My great thanks to HighFlyingWings, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!
June 30th, on the way to Waiyip, China.
"What's the situation?" Leon asked.
Aeon turned to look at him, before sighing as he looked back at his laptop.
"Do you want the good news, or the bad news first?"
"Let's go with the bad." commented Helena.
Aeon grunted. "The Chinese government is gone."
"What?!" they both exclaimed.
Aeon smiled wryly at their reactions.
"Yup. Turned all of them into B.O.W's. You remember how there were political issues causing both ISIS and the BSAA problems when it comes to acting in China? Well, the remaining people in charge of the nation decided that their own soldiers would handle saving the government from Neo-Umbrella."
Aeon snorted. "Except that the very reason that the political issues happened in the first place was that Neo-Umbrella have been quietly taking over the country for years now. So the soldiers walked into a trap, their remaining leaders just as compromised as the first group, naturally got butchered as a result, and now-" he waved at his laptop. "-everyone captured are B.O.W's. After all, the ones still in charge were either on Neo-Umbrella's payroll, or manipulated to side with them. ISIS does have its own allies in the country, but not enough to stop all of this mess from happening. Well, until now."
"Wait, but if they work for them in the first place-"
"-why bother killing them?" Aeon finished Helena's words with a knowing look. "Because they were lied to, of course. Neo-Umbrella convinced many of China's higher-ups that their intentions were benevolent… Or at least, that they were useful. They played on their fears of ISIS influencing China in secret if our influence wasn't fought to gain influence themselves. The Chinese officials were, in the end, nothing but useful idiots as far as Neo-Umbrella was concerned. Good for gaining resources, causing us trouble, and more… But now, now that they are finally revealing their true colors, they are a liability. Neo-Umbrella wants to destroy the world. Destroying the Chinese government means that right now, a unified response to the chaos going on in the country is a pipe dream. Which means that, until the country gets some sort of leader recognized by all, no one can actually take action. No one can stop them, in other words."
Leon scowled. "So basically, they infiltrated the Chinese government, gained influence, used it to fight ISIS, then once their usefulness ran out captured them, and then…"
"And then used the hostages as bait, one all too eagerly taken. The resulting failure to save the government fractured the remaining officials more than ever, with everyone trying to blame everyone else. If they had simply killed the hostages, the remaining officials across the country would have tried to restore order. But instead, they are now fighting each other. Politics at its finest." Aeon finished.
"So what you are saying is that the entire country-"
"Is politically and militarily frozen. Yup. Everyone suspects everyone else, so no one can do anything without everyone else seeing it as an enemy action." confirmed Aeon.
"That… That can't remain forever. Sooner or later, someone will manage to break the deadlock." stammered Helena, visibly horrified at how utterly shattered China's power was right now.
"Oh, sure. As we speak, ISIS-backed officials are working together to try and bring back order, along with anyone willing to do something. But it doesn't matter. Our enemy got what they wanted: Time. Time to act. Time to get their plans moving." Aeon grimly explained.
"Time for what, exactly?" questioned Leon.
Aeon stayed silent for a moment, before speaking up again.
"There are a number of possibilities… But do consider that Neo-Umbrella's goal is the destruction of the world. And right now, all of China, and its numerous citizens, are vulnerable to attack. If you wished to bring down the world, turning the population of China into undead would certainly be one hell of a good first step, don't you think?"
Helena and Leon blanched. If everyone, or even part of the population of China was to be turned into B.O.W's…
They gulped.
"So… What's the plan?" asked Helena, visibly desperate for a good answer.
Aeon smiled. "Well, the good news is that Carla is in Waiyip too. So we might get our chance to kill her there, same with Simmons, too. After that, we need to find Neo-Umbrella's base, and anything else belonging to the organization. We've got a window to act. I'm almost certain that Waiyip is a test. If it falls, then they can launch the attack on the rest of the country. If it doesn't, then they can learn why it didn't and plan with that info in mind. So for now, the plan is simple: kill both Carla and Simmons, get order back in Waiyip, and then track down the enemy HQ and destroy it, before they can move on to the next phase of their plan and destroy us instead."
"And as for the political situation in China-"
"Don't worry about it. That will not be solved for quite a bit of time, considering what's actually going on right now. I might have just added oil to the flames, after all." Aeon declared with a smirk.
"What did you do?" asked Leon, giving his old friend a dry look.
Aeon's smirk grew. "Well, the Chinese want guilty people to hang for this mess, right? So I just helped them find out every single one of the Neo-Umbrella collaborators… and revealed them for what they were."
He chuckled darkly. "Needless to say, quite a few people are currently having to deal with some very angry people asking some very pointed questions right now."
He turned grim again. "Of course, that also means the political situation is even more of a mess as loyalists to Neo-Umbrella fight those who finally recognize the demon they had made a deal with and try to save their own skin, while ISIS-affiliated officials fight both, and people completely unaffiliated try and get answers in the middle of this mess."
He shook his head. "In short, the Chinese halls of powers are running red with blood as everyone is sending soldiers, cops, or full-blown assassins against everybody else, and all these people sometimes meet while either trying to capture, kill, or protect one another."
He glanced at his laptop, a brief flash of amusement on his face. "One politician supporting Neo-Umbrella died when no less than a hundred different assassins, squads of Chinese soldiers answering to various generals, a whole number of cops, and even Triads members all attacked or infiltrated his mansion at the exact same time. Needless to say, nothing remains of said mansion… or of the politician, for that matter."
"A hundred…?!" Helena mouthed, blinking in shock.
Aeon's expression turned more serious. "It's an extreme example, but that is just an example of what has been going on these past few hours." He sighed. "At least the evacuation of Waiyip is proceeding well, despite the chaos engulfing the city right now."
"Right." Leon muttered, massaging his brow and trying to fight off a growing headache over everything he had been told. "Well, that was certainly… Informative." he shook his head.
"Either way, how long until we get there?"
"Not much. Close to 15 minutes, I'd say."
"Good. Any idea where Simmons is? We know we tracked him down to the city, but where is he, specifically?"
"He's moving around, so I can't give you a specific location yet. If he stops somewhere, I'll let you know."
"Alright. Well, we'll let you focus on things." Leon nodded at the laptop, and Aeon smiled.
"Thanks. Monitoring the witch-hunt going on in the elites of China, along with the situation in Waiyip and anything else of interest is a full-time job."
Helena and Leon walked away, minds focused on what they had learned. The current situation in the US was bad enough, but it was nothing compared to the utter chaos going on in China.
They couldn't help but be disturbed at how skillfully Neo-Umbrella had almost completely thrown both the US and China into chaos. Two of the greatest nations on Earth, almost taken out in less than two days.
If the US President had died…
There was no doubt to be had: Neo-Umbrella were right about to go into the final phases of its plans, and they needed to be stopped now, at all cost.
Both of them glanced grimly at each other. This entire situation was about far more than just Simmons at this point. The entire world was at stake.
Still, they were only two people, so they'd focus on dealing with Simmons and let ISIS handle the rest. They all had their part to play, and that was theirs.
And who knows, they might be able to learn something about Neo-Umbrella while tracking him down.
-
"Alright, this is where you all get off."
Leon nodded at Aeon and got out of the jeep, Helena and Ada following suit.
They were now in Waiyip, and the situation was certainly not the best. Buildings were on fire, the leadership of the local authorities had been taken out by Neo-Umbrella, and with the greater chaos in the country, any hope for order to be restored was basically impossible. Infected shock-troops of Neo-Umbrella were running all over the place, and all in all, the only places truly under control were the outskirts of the city, where at least a strong gathering of soldiers, Chinese, BSAA, and ISIS, were doing their best to ensure the evacuation of people while checking for infected amongst their ranks.
"Go a bit further, you'll find Sherry and Jake Muller. I've given you the coordinate of the last known position of Simmons, see if you can get the bastard. Beyond that, good luck… and Godspeed." Aeon finished with a wink towards him.
Leon snorted, but nodded. "Same to you." he said dryly, well-aware of the fact that the one he was speaking to was a god in his own right.
Well, his mortal incarnation, but still, the point stood.
Aeon chuckled. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Then his expression turned grim. "But be careful. Things are going to get worse before they can get better, I've no doubt. Our enemies will make their move, and this place will turn into a battlefield. Stay safe, alright?"
"Isn't this place already a battlefield?" sarcastically remarked Ada, though he could see the slight concern in her eyes at Aeon's words.
The man smiled grimly. "No. I don't think we've seen anything yet on that matter."
Then he gave them a nod and closed the door, the jeep taking off along with the others behind it towards a building nearby that ISIS intended to claim as their HQ for the duration of this crisis.
"Well, I'd love to stay, but I work better alone. Don't worry, I'll be nearby." Ada winked, then took a grapple-gun and activated it. Less than 5 seconds later, she had disappeared from view.
Leon shook his head at his girlfriend's antics, but didn't comment. Instead, he turned towards Helena, and smiled at her.
"Ready?"
She smirked back. "Ready. Simmons will get what's coming for him after all that he's done."
"Then let's get going."
They carefully made their way forward, as after all the city was still full of J'avos, noticing that they were near the docks of the city, and all the while listening to the distant sounds of explosions, fighting and screaming across the city.
"Leon?!"
They paused, then turned to see two people that Leon easily recognized: Sherry, accompanied by Jake Muller.
He smiled, it was good to get confirmation that at least, the rescue operation concerning him obviously went off without a hitch.
Then again, with Sherry doing it, he really hadn't expected any different.
At his side, Helena tensed at the sight of the two… before relaxing when she recognized them.
"You're… Ah, I see." she muttered in understanding.
"I take it your mission went well, then?" Leon said to Sherry, glancing at the man at her side.
She smiled. "It did. Though I'm guessing that dad and the others are here as well?"
Leon nodded. "Correct. Your dad brought ISIS in force to the city. Still, me and Helena here-" he waved at his partner. "-are tracking down Simmons. We've got the location."
He paused, then glanced at Jake before looking back at her. "Do you want to help us? You'd be of great help in stopping the bastard."
Sherry bit her lip, turning to look at Muller.
The man rolled his eyes at her and nodded at Leon.
"Well, I'm not usually someone who does extra without being paid for it, but I'm not against helping, just this once. Besides, I want answers and revenge for everything I went through, and I'm not going to get either by walking away now."
Sherry hesitated, but smiled after a moment.
"Thanks, Jake."
He waved her off. "No need for that, I'm doing this because I want to. So, where do we need to go?"
"The Kwun Lung building in Koocheng. From what Aeon's intel said, Simmons should be there. If that changes, your dad should be able to contact me to warn us."
"Got it. Then let's go, we've got no time to spare." Sherry said firmly, and Leon smiled.
"Well, it'll be nice to work together. We didn't really ever have the opportunity to do so since, what, Manhattan?"
"Yeah. Time flies, huh?" Sherry shook her head, then gave him a firm look. "But enough talk, let's get going."
They grouped together, and after a quick talk with Hunnigan, started going towards the place.
Muller and Helena quickly introduced each other, sharing a bit of background on how they had both ended up in this mess, and commiserating a bit about the general insanity of the world.
Both Leon and Sherry shared a look, both amused and silently agreeing not to point out that everything those two had gone through was, by their standards, not that crazy.
Soon enough, they entered a deserted marketplace, only to find it less deserted than they had expected.
A scream made them rush forward, just in time to see someone be dragged into one of the many side-passages of the area.
When they reached the passage however, all they found was a bloodied corpse.
Helena lowered her gun, expression sad. "Those poor people… So many innocents are suffering horribly for a few people's madness."
Leon sighed. "I know, but at least we're here to make sure they all get avenged. And at this point, the world is much safer than it used to be back in '98."
Muller snorted. "Tell that to the locals."
"We'll make sure that there won't be anything like this happening again. We just need to get Simmons, Neo-Umbrella, and everyone working or allied for them… And then we might finally be able to protect the world. Leon's right, there are so many less dangerous groups these days than in the past… We just need to keep going, and we'll finally make this world a safer place for all." Declared Sherry, genuine passion and true belief in her voice.
Muller glanced at her, then grunted. "Then we better get going. Can't do anything for the dead, we should focus on the living."
Without another word, they moved on, eventually finding the locked gate out of the marketplace.
Unfortunately it had three separate locks, but Muller quickly pointed out that using a single shot of Sherry's gun would easily take care of all of them.
Then, just as Sherry was about to fire, a nearby corpse twitched, and before their eyes several gray body parts bursted out of it and combined to create some kind of humanoid B.O.W's.
"What the hell?!" exclaimed Helena.
"Guess that's why the entire area is under lockdown! The locals were trying to keep these things locked in here!" said Leon.
Sherry didn't reply and simply shot the upper half of the B.O.W., disintegrating it… only for the lower half to keep walking towards them.
"Okay, that's disturbing." muttered Muller, looking faintly freaked out at the sight of the lower half of the body still walking towards them.
Sherry scowled, and shot again, making sure to disintegrate every part of the body, just in case.
"There." She then shot off the locks, and pushed open the now wrecked door.
"Let's move on."
"You know, I know that it's my plan and all, but are we sure it's wise to just let the door open for any of those things to get out into the city?" pointed out Muller, frowning slightly.
Sherry sighed. "At this point, I don't think it matters. If those things are there, there are probably more elsewhere too. And the entire city is in chaos anyway. Still, I'll call dad, now that he's around I should be able to call him and warn him."
If he doesn't already know, Leon thought but did not say. He wasn't fully aware of what the god in mortal form was capable of knowing, but if nothing else he wouldn't be surprised if he knew anything that was going on near Sherry.
Helena gave one last disturbed look where the monster used to be, but quickly followed after them.
They soon froze again however when Leon held up a hand, letting them all watch as a blue-clad "Ada Wong" entered a nearby building.
"That's-"
"-Carla Radames." finished Leon for Sherry at the sight, his expression hardening. "What is she doing here?"
"Well, we're tracking down Simmons, and considering what we know of her…" Sherry didn't finish, but she didn't need to.
"She's following him too." Leon muttered.
"That's the most likely possibility." she agreed.
"That, or the building is in some way important?" propose Muller.
"... Or that." agreed Leon.
"Let's follow her." declared Helena, and they all quickly did so.
Much like everywhere else, the building seemed currently abandoned, but if anything that just made all four of them tense all the more, all of them carefully moving from room to room while thoroughly checking every corner-
A sound nearby made them break out in a run, just in time to see Carla open a nearby door-
*PSSSH! PSSSSH! PSSSSH!*
-at which point she instinctively flinched when a hail of plasma and green-coloured beams barely missed her, and she quickly used the same kind of tool the real Ada used to get around to get out of the area.
"What's going on?!" cried out Helena.
"Those green beams…" muttered Sherry.
Leon nodded. "Latest Hunter weaponry, right? Any idea who it might have been?"
Sherry closed her eyes, visibly focusing on something, before reopening them. "It's Chris."
"Well, I guess we might as well say hello. Come on!" declared Leon, and they rushed forward. Killing Carla wasn't their mission, Simmons was, but they certainly wouldn't say no to dealing with her here and now.
They entered some kind of wide corridor, surrounded by some kind of high-tech medical tanks filled with B.O.W's.
They paused at the sight, a look shared between them making it clear that, at this point, this building was obviously a facility of Neo-Umbrella with all the potential dangers inside it one could expect, before they began moving forward again-
"Someone else is in there. Hostiles?"
They paused again, glancing to their right. Someone was there, probably several people, in a room or corridor parallel to theirs…
"Maybe a few of her pets. Ignore them. She's the target."
"That voice… It's Chris's!" declared Sherry.
-
A few minutes ago, at another entrance of the building.
"You think this is where they've been developing the C-Virus?" questioned Piers, as they were about to go into the building where they knew Carla Radames was in.
Chris thought about it, before shaking his head. "Doubt it. Too small. That kind of thing usually requires a lot more resources and a bigger area for all the tests needed. No, at best it's a secondary lab or something like that. Doesn't matter, our job is just to kill Carla."
They went in, carefully checking every corner, though the room they were in seemed to be clear-
A door opened.
"Carla!" Chris shouted, the sound enough to get her to flinch back and away from the shots that would have killed her otherwise.
Chris bit back a curse, and another when she managed to use a grappling-gun to disappear out of sight.
Maybe if he had gone full Hunter he would have caught her, but with Piers around he had hesitated… and that moment had been enough for her to flee.
"You can't run forever." he growled, speaking the words as if a promise of what the future held.
"Alpha Team to HQ, come in! We're in pursuit of Carla Radames!" Piers said on his radio.
"Come on, Piers! Let's get her!"
They ran forward, soon finding themselves at the entrance of a long corridor surrounded by water tanks holding humanoid B.O.W's of various kinds.
At the end of the corridor was an elevator, and Chris pointed at it.
"Make a run for the elevator! Go!"
They moved towards it, but slowed down when they heard sounds from nearby.
"Someone else is in there. Hostiles?" wondered Piers.
Chris grunted.
"Maybe a few of her pets. Ignore them. She's the target."
Piers nodded-
"That voice… It's Chris's!"
They paused, both of them glancing at each other before looking towards the voice, Chris frowning in thought-
"Glad you could all stop in. Like what I did with the place?"
Chris sneered as Carla's voice echoed around them from hidden speakers.
He stiffened when a number of red lasers suddenly activated further ahead, his instincts screaming at him that touching them would not end well, Hunter or not, and that part of him grew louder when the lasers began to move towards him and Piers.
His friend cursed, but Chris remained calm. As Aeon taught him…
He shot to the sides of the lasers, his gun targeting and disintegrating the machinery creating them.
… Work smarter, not harder.
"Huh. Well that was anticlimactic." muttered Piers, sounding both amused and approving.
Chris allowed himself a smirk, even as a part of him shuddered at the memories of the Chalice Dungeons.
He may have made it look easy now, but that was only because he learnt the hard way in the past the value of taking care of traps the smartest way possible.
Seriously, whoever built the damn dungeons were evil geniuses, and everyone who trained there had stories of being brutally killed by one trap or another…
He pushed the thought aside. This was not the time to lose himself in memories of his training as a Hunter.
Though it was satisfying to know that all the pain he went through was worth it in the end. Say what you will of Aeon's training, strange as it sometimes can be, the values of his lessons always presented themselves sooner or later.
Either way, with the trap destroyed, they were free of finally going into the elevator.
Chris had taken a moment to decide if he should announce who they were to the group on the other side, but then again Sherry recognized him, so better to just keep going. Any moment lost was a moment Carla could use to escape.
And Chris had every intention of killing the mad clone of Ada Wong.
-
Leon and Helena activated the next set of doors, both of them following Sherry and Muller inside the next corridor a moment later.
They then paused, glancing to their right towards the corridor parallel to their own, their eyes meeting that of Chris and the BSAA soldier with him.
There was a moment of silence, before both smiled, nodded at one another, and then kept moving, silently acknowledging that they would now try and work together if possible while tracking down Carla.
Of course, the doors at the end of the corridor were closed, and a moment later, the smug voice of Carla came from the speakers in the room.
"We've been conducting such fascinating work here. Why don't you have some fun with some of our latest prototypes-"
*PZZZZZZZT!* *PZZZZZZZZZT!*
Carla fell silent, as both sides stared at Sherry and Chris using their guns to disintegrate the locked doors.
Sherry glanced back at them, then up towards the nearest speaker. "You know, if your great plan to kill us all involves more locked doors, I think at this point you might as well surrender, because otherwise the only thing awaiting you is not just defeat, but humiliation…"
Carla didn't reply.
Leon had the sneaking suspicion that said woman was currently running away.
Half for her own survival, and half because it had to be pretty hard to look like an evil genius when you were too busy blushing brightly in embarrassment.
Well, either way with the path now open they rushed forward, going through corridors after corridors as they tried to follow after Carla.
Finally they reached a wide open area, a warehouse of some kind, with both their group and Chris' running across the walkways to try and corner Carla, the occasional shot illuminating the darkness the place was plunged in as they tried to kill her.
Eventually, they seemed like they were about to corner and gun her down at last-
"Sorry boys, time to go!" Carla shouted.
-only for her to literally throw herself out of the nearest window.
"Fuck!"
Chris screamed, rushing near the window and looking down, but finding nothing but broken glass in the street below.
"Fucking damn it!"
They all gathered around him, but by that point Carla was truly nowhere to be seen.
"Captain-"
"I know. Let's go outside, maybe we can still track her down. We're not going to let her get away!" Chris interrupted the BSAA soldier with him, before turning around and beginning to quickly run out of here.
"Chris!" shouted Leon, stopping the man in his tracks. "Keep an eye out, the real Ada might be around as well. Make sure you shoot the clone, yeah?"
Chris snorted, but turned to give him a nod. "Yeah, I should have known the real one would be here too if you all are. Don't worry, I'll just shoot the one in blue, easy enough to tell the difference."
Then he kept running, the BSAA soldier, Piers apparently, right behind him.
Leon glanced back at his rag-tag team and grinned grimly.
"Come on, let's leave her to those two. We still need to deal with Simmons."
"You trust him to get her?" questioned Helena.
Leon smiled. "Chris has been a part of all of this since even before Raccoon City. Trust me, he'll be fine."
"He will be." said Sherry, and Leon gave her a look. There was something in her voice-
Ah.
He caught the slight glow in her eyes.
Maybe there was a reason that Carla managed to escape them all. If Aeon was acting in the background…
Well, never mind. He trusted the man, or god, more than enough that there was no doubt a reason that she needed to keep on living for a little longer.
"Well, if you're sure that you're truly alright with this…" said Helena.
"Our target is Simmons. Always has been." he replied firmly.
"Alright, then. Let's get that damn son of a bitch." she said darkly.
"Woah, what did he do to you?" questioned Muller.
"Long story. Basically? Blackmailed me, kidnapped, and experimented on my sister, and more." she said coldly.
"... Oooookay. Never mind then, carry on." Muller muttered, suddenly looking vaguely sympathetic and all too understanding.
They quickly moved on, a quick call with Hunnigan confirming the easiest path to where Simmons was.
Carefully going up to the nearby tower, they made their way inside, before finding Simmons on a nearby walkway while surrounded by a handful of bodyguards.
"Simmons!" screamed Helena.
The guards immediately pointed their guns at them, and vice-versa, the man turning around to look at them from on high, a wry smile on his face as he looked at them.
"Well, this is unexpected." he remarked.
"I wouldn't say that. You engineered the attack on Tall Oaks, after all, you had to know we were coming for you!" pointed out Sherry.
"What, are they running down the streets, screaming to anyone who'll listen?" he spat, voice growing louder at every word.
"Yeah? Well, it's the truth, no?" replied Leon.
Simmons sneered at him. "It's for the benefits of the United States and global security."
"I can't see how trying to kill the President would be good for the country!" Leon raged, angered at how shamelessly the man in front of him spoke of trying to kill one of the few politicians that Leon genuinely respected… and was outright friends with.
"Well, maybe it would have been apparent, if not for the fact that you of ISIS once again just had to involve yourselves in matters beyond your right to meddle with!" Simmons raged back, glaring at Sherry.
Sherry snorted. "Unleashing a mutagenic virus on an entire city just to kill one man was already pretty bad, and don't get me started on outright trying to kill the President of the USA! I dare say that we had every right to involve ourselves in that."
Simmons sneered at her.
"Of course. You couldn't well leave your puppet to die, could you? The entire world is falling to your father's influence, and the world is being all but conquered by Insight Corp. under thundering applause! Am I supposed to just roll over and accept that? You may accuse me of many things, but frankly you and your family are arguably far worse."
He turned away. "Enough. Dispose of them." he ordered his bodyguards.
Their team jumped behind nearby pillars, taking cover and avoiding the hail of fire headed their way.
Thankfully Simmons' bodyguards only had lasguns, not heavy weaponry, so their cover would last for a bit of time.
"All right, what's the plan?" asked Muller.
"We kill them all. Honestly, we don't need to get complicated on this one." replied Sherry.
Muller raised an eyebrow, before smirking. "Simple plan. I like that."
"Alright, then at three, we go out shooting?" said Leon.
"Yeah. I'll go first, I've got Aura." replied Sherry.
"The energy shield of ISIS?" asked Helena, before she smiled. "It's good enough to handle a few las-shots, I'm guessing?"
"Easy." replied Sherry.
Leon hesitated, a part of him ill at ease with just sending Sherry in first, even with all the protection he knew she had, but before he could say anything a commotion from where Simmons was caught all their attention.
They carefully peaked out of cover, their eyes widening at the sight of a sudden struggle between the bodyguards and a group of J'avos, Simmons staggering away while clutching his neck.
"He's getting away!" shouted Helena.
"Then let's go after him!" shouted Leon in return, and they all rushed out, shooting at both bodyguards and J'avos equally.
They killed a number of both, but quickly rushed out of the room to find Simmons falling over the edge of the building and onto the top of a train that somehow had been passing through just at the right time to catch him.
"After him!" screamed Leon, the group of four running forward and jumping on the tail end of the train.
"Simmons!" screamed Helena, before she snarled. "Come on, we can't let him escape!"
"We won't. This ends now." replied Leon.
The group ran forward, passing through each part of the train while Simmons kept moving towards its front.
"Hey, is it me or is that helicopter out there acting weird?" Muller called out, and they glanced outside the train at a helicopter flying towards the front of the train.
"Shit, they're with the Family! They're trying to get to Simmons!" cursed Sherry.
"No way he's getting out of here alive! It's time to pay for everything you've done, Simmons." Helena growled angrily, speeding up even more.
They finally reached the front of the train, got up on top, and pointed at the man, who had his back turned and who had apparently just crushed his communicator in his right hand a second ago, his entire body visibly trembling in fury.
"Give it up, Simmons. It's over." said Leon, his inner cop trying to at least get him to surrender-
"He's infected!" shouted Sherry, and they all tensed.
"What? How?!" shouted Helena.
"Maybe the J'avos did it?" replied Sherry.
"So, do we light the bastard up or not?" asked Muller.
Simmons finally turned, a furious look on his face. "You still chase me, while that woman is still on the loose?" he growled.
"Another team was sent after her." coldly replied Leon, his eyes hardening at the sight of the unnatural colors of the man's veins all over his face. "But you Simmons, you're all ours."
Simmons sneered. "Are you here because I tried to kill the President? Is that it? You fool. When he'll disclose the full truth about everything the US did with mutagenic viruses over the decades, the US will lose all its authority, all its credibility, and the global political order will collapse!" he ranted.
"So to avoid one possible disaster you create another? No matter how many people die?" snarled Helena.
"Not a great plan." bluntly declared Muller.
"He had to be stopped!" Simmons roared in rage, the veins of his face bulging unnaturally. "He is leading my country, and this world, into complete chaos!"
He turned to glare at Sherry. "And don't even get me started about you and your damn family! You've effectively got most of the world under your control! Politicians everywhere are under your command! Anyone you disapprove of, a single word from the leaders of Insight Corps can destroy them! And the economic chokehold you possess could destroy entire nations' economies in a few days of work if you so desire! The leaders of armies across the world would welcome your parents all but ruling their countries with smiles on their faces! And the people, sheep that they are, would follow all of that with joy! Just look at China, even as I speak, people under your control are milking this mess for all its worth in order to assume control of this nation! Soon, even China will be a puppet state of Insight Corp!"
"Well what can I say, when you aren't an insane megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur, and when you genuinely work for the betterment of all, people are willing to trust and work with you. Shocking concept, I know." sarcastically replied Sherry, her eyes cold as she stared at him.
Simmons sneered at her, before groaning in sudden pain, a hand going to his neck.
"That woman…" he snarled through gritted teeth. "How dare she do this to me?"
"Not fun being on the other side for once, heh pal?" dryly commented Muller.
Instead of answering, Simmons convulsed, falling on his knees, his entire body beginning to release smoke.
"Something tells me he didn't get hit with the standard stuff…" Muller muttered.
"Enough." declared Sherry, before she pulled the trigger-
And then Simmons caught on fire, his entire body shifted, and a second later, a beast-like creature jumped out of the way of the green beam and jumped over their heads.
"Damn you!" screamed Helena.
The monster that was Simmons slammed its way on the rooftop of the train, sending all of them stumbling except for Sherry, who instead calmly began firing at the monster.
Who then proceeded to make the worst possible mistake of its short life… by trying to jump at her.
To its credits it jumped at her in between two shots.
Unfortunately for it, that just meant that Sherry proceeded to throw an Aura-enhanced kick at its head.
It flew back, and that was all the time Sherry required to snap up a shot.
The green beam hit its target right in the head, utterly annihilating it from existence.
The body then flopped back on top of the train… Only for its regeneration trying to recreate the monster's upper half.
By that point however they had all recovered their footing, and all four of them stood like a firing squad at the beast desperately trying to save itself, shots after shots slamming down upon what was left of Derek C. Simmons, former leader of the secret group known only as the Family.
Leon noticed the sheer satisfied expression on Helena's face as body part after body part was utterly annihilated, until finally it proved too much and the would-be monster finally died, its body ceasing to try to regenerate.
Not that it stopped them from making sure, just in case. Sherry gave her gun to Helena, who methodically, but with visible glee, went about utterly disintegrating all remains of the man she hated.
When finally nothing, absolutely nothing was left, not even a drop of blood, Helena stopped firing, breathing heavily but with a peaceful smile on her face.
"That's for everything you put me, my sister and so many people through over the years, you bastards." she whispered, before relaxing, taking a few deep breaths and then exhaling deeply.
Then she gave the green glowing gun back to Sherry, glanced at it for a second, then looked up into the younger woman's blue eyes.
"I've got a question. How much of what he said was true? How powerful is your family, truly?" Helena asked, her eyes fixed on Sherry's own.
Leon held back a grimace. Truth be told, Simons wasn't exactly wrong in anything he had said…
The two women stared at each other, and Leon noticed the way that Muller had shifted slightly, as if ready to shoot at Helena at any moment.
Then Sherry answered, her own blue eyes never leaving Helena's own gaze.
"Bluntly speaking? It's all true. If we wanted, we could collapse the world economy tomorrow if we wished."
Helena stared at her, not so much as a twitch betraying her inner thoughts.
"And do you actually plan to control the world?"
Sherry pursed her lips, seemingly looking for something in the other woman's eyes… before answering.
"You want the truth? My dad has no desire to rule this world, but he's also damn tired of this kind of nonsense, and would prefer stopping any of this from happening again. If the world requires someone to control it to save it, he'd do what he has to do without a second thought. My mom frankly would not care if he took over the world, and Lucy would be no different. So, all in all? We could do so, yes. But none of my parents really want to, and as long as the world can avoid continuously rushing headlong into disaster, they would all be too happy to leave that kind of stuff to the side and focus simply on their own things."
"That's not a no." pointed out Helena.
Sherry nodded. "Because it isn't. It's a potential plan in the worst case scenario. My family has been fighting people like Simmons and Carla for a long time, Helena. We will do whatever we must to ensure they never win."
She sighed. "My parents just… hope they never have to. Or at least, my dad does. He's pretty big on people being free to pursue their dreams in life, and taking over the world, literally or from the shadows, kind of stands against that. But-" she waved at where Simmons was. "-well, this. All of this."
Helena stared at her… Then sighed.
"If it had been a while back, I probably would not have been happy to hear that."
She looked away, towards the hole in the train she created through killing Simmons, before her gaze hardened.
She looked back at Sherry.
"But that was before this entire mess, before I got blackmailed, before my sister got kidnapped and experimented on, before she owed her life to your parents, and more. I said that I owed you all. So fine. As long as my sister is safe, I'll do whatever you want, keeping quiet about all of this included."
Sherry smiled at her. "Well, you'll probably still need to talk to dad." Her smile turned into a smirk. "I dare say your talks will be… insightful."
Leon raised an eyebrow… But shrugged it off. If they wanted to inform Helena of the gods living amongst them, Leon had no right to disagree, it wasn't his secret after all.
That, and frankly he approved, anyway.
"Well, that's nice and all, but now what?" asked Muller, looking actually relaxed now that the threat of potential violence had passed.
"Now, we should go back to HQ… Or at least whatever building my dad took to turn it into it for the duration of this crisis." Sherry said, before looking down at the train they were still on. "We should also probably find out where this train stops, first…"
-
Some time ago, in front of the secret Neo-Umbrella lab…
"She's making a break for the harbor!"
"Then let's go after her!" Chris replied to Piers' shout as they ran out of the building, getting in the back of a jeep and taking hold of the gun mounted on it.
Piers took the driver's seat, and soon enough they were on the chase, rushing through the streets after Carla.
"This is Nivans! Ada Wong is moving south towards the military port! Advising all personnel to be on alert!"
"Don't worry, we can handle this! I've had enough of this pursuit after this bitch across the world!" Chris shouted back, his eyes narrowed towards the distant form of Carla's car.
"Sir, incoming J'avos!"
Chris grimaced, as jeeps full of the infected soldiers came out of the nearby streets to attack them.
"Keep following her! I'll handle them!" he replied, putting the first enemy jeep in sight and pulling the trigger, a storm of laser bolts shredding the jeep and killing everything inside in seconds.
"On it!"
They rushed through the streets, Piers doing his best to avoid any civilian cars while trying to gain ground towards Carla, and Chris quickly shooting up jeep after jeep full of J'avos.
"How many of the bastards are there?!" he cursed after destroying yet another one. "Command, we could really use some back up or anything capable of stopping Carla!"
"Sorry, no can do. All units are already engaged. We currently don't have anyone in reserve in the area you are in."
"Dammit! Do you think it's part of her plans?" cursed Piers at the news.
"Don't know, don't care! What matters right now is that we need to catch up to her, and fast!"
"On it!" Piers snarled, focused on keeping up with Carla.
Street after street, they rushed through the city, occasionally seeing evidence of fighting between BSAA and ISIS forces against the J'avos, though both men were focused solely on trying to catch up on Carla.
More and more jeeps tried to stop them, laser bolts flying every which way as they all tried their best to kill each other.
"Don't think you can run, I'm the best fucking driver in the BSAA!" shouted Piers, narrowly dodging a rocket sent their way.
"Keep it up, and we'll get that bitch soon enough!" Chris shouted in encouragement, while shooting yet another J'avos jeep.
"Alpha, come in! This is Delta! We've heard you've been zeroing on Carla Radames! We're trying to hold out on our end, but I'm notsure how long we're going to last! You gotta catch up on that woman, before things get any worse!"
"Don't worry soldier, we will! Just keep those civilians safe!" Chris replied through his radio.
"Roger that, good luck! Hopefully you can put an end to this shit storm- Ah! ISIS reinforcements, perfect! We might actually win this day after all!"
Chris smirked, before focusing once more on shooting up yet more jeeps now outright trying to ram them out of the street.
Of course, things couldn't be too easy, so after an explosion from a grenade, which resulted in an exploded truck, and a last-second save by driving over the nearby train tracks, they now had a train coming their way, all the while trying to keep chasing after Carla.
"There, on your right!"
Piers twisted the wheel, drove over a mound of dirt near the train tracks, sending them flying for a second… Before they crashed back on the road.
And the chase was back on.
Chris took a moment to be happy he was a Hunter, because he wasn't certain he'd have been able to stay on top of the jeep without it, before refocusing on his prey.
However, Carla then brought them to a… building for parking?
And she kept going up?
What-
His eyes widened. "Ambush!"
Piers twisted the wheel, getting them out of the path of a rocket sent their way a second before it would have hit, before he then went full speed ahead, smashing apart the jeeps blocking the way and rushing forward, leaving the J'avos behind.
Only for Piers to make the jeep go to a screeching halt when they reached the top, finding a destroyed wall showing them Carla smirking at them from the road in front of the building before driving away.
"Grab your gun, I'm taking over!" shouted Chris, a second before Piers jumped to the right seat and Chris took the driver's seat.
"Hang on, I'm taking a short cut!"
Then he went backwards… Before flooring the car forwards and into the hole in the wall.
They flew through the air, hit the street before smashing against the wall at the side of the street, but the car was still good enough to move, so Chris floored it once more.
"You're not getting away, Carla!"
They rushed forward, Chris taking a moment to thank Aeon for the miracle of the fact their jeep still worked after his latest stunt, before once again having to deal with more J'avos in jeeps trying to protect Carla.
Then their radios crackled to life, and the reason for Carla going to the harbor became obvious.
"HQ to Alpha! We've spotted an unknown aircraft carrier in the harbor! Radio chatter we've picked up seems to indicate that it belongs to Neo-Umbrella!"
"Sir-"
"I know, Piers! We're going in, even if we have to fight an entire aircraft carrier full of B.O.W's to get her!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
They kept driving after her, until Piers pointed out at the distant form of the previously mentioned aircraft carrier.
"That's where she's headed!"
"I know! Hold on, they are closing the bridge to it, we'll have to jump it!" Chris shouted back.
"Never a dull day in our line of work, heh sir?"
Chris smirked. "That's why we're paid the big bucks, Piers!"
"Aahah!" Piers laughed, before turning serious.
"Well, in the worst case scenario… It was an honor, sir."
"Don't worry! We'll make it!" growled Chris, focusing on the sight of the rising bridge of the Aircraft carrier.
Come on, come on, come on, Aeon if you're listening now is the time to help!
They jumped.
For a moment, they were all airborne, and Chris eyed the distance between them and the closing entrance-
And then they were through.
At which point Chris noticed he hadn't thought of having a proper landing strategy.
His eyes widened-
And then the car hit the floor, began spinning, and both he and Piers were violently ejected out of it.
Somehow, through some miracle, neither of them died or were grievously injured.
Chris and Piers both couldn't help but groan in misery, however, at how many bruises they just gained.
Hugh… Okay, that might not have been my best idea ever… Chris thought groggily, his vision spinning, though he still saw Carla get out of her car and run further into the aircraft carrier.
Come on, get up… Training with Aeon was worse, at least here I didn't die, a smashing success by Hunter standards… ugh.
Chris painfully stood up, before glancing at Piers, who was painfully doing the same.
He grimaced, though it could have been worse. Chris' armor and Aura took the damage for him, and Piers had BSAA armor. Not as good as his, but not bad stuff by any means.
They share a look, before turning serious.
They were now firmly in enemy territory, and they had no idea if they could get reinforcement.
Still, the mission remained the same: Kill Carla Radames.
They nodded at each other, they moved forward.
And almost immediately started getting shot at, as armored J'avos came out of every entrance in their direction, flooding into the rear hangar of the aircraft carrier.
"Sir!"
"We push through! Forward!"
"Yes sir!"
Chris took out his sword, a plasma gun in the other hand, and charged forward.
Time to hunt down that bitch once and for all.
-
"I really wish you would stop running. We have so much to talk about." Ada said to herself, as she got up in the front hangar of the aircraft carrier where her clone was.
She made short work of the elite J'avos of Neo-Umbrella, the gun she got from Insight Corp. truly was impressive, and it also was extremely useful as a door-opener.
Can't be blocked by locked doors if the doors no longer exist, after all.
As she went through the corridors, the voice of her clone echoed from nearby.
"Can you feel it spreading through your body yet? I'm just giving you exactly what you gave me, Simmons."
Ada smiled wryly. "Ah, here's my evil twin."
"At first you'll be afraid, but don't worry. You're just becoming the monster you always were. You and everyone else on the planet. You and your Family may have helped shape the world into what it is today, but starting tomorrow… It's all going to change."
Ada looked up, before shaking her head. "What the hell did Simmons do to you?"
Well, it hardly mattered. What mattered now was stopping her.
"I wonder when I'll finally meet this doppelganger of mine… Guess I'll know soon."
She moved on, ready to have a talk with Carla.
Even if that talk would most likely involve putting her down like the rabid dog that she had become.
She could hardly let her destroy the world, after all.
Not with Leon in it, at least.
A nearby elevator drew her attention, only for her eyes to widen when she saw Redfield and a BSAA soldier with him.
She waved, then ran away. She'd rather meet Carla first, after all.
"Ada, wait!"
"Sorry, I'm busy, talk later!"
She closed the door behind her, and then kept on running.
Time to get a move on. If Chris was there, then it was only a matter of time before Carla got blown up.
ISIS Hunters were rather good at that, after all. And Chris really fit with the Hunters, because he wasn't one to ever let something go.
Well then, time to go faster.
-
"-it's all going to change."
"Well, if we had any doubt, they're gone. Carla really hates Simmons." dryly said Piers.
"Yeah, and the world. Can't forget that part. Come on, Piers, let's stop that crazy bitch before she dooms us all." remarked Chris.
"Sir, yes sir."
They rushed forward, taking an elevator and waiting impatiently for it to get them closer to their target.
Their eyes widened however when a red-clad Ada Wong stood facing them in the corridor they arrived at, before quickly disappearing into another corridor.
"Ada, wait!" Chris cried out, before cursing. "Dammit, she could have helped us instead of running."
"So… That was the real Ada Wong?" commented Piers.
"Seems like it. The color scheme certainly fits. And we did get the warning… No matter. Our mission stays the same: Get Carla Radames and kill her."
They tried their best to follow after her, but unfortunately waves of elite J'avos and locked doors made them lose all sight of her.
Still they kept going, killing all hostiles in their way, and even catching a glimpse of Ada a second time, though it only served to confirm that Carla was probably further ahead of their current position.
A number of ambushes slowed them down, but they nonetheless managed to keep moving forward. Chris took point, using his Aura and inhuman reflexes to both block any incoming fire and shoot anything hostile first, while Piers provided cover fire and sniped any enemy at longer ranges.
Eventually they reached the bridge, where dozens of elite J'avos came from everywhere to try and kill them, the entire area soon devolving into a brightly lit, burning ruin as a result of all the lasers, plasma and Gauss beams flying all over the place.
Chris went charging in, killing enemies left and right while trusting on both his speed and Aura to keep him safe, while once again Piers provided cover fire, sniping the heads off J'avos one after another.
When finally the firefight ended, leaving only the crackles of flames to fill the air, both men glanced at each other, nodded, and then kept going higher, towards the top of the ship.
Soon, they'd get to Carla, and finally get the chance to end this.
Soon.
-
Ada entered the next room, her eyes immediately narrowing towards the briefcase on a nearby desk.
She went up to it, and opened it with ease- fingerprints activated, which meant nothing to her in this case for obvious reasons.
She took a recorder, activating it and listening to it.
"No! No! That's not good enough! That's not Ada Wong! Why won't it work?!" Her eyes narrowed again, this was Simmons' voice, without a doubt. And he was obviously livid.
She skipped the recording forward.
"Combine the DNA sequence with the cocoon's bio-structure. Find another subject! Use Carla for the next pass, she's a close enough match. Be careful what you say around her, I don't want her catching on."
Ada grimaced slightly, taking a document in the briefcase and beginning to read while still listening to the recording.
"Yes, yes! This is it! She may have left me, but now I have her back! Happy birthday, Ada Wong!"
Ada glanced at the pictures of Simmons and Carla Radames, before shaking her head and closing the document.
"So, it's really as Aeon said… I suppose that I should have known better by now than to doubt his ability to find the truth."
She glanced at the last object in the briefcase, a small representation of the Quad Tower, a building in this city.
She put it in a pocket, before looking back at the briefcase.
"Hm. Aeon's the one who told me about your desire to blow up Raccoon City, Simmons, and that very thing caused me to distance myself from you… And now, it's also the thing that has brought you to create the architect of your end. To think Aeon talking to me twice for less than 5 minutes each time would both be enough by themselves to destroy two of the organizations I once worked for… What a terrifying man you call a friend, Leon…" she mused.
There were a lot of things that the leader of ISIS kept secret, and one of them was the foresight ability he kept seemingly proving himself in possession of.
She didn't believe in prophecies or fate, but that man certainly seemed continuously able to dance circles around some of the deadliest individuals in the world.
And now, he was about to become the effectively unchallenged leader of the Earth, by sheer dint of the fact nobody else possessed as much influence as Insight Corp. and ISIS did.
Especially with China all but about to fall under their control after this mess.
On one hand, since she was effectively allied with them, that was good for her.
On the other hand, she couldn't help but be disturbed by how much she still, to this day, knew almost nothing of the secrets of the leaders of both groups.
What was their intention, really? Their long-term goals?
What was going to happen, now that they would be free to act without anyone there to oppose them?
She sighed. "And to think I thought I was the one who loved being close to dangerous people the most out of us both… I never expected you to be the one with the scariest friends, Leon."
She shook her head. That was a problem for another time. For now-
*KA-BOOM!*
-Ah. That totally was her evil clone being blown up, wasn't it?
"Dammit Chris! Five minutes with her was all I asked!"
-
Chris kicked the door open, before he rushed forward on the observation deck of the ship.
"Carla!" he shouted, Piers right behind him, as they both ran towards the blue-clad woman with her back turned towards them, currently facing the city who was still being fought over by both human and J'avos forces.
"Still haven't had enough, huh? You people really don't know when to quit-"
*PZZZT!*
Carla blinked, as the gun she had was mostly disintegrated out of existence.
"I've got some questions for you." growled Chris.
"And you think I'm going to answer?" she said mockingly. "But you know what, I do have something to say. The aircraft carrier is preparing for launch."
Chris stiffened, a cold feeling of dread going down his spine. He glanced at Piers, who looked back with growing concern.
Carla smiled coldly, spreading her arms wide open. "And the dead will flood the streets. A glimpse of things to come."
Her smile grew wicked. "Déjà vu, boys. Raccoon City and Manhattan revisited. But this time, it won't be just one city. It'll be the whole word."
Chris tightened his grip on his gun, his eyes darkening dangerously. So Aeon was right, she's as mad as Wesker-
They all stiffened when a helicopter suddenly arrived, the light on it illuminating Carla, who turned with a look of surprise on her face-
*BANG!*
"Shit!" Chris fired, his gun quickly causing the helicopter to explode, its burning wreck crashing down below.
However, Carla had already been shot, the woman gripping her chest.
Chris frowned, that was a gunshot, with a bullet, why-
Poisoned bullet, perhaps? If the goal was to make her suffer, another type of gun would have killed her quickly…
But who-
Ah. The Family taking revenge for Simmons, then.
"You got me." she muttered, looking into the distance. "Well played."
She turned towards them, coming closer to the end of the observation deck.
"But no one can stop it now…"
She fell back, down the ship until she crashed on the floor below, a huge puddle of blood extending around her.
"Dammit! What the hell just happened?!" cursed Piers.
"At a guess? The Family just took revenge on her for Simmons."
"Yeah- wait, she had a briefcase!"
Piers checked it, finding it thankfully open, and found a single syringe with a red liquid.
"This looks like a different strain." muttered Chris at the sight of it.
"There are two missing!" remarked Piers after taking a look at the briefcase.
"Just take what's left for the scientists back home to look over."
Chris activated his radio. "This is Alpha Leader! I need a sitrep, ASAP!"
"This is HQ. Things on the ground are progressing well, though it'll take time to fully cleanse the city."
"We don't have time! The terrorist assault was just a diversion! The real attack will spread the virus globally!"
Chris snarled in rage, before Piers glanced at him.
"Now what?"
Chris glanced around, before looking at a nearby elevator, at which point he got an idea.
"Let's check the rear hangar! Surely there has to be a plane we can use!"
"Yes, sir!"
They ran for the elevator, Chris all but smashing the button to go down, while their radios crackled to life again.
"Alpha Team, this is HQ. We confirmed that Radames was telling the truth. There's another fully-armed ship near your location. Satellite imaging indicates that they are getting ready to fire missiles on the mainland. It's imperative that you stop them from firing even one."
"Copy that, HQ."
The elevator came to a stop.
Chris glanced at Piers.
"The bay is just ahead. Hurry!"
"Yes sir!"
They ran forward, feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Billions of souls were now counting on them to succeed at all cost.
This entire situation was far too familiar to Chris, since something much like this happened after the mess in Africa.
Still, he didn't fail then.
He wouldn't fail now.
He couldn't afford to.
-
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the events of Resident Evil 6!
This chapter was focused on Waiyip, with various differences from canon.
Sherry and Jake working with Leon and Helena, for example. Some things remained the same, such as Carla managing to escape the research lab. And yes, God!Aeon actually intervened to allow her to escape, because otherwise she'd have been screwed. Why? Well, those of you who watched the end of Ada's campaign can tell why Carla dying in the city would not have been a good thing at all.
As for Simmons, he was never going to survive a team of Sherry, Leon, Helena and Jake unless Aeon acted to save him, and at the difference from Carla, he had no reason to let him live a bit longer.
So yeah, no real last boss fight for him, he just got executed where he stood basically.
Also, who among you remembered that in this timeline, Aeon was the one who ended up causing Ada to leave Simmons behind? Causing all these events to happen? Because yeah, that makes twice that Aeon used Ada to destroy his enemies.
Also, Helena seems pretty willing to potentially allow Aeon and co. to control the world, but to be fair, she owes much to ISIS, Leon, and the likes. And she has seen enough by now to know that they aren't bad people, so that helps too.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, we continue RE6 with what might be the final chapter to RE6, or at least second-to-last. In which that which is dead might not eternal lie, rather unfortunately for Ada…