Author's Note: I can't believe this is getting so many alerts and favourites, my God! I have to thank you guys, from the bottom of my heart xD No really, it's amazing how much interest you're showing in this particular story, so I'm really grateful. About this chapter... we could say this is when the shit hits the fan, everything goes down the pan or whatever expression appeals to you the most: in any case, this is when the whole thing starts. I hope you enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let's see if it keeps you on the edge of the seat when you're finished.

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or any of its characters, only my OCs

IV

Assumptions Confirmed

'Man is the least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.' Oscar Wilde

"You're really sure he'll do it? He's not the type of guy you can place your trust in."

"Aw, c'mon! As far as I know, Irving trusted him and, as such, we should too," he replied with a shrug. "We're all dealers and we've all met both Ivanov and Irving."

"We're 'businessmen with standards', as he would've said," said Maria with a smile. "Irving could've been a dirty bastard sometimes, but he was loyal to the business and to the principles. He was good, too good. To tell the truth, he was a diamond on top the pile of coal."

"He did have the knack for this thing, but we can also do it, Maria. Don't let your tongue slip out too much flattery."

"Easy, Grant. You might not be as respectful as we both are, but she's right. When someone's right, there's no point in arguing that." He sighed. "In any case, I've called Ivanov. He's agreed to the change and he's going to take care of those BSAA agents. He told me that once he was done, he'd come to meet us. It'll be tomorrow though; he'll need things to settle down before coming."

"That's good to know, Dave," Maria commented, pleased. Dave scoffed, showing how sarcastic he thought that remark of Maria's was. Folding his arms across his chest, Dave gazed at Grant as he narrowed his eyes.

Dave had to admit that whilst he did trust Ivanov, he didn't trust the man's plan. It was too risky from his point of view and if something went wrong, the Uroboros sample would be lost or confiscated, and they couldn't allow that, although the fear of losing the sample was much more intense than the one of the virus being confiscated. Thanks to Irving's constant supply of information, he knew mostly everything that was to be known about Uroboros, the virus created by Irving's last and most important employer, Albert Wesker. Both names gave Dave the creeps.

What was there to gain from smuggling the sample? Oh, too much money from Ivanov which Dave would receive from Ivanov's surrogate Sashko, that was for sure. Dave was an ambitious man and when he saw money on the table, he doubted whether he could stay away from the deal or the activity that involved it. Even so, he'd avoided deals that would've cost him his life, quite literally, such as being the decoy for Irving's plan in the KAZ, that region in Africa which went to Hell as soon as Irving had stepped foot on it.

He bit his lip, distrustful and anxious.

What would he do once he had Uroboros in his hands? Well, he could resell it at a higher price, gain benefits and become a very rich man, but that plan didn't work for him. Right now, Dave wasn't looking for independence; much to his surprise, he found himself desiring to work for someone. Many times, solo work wasn't as interesting as being employed and, of course, you didn't get any more than as if you were a normal worker earning a normal salary. Knowing Irving, the man had hundreds of contacts and employers, so why not look them up, try to find them? Even Marco Gionne could be interested!

That would be unlikely. The man already has what he wants and what he needs, so why would I step into the course of his life? Oh well, couldn't hurt to try. I'll talk to him when this deal's over; maybe Maria would like to come over, too.

By some reason, Dave sensed nothing would go according to plan.

xx

"There's something I don't trust about this guy Olsen," Chris finally said once they were inside the car. It had taken him all his might not to voice his opinions out loud and, now that he and Jill were alone, they could start another conversation.

"It seems you were holding it back," Jill teased in spite of everything, "but you're right: Graves has done well, telling us about Olsen. When he picked up the call he'd received before, I don't know but... I think he's up to something. If it was Graves, just like he said, he would've stayed with us, wouldn't he? After all, this concerns all of us."

"I don't know, but I'm still trusting my instincts and not my logic, since I wouldn't like a certain situation to repeat itself," replied her partner as he engine rumbled to life. Suddenly, Chris frowned as he felt a bolt of surprise coursing through him. "Damn it, why didn't I realize before?"

"What is it?" asked Jill, her head turned towards him.

"Jill, I think you were in charge of that: remember the deals that Graves mentioned back at my place? The ones he said that had been carried out because the dealers knew the BSAA was behind them?"

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Did you manage to investigate the case?"

Jill pursed her lips before replying and, when she did, it felt like a cold bucket of water to Chris. "Yeah, but we didn't find any coherent leads. Someone had let the information leak, but we didn't get to know who allowed that."

"Damn it, just what we needed..." Chris sighed. "I'm trying to figure this out; there's something out of place and not just with Olsen. I think the whole group's involved, every single one of them."

"What do you feel that is? Not that I can't see it myself, but I want to know what you're thinking," Jill said, her tone soothing and resolute.

"Don't you think that Olsen could've saved all of this and instead could've called us to Naples directly? I mean, why go through all this trouble?" he mused, taking a left turn. In that same moment, Jill's cell phone rang seemingly louder than ever before. When she picked up and put it on speaker, the alarmed voice that came through was none other than Oliver Graves'.

"Chris, Jill, I need you to listen carefully! This mission is a ruse!"

"Say what?!" Jill exclaimed.

"I just realized it myself! Remember the deals I mentioned back at the briefing? It's all related to Olsen: he was out on a 'mission' that same day! The deals took place the 2nd of July in Dublin, day when Olsen was on a recon mission right in that same location! And it hasn't happened only once, but thrice! That's how all of the dealers avoided our teams! I've also called Oscar there at the European branch and he hadn't even realized! Olsen just operated under their noses!"

"Goddamn the guys at the European! For God's sake, how could he just give them the slip?!" Chris exclaimed, raising his voice more than he should've. "Look Graves, I need you to tell us-"

They had merely made it past Penn's Landing when everything went to Hell. The line got cut off and Chris and Jill only heard a stable, continued beep: something had happened to Graves.

The cars had just went past the first boat harbour and were almost under Ben Franklin Bridge when Olsen's car decreased its speed and pull over next to a pier. As both Chris and Jill didn't know what was happening, he was also forced to follow behind, and it was then when they found that a pair of black vans was blocking the way. They got out of the vehicle, approaching Olsen's, and they stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what was going on.

They were between the sword and the wall; they had fallen into Olsen's trap.

He was the mole in the BSAA. Chris and Jill had been betrayed once again and there was no need to ask Olsen what was up, because they already knew. Olsen and Richard were holding them at gunpoint, horribly close to Delaware River's calm waters, and -goddamn- they had no weapons to defend themselves with.

But wait a sec, where's Jenkins?

Right after finishing the thought, Chris spotted the man also in the same situation as them, his life ready to be taken away if Richard pulled the trigger of the gun that was trained on Jenkins' temple.

"Olsen... Or should we say 'Vasily Ivanov'?" Chris snapped, his voice pitched low and menacing.

Olsen -now formally known as Ivanov- widened his smirk as a reply.

"Never in my life I've seen someone with such instincts."

"I don't think I'll take that as a compliment," Chris shot back, fighting the urge to kill them all, no matter the mission, no matter the orders, no matter the situation.

Think rationally, you idiot. Your life's at stake... and so is Jill's.

"Heh, do as you like. And as you might be thinking right now, yes: I went through all the trouble of risking my life these last three weeks to get the BSAA fail at every mission they have taken on lately. In fact, I took those missions at those locations and I tipped the dealers. So now you know: there was something wrong with me, after all. Besides, I had been made quite the offer, and I simply couldn't refuse to cooperate with my friend Sashko, who's probably in Naples by now delivering the sample I was supposed to handle. Don't worry, after this the BSAA will vanish sooner than later."

"Then all of this was just a delay?! Holy fuck, Olsen, what the hell's going on here? You... you set us up?!" Jenkins breathed out in disbelief. Ivanov looked back at him and Jenkins' face was a mask of pure shock and horror.

"Well, there's been a slight change of plans, Miles," said Ivanov in a wicked tone. "You know too much, my friend. I think you're not part of the team anymore; in fact, there was no team, there never was." Miles Jenkins gasped, the last gesture he'd ever make.

"Wait, wait--!"

Jenkins' words were drowned by a loud bang of gunfire, and Chris' eyes widened as he and Jill witnessed Miles drop dead to the ground and, by the look on Ivanov's face, it hadn't even fazed him the slightest. Once again, it was just like Raccoon City.

History was meant to repeat itself, wasn't it? Over and over again.

"Ivanov, you bastard..." cursed Jill, and Ivanov shrugged with a light smile. When he spoke, his voice lost all British accent it had and acquired the one of his native land.

"Oh well, I was the bastardly rookie in the BSAA, wasn't I? I guess that's part of my nature, Miss Valentine. And yes, I'm Vasily Ivanov and soon I'll be rich, and you'll both be dead... or worse, if God wills it. After this is over, I'll go and tell Marco about this. I guess you can figure out the outcome now."

"Was Miles' death part of the plan?" Jill inquired, her tone cold.

"I'd like to say so, yes. There's no mission that ends without a casualty or an injured person, no matter what. Miles was also suspicious of me and I sensed it many times. Now he can prove to God that he was right." Ivanov smiled. "And now I have a special treat... Agent Redfield. You're going to like it."

Chris stiffened after hearing his name come out from the mouth of a liar. It was a familiar sensation, and very familiar indeed. He searched for a means of escape or defense, but there was nothing they could use to get out of that predicament. Of course, they could jump into the river as an initial measure, but what then? They would leave their fate to chance and it wasn't unlikely that they would end up dead after the endeavour, which as such would prove pointless. Despite that, it was still the only thing they could do.

It was then when he put two and two together. One of the agents that had been accompanying Ivanov was gone, and it was no other than Arturo Gil.

Goddamn it, where is he?

Suddenly, someone flung their arm around Chris' neck, immobilizing him, and before he could struggle to free himself, a cold object pierced his neck and an intense bolt of pain struck him, paralyzing his whole body as if he'd been fossilized. The pain grew worse, his whole being seared with it as he felt something entering his bloodstream, something that once inside made him cry out in agony and caused him to bend over, panting. Never in his life had he felt this way.

That someone pushed him and, with a loud splash he was barely able to hear, his body connected with what he thought was the water's surface and then he was sinking, the currents pulling him deeper and deeper every moment he didn't fight against them. Chris tried to move but not even his fingers would respond. That was it: he was done for.

Before forcefully welcoming unconsciousness, he heard a voice calling out for him, and then the darkest of chuckles.

Can't resist the irony, can you now?

As he exhaled, the world turned one level darker.

xx

"NO!"

Everything happened in a flash: one moment, Chris was still standing, and the other he was unconscious and falling into the water without nothing to stop his fall. Once he broke the surface, his body sank and didn't emerge.

"We're done with him."

"You bastard!" Jill exclaimed, struggling to get rid of her captor. As soon as she started moving, Richard pressed the blade of a knife against her neck, and Jill was forced to stop.

"Mikhail, that's enough," Ivanov seethed, narrowing his eyes. Following another order in Russian, Richard -Mikhail- let her go, and she didn't hesitate: with two long strides and a deep breath she jumped, but it was then when she felt a pang of pain at her side. That wasn't important now, whatever it had been.

Jill plunged herself into the icy waters of the river and when she felt the water reach her ankle, she shivered as she soon dived. She was blind at first, the surge of bubbles and the itching in her eyes rendering her so, but then all became clear. After looking in all directions, scanning as far as she could, she found Chris' unconscious form a few feet under her, and she kicked with all the force she could muster to get to him as soon as she could. She reached for him; her hand barely touched his face before she could lay both hands on his neck and feel for a pulse.

There was none.

She panicked: he couldn't be dead!

Okay, Jilly, first things first: get him to breathe!

The next two minutes were crucial: if she took more than two minutes, Chris was as good as dead, and it would be for sure. Her lungs didn't beg for air as soon as she was expecting it, and her mind went quick with ideas: either bring him to the side of the river under the bridge and get him to breathe -and she would waste more than two minutes since Chris was too heavy to carry- or she could just do it now and save time.

Of course, she didn't doubt it.

In less than she'd imagined, Jill had gone up to the surface again, taken a long and deep breath and was underwater again, renewed energy coaxing her muscles into working again, and with success. Without wasting any more time, Jill swam closer and pressed her lips against Chris', breathing life into him as soon as their mouths touched. She tried twice, but no avail. On the third time though, he finally gulped and coughed, causing a wave of relief to overcome Jill. His brown hues peeked from under his lids and when he was about to try and speak, still not realizing where they were, Jill stopped him. She saw he was completely unable to focus his gaze on a certain spot and she patted his shoulder to try and stimulate him.

Jill slid his arm around her shoulders and kicked as hard as she could to emerge with the less strain possible.

She didn't think she'd be able to, since the weight of the clothes made things worse, but she still felt her legs move on their own accord, as if they were the ones repeating her to move them. Finally, after a small yet energy-consuming struggle, Jill broke the surface and both were able to breathe again. She took hearty gulps of air, easing the throbbing in her head and in her lungs, and she turned to Chris, whom she found doing the same as her. His gulps though were loud, long and the intakes were very sharp; it seemed as if he was hyperventilating.

"J...Jill..." was all he could manage to say.

"Hold on, I'll... I'll get you out of here," she told him as loud as she could, but Jill doubted Chris was listening to her. Swimming carrying Chris proved more difficult than she thought, but they still made it to the ramp under the bridge. Jill dragged her partner out of the icy water, shivers running her spine up and down, and she laid him on the floor, panting. Chris wouldn't stop convulsing, grunts and exclamations in pain tearing from his throat as he tried to fight whatever was coursing through his system. It was a fight Jill couldn't help with.

It was then when she was reminded of the intense pain on her side.

One bullet had riddled her flesh. The wound itched as hell and the pain was too strong, but that was the least of her concerns. Unfastening her belt, she wrapped it around her waist and made a makeshift tourniquet to avoid losing any more blood. Once finished, she looked back at Chris, whom she found unconscious again, but his breathing was stable now and his condition hadn't worsened any further... yet.

She laid back too and by the time she stole another glance at him, he had stopped breathing once again.

"C'mon, Chris, don't you die on me!"

Her attempts to make Chris breathe were in vain.

A/N: Aha! This is why I told you it'd all get worse: Chris is infected with something we don't know yet and unresponsive, Jill is wounded, the deal was successful and the mission was all a ruse. Don't worry, Ivanov and co. will get what they deserve in the next few chapters by a most familiar cooperator. In any case, if anyone wants a bit more of information about the whole thing with Ivanov and the BSAA, you just need to ask for it in a review and I'll contact you. I also tell you the same thing as the last chapter: any guesses, NOT in reviews, mmmhkay? xD

I also say this: the updates will be faster. You won't have to wait a whole week but four days at best. Next update is coming up on Saturday, so stay tuned!