Chapter XXIII

Sherry

"Chris!" The gasp escaped her loudly in the silence. He clamped his hand around her mouth again.

"Sherry stop being so fucking loud," he turned his eyes to the door and then back to hers, "I'm going to take my hand off your face but you can't be loud. Okay?" She nodded firmly against his hand and drew in a hard breath when he gave her ample space to breathe.

What in the hell is Chris doing here? He shouldn't be here! The questions were making Sherry antsy, she wanted to know why he was here, how he had found her and when did he get here, and if he had gone to Leon's rescue first.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered quietly as his hulking figure pulled away from her.

"Saving your ass," he whispered back.

Sherry felt dizzy. She couldn't believe this was happening, the relief was making her almost lightheaded. Chris was here! Of all the amazing things that could happen this was the best. Sherry leaped into Chris' large arms with a hard breath, "thank you so much. Oh Chris, I'm so happy to see you!"

"Shh!" He hissed back half-heartedly, "Be quiet."

She stood back and licked her lips nervously, "Did you get Leon?"

"Yeah, he's making sure that no one comes here. I figured that you guys were in some sort of trouble when you didn't return after a few days. This was supposed to be an in and out mission remember?" In the darkness she couldn't see his face, but Sherry imagined that Chris was glaring at her, "you were both supposed to get evidence and then get the fuck out of here. I get here and what do I find? The both of you imprisoned."

She didn't reply to him and simply headed for the door, "how did you get in here?"

"I broke in with a little help from my trusty guns," Chris joked quietly, she rolled her eyes at his cheesy statement and approached the door too. It slid open and then he peeked his head out around the corner. Sherry quietly prayed that her heart would stop drumming so furiously against her chest. "Okay, come out." He stepped into the light and she followed.

Chris looked the same as usual, he wore thick cargo pants with black combat boots and a tight black t-shirt. His eyes were narrowed as he inspected the hall, "Leon's waiting for us over by the end of the hakk." He explained and took her by the hand, walking quickly down the hall. She noticed, as she stumbled behind him, that he had a gun strapped to his hip and another in his hand. "I managed to create a diversion on the island. I set off explosives all around the place. When they came up I shot a few," he explained, knowing she was curious, "when I jumped into the elevator I threw a few grenades down," he smirked at the wild look she gave him, "don't worry they aren't dead, but they're going to be blind for a few hours."

When they approached the end of the hall she found Leon waiting there. His eyes skated to her and he released a hard breath of relief, embracing her quickly. She held onto him silently for a while as he whispered words of apology in her ear.

"It's not your fault," she muttered to him gently, kissing his cheek and pulling away. Facial hair had started to peek through his skin, she smiled at his worried eyes, "I'm fine. They didn't hurt you did they?"

"No, I'm good." Leon's eyes narrowed above her head to Chris, "Chris, where's the helicopter?"

"There isn't a helicopter yet. I couldn't just leave it there you know? All I have to do is send out a signal and they'll be here under then minutes. We'll have to go up and get to it and then we're free." Chris shifted with a focused stare, "are you two still going to get that evidence. We should go for it now. They're all upstairs trying to look for me. The lab is in the lowest level," he pulled out a map, and Leon raised a brow. Chris smiled sheepishly, "I grabbed it off the wall."

When they found the elevator to take them down into the lab Sherry found herself trembling horribly hard. Leon noticed but said nothing, Chris smiled reassuringly at her and handed her a hand gun. "Thanks," she muttered.

"Relax short stuff. Everything's gonna' be fine. Just taking a few pictures and then we are out of here."

"But what about Kruspe," she asked, looking to Leon now who shifted from foot to foot, "are we just going to leave him or what? And what happens when we get down there and there are a bunch of people working? Are we going to kill them?"

"We do what we have to do, that's all." Chris answered. She nodded at him and checked to see how many bullets were left in the gun, it was a full clip. She popped it back into the gun and waited impatiently for the doors to open.

"They didn't hurt you did they?" Leon asked with a wary gaze. "You have to tell me. I was so worried about you." His murmur made her heart break. She knew what it was that he was asking…

"No, they didn't do anything to me Leon." Her voice was so distant that she was certain that he didn't believe her. Luckily he let the subject go as they watched the letters plunge, signaling that they were approaching the laboratory.

When the door opened they all had their guns aimed up and pointed. They were greeted with a long hallway with flickering lights; she assumed that this was the cause of Chris's explosions on the top most layer of the island.

Leon signaled silently for them to step forward and they did with Chris leading the way. Sherry stayed in the middle and Leon behind her. They walked down the path carefully, knowing that at any moment someone, or worse, something could pop out.

The silence was deafening, and if Sherry didn't know any better she would think that she could hear their heartbeats in the long space. But there was nothing. They walked pass a huge window and stared down into a he laboratory.

"That's it," Leon growled out, she nodded, noticing that the lab had gone dark with the exception of large tanks, she could see that there were things inside of them but from her angle she couldn't tell what it was, but she could see that there were six large tanks, lit up from the inside, two of them had bodies inside, she could only see their legs.

"Are those people?" Chris huffed out with disgust. "Sick bastards… they're experimenting on them."

"Do you think they took them by force?" Sherry whispered gently as she looked in the darkness below them for any signs of movement. "Its completely possible that these people participated for this."

"I wouldn't bet on it." Leon answered and then moved past the window.

They went down another floor until they reached the laboratory.

At first all they could see was the light from the tanks shimmering and lighting their way down the middle of the laboratory. They didn't move for a long while, listening to the darkness, trying to hear for any signs of other people being here. To their great relief they heard nothing of the sort.

"Do you think they bailed to go upstairs?" Chris muttered out in the darkness, stepping forward into the long passageway between the tanks.

"Probably, maybe it was dangerous to be down here with the explosions you set of, which reminds me, we need to get out of here asap." Leon muttered, "Chris do you have a camera?"

"Yeah."

Sherry stepped forward, lowering her weapon and approaching the tank nearest to her on her left. It was empty except for the green-blue fluid inside of it. There was what seemed to be a vent on the bottom part of the tank on the inside. She imagined it worked as a filter of some sort. She moved past this one to the one on the right where she noticed a mask of some sort. And then she made her way over to the one beside that where a body was floating.

At first she stared at it with dismay, but then her dismay grew to horror as she stared up at the familiar face. They had taken off his glasses, and his dark hair was flowing and billowing about his face. She didn't stare for long before she realized that this was Daniel, the medic who had helped her. He was now floating naked inside the tank with a mask attached to his face.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed, moving back and away from the tank.

"Sherry? What's wrong?" Leon ran over to her side and took in the man.

"I-I know who he is… why.. .would would they do this?" She asked, looking up at the man with horror. Her face looked almost as green as the light the tank emitted. "This is sick; we have to get him out of here."

"Check the guy at the end and to the right, see if may there is some sort of chart, I'll look for a way to get them out of there safely," Chris called to them and started darting around the huge lab, looking for something that might instruct them on how to release these people safely.

When she approached the last tank on the right Sherry first noticed how familiar the short hair looked. The man was floating with his back to her naked. She first took in the powerful looking thighs, the long arms and then the mask strapped to his head.

When she walked to the front of the tank Sherry's chest crumpled.

Jake Muller floated in front of her as if in a dream.

…

"Sherry!" Leon yelled when he heard her screaming. Instantly he was darting through the laboratory, looking for her. He found her standing before the last tank with her hands in her hair. "Sherry! What is it!" He yelled with horror as she crumpled to her knees and continued shrieking.

Grabbing her up by the arms quickly he turned to the tank, he stiffened at the sight.

Jake Muller's face was ashen even in the fluid. His mouth was parted and held open by some sort of machine in his mouth that probably pumped air into his lungs. His naked body floated vertically and aimlessly. Sherry hadn't stopped screaming.

"Oh God! No, no, no! What is he doing here! Oh God!"

"Sherry stop it!' Chris came to Leon's aid and pulled Sherry away from the tank. She tried jumping around him but soon found herself in his arms, helpless to release herself. "Sherry!-

"Get him out of there! Get him out!" She cried her eyes wide and horrified at the sight of the man within the tank. Chris finally looked over and almost choked from shock. What was Jake Muller doing here?!

"Is that Jake?" He asked as Leon walked around the huge tank with equally confused eyes. He seemed to be searching for something, Sherry cried out and struggled more forcefully against Chris. "Leon is that Jake Muller!"

"Yes! Yes!" Leon called back hotly and then stopped in front of the tank, "I don't know how to get him out of there… fuck!" He hissed and banged on the tank.

Sherry whimpered, "we have to get him out! We have to get him out! What is he even doing here? Oh my god he's been here the whole time…" she babbled weakly and Chris tightened his hold on her, afraid she might do something they would both regret.

"Should we just shoot the glass?" Chris asked, hearing the panic in his own voice.

"We could, but… what if it makes the entire thing collapse on him." Leon muttered stepping back and looking at the tank with fear, "the top is metal and the only thing holding it up is the glass… or whatever that stuff is. I don't think its glass. They'd probably use something bulletproof."

"Well there has got to be a way to release him!" Sherry cried out, wriggling around in Chris' arms and finally releasing herself. She ran to the tank and ran her hands along the cylindrical shaped tank, looking for something it seemed. She looked so small before Jakes floating form, Chris observed.

"There are vents," she stuttered out, "maybe when we drain the thing it will somehow release him?"

"That's a good idea," Leon muttered, "but how do we do that without any power? This thing is controlled by computers no doubt."

"Fuck." Chris hissed. "I mean why don't we just try this… let's shoot the damn glass, okay? If it cracks then we will-

"No! Look!" Sherry jumped to the left side of the tank and traced her finger up a vertical ridge, "it will slide open. This is some sort of passage way to release his body, look!" She pointed out the rectangular shape of the ridge. "We can release him without worry of the entire thing collapsing on itself. Come on!" She hollered impatiently and took out her gun.

"Woah! Stop!" Chris yelled, grabbing the gun away from her, "you don't know what might happen with that bullet, what if it ricochets and hits you instead? Have you lost your mind!" He yelled at the petite blonde.

"We have to release him!"

"We're going to if you'd just relax!" Chris spit back, angry at the situation as well but mostly annoyed by her impulsivity.

…

Sherry's head was going to explode. She couldn't keep the tears out of her eyes as she looked up at Jakes floating body. Even like this she still found him beautiful. "Oh, God…" she whimpered up at the tank as Leon searched with Chris for some sort of release system.

What are you doing here Jake? You should be at home on your couch… drinking a beer and cursing… not here… not with me… The questions in her head were making her angrier as the seconds ticked by.

"Sherry I think we got it!" Leon called to her suddenly when twenty minutes had gone by. She stiffened as she heard what sounded like typing. Had they found a working computer? No… all the computers were down, but she did hear typing…

She jumped back as she heard a sudden whirring in Jake's tank. She watched with shock as the fluid began to lower and with it so did his body. "It's working!" She called to them, Leon and Chris came running and went to her aid as she stepped to the vertical ridges and watched fluid drain completely. Then the rectangle slid open.

His naked body came spilling out and into her arms weakly. She heard his raspy breath and began to sob as Chris scrambled to look for something to wrap him up in and Leon removed the mask from his face. His body felt too cold, and too weak in her embrace. She could hardly think straight as she held his frame tightly to her.

He smelled faintly sweet. And his shallow breaths were making it hard for her too focus. His face was horribly wet, and his skin felt like it was covered in a thin layer of oil.

"Jake! Jake please weak up, you have to.." Her voice was hoarse as Leon gently removed him from her arms and lay him flat on the ground. She watched as he placed an ear to his heart and nodded.

"His heart is beating strongly… he's alright, probably just weak."

"Here!" Chris came running with a pair of slacks in his arms and a t-shirt. "Put that on him."

"What is he doing here Leon?" She asked him as if he knew, he didn't respond as he pulled the shirt over Jakes frame and she worked to put pants on his body. "It's not possible that he knew I was here right?"

"It's possible," he whispered, "I just don't think that he knew." He noticed the way Sherry trembled and she buttoned the pants around Jake, "Sherry, he's alright, just calm down alright?"

She nodded obediently and looked back at Jake's face. His hard features didn't look relaxed as he breathed in and out loudly. She needed him to wake up! "Chris, call the helicopter, we need to get out of here." She whispered gently. "And we need to release Daniel."

He nodded and took out a thick black phone. Leon pulled Jake to his feet and tossed Jake's frame over his right shoulder. Sherry took his gun off his hip and followed Chris, her eyes on the unconscious man on Leon's shoulder.

When they released Daniel Chris threw him over his shoulder so that Sherry was left with the duty of protecting all four men.

In the elevator she couldn't rip her eyes from Jake's unconscious form. She wanted to hold him, to kiss him and tell him that everything was going to be okay because it just had to be. But he wouldn't hear her, he was too unconscious to even wake up as Leon shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his body.

"He'll be alright Sherry." Chris patted her gently on the back, not struggling with Daniels weight at all.

"Where will the helicopter be?"

"Right above the elevator. We'll get out of it, walk a few feet and they'll be there waiting."

"What about the guards, there are so many of them."

"That's why we have these." Chris pointed to the flash grenades on his hip. She took one into her palm and clutched it tightly. "When we get out if you see a horde of them you threw it at them without hesitation and then get your ass on that helicopter."

"Got it." She murmured, casting another look at Jake.

When they approached the top most layer of the island they all stiffened at once. Sherry's breath came out quickly and she easily calmed herself and aimed her gun forward as the elevator doors slid open.

They were greeted with a gentle breeze. She could see men writhing in the distant grasses, clutching their eyes. Those flash grenades Chris threw sure did a number on them, she mused. Quickly they stepped out of the elevator, Sherry pointed her gun in all directions, watching for anyone who might be coming out them.

"There's the elevator." Chris pointed to the great metal beast coming their way. Sherry breathed a sigh of relief. They passed a writing man as quietly as they could, ignoring his moaning and weeping and watched the elevator drew nearer and nearer. The sound of it's choppers forced Leon to cover his ears and clutch Jake to his shoulder tightly as the wind threatened to send them off their feet.

"Thank you so much, Chris." Sherry said to him, hoping he could hear her. The smile he tossed in her direction let her know that he did in fact hear her.

Suddenly she heard a blast ring out. At first she stiffened, hoping to God that Chris or Leon, Daniel or Jake, hadn't been hit by what was so obviously a gun shot, but then she felt the trickle of blood down her thigh. She whirled around, ignoring Chris and Leon's yells of shock and saw Richard marching in her direction with a gun raised.

"Sherry don't!" Leon yelled, almost dropping Jake as she darted forward.

She would kill this man. He did this! He was putting her in danger, her friends in danger, Jake in danger…

"Sherry!" She heard Chris roar in the distance when she had Richard clear and in her sights, before he had the chance to reload the handgun she was on him. Her arms wound around his waist as she tackled him to the ground.

He threw an arm up and tried to hit her in the face but she easily knee'd him in the chest and used her elbows to bruise his face.

He yelped with pain when she then punched him repeatedly.

"How dare you!" She growled, "how dare you try to harm him! I should kill you."

"You bitch!" He screeched and rolled onto her petite form, she grabbed the gun again. Sherry yelped when her body lost breath when he crushed her with his weight. She struggled to breathe as he tightened his hold that was suddenly on her neck. "You and I were supposed to change the world!"

She coughed wildly and reached up, attempting to gouge his eyes out. She scratched at his arms so hard that he fell away from her with a gasp. Angrily Sherry kicked him squarely in the chest. He fell back, screaming and clutching his chest. She was certain that she broke a few ribs.

"You stupid whore," he slurred at her and cough blood. He reached for his gun and aimed it at her just as someone slammed into his side and a blast went off. She shrieked with shock.

Sully stood up, glaring down at the man with a stoic mask.

"Sully!" She cried out, watching him as he approached Richard with fire in his eyes. "Where's Ralph?" She asked.

"He killed Ralph. He found out that he was going to help you escape.. so he shot him."

Her eyes bulged as Richard spit blood into the grass. It exploded forth from his mouth like a mist. "No…"

"Yes." Sully growled and stepped harshly on Richard ankle. The man growled in agony and clutched for his ankle. Sully delivered a hard blow to his face, sending Richard back into the dirt.

"Sherry… help me!" He begged her softly, "We can change-

"You will never change the world!" She yelled at him, kicking him sharply in the jaw again. "Sully… come with me, come with us-" she begged him as he stared down at Richard.

"There's nothing left for me. I'm a convicted murderer, this was supposed to be the rest of my life, an honest work life, and he went and ruined it." His voice was a low growl, and for a moment she pitied him, but then she looked at the determination in his eyes as Richard writhed and moaned.

"You don't have to do this. You don't have to kill him, you can change-

"Save it. I don't need you preachin' to me about what a good man I can become. This was it for me, and there is nothing left anymore."

She wanted to plead with him to listen to reason, but she knew that he would not listen to her anymore. Quietly she nodded, ignoring Richard who was now sobbing on the ground with blood streaming through his nostrils and down his lips. His eyes turned up at her, begging for mercy. "Goodbye," she whispered sharply and then left him with Richard writhing on the floor. She resisted tears as she ran to Leon and Chris.

"Did you kill him?" Leon asked, looking at her carefully as she healed whatever bruises might have been forming.

"No. I didn't. I broke his ribs though. He's still laying there screaming."

"Who was that man?" Chris asked.

"He was no one… just a guy who worked here." She muttered sadly.

Their eyes followed the chopper as it found a spot to settle on and three men with assault weapons came out, two medics joined them and took the two unconscious men from their arms. Sherry followed them onto the chopper quietly and sat by Jake's side as the medics attached Iv's to his arm and an oxygen mask.

"Is he okay?" She asked them quietly, hoping to God that he was.

"We don't know yet, his color is not good but we only think that may be from lack of sunlight. He seems generally fine even if his breathing is a little raspy."

Sherry nodded with a strange sigh… that was good, even if it wasn't positive it was better then all the horrible things she could imagine them telling her. Things like, his lungs show signs of deterioration. He might never wake up again. His blood is poisoned from all the experiments.

She sighed with comfort when she took Jake's hand in her own and shut her eyes. His stoic face burned in her memory even when she wasn't looking at him.

"See, in and out, easy mission." Leon joked.

"You asshole," Chris laughed as the chopper came up and off the ground.

She only smirked with her closed eyes, inside the tension had not left her. She wanted him to wake up, she wanted to kiss him and yell at him for even being in a predicament like that. She wanted to ask him to never scare her like that again.

"Sherry, relax." Chris noticed how she had started breathing hard, almost as if she were hyperventilating.

"I can't…" she squeaked, looking at Jake's unconscious form on the floor beside Daniel. Stars danced in her vision, "I can't breathe."

"She's having a panic attack." One of the medics muttered and moved forward. She placed a bag over Sherry's mouth and nose and commanded her to breathe evenly. Leon stared, wide eyed and shocked as Sherry nodded along to the instructions and did her best to follow along. Her heart was drumming so hard that the medic gave her a pill to try and calm her down.

"Fuck... Leon, look." Chris pointed to something and she looked down, it was then that she realized that she had been shot. She passed out with Jake's name burning on her tongue.

I would pass out too...

Haha! So that's that chapter. I wanted to hash it out instead of leaving you guys with an annoying cliffie.. So I did a MINOR cliffhanger, I figure its almost the end of the story. I think you have deserved to have this all told to you in one chapter.

I didn't really enjoy writing this chapter, mainly because I wasn't sure how to go about it, but I knew that my patience was wearing thin with this story so rather than draw it out I wanted to give it to you in one chunk so that you may all be pleased and not be left waiting :) So I hope you all enjoyed the action. As you can see Sherry is a bit overwhelmed. And Chris and Sherry save the day yay!

Review?

Should Sherry and Jake make up?

What do you think ? Did the chapter please you?

I hope it did.

REVIEW. IT'S ALMOST THE END.. Probably two more chapters :(