely cut them off. And then tell the important people about them poking around.

'I have, I can't add anything to what you already know.'

She is starting to become annoyed, Jill can tell. But something strikes her as odd. Annette said she can't add anything to what they know but…how does she know what they know? Jill has to think of something fast. What if this is their only opportunity to get anything out of anyone from Umbrella.

'Can you tell us what she was working on with Bard? Or what some of her ideas may have been? Bard said some of her theories were interesting,' Jill wonders, deliberately leaving out the part of Bard deciding they were misguided.

'Again, I am not at liberty to say. Her theories were explored and thus belong to Umbrella. We do not discuss our intellectual property.'

'How does your husband get along with Bard?' Chris suddenly interjects and Annette looks up from her clipboard. She's surprised by the question. So is Jill.

'I'm not sure what you're implying,' Annette responds carefully. She narrows her eyes. 'They have the utmost respect for one another.'

'How do you get along with Bard?' Chris wonders and Annette locks eyes with him. Jill can feel the room drop a few degrees.

'We get along fine.'

Chris pries further. 'Doesn't treat you like shit? Like he does with the rest of his team?'

Annette seems stunned. 'Of course not.'

'What makes you better than them? What makes you more deserving than them?' Chris wonders and Jill can see that question has actually silenced Annette as she debates her response. 'If he talked to you like he does his team, and I know you know what I mean, would your husband defend you? Or not?'

Annette seems disgusted and she crinkles her nose. 'I do not like what you're implying…'

'Not implying anything,' Chris replies as he shrugs. 'Just wanted to know what the dynamics are like. The three of you seem to work closely with one another.'

'We did,' Annette confesses. 'But my husband and I…our research has branched into a different direction. And so, we do not work as closely together as we have in the past.'

'Gotcha. Good to know…'

'I think we're done here,' Annette decides and Jill closes her eyes, sighing internally.

'Thank you for your time, Doctor Birkin,' Jill replies and Annette glares at them as she pauses at the door, it looks as though she'll say something but obviously changes her mind. She swipes in and the door closes behind her, clicking.

Jill isn't sure what happened or who to blame. They haven't gotten a damn thing from Annette. Just that between her, her husband and Bard, they seem to all cover for one another. Though, Jill can tell what Chris asked her did do something internally. It forced her to think about something unpleasant.

They get another cold glare from the receptionist. A mean glare that demands they leave without hassle. Chris motions for her to follow him as they head out. She reluctantly does so. This proved to be fruitless too. So many walls go up. So many people are obstructing them. She sighs as they head back to the car. They won't get another chance like this again, and if they do, it'll be because of a subpoena.

'What?' Chris questions and stops halfway to the car. Jill shrugs.

'We just…came away with nothing,' Jill replies and then frowns. 'Why did you go after Annette like that?'

Chris pauses mid motion of lighting a smoke. 'Like what?'

Jill folds her arms and rolls her eyes. 'Like you took a verbal swing at her. Asking if she was certain her husband would defend her. Why?'

'Let me tell you something,' Chris begins and ignores the fact that Jill's look becomes unreadable. 'Those two, the Birkins, mark my words, theirs is a marriage of convenience. Probably to fuel their careers. And her husband? He's competing with Bard.'

'Chris, you can't possibly know that. That's an unfair statement to make,' Jill retorts and Chris merely shakes his head, angrily walking back to the car. 'What? Don't stomp off mad! We only had the one chance, and now we'll never have another!'

Chris pauses and turns to her, she stops her light jog and braces for his wrath, cuz he seems pissed. What else is new?

'What are you saying, you blaming me for this?'

'No, that's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying-...'

'That is what you're saying, Valentine!' Chris tells her, his voice loud and drawing attention. 'You're saying that because I questioned her, with a question you didn't like, that I've ruined our chances of coming back here.'

'No, I just didn't know you were going in that direction. A heads up would've been nice.'

'I don't have to justify myself to anyone. Least of all, you.'

He walks back to the car and Jill inhales deeply, once exhaling she follows him. He certainly won't want to continue this conversation and truth be told, she does kinda blame him for Annette chilling on them. Even if they weren't making progress. Why does he have to be so impatient all the time?

She silently gets in and when they don't move, she carefully lifts her gaze to him. He's angrily staring ahead and when he catches her eyeing him, she gives him a look that dares him to tell her what's the problem now.

'I shouldn't have to justify my actions to you,' he tells her sternly. She seems ready to brace for his wrath and he lights up a cigarette. 'You know-...'

Jill interrupts him by holding her hand up. 'Save it. Next time, we will do this alone.'

'Good.'

Chris puts the car into drive and they head back to the station. Jill directs her gaze to the window. Just when she feels they make the tiniest fraction of progress in their partnership, they fall off a cliff. Back to the status quo, she imagines. So much for getting better…