Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the below piece of fiction, Capcom & Michael Crichton do.

Warning: Gun violence and swearing

Authors Note: One again I gotta thank you guys for being so incredibly awesome! I've been getting a lot of reviews talking about how funny the story is, and while it is ment to be funny at times, I've gotta warn you that things will get more serious as we get further along- this chapter will be an example. BUT, that doesn't mean there still wont be entertaining bits- I can't help but add in something totally crazy! Anyways, enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 9- Fear

Fear cannot be banished, but it can be calm and without panic; it can be mitigated by reason and evaluation. ~Vannevar Bush~

The guitar: A musical instrument having a flat-backed rounded body that narrows in the middle, a long fretted neck, and usually six strings, played by strumming or plucking.

That was the definition according to the dictionary. To Chris, the guitar was a simple instrument that, if played properly, could convey numerous feelings through the simple strumming and manipulation of one's fingers. Well, simple was in relative terms, of course. But what mattered to Chris was the fact that he didn't have to think when he was plucking away at the strings on his acoustic guitar. He had asked Wesker a few weeks ago if he could bring his guitar into the office- a stress reliever that did not include nicotine and numerous smoke breaks.

Surprisingly, Wesker has agreed that it would be good for Chris and allowed his subordinate to bring the instrument to the office. Of course, he had a few rules to follow- like he was only allowed to play during lunch, after hours, or when he and his fellow Alpha team members were done with their work (which was never if you included Wesker's almost obsessive nature towards paper work).

And so, lunch time had rolled around and Chris was slowly strumming the strings on 'Beth' (all good instruments needed a name- or so Chris insisted) while talking to Barry about his girls.

"Polly's really been into Barbies lately. I really don't get the fascination with the plastic dolls." Barry shook his head and wiped his fingers on his napkin. Sitting back in his chair, he let out a soft sigh and rubbed his eyes.

"Ever play with GI-Joes?" Chris asked, cringing slightly when he hit a bad note. It had been a while since he had played…

"Yeah, but those were cool plastic toys!" Barry replied before laughing softly as Chris gave him a level stare. "Maybe I'm just not in tune with girls and their choice in toys."

"You just need to have a baby sister that you grew up with."

"Speaking of baby sisters, have you spoken to Claire lately?"

Shaking his head, Chris pursed his lips as he hit another bad chord. "No, she's been really busy with starting College."

Barry raised an eyebrow, watching Chris try to get a few notes perfectly in a row, only to fail every time. Groaning, Chris put his guitar in its stand and sat back in his chair, looking at Barry.

"What's with the face?" Chris asked, matching Barry's expression.

"Just seems like you're not making any effort to talk to your family. Truth be told, you've been a little awkward even talking to me the past few weeks. Is there something… wrong?"

"N-no, why would you say that?" Chris asked, internally wincing as he hesitated at the 'no'. Truthfully, Chris was closed off only because he didn't want to let anything slip along the lines of his newfound lust for his Captain. He didn't know if he would be able to face Barry if he suddenly told him about how he wanted to make out with Wesker at least once.

Shrugging, Barry moved to pick up the apple he had taken out of his lunch bag and took a big bite before going to read through the newspaper. Chris watched Barry for a moment before getting up to saunter over to the bulletin board that had flyers from two weeks ago, reading through them for the eighth time that week.

He was just about to suggest to Barry that maybe if he played Barbie dolls with his daughter he'd understand the allure of sparkling pink and chipper smiles, but was interrupted by a squawk from Brad as the door connecting Bravo and Alpha team's office opened and slammed against the wall.

Spinning around, Chris looked at Brad, who was clutching his chest like he was going to have a heart attack as Wesker, Enrico, Edward, and Forest strode into the office, excited looks gracing all of their features.

"Lunch time is over early today. We have a mission," Wesker stated.

**XX**

An illegal drug ring.

Two years ago, the Raccoon police department had started to crack down on the drug crime scene that had begun to grow precedence in the city, concerning a large number of citizens who felt that the introduction of dangerous drugs would heavily damage their society as they knew it. Of course, after pressures from political parties, cooperations such as Umbrella, and outside social groups, the RPD went into overdrive in their fight against illegal drug production and trafficking.

But after the intense crackdown, the drug deals and production had gone even further underground, complicating the process of tracking down men and women who, for the most part, stayed deep in the shadows. The general population of Raccoon felt that the 'threat' was over- what one could not see was not a threat, right?

Fortunately, Umbrella Cooperation continued to fund the RPD in their drug crackdown, condoning the entire business of illegal drug trafficking publicly in numerous press conferences and PR campaigns. So while the general public felt that the threat was generally gone, the men and women in the police force continued to fight.

And for the past few weeks information had been obtained in regards to a group of criminals who had been selling illegal drugs in the underground market, targeting raving parties and clubs in the downtown area of Raccoon City. The operation had been going on for months, but a sudden break in the case allowed for a proper raid to be carried out on the location.

Rumour had it that the regular police force was to be sent in alone without the help of STARS, but Wesker had insisted that Irons send in his unit- causing strife between the two men. Ultimately, though, Wesker's persuasion won out and in return the STARS unit could actually go in and do something.

They were going to have another police unit back them up as they apprehended the men, giving the team a feeling of security. Although they were all highly trained men in their field of expertise, they still hadn't worked collectively on a real mission and the trust they all needed to build would take a while. And so, while the separate police unit secured the area and surrounded the house, Alpha and Bravo would infiltrate the house, apprehend the criminals, and give themselves a pat on the back.

It was relatively low-risk, but it was a mission and that was all the team wanted after months of doing very little. Besides, Chris was more than willing to arrest criminals who knowingly infected innocent youth with their poisonous drugs.

"About fucking time we did something," Chris mumbled as he slid on a pair of tactical gloves. Forest snorted in agreement as his fellow member fiddled with his gun holster. "Now maybe I can feel proud about wearing this STARS patch on my shirt."

"Think someone will get shot?" Brad asked, causing the entire unit to look at him, eyes narrowed. "W-what, I'm just asking!"

"I doubt anyone will be shot, Brad," Edward said as they left the locker room and headed towards the parking lot of the building, excitement radiating off of all of them.

Truth be told, everyone was wondering why the hell Brad was even hired. The guy was a chicken shit.

When they arrived at the parking lot, Chris saw the police officers who would be accompanying them standing by a few parked vans, and couldn't help but smile as he saw Peter standing with a few of them, chatting away animatedly to his fellow teammates.

"You know him?" Forest asked, noticing Chris' gaze. Nodding his head, Chris turned to look at Forest as they headed towards their own vehicles.

"Yeah, I used to patrol with him- he's a really great guy so I figure we'll be in good hands." Winking, Chris turned his attention away from Forest and found himself looking at Wesker, who was glaring at all of them.

"I told you all to be down here in five minutes, and you've been gone for seven minutes," he stated, arms crossed over his chest.

"Uh… I don't think two minutes makes a difference; the rest of the police members aren't even ready to go yet," Edward said, causing Wesker to snap his attention to the sniper like a predator to its prey. Chris was forever grateful that he wasn't the one to open his mouth this time.

"Two minutes could mean the difference between a successful mission and someone's death, Dewey. Think about that the next time you waste two minutes."

"I think you're being a tad… dramatic…" Chris said, slowing down the last part from coming out, as if his brain was frantically trying to shut down his system so as to not antagonize his Captain. Something had to be said for Chris' tenacity- no matter how much he wanted Wesker, it would never get in his way of saying stupid shit to him.

Wesker cocked his head to the side and inspected Chris for a moment, reminding the marksman of the velociraptors in that Jurassic Park movie Claire loved to watch. Chris was bracing for some sort of outburst, maybe even some physical violence, but was surprised when Wesker simply relaxed and turned around to speak with one of the police officers while all of the men in STARS slowly turned to look at Chris.

"Dude… you must have balls of steel," Brad murmured while Enrico began to give them the 'pep talk' that Wesker surely would not have given them.

"You're all going to do fine- just remember your training, remember the plan, and most of all keep your common sense about you," Marini explained, locking eyes with all of them before letting his gaze linger on Brad. "Understand?"

"Yes, sir," they said in unison, all of them ready to just leave and do their first mission as STARS members.

**XX**

The house looked like a regular house from the outside. Situated in a suburban neighbourhood, the relatively new home had a sharply cut lawn, green and trimmed bushes, a new coat of paint on the drab wooden siding, and it even had a little gnome sitting by the door. By all appearances, the house didn't seem to be intimidating at all; it actually looked inviting.

But inside was a different story.

Rather than cosy furniture and the smell of baking cookies, there were metal chairs and rows of tables sitting in the living room, files and documents littering the tops of them. There were no posters, pictures, or anything on the walls other than a clock, ticking away the seconds, minutes, and hours of every day.

"Where are they?" Chris asked, more to himself than to anyone else. Guns raised, Alpha team had taken the front door while Bravo took the back- all of them on high alert. They had expected to see the men and woman on the main floor of the bungalow, but were met with empty chairs and discarded documents.

"Don't let your guard down… I believe they've scuttled into the basement like rats," Wesker replied, eyes darting to the slightly ajar door in the kitchen. Signalling for Barry and Chris to cover either side of the door, Wesker approached it carefully while Bravo team covered the back. Brad was putting on a brave face, but was currently hanging back as far as he could.

Opening the door slowly, a small creak broke the tense silence as Wesker looked down the steep cement stairs, gun at the ready. Beginning down the stairs slowly, Chris, Barry, and Forest followed while the rest of the team stayed upstairs, guarding the basement door.

As the men continued down the stairs, light appeared at the end through a crack in another door, blocking the passage to what was supposed to be the main base of operation. Looking at his men, Wesker noticed their slight nods, reassuring him that they were ready for this.

Taking a deep breath, Chris braced himself as Wesker opened the door, flooding them in light as they barrelled forward, guns pointing at the three men in the room.

"Freeze!" shouted Wesker as the men sprinted upwards from their seats, panic evident on their faces. A flurry of movement took place and Chris froze himself when he saw one of the men frantically waving a gun of his own around before pointing it directly at Forest.

"D-don't tell us what to fucking do!" the man yelled, voice wavering as his partners backed up, hands high in the air.

"You sure you want to do that, buddy?" Barry asked as Chris scanned the room quickly, noticing medicine bottles piled up in corners with an assortment of pills in different containers sitting in metal bookshelves. They looked more like… pharmaceutical drugs?

"We've got four men here pointing our guns at you, and you've got one gun and two friends who are being intelligent and are surrendering," Barry continued, his voice calm and collected as he aimed at the frantic individual.

"Y-yeah, and you don't think I know what'll h-happen if I give in? God, I am not about to let my work go to waste b-because of you fucking pigs!"

"Now… think rationally. Firing at one of us is only going to cause further damage… you don't want that, right?"

The man seemed to hesitate slightly, the gun in his hand going lax for a moment. "I-I don't want to hurt you guys… b-but you don't understand!"

"We understand very well," Wesker spoke up, causing the man to quickly snap his attention to the blonde male. Suddenly his gun was no longer pointed at Forest, but was aimed strait at Wesker.

"I… I know who you are," the man whispered, eyes wide.

Chris didn't know who took the first shot, but he heard two go off loud and clear. A moment passed before the criminal collapsed, followed shortly by Wesker. Barry and Forest rushed towards the drug traffickers while Chris awkwardly swung his arm out to catch Wesker, who was grabbing his arm, face pale and skin stretched tight over his features.

Wesker was shot… he was shot and he was going down.

Shot.

Wesker.

Chris felt like something was going to break inside him. But he had to keep it together, otherwise… no, best not to think about such things.

"Officer and suspect are down- I repeat officer and suspect are down," Forest called through his radio. Commotion could be heard upstairs as police rushed the building, footsteps raining down upon them from above.

Meanwhile, Wesker's back was resting against Chris' chest as the younger man awkwardly supported the wounded man, the two of them sliding to the ground with Chris slowing the momentum so they wouldn't hit the cement floor with great force. Awkwardly grabbing at the fabric around his blood soaked arm, Wesker let out a painful hiss as he tried to rip the garment.

"I need to see… the… damage," he panted out as Chris gently pushed his hand aside and ripped the sleeve of the damaged shirt away to see blood sliding down porcelain skin.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Chris awkwardly reached into his own vest with one hand to pull out some gauze while his other arm stayed wrapped around Wesker's waist, holding up the almost completely passed out man.

"W-why are you… so… relieved, Redfield?" Wesker growled out, causing Chris to hold back a shaky laugh.

"It's a graze- the bullet just grazed your arm…" Chris said, relief washing through his system as he pressed the gauze against the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding, while the sound of ambulance sirens shot through the air and carried to the basement. Chris didn't even realize men were crowded around in the basement and were arresting the two standing individuals while the rest, including Barry, were sorting out the wounded mad man who had been hit in the shoulder.

"Y-you're going to be fine… a little bullet graze isn't going to kill you," Chris said, frowning as the blood soaked through the gauze. Wesker let out a soft moan as Chris removed his sunglasses and slipped them in his own pocket.

"D-doesn't take away… from it hurting… like a son-of-a-bitch," Wesker bit out, causing Chris to raise his eyebrows. He had never heard Wesker swear before…

Snapping out of his daze, Chris looked up to see the medics had arrived and were currently trying to shoo him away from his Captain. Gently resting Wesker back on the floor with the help of an EMT, Chris stood up and watched as Wesker stared at the ceiling, answering the questions the medics had for him softly, trying not to pass out from the pain.

Tearing himself away, Chris suddenly desperately needed fresh air and rushed upstairs and out of the house, immediately taking in a deep breath of the clean, pure air. He shakily went to run a hand through his hair before noticing his hand was covered in blood.

"You okay?" Barry asked, coming up from behind Chris. Spinning around, Chris lowered his hand and clenched his fist tightly. Barry stood there, hands also covered in blood and face pale.

"Y-yeah, I'm good. Wesker was only grazed in the arm… he'll be okay, I think," Chris said, watching Barry take a few steady breaths. "Are you okay?"

"In better shape than the man I shot."

"You were the one who took the shot?!"

Barry nodded, looking past Chris. "I could have killed someone tonight…"

"But you didn't. Just got his shoulder, right? A-and he shot at a cop, so it was in self defence, or more like you were protecting a partner," Chris supplied, worried about seeing Barry, Mr. Stable, so shaken up.

Barry didn't say anything as the two men stood on the lawn, hands soaked in blood for completely different reasons. The lights from different emergency vehicles illuminated the night sky, waking all of them to the reality of the situation.

Oh yeah, I shot Wesker- WHAT ARE YAH GONNA DO ABOUT IT?! Anyways, as you can see Mr. Fancy Face will be fine, and his 'little' accident will open the doors for some... uh... good stuff? I can't say more than that. Also, Wesker is Mr. Fancy Face to me because he's got an artistorcratic face, therefore it's fancy. Thanks for the reviews/reads/watches/favorites/etc. you guys are all positivley delightful to me, and I have to thank you all for being hella amazing!