Chapter 2

-Right to Play God-

Chris raised his gun and aimed it at Wesker. The man slowed to a stop on the staircase and without turning he spoke. His voice had a British accent to it and he spoke slowly, extending each word as if anything he said was too important to be spoken any differently.

"Don't you ever tire of failing in your mission, Chris?"

"I can't let you release the virus, Wesker," was all Chris said in reply.

Slowly the man turned his head to the right, to fix his eyes on Chris. He smiled an eerie smile before turning around fully to face Chris.

"Do you honestly think you can defeat me?" Wesker asked very rhetorically.

"I don't know. But I won't stop trying until I'm dead." Chris retorted, dead serious.

Wesker chuckled and it was a very disturbing sound. "Then I guess I'll just have to kill you quickly."

Claire didn't think it was possible but she could actually hear the evil in his voice. Slowly, Wesker removed his dark sunglasses and stared hard at Chris. For the first time, the others could see that he had red-yellow eyes which only further enhanced his dangerous appearance.

"Catch."

"Huh?" Chris stared at Wesker, confused.

Wesker threw the sunglasses at him, and startled, Chris took a step back and caught them. He frowned when he saw what he had caught only to hear a shout of warning and Wesker was suddenly in front of him. The enemy grabbed the arm holding the gun and pulled it to the side before delivering a punch to Chris's stomach and then an elbow upside his chin. When the other members of Chris's team opened fire, Wesker literally kicked off of Chris's chest, sending the man painfully to the floor, while back-flipping in the air and away. The others watched as they saw that while Wesker had attacked Chris he had also retrieved his sunglasses, and he put them on again.

Chris and his team already knew how fast and strong Wesker was but the others were shocked. Wesker moved so quickly that it seemed as though he were appearing and reappearing in different parts of the room. He also was dodging the soldiers' bullets with ease as he flipped, jumped, and spun throughout the room. Chris was back on his feet in time to see Wesker grab up Josh by the neck with one gloved hand and hold him in the air.

"No!" the BSAA agent yelled when he saw Wesker flexing his free hand.

He knew what Wesker was going to do and he was too late to help his comrade. Wesker literally punched his fist through Josh's chest and out the other side. Without a hint of remorse, Wesker pulled his hand back out and dropped Josh's corpse to the floor. Chris didn't have time to mourn his friend, he opened fire on Wesker, as did the other soldiers. Though Danko and his three men were armed, they made no move to help. They were like the other heroes, too shocked by the man's abilities to do anything. It wasn't until Wesker involved them did they even begin to react.

Chris's gun was knocked from his hand but he was saved from being attacked when Wesker jumped away in order to avoid the other soldiers' bullets. Dry clicks echoed throughout the room. All three had run out of ammunition at nearly the same time. Forgetting his gun for the moment, Chris ran at Wesker when the black-clad man landed gracefully a few feet away and shoved at him with all his strength. Wesker slid back maybe a foot before he stopped moving. He was far too strong for Chris and the man knew it. He smiled at Chris's attempt before latching on to Chris and ramming his knee into the younger man's stomach twice before spinning and sending the younger man across the room where he slammed into the left railing of the staircase.

Chris hit the railing and fell to his hands and knees on the floor with a grunt of pain. He spotted his gun on the floor right near his right hand though and quickly grabbed it before leaping to his feet. With Chris armed, and the other soldiers now finished reloading their weapons, Wesker disappeared in a blur and reappeared behind Claire. He grabbed her and pulled her away from the others, towards the wall on the right side of the room. He held her with one arm locked around her neck and the other wrenching one of her arms behind her back. The grip was painful and she struggled.

"Claire!" her father, Noah, called out with alarm.

"Let go of me!" Claire yelled in fury.

Wesker simply ignored her, his eyes locked on Chris, who approached with his weapon aimed towards them but dared not come closer when he was a couple yards away from the two.

"Why are you doing this? What could possibly make you want to destroy the world?" Chris asked him.

He just couldn't understand why Wesker would want to do such a thing. His remaining three soldiers fanned out behind Chris, their assault rifles aimed at Wesker as well. The man got his answer.

"Every day mankind leads itself closer to its own destruction. I'm not destroying the world, I'm merely saving it."

"You're insane!" Chris shouted.

His declaration was ignored. "I will spread the virus into the atmosphere and once the world is infected, only those deemed worthy will survive and grow stronger. A race of superhumans will emerge and I will be the creator!"

"You're delusional, Wesker! Living with your God-complex. You're nothing but a monster."

The tyrant smiled. "The right to play God...that right is now mine."

"Let her go, Wesker! Let's finish this. I'm not going to let you release the virus. I'll put an end to this now."

His enemy shoved Claire at him before suddenly running over to the stairs. Chris caught Claire before she could fall down and her father rushed over to take over for the agent, who turned back to Wesker on the stairs.

"Wesker!" he shouted angrily.

He got a chillingly wicked laugh in return. "Six billion cries of agony will birth a new balance. Unfortunately, you will not live to see the dawn."

A hooded and cloaked figure came walking in through the front door right then. The door closed with a resounding thud behind the person as he or she walked towards them. The hooded figure kept their head down and stood next to Wesker without another sound. When Chris didn't lower his gun or stop glaring at Wesker, the blonde man smirked. He had that 'I know something you don't' look in his eyes and Chris didn't like it one bit.

Still smirking, the tyrant spoke. "Why Chris... I'd expect you to be happier to see us again after all this time."

"Us?" Chris asked, puzzled.

The smile on Wesker's face widened. "Always so slow to catch on."

Wesker reached around and pulled the hood back and off the cloaked figure's face. A woman around Chris's age could now be seen. She had blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and pale blue eyes. She looked almost as if the very color had been wiped from her hair and eyes at some point. Her gaze was as expressionless as Wesker's often was. Chris's puzzlement quickly changed to shock and disbelief.

Chris stared. "Jill..."

His voice almost sounded as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing but then grew confident.

"Jill! It's me, Chris!" Chris said, lowering his gun completely.

She didn't react at all when Chris called out to her.

Claire wondered why that name sounded so familiar and then remembered. She'd heard it several times in Chris's story. Jill had been a member of Chris's team that went into the mansion. The ex-partner of his who had died some time in the past. Except that she wasn't dead. Jill was standing right in this room but on the wrong side. Instead of standing by Chris, she was with Wesker.

David looked stunned. "What? Are you sure that's her? She's been presumed dead for two years."

Wesker smiled again and mockingly gestured towards Jill.

"The one and only," he told them, clearly enjoying the shock and confusion apparent on Chris's face.

Suddenly Jill whipped off her cloak and threw it at Chris. Surprised, Chris lifted his arms to block the cloak from smacking into his face only to find Jill there attacking him. Chris flew backwards when Jill kicked him in the chest, and jumped on top of him while he was still in midair forcing him down hard. Chris's team immediately went on the offensive. Two moved to guard the others in the room and the other, Ethan, opened fire on Jill.

Jill responded to the gunfire by flipping over to Ethan and knocking the gun from his hand with a kick. She moved almost as quickly as Wesker could. The two met in hand to hand combat, and amazingly, Jill front flipped forward and threw Ethan over herself with just her legs. He landed hard on his back, the breath knocked out of him. Seeing that Chris was back on his feet and raising his weapon at her, she ran towards him and grabbed his arm holding the gun. Now that he was unable to get a shot off at her, she took her other hand and began to choke him. Chris struggled against her grasp but she was strong like Wesker and he grunted in pain as his oxygen was cut off.

Back on his feet, Ethan hurried to Chris's aid and put his gun to the back of Jill's head. Wesker didn't seem to approve of that. He knocked Ethan off his feet with an elbow to the head and at the same time, Jill punched Chris and then roundhouse kicked him. The two soldiers fell to the floor next to each other and Wesker and Jill stood together a few yards away watching them. The two men struggled to their feet near the front doors and raised their weapons at their pair of enemies standing by the foot of the stairs.

"I expected more of a challenge after all this time, Chris." Wesker told him with disapproval.

A phone rang, Wesker's cell phone. He answered it, turning slightly away from the others. "Yes."

Wesker listened into his phone, walking up a few stairs as he listened. Not wanting him to get away, Chris took a few steps closer, Ethan following his lead, and yelled for Wesker to stop. Wesker did stop. He hung up his phone and turned his head towards Chris with a smile that told Chris something was going to happen. Sure enough, Jill was suddenly upon them. She elbowed Ethan in the chest and face before sending him flying to the right wall with a strong thrust kick. Then she was attacking Chris. Jill grabbed his arm, keeping the gun out of her way and hit him in the chest. Chris gave a yell of pain as she threw him to the ground and straddled him, yanking his arm back which sent his gun flying and continuing to hold it there. Chris struggled in vain to get free, his arm being pulled towards the breaking point.

Desperately he tried to reach out to Jill. "Jill, come on! It's me, Chris! Snap out of it!"

Wesker walked over to where Jill held Chris to the floor and smiled down at him.

"Nice move, Chris," he told the other man, his tone mocking. "But now that your partner has arrived. I'll leave you two to catch up."

Wesker headed back towards the staircase.

Jill yanked harder and Chris cried out in pain and frustration. "Come on, Jill! Get yourself together! Wake up! Jill Valentine!"

Familiar blue eyes stared down at him from where she struggled to keep him held in place and something changed in the way she was looking at him. Recognition began to cross over her face.

"Ch...Chris..." Jill gasped out.

She instantly released him and stumbled back, grunting in pain. Wesker paused by the foot of the stairs.

Wesker seemed impressed. "Remarkable! Still resisting at such an advanced stage."

As he spoke, he pulled out a handheld device of some kind and started pressing a few buttons. "Commendable, yet futile."

Jill stopped fighting it when Wesker finished pressing the buttons and she fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

His nemesis gave Chris a stern look. "No more time for games, Chris. I've got work to do. Have fun watching Jill suffer."

"Wait! What did you do to her?!" Chris yelled after Wesker but he had moved up the stairs and was gone.

Chris whipped around when Jill began screaming out in agony. She clutched her chest tightly and fell to her knees, head tilted back as she ripped the top part of her black sneak suit she wore. Now visible on her chest was some sort of machine or device. It was red and glowing dimly. Jill dropped onto her hands and knees and when she lifted her head, she wore the look of anger she had had when she was fighting them before. Her eyes were definitely hostile again.

Ethan glanced sideways at Chris. "What's that on her chest?"

Chris eyed the strange looking device. "We have to get it off her!"

Jill attacked and the two soldiers fought her. Chris made his way behind her while she was fighting Ethan and grabbed her, holding her in place.

"Okay! Shoot it!" he yelled to Ethan.

Jill struggled hard and it was difficult to try and keep her in place. Ethan aimed, his hands trembling slightly. He was nervous about accidentally hitting her instead. Jill was starting to break free.

"Go on! Shoot!" Chris shouted hurriedly.

Chris's grip started to slip and then Ethan fired. The bullet pierced the glowing red device and Chris reached around and ripped it off. Sounds of discomfort and pain came from Jill as she staggered back. After a moment she collapsed to the floor, her eyes closed.

"Jill!" Chris ran to her and held her in his arms. "Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him tiredly. "Chris...I'm so sorry..."

Chris smiled down at her. "It's okay."

"I couldn't control my actions. Oh, but God..I was still aware. The things he made me do..I infected people, killed them, hurt innocents. It made me sick but I couldn't resist. Forgive me."

Jill's breathing was rough and she seemed to be struggling for air as she spoke.

"Jill..why are you talking like this? I saved you. You're going to be okay now."

She stared up at him from where he held her and smiled sadly.

"You did save me. But I was dead before you ever got here. The fall would have killed me two years ago, Chris. It should have killed me but then Wesker put this thing on my chest and it kept me alive. It also kept me in his control. You freed me but I can't go on any more."

Chris shook his head in denial. "No! Don't say that. I'll find a way to keep you alive. I won't let you die, Jill."

Her smile deepened. "My body's broken. For coming for me..for saving me...thank you."

Her breathing became quieter now and less frequent.

"Jill no! You can't die. Please, I love you..." Chris said to her, his voice gripped with emotion.

The smile left her face and she lifted a hand slowly to caress Chris's cheek.

"Chris..." she spoke his name, barely above a whisper.

Her hand fell limply to her side and her eyes froze in place. Pale blue eyes stared lifelessly up at the ceiling now and a sob escaped Chris. He held her tightly to him as tears of anger and grief fell down his face.

Claire found tears welling up in her eyes at the scene before her. Matt and Mohinder looked very sad by it as well. The others for the most part kept their expressions neutral, though for some like Peter and Nathan, they were only pretending to be unaffected by such a tragedy. Clearly this was Chris's worst nightmare it seemed as he tried to bring her back to life with his pleas.

"Please..you can't die. Don't go where I can't follow. Jill..."

Chris buried his face in her shoulder and a loud sob escaped him at the life lost. After a few moments, Chris lowered Jill gently to the floor and stood back up. He turned away so he wouldn't have to see her body any more.