Author's Note: Second chapter of the special, where a new character makes his appearance and a new revelation is made. Enjoy!

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

IX

Ambush

'Hunger for power is evil's true root...' - Judith Moirae

Marco Gionne was slouched in his leather seat, his gaze going from left to right as he skimmed through the pages of the book he was reading with unfaltering interest. He had spent the last few minutes reading non-stop, getting pulled into the story further and further as the plot deepened and became more complex with every page he turned. Oh, how he was enjoying it... just like his sister had. Marco suddenly tore his gaze away from the book, closed it and stood up, biting on his lip as he then closed his eyes. He couldn't think about Excella, not now.

Excella Gionne, aside from being his sister, had been a mentor figure for him, had been someone whose decisions Marco would've backed up till the very end, had been someone who had given him a place in the world. Having descended from a prestigious family and be rejected cruelly because of that had been something neither him or Excella had took well enough, and it was then when their relationship had strengthened. Excella had promised him that she'd be the best there was, that she would literally breeze through her studies and be number one from the very beginning. That was when Marco decided to follow her steps.

Whilst as not as cunning or intelligent as Excella, Marco was perceptive and had his feet firmly set on the ground, a trait which had showed itself for the first time through his unusual maturity at the young age of ten. For this reason, his mind was considered a very dangerous one, since he could think ahead of other people and perform unexpected moves after planning them with care. He was also a fierce competitor and in school had held severe rivalries with almost all of his peers, leading everyone to think that he was arrogant and contemptuous when in reality he wasn't.

There were many other traits that differenced him from Excella even though he indeed promised to himself that he'd support her at any time. One of those traits was his modesty and his introversion, each one caused by the ambient both at school and at university. Being three years Excella's junior, Marco had heard rumours about his sister's intelligence, success -and, inevitably, her proud character- in both institutions and since they didn't get to see her, his peers always asked Marco the questions. It had all come like a tidal wave, praise and congratulations as well as disrespect and loathing; he received much more of the latter. And that was only at school.

At university, things got worse. Tricell, being the important company it was, always had to have some rumours about it being brewed; by who, it didn't matter. Marco was made the scapegoat of Tricell's activities, and there came a time when he couldn't even raise his hand in class. Terror of humiliation and being laughed at was something that unnerved him, something that had almost triggered many disastrous anxiety fits. Much to his dismay, he knew he couldn't rely on Excella and her comforting words this time.

By that time, it was the year 2004 and Marco was seventeen years of age; at that time, he received news of Excella's activities with a certain man, a man whose surname and face were the only thing he knew: Wesker.

Albert Wesker was the man he had sworn to kill.

As Marco stood up from his seat, he reasoned that the blame couldn't be entirely shifted on him; Excella had also been responsible for everything that happened. In spite of having maintained a steady and firm relationship with his sister, Marco had many times argued with her because of her haughtiness amongst others, mostly because his own modesty and humbleness. Because of Excella's desire to prove her worth, she had gone on a search for power and wealth. Marco had known that not much would go according to her expectations, especially with the overconfidence with which Excella always stepped forward. Her steps had become unsteady at the end, and she had fallen.

That wasn't enough for Marco to hold a grudge against Excella. He had loved his sister very much, and nobody had the right of taking away the only member of the family left. This was the reason why he had sworn revenge on everyone who had dared to hurt the Gionne family and God help him, he was going to make it.

Marco had attended the trial against Tricell as the company's representative after Excella's demise, having been declared the unofficial CEO of the company until one was elected. His revenge started that day, the same moment he'd have the faces of the BSAA's Original Eleven's members in front of him. A hatred towards Oliver Graves was born, a hatred towards the whole Alliance was born.

It had taken him his time to bribe the African government, especially the one in charge of the KAZ, but his efforts had paid off in the end. After minutes of heated arguments, Marco managed to make it out of the trial with the company still in one piece. No later than two weeks after that, he had no other choice but to disband Tricell. It was exactly what he wanted.

Marco was known for his skilful way to deal in secrecy, and that's what he had done. A week and a half later of hard work, hectic routines and many trips to many locations, Marco succeeded in gathering the majority of Ricardo Irving's contacts, such as Vasily Ivanov and his cousin Mikhail or David Janssen, whom along with Maria Greene and Grant Matthews -another trio of dealers close to Irving- had been Marco's most faithful contact. Others, like Vasily's long-time friend Sashko, were of minor importance but still played an important role in Marco's plans.

They had been the ones that had allowed him to spread the virus samples available through the black market again. In late May of 2009, the BSAA found itself in another hectic period of bioterrorist activity, precisely what Marco wanted. The dealers that were brave enough to be captured by the Alliance were instructed by Marco himself to mention his name, so that the world knew that the Gionne were still alive, up and running. The executive board of Tricell had no complains in declaring Marco as the new CEO of the bioweapon development division of the company since it was all because of personal interest.

Everything was going as planned for now. Marco had never been an overconfident man and he knew that in one moment or another everything could go down the drain. For example, through David he had come to know about Vasily's, Mikhail's and Arturo's deaths by an unknown second party who wanted them dead. He knew it wasn't the BSAA who had been trailing them, no; it would've been too risky for them to carry out such operations.

Somebody else was playing his game.

Marco heard a soft rapping at his door and he uttered an absentminded 'Come in' as he turned around to greet his visitor. His assistant, Juno Rossi, stepped inside with a serious expression. Marco flashed her a pleased smile before bowing his head at her.

"Miss Rossi, it's nice to see you. What's the matter?" he asked, surprised by the softness of his voice. Juno, who was a woman known for her ability to keep people at arm's length with astoundingly good results, nodded at Marco and spoke,

"Mr. Gionne, you have a call. It's urgent." Marco narrowed his eyes, measuring Juno's words with care, nodded and followed her down the hall to the meeting room.

"Did the caller specify their name?" he asked her as they trotted down the hall. Juno shook her head, silent, and Marco frowned. Once they reached the meeting room, both people parted ways and Marco was left alone inside the room, standing at the other side of the long meeting table. At its other side was a big screen that was already showing the caller, although the person had their back turned on Marco.

"Did you call for me?" Marco asked, crossing the room at a slow pace. When the caller turned around, Marco cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "This is a pleasant surprise, Miss Bristow. How may I help you?"

"Enough with the formalities, Marco," she snapped, her blue gaze staring right into his. Marco drew in a sharp breath, taking in her features.

"May I know what the hell are you playing at?" Marco snapped back. "You should know better than testing my patience. "

"Heh, specially when we took out your dealers?" She smirked. "Look, we warned you. We told you we'd be behind your back, and that's what we're doing. I wasn't going to allow any other kind of deals to take place."

"Well, you missed one, Rho's CEO, Miss Sherry Birkin," Marco tittered, his tone matter-of-fact. "I received the Uroboros sample I was looking for from Sashko a mere week ago and now I'm looking for a full-fledged specimen. I know where to get it now; dear Vasily told me before he died."

"A full-fledged specimen?"

"Right now, I'd guess we're competing for the same thing, so I'd recommend you hurry up before I get my hands on the prize. Of course, I've had the upper hand and the team I sent to retrieve him is already on its way; in fact, they must've arrived to New York City by now. This is a race now, Miss Birkin, and I suggest you catch up quickly. I'll leave you a hint: it is the man you thought dead... two days ago, barely?"

He saw how Sherry's eyes widened and how her brow creased. "You're not saying it's..."

"Oh well, I can be referring to anyone," Marco replied, throwing his hands into the air. "But you know who that man is. So, since I have nothing else to tell you -and you also don't- it's best that we both get to work, shall we? I'll be awaiting your news, Miss Birkin."

With that, the screen went black and Marco remained staring at it for a few seconds, folding his arms across his chest.

Now that was a short conversation, and she really did seem pissed off. Well, she can't blame me; after all, it was Janssen that supplied her with the samples she needed, so the time for retribution is near. Even though she's not willing to cooperate and she's determined on bringing Tricell down as the BSAA did, I won't let that happen. One way or another, she will comply.

Marco swivelled around and made his way outside the room, his gait that of a determined and confident person. If everything succeeded, he would get his hands on the subject he'd been looking for.

But he still didn't know what awaited him.

xx

"God, what just happened?"

It had taken Jill almost all of her strength to hold herself back and refrain from yanking at the pustules and cutting them off with just a swipe of her knife. She had never seen Chris in such pain, although this time it wasn't pain caused by a wound. She remained staring at him, the tension draining away another bit of her energy, and had to lean against a nearby table to keep herself on her feet. Jill had already seen Uroboros, many of its transformations and its actions when rejecting a host, but she didn't know what was worse: seeing it bond with the host or rejecting it and devouring it.

Chris was alive: he was breathing, he had responded to the pain, he still tossed and turned in silence. It was a relief to see so, but something like a voice in the back of her mind was telling Jill that that change Chris had experienced was only the beginning of something worse, far worse than what he was going through now. She then tore her gaze away to glance at Wesker, whom she caught turning away from Chris and withdrawing a few steps. She stayed silent, looking at him, expectant.

"What if I told you?" he said at last, tilting his head backwards. Jill frowned.

"I'd listen, that's all. I'm doing this to get the answers I need, nothing else," she posed, firm.

"I'll remain sceptical about that, if you allow me," Wesker said, showing his demeanour as sceptical as his words. Jill decided not to insist. Agreeing or not, to keep poking him until he spilled everything out was far from successful and not very recommendable.

Wonder what's going on? I've never seen him so hesitant.

A sudden wave of sound made them become especially alert. Jill's head perked up and she stole a glance at the door, hearing footsteps -of several people, as she could soon deduce- approaching the room. And they were close, very close.

"...disposed of his body yet. It's not like we can, though."

"That's... that's Graves!" Jill exclaimed, recognizing the voice from the outside.

And he's not alone. Whoever's with him, they're asking about Chris. We have to hide; they're about to-

"I'd recommend getting out of their sight!"

Wesker's rushed voice took her out of her thoughts, and Jill proceeded to hide behind a metal cabinet near a closet which was ajar. The doors would provide enough cover for her to go unnoticed. Milliseconds before she ducked and disappeared from view, the people came inside. As Jill took a peek, tilting her head very slightly, she found out that it was indeed Graves, along with a pair of individuals, a man and a woman. Who could they be?

"Are you really sure you'll be able to treat him?" Graves asked the woman. "Our paramedics can't deal with whatever's inside him; they weren't even able to name it." His tone was serious and showed the concern that he still felt. The woman chuckled, her voice light and good-natured, and she past her companion to approach Chris' figure. Jill couldn't help a scowl.

I don't like this. This is too suspicious. It's not like Graves would bring someone here who claims to be a doctor and knows about this kind of thing, no. Even he told me that he'd picked whom he placed his trust in with care... are these really the right people?

"Of course," the woman replied. "It's a bit late now though, and we're tired from the flight. I'm sure you understand, Mr. Graves."

"I do, Miss Greene. Would tomorrow be a good day to start?" Graves inquired, relief traceable in his voice. When Miss Greene's voice didn't come as soon as they had expected, Jill feared for Oliver's life.

"It would," Miss Greene said at last, "but you won't be here with us."

Jill watched the red-haired woman take her hand to the inside of her jacket... and retrieve a gun from the inside, a gun which she quickly aimed at Graves' chest. The world seemed to turn a bit slower, since Jill found the time to look at Wesker, receive a gesture from him that told her to stay put and then look at Miss Greene again. When she did, a gunshot had already pierced the silence.

'The sound of a gunshot broke the silence and the smell of the casings reached Jill's nose. The bullet had landed mere millimetres away from her head, the gun which Wesker was holding still trained on the middle of her brow...'

The flashback hit her all of a sudden, and Jill could only take her hand to her mouth to avoid gasping or exclaiming when she heard Graves groan and collapse to the grey-tiled floor. The realization dawned upon her as heavily as Graves' body collided with the floor.

They're here to take Chris!

She turned her head to her left again, hoping to catch sight of Wesker, but she didn't find him where he was supposed to be, but at the doors. In seconds, he had closed them and had blocked them with a chair, the most useful object he had at hand. It was then when Greene and her companion were aware of his presence, and Jill didn't hesitate: coming out from her hideout, she brought her index finger and her thumb to her lips and whistled, distracting both strangers.

"Grant!" exclaimed Greene, sidestepping. The man known as Grant unsheathed a pocket knife and placed it above Chris' heart. Everyone halted to a stop in mere seconds, as if they had been frozen. Also, they were all armed: both Wesker and Greene had their guns, both Jill and Grant had their knives. Jill came to notice with dread that Greene's gun was no ordinary one: it was a .40 S&W calibre Walther P99, hence the large hole in Graves' still bleeding chest. Another one on hers and she was as good as dead.

"Careful," warned Greene, "one false move and he'll be worse than dead." Jill stole a glance at Grant and then focused on Greene again, gripping her knife tighter than before.

"What do you want with him?"

"You don't think we'll tell you, do you?" Greene prompted with a smirk.

"This matter concerned only us and Mr. Graves, who unfortunately hasn't made it far."

"Who sends you? Perhaps the option of negotiating is available."

Grant, Greene and Jill turned towards Wesker, whose voice had sounded full of sarcasm to its entirety. Greene snorted, contemptuous.

"If it isn't Mr. Wesker himself! We have heard much about you, mostly thanks to your latest... asset's brother?" she posed, caustic. Jill felt an uneasy knot tighten in her stomach.

Marco Gionne? Is it him who's sent them here?

"Oh, so it's Mr. Marco pulling the strings now?"

Jill shifted her weight to the left leg, feeling uncomfortable. Wesker was really getting a kick out of this conversation, even though Jill failed to see the humorous point of it all. What she did see was how close she was both to Grant and Greene; with a stroke of luck, she might even as well be able to disarm them and give her and Wesker the upper hand, but what if there was no such stroke? On top of everything, Chris' life was at stake, discarding the theories Wesker hadn't shared with her yet.

"Surprise!"

That was a voice none of them had expected to hear again. The dry croak had come from Graves, who had the butt of his gun resting on his hip and was aimed at Greene's thigh. With one last grunt in effort, Graves pulled the trigger before the gun was kicked out of his hand by Grant, and the bullet hit its mark. Greene recoiled, releasing a short cry in pain and clutching her injured leg, and Jill found her opportunity to act. With only so much as a step, she moved forward and lifted her knife to Grant's throat, but the man soon elbowed her away.

Jill suddenly saw Wesker take a step forward, lift his firearm and aim at Grant. If she stayed in front of him, something bad could happen.

Move it!

Jill did as her conscience told, not wanting to be in the middle of the bullet's path, and she tackled Greene to the ground with a swift low kick. Wesker's target dropped dead beside the bed with a bullet to his brow; Greene was the only one left alive. After Jill made sure Greene wouldn't move, she neared Graves' body and examined him, looking for any signs that told her he was still alive. But Oliver Graves was already dead.

A bolt of pain struck Jill's heart, despising the thought of having to feel again such sorrow. No matter where she went, there was still someone who'd get the short end of the stick; was she like the Jonas of the ship? She closed Graves' eyes, biting the inside of her lip.

Thanks for sticking with us, Oliver.

Jill lifted her gaze at Wesker again, only to find him knocking Greene unconscious with a swift blow of his gun to her temple. The blow was strong enough for the skull to crack a bit; at least that's what Jill heard. With enough luck -or maybe not so much- Greene had been killed by 'accident'. Having finished that, Wesker concealed his gun and proceeded to disconnect the machines, Jill catching the hint the same moment he snapped his fingers.

It didn't take them long; with care and a few seconds they had succeeded in not waking Chris, and each one of them snaked an arm of Chris' around their shoulders.

"Thanks for the warning, sharpshooter," Jill snapped, referring to the earlier risk of getting shot. She received a mild, mocking chuckle from Wesker.

"Lousy humour as always, but you're welcome," he replied with as much sarcasm as her, possibly even more. "Enough with the banter; we have someone to assist."

Jill couldn't agree more. As they started walking, an interesting question popped up in her mind: who else, aside from Chris, did Wesker mean to assist?

Why would you ask that stupid question to yourself, Jill? You already know he's only doing it for himself... Even so, time will tell. For now, just keep your guard up. You have Chris now; you'd better get him to safety.

Much to Jill's surprise, Chris was lighter than before and easier to carry, so they wasted no time. Though before they could even move, Chris sprung to consciousness with a violent jerk of his body, almost making them fall, and then Wesker jumped away from him, mildly gaping at his enemy. Jill was quick to catch Chris again and searched for his gaze, but it was trained upon Wesker.

Go wonder how he'll take all this! He's already seen him!

Before nothing else could happen, Chris' head fell forward, limp, and his body relaxed again. Once more he was unconscious. Jill lifted her gaze up at Wesker, whose fist had clenched but his expression seemed unruffled.

I know it's the fact of having to help Chris, but what's gotten into him? This goes even beyond enmity, I'm sure of that.

In seconds, Wesker shook his head as if trying to clear it and assisted Jill in her task. He was silent, no comments to make, and they started walking out of the room. Whilst the silence lasted, Jill wondered: what had made Chris have that slight spark of consciousness? What had Wesker seen that had left him... shaken?

To all these questions she would get answers, sooner or later.

"It shouldn't take too long to get out," said Jill, breaking the silence at last, "unless they had others waiting for us."

"It'd be the typical move, as always," Wesker commented as if he were disappointed. "If that's the case, do you know of any secondary exits?" Jill didn't reply for a few seconds, becoming pensive, and she shook her head.

"I know of other exits, but it'd be difficult to go carrying Chris. It's also shorter, but it leads underground. Needless to mention, that exit might be also covered, if it is," she told him, and Wesker rolled his eyes, also shaking his head.

"Always the inconvenience. In any case, we should-"

"Hold it right there!"

Jill's face dropped in shock. "What the-"

Busted.

A/N: Here it is, the end... not of the story, of course! XD In any case, let me explain some things:

*) I decided to introduce Marco here because I thought it the best moment to do so. Also, I really didn't want to make him like Excella, all arrogant and what have you. He's much more calm and modest, although he doesn't lack the pride of the Gionne. His physical description will come later; for now, I wanted to focus on his personality and background. Also, the Janssen -David Janssen- is one of the dealers back from chapter 3, if my memory serves me well. He, along with Greene -Maria Greene- will play an important part on this story; you shall see how. Explanation with spoilers? Maybe, but it's just so that you didn't get confused on the chapter where they make their next appearance.
**) Sherry adopted the surname 'Bristow' instead of 'Birkin' after she was taken under Wesker's wing; at least, that's my take. I guess it wouldn't be very safe to be related to William, especially after Raccoon City and the pressure Umbrella was put under after the incident. You shall also see what's all this with the 'Rho CEO' thing, okay?

Reviews are appreciated!^^