Sighing slightly, Sherry takes some bandages from the tray beside her and begins to gently bandage the arm of the man lying on the stretcher in front of her.
Her movements were slow and as light as possible so as not to cause any discomfort. That man, as well as the people in that place, had already been through a lot. Victims of bioterrorism attacks, among them, some unlucky souls who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
All things considered, the catastrophe was contained quickly, and there were few fatalities considering how disastrous that incident could have been. Thanks to the BSAA, everything was resolved without the death toll reaching into the thousands.
Still... as much as she was used to stitching, bandaging and treating victims of such attacks, she would never really get used to that reality. Sometimes she even felt too small, and just hoped that these viruses would be extinct.
She sighed again and placed the remaining bandages on the tray beside her.
"All done. You will feel a slight burning feeling for a while. If you are too uncomfortable, you can call me. I'll have someone check on you later, okay?" She explained in a soft voice, smiling reassuringly at the man, who shook his head in understanding.
"Okay. Thank you very much." He thanked her, and after a brief nod, Sherry turned and left the medical ward, walking through the corridors of the TerraSave hospital.
The corridors were long, several people came and went, in and out of rooms. The hospital was huge, accommodating many patients.
It was amazing to think how much the organization had grown in those years and become known. They were now completely trusted by the people due to their actions all over the world, with several headquarters set up in various countries around the world.
In fact, they did everything to help those in need, bringing education, medical assistance, food to the victims of attacks, or to those regions that did not have access to these things. Yet it seemed that even with all this, they never did enough.
This was something she thought about on a daily basis. Chris said it was because she was too young and hadn't learned yet that she didn't have control over many things, but still.
As she walked, she occasionally waved to some acquaintances or people she had worked with before. The people there were nice, not everyone was very likable, but everyone there had the same goal and shared the same principles for the most part.
A little further on, she saw a woman carrying some boxes towards a room at the end of the hall. The woman was having some trouble balancing so many boxes, and the girl quickened her steps.
As she approached, she acted quickly when one of the boxes fell toward the floor and she managed to catch it still in midair. There was something sharp in the box, and she suppressed a small groan of pain as she felt her hand being cut.
Beside her, the woman grumbled softly as she saw that a box had fallen.
The woman's brown eyes met the girl's blue ones, a tender smile appeared on her lips.
"Oh, hey, Sherry. Thanks for the help. Neil wouldn't be too happy if what's in that box broke... or the patients who need those things." The woman said, opening the door with her back and walking into the room.
That was the small storage room in that wing, full of medical supplies.
"No problem, Anna. It's rare to see you alone." Sherry said, placing the box on a shelf nearby.
Anna was a young woman, perhaps in her late twenties. She had dark hair, brown eyes, and was somewhat tall. A few inches taller than Claire, even. She had a good body, the result of constant physical training.
"I can say the same for you." Anna replied with a small smile, arranging the boxes on the determined shelves.
"I was just going to go see her now, actually." Sherry said, watching Anna slap her hands together, cleaning up the mess.
"Well, Luci is in a meeting right now. Apparently, they're sending some of our people to a headquarters in Africa. I don't know exactly why, but... anyway. Thanks again for your help, Sherry. By the way, where are your friends?" Anna asked, leaving the room with Sherry following right beside her.
"Josh and Elen are in another wing, this time they were in charge of counting items and organizing them." Sherry replied.
Friends... she had friends. At first it was even hard to think this, she had certain difficulties mingling and relating to other people, but in time, she managed to get around.
"Great then. See you later, Sherry. And stop growing up like that, in a little while you'll be bigger than Claire." Anna joked, and Sherry just nodded with a friendly smile on her face.
She quickly turned around and continued on her way toward the exit. The hospital was literally next to Terrasave headquarters, at least that particular hospital.
Not that it changed much, there were times when she was sent to a hospital almost on the other side of town. Not that it bothered her.
Before she continued on her way, the girl looked at her hand... as always, her wound had already healed. There was not even a trace that she had cut herself. No blood, no marks, no scars... nothing.
This happened with every kind of injury she had up to that point. She never told Claire about it... not because she didn't trust her, but simply because it was too absurd.
She didn't need a genius to know why that... attribute on her body. She just... she couldn't tell.
However, it also didn't take a genius to know that Claire probably suffered from something similar. There were times she acted too weird... well, she just shook her head.
Neither she nor Claire told each other, even though they were already suspicious... and if they were okay with it, then what difference did it make?
Sherry walked through the garden in front of the hospital. A large garden where some people walked with some patients in wheelchairs or just took them for a walk. That place was designed to provide the best possible comfort for its patients.
She walked slowly through the place. Despite everything, she liked that place. It was beautiful and a nice change from the depressing interior of the hospital.
A short time later, she entered the TerraSave headquarters, presented her badge at the entrance and headed for the elevator.
As usual, the place was bustling. People came and went, only with more intensity and haste. Hm, it certainly wasn't easy working for such a large organization.
Sherry briefly greeted the people inside the elevator before entering and waited to get to her floor.
Once she arrived, she walked at a slightly faster pace down the corridor. That floor looked more like a large office than anything else. A short time later, she finally saw who she was looking for.
Poor Claire, drowning in papers. This was one of the consequences of being required on trips abroad, the paperwork afterwards was deadly. Too many records and reports to do.
Well, Claire had already mentioned that it didn't bother her, so... not so bad... she thought.
The girl quickened her steps, but she soon stopped walking when she saw who was at the woman's side.
Neil Fisher, an important figure in the company. He was responsible for observing bioterrorist attacks around the world and acting on the situation, sending aid to the affected areas. It was common knowledge that he was a strong contender to be the newest leader of that organization.
Not only that, but he was kind of her boss. Neil was known for his gentle temperament, his patience and his willingness to help others. Everyone there saw him with high expectations.
Everyone but her. Sherry did not like Neil. Even she didn't know the reason for her dislike, but something inside her said that Neil was not to be trusted, that he had something hidden from others.
But it wasn't as if she could just tell that to anyone, or believe her suspicions, Neil never gave any indication of anything out of the ordinary. Not to mention that... well, Claire kind of likes him.
It was a fact that Redfiel has been opening up more in recent years. At first, she was a bit cold at times, and a bit reclusive, but as time went by, her relationship with the people there improved, and just like her, Claire also had people she could call friends.
Sherry sighed slightly as she watched Neil walk away, and it was her turn to approach.
Claire had her head down, writing something on a piece of paper with almost no blank space from so many notes.
"Hello my least favorite Redfild." She greeted her, and Claire looked at her with a small, debauched smile.
"Oh please, I know you adore me." Claire said, smiling slightly at the girl, who just shook her head dramatically.
The woman had changed in those years. She had a happier expression, with a much stronger glow than she had years ago. Her hair had grown a bit and she had slightly more mature features, although her face was still very youthful.
"I agree to disagree. So, did the perfect gentleman come to ask you out, finally?" Sherry asked, crossing her arms and looking at Claire with an arched eyebrow.
The woman, for her part, ducked her head slightly and blinked a few times at the question.
"I noticed that hidden sneer in your voice." Claire said, and Sherry shrugged.
"Your impression." Sherry said, and Claire just sighed slightly with a brief shake of her head.
"No, he didn't come to ask me out. Actually, he came to talk about you." Claire said, and Sherry arched an eyebrow in mild surprise. That was unexpected.
Claire opened a drawer beside her and pulled out a name badge. She then placed the name badge in front of Sherry, who watched it for a few moments, until she widened her eyes and alternated her somewhat incredulous gaze between the badge and Claire.
"No way..." Sherry said slowly, and Claire propped her head up with her hand.
"Congratulations, you just got promoted." Claire said, and Sherry took her newest name badge in her hands. Unlike the one she was wearing at that moment, the one in her hand was blue. Which indicated that she was now at the same rank as Claire. In other words, now, the same missions that the woman could do, she could too.
"That's great! I thought they said I was too young for higher rank." Sherry said, changing her name badge and wearing her new one.
"Well, they did. But you're old enough to be my assistant, after a few compliments. Neil especially spoke well of you." Claire said, showing her own badge with a small, excited smile.
"Thank him for me then." Sherry said, making a small grimace soon after. "Chris isn't going to like this very much."
"Yeah, well, Chris... I guess he'll just have to deal with it." Claire said, also with a small grimace. "But this time, he can't be the only one to worry. I know you're mature enough as it is, but keep in mind that the missions you'll be doing from now on will be quite different from what you've been doing, Sherry."
Claire said in a serious manner, her voice giving no room for any kind of joking or smart remark, a tone the woman rarely used with the girl.
Sherry stared at her for a few moments, understanding the seriousness of it and what was at stake. In response, she just nodded after a few moments.
"I understand, Claire. That's why you've been preparing me, no?" Sherry replied, and although her face became a little softer, Claire still maintained a serious expression.
"Yes... although no matter how much we train, it's never enough... the situation at hand is pretty bad." Claire said, writing a few more things on the papers in front of her, before folding them up and putting them on a chart.
"Really? Okay... what happened?" Sherry asked, and Claire, before answering, looked to the side before nodding slightly to the girl to follow her.
The woman stood up and they both walked through the room at somewhat quick paces, until they reached the cafeteria.
There was no one there, and no camera inside, only in the corridor.
Claire stood in front of Sherry, and after some time in silence, she sighed slightly.
"... Krauser's mission was a failure." Claire said, and Sherry slightly widened her eyes, remaining silent, waiting for her to continue. "His whole squad died, and he disappeared... well, they're having him for dead now. The outbreak hit some remote cities in South America. Lots of victims..." Claire sighed lightly, crossing her arms.
"Well, I can't say much, not least because, they'll send a file to me as the time gets closer." Claire and said, and Sherry bowed her head slightly.
Neither she nor Claire liked Krauser. He was a piece of shit most of the time they met him. However, so many deaths, so many victims... it was still a sad thing.
It's not like they wanted his death... well, at least, not Sherry, although she wasn't so sure about Claire.
"... So... this seems like a rather... intense situation. Did they really let me be their assistant?" Sherry asked, not that she was hesitant or not pleased with her... promotion. But it was somewhat unexpected.
"Yes, they did. We need people with experience, and even though you're young, you've shown yourself capable enough." Claire said, giving the girl a light pat on the shoulder, a way of trying to soften the tense atmosphere that had formed.
"Anyway... look, I have a few more things to take care of. I'll talk to you later." Claire said, and Sherry arched a playful eyebrow.
"Things to settle with Neil, by any chance?" Claire made an indignant expression, and Sherry played innocent.
"No, Neil and I don't... you know." She said, simply deflecting the question, and Sherry just shrugged.
She didn't like Neil, but what could she do? If he was good enough to get through those walls that Claire put around her heart, then he was good enough... she hoped. Although that bad feeling about him just wouldn't go away.
"Okay, if you say so. We'll talk later." Sherry said her goodbyes and turned around, quietly walking away from there. She could feel Claire's eyes on her back for a few moments, and moments later, the woman also moved to finish her business.
With that, her week passed more slowly than she wanted. The training she was doing with Claire was good for suppressing that anxiety she felt, until finally they found themselves in a company helicopter that was taking them to South America.
She had always wanted to see other countries, to see the diversity of the world, the different people, the different cultures. South America was very beautiful. If it wasn't for a rather bad reason, she would even try to enjoy her trip there.
In the distance, she could make out what appeared to be BSAA helicopters along with some native organizations.
The BSAA was quick to respond to that call and contain the outbreak. If not for them, that virus would surely have spread much further.
The helicopter began to descend, and Sherry looked at Claire beside her. The woman seemed a little lost in thought, as she usually was on some new assignment. She would never know what was going on in the woman's head.
As soon as the helicopter landed, it was as if Claire had come out of a trance, and both girls looked at each other.
The woman smiled slightly at Sherry and gave her a small pat on the shoulder, and soon after, she rose from her seat and moved to exit the helicopter.
Well... there was her first assignment as an official member of TerraSafe... this was an opportunity to make a difference.
Walking through the corridors of their base of operations, Jill kept one hand in her pocket and, with the other, held a report about Chris' last mission.
Something had gone wrong, they had lost contact with Redfield and his team approximately six hours ago.
She knew that Chris, despite being a hothead, could take care of himself. He was not regarded as one of, if not the, best BSAA agent for nothing. He had the title of captain for a reason.
Jill opened a double wooden door in front of her and entered the meeting room.
The place was large, spacious, there were no windows at all, a computer in front along with a projector that showed a large screen on the wall.
"Ah, Jill. Finally, time is running out." O'Brian said, pressing a button on a control in his hand, causing another screen to appear on the projection.
No dilly-dallying, great.
Jill briefly checked the room. Other than her, the only person there was Agent Parker along with some important figures within the BSAA and the FBC, such as Morgan Landsdale.
"Jill." He greeted her, and in response, she just nodded her head.
She did the same to Parker, before turning her attention to the large screen in front of her.
"This is a last minute mission of great importance, so pay attention. Some time ago, we received information from someone anonymous about Veltro. Because of that information, we were able to locate and disable some of their labs and successfully find their base. As well as successfully repelling a bioterrorist attack on Terragrigia. That cost us many men." The image of all the labs closed by the BSAA up to that point appeared on the screen, as did the image of a large ship just as O'Brian finished his speech.
Jill remembered the operation she had done in Terragrigia. After they received that information, they quickly went to check those coordinates and they found numerous ships and cargo boats with infected and T-Abyss samples. All of them scheduled to be taken to Terragrigia.
Some of these ships had already reached the city, however. They had not been fast enough. As a result, a third of the city was sealed off. Many people died, civilians as well as BSAA and FBC soldiers. But despite this, the rest of the city was saved.
Before she was called there, she was in charge of finishing eliminating the remaining infected in the affected area.
"That's one of the ships they were using. Chris was sent with a small team to apprehend Jack Norman, founder of the organization." A tall man in his 30s, 40s appeared on the screen. He was bald and had a scar below his left eye.
"Six hours have passed since then, no contact. The last contact we had, Chris informed us that the ship was overrun by infected. Apparently, Jack's group had become infected with the T-Abyss. Some of the BSAA and FBC men are thought to be dead." Satellite images appeared, as did photos of all the members included in that mission.
Jill crossed her arms as O'Brian went over the last audio he had with Chris. He was saying that the infected were everywhere, the ship was practically taken, but that Jack was still there, wounded by one of his bullets.
When the audio ended, O'Brian changed the projector screen, and pictures of Jill and Parker appeared.
"You and Parker will be in charge of investigating the ship and rescuing Chris and his men. You will take whomever you deem necessary, and you have only five hours to accomplish the mission. If you fail, we will bomb the ship without a second thought." O'Brian explained, and Jill and Parker squinted at the information.
"If time runs out and you are still on the ship, we will bomb anyway." Morgan said, and Jill stared at him for a while. Her serious gaze faced his neutral one. Nothing personal, of course.
"We can't take the risk. If that virus spreads to the oceans, there will be catastrophic results." He said, perhaps as a way of explaining himself, or simply for the sake of saying it.
Either way, it served as a mild tease to Jill. She knew that Morgan was not very fond of the BSAA.
Jill alternated her gaze between him and O'Brian for a few moments, before nodding.
"Yes, sir." She replied, a bit of petulance in her voice masked by her strictly professional tone.
She turned and left the room, hearing Parker's footsteps hurrying to catch up with her.
"So... anyone in mind for our team?" He asked after walking beside her for a few moments, and Jill snorted as a small smile appeared on her lips.
"Me and you, no one else. Chris may be a hothead, but he's not careless. Put someone to keep an eye on Morgan. He's always been hostile to us, I'm not too convinced it was the infected who cut off communication." She replied, noticing Parker shaking his head beside her.
"Do you suspect it was him? Really?" He asked, and she just shrugged.
"It's just for good measure. He's the only one acting hostile here. Frankly, I'm tired of his attitude. I have a slight impression that he doesn't just do this because he doesn't like us." She replied, and Parker continued to stare at her for a while.
"... Are you sure? This isn't going to be easy." Parker said, and Jill looked at him with an arched eyebrow, causing him to sigh in defeat.
"Okay, I'll see you in a bit then." He said, turning right at the end of the hallway.
Jill watched him walk away for a few moments, until she turned the other way and headed toward her quarters.
The agent slowly backed away as that creature approached. The cave he was in was narrow, making mobility difficult.
Sure, that might suit him, but this creature was smart. It had a humanoid appearance, its legs were long and muscular, protected by a very resistant skin. The creature had seven arms, all of them perfect for defense and attack. All the arms were strong, almost bulletproof even, each ending with sickle-like claws on the end. Its neck seemed to join its protruding back, and its face was deformed, as if it had been melted with acid and become something more animalistic, with a mouth with sharp teeth.
His pistol didn't have much effect. Although more powerful than an ordinary pistol, the thing's thick skin protected the creature, and the creature seemed to be intelligent enough to protect its weak points whenever he fired.
Well, that would be a small problem, if it were not for the magnum he carried in the holster on his left thigh.
He took the powerful weapon and pointed it toward the creature, which, as soon as it saw him raise the weapon in its direction, used its claws to protect itself.
However, no matter how resistant its claws were, a pistol of that caliber, specially modified to cause the greatest amount of damage possible, would certainly have some effect.
The creature was pushed back violently as he fired. A roar of pain echoed through the cave and the creature fell to the ground. Its claw was now hanging by what little muscle was left. The side of its muscular shoulder was also bleeding.
The agent looked at the weapon in his hands for a few moments. This was the first time he had shot that gun since it was finished. It was modified for damage only. So it was a bit difficult to aim and the recoil was violent.
But, it was certainly a weapon that could handle the job, as long as it hit the shots.
The creature roared and stood up. The agent put it in his line of fire again, but it was fast.
With some of its seven... now six, arms, the creature threw itself quickly toward the agent, trying to grab him with its sharp claws.
However, the agent dodged it by ducking and throwing himself forward.
The creature reacted almost immediately as soon as it landed. The infected leans its body forward and all its arms are thrown forward like a kind of slingshot. They stretched out as if they were made of rubber, trying to thrust through him like fast spears.
The agent jumped back and as soon as he landed the creature had already launched itself in his direction.
Ghost's eyes widened slightly as he felt his body being thrown to the ground and he grunted in pain as he felt his shoulder being punctured by one of the claws.
The creature roared above him, its huge mouth opening to try to devour his head completely. However, Ghost just squeezed the trigger of his magnum into the creature's chest.
An explosion of flesh, organs, and skin took place right behind the creature, which roared its last roar and fell on top of the agent, who grunted as he felt all that weight on top of him.
Squirming and trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder, he left his magnum on the ground when he saw that he couldn't put it in its holster yet and crawled from there, getting up soon after getting the creature off of him.
The path he had used to get there was stained with blood. Some large creatures with elongated limbs, no skin, almost no muscle, but extremely strong bones were lying on the ground in pools of their own blood.
Above that place, there was a village. Except that now, there was nothing, as these creatures had killed and eaten everyone who ever lived there, and then made some kind of nest underground.
The agent looked at his shoulder and sighed. From his back pocket he took some medical items, cleaned the wound, and bandaged it. He would recover quickly, even without the use of herbs.
The agent picked up his magnum and placed it in his holster. Then he turned and continued into the cave,
His communicator buzzed, and he brought a hand up to his ear.
"Ghost, base here, how's the mission progressing?" He heard the voice of his aide, Philip, if he was not mistaken.
"I'm glad you asked... I'm reaching the nest. They gave me a nice welcome party." Ghost replied, noticing his small tablet vibrating in his pouch.
He picked it up and looked at the information on the screen. An eyebrow was arched as he saw the picture of Chris Redfield next to the image of one of Veltro's ships.
"We have received information that something wrong has happened on the BSAA mission. The team they sent to apprehend Jack Norman lost contact with the base. Jack is still there, alive." He said, and Ghost ran through the files that were sent to him.
"I thought the BSAA would be more capable than that." He said, looking at the satellite images.
"Actually, we can't blame them, they have to follow all the rules. Not to mention... Hunk found something interesting while he was investigating." Philip said, and soon, some e-mail images appeared on his screen.
Ghost read those messages that probably no longer existed in their original sources, and he laughed a little, shaking his head.
"Ah, of course. You mean the head of the FBC was exchanging private e-mails with the leader of a bioterrorist group... should I show that to his wife?" Ghost asked, putting the tablet back in his pouch.
"Only if you want to. But you should show it to either Jill Valentine, or Chris Redfield." Philip said, and Ghost arched a confused eyebrow.
"Why to them? Why not to that guy, O'Brian?"
"Because he and Morgan work together, even though there is some enmity. Until we're sure he's not involved with anything involving Veltro or any bioterrorist organization, we won't send that information to the base." Philip replied, and Ghost picked up his pistol, reloading it, and stopped walking cave in.
"What do I have to do?" He asked, his eyes fixed in front of him.
"It's pretty simple. Both Jill, and Chris, have been sent to the ship Queen Zenobia. We'll send you there. You simply have to find them and deliver this information. And if Jack is still alive, help them eliminate him. Think you can do it?" Philip asked, and Ghost shook his head.
"Looking forward to my first team assignment. Roger that. I'll finish things up around here then. Ghost, out." The agent said, and with his free hand, he reached for his magnum.
In front of him, was the nest. Those creatures were prowling around the place without having realized it yet. They were numerous, and something like walls of flesh mixed with something he had no idea what it was were around the walls.
Armed with only two pistols, he could never finish the job... but what couldn't a little C4 do in a cave with a slight risk of collapse?
