Bruh, this chapter should be no more than 5,000 words long. That was the expected... but now it's over 9,000... hahaha "IT'S OVER 9000!" (Where are all my Dragon ball fans?)
Anyway, this chapter was much longer than it should have been, and I'm tired, so enjoy it, I hope you like it, because I'm going to sleep. I'm off.
The gears started to move.
Silence lingered in the dark room, the flashes of light coming from the big screen the only noticeable movements. The recording had no audio, taken from what was left of the airport's security cameras.
The recording showed the specific target, the specimen of curiosity and intrigue for years, but which only now had better evidence, much more detailed sightings. It was no wonder that the whole thing had gone off the rails, and had taken him by surprise too.
An inconvenience that worked in his favor.
Wesker rested the side of his chin on his closed fist, his arm resting on the arm of the chair. Despite his expressionless face, his eyes were hidden by his sunglasses.
The recordings of the confrontations with the Lickers were clearly evident. The fight against the huge infected wasn't as detailed, but it showed enough.
Wesker straightened up in his chair and picked up the mouse next to his keyboard. He stopped the recording and dragged it to the monitor on his right. A small sigh escaped his lips.
That... man... that agent... was nothing but an inconvenience... a dangerous inconvenience that had been a stone in his shoe for a long time.
"What do you think?" His voice broke the silence, and although he didn't turn completely around, he turned his face to the side, towards his companion.
"I think we're already familiar with these moves." Ada replied, her arms still crossed and her back against the wall.
"Just as I thought." Wesker said, opening the image of a man with a Gas mask and a machete stuck in a Hunter's chest. "They're connected."
"Maybe we should congratulate them. They've done what an entire country couldn't." Ada said, approaching the man and stopping right next to him, watching the information that appeared on the screen.
"A pointless fight, they're wasting all that energy for nothing." Wesker said, causing Ada to arch an eyebrow.
"Are you sure? They ruined a lot of our plans and came very close to discovering us. In comparison, we only now have more information about them, thanks to an inconvenience." Ada said, her eyes riveted on the man next to her as a smile formed on her lips. Teasing someone who claimed to be superior to humans was fun. She hated his arrogance and superiority.
"How obstinate to provoke me. Futile attempts." He said, but Ada simply shrugged. "Even so, they didn't change the outcome. We have images of their helicopter entering and leaving the area as well as audio of radio calls. Six minutes later, it was spotted heading towards the ocean." The images appeared on the screen, and a track was made via satellite.
"Their helicopter has no identification. But the direction the helicopter came from, along with the time it took them to reach the city, is enough. They're somewhere around here." He said, and the map zoomed out to the Pacific Ocean, showing some islands around the place.
"They headed south... it's likely they're on these islands." Albert said, getting up from his chair while still looking at the map.
"So, what's the plan?" The woman asked, watching Albert turn and walk out of the room.
"We're going to pay a little visit." He replied, and in response, the woman put a hand on her waist.
"What about my payment?" Albert stopped just outside the door. "You haven't forgotten, have you?" she asked lightly.
"It'll be in your account tomorrow morning." That was all Albert said, before opening the door and leaving the room, leaving Ada to her own thoughts.
She turned her gaze to the numerous screens in front of her, her eyes fixed on one figure in particular. The blonde woman standing next to her newest target. The woman was young, but what caught her attention was that she was extremely familiar.
She had seen her before... for sure.
Claire sighed slightly as she got out of the car, her eyes scanning Chris's house with a certain weariness. She still hadn't finished her work, she still had a report to do, she still had to talk to Neil about everything, and these little tasks alone prevented her from really relaxing.
She was anxious, perhaps because she had survived yet another outbreak, perhaps because Sherry had survived, but left with scars and traumas that had certainly marked her.
With a sigh, she put her hands in the pockets of her jacket and walked towards the entrance. Before she arrived, she grabbed a piece of gum and started chewing, just before she pressed the doorbell.
She heard footsteps approaching. Light footsteps, but not as light as Sherry's. Jill, more than certain. She also heard Chris complain that she was late and Sherry laugh a little at the frown on his face.
The door opened and Jill greeted her with a smile, then pulled her into a hug.
"Hey, Claire. Good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Jill." Claire replied halfway through the hug, pulling away a few moments later.
"I'm glad you and Sherry are okay. Come on, it's time Chris stopped complaining." She said with a smile, and Claire went inside, closing the door soon after and walking towards the kitchen.
Chris's house was nothing fancy. Not because he couldn't afford it, but because, in the older Redfield's words, it was unnecessary. And if Claire was honest with herself, the simplicity of the house really suited him.
The neutral tones, the simple and even old furniture. Everything was done in a way that emphasized practicality. It was just like him.
"Finally. Did you get lost on the way here?" He teased. In response, she just pointed her middle finger in his direction.
"She went to see Neil." Sherry teased too, and Claire feigned an expression of betrayal.
"What, that guy again?" Chris, for his part, just got serious. "I don't know what you see in him."
"Chris, he's a good man." She said, sitting down in the chair next to Sherry and watching Jill sit down next to Chris.
"A good man who looks like he's going to be knocked over by the wind. Have you seen the size of his arm? It's skinnier than yours."
"Oh, Chris, really? Not everyone is a muscle freak like you." Jill joked.
"He doesn't have to be my size or weigh more than 100 kg. But taking care of your own body is everyone's obligation... one that that guy doesn't fulfill. If he doesn't take care of what is most sacred, which is his body, how can I trust him to take care of Claire?" Chris explained, crossing his arms in front of his chest, making Claire roll her eyes.
"I think I can take care of myself, Chris." She said.
"Yeah, and when you can't?"
"Shall we get straight to the point?" Sherry interrupted the little discussion, even though she agreed with Chris. "So, Chris, why did you call us here?"
The older Redfield sighed and ran his hand through his short hair, glancing at the woman next to him.
"We found the last place Wesker was. India." Jill leaned her arms on the table as he spoke. "The local authorities are having some problems with an outbreak in the region. The BSAA will be offering support. In the meantime, Jill and I will go after him."
"Do you already have a specific location in mind?" Sherry asked, and Chris nodded.
"He was spotted near Bangladesh seven days ago. The footage shows him getting into a car and heading down a road that leads to an isolated mansion." Jill answered for him, and Claire ran a hand down her neck.
She hated that, those moments when he pulls her to a secluded spot and tells her he's off on yet another dangerous mission. But if she took into account two days earlier, perhaps she had no right to complain.
This mission was different, however. Wesker wasn't like any other infected. He certainly wasn't like the monster he saw in Harvardville. Those monsters always had a weakness, Wesker had none.
"When are you going?" Sherry asked when she noticed Claire's silence.
"In three days." Chris replied.
"Just the two of you?" Claire asked, concern evident in her voice.
"The fewer people there are, the less attention we'll attract." Jill said.
"We only called you here to warn you beforehand. Everything is already prepared, we already have confirmation and we'll be monitored at all times until the end of the mission." Chris said, leaning his torso forward and resting his arms on the table.
"What if he knows you're going?" Claire asked.
"I don't think that's the case." Chris replied.
"Why not? If an unknown organization has access to our data, why wouldn't Wesker?"
"Claire, we have to do this. We have to eliminate him as soon as possible."
"Do you remember what happened the last time you saw him?" Claire asked, raising her voice a little, something that only happened in situations of extreme nervousness.
"It won't be like that time. I won't be alone. And I've prepared something special for him in the meantime." Chris said, but it was obvious that Claire didn't buy it one bit.
"Chris, are you sure about this? Wesker, he's... he's on a different level." Sherry said, also worried, but more reserved than the woman next to her.
"Yes. Wesker has to die. The sooner, the better. I don't even want to think about what might happen if he accomplishes whatever he's planning." Chris said firmly, in the same way that everyone there was used to when his mind was focused on something.
He wasn't going to back down.
They were silent for a few moments, each trapped in their own thoughts, wondering what to say, or how to go from there.
"Do you think he knows that?" Claire asked after a while, causing a slight expression of confusion around her.
"Who? The masked guy?" Jill asked. "Chris told me."
"I don't know. We didn't make that plan at the BSAA base, as a precaution. But I have no idea if they know or not." Chris said, and Claire and Sherry exchanged a few silent glances.
Deep down, as crazy as it sounded, they would feel a little more at ease if he went along. Wesker was an extremely dangerous enemy, and he was a very skilled agent who would be a great help.
They felt strange to think that they would want the help of a complete stranger.
"... Okay. I agree that it's something that has to be done... but I still have to say it. Be careful. Both of you." Claire said after a defeated sigh. She knew there was nothing she could do about it.
"It's good that you accepted quickly." Chris said, a little more relieved. He was prepared for a little argument, it was good that it hadn't come to that.
"I didn't accept, but there's nothing to be done." Claire said. "... I think I deserve to have my dinner paid for tonight, at least."
Chris laughed.
"Done." Chris said with a small smile, getting up shortly afterwards and heading for his cell phone on the counter.
Japanese food. Chris didn't like it much, but it was one of Claire's favorite foods. And she made a point of eating a lot of it. Making him spend more money than usual was her form of punishment for going on what could very well be his last job.
The woman returned home calmly. Sherry would stay the night, one of Chris's conditions after she left on a mission without telling him. Her face showed how tired she was, both from the latest events, the news and the time - it was already past midnight.
The radio in her car was playing a random song on one of the radio channels. She didn't feel much like listening to what she liked, she wasn't feeling very well at the moment. Thoughts, mostly negative, invaded her mind.
She tried her best to push them away, trying to convince herself that all the jobs he had done, and would hopefully do, were and would be dangerous. Some more than others. It was part of their lives. She just couldn't stop worrying. She probably never would.
With a sigh, the girl pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building. After parking the car, she walked towards the entrance, waving to Theo at the reception desk as she walked towards the elevator.
"Claire." A voice called out to her left from the waiting area, and as she turned, she smiled in surprise to see Neil approaching at a calm pace. "Took you long enough. I tried to call you, but you weren't answering."
"Yeah, sorry, I... I was at my brother's. It was an important meeting, I didn't pick up my cell phone until now." She explained, pressing the button on the panel and waiting for the elevator. "How long have you been waiting for me? Should I be worried?"
He smiled.
"Well, maybe, I think it's been an hour. I didn't have time to talk to you after the incident. I was worried, they said you were attacked by that monster." He said, getting into the elevator next to her. His tone was one of concern, and Claire smiled a little sheepishly.
"I'm fine, it'll take more than a monster to kill me. The worst thing is thinking about all those lives lost and people hurt." She replied, sighing a little at the thought.
"And what about Sherry. She got stuck at the airport, didn't she? It's a miracle she made it out intact." He said, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants.
"She's fine too. A bit shaken up like me, but she's a resilient girl. Unfortunately, Salina died." She said in a tearful tone, and then turned her face towards the man when she felt his hand on her shoulder, comforting her.
"I heard... poor girl. She didn't deserve that. No one did." He said as he gently squeezed the woman's shoulder. In response, Claire just leaned her head on his shoulder, and they both left the elevator after the doors opened.
"I don't know... sometimes I wonder if I could have done more. I'm sure she feels the same way." She said as they walked.
They walked down the corridor to Claire's apartment.
"You're tired, Claire. Go and rest, you've been through a lot." He said, taking a step away from the girl and undoing the little "hug".
Claire bowed her head slightly. She wanted to feel something other than what she was feeling at the moment. And it was at moments like this that her superhuman senses came in very handy.
"Stay with me tonight." She said after a while in silence, holding Neil's hand firmly but not tightly.
They stared at each other for a few moments, until the man closed the space between them and kissed her with a certain voracity. His lips were hurried and strong against hers, and Claire kissed him in the same way as she tried to open the door to her apartment.
When she succeeded, she practically pushed him inside and, in response, he closed the door, pressing her against it.
Claire gasped at the feel of her back against the wood and moaned slyly at the feel of his hands roaming her curves.
She moved her hands under his shirt as she felt his lips against her neck. That night, she wanted to feel something pleasant, she needed to release all the anguish that had been trapped inside her for so long.
As she felt his hands explore her body, without her realizing it, her attention turned to something. From somewhere in the corner of the room, she heard someone else's heartbeat. The thought that there was someone there made her whole body alert
"Wait, Neil... wait." She said between gasps, moving a few centimeters away from the man and holding him by the arms.
"What? What is it?" he asked as he looked in the same direction as her. An expression of confusion on his face.
"There's someone here." She said, slowly moving a few steps away from the man. Neil was obviously confused, but his confusion was completely ignored by the woman, who was approaching the place where the heartbeats were coming from with her hand wrapped around the handle of her gun.
It all happened so quickly. From the curtain, a figure moved. Her reflexes were fast, but whatever it was, it took her by surprise with its speed. The woman was knocked back by something strong, feeling a slight sting in her neck.
Loud footsteps were heard, and behind her, a thud hit the ground. She turned around, and her eyes widened as she saw Neil lying there, apparently unconscious. Right in front of him was his attacker.
"Hello, Redfield. Long time no see." She recognized the voice immediately, and a shiver ran down her spine as she saw the face of the man she thought was dead.
"Krauser..." His name came out almost in a whisper. He had injected her with something, her body was heavy, and her eyes were closing. Even so, she could see the smug smile on his face.
"Wow, you look hot. Looking a bit tired, though." He said, kneeling down next to her. "Believe me, I wouldn't mind staying and enjoying the show you were about to put on with that guy, but I've got work to do."
"I thought... you were dead." She said, becoming increasingly disoriented.
"Does it matter?" He asked, shrugging. "The other girl isn't with you... shit... anyway, only you will do." He said, standing up and taking a radio from his waistband.
"Alex, do you copy?" Krauser asked, and Claire rolled over on the floor in an attempt to get up. Useless, of course, but she had to at least try.
"Yes. Report." A woman's voice caught Claire's attention, and she turned her gaze to where the man was standing. Her vision was already blurring, and she felt like she was going to faint at any moment.
"Target acquired. The blonde wasn't with her, though." He said, kneeling down next to Claire and tying her wrists together.
"A shame, but she alone will be enough." The woman said. "You've done well. I'll send you the coordinates, your sample will be with my people." Krauser laughed a little, and his laugh was the last thing Claire heard before she fainted.
"That's great. Out."
Both agents were walking through the dark cave, their path illuminated by the lanterns on their shoulders. The place was abandoned. Nothing, no one, not a single animal, had entered there in some time.
After a while, they reached a part of the cave that descended for a few meters. Without saying anything, Hunk went ahead, sliding along the ground until he reached the end of the drop. Ghost followed close behind.
They walked for a few more minutes until they came to a small fissure in the wall. They looked at each other for a few seconds before sneaking through the crack.
The area they came to was large, still part of the cave, but much more open. There were a few vehicles parked in front of a staircase that led to the entrance of the safe house. There was no one there for the moment.
They put their rifles on their backs and walked calmly to the entrance. They were wearing a gray military outfit with some black details that went from their shirts to their pants. They didn't wear their characteristic masks, however, they wore a hyper-realistic face mask of two ordinary-looking men and contact lenses that changed the color of the irises of their eyes and wigs.
Ghost was a man approaching forty, with brown eyes and a dot next to his mouth, a scar on his nose and short light brown hair.
Hunk was a man of the same age, also approaching forty, with black hair and green eyes. He had a scar on his left temple.
As soon as they approached the entrance, Ghost took a card from his pocket and placed it in front of the scanner. The panel glowed green in a whistle and the huge iron doors opened.
The first thing they saw were two other men in similar clothes, standing on opposite sides of the door with rifles in their hands. They approached the two guards who raised a small device towards them and scanned them from top to bottom.
The device beeped and they checked it; shortly afterwards, the guards nodded and granted passage to the two agents. Ghost pressed a button on a device hidden by his shirt at his waist, and a few moments after they started walking, Hunk turned and shot at both guards with his silenced weapon, hitting them both with great accuracy in the head.
They walked down the long corridor for some time, until they both separated. Hunk turned right and Ghost walked straight on.
He pressed the button on the device at his waist and put his back against the wall a few steps from a double door ahead. He waited for a few seconds and as soon as the panel on the wall next to the door changed to green, he walked to the door, which opened as he approached.
The lights in the room went out and the lenses in his eyes glowed dimly as he activated his night vision. His steps were quick and silent, as were his movements.
He approached one of the guards in front of him and killed him quickly, plunging his knife into the side of his neck and following him to the ground. He then approached the second and did the same, running his eyes around just before moving to the door on his left.
It was an experiment room. There were some subjects in water tanks, mutations present in their bodies, but still incomplete.
"Ghost to HQ, come in." He spoke into his radio after entering the room, the emergency lights were on, leaving the wide expanse of subjects visible, some of them wrapped in something black, a kind of tentacle that moved slowly through their mutating bodies.
The agent glanced at his radio... HQ still hadn't responded, and that had never happened before.
"Ghost to HQ, do you copy?" He asked again, but all he heard was static. That didn't smell right to him, something was wrong.
From the side of his tactical vest, he took a plastic explosive and stuck it into one of the water tanks.
"Ghost to Reaper, come in." He tried his partner, waiting for him to respond as he walked towards the computers in the corner of the room. He took a USB stick from one of his pockets and plugged it into the input. The screen of the system created by William's men for Hacking appeared, and after entering the password, he just waited for the files to be copied and exported.
"Ghost to Reaper. Come in, reaper." He tried again, a strange sensation ran down his spine, making him turn around.
There was no one there. The other guards were still far away from the room. Something was wrong, this had never happened before.
And, like every time he felt this way, something really was wrong. The lights came back on in the blink of an eye, the doors that had once been open were now locked again, including the door to the room he was in.
Electronic doors... his new greatest enemy... sometimes he hated them.
"Well, look how things turned out." A voice came from behind him, and Ghost turned around with a certain weariness. Nothing could ever be easy in his life, could it?
On the central computer monitor, Albert Wesker stood with a sideways smile, staring at him. Sometimes he hated being right.
"If it isn't Albert Wesker. The reason for my existence, literally." Ghost said, taking a few slow steps closer to the monitor.
"What an honor to hear that." He said in a neutral voice, and this, for some reason, irritated the agent. "You've been a pain in my ass, as you must know. It took me a while, I admit, but the outcome was already foreseen."
"That's something I agree with. This will end with my knife in your chest. You'll die with your little Nazi experiment. As you should know." Ghost said, crossing his arms.
Albert, for his part, laughed with a certain disdain, clearly in provocation.
"I didn't think you were a comedian. This ends here. The subjects you have with you are unfinished, a failure, so to speak. But they're as deadly as an infected G-virus. I would have finished you off myself, but I had to pay a visit to my dear brother William."
Wesker's words made Ghost turn serious in the blink of an eye, something the man noticed perfectly. His posture straightened and his eyes shone a cold blue, masked by the lenses.
"Uuuhhh, why so serious? Can't you take a... joke?" Ghost completely ignored what he had said.
If Wesker found out where the hideout is, then forget it, they're gone. The organization was down. And that was worrying, to say the least. Desperate, even.
All the information...
Ghost closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No, they had a plan for that too, William was clever. However, he had to hope that his team and Walter were alive or had managed to escape. If the base was discovered, they could still do their job. But without them, it was almost impossible.
"I don't care a bit about William, I was already planning to kill him myself. But know that I value the lives of my men. If they're dead, I can guarantee that I'll be much more than just an inconvenience." He said, his voice cold, and there was no threat. Just a description of what would happen.
"Now, you and I both know that this talk is pointless. You've done well for a bunch of humans. Very well if you take my brother's failure into account. But this has gone on long enough."
Ghost looked away after hearing the water tanks open. The grunts of the infected soon filled the room, and Ghost cocked his head to one side.
"Aww, you released your prisoners just to talk to me? You didn't have to." Wesker laughed a little.
"Consider it a gift from my... good heart." With that, the monitor went out, and the computer was switched off.
Ghost sighed and picked up the pendrive in the hope that he had obtained some useful information. But he would worry about that later.
He turned to the approaching creatures. There were too many. No chance of him killing them all.
"Attention, self-destruct alert. Please, everyone still in the enclosure, make your way to the exit immediately." Ghost rolled his eyes in annoyance. But of course the lab was going to self-destruct.
The first infected who approached seemed to have his limbs sewn together. Its skin was grayish and it had a blade at the end of each of its arms.
Ghost raised his rifle and shot the infected in the head while taking a few steps back. There was glass in the room, most likely armored. Good thing he had explosives with him.
The creature's head exploded into blood, but it continued walking towards him, causing Ghost to raise his eyebrows.
"That's all I needed." He complained quietly, firing at the creature's torso, which was still approaching, seeming not to feel the shots. The infected man's torso also exploded in blood, but it continued walking nonetheless.
The creature attacked after getting close enough, a sideways attack from above. Ghost was quicker and dodged by ducking and throwing his torso to the side, kicking the creature's leg in the process and bringing it to its knees.
However, before he could do anything, another infected jumped towards him. Ghost dodged it by throwing his body forward and rolling on the ground.
This infected looked more... human. Its eyes were red, its skin pale and its left arm missing. However, it seemed to have intelligence. Ghost affirmed this when he saw the infected turn around and rip off one of the other's arms from behind, using the blade present as a weapon.
The ease with which it tore off that limb showed that it had superhuman strength.
Ghost snapped the bones in his neck. Many infected were approaching, and some began to run towards him.
He advanced towards the infected man, who immediately tried to pierce the agent's body with the blade of his arm. However, the agent sidestepped by throwing his torso to the side and countered with a punch to the face, followed by a kick to the leg that brought the infected man to its knees and, finally, he plunged the knife on the end of his rifle into its head, kicking its motionless body forward.
He quickly turned to the other infected and shot what he could, aiming more at the destroyed torso. However, no matter how much he shot, the creature simply wouldn't go down.
"Is that thing immortal?" He asked no one in particular, dodging yet another attack. He then took a grenade from his vest and threw it at the creature's feet, at the same time as another of the infected people approached.
The grenade exploded, causing the creature with the stitched limbs to stagger to the side and the infected humanoid to be thrown against the wall.
It was only then that Ghost saw a yellow ball on the creature's right leg. Without a second thought, he fired at the apparent weak point, and after the pus ball exploded, the creature fell to the ground and remained there, motionless.
The agent found this curious. But his attention was caught by the roar of something strange. He watched uncertainly as the heads of the two infected humanoids exploded and a kind of tentacle appeared in its place. The tentacle was thick and very large, with a large sharp blade at the end.
"Damn, Wesker. Packed with bizarre little bugs." He muttered to himself as he shot those tentacles. The bodies approached, and one of them attacked him. A horizontal attack. It was fast, and certainly strong enough to decapitate a human.
He dodged as he crouched and threw himself towards both bodies. He knocked down the first and kicked the second, but before he could make the next move, he was forced to dodge when something flew towards him.
He threw his body to one side and turned back as he saw that... thing crash into the wall. It looked like something made of pus with some black maggots that moved like fervent worms.
What caught his eye, however, was the smoke that rose. It was a kind of acid...
"Look, you're leaving me no choice." He said as he dodged another blow from the tentacle, and counterattacked by unloading the clip into the thing, destroying it.
Just then, however, he heard a familiar roar.
Lickers... why always Lickers?
Those were a bit different. Their necks were thicker and more protected by the extra layer of muscle.
With no choice, Leon ran back to a significantly safe distance and, without waiting, he pressed the c-4 button.
The c-4 exploded, killing all the infected nearby and throwing those further away backwards, including Ghost, who grunted as he felt his back hit the wall.
He shook his head and put his arm on the ground to stop himself from falling. The noise of the explosion hurt his ears a little, but he recovered quickly.
Sighing, he raised his head and stood up, there were still many infected alive. He quickly walked over to the bulletproof glass window and glued another plastic explosive to it.
Two humanoid infected ran towards him and attacked him. He dodged by throwing himself backwards. Quickly, he picked up his knife and plunged its blade into one of their heads. Shortly afterwards, he turned his body and landed a kick on the head of the other, and proceeded to pick up his knife and kill the infected without wasting any time.
He moved away again and pressed the button, again killing and throwing the infected backwards.
Ghost growled in anger and frustration as he felt a piece of glass stick in his lower back. He would never get out of these missions unscathed, would he?
"Two minutes to self-destruct, please, everyone in the facility make your way to the exit immediately."
Shaking his head, Ghost throws a stun grenade and leaves the room.
He starts walking as fast as he can towards the corridor. He had to check on Hunk. As he walked, he grunted as he pulled the piece of glass from his body. He felt blood trickle down his skin, but quickly used the special spray that was in one of his vest pockets. The spray closed the wound and helped it heal. A kind of white paste that helped stop the bleeding and sealed the cut. It was better than stitching, and took a lot less time.
He walked towards where Hunk had gone, and his eyes focused on a large metal door that was open. Or rather, broken down.
He entered the room and came to a place that resembled a testing area. It was large, several floors down, and there was Hunk, shooting at a group of Hunters.
"Hunk!" he shouted for his partner, who turned his head slightly to one side, indicating that he had heard his shout. "Come on, we've got to get out of here!"
He shouted. He knew that the man could get away without much effort.
However, with a minute to go before he self-destructed, the entire floor shook. Ghost looked around as he heard the sound of explosions, and his eyes went up as he saw a piece of the ceiling start to fall.
Hunk also noticed. He quickly turned around and shot one of the Hunters in the leg. He then used the creature as a stepping stone and jumped over another creature while throwing a stun grenade to the ground.
The grenade exploded and he ran through the Hunters.
The laboratory shook again, and part of the laboratory staircase was destroyed, falling a few steps beside the agent.
"There's another way out this way! GO! See you at the meeting point!" Hunk shouted, and without waiting for an answer, he turned and started running in a specific direction.
Ghost clucked his tongue but did the same. He didn't need to worry about him, he knew very well that Hunk would be fine. He was too skilled to die in a laboratory like that.
He turned and started running towards the exit, taking off his hyper-realistic mask in the process and putting on his skull mask. He had missed it, he admitted.
"Thirty seconds to self-destruct. Please-"
He ran to the huge door of the entrance and stuck two plastic explosives on it, just in case.
He stepped back and pressed the button. The huge explosion shook the entire laboratory, pieces of the door were violently thrown sideways, and a large cloud of smoke remained at the site of the explosion.
He wasted no time and ran out of the lab, just in time to avoid the explosion. The whole floor shook, the noise was almost deafening. The fire and the impact rushed at the agent who was running out of the cave, throwing him away when it finally hit him.
Ghost rolled on the ground a few times, feeling dazed for a few moments. The cave began to collapse, the ceiling falling dangerously close, and he rolled his eyes. It was getting annoying.
He ran as the destruction took hold, as fast as he could, feeling a few smaller pieces hit his back.
Gritting his teeth slightly, he leapt forward after seeing the exit from the cave, and rolled across the floor as everything collapsed.
The agent gasped a few times. It was always like this.
"Argh... damn... maybe I should start writing down how many labs I've activated the self-destruct and narrowly escaped. I must have broken some records by now, for sure." He muttered to himself, shaking his head and feeling his senses slowly returning.
After a sigh, he started to get up from the ground. However, before he could stand completely upright, he grunted in pain and surprise as he felt something pierce his shoulder and hit him several times in the vest and his leg. The sounds of gunfire echoed nearby, and a shiver ran through his body.
He turned and ran towards anywhere that could provide a bit of cover, and soon he threw himself behind a large rock.
Adrenaline coursed through his body, inhibiting his pain. Not that it would last long, he soon drank a mixture of herbs and threw the bottle aside.
He groaned hoarsely. Oh, he was getting more and more annoyed. It certainly wasn't his day.
"Look, I have to give Wesker credit. He's always prepared." A familiar voice came from not far away. A voice he knew well.
Oh, sure, he'd never forget the woman who kicked his ass years ago. The FBI agent who was actually a mercenary.
Ah, perfect timing. He was having a shitty day, he was pissed off and, by chance, he had never forgotten that fight. He wanted a rematch.
Oh, and how he wanted it...
He took a stun grenade from his ballistic vest and quickly threw it towards where it was.
He heard something like a grunt and the grenade exploded. He quickly stood up and raised his rifle, firing in the woman's direction. His first bullets hit her arm, which reflexively dropped the gun and started running sideways, towards a parked car that certainly hadn't been there before.
The agent put the rifle on his back and picked up a grenade, removing the pin as he walked towards the vehicle. After two seconds, he threw the grenade under the car, and the woman was forced to move.
The grenade exploded, destroying part of the car and throwing a few pieces of metal and glass sideways. She grunted, but managed to flee the area of the explosion.
Unfortunately for her, she ran in the direction where the agent was already waiting for her, and after having her gun kicked out of her hand, she was hit by a strong punch to the face, which sent her crashing to the ground.
The woman grunts and grumbles as she feels blood in her mouth, but quickly reacts and, turning her body, tries to kick her attacker. The agent had expected the attack and dodged it by throwing his torso backwards, countering with a kick that Ada dodged by backflipping and standing up.
She gasped a few times and looked at where her rifle and pistol were, before staring at the masked man in front of her. His blue eyes stared into hers, they were cold but bright, and she could see an angry blue flame in her direction. With his hands, he played with his knife.
He looked bigger now up close, and she couldn't help arching an eyebrow when she saw that the bullet wounds weren't bothering him.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Why, you could use that gun behind your back. But I see you prefer up close and personal, don't you?" She asked, also picking up her knife.
Ghost snorted, knives were his specialty.
"A new way of asking for my attention. If you wanted to touch me, you could have just asked." She teased him a little, as she always did, and the way she had imagined, he just advanced towards her.
He tried a slashing horizontal attack. An attack which Ada deftly deflected, and countered with a piercing attack towards his neck.
Ghost, for his part, threw his torso slightly to one side and swung his arm, blocking her attack with his own knife. The impact was strong enough to send her arm sideways.
He was strong.
She turned her body and tried a kick to his stomach. However, the man dodged and countered with a combo of punches to the woman's face. First a straight right, which the woman dodged by throwing her head and part of her torso to the side. Then he continued with a left cross, which Ada dodged by crouching down, and countered with a vertical blow from below with the knife. This blow the man deflected.
She then tried a horizontal blow, which the man blocked by putting his fist against hers, and he quickly landed a kick to the woman's stomach, who grunted and bent over in pain as she felt the force behind the blow.
She was fast, but he was faster.
Ada grunted in frustration and anger and spun her body around again to attempt a swipe at the man, who dodged it by taking a step back. However, Ada took advantage of the momentum of her movement, raised herself on her right leg and landed a kick to the side of the man's body, followed by a horizontal attack with the knife.
Ghost was hit by the kick, but managed to dodge the slashing attack, feeling his face being grazed, and he took two steps back.
"Will you take me seriously now?" She asked in a provocative tone, and Ghost just cocked his head to one side and snorted in disdain.
She was skilled... but he was no longer that rookie cop. She was strong, but he was stronger.
She was tough, but he was more.
No matter how skilled she thought she was, he outperformed her... he trained for it...
He was better.
She was nothing.
He tried to pierce her with his knife, but she sidestepped and countered with a side kick to his stomach, followed by a kick to the back of his knee and then, to finish, she did a backflip and landed a kick to his chin, sending him staggering back a few steps.
Ghost grunted... but didn't fall, he lowered his head, tasting his blood in his mouth. She was good, that much was undeniable.
Unfortunately...
In one swift step, he advanced towards her with his knife aimed at her neck. Ada dodged as she ducked, only to be met by his knee to her face, followed by a right punch.
She grunted and felt blood trickle from her mouth, but then turned her body and landed a kick to the man's chest, only to be hit by a punch to the side of her abdomen. The pain was immediate, and she kicked the man away to gain space while taking two steps back.
He was as good as they had thought. But there was something about him... a feeling that made her uneasy. It wasn't just that he was good, she felt as if she had seen those eyes before.
Angry, determined eyes... they were very familiar.
Whatever it was, her situation wasn't very good. It was obvious that he was well trained in hand-to-hand combat and had mastered that knife. She doubted she could beat him fairly.
"Watch your eyes." She hummed as she showed him one of the stun grenades she had stolen from his ballistic vest. The agent, for his part, widened his eyes slightly. He hadn't even seen her do it.
She threw the grenade on the ground and walked away while covering her ears and closing her eyes. The grenade then exploded, catching the agent off guard.
Ada then rushed forward and tried to plunge her knife into the man's neck. However, he blocked the attack with both hands and, with a hammer-fist, struck just above her fist, forcing the woman to drop the knife and punched her in the stomach.
The woman bent over in a grunt of pain, but in a quick burst of adrenaline, she jumped up and spun her body around, hitting a powerful kick to the side of the man's neck, sending him to the ground a few steps to one side. He tried to get up, but she was quicker and kicked him in the face, leaving him dazed, giving her time to turn and run for her gun.
However, as soon as she grabbed her pistol and turned around, she was hit by a kick to the face, and the gun was violently knocked out of her hand.
Ghost looked at that with a certain gratification in his chest. Last time, it was him on the ground. Now he could do what he hadn't done that day.
However, before he could put an end to it, heavy gunfire began to hit the ground a few paces away, and he glanced briefly at the helicopter approaching the scene.
Ghost clicked his tongue in annoyance and started running towards some cover while Ada crawled over and picked up her pistol again.
She stood up and watched as the helicopter lowered itself while still firing at the man behind a stone wall.
She got into the helicopter as soon as it was low enough and signaled for the pilot to get out.
As soon as the helicopter took off and stopped firing, Ghost came out of hiding and started firing, trying to hit the pilot. However, to his displeasure, the vehicle was armored. That didn't stop him from firing until the helicopter was too far away.
He gasped and grunted loudly in annoyance, running a hand over his head in frustration. What the hell, he'd been too emotional lately. Normally, he would have been quick and practical, spared unnecessary actions and unnecessary risks, done his job the way it should be done.
Ada should be dead... he knew he could have killed her if he'd wanted to...
But... ever since he'd seen Sherry and Claire, he'd... been more emotional, out of control, nervous, anxious... it was as if he'd forgotten everything he'd learned over the years.
"... FUCK!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Things were going off the rails.
"Ghost, this is Hunk, are you alive in there? Do you read me?" His radio came on and he sighed. At least there was something good in this rain of shit.
"Come in, Hunk. I had a setback. Going to the meeting point now." That was all he said, before turning and starting on his way.
The two agents were flying over the island where the base was located. Both observing the smoke from the fire. The destruction became more evident as the helicopter descended.
The facilities had self-destructed. The system William had put in place in case the facilities were discovered. But that didn't change the sense of frustration that both agents felt.
"What the fuck..." Ghost muttered out loud, his eyes running over the bodies of the soldiers who had once been his comrades. He might not have known their names, but he respected them, they were fighting for the same purpose.
"I don't think all is lost. William had a plan for a case just like this." Hunk said, picking up the computer he had inside the helicopter. It was probably the last one left on the premises.
"Yes, but all the samples we had, the antidotes in development, the G controllers... everything was destroyed. That's if Wesker hasn't taken it for himself." Ghost said angrily, lifting his mask and spitting on the floor. "What an inconvenience."
"You can say that again. But we'll see." Hunk said as he typed something into the computer, and Ghost watched him work for a few moments.
That was the "Backup" case. A special plan developed for situations like these. Hunk would place a code on a network that only high-ranking members could access. If Walter or any other high-ranking member was alive, they would find them, or be found.
All that was needed was the code created by Hunk himself when the system was set up.
On entering the code, a loading screen appeared on the laptop, and in a matter of minutes, Walter's face appeared.
"Argh, Ghost, Reaper... good. You're all right." He said with a sigh. He looked genuinely relieved.
"It's good to see you too, Doc. Good that you're alive." Hunk said, noticing the place he was in. It looked like some kind of shed, but it was too dark at the back to tell exactly.
"Yeah... I think so too." The doctor said, in a slight attempt at a joke. The agents were grateful for the good humor.
"What were our losses?" Ghost asked, crossing his arms in front of him.
"We lost about fifty-six percent of what we had. A lot of that stuff isn't really missed, thankfully. But everything we had regarding your blood is gone. As well as some other research..." Walter sighed. He didn't look very well. He even looked hurt.
"Well... it could be worse. I hope I got something useful out of the lab." Ghost said, taking the flash drive from his pocket.
"Let's hope that's the case. Send it to me as soon as possible." Walter scratched his eyes tiredly. "Now, we have to go after Wesker as soon as possible, he's taken William."
This aroused the curiosity of both agents.
"He did? William is stronger than that, there's no way they could have taken him that easily." Ghost said. He hated the guy, but he knew he wasn't just anything. He was as skilled as himself, maybe even more so than he and Hunk combined.
"Well, yes... that was part of the plan. He knew Wesker wouldn't kill him. Not right away. But there's no way of knowing for how long. So the sooner we act, the better." Walter sighed once more. "Look, eighty-eight percent of the equipment is gone. We still have a lot of weapons left and that's a good thing. We haven't lost any of the specials. But we're still going to need help on this one."
Hunk and Ghost looked at each other, this was new.
"What do you mean, Walter?" Hunk asked, and the doctor clicked his tongue.
"Can you take your masks off, please? Face to face is hard enough, but through a computer screen it's even more uncomfortable. It feels like I'm talking to two robots."
They were silent for a few moments, they didn't really like taking their masks off. But they respected Walter, they liked him... they didn't see why not, so they did it.
The wind blew through Ghost's blond hair, and the reaper's red.
"That's better. Thanks." Walter thanked him with a small smile. "What I meant by that is exactly what it sounded like. We can't do it alone. We don't have what it takes anymore. We need help."
"Are you serious?" Ghost asked, still not quite believing it. "Well, that's bullshit. You can't count on government organizations."
"Of course you can. Remember? The BSAA is more reliable than any other." Walter said, and this time it was Ghost who sighed. "There's nothing we can do, Ghost. Contact the BSAA. They already had plans to go after Wesker anyway."
Ghost ran his hand through his hair. It had gotten even worse.
"I agree... but I don't think we should take our eyes off Wesker just yet. If the BSAA refuses, we'll have to proceed alone." Hunk said, sitting down in front of the laptop and resting his arm on his knee.
"What do you suggest?" Walter asked.
"I'm going after him. He's not going to stop with just the main base. He's going to go south, take what's left. We can't let that happen." Hunk replied, his cold voice matching his clear eyes.
"Do you plan to face him alone, reaper? That-"
"No... he plans to weaken him." Ghost cut the doctor off. "The experiments with William's blood are there. The samples aren't complete, but if injected into Wesker, it will weaken him. Make him sick."
Hunk confirmed with a nod, and Walter looked thoughtful for a few moments, fearful.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked after a while.
"It has to be done." Was all Hunk said before standing up.
"... Okay, then. You know what to do. As soon as it's safe, I'll send you my location on this same channel. Good luck."
"You too, Walter. We'll be in touch." Hunk said goodbye and turned off the system.
"Well... it looks like things are going from bad to worse." Ghost said, staring at Hunk, who stared back at him. He grimaced. "Put your mask back on, your face scares me."
The reaper smiled in good humor.
"You should look yourself in the mirror, soldier."
Chris was angry. No, that was an understatement... he was pissed off. He wanted to punch something, destroy something, kill things...
He'd received a call from Sherry, worried that she couldn't get in touch with Claire. Which was strange, but not unusual. But, as he was in the area, he decided to pay her a visit.
She wasn't at home, even though Theo said he'd seen her go upstairs with a man from TerraSave, the strange thing was that reception hadn't seen her come down in the morning. He tried her job, nothing, he tried her favorite restaurant, nothing, and before noon he had driven halfway around the city.
Then he got the call from reception, and one of the security cameras outside showed a man putting two people in the back of a van.
She's been kidnapped... fucking kidnapped! Her and her boyfriend!
And with that, the night came quicker than he would have liked.
"Why? Why her? Who would do that?" In the back seat, Sherry asked questions that Chris cared little about answering. He would make whoever paid, no matter who.
The girl was as worried as he was, but he didn't have the words to comfort her, nor did he want to at the moment, he was too angry.
"It doesn't make sense, yes. But we'll sort it out. We have information that the van left town at around two in the morning, heading for the private airport. We can go there and ask some questions." Jill said, sitting in the seat next to Chris with a laptop on her lap.
"Oh, I'll ask them some nice questions." Chris grumbled, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. Jill just sighed, knowing full well that there was no point in her telling him to calm down. It wouldn't change anything.
She just hoped he wouldn't do something stupid.
A short while later, she and Sherry's eyes widened slightly in shock when Chris suddenly stopped the car.
"Chris! What is it?" Jill asked, but as she looked at him, she noticed him staring straight ahead. Seeing what he was staring at, she squinted slightly as she saw a figure standing in the road.
"Oh, I don't have time for this shit!" Chris grumbled again, grabbing the gun in his waistband and getting out of the car." Hey! Whoever the fuck you are, I advise you to put your hands up and get down on the ground before I blow your head off!"
The figure slowly raised his hands, but it didn't look like he was going to lie down on the ground.
Chris shook his head and shot the figure in the feet, who in turn just lowered his head as if looking at the shot mark on the ground.
"I'm not kidding, asshole! The next one's going to be in the head!" Chris practically growled, and the figure took a step forward.
"Don't I have my right to remain silent, Redfield?" The voice was familiar, very familiar, and the three of them couldn't help but be surprised to see the masked man slowly approach the car with his arms raised.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Chris asked, suspicious, and it was clear. "Why is it that when something happens, you're always involved?"
"Maybe because it's my job." He replied, neutrally. Chris shook his head.
"You bastard... you think you're so clever, you know so much, so tell me, where did they take Claire?!" The man stopped approaching, and stood still for a few moments, in silence, he even looked thoughtful.
"I don't know." He replied. Somehow, his voice was colder.
"Oh, you don't know! Very convenient if you ask me!" Chris growled.
"I don't know... but I can help you find out. As long as you help me." That was new, their faces took on a confused expression.
"Help? With what?" Jill asked, and the man lowered his hands.
"We have the same interests. Albert Wesker... he has to die." The man said, and his cold eyes stared into Chris's boiling ones. "What do you say, Redfield? How about making yourself useful to all of us and break a few rules?"