Author's Note: I can't believe how excited you're all showing yourselves to be; I can't! Well, I guess this is going the right way. Now that Chris is up and going again, you might be thinking: "How is he going to take everything?" And I tell you: don't worry, it'll all come slowly. I don't want to rush things a lot and there's plenty of room for the sequel, which is where we will see the most. Now, enjoy this update!

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil or any of its characters.

XVIII

Against One's Beliefs

'He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end.' Harry Emerson Fosdick

August 25th, 2009

"We'll do it here, since it's the only place deep enough to make a worthy descent and then make our way up."

Chris and Jill looked around and took in the familiar vast place they were in: the main elevator shaft and the Uroboros test subject storage room of the also named 'Doomsday Project'. Chris stole a sideways glance at Jill, his concern for her going off as an alarm. He had asked her about the flashbacks and it wouldn't surprise him if another one struck her mind. In spite of his assumption, Jill didn't seem to be troubled... even though it was also himself whom Chris had to worry about, and not just because of the flashbacks.

As stupid and impossible as it seemed to both him and Wesker, they had eventually -after long conversations and many taunts to provoke each other (there was no avoiding that)- reached an agreement, an agreement Chris wasn't sure how long would last. The agreement had been simple, although it was complex and scary in a way: for starters, Wesker would help -assist, as he'd put it- Chris in getting used to his new abilities. The scary part of the agreement was that the upshot of the whole situation would be decided by Wesker and only him... Just God, out of all people in the Heavens, Earth and Hell, knew what he'd do to Chris.

Kill me, that's for sure. And enjoy a bit of psychological torture whilst he's at it.

The worst part of all was that Jill would have to stand all of their arguments; Chris was sure there was no way in hell he and Wesker would stick with diplomacy. In fact, she'd already witnessed one of Wesker's attempts to kill him and would surely witness another of Chris doing the same: that would come back to bite Wesker, whether he liked it or not.

Oh boy, I'm sure he'll love it: yet another chance.

Chris couldn't help being sardonic about it, since it was his own method of going through situations that either threatened his life or seemed too unbelievable and stupid... because that was what everything was: stupid. When in his life had the thought of forming an alliance -if it could be called that- with his enemy, his nemesis, crossed his head? Never, that was for sure. That should and would teach him to listen to Jill before listening to his own intuition, a little voice that had never failed to tell him what was correct and what wasn't.

"A descent and an ascent?" Chris echoed before any of them had to snap him out of his thoughts.

"I thought I made myself clear enough, Redfield, but yes... and we'll go down to the deepest part," Wesker replied as he neared the edge of the elevator, his tone acquiring a wicked note that Chris didn't like. "Oh don't worry, I'm sure you'll make it."

Okay, you want sarcasm? I'll give you sarcasm and much more; you're asking for it!

"Yeah, I guess I will, but what about you?" Chris shot back, going as far as to sound contemptuous. This earned him a reproaching look from Jill, but that didn't do much to silence the voice that kept enticing him to engage in a verbal fight with Wesker: Chris knew better than to run away from challenges. "Think you can keep up?"

This remark also earned him a glare from his enemy and then a smirk. "The mighty Redfield showing concern towards me?" he asked, his voice still caustic. "I don't think age has much to do with this, although if you actually think that being a thirty-six year old bugger like you will give you some advantage against me, let me tell you that you're sorely mistaken."

And with that, Wesker jumped backwards and soon got lost into the shadows. Both Chris and Jill strode towards the edge and looked down, only to find Wesker sitting in a casual manner atop one of the many containers a few rows below. He didn't know why, but Chris found himself staring in disbelief.

If he can do that and be human... wonder what I'll be able to do! God, just look at what he did! And why am I showing this surprise? I can't understand myself sometimes...

"I hope this isn't too much for you, Chris; if it is, just you wait till the ascent."

"Don't get so cocky already!"

Chris followed suit and for the first time in his life thought he was flying. Never in his life he'd imagined he'd jump so far and so high, and the sensation was terrific. Still, there was no time to allow his mind to wander and delight in the feeling of power the adrenaline made him experience: Wesker was descending once again and fast.

How can he be so fast if he isn't superhuman anymore? Damn, I should have more advantage than him!

Frustrated and miffed, Chris pushed himself off the container on which he had landed and took one of the faster routes he'd seen, although maybe it'd hurt a bit: the main girder of the elevator. There were other short beams set in circles around it that would help him get down faster than he would've imagined, but if he failed to catch hold of one of them, he'd earn a really bad smash against whatever was in his way. Of course, he had to think positive and, at first, he held onto the beam successfully... and now he had to keep going. When he looked down at the darkness below him, a chill ran down his spine: going down in the elevator was much different than doing it on foot... and on foot, which was the surprising concept.

As soon as he eased his grip on the beam, something hard crashed against his back and made him stray from his path. When Chris turned his head around to find out what had hit him, he wasn't surprised to see it had been Wesker, who was soaring a couple of rows above him with an impressively natural air. Before he could slip, Chris held on to one of the containers and forced himself up on it, looking up and finding Wesker smirking down at him, the lights that beamed down on him giving him a creepy air of haughtiness.

"You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you? You almost knocked me down!" Chris snapped, annoyed.

"What made you think I'd make this easy for you? This is the easiest it can get, I warn you," replied Wesker as he made his way to Chris' same level. To his surprise, Chris found himself wishing he could move like that.

Hah! Soon, I will; I just need some practice.

"I think it's better if we handle heights at some other moment; it looks like it's too soon," Chris' companion said. "Your body has to get used to all of these brusque and exerting movements, and forcing your legs to keep up with your weight so early will do nothing more than leave the fibres thrashed. And speaking of weight, too bad you were lucky the sample you were injected with had the proper quantity according to your weight; a bit more and I wouldn't have to be dealing with you."

"Well, life gives many turns," Chris shot back, shrugging in a nonchalant manner.

"Oh, by the way," said Wesker, "don't get any funny ideas: this is only advice; take it or leave it."

"I guess I'll have to take it if I want to make it out of this hole," Chris said, resigned. He looked down to see how much they had left; out of what he could see, he guessed that not much. In the mood to prompt Wesker, he smirked and gestured with his head at the shaft. "I've learnt a small lesson; see if you can get down there before I do."

"Watch me do so," Wesker said in return, accepting the challenge.

Chris didn't hesitate to jump again and slip his way through the containers as a cat would climb down the space between two narrow walls. As he descended, he twisted his body in ways he would've never imagined and endured falls that would've broken a normal person's legs or even killed them. One thing he didn't realize until he took a deep breath was how well he was coping with everything: it was as if exertion was a word that had been erased from his dictionary.

Alright, I can do this! This-this is amazing!

Chris dared to close his eyes whilst he kept moving. Anyone else would've hesitated or not even have opened, fearful of smashing against something, but he didn't fear running into a container or slipping. His keener sense of hearing allowed him to detect and trace all the vibrations that the blows to the containers caused and gave him like a panoramic sight of what he had around him. He was blind, but at the same time he wasn't.

He heard something like a wind current near him; no, it was an air current, and he opened his eyes. In disbelief, he watched Wesker swing his body upwards and avoided his boots in time: yet another attempt to either maim him or kill him. With a faint 'Whoa' that was nevertheless heard because of the echo, Chris forced himself to go faster and focus even more on what he was doing: one wrong movement and Wesker would be on top of him, like a predator chasing his prey.

This is like cat and mouse! And I refuse to be the mouse!

Chris laid one hand against the wall and the other one against a container, lifted himself up with almost no effort and made a full counterclockwise spin as Wesker slipped past him. When his adversary was a few metres away from him, Chris decided to test how he'd respond to his first fall. Without heeding Wesker's earlier 'advice' as he'd put it, Chris pushed himself off the container and got ready to make a successful landing. What he didn't account for was that he wouldn't be landing onto solid floor but water instead, and broke its surface with a loud splash. Once he swam back up, he heard Wesker's soft chuckles behind him.

"That was quick, although I got here sooner than you did," he remarked like he found amusement in stating the obvious. "Don't get out of there. Even though I can see you're freezing -and I hope it gets to you soon enough-, the cold should revitalize you."

Chris accepted his advice, but with great distrust. Either this was a way to see him suffer or he was actually right, because never in his life had he been conscious and so freaking cold. The question that popped into his mind was voiced out before he could keep himself from doing so.

"Why is this all filled with water? Last time I checked it wasn't like this," he said, finding no difficulties to speak clearly even though his teeth were starting to chatter. Wesker shrugged, his gaze trained behind Chris. When he turned around, shock took over him as he stared into a large opening with an equally large iron gate at the end. After having a better look, Chris noticed water seeping in through the hinges.

"It appears this won't last long," Wesker remarked as he stood up. "Let's get back up; I wouldn't like to be caught in the middle of the flood when this collapses." As he got out of the water, Chris couldn't avoid bouncing in shock.

"It won't hold?"

"The pressure's too great. We have a few rows to get to the real end of this shaft and there's a good distance between here and there. We've been lucky to have found this still in a decent state."

"Any idea when this might be flooded?"

"Approximately a few hours, but that's a far-fetched guess," Wesker replied, contemplative. "Either way, let's stop with the banter and get back. I didn't come here to waste my time with you."

"And who said you had to waste it?" Chris shot back, his annoyance spiking again. "You could've ignored-"

Wesker didn't give him a chance to continue and started climbing up the containers at a fast pace. Chris was left there, dumbfounded and ready to kick the shit out of him whenever he had a chance.

"-me?"

Oh no, you're not gonna win this time.

With that purpose in mind, Chris took a run-up and jumped -Feels like flying!- to the seventh row upon the water-filled level, three rows above Wesker. From then on, he didn't waste any time and kept climbing as fast as he could without messing up, even though having in mind his clothes were drenched and would be an additional weight to carry. The race didn't last long, since both of them went at their fastest, but still Chris got to the main platform mere seconds before Wesker. He found Jill propped against the girder and she welcomed him with a smile.

"So, how did it go? And why are you soaked?"

"Not bad, really. It was... kinda fun, if you ask me," Chris said as he leaned over to catch his breath.

"It was also amusing to push him and see how he struggled not to smash himself against the ground," Wesker intervened as he landed.

"You tried to kill him again?" Jill asked, her voice a bit stronger than before. Wesker simply shrugged, flashing her a smirk.

"Oh, just friendly attempts during a harmless game, wouldn't you say?" he replied, and Chris saw Jill was trying to keep herself from laughing.

I hope she's laughing at his sarcasm.

"And the reason why he's soaked is he tried to get to the bottom before me and crash-landed against a water-filled section of this shaft. Cockiness knows no boundaries, it seems."

"Cockiness my foot! I was just trying something new," Chris protested in defense. Wesker tilted his head, a sign which Chris took as Wesker had just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. The thing is a good section of the shaft is completely covered by water. The gate down below won't hold for long, according to his precise calculations," Chris then explained, putting an especial sarcastic emphasis on 'precise'.

"How long do we have?" asked Jill. "It could give in at any moment."

"What we can do is hope there's no electricity cut," Wesker replied. "This facility has a nasty security system: if the lockdown commences, there'll be no way to get out of here."

"Why risk getting locked down here?" Chris asked, straightening himself.

"Security measures, that's all," his enemy replied in a simple way. "We should get ready to return to the States; there's nothing else we have to do here, since we already have enough samples of PG to keep you alive. Let's hope we run out of them soon."

"Very funny. I love your sense of humour," Chris said as he started to walk towards the entrance.

"And I love the way you two get along," Jill intervened with a laugh. Chris half-turned to look at her, giving out a curious smirk.

"Why do you keep joking about this?" he inquired as he slowed down. Jill sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not joking. You keep going with the sarcasm, so I thought I could also have a part in this. I have a quite good repertoire of sarcastic remarks; you might even learn from me and keep kicking each other's butt in verbal fights like these," she explained with dark humour. Wesker stole a glance at her, cocking an eyebrow.

"This doesn't surprise me: you're still intent on taking me down, be it physically or verbally. I'll have to force an alliance with a trusty friend of mine."

"And who's this friend of yours?" Chris inquired with malice.

"Myself. He can have quite the dark side," Wesker replied with a sardonic smirk. When Wesker finished speaking, Chris' mood changed dramatically and turned his head around to prevent the change from being noticed.

I can't believe what I'm doing... It's unnatural, and I don't know if I'll be able to keep this up for long. There will come a time when this will have to stop. Even though having him as a temporary ally is an upside, I can't tell for how long I'll keep my restraints. He might be helping me get used to this new state of mine, but I know he's desiring to kill me. When he has his chance... not even I will be able to stop him. I must have in mind he's still my enemy, no matter what he does or says... and I can tell he feels the same.

"Think me crazy, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it'd be."

Chris remembered Jill's words about her own experience all of a sudden and found some consolation in them. Jill was completely different from him: she was very confident of herself and knew how to get along well with people from the first moment she met them. Despite that indeed didn't seem to apply with Wesker, she had told him there was something different; not directly, but her words had led him to assume that. Chris soon found himself feeling confused, begging for the answers to come... and quick. How to take Jill's reaction? A sixth sense of his told him there was no enmity between Wesker and Jill now; at least, not visible enmity. Had she... had she-?

Forgiven him?! That's impossible!!

"Chris?"

"Huh?" Chris blinked a few times and shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. What had that been all about? "Sorry I spaced out for a moment. I guess I just need to rest."

"It's fine," Jill said. "Are you feeling okay?" Chris nodded, not even sure of his own gestures.

God, I'm... I'm getting the shakes, I'm feeling horribly cold and I can't see without anything swimming before my eyes... This-This is not because of the water before, this is different. Hold on, Chris, hold-

Before he could finish the thought, he collapsed as the world turned black.

xx

"Are you sure I can leave you with him?"

Jill smiled, raising her gaze at a cautious and tense Wesker in front of her. "I'm sure; it'll be fine. Besides, it's not like he's going to bite me."

"That much isn't clear; I don't want anything to go awry," he replied. "He could lash out at you at any moment."

Jill smirked. "Concerned?" She sighed. "I have to talk to him, and he looks about to wake up. By the way, why was he shaking so much?"

He replied with no hesitation. "He doesn't take the PG samples as frequently as he should. I can't get it inside his head: maybe he will listen to you, or else you can tell him he will inevitably either die or become fodder for the virus; whatever option he chooses will lead him to his death. I can tell you that we won't listen to each other much: this grudge of ours will get in our way, and we're not going to stop it."

"Not even you?"

"Not even me," he said, "and you know it."

"I'm wondering how he will take all of this. Sooner or later, he'll have his suspicions," Jill reasoned, half-listening to her words.

"About us, correct?" Jill looked back at Wesker and saw him with a smirk across his features, one she didn't know how to take. "He doesn't have to know. Despite you're right about his curiosity -curse it, for that matter-, there can only be one way out of this. And it's up to you to decide how, not me. There could've been no turning back for me, but that also applies to you."

Wesker then dipped his head at her. "I'll be upstairs."

Jill didn't see him leave but did hear him close the door and leave for the upper floor, and then she turned her attention to Chris. With uneasiness, she closed her eyes and sighed. As she had assumed, Chris recovered consciousness soon after she took a seat at the foot of the bed and, silent, she watched him sit up and shake his head hastily. Jill couldn't look anywhere else that wasn't his eyes, those very familiar feline eyes she'd many times looked into, only this time they weren't Wesker's.

Everything is upside-down...

"Jill, what are you doing there?" Chris asked as she smiled when he noticed her. "You could've picked another place, y'know."

"It's fine, really; I didn't want to wake you up," she replied, shaking off his remarks and concern and choosing this time to sit beside him. "How're you feeling?" Chris frowned, bringing his knees to his chest and resting his forehead upon them.

"Not very well... It's not because of the dizziness I felt before, but because of something else," he replied. "It's been nagging me for a while, and I have to ask: when I regained consciousness all those times, I didn't hurt you, did I?" He paused. "I've kept having these flashbacks of me hurting you and... I just wanted to know if I did something to you, that's all."

And he still has a hard-time sharing his thoughts with me. This Redfield will never change.

Jill snaked an arm around his shoulders and patted his head with her other hand. "You didn't, you can stop worrying about it. You never finish your sentences, you knew that?" she then said with a teasing tone, but that wasn't enough to lift Chris' spirits as much as she wanted to. There was silence, then,

"Jill?" he called, and her good humour faded at once.

For the first time in her life, she'd heard Chris' voice quivering.

"I'm not... I'm not looking for pity of any kind, but... why does the same happen to me? Why does it all happen to us, for that matter?" he said, his voice almost a whisper. "It's not that... that I can't take it anymore, but-"

For the first time in her life, she heard his voice break but he didn't stay quiet.

"Now I understand why you felt so guilty for everything that happened," Chris spoke with a bitter chuckle. "It's ironic to see that you've become all you've fought against your whole life... Jill, it's driving me crazy; I don't even know if I'm myself anymore..."

Jill was left speechless, grief-stricken and letting the silence speak for itself; she knew that her words would do nothing to ease his pain. But instinctively, she said, "Chris, I-"

In that moment, Chris reached for her hand and held it with strength, and Jill couldn't avoid a smile: she knew that this moment would come sooner of later; it was just a question of time. Gently, she gave a small squeeze to his shoulder and decided to talk.

"You can't help wondering about that irony, yeah. But you know we've gone through worse and we've made it out," she said. "Chris, it's time you get the weight off your shoulders and just... just live, dammit. We can't go on if you keep blaming yourself for everything that happens, because I know you do it... and I can't go on either. There's always so much one person can take, and you can't keep evading your limits."

"I know things happen, but I can't help it!" Chris said in return, his eyes bleary. "Jill, you know I'm always responsible of everything we do -well, not always, but most of the times. Whatever happens, I'm the one held responsible, whether I like it or not. You can't expect me to shrug it off like nothing!"

"I'm not asking you to do that nor I expect it!" Jill exclaimed. "What I don't want you to do is keep it all to yourself! What have we been all here for? You were always the same, Chris, even before the Mansion incident had happened! Remember the time when not even Barry could get you to talk about what was wrong, and then it all was because you feared we had screwed up on a recon mission because of a silly mistake of yours? I mean, you could've shared that with all of us and nothing would have happened! In fact, we would've laughed even sooner than we did! Remember, not even Barry, who was the warmest soul of us all!"

Chris remained silent, blinking as he seemed to remember what happened that day. "I still have-" His voice broke because of a half-hearted laugh. "I still have Joseph's good-natured laughs in mind."

"Of course, you idiot!" Jill agreed, sitting down again beside him. "Chris, I don't think that I'm asking too much of you, only that you're a bit more open. I'm not even forcing you to change, even though I sometimes wanted to strangle you so that you snapped out of it. We can shoulder everything along with you; no need to take it all yourself."

Chris remained silent once again, not even bothering to say anything, because there was no need to say it. He moved his head to Jill's direction very slightly and then his eyes looked up at her from under the shadows cast over his lids. It caught Jill unawares, the powerful gleam in his gaze, but she didn't break eye contact, fighting against doing so because of the intensity of his hues. At last, he smiled sadly.

"Thanks for smacking some sense into me."

"No need to say thanks for this," Jill spoke as she shook her head. "You should've placed a bit more of trust in me. Keep on living happy, there'll be time for the rest." Jill knew Chris would react because of that last sentence and indeed, he did. He sat up with a half-hearted chuckle and rested his back against the wall. He sighed.

"That's what Joseph said every time a problem was solved," he said, his tone nostalgic. "And then Forrest would keep mentioning it until I snapped at him. Of course, then we made bets and it'd always come down to shooting competitions... and I kicked his ass every time he dared challenge me."

Jill let out a laugh at Chris' proud tone. "Goodbye, halcyon days," she uttered, wistful. Those would be times that would never come back, people they would never see again, and Jill berated herself inwardly as the reason why kept hitting her head like an anvil, trying to make her realize.

All because of one of the many persons I hold dear to me.

"Even though it's nice to reminisce," Chris stated, "we need to have in mind what's going on now. They wouldn't like to see us like that, and especially Joseph."

Jill nodded, averting her gaze. "Especially Joseph," she echoed, a bit absentminded. What was she doing? Talking about her old comrades made her realize the difficulty and danger of her actual situation and smacked some sense into her, some much needed sense.

I can't push him away... not now; I simply can't. I can't choose over one of them, but at the same time I can't let my heart be divided. Sooner or later, the problem will see the light... and that will be the time when I'll have to make my decision.

"You can't worry about things that still haven't happened. What if they actually don't? All the concern will have been for nothing. Try and make your choices when they come up," Richard would say against a distant situation that seemed problematic.

I can't apply that philosophy now; this is much more complicated! But it's right in some way: what if nothing happens? What if this is something I can keep up with? It even has its positive side! Richard, your philosophies won't be forgotten... and neither will you.

"Damn, I miss those times," Jill said in an undertone as she brought up a knee and rested her left cheekbone upon it. Her gaze met Chris' once again, sharing a long stare that told her more than a thousand words. She didn't want to know about those thousand unspoken words; she wanted to know about the ones she would soon speak out. To be specific, they were three very simple words, but three words that would turn the world upside down. A few seconds went by before she felt Chris' hand upon her other cheek, his expression not mellowing in any way. That was no problem: his eyes told her otherwise. She smiled at him, truthfully, with the strength to do so.

"And I miss those smiles that made me hope," Chris said at last, his tone soothing. "I miss your smiles, your happy remarks, the jokes you frequently pulled on me... I miss you, Jill. Stay with me, okay?"

Jill was once again left speechless: Chris had finally opened the book, had let her have a gander at many of its pages, had let her know what was written in them. At last, she widened her smile, gripping his hand much tighter than before as she felt a single, lone tear sliding down her face. Chris' features changed, allowing a smile to lighten them up.

"Keep smiling, Jill, keep smiling." With these words, Chris stroked Jill's cheek, gesture that made her straighten with a sharp movement, grimacing inwardly at the pain she felt in her gut because of the knot of joy.

For the first time in her life, Jill Valentine felt truly happy.

Without thinking it anymore, Jill took the liberty to entangle her fingers in his soft dark hair and pushed herself closer to him. She kissed him; at last, she kissed him, declaring her love for him with each movement of her lips. Chris did the same from the very beginning, his lips fierce and demanding, letting her know of the love that had many times gone undeclared.

Jill let herself go as Chris pulled her onto his lap, one knee of hers at each side of his legs, and kissed her again as fiercely as before, his hands travelling into her hair and clasping it as Jill pressed harder. She knew he was nervous; she was too, but there was no way of letting that show. They broke away for a brief moment, very brief, and then Chris slid his tongue through her lips to start a new kiss, this time with a more sensual undertone.

Oh god! This is crazy, but I love it.

Ginger and resolute at the same time, Jill did the same as him, following her instincts. As she did it, she found herself in a state close to ecstasy, bittersweet ecstasy that didn't let her think coherently. Slowly, so as to feel it without any rush, she slid her tongue through her lips to give a small lick to the corner of Chris' mouth before capturing his lips again in a gentle kiss.

Jill pressed herself closer to him, deepening the kiss and delighting in something as trivial as how Chris pushed here onto her back, almost refusing to cease contact. Without warning, Chris slid a hand to her thigh, pressing harder. All was passionate and almost uncontrolled until they both stopped and separated very slowly, as if everything depended on those two seconds that went by. Jill was left uneasy.

I don't know why, but I feel we've gone too far...

"I'm sorry, I don't know what hit me," Chris uttered, his expression sheepish and apologetic. Jill smiled kindly, keeping her arms around his neck... and trying to keep her heart at a steady pace.

"What hit you hit me, too. We're even," she teased, but then sighed. "Chris, I-"

"I don't want you to say anything now," he said, shaking his head. "Let the silence speak for itself."

And as their lips met again, Jill decided she could play along.

xx

"Say, brother, what do you think we could do with her?" Freya asked Vithar as she sheathed two kukri knives and strapped the sheaths at her belt. She glanced at Vithar, who finished holstering an AMT Hardballer at his thigh and yawned loudly.

"I wouldn't know, sis," he replied, wearily rubbing his eyes and letting his shoulders slump. "Maybe we can torture her our way, or each one to their own." Vithar sighed, sitting down on the floor and picking up a combat knife before sheathing it at his lower back. "Perhaps we can get her to drown or maybe make her shoot herself?"

Freya shook her head. "No, that wouldn't be fun."

"Then what do you take as 'fun', Freya?" asked Vithar, yawning again and stretching. "I feel tired; I don't want to overdo it. I feel weak, I don't have any energies. Let's get it over and done with soon, okay, sis?" Vithar let his head droop, even flexed his neck to the left, and blinked twice as he tried to shake his drowsiness off.

"That wouldn't be fun either. I'm sure that when you see blood, you'll feel better," said Freya with a soothing voice, crouching in front of her brother and ruffling his hair in a playful way. "It always happens. Besides, you need to sleep; we should do that before we leave."

Vithar yawned for the third time and nodded, agreeing with Freya. "But I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep, sis," he objected, "because I never am. I don't want to go to sleep; the burning at my legs will get worse and I'll hear screams again. Sis, I'm... I'm scared..." Vithar could do nothing to stop his flowing tears and clung at her sister's chest, his body racking as he sobbed.

"The screams will go away, I'm sure," she said, but her voice also broke and tears filled her onyx eyes. "Because mom and dad will go away, everyone will go away. We'll forget, we'll forget about everything and everyone, and we'll keep going." Freya rested her forehead on top of Vithar's head, hearing her brother's sobs transform into full-fledged cries... and she sang their favourite lullaby in an attempt to calm Vithar down.

xx

"Damn it, I'm at the end of my rope, Miss Birkin! How am I supposed to do this?" a panicking David Janssen spoke into the phone. "I can't- He's got Vithar and Freya here; Vithar's going to get Redfield's sister, Freya's heading to Africa!"

Sherry frowned when she heard the names. "Wait, who are Vithar and Freya?" she asked, her tone one of alarm.

"They're-they're assassins at Marco's command. He's going to send Freya there to take care of them, and he's also going to shut the facility down so they can't escape! I can't get Maria's help because she's completely oblivious to our affiliation, miss, and I can't tell her! Marco would get wind of this through her and that's when everything would go down the pan!" David shot back. "That's what I heard him say; I... I don't know if he might come up with a change of plans..."

A change of plans? Why would Marco do that? What was he planning to do, for that matter?

Sending the assassin to Africa? How the hell does he know Wesker and the others are there?!

"Wait a second, how does Marco know they're there?!" Sherry asked, raising her voice in anxiety.

"It's James! He's a mole! He's a spy for Marco! He went to Africa with them!" David replied in a rush, and Sherry gasped in horror.

I didn't tell him to go! Bastard, he sneaked into the plane! Absence for personal matters, huh? You're dead, James, I swear.

"Shit, and he's here with me now. He came back a day ago."

"Be careful, he might attempt to do something!" David warned. "We're treading on thin ice!"

"Then I'll try to get in contact with Claire as soon as I can," Sherry said, her voice resolute. "In the meantime, you'll have to accompany Vithar to get her. It's the only way we can't avoid suspicions from Marco... unless he doesn't already know of our affiliation."

Silence, then, "Damn it, I wasn't employed to help in things like these... Okay, I'll do my best."

"David, be careful. I want you back working with me, alright?" Sherry ordered, her tone gentle and authoritative. David gave a sad chuckle.

"Can I say that I'll try?" he asked in return, bitter. "I'm on my way; you be careful too."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, qu'est-ce que c'est?" Sherry heard the person beside her exclaim. It was Jean-Jacques, the computer expert and professional hacker. "Nous avons un problème, cherie! The communications are being jammed!"

"What?!" Sherry exclaimed as she leaned down to have a glance at the computer. In fact, the monitor seemed to struggle to keep itself on, fighting against a surge of static and interference. "In a time like this?! Shit, what could be happening now?"

JAMES!

"Je ne sais pas, Sherry, but I'll find out," replied Jean-Jacques, immediately getting to work. Sherry let out a soft growl, clenching one of her fists and biting on a thumbnail.

I know you're behind this, Marco. You're not going to get away, you son of a bitch. In the meantime, you're going to miss another partner.

Without saying anything else, Sherry strode out of the room and looked for James throughout the facility as well as she could. She asked fellow workers and researchers, but none of them had seen him: he'd vanished. Sherry thought of one last place to look: his quarters. She wasn't too surprised when she got there and found them empty: James was gone.

So you like to play with fire, huh? You should be more careful or you'll get burned.

It was time to call a spade a spade.

Voi închide ochii şi respiraţi adânc,
voi deschide ochii şi voi fi liber.
Voi sta treaz, nu voi adormi,
pentru că nebunia fără nume a luat peste mine.

(The Nameless Madness, Romanian.)

A/N: Aha! Now you see what everyone is up to, and don't trust Marco's plans completely... he has a good way to change things to his own interest. Stay tuned for next update!^^

*Qu'est-ce que c'est -
*Nous avons un problème, cherie! - We have a problem, miss (or dear).
*Je ne sais pas - I don't know.

Reviews are appreciated!^^