A/N: Wow, can't believe I FINALLY updated. Man, that took a long time lol. Sorry about the delay, school work and tutoring really kept me busy and for a little while, I got burnt out and just couldn't write for the life of me. But, I am happy to have finally finished at least one chapter (My original plan was to do a 2 part release, but I just wanted to get one done at least). Right now, I'm in my final term of school (forever, yay!) so the next 3 months will be busy. So probably no new chapter until maybe in October (I'm going to visit my brother right after graduation for 3 weeks). So, in the meantime, I hope you all enjoy :)
Leon's tired joints cracked and popped as he dug deeper into the plush plane seat. His eyes drifted lazily out the window, watching as the white clouds floated.
The bodies from the China outbreak aren't even cold, but here we are with another possible outbreak. Leon's voice strained at the end. Irritation simmered underneath his fatigue, and he was ready to burst.
He sat opposite Leon, his attention fixed on the B.S.A.A. initials engraved on the side of his knife. His thumb swiped over the worn initials for the umpteenth time before holstering it. He fixed Leon with his stare, feeling his fatigue weighing him down as he shook his head and rolled his sore shoulders back. "I don't know anymore. The thought of retirement seems like an impossible dream at this point." He sighed, "I don't think we're meant to retire from this business." He answered gruffly.
Leon caught on to the implication of Chris' words. He, too, often thought like that, but hearing someone else speak those words made his skin crawl at the realization. "I don't want to die doing this shit, Chris." He caught the older man's distant gaze. "But living 'normally' doesn't seem to fit into my life anymore. We drew a bad hand."
"Someone fucked us over pretty bad. Might have to have a word with 'em soon." Chris cracked a smile, but there was no humour in it. Seeing through the facade and past the mask his friend wore, the pain was there, and Leon knew he wore a matching look.
"Well, I hope not too soon-"
-The buzzing from Leon's phone pulled the men out of their thoughts. He ruffled through his pocket, snatched it out, and put it on speakerphone.
"Ingrid? Got any news?"
"Yes. I have some information regarding the rebels." the woman on the line answered immediately.
Both men leaned forward, eager to hear what she had to say.
"The in-fighting between the two fractions has been an ongoing issue for decades but reached new strains in the last two years. The city of Lehkmir controlled most of the area, now called Rajipur and wants it back. Lehkmir somehow acquired military weapons and Bio-weapons-which we are still looking into as we speak-and unleashed them into Rajipur."
"So, why is Jake there, then?" Chris asked with a crinkle between his eyebrows.
"Can't be family," Leon dragged a hand through his hair. "Maybe it was just poor luck that he found himself there?"
"After talking to him a few times, I doubt it," Chris said flatly. "He probably went there for personal gains…or money-"
"Besides that," Ingrid cut Chris off. "We now have confirmation that Jake Muller is indeed in the city and the hot zone for bioactivity."
"Marvelous," Leon rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair with a huff. "The kid can't stay out of trouble for one day. Thanks, Ingrid. Any leads on who sold the bioweapons? Neo-Umbrella?"
"Nothing concrete so far. On another note, the soldiers of Lehkmir took over a military base in Rajipur last week. Meaning it'll be nearly impossible to fly you two into the country. We can reroute you both as close to the border as possible, but you'll have to stay undercover if you two have any chances of getting through. They're pretty hesitant on foreigners right now."
"Any information on Jake's exact whereabouts?" Leon inquired.
"My most recent report puts him in the upper end of the village, but that is a few days old now. I just sent you the coordinates to your phone. Hope it helps. I'll keep you updated on any new information."
"Thanks. We'll contact you the moment we find Jake." Leon ended the call, shoved the phone back into his pocket, and met Chris' gaze again. "You ready?"
With a weary nod, Chris straightened up and checked out the window. "As I'll ever be."
The moment their boots hit the ground, the plane took off, leaving the two men stranded on the outskirts of the mountain. Lights from the city lit up the soon-to-be dark sky and stood like a beacon.
Leon and Chris knelt in the overgrown grasses and shrubs and pulled out their binoculars.
"They're guarding the border entrance," Leon focused on the moving targets by the gates. "Looks like they have high-grade military weapons."
Chris honed in on the weapons the soldiers were carrying, and a grunt escaped his lips. "Those guns they have-they're American-made. 'The hell did they get those?"
Leon shifted beside Chris, his head swaying as he pulled down his binoculars. "I don't know, but we don't have the manpower to get through them either way."
"Agreed. What do you propose we do?"
Turning his eyes off the guards, Leon took in his surroundings to see any possible way to get closer. His eyes landed on a cow path leading into the mountains. He jutted his chin towards it. "There's a path that leads into the mountains. If we hurry, we can take it and use the cover of night to stage a distraction at the gate." He pointed to the trucks parked near the gates. "We could use the trucks."
"What kind of distraction?" Chris nodded and began making his way towards the path, with Leon following close beside him.
"Got a light?" He said, the corners of his mouth quirked up.
When Chris and Leon finally reached a lookout point near the mountain's base, the sun had set over an hour ago. Sweat beaded across their foreheads as they settled near a large rock.
A few spotlights illuminated the area, lighting the gate and the guards. Chris and Leon settled down in the harsh shadows and studied the guards' movements. Something about them was off. They hardly stood still, and their heads seemed always to twitch.
Leon pointed towards the trucks cloaked in the darkness and whispered, "I'll aim for one of the trucks. Just hope it doesn't make too much noise."
Chris pulled out his rifle and settled it atop the rock as quietly as he could. "I'll keep watch."
With a final nod as confirmation, Chris watched as Leon plucked himself up and stalked down the remaining part of the path towards the trucks. His shoulders stiffened, and his posture dropped as a few guards ambled closer to his position.
Chris pressed a finger to his earpiece and levelled his gun on one of the guards moving closer to Leon. "Careful, you got two guys coming up on your two."
Leon redirected his route and hustled behind a larger rock ducking down and holding his breath. The guard's footsteps crunched close by and strode past without faulting in their stride.
"Alright, they're not looking. Go!"
Leon dashed towards the vehicles, making sure to stay out of the light's focus, and hugged the wall of the building. He pressed his body to the ground by the truck, reached up, and punctured a hold in its gas tank. He repeated the same procedure with the other vehicles, making sure to be as quiet as possible.
Creeping up on the third truck, Leon punctured the gas tank and slipped inside the driver's seat to put it in neutral. Retreating to the backside, he put all his strength into shoving the truck towards the entrance, where the small group of guards stood oblivious.
"Hold it!" Chris' voice froze Leon in place, and the pounding of his heart started in his ears. "A guard is coming around your right!"
Just as Chris spoke it, Leon heard the crunch of gravel under the guard's foot slowly approaching. Quietly, he shifted to the other side of the truck, his knife clasped tightly in his hand as he waited to see what the guard would do. There was no way he didn't hear the sound of the truck moving-
-Though it was dark, Leon could still make out the vague outline of the man's face. His breath caught as he took in the mutations. They weren't like the J'avo mutations he encountered in China or the villagers in Spain; they were something between the two. It had two eyes, but they weren't human-looking. They were rounder, and they seemed hazy from what Leon could pick out, and their movement was jerky instead of smooth and calculating. It was a B.O.W.
The guard stopped at the back end of the truck, not realizing if he looked down, he'd spot Leon at his feet with his knife drawn. He waited with bated breath.
Chris gripped his gun tightly, waiting to see what would happen. He put the crosshairs on the head of the B.O.W. and readied his trigger finger.
The guard's head snapped around, turning his back on Leon to check the other trucks before mouthing something off to the other guards in his earpiece. With a final word, he started towards the mountain path.
Leon caught his breath before raising a hand to his earpiece. "I think we have a problem," he whispered.
"They heard you?" Chris said with alarm.
"No," Leon managed to pick up a few of the guard's words. "But I think our fly-in didn't go completely unnoticed. Also, the guard was a B.O.W."
"Neo-Umbrella…" Chris growled.
"I'm not so sure. They didn't look like the B.O.W.s we fought in China. But I hope that isn't due to a new strain."
"Forget it for now," Leon could hear the strain in Chris' voice. "We stick to the plan and get inside quickly, find Jake, then figure out what's going on here."
Leon nodded in agreement. Shifting back into position, he shoved the truck into place. The trail of gasoline shined in the moonlight behind Leon. He was too caught up with trying to grab his lighter; he didn't catch Chris' words.
"I lost sight of one guard," Chris panicked.
Leon paused as he heard the unmistakable crunch right beside him. Before he could swing his head around, the guard noticed Leon and yelled out. His gun whipped up, but before it could get anywhere near Leon, a single shot rang out, striking the guard. He flung backwards, crashing to the ground with a cry and wet thud.
In the chaos, Leon dropped the lighter, igniting the fuel. Leon had only a moment to curse and fling himself out of the way before the truck exploded, catching the other trucks in the spray and igniting them.
The bright explosions and chaos gave Chris the time he needed to drop down from his lookout point and return fire on the rattled guards. Gunshots filled the blackened air mixing in with the angry screams of the guards as they rounded on the duo.
Leon snatched up his gun; his eyes trailed from the roaring fires and onto two guards who missed the fire but still got knocked down by the wall of heat. Their body's convulsed and spasmed in an all too familiar way. Leon watched hopelessly as their limbs mutated into a shapeless mass of flesh and hardened into thick claws and tough skin. Stunned by the mutation, Leon balked as the guards picked up a piece of fire debris and whipped it towards him. He only had a moment to react and roll to the side as the metal hunk whipped past his head and slammed into the truck.
He whipped up his gun and fired at the B.O.W., striking it high in its shoulder. It screeched, dropped the other piece of debris it was preparing to throw at Leon and stumbled over its feet.
Chris appeared at Leon's side; his gun gripped tight to his shoulder as he picked off another mutated guard running their way. "The hell are they?"
Leon jumped back as one guard raced forward and swung its long hardened claw hand. "I. have. No clue," He said while dodging the onslaught. He shot it in the shoulder, sending it back a few steps.
Steam wafted from the wound and closed in a heartbeat. The creature's shoulder and back burst into a new mutation, showing off hardened skin like it was made of bone.
Leon ducked from another swing, dancing between the fire and the mutated guard in a dangerous game. "They got fast healing, that's for sure." Leon side-stepped the creature and kicked it square in the back, sending it flying into the flames. It screamed and yelled as the fire melted its skin and reduced it to a plume of steam and ash.
Chris heard the commotion behind him but was preoccupied with another surviving guard to chance a look. He slammed his fist into the guard's mouth, satisfied at the crunch sound that accompanied it and reeled back for a round-house kick. The guard flew into the side of the building, where Chris finished it with a few bullets. With a huff, Chris steadied himself and met Leon's gaze. "We need to move!"
Leon nodded and bolted towards the gate where a few more guards were waiting. They fought their way through, shooting out the B.O.W.s legs, blowing past them, and making their way towards the city. It wasn't a perfect plan, but they made it through nonetheless.
Rounding the first set of buildings, the men halted to catch their breath. The guards' yelling died after they bolted from the gate, but they didn't want to take the chance.
Leon jabbed a finger over his shoulder towards the gate, "did you notice those mutations?"
Chris raised himself up slowly and frowned. "They aren't like the ones I saw in China or Edonia."
Leon pressed his lips together, his muscles straining as he straightened up. His gut tightened as he thought about it more. "New strain?"
"...Or a new virus."
A thick silence suffocated the men. Leon breathed, "I really hope not." But his gut feeling agreed with Chris. A new sense of foreboding crept along his skin, making him shiver even though the night was hot and humid.
Chris perked up, scanning the vicinity with urgency.
Confused at first, Leon finally picked up on what the older man was searching for. The screams echoed around them and grew in volume. He strained his neck to find the source, only to see silhouettes of what he assumed was smoke billowing from all across the city. What he initially thought were just average sounds of city life were, in actuality, screams of pain, terror, roars and gunshots.
The duo got one step in when a door to an old rundown store adjacent to them burst open, and the round eyes of a civilian stumbled out and into the street. Chris and Leon watched as the young man screamed and flailed around the ground, blood oozing from an open gash across his back and into the dirt.
A black shadow barged through the opening. The lumbering giant was recognized immediately by Chris. He growled, lifted his gun, and aimed at the disgusting B.O.W. "Nepad!" He shot off at the thing's head, but it did little to slow it down.
The man on the ground spotted Chris and Leon, stretched his arm towards them, and cried out a plea. The poor civilian couldn't move in time. The nepad reached him in two giant steps, grabbed hold of his head and crushed it into the dirt. His cries cut off instantly.
Before anyone could utter another sound, two more nepads appeared from the store. Their angry roars and gigantic bodies lumbered over and caught sight of Chris and Leon. In a blast of speed, they roared and raced towards the men.
"Split!" Chris yelled and jumped to his right while Leon jumped to the left.
The nepad barreled through the space, tearing away an abandoned car and ripping its door off to hurl at Chris, but Chris ducked and rolled out of the way. The creature turned its attention to Leon, exposing its vulnerable back to Chris. He raised his gun and fired at the protective armour, ripping them off with every bullet. The creature stumbled to a halt, screaming and roaring as Chris tore further into its armour.
The other two nepads rushed forward, trying to block Leon off. Searching the area, Leon spotted a balcony above. Grabbing hold, he swung himself over the two B. , landing with a grunt. In a flash, he whipped his gun out. He began assaulting the creature's back with rounds of ammo, ripping and tearing through the armour to the soft, fleshy skin underneath.
"Just what we fucking needed….so much for sneaking in," Leon grumbled and fired the last round between the B.O.W's eyes. Without taking his eyes off the creature in front of him, he could hear Chris dropping the first one and moving on to the second.
It didn't take Chris long to dispatch the third and final nepad. It collapsed with a thud and a broken scream, but Chris didn't pay it any attention. Instead, he strolled past it without a second glance and bent down next to the dead civilian. He sighed, shaking his head and met Leon's gaze. "If Nepads are here, then so is the C-virus. Maybe it is a possible new strain."
Leon stopped behind Chris, eyeing the dead Nepads and the civilian. "I don't know if that makes it better or worse."
After a quick update with the B.S.A.A. about their run-in with Neo-Umbrella's creations, the two men focused on locating the last known whereabouts of Jake.
"Looks like he was last spotted in the Sujia district a few days ago. Great." Leon grumbled as he reloaded another clip into his gun and hopped over another chunk of debris.
Vehicles stood abandoned in the streets; some were on fire while other cars and buses were flipped over. They leapt over hoods, overturned motorbikes, and closed in on the city's heart. The further they got, the worse the state of the city became. Fires took over some neighbourhoods, and others were nothing more than ruined rubble and bodies. So much death littered the streets. Leon winced as he walked by a small family consisting of a mother and two children lying in a pool of blood.
The screams of people filled the night as the two men made their way through some back alleys that funnelled into an open square. It was a marketplace. The usually suffocating and claustrophobic-inducing outdoor area was deserted and overturned. Whatever came through this area didn't leave one inch of it untouched; canvases and awnings were torn apart and strewn across the ground. The dirt was mixed with damp blood and pieces of fabric and wood. Tomatoes and other fruits squished underneath Leon's boots as he inspected the bloodied stalls for any signs of life.
The stench of rot and death permeated the air and suffocated Chris as he turned down the first row. Large shapes sat slumped in front of one stall. Chris slowed his pace and cautiously approached, his gun at the ready. The putrid smell intensified. Not until Chris was nearly beside the shapes did he realize it was a few dead bodies. He moved to keep searching, but something about the bodies made him do a double look.
At first glance, nothing seemed out of the "ordinary" with them, but with a more nuanced look, Chris noticed how a large portion of the bodies was melted. "Leon."
Leon perked up at the urgency in Chris' tone. Coming up behind him, Leon froze at the sight of the bodies. "The…hell?"
Both men's heads jerked up towards the back end of the market, where a dinging sound came from. The air was charged. It crackled and snapped across the men's bodies like an electric current. Chris cut through the next stall, swishing his head up and down the stalls for any signs of movement-
A large shape vaulted from one of the stalls towards Chris, exposing its claws. The swipe from the man's hand barely missed him as he jumped back with a grunt. Before Chris could react, three more people appeared, surrounding the small area.
"Chris!" Leon snapped.
"I know." Chris levelled his gun on the first assailant, not a flicker of hesitation as he pulled the trigger. The shot tore through the man's torso and slammed into the wooden stall behind him, but the man didn't flinch. "What the-"
In a flash, the man leaped forward, thrashing and swiping his hands at Chris. He batted them away quickly and landed a punch square to his head, knocking the man back a few steps. With that man preoccupied, the other assailants spared no time circling the two agents, lashing forward, kicking, punching and screaming as they tried to land a hit.
"'The hell are these guys?" Leon shouted, shot the knees out of one man, and kicked him away before turning to the next.
The men didn't seem like they were part of the military-but looks could be deceiving. They might be undercover, thought Chris. He spared a moment to check on the man he shot, only to find him back on his feet with a thin layer of steam escaping from the bullet wound to his chest. The steam evaporated as soon as the wound stitched back together, and the man let out a guttural growl.
"They're B. !" Chris said and aimed at their heads.
The creatures predicted the attack, covered their faces with their arms and jerked to the side. The bullets pelted away at the flesh, ripping and tearing the arm to pieces, but the steam poured out of them, healing their wounds in moments.
One of the B. jumped on the stall, tore a piece of wood from the beam, and brandished it as a weapon. It swung at Chris, landing one hit to his side and making him fumble. The creature kicked out, hitting Chris and knocking him to the ground with a grunt. With Chris wide open for another attack, the creature took the opportunity and slammed the stick of wood down. Chris rolled to the side, feeling the air from the beam slam into the ground and tried kicking out the creature's feet.
It raised the wood piece high above its head. When a bullet struck the side of its head, knocking it away and giving Chris the momentum to raise his gun and finish the job before it could regenerate.
Leon turned away from the creature only to realize the slight distraction allowed the two other B. time to circle him. They struck out at once, attacking from multiple angles. Leon backed up, aiming for their knees, but the bullets didn't slow them down. More steam filled the air as their wounds quickly healed, leaving a layer of sweat on the B. skin.
"These aren't Neo-Umbrella's! Unless they have a brand new strain we didn't know about!" Leon ducked under the attack and kicked out the legs of one, ducking under another swing from the other. He dodged around, planting his foot on the back of the third creature and shoved him into the stall and fired into the thing's head and spine until it crumpled.
Chris rotated the first creature around, snapped its neck, and slammed its head into the dirt for good measure. "I don't know-" He fumbled back as the crumpled body began to release a plume of steam, burning Chris' forearm. "Fuck!"
The creature clawed itself back up, panting and gasping like a thirsty dog. It tried to look at Chris, but its fractured neck made its head lop to the side with a crunch. The bone broke through the skin, sending out more steam and blood with every movement. It jerked as if strings were supporting it. A thick layer of sweat appeared over its whole body and staining its torn clothing; it poured off the creature like rain, gathering in a puddle at its feet with steam rising from it.
Chris stared, transfixed by the mutation, only to jerk back as the creature's body began to pulsate. "Shit!" he threw himself behind the nearest stall just as the creature exploded in a mess of hot steam and chunks.
"The hell was that?" Leon shouted over the commotion. He noticed the splatter of blood where the creature once stood. He saw the burnt ground and bloodied stall where Chris poked his head out, but B. returned his attention to the fight.
"It exploded. Careful when you shoot them." Chris jumped back into the action, shoving the closest B.O.W away and kicking it in the head.
The commotion from the fighting brought over a slew of more of these B. . They quickly began blocking off the escape routes. Slightly panicked, Chris spotted a gap in the next stall. "Come on!" He barked to Leon. Punching away another B.O.W, he charged towards the opening.
The quick, constant footsteps gained on Chris. "What do we do? We can't waste our firepower on them!" Leon shouted as he caught up. He fired twice, hitting one in the leg and sending it to the ground.
Their footfalls echoed off the pavement, their breathing coming out in short, tired puffs. Chris' forearm throbbed as he eyed the area for a possible escape route. Not far to his left, a side street came into view. Its dark shadows offered good hiding from these B. . "There!" Chris shouted over the commotion and pointed towards the alleyway.
The B. quickly closed the gap between them.
"They're fast!" Leon glanced over his shoulder, wincing as he counted at least a dozen, quickly gaining on them.
The two men slunk into the shadows and, at the first intersection in the alleyway, took a hard turn and kept running. Thankfully, the alley seemed deserted, with no signs of humans or B. .
"We can't just keep running from them!" Leon jumped over a fallen garbage can and let Chris take the lead.
A bright light lit up the alleyway and the two men. The sound of blades cutting through the air drowned out Leon's groans. "Now what…"
Chris threw his hands over his eyes to protect them from the dust the helicopter was sweeping up as it descended lower into the alley, blocking their path. "A chopper!"
"I know that!" Leon snapped. "But what's it doing here?"
"Split!" Chris shoved Leon aside just as the helicopter opened fire, sending out a spray of bullets. The sparks kicked up the walls and street, spraying across the area and missing Chris' head by a hair.
Leon recovered and pinned himself to the side of an abandoned car. He raised his gun, checking quickly over his shoulder to see if the other B. had caught up. Their shadows darted across the alley's walls, and their muffled cries roared across the air once they spotted the men. "Shit," Leon mumbled to himself.
They didn't have a lot of time. Tossing his eyes back up to the helicopter, he could spot a shadow of the pilot inside. The dishevelled appearance and jerky movements confirmed Leon's suspicions." It's another B.O.W. Where the hell are they coming from?"
More gunshots from the helicopter rained down on the men. Chris cursed behind the dumpster and turned his gun onto the B. running towards them. He shot the closest one through the neck, sending him crashing to the ground and knocking out the two behind him. Chris fired again, but his gun clicked. He had more clips, but he couldn't waste them all here.
He grabbed a flashbang off his vest and unhooked the clip. "We gotta make a break for it!" With a nod from Leon, Chris tossed the flashbang into the incoming group and turned to make a run down the alley. The bang and bright light exploded behind the men as they charged under the helicopter. Leon fired at the pilot's window, hoping to cause a diversion long enough for them to escape.
The helicopter banked hard, throwing its lights into Chris' eyes and blinding him for a long moment. His foot connected with something, sending him crashing into the wall with a grunt. Still, the sound was drowned out by the gunshots from the helicopter above as it repositioned itself behind the men. Without thinking, Chris bolted to his left, down the alley and kept running. It wasn't until a few strides in that he noticed how the alleyway in front of him was empty.
"Leon?" He shouted but got no response. He pressed a finger to his earpiece and tried again. "Leon!"
"Chris! Where the hell are you?" Leon answered back right away. Distant gunshots rang through the earpiece and in the near distance behind him.
His shoulders tensed as he realized the situation. "Shit!" He chanced a glance behind him and groaned. Though the helicopter was no longer following him, the B. blocked off the path and quickly gained up on him.
"Chris, we'll just have to deal with this right now and find a spot to meet up after."
Chris loaded a fresh clip into his gun. "Got it. Good luck."
Chris burst from the alleyway, skidding into the tightly dense side street with a huff. Dilapidated buildings towered over him, some on fire while others looked far worse for wear. His head shot around until he decided on one way and bolted down the street. Bullets rained around him. More creatures circled back and chased him down, jumping over cars and carts. They moved around like J'avo, Chris thought, but their jerky movements-as if strings controlled them-split the two apart.
One bullet flew past his head and slammed into a building window, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. Chris skidded to a halt as he spotted the small group blocking his escape route. In a breath, he shot off, hitting one through the head and the other in the upper arm. The first fell, but the second only stumbled back with a roar and charged toward him. Chris prepared for a physical fight. The first group crawled out from the alleyway. It surrounded his retreat, blocking him in the middle of the city street, surrounded by B. .
But Chris remained calm. It wasn't anything he hadn't done before-
-A lone shot echoed off the walls, striking the B.O.W running towards Chris through its eye, knocking it clean off its feet. Before Chris could question it, another shot rang out, hitting another one in the chest.
A dark figure momentarily blurred Chris' vision. They dropped from the building above, landing hard, sweeping the feet out of the injured B.O.W and finishing it off with a stomp to its head. The figure spun around, their gun concealed in the darkness. Still, the muzzle flash lit up the alleyway as the figure began cutting through the remaining B.O.W.s with expert precision.
Shaking his head, Chris regained his senses and took up aim. Together, the two men stood against the remaining four B. . Muzzle flashes and popping filled the air. Chris ducked under a swing from one, elbowing it in the face; The crunch of cartilage cracked between them. The B.O.W's head flung back, hitting the pavement with a wet thunk.
"Heads up!" The cloaked figure shouted. A leg shot out, whipping through the air and slamming into the side of the B.O.W hiding behind Chris. The force knocked it clean off its feet. Before it could have a chance to get up, the man swiftly brought his foot down on its head, crushing its skull. Steam erupted from the creature making the cloaked man step back with a grunt, but he was unharmed.
The street went silent, with only the two men's laboured breathing filling the silence.
"Nice kick," Chris lifted his eyes to the man. His breath froze. "Jake?"
The piercing blue gaze of Jake's eyes flickered from momentary confusion to outright disbelief. shaking himself off, he yanked his hood away from his face. "Captain America? 'The hell are you doing here?"
"I was going to ask you the same question-"
A loud chopping sounded above the buildings, and the light blasted on their faces as the helicopter appeared again. Dust and debris swept over Chris and Jake from the helicopter's blades, blinding them for a few moments.
"Damn it. These guys, again?" Jake cursed as more B. appeared from the shadows and inside buildings.
Chris readied his gun and covered his eyes. The beam from the helicopter circled and blinded the men again. "Friends of yours?"
"Oh yeah, we always braided each others' hair." Jake frowned at the new group. "Follow me!"
Instead of facing the new group of creatures, Jake spun on his heels and darted towards one building. Chris chased after the younger man, reaching him as Jake kicked the door in and bolted inside without seeing if Chris was following him.
Gunshots pelted the walls and sent up clouds of debris and dust as the two men trampled down the packed hall and the small set of stairs to the second floor. Jake tossed open the balcony doors and rushed the railing, leaping straight across the open gap and landing on the opposite roof with a quick roll to his feet.
Chris fumbled with his feet, landing hard on his hands and knees with a grunt making Jake cock his head with a smile towards the older man, sparing him a hand to help him to his feet. "You okay, old man?"
Chris batted the hand away and shook himself off. "Shut it."
They started across the rooftops, dodging bullets and the light beam from the helicopter. They reached the end of the last roof, and Jake made a B-line for one side with a small ladder and began to climb down.
Once securely on the ground again, he led Chris through another row of alleyways until finally barging into a rundown store.
With the door locked behind them, Chris wasted no time. His hand flew to his earpiece. "Leon! Leon, are you there?" When no reply came, he tried again. "Damn it," he cursed.
Yelling and gunshots roared outside, but none got closer to their hideout. Chris eased closer to the door for good measure, his hand still clutching his gun.
"Those are new," Jake's voice rang out clear from the opposite side of the room, where he took a seat on top of the store counter. "All the other B. look to be part of Neo-Umbrella."
Chris' attention shifted from the dirty windows to the side of Jake's face. He straightened his back and narrowed his eyes. How did you get here?
"How did you know my father?" Jake, at last, met Chris' gaze.
Chris pulled back, his brows furrowing further, and his voice deepened. "That's not what I asked-"
Jake jumped off the counter and strolled up to Chris, pausing only a breath away. His voice is deathly serious. "The last time we met, I said I wasn't done talking to you. That we were gonna have a nice long chat."
"Can't this wait until we get back?"
"Answer my questions, and I'll answer yours." Jake rounded back to the counter, leaning against it with his arms crossed and waited for Chris to speak.
Chris huffed and cursed. After debating the matter for a few moments, he pulled his shoulders back, sat in the empty chair by the cash register, and let his tired joints enjoy the moment. "I used to be a member of S.T.A.R.S back in Raccoon City. Wes…your father was brought on as our new captain just before…before the outbreak."
Memories Chris hadn't thought about in some time flooded back to the forefront of his head. Every nightmare came back to life as if it was his first time living it.
Jake stood off, silently watching the older man reel in his emotions. He heard all about Raccoon City and the destruction it caused. So many deaths, and for what? He dropped his arms. His voice quietened as if speaking too loudly would bring his father back to life. "What was he like?"
Chris cocked an eyebrow, making the younger man roll his eyes and grunt.
"I don't have solid info on the new B. -just a few places I've been scoping out the past few weeks-a weapons dealer, most likely." Jake picked through the papers splayed about the counter but didn't bother looking to see what they said.
"Leon's friend mentioned something about a weapons dealer. Sounds promising. Can you take me there-er-right." Chris cleared his throat. "He was distant-cold, but he showed me and the rest of our team respect. We trusted him," Chris' voice strained. "Umbrella sent him in to oversee the S.T.A.R.S team to ensure we didn't get far in our criminal case against them and to use us as test subjects for the B. they created. He used us all to get what he wanted, and for what? Money."
Jake pulled away from the counter with a jerk. Chris couldn't see his entire face but still noticed the turmoil in his eyes and his bared teeth as he stalked up and down the aisle. He watched Jake as he stalked back and forth. His fingers twitched, running through his hair and fixing his cloak.
"You're not your father, Jake."
Jake paused with his hands wrapped around the base of his neck. His eyes shot up and burned through Chris. "I know that!" He snapped.
With a sigh, Chris stood. "Wesker never cared about anyone but himself. He was cruel and calculating. Everyone was a stepping stone to him."
Jake scoffed and rounded on Chris, meeting him face to face. "Because you know me so well, huh? How do you know I'm not like that?"
"Because Wesker would never voice that thought." Chris' voice remained calm. "He never cared or doubted what he did. You care. You care about others and how the world views you, as much as you try to deny it."
"The hell you know about me?"
Chris stared at the younger man. He couldn't lie and say seeing those piercing blue eyes behind that angular face didn't make him shiver. He sucked in another breath. "Enough to know that the similarities between you and Wesker are just surface level. You aren't your father, Jake. You're a better man than he ever was."
Jake held the older man's gaze and seemed to come to his senses. He reeled himself back and steadied his voice. "How did you kill him?"
"We found him at the Spencer Estate. Jill, my partner, saved me and threw herself out the window with Wesker." Chris returned to the chair, easing himself down as he tried to organize his thoughts. How do you tell someone how you killed their father? Regardless of how evil they were. "Three years ago, the B.S.A.A. sent me to Africa to investigate a new possible virus. It turns out your father survived the fall. He released the Uroboros virus onto the locals-killing most of them and turning the rest into controlled monsters."
Jake silently took a seat next to Chris. He guarded his emotions well, making it nearly impossible for Chris to tell what the man was thinking.
"My partner survived the fall as well. Your father took her as a test subject and controlled her."
This time, Jake looked away. His fists tightened over his knees, and he bit his tongue to hold back a slew of curses,
Chris' hand twitched but kept it tight to his knee. "We managed to pull the device off her, and she told us how to stop him. We managed to bring him down inside an active volcano and destroy the remaining virus he planned to release onto the world. By the end, he wasn't human. I don't think he was for a long time. He saw himself as a god." He glanced at Jake and noticed the muscles in his jaw twitching. "You still want revenge? I won't stop you-"
"I'm not going to kill you. So cut the shit."
Shocked, Chris leaned back in his chair and watched as Jake sprang to his feet. His cold eyes locked with Chris' but the malic behind it wasn't directed at Chris. Jake exhaled through his nose, shook his head, and stared out the window.
"I'm not my father. "Jake said with conviction. "Enough with this shit. You got any more questions, or are you just going to sit on your ass?"
Chris scoffed and opened his mouth but slammed it shut when his radio clicked on.
"Chris!" Leon's voice carried over.
Chris jumped into action, jamming his finger into his earpiece. "Leon! Where are you?" he asked in a hurry.
"I'm not sure. The chopper chased me down the main street for a while before I was able to lose it, but then the B. came back, and I ducked into an alleyway with a bunch of shops. Chris, this small area has many people watching over it."
Chris' eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"It looks like they're watching over something, but the only thing in the area looks like a few meat shops."
Jake perked up, "I know where he is."
Chris tossed his gaze to the younger man. "Really?"
Jake nodded. "Ruzitsa district. It's a hot area for gangs. The butcher shop in the area is a front for an arms dealer. Since they sided with the rebels, I wouldn't be surprised if they got into the bio-weapons industry."
"Is that…Jake with you?" Leon asked.
"The one and only."
"Good to hear you're alright." Jake could hear the smile in Leon's voice. "Should I wait for the both of you?"
Jake cut in before Chris could get a word out. "I have another lead I've been looking into for a few days. I was on my way to check it out but ran into Chris."
"Oh yeah?" Chris prompted.
"The military base near the outskirts of town. That's where most of the weapons shipments come in. They might have info on the sellers for the bio-weapons."
Genuinely impressed by Jake's new outlook, Chris nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He filled Leon in on the plan and stood from the chair.
"Sounds like a plan. Talk later."
The group of B. outside circled the area, their roars and yelling filled the silence between the men.
"So, what's your plan for getting us outta' here?" Chris pulled away from the windows and fixed his eyes on Jake's grin. He didn't like the look. Already his muscles protested at the thought of what Jake had in store for them.
"There's a bunch of back alleys we can use to lose them. We can take some abandoned cars to the next location, but we'll have to be quick." He pulled out his second gun, his grin pulling higher into a smirk. "Think you can keep up, old man?"
Chris frowned, "watch your mouth."
"Suit yourself," Jake reeled back and kicked open the door, alerting the B. .
