The Facility Endgame
Chapter Twelve
"Oh my god"! Claire screamed as yet another contraction rocked her entire body. Barry had come back to the room and explained that Chris and Leon were both asleep and he didn't want to disturb them. He'd promised to check on them again in an hour or so and had disappeared from the room, saying that he would be back shortly with some more clothes for both herself and Kevin. Although Claire understood that her brother needed and completely deserved the rest, she was worried. Her baby wasn't due for another two months and although the doctors had done all they could, he was still coming way too early. She needed Chris to tell her that things would be fine. Ever since their parents had died, Chris had been the one stable person in her life, the one who'd always been there to tell her everything would be ok.
She moaned in discomfort as Kevin gently stroked her sweat soaked forehead. She loved Kevin deeply and with all her heart but he would never be able to take the place of her beloved brother. He was doing his best to comfort her but he was tired too. She knew that his eye was causing him a lot of pain. His face was pale and drawn and there was a large black bag underneath his uninjured eye.
"Kev…you should try and get some sleep" She said, feeling her body relax as the contraction ebbed away.
"No way sweetheart" Kevin kissed her forehead. "I'm staying her with you. Those contractions are getting closer together. Hey, we haven't even thought of a name for him yet"
"I promised Chris his middle name would be Christopher" Claire replied, gritting her teeth as she felt the beginnings of another contraction.
"Poor little mite" Kevin gently teased.
"Yeah, it's bad enough luck that he's got you as a father" Carlos added with a smirk. Jill rolled her eyes and continued to fuss with the bunch of flowers that she'd bought at the hospital shop.
"Where's Maverick"? Ginny asked. She was playing with a chocolate bar wrapper, tying it into a neat bow. She wouldn't admit it for the world but she was feeling sort of bored.
"That's a good question" Jill said, frowning. "Where is Brad? Barry didn't say anything about him being in Leon's room…"
"Do you think he's gone to New Arklay"? Ginny said innocently. "I heard Barry talking about it…" She stopped abruptly as four pairs of eyes stared at her. "I'm sorry! I know I wasn't meant to hear, but I went outside to look at the forest and then Barry and Chris came out of the house so I hid. I thought I might be in trouble in they saw me and then they were talking about seeing this guy called Wesker and I remembered that name from back at the facility" She gabbled.
"Wait a second" Jill held up her hand. "You heard Barry and Chris talking about Wesker"? Ginny nodded nervously.
"But I thought he was dead"? Claire said, her breathing returning to normal as her contraction died away.
"He is. Leon and Chris killed him in Antarctica" Kevin replied adamantly.
"Ginny" Jill gently placed her hands on Ginny's slim shoulders. "Can you remember exactly what it was that Barry told Chris"?
"Is this really the time"? Kevin asked with a sigh. He looked at Claire who was chewing her lip, looking thoughtful. "What is it Honey"?
"New Arklay…" She mused. "That's the name of the city they built on the old Raccoon City land…oh god…" She threw back the sheets and tried to climb out of bed.
"Claire, what the hell are you doing"? Kevin tried to carefully push her back onto the bed and pull the sheets back.
"Chris isn't in Leon's room"! She exclaimed. "He's gone to go find Wesker"!
"Woah, woah, slow down" Kevin replied. "Even if that's true you can't go chasing after him! You're in the middle of labour! We'll wait until Barry comes back ok? We'll talk to him and find out what's going on, just get back in bed" He said, silently cursing Ginny for even opening her mouth.
"I can't just wait…" Claire started to argue. "Shit"! She cursed, clutching her stomach. She leant back against the bed and grabbed hold of her husband's hand once more. "Another…contraction…"
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"Brad! Oh fuck! Brad"! Chris dived towards the pile of rubble. There was no sign of Brad in the pile of concrete and metal. Chris struggled, starting to lift huge chunks, all the while shouting Brad's name. Leon stood back barely able to accept what he'd just seen. Literally seconds ago, Brad was flashing him a goofy grin and now, now he was dead.
"Chris…" He tried to reach out to his lover but Chris pushed him back, still scrabbling with the debris. "Chris…"
"Shut up"! Chris snapped. The sharp edges of the concrete were cutting his hands but he could barely feel it. He had to get Brad out. If only Brad would make some noise, any noise at all, he'd be able to hear him and he'd know exactly where to dig. He struggled with a large hunk of the ceiling, smearing blood across the dull grey concrete. His cut palms and aching arms screamed at him to stop but he couldn't. He had to save Brad.
"Chris, please" A hand on his shoulder made him stop his frantic movements. He looked around and straight into Leon's grey eyes, the grey eyes that were pleading for him to stop whilst echoing his own grief. "Nobody could survive that" He said gently.
Chris didn't want to nod, he didn't want to agree because Brad wasn't dead. There was no way he could be dead. He was Brad Vickers. Chris had gotten used to his sudden and constant presence, his irritating chirpiness, ridiculous optimism and his overbearing sense of doing the right thing, even his bravery, because despite never saying it to the guy, he knew that Brad was pretty damn brave to be able to smile after everything he'd been through. Brad was part of the team now so there was no way he could be dead and yet Chris knew, deep down, that Leon was right. Nobody could survive such a horrific accident. He looked at his lover, expecting some kind of rebuke. That he was a fool for wanting to carry on, for wanting to even come down here in the first place. That it was his fault that Brad was dead.
But Leon said nothing. He looked at the pile of rubble where Brad had been standing only seconds before, his head bent as if he was at a graveside. When he looked up, Chris saw the new focus in his lover's eyes. It reminded him of their time together in Africa when they'd witnessed Sheva's brutal murder. Back then, Chris had mistaken the expression for one of passiveness from someone who had ice running through his veins but he knew now that it was a look of pure determination, a need to bring whoever he saw as responsible to justice.
"Do you think he'll be with his wife"? Chris asked, his voice sounding strange in the silence.
"Let's hope so" Leon replied. He reached out for Chris' hand and grasped it tightly. It hurt because of the cuts but Chris was grateful for the contact. "We'll get his body recovered by the clean-up crew" He spoke in business like tones, which a stranger would no doubt take as cold and unfeeling but Chris knew different. "He doesn't deserve to be left here". He turned away from the rubble pile. "So now we can't go back, we're just gonna have to go forward"
"We could go back" Chris replied. "I'm sure we could clear enough rubble to get through" He'd been so adamant at pressing on, moving forwards to try and find Wesker that he hadn't appreciated the danger. Here he was, years later, still as rash and hot-headed as he'd been when he'd first joined S.T.A.R.S. It was the same attitude that had gotten him kicked out of the Air Force. A single-minded cause that damned everyone else around him. Back then it'd gotten some of his Air Force buddies injured and as bad as he'd felt at the time, he'd been able to console himself that injuries heal. Never before had his reckless dedication to one of his 'noble' causes gotten someone killed.
"It's too dangerous" Leon replied, shaking his head. "We could end up killing ourselves" Chris almost expected him to add 'as well as Brad', but he didn't.
"Look…" Chris was never very good at explaining himself. He suddenly felt like such a fool. An idiot for leading the people he cared about on such a risky quest. Maybe Leon had been right all along, maybe this eye witness was just some dumb kid who wanted to get a bit of attention. Maybe they'd seen Miller and jumped to the very same conclusions he had. He kept being haunted by images of Leon being hurt so why had he been so determined to put him straight back in the firing line?
"What's done is done right"? Leon interrupted, clearly understanding that Chris was flailing. "Let's just find another way out of here" He nodded in the opposite direction of the rubble, obviously wanting Chris to continue leading.
Although it was only a few seconds or so, it seemed like Chris took forever to turn his attentions away from the rubble pile and back to the corridor. Leon felt his stomach turn as they walked away.
"We'll come back for you Brad" He muttered. Just like Sherry, Brad hadn't deserved to die and there was no way Leon was going to leave his body to rot in an Umbrella hell hole.
Chris was quiet as he walked along the corridor, turning to the left when they came across yet another set of double doors. A red triangle was painted on the floor with a lightning bolt in the middle. Leon figured that the room beyond had to be some sort of generator or power room, probably to supply the entire estate. Chris wordlessly pushed these doors open and Leon watched his boyfriend's hulking figure walk through them, his body language screaming defeat. He knew this Chris, this was the Chris that smoked away his stress, drank away his pain and never spoke a word of it to anyone. He wanted to reach out but he knew from his own bitter personal experiences that there was nothing anyone could say or do until Chris allowed himself to realise that Brad's death wasn't his fault.
Through the doors was a T-shaped corridor with hospital-like markings on the floor directing them to the operating room and power house. A third marking was labelled with the letter 'E' in a neat circle. Leon assumed that this marking led them to elevators. The operating room was directly to their left and clearly marked which made the marking seem somewhat redundant. Leon waited for Chris to mention this, maybe to make fun of it, but he didn't. Chris didn't seem to be up for noticing much. He was obviously running on autopilot, barely taking anything in, letting his memory of the layout guide him. Leon's hand twitched above his gun. Since Chris was obviously somewhere else, Leon was going to have to be on extra high alert. Since they'd gone through the last set of double doors, an uneasy feeling had washed over him. He felt as though they were being watched.
It reminded him of the city streets, filled with blood and gore, the undead waiting for him alone and in groups, watching him with dead eyes as he tried to escape. It reminded him of the facility in Spain, wandering the halls with nothing but a biro in his hands knowing that Krauser was watching him all the way. He was glad that Brad had had the foresight to bring the Silver Ghost. Thinking of Brad brought back another familiar pang. He shook his head quickly. He couldn't get caught up in that mindset. He needed to concentrate for both of them.
They turned left when they reached the 'T', following the 'E' markings just as Leon had expected.
"I keep expecting to hear his voice" Chris stopped walking suddenly. "Y'know, saying something annoying, something crap" He sighed heavily and leant against the cold, concrete wall. "I was getting used to him being around. All that bullshit I said to him. I didn't actually mean it" He thumped the wall in frustration. "Not just now. I always gave him shit. He was the fall guy, the butt of everyone's jokes. And then the mansion…he just bailed on us and it was like everything that I'd ever joked about him being, was true. He came back to rescue us but the damage was done. He had no fucking clue what we'd been through, what we'd seen and what we'd had to do. God, I fucking hated him" He shook his head in disgust at the memory. "To make matters worse, he just disappeared afterwards. The rest of us wanted to fight, wanted justice for our friends that had died in there and he just ran…"
"Because…" Leon spoke up.
"I know why now"! Chris snapped. "He told me back at the facility. And you wanna know what I did? I said nothing! I always thought he was just a piece of shit chicken heart and it turns out he was the bravest one out of us all. Sure we'd all lost things, our homes, our jobs, our friends but he'd lost his wife and…fuck…his kid. I should've told him then but it was easier to just back away from my feelings and take the piss"
"I think he knew…" Leon offered.
"I'm just done Leon" Chris looked at the floor. "Another friend has died and I'm still chasing Wesker like I've done for years. You were right. I have to let go and this has gotta stop. I just wanna get the fuck out of here"
"Then let's go" Leon replied. "Let's get out of here and get back to Barry's cabin" He felt the panic slowly rising. He was used to Chris ranting and being angry and he was used to him grim determination to get the job done but he'd never seen him so defeated and it worried him.
"You promise we'll get Brad out of here"? Chris asked.
"You know we will" Leon answered, squeezing his lover's hand tightly.
"Let's get the fuck out of his hell hole"
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"I can't believe he'd be that stupid"! Jill spat as she paced the corridor outside Claire's room. Claire's contractions had sped up and her doctor had dismissed everyone but Kevin from the room as he was certain the baby would arrive within the hour. Jill, Carlos and Ginny had retreated to the hard plastic chairs outside and were determined to wait it out. Jill however, was too mad to sit down. "I know he can be frequently idiotic but just taking off like that? What was he thinking"?
"I know" Carlos nodded sagely. He suddenly realised what he'd said and frowned. "Wait a second…who are we talking about now? Leon or Chris"?
"Chris"! Jill shouted. She shook her head. "Leon"! She growled in frustration. "Both of them! I've half a mind to go after them myself"!
"Except you're not" Carlos said, suddenly seriously. He nodded significantly at her stomach, not wanting to say anything in front of Ginny who had had the foresight to bring along her sketchbook and was happily drawing a picture of Brad. Carlos glanced at it. She'd drawn Brad as a pilot, similar to the way Tom Cruise's character dressed in the movie Top Gun. Judging by the way she was drawing him, she was using a hell of a lot of artistic license.
"I hate just sitting around"! Jill moaned, folding her arms across her chest and staring at the door to Claire's room.
"Well you're gonna have to get used to it Senorita" Carlos shrugged. "You can start by actually sitting down" He patted the chair next to him.
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"So this is the place"? Leon asked, looking up at the door in front of him. They'd found the elevator and had taken it down. They stopped at a corridor that turned to the left and when they'd reached another set of double doors, Chris had explained that this room had been the Tyrant lab where the final confrontation with Wesker had taken place.
"I know there must be some kind of secret escape tunnel or somethin' through those doors" Chris replied, not directly addressing the question. "It's the only way he could've gotten out" He added, putting a hand on the door, fighting back the waves of sickness that threatened to overwhelm him. He'd been through a lot since he was last here but seeing the doors again made him feel like he was back in the past, scared and confused. "Will you promise me something"? He said, taking his hand off the door and turning back to Leon who was watching him with concern.
"You know I will" Leon replied. He shrugged and offered him a half smile. "Within reason obviously"
"When we get out of here…will you quit the BSAA with me"?
"Is quitting what you really want"? Leon asked. Chris' body was slumped with a mixture of exhaustion and defeat but Leon looked into his dark eyes, hoping to see some of that familiar spark still there. "I mean, you were one of the founding members…"
"I've told you. I'm done" There was no anger in Chris' voice, not even any resignation. It was the voice of someone who'd dedicated their whole life to a cause only to become tired of it. Chris sounded tired. "I just want to put all of this behind me once and for all. No-one can say I haven't done my bit. I've fought the good fight but now I just wanna be selfish. I wanna be normal. I wanna get married to you and I want us to live average lives"
"Nothing about you is average" Leon said, smiling properly at his lover. "You know whatever you choose to do, I'll be right there with you but just don't make any rash decisions yet ok? There's a lot for both of us to think about"
"Is Ginny included in that"? Chris asked suspiciously. Since returning from the underwater facility, they hadn't had the chance to have their promised talk about what was going to happen to Ginny.
"Indirectly" Leon answered. He sighed heavily, regret etched on his face. "I thought a lot about her whilst I was stuck in that hospital bed. I know we can't take her in. As much as I'd want to it's just not practical. I don't think either of us is mentally ready to be a parent"
"Sherry won't haunt you forever" Chris said gently. He reached out and stroked Leon's cheek. It didn't come as a surprise that there were unshed tears glistening in his partner's eyes.
"Just as Wesker won't haunt you" Leon replied. "And that's why we can't have her. We need to sort ourselves out"
"I can't wait to get you home" Chris offered Leon a slight smirk. He put his hand back on the doors and pushed them open. He turned back to Leon but before he could say anything else, a shot rang out and Chris let out a cry of pain. As the blood started to flower from his left shoulder, he fell backwards through the swing doors. Leon let out a strangled cry and made to follow him. The doors were suddenly pushed back towards him and they hit him squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling back into the corridor and causing him to land painfully on his right hip. Like lightning, he drew the Silver Ghost and aimed it directly at the door.
"Chris"? He shouted uncertainly. He stayed on the floor, waiting for something to emerge from the shadowy room. "Chris"! He tried again. When he received no reply from his lover, he got to his feet as quickly as he could and darted to the left, whirling round and slamming his back against the wall next to the doors. He listened carefully, unease settling in the pit of his stomach when he heard no sounds from the room. He looked at the floor and saw no light spilling from underneath it. He crept forwards, placing a gloved hand on the door, the Silver Ghost in his other hand, ready for action. He pushed the doors open, inch by inch as he crept into the room, which was now completely pitch black. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing; he'd used the darkness as an ally plenty of times before.
"Terribly sorry Mr Kennedy" A voice suddenly purred. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, making it impossible to place in the darkened room. "I suppose it was rather rude of me to slam the door in your face…"
Leon felt the contents of his stomach suddenly hurtle to his throat. He recognised that voice. It was a voice he would never forget as long as he lived. It was a voice that shouldn't even be speaking. It was the voice of a dead man. The voice of Albert Wesker.
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Carlos sighed as he tossed the car magazine aside. There was only so much he could read about advance braking systems before the boredom overtook him. Jill was slumped in the chair next to him, her head lolling on his shoulder as she snored softly. She'd dropped off to sleep a few minutes ago after finally exhausting her rants about Chris and Leon. Ginny had made several trips to the nearby vending machines before succumbing to sleep herself. It was only the worry that was keeping him from drifting off was that of Jill. She'd been so fired up about Chris and Leon that it wouldn't surprise him if she ran off to follow them as soon as he closed his eyes.
It was obvious that the stresses of the past couple of days were to blame for Claire's early labour and if Jill put her own body under so much strain then she could risk losing the her baby. Their baby. Carlos smiled at the thought. Despite his initial anger at Jill keeping it from him, he was overjoyed at the prospect of being a father. He'd always seen himself as the type who wasn't interested in starting a family but the more he thought about it and the more they'd talked about it, the more appealing parenthood seemed to him. He looked down at Jill and smiled. Soon her stomach would start to swell and they'd be able to feel their child kicking as it grew. He didn't want her doing anything that would put him or her at risk…
Carlos almost jumped out of his skin when his phone vibrated against his thigh. He looked to see if his motions had woken Jill but luckily she was still happily asleep. Carlos pulled the phone out of his pocket and was surprised to see a text message from Barry.
GONE AFTER CHRIS AND LEON WITH DENNIS. DO NOT LET ANYONE FOLLOW. THIS IS AN OFFICIAL ORDER FROM YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER.
Carlos blinked at the screen. Barry had gone after Chris and Leon? And who the hell was this Dennis guy? At least the last part of the message made sense. Not that anyone was really in a situation to follow. Claire and Kevin were in the middle of their child's birth and as for himself and Jill, well, he was adamant she wasn't going anywhere. He was about to reply when Kevin burst through the doors of Claire's room.
"She's had it"! He crowed triumphantly, waking both Jill and Ginny in the process. "My son's here"! He added with a beaming grin.
"That's awesome amigo" Carlos grinned back as Jill rubbed her eyes sleepily.
"Can we go and see them"? She asked, standing up and stretching her aching muscles. Kevin nodded joyfully and Jill hurried through the doors with a sleepy Ginny in tow. Kevin watched them before slumping against the wall.
"Shit! I'm a father"! He exclaimed, as if the notion had just hit him. Carlos got up and patted him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, you're gonna have to be all responsible and everything" He replied with a smirk.
"Oh god…" He wailed dramatically.
Carlos grinned and shook his head as he pushed open the doors. Jill and Ginny were already crowded around the bed, smiling excitedly at an exhausted looking Claire.
"Oh Claire! He's beautiful"! Jill said with tears in her eyes as she looked down at the small bundle in Claire's sweaty arms. Claire, who should've looked terrible with her red hair plastered to the sides of her face and her skin shiny with sweat, looked radiant, smiling at her newborn son as he wriggled contentedly in her gentle embrace.
"He's so cute"! Ginny announced, moving closer to get a better look.
"Well who'd had thought it? Kevin Ryman makes cute babies"! Carlos said as he joined Jill at the bedside. Claire offered him a tired smile, her eyes suddenly tinged with sadness.
"Chris wasn't here to see it…" She said sadly. "Instead of watching his nephew come into the world, he's off chasing Wesker again…" There was a hint of bitterness this time as she wiped unshed tears from her eyes.
"I'm sure if he'd have know you were having him tonight then he wouldn't have gone" Jill offered as she carefully enveloped her best friend into a hug.
"And just think" Carlos added. "He's doing it to safeguard this little guy's future"
"Speaking of which" Jill said, hastily attempting to change the subject. "What's his name"?
"I don't know" Claire replied, smiling once again as she looked down at her son. "What do you think honey"? She asked as Kevin came back into the room. "Any names for Junior here"?
"Well how about we name him after my father"? Kevin suggested, approaching the bed and giving his wife a tender kiss. "How about that huh Junior"? He leant down to kiss the baby who was still squirming in his mother's arms. "Little Rusty"
"Rusty"? Carlos spluttered. Jill frowned at him and nudged him hard with her elbow. He shook his head and held his arms up, feigning innocence.
"Maybe we should take some more time to think…" Claire replied conservatively.
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The room was so pitch black, Leon's eyes were struggling to get used to it. The only sound he could hear was his own breathing, pitched and fast because he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. The voice that had come from the darkness sounded exactly like Wesker's but how could it be? This had been the point he'd been desperate to hammer home to Chris. Wesker was dead. He'd killed him. Even with the powers of god knows what, his death had been so brutal, there was no way he could've come back.
Leon blinked harshly as bright light suddenly flooded the room. He shielded his eyes with his free hand reflexively, not even thinking that it could leave him open to possible attack.
"There now" The voice cooed sarcastically. "Isn't that much better? After all, I do believe you should have at least a fighting chance"
Leon's eyes took mere seconds to get used to the sudden flood of light. He was drawn towards the centre of the room where, amongst ruined computer consoles and the smashed remains of large glass tubes, Chris, his Chris, was sitting in a chair, thick ropes binding him to its steel frame. Behind him, holding a sleek magnum to the back of his head was the man who'd haunted both of their nightmares ever since Spain.
"H…how"? was all Leon could stutter out. His mind struggled to focus, to process what his eyes were seeing. The man, the magnum, the patch of dark blood on the sleeve of Chris' t-shirt…
"You seem surprised Mr Kennedy" Wesker purred. He looked exactly as Leon had remembered him. The slicked back dark blonde hair, the black sunglasses completely shielding his eyes, the black outfit that consisted mostly of expensive leather, the cold, calculating smile. "Chris here was convinced I was alive" His free hand reached down and clamped onto Chris' injured shoulder. Chris hissed in pain.
"I knew you'd find some way of coming back"! Chris yelled. "You fucking psycho bastard"!
"Now, now Chris. Is that any way to talk to someone who's holding a gun to your head"? Wesker shook his head as if he were dealing with a naughty child. "I think not. Although I must confess…I was rather hoping it would be Mr Kennedy who would feel the cold metal of my magnum" He sighed at the shame of it. "But it just happened to be you that was the first to darken my door"
"Shut up" Leon snarled, raising the Silver Ghost. He felt as though every drop of blood had suddenly turned into pure volcanic rage. Standing before him was the man that was responsible for everything that had gone wrong for him and Chris since they'd met. He could feel himself beginning to tremble in anger.
"Do you honestly think it's wise to raise your weapon like that"? Wesker shook his head once more. "You know exactly what I'm capable of Mr Kennedy" He smiled significantly, knowing perfectly well that Leon was beginning to picture their previous encounters.
"How the hell are you even alive"? Leon demanded. "I killed you"
Wesker sighed heavily and shook his head. It sickened Leon to his very core that the man seemed to enjoy the theatricality of holding someone hostage. Everything screamed at him to attack but there was no way he could do so without risking Chris' life. As usual, Wesker was playing a game and thoroughly enjoying it. Chris' brown eyes were boring into Leon's, frantically trying to send him a message but Leon had no clue what. He could feel the gun shaking in his grip as he lowered the weapon to his side. He felt as if his brain had been switched off and was incapable of rational thought. All he could concentrate on was Chris and the things that Wesker could do to him. It was why he'd gone so long avoiding personal attachments, your love for someone could cloud your judgement, shape your thoughts and create distractions. That was, of course, before he'd truly understood what love really meant.
"I suppose I do owe you an explanation" Wesker said conversationally. "It is only fair after all…"
"Since when did you give a rat's ass about what's fair"? Chris snarled, struggling with the ropes that bound him to the chair. "I don't give a damn why or how you're still alive. It doesn't matter because one way or another, I'll make sure you end up dead"
"Well that's not very nice now is it"? Wesker replied, his tone conveying mock hurt. Leon could tell that every single word that came out of the older man's mouth was winding Chris up more and more. His struggles were getting fiercer, more desperate. Leon felt helpless. His only hope so far was that Wesker would be so distracted by Chris' attempts at escape, he would able to spring a quick attack on him. He still had his combat knife. Given the correct distraction, he could have the blade sunk into the bastard's pale neck within seconds. That would create enough of a distraction for him to unleash the fury of the Silver Ghost. He'd down Wesker long enough to rescue Chris and the two of them could finish him off for good. All he needed was a long enough distraction…
As soon as the nurses left Claire alone, she started to formulate her plan. She was completely realistic in her ideals. She knew that there was no way in hell that she'd be able to go running after her stupid brother and his equally stupid boyfriend. Not only was she very sore, she was also completely exhausted. She knew she wouldn't be much use out in the field. She smiled softly at the small bundle in her arms as he slept quietly.
"No going back now" Kevin teased as he kissed her and gently patted the baby's head.
"I know. You're going to have to be an adult for a change" She replied with a grin. Almost instantly, her expression became serious. "How's your eye"? She asked, slowly stroking the white gauze that covered her husband's damaged eye.
"Still blind" Kevin joked. When he saw the expression on his wife's face, he offered her another kiss. "I'll be fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore. The way I see it, no pun intended, it was my own stupid fault in the first place. And hey, it could've been worse. At least I've still got one working eye"
"This is why I don't like you being in the BSAA" Claire said. "Any of you" She added. "It's too dangerous. You're hurt, my brother and Leon are god knows where…"
"We all made the choice to join" Kevin replied. "We're all aware of the risks but they pale into comparison when you realise that we're fighting for a damn good reason" He looked down at his son. "I don't want him growing up in a world where some psycho thinks he can destroy lives without facing the consequences…"
"Sorry to interrupt guys…" Kevin and Claire looked towards the door to see Carlos standing there, bathed in the glow of the lights from the hallway. "I need to speak to you" He added, pointing at Kevin.
"This better be good Oliveira" Kevin replied, giving Claire another kiss before following his colleague out into the hall. Carlos looked around a few times, obviously looking out for signs of Jill or Ginny, before dragging Kevin into a nearby janitor's closet.
"Hey! Woah! Slow down cowboy"! Kevin exclaimed as Carlos shut the door behind them both. "I'll have you know I've just had a baby! If you want this sort of action you need to go and see Redfield or Kennedy! I'm a happily married man! I never even experimented in college"!
"Silencio"! Carlos spat. "I need you to see this" When Kevin's eyes widened, he rolled his eyes. "My phone you idiot" He held up the device, showing Kevin the text message he'd received from Barry earlier.
"Woah…" Kevin exclaimed. "Go Barry! Kickin' ass at his age" He looked at the message again. "With a guy called Dennis"! He added.
"How are we gonna keep it quiet"? Carlos said, ignoring Kevin's statement.
"Apart from the stellar job you're doing right now"? Kevin asked. "Is that all you dragged me in here for? The girls are talking about going after Chris but you know they won't. Claire's just given birth and Jill's gotta look after Ginny. Chris will be fine because he's got Leon and Brad and now Barry and this Dennis guy. Whoever the hell he is"
"He's Leon's old boss" Carlos explained. "What we need is an excuse for why Barry isn't around because they're gonna be asking questions. If we tell them the truth they're both gonna freak out and they'll want to follow him"
"He's not infirm" Kevin replied. "He taught most of us what we know now. If there's anyone who's going to bring them all back safe and sound it's him but you do have a point. I think what we need is some sort of distraction. You'd think giving birth would be enough of a distraction for my wife but she is a Redfield..." He sighed heavily. "If Chris was here he'd be able to think of a million things to distract them"
"If Chris was here we wouldn't be having this conversation" Carlos reminded him giving Kevin a look that was so inherently Jill, it almost made Kevin laugh. "I'm sure between the two of us we can come up with something"!
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"So what's your big plan now then"? Chris demanded. He'd realised that struggling in Wesker's bonds wasn't going to get him anywhere. The evil bastard had tied them far too tight to allow for any sort of escape. He'd been trying his hardest to communicate silently with Leon, to tell him to just attack but if Leon understood, he wasn't letting it show. He was standing at the other side of the room, his gun frozen at his side.
"First things first Chris" Wesker replied. Chris didn't need to see his old captain's face to know that he was currently wearing that self-satisfied smirk that Chris had fantasised wiping off. "Don't you want to know why I'm still alive"?
"Not particularly" Chris answered, shrugging in his bonds. He could see Leon's expression, the younger man willing him not to antagonise Wesker further. But that was the problem, you didn't need to antagonise Wesker. He didn't need an excuse to kill anybody. He just did because he could.
"Now Chris" Wesker tutted. "That was just rude. I think you need to learn a lesson about controlling that mouth of yours"
Chris jumped as the gun went off, barely a foot away from his head. He saw what followed almost in slow motion, as if time had slowed down to purposefully subject him to the horror. Wesker's bullet hit Leon in the left knee and his partner fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes, his body making a horrible thud noise as it hit the shiny grey flooring. Leon barely cried out in pain and Chris watched, his heart frozen, as the blood started to seep through his partner's combats, spreading like wildfire across the dark material.
"Leon"! He cried out, a pure, animalistic cry of horror.
"So, I shall repeat the question. "Don't you want to know why I'm still alive"?
"You bastard"! Chris shouted. "You sick, twisted freak"! He started to struggle with the ropes once more. Leon wasn't moving now. He had to get over to him, to stop that blood leaking out of his body.
"I see you still haven't learnt your lesson" Wesker replied. "Wasn't that always the way with you Chris? I remember back in the S.T.A.R.S office. I'd tell you again and again and you would never learn…" Wesker stepped forward. He wanted to make sure that Chris could see him as he raised his gun once more, this time aiming it at Leon's back.
"No"! Chris yelled. "Don't"! He felt his voice break. "Don't shoot him" He pleaded.
"What's the magic word Chris"? Wesker bent down so he was face to face with Chris, his shaded eyes inches away from Chris' own face. Chris wondered if Wesker could feel the hate that was radiating from his eyes, from his every pore. He couldn't resist it, he spat, his saliva hitting his former captain directly in the middle of his face. He hissed, wiping it away with a disgusted look on his face. "Filthy animal" He growled before standing up and moving over to Leon's prone body. He bent down and brushed some of Leon's blonde hair away from his sweaty face. Leon's eyes were closed.
"Don't you touch him" Chris warned. "I swear…if you hurt him any more than you already have…"
"You'll what"? Wesker mocked. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill him right now. Because you love him"? Wesker snorted. "That would be my number one reason for sending him to be with his precious Sherry. You forget Chris, you can't have attachments. Because if you do, I'll make sure they get hurt" He stood up and stamped on down on Leon's hand. Chris closed his eyes as he heard the sickening crunch.
"Tell me"! Chris shouted, fighting back waves of nausea. Leon hadn't made a sound. "Tell me why you're still alive"!
"The magic word…" Wesker teased, his boot hovering above Leon's other hand.
"Please"! Chris added. "Please, tell me"!
"Well, since you asked so nicely" Wesker smiled his slick smile, moving away from Leon and coming back to Chris, leaning against one of the nearby consoles as if they'd just settled down for a friendly chat. "You remember the events of the Spencer Mansion I take it"? he asked with a smirk. When Chris didn't respond, he continued. "I was unfortunately infected during that incident which, sadly, wasn't part of my grand scheme. Luckily, my dear friend William Birkin had provided me with an antidote to the virus although it had some rather unwanted side effects. During my recuperation however, I was able to perfect something I'd been working on for years. I believe the key to any successful venture is to have a hobby, wouldn't you agree? Something that you can use to unwind when the stresses of your demands prove to be too much. My little hobby was cloning. It was something I'd toyed with throughout my early years at Umbrella but it had never really taken off. However, during my recuperation, I was finally able to give it the attention it needed and I was successful"
"You created a clone"? Chris interrupted. He felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. He glanced over at Leon who was still bleeding heavily and showing no signs of coming around.
"Congratulations Chris" Wesker lightly applauded. "It seems you do listen sometimes. Yes, I created a clone and what a clone it was! Perfect in almost every way. Indistinguishable from the real thing! I say almost perfect. There was one drawback to my masterpiece. I'm sure by now you've guessed that I cloned myself"
"Well who else would you clone"? Chris snorted. "You're so far up your own ass you probably got a hard on over another version of you. Hell, you probably fucked it. The only person ever good enough for Albert Wesker, Albert Wesker" He needed to do this. He needed to talk back, to smart mouth the man, to do something other than sit in his bonds begging and pleading with him. Wesker was doing his level best to break him but Chris wouldn't let him. He wouldn't let him kill Leon either. He needed to be strong and brave, like his lover, like Brad. If they could do it, he certainly could.
"And so your mouth continues to get you into trouble" Wesker lightly tapped the muzzle of his handgun on the palm of his gloved hand. "What shall I do this time hmm? Should I take a knife and slit his throat? Should I slash his pretty little face to shreds? Or perhaps you'd just like to apologise to me? Yes…" Wesker smirked. "Wouldn't that be something? Chris Redfield apologising to me. Yes, I think I'd rather like to hear that" He leant against the damaged console once more, he holstered his gun and took out a large, serrated combat knife with a snake engraved at the base of the blade. A perfect image, Chris thought, as Wesker nonchalantly began to polish it with a small cloth he produced from the belt around his waist. Chris felt his stomach turn as he imagined the older man sinking that sharp blade into Leon's pale flesh. He could see it as clear as day, the vivid lines of red that would appear, marring his perfect skin. Chris fought to keep the contents of his stomach in check.
"I'm sorry." He muttered. Saying it felt almost like a physical blow but it was nothing compared to how it would feel to watch the man slowly mutilate his lover.
"Excellent" Wesker sheathed the knife quickly, almost as if he'd been planning to do so all along. "The drawback to my clone" He continued as if there hadn't been a break in the conversation, as if he hadn't just threatened to maim someone. "was that he was still infected. He developed insanely super human powers which were impressive but unenviable. Had I not cured myself and allowed these powers to develop within my own body, I would've become dependant on a serum that stops the virus from fully developing. A perfect weakness for someone to exploit don't you think"?
Chris felt as if his heart had stopped. Wesker's words clattered around his brain like a high speed freight train. Every time he'd met Wesker since the mansion incident, he'd had his super human powers. If the real Wesker never had those powers, that meant…Chris suppressed a howl of frustration. This was the first time he was seeing the real Albert Wesker since that fateful night at the mansion. Every meeting they'd had, everything he and everyone he cared about had been put through, it was all at the hands of some impostor created in a lab. A wave of devastation hit him. He slumped in his bindings, forgetting everything he'd previously thought about being brave. What was the point? He hung his head, staring at the floor beneath his feet. He might as well give up the fight. Wesker had played the game to perfection, this was his final, devastating blow and he'd executed it perfectly. He'd dedicated his whole adult life to defeating this man and he was still no closer to finishing him now than he was over a decade ago.
"I see the realisation has finally sunk in" Wesker's smug voice broke through the sudden fog in Chris' brain. Instead of the booming arrogance that made his veins fill with fire, it was now a dull chime that prolonged his inevitable fate, a death knell that dulled his brain and his senses. "I will however, give you your credit" He continued. "I'm a firm believer of credit where credit is due. You and your pretty boy did an excellent job of killing my clone in Antarctica. In fact, I admit I was impressed at your show of skill. I'm glad that I didn't have to do the job myself. As well as his dependency on my serum, my clone began to envelop himself with delusions of grandeur. He started to think for himself, think that his super human powers elevated him above his creator. He started to suffer from madness, having convinced himself that he was the original. You can see why I had to get rid of him. And then you came along and did the job for me" Wesker shook his head, feigning hurt. "I was saddened to see him die but it was all for the best. Having him do my dirty work gave me the time I needed to perfect my lifetime's work. I believe that you discovered something about that in Spain? I've been working on the perfect virus. A synergy of all the ones created by Umbrella and its one track minded scientists. The ultimate virus if you will. And now, I have it. Do you have any idea how much this virus is worth? How the world's terrorists will be lining up to bid for it? Millions Chris. Millions and millions of dollars. And when I've sold it to the highest bidder? I jet myself off to my very own private oasis and let the whole world go to hell"
Chris didn't respond, allowing Wesker's words to wash over him. He was facing the reality now. There was no way he could escape and he was going to die at the pleasure of his worst enemy. His only hope of salvation was lying on the ground a few feet away, slowly bleeding to death. It was almost certain that he was going to have to watch Leon be tortured before Wesker would spare them both the mercy of death. He felt his heart break at the lost future. The future he'd wanted ever since he'd fallen in love with Leon. He would never marry his lover, never seem him grow old, never live the normal life he'd wanted for so long. God, he wanted to cry but he would never give Wesker the satisfaction of knowing that he'd succeeded in breaking him.
"I suppose there's little else to say" Wesker continued, obviously not bothered by Chris' sudden lack of responses. "There has been one thing niggling me for a while now and I do feel that before we finally part ways that I need to get it off my chest. I'm sure you remember the mansion in Antarctica? The one I had my clone make especially for you? And I'm sure you remember one of the extra special additions? My lovely hallway incorporating my gallery of photos of your time in Spain? Do you remember one photo in particular? Taken in the hospital? Yes, I was watching you. I saw how seeing that picture of your precious boyfriend made you lose it. It really got to you didn't it? I mean, what a horrendous thing to try and comprehend. Your boyfriend, laying in a hospital bed, at his most vulnerable and someone sneaked it and took a photo of him. I bet you've always wondered who that was. Well Chris, it was me. Oh, it was easy enough. I told those idiots at the hospital that I was his older brother. They let me in and there I was. Free to do what I liked" He stalked forward and grabbed hold of Chris' chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes as he continued to explain. "He behaved impeccably. Laying there nice and still while I lifted up those sheets, drew back that flimsy gown…"
A shot rang through the air and Wesker suddenly released his tight grip on Chris' chin. Chris watched in confusion as the older man reeled back in pain, clutching the top of his arm. He almost crashed into a nearby console but managed to recover himself in time to whirl round and see where the shot had come from. At the same time, Chris looked over too. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he saw Leon, curled up on his side, the Silver Ghost lay beside him, obviously dropped after the strain of firing it. Leon's cloudy blue eyes met his and the briefest smile flickered across his face before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, unconscious once more.
Chris looked back to Wesker who was clutching his injured arm. He growled in pain and Chris took momentary joy in knowing that now Wesker was just a normal guy, that shot would hurt like hell.
"I've had enough" Wesker snarled, grabbing his gun. "I'm going to kill your little pretty boy and I'm going to enjoy every second" He stalked over to Leon's prone body, his boots tapping on the flooring. Chris' gaze stayed frozen, unable to look away as Wesker pressed the muzzle of his handgun into Leon's temple.
END OF CHAPTER TWELVE