Run.

I hooked around a bend, the Hunter shrieked behind me, it was catching up, and whatever healing ability I had, I didn't think it covered getting ripped apart…

My boots thudded on the carpeted floor; I glanced down at my holstered Beretta, no chance there. I could feel it's breath on my neck as it closed in; it reminded me of that huge fucking snake in Arklay. I cut the next corner and barely escaped the claws that sliced the air, cutting a still intact fire extinguisher in half, spraying the hallway white. The thing screamed again, whether at the sudden shower or at not killing me, I didn't know.

But I didn't fucking stick around to find out either. I ran for the pressure door at the end of the hallway; I crashed into it, my gloved hands scrambling for the wheel.

It didn't budge.

SHIT!

I glanced over my shoulder; the Hunter shook it off and burst through the cloud, its leaping strides eating up the distance between us.

FUCK!

Then the fucking thing vanished. I was looking right at it; one-second it was there, the next it shimmered and disappeared.I could still hear its thumping footsteps, confirming the insane thoughts flying through my head.

It's invisible…

DOUBLE FUCK!

I cranked on the door with all I had, but the wheel stayed put.

The thing screamed behind me.

…Alright then.

I was done running, I'd always known it could end like this, and here it was. I let the tears slide down my face, for my mom and dad, for Jill and Rebecca and Chris.

Then I snapped my Beretta out of my holster, clamped down on the rush of sadness and fear, and snarled at the thing that was coming for me.

"C'mon motherfucker!"

A shimmer off to my left, a hundred feet away, I snapped to it and fired. The Hunter popped back into existence and screamed, so loud and long that it threatened to steal every ounce of courage I had left. I fired until the slide locked out and threw the Beretta at its ugly fucking face, scanning for anything I could use to ruin its day before it killed me.

My gaze finally landed on a fire extinguisher, and above it, an ax.

The Hunter disappeared, fifty feet away now.

I grabbed for the extinguisher as the shimmer powered its way towards me, pulling the ring and letting go with the entire canister, bathing the hallway in CO2.

The Hunter reappeared, painted white by the blast, twenty feet away, it crouched, ready for the leap that would end my life, I grabbed the ax as it jumped, swinging wildly. In that half a second, time seemed to slow; I could see every bump and ridge in the Hunter's pebbled skin, it's milky eyes that were filled with malice, stared deeply into my own.

The blade met the side of its head with a sickening crack, powered through and out the other side. I flattened myself just in time for the Hunter to fly over my head and crash into the pressure door, carried by its momentum, bones snapped, blood sprayed, and the door bowed under its weight before crashing inward.

Holy fuck.

I didn't know I could move that fast.

What Chris said about Wesker after Rockfort came roaring back.

He was faster and stronger than any man has any right to be.

I stood, flexing my fingers and staring at the dead Hunter, it's head bisected by the ax blade.

The same blade that was embedded in the steel bulkhead.

Oh, oh, no.

What if this was the virus reactivating? What if it slipped the vaccine? Or mutated? I shook my head, Rebecca had done tests, there was nothing wrong with me. So why now?

Another shriek put an end to it. I scooped up my empty Beretta and pushed through the pressure door, stepping over the body, and jogging down the hall beyond. First, I had to find Jill and Parker, then I'd have Becca look me over, once we were out of this nightmare.

Up and up, I climbed the stairs, trying to get topside so I could gain my bearings; my radio had been slagged in the fight; I shuddered a bit thinking about how close those claws must've gotten. I kept rolling over the fight with the Hunter, and how it should've been a massacre, I should've been the new wallpaper instead of here to think about it. Finally, I met with the door to the outside world; the rain seemed to have stopped as I cleared the soft corners before stepping out onto the deck. Deserted, of course. I slogged across the expanse, checking the dark corners, chuckling to myself.

Not like it makes a difference, invisible Hunters, fucking hell.

Oh, my shrink was gonna earn her paycheck next week.

The snap of something large came from behind me, towards the rear of the ship, I spun, looking for the threat, and watched a drone shoot off the deck, it's engines kicking on a moment later, and the thing roared off into the night, rapidly gaining altitude.

What the motherfuck?

I watched it go, unsure just what in the fuck was going on.

Until the air began to glow, a beam skating over the surface of the ocean, following the drone. Confusion flashed through my mind, followed by horrified realization.

I'd seen that beam before.

"The FBC is gonna use the satellite against the city, they're gonna burn the infection out… and sink Terragrigia."

The beam began to coalesce, tracking the drone's flight path, until it caught fire, splashing down into the ocean.

Oh, fuck me, no fucking way.

The beam fired, and even from a mile away, it was blinding, the weight of the sun leveled at the ocean, millions of gallons boiled to steam, the explosion forming a tidal wave that fanned out in every direction.

It would've been majestic if that same wave wasn't heading straight for me.

I didn't think; I just moved, spinning on a heel and tearing ass towards an open hatch; I didn't dare look back, slamming the door and spinning the wheel, locking it down.

The wave hit a second later, and the world almost ended.

The impact threw me across the room. I slammed into a wall, stars exploded across my vision as portholes ruptured and water flooded in. I rolled to my feet and ran, fighting down nausea and trying to stay ahead of the tide. The ship rolled like a dying animal, the screeching of stressed metal chased me, the water crashing down the hall behind me. My legs pumped like mad, propelling me towards the junction, I slipped and rolled, regaining my feet and hurling myself to the left, spying a staircase, I made it with moments to spare and hurdled up onto the railings, the wave of water buffeting me. Still, the lions share flowed down into the deck below as I held on for dear life.

The wall of water finally abated, I was wet and miserable, but I was alive. I gingerly slid off the railing and collapsed on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

"Fuck my whole fucking life," I said to no one in particular.

I had to find Jill and Parker; odds were the ship was going down now, with the added weight of who knew how many thousands of gallons of water, so my philosophical musings were short-lived, I pushed myself to my feet, loving the feeling of the water that had filled my boots, and squished my way off to find them.

I don't know how long I walked with no sign of Jill or Parker. I'd found a few rounds for my Beretta in one of the passenger cabins, so there was that. It was time for a new plan; this aimless wandering shit wasn't gonna cut it. I made my way back outside; the place was in shambles, lifeboats tossed on their sides, toolboxes broken open, their contents spilled across the deck. I was in a bad spot, no radio, no gear, cut off from everyone, and now the ship was fucked.

I love pressure.

I cleared towards the bow; without my radio, I had little hope of finding the others, but it was worth a shot. The deck was bathed in moonlight as I stalked forward, almost beautiful, the slow rolling of the deck was practically therapeutic after the fucking sunspot from hell. Until the night was split by the sound of a boat engine, a big one, coming from the starboard side, I hustled over to the railing, trying to get eyes on. About two hundred yards and closing was an LCAC, the jet black hovercraft was strictly a Navy deal, but I knew BSAA had one knocking around. Maybe Jill and Parker had called for backup? Could we get that lucky?

The LCAC continued to close.

We were gonna get out of here.

Unless that's Veltro

My traitorous mind couldn't let me have this, could it?

I ducked below the railing, minimizing my profile and keep an eye on the approaching craft. They pulled alongside, and hooks flew up and over the railings, two shadowy figures making their way up the ladder, weapons clearly visible, I moved across the deck and into a vestibule. I pressed myself against the wall, fully planning on waylaying these two dopes for heading up without overwatch. A minute later, two sets of boots hit the deck, lights playing over everything.

"Blackwatch, this is Anvil, infil was successful, we're aboard the Zenobia. Moving to locate Sandman."

Chris?

I popped my head around the wall, "Chris?!"

"Mike?"

I rushed forward and hugged the big bastard, "Holy shit, brother! I thought you were fucking dead!"

He hugged me back, slapping me on the shoulder and grinning, "Not a chance, Kelly, think I'd leave this all up to you?"

"Fuck, it's good to see you, man. Hey Sherawat."

The tall brunette smiled, her dark eyes twinkling as she scanned for threats, "Hey Kelly."

"Listen, guys, it's not all sunshine and rainbows, I got separated from Jill and Parker a while back, haven't seen hide nor hair of them since."

"We've been in contact with them for a bit, they got ahold of O'Brian, who patched us in, and we're headed to meet them in the casino."

Relief blew through me; after the tidal wave, I'd been fighting to keep the panic at bay.

Jesus, one day our luck is gonna run out.

"Well fuckin' A, let's move."

Chris nodded, "Jess, on me. How are you fixed?"

I shook my head, "One mag for this shit '92. Other than that, I'm slick."

"Jessica?"

She stepped forward and pulled a shotgun off her gear; the short 870 was better than nothing, "Thanks."

She handed me a bandoleer with a flirty smile, "Chris asks and I oblige Kelly, you know the drill."

I racked the slide, chambering a triple aught load, feeling like I had some measure of control over this mess again; I had my boy leading the charge, backup, and a solid weapon in my hand. It was time to end this shit.

"Let's go."

Chris filled me in as we moved, all about the Il Veltro base in the mountains, before being re-tasked by O'Brian to come to find us. I filled him in on everything in turn, from the moment we'd been tasked, all through the tug going down, FBC showing up, and the invisible Hunters.

"Invisible, are you shitting me?"

"Wish I was brother."

"Fucking hell," Sherawat added.

"You're not kidding."

We finally hooked into the top floor of the casino, voices greeted us.

"You've been played BSAA, think about it."

"Keep your hands where I can see them, or I'll blow you out of your fucking shoes."

Jill.

We rounded the corner, spying Jill, Parker, and some dude all masked up, looking suspiciously like the Veltro dude from the recording.

Chris opened his mouth to add something when a shot rang out from behind us, so close it left my right ear ringing. The Veltro dude pitched forward, over the balcony's railing, and landed at Parker's feet.

"Contact rear!" I spun to track the shot and was shocked to see Jessica's Glock outstretched, still pointing at the dying Veltro operative.

"Sherawat, what the fuck!" I growled, "Your new partner is a touch trigger-happy Redfield."

Jessica's face twisted into a sneer, "He was a threat, now he's not. End of story, Kelly."

"He's right, Jess, the fuck was that?" Chris said as he stalked down the stairs to where Parker was covering the terrorist.

I gave her one last reproachful look and followed after him. I had no love for the shitbag, but he didn't have a weapon; the intel we could've pulled out of him would've put us ahead. I hit the bottom of the flight, scanning Chris's blindside with the shotgun. I turned just in time to see Parker rip the guys mask off, revealing a familiar face.

Oh shit, Vester.

The prick had rubbed me the wrong way from the moment I'd laid eyes on him, now he was a traitor and a scumbag. He tried to suck in a breath, and I found myself smiling at his pain, fuck him.

"MIKE!"

I turned from the scene and got hit with a flying thief.

"Hey, baby girl."

She kissed me, I kissed her back just as hard, we'd found each other again, "Jesus, I thought you were dead…"

I pressed my forehead against hers, almost forgetting that we were in the middle of an op.

"You had me worried too, sweetheart," I lowered my voice to a whisper, "Keep eyes on Sherawat, somethings funky here."

She nodded, kissing my cheek before stepping back.

Parker was crouched down next to the body of our last chance to get the whole story; I shot a glare at Jessica and stepped up next to Chris, "What's the play, man?"

He sighed, "Well, we neutralize the virus and exfil, you guys have spent enough time on this piece of shit."

"Amen."

"Alright," Chris called out, "Kelly and Jill, follow me. Parker and Jessica, you guys, find a way to keep this place afloat long enough for us to neutralize the virus. Clear?"

Everyone nodded, "Alright then, let's move, get on comms if you have any problems."

I fell in behind Chris, Jill bringing up the rear, "Just like old times, huh?"

Jill scoffed behind me, "Too close if you ask me."

Chris just chuckled.

We moved down, taking down more of those man-fish hybrids, (tell me THAT won't give you a bad dream or two.) Coming to a set of airlock doors. A sterilized environment in all of this decay. It reminded me of the Hive lab under the mansion, bringing back all sorts of bad memories.

I staged on the left side of the door, Jill took the right, Chris stacked in front of me and slid a lock breaker into the keypad, "Ninety seconds."

"Check, covering." I turned my attention back to the hall behind us and waited.

Jill broke the tense silence, "You ever wonder what life would've been like if you just said fuck it and gone to work at Mcdonald's?"

Goddamnit Jill.

"Every fucking day, Valentine."

"What're you gonna do when you can't call her that anymore?" Chris interjected.

"Oh, oh shit, I hadn't thought about that…"

Jill giggled, "My lovely bride, that works just fine."

I saw the open shot and took it, grinning all the way, "Doesn't matter what your last name is, you'll always be my Valentine."

Chris gagged.

Jill blushed to the tips of her ears, her eyes a little wide, but she still shot back, "Corny bastard."

"Guilt."

The door popped with a soft hiss, and we were all business again, cutting into the room, a large open area with a centrifuge like structure at its center, the liquid in the tank glowing a sickly red.

We cleared the room, double-checking the dead space; a few bodies were strewn around, the lab coats marked them as research staff.

"Clear."

"Clear."

"All clear."

I whistled, "These guys sure do love their fucking pageantry; how do we neutralize this shit?"

"There should be a subprogram to render it inert in case of an emergency," Chris stepped up to an inset console on the side of the tank, punching a few keys, "And it needs a passcode."

"Any way to break in?" Jill asked.

Chris shook his head, "It'd take way too long. We split up and hope we find the passcode."

"Check," I pointed at a hallway across from us, "I'll take that section."

"Then Jill and I will take the stairs," Chris pointed to a staircase leading down into the depths of the lab, "We rally back here."

I nodded, "Bet you I find it first, case of beer?"

Chris grinned, "You're on."

I shot Jill a smile and moved to the airlock doors, slipping inside. My shotgun covered the angles, making sure to watch my back and the ceiling, Lickers in Bogota had made me paranoid.

The hallway emptied into rows of offices, completely destroyed offices, paperwork, bodies, and dried blood littered the floor; it looked like a one-sided war had been fought in here. All the corpses bore signs of immense trauma; something had torn these people apart and eaten away at their bodies.

Big fucking surprise there.

I tossed the desks, coming up empty-handed again and again. I looked through pockets and checked wallets, nothing. After I was satisfied that no stone had been left unturned, I fell back to the chamber, hoping Jill and Chris had more luck.

I found them by the tank, Chris busying himself over the console, Jill held security.

"Guess I'm buying, huh?"

Chris didn't look up.

Jill's head snapped around at my voice, "Mike, we've got problems, it's fucking Lansdale; he set this up, worked with Veltro and Ex-Umbrella scientists to create the virus and attack Terragrigia. After they made him the virus and a vaccine, he killed them all."

The head of the FBC was a grade-A asshole, but a bioterrorist? I was shocked, but only for a moment, people like him were power mongers, and with a new bogey to fight, FBC's continued existence was assured.

"Fucking prick, Did you find anything hard?"

She shook her head, "Circumstantial for now, but we know what threads to pull on once we get off this shit heap."

Chris finally spoke up, anger in his voice, "Well, that's done."

"Virus Neutralization Initialized." A smooth voice informed us.

We waited and watched as the liquid slowly lost its coloration; relief flowed through me, along with no small measure of pride.

We'd just saved the world.

"Virus Neutralization Complete."

Chris nodded, "Alright, let's fall back and get off this fucking shi-"

"SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED. ALL PASSENGERS ARE ADVISED TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY."

"MOVE!" Chris yelled, taking off running, Jill and I followed close behind, our boots thudding on the sterile metal.

Chris's radio lit up, but I only caught his side of the conversation without my gear.

"Roger that Hat-Trick! We're moving topside, be ready for a fast exfil!"

…

"Understood!"

We blew through the Casino floor, hooking into a hallway; Jill was on point; she rounded the corner first.

"Parker!" Her voice sounded horrified.

I double-timed it, Chris, right on my ass, and turned the corner. Parker was slumped against the wall, a small pool of blood on the floor beside him, blood pumping out of a gunshot wound in his chest.

I slid to my knees next to him, reaching for my med bag…That wasn't there.

Goddamnit Vester!

I looked at Jill, "Help me get him up, we've gotta keep moving. C'mon, brother, we've got you." I pulled the big man to his feet and slung his arm around my shoulder.

"J…Jessica…she shot me."

"Sherawat?"

"Working…for the…FBC."

"Motherfuckers," I snarled, "Chris! Take point and clear us a path!"

"Check, on it!"

He lapped us, his rifle playing over the dark corners as Jill and I dragged Parker along. We moved through the halls and up the stairs, Chris taking down more BOW's, thankfully no more invisible Hunters made an appearance.

Or…Not an appearance? Fuck it.

We made our way up and up, the ship was starting to come apart from all the destruction wrought by the wave, and whatever charges had been set were waiting to blow. A fire raged below us as we crossed a catwalk, the open-air so close we could touch it, the heat was almost unbearable.

"Parker, buddy, you could lose a few pounds," I grunted as I dragged him across the metal; in a horrifying rush, I felt the catwalk start to give under our feet, "Shit! Parker…C'mon bud!" I heaved him forward, Chris catching him in his arms, I threw myself the last ten feet and out the open hatch as the catwalk finally gave way, falling into the raging inferno below us.

"Fucking shit!" I shouted, "Fuck boats!"

Jill grabbed my hand and pulled me off the deck, our exfil helo swooped low, hovering at the railing; the pilot was good; he kicked the Blackhawk sideways, straddling the rail and giving us room to move up. I hoisted Jill up first, Chris pushed Parker forward, and I helped him into the helo. Chris jumped in and spun, offering his hand as muted thumps rumbled up through my boots. I jumped and grabbed hold of him, pulling myself up and into the bird.

"Kirk, We're in GO!" Chris yelled over the roar of the engines.

I slammed into a jump seat and grabbed a belt as we peeled away from the stricken ship and into the morning sky. Explosions rippled the length of the Zenobia, gutting her at the waterline; I watched for as long as I could, even from a distance, I could tell they were thermal in nature, every living thing on that ship would be vaporized by a heat equivalent to the surface of the sun.

We'd done it again.

I was getting tired of this shit.

Real tired.

I unclipped myself once the ride smoothed out, grabbing a jump kit and sliding down next to where Jill was holding pressure on Parker's wound.

I unzipped it wide, laying out the supplies. I pulled out trauma shears and sliced off Parker's gear, exposing the ugly looking GSW.

"Okay," I muttered to myself, "now for the fun part. Jill? Help me roll him over."

She obliged, I scanned his back, spying the exit wound by his shoulder, vaguely aware of Chris spelling to someone in the background.

"Blackwatch, this is Anvil, O'Brian, we've got big problems."

I leaned in to whisper to Parker, "Hey brother, this shit is gonna hurt, but I've gotta pack this thing, okay?"

He nodded, looking a little pale from blood loss; I gloved up and pulled out some sterile gauze, my fingers slowly working it into the wound, "Jill, I want you to keep an eye out for any new bleeds."

She nodded.

"Clive, what are you saying?"

I kept working, packing, and packing until I felt a small bit of resistance, then I clamped a bandage over the entry wound and repeated the process with the exit wound. I was finishing immobilizing his arm when Chris got louder.

"So, we were BAIT?!"

I snapped around, murder flooding through my veins as Chris listened.

"Understood, but when we get back, we're going to have a long talk…Clive, what's going on?"

He listened, so did Jill and I, waiting on his next words.

"O'Brian, come in!" He shouted before throwing his headset into the wall, his shoulders slumping a bit before he turned and walked over to us, taking a knee and speaking loud enough so we could hear.

"O'Brian set us up, used us to expose Lansdale's cooperation with Il Veltro, he was explaining himself when comms went dead, I heard voices, it sounded like a raid."

"Wait, what?"

Chris looked at me, confused, before remembering that my radio was fucked, "He knew there was a mole in BSAA, so he played it close, sent us in to draw out Lansdale."

Anger didn't begin to describe it, "That filthy cocksucker, he used us as bait?"

Chris nodded, "My sentiments exactly. Listen, before we got cut off, O'Brian mentioned another ship; we had the Zenobia, the Semiramis, but there was a third, the Dido, it sank during the Terragrigia attack. Apparently, there's evidence there that will prove Lansdale's involvement. We're going to go get it."

I sighed, "We're gonna have to dive, huh?"

Chris nodded.

"Man, I can't catch a fucking break, can I?"

I stabilized Parker and got an IV in him; he was already starting to look better as we rendezvoused with a BSAA chartered ship, the medics jumped aboard as we landed.

"Hey, boys!" I shouted over the rotors, "GSW through and through, upper left chest, wound has been packed, no meds administered. No known allergies."

They nodded and picked him up, laying him on a waiting gurney, I jumped out and bent over him, "You're a fucking stud, Luciani! Get better, buddy!"

He smiled through the pain, "You too, Kelly, stay safe out there."

I gave his hand a squeeze, "Fuckin' A man. We'll be back for ya!"

Jill walked up and squeezed his uninjured shoulder, "See you soon, man!"

Chris nudged him and smiled, getting a weak thumbs-up in return. The medics hustled him off to sickbay, and we went to re-equip for our dive to the Dido.

"Check weapons and ammo, make sure those tanks are good."

I spun the valves, checking the pressure, the needle slipping into the green as I filled our tanks; Jill and Chris were gathering our weapons and gear, the fucking thing had been on the bottom of the ocean for a year, but we knew enough to not take chances.

I set the tanks down and was loading magazines when Jill slid her arms around me, pressing her head into my back, "We've got some time, you know."

I smiled, topping off another mag for my rifle, setting it on the table, and laying my hands flat on the surface, "Yeah? What're you thinking?"

"A shower, maybe some stress-relief?" Came the muffled and slightly frisky voice from behind me.

"You had me at hello Val, let's go." She smiled and bounced off; how that woman made BDU's look that good, I'll never know.

Chris gagged, "You two, I swear to God, we're freshly out of another fucking nightmare, about to maybe head into another one."

"I think you're just jealous that I'm getting some and you're not, Redfield. We've gotta fix that."

"Jessica was fixing that."

"Oof, sorry, bro, you good?"

He waved me off, "It was a casual thing, nothing more than scratching an itch."

"I hope you weren't scratching any itches; gotta get that looked at, buddy."

He snorted, a smile spreading across his face, "Fuck you, Kelly."

"Well, maybe if you ask real nice."

Now he laughed, "I will beat you with this weapon, I swear to Jesus."

"Promises, promises. I'll be back; what's our ETA again?"

"Two hours until we're over the site, I'll come get you when we get close."

I smiled, "Thanks, and uh, Chris?"

He looked up from his rifle, "Yeah?"

"I thought you were gone out there and, uh, I just wanted to throw it on the line, you're my family, man. Love ya, brother."

He smiled, "Yeah, love ya too, man. Like the big pain in the ass brother, I never wanted."

I chuckled, "Yeah, that's fair, let us know."

"Will do."

Jill and I showered; we definitely relieved some stress, in the shower, and in the rack.

"So, what are we gonna do with the other hour and a half?" Jill asked as we laid in bed, enjoying a smoke.

I almost fell out of bed. I was laughing so hard, "You go right for the throat, don't you, babe."

She wiggled her eyebrows, "So do you, baby."

"That was bad, and you should feel bad."

"I do," She giggled.

She looked so perfect like that, freshly fucked and smiling from ear to ear. But then again, she always looked perfect to me.

"I love you, Jill."

She smiled, "And I love you, Mike. You mean the world to me, you know that, right? These last few years haven't exactly been kind, but I'll tell you one thing I've learned. No matter how insane this thing gets, no matter how horrible the next operation is. I wouldn't trade a single second if it meant getting to live a long and peaceful life without you in it. I absolutely can't wait to be Mrs. Michael Kelly." She smiled and took my breath away.

For a second, I couldn't come up with the words, I tried, but they just wouldn't come. I stared at her, finally willing my mouth to work.

"Jesus baby girl, just when I think this," I wiggled a finger back and forth between her and I, "can't get any more wonderful, you come out with something like that," I sniffed, surprised to find the emotion welling up inside me. All those years of staying guarded, never knowing who my friends were, and then this little badass comes along and lays me bare. She continued to level me with her eyes.

"I…I can barely believe that I get to experience something this beautiful in the middle of this hell. You keep me alive, Valentine. I hope I can make you as happy as you make me for the rest of our lives."

She leaned forward and planted a kiss on my forehead, "I know you will; every time I wake up next to you is like the first time, hasn't changed in almost four years, it's not gonna change anytime soon."

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a kiss, wondering how I could feel any better.

A knocking on the door pulled us out of our little world, "Guys? We're closing in on the target area, I'd come in, but I can smell ya from out here. Not a fan."

Jill snickered, and I lost it, laughing like a dope for a minute, "We're, heh, we're on our way, brother."

"Cool, might open a window, ya fucking animals."

I rolled to my feet, tossing Jill her clothes, "Duty calls, I guess."

She rolled her eyes as she stood, shimmying into her underwear, I dropped my shirt, thoroughly enjoying the shimmy. She caught me staring and did it again.

God, I loved her.

A few minutes later, we were sitting in the Zodiac, hurtling towards the jump-off. I ran the engine, and Chris kept an eye on the GPS. After a few long minutes, he held up a hand, and I pulled us into a loop, the wreckage of Terragrigia off in the distance; the place looked dead, but still exuded an air of malice, I was about as close as I wanted to get.

"Alright, we get in, grab the evidence, and get out," Chris affirmed.

Jill smirked, "Like it ever goes the way we want it to Chris, c'mon man, I'm starting to think you're the one jinxing us."

He laughed, any rebuttal died as he spun the valve on his tank, dropping his goggles and bailing over the side.

Jill leaned over and kissed me, "Shoot straight, babe."

"Only way I know how baby." I dropped my goggles and slipped the regulator into my mouth, flipping into the ocean; she followed soon after, our weight belts pulling us down to the depths.

We sank for a few minutes, the wreck of the Dido had come to rest on an underwater peak, looming out of the darkness at us. Thankfully the dive wasn't too deep, so much more can go wrong the deeper you go. I flashed a couple of hand signals to Chris and Jill, and we swam for the nearest opening, a massive hole that had been blown in the right side of the liner. I kept an eye out for anything as we swam, after invisible Hunters, I was ready for anything. A pressure door came up quick. Thankfully the hinges weren't visible; it would swing in when we opened it. Chris took point, spun the wheel, and braced, as did Jill and I, the massive rush of pressure knocked the door in, but it stabilized after a minute.

I took point, my dive-light panning over the cold, dark interior. I waved them forward, and we swam deeper into the ship. I failed to see how we'd find anything in this mess; the rusty innards of the dead vessel offered us nothing while we asked everything.

We swam through the corridors for what seemed like hours; I kept an eye on my air, making sure to pace my breathing. Slowly and steadily, we moved up.

Chris held up a hand, pointing at the ceiling and forming a circle with his hand.

Air pocket.

We swam for it, breaking free into the open space, Chris pulled his regulator out, "Got a hatch above."

I followed suit, "What's to say that the compartment isn't flooded?"

He shrugged as much as he could, "Worth a shot."

I nodded, eyeing the hatch, "Right on, it's not like we have a better option." I stuck the regulator back in my mouth, kicking my fins enough to get a good grip on the handle, Chris and Jill gave me a hand, and we managed to pry the thing open, the hatch swinging towards us. The room above was bone dry, and it smelled…lived in.

I pulled my pistol and swam up, getting a grip on the edge and pulling myself up just enough to see a man slumped in the corner; I kept my gun on him as I levered my way up and onto dry land. Chris popped up next, unslinging his rifle, Jill brought up the rear. We fanned out, covering the body of our new friend. The more I looked at him, the more his proportions looked all wrong, his legs looked too long, same with his arms. I flicked my eyes over him, clutched in his hands was a small hardened PDA.

Well, isn't that convenient?

"Guys, cover, I'm gonna grab the package."

They nodded, training their rifles with a purpose, I edged closer to the dead man, reaching my hand out for our prize.

His cough almost made me piss myself; the small jerking motions sent me reeling, "HANDS MOTHERFUCKER!"

He didn't respond for a moment, just slowly looked up at me; his eyes were all wrong, different sizes and colors, his whole face looked like something a child drew.

"So," He rasped out, "You've finally come to finish the job."

I was amazed this guy was still alive; after a year down here, it was impossible... until I noticed the empty syringes lying all over, and the gravity of what I was seeing truly hit me.

This guy, who I barely recognized as Jack Norman, the leader of Il Veltro, had been dosing himself with God knew what in a bid to stay alive.

"Finish the job?" Chris asked.

"You're FBC, aren't you? Lansdale finally found his balls and sent a hit squad."

I was about to point out that he didn't need any help dying when he moved like lightning, slamming a syringe into his arm, a syringe full of viscous red liquid. His whole body started to shake as he screamed through gritted teeth. I could hear bones cracking under his clothes, his form shifting and changing. We stepped back as one, away from the mutating terrorist.

Wait.

I could've waited for T-Abyss to finish the job, but I didn't feel like fighting a BOW in what amounted to a fucking broom closet. I stepped forward and shot him five times in the head, splitting it open obscenely. Abruptly the jerking stopped, the PDA falling from his ruined grasp; I scooped it up as his body started up again, bone claws and fins sprouting from the skin we could see.

"Yeah, fuck this," Jill whispered, pulling a thermite grenade from her vest, stepping up next to me and jamming the explosive into the space where Norman's brain used to be, Chris and I readied to jump back down the hatch, giving Jill the nod. She pulled the pin, and we let go, falling back into the water, Jill splashed down a second later, we pushed deep, back underwater, a second later, the thermite blew and took Norman with it.

We surfaced after an hour, minding our safety stops, the Mediterranean was smooth after the storm, the sun was high in the sky as we rolled into the Zodiac. Chris fired off the PDA contents to every major news outlet on earth and sent a copy to BSAA HQ. We all laid there in the bottom of the raft for a long time. Relishing in being alive again, the operation seemingly in the bag, and the world safe for now.

Our radios crackled to life shortly thereafter, "Anvil, this is Blackwatch, apologies for the communications lapse; FBC agents raided headquarters and placed me under arrest; however, after your little revelation, they have taken Mr. Lansdale into custody. Come on home."

"I'm really getting too old for this shit," I whispered, loving the feel of the sun on my face, suddenly exhausted.

"Yeah, you cradle robbing dick!" Jill added helpfully

Chris snorted, "Jesus."

"Thanks, babe. Redfield? What say we get the fuck out of here." I keyed up my radio, "Sandman Actual to Blackwatch, you better be ready to have a chat when I land."

"Blackwatch copies, looking forward to it. Out."

I leaned back against Jill as she piloted the raft back towards the ship.

That shitty bunk was calling my name, and I was sure it would feel like the Ritz with Jill next to me.