Hey there, I am sort of back. I can promise fast updates, but I will try my best to move this story forward. Just leting you all know, my schedule is busy with work and I started my Ph.D so yeah, but I know a lot o people are looking forward to this, so I wanted to share.
I hope you enjoy it.
1. Claire
TerraSave America Branch, July 10th, 2019.
"Claire?"
Claire stopped in her tracks and turned to face whoever had just called her name. Ian Wentworth, the current head of North America TerraSave branch, approached her with rushed steps and a friendly smile. It's been a while since Claire saw her old friend, so she smiled brightly at him.
"Hey," Claire said, waving at him. "So good to see you. How's that Chief seat treating you?"
"Ooof," Ian replied, shaking her head. "I don't know how you handled all of it. I really feel like jumping through the window each time the phone rings."
Claire snorted.
"You get used to it. You've done well so far..."
"I wonder. Are you sure you don't want to take the position back?"
"My days, as an administrative figure, are over," Claire replied, shaking her head. "I am happy where I am now."
"Of course," Ian nodded. "What brings you to the headquarters today? You don't come around that often lately."
"Oh," Claire said, showing him the brown paper case she was carrying. "I got the results from the samples from Ghana. I just came to drop them off at the RD Department."
"You came all the way just for that?" Ian asked, "You should have asked someone to pick them up."
"Nah, it's fine. I had time, and I thought it was a good time to come and say hi," Claire said.
"Are you still working with the DSO?"
After raiding Mobius research facilities at Blackwell Asylum, Claire had more or less returned to her old life. She went back from Clara Driscoll to Claire Redfield. Everything was the same as before she'd been kidnapped, well almost everything. The major difference was that now she and Leon were formally married. Surprisingly, the news didn't come as a surprise to her friends. Most of them already expected that outcome. Even Chris seemed unsurprised with their sudden announcement.
Mobius didn't send any other attack after that, so Claire eventually returned to work. However, instead of returning to TerraSave, the woman decided to continue her research at her independent lab. She would often work as a consultant for other organizations, including the DSO, BSAA, TerraSave, and recently, Blue Umbrella, but she had more liberty.
"Sometimes, when they need advice," Claire shrugged.
"Your husband was an agent, right?"
"Leon? Yeah," Claire nodded. "DSO's most talented agent, according to the polls."
"They do polls?"
"Yeah, just for the fun of it."
"Your brother is one of the BSAA's best soldiers; your husband is the best DSO agent out there, and you are one of the brightest minds in TerraSave," Ian said with a chuckle. "It's like your family was born to hunt down bioterrorists. I can't imagine how your kids will be..."
Claire scoffed. Her kids? It wasn't like she could have them, so thinking about it wouldn't make much difference. Mobius's experiments on her had made sure she wouldn't be able to have children of her own. It had been saddening news, but Claire was grateful that Leon was such a comprehensive husband. His support had made things a lot easier to overcome. Now, two years later, she was ok with it.
"Well, I won't delay you anymore. I am sure you are in a rush, and Saya is probably waiting for you."
Claire nodded and said her goodbyes to Ian before stepping into the elevator. Even though she no longer worked at TerraSave, the woman had her name in the organization, and she'd gotten honorary access to the ONG's facilities. The young woman made her way to Saya's lab and knocked on the glass door, announcing her arrival.
"You know I could have brought those myself, right?" Saya said with a frown.
"Probably," Claire shrugged. "But I could use the exercise, and I wanted to say hi."
"What an excuse," Saya laughed. "Are you that bored without your husband around?"
"It's been nearly three years," Claire said, picking a file and flipping through it. "Aren't you over that joke?"
"Of course not," Saya laughed. "You are married. I'll never get over it."
"I don't know whether I should feel annoyed or flattered," Claire sighed.
"Feel both. You're on your right," the Japanese doctor smirked. "How's that other research doing? Who was it for again?"
"Blue Umbrella," Claire answered absently. "It's going well. We have been developing new variations of the RAMRODS in case the mutamycete evolves, and the BSAA seems pleased with the results. How did we go from viruses to fungi?"
"Well, don't ask me. Ask those mad scientists who create them," Saya snorted. "Blue Umbrella, huh? How's that going?"
"It's cool. They aren't that bad. I mean, I know the organization was born from the Umbrella corporation's ashes and all, but I think they really mean good."
"Well, that's a surprising answer coming from you," Saya said, crossing her arms. "Has marriage actually made you less paranoid?"
"No. I had my reservations with Blue Umbrella at the beginning, too, but they have grown on me."
"What about your brother?"
"Chris?" Claire asked, frowning. "Of course, he doesn't like them, but after the Dulvey incident, I think he's begun to trust them a little more."
"And what does the husband say?"
"Leon? I think he doesn't quite trust them, but he trusts my judgment."
"Well, ain't that sweet?"
"More than sweet, it is a severe case of misplaced faith. Everyone knows I am terrible at judging people."
"No, you're not," Saya replied. "And you know it. So when does Kennedy come back? I understand he's an agent and all, but there's a limit on how long he can leave his wife alone."
"He was on a classified mission. I don't know when he's coming back."
Saya sighed. She put down her pen and looked at her with a frown.
"How long has it been?"
"I don't know. Only about three months, I think."
"Only three months?"
"He refused to take missions that took longer than four days for two years, only because he was worried about leaving me alone," Claire replied. "This is the first long mission he's accepted."
"Oh, you defend him as a dutiful wife."
"Oh, shut up. I've got enough security to drive myself crazy. Leon and Chris saw through that."
"Well, well. Whatever you say, dear," Saya laughed. "How about we grab something to eat. My shift is over. We can stop for a bite and then go back to the lab together."
"Sounds splendid."
The two women stopped by a coffee shop on their way back to the lab. Claire didn't feel much of an appetite, so she just bought an iced tea, a piece of hazelnut cake, which she would eat later, and a bag of assorted cupcakes that she knew Lily and Henry would gladly eat for tea.
After the BSAA rescued them, Henry, Liam, Lily, and Julie didn't know what they would do now that they were "free." So Claire made them an offer. Henry was always good at gardening; he could help out at the flower shop. Liam and Julie were excellent brawlers; they would be part of the lab's security team. Claire would provide them with everything they needed to control their virus, and everyone would live an overall quiet life. Chris and Leon had even helped with the necessary paperwork.
"Brought you something for tea," Claire said, putting the paper bag on the table.
"Ah, a gentle gesture. Thank you," Henry said, fixing up his glasses.
"Is there chocolate?"
"Yes, there's chocolate," Claire snickered. "How's everything here? I saw a lot of people when I left."
"Oh, the business has been movin'," Henry nodded. "Which reminds me."
Henry peeked under the counter and raised, holding a yellow envelope that he handed to Claire. The woman looked at the envelope with a frown. It felt heavy, and she noted the WHO emblem on the front.
"What's that?" Saya said, looking over her shoulder. "WHO?"
"Yeah, that's weird. I wasn't expecting mail from them. Thank you, Henry."
Claire waved at the older man and ruffled Lily's hair before following Saya into the lab. They found Liam and Wallace playing in the latter's cubicle while Dhriti and Julie played chess on the big table. Claire and Saya greeted everyone and sat down to eat what they had brought.
"So, what's the letter about?" Saya asked, crossing her arms.
"Letter?" Dhriti asked. "You got mail, Claire?"
"From who? Mr. Kennedy finally decided to check-in?" Liam asked.
Claire shook her head and showed them the envelope with the WHO log. She opened it and read its content carefully. The letter was brief but concise: the WHO requested her help investigating an isolated outbreak of potentially zoonotic disease.
"There was an outbreak in a town in the Northern Amazon Region," Claire said, reading the note.
"Outbreak?" Liam asked.
"Define outbreak?" Wallace said, putting down his headphones. "Blood-thirsty zombie kind of outbreak?"
"Not that kind of outbreak," Claire said, rolling her eyes. "Normal outbreak. So far, it doesn't seem it affects humans. By the general premise, I would suspect some type of hemorrhagic fever. Since they don't know what it is, they are asking if we could look into it."
"They are asking us to go to Brazil?" Julie asked.
"Not Brazil. Caraçari, a town on the northern shore of the Amazon river. The WHO would provide everything we need, including a local guide, housing, and equipment..."
"Now, that's a little too generous..." Julie said with a frown. "It might be a trap."
"You think everything is a trap," Wallace said, rolling her eyes, and Julie glared at him.
"They are asking for help," Dhriti said. "It wouldn't be rare if they are offering things."
"Yeah, but I agree with Julie that they are acting too generous," Claire said, looking at the letter again. "It almost makes it sound like they are desperate."
"Maybe they are," Saya shrugged. "If there's a potential pandemic virus, they would naturally be desperate, right?"
"Yeah, that might be true, too."
Claire went through the rest of the documents that came inside the envelope. There were some notes and photographs related to the situation in the place. The information was vague, just enough to grab Claire's attention but not revealing any more than necessary.
"So, what are you going to do?" Liam asked, "accept?"
Claire looked at her friends and sighed.
"I suppose I should. If the WHO is asking, then it is serious."
"Didn't your brother and husband say not to do anything reckless when they weren't around?" Julie asked.
"Well, reckless usually means not to mess up with bioterrorists, BOWs, and potentially viruses and fungi that might create abominations. This is just an ordinary virus or bacteria. It isn't like the first time we work with something not zombie-related."
"Isn't it the same?"
"Well..."
Claire didn't finish her sentence. Her phone started ringing, and she had to excuse herself to attend the call. Claire stepped into the hallway and looked at the phone screen. She didn't know the number, but from the first digits, she had an idea where the call came from, which left her even more puzzled. With Leon away, no one in the DSO would call her to her personal phone.
"Hello?" Claire answered.
"Hello, Claire," Hopkins's voice answered through the line. "I hope I am not interrupting anything important."
"Renard? No, of course not," Claire replied. "What can I do for you?"
"I haven't seen you in a while. I was wondering how you were. Leon wouldn't forgive me if he thought I was not looking after his beloved wife."
"Why is it that everyone seems to love teasing us like this?"
Hopkins laughed lightly on the other side of the line.
"Apologies," Hopkins said. "I have known Leon for a while now, and well, I still can't get used to the idea that he got married. Either way, that's not why I called you. There was a petition from the WHO. I know I'm not your superior, but I was hoping you'd hear me out."
Claire frowned. The WHO had contacted the DSO, too? That was already odd in itself. Had it been Terra Save, it wouldn't have been that weird since it was a humanitarian organization. Places hit by the disease, human or not, usually need lots of human resources, and Terra Save offered that.
The DSO, though not as military as the BSAA, was an Intel and Special operations entity. Why would the WHO contact them in the first place?
"Sure," Claire said, walking into her office and sitting down. "I actually received a letter from the WHO, so I am surprised by your timing."
Claire stared at the open envelope with concern.
"You did? Well, I shouldn't be surprised. The WHO contacted the Health Minister, and he contacted the president. I'm afraid the government has the wrong impression that you're still under the DSO's employment."
"They called you so that you would issue an order," Claire said, leaning back in her chair. "Well, that feels as if they are not giving room to any other decision but to accept, do they? I don't remember the WHO being so pushy. "
"Well, it isn't the WHO per se..."
"So it is a presidential order?"
Claire said, rolling her eyes. She knew that woman disliked her, but going to that extreme only to taunt her, wasn't exactly very mature for someone who happened to be the president of a nation.
"The president is hoping you will accept, yes. The WHO representative presented a reasonable justification of why they wanted you to lead this investigation."
"Reasonable?"
"Your curriculum precedes you, Claire," Hopkins replied. "Leon might have made his name as an agent, but you made yours as a researcher."
Claire pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
"I wasn't going to decline anyway," Claire replied. "The situation seems serious, and if I can help, I don't mind going."
"Are you sure? With Leon and your brother away, I admit I am a little concerned about you going alone. I could ask someone to go with you."
"Renard, I appreciate your worry, but you don't need to waste one of your agents on something trivial like this. I have a friend back in the area. I am sure he might want to take the bodyguard job."
Hopkins sighed.
"Alright, Claire. Still, I'd like you to stay in touch with us, just in case. I'll get David to act as your connection. Drop by the office before you go to pick up the phone, will you?"
Claire would have preferred to decline the offer, but Hopkins' insistence made her give up and accept with some resignation. Even though Mobius didn't seem to give any signs of presence in the last two years, her friends didn't seem to have let their guard down. Claire appreciated her concern, but if Mobius wanted to catch her, whether or not she had a team protecting her, they would do anyway.
Claire promised to pick up the phone later and said goodbye. The woman put the phone down on her desk and rubbed her temple, feeling a bit queasy. She had a lot to do now that she planned to travel, starting with making a couple of calls.
Modoura local airport, Northern Amazon Region - July, 14th, 2019.
"Ah god," Saya complained. "I hate muggy weather."
"Welcome to the Amazon Region."
They had just stepped out from the local airport, and the wave of humid and warm air hit them right on their faces.
"You don't sound surprised?" Julie groaned.
After a lot of deliberation, Claire had decided to take Saya, Wallace, Julie, and Dhriti with her. Liam, Lily, and Henry stayed to take care of the lab in their absence.
"I am not," Claire shrugged. "I've been here before."
"So have I, but I will never get used to this icky feeling and the humidity."
"You bet," Wallace said grumpily, "It's making my hair all frizzy!"
"The last thing you should be worried about is your hair," Julie groaned, waving her hand in front of her face. "Have you seen all the bugs?"
"You people aren't quite the outdoorsy kind, huh?" an amused voice said.
A burly man with tousled hair and a friendly smile stood a few steps from them. The man wore a moss green T-shirt and cargo pants with many pockets. On his hip, he wore a utility belt that featured a military knife.
"Carlos!" Claire smiled, approaching. "It's been so long!"
"Oh, you don't say!" the man grinned at her, opening his arms as if expecting a hug. "Do I get a hug, or will your husband get angry about it?"
"You get your hug, fool," Claire laughed, hugging him. " And he wouldn't get mad for that, just for the record."
Carlos laughed loudly and crossed his arms.
"Guess I'll have to meet him to be sure. How come you get married and don't invite me?"
"There wasn't a party, to begin with," Saya said, slapping the man's arm. " Besides, you're not exactly the easiest man to page."
"No, joke," Wallace said, bumping fist with Carlos. "Do you know how many databases I had to hack to get a hold of you?"
"Sorry. I've been moving around a lot," Carlos snickered. "I am surprised you came along this time. You are more of a desk job person."
"They begged me to come, naturally."
"Nobody begged him," Dhriti smiled. "It's good to see you again, Carlos."
"Likewise, and this is...?"
"Julianne Kirkland," Julie said, shaking Carlos's hand. "You may call me Julie. I'll be working with you with security."
"Ah, yeah. Claire did mention that," Carlos nodded. "Carlos Oliviera, a pleasure to meet you. We should get going. There's a long ride ahead, and the road isn't safe after dark, so I'll prefer to arrive before that happens."
"Reasonable," Claire nodded. "Alright, Caraçari, here we go."