I walked in the room as he was shoving Excella Gionne from him.
"The BSAA are here," I said, all the while thankful for the mask I was wearing, preventing them from seeing my smirk. Excella was obviously not used to being rejected, and it showed in her face. She wasn't exactly subtle about her emotions.
Her voice changed from cloyingly sweet to bitter. "It looks like your friend Chris Redfield has come to pay you a visit. Do I sense concern?"
He gave a reply, but I didn't hear it. My thoughts had locked in to what Gionne had said.
Chris Redfield. So that's the name of the BSAA agent I encountered earlier. I would have thought I would be able to remember something, anything, once I find out what his name was, but I still couldn't recall anything. I knew I've heard that name before, but I can't attach it to any memory.
Dammit! Why can't I remember a single thing?!
I'm so confused. Who was friend and who was foe? Am I fighting for the right cause?
Before I could sort through my thoughts, Excella breezed off, giving me a cursory nod. Before I knew what was happening, I was following her out the door.
xxx
We stood in the upper room, watching as Chris and the other woman arrived. Another man, about middle-aged, was slumped in one corner of the room, appearing to be unconscious.
Gionne flipped a switch on the desk, and then she spoke. "Glad you could make it." Her voice was gloating, insulting. The two immediately turned around, looking for her. "Up here, you two," she continued, obviously enjoying the cat-and-mouse game she was playing. As they lifted their heads, I saw his eyes again. Cold fury danced in their blue depths.
He shouted, "Excella, where's Jill?" I shook my head slightly when I heard him speak. Jill. Yet another familiar name. A name I couldn't put a face to.
"Jill, Jill, Jill. You're like a broken record, you know that? Just as single-minded as he said." No doubt about it, she was enjoying this. A wave of hatred for this woman filled me. If this woman and he know this Chris Redfield, then they must've known all along about my past! It was all I could do to clench my fists to prevent them from wrapping around her neck and strangling her. "You've spent so long trying to track down Uroboros," she was continuing, "Well, here. Enjoy."
Unwillingly, my eyes were drawn to the man on the corner. He had already stood up, and his writhing left me no doubt of what his state was.
He was infected.
I barely heard their conversation. All I could see was the Uroboros infectee. Dread filled me, the same horror that rose up every time I presented the vial to the sacrifices.
Gionne turned and made for the door, but before she did so, I stole a glimpse of what was happening below. Seeing the creature take a swipe at them, managing to hit Chris and throwing him against the wall, brought a flood of memories to my head, almost threatening to overwhelm me.
STARS. The Spencer Mansion. Raccoon City. Russia. BSAA.
Bile rose in my throat as I struggled with my memories, at the same time as I watched my partner struggling below.
No. No. No!
I finally remembered, but was it too late? I need to get to Chris! I thought to myself. I felt myself move.
To the opposite direction. Following Excella. Away from Chris.
I willed my feet to stay, but it felt as though they had a mind of their own. They brought me directly behind Excella, like an obedient puppy or servant. Which was what I have been for the past year.
What the hell is happening?!