Author's Note: Hello, I'm a girl with no life at all, that's why I choose to entertain people using these characters which aren't mine (they're all CAPCOM's) in order to fill in the gaps between studying and when I'm actually writing something that's actually fully mine. I choose not to lament on the fact that CAPCOM owns all the rights to these characters on all of my fanfics and instead start to come up with something actually nice in a way.
*Oh, and pay no mind to the title. I was just listening to a song from Electric Six by the same two words. It's more like a love song btw*
If you're still hanging on, here's the third chapter, I've made sure there's a little hints (subtle ones…I can't just blab everything out, you know) as sort of a thanks for all your lovely and encouraging comments. Thank you for your continuous reading!
Degrading Conscience
3. Psychic Visions
FIVE HOURS AGO
"WHERE IS SHE?" he shouted, the barrel of his gun pointed at the man in front of him. "Tell me now!"
The man just stuttered, words that came out of his mouth weren't the answers Jake had sought. The more the man pleaded, the more it felt right to pull the trigger.
"Jake, listen, just hang in there and don't mess him up too much", Leon's voice rattled loudly through the cell he had to ear. "Don't kill him, we're getting to your location".
A part of Jake (a more ethical part) noted from a distance that Leon was right. After all, it had taken them almost forever to locate this Neo-Umbrella operative who was stalking them. This man had been dodgy but nervous people always make wrong turns. Just had this man had when he came too near.
"I don't know…please…don't shoot", the man cried out. "I don't know what you're talking about".
With a growl, Jake socked the man on the face, feeling soft cartilage give way under his fist. He reached for the holster at the man's belt, taking the handgun. Next, he went for a thorough search, wallet and all pockets. And came up empty on proving that this man worked for Neo-Umbrella.
"Why were you following me?" Jake hit the man again, this time not on the face. "You CIA or something?"
The man laughed breathlessly.
"You think you're on the right track", he grunted, his voice taunting. "There are more of us".
Behind them, someone yelled. Jake turned, a uniformed man running towards them, yelling out in Portuguese. He had to hurry this up.
Somewhere there was a gunshot. Too loud to be a handgun but it still did ring out past the business of the streets not far away.
"Jake? What happened? Jake?" Leon yelled more loudly.
"Somebody just took out our lead. Don't call me, I might be busy".
THE PRESENT
"I can't just give up on you", Jake stared at the ceiling of his cell. The three walls were filthy with scrawls and scribbles from the previous occupants. Sherry was standing in front of him, her back against the metal bars.
She wasn't real, he knew.
Nobody else can see her but him.
A migraine was starting itself, time was ticking and he was being locked up. For what? Well, nobody could blame them, the murder weapon was in his hands anyway. He glanced at Sherry, she who smiled back at him and did a little wave in a way of greeting (I'm back, sorry I missed out in everything). Grumbling under his breath, he took a glance at the man dozing behind a desk not far away. The local policemen didn't mind him talking, they wouldn't understand his condition anyway (In what he had assumed to be some kind of brain disorder that affiliates with sudden loss). Jake, however wasn't fluent in Portuguese but he did get the main idea of what he was supposed to do when he was first dragged into the small precinct, he just hoped that the rest would find him in time.
"Is that the shirt you wore from at least a month ago?" he asked her skeptically. "If I do recall your wardrobe, it would be much larger than mine".
"Jake, we both know you have at least five of that black attire you're wearing", she rolled her eyes. "I've seen them in your closet".
"You're starting to sound like my mother", Jake shot back, contemplating whether he should be bashing his head against the wall any moment now. "Where the hell are they?"
"Maybe you don't need to be saved, Jake", Sherry giggled.
"Why's that?" he asked, smugly.
She did a cat walk towards him, bend down to whisper her last words before fading away.
"Don't do this to me, Jake. You know the answer to why you obviously had to do it. Because you killed before and now we all know you love it". He remembered the blood. How good it felt to kill someone who had deserved it all along. He wanted to defend what he had been doing, to justify that it was all for her, to just say anything to convince himself that he played the good guy all along. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up.
Outside, something crashed. Screams were starting out as he heard what sounded to be a rolling storm of chaos rising from the ground. They were too late, things were already starting up.
FORTY EIGHT HOURS EARLIER
Thud
His fist was starting to hurt now as it had collided on hard bone again.
"Tell us why you're here?" Leon asked through gritted teeth. When the man in front of them, refused to budge, he beckoned for Jake again. The younger man barely gave it a rest as he lunged at their captive yet again.
Thud
More hurt. More pain. More pointlessness.
It had been almost four hours since they had been interrogating their captive. There were no answers coming from their so called 'DSO' agent, not even any admission that he was actually working for the CIA.
"Tell you what, this guy's never gonna spill. I'd say we kill him and dump him somewhere", Jake suggested, looking a little too hopeful.
"And let it be a headache for the locals? Not going to happen", the older man shook his head. "Again, do you think you are that you can just waltz in and lie?"
No answer.
Jake pulled back a fist and released.
Thud
"This guy's ain't telling", Leon got out a towel and a five liter-ful of mineral water.
He gestured for Jake to brace the chair a little backwards (which was tough work) and draped the cloth over Savoy's face. Without a further word, Leon dumped an amount of water onto the man's towel covered face. There was a gasp before a lot of choking sounds ensued. They let Savoy up for a moment, let him catch his breath and asked him the same question. Savoy wouldn't say a thing. And they repeated the process again. Then, they'd question. Resistance just brought forth more near drowning experiences for Savoy. For them it was simple: rinse and repeat. Even if it didn't work fast, this torture would certainly break a man in time.
Now Jake understood why Leon had gotten out over forty minutes ago and came back with the two large containers of mineral water.
"Sixth time and still not budging, I'm impressed", Leon growled. They were about to start on the second five liters when the door to the room opened, making the two men freeze a little. Ada walked in, frowning at the two men.
"Hmmm…you two shouldn't have to resort in such tedious methods", she purred. "By the way, I've swept our room, it's clear. Now, I do have a little something for Hunter Savoy".
She ripped away the towel from their captive's face.
"Remember the C virus? I know you have been keeping tabs with what Neo-Umbrella has been doing these days, Mister Savoy, you don't have to lie. Though I do have a very personal question. You do know my affiliation with the company. Yes, I have seen how they have been doing some very naughty things", she told Savoy, who was starting to wheeze a little.
She laid a small case by his feet, she watched his expression as she opened the case and revealed an injector that would be very familiar for one who did their homework on Neo-Umbrella. Savoy, to her pleasure, began squirming in his seat once he saw the fluids in the injector. Jake glanced anxiously between Leon and Ada, not sure of the part he was playing. The way the older man looked, informed him that Ada was probably throwing them a curve ball.
"Ada, where did you get that?" Leon bristled.
"Shhh, ask no questions and I would tell no lies", Ada murmured. Brandishing the injector, she straddled him and waved it in front of Savoy so he'd get the point. "You have seen the pictures of those who turned into those creatures but that's different. I, on the other hand, have seen those transformations. You would first lose yourself and then when time comes, you will change drastically".
Savoy tried to move away as she grabbed hold of his neck. With a curled lip, she pressed the sharp needle to the mighty big syringe against his jugular.
"Now, if you're not going to tell us why you're here, I'm alright with that. But I have a proposition, you share your notes on the company. Tell us what you do know. Show us where they are", she whispered into his ear. "Or else, you would just have to find out how you might turn out as a real monster".
Savoy cringed.
"So what would your answer be?" she prompted him.
"I won't have to give anything", he laughed a very haggard laugh.
"And why's that?" Ada hissed, pressing the needle's end harder against his soft flesh, nicking him a little.
"You won't get to kill me after all. You'll need me", he said with as much conviction that he could muster. The others just stared at him as if he had lost his head.
"I have a good team awaiting me, they're…somewhere, our mission was to shut down the remaining Neo-Umbrella's facilities. You there numb nuts don't understand a single thing, do you? I was deliberately being caught so I could infiltrate them from the inside", he shouted.
"Yeah, fantastic job you were doing", Leon muttered.
"No, no, there's more. Someone is still financing the company, I can't find the damn bastard but I'm pretty sure he's also involved in the Kijuju incident. It wasn't just simple, you see, we had wind of someone providing for the Neo-Umbrella-we just didn't know who until recently", Savoy told them. "Now get this crazy lady off me".
"Not a chance, buster", Jake mused beside him. "Don't stop there, what was Neo-Umbrella's newest experiments that got you all so interested in it?"
"Remember the G-virus?" Savoy asked grimly.
Ada paled a little, reminded of her past experience in Raccoon City, when she was supposed to be retrieving the G-virus. Leon recoiled at the thought of the volatile virus being put on a wide scale (remember the mutated William Birkin? Remember Curtis Miller?) . Jake on the other hand looked passive but he scrambled on the inside to find a relation to why Sherry was missing and the company's new attempts on the G-virus.
"What about it?" Leon was the first to regain himself.
"The C-virus wasn't as much of a break through as compared to what William Birkin did with the G-virus. We'd thought that his daughter might have the same strand of genetic structure which could bond successfully with the live virus, unfortunately, we weren't the first ones to think that up too", Savoy said. "I think you all thought you had dealt first hand with Neo-Umbrella. I've read the reports from the Lanshiang and the Tall Oaks incident, I've studied them. They're just the distraction phase of this whole plan, testing on the development on their other variations of viral weaponries".
"And what is this plan you know of?" Ada asked drily.
"It's pretty tasteless, actually", Savoy shrugged. "Neo-Umbrella's on the verge of discovering a controllable super human serum and your agent Sherry Birkin might just be the key to their solution".
Ada bit her lower lip and promptly got off Savoy's lap. She flung the injector across the room, watching the glass body of the object shatter spilling the cloudy fluid onto the carpet. She gave Leon a nod.
"Now we know", she muttered.
"Shit", Leon grunted. "Ada, I need to talk to you".
She followed him into the bathroom. Once inside, Leon turned on the shower to mask their conversation.
"What's your end game here, Ada?" he asked her. She paused. Observing how he looked at her, she noticed that he just wanted to know and there was no mistrust in his question.
"I'm helping out. I thought Neo-Umbrella ended with Carla, I guess I had mistaken", she murmured. "I didn't know about the rest Savoy had told us".
"The C-virus a moment ago?"
She smiled slyly. "Was just salt water. I don't think there would be immediate harm to us if I had injected him".
He chuckled at her answer. "Had me a heart attack back there".
"Hmm…we have other things to worry about, handsome", she murmured, taking a step closer to him.
"And you're just all this doing this for me?" he prodded further, stroking the side of her cheek.
She nodded, letting her answer remain wordless.
"Alright, now that we're past that. What are we going to do?" he leaned against the sink.
"Bring them down", Ada said without hesitation. "Before all of this goes south".
THE PRESENT
Jake tried the bars to his cell. The snoozing guard woke up to the sound of screams and gunfire. The man looked at Jake, said something in Spanish that would be equal to 'Stay here!' and went off to investigate the situation outside.
"Hey! Let me out of here!" Jake yelled in frustration. "Come back!"
"He won't listen", Sherry said humorously, sitting on the chair where the policeman once sat. "You should have paid attention more often to your language skills, makes it easier to get around".
"Go away", Jake sighed. "Unless you can get me out of here, say nothing".
"Oh, you're just sad, Jake", Sherry taunted. "You have never lost someone this close before and you're finding a way to deal with it".
"You're not dead, Sherry. You're not dead, not yet", he muttered. "You're only dead when I say you are".
"This gets really old", she pranced in front of him from the outside of his cell. "I wonder if it's still a shit storm out there".
There were several more gunshots that echoed from the outside then, sudden silence. Jake stalked the four corners of his cell, looking for anything he could use as a weapon in case if there was a BOW coming after him.
"Ah, cavalry's arrived", Sherry sang out in a sing song voice before she disappeared.
The door burst open, Savoy walked in with a sub machine gun in hand.
"Muller, you alright?" he called out.
"Just get me out of here", Jake sighed. "What's happening out there?"
Savoy just regarded him with his muddy green gaze.
"Madness".
HALF AN HOUR EARLIER
It was pandemonium below them.
Leon called out. "Savoy, we'll have to get Jake later".
He had never expected Neo-Umbrella to into such desperate measures in order to throw them off their tail. The crowd below them were starting to borderline pure chaos, a small handful of BOWs going after civilians without any discrimination. The hungry just went after anything that moved. From the rooftop, Leon felt as if he were no stranger to such a situation. Something flew at his direction. Immediately his instincts kicked in and he crouched.
"Watch out, snipers!" he called out to the other two.
Ada took aim and released a few rounds.
"We have to get Jake and get out now!" Savoy yelled through the ringing gunshots, moaning undead and continuous screaming.
"Can't leave this place like this", Leon shouted back. He kept shooting, hoping that by doing so, he could keep the other snipers distracted while Ada took them out. "There innocent lives here".
"We don't have time for that, lover", Ada said smugly.
"So, what?", Savoy let out a few rounds from his sub machine gun (knowing well that he would be missing any of their targets, accuracy's overrated anyway).
"Hear that, boys?" Ada called out.
Leon squinted at the horizon, hearing loud buzzing noises coming in from far. He noticed that there were choppers heading their way.
"What's that?" Savoy asked loudly.
"Company", Ada explained. "I took the liberty on calling the BSAA".
"Here's taken care of, let's go", Savoy demanded, dashing for the rooftop door. Leon gave Ada a questioning look, she nodded and followed Savoy.
THE PRESENT
"Keys. Keys. Keys…", Savoy grunted, going through drawers and cabinets. The keys to Jake's cell isn't anywhere.
"It's probably with the guard", Jake said urgently to him.
"Crap! Where did he go?" Savoy shouted, kicking the nearby desk.
Jake would've strangled that man if he weren't locked up. "Hell would I know? He probably went out to become zombie chow".
"It's not zombie out there", Ada corrected as she stalked in. "Classic BOWs or if you're familiar with their kind, Hunters".
"Hard to kill, makes it better", Jake mused. "Help him get the keys".
She gave Jake a hand flapping gesture of 'Stand Back', walking to the front of his cell. Pulling out her handgun, she took aim and fired at the lock. Two more tries and the rusty old gate swung open.
"Your lack of perspective is worrying", she muttered to the both of them. In a louder voice, "Leon's getting us a transport to the nearest airport. We get out while we can, before we get tied to this mess".
"They know", Jake told her.
Ada regarded him with a serious look.
"All the more we should hurry".
Author's Note: Well, once again, thank you for the encouraging comments. I really do hope that there would be more incoming positive inputs: So, Reviews, please! : D