Italicized: Flashbacks
(_): Thoughts
Bold: Monster
POV: James | Date: September 29th, 1998
James regained consciousness beneath a crushing weight, grit lining his tongue and blood coating his lips. His entire body throbbed. Fragments of rubble had half-buried him, a broad chunk of cinderblock pressing painfully against his shoulders. He mustered all the strength he could and, with a gasp, shoved the slab aside. Debris clattered off to the side, stirring dust into the stale air. He blinked hard, trying to settle the ringing in his ears. The sour scent of ruptured concrete and scorched metal filled his nostrils. His chest felt like a bruise inside a bruise. One glance downward revealed the gruesome reason. A twisted hunk of rebar-like shrapnel had punched through his lower torso just under the ribcage, its jagged edge glinting faintly in the flickering overhead lights.
A soft groan drew his attention. Claire Redfield lay just a couple of feet away, pressed up against a broken bench. Her red leather jacket was shredded along one sleeve, and dust clung to her dark auburn hair. She looked up, breath ragged. Even caked in debris and blood, she was...stunning. Something about the fierce determination in those blue eyes made James's stomach tighten. It was an odd moment to register her attractiveness, given how dire everything felt. He tried to ignore the thought, but it lingered, along with a stray memory of Jill Valentine. Another strong, courageous woman he'd only begun to know. His mind flickered with guilt for comparing them even for an instant.
He pressed a hand to his side. Blood trickled between his fingers. The pain was so sharp he nearly saw stars.
"Claire," he rasped. His throat felt like sandpaper. "Can you move?"
She shifted, clearing the rubble from her legs. "I-I think so," Her gaze landed on the metal shard protruding from his chest, and her eyes went wide. "Oh, God...that's bad,"
He bit down a grimace. "Could be worse,"
"James, you're bleeding a lot." Concern lined her features. "We have to stop it,"
Claire rummaged frantically through her pockets. Shaken, but still focused. She found some gauze and a battered green herb, then crawled closer. Her face was blotched with dust and fear, yet James noted, absurdly, how the angle of her jawline looked both soft and strong. He tore his gaze away, hissing in pain as she carefully pressed around the wound. "It might be the only thing keeping you from bleeding out," she murmured, indicating the twisted metal. "If I pull it out, you'll gush blood,"
"I have...ways of healing," James said in a low voice. "But I need that piece out to regenerate properly. There's a massive ley line right over this city...fueling my magic. It'll close the wound faster if I can tap into it,"
She frowned, uncertain, but finally nodded. "All right. On three,"
"Sure," he grunted.
Claire braced herself, gripping the rebar with shaking hands. "One...two-"
She yanked on 'two', giving him no chance to steel himself. The rebar scraped bone as it tore free with a sickening squelch. James screamed, the world flashing white-hot. Blood surged from the ragged hole in his torso. Claire wasted no time spraying disinfectant, then pressed folded gauze tightly over the wound.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, eyes welling with sympathy at his muffled shouts. "I had to do it quickly,"
He exhaled in shuddering gasps, stars flickering across his vision. "Ngh...d-don't apologize. Good call,"
Locking his jaw, James closed his eyes and willed energy from the ley line to surge around him. He could practically feel it humming through the cracked ceiling. A faint, magical reservoir that he latched onto. Heat pulsed up his spine, and within moments, the bleeding slowed. The pain, though still potent, lessened to something he could endure.
"That's..." Claire began, noticing the faint glow around his wound. "That's incredible,"
He managed a weak smile. "Let's just say I'm lucky this city sits on a magical fault line. Umbrella probably built facilities here for that reason. My healing factor alone is good, but with the ley line's energy, it's faster,"
They locked eyes briefly in the debris-littered gloom. His heart pounded from pain and adrenaline, but a small part of him also beat for the woman inches away. She was resilient, brave...and undeniably beautiful. He forced the thought aside. This was hardly the time for feelings of attraction.
Claire, for her part, felt her pulse quicken. Even covered in blood, half-dead from injuries, James exuded a certain presence. A quiet strength she found unexpectedly magnetic. It reminded her faintly of her brother Chris's fierce determination, yet there was something more...something darker in James's green eyes. The distant sound of a monstrous roar cut through the tense moment. It rattled the broken walls, reminding them that the city teemed with far worse dangers. Claire blinked, pulling away. "We-we need to move,"
James nodded. "Help me up?"
She hooked an arm under his and hoisted. He bit back a groan as his torso complained, but already the wound's edges were sealing more tightly. "Thanks," he muttered, letting go of her shoulder. They navigated carefully through the splintered chunks of wall. A battered metal door stood at the far end of the collapsed chamber, leading them into a service hallway. Neither sign nor fresh footprints gave away any clue of Nemesis's location.
Claire's voice stayed quiet. "Where'd they go, those two...things?"
James inhaled, half-relieved no Tyrant's footfalls lurked behind them. "They must be off hunting. Umbrella's weapons rarely stay idle,"
She nodded, still pale. "Let's find Leon and get out of here before they come back,"
Farther down the corridor, they discovered a scuffed metal door stenciled JAIL. Claire made a face. "Leon mentioned a journalist and some woman were down here, right? He wanted to check it out,"
James nodded. "Yes. And the signature I'm sensing is behind this door...plus one other that movedl,"
He extended a hand toward the busted card reader and closed his eyes. Reaching again for the ley line's energy, he poured a trickle of magic into the broken device. Sparks fluttered, and the lock clicked open with a faint hiss. They slipped inside, finding a row of cells. They soon encountered Ben Bertolucci, who explained Brian Irons had thrown him in a cell. While Claire checked the corridor for infected, James concentrated again. "No immediate undead in the vicinity. But I sense...someone else,"
Sure enough, a nearby door banged open. A figure in a sleek trench coat stepped in. Ada Wong. She looked just as Ben described. Tall, stylish, dark sunglasses concealing much of her expression. "Stay right there," she demanded, pistol leveled. Her tone was cold.
Claire raised a cautious hand, eyes darting to James's still-visible bloodstain. "Look, we're not infected, we're-"
Ada's gaze had already zeroed in on James. Something savage flared in her eyes. "You,"
James froze. Recognition slammed into him. Flickers of an old Umbrella mission, a covert infiltration team, and his own mind-controlled compliance that ended in a gruesome massacre. Ada had fled, the only survivor. He'd seen glimpses of her face in half-buried nightmares.
"Ada..." he began, voice tight. "I'm different now. I was under Umbrella's control,"
She answered with three rapid gunshots. No warning, no hesitation. The bullets slammed into James's chest, each round staggering him further until he dropped to one knee. Smoke curled from the singed holes in his ruined shirt as fresh blood spread.
"Whoa!" Claire shouted, scrambling to point her pistol at Ada.
Jaw clenched in agony, James summoned a burst of magic. He gestured at Ada's gun, wrenching it from her grip. It skittered across the cement, spinning under a bench. Ada moved in a blur, launching a high kick aimed at his injured chest. James swayed aside, still wincing. Claire tried to intervene, but Ada redirected fluidly, hooking Claire's ankle and shoving her into the bars of a nearby cell.
James's heart hammered. He pressed a trembling hand over his newly opened bullet wounds, forcibly drawing more ley line energy. The bullet holes began to spit out the slugs with wet pops. For a second, he lost sight of Ada, and that was all she needed. She smashed him in the jaw with an elbow.
He stumbled back against the cell doors, stars erupting behind his eyes. She was fast. Shockingly so. Well-trained. He caught her next punch with a forearm block, but pain lanced his side. Another bullet fell free from his chest wound, clattering onto the floor. Ada twisted, dropping low for a sweeping kick. James barely leapt back, though the movement sent a fresh jolt through his half-healed torso. Gritting his teeth, he lashed out with a sharp thrust of his palm, trying to push her away. She deflected with an elegant parry, then slammed her knee toward his midsection.
A wave of magic crackled across James's skin, raw energy fueling a final, desperate shove. He seized Ada's arm, spinning her momentum around. She skidded on the concrete but whipped around for a second attack. Only Claire's sudden presence behind Ada, pistol aimed, made her freeze.
Panting, James glared warily. "I'm done...fighting you," He inhaled shakily. Blood still trickled from one bullet hole. "I get it. You want revenge. But I wasn't in control back then,"
Fury shone in Ada's eyes, but it dimmed slightly. She glanced at Claire's weapon, then at James's obvious injuries. Her chest rose and fell with labored breaths. "You slaughtered my team," she spat, voice trembling with rage. "I watched them die,"
James stared at the floor, jaw tight. "I know. And I can't take that back,"
Before Ada could retort, a voice cried from the hallway entrance: "Stop!"
Leon Kennedy rushed inside, uniform scuffed, a bruise darkening his cheekbone. He had likely tangled with the Tyrant. He pointed his gun upward, as though not wanting to escalate. "Ada, James. Enough."
An uneasy silence fell. Claire stepped back from Ada, lowering her pistol. James slumped against the cell bars, breathing heavily. Ada's gaze flicked between them, frustration twisting her lips. Finally, she exhaled.
"Fine," she said, though cold hostility still curled her words. "But if he so much as twitches in a way I don't like..."
Claire quickly moved to James, pressing over his bullet holes. He grimaced but forced a smile of thanks. The last slug popped out of the wound with a sick noise, rolling onto the floor. Slowly, his flesh knitted again, ley line magic thrumming under his skin.
Ben rattled the bars of his cell. "Hey, folks? Not to break the tension, but get me out of here already!"
Leon found the control panel, restoring power. James shot a weak arc of magic to repair the incomplete circuit on the wall, and the cell doors slid open. Ben snatched his notes and recorder, muttering gratitude. Leon cleared his throat. "All right, everyone. No more shooting each other. We have a secure haven at the hospital. James can teleport us out. But I don't trust this place to stay quiet long,"
Ada folded her arms. "I have my own investigation to finish,"
Leon shot her a weary look. "We can figure it out once we're safe,"
She hesitated, but eventually gave a curt nod.
Meanwhile, Claire helped James stay steady, aware of every labored breath he took. "Let's move," he said, voice rough. "Stay close,"
They retraced their path back up to the station's main floor with little incident. The ominous footsteps of the Tyrant - Claire only knew it by that name - seemed absent. Nemesis, too, was nowhere in sight. It all felt ominously calm. When they finally pushed back into the grand lobby, Lieutenant Marvin Branagh looked up in relief. His pallor had worsened, but he waved them over. Ada eyed him suspiciously, but Leon spoke quietly with Marvin, who affirmed he was ready to leave.
"All right," James said, exhaling a breath. "Everyone gather near the center. I'll teleport us out of here in one group." He closed his eyes, reaching for the ley line again, preparing for a large-scale Apparition. But the entire skylight above exploded with a deafening crash. Glass shards rained down as an enormous shape landed with an impact that shattered the marble floor. Nemesis. Bony protrusions curled around its left arm, a warped combination of muscle and tentacle. It fixed its hideous gaze on James.
From the left wing corridor came a second series of pounding steps. The Tyrant emerged with single-minded intensity, battered trench coat hanging in tatters. It didn't so much as glance at the others, its blank visage locked onto James as it stepped forward.
"Are you kidding me?" Claire breathed, horror etched on her face.
Nemesis roared and lashed out, forcing James to throw up a shield. The collision sent shockwaves skittering across the debris-strewn lobby. Partitions blew over, the statue in the center cracked. Everyone scattered. Ben dove behind a desk, Ada flipped behind a toppled bookshelf, Leon pulled Marvin to relative cover. Claire dove aside, gun in hand. Shields of swirling magic flickered around James, but they threatened to buckle under the monstrous assault. The Tyrant advanced methodically from the side, boxing him in.
"Go!" James shouted over the thunder of impacts. "Find another exit. I'll hold them!"
"James!" Claire yelled, eyes flitting between him and the monstrous foes. But the combined presence of Nemesis and the Tyrant was overwhelming. Another ear-splitting roar drowned any further protest.
Chaos overtook the grand RPD lobby as Nemesis and the Tyrant converged on James. Marble shards littered the floor, and dust filtered through the wreckage of the shattered skylight above. Bright overhead lights flickered, strobing across the monstrous forms in the center of the room. James braced himself under Nemesis's unrelenting assault, arcs of magical energy shimmering in front of him like fractured glass.
Behind a toppled chunk of marble statue, Claire, Leon, Marvin, and Ben huddled for cover. The roar of combat hammered their ears. Leon's gaze darted anxiously to James, who was fighting both bioweapons at once.
"We can't just leave him!" Claire hissed, peering around the debris. She could see James absorbing blow after blow, rolling aside, and hurling strange bursts of energy that staggered Nemesis, but only for seconds.
Leon pressed his lips together. "We have no choice. He told us to go,"
Marvin gasped for breath, leaning heavily against a broken bench. Sweat beaded his forehead. "He's...buying us time," he muttered.
Ben, shaking with adrenaline, nodded. "I vote we don't waste it. This place is coming down,"
Claire clenched her jaw. She hated the idea of abandoning James here. Yet the Tyrant's cold, hollow stare locked onto him, and Nemesis's mutated arm whipped tendrils across the floor. They had no chance in a direct fight. She exhaled, stealing one last glance at James through the haze of rubble.
"Let's go," she said, voice trembling.
Leon hefted Marvin's arm over his shoulder, while Claire guided Ben toward a clear path. They darted for the front entrance, weaving among overturned desks and shattered columns. In the confusion, Ada slipped out of sight. Neither Claire nor Leon spotted exactly where she went, but she certainly didn't follow them.
James's protective shield cracked under the next blow from Nemesis. The monstrous bioweapon slammed its tumor-riddled arm into the shimmering barrier, sending arcs of greenish sparks dancing across the lobby. James's boots scraped the floor as he was forced back several feet. Immediately, the Tyrant lunged from his flank, delivering a colossal punch that James barely managed to meet with a second conjured shield.
A savage shockwave rippled outward, throwing broken furniture aside. James's heartbeat hammered. He was still bleeding from bullet holes Ada had inflicted, though his healing factor - supercharged by Raccoon City's ley line - struggled to keep the wounds sealed. The more these creatures hammered him, the more strain it placed on his regenerating flesh.
He drew in a ragged breath, deciding he needed every ounce of power to survive this. Summoning the well of viral strength that Umbrella had forcibly grafted into his body, James allowed himself to shift into his bioweapon form. Muscles rippled beneath his shredded clothing. His limbs elongated, bones cracking audibly. He rose to a towering nine-foot height. A coarse black beard sprouted along his jaw, and a deep scar appeared on his left cheek. His eyes glowed green with a hint of phosphorescent blue, like two charged emeralds shot through with lightning.
Nemesis snarled, abruptly cautious at the sight of James's transformation. The Tyrant halted as well, its head tilting as if assessing a new threat. James could feel the raw power coursing through his veins, an unwelcome gift from Spencer's experiments. Part of him loathed the abomination he'd become, but if it could keep everyone safe - even if they'd already fled - he'd use it.
"Come on!" he roared. His voice boomed through the devastated hall, echoing like thunder.
Nemesis responded first, whipping its jagged blade-arm in a wide slash. James dropped low - low being relative to his new massive height - and countered with a pulse of raw magical energy from his palm. The blast collided with Nemesis's chest, ripping tissue and sending it staggering back. But Mr. X seized the opening, hammering James's side with an inhumanly strong punch. James grunted, forced off balance. He spun, hooking a huge arm around the Tyrant's midsection. A surge of his viral-fueled muscles slammed the black-coated behemoth into a fractured marble column with enough force to split the pillar.
The Tyrant barely flinched, delivering a brutal backhand that cracked against James's jaw. Pain flared, but James held firm, clasping the Tyrant's wrist and roaring a spell. "Incendia!" Flames coiled around his enormous fist, searing the Tyrant's coat and scorching its pale skin. Nemesis roared from behind, recovered now, and launched itself at James's back. Its tendril-laden arm wrapped around James's torso, anchoring monstrous claws into his flank. James snarled, arching in agony as fresh blood spilled. The Tyrant capitalized, twisting free and lunging forward, aiming a blow at James's head.
At the last moment, James teleported a few feet. An instantaneous shift of dark smoke. The Tyrant's fist whiffed empty air, and Nemesis's tendrils yanked tight around nothing. James reappeared to their side, pressing both palms outward. Two bolts of jagged, green-white magic crackled forth, blasting both creatures into opposite walls with a thunderous collision.
During that split second of reprieve, James craned his head, scanning for any sign of the others. Especially Claire. The front doors were ajar; the rest of the group must have made it out. He allowed himself a small, relieved exhale. But Ada...she hadn't gone with them. No doubt she had her own agenda. He prayed she wouldn't do anything reckless, but right now, he had bigger problems.
Nemesis snarled, staggering back onto its twisted legs. Its second-form exoskeleton peeled from the chest with a wet snap, revealing more pulsing sinew. The Tyrant, arms burned and coat in tatters, methodically advanced from the other side. James squared his shoulders, ignoring the burning gashes across his ribs. Ley line magic crackled around him like a storm. If they wanted to chase after the survivors, they'd have to go through him first.
Nemesis charged - faster than its size should allow - closing the distance in the blink of an eye. Its claw raked at James's midsection. He countered by surging forward with an elbow strike that would have toppled any normal foe. Nemesis absorbed most of the impact and slammed a bony protrusion into James's left arm. Flesh tore. Blood spattered. James hissed in pain but brought his right fist up with a savage uppercut. The blow caught Nemesis under the jaw, snapping its head back.
Off to the side, the Tyrant lunged. James spied the movement in his peripheral vision and conjured a barrier of swirling gold. The Tyrant's powerful punch slammed into the shield, causing it to spiderweb with luminous cracks. James pushed with all his might, forcibly redirecting the Tyrant's arm upward. That momentum carried the Tyrant off balance, and James unleashed a backward kick, his huge foot connecting with its chest. The Tyrant crashed into the base of the ruined statue, splintering more stone.
Nemesis unleashed another roar, spit flying from its misshapen mouth. Its tendrils whipped forward, coiling around James's left bicep. He felt them constrict, the viral cords biting deep into his flesh. Gritting his teeth, he summoned a blaze of fiery magic around his arm, scorching the tendrils until Nemesis recoiled. He took one giant stride back, breathing hard, struggling to keep blood from dripping into his eyes. The bullet wounds had mostly healed, but fresh tears and gashes from the creatures' combined attack continued to sting, even with the ley line's help.
"All right..." he muttered, voice rumbling through his deep chest. "Let's finish this,"
He lifted both hands, arcs of bluish-green lightning dancing between his fingertips. The Tyrant stormed forward again, just as Nemesis lunged. At the last instant, James released his magic. An explosive surge that slammed into both bioweapons in a brilliant flash. For a moment, everything was lost in the roar of thunder and swirling debris. Sparks rained from the damaged ceiling lights. James staggered, half-blind from the aftershock. Through the swirling dust, he heard a bestial growl. Clearly, neither creature was finished. They were unstoppable forces, just as Umbrella designed them to be.
Nemesis stirred on the far side of the lobby, pushing aside chunks of rubble. The Tyrant regained its feet, blank gaze flicking between James and the open door. For whatever reason - perhaps an internal directive, perhaps frustration - it began backing away into the corridor. James, panting, readied another spell. But the Tyrant merely turned and lumbered out of sight, footsteps echoing.
Nemesis cocked its head, guttural rattles emanating from its chest. It backed up several feet, as though weighing its odds, then finally stomped away through a side passage with a snarl.
For a moment, James remained there in his hulking, nine-foot form, chest heaving, adrenaline coursing. The lobby was an unrecognizable ruin. Broken columns, shattered tile, and webs of cracks lined every surface.
Slowly, he felt the searing anger and combat surge die down. He forced his body to shrink, reining in the B.O.W. transformation. His spine crunched painfully as bones realigned to their usual proportions. The black beard receded somewhat, though stubble clung to his jaw, and the haunting green-blue glow faded to his normal emerald eyes. With a ragged cough, James fell to one knee, pressing a hand to the ground.
"They're gone," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. A wave of exhaustion took hold, but relief nudged at its edges. Claire and the others - Leon, Marvin, Ben - should be safe. He only hoped Ada hadn't done anything to sabotage them. Legs trembling, James pushed himself upright. He didn't want to linger here in the RPD, not with Nemesis or the Tyrant likely to return. He tapped into the ley line once more, using it to steady his battered body. Then he closed his eyes and visualized the hospital. The clean, open lobby where the survivors had gathered. With a final, determined breath, James twisted reality around him and vanished in a swirl of dark smoke.