Disclaimer: Resident Evil belongs to Capcom.

Author's Note - Again, so sorry for the long update! Work has been crazy and I'd been forced to stay after hours everyday. Anyway, here's an update from me. Noticed that when you are playing Sherry during the motorcycle part of the game, you get the choice to hold on to Jake? Lol, needless to say, I held on pretty much most of the ride. Anyway, not completely happy with this chapter but I have to move on to get to the better scenes of my fic. Sorry I tend to drabble on the action scenes but I really do love action and watching Jake kung fu his way is pretty hot. Thanks so much for all the reviews and words of encouragement. You guys rock!

Chapter 16 – Joyride

He kept walking until he made it to the long corridor of the long expanse of the building. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, each footstep becoming heavier as he walked on. He glanced back towards her direction and felt a burning sensation rising up his chest of what felt like shame.

She was there for him when he needed support. She tried to console him and he could feel her sympathy reach out to him and what did he do? He brushed her off just like the other people in his life. He turned her away when he needed someone the most.

He had been alone for so long, he forgot what it was like to have someone help and care for him. He had long ago lost trust in people and only relied on himself. Letting people in his life only causes complications. Why bother? They're just going to leave him in the end anyway. He wanted to push her away, to create a barrier between them he's done since he chose the life of a mercenary. But he couldn't help but feel guilty when he saw the pain in her eyes.

Pain, sorrow, hatred and anger. Sometimes he felt like an old man despite almost being twenty one, holding hurt and pain than most men could harbour in a lifetime. He often wondered if he's capable of feeling anything else in the long lonely nights he spent as a mercenary. He forgot what it's like to feel like he mattered. It almost feels too good to be true.

He'd been angry for so long. He often felt being a mercenary is the best job for him. It's the one job where he can get his anger the best out of him. He wanted to see people hurt. Every single person he encountered in his life. He wanted each and every one of them to feel what he feels. To hurt like he does.

But something inside him told him Sherry already has…

He heard the swing of the door open and he glanced as she came a few feet from him. He noticed her cheeks a little wet and the corners of her eyes wet with moisture. He felt a pang of guilt stab his chest.

"Sherry…"

She looked at his face searching. "What?"

I'm sorry. He opened his mouth but the words wouldn't form. "Nothing."

She looked away. "I see."

Without another word, she walked ahead. He trailed after her feeling the guilt build up inside him. Why couldn't he just apologize? He shook his head.

They came across a set of stairs and a few Javos were patrolling the area. The duo disposed of them quickly before coming across an elegant looking hallway lined with huge golden pots and an expensive looking carpet covering the floor. They continued forward until they reached the foyer of the building.

Sherry surveyed her surroundings marvelling at the intricate designs on the wall, expensive paintings lining the walls of the room and a big statue in the middle. "Gosh, look at this place. Someone has serious money in order to build this whole thing."

"You're telling me. Each item in this room probably cost a whole lot more than all the items I've ever owned," he replied as he searched for an exit. He spotted the big double doors by the bottom of the stairs. Jogging ahead, he stopped short in front of it. "Hey, I've found our ticket out of here."

"Yeah, but until I talk to my boss, I wouldn't even know where to go," she replied as she examined the doors. They seemed to be electronically locked.

He sighed. "Alright. Let's find a way for you to phone home."

"There's a door over there. Why don't we check it out?" she said pointing to a door at the other side of the room.

He gave a nod. "Let's go."

The pair found it was unlocked and proceeded forward. It led them to a small room with a lot of computers and machines. Sherry noticed a picture of Jake in one of the monitors and easing her curiosity began to leaf through the screen. It was all his data gathered from the experiments over the past six months. Every blood test, every physical examination, brain scans, x-rays, graphs, results and tables were all recorded.

"What's that?" he asked as he came behind her.

"Data from your experiments," she replied as she continued to read the information. This would surely be handy in creating the treatment for the C virus.

Meanwhile, he began searching through the lockers behind them for anything useful. He came across a cell phone. He gave a smile. "Hello." Turning the power button on, he felt relieved they could call someone. He went back to her. "Hey, why don't you call your boss?"

She took the phone from him and pressed on the screen. "Hello? This is Sherry Birkin." She paused as she listened for the caller on the other line.

A stern voice replied. "Agent Birkin, I haven`t heard from you for a long time. What happened to you and where are you now?"

Although he`s her supervisor just hearing his voice always gives her a chill. It`s like getting a scolding from a parent or the school principal. "I`m sorry I haven`t gotten in contact any sooner. We were detained. In a facility in China."

"You are in China? You`re in luck. My team and I are also in the country. We are in the process of observing the effects of the virus in this part of the country. Is the subject with you and is he safe?"

"Yes, he`s here with me. He`s safe," she replied.

"Good. Alright, here are your new orders. Leave the facility you`re in and make your way over to the Kwun Lung Building. It's located in Koocheng. You are to bring the subject here safely. Make sure he gets here in one piece," Simmons said, his voice cold. "And don`t get caught, Ms Birkin. You have wasted enough time already. Get here as soon as you can."

She gave a slight nod. Although she had worked under him for around three years now, he still never lost his cold and grim demeanour. His expectations are incredibly high and nothing she does seems to be good enough for him. Her boss is hard to please and it grates on her nerves from time to time. "Understood. We`ll get there as soon as we can."

She ended their call and slid the screen of her smart phone shut. She glanced at Jake who stood beside her.

"Well, what did he say?"

"They`re already here in China. We`re saved," she replied, pocketing her phone.

"Hallelujah. So ready to go?"

"Just a moment," she replied. She grabbed a small chip at the corner of the panel and inserted it in the computer. She began to copy all of Jake`s files and data. Once the process was complete, she saved it and took it out. "Let`s get out of here."

The two made their way back in the main foyer. She was standing by the door, trying to figure out how to unlock the doors electronically when a loud blast erupted throughout the whole place. The walls within the door cracked and collapsed and through there emerged a large tank. She opened her mouth to scream when she felt an arm wrap around her waist, lifting her off her feet. She landed on the marbled floor, the tank missing her completely from being run over. She felt something covering her head as dust and debris fell around her. She caught her breath and when she looked up, she saw her partner shielding her body, as well as his from the destruction of the tank.

"Jesus Christ! You`ve got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed as he watched the tank rotate its huge cannon gun and began to aim at them.

"Oh crap! We need to get out of here now!" she cried as she heard the click of the gun preparing to shoot at them. Both got to their feet lightning fast and ran away from the tank as far as possible. Several armed Javos appeared and began firing at them.

Shooting a couple, Jake saw a long bar hanging at the top of the stairs. Studying it, he saw he could use it to get across to the other side of the ledge. He turned around and saw his partner shooting at a couple of Javos. "Sherry, I`m going to go up there by the ledge. Hang in here, I`ll find a way for you to get up too."

She glanced at him as she kept firing. "Ok! Hurry though. These Javos just keeps coming."

He turned around and ran upstairs. Once at the top, he leaped up grabbing the metal bar with his hands. Swinging his body up and over it, he flipped through the air and landed on his feet. He was met with a couple of mutated Javos, their legs elongated and bent at the knees resembling a grass hopper`s. They saw him and began to advance, their long limbs giving them long strides enabling them to close the gap quickly. "This is fucking wonderful! Just keeps getting better for me."

He shot a couple of rounds which slowed them a bit but didn`t stop them. Putting his gun in his holster, he held his fists in front of him and rushed towards them. He gave a high kick to the nearest one sending it skittering across the floor. He gave a couple of punches on the other one before grabbing its head and slamming it on the wall. He gave a savage kick on its leg breaking it before pulling his gun back out again and shooting it point blank. Changing the clip in his gun, he fired more shots at the one he kicked before. His bullets seem to have trouble penetrating through its thick skin so he ran to it and did a flying spinning kick making it fall on the ground for the second time. Raising a boot, he crushed its skull. He wasted no time and ran at the other side of the ledge where he could see Sherry fighting off several Javos. She was hiding behind one of the pillars using it as cover as she threw an incendiary grenade to a cluster of them igniting them on fire.

"Sherry! Over here! I`ll cover you," he yelled. He took out his sniper rifle and began picking off the Javos near her. Using this distraction, she left the safety of the pillar and made her way towards him. He knelt down and extended a hand down to her. "Grab my hand!"

She nodded and took a few steps back. With a short burst of speed she ran and leaped up snatching his hand. Grunting he pulled her up to the ledge, not letting her go until she had both feet safely on the floor.

"Thanks. Come on," she said as she gave him a grateful smile and began making her way towards the double doors.

They came across a long hallway lined with expensive looking paintings on the wall. The whole place is decorated with golden intricate designs and golden pots lined the hallway. The two walked on when she spoke up.

"I hope we can find an exit here. I`m getting sick of this place."

He felt his curiosity picked up as he realized he doesn`t really know what happened to her the whole time they haven`t seen each other. "So what have you been up to for the past six months?"

"You name it. They were testing the virus I`m carrying. It was the same thing I went through right after Racoon City. It`s still as shitty as the second time," she replied, her tone holding anger and resentment as she spoke.

Although he couldn`t see any scars or wounds, he could only imagine what they must have done to her. He felt sympathy towards her but most of all, he felt hot white anger building inside him. "Geez, I`m sorry to hear that."

"I`m just glad it`s over. There`s no way I`m getting back there."

He didn`t get time to respond when the floor gave way under them and they found themselves falling down to the next level. Covering their heads, he waved off the dust around his face and coughed. "For fuck`s sake! They`re even willing to destroy their property to get to us."

A loud crashing sound came behind them and once again, the tank reappeared coming towards them in full speed.

"Run!" she cried as she forced her legs to carry her. She saw the gun aiming towards them. "Watch your back!"

The two ran until they saw a hallway at the end. Going through it they came across the exit of the building which led them to a large shallow pool beside the building. It would have been a beautiful and peaceful scenery if it weren`t for the Javos chasing after them.

Jake was looking up when he was a glass wall holding a set of impressive looking vehicles. "Alright, here`s the plan. I`m gonna go up there and see if I can get us a ride. Hide until I come get you ok?"

She gave a nod. "Ok, but be careful. There`s too many of them and we`re more vulnerable if we`re separated."

"I know. I`ll make it fast."

He ran up to the other building when the tank busted again from the walls of the facility. "Persistent bastards," he muttered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his partner hiding behind the wall they came from. Good, stay hidden he said to himself. He ran down the long walkway of the oriental building shooting Javos on the way. He saw more began to chase after him which is exactly what he wanted. More Javos after him means less of them bothering Sherry. He reached the bar hanging off the big Buddha statue at the end of the walkway. He jumped on it and swung landing on the other side of the building. He ducked just in time the tank fired a shot at him.

"I hope your stupid statue breaks!" he yelled. He saw more Javos approach him. After disposing of them, he continued on the building until he came across a room every man`s wet dream. The room is filled with expensive cars and motorcycles enough to make him drool at the beauties before his eyes. Damn, what I wouldn`t give to test drive these babies, he thought to himself. He eyed a sleek red Ferrari gleaming under the low light of the room. For a minute, he thought about stealing it as their getaway car but decided against it. It was too big and screams too much attention. His eyes fell on a red motorcycle in the corner of the room. Although not as flash and stylish as the car, it would do. Making his way towards it, he felt relieved to see the keys in the ignition. Alright, time to get outta here in style, he thought. He turned the ignition and felt the engine purr smoothly. Pressing on the accelerator, he crashed on the glass windows breaking them as he landed on the watery pool underneath. He saw his partner making her way towards him out of her hiding place. Getting on behind him, she latched her arms around his waist.

The tank in the middle of the pond aimed it`s barrel towards them. Roaring the engine on his bike, Jake faced it with a steely gaze. He slammed his foot down on the accelerator avoiding the shot that was fired towards them. Crashing through the wall, they pair sped on leaving the destruction of the facility behind them.

They had been driving through the roads for a short while when Sherry`s phone beeped. Grabbing it from her back pocket she slid the screen open and pressed the talk button. "Yes, we`re out of the facility. Where should we meet you?" She listened for a couple of seconds before nodding. "Alright thanks. We`ll meet you there soon."

Jake glanced at the side view mirror. "What did he say?"

"He gave me the coordinates for the rendezvous. It`s close," she replied as she studied the map of her GPS. She closed it and put it back in her pocket.

He saw movement at the corner of the mirror. Frowning, he turned around and saw several bikers riding up fast behind them. Upon closer inspection, he noticed they were all Javos, some carrying machetes, and some guns. They heard a helicopter above them and found themselves suddenly engulfed in light. Bullets rang out and made holes along the concrete road they were riding on.

"Damn it! They`re still on us! They`re trying to mow us down!" Sherry cried as a bullet whizzed past her head.

"Yeah, thanks! I have ears you know. I could hear them!" came his sarcastic reply as he revved up the engine and pressed harder on the accelerator doubling their speed up.

Although he couldn`t see her, she rolled her eyes. Trust him to ever be sarcastic in times like these. "Can`t you be pleasant for five minutes?"

"There`s a shitload of Javos behind us not to mention that helicopter tracking us down. I don`t see how anyone can be pleasant in our situation!" he barked back. Seeing several cars ahead of them he knew this is going to be a dangerous game of cat and mouse. "Hang on!"

Sherry tightened her hold on him as she buried the side of her face against his back. She could hear his heartbeat, slow and steady at first. She sensed it beating faster as adrenaline pumped through his body, the steady beating gone into a fast hammering sound against her ear. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind tore at them ruffling her hair. She could feel his lean body under the thin material of his ribbed shirt, muscles tensed. She knew he's on edge, his senses alert and keen on the danger ahead.

She had never really drove a motorcycle in her life much less be a passenger. When she was younger, Claire would sometimes take her for rides on the few hours she was allowed to visit her. But Jake`s driving is a far cry from Claire`s. He`s certainly a speed demon, the world around them seemed to pass by in a blur of shapes and colors. She had certainly never been in a bike ride as fast, intense and dangerous, on top of that, as this one. Much to her relief, her partner drove expertly weaving in and out around cars and trucks with smooth fluidity effortlessly. On the few times she opened her eyes, she thought she could pretty much say goodbye to her life whenever they come too close to another vehicle or if they`re about to crash into one of them. Luckily he seemed to know exactly what he was doing being able to calculate good distances, the right speed to run and dodging traffic at the right timing. Her heart was racing and she realized she was holding her breath. She glanced behind them and saw several Javos gaining on them. Biting on her much abused lower lip by now, she drew her pistol and took aim.

"Jake, focus on the driving. I`ll take care of the Javos!"

She fired some shots and managed to hit some Javos. Due to the speed and dangerous driving by her partner it was hard for her to get accurate shots. This went on for a while until they reached another highway, this one busier than the last. She barely held on as they made a sharp turn, the bike leaning dangerously close on the concrete. As they continued on, a huge explosive truck blocked the whole road. Jake angled the bike sideways a bit and skidded under it to the other side. Miraculously they didn`t fall off or had the unfortunate experience of their faces meeting the solid ground.

"Do us both a favour and shoot that thing, will ya?" he bellowed, glaring at thing.

Raising her pistol, she fired causing a massive explosion on the highway. They heard a few screams as some of the Javos got caught in it. Without hesitation, he turned the bike back on the opposite direction and drove on. There are more cars on this side and avoiding them makes it terribly difficult.

"God only knows how we`re going to get out of this one!" he cried as he evaded a car coming their way. "This is going to get ugly. Hold on as tightly as you can to me, ok?"

She nodded as they reached up a narrow path leading up toward an abandoned building. The helicopter was still relentlessly pursuing them and showed no signs of slowing down. It`s spotlight continued to trail after them as they rode on a platform supported by weak planks and bamboos. The roar of the bike`s engine increased as they left the platform making they fly in the air. To her horror, she felt her body go off balance and the next thing she knew, she was thrown off. She threw a hand out and managed to catch the railing from the helicopter. She could feel her grip loosening and she knew she can`t hang on much longer.

"Jake, help! I can`t hang on!"

His head snapped towards her direction. He saw here merely hanging on with just one hand. He cussed under his breath. "Yes, you can! I`m coming!" he called. Turning the bike around, he sped through the road. He stepped on the accelerator harder as he saw her fingers slipping. Legs dangling in the air, she let out a yelp as she plunged down. Gritting his teeth, he reached her spot and threw an arm out just in time to catch her and lessen the blow of her fall.

She panted as she threw a let over the bike and held on to him. They rode on both relieved to be in one piece still.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes. Nice catch."

He suddenly stopped the bike and turned it sideways. Just behind them was a large truck containing flammable liquid. He glanced behind him and motioned towards it with his head. "You know what to do," he said as he watched the helicopter fly above it.

Nodding, she drew her gun and fired a single shot. The loud blast erupted throughout the whole block, sending bits of gravel, glass and pieces of metal flying. They watched the helicopter burst into flames and eventually crashed down.

Satisfied, the pair sped on.

They stopped just before a broken bridge. They seemed to have gotten into the rougher part of town. The streets were empty, streetlights were flickering on and off and the surrounding buildings are derelict, all empty and quiet. Broken shards of glass littered the ground along with trash and bits and pieces of metal and wood.

Jake flipped the bike stand on and surveyed their surroundings. "Geez, what a shithole. Reminds me of home."

"At least we're not being chased anymore. Come on, let's move on. We're going to have to leave the bike here," Sherry replied as she stood up. Using his shoulders as leverage, she got off the bike and walked to the edge of the bridge.

"Damn. I liked this baby," he said as he turned off the engine and followed her.

"You could just steal another one," she answered earning a smirk from her partner. Taking out her GPS, her eyes followed the map taking them to the rendezvous area. "Alright. We're going to have to make our way down this bridge. We'll continue forward before we reach the river."

"Whatever is the easiest," he said. He began climbing down. Large pieces of rubble lined the side of the bridge. Either a giant BOW went through this place or it was bombed. "Hey, watch your step. This bridge won't hold out much longer."

She nodded as she placed her footing carefully. He reached the bottom first and stopped as he waited for her. She held on to the edge of the rubble she was standing on as she hopped down. The rock she stood moved and before she knew it, her feet were sliding out under her. She threw her hands out to grab onto something when she felt a hand close around her arm. She landed on her feet shakily and looked up to see him holding her arm. She whispered a word of thanks as she made her way from the rubble. He continued to hold on to her, his hand sliding down to grasp her hand.

"I think I can see some ladders over there. We can climb over those to get to the other side of these buildings."

"All the walkways seemed to be blocked. Must have been the Javos or people trying to block them from their houses. It's complete chaos, this is just like Raccoon City years ago," she replied as she looked at the empty houses. The place is beyond creepy but what worried her is the silence. It's just too quiet. She is completely aware that Jake hasn't let go of her hand as they weaved their way around the rubble ending up in a big open space.

On the other hand, Jake himself is having a mental battle. He couldn't decide whether to let go of her hand or not. He could release it now but he'd already held it longer than required and letting go now would mean admitting that it meant more than it actually did. Feeling like a pregnant woman with crazed hormones, he felt like mentally kicking himself for overthinking such things. In the end, he just decided to hold it since it's what he wanted to do anyway.

The pair walked in silence, each submersed in their own thoughts. Enjoying the comfort of each other's hands, both took the moment to appreciate the calmness after going through so much over the past couple of hours. Sherry looked up the night sky and found it clear and stars glittered the inky background. A warm breezed caressed her cheek blowing her bangs out of her forehead. She stopped and stared in the sky as if it held the answer to their fate.

Sensing her as she stopped walking, he followed her gaze. "What's wrong?" he asked, intertwining his fingers with hers. He felt her squeeze his hand as she answered.

"I'm just thinking. Are you going to leave now? You said earlier you wanted to go back to your mother."

He remained silent for a while, the reminder of his mother still stung his chest. He wanted to leave now. At this point, making the vaccine isn't his top priority. However, that pang in his chest always doubles whenever he thinks about Sherry. He may not care about other people, nor does he think he owes them shit but he certainly owes her. She had saved him a couple of times and was the only one there when he needed support. She was the only one who cared. He almost wished she doesn't. This could have made the situation a whole lot easier if she never cared about him. Leaving would be an easy task, one he could do with no regrets. When the time came, he found his heart betray his mercenary instincts. The fighter in him would want to save his own skin and walk away. But in the end, he goes against what he was taught growing up in combat.

He squeezed her hand back as he made a decision. "I'll ride this out with you. I'll stick to our agreement. But as soon as that's done, I'm heading out," he replied. We're in this together until the end, he thought silently as he looked down at her eyes. "Just a note though. We keep watching each other's backs and stick together."

Her smile says yes.

He let go of her hand as she walked forward, eyes going back up the sky, blue pools gazed at it thoughtfully. "I haven't seen the sky for months. We've been through so much, running away and fighting. Sometimes I forget where we are." She sighed as she brushed her bangs out of her forehead. "The sky looks beautiful, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," he said softly, his eyes never leaving her form.