Chapter 17. This is the most chapter I've ever done in a RE story so in a way i feel proud in another way not really because this is fan fiction though i know this can be creative and i am an aspiring film writer and this stuff does brace me for movie critics, I don't think I'm fulfilling what i need to in fan fiction I really should try my hand on Fiction Press.
Jake
He made his way into the hospital area. He found a medical kit and took what he could carry, relieved to see there was a couple of first aid cans in there. He was worried for Sherry but he just had to hope she could handle herself on her own. Even as hard as things had been for the two of them in Edonia and China, it was easier then because they had their weapons aside from when they had lost them during captivity for six months. Okay maybe that part wasn't so easy...
Just then, one of the inmates that was supposed to be dead in the hospital bed sat up and lunged for him. It grabbed his legs and bit him. "Shit! Ahh!" Jake gave him a kick to the forehead. He breathed thinking, Thank God I'm immune to that but it doesn't mean they can't still kill me!
He challenged the thing as it stood up. "Come on, asshole! Let's see what you got!" He saw there were three more of them. He threw a punch the glove connecting with the zombie that had bitten him and the blade went into its chin and it poured blood as he removed it. He then swung again and brought it into the things temple and left a nice scarlet hole in the man's auburn hair.
Jake swung at another but this time used it in a slicing motion and left a nick on the jugular of one zombie and it fell to the floor, bleeding intensely. Jake swung it at the chest of one of them just to see what kind of damage it would do and it did bleed to the point where if he had still been a normal human inmate he would be dead as Jake had gotten him where the heart was. Jake followed up with a round house kick.
The last one was carrying a shank of its own. It swung at him and he moved to the side and it lunged at him again. He ducked bit it kept swinging at him, growling both in hunger and agony. It swung one more time and it did get Jake a little on the cheek slicing it. He cursed as it did but he used the glove again ad punched the thing in the stomach driving it in deep. The zombie bled from its mouth as he had punched him. He pushed his fist in deeper letting the tacks do their work.
He ripped it out and the thing fell, its stomach hemorrhaging badly. He left the hospital wing and went back to the hall. He spotted a deceased guard with a hole in his head. A self inflicted gunshot wound. Jake checked it. It had fourteen shots left in the magazine. About time...I needed a new gun and I'm really low on ammo for the shotgun.
The man had three magazines of handgun ammunition. He spotted that just down the hall were at least five bodies all of whom had been infected. He spotted a few more zombies, about three more. One had flesh still in its teeth. Jake fired taking the man down with a single gunshot to the temple. "Hope you enjoyed your last meal!"
As he came down the hall he spotted a man carrying what looked like a pipe. He drew on the man and stared him down. He didn't appear infected. The man glared. "You gonna shoot me, or what, ese? If you're not then get the fuck out of my way. We got a boat to catch."
The man looked to be of Caribbean descent descent. He had light brown skin and neck length hair slicked back plus a handle bar mustache. His arms were covered in tattoos. One of them had a golden crown on his forearm. On the other read the letters ALKN. Since Jake was not American he had no idea what it stood for. He had a tattoo of the Cuban flag on his right arm. The man looked like a stone cold killer though.
He was joined by a man of African American descent with an Afro plus an afro pick. On his arm he actually had the number 5 and a % sign. Then there was a white male who was bald and had two lightning bolt tattoos on his neck plus a swastika on his biceps. Jake knew what that meant. The bald man stepped up demanding, "Who are you, boy? You a cop? Where's your fucking backup?"
The man with the afro didn't think so. "Nah, he aint a cop. Too young. They don't recruit cops that young," Jake told them all, "Look I'm not supposed to be here, all right? This is all a big mistake. I'm just trying to get back to New York City. Everything that's going on I can stop it. Do you know where the armory is?"
The Cuban chuckled. "Funny you should mention that, killer. That's where we're headed. The armory that is. But Nuevo York is fucked, man. I'm not sticking around for that. I'm going home to Havana. Put our backs against the sea. Defend ourselves from there."
The man with the afro laughed. "None of us are supposed to be here! That's the story of every swinging dick out here. Or at least that we got a raw deal. See allegedly, I was caught with illegal weaponry and allegedly attempting to kill a cop but I call it a suppression of my freedom! Political and social oppression!"
The man with the crown on his arm nodded, "Yeah...well 'allegedly' I killed a drug dealer for not paying his taxes. Actually you know what? Fuck it, I did it. I made some stupid choices and I was serving life till this shit happened. But I don't need to sit there and make excuses for why I did the shit I did. Yeah, I was poor, young and stupid but I was pointing the gun in the wrong direction. My own. Other barrio boys just for wearing different colors than me.," He said with an implicit look at the man with the afro in passing the buck.
The man lit a cigarette and said, "Yeah well me and ole Don Juan here been trying to kill each other a long time. Plus this old redneck motherfucker," Jake looked at the guy with the swastikas. "I'm already regretting asking but what did you do to not belong in here?"
The man smiled wickedly. "I beat the living shit out of one of Abraham's childrenfrom Williamsburg. I don't regret it one bit. Was meant to just be a warning to stay the fuck out of our neighborhood but I ended up causing internal bleeding. See this shylock was trying to buy up old businesses that had been around for i grew up getting jobs at when i was a teenager. Then this little prick wants to try and buy property and turn them into kosher meat shops? Not on my watch. So yeah, I got rid of him. I aint like these other two slugs. When I kill a man it aint over gang crap or cop killing. When I kill a man it's because he's a threat to my constitutional rights."
Jake shot the guy a sideways look. "I get the feeling the three of you don't like each other," The man with th afro shook his head. "You're not too bright are you? You never heard of the 5%ers? Or the Kings? Or the Brand?" Jake didn't see where this was going. "Should I have? Sounds like all three are just losers in prison. Now I need to get out of here. If you won't tell me where the armory is, I'll find it on my own."
The man with the crown who he assumed was a King, said, "Look mano, we got off to a bad start. I'm Rivera. Those two are Jones and Adams," The black guy was Jones and the white guy, Adams. "We're working together cause we don't have much else of a choice. A lot of my compadres got wasted by those flesh eating demonios. So did theirs. A lot of the CO's said they'd try and get us out of here but they didn't. They didn't make it."
The skin head, Adams said, "Neither will we with just pipes and buck knives to cover our asses. I don't agree with Rivera. I don't think New York is completely gone. They got the national guard, US Marines and the FBI. Things might be ugly for a while but they'll fall into place. Only the strong survive."
Jake scoffed at the ignorance. "Pal, I just came from New York City and nobody is holding their own. This is a serious problem. Not even the BSAA are doing that well. I can't really explain how I got here, you wouldn't believe me anyway. Let's just say I was a worker for hire and I was also in Lanshiang and the same thing was happening there."
Jones nodded. "They tried to cover it up too but a city that big and probably because of some American tourists dying and BSAA agents, it was bound to spill sooner or later. Just like that Raccoon City story. I always thought there was something fishy about the official story."
Adams snorted. "This kid's a fucking liar! He wasn't in China or any part of this shit he probably just survived out of pure dumb luck. Hell I can take him myself!"
Jake put the gun behind his back in his pants and set his weapons down. "Okay then. I'll tell you what. I won't use my hands and if you can get just one free punch on me I won't hit you back."
The man smirked. "You're on!" He swung a meaty fist at Jake but Jake ducked. He swung another and Jake easily avoided it. Jake chuckled. "Guess the Fuhrer was wrong, pal! Well maybe about you anyway," He joked.
The man snarled in a rage and swung again and Jake side stepped him and the man tripped and fell. The man got up and reached for a shank in his pocket but Jake kicked it away. "The man growled, I thought you weren't using hands?" Jake reminded him, "I never said I wouldn't use my feet. Come on, asshole! If you're so big and bad, you should be able to hit me! Besides you still have teh upper hand since you get to use hands."
The man got to his feet and tried kicking Jake but Jake dodged bending his head back. The man tried a kick but each time he did Jake kicked him in the shin before he could. The man threw several punches, growling and screaming with rage and Jake dodged each blow and with last as the man went forward Jake drove his knee into his stomach.
The man fell to the ground. Jake held a hand out to him. "No shame in it, pal. A lot of people can't hit me. Besides you're all fired up. You're angry and emotional. It was easy to predict your moves,"
The man stood up but did not attack. "Fucking prick...you're probably from Lanshiang yourself...yellow commies..."
Jake shook his head. "I was born in Edonia. My country's pretty much gone there might be survivors there but as a nation it's done for. The same thing is happening to your country. I was there in Edonia too."
Jones suggested, "Look, we gotta come up with a plan. We can kill each other now or we can stick together, man! At least until we get out of this overgrown cage. Some of my brothers in Queens could be in danger I want to make sure they're going to be okay. Even with an eighteen year sentence them being in harms way don't sit right with me."
Rivera suggested, "We gotta use what weapons we have to get to the armory. Every body on the ground counts. We have to get to New York. I want to go home but first it would be good to see how things are in the city. Things sound pretty bad and even with all these zombies everywhere who knows? Maybe a few extra guys can make the difference. Especially if we have our own guns when we get there."
Jake kept the pistol handy. "I have ammo for my own guns but I need more than I have. I did notice some of the weapons you guys have laying around. Like this glove? Pretty impressive."
Rivera had a wicked smirk. "Yeah...that's pre infection. We've had a hard time staying alive even before this shit started happening. People were even using cans of soda to shank each other. As for those gloves, they were more rare than shanks but they were a favorite for a lot of people."
Jones stepped up. "Okay Mr. Mystery Man. What were you doing in New York and what are you doing here if you don't mind my asking? Do you have anyone here with you?" Jake wasn't sure he wanted to tell them about Sherry or not. "Just a person I've worked with in the past. Somebody who knows a lot more about this infection than you or me do which is why we need to find a way out of here."
Adams got what makeshift weapons he could and said, "Okay then. Let's go find the armory."
Carlos
He didn't really want to hear anything she had to say she was the enemy but right now it was true that the infected were their biggest problem. "I'm thinking for now at least until we can get more supplies and reinforcements, get our soldiers taken to better hospitals, why don't you have that wing as your side and we have it for ours? We let civilians that are wounded or sick on either side but no Army in your side no ALF on ours."
Carlos didn't trust her at all. "Why should I even listen to what you have to say? This hospital is for the people and we are actually fighting for the people. All you're doing is fighting to make sure a piece of your empire doesn't gain independence!"
The Somalian American woman calmly said, "Whatever our political disagreements are we can put them aside at least for now. You can carry on doing what you want to do or at least try afterwards once more relief gets here to transport these wounded patients. This hospital is being overrun with wounded and infected."
Carlos asked her, "How do I know this isn't a trap to keep a lot of us in one place just so you can have your backup come and kill us all here before we go anywhere else? I wouldn't past you people at all," She sighed. "Look, right now my concern is for my team and I have a lot of wounded soldiers I helped train wounded. You're right that there will be reinforcements and even if I wanted to there's nothing I can do about that. The best I can do is just give you a heads up when they will be coming so that you and your wounded can be taken out of here."
Carlos didn't see the fairness in that. "So let me get this straight. The soldiers get health care and the wounded get health care but we have to fend for ourselves? What kind of understanding is that?! Some of our people can't walk right now either because they might be paralyzed or they've got severe nerve damage and are just out of surgery. They're no threat to you even if the ones who can't walk will be able to after physical therapy!"
The gold complexioned woman smiled. "I don't suppose you'd trust me with having them taken to a Naval hospital?" Carlos pointed his finger at her. "No way. Not going to happen. I do that, they just end up in the custody of Uncle Sam. I couldn't call myself their leader if I did that. That would be betrayal."
He then thought of something. "But not all of the helicopters will be military, right? With a disaster like this they'd have to have FEMA and WHO right? Maybe they should get a ride on those helicopters."
She wasn't sure. "That's a tall request. They're not civilians and it's not like there's anything to stop soldiers or the FBI from booking them when they got to the hospital. Things could get ugly. Your fighters don't seem like the type to go quietly even if they were injured. I'm sorry to say this but they are considered terrorists by the United States government and they're thought to be the ones who were behind all of this."
Carlos shook his head not even sure he could reason with such an unreasonable person. "You're right. We won't go quietly. You can count on that and as for us being terrorists, mija? One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. That's the way I see it. Your heroes are my terrorists. We didn't start this war over Puerto Rico. It started long before you or me were born and I can guarantee none of my men or women had anything to do with the virus being released in Oceana Aldea or anywhere else out here. I'm a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. Carlos Oliveira.
The woman admitted, "My concern is with terrorists in the original sense."
Carlos laid his position on the matter out for her. "What makes somebody a terrorist? Somebody who fights for the interests of their people against their oppressors? Or somebody that kills peasants and anybody else that stands in the way of their country's greed all for a false sense of patriotism and order?"She shrugged. "That is the principals which the founding fathers believed in and lived by but the war ended so that a new country could be built. But that was a long time ago. We don't need to be the rebels anymore. We're the status quo and while we may not be perfect it's better than.a lot of other places. What do you rebel for? Third world poverty spreading to the USA? Would you turn it into a place like Puerto Rico?"
He was disgusted by her blind faith and loyalty. "Mija, look at yourself and then at me neither you or me was who they had in mind when they said All Men Are Created Equal. I believed that bullshit when I first got to this country from Columbia that I could find more freedom here but then I found out it's bullshit! I found out what their views were. They never represented me. Which generation are you?" The woman looked at him with confusion and only by his piercing stare was she able to realize what he meant. "First. I don't see what that has to do with anything."
He accusingly said, "How quick you are to forget where you're from! Of course you get blinded by the American dream! You've grown up in the illusion. The illusion of freedom with just enough liberty to make it seem like when people suffer in the states too in their own ways."
Just not as much as us...
She seemed surprised he guessed that. "Have you ever been where your parents are from?" She shook her head. "I can't say I have. It has a beautiful history but they came here to escape the poverty. Along with the war lords and political chaos. Which is exactly what you brought here. If you're an agent who is supposed to be for the Security of the world why would you all yourself with terrorists who use those same kind of creatures? Like i said i don't know the BSAA's history but I have an idea what they do. They wouldn't like one of their own agents working with bioterrorists."
He defiantly said , "The majority of BSAA agents come from Europe, Australia the USA and Canada. We're everywhere else in the world but in developing countries there are less of us that sign up for the job than this country and the funny thing is, we're the ones who are most affected by it since poor countries can't defend ourselves as well. Since most agents come from the easiest places to be en el mundo, they can't understand what it was like growing up in Columbia during the 80's and 90's. For them, the world was almost perfect before bioterrorism. My brothers & sisters know that the world was mierda long before the virus started."
She smiled and said in a patronizing manner, "Didn't your comrades back home get killed? That was just by your own local military. That was Javier Hidalgo, right? The united states is a lot more powerful. All you'll bring is suffering on the same people you want to help. They'll pay for your actions. Just like anybody that joins your cause. You need to give up. This is a no win situation even with the zombies distracting us."
He scowled. "So it doesn't even matter which one of us did it? That's exactly why Americans are hypocritical. They don't want to be blamed for shit people like you do but they're fine with punishing everybody regardless of who's done the fighting. When you do that to us it's called justice but when we do it's terrorism?"
He then added darkly, "It's been a long time since I was in the jungles that's both good and bad.," Bad he thought, because he had nearly forgotten his home village after so many years in the US or at least had tried to but good because of how much he had learned since then that could help the cause now. "But I'll do what I can to get us through this and if that means killing you and your entire team I will! We may have lost before against Hidalgo but that was more than fourteen years ago. I have skills from the BSAA I didn't have before that I can teach my guerras that will help us against an enemy like you."
She blinked smiling and said, "Well good luck with that. I don't agree with you and it's clear you don't with me. We won't see eye to eye on anything but the seriousness of this infection but that's not good enough. There's nothing else for you and I to talk about. We should go our separate ways. I have some privates that need checking on," He snickered as she had not realized what she had said and how it had sounded. She blushed. "That's not what I meant. You know what I mean."
Carlos chuckled resting his AK over one shoulder. "If you say so, lady. You stay on your side I'll stay on mine. It's nothing personal because I know you're just doing your job but I won't hesitate if you try to stop us or put my friends in danger."
She assured him, "I won't with you either. I don't want to send any folded flags back home. I've lost enough men as it is," She walked back and then smiled at him, in a teasing manner. "By the way you can thank Americans for what we did for your country. We dealt with Hidalgo when you couldn't."
He didn't want to admit it but in aw way it was pathetic what they had done and failed. They'd spend so much time killing Hidalgo's higher ups and their soldiers, both of who still followed Javier. They'd tried to kill him for years and never done it but two Yankee crusaders waltzed in and not only killed the man he hated for years but even managed to save his daughter which once again made Americans out to be heroes.
He smugly said back, "I wouldn't thank America or Americans. Just the exact people who did it. I'm sure you all had your own self serving interests in it anyway."
He then asked one more thing of her. "So do we have a deal? I want my soldados given healthcare. They don't need to die from a gunshot when their lives could have been saved with a surgery."
She walked away but said, "You might be able to try and get them out of here with civilians but it'd be a gamble. Even if they did make it that doesn't mean our troops won't get them. It all just depends on how much worse this infection gets and if we can spare the manpower or if base wants us to hunt them down."
Carlos decided, "It's a risk we're going to have to take then. It's good we had this conversation, lady. Next time I don't think we'll be doing much talking. Eventually, we're going to have to do what we're both supposed to do," He knew he would have to fight her. He had a gut feeling.
She said, "You have a brilliant mind so it would be a waste to have to end it so I almost hope we don't run into each other again. But i do have my orders. Either way I'l;ll be ready to do whatever needs to be done."
He headed back to Armando. As he saw the young rebel he got an idea. "Hermano, tengo un favor que tengo que pedirte,"
(Brother, I have a favor I have to ask of you)
Armando had a cut on his forearm from one of the carriers who had brandished a razor blade but other than that nothing too serious. He also had taken some rounds from gunfire with the Marines but other than that was still more able bodied than some of the others who had been shot. "Camarada Cualquier cosa. Sólo un nombre."
(Anything comrade. Just name it.)
Carlos reluctantly said, "Necesito que nos deja por ahora,"
(I need you to leave us for now)
Armando was shocked by his request. "¿Por qué? Carlos, nunca me has pedido que deje a su lado en la batalla," (Why? Carlos, you have never asked me to leave your side in battle.)
Carlos felt anxiety. The young man was a great fighter but also young. He wasn't sure about this but he wanted to be able to have somebody make sure the military didn't go after their wounded when they were taken away. "Que hago ahora. No es nada personal, carnal Sólo necesito para una misión de protección. Sus heridas, ¿cómo están?"
(I do now. It's nothing personal, carnal I just need you for a protection mission. Your wounds, how are they?)
Armando bravely said, "Esto no es nada lo que he pasado mucho peor que esto. Casi me matan cuando la lucha estalló primero en Oceana Aldea antes de que nos unió. Por qué lo preguntas?"
(This is nothing I've been through much worse than this. I was almost killed when the fighting first broke out in Oceana Aldea before you joined us. Why do you ask?)
Carlos knew that this was what needed to be done. "La soldada. Ella dijo que quería un acuerdo con nosotros. Ella mantiene a su pueblo en ese lado del hospital más allá de esa puerta mientras mantenemos fuera de este lado. No enfrentamientos entre cualquiera de nosotros hasta que nos vayamos. Le pregunté si cuando enviaron alivio para conseguir algunos de los heridos y enfermos aquí para hospitales eran no había infectado, tomarían algunos de nuestros heridos con ellos."
(The soldier. She said that she wanted an understanding with us. She keeps her people on that side of the hospital past that door while we hold off this side. No fighting between either of us until we leave. I asked if when they sent relief to get some of the wounded and sick here to hospitals were there was no infected, they would take some of our wounded in with them.)
Armando didn't seem convinced. "Esta guerra y brote ha hecho usted loco? No podemos confiar en los gringos por cualquier razón. Ellos van a tratar y detener a nuestros companeros en los brazos!"
(Has this war and outbreak made you crazy? We cannot trust Americans for any reason. They will try and arrest our brothers and sisters in arms!)
Carlos handed him a radio he had taken from a dead Marine. "Es por eso que yo dependo de ti, hermanito. Va a protegerlos si alguno de ellos tratan. Usted debe estar dispuesto a dar su vida así como yo estoy aquí para defender esta ala del hospital hasta que podamos conseguir nuestra más crítico heridos de aquí y podemos encontrar una manera de escapar de la Infantería de Marina y el Ejército."
(That is why I am depending on you, little brother. You will protect them if any of them try. You must be willing to lay down your life just as I am here to defend this hospital wing until we can get our more critical wounded out of here and we can find a way to escape the Marines and Army.)
Armando was puzzled. "¿Qué es esto? Estos no son buenos, Carlos. Son de Marines. No queremos utilizar su frecuencia,"
Carlos smiled with confidence. "Recuerda lo que te enseñé cuando llegué aquí? Tengo experiencia de combate de Columbia. Yo te daré la frecuencia a mí ya otros compañeros llegar en San Juan una vez que hacemos el contacto con ellos. Ellos están poniendo sus vidas en peligro. Yo os he enseñado cómo utilizar sin mí y dime tus coordenadas si tratan y nos detienen. Mantenga fuera allí si puedes hasta llegar,"
(Remember what I taught you when I got here? I have combat experience from Columbia. I will give you the frequency to reach me and other comrades in San Juan once we make contact with them. They are putting their lives on the line. I have taught you how to use without me and tell me your coordinates if they try and arrest us. Hold off there if you can until we arrive)
Armando thought silently a moment and then reached out his hand. They shook and hugged. "Lo haré. Con suerte podemos cruzarse de nuevo. También cuando te escapas y yo sepa que va, si esta lucha nunca se detiene, si ganamos, tratar de comenzar una nueva vida con ella. Sé que ustedes dos todavía se aman. Ustedes dos fueron los únicos sobrevivientes de la masacre en Mixcóatl. Prométeme, hermano. Que te he dicho ahora usted necesidad para mí."
(I will do it. With luck may we cross paths again. Also when you do escape and I know you will, if this fighting ever does stop, if we win, try and start a new life with her. I know you two still love each other. You two were the only survivors of the massacre in Mixcoatl. Promise me, brother. I have promised you now you must for me.)
Carlos knew he was speaking of. "Bueno. Tienes mi palabra."
(Okay. You have my word.)
Claire
Once again, she had been sleeping on him but she knew they had to move. It was night again. She smiled at him. "Good morning."
Steve smiled back down at her. "Morning, beautiful. You sleep well?" She chuckled. "Like a baby. Better than I have in a long time. You're like Tylenol PM," Steve was thrilled to hear this and she nudged him playfully, "You bored me to sleep!" He frowned but she rubbed his chest down to his abdomen, her beaming face saying, "I was just teasing, Steve. You were an animal and it can be hard to keep up,"
He started to reply when suddenly the building shook. He could hear the roar of cannons down below. A tank...things are getting out of control.
She scrambled to get dressed. In the corner of his eye, he watched as she did, seeing her get dressed and even as more clothes came on she was just as sexy. She was as beautiful getting dressed as she was naked,and he took in every inch of her beautiful skin even as what was exposed was less and less until it was down to her half cut shirt which still revealed skin. It made him want to take her once again, a stirring in his lions urged him but he knew that even if the tanks couldn't get to them right now they would probably blast the building until it collapsed at the foundation. He needed to act now.
He looked down below, his vision greater than the average human. He could see soldiers running down below on sidewalks and in the street, tanks were rolling down the street. The soldiers were taking out carriers. One of them shouted, "We're taking our city back! 9/11 was enough!"
Steve was getting dressed but he was able to do it much faster. He looked down on the roof of what used to be a McDonalds and saw a man with a Sniper Rifle and a bio hazard mask fire at the soldiers. Steve had a feeling he knew who that guy was.
He'd worked with Wesker before and after that with Carla Radames. Steve had worked with him a few times it was who Steve thought it might be the man was deranged but he had to be sure.
Steve saw she was fully dressed and he was too. She looked at him with concern. "What's going on, Steve?" He said, "I think I know somebody down there. They're trying to take the city back but I'm not sure they're going to care if they shoot civilians or zombies. I think the guy they're shooting at I worked with him before."
Claire asked, "Who was he?" He told her, "He was completely insane. I've worked with him since 207. He was a wounded veteran of the war Wesker took in started doing experiments on him. He already has post traumatic stress from the war and when Wesker started doing experiments with the virus on him he just got even more crazy."
Steve added, "I have to stop him but I don't want you at risk, Claire. Right now the Family controls the US military and since Simmons, Radames and Wesker is dead that only leaves Alex Wesker left alive. He''s having anybody that's related to Chris taken out. That includes all Raccoon City survivors even ones that never met Chris or each other."
Claire assured the younger survivor of Rockfort, "I can take care of myself, Steve. No offense because I know you can handle yourself and you did survive on your own before you met me, but I have been doing this longer than you have. Raccoon was a lot more hellish in some ways than the prison was."
He didn't agree. "This is different," With a blur of speed he grabbed her and sped down the building into the street racing before they could be seen and he made his way through the streets of Manhattan. He took her up a building running up it as Wesker had been able to.
The next thing Claire knew she was on the of of a building and woozy from the speed. "Don't do that...!" She cried out staggering and collapsing. He had brought her weapons and he set them down. "I need you to trust me, Claire. Things are a lot worse than before and I can't risk losing you. You have to stay put. I'll be back for you to take you someplace safer outside of the city but until I do, I need to go deal with that man."
Claire got to her feet in defiance "Steve! Don't you..." He was gone in a flash and she tried to look to see what way he'd gone and she gasped as she almost fell off the roof. She was on the roof of the famous Apollo Theater. Steve was back, hoping Claire would be safe uptown. He saw the same firefight taking place. At least three men were fighting the National Guard. They had on the same kind of gear Hunk always wore but Hunk was not among them. Steve was not even sure what the masked assassin was up to these days.
A blast rocked the streets as the tank rolled through as though this was France in the 1940's. One of the Neo Umbrella mercenaries was blown to pieces by it, arms and legs sent every direction, the head still in its mask bouncing on the pavement breaking in two and Steve was not sure if it was from the blast itself or just the contact with the ground. The man's remains had painted the entire sidewalk.
A second soldier had been caught in the blast but was not dismembered he was just on fire. He screamed rolling on the ground. Four National Reserve members ran forth with Rifles drawn on him.
The man got the flames out and one soldier fired his M4 variant into the man;'s left knee cap. The merc screamed but with one hand fired his MP5 wildly hitting a different soldier, a Caucasian male of nineteen years of age with shaggy red hair and brown eyes. The rounds were stopped by his vest but the man still grunted.
He hit the Neo Umbrella terrorist up with six rounds to the chest. The others did the same unloading on him, filling the guy with at least sixteen rounds total. The last of the sixteen was a round right through his left eye socket tearing the eyeball as well as the skin from his eyelid obliterating it peeling it away as the round breached his skull.
As they shot the man his weapon discharged until the twenty round mag was empty but he hit the red haired male in the left thigh and the left foot. Steve stood in the middle of the street watching them.
A dark skinned man with curly hair and narrow eyes looking to be half African American and half Cambodian, eyed Steve watching them. "What's with that guy? He's gotta be insane to just stand there like that with all this going on! Matt, you're going to be okay, man! We're going to get that leg taken care of and get you squared away!"
The red haired man, Matt cried out in pain, "Son of a bitch! I wanted to play college ball when I get back home! What kind of running back can't run?!" Another of the soldiers, a female Caucasian with dark brown hair and brown eyes, eyed Steve. She was pretty but Steve could tell she was not into men. "How have you even survived?" She asked Steve. "He darkly responded. Not your business. I'm going in there. I want to talk to the guy in charge."
Matt cried out, "Jesus, Spence this guy is fucking crazy! Listen pal they shot me, they've been shooting at our guys for ten minutes and we're trying to stop this mess from destroying New York. You think they're not going to kill you? Think again! We're armed and you're not."
The woman said, "He's right. We can protect you. Escort you to safety but you need to let us deal with these assholes. There are two of them left."
Steve declared, "I know there are and I need to talk to one of them. I don't need guns. Let's just say the reason why is how I've made it so far," The three soldiers plus their commanding officer eyed him with suspicion. "I must not be very things only attack me when I attack them. It's you four who don't know what you're walking into. These guys you took down may be amateurs but the man leading them isn't. You need to let me handle it."
The C.O. a guy who the curly haired soldier identified as Watkins, a war weary Caucasian man with a blonde beard and gray eyes plus a shaved head said, "I can't allow that. Our orders are to neutralize any hostiles. We can't have a civilian interfere. We will protect you but you need to stand back and let us do our job."
Steve crossed his arms. "Fine. Have it your way. It's your funeral."
The woman asked Steve, " You've got to be cold with no shirt on. I'm old just looking at you. Can you use a gun?" He smiled. "And then some. I don't need your help."
Just then a smoke grenade was let off and automatic fire rang out hitting the guy who was already wounded. He took three rounds in the chest and the curly haired man, Spencer was hit too in the forearm but he and the woman returned fire as did the commanding officer. They winged the man in the shoulder and left elbow but he got back to cover behind a wall of an alley.
Watkins retrieved a flashbang and used it. The light blinded the man though not as badly since he had on a biohazard mask. Still, he was stunned and the commanding officer was able to use this to fire ten rounds into the man's back.
Matt was breathing hard. "I'm definitely...not going to be on the yard..." Spencer tried to calm him as did the woman who he heard Spencer refer to as Sarah. The hostile mercenary was still firing from the round, wounded even though only four rounds had gotten through. Watkins disarmed him by firing into his hand. The man howled and Watkins charge him and removed his mask. "I've never seen any body armor that blocked our bullets like that. Who the hell are you?"
The man was of Costa Rican descent sporting a goatee and spiked black hair. "Our body armor is better than yours is...I just took out your boy...your world...you're so used to order but we're going to end it all. Johnson and I serve the forces of evolution. Your chaos...will be our revival..."
He reached for his Rifle but Watkins fired a single burst and shot him in the forehead. The man lay there eyes wide open, his head covered in a pool of dark red, almost black in the dim light. Just then, another shot sounded off and Matt's face exploded in a burst of brain matter an broken skull fragments as well as bits and pieces of his obliterated nose. The high velocity round split his entire skull open and burst his head in two pieces. The blood splattered all over Sarah and Spencer. She cried out, "Matty!" Spencer screamed and raised his Rifle.
A round was fired again and Spencer was shot right through the heart. The man looked down at the quickly bleeding wound with horror and collapsed blood dripping from his mouth. Sarah cried, "No!" She opened fire at nothing but Steve spotted the muzzle flash. "There! Nine o'clock!" Watkins fired seeing the man was about twenty feet away behind a car firing from behind the front passenger window at them. He fired eight rounds and hit the guy while shattering the window.
Sarah and Watkins advanced on the fallen hostile. The man had been hit but had not taken damage he was simply knocked off his feet. The armor had not let a single round go through however Sarah fired and shot the weapon from his hand as well as putting a round between his knuckles. The man cried out in pain but then chuckled. "Hold your fire...! I surrender."
Watkins screamed, "DO NOT MOVE! I should kill you right where you are for shooting two of my team mates! Now I want you to slowly take off that mask you coward!" The man slowly did. Steve recognized him. He had sandy colored hair and gray blue eyes. That was him all right. Liam Queen. He smirked. "How's it going, Steve? Been a while. Aint seen you since ol Al bit it!"
Watkins insisted, "You're talking to me! Who are you and why are you attacking us? We know it was your group that released this virus!" Liam chuckled. "Me? I thought the general consensus was it's either disgruntled tribes, angry Jihadists or the US government themselves! Or even the BSAA...there's been a lot of their agents that have been doing the exact opposite of what they're supposed to stand for. We're just having some fun. It's every man for himself. Pure fucking anarchy!"
Watkins didn't give an inch. "I know who your group is you son of a bitch! I watched the Umbrella trials. You guys are nothing but a shell. Now you're a bunch of desperate unemployed ingrates selling death to any rogue army that will pay! You're destroying America and soon you'll destroy the rest of the world."
Queen declared, "I'm a veteran myself, mister. I served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wounded in the line of duty. Purple heart, Medal Of Honor. Promised to be taken care of when I got home but Uncle Sam didn;t keep its promise so now Uncle Sam has gotta pay and so do all of Uncle Sam's nieces and nephews."
Waktins snarled, "You're lying.," Queen revealed his tattoo. The eagle over the globe didn't lie. "Semper fi, asshole."
Watkins mocked him as he kept the M4 trained on him. "Sounds like just another disgruntled employee. What's the matter. You angry you didn't get a hand out when you got home or a welcome back parade? Life aint fair. Get over it."
Queen stood up. "You're just another pawn to them. You'll never be a key player because you're too busy taking orders to make moves and become a key player. You're just canon fodder. I'm going to show you what happened to pawns too."
Watkins fired a warning shot next to his head. "Don't you move or the next one will go between your eyes!" He warned the insane Neo Umbrella insurgent. Steve warned, "That's not going to do anything."
The soldier kept the Rifle trained on Queen but looked at Steve. "I told you to shut up and let us do our job! For Christ sake this guy killed our..."
He sped up to Watkins and in a flash had taken his Rifle from him and pressed it to his neck. Watkins was shocked. "How did you..." Queen hit him in the stomach with the butt of the weapon. "Life's not fair!" He removed the magazine from it and tossed the weapon aside. "But life is also what we make of it. I'l make t fair for you. You have a small window to make something of yourself,"
The female, Sarah fired and a round hit Queen in the back but the man shrugged it of and sped up to her and hit er with an uppercut. He was faster since the last time Steve had seen him. She went flying and hit the side of a parked Mazda. She was knocked unconscious from it. Watkins retrieved his sidearm and began unloading letting off nine rounds at the man's face. He back flipped at high speed, speed that was just a few blurs to the naked human eye but Steve saw it perfectly. He felt really good about his decision to not take Claire here.
Two rounds did hit Queen in the left thigh during one of several speedy back flips but he landed on his feet with a sneer. "What the hell are you...?" Breathed Watkins in fear. Queen cackled. "The next stage in evolution and the future of soldiers."
In a blur of speed he delivered five blows to Watkins's abdomen. The man doubled over. Steve watched it happen. Though it sucked was happening it was far from his problem. If it was just some rag tag survivors like he and Claire had been in the prison he would be helping them but this man had stated he didn't need help so now he was suffering the consequences. Claire was who he cared about. Her and maybe some of her friends only because she cared about them. This needed to happen. He needed to be the one who dealt with Queen.
Watkins took a sixth blow to the jaw knocking seven teeth out. He fired the remaining magazine at the soldier turned Bio weapon. The man dodged. "DIE MOTHERFUCKER!"Cried the National Guardsmen at his wits end. The last bullet did hit the man in the back of the head though it did not stop him at all. Queen kicked Watkins in the face. This broke his jaw. Even if he wasn't about to die he'd have needed his jaw to be wired shut and he'd be eating through straws.
He groaned and spat blood and more broken teeth out. He withdrew his combat knife, whimpering with pain a mix of blood and drool as one dripping from his lips. He swung it at Queen. It was kind of painful to watch the soldier make feeble attempts to cut him and the man easily dodged. Soldiers were trained in close quarter combat but with the level of beating he had taken he was swinging his knife like any civilian in a drunken bar brawl. The man dodged each swipe moving his head side to side and back with each swipe but he did get Queen on the right cheek once.
The man grinned but he easily took the knife grabbing it by the handle and twisted his wrist. The man's bone snapped as if it were a twig. Watkins cried out in sheer agony.
Steve was still not going to help him. As much as Queen was a problem he knew the National Guard potentially was too since many did face him earlier when he was Grim. He couldn't let them or Queen stop him from getting to the Family base and stopping this virus from spreading more and from keeping Claire safe. Finally Queen grabbed Watkins and drove his arm through him just as Wesker had used to do to his enemies.
The man cried out in pain his screams ending in a silent gasp and he went in further penetrating the stomach muscles and severing arteries. Blood came from his mouth almost as fast as it gushed from the wound. Queen put his lips to the man's ear. "Does that hurt? It gets worse before it gets better but once it gets better and by get better I mean it'll be over for you and then you won't feel anything."
His arm began to transform into a blade like appendage and he tore further in and then up the man's torso. The man gurgled and choked on his own blood and then with a violent final rip he jerked the arm upward and it came out of the top of his head. The man's entire upper body from his stomach to his skull split in two, entrails falling out, gray matter exposed as the broken skull and ripped flesh came apart and bounced on the curb.
Queen walked toward Sarah. "Now finally her. How about it sweetie? You ready to die for your country like I did? That is a soldier's oath. You swore to defend the constitution of the United States with your life if necessary. You ready for that?"
She was awake again and in tears after seeing what had become of her team mates and her commanding tried to get up but was pretty weak from what had been done to her. Steve told him "That's enough, Queen. Now it's you and me. She's out of this fight. Let's settle this one bioweapon vs another."
Queen chuckled. "I'd always heard you were soft, Steve. You never showed it on any job but there were moments when I wasn't so sure about you. In fact any time old Al mentioned the name Redfield you twitched a little bit. I am hoping that would be Chris's little sister and not Captain fuck up himself?"
Steve told him defiantly, "Yeah he tried to control that in me. Claire helped me at Rockfort and you're not getting anywhere near can't stop me from being human."
Queen rolled his eyes. "If I wanted to I can find where this girl is right now. You and her must not have been too far away to figure out where I was. It would only be a matter of time. I could do that just to screw with you but I have more important matters to attend to."
Steve told him, "You're not getting anywhere near her. I'll break every bone in your body. You're not hurting this one either she can't even defend herself."
Steve grabbed her and sped off running her as fast as he could across the expressway out of Manhattan to Brooklyn. He spotted a team of rag tag survivors. He'd heard that some of them had held out and Victor's group had taken off towards this area too so maybe the girl was in good enough hands.
He saw at least five of them, and there were probably more, finishing off a few carriers. She weakly cried out, "Who are you?" Steve answered looking down at the woman who had been strong as a soldier but made weak as a result of a bioweapon she'd had no training in preparing for like so many who had fallen before. "I'm just a bad man trying to do something good for once."
With that he walked toward the group and whistled. A male and a female spotted him and both aimed weapons at him. The male was a solder too he looked to be Army reserves, African American with very dark skin and his hair cut in a flat top. The other was Asian American and she looked like she had probably worked in an office building or something before the impending C virus doomsday. The man carried a standard issue Assault Rifle sh carried an M3 shotgun. He told them both, "I'm just dropping off a fellow survivor. She's in better hands with you guys than she is with me."
The woman demanded, "Where did you come from?" The the three survivors all aimed handguns at him but the other woman and a man, a tall Caucasian with blonde hair helped lift the wounded Reservist. "It's okay, we got you. We'll do what we can to keep you alive."
She said, "Thank you..." Steve wasn't sure if she meant them or him. Probably both. "Manhattan," Steve said, "Bullshit!" The male declared. "There's military road blocks. Where have you been? This city is under quarantine. We have to keep the boroughs on lockdown until the mayor or the governor says otherwise. It's a state of emergency. Martial law and all that fun stuff. Why don't you have a weapon?"
Steve said, "There are no road blocks. I saw some dead soldiers and abandoned vehicles but nobody is guarding the bridges now. They're all either dead or infected. For the worlds most powerful military you guys are doing a bangup job protecting citizens, your own soldiers and keeping this city quarantined. I wouldn't doubt if the virus has gotten as far north as Syracuse and Seneca Falls by now."
The woman asked, "How did you survive? There's no way you got all the way here with no weapons and no vehicle from Manhattan. There's more people there that are probably holding out but there's also more to be infected. Times Square is supposed to have been more out of control than the LA Riots."
Steve said, "It was and I really don't have time for twenty questions I need to get back and deal with the thing that injured this woman here. Took out her entire team," The Army reservist said, "Sir I can't let you do that. I need to be sure that you haven't been bitten or that she isn't for that matter. We've helped a lot of civilians that tried to make it on their own and soldiers that got separated from their units but a lot of them were already infected and turned and we lost more people."
Steve assured him, "Your men are making sure she's not bitten but she does have busted ribs and probably a punctured lung she coughed up some blood. Now as for me, these zombies don't even want me."
He spotted a zombie and the two aimed at him but Steve said, "Wait, hold your fire,"
They did reluctantly and he walked up to it. The thing looked at him and groaned but moved past him towards them. The woman fired a blast from the M3 taking the zombies head apart but she demanded, "What the hell was that? Why isn't it after you?"
Steve sighed. "Look, the military and civilians aren't equipped to deal with this situation the only reason I'm telling you is so you can at least let other survivors what you're up again. They're infected with something called the C virus a derivative of the T virus which is what destroyed Raccoon City not a nuclear accident. That was just a cover up. These zombies are failed experiments more or less. I am what the zombies would have been if the virus had worked with their body. It controls them where as I control the virus."
The woman looked to the man, "I've been hearing a lot about this, that situation in China and then that cover up with Tall Oaks sounds fishy so did Raccoon City. That makes sense. I thought it was a terrorist attack but I guess oit's not."
Steve told her, "The only ones who have a clue what's happening is the BSAA. You've been seeing them all over town. If you encounter any they'll fill you in better than I can."
He added, "Is there any in your group that can help somebody wounded?" The woman said, "I was the chief surgeon at..." Steve cut her off. "Say no more. You know exactly what to do then."
The man glared and aimed at Steve, "So what you're saying is you're infected?" Steve told him, "Yeah. That's one way to look at it," The man fired a single shot at his head as the rifle was on semi auto but Steve easily dodged it. He appeared behind the man and said, "I'm going to let that go because from where you're standing this probably does seem strange but don't shoot at me again. I've been infected since 98'. I'm not a zombie. I brought her here because I have somebody else I have to protect and that's my priority. Whether you fail or succeed that's on you but all ask is you try."
The woman turned to face him but he was gone in an instant speeding back to the ruined streets of Manhattan. The soldier exclaimed, "What in God's name is that guy?!" The woman was just as shook. "I don't know but I'm glad he's not against us somebody like that would be very hard to kill."
He arrived where Queen was. The man was now sitting on the steps of an apartment. He clapped his hands. "That was impressive buddy. A bit dramatic tough don't you think? I mean you know I'm just going to find her later, right? I don't leave loose ends. She may just be following orders but if she makes my job more diffuicult she's a liability."
Steve narrowed his eyes at his old comrade. "Just what is your job exactly? I did most of the infection of the people in this city. The Family's had a smaller hand in it and now they're infecting what's left hey're spreading the virus further but what good are you? Neo Umbrella is done. I was the last strong figure in it and I'm out now. And even if it wasn't even if you weren't just some washed up veteran, if the only job is to infect the population that's already been done."
Queen grinned. "You think that's all? The plan was world domination, remember? Forced evolution. Wesker was an idealist a visionary and he was assassinated by Redfield. after all he did for me I owe it to him to see his foundation pull through. So do you as his son. It seems to be, Steve that you're very ungrateful!"
Steve inhaled then let it out slowly. His actions of helping Claire after he woke up spoke more than words could but he needed to say it. He wasn't even sure if he already had already. In his time with Claire, making love to her a lot of what they had said abut himself had been a blur his memory was still foggy since having that damn device off but now he needed to say this.
"He got what he deserved. He's not my father. I had a father. He died a long time in 1998. Just like Wesker did and he came back but he didn't get the privilege to come back as a man with superhuman abilities. He came back as a zombie. No mind. No soul. I had to put him down. I killed him to save a woman I love. It killed me to do it but I'd do it again every time if I had to. I'd have killed Wesker too. He may have been there for me when I woke up but he was no father. He had me kill people for him. Do his dirty work. I'd never killed anybody before I went to prison."
Queen gritted his teeth. "Then you never really lived! Nothing makes you feel more alive than killing. Watching the life leave a man's eyes. I got plenty of that in Iraq. I lost everything over there and my country failed me! So now they're going to pay for their sins."
Steve didn't agree. "Killing for the sake of killing? No. I didn't enjoy killing the targets Wesker had for me. I didn't enjoy killing anybody he had me kill. I've seen what living is. I have something to live for," He was thinking of Claire, the way she looked at him, her kiss her touch her smile her body, against his, her eyes closed as she slept her blue cean colored eyes when she stared into his, the smell of her, the comfort in her voice.
Steve knew he had to put aside that for now as it was time to fight. "But I think I'll enjoy killing you."
Steve charged into the man and slammed him into the concrete steps. Steve brought him down hard and smashed him through the steps as if they were nothing. The soldier laughed and coughed. "Now there's the Grim we all love. You weren't gone long but I missed you while you did. You have that affect on people Junior."
Steve threw a punch but he rolled out of the way. "I am not Albert Junior!" Queen sneered, "Yeah you keep telling yourself that. Whatever he was he's more of a man than Steve ever could be. Al Junior would have mopped me up in a fight but you're back to that scared little kid from Rockfort Wesker said he found you as. Now it'll be no problem."
Queen charged into Steve throwing a punch of his own. Steve ducked but he followed up with another getting him in the chin. Queen kicked Steve in the abdomen. "You know, I would have made a better son to him thhan you."
He swung his blade like arm and Steve rolled away but he did slash him across the chest. Steve felt the blood on his hand as well as seeping through his clothing. Steve charged at him and he swung the blade but Steve was predicting that so he bolted to the side and behind him as Queen stepped forward staggering. Steve threw a punch to the back of the head and a kick to his back. The soldier fell and Steve charged into him bombarding him with blows to the face.
He drew blood, the man's lip and nose bleeding. "Those days are over!" He warned. "I'm not with Umbrella anymore. I never should have been these last fifteen years!" The man threw him off with his normal arm. He got to his feet in a flash. He head butted Steve sending him stumbling back. The ex Marine tackled him and slammed him down. He brought his blade like arm down and Steve barely rolled away but it cut him on the right arm.
Steve began to transform into his tyrant self. He decided to make it his larger form the one he'd faced Claire in. Queen cackled. "You'll never catch me like that, Stevie! Never!" Steve growled in his sub human voice. "Watch me!"
Queen sneered circling him slowly at a walking pace. "You think I haven't seen this side of you before? Brother, I've been with you when you've done this to civilians. I've backed you up. You survived because I was there to back you up. Now with us against each other you have no chance."
Steve thought to himself, You're predictable though even at that speed. Though he did not like to transform, he would rather b himself in tyrant form and be sentient than be Grim and have no control over what he said or did. He swung at Queen who dodged with ease.
He jumped up landing five high speed punches to the back of Steve's head. He swung backwards and missed as he dodged. Steve roared with anger. He predicted where Queen was going to be and did a kick. Luckily he was right but the Marine managed to see it coming and slid under it and sped away at a quick speed on his feet before Steve could blink. Steve concentrated and let the virus pump through his veins now as natural to him as his own blood. It practically was his blood.
He felt a sensation at his back and he jumped. He had just dodged a swipe with the blade. Queen snarled, "Guess you're not as slow as I thought you were!" He swiped again leaving three deep cuts in Steve's back. Steve cried out and swung spinning around but the man had vanished again. He was in front of him in another burst of speed slashing. This time Steve tackled him even as he was moving around in front of him. Though he was moving side to side Steve;'s body was wide enough to tackle him even as he moved five feet away in a flash.
He tackled the smaller man and finally got a hold of him. He smashed him against the ground knocking the wind out of Queen. He punched the man in the side easily cracking a rib. He punched the man twice holding him down with the other hand He saw his forehead split open as he landed the third punch. Queen was struggling for air and Steve choked him with the other hand.
Just then he heard a pin drop and a flash blinded Steve. He heard the dripping of blood on the ground. Queen coughed but was free. "You pack a punch but you're too slow...I'm going to finish you off slow but I'll end this fight quickly."
He slashed Steve several times with the arm and he climbed up the tyrants back and landed blows to the back of the head. Steve staggered, blind and dizzy from blood loss. He heard and felt Queen speed away a couple blocks up the street then he charged Steve and grabbed his head slamming him into the ground.
Steve felt the pain shoot through his head and was dazed. He looked up spinning around his vision blurry as it came back. He cried out in agony but it turned into an angry roar. "What's the matter, Steve? Didn't think I'd still pack a flashbang? I'm still a soldier at heart. A super advanced soldier and the next stage of modern warfare but still a soldier to my core."
Steve realized he was not far from a fire station. He ran in the other direction towards it. Queen followed him appearing in front of him taunting, "Why are you running? Even when the odds weren't in your favor you never ran in the past. I guess the real you is a coward."
He swung at the man but he easily dodged it as expected. He spotted the fire station and charged into it ramming it with ease. The door gave out and smashed away collapsing along with the beam as Steve's weight and strength was like that of a big truck. He spotted a zombie that was a firemen. He grabbed the man and in a single squeeze crushed his skull and he took the fire ax from the corpse.
It wasn't as large as the one he had used to almost kill Claire but it would have to do. He swung it at Queen. The Marine dodged again easily. Steve swung a second time but Queen moved and Steve stumbled forward and Queen slashed him across the back and then gave him a kick in the fresh wound.
Steve swung again and again failing to hit him and was now not fast enough or sharp enough to predict where he'd be. He tried predicting where the bastard would spawn but even when he was right due to his injuries he was not fast enough. Steve threw his whole body into it and forced Queen against the wall by surprise pinning his neck with the handle but Queen managed to break free. "Close but no cigar!"
Steve tried to get him again but he was moving at high speed, Queen's wounds from his head healing."Even for a man who died at seventeen you're getting old,. Never thought you'd see the day where the guy you helped train would out do you, huh? Look at you. You can't catch me," He appeared twelve feet away at Steve's four. "You can't even stand up hardly!"
Steve got an idea. It was a long shot but he had to try. He concentrated holding the ax. He had to muster up all his strength in his good arm and focus the virus in his blood and he had to channel his abilities at trust the right time for the speed and strength combination he would need to pull this off. He began to change just as he threw it giving all his strength and Queen expected to dodge it but as Steve changed and gave out the last of his strength, he increased the speed as he grew to his smaller form, resembling his human size but tyrant in appearance. He had just channeled the best of both worlds by a miracle.
He had also dislocated his shoulder to do it. He cried out in pain once again but looked with triumph as he saw the blade had pinned Queen to the wall and had went deep in his chest cavity. Steve popped his shoulder back and howled until the pain subsided. "How...how...did you do that...?" Demanded Queen. Steve approached him ready to close in for the kill, "Lots of practice. And just the right amount of timing."
He was about to finish the bastard off when he felt a tingling in his ear. He focused. He could hear a woman screaming far away. Claire! He realized. Steve grabbed a radio off one of the dead soldiers and quickly relayed where Queen was, the address, the description of him and what he had done.
Queen growled coughing blood. "Where...are you going...you coward...?" Steve retorted, "Unlike you I have something to live for besides revenge and killing. When you're gone nobody will remember you."
He sped off to where he heard Claire following the vibrations. He saw her firing a handgun backed into a corner by at least twenty carriers. She had dropped three and was clearly bitten by one of them. He felt his heart skip a beat but remembered she had been one of the few humans, especially from Raccoon City who did not turn from a bite. But in knowing she could be killed still, if they bit her enough, even if she didn't turn he thought it may be possible she may turn after death. He didn't want to find out.
He plowed threw them throwing them across the street on at a time. Three broke their necks as they hit building across the street, another broke its back landing on the windshield of a Subaru. He drove his fist through the rest as well as breaking necks and slamming heads to get to her. There were four pinning her to where she couldn't fire. He growled grabbing two and breaking the necks of one in each hand with twists, the next, he bludgeoned to death with his fists, pulverizing it.
The last he grabbed and threw it high up before it could bite her neck. It landed on the fence impaled by it due to the magnitude of the weight and the strength in his throw. He helped her up. "Claire, are you okay?"
She smiled weakly. "Yes. Thank you, Steve...I thought I was gone for a minute."
He asked her, "What are you doing out here? You're still trying to recover from that rib."
She told him, "I don't just blindly follow orders when I'm told what to do , Steve. It's not my nature. I wanted to make sure you were okay."
He breathed. "I just don't want to lose you, Claire. I have the virus I can come back but I'll die if anything happens to you."
She smiled, pressing herself against him in a hug. "Then don't leave my side again. I don't want to lose you either."
He promised, "I never will again."
Jill
She could see a major fire fight up ahead. There were soldiers and what even looked like some Family snipers aiming at the entrance of the Empire State building. Jill trained her weapon on a soldier near her. She didn't want to fire unless she had to but she needed a way in. Just then she spotted John Andrews limping his way down the street and had taken cover behind a Ford. He had been wounded.
Jill spotted several dead bodies plus three more wounded people on the ground. Among the dead were at least four carriers who had become C virus carriers of the J'avo variety. She spotted an agent firing at John peppering the car with rounds from a P90. Jill fired the G36 into the back of his head and the man went down with a thud. The remaining combatants were aware of her presense and fired at her now. She got to the original 11 member. "John what the hell is this?"
He groaned, "The Family controls everything, Jill. They're trying to kill Leon and Ada...they're convinced they're both terrorists."
Jill returned fire as a soldier fired. She hit him with rounds to the chest but had likely only wounded him. "Ada I understand but why Leon?" John had at least four gunshot wounds two of which were on his torso one in the side of it. "That's what I'm telling you...she didn't do any of the shit in Lanshiang...that wasn't her."
Jill didn't get it. "John, what are you saying? Chris saw her. She wiped out his entire team. He was traumatize for six months. In many ways he still is. I'd never question his judgement. Not on that. Why would you stick up for a woman who's strung Leon along, and who worked for Wesker? Who by the way is still alive. Long story but I'll explain in a minute."
John sighed. "That wasn't Ada," He returned fire blindly around the side. "That was a woman named Carla Radames. Derrick Simmons, all right? He's obsessed with Wong so he reconstructed this woman Carla's entire body to make her a replica. I felt stupid for not knowing better myself but Ada and Carla weren't even wearing the same clothes."
She wasnt sure what to think. "But Ada was in China too when this happened, right? And Edonia?" John thought, "China, yes. Edonia, no. She was nowhere near it at the time. She was being framed and the BSAA never found out about it. Even Leon didn't know the difference until the outbreak here in the city,"
Jill saw two BSAA agents were trying to flank them. One called out, "Agent Valentine! That man is aiding a known terrorist. Get clear of him!" Jill replied, "He's one of the original eleven! Ada didn't do it! That was Carla Radames!" She said in a lower voice to John, "You sure?" He nodded. "Positive. "
The agent barked, "That's what he's been saying but we've got surveillance of her. Come out now. In fact you should take him down, Jill. He's wounded. You don't even have to shoot him. Apprehend Agent Andrews!" John showed her a PDA image. "It took some digging but I got a look at some of the shots from her in Edonia and then in China. Carla's wearing a blue dress and a scarf. Ada is in black pants and a red shirt. I can't believe we didn't notice before!"
Jill took the PDA and said, "Hold your fire! I'm coming out! I have something to show you!" She approached the agent, a female with black hair, a Caucasian with steel gray eyes that almost seemed to glow in the reflection of the cities fires. "He's telling the truth. The bio terrorist Derrick Simmons was behind the attack in Tall Oaks and Lanshiang. He did experimental tests on Carla Radames."
The woman looked at it and turned to the agent nearest to her. A helicopter flew over head and a man demanded on a loudspeaker, "Agent, Evans, apprehend those two! They are aiding a known bio terrorist!" The woman looked at her captain and showed him what was on the PDA. The man handed it back to Jill. He patched in on his radio to the chopper which made Jill suspicious as to why the person had a direct feed to them. Then she recognized him. It was Trent!
"Sir, this woman has valid information it might be worth looking into!" Trent would have none of it. "She is a disgruntled agent. Her, Ada Wong, Leon Kennedy and Redfield are all crazed survivors hell bent on doing whatever it takes to expose bio weapons even if it means using them to further their own agenda! Captain Lenko, you may be a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance but you are an American citizen. It is your duty to subdue them. Or you commit treason yourself!"
Captain Lenko had a solemn expression. "I'm sorry, Jill," With that he aimed his service pistol at her head but his skull erupted suddenly as he took fire himself. Jill looked to see Barry holding a smoking Sniper Rifle. "Barry!" She called. "He hollered, "Get to cover, Jill!"
Trent screamed, "Dispose of them all!"
Jill looked up at the chopper as it floated ahead. One of the BSSA agents on Barry's team got a hold of a missile launcher to take the bird out of the sky but Trent had them take it out of the area before they could. So you're with the Family, Trent? I don't know why I'm surprised. You always were shady.
Barry had Rebecca help John up onto the Humvee as well as Jill. John cried out as their river floored it, "Never thought I'd be glad to see your ugly mug, man!" He was joking of course. "What made you side with us? The SOU has turned on us all over Ada! They're convinced she's a terrorist and we're helping her!"
Barry replied, "I don't give a damn what their problem is. Anybody that draws a bead on Jillian is dead meat!" The other agents fired at them as did the few remaining soldiers but they took off down the road. Jill handed the PDA to Barry and he informed the rest of the team what was going on after Jill briefly explained. "Well it looks like we're rogues for the time being. I guess we can't rely on backup if HQ is going to label anyone that helps you a mole."
Jill panted, "We have to tell Chris! He'll want to know this," Rebecca told her, "We tried to get ahold of him and Sheva to see what their position is but they went dark not too long ago. I hope they're okay."
Jill felt a rush of panic in her chest. God, me too...please be okay Chris...and Sheva you too.
John weakly said, "What about Leon...and Ada...? They're still up there!" They were a ways away from the shooting but Jill used her binoculars as she saw some kind of movement on the empire state building, something she wouldn't be able to see if it weren't for the building around it having been destroyed. "Barry can I see that Rifle?" The big man handed it to her. She zoomed in on what she thought she saw. It was a woman and a man and the man was holding on for dear life as they rappelled. They were up high but not so high that the wind would twist them up. "John," She said with a smile. 'I think they're going to be okay."
Rebecca was glad too. "That's good. Now we need to find Chris and Sheva. I'm looking into where their last signal was. Hopefully they won't be too far from there."
Jill nodded. "Agreed. Let's get moving."
Just then, the Humvee came under fire. There were carriers in vehicles after them and they were armed. "We got company!" Declared Burton.
Sorry i had to end this on kind of a cliff hanger but I got writers block hopefully I didn't bore you. Look if you did like this though please leave longer review i need feedback. Trent, is a character from the SD Perry novel Underworld. He seemed kind of iffy to me so I could see him as a villain.
I'm too tired to deal with the typos so you deal with it lol. Anyway other than than that I hope you enjoyed this shorter chapter. There's more to Queen than meets the eye even if he is an oc. There's a background behind him associated with another character that's canon besides Steve. As for the three inmates Jake ran into they're visually inspired by three inmates from one of my favorite gangster movies Blood In Blood Out. About the Mexican Mafia except these guys fit more of an east coast prison lens so instead of being Mexican Mafia as Magic, played by Victor Rivers, who Rivera is visually based on he'd be Latin Kings, Jones would be 5%er (And hes based on Bona Fide played by Delroy Lindo) instead of the Black Guerrilla Family and Adams well he's actually based on the same gang but the character Red Rider, a neo nazi and member of the Aryan Brotherhood. Played by Tom Towles
If you haven't seen that movie it is a good movie. Except that takes place in San Quentin in California not Rikers, NY.
Also Queen is visually inspired by Jeremy Renner. He's good actor and can do good or bad characters pretty well.
Anyway this feels like a sucky chapter so i apologize I'll try to make them better in the future.
Native Guns.