Author's note: A Christmas present for all of my wonderful readers on cameo: v/8VHoDx1Pa (It wouldn't let me post the full link. To see the full link, you can check out my AO3 account which has it in the description of chapter 19.)
And a big thank you to D.C. Douglass. He really knocked it out of the park.
"Hello, my dear," Wesker said with a grin, and Cass' hand instinctively gripped onto the desk. "If you've gotten this message, then you've not only successfully defeated my Hunter but avoided capture as well. Impressive. Fortunately for you, I have no intention of allowing such a rare find to escape. I will come for you shortly… after I take care of some unpleasant business, but until then you may review the files on this drive. You will need to be familiar with the creatures Umbrella produces. Do take care, and I will see you soon."
"Isn't he dead?" Ben asked with hesitation.
"Yes, Chris saw him die," Cass replied, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.
Gats rummaged through the files on the screen before settling on one labeled Hunter. A picture of the creature Cass had fought flashed up on the screen, and she gasped in horror. This seemed to be a standard creature in their arsenal. Information and statistics appeared below the picture, and Cass had to turn away for a moment to collect herself. With shaking hands, she took control of the mouse and went through file after file. "Cerberus" was the name for the infected dogs, and they, like the Hunter, were a familiar threat. "Chimera", "Tyrant", and "Neptune" were all new. As she clicked through the files, she became more and more horrified at Umbrella's atrocities.
"What if he's not dead?" Ben asked, cutting through Cass' panic.
"What? Wesker?" Cass asked incredulously. "If Chris says he died, then he died. Otherwise, Chris would stop at nothing to bring him to justice."
"But what if he faked it somehow? He seems incredibly confident there. That's the face of a man who's got a plan. I doubt he'd be easily killed by one of his own monsters."
"Hubris is the downfall of many men," Gats spoke up, surprising Cass. "Although… he certainly believed he knew something we don't."
Ben and Gats shared a look, and Cass felt a twinge of annoyance at being left out of the loop. Ben noticed her glare and shuffled nervously.
"It might be a good idea to get out of town," Ben said with a glance at Gats for support. "For a while at least. Even if Wesker is dead, Umbrella isn't. Plus if there really is a competitor to Umbrella, I doubt that they would just forget about you. Wesker seemed pretty serious about your recruitment. No doubt they'd be interested in you too."
"I'm nothing special," Cass replied bitterly. "Wesker just wanted a loyal lackey. Someone he could manipulate…"
"Wait," Ben said thoughtfully as he took the mouse and clicked on the hunter file. "He said you defeated 'his Hunter.' You fought this thing?!"
"Yes," Cass replied with a raised eyebrow. "I told you that he trapped me with a monster. I don't think he really expected me to survive."
Gats stared at the monster in horror as Ben looked more closely at the file names. He clicked on the "Cerberus" file and sighed with frustration.
"Those are the 'rabid dogs' that have attacked people, aren't they?"
Cass nodded as she looked away toward the window.
"Well… that's… just great," Ben muttered and put his head in his hands. "That means the dear chief has been covering up for Umbrella this entire time. I suspected as much, but actually seeing it…" Ben ran his hands through his hair before turning his attention back to Cass. "You really need to get the hell out of dodge. The chief is likely to start making your life a hell… but only if Umbrella or this other 'company' don't decide to kidnap you for testing."
"I doubt that they'd do that with Chris or Jill around. They wouldn't let that happen."
"But do you want them to focus their attention on you or Umbrella?"
Cass stared daggers at Ben as Gats put her hand on Cass' shoulder.
"I know you want to see this through, but Umbrella or this other company… they're going to come for you. It's just a matter of when. Wouldn't it be better for the others if they knew that you were safe? That way they can focus solely on Umbrella."
"There's no such thing as safe for me anymore!" Cass burst out, moving away from Gats' hand. "He took that from me. Even if I do run and hide, you don't think they'll track me down? That they wouldn't use the safety of my family and friends to force me out into the open? I've already lost some of my friends… I won't lose any more. There's only one way for me to play this game. If I pretend that nothing is wrong, then they're less likely to attack me. And if… when they come for me, I'll be ready. I killed that Hunter. I fought against those damn dogs. I survived that night, and I'll be there to watch Umbrella burn to the ground."
Gats let out a laugh of approval and turned to Ben with glee.
"That's what I wanted to hear. Oh, Benny-bear, I told you the girl's a fighter. Just like me," Gats said with relish as Ben rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, love. I've got your back. Although Ben is right about one thing. Your chief won't be the easiest to work with, and he'll likely be watching your back too… waiting for the chance to put a knife into it."
"I've applied for other positions," Cass admitted. "Irons has never liked me. Wesker was the one who protected me… But they're hiring for dispatchers, which will allow me to stay away from Irons and possibly learn about any situations before Umbrella covers them up."
Ben nodded as he looked at Umbrella's beasts, but Gats just looked concerned. The sun was already setting as Cass turned her attention toward the window. After Ben excused himself, Gats turned her attention to Cass.
"Aren't you in danger too?" Cass asked quickly before Gats could ask her question. "They'll know I came here."
"Yes… but I have ways of defending myself. Anyone who dares to enter this house without my knowledge will find themselves in a… precarious situation. Would you mind lending me the drive? I would like to see if there's anything more coded on it. I was looking at the data, and there seems to be something buried underneath the surface."
"Yes, thank you," Cass said and held out her hand. "For everything."
Gats took her hand and said, "You know… it's okay for you to mourn your friends. All of them."
Cass raised her eyebrow before she realized what Gats meant. "Albert Wesker was never my friend. Everything was a lie… a manipulation. He never cared about any of us."
"True… but I believe that you cared for the man he pretended to be. I'm just telling you that it's okay to mourn someone you cared about. The fact that he's a lying bastard has nothing to do with that. Feel free to come around whenever you need someone to talk to."
Cass nodded as Gats pulled her in for a hug. Ben gave them a confused look as he entered the room before getting the hint that Cass wanted to leave. While Ben drove them back to the motel, Cass watched the sun begin to disappear beneath the horizon. Ben was clearly uncomfortable with the silence and seemed to want to ask her questions, but he held back for the time being.
The only words Ben said as she got into her car were "Stay safe", and for that Cass was grateful. With a small wave, she started the drive back to Chris' house. Unwelcome thoughts intruded on her as she drove. Why had Wesker always protected her? Weren't Irons and him working together for Umbrella? Had it also been a ruse to hide their plans? The animosity between them had felt so real, but Wesker was a good actor. Her captain was dead now. In more ways than one.
A tear slipped out and fell down her face. Seeing him like that… mocking, smug, uncaring… it had shattered whatever small image she'd still had of her captain. That's who he truly was underneath the mask. She gripped the steering wheel as she tried to calm herself. Chris wasn't home yet, and she didn't want him to see her like this. Wiping her face, she took a deep breath before she got out of the car. She took a look around before unlocking the door. For some reason, she felt oddly on edge. Flipping the light switch, she looked around to see that the house looked the same as it had before she left. Except for one thing. A vase full of daffodils now sat on the kitchen table.
"Chris?" Cass asked hopefully, but there was no answer.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she looked out the window. A pair of orange eyes stared at her from the shadows before quickly disappearing into the night.