Disclaimer: I do not own the Resident Evil series or the characters, I am just a fan who likes to write the kind of stories I like to read. I know it's a bit derivative, but any constructive comments appreciated!!!

There is a naughty word in here. You have been warned!!!!

Chapter 4 Black holes and revelations

Chris hadn't slept well. In fact, Chris hadn't slept well for nearly six months and it was beginning to take a toll. He took a long swig of coffee from a large mug. It temporarily sharpened his senses. He was standing in a large industrial kitchen next to a long stainless steel worktop. Six years ago, the meals for around five hundred students would have been prepared in this room, three times a day, seven days a week. The boarding school had been abandoned after a number of students had died under mysterious circumstances, and the parents had become nervous as the deaths bore uncanny similarities to the events in the Arklay Mountains a few years previous. There were investigations, but nothing ever came of it and the school quickly faded from memory. The school was an ideal location for the S.T.A.R.S. - plenty of space and no neighbours with questions.

An attractive young woman with short chestnut brown hair bounded into the kitchen. She noticed Chris straight away.

''Hey Chris! How are you this morning?'' she asked as she picked up a mug and poured herself some coffee.

''I'm fine, thanks Rebecca.'' Chris tried to sound enthusiastic. Rebecca smiled at him. He didn't look fine.

''Are you sleeping okay Chris?''

''I'm fine Rebecca.'' He said firmly.

She looked at him sympathetically. She could tell by the dark circles under his eyes that he hadn't slept well, that he was exhausted. For the last six months, every time she had asked him how he was doing, he simply replied ''Fine''. She walked closer to him and gently put her hand on his.

''I can give you something, it'll help you sleep.''

Chris moved away from her, and went to re-fill his mug in order to disguise his discomfort. Rebecca realised that she had pushed him too far. Unfortunately it was not in Chris's nature to ask for help or to accept it. She understood that as their unofficial leader, he didn't want to show any signs of weakness, so she decided to change the subject and try and ease the tension that had suddenly developed between them.

''Fancy some eggs? I really fancy some eggs.'' She said, as she buried herself in the large refrigerator at the far end of the room.

''That sounds good.'' Chris replied as he smiled weakly.

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Dr Elisabeth Badley was sitting alone in the white room. She had been sitting there for over one hour, and she knew this was all part of the interrogation process. Get into her head, break her down and make her talk. This was all a waste of time of course. She had every intention of telling them everything they wanted to know, and then some. She wanted this to be over as quickly as possible.

The room was absolutely silent, although she could sense eyes examining her from the other side of the large mirror on the wall. What secrets was she inadvertently giving away with her body language? What were they talking about? How much did they know about her? Was she already too late?

The door opened and Chris Redfield walked into the room. Elisabeth examined him, noting for the first time his intense, dark eyes, his well-defined features and muscular physique. He possessed a calm, almost ethereal presence. He looked tired though, like a man with a burden.

Chris placed a steaming mug of coffee on the table in front of Elisabeth. ''I thought you might need this.'' He said as he gestured towards the mug.

''Thanks, yes.'' She picked up the mug and took a drink. ''Thanks for leaving off the cuffs.'' She surreptitiously rubbed the red marks on her wrists created by the tight plastic ties used to subdue her the previous day.

''We won't be needing them. I'm not worried about you going anywhere. Not yet.'' Chris sat down on the plastic chair on the opposite side of the table to Elisabeth.

She smiled and finished her coffee. It tasted bitter and was almost lumpy, but she didn't want to appear ungrateful. She wanted to be the gracious prisoner.

''You should know that there was an explosive homing device in the coffee.'' Chris pulled a small metallic box, approximately the size of a cigarette lighter, from his pocket. ''Just so that we know where you are at all times. And should you decide to go somewhere you shouldn't or do something you shouldn't…..'' he pointed to a small red switch on the side of the box. ''Well, let's just say that I don't want to be on cleaning detail that day.''

She stared at him, incredulous. Wha…! You bastard! I can't believe you would do that to me…''

''Look, I don't trust you. Let's think of this as my insurance. The device can be deactivated, you just have to demonstrate to me that you're genuine.''

''So, what do you want to know first?'' she said through gritted teeth.

''I want to know everything you know about the S.T.A.R.S.''

''But why? What can I tell you that you don't already know?''

''Humour me. Please.''

She hadn't prepared for this line of questioning.

''Everything?''

''Everything.''

Elisabeth cleared her throat. ''Okay. Well, I know that you were recruited into the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad after some down time following a dishonourable discharge from the air force.'' Chris didn't appreciate being reminded of this particular part of his past. ''You guys were hand picked and trained to handle extraordinary situations way beyond the capabilities of the local authorities. By all accounts you were the best. Unfortunately, in 1998, your team wandered into the middle of a situation that it couldn't handle. And you were betrayed….''

''Wesker.'' Chris almost growled his name.

''Yes. After the viral outbreak in the Arklay lab, Albert Wesker seized the opportunity to test the combat performance of a number of his more personal experiments. The S.T.A.R.S. members that survived the initial onslaught in the forest became the test subjects. You certainly out-performed yourself Chris, and endeared yourself to Wesker! He has a particular dislike for you. After the events in the Arklay Mountains and the lab at the mansion house, you and the remaining members of your team made numerous attempts to destroy Umbrella. Even your sister became involved. I know all about your escapades in Antarctica. It's touching what people will do for their family.''

Chris shuddered at the thought of this. This was the last time he had been face to face with Albert Wesker, and it had been a particularly painful encounter that nearly cost him his life.

''The virus escaped, and the infection spread through Raccoon City within a matter of hours. The only contingency plan the government had for a biological threat of this magnitude was complete sterilisation. Raccoon City was destroyed.''

''And with it thousands of lives.'' Chris added. He had lost a lot of friends that day. He had nearly lost his sister too.

''Umbrella's secrets were out in the open and as a company they ceased to exist. But they were re-grouping, forming new organisations and allegiances. Despite warnings from yourself and others like you, the research continued. The big players were still in the game. Without the confines of a legitimate business and the Umbrella hierarchy, they have continued unchecked. It was only after the incident in Mexico in 2002 that the members of the government finally took notice and realised that there was a clear and present threat to national security. Unfortunately, what they don't realise is that their friends are part of the threat.''

''What do you know about the Mexico incident?''

''If I'm honest, not a lot. I remember it was reported in the press as 'mass hysteria', probably drug or gang-related. A US diplomat - I don't remember his name - was kidnapped from his villa in Mexico City. Everyone was waiting for a ransom demand that never came. He was traced to a small village somewhere near the Mexican border and a team was sent to extract him. I believe you were part of that team Chris. But when you got there, everyone was dead. The evidence suggested they had killed each other in some kind of collective mad frenzy.''

Chris remembered this incident clearly. It was exactly as Elisabeth had described. It was as though an entire town had been gripped by madness. The decapitated bodies of men, women and children littered the dusty streets of a once bustling border town. Their bodies were encrusted with coagulated blood and there were dark hollows where their eyes used to be. Chris could remember the putrid stench of the bodies rotting in the hot summer sun. And the flies. Millions of flies feeding on the sinewy detritus. The diplomat was never found. At least that was what was reported in the newspapers. Chris found him in the village, a middle aged man named James Carter, cowering in a chicken coop where he had managed to hide himself amongst straw and faeces. During de-briefing, it was concluded that James was insane and he committed suicide two days later. Due to the delicacy of the situation, it was decided that the family didn't need to know the circumstances of his death. If the family were aware of his rescue and subsequent delirious state, questions would be asked. Chris was disgusted by this decision. Would the same decision be made if something was to happen to him on active duty? He hated the thought of his sister Clare, the only remaining member of his family, never knowing the truth.

''It was a test Chris, a new virus.''

''Did you have anything to do with this?''

''No. I swear this was nothing to do with me. I told you yesterday, my work was about cell regeneration, medical research, I wasn't creating biological weapons.'' She shook her head fervently.

''So how did you get access to this information?''

''You could say I had some down time between experiments.''

''What does that mean?''

''I was trusted. I'm good with computers. People are too keen these days to dump all their important information on a computer instead of storing it up here.'' She tapped her head. ''And I knew that one day this would happen, and I would need something to buy my way out of trouble.''

This attitude disgusted Chris, but he could understand her motives. There was certainly no honour amongst Umbrella and its cohorts.

''So how did you find out where we were?''

''I know you guys like to keep a low profile. There was a lot of criticism directed your way after Raccoon City - people could never understand how you failed to contain the situation…..''

Chris stiffened. ''That's not how it was.'' He said defensively.

''The truth doesn't always satisfy the mob Chris. After the Mexico incident, and similar isolated incidents in Alaska and across Canada and the northern states, it was decided by the powers that be that a new threat needed a new force to combat it. S.T.A.R.S. was reborn. And as you had proven yourself again and again, you were the natural choice to assemble and lead the team.''

''We have no leader and no rank. We are all equal.'' Chris interjected.

''No leader, that's right! You have every military and medical resource available. The price is you have to remain secretive. To admit that the S.T.A.R.S exist is to admit publicly that there is a serious threat. This can bring down governments.''

''You still haven't answered my question. How did you find out where we are? ''

''I know that you have to move your base of operations regularly. Your previous facility was compromised by unknown operatives.''

''We lost some good people.'' Chris's eyes betrayed his sadness as Elisabeth forced him to re-live yet another distressing event.

Elisabeth paused. ''Someone sold you out.''

''Everyone has a price. So how did you know we were here?''

''You have a hefty electricity bill for an abandoned boarding school.'' She smiled.

Chris ignored the joke. ''How did you find this place?''

''Okay, it took me several months. I tried to correlate your movements with certain 'incidents'. Hope that you'd show up.''

''So you followed me?''

''The good old fashioned way. You're a hard man to follow. You gave me the slip many times. It was almost as though you knew I was there.''

For the last few months, Chris had been semi-conscious of a small shadowy figure always just in the corner of his eye. He thought at first he was becoming paranoid as no one else saw this person, but in all of his years of experience he had learned to trust his senses. He was very rarely wrong.

There was a hard knock on the door as it open and a young man with very short spiky hair poked his head around the door.

''Sir, err, Chris, we need you a minute. It's important.''

Elisabeth shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Chris noticed this.

''Coming.'' He said to the young man. He shifted his attention to Elisabeth. ''I'll be back.''

Chris followed the young man into the corridor, leaving Elisabeth alone in the room.

''He's in your office.'' the young man said to Chris.

Chris nodded and proceeded down the corridor.

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Chris walked into his office and regarded a dishevelled, Hispanic-looking man slumped on his chair. His hair was matted and he clearly hadn't shaved for several days. Casually balanced in his right hand was a cigarette burning down to the butt. He was wearing a black jacket and combat pants that were ripped in a number of places revealing patches of red bloody skin. Chris noticed a number of rounded, regular holes in his kevlar vest that he had discarded on the floor next to the desk.

''Carlos, what happened?''

''Long story my friend; we can talk about that later. More important is that I have some information concerning our guest.''

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Leon watched through the two-way mirror as Chris left the interrogation room. Carlos must be back. He had been out in the field for the past four days to meet with an informant who had some information regarding a new laboratory in the mid-west. Leon had become very good friends with Carlos in the last few years. They worked well together in the field and trusted each other implicitly.

Leon shifted his gaze back towards the solitary figure sat in the plain white room. He knew she was conscious of being watched and was modifying her behaviour accordingly. She wasn't a particularly imposing figure. She was wearing dark denim jeans, a snug white vest top and black boots. She was average height and build with mid-length blond hair loosely tied back. From the muscle definition of her arms and back, Leon deduced that she was in good physical condition. She didn't have the physique of a researcher who spends most of their time staring down a microscope in a laboratory. Although her body remained perfectly still, Leon could see her bright green eyes analysing every inch of the room. Was she looking for a way out? He was sure that she had received some kind of military training. He had gone through the arduous process himself a number of years before, and he was sure that he could recognise others that had gone through the same process. How else could someone have managed to follow Chris Redfield?

Leon had confessed to Chris the previous evening that her presence made him nervous. He knew that this woman was dangerous and he knew that she was going to bring the S.T.A.R.S. trouble. She was clearly intelligent, had connections and could probably look after herself. So why would she come to the S.T.A.R.S. for help? What could they really offer her? He had the feeling that her appearance was the beginning of something bigger, the endgame. The players were positioning their pieces in preparation for the onslaught, and the S.T.A.R.S. were the target. There was only one thing he could do. He had to gain her trust.

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''Are you sure about this Carlos?''

''There's no doubt.''

Carlos handed Chris a compact disc that he promptly loaded into his laptop. Through the eerie light of the laptop screen that gently lit up Chris's face, Carlos could see his eyes darting from left to right as he skimmed through the information contained on the disc. His face was completely devoid of emotion.

Chris stood up.

''Go see Rebecca, get her to check you out. We can't afford to have you out of action for too long. I have to go and ask our guest some more detailed questions.'' With that, he opened the top drawer of his desk and removed a gun.

Chris picked up the folder of photographs on his desk that he had studied yesterday, and made towards the door. With a lot of effort, Carlos dragged himself out of the chair.

''Hang on Chris…..'' Carlos implored, but Chris was already out of the room.

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Leon had just left the room adjoining the interrogation room where Dr Elisabeth Badley was being held when he noticed Chris and Carlos at the far end of the corridor. Leon watched as the two men talked animatedly. They were just too far away for him to hear what they saying, although he tell could from the way that Chris's shoulders stiffened that Carlos hadn't delivered the good news he was expecting. As Chris began to walk back down the corridor in Leon's direction, Carlos said something inaudible and gently put his hand on Chris's shoulder in a half-hearted attempt to impede his progress. Chris turned suddenly to face his colleague.

''This has gone on for long enough Carlos.''

''Don't do something you might regret Chris. Chris. Chris!'' But Chris had already turned his back on Carlos, and was again walking in Leon's direction, back towards the interrogation room, back towards Dr Badley. Chris brushed past Leon, barely noticing his existence, as he opened the door to the room and disappeared. Leon looked inquisitively at Carlos.

''There's more to our guest than meets the eye.'' Carlos said. '' Leon, we need to talk.''

Leon nodded. Suddenly Carlos's eyes appeared to roll towards the back of his head. He staggered and reached out for Leon's shoulder to help him balance. ''I feel terrible.'' he said when he seemed to regain his composure.

Leon regarded him with concern. ''Let's get you to Rebecca. Then we can talk.''

With that, Leon helped his friend towards the medical wing. Whatever he had to say was going to have to wait until tomorrow.

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Elisabeth looked up as Chris entered the room. His face was twisted with fury.

Chris violently threw the folder of photographs at Elisabeth. She twisted to the left, the folder grazing her cheek as it hit the wall and spilled its contents across the floor. Chris darted across the room, he grabbed the straps of Elisabeth's vest top, picked her up like a rag doll and dragged her across to the photographs on the floor. He forced her down to her knees. Chris picked up one of the photos and brandished the image…

''This is Damien Johnson. He was the assistant manager of a small seven-eleven in some nowhere town. He had a wife, 9 month old child and a mortgage. Now he has a hole where his heart used to be.''

Chris let the photograph fall to the floor. He tightened his grip on Elisabeth. With his free hand, he searched through the images on the floor and selected another. Elisabeth tried to look away, but he thrust the picture into her face.

''This is Lisa Johnson.'' He said through gritted teeth. ''She used to work at the hospital; she helped rehabilitate people with serious brain injury.'' Elisabeth struggled half-heartedly against Chris's grasp. ''Now she's missing her head and a number of vital internal organs.''

''Stop! I….I….I don't understand!'' Elisabeth's voice cracked as her eyes became moist.

Chris let the photograph drop, and he picked up another.

'' This is Adrian Nash….''

''Stop it!''

''He was a medical student at the university.''

''Please, stop it!'' she whimpered. She was crying now, uncontrollable sobs.

''We found half of him in the river; hell knows where other half is.''

''Please.'' She was shaking her head side to side, trying desperately to blank out these horrific images and to find a way to sate Chris's anger. She was afraid.

Chris roughly pushed her face into the photographs scattered on the floor. He could feel his body trembling violently as the adrenaline coursed through his veins, his heart rate was increasing and he was breathing rapidly. ''Each one of these pictures is a life - a life that you helped destroy!'' he shouted.

Chris released Elisabeth. He straightened up and backed away from her. He turned his back; he couldn't look at her face anymore. Chris had regained his composure, but he was shocked at the way he had lost control. For a brief moment he had wanted to kill her and avenge those people. The people's whose name's and histories he had memorised. But he knew that would make him no better than those he was fighting. No better than Wesker.

Suddenly realising she had been released, Elisabeth rotated her body and sat on the floor, her back to the wall for support. She was breathing heavily and her face was now red and puffy from her tears. There was something warm and damp on her upper lip. She reached up to wipe away the irritant and was shocked to see droplets of blood on her fingers.

Chris broke the temporary silence. ''Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you out there, and let them take care of you.''

She looked up at him in silence, searching his face for a way in. He knew everything now and she was in deep trouble, but she didn't know what to say.

Chris walked towards the door. He reached for the handle.

''I know where Jill Valentine is.''

Chris stopped, his hand frozen in mid-air. He turned around slowly to face Elisabeth.

''Jill?''

She nodded.