Chapter Four

Claire looked sideways and back, trying to crane her view around the waiter who was bussing the table before her. Jill and Chris were supposed to meet her here thirty minutes ago… Her blue eyes flitted to her watch, then back up again as the waiter refilled her glass. His eyebrows rose expectantly, as if asking if she had decided on an entrée. Shaking her head, the young man nodded knowingly. Looking down as her phone flashed, she smiled as a text message distracted her from her tardy family. Leon's name danced across the screen, a handsome picture of him attached to the message. Her id pictures were always carefully chosen, but this one in particular still made her heart flutter like a little girl with a crush. Even as she tapped her reply back, she could feel a rosy tint rise in her cheeks. 'Hello, stranger. Back in the States yet?' Seconds ticked by and the reply came. 'No, out here where it's cold….again. I will be soon. Can't wait to see you, pretty girl.' Giggling as she went to reply, Claire nearly dropped the phone as Chris and Jill made their arrival. A half written message sent as she quickly slid her phone away.

"What are we laughing at? Oh let me guess…your boyfriend is back in town." Chris pretended to huff, folding his arms as the waiter took his and Jill's drink orders. Claire shook her head vehemently, her cheeks becoming a deeper shade. "He is not, Chris. Leon and I are just friends…" Jill slid a hand over her husband's, murmuring gently as she rested her head upon his shoulder. "It always starts out that way.." Claire snickered as her brother planted a kiss upon his wife's forehead, her eyes sparkling. In all truth, she was glad to see they were finally together… At the end of it all, Burton had owed her five bucks. It had taken them less than five years to get married after Africa…where as she said it would take only a couple…

Sighing as she noticed the dark bags underneath Jill's eyes, Claire took a sip of her drink. "So, what was so important yall had to discuss with me?" Jill and Chris shared looks, then stared back at the young woman. This was the final decision… "We are going back into the field after next week, Claire….Jill too."

Chris could see his sister flinch, though she did well to cover it up. After all the talking of quitting and starting over as a civilian, she had known that it was just that coming from them….talk. There had been a hope from many friends that after what had happened in Africa, they would hand over the fight to a new generation…but both Valentine and Redfield were too stubborn to do so. Running her fingertips through her red hair, the younger Redfield now audibly sighed. She barely wore her hair down for this reason…whenever she got nervous, she tugged at it. "Are you sure that is the…healthiest decision right now?" This time Jill spoke for herself, a slight anger showing in her clear eyes. "The doctor has cleared me for it months ago, and it is our decision to make, Claire. We wanted you to know so that you would not be left out of the loop. We are going to the Arctic next Monday…"

"Next MONDAY? And why did you both wait until the last minute to tell me? This…this is an Umbrella mission, isn't it?" Slowly Chris nodded, his green eyes drooping. The man was bracing for the lecture that he knew was coming next. The thing was….none came. A fist slammed down on the table, as if she had just thought of an answer to a stubborn question. "TerraSave was out there recently sniffing around. The report came back that the site has been abandoned for some time." Chris shook his head, his eyes wide. The images had shown a fully functional facility. McNeil had not disclosed them all however, and he had not thought about it at the time… "Oh it's active alright, and we are going to go find out why…" Claire eyed her brother and sister in law quietly for a moment, taking another swig from her drink. Setting the glass down assuredly, she smiled. "Well, consider me you intell at home then. I'm not letting you go in there without some help."

…..

'Can't wait to see you toofferrrrrrruglu….'

"What the hell…"

Shaking his head as he sipped his coffee, Leon slipped his phone back into his coat pocket. The small town was just that…small. He was surprised that even his phone got signal in the middle of no where…then again it was satellite. Lifting his mug to signal another fill up to the waitress, Leon slid back in his seat. If anyone had thought, they would have thought the young man was resting his eyes. But no…he was looking under his lashes at a young woman across the room that didn't even know his presence… Despite the cold she was still wearing an almost indecently short skirt, its crimson red standing out against the blandness of the trackers and settlers of the town. He himself had the trapper gear on…and a fake beard to boot. It was indigenous to the Artic area, and quite comfortable. No one, not even Claire would recognize him at this moment. He had been here for almost two months, and now he understood why. His eyes watched the young woman as she left the complex, taking a to go cup of coffee with her.

Slamming his forefinger down upon an ear mite that was safely concealed behind the plaid hat, Leon huskily whispered into it. "HQ, this is Leon S. Kennedy. We have visual confirmation of suspect….Ada Wong has been confirmed."

…

She seemed…distracted. That was the word for her as she took his daily blood sample. It had been a few days since switching tactics, and Wesker still had not managed to get anything out of her. Not even a rise. If he threw a punch, she deflected and inflicted back ten times worse. If he tried to appeal to her emotions…she acted as if her mind was a hard drive and they had been removed. Angelica was becoming an alien to him…something far more inhuman than he. Watching her from the corner of his eye, the man wondered if she became disconnected because of what he was…of what he had done to her. Slowly she pumped the blood pressure cuff, listening to his heart beat with a stethoscope. Moving her hand on her arm, her slowly moved her hand over his heart, looking up at her.

Angelica stared at Wesker, her eyes wide. What was he doing? Why was he doing that… She knew it was another trick, another ruse, but her curiosity still got the better of her. She had become so tormented by his presence…especially now, when the biggest secret of her life was becoming sicker by the day… Slowly her mouth moved. "What are you doing, Albert…" He didn't answer, but merely studied her face. There was a decision to make, and somehow, in his own way, he needed help making it. "Do you regret it…" Her face flinched at this, uncertainty clouding her features. Clarifying before she could ask, Wesker stood up. She was so much shorter than he… "Do you regret…..me.." Angelica paused as she looked up at him, but pulled away. "Yes…" Wesker's head sunk as she turned away from him, his hands running back through his hair. He should have expected this… "And no…" Snapping his gaze upwards, the man's feline eyes narrowed. What type of game was she playing at? He himself loved to toy with people's minds…but this was downright cruel… "Clarify what you mean exactly, Angelica.."

The woman had finished gathering her supplies, and glanced at her watch. Shaking her head, the woman sighed before opening the padded door. "I regret the lives you have taken…the years we lost. But you killed me once, and then gave me something worth living for… I must go…I have an appointment to keep." Whisking out of the doorway, the heavy lock clicked softly behind, leaving Wesker with a sense of doubt and confusion. Moving to the emergency telephone that was his only source to the outside world, Wesker hit the button to connect him directly with his new employer. Growling into the receiver, the man finally had made his decision… "Trent, I have come to a conclusion regarding our deal…"

…..

"It seems her sickness is due to a cellular degeneration… The DNA was stable until the mother's immunity became dormant. The father's instability then became the dominant strain. We would need a T virus laced antibody to combat it and restart the immunity." Te scientist pointed to a projection of a tissue sample, his nasal voice beginning to irritate and grate on Angelica's nerves. She had barely slept in two days…or eaten. She couldn't stand the thought of relaxing while her baby was sick. "Is there anything we can do for her?" The doctor nodded, holding up a vial. "We can treat her using a derivative of the substance you procured from the Tricell laboratory in Africa. But the effect will not be permanent, and seeing as her age and metabolism is constant, so will the treatment need to be." At this Angelica stiffened, her eyes tearing up. "Are you saying she will be confined in a hospital bed until I can find a cure…the antibody?" The doctor dismissed the mother's emotions, his face actually splitting into a grin. "Precisely, Doctor Burrows. She will make a great test subject in the mean time for…" In that instant, Angelica sprang at the Doctor, his hand about his throat. A power surged through her veins that she had not felt for quite some time….

"You will not touch her…she is a child…not an experiment….bastard." Slowly the man began to lose consciousness, his eyes rolling back. Capillaries on his neck burst as she continued to squeeze, her eyes flaring dangerous, feral rouge. A soft noise from the other room caused Angelica to drop the scientist, his lifeless body crumpling in a heap. Rushing to her child's side, she brushed the hair from her forehead. Weakly the little girl looked up, smiling at her mother. "Is everything ok, Mommy? I heard yelling…" Tears threatened her eyes as she embraced her daughter, Angelica's rage instantly disappearing. Trying desperately not to choke as she spoke, the woman gently cooed to her child in a soothing manner. "No, no, everything's fine baby…you just rest, ok? Mommy's going to make everything better…I promise..Mommy's going to make you better…"

Looking past her resting child as she felt the little body relax, Angelica tensed her jaw. Umbrella was going to pay for what they had done, and she was going to find the one person who could cure her offspring…

Even if it started a war doing so….