8. Claire
Claire's eyes were glued to the chaotic scene below, illuminated only by the flashes of gunfire and explosions. She tried to remain calm and rational, but the sound of screams and chaos outside made her heart race with fear.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed outside her door, followed by the sound of shattering glass and desperate screams. Claire's eyes widened in terror as she recognized the unmistakable growling of BOWs. She quickly made her way to the door, peering through the small window to assess the situation. The corridor outside was filled with chaos and destruction. It was dark, but the familiar glow of emergency lights allowed her to see the nasty scene outside the room.
A four-legged creature with a sleek and muscular body was attacking mercilessly at anything that moved outside. Its fur was patchy and matted, and its skin was stretched tight over its bones, giving it a skeletal appearance. Its movements are jerky and unnatural, and its limbs bend at odd angles as it scurries across the ground. It emits a low, guttural moan that sounded like a mixture of a growl and a human scream. The most grotesque part of its body was its head. Its face was elongated and twisted, with a gaping maw filled with jagged teeth. Its eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and its nose was nothing more than two ragged holes in its flesh. The ears were torn and tattered, and its tongue dangled out of its mouth, blackened and swollen.. Claire's heart sank as she realized she was trapped in the middle of a war zone and her enemy was nothing other than a BOW.
Her instincts told her to fight and help the poor people that screamed as they were victims of the carnage outside, but the safety of her unborn child made her hesitant. Claire took a deep breath and made the difficult decision to be selfish, staying low profile and hidden. It was a difficult decision, especially when the screams for help filled the air. Suddenly, Claire felt herself being transported back to the nightmare of two years prior. Images of monsters ripping bodies apart, the stench of blood and decay, and guilt filled her mind making her tremble slightly.
Claire retreated to the corner of the room, huddled against the wall searching for anything she could use as a weapon to defend herself. She tried to calm her racing heart and quiet her breathing, hoping the BOWs would pass her by without noticing her.
Time passed slowly, each second feeling like an eternity as Claire listened to the BOW feasting on its latest victim outside the door. Her heart raced with each thud against the door, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the creature broke through. When the panther's relentless ramming finally shattered the door, Claire knew that she had no choice but to fight for her life and the life of her unborn child.
Without a second thought, Claire darted away from the creature, adrenaline pumping through her veins. The monster gave chase, its growls echoing through the dark corridors of the hospital. But Claire's instincts and training kicked in, allowing her to outsmart the beast. She leapt into a nearby utility closet and quickly barricaded the door behind her, hoping to buy herself a few precious moments to think.
As she caught her breath, Claire's mind raced, trying to come up with a plan. She knew the flimsy barrier wouldn't hold for long, and she needed to find a way out to safety. Her eyes scanned the cramped space, searching for anything that could help her.
The sudden sound of gunshots echoed through the hallway, causing Claire's heart to skip a beat. The BOW outside her door growled in response, then its footsteps receded as it ran off to investigate. Claire wasn't sure if the gunshots were from friend or foe, but for the moment, they had given her a reprieve. She cautiously emerged from the room, her eyes scanning the wreckage-filled corridor for any sign of danger. As she moved quietly through the debris, she caught a glimpse of Carlos up ahead, engaged in a fierce battle with the panther BOW.
Claire's heart sank at the sight. Carlos was holding his own, but the panther was a formidable opponent, and it was only a matter of time before it overpowered him. She knew she couldn't stand by and watch her friend be torn apart, but what could she do? Her mind raced, searching for a solution, but it was like trying to puzzle out a solution to an unsolvable problem. She'd not seen such resilient BOWs since…
Since LysMorphs, right?
The familiar voice in her head made Claire flinch. She hadn't heard it in years, but suddenly it was back. It couldn't be a coincidence.
You know what you should do.
She looked around the scattered items and found what seemed to be a bunch of scalpel blades and bases. Without hesitation, she took one and made a clean cut on her arm. It stinged a little, but the woman ignored the pain. In normal circumstances, the injury would have healed in a minute, but the presence of the baby had messed up with her abilities. It was annoying but bearable. With her eyes fixed on the BOW, Claire made her way towards the door and prepared to strike. She focused her mind and summoned all the adrenaline she could muster before launching the scalpel towards the panther. The blade flew through the air with precision, striking the creature cleanly. Claire watched with satisfaction as the BOW succumbed to the effects of her blood, collapsing to the ground without putting up a fight.
The events unfolded like clockwork, and before she knew it, Claire found herself coming back to her senses. However, as she regained her bearings, she was startled to realize that the person standing before her wasn't Carlos, but Leon, his familiar gaze locking onto hers. At first, she thought it might have been a hallucination brought on by the stress of the situation, but she quickly dismissed that idea when she saw that it was indeed Leon standing in front of her. HIs expression was concerned and she instantly wanted to ease his worries.
"It's nothing," Claire whispered.
"It's bleeding," Leon admonished her. "How is that nothing?"
Leon retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to wrap her injured arm. CLaire watched him, still in shock.
"Well, that was quite a fight,." Carlos said, breaking her trance. "Nice shot by the way, Red. Always on target."
Claire looked away from Leon to give Carlos a judgemental glance.
"Well, you were taking your sweet time. I couldn't sit and wait, could I?" Claire sighed.
"Yeah, things are crazy everywhere. I'd hoped it hadn't reached here, but I guess that was wishful thinking. This floor was a complete carnage."
"It was the ICU," she said, shaking her head. "What did you expect?"
Claire's gaze fell to the ground. She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of guilt wash over her as she realized that she had done nothing but hide while it all unfolded. However, just as the weight of her guilt threatened to crush her, she felt a warm embrace envelop her. Looking up, she saw that it was Leon who had put his arm around her, helping her to her feet and offering her comfort. In that moment, Claire realized how much she had missed the simple, reassuring presence of her friend and husband.
"God damn it," Helena sighed. "Any chance someone survived?"
"I don't know," Claire said, sadly. "What are you doing here?I thought you guys were on a mission."
Leon kissed her head before answering.
"We were, until there was a change of plans," Leon replied.
"He heard you and your team went MIA and there might be a BOW issue," Helena replied. "And here we are."
How had they found out so fast? Claire wondered.
"You dropped a mission for that?" Claire asked. "Won't you get into trouble for that?"
"Hopkins gave a direct order, so, I am pretty much excused."
"Hopkins?" That explained a lot of things.
"He must have received Wallace's message…" Carlos said. "He reported the incident with Ms. Obares, and Fogo before we were cut off the map."
Claire nodded, the adrenaline was starting to wear off and she felt a wave of nausea hit her.
"Are you ok? "
"Just a little queasy," Claire replied weakly. "I had to jump back into old habits after those infected animals appeared. They weren't pure LysMorphs, but they certainly shared some traits."
"We should move somewhere safer," Leon said. "I'm sure you have had it rough, Claire."
Claire gave him a tired smile, letting him know he was right.
" We should head to base," Carlos replied. "We set up an improv shelter for survivors down there."
"That sounds good," Leon nodded, "Do you think you can walk, Claire?"
Claire turned to him, intending to reply with one of her usual quirky responses, but suddenly everything around her started to spin and her view blurred until it finally faded into complete blackness.
As Claire regained consciousness, a momentary wave of panic washed over her. The sense of déjà vu was overwhelming, and she couldn't help but wonder if fainting was going to be a regular occurrence from now on. She attempted to get up, but the sudden movement caused the room to spin around her, and she felt her stomach churn.
"Hey, Don't get up just yet," she heard a familiar voice whisper sweetly. "Hiwamura said your blood pressure is too low, so any sudden movements would make you dizzy."
At the sound of a familiar voice, Claire turned her head to see Leon sitting by her side. As usual, he appeared calm and collected, but she could detect a hint of concern in his eyes as he looked at her.
"Leon," Claire whispered.
Claire was relieved to know that she hadn't imagined Leon's presence. Seeing him after all that time filled her with joy, but she couldn't help but wonder why Leon had shown up so suddenly.
"What happened to me?" Claire whispered.
"You don't remember?"
"I remember the BOW…," Claire answered.
"Yes, and after that you passed out."
Claire's frown deepened as she rose to her feet in a single, swift movement. The sudden motion caused her to see white for a moment, but she shook off the sensation and instinctively placed a hand on her abdomen. Meanwhile, Leon gently rested his arm on her back, encouraging her to lie down once more and rest.
"Did Saya say anything?"
"She said something about the olive being Ok, but I honestly didn't know what she meant with olive."
Claire let out a sigh of relief, her hand rubbing gently over her womb. She was grateful to find that her baby was unharmed, and she was relieved that Saya had not yet revealed her pregnancy to Leon. Her Japanese friend had left the decision of sharing the news entirely up to her, and Claire was not yet sure how she would handle it.
"Right…"
"You have got things to explain, Claire, starting with why you are here," Leon said. His tone was stern, but his expression and general demeanor betrayed him.
Claire had become adept at reading her husband's emotions like an open book. Though she knew he was frustrated and concerned about her penchant for recklessness, she could see the joy and relief in his eyes at seeing her safe and sound. Even though he may not have expressed it verbally, the warmth and contentment shining in his gaze left no doubt in her mind that he was genuinely happy to be reunited with her.
"I wasn't doing anything reckless," Claire replied, starting to feel sick again. Why did she have to feel so dizzy? "I was here to investigate a case of bovine hemorrhagic fever in the region. The WHO had concerns that it could be transmissible to humans, so they asked for our help. I don't know how everything went to hell so suddenly.."
Claire knew that Leon seemed to be pondering her explanation, and she sighed.
"I didn't come hunting for terrorists or trying to unmask some crazy conspiracy theory," she said. "Really, it was supposed to be a typical disease investigation. The worst-case scenario would have been a new strain of Ebola or something. I have the WHO request as proof if you don't believe me."
As Claire offered her explanation, she could sense Leon's reluctance to accept it. His body language betrayed his skepticism, and she knew he was struggling to believe her words. However, he eventually conceded to her reasoning, albeit with some hesitance. Claire could tell that he was still not entirely convinced, but he respected her decision.
"Alright," he sighed. "I'll believe you."
"Well, what about you? What's your excuse?" Claire demanded.
"I told you earlier. I came for you under Hopkins's direct order. Not like I needed one."
"Right, but that doesn't explain why you. Hopkins could easily have sent any other agent."
"There was no time, and I happened to be around."
"Here? Why?"
"Classified mission."
"Right, DSO and their secret operations," Claire said, rolling her eyes. It was a silly decision since it made her dizziness worsen. "So the rabid animals are some novel terrorist strategy?"
"I wouldn't know," Leon answered. "Coming here to find you was a deviation of my original mission."
"Oh, so you dropped your super-secret mission to come and save me from a rabid panther? I'm flattered."
Leon shook his head.
"Claire, this is serious."
"I am serious. Well, terrorist or not, I still have to figure out what's going on here before this disease becomes a potential pandemic, that is assuming my body will let me work properly."
Leon turned to her with a frown. Her comment had caught his attention and maybe not in the best way.
"Oliveira mentioned you had fainted before, and Hiwamura was pretty alarmed when we got here earlier. She wouldn't tell me anything, but I'm not an idiot not to see something is up. What's wrong, Claire?"
"Nothing is wrong. I'm perfectly…"
Claire suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over her, causing her to double over in discomfort. She gestured to Leon, indicating the nearby bin on the table, and he quickly handed it to her. As Claire emptied the contents of her stomach, feeling utterly miserable, she could feel her husband's gaze upon her, his expression a mixture of concern and worry. Leon's frown deepened as he watched her, and he placed a reassuring hand on her back, offering her support and comfort in her moment of need.
"You never had these symptoms before," Leon mumbled. "Is the virus acting again? Did it mutate or something?"
Claire couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as she watched the worry etched on Leon's face. She knew that ever since they had married, one of his greatest fears was the possibility of a virus mutation. Although her virus had remained stable in recent years, she was aware that it was only a matter of time before it changed. The problem was, they still had no solution for removing it from her system without causing severe harm or triggering a dangerous mutation. As she contemplated the uncertainty of their situation, Claire couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness wash over her..
"It's fine..." Claire gasped, pushing away the bin.
"It's not fine, Claire," Leon said, crossing his arms. "Fainting and vomiting? How can that be fine? I understand you want to keep things from me so that I won't worry, but if something is wrong, I need to know."
"Nothing is wrong, Leon," Claire sighed. "It's just morning sickness."
Leon frowned. He seemed to be pondering if he had heard correctly.
"What do you mean morning sickness?"
"Well, hypotension during pregnancy is a normal phenomenon. There are fluctuating hormones and changes in circulation. As a result, tadah: nausea, dizziness, fainting..." Claire replied, "So yeah, it's crap, but it's normal, so nothing is wrong."
Claire watched as Leon took a moment to process what she had just said.
"What?" Leon said, blinking.
"You're supposed to be a smart agent, Kennedy," Claire sighed. "Do you need me to spell it for you? I...AM... PREGNANT. Is that clear enough?"
Claire couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the range of expressions that crossed Leon's face, from suspicion to confusion and finally complete dumbfoundedness. She found it to be one of the funniest things she had ever seen, and wished she could capture the moment with a photograph - if only she hadn't been feeling so sick at the time.
"What? How did that happen?" Leon asked in shock.
"Oh, well, you know..." Claire shrugged. "When a man and woman decide to..."
"I know how that could happen," Leon answered, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant..."
"I know, I know," Claire snickered. "I'm joking. Frankly, I don't know how it happened either. It just did, and well, there's not much I can do about it."
Leon continued to pace the room, his thoughts seemingly running a million miles per hour. Claire watched him, noticing the concern etched on his face. She knew he was likely thinking about how they were going to handle this with everything else going on. It wasn't the easiest news to receive, and she couldn't blame him for needing some time to process it all.
"Leon, love, can you sit down or at least stop pacing?" Claire sighed. "You are making me dizzy again."
Leon turned to her and sank back into the chair, looking at Claire with a mix of concern and disbelief.
"Are you sure? I thought you..."
"Were infertile?" Claire nodded, "Believe me, welcome to the club. We are as dumbfounded as you are. But all in all, something is for sure. There's definitely a bun in the oven."
Claire nervously dug into her pocket and retrieved the ultrasound print that Saya had given her earlier. She stared at it for a moment, admiring the image of the tiny life growing inside her, before passing it over to Leon. The man's eyes widened as he gazed at the picture, clearly taken aback by the realization that he was going to be a father. Claire couldn't help but smile at his expression, feeling a surge of warmth in her heart.
"How long?"
"Ten weeks," Claire answered. "It happened some days before you left."
"Oh!" Leon said with realization.
Claire had calculated the time of conception after discussing it with Saya. She didn't explicitly mention it to Leon, but it was evident that he would know since he was the other party involved.
"Yup, that day, most likely..."
"That was quite a day," Leon snorted. "Guess it worked better than we thought, huh?"
Claire rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly. It had been one of those occasions that would most likely lead Chris to murder Leon if he ever found out about what had happened, but that would remain a secret between her and Leon.
"If you put it like that, way too well," Claire nodded. She rested her hand on her womb again.
"How long have you known?" Leon asked, looking at her.
"I'd say…24 hours, more or less," Claire answered, and Leon's eyes waved in surprise. "Believe me, if I had known I was pregnant before the WHO's request, I wouldn't have accepted this mission."
"And I believe you," Leon nodded, taking her hand. "What will happen if Mobius finds out you are pregnant?"
"I don't know," Claire admitted. "Infertility was a failure in their experiment. I guess I'd be of their interest to find out why I deviated from the norm, again. Why are you bringing up Mobius?"
"My Classified Mission," Leon replied. "I was hunting down Mobius and their activity in this region. I had evidence that seemed to suggest they had a research camp here in a town called Luziâçari. I was heading there to investigate it when Hopkins gave me the order to find you instead, as if I needed one to save my wife."
"I thought your mission was classified," Claire said, puzzled. "Why are you telling me now?"
"Because you're carrying our child now, Claire, and that changes everything. It makes you and the baby targets for Mobius," Leon said firmly, his eyes betraying a mixture of fear and determination. "They'll stop at nothing to get their hands on you both, and we can't take any chances. We need to be careful and watch our backs at all times. I won't let them harm you or our baby, no matter what."
As Leon's words sank in, Claire felt a wave of fear wash over her. The last thing she wanted was for Mobius to get their hands on her unborn child. She knew firsthand the horrors that the organization was capable of and didn't want her child to suffer the same fate as she had. Leon had gone straight into overprotective mode faster than she had anticipated.
"You're going to ask Hopkins for a reassignment, then?" Claire asked.
"No, I can't tell him about the baby yet," Leon replied. "Calls are not a safe way. We know Mobius has rats infiltrated everywhere, and I won't risk them knowing about it."
"Leon, I'm on week 10. Give me four more weeks, and this will be difficult to hide." Claire pointed at her belly. "It's going to be hard to hide the truth once this starts growing," she said softly, looking up at Leon with worry in her eyes.
Leon's hand rested on her belly gently, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "I know. We'll figure it out," he said, his voice filled with determination. "We'll find a way to keep you and the baby I can delay them from knowing, I will do as much as I can."
Claire couldn't fight his reasoning. Like Chris, Leon was overprotective of her, and knowing that she now carried his child, only contributed to making his need to protect her stronger. Leon was a good husband, and he would definitely make a good dad.
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
"You're awfully obedient," Leon snorted. "You're usually more into arguing with me on this."
"Well, you're acting reasonably, Kennedy, and..." Claire smiled at him. "I need to think of the little olive."
Leon smiled warmly, and Claire couldn't help but return the smile. As an independent and capable woman, she never liked feeling helpless or like a damsel in distress. However, with the safety of their unborn child at stake, she was willing to put her own pride aside and let Leon take the lead in protecting them.
Leon leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, reassuring her that everything would be alright. Claire closed her eyes and felt a wave of comfort wash over her. She knew that with Leon by her side, she had nothing to fear.
Once Leon had left to speak with Helena, Saya returned to Claire's makeshift office to check on her. Her friend took a glance at Claire's face and immediately noticed that she still looked pale and weak. Saya then proceeded to check Claire's pulse and blood pressure, which were still low.
"Are you sure you are in conditions to do this?" Saya asked her as she passed her a folder.
"Yes, someone has to analyze the data, or we'll never find out what's going on here," Claire sighed.
"True, but you have to know your limits," Saya replied. "You should eat. You haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday, and you didn't finish."
"Oh, yeah. That tasted wrong. Frankly, I don't even have much of an appetite, but I will try."
Saya gave her a judgemental glance and offered her a bag filled with nutritional bars. Carlos had brought them from one of the upper floors and the medic had saved them for her. Claire hesitated for a moment, unsure if she could eat anything with her nausea; she reluctantly took a bite, and to her surprise, the taste didn't seem to bother her that much. She quickly finished the first one and started on the second.
"So, what did Kennedy say?"
"What?"
"About..you know, the news."
"Oh, he entered overprotective mode immediately. That, in Leon's language, means he's ecstatic."
"I would be surprised if he weren't," Saya said. "Those are half of his genes baking in there."
"Yeah, he is happy, but you know he's going paranoid because of Mobius."
"Mobius? What's up with them?"
"Seems they might be around, and he doesn't know what will happen when they find out about the baby."
"They might kidnap you to run tons of unethical experiments on you and the little olive," Saya replied. "I'm not surprised he's going overprotective. I'm surprised he's not locking you in a bunker."
"Don't give him ideas," Claire sighed. "I guess it's time to do this the old school way. Pass me a marker."
Analyzing the DNA sequences manually was a laborious task, but given the situation, it was the most reliable option available to her. Claire couldn't help but marvel at how reliant people had become on technology in recent years. It seemed like almost everything was done by computers, but she knew the importance of having a backup plan. Even the most advanced technology could fail, and in a situation like theirs, it was crucial to be able to rely on more traditional methods.
"That's odd," Claire mumbled, looking at the sequence written on the wall. "This is definitely RNA, isn't it?"
"You are asking me? You are the geneticist," Saya said, taking a sip of her coffee.
The strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee hit Claire's nostrils like a ton of bricks, causing her to double over in an instant. The two protein bars she had eaten earlier came back up, and she started heaving into the nearby trash can. Saya quickly realized what was happening and moved the coffee cup out of Claire's reach. He knelt down beside her and rubbed soothing circles on her back, murmuring comforting words to her as she continued to retch.
"I'm sorry, Claire," Saya said, his voice filled with concern. "I forgot you were smell-sensitive."
"It's okay," Claire gasped, still feeling queasy. "It's not your fault. My morning sickness is worse than I could have ever imagined."
Saya nodded sympathetically, knowing that morning sickness was a common pregnancy symptom.
"God..." Claire groaned pathetically, leaning her head against her arm.
She'd heard that nausea was an issue during pregnancy, but she hadn't expected it to be that bad. How was she supposed to eat well and get nutrients if she was literally vomiting 80% of whatever she ate?
"Oh..." Claire groaned, putting the bin away.
"I know. I know..." Saya comforted her. "Look at the bright side. At least we know it's not food poisoning."
Yes, it wasn't food poisoning. The cause of her sickness was something much more positive than a stomach bug, but she still felt like crap. Claire reached out, hoping that Saya would get the hint and pass her the water bottle, but to her surprise, it wasn't Saya who appeared with the water, but Leon. The man gave her a sympathetic look as he handed her the open bottle, and Claire wondered if he was feeling a little guilty for putting her in this predicament.
"You don't look too peachy," Helena said.
"Hi, Helena," Claire said, drinking a gulp of water while Leon started rubbing her back. "It's good to see you."
"Likewise. It's been a while. So little Kennedy is bothering you already?"
Bothering, well, if it weren't her child, she would think it was trying to kill her.
"Uhg, I don't know why people call it morning sickness when you are sick all the time," Claire groaned. "How am I supposed to function like this?"
"Honestly, honey," Saya said, crossing her arms. "I am surprised your symptoms waited until ten weeks to show up. Most pregnant women start having issues in week four."
"Well, we already knew I am not most women," Claire sighed.
"Not that it is a bad thing," Leon said, caressing her lower back. "Do you need anything?"
"No, I'll deal with nausea somehow," Claire sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "What are you up to?"
"Carlos is planning to venture out and assess the situation once the sun is out," Leon answered. "We'll get out with him and try to find a spot where we can get a signal. I'll contact Hunnigan and ask for reinforcements."
"That might work," Claire nodded. "I guess I'll try to sort this out in the meantime. I need to see whether the hemorrhagic fever has any relation to this sudden animal violence."
"I'm surprised you didn't write on the walls," Helena snorted, looking at the doodles on the windows.
"Unfortunately, whiteboard paint isn't a standard when it comes to building painting, and the whiteboard isn't enough."
"What's all that?" Helena asked, tilting her head.
"Sequences," Claire shrugged. "We can't connect to the server due to the signal issue, so we have to do it the old way."
"We? More like...you," Saya said with a frown.
"Ok, me."
"Don't push yourself too much. You need to rest," Leon said, rubbing her arm. "If there is anything you want or need, let me know."
Claire smiled at him. She wouldn't deny she found his caring attitude particularly cute right now, and maybe, it was all the hormones' fault.
"You mean like cravings," Claire snorted. "No, no need to send you on a hunt for questionable food in the middle of an apocalypse."
"I'm sure I could handle that," Leon snorted.
Claire snickered, imagining Leon shooting zombies' heads off only to get her a pint of ice cream from the store.
"No, I'm fine. Honestly, I don't have an appetite, and I don't see the point in eating if I'm only going to throw up some minutes after."
"Eating is important when you're pregnant," Helena commented.
"So they say," Claire sighed. Eating was important, but it only worked if she actually kept the food down.
"I'll tell Carlos to get her some salty crackers and ginger, if possible, when he goes out on the supply hunt," Saya said. "They might help her with nausea."
"I'll remind him," Helena nodded.
"I doubt that would make much difference," Claire shrugged.
"But are you sure you don't want anything?" Leon asked again, looking her in the eye.
Claire chuckled and shook her head. She should have known Leon would be the spoiling type of husband.
"I'm fine. If you want to get me something, just get your butt back soon. I need some cuddles..." Claire sighed, leaning her head against him and giving him a puppy look.
SHe wouldn't usually act this way, thus, she blamed it on her hormones talking.
"Well, that's a new one," Hiwamura scoffed. "I never thought I'd see Claire acting like a spoiled child."
"I am not acting like a spoiled kid," Claire pouted. "I'm just hormonal, apparently pregnant, and I haven't seen my husband in almost three months. Oh, and I don't forget I got attacked by a zombie and then almost eaten by a damn rabid panther. Don't I deserve to get a cuddle at least?"
She was indeed acting like a spoiled kid, but she had missed her husband. Was it a sin to want to cuddle in his arms after almost three months of him being absent.
"Don't worry," he said, kissing her temple. "I'll be back soon, and I promise to devote the whole evening to cuddles. You're not the only one that has missed it."
"No joke. You won't imagine how bad his mood has been in the last few months," Helena said, winking at her. "If we weren't partners, I would have shot him already."
Leon rolled his eyes at her, and Helena snickered.
"Leon can be a handful, but I would appreciate that you didn't shoot my husband, though," Claire smiled."Especially now, since I don't want to get through this pregnancy alone."
"Believe me," Helena laughed. "Thinking of you was what prevented me from doing it."
"Oh, he couldn't be that moody," Claire said, looking at Leon.
"Well, he almost beat a guy to a pulp because he was refusing to cooperate on a questioning," Helena scoffed.
"What?" Claire answered with wide eyes. "That's not your style..."
"He was being uncollaborative," Leon shrugged. "And I was running out of patience. Let's say I just gave him a little incentive."
"Oh, you need to stop hanging out so much with Chris," Claire said, shaking her head, "and Barry. They are passing you their bad habits."
"I'm just taking tips from my brother-in-law," Leon snorted. The agent leaned over and kissed her head.
"Bad tips," Claire said, shaking her head. "Don't be like Chris. Most of the things don't get fixed by punching them."
"I am sure Chris disagrees."
"Well, don't listen to Chris's opinion," Claire shrugged. "I'm the smart Redfield."
"I know, "Leon laughed. "It's a general rule that I should always listen to my wife, especially when she's pregnant."
"Is this the part where they get all corny and disgusting?" Helena asked.
"You tell me," Saya replied. " One is a pregnant woman with hormonal fluctuations, and the other is a man who just found out his wife is pregnant and hasn't seen her in weeks."
"You two stop gossiping on our backs," Leon said, chuckling. "We can hear everything."
"That's the point," Saya winked.
Claire rolled her eyes. Her gaze wandered back to the bunch of papers she had been reading before Leon and Helena arrived. She should get back to work.
"What's that?" Helena asked curiously.
"The results from the analysis we were running before hell broke loose..."
"And the baby made an appearance..." Saya added.
"Yeah," Claire said, glaring at her friend. "The parasite Obares is the same as the one on the cows. Did you find any parasites in those animals you checked?"
"Yeah, the same cysts and worms. I think it is safe to say those are related."
"So the cause of the aggressiveness is parasitic," Leon said.
Claire nodded her head as she flipped through the papers.
"Most likely. However, there are traces of viral RNA, too. It's too early to say, but it looks like it might be T-Lyssa and T-Morpheus. I'm afraid you might be right, Leon. Mobius might have a hand on this."
"Yeah, now you see why I am worried," Leon said, looking at her meaningfully.
"So the three cases you analyzed were positive for LysMorph?" Helena asked.
"Two, we can't confirm the third since we don't have enough power to run the test. The odds imply that might be the case though."
"Two out of three is more than enough confirmation to me..." Leon said. "Mobius is surely behind this, and it was probably deliberate."
"But why?" Claire asked.
"Do you think it is a coincidence that there's an attack in the city you were staying at?" Leon asked her.
"If I had been their target, they just needed to send an alpha. Why send some animals out of control? That panther tried to kill me."
"Maybe they gave up trying to get you alive," Saya suggested. "Of course, that will change now that the olive is in the picture."
"What do you keep calling it an olive?" Helena asked.
"Because right now, it is the size of an olive," Saya shrugged.
Claire ignored the random trivia fact and continued looking through her papers.
"No, I don't think this particular instance was deliberate. I think it might have been an accidental release," Claire said. "You said you had evidence to think Mobius was using Luziâçari as a testing ground, right?"
"Yeah, we recovered footage about a monster attack on a village that we could track back to this location."
"We need a map..." Claire said. She walked to one of the shelves and brought out a folded map of the region. "Luziâçari is a town here."
Claire drew a circle in the northern part of the map. It was a forestry area and the town was isolated by the jungle. It wasn't too far from their current location.
"I was there seven years ago, during a Yellow Fever outbreak. There are only four villages there, all of them natives. None of them have reported cases, and Dhriti visited them two days ago, right?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Are you sure it is Luziâçari?"
"Yeah, we are sure."
"How did you find out? Did the footage say the location?" Saya asked.
"No, but Claire told us," Leon answered.
"What?"
Leon took out his phone and showed her a set of pictures that Claire immediately recognized as the photos that Hunnigan had sent her some days prior.
"Hey, that's..."
"You told Hunnigan where to find this," Leon answered. "That's how we linked it to Luziâçari."
"So that's why she asked so randomly," Claire sighed. "I just thought she took me for a botany encyclopedia and she wanted some exotic plants. Heliconia fleuris grows in Luziâçari, yes, but only in the skirts of Pico Madeiros, here..."
Claire said drawing an "X" on a spot northeast to where she had first drawn the circle.
"That's almost next to Mapiripana," Helena said, looking at Leon with wide eyes.
"What?"
"That was the place where we started our mission. The base of the Malabrisas Cartel was in that area," Leon explained.
"You were messing with a cartel?" Claire said, looking at him with a frown.
"It's irrelevant," Leon said, shaking his head. "We found out the Malabrisas were providing an unnamed organization, most likely Mobius, with people in exchange for drugs and weapons."
"Human trafficking?" Saya asked.
"I'd love to say I'm surprised," Claire sighed. "But I'm not. That's pretty common around here, especially between cartels. Many men and women in this region end up tangled in illegal activities…"
"Is that common?"
"Sadly," Saya sighed. "Prostitution, drug smuggling… the risks are high, but so is the payment. Many of the locals end up doing stuff like that out of desperation or leaving the country to find work."
Suddenly, Claire remembered something.
"Wait…" Claire said suddenly. "Where did Ms. Obares worked before she began showing symptoms?"
"Colombia..." Saya said in realization. "Oh! You don't think…"
Could it be? Obares could have been linked with the Malabrisas Cartel, who Leon had been chasing for the past three months. If that was the case, it would explain how she had been exposed to the injection.
"I don't know, but it's worth checking," Claire sighed. "Ask Dhriti if she has information on what was Ms. Obares working on."
"Right away…"
Saya spun on her heels and walked out of the office at a quick pace. Leon and Helena turned to Claire who was once again writing on one of the boards.
"Uhm, who is Ms. Obares again?" Helena asked.
"Alana Obares," Claire said, crossing her arms, watching at the board where she had been tracing the infection timeline. "She was our first possible human case. She died a little before this chaos began, and came back to life soon after."
"Zombie?" Leon asked.
"More or less," Claire shrugged. "She was from a village east of here, but presumably, she'd been in Colombia for work, and returned here due health issues. Her health began to decline fast, after arrival, and her symptoms were similar to those seen on the cattle."
"Cortes said the Malabrisas were providing their sponsors with people who more or less went willingly," Leon said, standing next to her and staring at the board. "He didn't say they were colombians. What's the chance they brought in illegal people from neighboring countries?"
"Honestly, chances are high. Ms. Obares could have been courting with the cartels for a while without telling anyone, yet, that's need a stronger link."
Leon gave her a meaningful look and she sighed. There were too many questions, and Claire wasn't sure if they had time to find their answers.