The whirling sound of the machines was the only noise this godforsaken lab. The plain walls and the bright lights and hard chairs were beginning to irritate one Ada Wong. She laid slumped on the examination table, one leg falling off the side of it as she fiddled with the knife she had taken out of its sheath. There was a small ding from the machine and it stop making so much noise. A few seconds later, the door slid open and in walked in Edwin Rodgers. The man walked collectively and calmly as he started checking the contents from the machine. Ada Wong tilted her head at his back and thought to the moment she found him. He had been lucky. If it weren't for her, he would've been tossed into the incinerator along with the other corpses of his squad. She thought back at exactly everything that happened that day…
The sound of gunshot echoed throughout the lab. Ada walked along the walls in heavy armored clothes, nothing like her usual outfits. She peeked around a corner and watched as a slim figure in black took out a group of the security that was in charge of taking out any intruders. She quickly recognized the figure to be Claire. She wouldn't have trained her so well if she knew this would be the outcome. The sting of betrayal flashed in her but she dismissed it quickly, telling herself that the anger should be directed to making her complete the task. The syringe stashed in her coat felt like the most powerful weapon she's ever wielded. She saw the moment the group separated, Claire running the opposite direction and her friends leaving through the elevator; her brother looked like he was closer to being dead than his sister ever was. Ada was ready to go and follow Claire, until she noticed a body among the pile start to move. The figure slumped against the wall. Wesker? What was he doing there? His form looked different. Weaker.
Why was Wesker on the floor? Was it Claire who rendered him unconscious? No, it couldn't have been. If there was one thing Ada knew that Claire was, and that was loyal. She had figured Claire was now loyal to Wesker seeing as how close they were that night at the BSAA headquarters. She watched as two soldiers neared him, guns locked onto him. He didn't seem to notice them. Quickly, he managed to smash the soldiers noses into the tile and walk away without a scratch. Of course he noticed.
Finally after the hall seemed empty, she began walking. As she passed by the pile of bodies, one familiar face caught her shaved head and dead eyes stared at her. It was Wesker's military monkey. Now this is something she wasn't expecting this.
She crouched down near the man to examine his wounds and found that his chest was barely moving. He'll be dead soon enough, she thought to herself. Unless... She could do this alone or she could have someone with as an equally vengeful 'partner' to do some of the work for her. The weight of the syringe felt heavier in her pocket. Her hand dipped into her coat and brought it to light. She felt the tube in hand and wondered. She had this made for one person. Claire. Now, if she wasted it on someone else…Had made a last minute decision and injected the needle into the limp body. She pushed down on the plunger and waited. Ada stood and dragged his body into the closest room she could find. If nothing happened soon, she would be forced to leave as she was sure they would send a crew in search of survivors. She was convinced she failed to see any signs of it working, until finally, she noticed a small twitch in his hand. She sprung to her feet quickly and began to examine him. The second she found a pulse, she looked up was found a pair of eyes looking back at her. 'Welcome back.' This was going to be good.
Ada snapped out of her thoughts when she realized he was talking.
"-managed to get a few samples but it should be enough for what you're asking for. Plus with whatever is in my bloodstream, we should manage."
Ada smirked, knowing she had made the right decision.
"Very well. Let's finish it off before we send it out for a test run. Then we'll both get what we want."
Ada hopped off table, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. She walked towards the table where he was working at and she stared at the red liquid that the two had been working on since the left their previous lab, due to their 'subject' getting out. Speaking of which.
"Right, so tell me again how she managed to get away. She was sedated and weak. And still she managed to get away from you." She crossed her arms, trying not to show how angry she was that she missed out on a chance to get more than even with Claire.
"Listen, we knew that the gas wasn't going to work 100% the way it was supposed to. We didn't have a lot to go off of. The virus in me isn't exactly similar to hers. Now, we do know some of the toxin did affect her because of her eyes."
The way he was talking reminded her of an old scientist that used to work for Umbrella back in the day. The head researcher for the G-Virus. William Birkin. Hmph. Hopefully this one ends just the same. Ada continued to listen, not really caring of the words coming out of his mouth. She just needed an outcome.
"We know to some extent it worked. Just not well enough, because it wasn't specifically for her. Now, with this-" He held up the two empty tubes that once contained Claire's blood. "We have the genetic code that will destroy and mutate her specific virus beyond anything that anyone, even Wesker, can handle."
The last part caught her attention. "How much exactly will the virus mutate? The last thing we want is for her to be something that'll be hard to kill."
Edwin finally turned to look her in the eyes. "By mutating and destroying I mean the virus itself. Because the virus has been accepted into her DNA, it will slowly burn away until nothing is left. By all means, it'll hurt like hell until she stops breathing. And by my calculations, we don't have enough to kill her instantly. If anything we can inject our entire supply into her and she won't die until…" He stopped to jot down a few equations on a notepad, a few seconds later, "48 hours later."
He couldn't tell if the look on her face was happiness or disbelief. "Good. It's not supposed to be quick. After she's been hit with the toxin, have her brought back here. If she's going to have 48 hours left, we either leave her to her to her brother, or we bring her back here to speed up the process." Ada turned to walk out the door when his voice stopped her.
"Alright then. After we're done with her, we are going for Wesker. Right, partner?"
She smirked at him as the door slid open. "I wouldn't want it any other way. Basterd's going to get what's coming." She walked out thinking. I damn well don't do partners. Especially when it came to people like him. Like them. No longer human. Also, she damn well knew that in this line a work, partner ships didn't end well.
For the first time in years, Claire woke up and desperately needed to run to the restroom. Throwing the white sheets off of her, she slammed through her bedroom door, successfully creating a crack in it and startling the government agent who laid on her couch. She fell to her knees at the base of the toilet and despite not eating since yesterday morning, she spilled her guts out. When she thought it was all over, she sat against the bath and tried to tie her hair up, but ultimately failed when her hand got caught in the tie and she once again threw up into the bowl. She sat on the floor, hand still stuck in her hair, when she saw Leon standing at the door.
"You alright, Red?" He stood in a white t-shirt and grey boxers. His hair was tousled and his eyes were puffy with dark circles bagging under each steel colored eye.
"Yeah. I think I'm good. Sorry for waking you." She lifted herself up with shaky arms and it wasn't two seconds before Leon got closer and helped steady her. "Jesus, Leon, I'm fine." She chuckled before pointing out he wasn't wearing any pants. "And put on some damn pants before Chris walks in and kicks your ass." He chuckled and responded as he walked back to get his pants on, given that Claire was absolutely right.
"Maybe you should consider putting pants on yourself, Red!" Leon shouted from the living room, and she immediately looked down and in horror, realized that he was right. She stood in nothing but a loose black tank top and boyshorts. She was still blushing by the time she returned from her room, this time in black pj pants and a bra under her top. She slumped down on the couch next to Leon, both of them staring at a blank tv screen.
Claire took her head in her hands and tried to calm herself as her was starting to get a headache. "Ugh. I haven't felt this way since I was in college." She leaned back on the couch and shut her eyes, taking in all the sounds and smells that she could. She let out a puff, content that she heard and smelled most things, a sign of returning to normal. Her type of normal. But damn, was her head throbbing. The silence was broken by Leon's voice. It was soft, the kind of voice that she wasn't used to hearing recently.
"You still have nightmares." It wasn't a question. Claire turned to face him, but his steel eyes were focused on corner of the coffee table. "I heard you last night. You were either talking, crying or both." When he finally looked at her, she could see that she had said some things that needed an explanation.
"Yeah I still do," she confessed, "Nothing compared to what they used to be though." She shook her head as she rubbed her temples, trying to steer clear of talking about what she dreamt about.
"Claire. You know I'm here if you want to talk, right? I know- I know that we haven't been exactly close since you came back. But I want us to be." By this time Leon was facing her. His face held a sadness that wasn't shown often. And anytime it was, it was at the mention of a certain lady in red, who Claire was sure had a more complex relationship with the man sitting in front of her than he let on. It was one of reasons she didn't want to see Leon as anything more than a friend. Especially now that there was a certain blonde man who seemed to be invading her dreams more than ever. Leon was everything she wanted then, but now, she wasn't sure where he sat.
"Leon." She knew the blue hues were beginning to turn into that golden red. "I know we haven't, but please forgive me when I tell you that I think it's for the best." Leon's eyes deepened with sadness and Claire felt her chest tighten with guilt. "Look. There are things that happened while I wasn't here. Things that I know have changed me and those things I don't know if any of you will ever understand what and why I did it." Choking out her last sentence, Leon's eyes returned to their neutral expression.
"Claire. I have known you since the Raccoon City incident. With what we've been through, there is no way in hell I'm letting you go. Now, I'm not asking for anything for you to be my girlfriend or whatever. I just want us to be how we were before. Plus, we've all have done things that any us can't understand. With what we've been through, there is no need for an explanation. We all experience things differently and are learning to cope with it all. You are no different."
Despite his words, Claire couldn't help but think that it all applied, except to her. She, Claire Redfield, had fallen for Albert Wesker. She let herself fall for his charm and into his bed. What was worse was that she felt no regret what so ever. She remembered feeling relieved even. She knew that there was someone was there. Someone who was what she was. No longer human. And that someone turned out to be Wesker. She didn't know what was worse. The fact that she didn't care, or the fact that she had practically felt comfort knowing he would always be there.
"Just because you're all Wonder Woman now, that doesn't mean you can't be suffering Claire. You are still the girl who loves motorcycles and strawberry ice cream. Only now you can kick my ass single handedly." They both laughed at sudden change of mood.
Claire smiled at him, her eyes residing to their usual blue. "Leon, I was able to kick your ass then too." His smile faded, he was ready to give a smart remark but was interrupted by sound of knocking at the door. He quickly stood up and opened the door. On the other side of it was Jill and an exhausted looking Chris.
"I need coffee!" Chris didn't bother waiting for Jill and rushed past Leon and flopped down on the couch next to Claire.
"Good morning to you too." Claire smacked her brother in the arm and asked, "What is up with you? You weren't the one spilling out their guts this morning." His sat up immediately and eyed her carefully.
"How are you!?" His hand came up and he pressed the back of it to her forehead. "You scared the crap out of me yesterday. You should still be in bed."
She swatted his hand away and from the corner of her eye she saw Jill sit across from them, her eyes trained on Claire.
"I'm fine now, butthead. It looks like you had a worse night than I did. What happened?"
Chris sat up and rubbed his eyes while he slumped forward. "I totally forgot I was supposed to start preparing for my new assignment. I read over 200 pages the second we got home. I was ready to go to bed by the time the sun was rising. I need to in the office in about-" Chris pulled out his phone, "3 hours. So the only rational thing to do is come here. For Kennedy. Because he's being assigned to me."
In the back, Leon spit out his coffee with a shocked face. "What!? No! I got the day off." Chris turned to the agent and smirked, obviously content with ruining his day.
"Actually Jill, now has the day off and you're working with me. Now hand me some coffee." He turned back to the women in the livingroom, specifically his sister, "Claire, since you are taking a sick day, Jill will be staying with you. At least until we know you're alright. That means no leaving the apartment."
"Chris-" Claire began but was immediately cut off.
"I don't care what you say. You are staying put. At least until we can find out what the hell that was yesterday. They had weapons that targeted you specifically. That cannot be a know about you and they were ready. I'm not taking a chance of whoever that was getting their hands on you. I'm going to be looking into who they are" By now, Leon handed a mug to Chris, which he began to drink instantly.
"Don't you think that's a little too much? You're basically putting me on house arrest. Plus," she continued, "you think Jill wants to spend her day off baby-sitting?"
"Honestly Claire, it's fine. I don't mind. He's right," JIll sat up from where she sat and looked from Chris to Claire, "If anything, we can go out but it's best if you stay with someone for the next few days."
Claire scoffed as she turned to look at Chris, knowing her brother made up his mind, she knew it was useless. "Then I guess it's settled then, isn't it? Well then, when you all decided what else I shall do next, please let me know. For now, I'll be sleeping. Unless you guys already decided that I shouldn't do that either." By now she had lifted herself off the couch and was walking away.
"Claire...come on," Chris began to stand, but Claire stopped him.
"No. I'm staying here. With Jill. Good luck with whatever it is you're doing today." She threw up her hands. She shut the door behind her, waiting for Chris to come follow her and try to talk to her. Surprisingly, he didn't and she heard the front door open and close. A soft knock came on her after. Claire opened the door slightly and there stood older woman walked in as Claire invited her inside by opening the door wider. Jill sat the corner of the unmade bed and waited for Claire to sit. She started talking when it became clear she wasn't going to sit.
"Look Claire. I'm sorry. I get it, okay. You must feel like we're treating you like some damsel in distress. Or like, a baby that needs to be watched all the please try to understand where Chris is coming from. He lost you once already, and it almost killed him. Can you blame him for being overprotective?"
Turning her back to the window, Claire crossed her arms and sighed before speaking.
"I understand but this is just too much. I know how to handle myself. I'm still the baby that needs to be watched apparently. Even though I did single-handedly save all of you from that Tyrant a few months ago."
"Claire…"
"I know. He cares. Sure. But this is just too much. Instead of being someone you can rely on, it just seems like I became a bigger burden. To you even, since you get to spend you day off babysitting." She shook her head, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
"Hey, don't think about it like that. Think of it as...sister-in-law bonding."
"Yeah. We bond while Leon and Chris are out there probably being chased down by another one of those crazy B. ." She shook her head, her mind suddenly being filled with images of Chris and Leon surrounded by Hunters.
"Claire. They're stuck doing paperwork today," Jill cracked the tiniest of smiles as she reassured the younger Redfield that nothing was going to happen to them. "We however, are not, so I suggest we go out. He did say we could go out." JIll offered Claire a pair of silver keys.
"Like I'd listen to what Chris told me to do anyways, but if you insist." Quickly she snatched the keys and walked to change out of her pajamas. A few minutes later, Claire emerged from her room dressed head to toe in black. JIll was taken back a bit on how much she reminded her of a certain someone. Claire was almost unrecognizable.
"Isn't it a little too hot for black?" Jill raised an eyebrow in question.
"Temperature doesn't bother me like it used to," she smirked as she shrugged on her black field jacket.
"Nice outfit. You look like you're starring in the new Underworld movie," Jill chuckled nervously. She suddenly felt a little tense. Almost as if she was waiting for an unexpected punch to be thrown. Threatened? No? Off guard? Something like that. It was strange. Claire's laugh shattered her few moments of thinking.
"Yeah, I know. It's just a habit I picked up. Black is better for hiding gunshot wounds when you're trying to blend into a crowd. Though, I probably won't be shot at anytime soon with Chris watching me like a hawk." With that last statement, the two walked out the door. Coming to a halt at the sidewalk Claire raised an eyebrow at Jill as she stared at the black BMW parked in her spot.
"Uhh, Jill. When did you get a BMW?" She scrunched her eyebrows together as she suspiciously eyed the older woman.
"I'm not exactly sure when it was purchased, but I'm sure Leon wouldn't mind if we took it out for a spin."
"JIll Valentine. You are my favourite person right now." With a smile, they got in and sped off. Neither of them noticed the grey haired man that stood watching them from opposite side of the street.
When they were out of sight, he dropped the cigarette he had in his hand and stepped on it before crossing the street. He approached the apartment and took a look around it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Walking over to last room in the small apartment, he took in details of the person living here. He flicked the lights on and surveyed the room. Near the bed, a phone sat on the end table. Taking it in his hand, the man looked it over a few times, It took him only 3 attempts to unlock it. Looking through the email and messages, he felt content with his findings. He was on his way out when out of the corner if his, something shiny caught his attention. He reached under a small pile of clothes and then pulled out a silver chain with a red gemstone that hung off of it. Flipping it over, initials were carved in it.
"Well what do we have here." He examined it for a while before he placed the chain back under the clothes and exited the apartment, phone already in hand, dialing his employer. "Location unknown. On route to find her." He hung up and got in his car. He had a girl to follow.
Hey there guys! I'm finally back after I don't know how long. I thought summer would be my chance to upload more frequently but it seems school doesn't like me resting at all. Anyways, her you go. Hope you enjoy. I feel as though it is a little rushed but I felt bad not having uploaded in such a long time. For those of you who also read my Redfield's Lost in Nightmmare, I will be continuing that, only I'm considering re-uploading the thing bc I'd like to change a few things. Also, I have started two new fics. Another Wesker/Claire fic and one Overwatch fic. Not sure if any of you play Overwatch or read the comics but I'd like to take a stab at it. Not sure when I'd like to release. If you prefer them out soon or after I finish with the two I have now, please let me know. I'm happy to oblige. Happy readings!
bleedingangel95- Thank you so much! I'll be uploading more soon. :)
jommyspuffy1988- Glad you like it. Here's another chapter for you. Hope you like. There's more to come. :)