We close in on an overhead view of New York City. It is shining triumphantly in the middle of the night, at first we move in across the busy and active streets showing the bright side of the city that everyone knows exists. Our story is not to be told here though. We move in to a nearby subway station where an unknown figure stands alone.
INTERCOM VOICE: Attention the 0130 from New York Central to Montreal Canada is now pulling in at platform 5.
The lone individual turns revealing it to be Jill Valentine. She is wearing a hood so as to conceal her face and her clothes are well used and worn so as to allow her to blend in with the less fortunate of the city who, in all honesty outweigh those that have been successful. Two months have passes since Jill started running from the BSAA and as we close in on her face her exhaustion and loneliness are evident as a face that was once renowned with hope and happiness now appears to be little more than lifeless and devoid of any sort of expression whatsoever. She makes her way over to platform number and boards the train she had overstayed her welcome here and it was time to move on in truth Jill found the lights of a big city like New York somewhat disorientating, Racoon City was always active but it wan an out of the way mountain town and ever since she had always found herself on the move, her life with the BSAA left little time for settling down.
VOICE: Going somewhere?
Jill is startled as she instantly recognises the voice of her old friend. She turns to see Ryan Redfield sitting in the seat beside her. How the hell did he manage to track her down? She had deliberately avoided contacting him so as not to place him or his sister in any danger he was, after all still an operative of the very agency that was now tracking Jill down.
RYAN: You don't write, you don't call; where's the love?
JILL: Ryan? Oh my god what are you doing here?
RYAN: I bet two hundred and fifty dollars on the New York Knicks VS The Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden but as it turns out Basketball isn't my thing; who knew?
Jill looks towards Ryan, at first she is reluctant to acknowledge his attempt at humour but as he smiles towards her she can't help but smile back. She had been so alone these last few months and to now see one of the only people in the world left that she could still trust sitting mere feet away from her she couldn't help but return his smile.
RYAN: You Jill Valentine are one horrendously difficult women to track down.
JILL: In fairness I didn't expect you to follow after me.
RYAN: Do you remember what we talked about the day of Chris's funeral? I was standing staring at his headstone and wondering what the hell I was going to do next? Then you came along. You came along and you told me that everything was going to be okay, you told me that Chris might be gone but that were people who still counted on me in his absence. You're one of those people Jill and I can't let you go through this alone.
JILL: Ryan….I…
Ryan reaches over and brushes her blonde hair out of her eyes. She had such beautiful eyes and he wanted them looking directly at him. He wanted her to know that; without saying a word he didn't care what he had to do or who he had to go through he would protect her. Ryan pulls her close in to him holding her tightly while she rests her weary head on his shoulders and for the slightest of moments she feels completely safe.
JILL: Wait, what about the BSAA? You have to get out of here Ryan if they find me and you're here then they…
Ryan doesn't say a word, he lifts his finger and places it ever so gently on her lips. The truth is that the BSAA had been on his case ever since he had ditched those two agents months ago but he didn't care. This wasn't about serving the government or his career as an agent he knew that he would have to deal with it eventually but if he told her she would just worry.
RYAN: Listen to me Jill. You haven't done anything wrong. Do you understand? I can't tell you that I know what you're going through because I don't and I wish I could promise you that the coming days would be easy but what I can promise you is that as long as I'm around you'll NEVER have to go through it alone.
Tears began to stream down the eyes of Jill Valentine. In that moment she could feel everything. All the anger and the pain that had been caused to her and that she, in turn had caused others. She turned her head away from Ryan trying to hide her face from him not wanting him to see her in such a vulnerable state.
RYAN: Jill…look at me.
Jill continued to keep her head turned away from him.
RYAN: Jill…look at me.
He doesn't ask again, instead opting to remove all option from the equation. He gently turns her head towards him once again. He could see the pain etched all over her face and in honesty it broke his heart. How could someone who was so good in nature blame themselves for something like this. Suddenly a communications device that he has on him springs to life.
VOICE: Ryan? What's the deal is everything okay down there?
RYAN: Yeah everything's fine. Jill's right here - can you meet us at the evacuation point.
VOICE: I think we might have a problem. There's BSAA in the area I think they know that she's there and they're heading in your direction.
RYAN: What's the body count?
VOICE: At least half a dozen but with this kind of snatch it's a good bet that they have agents scattered all over the hot zone.
RYAN: Plan B?
VOICE: Plan B! Be careful I'll see you there.
Ryan quickly turns off the device fearing that the BSAA operatives in the area may be able to hack in and monitor the communication.
JILL: Who was that?
RYAN: An old friend. Listen Jill we have to get out of here. The BSAA have obviously been tracking my movements and it looks like they're right on top of us we have to go now.
Ryan grabs Jill by the arm and pulls her up from the chair before cautiously checking outside the windows, scanning the area quickly for any BSAA agents.
JILL: Ryan?
RYAN: Yeah.
He suddenly finds himself engulfed in her arms. She holds him close to her as if letting go would leave her alone again. She looks up and ever so gently their lips meet brushing off against one another. For a moment Ryan felt as though his legs were turning to rubber.
JILL: Thank you.
It was clear that Jill had meant it as a show of gratitude for his friendship and support. Still the experience had caught him off guard and in all honestly had left him breathless.
RYAN: Um….sure….no problem.
It was funny. Jill had always looked at Ryan Redfield and he made her think of Chris. There were so many similarities between the two brothers both in looks and personality but something had changed. When she looked at him now she didn't see his brother, she only saw him. Quickly the two snap out of their little moment realising that time is of the essence. They begin to quickly navigate their way through the train being sure to keep themselves on the move so as to make them harder to spot.
All of a sudden there is a commotion behind them as BSAA agents begin to storm the train, causing the other passengers to scream out in fear.
RYAN: Oh boy here we go.
Realising that their location is evident to the agents Ryan decides that stealth is no longer the most feasible option and begins to sprint towards the opposite end of the train stopping briefly to shoot out the door controls to the compartment of the train that the pair have just entered.
JILL: RYAN THERE'S AN EXIT OVER HERE, C'MON.
As the two leap out of the train and onto the tracks below they both hear the familiar and distinctive metallic click of guns being trained on their location.
AGENT SWANSON: Ryan Redfield. Agent Jack Swanson of the Bio-Hazard Security Assessment Agency, you are under arrest for aiding and abetting a wanted fugitive.
RYAN: In my defence while I have aided briefly I haven't had enough time to get onto the abetting.
AGENT SWANSON: Always the smart ass huh? Well let's see how funny you think it is when we toss your ass in the slammer. Hands in the air you two.
As both Jill and Ryan throw their hands in the air they throw each other a glance. No words are spoken, none need to be. As the agents begin to slowly make their way towards the pair Ryan drops his fire-arm. Jill follow's it's movements waiting for just the right moment. Quickly she drops to the floor aiming it towards a visible supply of flash grenades attached to one of the agents waists and fires. The whole room is besieged with a bright and blinding light, incapacitating the BSAA agents giving the two their opportunity to escape.
AGENT SWANSON: IT'S OVER VALENTINE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I'M GOING TO MAKE IT MY PERSONAL MISSION IN LIFE TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND BRING YOU IN.
Agent Swanson's words of anger cut right through Jill Valentine. Was this what her life would be now, were these the choices she was now forced to make. She could either spend the rest of her life running or turn her self in and become a lab rat for the very government that she had fought so hard to serve, it was a numbing thought.
RYAN: Jill, c'mon let's go.
Ryan grabs Jill by the arm tightly, almost yanking it out of it's socket in the process as he makes a dash for the nearest exit. If the BSAA agents were hear then he knew that it wouldn't be long before more turned up. Whilst on the move he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his mobile phone, beginning to dial frantically.
RYAN: Hello? You were right this place is crawling. I don't think we're going to make it up onto the main street. Do you think that she can make it their in time. Yeah thanks I'll see you there.
RYAN: Change of plans Jill, let's head for the tunnels/
JILL: You mean the tunnels where those trains speed through at 150mph.
RYAN: Don't worry about it. The BSAA have the whole place in lockdown. All traffic in and out of the station has been stopped it should be a straight dash.
JILL: Where to?
RYAN: Maintenance tunnels. They run for miles under the surface. Even if the BSAA mobilise agents down there I doubt they have the manpower to cover every exit. Besides we're not heading up, we're going further down.
JILL: Into the sewer system?
RYAN: Yeah. The BSAA have been hounding me for weeks. I had a sneaking suspicion that they were on my tail from the minute I made it in but I didn't want to risk you dropping out of sight again I had some help coming in and we set up a few contingencies if we can make it into the sewers we can head straight to the docks, there should be a boat waiting for us there.
JILL: I know that you've been trying to find me Ryan but why have the BSAA diverted so many men into tracking you down instead of me? There's something you're not telling me.
RYAN: Let's just say I had to ruffle a few feathers to get this far. I'll tell you all about it later, this isn't the time or the place.
Jill cast a look at Ryan as they were running. What was he talking about? What had he done? The two eventually make it into the tunnels, making their way to the nearest entry hatch. Unfortunately as he began to pull on the hatch it became clear that Ryan didn't have the physical strength necessary to open it. Jill walks behind him and places her hands on top of his own pulling and ripping the door clean off. She had tried to spare his feelings by making it seem as though it had been there combined might that had removed the door but Ryan knew the truth.
The tunnels seemed to go on forever but fortunately the maze of catacombs had seemed to confuse the BSAA and the two had encountered little resistance since the station. As the end of the tunnel came into sight it seemed as though the pair were home free. The two were stopped in their tracks though by the appearance of a single individual who casually seemed to be waiting their arrival.
UNKNOWN: Jill Valentine. You are coming with me.
There was an undeniably eerie presence. He was covered from head to toe in what seemed to be some sort of metallic stealth suit. So far as Ryan could tell he was not a member of the BSAA but then again he wasn't necessarily in the know about these types of things. Either way his appearance had seemed to have some sort of negative effect on Jill who had been frozen in her steps.
RYAN: Who the hell are you?
UNKNOWN: Step aside boy, this has nothing to do with you! Walk away while you are still able.
RYAN: Gee that threat gets more and more terrifying every time I hear it.
JILL: Ryan…
UNKNOWN: Her fate is beyond your control child. She is more important than you could possibly imagine.
JILL: Ryan…
RYAN: You're not getting anywhere near her. I've got know idea who you are working with and I don't care if you want her then you have to go through me.
JILL: RYAN!
Ryan turns to Jill, responding to the panic in her voice. She is merely standing there, her eyes intently focused on the person before them he had no idea who this person was but it was obvious that Jill knew something.
JILL: I think…I think I know him.
RYAN: What.
JILL: I'm not sure…I just…there's something. I've seen them before I'm sure of it but I can't remember where.
RYAN: I don't care who he is, we've got to get out of here.
Ryan reaches into his side and pulls out his handgun. He pulls it out and looks at where the mysterious individual had previously stood but in the time it had taken him to pull out his gone and point it at them they were gone.
UNKNOWN: You're weapons are quite useless against me I'm afraid you'll find.
RYAN: Well alright then…
Ryan puts his gun away instead opting to pull out his combat knife and moving towards his opponent. CQC (Close Quarter Combat) had always been a strength of his. He made an attempt to immediately disable the mysterious stranger but to his utter disbelief he was gone again. After turning around he is greeted swiftly by a fist into his gut. He bends over almost crippled in agony. He had never been hit so hard in his entire life. He promptly raises his knife again in an attempt at retaliation but his shots are dodged with ease. The two engage in an impressive affair, against any other opponent Ryan's form was flawless but in this place and on this day it became apparent quickly that this was a fight he could not win. He gains the advantage for a brief moment and decides to go for the only area of vulnerability he can sees as he tries to jam his knife right through their eye. His attack is met as his hand is grabbed though and before he can react his hand is bent back as though it were made of paper, followed by the distinctive crack of his wrist breaking apart under the pressure.
RYAN:AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!
JILL: RYAN!
Consumed with concern for the safety of her friend Jill enters the fight. At first she appears to be on equal footing with their attacker each matching blow for blow and neither gaining any sort of particular advantage.
UNKNOWN: Impressive. Despite your lack of proper training in your abilities you handle your strength excellently. Now just think of what you could accomplish if you were to come with me.
JILL: What are you talking about?
UNKNOWN: This place is no longer fit for you Jill Valentine. You have been selected for greater things, much greater.
Jill casts a look down towards Ryan who is struggling to make his way to his feet.
UNKNOWN: Is he the reason why you fight so insistently. You are beyond him, he is but an insect compared to you, you could crush his body with the greatest of ease and scatter the remains to the winds he is not part of the plan.
JILL: You won't go near him again! I don't have any idea who you are or what you're offering but I'm not interested.
UNKNOWN: That is….unfortunate.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small remote control, pointing it towards Jill and pushing down. In an instant something within Jill's body seems to happen as her muscles lock up. Jolts of electricity begin to spiral through her body. She is completely paralysed unable to move or speak. The attacker makes his way towards Jill and begins to circle her menacingly.
UNKNOWN: Make no mistake, the choice is not yours to make. You were chosen for a reason and you will yield, whether you want to or not.
Seeing that Jill has been left defenceless Ryan pulls himself to his feet and clutches his gun. The pain in his body is searing and he can barely hold the weight of his own weapon. His hand begins to shake uncontrollably as he points it towards the unknown. Mustering the last of his strength he is able to squeeze of a couple of shots and for a moment it appears as though they connect, but the sighs of relief are short lived as he unclenches his hand revealing the captured rounds that had been fired just moments ago.
RYAN: DAMN…
What follows next is an extremely one sided affair. Ryan Redfield does everything within his power to come to Jill's aid but whatever plan he concocts it seems as though his attacker has an answer for. Jill can do little but watch on in horror as Ryan is physically dissected right before her very eyes.
UNKNOWN: Impressive. Able to withstand such pain for your friend, your reputation is well deserved Mr. Redfield but alas it is all for nothing.
He begins to make his way towards Ryan. As Ryan looks up he knows he has failed. He was supposed to protect Jill and to keep her safe but his body was useless to him now, he couldn't use it any more. All of a sudden just when it looks as though the pair are done for a couple of shots ring off bouncing off the body of the unknown assailant and stumbling him backwards. Ryan looks back, the figure at first is concealed by the darkness in the tunnel but little by little they make their way forward bringing themselves into sight it is Leon Kennedy.
LEON: BACK OFF!
UNKNOWN: *sighs. I have little patience left for games.
Leon doesn't answer he instead pulls out a small device and shoots it towards the Unknown. The two wires shoot passed into his hand and attach to the small remote that he is still in possession of. With the flick of a button jolts of electricity are released along the wires and into the device, frying the circuitry and freeing Jill from her prison.
UNKNOWN: You'll pay for that.
The unknown makes his way directly towards Leon. Leon is ready for the attack though, he had seen enough to know that he couldn't take this guy in a one on one situation but then he didn't have to all he had to do was stall for time. He carefully avoids his opponents attack realising that with one mistake it could all be over. All he knows is that he needs one opportunity and it isn't long before it arrives. As he lunges forth planting an explosive mine onto his opponents back. Meanwhile Jill has brought Ryan to his feet and the two make an attack on this seemingly indestructible opponent. He shrugs them off effortlessly but with his attention re-focused Leon has a clear shot.
LEON: Get out of there guys. NOW!
Jill grabs Ryan and lunges out of the way as Leon fires of another shot towards the mine blowing it up in his face and bringing the walls of the tunnel crashing down around his head.
RYAN: *coughing. Do you think you could have cut that any closer?
LEON: Adds suspense.,
The two friends exchange a smile and a handshake.
JILL: Thanks for the help. I owe you one.
LEON: Don't mention it. Listen we should get out of here. I'm not sure that was enough to keep that thing down. Claire's waiting with the boat.
RYAN: Then lets get out of here.
A/N: Well what did you guys think? A mysterious and powered up attacker is a tad clichéd I know but trust me it will get better. Sorry it took so long for the update and as always all comments welcome let me know what you think. :-)