"Thank you for coming, Captain Redfield." The BSAA agent walked inside the debriefing room, his audience a collection of representatives from before. On a screen at the end of the room were projections of Piers, ranging from graphs and charts of his medical examinations to photos of him at various points since his return. One of the representatives motioned Chris to take a seat, which Chris complied to. She gathered a few papers before her and gave them a brief glance. It had been about two days since the exchange, and already Piers had been cleared from sedative use and had undergone many tests. Due to his healing abilities, he had recovered much faster than anyone was expecting, and Chris's superiors wanted to see the full capabilities of Piers's mutations immediately. He had been put under non-stop testing since then, and Chris hadn't actually gotten a chance to see him since. The representatives gathered her words to start the discussion.
"As you are aware, we have put Piers through many tests and simulations to see the effects that the C-Virus has had on his body. Thus far he has been nothing but cooperative and we have found very interesting results." She turned to the screen behind her and flipped through some of the slides. "As you can see, Piers still retains the ability to produce bioelectricity like you had described in your report from the underwater facility. We have found that he can use this energy as a weapon with his arm in its normal state; however, if it transforms the energy output doubles and the damage is much more severe." She played a video of one of the tests, which showed Piers in the BSAA's target practice arena. The first take showed his arm dancing with blue electricity, which he shot at a target and burned a hole in its chest region. In the next take, Piers complied with an order from one of the scientists to attempt to transform his mutated limb, and Chris watched in amazement as the skin on Piers's arm moved around as though it was living armored plating. They became buried underneath some sort of mutated tissue that expanded and engulfed his limb, and Chris noticed some odd blue sacs that bubbled onto the tissue, apparently being the source of the bioelectric energy. The mutation seemed similar to the one that had replaced his arm when Piers had first injected himself, though it seemed much more controlled and its size varied. Using this arm, Piers charged up his energy and shot a blast at an adjacent target, which caused half of it to explode in burning shards of wood. In contrast to the early stages of his infection, however, Piers did not seem affected by the use of this energy, not even showing signs of it causing exhaustion. A new slide soon replaced the video.
"In order to keep things controlled, we have limited the tests regarding his transformation ability purely on his arm thus far," the representative continued. "What we have found is that Piers has the capability to morph his arm into many forms that can be used as weapons, as well as put it in a default state that imitates a fully-functioning human arm." Chris took notice of the slides that proved this claim. One slide showed Piers's normal arm, complete with the cracked skin, then the one of the bioelectric energy tests from before, then another one that showed claw-like extensions originating from his hand that reached down to his mid-calf. More slides showed variations of the rest, and how they could combine into different forms. "As well as this, we've also realized that while Piers is indeed slightly blind in his right eye, he can now see in dark areas as a form of natural night vision. This does not seem to have affected his remarkable aim, however." Another video appeared on the screen of Piers walking into a dark room with a pistol in hand. Through the camera's low light setting, Chris watched as Piers cleared obstacles without difficulty and perfectly shot targets that popped up at him at various points. "In addition, we have realized that Piers also retains the standard effects of the C-virus, including enhanced speed and super-human strength." More videos and slides appeared to demonstrate this. "However, there are downsides to this form of the virus." The representative handed over a few papers to Chris, who carefully scanned them over. "As you can see, the internal temperature of Piers's body skyrockets each time a transformation occurs. In order to combat this, his body lets out jets of steam, which we can only imagine will be much greater if his transformations become more extreme. Like the J'avo, there is a high possibility that Piers can succumb to these intense temperatures and burn to death if he is not careful. However, this version of the virus is much more stabilized than the standard C-Virus, so the likelihood of this happening is minor." Chris continued to read the pages he was handed, then returned his attention to the representatives in front of him.
"What is the state of his mental integrity?" he questioned. "Does he still possess his free will?" The representative nodded.
"Indeed, Piers is still capable of making decisions on his own and his knowledge and brain functions do not seem to be affected at all. He is still the same man, mentally speaking." She looked up at him, her dark eyes lining up with the hardened captain. "We have also tried to question him regarding his time spent in Neo Umbrella's captivity, but he remembers very little and we're afraid the information is not enough to be of help." Chris's head slightly bobbed in acknowledgement. The representative continued, "As you have requested, we have no fewer than three guards armed with standard assault rifles in his presence at all times. Thus far he has not shown any signs of hostility or breakdown. However, Captain Redfield, should the need ever arise—"
"I know." Chris was fully aware of what the woman was about to say, though he didn't want to hear it. "What are you planning to do with Piers now that he's back in the BSAA?" An answer was not immediately given to Chris, and instead the room was filled with whispers and murmurings of the representatives. It made Chris wary of what they would finally say, and he prepared himself for an argument if it was necessary. The representative that spoke before silenced the others with a raise of her hand.
"As you can imagine, Captain, having a BOW in our possession is incredibly risky in and of itself, not to mention it's a unique case in that it's one of our own men and he still holds his free will. If word about Piers were to get out to the public we have no doubt it would cause a panic, especially given that the infection of China and Tall Oaks is still fresh in memory. Though Piers's abilities are certainly remarkable with the infection of the virus, it goes against our very code to have a weapon of terrorism working within our lines. As co-founder, I'm sure I don't have to tell you this." Memories of the last altercation during Chris's debriefing three months ago brought themselves forward in the captain's thoughts. They were still treating Piers as though he was an object, which only frustrated the man even more.
"Piers is a strong soldier," Chris began. Though his emotions were simmering, he tried to carefully word his thoughts. "Even if he's been infected I would still trust him with my life, as I already did when we faced Haos."
"And we do not disagree," a different representative chimed in. "But realistically speaking, Captain Redfield, we do not know the full extent of Piers's abilities, and as we've already discussed, if the public were to catch word that a BOW was in our custody within American borders it could cause a riot and we would be shut down without question." Chris didn't deny these words. He was fully aware of the potential consequences that Piers carried as a heavy burden to them all, however he knew Piers's loyalty to their cause was great and Chris had no doubt that his second-in-command would rather destroy himself than become a weapon for bioterrorism, as he had already attempted to do in the underwater facility.
"What will you do with him, then?" the captain asked. "You're doing all these tests on his combat abilities, yet you're refusing to let him return to the field. You can't just keep him here against his will."
"Rejoining the BSAA forces is only something we have barred him from for the time being," a representative commented. "We have no idea what can happen with Agent Nivans and all of our decisions regarding his status are being made with the welfare of the general public in mind. These tests are to see how the virus has fully affected him and if he can be considered 'stable', both mentally and physically speaking. Even if he proves that he is trustworthy and his mutations do not compromise him, BOW's are primarily understood as weapons of mass destruction due to the actions of Umbrella and its copy-cat organizations, and as such it will take a long time before the public can accept the idea of a counter-bioterrorism group using one in the fight against them. If word gets out that it's one of our men who was infected in the line of battle, people will being to question our motives and our efforts to end bioterrorism will be greatly challenged."
"We understand how much he means to you, Captain, however you must look at the bigger picture here." Chris was hardly given any time to comment before another representative had joined in to the conversation. Chris stared the lot of them down, though his face did not show the emotions he was currently feeling.
"I'm fully aware of the consequences and do agree with what you are saying to some extent," he confessed. "However, as Piers's immediate superior, his well-being is a priority to me and I will not tolerate him being treated as a lab rat—"
"And we are not doing that," the woman representative from before interrupted, her voice stern in repulse from the accusation. "His safety is as large of a concern to us as it is to you, Captain. I assure you that Piers is being treated only with the utmost respect and care from our most trusted men and women in this branch." Chris circled his focus around to each representative in the room, scanning them over. After a moment's rest, he finally continued the conversation.
"Fine," he simply exhaled. "But I want constant updates on your findings at the end of each day." A rumble of thought echoed from the representative's throat.
"Very well," she answered. "Unless you have any other questions, Captain, we are done here. You still have less than twenty-four hours before the execution of phase two. Have you made all necessary preparations?" She seemed grateful for the change in subject.
"Jill has been handling the recon and we have the bomb ready to go," the hardened soldier answered. "Recon should be reporting in about an hour from now." The representatives collectively nodded.
"Understood," one of them responded. "You are dismissed. If you'd like to see Agent Nivans now, you may. He is in his quarters." Chris immediately got up at those words, making quick haste to his second-in-command. When he arrived, two guards were at the door. They saluted the captain as he walked closer, who greeted them and walked inside.
"Chris?" Piers was sitting on his bed, one of his hands holding the weight of his head. Chris could see the wariness on him—he looked exhausted, and Chris believed this was the first moment of unscheduled time the young man had had since the tests started. Piers immediately perked up as he saw his partner walk through, hiding the stress on his expression with the look of surprise. The remaining guard stood by the door on the inside of Piers's room, and Chris nodded an acknowledgement at him while he closed the door. The captain looked at Piers, taking a few steps closer to him.
"It's good to know you're doing ok," he began. He gave a smile to him, one that was backed by the huge sense of relief he felt in finally being able to talk to Piers once again. "How are you feeling?" Piers's expression had taken a turn at those words. He looked upset, understandably so, and he avoided eye contact with Chris as he rose to his feet. His answer took a few moments to arrive, being stalled by a shake of his head as though he was trying to work the emotions in his mind.
"How do you think I feel?" he finally let out. "I was tortured for three months, I'm now some kind of goddamn monster, and the BSAA is treating me like a science project." The sharpshooter crossed his arms with his back towards the door as he said those words, his attention trying to distract itself by observing the contents of his room. Chris averted his eyes at Piers's words, understanding the emotions he must be feeling.
"I know it must be hard for you, Piers." He didn't try to claim that he knew what the young man was going through. "But you can't blame the reps for wanting to be thorough. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the BSAA has never encountered a situation like this before and we want to be sure everything is under control. If there is something I can do to make the circumstances more comfortable—"
"No," Piers interrupted. He sighed, then slowly turned back around to face the man. "I'm sorry, it's just…I injected myself because I had no other choice. I tried to go down with the ship because I was afraid I would lose control and wind up killing you, and now here I am, alive and sane, stuck with…this." He threw the weight of his mutated arm around as he said that, then raised it back up and ran a finger down the visible cracks on his wrist. His shirt covered the most of it, though Chris could still see the hardened plates that made up his skin, the streams of red that showed his underlying mutated muscle. The desperation in Piers's words was demonstrated just as well on his face as he said that, the scar tissue that crossed his face warping with his frown. Even his blinded eye somehow managed to convey his emotion through its foggy off-white. It took Piers a moment before he could collect himself. "Captain," he said after a while. "What about Jake Muller? Why did you give him up?" Chris's face remained emotionless at this question, though Piers could detect the thoughts running through his head.
"Don't worry. It's all part of a plan we concocted to get rid of Neo Umbrella for good, or at least cripple them down to much lesser threat." Piers raised a brow at this.
"What are you saying?"
"I can't give much of the details right now. But let's just say we're using extreme force."
"Chris." Piers took a few steps closer to him, though he seemed as though he was reluctant to say the following words. "I know it's probably a lot to ask now…but could I be a part of this plan?" He was just a few feet away from his partner now, and Chris could see the determination that burned in his eyes. "I want to be sure I take a part in the destruction of the monsters that used me for their sick pleasure." He ended his words with a growl, his face being distorted with his anger. Chris could see from this distance exactly how the virus had affected the right side of his face, and he had to say it intensified the look of his emotions on a much more menacing level.
"Wish I could, but I can't give that order," he simply answered. Piers seemed angered by this.
"What? Don't tell me you don't trust me either."
"I do trust you. But the decision is out of my hands. I've been told we still need a more solid idea of how the virus has affected you before you can be cleared to enter battle again. Believe me, I just came from arguing with the heads over this." Piers muttered something under his breath, averting his eyes.
"I guess I can't do anything but listen to you then." He walked back to his bed and reclaimed his place, his disappointment being clear. "Alright. But if the opportunity arises, I'll rejoin your side immediately." Piers seemed as though he was stuck in thought for a moment, but suddenly switched his attention back at the inception of an idea. "Hey, captain. My next test is in about ten minutes. The doctors want to test my hand-to-hand combat ability and I'd be honored if you could spare a few minutes to spar with me. It shouldn't take too long. Maybe we can catch up a bit too." Chris considered the offer, at first considering how it would affect his schedule, but felt that a thirty minute sparring session wouldn't really do anything to his plans.
"Of course," he said with a nod. Piers smiled at this.
"Thanks, captain. They'll be doing it in the gym; one of the doctors should be here in a few minutes to escort me there."
The gym of the BSAA's headquarters had a section reserved specifically for hand-to-hand combat training, and today it was absolutely filled with doctors and scientists and anyone else taking part in the test. Chris and Piers arrived with a doctor and Piers's entourage of guards surrounding them. Before they could begin, the two agents had to wait momentarily for Piers to be hooked up with many different wires and sensors for the friendly battle. Chris could only imagine how odd it must feel to fight with those on.
"You ready?" Chris asked, after the doctors had finally stopped swarming the young sharpshooter. He raised his fists up and got in a battle-ready stance.
"Yeah," Piers answered, mirroring his captain. "Don't go easy on me." The two of them began shuffling, neither of them taking the first step to begin the battle. Chris scanned Piers in search of some sort of weak point or an oversight in his stance. To his credit, Piers was taught well, and seemed to have taken care of most of his bases.
"Captain," Piers released. He began slowly circling around the arena, and Chris did the same to follow him. "You said you'll be taking down Neo Umbrella with 'extreme force'. You're not seriously going to storm in there, are you?" Chris took the moment to lunge forward and try and attack Piers; his opponent stepped out of the way and returned the motion, but Chris dodged it just as easily.
"Not exactly. We're going to sneak inside using a distraction. I'm making sure we have a good amount of people just in case things get too heated, though." Piers launched his fist forward, which Chris simply blocked; he was surprised, however, at the strength of the impact, and he wondered if this was due to virus's effect.
"A distraction?" Piers asked. Chris threw an uppercut at Piers, who blocked it, and preformed an unsuccessful counter attack. "Does this have something to do with Jake?"
"Yeah," Chris confirmed. "We're hoping he'll be able to cause one, at least. We're prepared to go in after him just in case."
"I see." Piers let out three consecutive attacks to his opponent. Chris blocked all three of them, but the force of the impact managed to slide him backwards. He could see the doctors taking notes on this from the corner of his eyes. "But how are you planning to take down Neo Umbrella this way?" Chris faked out a punch, which Piers attempted to block, then managed to successfully hit Piers in the abs from this oversight. He allowed Piers to quickly shake it off.
"Simple. We're going to blow them sky-high." Piers seemed surprised by this, and briefly stopped his movements but continued when he realized he just left himself open for attack.
"Seriously? You're gonna bomb the place? That's insane!" He threw a low punch at Chris, then one towards his face. Chris managed to block the first one but was too slow to avoid the second and he let his face ride with the impact. The strength behind it was great, though it didn't feel like Chris received any injuries from it aside from discomfort. He brushed off the sweat from his brow and recovered.
"Maybe so." His voice was hoarse from the attack. "But if this plan is successful, it will destroy most of them and will make picking off the remnants much easier. The more of their resources we destroy, the harder it will be for them to launch another full-scale bioterrorist attack." He charged at Piers with the full force of his weight in attack; Piers, however, dodged it faster than Chris had ever seen him move, and Piers slipped behind him and slammed Chris to the floor. The captain let out a yelp as the air in his lungs were forced out of him. He was impressed by Piers's move, and more-so by the fact that he had actually bested him. He could hear a chorus of whispers being spread around by the doctors as they continued to jot down notes. Piers walked over to Chris and held his hand out, to which Chris gladly accepted.
"Nice work," Chris said, brushing off the sweat. "Looks like you're better than I thought." The young man thanked him with a modest smile.
"Think you'd be up for a second round?" Piers asked. Chris was about to accept the invitation when Jill walked into the room, seeming relieved to finally find the two of them.
"Chris," she said as she neared them. "Just got the recon report. We should look at it and get started." Chris nodded at this, wiping off the sweat from his face with a brush of his arm.
"Oh, Piers," he suddenly said. "I don't think you ever properly met my longtime partner, Jill Valentine, have you?" Piers wiped off the sweat of his mutated hand on his pants and held it out, to which Jill gripped firmly in a handshake.
"I've heard much about you, Miss Valentine," he said in admiration. "It's good to finally meet you."
"Likewise," Jill said with a slight smile. "I'm sure we'll work together some day." She excused herself and Chris from the room, and the two bid a temporary farewell to the sharpshooter. When they were far enough to be out of ear shot, Jill asked, "Everything ok?"
"Yeah," Chris nodded. "The reps aren't letting Piers onto the field for a while yet so I thought I'd help him in his hand-to-hand combat test." A murmur of understanding rumbled from Jill's throat. "Now, let's see where they went to," Chris continued, as they walked down the hall.