Reader Warning! Violence and sex are in this chapter, so read with a mature eye, friends! (And as I've said before, there will be many chapters with mature content, and there's more to come...you'll be warned again in the future accordingly!)

Chapter 16 is here, and needless to say, a LOT happens! Picking up where we left off, the consequences don't stop after the ill-advised attempt to send soldiers to investigate the fog...and we lose a hero in the process. But there's much, much more: Claire Redfield and Sherry Birkin finally arrive, and this results in some tension that might surprise you!

And there's even more! We give some focus to Barry Burton...and just as importantly, we get to meet his wife, Kathy Burton! In the history of the RE franchise, as any veteran fan knows, we've only seen Kathy once - yeah, ONCE, and for like ten seconds! - in part of the epilog of RE 3: NEMESIS a long time ago. I figured it's past time we got to meet her and see what kind of lovely lady would marry our favorite gun nut! Picture Bridget Moynahan, who you might know from the Will Smith actioner I, ROBOT and the TV series BLUE BLOODS...heck, Kathy and the real-life Bridget are about the same age!

Oh, and as they say in the universe of GRAND THEFT AUTO, Barry and Kathy have some Hot Coffee...ahem! :love:

Last but FAR from least, there's a shock ending of this chapter, in which we meet two more late arrivals... ^_^

Small SPOILER ALERT!

One is Regina, the heroine from the first two games of another Survival Horror series from RESIDENT EVIL creator Shinji Mikami, DINO CRISIS! (This chapter also references the events of DINO CRISIS 2, which General Earle can't talk about!)

The second is Rain...yes, that's right, the character created by Michelle Rodriguez in the flawed RE movies!

Now please don't give me any flak for adding them to the mix. Like I said, I love Rain...and Regina and the first two DC games ruled; it's been too long since Regina got any love, so I wanted to rectify that! (And hey, DC was Survival Horror made by Capcom like RE, so how could I resist?) And you need not worry: there are reasons for what I do, I *promise*, and you'll see soon enough how well Regina and Rain fit into this story! (For instance, the Rain in the movies was an Umbrella commando; I reinvented her slightly for this story as a covert operator for S.O.R.T. and Regina's protegee and partner...that's the only major difference, though. You'll see she's still a go-getter!)

Whew, that IS a lot...and I hope you all enjoy it! Oh, blink and you might miss a reference to the CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE series of games!

RESIDENT EVIL X SILENT HILL: JUDGMENT DAY

written by Charles Spencer,
inspired by Ygure

Chapter 16:

"IN THESE MOMENTS BEFORE CERTAIN PERIL..."

-1-

August 30, 2013
Outside of Black Falls, Vermont
0023 HRS

From the forward operating base outside of Black Falls, the personnel had seen a single person walk from the fog. He appeared to be one of the soldiers of Recon One, a combined task force that tried to infiltrate the town on Presidential Order out of impatience. Something unknowable and terrible seemed to have happened to the task force only moments before, and this lone survivor was feared to be the ultimate result. The armed soldier who had the upper portion of his NBC suit ripped away walked in a strange, uncertain way on Kubrick Street back to the base as vehicle fires raged not far away from him. He was still over 90 yards distant, and it wasn't possible to tell if he was injured or not.

Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy and Sheva Alomar flanked General Beauregard Earle, the commander of Operation: Lightning Strike, which was hastily established to quarantine and then attempt to investigate Black Falls after the remnants of an insane cult, The Order, manifested a supernatural fog to blanket the town and commit evils within the outside world could only imagine. General Earle looked at the approaching figure, and he didn't like what he saw...knowing The Order used some kind of unknown type of parasites to control innocent people, he had good cause to fear the worst. Earle looked at Chris and ordered, "Captain...it might be a good idea for someone to see how that man's doing."

Chris Redfield understood and nodded with a grim expression...he then looked at Leon and asked, "You want to join me, Leon? Give that man a hand?"

Leon's his gaze was fixed on the distant man as he answered, "Sure. Why not?"

Jill Valentine drew close to Chris and told him, "I'm going with you."

Sheva Alomar put a gentle hand on Leon's shoulder. "I will join you, as well."

Together, the four survivors moved with purpose toward the entry point facing the quarantined area, Earle ordered quickly into his radio, "Command to Honey Badger! Move to my position and block the entry into the quarantine area! And I don't care how strange this order is going to sound: target that soldier approaching on foot and be prepared to give fire support to our agents!" A few seconds later another Stryker, an M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle code-named Honey Badger rolled up to block the entrance...from within, one of the crew already began to target the stumbling soldier with the laser sights of the Predator remote turret on top of the vehicle, which was armed with a M2 Browning .50-caliber machine gun. The general stood not far away from Honey Badger to watch what happened outside so he could order the Stryker to support the agents, just in case. The sentries at their machine gun emplacements on either side of the entrance drew tense as they watched and waited, too.

Several yards into the quarantine area, Chris, Jill, Leon and Sheva stood there and cautiously stared at the shambling figure as he approached. The soldier was still over forty yards away, and he seemed to be putting tremendous effort just traveling in a straight line. Like he wasn't used to the mechanics of walking. His head hung low with every step, as if he couldn't raise it to look forward. As the rest of the personnel behind them in the FOB watched, Chris waited for the man to reach within twenty yards of the base before he shouted, "Hello! We need you to stop for a moment and talk to us, soldier! What just happened?!" The figure didn't stop his stumbling walk...he didn't respond. Chris tried again: "I said sound off, soldier! We need to know what happened!" Silence was Chris' answer...and the man was slowly getting closer. Fifteen yards away.

Chris Redfield's face took a hard set as he slowly drew his pistol, a Lightning Hawk magnum, from the holster on his right hip. Jill, Leon and Sheva realized something was terribly wrong too, and they quickly had their weapons in their hands, as well. Chris pointed his gun at the approaching man as he was only ten yards away...and then the soldier stopped. He never looked forward. His stance was so strange...both Chris and Jill were reminded of the zombies they fought in that mansion in Raccoon Forest so long ago. Chris yelled, no-nonsense, "You have ten seconds to respond to my question, soldier, or you'll be treated as an enemy!" No response. "Five seconds!" Nothing. Chris finally yelled, "Say something, dammit!"

Very slowly, the soldier's face finally tilted up to look at Chris and his comrades. His eyes were a bright, crimson red in the darkness of night, and his expression was full of an inhuman, twisted form of hatred. His mouth slowly opened, and the voice that came out couldn't have been called human, more like the gutteral roar of a silverback ape as he shouted, "STAYYY...OOUUTTT!" He raised his M4 assault rifle to hold it in both hands at hip-level and began to aim it -

But that was as far as the possessed soldier got. Chris, Jill, Leon and Sheva fired on the hellish figure, and he shuddered violently as bullets tore into him and blood misted into the air. They all emptied their weapons...and still the possessed soldier stood there, ravaged by dozens of bullets, but somehow still alive...one of his arms had been perforated, but the other holding the rifle wasn't, and he roared again as he started to raise it...

But behind them, General Earle yelled into his radio to the crew of Honey Badger, "LIGHT THAT BASTARD UP!" The gunner inside obeyed the order instantly, and the Stryker's Browning roared a sustained burst of instant death. The .50-caliber shells tore into the man who was already as good as dead, and he lost his rifle along with most of the arm that held it...his torso was perforated as his head exploded, and one of his legs was literally cut off at the knee, which made what was left of the gory figure fall forward to the pavement with a wet thud. The gunner stopped firing as he felt sick to his stomach; he never imagined he'd have to fire on a fellow soldier, even if it was necessary.

That was when Chris and those with him noticed the strange hump on the ravaged soldier's back...it shifted and trembled violently under his uniform, and then it burst out into the night air with a horrid squeal. Leon thought of Las Plagas as he saw with his comrades the black, sluglike thing about a foot long and a little over half that wide; it shifted and pulsed, its glistening skin reflecting the hellish firelight not far away. Without warning, the parasite launched from the body of the soldier it possessed and streaked on the pavement toward the base with shocking speed. It shot past Chris, Jill, Leon and Sheva and moved into the FOB, disappearing momentarily into the shadow under Honey Badger, which couldn't have blockaded such a thing. Earle quickly keyed his radio and yelled, "ALL PERSONNEL, SECURITY ALERT! A HOSTILE CREATURE JUST ENTERED THE BASE!"

As everyone in the base reacted, as alarm klaxons sounded, the parasite moved fast and with an unknowable yet undeniable purpose. Those personnel who saw it responded with sudden fear and anger. Caroline Floyd couldn't believe her eyes as she blurted, "What in the name of - ?!"

BSAA Agent Crispin Jettingham felt revulsion as he said reflexively, "Jesus!" On impulse, he started to chase after it. Hector, Caroline and several others joined the former Green Beret in trying to catch the damn thing.

Chris, Jill, Leon, Sheva and Earle were there then in the FOB. Christine rushed up to Jill and began to ask, "Jill, is that - ?!"

Jill quickly nodded and told the virologist, "Yeah, that must be one of the parasites Rebecca warned us about!"

Christine nodded and said quickly, "I'll be right back!" Then she was gone like a shot, running toward the barracks.

Crispin Jettingham shouted, "Somebody help me get this piece of shit!" Jill looked and saw that a lot of the base's personnel were trying to help him do that already. Many were trying to corral the little monster, trap it in an area about ten yards wide with weight of numbers on all sides so someone could catch it. Some like Jill, Chris, Barry, and Earle could only watch what was happening in semi-disbelief from the throng, it was happening so damned fast. Hector dived for the parasite, but he only fell on his face. Then the thing changed direction on a dime...and it moved toward Crispin at high speed. The BSAA agent grinned as he said, "I've got it, guys! I - !" Unexpectedly, the sluglike creature jumped from the earth, and it hardly lost any speed as it suddenly slapped hard on Crispin's chest. The man felt the thing suction to his chest in spite of his uniform and he cried, "SHIT! Get the hell off - huhh-uuuhhh!" Crispin's face was suddenly full of agony as his eyes turned wide and his expression slackened.

Chris yelled, "Crispin?!"

Crispin Jettingham dropped hard to his knees as the parasite fell from his chest and streaked away from him. The man had a sudden, crimson bloom on his shirt that was spreading too quickly as he bled on his uniform...he looked into space and managed to say, "I'll be...damned...!" He pitched forward and fell face-first on the cool grass.

Chris Redfield's mouth dropped open as he and many others stared at the fallen man, horrified. Jill Valentine was galvanized by pure panic and screamed, "MEDIC!"

A big hand gently fell on Jill's shoulder, and she looked around...and then up to see Harley Morris was there; the big man had just arrived with all the commotion, and was looking at her with concern as he said, "I'm here, Jill!" Then the Medical Specialist saw his fallen BSAA comrade and realized. "Crispin...!" He rushed to the fallen man, and a few other soldiers joined him to help somehow...Harley focused as he knelt next to his friend and grunted, "Oh, god! Hold on, buddy...!"

General Earle roared, "SOMEONE KILL THAT DAMN THING!"

At that moment, Hector Hivers made a frantic leap at the creature and damned near fell on top of it...he rolled once to stop as he laid on his back, but he had the parasite clutched in his hands. Hector yelled frantically, "I got it, I GOT IT!" But he held it too close to his damn face, and as he looked up at it, he heard a snikk! and something thin, long and sharp thrusted from the thing, only coming a centimeter away from piercing his eye! In response, Hector panicked and screamed - "YEAGH!" - and tossed the thing away desperately. Again, it hit the grass and streaked away.

Barry looked around impatiently and shouted, "Someone just shoot that little shit!"

But Sheva Alomar said with a strong voice, "No! All of you keep your guns in your holsters!" Her right hand moved and unsheathed a huge, deadly-looking knife from her belt holster...the blade was old, one of the few physical mementos the lady possessed of her parents and her tribe, who were destroyed by Umbrella when she was only a child in Africa. Sheva readied the blade and said, "There are safer ways to deal with this creature!"

At that moment, Caroline Floyd took her turn to catch the parasite...hundreds had collected here by this time and many were honestly cheering her on, urging her to get the slimy thing; she suddenly felt like she was in a sporting event or something. The creature was trapped by the large number of people surrounding it and Caroline...the glistening thing seemed to look at the woman who was slowly, carefully edging closer to it, her stance coiled and ready. Caroline felt herself smile as she got closer, her eyes fixed on the parasite as she said quietly, "C'mon, you little bastard...make a move!" The parasite seemed to respond and moved with nightmarish speed at her...but Caroline pounced like a panther, her lithe body at full extension like a swimmer leaping into a pool, and her outstretched, slender hands grabbed hold of the thing and pinned it down on its slimy back. Caroline felt like cheering like most of the onlookers were as she screamed, "GOT IT! I'VE GOT IT!"

"So do I!" Sheva Alomar was suddenly there, her tribal blade gripped in both of her hands. She said to Caroline, "Please don't move!"

Caroline quickly understood and froze. "I won't, don't worry!"

At that moment, among the throng, Christine Yamata finally returned to Jill with something in her hands and asked quickly, "Did they get it?!"

Christine looked where Jill was gazing in time to see Sheva drop to one knee and plunge her blade into the parasite between Caroline's hands as she held it down, the hideously sharp steel driving deep into the ground like a tent peg. And it screamed with a piercing SHREEEEK!

Jill smiled and said, "I'd say they did! Christine, where - !"

Christine blurted, "I had to get the Genesis!" She held the small, boxy viral scanner in her hands firmly. "If we can't take equipment like this with us into the fog, at least I can use it here! I need to scan that parasite before it dies - !"

Chris Redfield was there and he said quickly, "Then don't talk about it, Yamata! Just do it!"

Christine nodded. "Yessir!" She moved over to Sheva and Caroline fast...

...but the two women were staring at the creature they had caught and literally pinned to the earth. Sheva breathed quietly, "My god...!"

Caroline felt as much sudden fear as she stared at the thing, as well...she got a really good look at it and murmured, "What the hell...?"

Christine was there with them then, and she directed the Genesis on the creature and simply squeezed a trigger...a unique radiation harmlessly bombarded the monster, and the device immediately began its scanning process as it was designed to. But Christine felt a sudden chill in her blood as she looked at the parasite and she had to observe with an unsure voice, "Uhh, is it just me, or does that look like a human face?"

Sheva said, "It's not just you, Christine." The parasite was on its back, and its underside was studded by small suction cups, like what would have been found on the tentacles of a squid; each cup had what seemed to be a hook that helped secure the thing to its intended host. But that wasn't as disturbing as what was most prominent on the creature's underside. They saw it had a face, but like Christine said, it was so strangely human in far too many ways. It had beady eyes that were pinched shut from agony as its wide, open mouth hissed under a flat yet distinct nose...its slender, sharp proboscis stretched desperately from its maw like a tongue. In fact, Sheva said with elemental disquiet, "It...it almost looks like an infant's face...!"

Chris, Jill, Leon and General Earle were there then as Christine heard a chime from the Genesis. She smiled and said, "Scan complete! Talk to me, little guy...!" Information suddenly appeared on its green viewscreen, as if the device answered her...but Christine looked at the results and frowned. She said, "Scan results are negative for viral infection." She quickly reset the device, aimed it at the creature, and squeezed the trigger a second time as she announced, "Scanning again!"

Chris asked, "Is there something wrong with that device - ?"

Christine quickly said, "No, Captain! I performed diagnostics on the Genesis both before we left Washington and after we landed here! I always make sure it's operating perfectly before a mission...!" Her voice trailed off as she focused fully on scanning the creature...but the thing had fallen still. It was dead.

But more than that was happening as Leon looked at the parasite and said, "The thing's starting to disintegrate...look at that!" And it was...the sluglike thing was smoking as its body began to burst and melt like it was put in a microwave oven. It was turning into an ugly, unrecognizable sludge in the grass, and Sheva quickly pulled her tribal blade from it; she wiped both sides of the steel quickly on the ground, and it wasn't damaged.

Christine said, "Scan complete." She managed to get that as the parasite died...but she looked at the information on the green display, and she shook her head softly as she saw it was the same as before. Christine looked at Chris and Jill and reported quietly, "Results are negative again." Chris and Jill looked back at her with confusion.

General Earle asked, "What exactly does that mean, Yamata? You sound surprised!"

Christine Yamata lowered her Genesis and looked fully at the military commander...she said apprehensively, "Sir, every bio-organic weapon ever created has always been the result of the infection of a creature by an engineered viral strain, like the T-Virus. We've been going under the suspicion that The Order is using B.O.W.s, but there was no sign of a virus in that parasite. I don't know what that thing was or where it came from, but...it was normal."

Jill shook her head softly and felt the need to say, "But we've never seen anything like that creature before!"

Sheva Alomar said, "That has changed, obviously. Either these things have lived in this world without our knowledge until now..." The warrior woman glanced at the sludge, and her expression became even more thoughtful as she finished, "...or they came from somewhere else."

Chris Redfield frowned. "Sheva?" There was something about the way the woman who was once his partner said that...and really letting her words sink in, he had to wonder, too...

"Guys." Harley Morris was there, and everyone saw him as he held a body limply in his big arms...it was Crispin Jettingham, BSAA agent and former Green Beret. Harley expression was full of grief as he said to them, "Crispin's dead. That thing...it penetrated his chest, pierced his heart with something, and..." Harley looked down at the dead man he cradled in his arms, a comrade and friend, and finished quietly, "C-Crispin is dead."

Everyone there was affected instantly...reactions ran from shock to sadness to vengeful anger. Christine raised a slender hand to her lips and began to weep mournfully as she realized her friend was dead...Jill Valentine gently moved to her, held Christine from behind to give the girl solace...Chris Redfield's fists clenched as he felt quiet fury...no one reacted lightly to this tragic, unexpected death.

General Earle looked on for a beat and quietly nodded. "All right." He turned around to the fog, to the blaze burning just outside of it, and he repeated again thickly, "All right." The bastards want them to stay out, huh? He turned back to those under his command and said in a loud voice, "Redfield, Kennedy, you had better have your teams ready by the time Birkin gets here and joins you. I've got a call to make."

Leon S. Kennedy asked, "To who, sir?"

Earle didn't look back as he shouted, "Just get your shit together, all of you! You'll know when the time comes!"

In a couple of minutes, General Beauregard Earle was in his command tent...his media liasion and longtime comrade, Andrea Grey, arrived just in time to see him on his phone as he sat behind his desk. The military man said into it, "Hello? Yes, this is an encrypted line. I know you're still reforming your group after that shitstorm that happened three years ago, but I'm in the middle of a nightmare here in Black Falls, Vermont. Yeah." Andrea watched quietly as Earle listened and then said, "I just lost a lot of good people to a goddamn meat grinder, and if I want anyone else I send in there to survive, I need the very best to support them." A pause. "You know who I mean, so tell me right now.

"Is she available?"

-2-

0056 HRS

Hours ago in Washington, D.C., just after he volunteered to help Chris and Jill save Rebecca Chambers, Barry Burton needed to make a call. He would have felt like a criminal if he didn't tell the most important person in the world to him what he was going to do. He also knew he was going to catch a lot of hell from that person, but some things couldn't be avoided. The big man only had to wait a couple of rings before he heard the lovely voice say, "Hello?"

Barry answered, "Hi, honey."

His wife, Kathy Burton, answered with delight, "Hi, Barry! How are things in Washington?"

"Everything's okay, Kathy. But...uh, there's a situation."

"What situation?"

Barry already felt his very being brace... "Ah, before I go into it, please don't get mad at me. Please?"

Kathy's voice was full of worry...and increasing impatience. "They way you ask that, I'm afraid I'm going to get angry anyway! Just tell me what's wrong!"

"Something's come up, and I need to help Chris and Jill take care of it."

"Barry, I don't understand, take care of what?"

"Uh..." Barry knew he had to walk into the figurative minefield sooner or later. "Kathy, I'm sorry. It's something serious."

A pause that felt like forever...and Kathy asked, "How serious?"

Barry Burton closed his eyes and said, "As serious as what happened in that mansion in Raccoon Forest."

Over all of their years together, in spite of the terrible things that threatened to consume their family, the love between Barry and Kathy Burton didn't fade by even an iota. But even in the best of marriages, there had to be moments of discord. Disagreements, misunderstandings, lack of communication and other formidable obstacles can seriously test the love between two souls. Such a moment had come as Kathy suddenly started shouting angrily over the phone from their home in Billings, Montana, asking Barry what the hell was wrong with him. Kathy asked hotly, "Are you suddenly bored with the peaceful life we've had?! It's been fifteen years since you almost died in Raccoon Forest, why do you want to commit suicide now?!" Barry tried to get a word in edgewise, but even at long-distance, his wife's anger made the man-mountain feel like a meek pussycat...he barely managed to tell her where he was going with Chris and Jill, to a small town in Vermont she never even heard of, and very little else. Finally, Barry got defensive as he became angry too, and he flatly told Kathy he made up his mind and she couldn't change it...but the moment he said that, he knew he'd made a HUGE mistake and he was right because his wife became furious. More unfortunate, incendiary words were exchanged like tracer fire until Kathy suddenly hung up on him. Barry called back, repeatedly, but he never got an answer. Yeah...she was furious. The man-mountain did his best to set this personal crisis aside as he joined Chris, Jill, and many others as they left the BSAA offices.

About two hours ago, Chris Redfield told Barry his wife was coming.

Barry could only fear the worst...and just before 1 A.M., the Black Hawk arrived from Burlington International Airport with a very special passenger. General Earle wasn't crazy about the idea of the wife of an 'advisor' to the infiltration mission paying him some kind of visit at the base, but all things considered he had bigger problems to worry about, and so just let it happen. Barry Burton waited for her in a conference room in the barracks, alone...the 43-year-old weapons expert, veteran survivor and police chief who had survived the treachery of his former commander, Albert Wesker, and fought many bio-engineered terrors and barely escaped the devastation of Raccoon City paced back and forth anxiously as he wondered how hard the other shoe was going to drop.

"Barry!" The man-mountain turned quickly to the voice he instantly recognized, and he saw his wife in the open doorway, a uniformed soldier accompanying her as escort. The grunt nodded to Barry and quietly left them both alone and closed the door behind him; Chris Redfield requested very simply that the two be left alone until the husband and wife were done with their business, and most everyone in the barracks already put a lot of space between themselves and the conference room. Kathy Burton was an absolute vision, a slender, captivating brunette whose long black hair fell just past her shoulders...in her early forties, she had become even more beautiful than when Barry first met her 22 years ago, when he was earning his wings in the U.S. Air Force and she was a college student with the ambition of becoming a teacher. The lady wore a short-sleeved, denim dress with a wide leather belt, along with complementing black cowboy boots. It was a western style of wear Kathy took to after she, Barry and their children moved to Montana to start a new life a decade ago, when they were sure the Umbrella Corporation no longer existed and they were safe.

In so many ways, Kathy Burton was as much a survivor in her own right as her husband. She had to be when Kathy and their daughters, Moira and Polly, had to hide out in Canada for about five years as Barry and his friends collected evidence to bring down Umbrella for their bio-weapons experiments. First and foremost, though, Kathy was a lady of elemental patience and pure grace, which served her well when she taught Fifth Grade English in a grade school in Billings. That grace was clear and present, yet her expression was full of apprehension as Kathy's wide eyes looked at her husband anxiously, her hands clutching her leather handbag tightly in front of her...her lovely red lips parted, but the lady was hesitant to say anything more.

Barry frowned as he looked at his beautiful wife...he was also unsure of what to say as they both felt an invisible energy charge the air between them. "Kathy...I...!" But Kathy suddenly rushed to him as her handbag dropped to the floor and just like that, they were in each other's arms...well, they got halfway there. Kathy couldn't get her thin arms around her mountain of a husband's broad form, but Barry gently held his wife in his big arms easily, and she relaxed into him needfully. They felt each other's warmth, and stayed that way for a long, quiet moment. Barry felt so much relief and finally broke the silence...he said, "I thought the first thing you'd do was slap me or something."

Kathy clutched at her husband's red ballistic vest as she felt his arms around him...she always felt so perfectly, wondrously safe in those big arms. "You know me better than that, honey. I love you more than the whole world..." She gently began to push away from Barry's chest, and he relaxed his hold and began to step back. And then Kathy Burton surprised Barry by suddenly shoving into his chest with both hands...he was stunned as he looked down at his wife's angry eyes and she finished, "...but I'm still angry with you, dammit!"

Barry began to say, "Kathy, I'm - !"

But the lady who was over a foot shorter than he was and nowhere near half his size made the veteran survivor flinch when she pointed at him harshly and shouted, "Don't you DARE say you're sorry, you'll just get me angrier! Barry, what are you thinking?! Don't you remember the promise you made to me? To our girls? After Umbrella was finally brought down and we got our lives back years ago, you promised you'd never get involved with the kind of nightmare horrors that destroyed Raccoon City! Do I need to remind you?"

Barry looked down self-consciously. "No...no, you don't have to remind me." Although...it had always been a source of regret for the big man that he wasn't with Jill and Chris to help them when they investigated Umbrella's last secret stronghold, a B.O.W. research and production facility in Russia in 2003. His friends destroyed the hellish bio-organic weapon T-ALOS and finally exposed Umbrella's evils, which ensured the corporation's downfall. After everything his family was put through in the name of insane, reckless greed, he wished he had been involved with that.

Kathy's voice was full of emotion as she said, "You made that promise so our girls would always have their father. So we'd have something like a normal life, remember?"

He still couldn't get up the nerve to look into his wife's angry eyes. "I remember, Kathy."

But then Barry did look at Kathy when she asked loudly, desperately, "Then why are we HERE, Barry?! We're right outside of a town taken over by...by...!" She shook her head. "I don't know what's going on, and I don't want to know! A-and I just heard on the news some soldiers died trying to investigate that fog...!"

Barry held up his hands in a 'settle down' gesture as he tried to say, "Take it easy, Kathy, please - "

But the brunette's eyes bored into the big man like lasers as she yelled, "Don't tell me to take it easy! Help me understand why! Please! I...I thought you said Chris and Jill would be okay without you after Umbrella went down. Didn't they want us to have a normal life, too?"

Barry quickly told his wife, "They did, and none of that's changed, darling. They didn't want me to help them. I'm the one who wanted to be here. I told Chris I'd knock him into next week if he didn't let me get involved."

Kathy's bright eyes cooled a little, but she still needed to understand. "Barry...!"

Then the big man asked, "You know Rebecca, right? Rebecca Chambers?"

Taken off her guard, Kathy nodded. "O-of course I do! I swear, that girl brings sunshine no matter where she goes!"

Barry told her, "I'm here to help Rebecca, Kathy. She's in Black Falls."

Kathy's eyes were full of shock. "Sh-she is?! Oh, my god...!"

He nodded sourly. "She's in there helping this lady, Cheryl Mason. They wanted to stop the assholes who made this fog happen." Barry took a step closer to his wife again and carefully put his big hands on her shoulders as she looked up at him. "Kathy, I'm not here because I wanted to break any promise or make you upset. I'm not crazy! I know full and well how you feel about my getting involved in anything like the shit that upended our lives before. But Rebecca's a friend to us both, I was given the chance to help Chris and Jill make her safe again, but I'm as afraid as a lot of people that this is bigger than that." The man-mountain looked upon his beloved wife with worry. "I know this situation's a long way from normal, but there's thousands of people in that town in danger...and what if this gets worse? What if this gets even bigger and threatens you and our girls? I'm here to do both the right thing and the best thing." Barry looked down and closed his eyes as he held his wife's shoulders. "Please tell me you understand."

Kathy Burton stared at her husband with wide eyes as she really took in his words...she bit her lower lip, her face full of emotion...and she finally said softly, "I do understand, Barry." She raised a slender hand to her chest as she thought of what kind of man her husband was. Ever since his childhood his hero had been another truly big man, The Duke himself, John Wayne...he once told Kathy, who also loved the actor and his movies, that he wanted to live his life like The Duke once said in one of his films: A man oughtta do what he thinks is best. And part of why she loved Barry so completely was he never strayed from that way for a moment, even when it hurt, even when he had to follow the orders of Albert Wesker to keep Kathy and their daughters safe years ago. It was a constant about Barry Burton that couldn't ever change, to always do what he believed was best.

Kathy repeated, "I understand..." But then her slender right hand lifted from her chest to slap her husband in the face, which was what the big man feared she'd do in the first place! The strike wasn't hard - it wasn't meant to be - but it shocked Barry enough he might as well have been hit by a punch, and he rocked back a step. The man-mountain reflexively touched his furry cheek and stared at Kathy Burton, who had her hands on her slender hips as she said hotly, "...but you STILL broke your promise, you big oaf!"

Yeah, there was still that. Barry looked at his amazing wife lamely and tried to say, "Kathy, I never told you I was perfect - !"

The brunette said unkindly, "Well, that goes without saying!"

That hurt worse than the slap, and Barry began defensively, "Hey - !"

But he instantly fell silent as Kathy Burton's lovely face shifted quickly to naked, elemental worry...she said thickly, "Barry, I'm so frightened for you. My world would end if I lost you. I...I'd want to die if you..." The lady couldn't say anymore as she trembled, and her eyes shone brightly as she fought the urge to cry.

Barry Burton looked down upon his wife solemnly and said gently, "Darling, I may not be perfect, but I know better than to die on you. You'd really get mad at me then, and that's the last thing I want!"

Kathy looked up at him with hope and asked carefully, "Y-you promise?"

Barry smiled reassuringly as he drew close, reached out and softly touched his wife's cheek with a big, loving hand. "I made that particular promise a long time ago, and I'd never, ever break it. You won't lose me. I swear you won't."

Kathy lifted her trembling hand to touch Barry's as he caressed her cheek...she smiled as her wet eyes looked at him. "I love you, Barry...god, I love you so much."

The man-mountain nodded solemnly. "I love you too, Kathy. You're everything. You always will be."

Kathy asked quietly, "When will you have to go?"

Barry frowned. "I'm not sure. Things might have changed after the snafu involving the loss of that task force we tried to send in." He couldn't gather the strength to tell Kathy that he watched another man die in front of him in the base because of one of the terrors from that fog. It would only have worried her even more. "It could be an hour or two, maybe right after Agent Birkin gets here...it's up to the people in charge."

Kathy nodded. "Okay. I've got a promise to make to you too, honey." He raised his eyebrows, and his wife began, "We've been talking about finally giving the girls a baby sister...or a brother."

Barry looked at her, curious. "Uh-huh?" Ever since Moira and Polly moved out of the house to go to college not long ago, their parents didn't like the fact their nest was so empty. They thought it would be a source of relief to see their daughters go, to grow up and away from them, but...it wasn't.

Kathy smiled and said, "You come back to me alive, and we'll start trying to make that happen. In fact..." The lady's smile began to turn naughty. "...I promise if you return to me, the first chance we get, I'll make love to you like a wildcat."

Barry began to feel very, very warm. "Oh, yeah?"

The lady purred, "Yeah...scratches and all."

"Hmmm." The expression in his eyes became full of desire. Carefully, he offered, "Maybe...there's no time like the present?"

Kathy blinked with surprise. "You mean now...?" She looked away awkwardly for a moment as his offer sank in...but then her beautiful face also expressed a primal need for the man she loved more than life itself. "Um...is there anywhere in this base for us to...well...?"

The big man was also nervous as he told her, "Actually, we have this room." It was a simple conference room with a big table and several chairs set around it, and nothing else. "Chris said we wouldn't be interrupted, and I've got no reason to doubt that." He shrugged and added, "I think as long as we're quick...!"

The brunette suddenly reached up with both hands, grabbed the armholes of her husband's vest, and pulled to make him bend over enough so she could kiss him. They closed their eyes as her tongue reached into his mouth and found his with ravenous desire, and for a long, slow, deep moment they were both overtaken, almost drowning in the blissful sensation. The moment passed too soon when Kathy broke the kiss and they both had to catch their breath, but the lady kept Barry in his bent-over position. Her mouth moved quickly to his ear, and she whispered a fast, desperate suggestion to the big man for what they should do next. Kathy pulled back a little to look at Barry's face, and she saw he liked her suggestion...in fact, he felt himself stiffen and flush in his pants.

The lady stepped back as Barry Burton pulled those pants and the briefs under them down to his ankles...his wife bit her lower lip as she saw how hard he had become as he sat in a nearby chair. The man-mountain sat where he was, and he stared as his wife's slender hands moved to lift up the skirt of her denim dress seductively...her needful eyes fixed upon him in a wondrous, sultry way when more of her bare, perfect legs were exposed as her hands reached under the hem. Unseen, her thumbs hooked into the band of her panties, and in a deliberately slow motion, Kathy Burton's lithe body bent over and she pulled her panties down her legs and they pooled at the ankles of her cowboy boots...her eyes never left his for a moment, even when she stood up straight and she stepped from the panties, leaving them behind.

Kathy was there before Barry and gazing down into his eyes as he sat, and she placed her hands on his shoulders. Barry's big hands moved and softly held his wife's waist, and he lifted her a little and held her over his lap. He slowly lowered her as she straddled his crotch, which became obscured by her skirt; the muscles in her legs and her inner thighs became taut with anticipation. He stopped and it took little effort for her to hover over him as one of his hands moved under her and her skirt to steady and guide himself...and she lowered further until, as much from instinct as feel his thick, hardened shaft slowly slid into her. It was still a source of wonder for Kathy how big her husband was, even after 22 years married to him, and he filled her lovingly as she breathed, "Barry...oh, Barry...ohh...!" They began to make love then as he held her waist and helped her rise and fall upon him, and she moaned with each breath as her slender arms wrapped around her husband's head and held him tight as she rode him. These moments were quiet yet full of erotic fire...if someone walked in on them during that time, it would have meant justifiable embarrassment, but neither of them cared about that. Barry and Kathy Burton loved each other deeply, had been through hell together before, and the trials they faced for their daughters only made their love stronger...and in this time before Barry had to go into the fog and brave unknowable yet certain peril, he and Kathy needed to express what they felt for each other in this primal, perfect way when they still had the chance.

A few minutes passed, and Kathy's beautiful face was slack in expression as she seemed to be in the throes of an intense dream...her eyes were squeezed shut and she whimpered breathlessly as she clutched her husband's head, her fingers combing into his red hair; Barry's moans were muffled with his face in his wife's breasts as she rose and fell. She suddenly trembled and he felt his lap become moist as his wife climaxed, and the man-mountain didn't give a damn about being quick about this. He tried his best to hold back so she could feel that ecstacy as many times as possible. By the time Kathy experienced orgasm a third time only a couple of minutes later, though, Barry had to let go, too...she cried out breathlessly and shuddered as he fired into her. Her body descended upon his lap and he filled her completely...they both slowly relaxed and breathed together.

Finally, Kathy relaxed her hold of her husband's head and pulled back a little to look at him. She said between breaths, "By the way...my promise still stands...you hear me?"

Barry looked into his wife's eyes and managed, "You mean, when...when I come back...?"

The lady nodded enthusiastically. "The first chance we get...like a wildcat."

"Then...it's a date. Because I will come back to you." Barry Burton's expression became solemn. "I love you, Kathy."

Kathy Burton cradled her husband's furry face in her hands and said with total devotion, "I love you too, Barry." Her face drew close to his and they closed their eyes again as they kissed deeply, as he stayed inside of her...

-3-

0212 HRS

Chris Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy stood together as they watched the squadron of Black Hawks arrive, and they weren't alone as the rest of the BSAA and DSO agents collected around the helipad with impatient anticipation. One of the gunships descended and touched down...after a moment, two women stepped out of the side of the vehicle, holding hands. One was an athletic brunette with a ponytail, and the other was a shorter blonde girl who seemed almost like a waif at first glance. Hector Hivers asked no one in particular, "So which one's supposed to be Agent Birkin?" He had never even seen her before.

Fellow DSO agent Marissa Ronson said in her native British accent, "The blonde girl."

Hector did a double-take at Marissa. "What? THAT little slip of a thing?! I doubt she'd be a hundred pounds soaking wet!" Many of the BSAA agents also looked surprised.

Jill Valentine gave Hector a look and said, "Leon wanted her for this mission, remember? She has to be special." But as the women got closer to Leon and Chris, Jill got a good look at the brunette and recognized her. "Wait a minute...my god, that's - !"

Chris Redfield almost breathed in astonishment, "Claire!" There was no doubt about who the brunette was as Claire Redfield approached alongside Sherry Birkin.

Sienna Fowler looked at Jill, surprised. "Holy shit, Captain Redfield's sister? Why the heck is she here?"

Jill shook her head. "I don't know!"

The new arrivals reached Leon and Chris...Sherry beamed at them both with a brilliant smile and greeted, "Hi, Leon! Hi, Chris!"

Leon shook the blonde's hand. "Sherry, I'm sorry again for calling on such short notice."

Sherry shook her head. "It's okay, really...!"

Claire looked at Leon and then Chris and quietly nodded. "Hi, guys."

Chris stared at his younger sibling. "Claire, what are you doing here?"

Claire looked at Sherry and answered, "I was with Sherry at the time she got the call from Leon. Whatever is going on, I'm here to help."

Chris frowned deeply. "Claire, that's not a good idea. You have no idea what the situation is."

Leon added, "As a matter of fact, none of us know! We need Sherry, but - !"

Sherry took a step toward Leon as she squeezed Claire's hand. "Leon, it'll be all right. We both know Claire can handle herself!"

Chris still frowned, as he said in a sterner voice, "We're going to need to talk to the general about this. Let's go." He turned and began to leave the others...

...who looked after him with more than a little surprise. Leon said, "Chris, that isn't necessary! We can - !"

Chris turned around, looked coolly at his sister, and said in a pure-business tone, "If you want to be a part of this, Claire, follow me!"

Leon and Sherry looked at Claire with concern...but the brunette looked back at her brother with a quietly troubled expression.

-4-

Within the command tent. General Earle walked from behind his desk as his eyes fixed purely on Claire, who stood next to Sherry before him as Chris and Leon stood at the side. Earle stared into the eyes of the lady with the ponytail and began: "I know your history as much as I know your brother's, Miss Redfield. Fifteen years ago you, Kennedy and Birkin survived the outbreak of Raccoon City...and then you went with your brother, Kennedy, Valentine and Burton on that vigilante crusade collecting evidence against Umbrella while Birkin was put in protective custody." Earle suddenly frowned. "With all due respect, you were only 18 years old at the time! What the hell made you or Kennedy or your own brother think it was a good idea to put you at that kind of risk?"

Claire Redfield didn't hesitate to answer as Sherry looked at her with admiration. "To be blunt, General, we were angry with Umbrella for what they did to Raccoon City. Their bio-weapons research killed over a hundred-thousand people, and we barely escaped the terrors that corporation made with our lives. We all wanted to bring an end to them so they'd never hurt anyone else, and my age didn't matter. I could hold my own with Leon, Chris and the others because my brother taught me everything he learned from the military about how to survive."

Earle nodded. "You must have been a truly brave young lady."

Sherry Birkin said quietly, "She still is, sir."

Earle shot a glance at the blonde girl as Claire blushed a little. The general focused on Claire again and said, "But after that you went to college to take courses in business management, and then you began to devote yourself to Terrasave, a humanitarian organization dedicated to helping the victims of bio-warfare."

Claire looked at him. "And...?"

"Well, you did a good job fighting the good fight. Why turn away from that to join an activist cause?"

Claire answered, "The way I saw it, I never stopped fighting, General. After everything I had been through from Raccoon City to Rockport Island to Antarctica, I wanted to find a peaceful way to bring an end to bio-organic weapons."

Chris growled in a quiet tone, "There's only one way to stop those monsters."

Earle turned sharply to look hard at the BSAA captain. "Do you have something to say, Redfield?"

Taken aback, Chris quickly said, "No, sir."

"Then shut the hell up, because I'm talking to your sister!" After that quick dressing down, Earle turned to Claire again. "A more peaceful way, you said?"

Claire nodded. "Yessir."

Earle frowned. "Then I guess you disagree with what organizations like the BSAA and the DSO do to stop bio-terrorism? You don't approve of military solutions to stop B.O.W.s for the sake of saving innocent lives in our country and across the world?"

Claire Redfield's eyes widened as she looked at Earle with genuine surprise. "No, sir! It's just..." The lady's beautiful face expressed a jolt of sadness she didn't even try to hide as she remembered Antarctica. And Steve Burnside. "...I had seen too much blood and death, and I simply wanted to find a better way. That's all," she finished softly.

Earle nodded, his gaze upon Claire respectful. "All right. But now you want to join Birkin and this operation? Why?"

Claire said, "Because I want to help Sherry and my brother. I still practice most everything my brother taught me every day to keep myself fit and ready just in case the worst happens. Those skills definitely helped me at one point during the Harvardville Incident a few years ago, sir."

Earle nodded again. "I know all about that." At first glance, it seemed to be a bio-terrorist action that transformed Harvardville International Airport into a zombified hot zone, but the truth behind the crisis became far more complicated. Claire was trapped in the airport at the time and fortunately reunited with Leon S. Kennedy, and together they survived and escaped that nightmare like they did Raccoon City. "You think you still have the ability to support an infiltration of Black Falls, even though we have no idea what we're dealing with?"

Claire Redfield said, unwavering, "I know I can be of help if given the chance, sir."

Suddenly, her brother declared, "General, with all due respect, I must advise against this!"

Everyone in the tent looked at him...Earle asked, "Why?"

Chris stared at Claire. "She's clearly got a personal stake in this because of her relationship with Sherry!"

Claire started to get angry. "Of course I'm here for Sherry, but I said I'm here to help you, too!"

Her brother said flatly, "Really? If you honestly wanted to help me, you wouldn't have walked away from me and the fight years ago. You're changing your mind just for Sherry, so don't try to make me think any differently!"

As everyone in the command tent watched with surprise, as Sherry Birkin stared with wide eyes full of awkward worry, Claire Redfield turned fully to her brother and snarled, "Oh, yeah?! YOU'RE a fine one to tell me I walked away from a damn thing! You left me and our family behind to go on your oh-so-holy crusade against bioterrorists!" She stabbed a finger at Chris, who had an awkward expression as she said loudly, "And what about those six months you spent on a pub crawl across Europe after you got hurt?! Your family was worried about you, Chris! I was worried about you - !"

General Beauregard Earle suddenly exploded, "Am I really fucking hearing this?!" He suddenly had Chris and Claire's undivided attention. "I mean, am I REALLY? We're in the middle of a crisis with over twenty-thousand lives on the line, and I'm not in the mood to hear a fucking sibling spat IN MY OWN GODDAMN COMMAND TENT! If you two keep going with this bullshit, I'll call in some soldiers and HAVE THEM SHOOT SOMEBODY! AM I CLEAR?!"

Claire quickly said, "Y-yessir!"

Chris nodded. "Yes, sir."

Earle lifted a hand to rub his forehead vigorously and get rid of the headache he suddenly felt. It didn't help, and that didn't help his mood. He lowered his hand and stared at the brother and sister hard. "If EITHER of you want to be a part of this fucking mission, I WANT YOU FOCUSED ONLY ON THE MISSION! Now, will either of you have a problem doing that?!"

Cowed, Claire said earnestly, "No, sir."

Chris was still frowning. "No, sir."

Earle then turned to the DSO senior agent. "Kennedy! You know this lady as well as her brother does, but I hope I can count on you to be impartial! Do you believe Claire Redfield has the experience and skill necessary to join this mission?"

A tense moment passed as Leon S. Kennedy suddenly found himself in an uncomfortable position. The brother and sister were both dear friends to him. If Claire got what she wanted, she'd be going with them to face unknowable hazards. But he knew Claire well...he trusted her with his life, and so could others. Leon hoped and prayed he was making the right call when he finally said: "Yes, General! Claire Redfield would definitely be of help to us."

There were no neutral reactions. Claire's expression was full of gratitude as she gazed at Leon and nodded deeply...Sherry Birkin smiled even brighter as her petite posture relaxed with relief and she held Claire's hand...but Chris was thunderstruck, his outraged eyes staring at the DSO agent. Chris began to say, "Leon - !"

But Leon said, "General Earle had a point before, Chris! Claire risked her life to work with us years ago, yet she more than held her own! What's changed?"

Sherry then looked at Chris and asked innocently, "Yes...what's changed?"

Chris looked at Claire, his face a mix of emotions, and he wanted to say something...but Earle nodded and declared, "Okay...but the LAST goddamn thing I want is to have any friction between you and your brother cause any distractions during this mission! If you are going, then you and Birkin will be assigned to Kennedy's team!" He looked at Claire and Chris and asked, "Will either of you have any reservations about that arrangement?!"

Claire quickly said, "No, sir!"

Clearly in a dark mood, Chris finally said, "...No, General."

Earle then focused on Claire with his hard eyes...and after a beat, he judged, "All right...you're a part of the mission, Miss Redfield."

Claire Redfield smiled and nodded. "Thank you, sir!"

But Earle quickly said, "Don't thank me! You wanted the chance to be thrown into a hornet's nest, and I gave it to you. Don't you dare thank me for that. If it wasn't for you having a unique skillset and experience in extraordinary situations, I wouldn't even have given a thought to you being a part of this! Hmf...I'll have to designate you as an advisor too, like Barry Burton and those people from Maine." He turned from Claire to move back to his desk as he growled, "Never seen a mission have so many goddamn advisors in my life." Behind his desk, Earle looked at Leon, Sherry, Claire and Chris. "No matter how experienced you or anyone else on this mission will be, I've got enough doubts that any of you will survive what's waiting for you in that fog! Fortunately, I know how to stack the deck before I make a gamble...so you're all on notice that I'm bringing in someone who can put the odds in your favor, like Kennedy thought of Birkin."

Sherry looked at him, curious. "What do you mean, sir?"

"Actually, it's who I mean, Agent Birkin - !" Then Earle's phone rang, and he picked it up. "What?" A pause. "Good! Have them both brought to me the moment they land!" He hung up his phone and looked at Leon. "Kennedy, have you ever heard of the Special Operations Raid Team, also known as S.O.R.T.?"

Leon frowned a little, surprised by the question. "I have, sir, but only through rumors. I tend to hear a lot as an operative for the President himself."

Outside, in the darkness of this early morning, a single Black Hawk approached the base...no one at the helipad was prepared for its arrival, so no attention would be drawn to it, in spite of its extraordinary occupants.

Earle asked, "So what did you hear, Kennedy?"

Leon shook his head as the others listened. "Nothing harmful, only that they're an off-the-grid black ops organization. They specialized in fast-action recon of hostile territory to secure high-value targets and information. The last I heard, unofficially, S.O.R.T. got disbanded three years ago."

Earle nodded, satisfied. "Fortunately, you don't even know half of the story, Kennedy. Three years ago, a clusterfoul of epic proportions happened that I can't tell you about, except it involved every agent of S.O.R.T. It got so bad only one agent, the best of them all, survived the incident. Ever since, she's been leading the rebuilding of S.O.R.T. when she isn't busy serving our country in the most secret of operations across the planet. She's the one I thought of for your infiltration of Black Falls."

The helicopter touched down, and two people stepped from its side...two women who moved anonymously amongst the rest of the base personnel toward the command tent.

Earle continued: "Think of this lady as a ghost, because that's exactly what she was trained to be by the best Tier One operators from our special forces since she was fifteen years old. If you want to know why she began training so young, don't ask, because the reasons are classified. In brief, she was conditioned for years to become a living phantom: to clear any and every obstacle in her path to reach her target and do it undetected, whether that target is critical intelligence, a high-value hostage, or an enemy who needs to be captured...or terminated. You can put her in the worst, most hostile territory to get what you want, and all the enemy would see of her was her shadow. And if the worst happens, she won't leave a single enemy alive in her wake. The lady has had a 100-percent success record in her missions, even the one in which every one of her colleagues in S.O.R.T. were killed...she could have died too, but she's too damn good to let something like death get in her way. And as a bonus, people, her protegee is accompanying her here...and if you guess the student is as bad-ass as her mentor, you guess correctly even though she's still a little rough around the edges. If you want to know anything else about them, too damn bad. I can't even tell you their real names or anything else that might compromise them...let's just say if I did, I'd be obligated to shoot you, and I'm not joking about that."

A soldier appeared at the entrance of the command tent. He saluted and said, "General? There are visitors here to see you, sir!"

Earle nodded. "Then let them in, boy!" The soldier quickly stepped outside again...

...and as Leon, Sherry, Claire, and Chris watched with Earle, two women entered carrying duffels of equipment with them.

One was a tall redheaded woman with a curvaceous yet athletic body sheathed in a unique uniform of black and gray. She appeared to be in her late thirties, her skin as pale and smooth as an alabaster sculpture. Her hair was as vibrant as a strawberry's skin, cut in an elegant yet disciplined bob. The features of her attractive face were soft and gentle except for her almond-shaped eyes, which reflected a subdued, undeniable strength.

The other was a younger Hispanic-American lady dressed in a jet-black uniform that in appearance was more paramilitary in comparison to the redhead's. Her hair was also black as night, pulled tight and braided in the back, except for long locks that fell casually on either side of her pretty face...she had distinctive, strong cheekbones and full lips, and her brown eyes were accented by bold eyebrows. There seemed to be an edgy, restless aura to this girl, like she was full of aggressive energy.

Earle nodded at them both and announced, "Everyone, the reheaded lady on your left is the operative from S.O.R.T. I just mentioned...you'll know her by the code-name Regina. The agent on your right is her protegee and partner, code-designation Rain."

Leon, Sherry and Claire looked at Regina and Rain carefully, but Chris suddenly asked, "Wait a minute! Sir, they're going to join the infiltration, too - ?"

General Earle looked at Chris and said coolly, "Didn't you hear a damn word I said, Redfield? Regina and Rain aren't just here to be a part of this mission! They're here to make sure you succeed!"

TO BE CONTINUED