Apologies for the long wait and this short update but as it was taking so long and I still wasn't completely happy with this chapter I thought it would be easier to split it into two parts so there has at least been something uploaded.

As always any reviews or constructive criticism is more than welcome and thanks for reading!

oOo

Chris slowly rotated his shoulder backwards and forwards in an attempt to placate the dull ache that was making it difficult to work in the confined space under the truck.
It hadn't been until after they had gotten their breath back after escaping from the ace of spades that he had even noticed he'd caught a bullet in the fire fight. Must've been from one of the arachnid type j'avo he thought to himself. Bullets had been coming from the direction of the ceiling at that point. The whole mission had definitely been a new experience.

He should go change the dressing he thought - it wasn't like he was actually doing much here anyway. The axle had broken and the suspension was shot and despite his best efforts Chris hadn't done anything so far but look at it. His mind wasn't really on the task or his aching shoulder - something was going on that he wasn't a part of. Chris had learned the hard way over the years that when he had a feeling like this, like something wasn't right, it was usually with good reason. Chris rolled out from under the vehicle and stood up to clear away the various tools that hadn't been used.

Piers had noticed it too - less and less information was being passed down the chain of command which was only ever a sign of bad things to come. Either the BSAA didn't have any information or they just weren't willing to share. Chris had even been willing to break the rules to get a clearer picture of where he and his men stood while the rest of the world was on the brink of biological warfare, but that only got low level data and he couldn't risk his men's reputations by allowing them to hack the system for him again even if they wanted to.

Rachel had been Chris's main resource for information but lately she hadn't been all that forthcoming either. Not that that was the only reason she was on his mind – but in an attempt to retain some semblance of professionalism that was what he was going with. Whenever he brought it up she would avoid giving any real answer so smoothly it was almost as if he hadn't asked in the first place. Sometimes he could see that she was uncomfortable leaving him in the dark. It was as if she wanted to say something but remembered that she couldn't or shouldn't every time.

Chris sighed heavily - this was getting ridiculous. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small device he had made earlier that day and the small handwritten instructional note that accompanied it. It was a small USB. Encoded with a program that would copy any and all high security files and crack them for his own personal viewing. It was just a matter of deciding whose computer to hijack, who would have access to the information he needed. The answer was obvious. Chris just didn't like to think about the potential consequences of doing it.

The BSAA taught all its operatives to obey the chain of command, that if they didn't know all the details it was because they didn't need to - but what if they were wrong? Chris had seen what blind obedience to the wrong type of person could do and he wasn't willing to risk everything just to keep the bosses happy. "Fuck it" Chris breathed as he slipped the USB back into his pocket - he wouldn't be kept in the dark any longer.

oOo

Rachel closed the heavy door behind her as she emerged from the largest of the seven buildings that made up the BSAA headquarters they were currently stationed at. She pulled on the leather jacket she had grabbed on the way out of her office and looked up at the sky. She couldn't quite remember when the heavens had opened and began to unleash the most torrential downpour she had ever witnessed - but it was still going strong. 'Very atmospheric' she thought to herself as she ran towards the garage Piers had suggested she look. A heavy downpour always made things look more dramatic in the movies – fighting in the rain, kissing in the rain, staring forlornly into the distance in the rain. All classics. Why shouldn't it be like that in real life?

And right now life seemed more and more like a bad horror film than she had ever wished to experience. Everyday more reports were flooding in of people being attacked by the latest batch of monsters and there was nothing they could do about it except clean the mess up afterward and evacuate any survivors - not that there were many of them left. The randomness of the attacks wasn't the whole problem either; they were becoming more and more frequent, and it wasn't just small areas either, whole cities were falling silent under the attack of BOW's.

Things were happening even quicker than anticipated - and personally she had been pretty pessimistic in her anticipations of how quickly things could fall apart. They couldn't afford to keep vital information hidden anymore, no matter how it would affect the way people saw the world afterwards.

She reached the garage door and took a deep breath - this wasn't going to be the most pleasant conversation but it had to be done, and if she was being honest with herself she knew it should have been done a long time ago.

oOo

Chris paused when he heard the door rattle - it could just be the wind, it was getting pretty bad out there. The stormy weather seemed to fit with the current situation, but that didn't mean it wasn't irritating. The door rattled again as Chris walked over to it slowly - if someone wanted to talk to him they could wait few more seconds.