Claire walked slowly through the deserted area of the military camp. The soldiers' training had been over for some time. Night had already fallen and she could no longer stand to do nothing inside that room. Sherry managed to keep herself entertained with some movies that were on, and she decided to go for a walk, to get some fresh air.

The place was lit by lampposts positioned relatively far away from each other. The cool atmosphere and the deserted area left a somewhat frightening atmosphere in the air, but she was used to it. It was something she used to do, go out for walks at less crowded times. It was dangerous, she knew, and Chris had made it clear on many occasions that he hated it when she did that. But that habit helped her get through Raccoon.

Occasionally her brain would still trick her, showing her creatures or people who weren't there, but her "attributes" wouldn't let her fool herself. Frankly, she was beginning to see a not-so-bad side to her attributes. Sometimes she almost felt as if she were a superhuman, and walking alone at night helped to strengthen that idea.

Claire sighed slightly as she walked under a lamppost. Chris's meeting was already over, but he had to go to Clive to discuss something about his new organization. A lot of bureaucracy involved, apparently. Not that it was a surprise.

Claire was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the loud heartbeat approaching. She continued walking calmly, but she focused on the noises emitted by the person.

From the heavy footsteps, it was a large man, his breathing was strong, showing that he had a very robust body and from the slight noise of wind being cut, she would say that such man would be playing with a blade in some way.

After a few seconds, a few meters ahead, Claire observes that same man from before approaching, much to her chagrin.

Krauser was walking calmly, but at a steady, large pace. In his hand, he twirled his knife between his fingers and looked thoughtful for a few moments.

Claire thought about turning around and walking away. That man was giving her bad feelings. It was hard to explain what she felt. It was as if he was a diamond of evil that had not yet been polished. Somehow she could differentiate this kind of thing in people.

Like a sixth sense.

She held back a sigh as she realized that Krauser's cold blue eyes were now staring at her, and she tried to ignore the clear signals he gave. He stopped playing with the knife and his heartbeat became slightly faster.

"Ah, little Redfield. Certainly a sight for sore eyes after such a tiring day." Krauser said, and Claire rolled her eyes slightly.

She had no problem with harmless flirting, never had, but even such simple words seemed to have a hidden meaning on Krauser's part.

She had met people like that before, Clive being one of them. But it wasn't as if she could say that to Chris, he would never believe her. Not to mention that she had no proof at all, just her intuition.

"This Redfield has a name. Claire." She said in a neutral voice, continuing on her way calmly.

Although she had some idea what Krauser was capable of, she doubted he would try anything with her. So for now, she didn't have to worry so much. Still, it was best to keep her guard up.

"Uuuuh, I beg your pardon, miss. Hum, I think a little bit of Chris dwells in you too. Not a bad thing though." He said, a small, sideways smile on his lips.

"I have to commend your courage. It's not everyone who confronts Chris like that." She said, stopping her walk. Not because she wanted to talk to Krauser, but because she had to concentrate a little to get her senses back to normal.

"Ah, do me the favor. No offense, but your brother is overestimated. There are far more dangerous things than him out there." He said, for the first time, with a certain level of seriousness in his voice.

He really meant that.

"Maybe. Still, he's still a dangerous man. I'm surprised you guys haven't fought so far." Claire said, shaking her head slightly and crossing her arms.

Again, sometimes suppressing her senses worked, sometimes it didn't. And she couldn't help but feel a little frustrated as she could hear yet another person approaching in the distance.

Krauser's deep voice bothered her sensitive hearing.

"If it were up to me, I would have knocked some of his teeth out by this point." Krauser said, going back to playing with his knife in his hand.

"I may not have seen much, but from what little I have witnessed, I can tell you that if you stop taunting him, you'll realize that maybe you two aren't so different after all." Claire said, arching a simple eyebrow as she looked at Krauser.

He didn't seem to care one bit about what she was saying.

"Oh, please, I'm not the least bit interested in getting to know your brother. But I am very interested in knowing more about you. I have some drinks in my room. What do you think?" Krauser proposed, and Claire shook her head slightly.

The person approaching came even closer, and they both looked at Chris. The older Redfield, as soon as he saw the two, immediately sent a murderous glance toward Krauser, who just laughed in debauchery.

"Argh, he's like a cockroach. Apparently, we'll have to leave our little meeting for another day." Krauser said, winking at Claire before turning and continuing on his way toward his room.

Claire watched him walk away for a few moments, until she turned and looked at Chris, who couldn't take his eyes off Krauser's back.

Once he was in front of his sister, he was silent for a few moments, before looking at her strangely, and Claire just rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't giving him a damn, if that's what you're thinking." She said.

"I'm thinking you should stay away from him. That's all." He replied, and Claire ran her hand down her forearm.

"I can take care of myself. If it's any consolation, I don't like him." She said, staring Chris in the eye.

"Good." He said only, and they both started walking side by side.

"Where's Sherry?" Chris asked without looking at her.

"In her room watching movies." Claire replied, staring for a few moments at the starry sky as she ran a hand through her hair.

The two were silent for a while, but they could both sense the odd mood.

"Okay, you want to tell me something, don't you?" Chris asked after a while, and Claire almost smiled at that. Sometimes she really didn't like how well he knew her.

"I know you know how I feel about your work. Of everything you do. You know that I don't like what you do, even if it's for the good. And that's something I feel like we didn't talk about enough." She began, slowing her steps and making Chris look at her somewhat intently.

"Like it or not, Sherry and I are involved in this for the simple fact that we have a connection to you. And after all, a normal life is just a dream for us. And I thought-"

"Claire... you're not saying what I think you're saying, right?" Chris interrupted her, and she looked at him with both eyebrows arched and her eyes slightly wide.

"I don't know, tell me what you're thinking." She said, putting both hands in her pockets.

"We've already talked about this, I'm not going to let you join the BSAA and get even more involved in this, not after everything." He said, and she shook her head, chuckling lightly at Chris' thoughts.

"BSAA is the name? So you're all set then?" She asked, and Chris scratched the back of his head.

"There are still some things to be discussed and it's not official yet. This is something serious and a big thought but... yes, it's all set." Chris said, and Claire smiled slightly, happy for her brother's success. It was what he wanted.

"Wow... my congratulations then. Boy, I never imagined you founding an organization." She said genuinely.

"Clive did most of the work, but that's not what we're talking about." Chris replied, crossing his arms.

"No, I wasn't thinking about being part of the BSAA. I'm not like you, I don't want to be a soldier... but I want to help." She said, watching Chris' reactions carefully.

It was somewhat clear that he hadn't liked hearing that, but he was waiting patiently for her to finish saying what she wanted.

"I have seen first hand what these viruses are capable of doing... what Umbrella can cause. Many are worried about these viruses, but what about the victims? What about those who lost everything? What about the people who were orphaned and homeless after these attacks?" She said, and although she still didn't directly say what she wanted, Chris already knew what she was getting at.

She didn't have to finish. He lowered his head and sighed, running a hand through his short hair.

"And you want to join TerraSave." He finished for her, and Claire, in turn, just stared at him for a few moments. "Come on, Claire. I know you better than you know yourself sometimes. I know you've been doing research on TerraSave and the bioterrorist attacks they covered." He explained, crossing his arms again and looking up at the sky thoughtfully.

Claire just smiled as she shook her head. It was naive of her to think that she could hide this from her brother.

"...Okay, let's assume that I accept that idea. Which, to be clear, I don't. What about Sherry?" he asked, again looking her deep in the eyes.

"TerraSave has an education program for teens. Sherry would take first aid classes and help manage medical supplies." She said, and Chris clicked his tongue in displeasure. "I've already talked to her about-"

"Yeah, yeah, I figured you did. Argh, she acts just like you sometimes." He interrupted her, running his hand down his neck.

He had spent long hours in two different meetings and now this. Boy, that was exhausting.

He was silent for a while, minutes maybe.

The moment they fell victim to Umbrella and their viruses, they were taken into that world and everything at that moment was risky. Especially with his name being known by Umbrella and who knows what other terrorist organizations lurking around.

"Look... can we at least finish Sherry's training before you guys get involved with TerraSave?" He asked, and Claire arched an eyebrow in anticipation, causing Chris to sigh.

"I know I can't just forbid you, as much as I'm against it. But...I would feel a little more relieved knowing that Sherry can protect herself. So... you'll stay away from TerraSave only as long as her training lasts... can you do that?" He asked, and Claire, pleased with her brother's reaction, nodded in confirmation.

Well, she would need a little more patience, but everything had turned out better than she had planned.

"Good then. Now, I think you'd better go back to your room. Today was exhausting and I can't wait to drop in my bed." He said, and Claire gave him a hug before walking away.

Chris watched her walk away for a few moments, and once she was out of his sight, he sighed slightly.

Was this the right decision? He saw no other option, and simply forbidding her to do anything was out of the question. After all, she would never obey him.

Still... these things were harder than they seemed.


The days passed, Chris still found himself conflicted, but the doubts slowly disappeared.

Sherry began her training. The girl had never touched a gun before, and her lack of experience was clear.

But as the training progressed, it was hard not to realize that she had potential with a weapon. He was once regarded as the best shooter in S.T.A.R.S, and was certainly still known for his extremely accurate aim, so many would say that Sherry's progress was due to training with a professional.

But Chris knew it was more than that. The girl was almost a natural with a gun.

As he trained her with Claire, more bureaucracy happened, and his head ached with the new responsibilities that came his way.

Until, after a few weeks, his first official mission would take place. A simple reconnaissance mission in partnership with USSOCOM. There were only a few more steps to go before the BSAA became an official and independent organization, his mission was to make sure that would happen.

In other words, more paperwork for now.

Claire knew about her brother's busy routine, so that week she took over Sherry's training, leaving Chris with a little more time in his busy days.

In a way, it was a good thing, although she did enjoy training with both of them, some of Chris' methods didn't work for them, and over time, she adapted what he taught to serve her in the best way possible, and she would be in charge of passing on what she knew to Sherry.

The firearm training would not happen that day. Although she was still far from having the experience that Chris thought was ideal, Sherry already had a relatively advanced knowledge of firearms.

Now, she would have a little more experience in hand-to-hand combat. A knife was just as reliable as a firearm, just as essential, and at times, could make the difference. Especially at times when she didn't have much room to run or distance herself from her attacker, whomever that might be.

"So, first, just like firearms, you have to know not to fear, not to hesitate. Technique is important, yes, but generally, what determines your survival is not just technique. You have to eliminate the enemy quickly, direct and fatal attacks." Claire explained, watching Sherry stand in attack position with a knife still in its sheath in her hands.

"Your goal is to defend yourself and only use a knife if necessary. But... well, Chris has been teaching you what he learned as a military man so... yeah, it's going to be a little different." Claire said, also getting into position. "Depending on your opponent, you will be forced to take different actions. Like for example, your enemy might be wearing a ballistic vest, so stabbing him in the stomach or heart is a waste of time."

"Most people don't have any kind of training, but in case you are going against someone who is trained, you have to be prepared. Now, attack me." Claire said, and Sherry did as instructed.

The girl attempted a piercing attack from left to right, but Claire stopped the blow with her forearm.

"In this position, you can force my arm to the side, breaking my guard, and cut my neck. Try it." She said, and Sherry did.

The moment Claire blocked the attack with her forearm, the little girl forced her arm to the side and put the knife against Claire's neck, causing the older Redfield to nod.

"This can also be used if your opponent is in the position I am in, with enough force, you will break his or her guard. However, be quick, your opponent can turn the situation around in the blink of an eye if you are not careful." Claire said, picking up her knife, which was also in its sheath, and getting into attack position.

"Block." She said, attempting a piercing attack, and Sherry blocked the attack with the top of her forearm. "An opponent with minimal training will block that attack that way, so redirect his or her arm downward, step forward, and attack the neck." Claire said, moving as she explained what Sherry should do.

With that, she steps back a step, and Sherry mimics her movements, again placing the knife against Claire's neck.

"One of the points that you can attack in your opponent, should you need to, is the arteries. There are several arteries you can target. Temporal, here, on the side of the head. Brachial, on the side of the biceps. Radial, on the forearm. Here, below the clavicle..." Claire explained as she showed where each artery was located, remembering the same explanation Chris had given her when he trained her.

"It all depends on what situation you're in, but hit one of those arteries and your opponent will be pretty much finished." Claire said, receiving a nod in response.

The two continued with their training for a while longer.

Sherry attempted a piercing attack, however, Claire blocked and countered, slowing her speed purposefully so that Sherry would react.

The girl did as she expected and redirected Claire's arm downward. Sherry then stepped forward and aimed for the woman's neck.

However, to her surprise, Claire countered, stepping to the side, grabbing Sherry's arm and landing a knee to the girl's stomach. A weak blow, but it became effective, and the girl walked away with her hand on her stomach and a pained expression.

Sherry said nothing, just gasped as she knelt down with her hands still on her stomach, and the small smile that Claire had on her face slowly died.

The expression Sherry was making was one of pain, more than Claire had thought, and she wondered if she had taken it too hard... which made no sense, she held back her blow.

"Sherry! Oh, geez, I'm sorry." She apologized as she approached and knelt beside the girl, who took a few deep breaths as the pain dissipated.

"Geez... Claire... I thought this was supposed to be training. You hit hard." She complained, and Claire helped her to her feet, ignoring the strange feeling she had.

"I'm sorry, I... I went hard, I admit it." She said, watching Sherry take a few more deep breaths after they stood up.

When the girl recovered, her baby blue eyes met Claire's. The two stared at each other for a while.

Claire had always known that Sherry saw things that others didn't, and that look showed that she knew something, and she didn't know how to react to it.

Until, after a few moments, Sherry smiled slightly and her gaze returned to normal.

"Well, I guess I should be thankful that it's not Chris in your place, right?" She joked, and after a few moments lost in thought, Claire smiled, shaking her head slightly at the thought.

"Ah, you better believe it. His arm is bigger than your head." Claire said, smoothing the sheath of the knife around her waist. "Okay, we can take a break now. We'll continue in fifteen minutes, okay?"

She asked, and Sherry nodded in response.

"I'll go in the bathroom in the meantime. While I'm there, I'll see if any parts need to be bandaged." Sherry said, giving a light poking. One that Claire felt and smiled in nervousness.

Sherry laughed lightly in amusement and turned around, walking across the yard toward the house ahead.

Claire watched the girl walk away, and as soon as she passed through the door, she sighed and bowed her head, slightly annoyed.

"You know, at least make the effort to pretend you're not looking." She said loudly, and soon turned back around, staring at Krauser with sharp eyes.

He was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, and as soon as she turned around, he gave a sideways grin.

"Guilty as charged." He said only, not moving a muscle, and Claire sighed.

"Chris disappeared for a while and you got bolder. I think you're afraid of him." She teased, which seemed to come up with no effect.

"Ha, that's a good joke." He scoffed. "It's hard to have a conversation with you with him butting in all the time. Now that he's not here to stand in our way, it's a good opportunity." He said, and she crossed her arms.

"Shouldn't you be reporting it to your superiors or something?" She asked, and he snorted.

"And miss the chance to see you in those tight clothes? No, thanks."

"I thought by this point you would have taken the hint. But it seems Chris was right in saying that your mind is more retarded than normal." She said, deciding to take her intuition as a basis. The further away from Krauser she was, the better.

Krauser, for his part, took no offense. His sideways smile only widened.

"I have nothing against you, Krauser. But if you keep chasing me like this, maybe that knife in your shoulder will end up in your chest." She said in a neutral tone, gaze still sharp and stance firm.

Krauser laughed a little. He moved two steps away from the wall and put one of his hands in his pocket, without looking away.

"Oh, Redfield, you look cute that way. You know, all women act like that at first, and I like it." He said, moving two steps closer. "I like it when they act fierce. I'm going to love to break that ferocity when it's just the two of us, alone in a dark room, and make you scream my name." He said smugly, but Claire continued with a neutral expression, her eyes now showing a hint of annoyance.

"Be careful now, or maybe the one screaming will be you." She replied, shaking her head slightly. "You have been warned, Krauser." She said, and after raising his hands, Krauser turned and walked away from there with calm steps.

Claire watched him walk away, and breathed a little more relief as she realized that he was far enough away that she didn't have to worry about him sneaking around there again.

Claire bit her tongue slightly. Something was bothering her.

Krauser seemed to be that kind of man, the kind who saw women only as objects of pleasure and jumped from skirt to skirt, bragging about how many women he'd fucked and all that shit. But, a part of her said there was something more,

He wasn't just after her for her body, it was almost as if he was watching every step she made for an ulterior motive. As if he was trying to discover some secret that she carried.

Then again, she still didn't control her senses very well, and maybe, just maybe, she was thinking too much and he was just after her body. But somehow, that didn't seem to be the case.

Minutes later, Sherry returned, and they continued with their training.

The hours passed quickly, and when she least expected it, night had come.

Claire was sitting on one of the steps in front of the back door. She couldn't sleep, Sherry's breathing was too loud.

She sighed with that in mind. She didn't understand what she needed to do to control it, meditation?

Geez, and it wasn't like she could ask anyone for help. And telling Chris about it wasn't a good idea... at least, she didn't think so.

She didn't know... sometimes she thought it was better to tell him. It might not even lead to anything, maybe he wouldn't believe her.

But she wondered what it must be like. To hear that her sister has superhuman senses was not something ordinary.

But then again, what was normal in those days?

The door behind her opened, but she didn't turn to see who it was. She heard Chris come in the front door a few minutes ago. She heard him go upstairs to check on her and Sherry, and heard him whisper to himself "what is she doing out there?"

Even though it had been a long time since she was like this, she still couldn't get used to it.

"Claire? Everything okay?" He asked in a slight concerned tone, even though he already knew she had that habit.

"Yeah, just enjoying the night. I didn't want to stay in bed." She said, glancing over to observe Chris sit down next to her.

The two were silent, enjoying the cool weather, but Claire could sense her brother's restlessness, and his attempts to relax.

"You look worried." She said after a while, and Chris was unresponsive for a few minutes.

"Work. In some time, the BSAA will become official, the preparations to go public are almost ready. And on top of that comes our future missions." He explained, snapping his neck and lowering his head. "The next few days will be less busy... but it's just the calm before the storm."

"You want to tell me about?" She asked, and Chris glared at her. Honestly, he didn't seem too inclined to talk about it, but he knew his sister wanted to know exactly what he would do, since it would include him going out on a mission to fight biological weapons.

"...We have our sights set on a terrorist organization. They have been messing with a new virus for some time now, and they are dangerous. We are investigating their actions. We already have some leads and action plans... they call themselves Veltro... that's all I can share with you... for now." He said, resting his arms on his knees.

"How was training today?" Chris asked, and Claire shook her head.

"It was fine. Sherry is a fast learner. Although she has an easier time with firearms." She said.

"Hm, I have to agree that she learns fast. She's a better student than you." He teased, and Claire playfully nudged his arm.

"Hey, on that I disagree. I was a great student." She said, and Chris snorted.

"Yeah, great at disobeying." He replied, and she feigned an indignant expression.

They were silent again for a while longer, until Chris stood up and opened the door.

"I'm off to go. Don't stay out here too long, try to close your eyes for a bit or Sherry will surpass you in training." He said, looking at her over his shoulder.

"That's not going to happen." She replied, and Chris just smiled.

"Suit yourself." With that, he walked into the house and closed the door, leaving Claire alone again.

The woman lowered her eyes, and the smile on her lips died. The blue of her gaze fell on her hands.

Sometimes she felt as if something were moving through her veins, coursing through her body. It was rare for this to happen, but it was more than enough for her to suspect that there was something there.

She just shook her head and stood up after a few minutes.

She was going to take Chris's advice and try to get some sleep.

...

The days passed, Sherry's training progressed and Chris' work week began.

The BSAA was taking shape, the time for the military specializing in fighting bioterrorism was coming.

And the same could be said for Claire and Sherry.

With the girl's training coming to an end, it was time for them to have their first contact with their future. TerraSave was a path that Claire was determined not to turn back on, and she hoped that Sherry felt the same way.

She didn't have to worry about that, though. She had her confirmation within two years of joining the organization.


The agent was standing in front of the desk in his superior's office. His arms were behind his back and his face was in a neutral expression.

Ahead, William was placing a large briefcase on the desk, and just then, turned to the agent.

"I must say, Agent, I am surprised. I must admit that there were times when I doubted that you would have what was needed, but here we are. As of this day, you are fit to go on direct missions against bioterrorism. Your skills... well, the word exceptional, for a human, suits you just fine." William said, and the agent almost arched his eyebrows at the compliment.

If that was a compliment at all. Coming from Wesker, he didn't know anymore.

"Thank you, sir." The agent replied.

William was not the type for fancy celebrations or gatherings. Ghost receiving the official title of agent, after four years of training, was done right there, in the office. Something simple, straightforward, and without wasting unnecessary time.

Honestly, the agent didn't even think it was necessary. His... "ceremony" could have been done in his room, for all he cared.

"Your uniform is in this briefcase. And although it is an action without much sense or importance in my eyes, Walter asked me to deliver this... gift to you." William said, taking a smaller suitcase and approaching Ghost, who was observing the suitcase in his hands with neutral eyes, but with minimal curiosity inside.

As he approached, William opened the case, and Ghost blinked a few times, relatively surprised, to see the pistol in it.

The pistol was familiar, silver with some modifications that probably left it with greater firepower, but unmistakable. Matilda.

His old pistol.

Slowly he took the gun in his hands. It was a little heavier, but the weight was familiar. Walter must have asked them to keep it as faithful as possible.

He didn't know exactly what to say.

On one hand, it was good to have his gun back... memories that seemed like just dreams now.

On the other hand, Matilda was part of his old life, and he hadn't come this far to be consumed by his past memories. In a way, Matilda belonged to the former friendly cop... not Ghost, not the agent.

Slowly, he put the pistol back in the case and looked at William.

"Thank him for me, sir. I... appreciate the gift." He said, and Wesker closed the briefcase, without looking away.

"...What are your thoughts on this? An item from your past life... a life that you will never return." William asked, and Ghost sighed slightly.

"It is important to have memories. That's all. The gun has the ideal weight and clearly has been modified to do a lot of damage. It's a useful tool, I have no reason to refuse." He replied, and William turned, placing the briefcase on the table next to the other.

Satisfied with the answer, perhaps. Whatever it was, he did not demonstrate it.

"So, now that that's out of the way, your first solo mission will take place in three days." William said, turning around and acquiring a somewhat more serious aura than before. "That will give you time to prepare. As you may already know, this mission will be different from the last ones you've done."

William said, pointing to a chair near the table. The agent walked over and sat down, watching the screen attached to the wall light up.

"This is Terragrigia. This is a rather... special city. It took eleven years to build. It's called the 'floating city'. You can see why." The image of a city built above the ocean appeared, and a map was fixed next to the image of the city.

Three kilometers from the Mediterranean coast.

"It operates on a massive solar energy matrix. Located in a low earth orbit. Our terrorist group has small bases scattered around the planet. But, Hunk's team has discovered something." Above the image of the city, a picture of a man appeared.

He had short dark hair, a small scar on his chin, and appeared to be between 30, 40 years old. By the tattoo written on his neck, Russian.

"That's one of the founders of the Veltro group. Dominik Viktor. An important figure. While investigating one of their hideouts, we found out that this man will be heading off to Terragrigia. He was spotted in the provinces of China, near a cargo boat." The image of the man appeared, barely visible due to the distance, but certainly him.

"We noticed his involvement with some cargo boats and have reason to believe that there are virus samples on these boats. We will send you to the Mediterranean. You will pose as just any tourist and leave for Terragrigia. Find out what he is doing, his plans, everything. And then, eliminate him." He said.

The screen changed, images of some weapons, along with biological weapons like Hunters, appeared.

"That is an important mission, agent. Failure, in this case, is unthinkable. Do whatever it takes and don't let them find out about you."

The screen went off, and the agent stood up, without looking away from William.

"Yes, sir." He said, and William responded with a light nod.

"The files will be sent to your room with more details. That's all for now. You may leave." William said, and after a nod, Ghost picks up the two briefcases that were on the desk, turns around, and with calm steps, he leaves the office.

His first solo mission after years, and one of great importance.

A mission of that magnitude entrusted to him as soon as he finished his training... he was anxious, a little nervous even.

And with that, he even forgot to ask William to let him check on Claire and Sherry. Without even realizing it, he no longer thought about them as often as before.

Deep down, far below that agent, what was left of Leon was hoping that he wouldn't change to the extent that he would let them aside.

End of arc 1...