Chapter 22

XXII. Moral

I DIDN'T PREPARE FOR this. I'd convinced myself that it was impossible for us to meet under any circumstance. But seeing his menacing glare up close made me reflect on my poor life choices. He's the only one who managed to spot us when his whole team was preoccupied with the J'avos. Snipers are trained to notice the slightest changes in their surroundings. Should've known better. Damn it, it's going to be a little bit difficult to explain myself to him, and a little bit more impossible to shrug him off my tracks. I don't think he had the slightest idea that Henry's here. To my expectation, when I made the sign to struggle, he tightened his hold on my wrists, which means that he doesn't have the intention of letting me go that easy. I looked away, then glanced at the angle of his wrist to his shoulder.

"Don't even think about it." Piers warned in a low voice. He raised my wrists so that it was pinned straight. I raised an eyebrow. Don't provoke him even more, Cheryl... But heck, I was also provoked. I was also trained to get in and out of these situations, so might as well put my jiu-jitsu skills to good use.

I immediately wiggled upwards until Piers' wrists were level to his shoulders, then I trapped his ankles using my feet then quickly lifted my hips whilst threw my wrists downwards to make him lose his balance. Piers yelped but before he could face plant to the ground above me, I threw my face sideways as to prevent getting hit by his chest. He caught himself by using his hands on the ground but by doing so, he was forced to release his grip on mine.

To prevent him from grabbing me again, I quickly moved to hug his torso then wrapped my right arm to his and bent it downward. I turned us over so that I was now on top of him.

Piers looked at me in disbelief, and I came to the realization that it was the first time we'd sparred. I guess that gave me the advantage, because he let his guard down with me.

"You shouldn't let your guard down with anyone... including me." I drawled, then slowly moved to climb to my full height. He blew out an exasperated breath before he also stood up.

"Who said that I let down my guard? I just let you escape." He sneered, clenching his jaw. I knew that he was trying his best to keep a level-head. "You better have a damn good reason why you're strolling out here."

"I'm not strolling—"

"Does it matter? Does it really matter?!" I closed my eyes when his tone turned a notch higher. I felt like a child being scolded for doing something very stupid. "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?"

"Of course I do! I wouldn't be here if I weren't!" I matched his tone, getting a bit pissed as well.

"Oh great! Could've fucking fooled me!"

"Calm down!" Speak for yourself, Cheryl. I tried to hold him but he wouldn't let me. "Aren't you even going to listen to me?"

"And tell me what? I don't think any amount of explanation will excuse your presence in here."

"Hey, Piers!" I didn't even manage to hear the series of heavy footsteps coming toward us followed by Chris and the rest of his team. He flashed me a look of question as if it was the very first time he saw me.

"Chris! You're..." ...alright. He's definitely not alright. His careful, deadpanned stare contorted into a frown. He had this aura in him that I don't recognize one bit. He... looks like a different person. He may have looked like he was alright... physically. One look at him and you'll know there's something off about him, but I can't point a finger to it.

"Who the hell are you?"

"W-what?" I blinked and my mouth went ajar at the question.

I shifted my wide-eyed gaze at Piers, and he looked back at me as if to clear my suspicion. So he still has amnesia? Why is he here then? What the hell? He should be back at some rehab center receiving therapy, but instead he's dragged back to the field right after finding him when it's all the cause of his dilemma!

"She's my wife, Captain." Piers said bitterly.

"Yeah, you already said that on the radio. But I missed the point why she should be here." Chris retorted, scanning my figure. "And armed."

I put my hands up as a sign of surrender for a moment, "I'm not a threat to the BSAA if that's what you're thinking. I have my own business in here."

"Well, it's my business now, too," Piers interjected, getting more impatient. I gave him a sharp glare. Good God, even though I'm in love with this man, it took all of my willpower not to stomp my way to him and wring his neck.

"Well, I don't—"

"Enough," Chris cut us off, sighing exasperatedly, "Listen, we can't waste time in here, Mrs. Nivans—"

"It's Cheryl,"

"Cheryl," He emphasized, the name not seemingly ringing any bells for him, "We have every authority to perform an arrest and interrogation on every suspicious citizen in a city under a state of calamity. It's up to you whether you want to make this easy for all of us."

I prevented the urge to lift one side of my lips. They're threatening me, and I'm sure as hell Piers is going to be the first to subdue me if I did anything funny. Even though I'm not obligated to answer their questions because they have no authority over me, I know they wouldn't let me go either way.

I crossed my arms, "It's Henry. He's here."

"What?" Piers reacted, "Why would he be here?"

I'm not surprised they're not aware. Henry was neglected to be included in the mission brief. It wasn't stated in any documents or archives who funded the Neo-Umbrella research. But this one file in the flash drive I found said otherwise. He's one smart bastard for keeping a low profile and working in the shadows. But he should have known that I wouldn't give a damn about his secret, so why give me the flash drive? He knew that I'd expose him to the BSAA. Why take a big risk? I was left with even more questions than answers. But nonetheless, I still continued to relay the information to them.

"He's involved in all of the attacks. He's the one who funded Neo-Umbrella."

"Where did you get all that info?" Chris asked, eyes narrowed at me.

Disregarding his menacing stare, I pulled out the blue flash drive from one of my packs, then I handed it to him. "Here. I got it from his office in the hotel. You have everything you need to know in there."

"Alright. We'll send a copy to HQ." He handed the flash drive to one of the soldiers and tasked him to send the files to the headquarters. "Talk to her, Piers. See if you have anything to get out of her."

"Will do." Piers said. I prevented the urge to roll my eyes. I'm right here.

Chris nodded then spared me a glance before he turned his back on us to proceed on their own business. He contacted HQ to report about my abrupt appearance in here, and also to request a team to escort me to safety. The other soldiers scattered the area for stray cocoons and commenced to incinerate them. Piers took my attention when he suddenly spoke in a calm manner.

"Walk with me." It wasn't a request, but an order. He didn't give me a chance to respond when he turned on his heels and walked back to the direction where we came from.

I wanted to talk, to explain myself but heck, I don't know how to start without him getting any more mad at me. But him being this awfully quiet isn't a cue either. So I just kept my mouth shut because I don't want to add more fuel to his anger. I just trailed behind him, glancing at the fire and carcasses in the area. I just listened to our footsteps as everything finally dawned to me now. What a sticky situation I'm in.

"What about accomplices? Surely you didn't manage to go this far on your own." He suddenly asked.

I chewed my bottom lip, "As hard it is to believe but there's no one. I just got here on my own—ow!" My face collided with his broad back and it hit my nose. I took a step back and held my throbbing nose. "Why'd you stop?"

Piers took a deep breath and turned around to face me. He glanced at something but before I could figure out where, I was surprised when he let out a smirk. I braced myself for another series of chastisement.

"You were never really a good liar, Cheryl, at least for me." Piers scoffed, making me arch an eyebrow in question, "You pick on your fingernails whenever you lie."

"Shit..." I mumbled, and that was when I noticed that I did exactly what he'd said. I really need to grow out of that bad habit. I put my hands up, "Fine, you got me. I didn't ask for Phyllis' help but she insisted."

"I'm not even surprised. Sounds just like her." Piers rolled his eyes, "Where is she?"

"She's around..." I looked around, "somewhere. We decided to regroup at the rendezvous point in case we get separated."

Piers went quiet, and that made me nervous. Did I say something wrong? Is he mad I dragged his cousin into my mess? I can't blame him...

"Are you going to divorce me?" I blurted out without thinking.

"That's an intriguing idea." He muttered, and the statement made my heart sink, "As much as I'm furious about the idea of you and Phyllis snooping in here, no, divorce has never even crossed my mind."

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"You wouldn't be here if you were."

"That's not what I'm sorry for. I was sorry I got caught."

Piers snorted, "Believe me, I want to understand. But I didn't expect for you to go through such great lengths just to get back at your father. I thought that you'd already let it go."

"I thought so, too," I puffed out a breath. My eyes burned but I didn't dare let the tears fall, "Until he contacted me. Piers, he's the one who sold me to TriCell. I can take all of the abuse but... but I just can't let him get away with that."

"Cheryl..." His hazel eyes softened, then he clamped his hands on my shoulders, giving me the stare that's trying to see through the soul. "I can only imagine the horrible things he has done to you. And I will make sure it won't happen ever again. Just please, let us handle this... let me handle this."

I lightly shook my head, offering a somber smile. "I really wish it were that easy to leave it all to you. But I can't. I know that it has to be me. I'm the one who has to take him to justice."

"If you really want to bring him to justice, you should've let us do it. Instead, you flew half way across the world, armed and ready to hunt him down. You don't want justice, you want revenge... and it won't solve anything."

"Maybe not but I'm not going to rest until he's stopped."

"I'm not going to lose you again." He shook his head, "I can't."

"Then you won't. I promise."

"HQ to Alpha," The authoritative voice interrupted. We stopped and focused on what HQ has to say, "According to the data we'd analyzed, we believe that Hansen is located at the Revised Herpetology Research Facility beyond Poisawan. Sending coordinates."

"Chris here. Copy that, HQ."

"All of our units are currently engaged. You will have to escort Mrs. Nivans on the way until backup arrives."

The earth suddenly shook, making my face stumble on Piers' chest—strike two for my nose. He wrapped his arms around me, shielding me from whatever is yet to come. Then the ceiling exploded, and debris of huge rocks trashed the already destroyed buildings. Dust particles clouded our vision and I didn't manage to get a glimpse of it but I know it's something big. Piers still managed to see through it all. It exited through the gaping hole out of the underground city. When all was over, Piers and I also ran to follow the hot trails of the BOW.

"Piers to HQ! We're engaging a hostile!"

"Piers! Marco! Everyone on me! We're going after that thing!" Chris ran way ahead of us to lead and apprehend the fleeing BOW.

"You heard the man, people! Let's move!" Marco broke into a run after Chris.

"Go!"

When we got out of the underground city, we came across the bombed tenement building just in time to see another soldier get bitten on the arm and get dragged away by an invisible monster. Without another time wasted, we followed the trail and passed by a playground. The park that was once full of amiable people was now abandoned and void of life. The only clues left were the traces of blood led to the red gate by the end of the area. Alpha Team was already positioned and ready to open it. I pulled out my gun from my shoulder harness and then positioned myself when Chris opened the red gate leading to another section of the neighborhood. It was clear and eerily quiet for my liking. The night was getting deeper and deprived of stars. We followed the trail of blood leading to another building and we used the ladder attached to it. I flickered a curious gaze at Chris, and I saw his eyes gleaming with an emotion I know too well—hatred. He's getting worse and worse by the minute.

"Okay, let's move in, but be careful." A soldier reminded.

We climbed up the ladder. Chris and Piers jumped first then I followed. We entered the building but we didn't even make it halfway through when Chris' voice alarmed us when we came into contact with two patrolling J'avos.

"Assume battle positions!"

The soldiers then threw up their guns and opened fire at the J'avos. They didn't even give me a chance to waste any bullets on them. I spotted a long ladder attached to the wall by the side, and the only way to go is up. We made it through the back alleys and to another building with a ladder attached to the wall. Chris climbed up first but he was only halfway through it when Piers yelled.

"Captain, look out!" Just above us, two bodies fell and almost hit Chris in the process. He jumped down as we slightly backed away, guns pointed toward the J'avos with the mutated arms trying to zero in on us.

Chris punched and knifed one J'avo as if to pour his anger out on him. Piers managed to stun the other J'avo and perform an uppercut on him, knocking the latter to the ground. Piers finished him off by stomping the butt of his gun on the J'avos head, decapitating it. I was left there with an open mouth in bewilderment. That was so hot. Then I wanted to smack myself for even finishing that thought. I can't believe that I'm admiring him at a situation like this! Shame on you, Cheryl!

We finally made it to the top of the ladder. We cut through the passage leading to a partially demolished building that I assume was bombed. There was a ledge overlooking the street below, and a gust of wind sent goosebumps on my arms. Something exploded on the street, catching our attention. The flames emitted on the lamp post as an unfamiliar duo a few feet away from it greeted my eyes. The young man extended his hand out for the blonde woman and pulled her up to her feet.

"They're alive!" Piers exclaimed, making Chris look at him in a quizzical manner. "They went missing six months ago in Edonia."

Then I heard something from the distance. It looked like it was the sound of a helicopter coming toward us. Andrew? But my assumption was debunked when the blinding light shone on our faces and I saw a J'avo piloting it. The mixture of dust and wind from the blades made me instinctively put my arms in front of my face.

"Neo-Umbrella is after them." Piers said, and I looked down at the group of J'avos crossing in on them and the light of the helicopter on them. Chris was still in a form of daze, and Piers called him out on it. "Captain!"

"Spread out!" Chris barked an order, making the group of soldiers scatter to different locations. "Take every one of those damn things down." He added in a venomous tone. I was about to go find a cover because we were sitting ducks in here when Piers stopped me.

"Cheryl, stay close to me." Piers said, firing his gun at the J'avo that suddenly appeared in front of us. I also opened fire at them, not wanting to be a burden.

"Don't let me get in your way, Piers."

"That wasn't a request."

I groaned in frustration and bit my tongue to prevent myself from talking back. Piers opened fire at the J'avos below swarming the duo. That action didn't go unnoticed by the young man, and when he flickered his gaze at our direction, his face contorted into a scowl to which Piers did the same.

"Captain, it's Marco. That's an armored chopper they've brought in." His voice clicked on the radio.

"That rules out conventional arms." Piers turned his back on me, distracted at his own J'avos to kill.

"We need to protect those two down there." Marco piped in.

I fired at the J'avo that's coming my way, and when I shot it on the leg, it ruptured and mutated to a new form I had never seen before. His lower body then was replaced with an insect-like abdomen. It's paired with insect legs much alike a grasshopper's and I was snapped out of my bewilderment when it jumped to land on me. I dove to the side and pulled out another handgun from my leg harness.

"Forget the chopper for now. Engage the J'avo." Chris instructed.

I fired at the grasshopper J'avos then gave it a few agonizing kicks when I manage to stun them. I was alarmed when I heard a loud but contained grunt from Piers and saw him being pinned to the ground by that same kind of J'avo. I fired a whole clip of bullets on it and it was sent away. That's how much firepower needed to take down just one.

I rushed to Piers' aid, examining his figure for injuries, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." Piers mumbled before he stood up and continued to fire off like nothing happened.

My gaze then shifted back to the duo to check their state, but then there was another girl below the street who was also shooting at the J'avos alongside them. My eyes widened in disbelief and realization.

"Is that..." Piers also noticed, but I finished his sentence.

"Phyllis!" I called out and instinctively ran to the edge of the ledge before Piers snagged my arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to her! She needs my help!"

"We're gonna go get her once we've cleared all of the J'avos!"

"No," I shook my head, "Chris won't let you. I don't think he cares about pursuing Henry. He has other things in mind, and I'm sure as hell it isn't the BSAA's objective. Piers, he saved my life before. I want to help him, too, but I think that you can serve as his moral compass."

Piers opened his mouth to argue but then he immediately moved to counter the J'avo that attempted to strike him from behind with his machete. The injury he inflicted on the J'avo caused him to mutate.

"Shit," He cursed under his breath before opening fire at the J'avo, creating an opening for me to jump down the roof of an establishment and to the ground level. I heard Piers calling out through the onslaught of gun fires but I didn't pay any attention to him. I fired and finished off every J'avo that came my way.

"Phyllis!" I called out, making the trio snap their guns at us. Phyllis gave me a surprised look and she broke into a grin.

"Cheryl!"

I assisted them in taking down those J'avos, all the while talking about how did she end up in here. Apparently, she was taking shelter in one of the establishments in here and the sound of an explosion made her check it out. It turned out that the J'avos spotted her as well which forced her to engage as well.

"Jake! He's the last one!" The blonde woman pointed at the stray J'avo by the distance. The BSAA took him down without a sweat. The helicopter launched a missile coming straight toward us. The man named Jake managed to move away from it but the explosion sent him to the ground. The flames radiated in its wake. The helicopter then pulled back and went in another direction. Is it retreating? But they still haven't obtained their objective...

Jake scoffed, "And I thought we'd be here all night. This way!"

"Okay!" The woman agreed and trailed behind him.

I shifted my gaze back at the BSAA, and I saw Piers looking down upon me. He jerked his head to the side, telling me to go on forward. I nodded my head and there he proceeded to move out of the area with the rest of his team. Jake moved toward the way the explosion cleared for us. He jumped and swung using the protruded metal stick to the other side. I watched him in awe, impressed.

"Come on, sweetheart." Jake taunted Phyllis with a smirk, giving her a come hither motion. She rewarded him a sharp glare. And I know her, she wouldn't back down that easily. Phyllis took a few steps back to form a timing, then she sprinted and jumped to swing at the metal stick but then she didn't land swiftly, she stumbled but Jake managed to catch her before she could fall to the ground. They looked at each other for a moment before she wrenched herself away from him rather harshly.

"Don't touch me," She growled, making him put his arms up as a sign of surrender.

"Is it that time of the month, sweetheart? Geez..."

"Shut up, bonehead."

Jake climbed up the ladder to drop the ladder on the other side so that we can climb up.

"Hey, are you with the BSAA?" The blonde woman asked, striking a conversation. I looked at her youthful face, and she didn't look like the type who'd do this for a living. Well, I can't judge her.

I shook my head, "No." I answered which made her eyes gleam with acknowledgement. Phyllis and Jake are still bickering like kids in the background.

"Oh, I saw you up there with them. I was confused for a second why they would leave you behind."

"I left them behind." I corrected her with a small smile, "My name's Cheryl."

"Sherry Birkin." She introduced herself, giving me a polite smile. "I thought you looked familiar. You're Cheryl Hansen. I've read the reports about you." She said, "At least I know we're not the only ones..." She mumbled but didn't expect for me to hear it.

"What do you mean?"

"J'avos!" Phyllis' voice roared, and that made us go into battle positions. A group of grasshopper J'avos emerged from a corner and charged for us. The chopper also appeared but it looked like its attention isn't at us. It's firing at the roof, which meant that the BSAA may be engaging contact with it at the moment.

Phyllis and I climbed the ladder to get a clear shot at the helicopter. She pulled out her rifle from her back and proceeded to aim at the flying vehicle. I took down the swarming J'avos to cover her.

"You do realize that the chopper's basically bullet-proof, right?" Jake climbed right back at our position.

Phyllis peeked out of her scope, her lips lifting in a snide, "You have a better idea?"

Jake took out the J'avos using hand-to-hand combat. And he's incredibly skilled, more skilled than Phyllis and me combined. Then he answered her question, pulling out an assault rifle with an explosive round. He tossed the gun in her direction to which she successfully caught.

"Use that, sweetheart." Then he proceeded to get back to business.

"Don't call me sweetheart, you bonehead!" Phyllis rolled her eyes then threw the gun up to the helicopter.

I continued firing at the J'avos that seemed to never get tired of harrassing us. She moved to another clear location. I covered her for a moment before Jake and Sherry moved to an even higher ground. Jake's voice was loud enough for us to hear him badmouth Piers.

"—especially that BSAA mutt, Nivans!" I knew that they rubbed each other the wrong way from how Piers and Jake looked at each other. If only looks could kill... and from my short encounter with Jake, their personalities were bound to clash. And Phyllis kind of takes after her cousin.

"Hey, watch your mouth, bonehead! That's my cousin you're talking about!" Phyllis yelled and gave him a menacing glare. Jake looked at her in surprise and disbelief as she tossed the assault rifle aside because it made the familiar clicking sound. It's out.

"What? Are you fucking kidding me? You're too good-looking to be related to him!" Phyllis ignored his remark. She continued giving him a well deserved string of curses. She even gave him the finger. "Well, shit. That explained the crazies then!"

"What did you just say?!"

Jake then smirked and jumped at the rope dangling around the helicopter just in time it flew right past us. The three of us watched in horror as he tried to climb up to the chopper.

"Jake! No! You'll be killed!" Sherry pleaded but he only went in for the kill.

"You know what they say about desperate times! Watch and learn!"

"Speak for yourself. You're the one who's crazier." Phyllis muttered to herself, shaking her head in dismay.

Jake maneuvered around the swirling helicopter and went in front of the pilot's view. He pulled out his handgun to fire at the J'avo in it, making the vehicle lose control. He jumped out to safety as we watched the helicopter crash and erupt an explosion.

Jake and Sherry looked up at the roof, locking eyes with whoever's there. Phyllis and I moved away to look at our COMs device to examine the place and mark the fastest route we can take to our destination. That means going on our separate ways with the duo as I'm sure they have their own objectives.

"It's close." Phyllis said, looking at the point beyond the map. I nodded in agreement, putting our device back on our packs. We faced the duo who was getting ready to leave. "We're going on our separate ways. It was nice meeting you, Sherry." She smiled at the blonde woman to which she returned. Her smile turned into a snide once more when she turned her gaze to Jake, "Can't say the same to you."

Jake snorted, "Although it's a damn shame you're related to that mutt, but I kinda like your guts."

Phyllis rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk away to the other direction. I bid farewell to them as well and followed Phyllis who was waiting by the metal double doors.

"What's with you and that guy?" I asked her as we pushed through the archway leading to the east side of Poisawan, we're finally closing in on our destination. It will take about less than fifteen minutes with the route we took.

"I don't know, I just hate his guts."

"You hate everyone's guts."

"Yeah, and he takes the cake so far. Have you talked to Piers?"

I breathed a deep sigh. "Yeah," I answered simply.

"Was he mad?" I looked at her and she got it, "Right. Why did I even asked. I'm surprised they're not pursuing us."

"Well, turns out they've got more important plans."

We took out the stray J'avos patrolling the area, and as we drew close to the facility, the more I'm getting even more fired up to finish this once and for all. The ingress to the Revised Herpetology Research Facility was partially opened, letting out the impression that someone has been in here.

"Do you think this place has been conducting the experiments?" Phyllis asked, making me shrug off my shoulders. We then burst through the doors with extreme caution. Our feet made an echoing sound as it made contact with the concrete floors. I kept my eyes peeled through the crates and boxes that didn't have any label on it. My heart kept on beating faster and faster each passing second at the thrill and horror that awaited us in here. We skidded through the stairs and opened the door to the next room which looked like... yet again, a control room. Stacks of papers scattered around the tiled floors, drawers and cabinets were opened and disorganized and the computers were even left on. It's as if someone had raided this place, but I can't help but feel that the person who did this didn't exactly find what they were looking for. The monitor of one computer then turned static, then black, then the familiar voice of Henry followed.

"Oh, about time you finally arrived, my dear." He grinned like the usual devil he is.

"Where are you?" I stomped my way over to the monitor to come face to face with him. And what he said next fueled my anger even more.

"I'm afraid to tell you that I just left because I couldn't wait for you. Didn't I tell you to make haste?"

"Cheryl, don't let him get to you. He's trying to get in your head..." Phyllis said in the background but I was too drowned in my hatred to even let my brain process what she said.

"Are you angry? Do you hate me?"

"Einfach den Mund halten!" My hand shook and I couldn't stop the urge to shoot the monitor, but then I was rewarded with an amused laugh from him. His voice is still clear as day on the speakers.

"Hmph, sehr ausgereift," He taunted, "I'm just teasing. I'm going to send you the coordinates to where I am right now. And don't worry, I'm not going anywhere this time."

I waited for him to add anything on his sentence but he didn't talk anymore. Our COMs device vibrated in our pockets as if on cue. I fished for mine and found out a new location marked, that's where Henry's located. That's a long way to go...

"We only have less than forty-three minutes left, Cheryl." Phyllis reminded, glancing at her wristwatch.

I scoffed, that was the least of my concerns right now. Phyllis didn't argue with me even further. She just stared at me with a look of indifference. She followed me quietly out of the facility and there we started our way to Tatchi. Run, Henry. Run because I will not stop. I will hunt you even down to the depths of hell.