-1
"See, if you hold it just a little differently…" Chris's arms wrap about her body, covering her own hands on the gun and changing its grip slightly. She can feel the burning stares of the other members of her team glaring at them either jealously, or angrily, not enjoying having their practice interrupted by the lovebirds.
"…Then your aim is just that little bit better." he smiles down at her, eyes hidden behind those specs of his. They remind her of her employer, their employer, except that Chris is seen everywhere, speaking to everyone, laughing, having a good time…whereas Wesker stays in the forbidden lower levels.
His body presses closer against hers as he helps her aim, and what was just friendly aid now turns sexual, as her breath hitches slightly. He notices, but doesn't remove himself, instead stroking her hand with his thumb softly, whispering in her ear.
Then something inside him rebels and he pulls back slowly, somewhat disgusted with himself. He shouldn't be doing this…it feels wrong now, but then why had it felt…so right?
She looks at him as he backs off, and sees confusion flash across his face, almost seeing his internal debate with himself.
"Chris, what's wrong?" she asks, barely loud enough to be heard over the gunshots of the team.
"Nothing, just…I'm fine." he smiles weakly. "Just had enough practice for one day."
---
Chris lay down on the couch, hands folded on his chest, staring up at the ceiling as Dr. Wong made herself comfortable, crossing her legs and balancing a clipboard on top of them, her slit red skirt showing almost every inch of her pale thigh but Chris wasn't interested. Besides, he'd heard from Krauser she was his bed warmer, and he didn't want to cross his friend.
"Now, how are you today Christopher?" her silky voice enquired.
"I'm…confused. I had another dream last night, but they're not as frequent as the used to be. This time, I was with the brunette-"
"Which one?"
"Huh?"
"Which one? Which brunette?"
"…There's only one, the other's a red head."
"Are you sure she wasn't blonde?"
"What?"
"I'm sure you said she was blonde, Christopher, not red haired."
"Oh…Yeah…yeah, must have gotten it wrong, thanks…anyway, I was with the brunette-
"Blonde."
"- with the blonde and we were in this huge mansion, and Wesker was there with us."
"That's impossible Chris."
"I know that Dr Wong-"
"Why were you confused?"
"Because she looked like Elza."
Pause.
"Well…At least I think she did…I'm so confused…I don't know if I'm remembering things, or if I'm making it all up…"
"It's just a dream Chris. They aren't real."
"Yeah…yeah I know."
---
Aside from his dreams, things have been fine these past few weeks. Wesker hasn't spoken to him much, nothing aside from the occasional check-up and to make sure nothing had happened, that he hadn't been discovered. For some reason, Chris had been forbidden to reveal his eyes and 'talents' to the others. Chris can't understand why not, they are his friends, weren't they? He doesn't understand that none of them should be trusted at all.
As he stands in front of the bathroom mirror in his quarters below, he tugs at his fringe. Elza had promised to cut if for him but as of yet, there hasn't been the time.
He's remembered Forest's face now, and the hair. A mullet. My hair's not quite that long yet, but still… He gives his reflection a smile. "I miss my short hair…" he states to himself, gathering it up behind his head and turning his face from side to see the difference, before dropping the strands with a sigh. "Who am I kidding…I can't remember my short hair…"
He walks through to his bed and flops down onto it, regretfully reminding himself he'd be sleeping alone again. So long as his quarters remain in the lower levels, Elza can't visit without getting brutally killed by Steve's pets, and Wesker has so far denied his request to move up.
He grabs an energy bar and gives it a nibble, tossing its wrapper onto the floor, right beside the bin. Sometimes he finds talking to himself can be helpful, especially while he's eating an energy bar.
"Okay…dreams..." he mumbles through his mouthful, sitting up. "Blonde, brunette or red-head?" It sounds like a bad joke, but he could have sworn before he started speaking to Dr Wong that he'd been dreaming of a brunette and red-head, two entirely separate entities. Now, she's been telling him it's just been a blonde, singular.
"Red-head…she was…" she had been someone important in the dreams, but someone he cared for, not lusted after or wanted. That had been the brunette's role.
"Was it really just a blonde?"
It must have been.
She's the doctor, the one with the degree.
She must be right.
---
Elza hesitates, then swings for the black punch bag, counting out a rhythm in her head.
One two duck three four kick one two kick three four -
She stops herself, lowering her arms. She can't concentrate enough to train, there's something -
No.
Someone on her mind.
Glancing round to ensure no one sees her shirking practice, she sneaks back into the changing room and out through the door, not bothering to change. She walks past the empty shower stalls, and stops beside a lab techs coat, reaching out and snatching the pass.
"Highest level…lets hope its right…" she murmurs to herself, pocketing it for future use.
Once more checking for unwanted surveyors, she escapes the changing area and steals out into the hallway. Then, acting as if everything was normal, she continues to the lift.
It's empty inside, and there's no irritating music to anger her. As the lifts doors close, she pulls out the car once more and swipes it through the reader, and selects the highest of the forbidden levels. The lift shudders then moves down through the levels without much fuss, and she sighs with relief, running a hand through her blonde hair.
She could only hope she'd selected the correct floor.
It's a mystery to her as to why Chris stays below with Wesker and his private protégée, the anomaly that know one knows about, or if he/she even exists. The thought has occurred to her before that Chris could be that protégée, everything suggested it…even the goddamn sunglasses, which he hasn't removed yet, she thinks bitterly as with another judder, the lift halts and the doors open with a ping.
Taking another deep breath, she steps out the lift -
And walks right into someone with startlingly green eyes.
---
"How'd you do it?" Chris dusks, feeling the air part as Krauser's arm passes over his head, and knowing the power behind it, that it could have knocked him clean off the mat, and swings a leg out.
"Do what?" The scarred man grunts as he jumps on the spot, narrowly avoiding his legs being kicked from under him, swinging for the other's chest.
"Get Dr Wong to like you?" he asks in a gasp, stumbling back, winded.
Krauser would laugh if he wasn't busy trying to roundhouse kick the winded Redfield. "It's a relationship of mutual benefits, no strings attached. A booty call." he shrugs, and his momentary lapse of concentration earns him a fist in the face. He stumbles back, spitting out a tooth and barely manages to dodge the next harsh blow.
"That's not what I'm looking for." Chris says pointedly, balancing on the balls of his feet, ready for the next attack. "I want something…long term."
"Chris I'm flattered, but I don't swing that way." Krauser laughs as a confused look crosses the other' face and ducks behind him, grabbing a handful of Chris's long hair, wrapping his fingers around it tightly and yanking backwards, grinning at the yelp of shock and surprise he gains.
"I wasn't talking about you and you know it!" Chris snaps. "I was talking about…" he trails off.
"About who?"
"Elza…" he freezes then something reaching his sensitive ears. A scream? GO! Help them! He breaks free of Krauser's grip, and leaps off the mat, bare feet pounding at the floor.
He doesn't hear Krauser yelling after him, doesn't notice as he knocks both of the gym doors clean off their hinges in his rush, all he can concentrate on is where that scream came from, and running towards it.
He can hear the blood rushing in his ears, his easy breaths, his swift feet, and the air rushing past.
And suddenly he's there, at the lift, and he knows now why it seemed so important to heed the call for help, the scream that led him here…
It belongs to Elza.