After finally replacing my broken laptop, here it is! Chapter 17! Alsoooo...I totally forgot to do this...like completely..
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY! That honor goes to Capcom. :) . I appreciate those of you who stuck around as well as those who joined us recently. Good to have you Love you all.:) Now back to the story
The steady clicking sound of busy fingers running over keyboards is what kept Leon at rest during times like now. He had heard of the BSAA had given Chris a new mission, although he hadn't expected him to back on duty. He stared down at his phone and wondered whether he should text or Jill again. After the incident with Claire's body, he couldn't help but feel responsible. A soft, kind voice broke his train of thought.
"If you're going to send a message, I'd strongly suggest you do it before you run of out battery."
Hu turned and saw the woman staring up at him from her computer screen. Her light brown hair in a bun and her careful eyes stared at him with slight amusement, yet some worry.
"Thanks Hunnigan. Always so helpful. Shouldn't you be off researching something?"
"Well I am actually. And I don't think you should go looking for Wesker by yourself. Or Ada for that matter."
Leon froze. "How'd you know I planning to do that?"
"I mean I am technically here to assist you when you need it, and make sure you remain mentally stable whenever and however I can. Letting you run off to kill some mutant freak isn't exactly going to sound like I did my job. And did you forget I have access to anything you search?"
"Honestly? Yeah. I did. Now be helpful and please look in on Wesker or Ada."
"Sorry. My shift is done." She got up and smoothed out her white blouse and grey blazer. As she bent down to shut off her monitor, a small ding sound from her screen, signaling she had received an email.
Her eyes ran over the screen before they looked up at Leon.
"Well isn't it your lucky day. You are being invited to a banquet hosted by the BSAA. As part of the president's most trusted, you're kind of forced to be there."
"Ughhh. That's the last thing I need right now."
"Chris is going to be there. Right now, as a friend, you should be there for him."
"It's not like I have a choice. Where is the event being held?"
"BSAA headquarters. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere else to be."
The sound of her heels clicking on the tiled floor was all that was heard in the dark room. Leon sat alone surrounded by monitors. Alone as always. With that thought, he got up and made his way out of the office.
"Okay first of all, that is not a lab. That is a corridor leading to the underground parking structure." The red exit sign hung directly above the door frame leading to the now empty structure. Claire stopped in her tracks and placed her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation. Sensing her eagerness to stop, Wesker turned around and replied with a small smile.
"This place, my dear lady, does not have a lab in which I can work in. Neither will I risk them keeping some vital information about your condition. Now, would you kindly follow me to my car?"
"Kindly? You're asking me in a kind manner? I grow suspicious of you by the second, Wesker."
She crossed her arms at her chest and took a step forward towards the door. It slid open and she saw a single black Tesla in the parking lot. She walked towards the car and Wesker eventually made it to her side. His gloved hand reached out and grabbed the handle, pulled it open and waited for Claire to seat herself. She brushed past him, her shoulder lightly grazed his chest, and he breathed in her smell. He shut the door and made his way around the back of the car. He opened the door and he sat himself in his spot. He turned the key and the soft sound of the engine surrounded the parking lot. He drove out of the parking lot. It was dark but Claire could see traces of the sunrise starting to show. She rolled the windows down and she let herself be surrounded by the cool breeze. She turned to Wesker as he pulled into a highway.
"So, no syringe to neck this time?" She couldn't help but smile at the sudden replay of events.
"If you'd like, I do have one in store in the glove box." He smirked without turning attention off the road.
"I'll pass thank you. I will, however, take a nap. Wake me when we get to your bat-cave."
It seemed like only a few seconds had passed, but when she opened her eyes she realized it was more than a few seconds. Instead of being in the front seat of a car, she was being carried in an elevator. She looked up in the direction on which her head was leaning on, and she was staring at the finely chiseled face she had come to get used to. Her groggy voice broke the silence that surrounded the elevator.
"I did ask you to wake me up when we got here, right?" She didn't wait for a response. Instead she returned her head to the position in which she awoke in. Wesker chuckled at this and responded,
"Feeling comfortable, dear heart?"
"As much as I could possibly be in my current condition.", she sarcastically without moving her head from his chest. Once again he chuckled. The soft ding of the elevator got Claire's attention enough to open her eyes. She lifted her head up and proceeded to stand. She hopped out of Wesker's arms and was awestruck when she suddenly came into view of the city skyline, streaks of daybreak becoming more radiant now.
"Hmmm…not your usual bat-cave." She took into view the entire room in front of her. There were only two main colors throughout the room. Black and white.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting something different every once in awhile."
She walked to the window and looked down at the life going on below. When she turned around, she saw Wesker emerge from a metal door near the corridor, metallic box in hand. He opened it and the familiar sight of a syringe brought Claire back into the reality why she was here. She automatically took off her jacket, leaving her in her in a black tank top. She sat on the couch and Wesker eventually made his way over. He grabbed Claire's arm and passed a wet cotton ball over her skin. He placed the syringe on her arm and the tip of the needle broke the surface of her skin, filling the vial. He placed the band-aide on her arm and began to move toward a metallic door in the kitchen. Before he punched in the code he spoke,
"There are extra clothes in the room at the end of the hall. Feel free to make yourself comfortable."
Then he was gone. Well that was a dead end conversation. Well…now I'm stuck here and Ada will be expecting a report in a few hours…Ahhh screw it. With that thought she went down the hall and looked for that extra clothes Wesker mentioned earlier. She took off her boots and placed them on the white marble floor. She pulled one of the drawers open and laughed at the contents on the inside. There were black lingerie pieces and undergarments. Nice try, but no. She found nothing but silky, transparent robes in the second drawer. Finally she took a look in the closet and found some t-shirts and some not-too-short-shorts. She unstrapped the knife at her thigh and removed her pants to put the shorts on. It was until she put the shirt when she noticed the familiar three starred logo on the dark navy shirt. She sighed as she was immediately reminded of Chris. You should find him. Let him know you alright. Her constant battle with her conscience never ended. She walked out to the main room barefoot and waited for Wesker to finally tell her what was happening to her. Seeing as he wasn't out yet, she roamed around some more. On the counter tops of the kitchen, she found a bottle of wine and decided to crack it open. With a glass in hand she walked to the main room and looked at her reflection in the windows that lined walls. The shorts that ended at mid-thigh were covered by the shirt and her hair was loose. Her eyes had lost the amber she was used to seeing now. The sun was rising higher when she noticed Wesker's reflection. She wasn't startle by it, relieved in fact. She turned and faced him.
"So? What did you find?" She stared up at his eyes, searching for any emotion that might be left in the man.
He ignored her question and sarcastically asked his own. "Isn't it a bit early to be drinking wine?"
"Don't judge. If anything I'm drinking because you haven't told me anything, and deflecting that question doesn't help." She smirked as she took another sip from her glass.
"I see you found the clothes." He said once again deflecting her eagerness to see what was happening to her.
"Yeah great stuff you had there. Now. Tell me what is happening to me." A slight sound of frustration filled her voice. His arm snaked around her waist and led her to the black leather couch. He took the glass from her hand and placed it on the coffee table.
"The results showed that the virus has developed a new viral stain. This new strain is bit more powerful and is destroying the old ones, thus why your strengths seem to fail you every so often. It's nothing you need to worry abo-" He stopped abruptly. "Claire, are you a natural redhead?"
The question caught her off guard.
"Yeah. Why?" She eyed him carefully as he slowly lifted his hand and it went over her head. A small flick of pain followed as his moved his wrist snapped towards himself. As he lowered his hand, Claire could see what had caught his attention. A strand of black hair was in between his fingers.
"What the hell? How did you see that?" She knew his vision has better than the average, but still.
"I noticed by your roots. They're also black."
"So I'm mutating now?"
"It seems so. However, I don't think anything else beyond this will occur."
"Are you sure? I don't need my hands twisting into claws while I'm grabbing a coffee downtown."
"You're welcome to stay for the time being, if it worries you."
Staying with Wesker was not something she would have been comfortable with in past times. However, now it seemed…different. As if he knew what she struggled with.
"I appreciate it, Wesker. Thank you."
Wesker stood up and spoke once again, "Now what to do about that information that you were going to give Miss Wong." Claire froze. Wesker continues speaking.
"I actually intended to meet her tonight as well. We had a meeting scheduled, you know the usual spy work I have her do. I think it'd be best if we go to her together. What do you say Claire?"
"I think that it would be best if I saw her on my own."
She stood up and began to back up slowly from Wesker, fearing an attack. As her back touched the wall, Wesker's hand passed by her face and now lay on the wall. He was leaning against the wall, staring down at Claire, closing her in. He breathed her in and Claire tensed up.
"You know what fine. We'll go together.", she submitted.
"Sounds great." His husky voice made chills run down her spine. He then lifted himself off the wall and turned toward the now vibrating phone on the counter. She took a deep breath and realized her heart was beating fast. You're just scared. That's what it is. Wesker was now putting on his jacket.
"I apologize dear heart, but it seems that I'm needed elsewhere. I'll be back soon so we can go see our dear Miss Wong." Without another word, he was gone. When the door closed, she slumped down on the couch tilted her head to the side, thinking. Knowing how much work he was involved in, she knew he'd be gone for a while. She spotted the television remote and turned it on. She flipped to a random channel and settled in for a marathon of Lifetime movies. Within a few minutes she fell asleep, left to dream about her constant battles of emotions. And she damn well knew Wesker was behind it all.
"Jill! We need to be there early! Can you please hurry up!?" Chris stood at the bottom of the stairs in his suit shouting up at Jill.
"Okay okay. I'm ready." She voice neared as she got to the edge of the stairs. Chris smiled as he saw Jill walking down with her light blue dress. It flowed nicely behind her and left him awestruck. Her hair fell past her shoulders and her earrings sparkled. She noticed this look as she finally got to his side.
"Please tell me there isn't toothpaste on my dress." She began looking down and Chris chuckled.
"No there isn't. You just caught me off guard. You look beautiful Jill."
She stepped up on her toes, despite wearing heels, and gave Chris a peck the lips. "Well thank you Mr. Redfield. You look quite handsome yourself." Chris stuck his arm out and offered it to Jill.
"Shall we get going Miss Valentine?"
"I don't see a reason not to." The stepped out the door of his apartment and were on their way to the banquet.
The men in suits were idly chatting among themselves in small groups and none took into recognition the woman in red staring down at them from the stone balcony. Ada scanned the crowds and was looking for one Albert Wesker. Why he had decided to make their meeting here, she didn't know but she had some notion. She knew for a fact Chris and Leon would be here.
Then she saw them. Chris and Jill walked in hand in hand. Neither of them noticed her watching them like an eagle watching an unsuspecting rabbit. A few minutes later walked in Leon with a brunette in grey. You move on rather quickly, don't you handsome. Leon and the woman walked over the Chris and Jill and greeted each other as if they were mere acquaintances. After a moment, Leon walked off and began talking to other men in uniform suits as he was. As he began listening to what the men were talking about, Ada saw his eyes wandering, until they passed her, looked elsewhere, then back again at her. His eyes widened and he excused himself and left the men talking. From above, she could see Leon looking for Chris and Jill, failing to see them. Then, he made his way to the staircase as Ada strode away from the balcony. She went down a hall and turned to see Leon following her. She stopped long enough for him to get caught up, and then she silently walked into a room and closed the door behind her. A few seconds later, Leon opened the door. She smirked at him when he closed the door behind him. Things were about to get interesting.
There she stood, in her usual long, red dress and black heels. The office was dark and a big mahogany desk stood in the center. Leon stared at her and did nothing as he took the sight of her in. She smirked at him a stepped closer to him. Her lusty voice filled the room,
"You're looking handsome tonight Leon. What's the occasion?"
He eyed her suspiciously ignored her question by asking his own.
"What are you doing here Ada?"
"Work mostly. I did also stop to see you. See how you're doing."
Leon stepped closer and she noticed the tears in his eyes. She did not, however, notice his hand reaching up and grabbing her throat. He pushed her up against the wall and moved his faces inches to hers.
"What did you do to Claire's body, huh? What sick experiment did you freaks have planned out? Don't you think her death was enough? I have had just about enough of you Ada." Emotion filled Leon's eyes. Ada ignored the hand at her throat, despite in getting tighter. She brought her hand up and placed it on Leon's cheek.
"I'm so sorry for what happened to her. And for having to take her body. It was an order given and it…had to be drawn out.", she whispered. "I know how close you were. I just wish it didn't have to be done?"
Leon's voice cracked as he spoke with anger, "Didn't have to be done? It didn't need to be done, Ada. That's the thing. It didn't. But you and Wesker thought it did." His hand rose from her throat and was on her cheek.
"Do you know the suffering I went through? What Chris went through?" That was enough for Leon. He completely broke and his head fell on Ada's shoulder. With both her hands, she lifted his face to hers. His eyes met hers and without thinking, he lowered his lips onto hers. She returned his kisses with an equal amount of softness. He lifted her onto the desk and his hands hungrily skimmed up and down her legs. Her hands moved and ruined Leon's hair as they ran through it. He began kissing her faster and whispering in between kisses. Then, one word made it all stop. One simple name. Claire.
Ada stopped and pushed her face away from his. "So that's what was going through your head." She smirked as he backed up from her. "I knew you two were close, but I didn't expect that close. It must be hard. Losing a girlfriend like that."
"She wasn't my girlfriend. Why are you really here Ada? Other than torturing me, obviously."
"Torturing you? You seemed to be really enjoying it. And I told you the truth. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do. I suggest you stay away from the main room around 8:30. It could get real wild by then." She walked past him, but stopped as reached the door.
"Oh I almost forgot. Here. Thought you might want to know what happened to her." She handed him a yellow folder, but he didn't noticed the other she was holding. He took the folder and watched as the woman in red walked out, once again.
The first thing Wesker noticed when he entered was the sound of some sappy speech about love. As he came further into the living room, he saw Claire lay lazily across the couch. Her dark hair fell across her face and spill onto the couch. He left multiple bags on the counter and moved closer to the sleeping figure. His eyes trailed up her bare legs, her torso, passing over the old shirt, and landed on her soft face. He crouched down and moved his hand over her face, brushing strands away from her eyes.
He placed his lips near her ears and softly whispered, "Dear heart, it's time to wake up. We are going to be late to our meeting." Claire leaned up on one shoulder immediately and looked up at him with lazy eyes.
"What are the chances I can completely skip on that meeting and just sleep."
"None, Ms. Redfield. Now you have an hour to get ready. I suggest you go take a cold shower to shake off any desires to sleep."
With a groan Claire stood up and walked over to the bedroom where she recalled seeing a shower. She turned on the shower and folded the clothes she wore before placing them near the sink. She slipped into shower and the room soon filled with steam as the hot water surrounded Claire. Ten minute later, she emerged from the room with but a towel wrapped around her torso. The first thing that caught her attention was the long black dress that was laid out on the bed. She got nearer and was startled when Wesker's low voice was near her ear.
"I think it'd look rather flattering on you don't you think?"
"Ummm..I-umm-I don't know. It's kinda-I don't think I'd look good in it. I think I- Do have any jeans I could wear instead." Her words tumbled out of her mouth, and she had no way to stop them from coming out. Her brain was completely focused on the fact that 1. He was extremely close to her 2. There was only a towel covering her 3. She didn't mind at all.
"Just put it on Ms. Redfield. I don't have time to deal with you self-confidence issues." Annoyance filled his voice.
"Then get out. Please." When she turned to face him, he was gone. Aware that she didn't have any undergarments, she grunted and looked at what option she had. Within five minutes, she had on black everything. The laced backless dress had a long slit up to thigh and she wiggled around in it, admiring how the dress actually flattered her image. Her red/black hair made her skin look palely beautiful. Looking down, she noticed a few make-up accessories and put some deep red, blood-like lipstick. She took one glance at the full body mirror and was amazed at how elegant she looked.
Wesker stepped in to view and was holding something silver in his hands when he commented on her look.
"Ms. Redfield, you look absolutely…transformed. One thing, however, is missing."
He held up a platinum chain. At the end of the chain was a red gemstone. He moved her hair over and reached around to place the necklace around her neck. She stared at their reflections in the mirror and noticed how alike they both looked. All black. Pale skin. They looked like partners. She shook the idea from her head and turned to him. Without turning to the dresser, she grabbed her knife and strapped it to her thigh.
"Just in case." She gave him a saw smirk as she walked away to the living room, hoping that she wasn't falling for the one she once called her enemy.