Chapter 2

Jill Valentine sat at the bar of a nightclub, the name of which she hadn't even bothered to learn. This place was not her scene. Pounding music blared from speakers mounted seemingly everywhere while a crowd of people danced with one another in a mass collection of moving bodies. The smell of sweat and booze hung in the air and Jill feared that if she had to sit there for any longer it would cling to her skin permanently so that no amount of soap would rid her of the scent. And, of course, she had plenty of skin on display. The short black skirt and equally dark low cut top left little to the imagination and left her feeling vulnerable. For the past two hours she had to endure the leering glances of the men along with all the other 'pleasures' of the club though even still her spirit was unwavering. This was not a situation she would put herself through if the reasoning wasn't of the utmost importance, the handgun sitting in her purse acting as further affirmation that this was no ordinary evening.

Somewhere in this club was a man by the name of Alejandro Flores. International arms dealer who recently opted to expand his market into bio weapons as so many had during Umbrella's fall. Weapons of mass destruction spread all over the planet, each one capable of wiping out whole nations. Jill had witnessed their capabilities firsthand both as an agent of S.T.A.R.S and more regrettably while acting as the thrall of Albert Wesker. Thanks to the efforts of her former partner, Wesker was finally gone. But his shadow lingered. Megalomaniacs the world over took inspiration from his schemes and thanks to men like Senor Flores, those manics in power could bring to life their unholy machinations.

Jill counted herself among the lucky few who had the honor of defending the world from these lunatics. She did not always think herself worthy but Chris had assured her that his faith was still with her. And if she could trust him then surely she believe in herself. Still she found herself letting out a sigh that was barely audible thanks to the brief pause granted by the DJ switching tracks. A part of her longed for the days fighting by his side and while she knew he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty when the time called for it, his skills were better put to use now as a commander. Jill on the other hand was a soldier through and through. One fighting harder than she ever had to make up for the time lost under the control of that madman.

"...Valentine? You read me?"

A female voice chirped in Jill's earpiece that brought her back to reality. Somehow she managed to space out even with the volume of the music surrounding her but now that her attention had been restored she felt sick to her stomach all over again. Not that it was the kind of feeling she had any intention on taking out on the speaker.

"I read you Hunnigan. Any news?"

For a brief time Hunnigan had served as the handler for Leon Kennedy but had since joined up with Chris working logistics at Neo Umbrella. She was a fine asset to have, a tech whiz and highly capable of keeping calm under pressure. Leon could not recommend her enough and though Jill didn't know Agent Kennedy all that well personally, Chris seemed to trust him and that was enough to earn her seal of approval.

"That's right. I have a live feed right now on Flores. He just stepped into the bathroom and someone else is heading in with him."

Jill whipped her head around and tried to get a scan of the area herself but the sea of bodies blocked her vision. Standing up she began to make her way through the crowd, not bothering to disguise her speech as it would be impossible for anyone to make out her words over the surrounding music.

"Understood. Moving to intercept now."

"Actually I have a better idea. In your purse you should find a red lipstick with a golden cover."

Jill couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle of disbelief.

"You messed with my makeup?"

"Oh like you need it. Anyways don't try to open it. It's a microphone. Twist the top once and it'll start picking up any nearby sound. According to these schematics it looks like the men's restroom is connected to the women's via a small ventilation staff. Slide the microphone in there and we'll hopefully be able to run a voice match on our mystery buyer to get an idea of what customers Flores is working with."

Jill gave a nod even though she knew Hunnigan herself wouldn't be there to see it. No wonder why she came so highly recommended. And while Jill would like nothing more than to bust the bathroom door down and place a pair of cuffs around Alejandro's wrists, Hunnigan's idea was sound. Better they kill two birds with one stone. Dealer and buyer.

"Understood. Entering the women's restroom now."

Jill provided the update just as she pushed the door open. The interior was just as seedy as the rest of the establishment. Two sinks coated with grime, a pair of stalls, a single fluorescent light mounted on the ceiling above, and most importantly a metallic ventilation plate mounted onto the wall opposite of where she stood. Smirking to herself Jill pulled out the 'lipstick' and stepped towards the vent.

"It'll probably be screwed on. Maybe you can use a coin or something to undo the…"

Before Hunnigan could even finish speaking Jill had her fingers hooked into the metal holes of the vent cover and with one hard pull yanked it straight off the wall. The four screws that had been attached to it shot free, one bouncing off her chest while the rest clattered to the floor.

"Did I just hear you break something?"

Hunningan spoke with a mixture of curiosity and genuine concern while Jill placed the lipstick into the vent after twisting the cap as ordered.

"Don't worry about it. The device is in place. How do I listen in?"

"You can't, I'm afraid. But the audio is being relayed to me right now. I'll let you know what they're saying once it comes though. Might take a few minutes though."

Jill shrugged her shoulders and prepared to wait as she heard the sound of the door opening behind her. Sighing inwardly she prepared for the sight of some poor girl stumbling in drunk or some other pitiful sight although what she saw was far more concerning. Three men joined her in the bathroom, one of whom who wore a disheveled suit and slacks while his companions were much less finely dressed, one with a white tank top and shorts while his friend wore a buttoned shirt completely undone to reveal a hairy tattooed stomach along with a pair of jeans that had seen more than one spill recently. Jill could smell the alcohol on their breath from where they stood and knew right away that these men weren't connected to the arms dealer just on the other side of the wall. No. these were just your run of the mill bastards, the one in the suit confirming as much by speaking.

"Whatsa matter little thing? You lost or sumthing?"

He could barely even get his words out before he started into a burst of laughter as if what he said was the funniest thing imaginable. Meanwhile his big belly friend came forward with his own chuckles.

"Not to worry darling. We'll take care of you."

Jill frowned, glaring at each of the men who were making no effort in hiding their lustful gazes which ran all across her body. In the meantime her earpiece came alive once more.

"Is everything alright Jill? It sounded like…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm taking care of it."

The tank top man's smile flickered for a moment as he turned to address the others in his trio.

"Hey who's she talking to?"

That phrase would be the last thing to leave his mouth for a while, something Jill would make sure of as she kicked up the metal face of the vent and caught it before tossing it hard right into her aggressor's face. The iron frisbee hit him square in the jaw, forcing a cry of pain from him along with several teeth while his friends looked on in disbelief. An opportunity that Jill didn't waste as she dashed forward, grabbing the man in the suit on the shoulders before delivering a swift and brutal kick right to his groin. No words left his lips, the only sound he was capable of making being a solitary whimper while he collapsed down to his knees. From there Jill introduced him to her own knee with her hands still on his shoulder to keep him steady. The resulting blow created a sickening crack from his nose shattering and blood spewing across the already dirty tile floor. The crimson sight awakened his companion from his shocked stupor, the man letting out a battle cry that sounded more frightened than fierce.

"You psycho bitch!"

With those words he threw forth a wild haymaker but what Wesker had done to Jill during her captivity had done more than just increase her strength. Her reflexes were beyond that of a normal human as well, making her fully capable of not only ducking his blow but leaving her enough time to return fire with a fierce uppercut of her own. The raw power sent him stumbling backward towards the sink where Jill wasted no time in grabbing him by his collar and slammin him face first down into the dirty porcelain, shattering it into white powdery chunks which fell to the floor along with her attacker. Jill stepped backward and flexed her knuckles which hadn't even been damaged by the encounter. Endurance, strength, agility. Combined with her existing skills as an agent of S.T.A.R.S Wesker had succeeded in crafting her into the perfect weapon. She could only smile as she imagined how he would react to seeing the 'tool' he created being used to destroy everything he had once tried to build.

Placing a finger to her ear Jill spoke to Hunnigan once more.

"Hunnigan? Threat's been neutralized. How are we doing on the audio?"

In spite of her usual professionalism Hunnigan could hardly disguise the confusion in her voice.

"Threat? What threat? I didn't even…ugh you and Leon would get along just fine. Both so damn reckless."

Static on the other end along with a few grumbling that Jill failed to decipher before Hunnigan began to speak clearly once more.

"Whatever, tell me about it later. The audio's coming in just fine. We're not getting any matches on the buyer's voice though which is odd. I can't even place his accent…"

"Guess we'll just have to grab him now and figure out who he is later. Do we have enough to get anything to stick?"

Hunnigan let out a snort while Jill stepped over the collection of bodies to retrieve the lipstick gadget.

"More than enough. Whoever this guy is, he's only interested in heavy ordnance. T-Virus samples, Las Plagas specimens, a surviving tyrant…either he's in way over his head or he's planning something big."

Jill's frown grew as she considered what someone would want with all of that firepower. None of that would come cheap which meant that whoever was in there was a major player. Regrettably it wouldn't be the first time a government attempted to make use of bioweapons as a part in their wars.

"Understood. I'll move in rig-"

"Jill! Something's happening, get over there right now!"

Jill froze for just a moment, the sudden panic in the voice of Hunnigan giving her pause. Hesitation that she would soon curse as without warning a fist burst through the dirty bathroom wall that separated the two bathrooms. One that quickly wrapped itself around her wrist and yanked her forward. The first time she slammed against the tile with a groan, only her arm making it through the opening with it being pulled so hard she was afraid it was going to pop out of its socket. The second tug however proved to be sufficient, yanking her directly through the wall to the otherside.

Jill could hardly see a thing before her with the dust from the attack still filling the tight space around them. Held by her wrist she attempted to blink away the debris in order to see her attacker. But the first thing she made out was that which lay below her. A corpse of one Alejandro Flores. But one that was barely recognizable as such. The injuries that Jill had inflicted upon her attackers looked like nothing more than minor bumps and bruises compared to the horrid display beneath her. Alejandro's arms were twisted in several different directions and prodturing bones, blood pooled from around the back of his head and the cracked tile made it clear he had been slammed repeatedly against the floor. Other bits of blood and gore laid splattered around the room, born from who knew what part of his body. It was a kind of savagery that Jill had only ever seen performed by the wretched undead she dedicated her life to hunting but to know that a man had done this? That shook her down to her very core.

Although calling the man who still grasped her wrist a human did not seem all that fitting given his appearance. His skin was deathly pale, his head completely without hair revealing hideous looking lesions across his skin. They seemed to continue down his body as his shirt stuck to his thin form at odd angles, his rather lightweight build only eliciting further confusion as to how he had enough strength to rip Jill through a wall.

Questions for another time, Jill assured herself, as once the daze of being handled so roughly finally left her Agent Valentine grabbed the man's wrist with one hand and used the other to deliver a palm strike upward. The blow succeeded in shattering his arm, freeing her from his grip and allowing Jill to hop backward to obtain some distance. And yet even with having his arm broken the man reacted not with any sound or look of pain. He merely looked Jill up and down.

"Perhaps…you know the sinner…"

Jill strained her ear to listen to the man's raspy voice, the only thing that matched his sickly appearance. Making out his words was an impossibility with the static buzzing in her ear from the earpiece which must have been damaged by the man's attack.

"Who? Actually hold that thought."

Jill quickly bent down and collected her purse, never once looking away from the sore covered man as she opened the bag to collect the handgun inside. A weapon that she swiftly pointed his way.

"On behalf of Neo Umbrella I am placing you under arrest. Keep your hands where I can see them."

The man however remained unmoving. One arm hanging limply at his side, the other raising slowly to point at Jill.

"You were once his tool. The sins of the father do not die with him. They are carried unto the son."

Jill kept her weapon trained on him as she did her best to understand what he was saying. His tool? There was only one man that could apply to.

"Wesker's dead and whatever sins he had burned with him."

Her proclamation got an immediate reaction although not one she could ever have anticipated. With his working hand the man suddenly hooked his fingers into his own mouth. And then, while still staring right into Jill's eyes, pulled downward to yank his own jaw clean off.

"Holy shit!"

Instincts forced Jill to keep her weapon raised even if she could hardly believe what she was seeing. Although what came next was equally horrifying if not more so as before the now gurgling man could even hit the ground a swarm of black flies began to pour out from his own gaping mouth. Jill could only stare at the shadowy cloud before it suddenly dispersed in different directions. Four offshoots, three of them flying past Jill to the collection of bodies she had put there during her fight while the other dark tendril delivered itself directly into the back of Alejandro Flores.

It only took a few moments for Jill to understand what was happening, just as much time as it took for the bodies to begin to rise. Familiar, bone chilling groans left their mouths that acted as a command for Jill. She knew exactly what needed to be done. Dashing forward to start with Alejandro, pointing her weapon downward and delivering two shots to his head while the now undead arms dealer struggled to rise to his feet. Only that wasn't enough. Before the creature could let out another groan Jill raised her heels and slammed it down right atop of the creature's head. The blow was successful in denying its revival although while she was busy dealing with it the three others had managed to rise to their feet.

Even with her skills Jill knew that dealing with three infected in such close quarters was a risk. Yet she also couldn't take a chance opening the door and allowing the newly infected loose against the crowd outside. It could very well becomes a massacre. So Jill gritted her teeth and turned her handgun on the closest of the threats. To him she delivered every last round that was still in the magazine, emptying the clip with successive headshots with only the last one proving fatal. Jill was hardly surprised by their resilience, certain strains of infections creating zombies with significantly more endurance than others.

Tossing her gun forward she hoped against hope that it would be enough to stun the approaching creature while she slipped off her heel. The attack did buy her just enough time so that when the zombie did reach her, she was ready and delivered the five inch heel of her shoe directly into the eye of the shambling ghoul. Jill let out a silent thanks as that proved to be enough to cause it to fall leaving only one more attacker left only this one was the big belly man who barreled forward with a roar that caught Jill off guard.

She found herself pinned to the floor against his heft, his slobbering maw only inches away from her face. One hand shot up to grab his head, using all her strength to keep his constant biting away from her throat. Looking desperately around her for a weapon her answer came in the form of the very reason she was here in the first place. Tucked in Alejandro's waistband was a magnum still sitting comfortably in its holster, a favorite among arms dealers who liked to feel big and more than suitable for the occasion. Reaching over Jill ripped the gun from its holder and after pulling the hammer back tucked the barrel right into the mouth of the zombie atop her.

"Fuck you."

Her words were punctuated by the explosion of the gun firing which, spraying her face as well the ceiling above her in blood. Rolling the now still body off her Jill laid there for a moment to catch her breath. The events had occurred so quickly she hardly even had time to understand any of it. Whatever had been used to turn the people around her had worked fast. Yet none of them went after her, only the dead or asleep. This wasn't anything they'd seen before. It was dangerous. Intelligent. And perhaps worst of all, carried not in a capsule or a bomb. But a man. One who was strong enough to rip her through a solid wall and who didn't react to having his arm broken.

Jill stood up with a grunt and quickly hurried over to her purse. Pulling out her phone she rapidly dialed Hunnigan's number and pressed it against her ear. The handler picked up almost immediately.

"Jill! There you are! Alpha team is moving in as we speak! What is your situation?"

Jill looked at the mess around her and could only muster a sigh.

"...complicated."