Steve Burnside had just been released, clothed and dispatched by Dr. Murphy in the Bio-Lab. His orders were frank and clear: Find the S.T.A.R.S. and eliminate them. He hadn't personally recieved the order from Wesker himself due to the communications disruption not long ago but it didn't matter. Steves only purpose was to serve Wesker. That was all that mattered to him.

As he wandered down the narrow, metal corridor, Steve could only focus on his mission as he steadily walked along towards the S.T.A.R.S. most probable location.

However, it wasn't until about five minutes of walking did something strange happen. In the back of his mind, Steve could feel a slight tickle in his brain, as if changes were occuring within. Then he remembered...

"My name's Steve. I was a prisoner on this island."

"I'm Claire. Claire Redfield."

Before his very eyes, Steve could see himself speaking to a girl...Claire, in a courtyard.

Steve stopped in his tracks and looked puzzled. He didn't know what he was seeing...but somehow...it seemed familiar. The girl, the courtyard and those words he heard in the back of his mind. It all seemed as if it had happened before.

Whatever the memory was, Steve could not understand it. Shrugging absently, he continued walking, realizing he was wasting time.

Leon's team had been walking for nearly five minutes when they heard footsteps approaching from a neighboring corridor. Leon signaled Claire and Rebecca to halt and ready their weapons.

Strangely, the footsteps were not heavy but sounded lighter and calmer, more like a human. It could be one of Weskers soldiers which could mean trouble, since they carried weapons and there were almost certainly a number of them in the facility.

Leon aimed his rifle at the human shadow that began to creep along the wall sided with the corridor ahead. The shadow was human, likely male.

Claire kept her MP5 trained on the shadow, her finger resting on the trigger...and felt her breath turn to glass in her throat as Steve Burnside, the only man she ever loved in her life, stepped into view.

But it wasn't the Steve she knew. Even from afar, she could see what Wesker had done to him.

Steve's eyes were fixed in a narrow, emotionless stare and seemed to give off a burning red glow as if fueled by an insatiable bloodlust running through his mutated body.

"Steve…" Claire whispered in shock and disbelief.

Without a sound, Steve calmly advanced toward the team, his footsteps slow and deliberate. His callous gaze did not change as he walked forward.

Leon didn't know whether to fight or try to reason with the boy. His instincts told him that the latter would be hopeless. If there was a shred of humanity left in Steve, more than likely, it was gone forever, thanks to Wesker.

Reluctantly, Leon fired at Steve with his M16, sending at least ten rounds into the young man's upper torso.

"Leon! No!" Claire cried.

Steve didn't even slow down as the rounds hammered his chest, poking dime sized holes in his shirt. Numbly, Leon could see Steve's wounds heal almost immediately, closing up and ejecting the bullets from his chest, sending them clattering onto the metal floor.

"Not good…"

Without thinking, Leon fired again with Rebecca joining in with her handgun, sending another shower of bullets into Steve with the same results following as before. By now, Steve was only ten feet away when Leon stopped to reload.

Steve sprang forward at blinding speed and in the blink of an eye, grabbed the barrel of Leon's M16, bent it a good 90° and yanked it out of Leon's grasp, tossing it aside before the ex-cop could even grab a fresh magazine.

Leon barely had time to back away when Steve swung his fist at whistling spead and struck Leon in the jaw, sending him flying back and landing hard on the floor. He didn't move.

Rebecca fared no better as she struggled to reload her handgun when Steve ran up to her, seized her by the collar of her combat vest and slammed her into the wall, hitting the young medics head hard and knocking her out. She crumpled to the floor.

Claire gasped in surprise as her comrades fell before focusing on Steve…and she realized he was looking at her.

Her instincts told her to run, knowing that fighting would be futile.

As quickly as she could, Claire dropped her weapon, turned around and ran for her life.

Steve Burnside had effortlessly incapacitated two of the S.T.A.R.S. It was too easy, even for him.

Then the girl…..Claire…thought she could outrun him.

Then that feeling came back when he focused on the fleeing girl.

"I'm glad that I met you…..I…."

Steve was confused. He couldn't comprehend what he was experiencing. Somehow he knew the girl. Somehow he had met her before in the past. And somehow…..he felt something inside him whenever he looked at her. It was a warm, soothing feeling inside his chest that made him feel strangely comfortable.

Whatever it was, Steve liked it somehow…..and deep inside…he somehow felt that he didn't want to hurt Claire…

It was strange. There was no reason for him to have compassion. His purpose was to only obey Wesker. That was his fate. The very reason that he lived for.

Reminding himself of his mission, Steve shook the strange feeling from his head and ran after the girl.

Claire had barely run twenty feet when she felt a powerful grip from behind. She felt her throat close like a squeezed garden hose as a strong hand caught her by the back of her neck.

Claire let out a strained, choking cry of pain as she was swept off her feet and slammed back first into the wall…and found herself staring into the red, furious eyes of Steve Burnside as he held her up one foot off the ground.

Claire stared right back, as if begging Steve to spare her but she knew it was over. All of her hopes of ever saving Steve were shattered in an instant with the realization that she and her team had failed and now she was going to die.

Without a hint of emotion on his paled face, Steve lifted his free hand and out from his finger tips sprouted long, curved claws, each one jet black and razor sharp.

Claire swallowed hard and tried pathetically to struggle free as she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable...

Steve had Claire at his mercy. As she writhed in his iron grip, he raised his clawed hand, ready to deliver the killing blow…but it never happened.

Just then, another memory came crashing into Steve's mind like a tidal wave. The sight of Claire flashed before his eyes. He could see her caressing the cheek of a dying young man with red hair…..and realized it was him. Realized what he was seeing was his past before Wesker had turned him into a mindless monster.

Then finally, his memory came back full circle when he heard his past speak the four most honest words he had ever uttered in his life. The four words he directed at Claire just before his untimely demise.

"I…..I love you…Claire"

All in a flash, every memory of Rockfort Island and the Antarctic facility returned to Steve. He could remember everything from the death of his father to the encounter with Alexander Ashford. At long last, Steve Burnsides memory returned to him. The memory serum had worked.

Claire kept her eyes shut. Too afraid to move. Too afraid to breathe. Too…

"Claire?"

For an instant, Claire thought her mind was playing some sick trick on her…that she was hearing things...but when she felt Steve's grip suddenly loosen and set her on the ground, she mustered the courage to open her eyes and found herself staring into concerned, shining blue eyes of Steve.

Long seconds dragged by as both of them just stared at each other, utterly unsure what to say until Steve spoke again.

"Claire, it's me," He said softly.

Claire couldn't believe it. She felt tears well into her eyes. Not tears of agony but tears of joy. It was as if her prayers had been answered by the almighty himself.

Steve gave a half-smiled as he reached over and wiped Claire's eyes with a gentle sweep of his finger.

Claire didn't speak. She simply began to sob softly as she hugged him, suddenly feeling so safe from all the harm in the world with the man she loved. He hugged her back, his arms wrapped around her waist as he held her close, letting her cry softly on his shoulder.

They were finally together again.