Getting To Know Barry

Barry Burton reached out his hand so I could shake it. And I did so.

—Mr. Burton, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Claire has told me about you these years as well—I told him while releasing his hand and we headed to the lobby.

—I hope it was only good things—he said—. And please, call me Barry. I've heard a lot about you all these time that I feel you're already part of the family, even though we just met face to face.

—Thanks, it's really nice of you— I told him sincerely. In spite of seeing him a bit depressed a few minutes ago, I could feel good vibes from him.

—Did the government send you here? —he asked me while we took our seats on the large couch where I saw him when I arrived. His face turned a bit sad. It looked like he had learnt about something not good.

I guessed what it could be about.

—Yes. The news went viral in the whole country, the president had to act. He is not just my boss, he's also a good friend. He knows about my connection with TerraSave and the B.S.A.A through Claire, so he chose me to be in charge of the investigation.

—I see. The news and comments about the incident keep coming out— he looked down.

—Barry, did you see Claire before she entered the operating room? —I asked him.

He only let a sight out before replying.

—Yes, but it was very brief. She arrived almost unconscious. She only opened her eyes to answer me.

—Did she tell you something important?

—I asked her if my daughter Moira was with her. She could only tell me that she was sorry, she tried to save her, that she should have done it, and then— he paused for a short moment —, I saw some tears falling from her eyes before she fell unconscious due to the effects of anesthesia.

I wasn't wrong about my guess to why he looked depressed. He did not get good news about his daughter.

—It seems that my daughter could not make it with Claire— he sounded resigned.

—I'm sorry— I did not know what else to say.

—I wonder if this is my punishment for giving in to Wesker and betraying my friends back in the Spencer Mansion, where all this shit began.

Claire had told me something about it. Barry was forced to obey Albert Wesker because his family was being threatened at gunpoint if he didn't do it.

—I decided to move my family to Canada, where they would not get involved in a situation like that again. I guess it was useless choice— he said with anger towards himself. I understood his frustration.

Something similar happened to me when I was taking care of Sherry. I wanted them to let her go, to not get her involved into anything related to bioterrorism. I accepted to work for the government for that. However, she was taken into custody for several years, being the subjects of experiments over and over again.

The only thing I could do was being with her when she needed it.

—Them, how is it that Moira ended up working for TerraSave in New York? —I was curious to know.

Barry smiled, as if he was remembering a funny story.

—You must know that Chris and Claire are close to my family—I nodded—. Well, Moira has admired Claire since they met. She looks up to her, like a role model. One day she told she wanted to study college in New York, so she could follow her model's steps. I accepted because I knew Moira would not be alone in a big city. Would you believe that, a year later, she told me she was dropping out in order to get a full-time job? —he shook his head, as if he was just learning that news from his daughter—. You can imagine my reaction when I learnt where she wanted to work.

Actually, I could. I could imagine an overwhelming discussion between a father and his teen daughter. Both of them stubborn. It looks like Barry's relationship with Moira was not an affective one.

—We were even discussing by phone about the matter the night she was kidnapped— he shook his head again—. Claire assured me she would keep an eye on her, we both of us stop fighting. And in her very first day of work…

Was Barry mad at Claire? He had no reason to be, TerraSave did not look for troubles with bioterrorism.

—I am not mad at Claire, if you're wondering— this guy is very perceptive—. I am the reason that my daughter became rebellious and stubborn to me. She's been against me for years. Since the day she accidentally shot her little sister with one of my guns, we haven't had the best of father-daughter relationships.

—Is your daughter Polly…?

—No,no,no —he denied it moving his hand—, my daughter Polly survived, we could get help in time. But things between me and Moira shattered. Every year that passed since then, the distance between us grew. Now I realized that my overprotective attitude was putting more gas on the fire. I guess Moira felt I believed she wase a good-for-nothing girl —he looked at me and smiled sadly—. Sorry, hearing all these family stories when we just met must be overwhelming you.

—Don't worry about that. I appreciate your trust. Besides, you said it earlier: you've heard so much about me that you think of me as a part of the family.

—Thank you —he petted me on the shoulder—. And, you know what? My father instinct tells me that Moira is not gone at all—he said—. She's a fucking Burton, and if being stubborn in my family is of any use, it's because we play all our cards before giving up—he smirked.

—If this could back up your thoughts, I'm telling you: I've never met a young girl under Claire's care who has not survived a life-death experience.

And that was true. Claire was so good at taking care of the young that she even risked her life for it. Compassion was her main trait. She took care of Sherry all that night in Raccoon City, and she came back for her when she found her brother Chris. Sherry was one of the reasons we still kept in contact.

At Harvardville Airport, she protected that little girl, Rani, who had been left with Claire just minutes prior the virus outbreak in there. She kept an eye on the girl until I arrived to back up the rescue mission of the survivors.

Even if Claire was scared during those situation, that would not stop her from protecting those who depend on her.

Barry looked deeply at me and smiled.

—You're right Leon. I know about Sherry Birkin and Rani Chawla. I think my daughter wants to follow her steps because of that. I won't give up until we find that place and know for sure what happened to Moira.

I smiled at his attitude. That was the spirit when it came to stand against bioterrism.

—By the way Barry, where is Chris? I thought he would be the first to come here— that doubt chased me since New York.

—Chris is on a mission with his team somewhere in Asia. B.S.A.A. tried to make contact with him, but it seems they are in a remote area where the signal cannot reach their electronic devices. He is going to be shocked to death when he comes back and finds about this. Fucking technology! —he cursed.

I met Chris for the first time a few years ago, when Claire introduced us to each other. When he and I shook hands, I felt as if I had known him for ten years, I think it was a common feeling between survivors of bioterrorism. Even if that was the only time we saw each other,I think he would feel guilty if he saw Claire in that state.

—So, Leon, how's the investigation going on your side? Found anything worth? —Barry asked me.

I briefly doubt replying to his question, I was ordered to keep in secret all our suspicions until we confirmed any of them. But Claire was rescued and even gave some details about the hijacking. It was just a matter of time before we learnt what really happened; I'm sure she did her part and looked for answers in the place she was taken.

Claire was not the kind of woman who waits with her arms crossed for divine salvation.

—We have interviewed TerraSave workers, not only for testimonies Barry, but also to fin possible suspects involved in the attack and kidnapping— Barry raised an eyebrow—. The president thinks someone inside TerraSave might be involved in the whole incident in some way. I also consider this possibility.

Barry got up from his seat abruptly, looking at me as if I just said something outrageous. It really was,though.

—What?! —he exclaimed, not believing his ears.

I stood up as well.

—Out of all people present at the moment, they only took away eight of them. The criminals knew their names; they had their eyes on them beforehand. Someone leaked information about them. But we have not found any potential suspect. Did you read the debrief the captain of the ship that rescued Claire sent?

—I didn't. I packed my stuff as soon as we get the news from the president. I was sure it was Claire, and I was so eager to know about my daughter as well— he said.

—The captain got some details from her. She said all the kidnapped workers were taken to an island and were subjects to experiments with a virus that triggers with fear. All the habitants of the island were infected as well. Claire said the natives were Russian-speaking people, but there is no record of any island like that in this country.

—Oh, fuck. Those maniacs never get tired of creating more dangerous stuff each time— he took his hand to his face, maybe due to the horror of imagining her daughter facing who-knows what kind of monsters, and being a victim of them—. I don't understand, why did they take eight people? Don't all people in the world feel fear some time in their lives?

—That's the same thing I wonder. But I can't figure it out. Claire is safe now, I'm sure she got some answers by her own during her stay in that place. That's how she is— I assured him.

—I agree with that.

—Excuse me, are you here for Miss Claire Redfield? — a male voice called us from behind. It was a doctor in a surgery outfit. It seemed he just came out from one, because he still had a procedure mask tied to his neck.

I guessed he was the doctor who attended Claire.

—Yes, my name is Leon S. Kennedy, I came commissioned by US government —I took out my agent badge from my jacket—. Mr. Barry Burton here comes with me — I added pointing at Barry.

—Nice to meet you Mr. Kennedy, I am doctor Viktor Kozachenko. I attended Miss Redfield— he reached out his hand and I shook it. Barry did the same.

—How's her condition? — suddenly I had this urge to know about it.

—We successfully performed a thoracoscopy to fix the wound in her lung. The invasion to her body was minimal, so the wound on her skin should recover in little time. However, she must rest to recover from her right rib fracture.

I felt relieved hearing those words.

—As of her burns on the body, they are first degree burns, with the proper cares they will heal soon. We noticed a moderate hit on her head, so we took a radiography. There is no apparent damage to the brain cortex nor a fracture of the skull, nevertheless, we reserve the prognostic of the consequences this traumatism could have these days. Every patient's reaction is different when it comes to these kind of hits.

—What do you mean by that? — Barry asked a bit uncalmed.

—Some people take several days to regain consciousness after a traumatism on the head — he said straightforward.

Oh,no. How long will it take for Claire to wake up?

—I can't be sure that this will be Miss Redfield's case. We'll have to check on the evolution of her condition.

—Can we see her now doctor? —I asked.

—Yes,I came for that too. Her condition is not critical, so we transferred her to a common room on the second floor. Please, follow me.

Barry and I nodded, so we were guided by the doctor to the elevator near the reception. I suddenly felt nervous at the thought of having to see my friend again, after a while, in this situation: lying unconscious on a bed.

I clenched my fists.

The bell of the elevator indicated us we had arrived to the second floor. When the doors opened I saw a long hallway, windows at the left side with a view to the gardens of the hospital. I notices a few drops on the glasses, it seemed it had rained again, but shortly.

At the right side, there were the rooms of the inpatients. We followed the doctor to the room 225, we stood behind him while he opened the door for us. The door creaked and we entered the room one by one.

There was that particular smell of hospital inside, like a combination of ethyl alcohol and iodine. The room was spacious enough for two more people besides the patient. It wasn't all white, there was light blue paint on half of the walls. There was also a closet and a couch, I guessed they were for relatives who wanted to spend the night. Right beside the closet was the bathroom. The hospital really took in consideration the family members of the inpatients.

And just at the opposite side, there was the bed. Claire was lying down on it. Intubated Her reddish-brown hair fell to her shoulders. I was so used to see her with a ponytail that I was briefly surprised to see her united long hair. It was longer than I thought.

If she had been awake, I'd have told her she looked nice with her hair down.

—Why is she intubated? —Barry asked doctor Kozachenko.

—She's intubated so we can fill the operated lung with air without having her to make great effort, it will heal faster that way. We'll removie withing 24-48 hours depending on her condition.

—What could have caused all the wounds? —I asked.

—Maybe a strong hit or a fall from a high place. Maybe she was in an explosion, due to her burns.

Explosion? Shit.

I got closer to her bed and looked at her face. It was as if she just fell asleep after an ordinary day. How old was she? If my calculations were correct, she was already 32 years old. Claire did not look exactly like she did when we met in Raccoon City, she did looked more mature, but still had that young appearance on her.

I, in my 34 years, surely look like a fourty-ish old man due to the lack of sleep my job made me go through.

Her vital signs were normal, according to the device she was connected to. In spite of that, I felt a bit melancholic. I had never seen her like that, her experiences with bioterrorism have never ended up this way. Besides, there was the fact she might not regain consciousness soon.

—Leon, take a look at this— Barry called me. He was checking a nightstand near the bed. There was a tray on it.

Inside the tray there were clothes, the ones Clare was wearing before the surgery. A brown leather jacket, a pair of jeans, and a blouse that not long ago was white.

Every cloth was soaked in blood. It could not be hers, since she had only burns and bruises. That could either be another person's blood…or the blood of another thing.

What kind of twisted situation did she have to go through?

I saw an airtight bag in there, with a strange object. I grabbed it to look closer at it. Inside, there was a steel bracelet, with a digital screen. It had audio input and output behind, like a speaker and a mike.

—That's a very weird bracelet —I turned to the doctor—,it was hard to remove. We had to do it using a cast saw. It seems like an electronic device, but we could not make it work again.

So that was the bracelet that measured and record physiological responses of the carrier infected with the virus that triggers with fear.

—Miss Redfield is stable, we'll be monitoring her to check the healing process of her wounds, and her state of consciousness. If you don't need any more information from me, then I'll take my leave. I'm gonna open a file about the patient.

Barry and I thanked the doctor as he exited the room.

—What do you think this thing is? —he asked me pointing at the airtight bag.

—Claire told the captain of the ship that the kidnapped TerraSave members were wearing a bracelet that measured physiological responses of the carriers. If the subject felt uncontrollable fear, then the virus triggered inside. The person behind the experiment used this device to monitor the subjects.

—Fuck, they were treated like lab rats! —he cursed with his jaw clenched.

—Barry,if you don't mind, I want to keep this. I can make my research team to give us more information about this artifact—I suggest him. If the workers were indeed being monitored, then all the data might have been recorded inside the bracelet.

—Go ahead, you have better equipment for this. Just don't forget to inform us of anything you find— I nodded.

I put the bracelet in a pocket of my jacket.

I look at Claire again. This might have been the hardest experience with bioterrorism for her.

—Poor girl, she might had it hard trying to protect herself and my daughter —Barry said—. But I know she will recover, this woman is stronger than we think. Chris trained her so she could defend herself when he was not around. It has been useful until now, she's come alive every time. This time was harder, but it takes more than that to make her fall.

—I could not agree more— I said a hundred percent sure. My thoughts were exactly like his. I've witnessed her tenacity the two times we coincide with each other. And when I wasn't with her, she managed to contact me and give me her location to send her brother Chris to her aid.

I let sight out. I couldn't do anything to help her when she needed the most this time. I came late.

I got closer to her bed, reached out my hand to place it softly on hers.

I'm sorry I came late this time, Claire.

o-o-o-o-o

Here's chapter three! Finally! It is taking me a lot to continuo, I lose motivation easily. But when that happenes, I played Raid Mode in REV 2 and use Leon or Claire. And if I'm lucky,I can play online with one while the other user plays with the other! It's awesome when that happens *_*

Barry and Leon finally met, they had a deep conversation. Poor Barry hates technology xD.

I liked Kozachenko last name, it was Buddy's last name in Damnation so I made the reference.

How long will take Claire to recover? What will happen in that time? Will Chris appear? Technology will work properly? xD

Remember I first write in Spanish and then translate it.

If you're liking it please follow it, favorite it and leave a review!

Til next time!

PS. If you think the characters are a bit OC,well,it's unavoidable if it's a romance fanfiction. Only Capcom can make romance IC,lol.