"Over there!" The helicopter that carried Chris and his team circled around a cloud of debris and dust that had just erupted from the village below. In a state of emergency, the BSAA had sent Chris and his team to assist the Middle Eastern branch in their efforts to control the bioterrorist attack. Jill had accompanied them as well, feeling that her first mission since her absence would go best with her longtime partner, and she wanted to get the babysitting out of the way so that the BSAA could trust her again. By the time they had arrived at the location hours had already passed, yet it seemed the destruction was still far from over.
"What are we up against?" one of the operatives questioned. Another one pulled up her rifle and sighted down the scope to get a better look. One of the mutated, hulking figures of a BOW was briefly visible as it leaped across a set of rooftops, not long enough for the markswoman to take a shot but enough to figure out what it was.
"Napads!" she shouted. "I can't tell how many though—there's too much debris around."
"Napads?" Jill questioned from the back. "They're the big muscular things with the hardened shell on their backs, right? I saw them in the report." Chris confirmed her suspicions.
"Alright, listen up," he belted over the beating of the blades. "Jill and I will try and rendezvous with Delta team of BSAA Middle East. I want the rest of you to split into two teams and see if you can evacuate the wounded and any citizens that may be left. We don't know exactly what is down there and I want you to proceed with caution. Understood?"
"Yes, captain!" his team echoed. The helicopter proceeded low enough for them to jump out, and immediately they split ways, Chris and Jill going west where Delta team was last reported, the others splitting between east and north.
"Why would they attack here?" Jill questioned, swapping out her handgun for the rifle on her back. "And who's even orchestrating these attacks?"
"I don't know," Chris murmured, keeping himself on alert. "But since it's Napads, it's probably Neo Umbrella."
"I thought you said their leaders were killed though. Wong and Simmons, right?" A screech from one of the creatures erupted from the rooftops above, and Chris and Jill took cover against a wall next to a doorway.
"Cut the head off the Hydra and it just grows more," Chris answered, pulling out a shotgun and aiming it upwards to the source. "Wong probably left plans in case of her demise to have the rest of the organization pick it up and continue." Jill averted her eyes in concern, realizing the truth in his words.
Another screech erupted in the ears of the agents. Pounding beats stomped on the roof above them and a Napad came launching forward, crashing onto the ground with its back to the operatives. Taking advantage of the situation, Chris immediately took a shot at its shell, cracking part of it open and exposing the muscular structure underneath. The creature roared in pain, then turned around and charged at the two of them. Jill immediately rolled out of the way, but Chris's natural bulk weighed him down just enough for the creature to grab him and crash directly into the wall. The structure shattered, covering the BSAA captain and his captor in stone and wood; the collapse slammed the Napad onto the ground, which trapped Chris under its weight. Chris reached for his shotgun but found it had gone flying when he was attacked. Instead, he grabbed his knife and immediately started hacking away at the Napad's elbow, where its muscle was exposed. As if the pain had jump started the creature back to life, it sprung upward, steam shooting from its body and knocking off the layers of destruction atop it. Now free from the weight, Chris immediately began crawling backwards, pulling out his handgun and getting ready to shoot. The Napad raised its arm in preparation to crush Chris with its force, but before it could take a swing Jill leapt onto its back and dug her knife underneath the opening of its shell. The monster immediately tried to swing her off, but Jill held on and released a loud grunt as she pried a section of the shell straight off the beast. Now shaking wildly, Jill wrapped her legs around the Napad's massive size and started stabbing repeatedly at its exposed flesh. The speed of her motion was unrivaled, and within moments she had practically minced the creature's backside into bits of muscle and organs. Finally bested, the beast tumbled forward, and Chris scurried to his feet before it trapped him under its weight once again.
Jill stepped on top of the deceased monster's back, picking up Chris's shotgun and tossing it back to him. Chris caught it with ease, and put his handgun back in exchange.
"Now I remember why I never try to challenge you to a knife fight." He vaulted over the debris to reunite with the woman.
"Glad to have me back on the team?" she asked.
"Always."
Another scream came echoing from the distance, though this time it sounded human, and not that far off. Realizing it could be one of the residents in trouble, Jill and Chris immediately took off to the source, guns at the ready. They continued to chase the following yelps until they came across a dead-end alleyway, a Napad standing before its next victim who was pushed up against the wall, though Chris couldn't see their identity behind the hulking BOW. Jill aimed her rifle and took a shot at the Napad, although the creature moved in an attack at the last second and the bullet embedded itself in the wall above it. The Napad smashed the ground before it, though it seemed like the person it was attacking managed to move out of the way as Chris didn't hear a scream follow. The beast jerked backwards as pounding sounds were heard—was the person trying to punch it back? —and Chris was amazed as he saw bits of its shell come flying off. There appeared to be some sort of hesitation, then the Napad came flying backwards. Jill took notice of something shimmering in a gap of its shell, and she immediately grabbed Chris and ran back when she realized what it was.
"Grenade!" Jill and Chris leapt to their stomachs as an explosion erupted just behind them, sending flying bits of muscle, bone, and blood everywhere. Chris turned around to see a cloud of dust behind him, followed by the shadow of a figure as it walked through.
"Shit, was there someone there? I didn't see ya, you alri-" The figure halted his sentence as he stopped dead in his tracks, taking notice of the BSAA agents while they got back on their feet. "Oh hey, daddy killer. Wasn't expecting to see you here." Chris brushed the debris off, realizing now why he found the voice so familiar.
"Jake." Wesker's son was before him, looking just as smug as ever, though it was clear to see the tension between the two had never dwindled. Jake walked closer to the BSAA agents, stopping only a few steps away from Chris. Jake looked at him, then let out a slight smirk and shook his head; Chris only left him with an emotionless stare.
"Jake?" Jill questioned, scanning the man before her. "You mean...this is-"
"Wesker's son," Chris finished. Jill's confused expression turned into a glare, no doubt in reflection of past memories of her traitorous captain from many years ago. Jake spread his hands out and shrugged, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"Hey, I'm not proud of it either, lady," he commented. "Believe me, I'm glad I grew up just thinking good ol' dad was a deadbeat instead of a goddamn mass murderer." He returned his attention back to Chris, jerking his chin at him. "So. You here on business or something?"
"We're here to assist the BSAA against the bioterrorist attack," Chris answered, taking a step closer towards Jake. "Know anything that's going on here?" Jake stared at him for a bit before he answered.
"Nah. I'm just here to fulfill a promise I made to some kid."
"Promise?" Chris questioned. Jake took out his handgun and checked the clip.
"Yeah. He gets me a bite to eat, and in return I take care of these BOW's. Now, as you can see…" He put the weapon back in its holster when he was satisfied. "...I got everything under control. So why don't you and the rest of your war buddies go ahead and go back to your little playdate, alright?"
Before Chris could fully comprehend Jake's words, a hiss erupted from the sky. Chris recognized it as the sound of an RPG, and he knew exactly what came after it. An explosion blasted from the side of the building, sparking shrapnel like embers in a fire and suddenly half of the building's wall came sliding down. Realizing that Chris was directly underneath the falling debris, Jill shouted her partner's name and shoved him forward, just barely managing to separate the two before the rubble tumbled to the ground. Chris regained his footing and ran over to the wall of debris, searching for Jill through any gaps, but it found it to be solid.
"Jill!" he shouted. "Are you alright?" He heard Jake getting to his feet as well, brushing off the dust on his shirt.
"I'm ok!" Jill answered. Chris was relieved at her condition, but now they were separated, the two men being trapped at the dead end. But his team needed him, and he was confident they would find a way out, somehow.
"Jake and I are going to find a way around," he yelled. "You go meet up with Delta and help them take down the BOW's." Jake let out a grunt hearing that he had to work with Chris. Chris didn't feel any better about the situation, but now was not the time to let past ties get in the way.
"Will do!" Jill shouted. "You be careful."
"I'll be fine," Chris said, and he heard Jill's footprints stomping away. He turned around to face Jake, and stepped closer to see if there was any way out of the dead end.
"She your girlfriend or something, pal?" Jake asked. "What happened to your little yes man?" Chris thought of Piers and how he would probably snap at Jake for calling him that. He let it slide, however, as he felt it wasn't worth compromising the mission over.
"Piers has been declared MIA since our escape from the underwater facility," he simply stated. He tried to change the subject. "Help me find a way out of here." Jake only answered him with the sound of cracking his knuckles, stretching his neck by waving it back and forth. Chris took a look at the wall of debris, and noticed that it seemed to slope upward toward the remainder of the building beside it. He could see a hole in the ceiling, and he pondered if it was possible for Jake to pick him up from there. He looked at the rubble and started finding footholds on a whim, not even looking behind him when he told Jake, "Follow me." Though reluctant, Jake obeyed, muttering things under his breath.
"As you say, sir," he grunted. Though they slipped at times, the two made it up, and Chris used his hands as a step for Jake, who used it more as a jumping point to reach the hole in the roof and pull Chris up. He struggled from his immense mass, shouting, "You know….it might do you good to lay off the steak dinners every once in a while." Chris simply tuned out his remarks.
The men had barely managed to regain their balance when a roar had sounded from behind them. Another Napad stood on the roof directly behind them, holding a chunk of the building that it had ripped off, and before either Chris or Jake had a chance to shoot it the beast immediately threw it at them. Realizing they had no chance of avoiding it, Chris simply shouted, "Jump!" and grabbed Jake as he fell towards the ground below. They landed in a pile of hay that sent out a fury of panicking chickens, which did just enough to cushion their fall but not enough to stop pain shooting up through Chris's shoulder from the impact.
"Nice work," Jake shouted, murmuring about his own pain he felt from the unprepared landing. He shook off a chicken that jumped by. "Got anymore bright ideas?" His thoughts were interrupted by a gigantic mutated arm that came swinging towards the two, at a speed that neither expected. They were bashed against the wall, and the air in Chris's lungs was knocked out with a heavy grunt at the impact. He could hear sounds in a distorted language being shout, and through blurry vision he managed to make out what at first looked like a group of civilians, but it didn't take Chris long to notice the mutations that plagued their body: multiple eyes on their faces, with some of their limbs being replaced by bug-like transformations. It was the unmistakable characteristics of the J'avo, and it alarmed Chris that someone seemed to be trying to replicate the forced injections on the soldiers in Edonia.
"Aww hell," he could hear Jake mutter, though he wasn't sure if that was just from the pain of the impact or if he also noticed the threat that surrounded them. The J'avo began to haphazardly stomp closer towards them-thinking fast, Chris grabbed a flash bang from his pouch, pulled the pin with his teeth, and rolled it forward, shouting a quick warning towards Jake. The J'avo were immediately dazed by the flash, and the two men pulled out their guns and took them down as fast as they could. Some of them sprouted mutations from the shots, matching those that already sported abnormal limbs or bug-like features. Chris did his best to mow down the enemies with his shotgun, whereas Jake went for a more hand-to-hand direction and single-handedly punched most of them to the ground. His skill was impressive, and were they in any other situation Chris would probably compliment him. After a few intensive moments, the last J'avo fell to the ground and disintegrated in burning sparks. The two men took a moment to catch their breath.
"Why the hell are they here?" Jake spat. "I thought the whole reason you assholes needed my blood was so this didn't happen again!" There was anger in Jake's words, though the motives behind it were unclear to Chris—frustration, anger at the BSAA, maybe even sympathy for seeing more innocent people infected.
"The UN has been administering the antidote for the C-virus for the last two and a half months," Chris commented. "They started with larger cities as they felt they were most likely to be targets in another bioterrorist attack and have been working their way through to the smaller towns. A village like this would be on the later end due to its size."
"And what a steaming pile of crap that is." Jake kicked the dirty ground, shouting a curse as he exhaled. "Now more people are dying from this goddamn virus because of you incompetent—"
"I'm angry at it too," Chris interrupted sternly. He surprised himself with the motive in those words. He took a second to collect himself. "The antidote has been entirely out of the BSAA's control after the UN took over. Nobody expected this would happen again, and not here." Jake glared at him, but he left Chris without a counterargument.
Footsteps echoed down the alleyways and the two men immediately aimed their guns at the source—Chris lowered it back down, however, when he realized it was simply Jill and the rest of Delta team. He was slightly relieved to know they made it through ok, though it did nothing to erase his uneasiness at the situation.
"What happened?" Jill asked. "We saw J'avo—you guys ok?" Jake brushed off the debris from his shirt wordless; Chris took it upon himself to explain what had just transpired.
"We have never seen an attack like this before," Delta team's captain told them. "I do not know why they would attack here of all places."
"We can worry about that later," Chris said. "Right now we need to make sure the situation is completely under control." Chris used his communicator to try and radio the rest of his team; he was relieved when all of their voices chimed in. "All of you," he started, "I need you to do a thorough sweep to make sure we have gotten everyone. Beware the J'avo, their random mutations make them an extreme threat." He focused his attention back on the team before them. "Are there any wounded that need assisting?"
"We have evacuated everyone we could find," a woman in Delta responded. "We currently have a medical team taking care of the wounded and heavy guard to be sure no BOW's get to them." Jake walked forward to the rest of them, concern surprisingly leaking into his voice.
"Any kids got hurt?" he questioned. "I'm looking for a kid, he was wearing white clothes and a turban. Male, maybe nine or ten, or eleven or something, I don't know—"
"I assure you we have gotten everyone out safely," Delta's captain responded. "We will continue our search just to be sure as well as eliminate anymore BOW's that may be hiding and contain the outbreak of J'avo." Jake shook his head.
"Yeah, well I'm coming with you," he said sternly.
"So am I," Chris immediately jumped in. "We'll be able to cover more ground if we split up. North American Branch will head for the town plaza; Delta team can cover the buildings and make sure we didn't miss anyone. I'll get a team in the air and do a final sweep to make sure there are no more threats present."
"Understood," the teams echoed. Jill started walking ahead; Jake was about to follow when Chris shouted at him to stop. Annoyed, Jake turned around, a glare lowering his brow.
"When this is all finished I'm afraid we'll have to take you back for some questioning," Chris announced. Jake rolled his eyes and threw his hands up, as though he had been caught doing some sort of petty crime.
"You're kidding, right? I had nothing to do with this."
"I know you didn't. But the BSAA will want to know why you were here and what else you had seen. We need to get down to the bottom of this." Jake jerked his fingers at him in a fake salute, before taking off to catch up with Jill.
"Whatever you say, 'captain'," he growled.