Author's Note: Hello all you lovely people and a very Happy New Year! I know, I know, it's been ages since you've last heard from me, I assure you I am alive and kicking. A lot has happened since I last posted…life I suppose, but most importantly I was focusing on saving money for my trip in October so there was that. Thank you for the lovely reviews and views!
Thank you Kayumee for the lovely comments! Because ffnet doesn't send me email notifications, I didn't see your comment till no. I'm happy you love Selena ^^ and I'm happy that even though you don't like how Karl looks you still gave my story a chance! Lots of love!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Resident Evil Franchise, all rights belong to Capcom! Any grammatical errors or inconsistencies that you may find I hope that you can forgive me and that my chapter is still raedable and enjoyable. I had some issues distinguishing between Chris's Wolf Hound Squad…so if I got some of them wrong when they spoke, I'm so sorry TxT I really tried lol
"Ouch!" Ethan yelped as he squirmed in his squeaky chair. "Can't you be a little more gentle?"
"Want gentle? Cry to Selena." Karl grumbled as he firmly held Ethan's hand still under his dim desk light. "Though, her area of expertise is gardening, so unless you want flowers for fingers? Quit your whining and let me do what I know best." Karl wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand as he set his work tools to the side and looked at Ethan expectantly. "Give it a go."
"Why is this necessary?" Ethan asked as he tested out the functions of his new prosthetic fingers on his left hand, letting out a disappointed sigh when one of the digits failed to respond which meant more painful tinkering courtesy of Karl. Ethan placed his hand back on the work and waited for more poking and prodding from the man who he still felt nervous being left alone with. "I did a pretty good job handling myself without this." Ethan had moved his arm just an inch and immediately regretted it when Karl's tool hit another nerve. "God!" Ethan hissed through clenched teeth. "I hate you. I hate you so much!"
"I'm doing the best I can with these rusty old tools I've had for ages. Tools I've only used on rusty old machinery and dead bodies." Ethan's face scrunched up in disgust as the end of Karl's lit cigar brightened before his teeth gently bit the end that was in his mouth. "As for you handling yourself with your handicapped hand? Sheer dumb luck." Karl tried to test the prosthetic he was able to put together at the last minute once more. "Hell, I could've taken care of them myself if I was motivated enough."
"But you didn't." Ethan pointed out. "The question is, why?"
Karl's hands stilled, his eyes turning to look at the man he was helping through half-lidded eyes. "Because they were important to Selena." Karl did one last tune-up before confidentially looking down at his handiwork. "Because if I did kill them when me and Selena were still not on speaking terms I would've truly become a monster in her eyes. Now, stop being my shrink and give it another go."
Ethan lifted his hand, his nerves still tender from all the prodding, and as he flexed his digits Ethan let out a sigh of relief. It was a little slow to respond, sure, but Ethan was just glad that he had at least two working prosthetic digits and didn't need any more of Karl's tinkering. "…thanks."
"Don't mention it." Karl got up from where he sat, stopping mid-way before turning to point a finger in Ethan's face. "Ever." Karl then got to his feet and quickly started to walk away with Ethan attempting to keep up with the man. "Keep up papa, we have to get my boys ready for the big finale and then meet up with Muscles and his team of trigger-happy dogs at the ceremonial site."
"You don't seem too happy about being away from Selena." Ethan heard the disdain and anxiousness in Karl's voice when he spoke of Chris and his men as he tried not to stumble over his own feet in his attempt to keep up with Karl.
"Why did you think she had her boys making rounds around her village?" Karl's brow lifted as he turned around, walking backward with a smirk on his face. "Or why there's a warning for all those to not shoot first." Karl shrugged his shoulders as he went over to the lever that would activate his whole factory, the lever that would reroute the power to bring his creations to life. "Selena isn't too comfortable around guns."
"Why were there warnings not to shoot first?" Ethan was curious. He heard of the altercation between Chris and his men when they stumbled across Selena's home and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly transpired from such an encounter.
"Because those who enter and are judged a threat never leave." Karl said as he watched the lights in his factory flicker before turning on. "People and monsters have gone missing when they've tried to go after Selena or anyone in her village courtesy of Ianto and his fellow mutants."
"Fellow mutants?" Ethan thought for a second before voicing his question. "Shouldn't they be here then? Shouldn't we go and ask for their help? I'm sure they would want to help and keep Selena safe."
Karl's expression turned into one of sorrow before morphing into confusion, and just as he flipped another switch that activated the creations that he kept in his factory and saw the red lights on the creature's body begin to flicker on he turned his attention to Ethan.
"They won't be of any help. Their use is being used for another purpose." Karl's blunt statement caught Ethan off guard. "You don't know, do you? About Selena and her mutation?"
"She hasn't said or given any indication of having a mutation." Ethan said. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"If she hasn't told you, then you don't need to know." Karl shrugged and he was about to leave it at that but Ethan was persistent.
"No, that's not how this works. No more secrets if this truce is going to work, that's what you said." Ethan stood his ground. "If it's something I should know or it would be helpful getting my daughter back then I should know!"
"You don't need to know. If she didn't want to tell you, then she has her reasons." Karl argued. "Selena doesn't do things without reason, so I'll trust that she knows what she's doing. Just wait and you'll see what she's capable of…" Karl brushed Ethan away. "maybe." Karl looked at Ethan from the corner of his eyes and then sighed. "Listen, I need to concentrate on jump-starting my boys. Just go sit in that corner, be a good little boy, and leave it be. Selena's mutation may or may not come to light but it would benefit us in the long run if you just remained in the dark on this one." Karl started moving about his little area. "Just this once, trust me on this. Leave it be. It's not that she doesn't trust you with this secret, it's just that it works better as a trump card than playing it right out the gate."
While the two men were busy making preparations back at the factory, Chris and Selena were on their way to meet up with Chris's elite BSAA task force: Hound Wolf Squad.
Took a little time to get to the destination due to the two needing to take a roundabout way just so they could stay under the radar of Mother Miranda, but when they did meet up with Chris's team in the middle of the dense woods it was met with overwhelming hostility when they saw that Chris was not alone.
Guns were raised, locked, and loaded, aimed right at Selena who shuffled close to Chris, using his body as a shield as she nervously peaked out from behind the man's body. Selena's eyes darted in all directions before nervously chuckling as she turned to look up at the bulky man. "I think you should know that I'm not overly comfortable being around this many guns…more so when they're pointed at me."
"Stand down, it's Sinclair." Chris ordered, and the moment Selena's identity was revealed, Chris's men immediately lowered their weapons. The men gathered looked at a loss as to why Selena was present, but they simply held their questions and waited for Chris to speak. "There's been a development. Along with Sinclair, we have another fighting in our corner."
"Who?" One of Chris's men asked.
"Another mutant of Miranda's. Heisenberg." Chris closed his eyes, holding up his hand to silence the disapproval that he knew his team would vocally make about working alongside such a dangerous man. "I understand all your concerns, believe me, I've had the same thoughts, but we have a…truce in place that is beneficial for all parties. Sinclair is here to make sure that that man doesn't step out of line and cooperate with us." Chris was bringing his men up to speed on what went down in the factory. "Ethan and Heisenberg, as we speak, are at the factory preparing their own heavy artillery. And Sinclair will lead us to the source of Miranda's power. Finally allowing us to put an end to all this."
"Introductions can be saved for a later time. Now that we're all present. I'll go over the situation so that we're all on the same page." Chris moved slightly to the left, silently signaling to Selena that she was safe as he addressed his men. "We were careless. A few days ago we took down a transformed Miranda. But…we didn't kill her."
"Who knew she could fake being a corpse?" Night Howl commented.
"Since Miranda could've infected Ethan, I forcefully took him and Rose with us. But the vehicle they were riding in was attacked. When I got to the wreck, Ethan and Rose were gone." Chris glanced around at his men. "She's not gonna get away with it…none of it."
"We'll get her, Captain." Night Howl affirmed with a nod of his head "We're ready when you are."
Chris nodded his head as he took the lead with Selena trailing not far behind him, though she seemed to pick up her pace as she was not quite comfortable lingering behind with the people who just had their guns pointed directly at her head.
"When does it end?" Chris asked when he thought no one could hear him. When he finally slowed down, Chris took out a cigarette from his vest pocket, placed it to his lips, and lit the tip, taking a long breath in before blowing the smoke back out.
"It ends today…" Selena went to stand beside Chris so that the two of them were walking side by side. "once Miranda is dead…all of this? Your mission?" Selena lightly bit the bottom of her lip. "…decades of captivity…all of it will end."
"Three years." Chris gloomily said and Selena could hear how exhausted he was. Tired of the life he was living, the mission, and the look in his eyes? It was a look Selena knew quite well as she saw it every time she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Chris was tired of all the people he couldn't save. All the people that have died in front of his eyes and been unable to do anything about it. Eyes of a man who was tired of seeing a path that seemed to have no end in sight. "Three years, trying to put this thing in the ground." Chris came to a sudden halt causing Selena to almost walk into the man if she wasn't paying attention. Chris's grave voice let out a growl as Selena saw him bite down on the end of the cigarette that was in his mouth as he continued to be haunted by the memories of his past. "Three years too long."
Selena shuffled behind Chris before maneuvering her way around him to stand in front of him. "I never got to thank you…for agreeing to this truce." When Chris turned his attention to look down at Selena with a curious stare, snapping out of where his thoughts were taking him, Selena continued to explain herself. "We're still guilty by association, guilty of crimes we were forced to commit, but we're just as much victims as well…have been since we were children." Selena gave a sad smile. "All we've ever wanted was to be free…and if you didn't hear us out. Didn't give us a chance…I don't know what I would've done knowing that Karl had to die." Selena fidgeted. "So, what's the plan? For me I mean…"
Chris took a second to respond. "I'm taking Heisenberg's warning seriously. Miranda will anticipate our attack and try to prevent us from reaching her. I can't have you in harm's way." Chris stretched out the kink in his neck. "You'll be staying at a safe distance with my team who will be offering me support while I investigate and get a closer look." Chris saw Selena's hesitance and reached out to pat her shoulder, though he was a bit awkward about displaying such physical contact. "You're in safe hands Sinclair, these men are the best I've known, and I'd trust them with my life."
"So long as they don't shoot me, I'll place my full trust in them…and in you." Selena smiled and when she heard rustling behind them she saw Chris's men coming up from behind. "My life is in your hands."
There was a loud fluttering noise that came from above the trees that caused everyone to look up just in time to see a large flying aircraft headed in the direction they were all facing.
"So BSAA got here already." Chris mumbled under his breath as he took the cigarette from his mouth, dropping it to the ground and stomping out the lit flame. "They didn't waste any time."
"Mission adjustment?" Night Howl asked.
"No. Doesn't change anything." Chris ordered. "Terminate Miranda, and rescue Rose." Chris turned to look toward Umber Eyes and with everything that was going on around her, Selena felt that she was greatly out of place amongst these trained military men. Selena also began to wonder why she was here in the first place if they were so capable of handling this mission alone. "That's the mission, and failure is not an option."
"Let's have some fun, people! Like old times!" Lobo enthusiastically proclaimed as he lifted the weapon he was holding up and over his shoulder.
"Let's move out!" Chris said before turning to look over his shoulder to where Selena stood. "Sinclair, stick close."
"Yes!" Came Selena's squeaked response as she quickly shuffled to stick close to Chris's side as the men around her began to branch out in different directions.
"Canine, I want to know what the hell BSAA is doing here." At the sound of the command, one of Chris's men came to a slow jog as he listened for his orders. "Find out what you can."
"Roger that. I'm on it." Came Canine's response before taking off into the surrounding woods.
Chris began to lightly jog forward with Selena close on his heels, but before they could get any further Chris had slowed his pace, turning on his heels so quickly that Selena skidded to a stop otherwise, she would've crashed into the man.
"Before I forget." Chris reached into his back pocket and gently tossed an earpiece to Selena who fumbled with it for a bit in the dark before catching it in both her hands. "Put that on."
"What is this for?" Selena asked as she tried to fit the earpiece over her right ear, not quite used to this type of technology.
"To keep in contact with me or my men should you get separated from us. You'll be able to hear all that goes on so that you're not left out of the loop." Chris had informed as he continued his jog forward with Selena trailing behind him.
As Selena and Chris got closer to the edge of the forest, Selena could see through the opening a cliff that seemed to oversee the whole main village, and what she saw caused her to gasp and falter in her advancement. The village she once knew, the village she walked through daily, was now engulfed in flames.
"Hey Alpha, look at this." Canine said as he handed Chris his personal sniper weapon.
While the two men spoke, Selena's attention remained transfixed on the dancing flames that continued to grow and spread throughout the village. She wondered how the hell this all started, and a small part of her was happy, as bad as that sounded, that her friends…her villagers weren't around to suffer the same fate as whatever had happened to this part of the village. To Selena's shock, a giant tree full of wriggling branches had burst from the ceremonial site. The appendages moved and knocked the flying aircraft out of the air and she watched as it spiraled out of control before crashing in the distance near the mountain terrain.
"There." Selena pointed to just below the ceremonial site. "At the base is where I suspect is what you're searching for. If we can just reach the door, I can lead you right to it."
"It looks pretty rough down there." Selena heard Canine's comment. "How are you planning to reach the objective?"
"First we're going to have to take that thing out." Chris listed as he handed the sniper back to Canine.
"I've got your back, Boss." Canine nodded. "Let's get to work."
"Everyone watch for hostile bioweapons." Chris ordered through the connection from his earpiece as he took a step close to the slope that led to Luiza's house, but just as Selena took a step to follow him Chris held out his hand to stop Selena from following. "Sinclair, stay here with Canine. When I've cleared out the area I'll call for you."
"Alright." Selena nodded as she followed Chris to the area where he had to jump down to the ground below. "Be safe."
Chris simply nodded his head, thinking that her well wishes weren't necessary since it was simply another day on the job for him and his men, that he had handled worse, but that didn't mean Selena's words didn't resonate with him with how genuinely concerned Selena was for his well-being.
Selena watched Chris's back, tracking him as he slid down the slope before Canine spoke up from where he was kneeling.
"Don't worry about Alpha." Canine assured when Selena had come back to crouch down beside the man who remained vigilant as he tracked Chris's whereabouts with the scope of his sniper. "Suppose niceties are a little late, but if it's any consolation, it's a pleasure to be working with you, ma'am. For however short it may be."
"Are we just supposed to sit here and wait?" Selena asked as she squinted in an attempt to keep track of where Chris was headed.
"We're here to provide backup. We're his eyes and ears if he goes dark." Canine pointed out. "The others are getting rid of those that pose a threat to the captain so that he doesn't get overwhelmed." Canine took a second from his scope, reaching into his back pocket and holding out a military-issued monocular. "Here." Canine could see Selena squint through the dark so the man had reached out and handed the blonde woman the device. "Use these, fresh pair of eyes? Maybe you can spot things that we can't or we may miss."
"Thank you." Selena gently took the monocular in her hand and watched through the lenses as Chris pushed his way past Luiza's gate and entered the dry open wheat field that was set ablaze.
"What the hell is that thing?" Selena heard through her earpiece. "It's all…mutamycete…"
From the ground, more of those large, twisted branches broke through the surface ground in an attempt to deter Chris from his destination, reaching up toward the sky and wriggling as if they had a mind of their own.
"That's probably where Miranda is." Chris could be heard as more branches broke the surface. "Let's go."
From the earpiece, Selena suddenly heard a very familiar growl and, after some tinkering due to not being used to handling such equipment, Selena was able to zoom in on where Chris was located and saw another one of Moreau's creatures zeroing in on Chris's location: the Varcolac.
"Large, mutated bioweapon sighted." Chris yelled as he tried to rush past the creature only to be cornered by two more that blocked his path going forward.
"They're surrounding him!" Selena panicked as multiple muffled gunfire could be heard in the distance. "Can't we do anything to help?"
"The men aren't in position…" Canine muttered through gritted teeth as they watched Chris try his best to fight the three monsters off. "I can't get a clear shot from here."
Selena's breathing became erratic, she knew the damage the varcolac could do to a person, having come face to face with one before and she wished with all her might that there was something she could do instead of just sitting around waiting for Chris to deal with the monsters himself.
It was then that Selena felt a familiar tingle ripple throughout her body, it traveled up her spine and traveled down to the tips of her fingers as heat bloomed from the center of her chest. Selena moved her monocular away from her eye and looked down at her hands that began to pulsate and glow with a familiar bright color, amplified in contrast to the darkness that engulfed them.
The energy that she had stored in her body was now beginning to grow restless and wished to be let out, wished to be put to good use, and while it had taken Selena a great amount of concentration to keep it all locked deep within her to be used for a better opportunity, Selena realized that she didn't want to keep it buried any longer. Now is the perfect time to be of some use to the men who are putting their lives on the line to stop the woman who has tormented hers and Karl's entire existence.
'If Miranda can do it…' Selena had a sudden thought as with one hand she brought the monocular back to her eyes and placed her free hand to the ground, burrowing her fingers deep into the dirt as she tried to concentrate on the large roots that ran throughout the whole village. 'then maybe…'
Selena could feel the pent-up energy drain out of her body, rushing out as it infected the roots, and at her command, one of the roots sprouted from the ground like a thorn and impaled one of the varcolac mid-jump just before it was about to latch onto Chris.
After impaling the creature it had returned to its wriggling state, similar to all those that were above ground, and flung the dead body of the varcolac to the side.
'I can do it too…' Selena was elated, she could provide Chris with some backup from afar just as his men could, she didn't need to just stay where she was twiddling her thumbs and waiting for Chris to give her the approval to join him.
"Bioweapons at four o'clock!" Canine's urgent voice alerted Selena as the man turned the barrel of his gun toward the slope that Chris had gone down. Still, in a squatting position, he rushed forward to stick close to Selena. "Miss Sinclair, get behind me!"
When Selena turned to where Canine was aiming she saw a horde of lycans headed to where they were located, teeth bared and claws digging into the dirt, berserk and hellbent on getting their hands on the two of them.
Canine let a few of his bullets fly before large thorns came up from the ground and impaled the first row that had gotten close to where Canine was kneeling.
Canine lowered his gun in shock as he watched as down the path more large root-like thorns sporadically shot up in waves from the ground and began impaling those that tried to follow the first wave of lycans. Some were impaled by multiple thorns, and in Canine's eyes it seemed like an overkill, and the thorns that grew looked right out of a storybook.
"Miss Sinclair!" Canine alerted the blonde woman as one of the lycans launched itself into the air, hopping off the slick side of the thorns, using the dead bodies of its comrades as a stepping stone as it leaped into the air and was diving toward Selena and Canine.
But just before it could get even an inch close, a thorn had come to the aid once again as it impaled the beast and from inside the lycans body thorns exploded causing the creature to look like a prickly porcupine as its body instantly stilled its movement.
Canine's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Selena in shock. "…was that you, Miss Sinclair?"
Without responding right away, Selena's attention turned to where Chris was still fighting off the two remaining varcolac. The energy stirring within her body rushed forward through the roots in the ground and from where Chris was, two large root-like thorns impaled the second varcolac from both sides, intersecting just at the body and creating an 'x' shape behind Chris who was busy taking down the last one.
"What the fuck was that!" Night Howl's voice was heard through the earpiece, being in utter shock at what he had just witnessed.
"That was me! I can provide support from here, Chris!" Selena proudly proclaimed in excitement. "I've got your back!"
"Well, would you look at that," Umber Eyes spoke up. "Little Lady has a few tricks up her sleeve."
"Thanks, Sinclair." Chris acknowledged as the man continued to push forward. "I expect an explanation when these creatures are cleared out."
"It's a bit complicated…" Selena chuckled through the earpiece. "I'm not even sure I understand it myself."
"Tundra here. Leaving some supplies in one of the houses, Captain. Help yourself." The only female soldier on Chris's elite squad, Tundra, spoke up and Selena could see green flares popping up in different locations throughout the village.
"Gotta say, Little Lady, mighty glad you're on our side." Umber Eyes came through over the connection. "It's like having another Mother Miranda fighting on our side."
"I'd appreciate not being compared to Miranda…thank you." Selena grumbled as she saw Chris briefly disappear out of her sight.
"Umber Eyes, I need some backup." Chris's urgent panic caught everyone's attention as he appeared out the other end of one of the houses followed closely by more rampaging lycans.
"I see you. Two hundred to the point." Night Howl was the one to respond instead of Umber Eyes as they saw a large horde of lycans gathering around Chris.
"Getting overwhelmed here!" Chris's strained voice groaned as Selena watched the man being backed into a corner.
"Watch your feet!" Selena said as thorn-like vines sprouted from the ground, creating a wall around Chris as it grabbed for whatever lycan was in its vicinity, pulverizing any creature that wasn't Chris. The root wrapped around some of the creatures, twisting, and Selena saw blood splatter against the snow-covered ground before slithering to reach for another target to repeat the action. Sometimes slamming the body that was in its area into the walls of the houses or the gates that surrounded the housing.
Selena, after trial and error through this fight, was getting the hang of commanding several of the large writhing roots, providing backup to Chris from a distance as she willed more to sprout up from the ground in an attempt to thin out the crowd when more lycans began to gather. And once a certain area was cleared she would will it away so that her attention could move on to a more crowded area.
While Chris lagged behind to deal with any stragglers, Selena scouted further up ahead on the main path and saw multiple intersections, multiple paths but only one that would lead Chris to his destination. Selena had commanded a large trunk to grow that consisted of roots intertwined together to the left and the right of the main path Chris was on, successfully blocking any lycans from potentially springing a surprise attack on the unsuspecting Chris while also leading him straight to his objective.
"Chris, I've created a singular path for you to take to reach the ceremonial site." Selena informed, but just as Chris took a step in the wrong direction, one of Selena's trucks sprouted up to block his way causing Chris to stagger back in shock. "Sorry!" Selena apologized bashfully, having not anticipated it to have grown so close to where his foot was about to step. "It should be a straight shot forward now, hopefully…no added surprises going forward." Selena reached up to wipe the sweat that was dripping down her forehead so it wouldn't get into her eyes, her breathing irregular and coming out in stutters as she began to breathe heavily due to overexertion as well as not being used to these sudden bursts of pure energy. "I'm…I think I'm running out of steam here, but I can still keep going a little while longer."
"Thanks Sinclair, but you've done enough." Chris said as shots were heard through his end. "Rest and save your energy. We've got it covered from here."
"But what if-" Selena's vision began to blur as she lost her balance, slumping forward as her fingers lost their grip on the monocular she was holding. Selena would've fallen face first into the dirt ground had it not been for Canine who shuffled closer to catch the woman just as she was centimeters from hitting the ground.
"I've got you, ma'am." Canine assured as he carefully readjusted Selena so that she was sitting comfortably against the small boulder he was using as coverage.
"I've reached the target location." Chris said and after a few minutes of silence, he whispered under his breath. "Damn, this is big. All right Lobo, marking the target!"
"Roger that, Boss." Lobo responded.
Selena drifted in and out of consciousness and heard a loud explosion as the ground seemed to shake ever so slightly, jolting her out of her dazed state as she heard a loud cheer in her ear. "Bingo, alright! Reloading now, just a minute."
"There's a swarm headed that way." Night Howl informed Chris. "Hold out a little longer, Captain."
Selena struggled to sit up straight, struggled to locate throughout the village where everyone's attention was, and as much as she wanted to just close her eyes and rest, Selena knew that she needed to push through her haze one last time.
Locating Chris was easy, all she had to do was follow the waves of lycans and where they were headed. In the big, empty, open space she had seen Chris moving around the area to avoid getting swarmed and mauled by the monsters, throwing things and creating a large explosion to hopefully thin out the swarm.
Selena groaned as she placed her hands back into the soil and dirt, willing a large tree of intertwining roots to sprout from the center of the open area however, it wasn't completely in Selena's control due to exhaustion overtaking her as it seemed to do as it pleased, but all Selena needed it to do was lash out and destroy any monsters that got too close.
"Chris," Selena said through her haggard breathing. "I hope this helps, just…don't get too close to it. Seems to have a mind of its own. Can't really distinguish between friendlies and enemies."
"Understood. Now rest." Chris ordered as more gunshots were heard followed up by another explosion. "Heisenberg would have all our heads if you can't even stand on your own two feet after this."
"You did good, Sinclair." Selena heard the approval in Canine's voice. "Now do as the Captain says. Conserve your energy."
"If you need me, you'll let me know, right?" Selena asked as she made herself more comfortable against the small boulder she was leaning on, her eyes drooping as she slowly drifted away.
"You have my word, ma'am."
"-clair." I squeezed my eyes shut, furrowing my brows as I heard Canine's voice close to my ear. I felt my face pressed against something hard and firm and I felt my body being jostled a bit to the side as it felt like I was being carried. "Sinclair."
I let out a low groan as I slowly opened my eyes, blinking away the blurriness as I saw the back of a man's head that was covered in a military-issued helmet.
"Thought we lost you there." Canine sighed in relief. "Grew concerned when you slept through the explosions and loud commotions, gave me quite a fright." Canine readjusted his grip from under my legs, hefting my body up which jostled me from my haze and made me fully aware of my situation. Canine had gotten me on his back and was easily carrying me through the village. "Captain found a big baddie down in a hole under the village, the giant creature was guarding where the captain thinks the Megamycete may be hidden. He instructed me to bring you to the spot." I felt Canine stutter in his advancements before letting out a nervous cough. "I was a little anxious walking through this village with you on my back, thinking it would prevent me from using both my hands for any possible confrontation with those monsters, but as it stood I had no choice. What with you not willing to wake up." Canine's head swiveled to his right. "But as soon as I stepped foot into the village, my worries were pointless as the monsters I've seen that remained lingering in the village are making it a point to avoid us."
I took a glance in the direction Canine was looking and saw through the dancing flames the distorted wavy image of the lycans that bared their teeth in our direction before retreating a step back to avoid the fire that licked at their body the second we got close to them.
"They're weary and confused." I stated as my grip around Canine's neck tightened just a little without choking the man. "They're not very smart, but they always recognize their masters…a feat that came with time. Made it easy for us to move about without getting ambushed ourselves." My body felt a little weak, but with that momentary rest, and as the seconds ticked by, I felt like I was slowly regaining all the energy that I had expelled.
"We're here." Canine announced as we came to the big open space, remnants of the large tree composed of tangled roots I had manifested remained though it had shriveled up and wilted once its purpose was fulfilled. Canine had taken me close to this deep hole in the ground and carefully knelt on the ground to allow me to slide off his back. "The Captain is down there. Unfortunately, I have orders to rendezvous with the others so I won't be able to escort you down. Will you be okay by yourself?"
"A little mud never hurt anyone. I'll be fine." I assured as I stepped closer to the opening, the drop-down didn't seem that far as I took a seat on the ground, my legs dangling over the edge as I tried to lower the lower half of my body down to the next level. "Thank you, Canine."
"It was my pleasure ma'am." Canine said before reaching up, pressing his fingers to his earpiece. "Captain, sending down Miss Sinclair to your destination. I'll be meeting up with the others soon."
"Received." Chris responded. "Sinclair, I'll be waiting for you at the bottom."
"I'll be there as fast as I can." I replied as I continued down into the dark hole, slipping on the second level that had the green gas, with only the large secured box keeping me from completely slipping into the muddy ground or going over the edge.
"I see you, Sinclair." I heard Chris's voice, not coming from the little technology in my ear, but coming from further up ahead. "Keep walking, I'll help you on the last drop."
I continued walking toward the lit open area, each drop getting steeper the further I went. And when I finally got to the last drop I saw Chris waiting for me at the very bottom.
"Dangle your legs over and drop down, I've got you." Chris instructed, moving his weapon to stay on his back as he stretched out both his arms to catch me.
I crouched down close to the edge of the drop, balancing on the balls of my feet before seating myself on the muddy ground, and kicked my legs over the edge. I hesitated for just a second before pushing off and feeling myself falling for what felt like an eternity, my stomach flipping from the fall before being caught by Chris, bridal style, just as he promised.
"You missed the party. Your power would've come in handy against the giant creature I just went toe to toe with." Chris joked as he lowered my legs to the ground, his hand never leaving the small of my back until my feet were on even ground, and waited for me to steady myself before letting go. Chris motioned with his head toward the large gaping hole to our left. "We're headed further in. Stick close, it's pretty dark and I wouldn't want you to trip or walk into anything dangerous."
"Darkness is no stranger to me." I said though I still stuck close to the man when we entered the tunnel as he flipped the goggles on his head down over his eyes.
"So if Miranda was the fake Mia, where's the real one?" Canine asked through the earpiece.
"I doubt she saw any further use for her." Umber Eyes spoke up. "I don't get any of this. How did Miranda even know Rose exists?"
"A moldy, little bird told her, maybe?" Tundra responded.
"We can figure that out later. Focus on the plan." Chris ordered as we quickened our pace, and only when the tunnel began to lighten up did Chris flip up the goggles on his head to better see in the lit-up area. At the end of the tunnels was a site I'd only seen on the off chance that I even bothered to take the time to take in the scenery. "I found it. It's the Megamycete." Chris said under his breath, careful not to be too loud in case there were more of the monstrous creatures nearby.
The two of us slowed our pace, watching as the large thing that was suspended in the air pulsated, almost sensing our presence the closer we approached. Its large red body seemed to be attached by tendrils to the rock walls as we took in the site of the large organism before us.
"Alpha to squad. I've located the Megamycete." Chris informed his team as he started to rummage through his vest pocket.
"So now we can end this mess after all." Canine said.
Chris took out another device, this one blinking red as it beeped to life when activated, and attached it with tape to another device that had a sharp, pointed needle end. "About damn time." Chris grumbled as he reared back his arm and flung the device up, his strength astounded me as I saw it pierce the fleshy outer area that rippled and pulsated at the intrusion.
"N2 explosive's armed." Chris lifted his hand, holding some type of trigger from what I could tell that would activate the explosive. "There's enough there to blow the whole village sky-high."
"Let's get out of here and blow the damn place." Night Howl urged.
I was about to protest such a command, after all, Karl and Ethan were still in this village, but Chris had held his finger up asking me to keep quiet. "Not before we end Miranda. I'm not taking any more chances." Chris turned to me over his shoulder and nodded for me to move. "We're going in."
"Roger that, standing by." Night Howl responded. "I have eyes on Miranda at the ceremony site."
"Keep your distance. Do not move until I give the order." Chris said, faltering in his movement when he saw that I was headed toward a familiar staircase. "Sinclair?"
"This path…" I said as I started up the staircase that would lead us to an old-looking hallway that was crumbling from how ancient it was with only a single lit torch and a few candles lighting our path. "I'll never forget this place…" At the very top of the staircase, I saw a familiar wooden door, hesitating as I just stared at the door and wished that the world would swallow me whole. "Maybe you can find something useful in this stupid place, answers to questions you may have…or maybe we'll just end up with more questions than answers."
"What is this place?" Chris asked.
"A place where Miranda used to conduct her countless experiments. A room of all her notes on the effects of the cadou." I looked down at the ground. "As a child, once we walked through this door…I made a silent vow to never return here…and man did I fail such a vow when Miranda asked me to return." I turned my head to listen when I sensed Chris stepping up behind me. "I thought I would leave this place behind me, to let it stay in my past. Forgotten."
Chris gave me a moment before walking closer to me, reaching around me to grip the handle of the door before looking at me for approval to continue. "…I'm sorry Selena."
I shook my head, after all, it wasn't his fault. I reached out to place my hand over Chris's and gave the door a harsh push. The metal hinges creaked from the pressure as it opened inward. "There will come a time when we must face our demons in order to move forward, I must say goodbye to this place else it will continue to haunt us forever…even when we have finally tasted freedom." I walked further into the familiar dark-lit room, seeing piles of books and documents on every table along with different types of tests and specimens. Diagrams hanging and pinned along every wall and suspended from the ceiling. I turned toward the table that had a large mass of tissue and shuddered as it was the same table that I had laid on back when I was a little girl. I reached out to run a finger against the table, catching traces of dried-up blood and dust from being unused for so long, and shivered. "You destroying this place is a godsend."
While Chris was occupied looking through all the documents that were left strewn across the room, something interesting caught my eye. Four familiar, leather books. Leather books that seemed all too familiar to me as I had my own that I had received from the Duke. I reached out for the one that held the crest of the horse and from the pages a letter had fallen out of Karl's report.
I reached out to pick it up and realized that it was a letter written in Miranda's handwriting, yet it looked hastily scribbled as if she was in a rush to get all her thoughts on paper before it disappeared from her mind at the time.
The ramblings and writings of a madman:
Selena will come to me on her own accord.
The moment she introduced to me her first success, faster than any of my other creations produced, I knew something was so very special about her. The progress she's made in areas that others have failed me daily has far exceeded my expectations. Selena is so special that I'm ashamed to admit that it frightened me.
Did the Megamycete bestow upon her a gift even greater than my own? Does her mind truly surpass my own? Me, who's been alive for over a century? I am frightened my darling Eva.
I have distanced myself from her…for my safety.
Progress. I have successfully wedged a wall between her and Heisenberg. Together those two are capable of such superb things. I hope that in her time of solitude, in her time of absolute loneliness, she can rely on me more…me who so graciously gave her a new life and the gift I suspect she has hidden from me by Heisenberg's guidance.
When I first suspected something was happening under my nose, I should've acted and gotten rid of her. I didn't need insubordination that could upheave my position as this village's God…but I've made a far better decision that would benefit both Eva and myself as well as our prosperous future.
Out of fear as well as protection, Selena Sinclair will stay by my side. I will use her loyalty to accomplish so much of my work…uncover the mystery of her success. The feeling of being alone, I have shown that she can always lean on me for support as any loving mother should and will put her back on the right path.
Everything is going according to plan. Once the ceremony is completed, we will purge this land and start anew. Only when I have uncovered her lies, to know that I and my daughter are safe, she will be of no use to me and I can have the life I rightfully deserve with my daughter at my side. When I have no use for her, I will dispose of all my failures. My slate wiped clean.
As I was reading, I crinkled the letter in my hands that had begun to shake in rage. The sheer audacity of this woman! I never once leaned on her for support, that lie that I am thankful she fell for, but she purposely placed that wall between myself and Karl. Forced us to drift apart! Years of suffering and yearning to make things right…brought upon by this woman so deluded in the twisted reality she created for herself.
And even if I was alone and went along with her after Eva was finally returned…believed her lies…I would've been disposed of! Such…insolence! This woman's deception knew no bounds.
"What did you find?" Chris's voice snapped me out of my fury. The letter now crinkled beyond recognition.
"Kindle to stroke the flames of my rage." I commented as I stared down at the letter. "You know, I still held onto the hope that this was all we needed." I confessed as I held the wrinkled paper in my hands. "Even after knowing the truth, part of me still hoped that Miranda would one day abandon her ambitions, the goals she was trying to accomplish. That one day she would wake up and realize that me and my siblings were enough…that this little village we governed would be…enough. And we could just…live." I took a second before ripping up the letter. "Suppose that was just the wishful thinking of an orphan child that should've grown up a long time ago…" I tossed the shredded pieces in the air, watching as they floated to the ground, and walked over to where Chris was who stared at me with sympathetic eyes. "Find anything of interest to you and your cause?"
"Some eye-opening information." Chris said as we continued further into the room, taking glances at the drawings on the walls. "These images…"
"Detailed documentation of all she put us through." I growled under my breath as I recognized the dissected drawings of my family littering the wall, seeing some scribbled out of existence, and for a second I thought I had seen a dissected drawing of myself. An image I paid no mind to else I'd remember more of the time I spent here in this dungeon. "These cells are where we were kept for god knows how long…"
"This one has a lock on it." Chris motioned to the cell at the very back.
"Probably another of her twisted experiments long forgotten. Best to leave it be. Who knows what creature lurks in there, or what experiment rotted from abandonment." I tried to advise but just as I was speaking, Chris was already in the process of using the butt of his gun to break the lock. "Or not…"
I braced myself the moment Chris lifted the latch, preparing myself to attack whatever would lunge out from the dark of the cell as Chris took slow, advancing steps inside with his gun raised.
A high-pitched yell came from the cell as Chris raised his arm to block whatever was being swung at him and easily disarmed whoever was inside. Chris pointed his gun in the direction it came from and yelled at the attacker. "Show me your hands!"
A woman, a real breathing woman, with fear-filled eyes immediately raised both her hands to the sky as she slowly stepped into the light.
"A woman?" I asked in confusion as Chris reached up to the headset in his ear.
"Umber Eyes, this is Alpha. Where is Miranda right now?" Chris asked as his eyes remained trained on the woman in front of him.
"Still at the ceremony site. Whatever she's doing, she's staying put." Umber Eyes responded which caused Chris to quickly lower his gun.
"Goddamn. It really is you." Chris said which caused the woman to meekly smile as she lowered her hands back to her side. "I'm glad you're safe, Mia. Why are you here?"
"Mia?" I asked as I stepped into the doorway of the cell, recognizing the name and unable to contain my smile as I looked at the homely-looking woman. "As in, Ethan's wife?"
"I was caught…and used in experiments…" Mia's breathy voice trembled as she recalled her time in this lab.
"Wait, did you say Mia? Mia Winters?" Night Howl asked.
"In the flesh. What's the situation up there?" Chris asked as he walked past me when I immediately went over to Mia's side, having a similar reaction when my hand landed on her shoulder to help guide her out of the confines of the cell. The same reaction I had when I touched Ethan.
'She's another mutant like us…' I thought as the two of us slowly ventured out to the open.
"Who are you?" Mia was weary of me, as she should due to not being as dressed and battle-ready as Chris was.
"Selena Sinclair." I introduced myself with a friendly smile. "I'm a friend."
"Stick to the mission. We're headed to the ceremony site." Chris instructed which caused Mia to panic as she pushed off me.
"Wait! You can't leave me here!" Mia yelled as she advanced on Chris who turned back around. "You promised, dammit! You said you'd keep up safe! We did everything you asked. We moved over here, everything!" Mia was angry, and rightfully so if that was indeed what Chris promised, only for her whole world to be flipped around. The horrors she and Ethan must have endured, and losing their daughter? She had every right to be upset. "And I didn't care, so long as we were together! So you tell me, where is my husband? Where is my daughter!?" Mia in her fury shoved Chris back, the man not even budging at such a feeble attempt.
"Ethan is fine." Chris assured. "You'll be reunited, once we put an end to Miranda."
"He's been in safe hands." I spoke up as I went back to stand beside Mia, reaching out to pull her back. "He's with my partner, you'll see him soon."
"We'll save Rose." Chris firmly stated. "I promise, Mia, we'll get you three out of here and away from this horror show."
The world around us began to shake, rubble and dust falling around us from being disturbed by the shaking causing Mia to gasp in fright at the sudden quake.
"Come on, it's not safe here after all." Chris began to lead us out back the way we had come in.
I stuck close to Mia, and while Chris was still a little further ahead of us, I took off my earpiece to allow me a private conversation with Mia.
"Mia…" I harshly whispered, bringing her attention to me. "Your husband is different…isn't he? You and your daughter as well."
Mia's eyes widened at my implication as she looked at me like a fish out of water. "How did you know?" Mia whispered before shaking her head. "I've tried to keep it a secret…"
"No one can heal as fast as he can…not anyone normal at least." I said as we raced out of Miranda's lab. "But Mia…his mutation is failing him. He's taken more damage than he can handle, and to repair himself? His body can't keep up anymore."
"How do you know this? I've never told anyone." Mia seemed to slow down her haste, a brief look of distrust passing in her eyes, but I reached out and began to pull her along else she'd be injured from any falling debris.
"Your husband has helped me more than he knows, and I intend to pay it back in full." I smiled confidently as we got back to the cliffs I had dropped down from. "Ethan, he's special. An impossible existence." Chris called for us, having found another way back to the surface, and we rounded to run in a different direction. "And it just so happens that I specialize in impossible cases."
"What do you mean?" Mia asked in confusion.
I smiled as we made it to the surface, the two of us breathing heavily as we tried to catch our breath from being unable to keep up with Chris's pace. "I've been told that I have a tendency to want to save everyone, even if it's impossible to do so, and I love to prove people wrong."
I wanna say there's maybe…one or two more chapters after this one before I post an epilogue and a chapter for the DLC! It's so exciting! But sad at the same time lol I hope I haven't lost your interest due to me being inactive for 8 months. My New Years Resolution is to save money and write more lol so I'm hoping for many more stories to post for all to enjoy hehe
If you are enjoying my story and looking forward to the next chapter, then leave a nice little review, favorite, and follow! But, again, it is not necessary. Just reading and giving my story a chance is all I need and it makes me incredibly happy. Thank you everyone for reading! I shall see you in the next chapter!