Chapter 6

They were strapped together, back to back, by metal bonds. The room the two were in was all metal, with a blue glint and trim. There was no other color, making the room blinding. Sherry stood there in silence, reflecting all the events that had led to their second capture. She was ashamed at herself for not seeing through Simmons' lies. She was ashamed that she had failed to complete her mission, and deliver Jake safely to the right hands. She had been played, and like a fool, she had fallen right into the trap.

" I'm sorry about this," Sherry said. She heard Jake turn his head to listen.

" It's all my fault. I should've been able to see through Simmons' lies, but I didn't. Now, here we are. I'm sorry, Jake."

" You were just... following orders, right?"Jake asked. " You didn't know. It's okay. You've kept me alive this long. I'm thankful."

" Thank you, Jake."

An alarm sounded, and the blue lights became red. Jake and Sherry looked around, and the heard a loud hiss from the metal keeping them bound. The locks were released, and Jake and Sherry were free. They fell to the ground and landed roughly. Sherry hit her shoulder, but luckily, it was not enough damage to render her arm useless. Jake had landed on his feet with ease, and Sherry had a small tingle of jealousy rush through her veins. She stood up and began looking for a way out. She looked through the glass keeping them in this cage, and saw their weapons sitting on a table.

" Of course," she sighed. Jake was at her side in an instant, and looked at the weapons.

" What do we do now?" Jake asked. Sherry looked around the room, but could not see another way through, except the door next to them. She tried to open it, but it was locked from the other side. She felt Jake tap her shoulder, and she faced him. He was pointing up.

" What about that?"

Sherry looked and saw that there was a small vent that she could crawl through.

" Boost me up," she told him.

" I know what I'm doing," he snapped, then apologized. She waved it off and positioned herself for lift off. Jake made a stirrup with his hands, then nodded at Sherry. She ran and jumped, and Jake threw her up easily. She grabbed the ledge and pulled herself up and into the vent. The space was cramped and cold, but Sherry pushed on, hoping to make it through with no trouble. She did, and she dropped down into the other room.

She was instantly attacked by a gray B.O.W that made small, groaning noises that were animalistic. When standing, it was lanky and could not walk straight. It had a circular head and a large circle mouth. Sherry ducked and rolled away from the creature as it lunged at her. It lost its balance, and it was the window she needed. She rushed to the table with the weapons and geared up. She looked back at the door that was locked and saw that it was an electric lock. She aimed her pistol and shot the lock. The door opened, and Jake emerged from the room. He went to the table while Sherry kept her eye on the B.O.W. It was getting back up and making its way to them. Sherry fired her gun at the creature's abdomen, and it broke apart, with its torso falling to the ground and the legs still standing.

" We need to leave," Sherry said.

" Let's go," Jake agreed, and the two left the area, looking for a way out of the facility.

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Leon and Helena watched in horror as the missile exploded and filled the streets of Tatchi with blue, poisonous gas. The gas turned anyone who touched or inhaled it within seconds. Soon, the streets were flooded with infected. Leon could only watch in horror. It truly was Raccoon City all over again. He was frozen in place, as was Helena. This was the first time she was witnessing something like this. Both could not speak to one another.

" Hey!" someone shouted to them. They looked down and saw a BSAA member waving at them.

" What the hell are you doing? We're evacuating everyone out of the city. Let's move it!"

Leon and Helena broke free of their paralysis and moved down the flight of stairs they were on. They went to the soldier and showed him their badges.

" We want to help," Leon told him. The man nodded, then had them follow him. The gas was moving quickly towards them, and they all ran to the right through an alleyway. The BSAA soldier took the lead and busted down a gate that was locked and in their way. He led the two into a building and shut the door. There were more BSAA members inside, trying to get everything secured and safe. Leon looked out the window and saw many infected banging on the glass, trying to break in and prey upon the people inside. Leon and Helena followed the soldiers up the stairs, where there was a way out the back that would lead them to safety.

As they made it to the second floor, the glass on the first floor broke under the pressure of the infected, and the dead flooded in.

" RUN!" the BSAA member shouted, and everyone followed him in a sprint. They ran through a hallway, where Leon saw a door at the end of it. He sighed in relief, then regretted it. To his left, a door opened up, and the dead filled the hallway, blocking the door. Leon pulled out his 9mm and began firing at the horde. A pathway to the door slowly opened for the group, and Leon and Helena took the opportunity to go through. They opened the door and called to the BSAA soldiers. Only one made it out- the one who had helped them to get here. There was another soldier who was holding the horde back.

" Just go! Don't look back!" the soldier said, then shut the door, locking himself inside the building and sealed his fate.

" Damn," the soldier sighed. Leon and Helena walked down the stairs and got into the waiting humvee. Leon got into the front seat, while Helena sat in the back. The soldier got into the driver seat and shut the door quickly. He turned the car on and began driving through the gas and ash from the missile. Infected were everywhere, and were trying to surround the humvee. The BSAA soldier hit the gas, and they moved through the horde quickly.

They emerged from the fog and stopped in front of an overturned bus. Leon and Helena got out and thanked the soldier before he headed back to look for his team. Leon boosted Helena on top of the bus, and she held out her hand and pulled him up. They jumped down to the other side and drew their guns, waiting for the potential danger. Nothing opposed them. Nodding to one another, they moved forward, searching for survivors and heading towards the Quad Tower.

Something slammed into a large truck containing gasoline, causing an explosion that knocked Leon and Helena into the car behind them with a powerful force. They became unconscious for some time.

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They landed the jets on the surface of the facility and hopped out. They found an elevator that went straight down through the middle of the whole establishment. Cecile followed the two men into the elevator, and they descended into its depths. Piers paced back and forth slowly around the elevator while Cecile and Chris leaned against the glass.

" Well, there's irony for you," Piers said after a few moments of silence.

" What do you mean?" Chris asked.

" The man that tried to destroy the world is dead, and now, his son is the only one who can save it."

" And I'm here to rescue him," Chris said, catching on.

" The man, and the sister, that killed him. Like I said- irony."

" I don't know," Chris said. " Maybe it's fate."

" It's irony," Cecile informed him, not looking up at them. She heard Chris sigh, and the conversation took a turn.

" It's been three years since Wesker's death. Everywhere I go, it's a constant war. After this," he turned to face Piers. " I'm turning in my gun."

" What?! You can't-" Piers protested, but Chris spoke over him.

" It's time someone took my place as Captain, and I would be honoured if it was you, Piers."

Piers's eyes widened at the proposal. Then he lowered his gaze to the ground.

" I- I don't think I'm ready for that."

" You've made it this far, haven't you?" Chris asked him. Piers looked at him and smiled. The elevator came to a halt, and Cecile pushed herself off the wall and pulled out her sniper. The doors opened, and there was a dark hallway.

" This is it," Chris told them. They stepped out of the elevator and began moving through the facility. There was a large door to their right. Chris pushed a button, and it opened slowly. Piers and Cecile were on both sides of the door, guns ready to attack. They nodded to one another before entering the room. It was the control central, and Cecile saw, on the screen, a picture of Jake and Sherry. She moved to the panel and looked at the system. Chris brushed past her and began working on getting them free. Cecile watched in amazement as Chris's fingers flew across the keys, entering a series of numbers and letters too quick for her brain to fully process. Within seconds, he was done.

" I think I got it," he said. The screen flashed a simple message.

Security Unlocked.

" You did it," Cecile congratulated. Chris smiled, and the alarms went off, red lights flashing. Cecile looked back at the screen and saw a new message on the screen.

Security Breach.

" We've gotta go," Cecile said. Chris nodded, and the three made their way out of the room in search of Jake and Sherry. There was another door to their left, and they made their way through it quickly. They were not prepared for the J'avo waiting for them. Cecile traded her sniper for her handgun and began shooting them down, one by one. With each headshot, satisfaction filled her as she watched the bodies drop to the floor. Chris was able to get behind one and snap its neck, then move on to the next one within mere seconds. Cecile leaped over hospital beds and crates to get away from one persistent J'avo.

" Sorry, but I'm not interested in being anything more than mere acquaintances," Cecile said sarcastically, and she turned and slid underneath the J'avo and moved back towards Chris and Piers. She turned back and shot the J'avo. It fell screaming, then was silent. More began flooding in through an automatic door, crushing the trio together. They were not going to get through this at this rate. Cecile put her gun away and thought of all the possible scenarios that could happen to the two men behind her. Rage flooded through her, and it was what she needed. She moved forward, as fast as lightning, and she killed off the J'avo. It only took a couple of heartbeats, and the room was clear. Cecile regained control of herself, and motioned for the men to follow her.

" I'm not going to get use to that for a long time," Chris told her. They obeyed her, however, and they moved through the area, looking for any possible way for them to meet up with Jake and Sherry.

The next area they entered was filled with conveyer belts and a large lookout post in the middle of the room. Cecile spotted the door on the other side and ran to it, Chris and Piers hot on her heels. Without waiting, she pushed a button off to the side.

" Releasing pressure. Please wait while the chamber stabilizes. This will take three minutes," an automated voice spoke.

" Great," Cecile mumbled. Footsteps echoed behind them, and the three turned around. A J'avo was holding on to a lever, and it pulled it down. One of the conveyer belts began to move, and out came a green cocoon. The trio raised their weapons, and watched as more J'avo flooded in and pulled more levers. Cecile looked above, and saw guns pointed at them. No one was shooting yet. Cecile realized why. She began firing at the cocoons before they hatched. J'avo would jump in front of them, hoping to spare them and allow them to hatch. Chris and Piers got the idea and followed suit. The automated voice counted down the minutes they had left. Two minutes and thirty-four seconds. Some J'avo pulled the levers again, bringing in more cocoons. A couple broke open to Cecile's dismay, and the large B.O.W's from city hall emerged from them.

" Give us a break!" Cecile shouted in exaggeration. The undead did not seem to care.

" One minute and thirteen seconds," the automated voice supplied.

" Thank you!" Chris shouted. Cecile laughed- as she shot a J'avo- at Chris's sarcasm. Even though they were in the midst of a battle, he could be humorous. It was uplifting and nice. It gave Cecile the last bit of determination she needed to take on these monsters. She put her gun away and pulled out her knife. It was a risky move, but she knew what she was doing. She was wearing dark clothing in a dimly lit room. This was going to work.

She ran straight at one of the J'avo in front of her. It tried to aim its gun in time, but was too slow. Cecile slashed the knife across its neck, then jabbed it straight in for good measure. She turned to her left and went to the next one. It didn't notice her presence as she approached, not until it was too late. She stabbed it in the back of the head and moved on. She heard Chris grunting as he fought hand to hand with a few of the J'avo on his own. Piers was climbing the ladder that led up to the catwalk, shooting anything that got in his way. Cecile continued her assault, killing all the J'avo she could before she had to confront the armoured B.O.W.

" Thirty seconds."

Cecile snapped the neck of the last J'avo as the voice rang out. They still had to deal with the B.O.W's before they could leave. Cecile saw a shotgun lying next to one of the B.O.Ws, and she calculated how long it would take to grab it without the creature getting a hold of her. She made her decision, and charged at the B.O.W. It saw her and began to charge. Cecile saw an opening between its legs, but it was very low to the ground. This was going to hurt. As it neared her, she slid on the ground and bent backwards as the creature ran over her. She felt her hair graze the floor, and her back was almost touching her legs. She made it, and reached for the shotgun. It was kicked out of her reach by a J'avo that had hidden from her. It went to get on top of her, but she had her knife ready and stabbed it in the stomach. It back away in pain, and she stabbed it in the eyes, blinding it. She then ran and grabbed the shotgun. She checked the chamber of the gun. Loaded. She turned around and fired a bullet just in time at the B.O.W. The outer shell broke apart with a single blast, and Cecile shot off another round. The rest of the hard shell was shot off, and its pink flesh was exposed. Cecile traded the shotgun for her handgun and began shooting off a few rounds. Within a few seconds, it was dead.

" Pressure stabilized," the automated voice said.

" Oh thank god," she heard Piers sigh from above.

" Now releasing water from chamber. Please wait two minutes."

" I'm going to kill whoever made this system," Chris grumbled, and the three faced the remaining B.O.Ws with two minutes to go.

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Ada entered the city of Tatchi, and gazed at the remains in horror. The city was on fire, and the walked roamed the streets. She saw military vehicles all around, and they were empty. The BSAA had tried to evacuate the town in time, but had failed.

" This is HQ," a voice from her radio spoke. " Give us an update."

" This place is done for!" someone else spoke. " They're everywhere. We need reinforcements!"

" We are sending in Echo Team to assist you," HQ responded, then the radio was silent. Ada continued to drive her helicopter forward, hoping that something was going to be worthwhile. Everything was in ruins, as she quickly scanned the area.

" She wasn't kidding about raising Hell," Ada commented. She continued her fruitless search for any sign of life.

An explosion sounded in front of her, and she drove towards it. As she entered, she saw that the area was a small opening with the dead swarming a couple. This was no ordinary couple, however. Ada looked at the face of the man and recognized him immediately.

" Leon," she sighed. She switched the controls of the helicopter from flight to fight. The zombies were surrounding the two on the ground, and Ada took aim. She shot at the ones on the outside of the ring closing in.

" Leon, it's-" the woman with him, Helena, started.

" Ada," Leon finished.

"Great eyesight, Leon," Ada mumbled amusingly. She loved the surprised look on his face. It suited him well. She continued shooting at the undead, as did Helena and Leon. She continued shooting until they found an opening to escape through. Making sure the two had made it safely through, Ada continued on her way, hoping to reach Simmons before the clock ran out.

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Jake and Sherry ran out of the hallway they were in and entered a circular cavern. They both looked around, looking for an exit, and spotted three people making their way out of another hallway. Jake instantly recognized the female and ran to her. She spotted him and did the same. When they met, they grabbed each other in a tight embrace. The others had surrounded them, but Jake would not let her go. He had thought that she had died. Sherry had been right all along. She was a survivor, and a good one at that.

" Cecile," Jake whispered. She chuckled in his ear. Cecile pulled away and looked at him. He looked bruised, but otherwise okay.

" Captured again, huh?" she asked him. He laughed nervously and ran a hand over his head. Cecile looked at Sherry, and went up to her and hugged her.

" Glad to see you're okay," Sherry told her.

" Same goes for you," Cecile told her.

" So," Jake spoke up. " It looks like you guys saved the day again."

Chris looked him up and down, and Cecile knew where this was going.

" I can see your father in you."

Jake turned to face him, his face void of expression. Cecile knew that look all too well.

" How did you guys find us?" Sherry asked, trying to diffuse the situation. It didn't work. Jake cut her off, moving closer to Chris.

" You knew my father?"

" Yeah, I did. And I'm the one that killed him," Chris told him.

No one moved. The silence was almost unbearable. Cecile could feel the tension, and knew that she would have to tell Jake that Chris was not the only contributor to Wesker's death.

Jake chuckled, then pulled a gun out and aimed it at Chris. Piers aimed his at Jake and ordered him to put his gun down.

" You better put that puppy on a leash," Jake ordered Chris. Chris raised his hand at Piers, and Piers lowered his gun, but didn't put it away.

" This is between me and him," Chris told him. He then gave his full attention to Jake.

" Go ahead, shoot me. You have every right to," Chris said. Jake pulled back the hammer and straightened his aim. Chris stared back without changing his expression.

" But just promise me that you'll survive. The world depends on it."

" Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?!" Jake yelled, placing his other hand on the gun to steady it. Piers raised his gun again, and Sherry tried to calm Jake down. The two men did not pay attention to anyone else around them. It was only them.

" Tell me, were you just following orders, or was it personal?" Jake asked. Chris looked him dead in the eyes and answered.

" Both."

Voices began mingling together in a blur. Only Cecile stayed silent. She was waiting for the right moment. She was watching Jake's trigger finger, waiting for it to flinch. She watched, and waited.

There! Jake's finger twitched slightly, but it was the cue she had waited for.

" Chris isn't the only one to blame, Jake!" she shouted to be heard. The voices died down, and Jake slowly turned his head towards her. She stepped forward to face him. He kept the gun aimed at Chris, but not for very long. Cecile grabbed his hand and moved the gun to her own head. Jake tried to jerk away from her, but she was stronger.

" I'm the one that killed our father. All Chris did was clean up the mess. I'm the one who put the knife in his head. I'm the one who killed him. If you can kill Chris for killing Wesker, then you can kill me, too. If you can't kill me, then there's no reason for you to kill Chris."

Jake went still. All eyes were trained on the siblings, waiting. Jake sighed and his arm went limp. Cecile let go, and Jake put his gun away. Piers put his down as well, and he looked at Cecile with astonishment. She looked at the ground bashfully, her face turning red. Jake noticed, and looked back at Piers.

" So, the puppy's got a thing for my sister, huh?" he remarked. Cecile's face burned brighter, and she had to turn away from Jake.

"Wait," Jake said, suddenly seeing the bigger picture. " Are you two a couple?!"

" I don't know," Cecile answered honestly. " Piers?"

" She's my girlfriend," Piers stated flatly. She turned back to look at him just in time to see Jake moving towards him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

" Leave him alone," she said.

" You're my sister. I have to lay down the law," Jake responded. She sighed, then looked around the area for the first time. That was when she saw the massive cocoon in the middle of the room.

" What the hell is that?" she asked, pointing at it. Everyone turned around and took a step back. Cecile took in her surroundings carefully. She saw two platforms with two levers on each, and a panel a few yards away to their right. Cecile checked that first, and was glad she did. It was a screen with a small red button to the side of it. On the screen, it gave the name of the massive cocoon.

Haos.

The screen switched over to a map of the world, and Cecile watched as the percentage of the viral outbreak increased. Twenty percent. Forty percent. Seventy percent. One hundred percent. The map blinked red, and the cocoon moved. Cecile pushed the red button and backed away. Lights began flashing on the platforms. She had turned on the power.

" Let's go," she said. " Whatever is in that thing is Ada's creation, and I don't want to be here when that thing hatches."

" Agreed," the others said in unison. Cecile took a step forward, then froze. Ada's words were flooding back to her.

" Whatever happens to my creation will happen to you."

" She bonded my DNA with that thing in the cocoon," Cecile whispered. Piers was beside her and heard the words.

" What do you mean?"

" Back in Edonia, Jake, Sherry and I had been taken to a facility in China. We had been experimented on. They had been awake for theirs, but I never woke up during that time, not until six months later. Ada had taken my DNA and used it to connect me with her creation. Whatever is in that thing can-."

" We've gotta move!" Jake shouted, pulling the two out of their conversation. They ran over to the platforms and split up. Cecile went with Jake and Sherry while Chris and Piers went to the other. Cecile pulled out her gun, waiting for something to attack them. The others pulled the levers, and they were instantly lifted up into the air. Cecile heard shouts from above her, and she aimed her gun up. There were J'avo jumping down onto the platform the three were on, and Cecile began shooting the ones that were still above them while Jake and Sherry took care of the ones on the platform. She could hear Chris and Piers dealing with the same thing on the other side.

" So, you killed our father, huh?" Jake started up.

" Are you serious?!" Cecile exclaimed, aghast by the remark.

" Yeah," he answered.

" Yes, I killed Wesker. He deserved it, though. He was a madman who wanted to destroy the world. He needed to be stopped. Besides," she said. " He wasn't a good father anyway. You lucked out."

" From what I've heard, so did you," he countered.

" Touché, brother."

" Can we have this discussion later?" Sherry asked, struggling with a J'avo. Jake and Cecile moved in, and blow for blow, moved as one to take down the J'avo. It has been almost two years since they had fought like this, and it felt good. They were in sync, and the J'avo could not touch them. Sherry had grabbed her stun rod and began electrocuting J'avo that Jake and Cecile threw at her. It became a small game to them until they forgot what they were doing. It wasn't until the two platforms collided with one another did the trio focus back on the task. The two groups formed together on a smaller platform and began working out a plan. They didn't get very far.

Cecile felt something stir within her, something malicious. She faced the cocoon with tension in her body. Chris saw the movement and went to speak to her, but at that moment, the cocoon hatched. Everyone faced the monstrosity in fear, not knowing what to expect. It took Haos a full minute to break its head and arms out of its shell. Haos was a slimy gray color, and its body was the shape of a squid. Its head had a fully formed skull completed with a pair of eyes. It turned its gaze towards the group and swung its right hand towards them. Chris, Piers and Cecile landed to their left, while Jake and Sherry jumped to their right. There was a door behind the two that was opened, but Cecile knew it would not be for long.

" Sherry. Take Jake and get out of here while you can," Cecile ordered.

" To hell with that!" Jake shouted. " I'm not leaving you again."

" You have to," Cecile argued. " You have to live. Your blood is important!"

" I don't care about that! I want my sister to be safe."

" That's not going to happen if you stay here."

" Jake," Sherry cut in. " We have to go. She makes a good point."

Sherry moved towards Cecile and took something out of her coat pocket. She then tossed it to her. Cecile caught it with ease. She inspected the substance and was shock to see that it was blood.

" What is this?"

" A vaccine," she answered. " You guys can get this to the BSAA headquarters easily and have it distributed to multiple parts of the world. Take it."

" Thank you, Sherry. But, where did you get enough time to develop a vaccine?"

" This is a medical lab. I had Jake's backup data with me, and I used the data from the other facility to come up with what's in that vial."

" Thank you."

" No problem."

" Now go!" Cecile told them. She heard the door begin to close. Sherry dragged Jake away and they slid under the door just in time before it closed on them. Cecile turned to Chris and handed him the vial. He put it in his coat pocket, then began climbing a ladder that Cecile had failed to notice. She followed suit, with Piers going up last. Haos was almost out of the cocoon entirely and was trying to knock them off the platform with its arms. Cecile was able to jump over one of its arms with ease, but she could feel her right arm begin to hurt. Testing the theory she had earlier, she turned towards Haos and shot it in the stomach area. The second the bullet made contact with Haos, waves of unimaginable pain swept over Cecile, and she dropped to one knee.

" Cecile!" Piers shouted, and he made his way back to her.

" I was right," she whispered.

" About what?" he asked.

" It doesn't matter," she said, pushing the subject to the side. " We need to get out of here without killing that thing just yet. If we do it now, we won't make it out of here."

" You got it," Piers agreed, then helped her up. The pain had subsided, and it had turned into a low throbbing pulse in her stomach. She began to run, and Piers kept up stride for stride. They made it back to Chris, who was waiting to boost them up to another ledge. Cecile went first and bounced off Chris's hands, flying through the air and onto the ledge like an acrobat. She got on her knees and held out her hand to Piers. He took it, and Chris pushed him up as Cecile pulled. When he was on the ledge, Piers followed Cecile's idea, and the two pulled Chris up with ease. When they all stood up, they began running again. Cecile saw a small elevator nearly hidden from their view, and pushed the men towards it. Just in the nick of time, the trio made it in and the door closed on Hoas, sealing them in a safe zone for now. The elevator took them down deeper into the facility, and Cecile could actually see lava below them. It was not very far down, maybe two hundred feet from the facility.

The elevator dinged, and the door opened slowly. They were met with a long hallway, and Cecile could barely make out the outline of another door. She moved slowly, the feeling of dread and malevolence following her. Haos was close. They moved forward, Chris leading the way, and Piers falling behind. The entire hallway was a glass structure with metal wires keeping everything together. If they weren't in danger, Cecile would have loved to stop and admire the architecture. She did not have that luxury, and she continued on her way.

A monstrous hand broke through one of the windows, letting water seep into the chamber they were in. She saw a large door begin to close, and she ran. Chris and Piers were right behind her. She quickly slid under the door and made it with time to spare. The men made it as well, although Piers was nearly crushed. They continued to run. They were not going to take any chances.

They made it to the last door that was closing on them. Cecile and Piers made it through, but the structure collapsed under Chris's weight, and Chris fell. He quickly grabbed onto an exposed bar and held tight. Piers was under the door, holding it up, while Cecile reached for Chris. He grabbed her hand, and she pulled him up and out of the way. Piers let the door fall with a loud BANG, and the group stopped to catch their breath.

" I swear, everywhere we go, it's the building or structure trying to kill us the most," said Cecile. " Please tell me I'm not the only one who has noticed that."

" You're not wrong," Chris agreed. Both looked over at Piers, who had flopped on his back and heaved a loud sigh. Cecile moved over to him and sat down. He sat up, but only long enough to lay his head on her lap. She stroked his hair soothingly for a little, letting him catch his breath. Chris did nothing to stop the two, and Cecile was grateful. Instead, Chris moved over and wrapped his arm around Cecile's shoulders, just like the first time they had met. The gesture was heartwarming, and Cecile felt the tears forming. She held them back, for their sake. They did not know what was going to happen next, but she did.

And she was trying to prepare for the inevitable.

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Leon and Helena moved through the rubbish and debris left by the explosion, and Ada's machine gun. Leon opened a door and moved through quickly. They had to make it to the quad tower. They had to stop the C-Virus once and for all.

Leon stopped as he saw a body lying on the floor, covered in blood. He checked for a pulse, and was disappointed to find none. Saddened, Leon continued forward, Helena right behind him. They entered the alleyway and were met with two zombified BSAA members. The couple dispatched of the zombies quickly, no longer feeling anything for who they use to be. It was either live or be eaten, and Leon chose the prior.

" Leon, where are you?" Hunnigan's voice cut through his earpiece.

" We're heading to the quad tower," Leon responded.

" What? But it's too dangerous!" Hunnigan cried.

" There are BSAA members that need our help. We cannot abandon them."

Hunnigan sighed.

" Alright. I'll map out the safest route. You two just get the hell out of there now."

" Thanks, Hunnigan," Leon responded, then took his hand away from his earpiece.

Helena took the lead and moved towards another door. Leon stayed close to her, his urge to protect her staying very strong. She opened the door and scanned the area. Leon had to give her credit. For a woman with emotional problems, she was keeping them in check fairly well. She had a very strong sense of justice, and she wanted to correct the wrong Simmons had created. Leon respected that.

They reached a set of stairs and began their descend. Instantly, a swarm of undead came rushing at them. Leon raised his gun, but Helena beat him to a plan. She pulled out an incendiary grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it at the horde. They bursted into flames and fell dead. Within a few seconds, the area was clear enough to move forward. There was one zombie left, and Helena took care of it. She grabbed the shovel it held in its hand and swung it at its head like a baseball bat. The zombie was decapitated, and its headless body fell to the floor. With nothing else in the way, they continued until they reached one final door. Together, they pushed it open, and were met with the sight of the city of Tatchi on fire.

All they could was stare at the chaos below them. Anyone who was living was instantly tackled and bit. No one was left, and the horde looked for its next meal. Hatred filled Leon as he watched, for the third time in his life, lifeless corpses take over the world due to bioterrorism.

" Hunnigan," Leon called in. " Does this route lead straight to the quad tower?"

" Yes," she answered. " Just keeping moving forward."

" Thanks."

The call ended, and together, Leon and Helena jumped down in the middle of the horde. They were swarmed, but the two were prepared. Guns drawn, they began shooting the horde, clearing a path for themselves. They climbed over cars to get a better vantage point and began running. Hands reached for them, but missed every time. After a few yards of running on cars, Leon and Helena jumped down when the way was clear, and continued forward.

One of the airplanes that had crashed into a building fell and hit a large truck with a large tank on its back. The tank broke open, and gasoline poured out. Leon began backing away, yelling at Helena to run, until he turned around and began running as well. The tank exploded, causing large chunks of metal to fly everywhere, and nearly hitting Leon and Helena.

A helicopter floated down towards them a few hundred feet away, and someone jumped out. It was a BSAA soldier.

" This way!" he motioned. The two wasted no time in jumping onto an SUV and running towards the chopper. Helena led the way and jumped straight into the chopper. The chopper began lifting itself into the air, and Leon jumped and grabbed the chopper's skids. He felt something on his leg, and looked down. It was a zombie clinging onto him with all its might. Leon kicked it in the face, and the zombie let go and fell into the fire. He pulled himself up with little help from Helena. They looked at each other for a moment, and Leon felt a small flutter in his stomach. He had only felt that towards Ada. It was inevitable, he guessed. With everything they had been through together, this was bound to happen.

The helicopter dropped a few feet, then leveled out again. Leon looked at the cockpit, and saw the two pilots in the front. Both were unmoving, save for the seat of the chopper. Leon went to the first pilot and checked for a pulse. There was nothing under Leon's fingers. Quickly, he moved the body of the pilot and took his place at the controls. He pulled up on the wheel, cursing at the difficulty.

" C'mon, pull up!" he mumbled with aggression. With a final pull, the chopper pulled itself up back into the air and flew smoothly. Leon sighed. Something was going right in this Hell. He spoke too soon.

" Waahh!" Helena shouted in the back. Leon heard the familiar sound of an undead groan, and he pulled out his gun. Keeping a careful hand on the wheel, he turned around and shot the soldier in the head. It fell out of the helicopter and hit the building behind them. He turned his attention forward once more, then struggled to pull the chopper up. When he finally had it in his grasp, Leon swerved into a tunnel. He saw the oncoming train, and yelled at Helena to hold on. He moved the chopper over as much as he could, but it still grazed the side of the train, sending sparks everywhere. Once out of the tunnel, the chopper moved upwards and crashed into the quad tower. After a minute of screeching across the floor of the building, the chopper came to a halt.

Leon and Helena got out and out of the way just before the helicopter fell through the glass floor, crushing many of the infected below. They sat there, catching their breath. Helena looked over and saw a set of doors leading into the midsection of the tower.

" They must be in there," Helena pointed out. Leon nodded, and the two stood and walked to the doors. Together, they pushed them open and aimed their guns. Everything was too silent. Perplexed, the duo jumped down from the balcony they were on and landed on the ground with ease. They saw fallen soldiers scattered across the room. They went to check on them, but heard footsteps. Swerving, they looked at the person in front of them. Helena shook her head in disbelief. How could he still be alive after being shot in the head?

" Back for more?" Leon snarled. Simmons looked at them with hatred in his eyes. He took a step forward, and a spotlight landed on Simmons. They all turned towards the newcomer. It was Ada. Simmons' teeth pulled back in a snarl as he gazed upon her.

" I know what you did Ada! You disobeyed me. You took Wesker's son away!"

He began grunting in pain, and steam rolled off his body.

" You used that bastard's blood to make the virus stronger!"

With a howl, Simmons transformed once again, but in the form of a Tyrannosaurus rex. Leon and Helena aimed their guns at the monstrosity that was once a man.

" Hope you've got friends on the other side," Leon commented. " Because no one is gonna miss you here."

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" We shouldn't have left them back there!" Sherry exclaimed at Jake, who was trying to continue.

" It was your idea!" he told her, not facing her.

" I know, but now I regret that decision. We should have stayed and helped in any way we could've."

He turned to her and looked at her distraught face. He hadn't liked the idea either, with Cecile being in danger and all, but he knew what the BSAA was capable of. They were going to survive.

" They're going to be fine. They do this stuff all the time. Besides, you have a mission to complete, or did you forget about saving the world."

Sherry wanted to glare at him, but he was right. She had to keep him safe, no matter what. They weren't in the clear yet, but they were almost there. She was going to see this mission through.

" Alright, let's finish this mission," she agreed, then took the lead. The corridor they were walking through was pure metal, causing any light to reflect and bounce back into their eyes. Irritation with the room settled in Sherry's heart within a matter of minutes, but was glad to see a door straight ahead of them. They rushed to it and opened it with excitement. They were almost out. They entered the next area, and were met with a metal pathway over molten lava.

" Who in their right mind would build something like this above lava?!" Jake asked incredulously. Sherry could only shrug her shoulders. Together, they jumped down and began heading towards the other side, hoping to find another door.

They heard the metal behind them burst open, and Jake pulled Sherry down, narrowly missing the piece of door trying to decapitate them. They turned around, guns aimed, and stared in disbelief. Though its body was torn open, the Ustanak could be recognized anywhere.

" How the hell are you still standing?!" the duo shouted in unison. The Ustanak glared at them with its one good eye, then lifted its arm. Instead of long, gnarly claws, there was a large mace on the end. The Ustanak raised said arm and began swinging it in a circle. Jake pushed Sherry down and bent backwards as the weapon was released on a chain and aimed itself at Jake's head. Not wanting to give it the satisfaction of killing them, Jake and Sherry began running. With the walkways as narrow as they were, they could not fight the Ustanak there. They jumped over to another platform with more walkways, and the two got an idea.

They split, making the Ustanak choose between one or the other. It was confused, and Jake was comforted by that. That was, until the Ustanak dunked its mace into the lava. When it pulled it up, the metal was bright orange, and it was aimed at Sherry.

" Look out!" Jake shouted, but it seemed that he hadn't needed to do that. Sherry was already moving and sliding out of the way. Smiling, Jake aimed his gun at the Ustanak and began firing. He saw it stumble a little, and Jake watched as Sherry ran straight to it and used her stun rod to electrocute the flesh inside of the gray armor. The Ustanak walked backwards, nearly walking off the walkway. It was able to stay on, and got back up. It then charged at Jake, who was already in motion. The Ustanak stopped and assessed the situation. Jake could see it analyzing its choices. When it found one that suited it, the Ustanak attacked. It slammed its fists onto the walkway, bringing the whole structure into the air, and causing Jake and Sherry to fall and roll to the small island surrounded by lava. They landed on their feet and quickly got up. There was no time to catch their breath. The Ustanak was in front of them, swinging its arm towards them. The duo rolled in different directions and got back up. Where they had been was nothing more than a hole filled with lava.

" Hey, this is the only thing keeping you up! Might not want to destroy it!" Jake yelled at the Ustanak.

" He doesn't care," Sherry told him. " All he cares about is killing us."

" Great," Jake mumbled. He kept his gun trained on the Ustanak, waiting for a good opening. Right now, its focus was on Sherry, who was aiming at any piece of exposed flesh she could. Jake continued to wait, wanting this fight to take one shot, and have the monster fall dead.

Wait....Wait....Wait....! There!

Jake saw the opening he need and shot off one round, hitting the Ustanak in the back, where Jake had seen something glow brightly under the armored flesh. The Ustanak fell to its knee, and Sherry took the opportunity to climb on its back and wrap her stun rod around its throat. Jake grabbed the Ustanak's weapon arm and began to pull at it. If he could just get it off, they would have a chance of defeating the monster. Just another good pull....

With a screech, the weapon came off, and the Ustanak screamed. It then knocked Sherry away and onto the platform above Jake and it, then pushed Jake to a different platform. Sherry lost her gun to the lava and was left with her stun rod. Jake went to grab his gun, but the Ustanak kicked it into the lava. Jake stood and rolled his shoulders back.

" Now that's how I like it. We'll settle this mano a mano." Jake raised his fists and faced the Ustanak for an all or nothing brawl. The two charged at each other, fists raised. Sherry climbed up higher and looked for anything that could assist Jake. She saw a control panel and looked at what it could be used for. She quickly saw the cart above her that led to the tracks low enough to knock over the Ustanak. There were multiple tracks to choose from, and Sherry began moving the cart around, trying to get it on the right track. She settled on the middle one and waited for the pair to move to the spot. They were slowly making their way to the spot, and Sherry watched in awe as Jake held his own against the monstrosity. The Ustanak was known for being too powerful to be taken down, but Jake had strength on his side.

Sherry realized that she missed her chance, and she moved the cart towards the pair. After adjusting, she pushed the button, sending the cart flying down the track. She had gotten lucky. It hit the Ustanak, causing it to stumble. It was enough for Jake. He moved in and began throwing punches and kicks at the Ustanak, landing each one in the head. The Ustanak had no time to defend itself and , with one final blow, was knocked into the lava. Jake stood up and looked at Sherry. When she met his gaze, he smiled at her. She felt her heart flip in her chest. She liked his smile. It showed that he could be kind.

Looking away, she began moving forward, and she saw the door they needed to get out of this place. Jake joined her, climbing up a ladder and standing beside her. Together, they walked to the door and headed towards freedom.

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Ada kept shooting at the monstrosity that Simmons had become. In his dinosaur form, he was nearly impossible to defeat. From her helicopter, she could see the weak spots, but she could not reach them with her guns. She still had a couple missiles left, but she wanted to save those for a greater time of need. Ada looked at the spot where the BSAA member was, stuck under the burning vehicle. Leon could not reach him, and Ada saw the pain in his expression.

" Don't look so down, Leon," Ada said aloud. " It's his job to give his life for the sake of humanity. It was not your fault. It was Simmons'."

Taking aim, Ada shot off one missile, and hit her mark- the large eye inside the mouth of the monster. Simmons' shape began to shrink, and he returned to his human form. Ada watched as Helena ran at him, knocking him to the ground and punching him in the face, over and over again. Ada chuckled in amusement. If given the opportunity, she would do the same thing. Helena backed away as steam rolled off Simmons' body, and a second later he was a dinosaur once again. Ada was growing tired of this game. She counted the missiles she had left. Four. Good. She took aim at Simmons' weakest spot, and shot when she had the opening. Simmons avoided the missile, then picked up a car and threw it at the helicopter. Ada moved out of the way, but a bit of the car grazed the chopper, knocking her sideways. Taking back control of the chopper, Ada aimed once more and locked onto the eye. After a minute of waiting, Ada fired and was satisfied when Simmons screamed and transformed back into his human form. Leon took his turn punching Simmons in the face, and Ada smiled at the blood splatter being produced from Simmons. When Leon moved out of the way, Ada switched to her guns and began shooting at Simmons. She was not going to allow him to get to his feet.

It did not work like she had hoped. Simmons transformed once more and began his rampage. Ada pulled the chopper back and looked at her options. She had two missiles left. She could not miss. She took aim, then spotted the explosive barrel next to him. She switched back to her guns and waited for him to be closer. When he was within a reasonable distance, she shot the barrel. The explosion caused Simmons to reel back in pain, and he exposed his eye. Ada readied a missile and took careful aim. Knowing she absolutely would not miss, she fired.

The blast did not transform Simmons back into a human. Instead, he merely fell dead. Satisfied, Ada left the area and began heading towards mission objective- Deleting all traces of her identity theft.

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The trio were running again. Haos had caught up to them, and was trying to keep them enclosed in one of the glass corridors so it could send them to the lava field below. They approached the last door and slid under it, then began running again. Haos had other plans for them. With its hand, it held open the closing door and slid underneath, joining the trio. Cecile faced the monster with her gun raised, but she was afraid to shoot. There was no way she could injure this creature, not without a consequence.

Chris shot at the beast, hitting it in the arm. Instantly, Cecile felt the pain lace in her shooting arm, and she dropped her gun. Piers moved towards her, but she waved him away. There was nothing he could do at this point. Only she could, but she was too afraid to take that step.

Haos focused on Chris and went to knock him away. Piers pushed him out of the way, and took the hit. He spun in the air, then hit the wall. His body slid down, and his right arm was impaled by a piece of metal sticking out. Chris ran towards him, but was picked up by Haos. Chris flailed helplessly as Haos brought him closer to its mouth. Cecile aimed her gun and shot Haos in the arm. It screeched, but kept its grip firmly around Chris's waist. Cecile couldn't hold up her gun for a solid minute. The pain was too much to bear.

A wave of electricity moved through the water and hit Haos. Screaming, Haos created a green cocoon around itself and did not emerge. Cecile collapsed on the ground and convulsed. The electricity ran through her in violent waves, causing her to look like a flopping fish out of water, yet there was no way for her to escape the torment.

After a full minute, the spasms ceased. When she was able to see again, she sat up and looked around for the source. She quickly spotted it, but it was not what she wanted to see. It was Piers, but his right arm was gone. In its place was a long, spiked J'avo arm throbbing with electricity. Cecile could see the veins running up and down the arm, with translucent sacs filled with venomous liquid, and the arm would pulse every few seconds, making the sight more grotesque.

" Oh my god, Piers! What have you done?" Chris walked up to him, horror on his face. Piers couldn't speak. He was trying to stay in control of his body; Cecile could see the struggle in his eyes. Standing slowly, she limped over to him and hugged him. He wrapped his left arm around her and buried his face into her neck. She could feel the tears run down her back.

" I'm sorry," he whispered to her.

" You did a noble thing," she comforted. " I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you."

" I think you have the roles switched in this relationship," he joked. Cecile laughed, tears streaming down her face, and she pulled back far enough to rest her forehead against his, and she curled her fingers softly around his hair. She felt his labored, yet gentle breath hit her face, and it was enough comfort for the little time they had.

" I see a door ahead of us!" Chris called to them, already moving towards the door. Holding him up, Cecile helped Piers over to Chris, ready to get out of this place.

Chris pushed the button on the panel. An automated voice echoed throughout the room.

" Pressure overload. Please reduce pressure for entry access."

" What does that mean?" Cecile asked.

" It means that thing is still alive," Chris replied.

They faced Haos together, and watched as it cracked open its cocoon and emerged unscathed. Cecile could no longer feel the pain she had earlier. She was rejuvenated and ready to go. However, there was no way that she could fight this thing and not get injured internally. They were connected, whether she liked it or not.

Chris could see confliction in Cecile's eyes. He had no idea what she was thinking, but he knew that he had to save her. Piers too. It was up to him to protect his family.

" Cecile, try to get an angle on that thing!" he ordered. " I'll take care of Piers."

She nodded, then moved to the left and pulled out her knife. Chris looked at her tiny weapon in confusion. He would've expected her to pull out her shotgun or sniper. Why a tiny knife?

" There's something.... wrong with her," Piers croaked. " She's not okay."

" Don't speak," Chris told him gently. " Save you energy for this battle. We'll figure out how to save you once this thing is taken care of."

" Leave it to me, Captain," Piers said, then moved away and aimed his arm at the monster. Chris kept an eye on both Cecile and Haos. He didn't know what to expect at this point. Hoping for the best, he aimed his gun and began shooting. He heard two cries. One from Haos, and one from Cecile. He looked at her, but she was on her feet and charging at the monster. He watched as she ran up its back and stabbed it in the back. She fell as Haos bucked, but that wasn't what caught Chris's attention. It was the pained expression she had the second the knife plunged through Haos. Chris ran to her and helped her up. He saw blood in the water, but no wound on her. Relieved, he moved her out of the way, and watched as Piers shot balls of electricity at Haos. They made contact, and Haos was not the only one convulsing. Chris felt Cecile's body twitch violently in sync with Haos', and it sank in.

Cecile could feel its pain. Ada's words suddenly flashed to him.

" Whatever happens to my creation will happen to you as well."

" You two are connected," Chris said aloud.

" Took you long enough to figure out," Cecile moaned, trying to sit up. Piers had stopped shooting, but was now charging up his arm. Chris realized that Haos returned to its cocoon state. Piers released the energy, and the cocoon was shattered. Cecile got up, knife in hand, rushed to the monstrosity, and stabbed Haos in one of the three hearts. She grabbed her chest as well, sinking to her knees. Chris couldn't watch this. His worst fear was coming true for the third time. He was going to lose her, and there was nothing he could do to stop it this time.

" Cecile, you can't do this!" Chris yelled at her. She stood up and turned to him, then only stared. He saw the expression in her eyes.

The look of acceptance.

" I'll be okay," she lied to him. They both knew how this was going to end. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly, knowing that this would be the final time she would ever get to do this.

Piers looked between the two, confused by the whole ordeal. Nothing they said was making sense. It almost sounded like Cecile was saying goodbye to Chris. There was no reason for that though. Chris had an antidote on him, which would partially fix Piers, but Cecile was acting like this was her last day of life.

Before he could ask any questions, Haos was back up and moving towards them. Chris pushed Cecile and faced the monster. He yelled at her to run, which she obeyed. Piers's confusion grew into worry. Cecile never backed down from a fight. Why was she now? He didn't get his answer. Instead, he looked at Chris, who nodded at him. Together, the two began their long battle.

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Leon and Helena rode up the elevator of the quad tower in silence. Their previous battle had drained Helena completely, but she couldn't show Leon that. She knew he was just as tired, yet he was composed. There was no room for complaints. It would only make her look like a child. Instead, she chose a different topic to bring up.

" That woman, Ada, she's more than just a friend, isn't she?" Helena asked. Leon opened his mouth to answer, but didn't get the chance. Their elevator was blown from the track, and the duo were now suspended in the air. Checking quickly, they saw the top of another elevator, and made the rash decision to jump. They landed safely, and in the nick of time. The elevator they had been on was torn from its cable, and plummeted down one hundred stories to the ground. With no other way to go but up, Helena grabbed the cable above them and began to climb. Leon was right behind her, ready to catch her in case she fell. Debris was falling all around them, and a few times they had to cling closely to the cable to avoid large pieces of glass and metal.

Helena heard a gun go off to her left. She looked over, and saw Ada fighting Simmons. He was back in his doglike form, and he was charging straight at her. Moving up a few more feet, Helena jumped to a broken off bit of the building and raised her sniper at Simmons, ready to help Ada. Leon joined her a second later, and together, they fired off rounds into Simmons. Neither side had much room for mobility, and Ada seemed to get the hint. She dodged Simmons' attack, then used her grappling hook to move up to the next glass walkway. Helena jumped back onto the cable and began climbing once again, Leon right behind her. Simmons had noticed their presence, and was in pursuit of the two.

" Ada, if you can hear me, shoot him now!" Helena prayed. She was answered with the sweet sound of a bullet sticking into Simmons' head, causing him to drop a couple stories before climbing once more. Within a few minutes, Helena made it into the building and held out her hand to Leon.

Simmons stopped chasing them and jumped onto the glass walkway Ada was currently on. She could not move out of the way in time, and was knocked back. Helena waited, hoping she would get up and continue fighting. She didn't. She laid there, unmoving. Leon jumped to the platform, telling Helena to cover him as he assisted Ada. Nodding, Helena trained her sniper on Simmons and looked for a weak point. Nothing presented itself to her, and her agitation grew. She began shooting at Simmons, hoping that the impact of the bullets would be enough to slow him down.

Simmons resumed his human form and walked towards the pair ahead of him. Helena watched as Leon's lips moved, but she could not hear what he was saying. She kept shooting, and felt satisfaction when Simmons stumbled back. He turned back into his mutated state, and began firing bone fragments at Leon and Ada. Leon rotated his body and took the blow, shielding Ada from the onslaught. There was nothing Helena could do from her viewpoint. Even with a sniper, her sight on the gun was not powerful enough to see where Simmons' weak points were. It was up to Leon.

Helena looked at the pair, and was relieved to see Ada on her feet, ready to go. With more determination, Helena began shooting again, this time making sure that Simmons stayed back. With all three of their efforts combined, they were able to get Simmons to transform back to his human form. It was Ada who ran and knocked Simmons onto his back. She straddled his hips and began punching him across the face with such a malevolent force that Helena could hardly believe the woman had. Ada pulled Simmons closer to her, reeled her arm back, and socked him in the jaw with all the strength she had.

He transformed quickly and knocked Ada away from him before turning on Leon. He charged and knocked Leon over the side. Leon quickly grasped the edge and held on for all he could. Helena aimed and kept shooting, but the bullets were once again ineffective against Simmons, who was a human once again. Helena could only watch the events unfold in front of her. Time slowed as Simmons raised his foot to Leon's face, while Ada ran at him with an arrow. Ada made it first. She drove the arrow into Simmons' side, then pushed him over the edge. Using her grappling hook, she was able to glide over to another building and land safely.

" Ada!" Leon called for her. Helena saw Ada pull out a phone and type something. Within seconds, Leon pulled out his own and looked over the message Ada had just sent. He looked back at her just as she waved and walked away.

" What are you waiting for?" Helena asked Leon, seeing the loss in his eyes. " Go after her."

She didn't want him to go, but she knew where his heart would take him.

" No," he said, shocking her. " We're partners. Let's finish this."

" You got it," Helena responded. " What did she tell you?"

" She left us a gift on the roof," Leon answered. " Care to check it out with me?"

" I would love to."

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Straps held her down as a wave of electricity moved through her veins. Her body convulsed at the torture she was being put through. For ten seconds, it was a nonstop current. After that, she was given a small break to recover, but that wouldn't last very long. This went on for hours at a time everyday as scientists from Umbrella tried to extract the mutation out of Cecile's body.

The day was July 22, 2009. Umbrella had found Cecile's body in the volcano a few months before, and were surprised to see that her body had been preserved in a large black cocoon that was left hollow on the inside for her. When they tore open the cocoon, they found Cecile unconscious, not dead. Reacting quickly, they took her out of the cocoon and back to a research facility for further experimentation. These were the same Umbrella scientists that gave her the same powers as Wesker.

Cecile laid on the metal table, panting heavily after a long session of electrocution. She heard many machines beeping all around her, and she felt the sweat on her face drip down and hit the table with a loud thud. She knew she only had a few minutes until they would continue with this. She braced herself for the next wave.

The door in front of her opened instead, and she heard multiple voices speak at once. Cecile could not make out the words clearly due to exhaustion, though one voice stood out.

" The electric shocks are not doing anything to help us," the voice spoke. " We need to try something else."

" What else are we going to do?" The voice was female, but not familiar to Cecile.

" I don't know," the first voice answered. " But we cannot continue this treatment. Her vital organs are slowly collapsing due to the relentless shocks. We need to come up with a better plan to extract the virus from her body."

" There's nothing we can do for that anymore," a third voice, also male, chimed in. " The virus has already bonded with her blood. It is now a part of her. Kill it, and we kill her."

" So, what do we do?" the female asked.

" We can only suppress her memories," the third voice stated. " If we suppress the powers and her memories, we can save this child. We would have to rewire her neurotransmitters and create false memories to protect her. If her power is repressed, then she will be safe to the world and to herself."

" I don't see any other option," the first voice agreed.

The female was silent. Cecile kept her eyes closed and calmed her breathing. The shocks were no longer a part of the equation, but they were now going to tamper with her brain. She could not allow them to do that. She had to break free.

" Let's do it," the female finally answered. " But, will this procedure hurt the child?"

" Let's hope not," the third voice said. " That's the last thing I want to do."

" Alright," the female said. " I will prepare the operation room at once." With that, Cecile heard the female turn and walk out of the room.

" Mark, she's awake," voice one said.

" I know, Lucas," Mark replied. Cecile opened her eyes and looked at the two men. Their faces were covered with glasses and masks, but Cecile could see their eyes. One had piercing green eyes that sparkled like diamonds, while the other had chocolate brown eyes. Both eyes held sadness as they looked at her.

" We're sorry that this has to happen," the one to her right, Mark, apologized. " But, we cannot guarantee that you are no threat to society. This is the only way."

" Where's my dad?" Cecile croaked. Her voice was almost gone from the screaming due to the electrocution sessions. " I want to go home!"

" We know," Lucas told her. She shifted her gaze to meet the green eyes that looked at her. " But, we can't allow that right now. Please, just relax and close you eyes. It will be alright."

A sharp prick touched her skin, and she winced. She looked over and saw the needle being pulled out of her arm. Within a few seconds, her body became numb, and she welcomed the sudden relief of pain and drifted into the darkness of slumber.

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June 22, 2006

" Where am I?" Cecile asked herself aloud. Her voice was squeaky and high pitched, and her small body was sitting in a chair. She tried to get up, but she was tied down by leather restraints. Panic set in as she realized that her legs were in the same predicament. She was strapped down, unable to escape.

" Hello, Cecile," a voice on an intercom spoke. Cecile recognized the voice instantly. Leon.

" Leon, what are you doing?"

" Your task is to get out of your restraints and make it outside in ten minutes," Leon responded. " Should you fail, poisonous gas will flood the room, suffocating you to death. Good luck."

" What?!" Cecile shouted in disbelief, but there was no answer. Instead, there was the sound of a beep, and she looked to the left. A timer had turned on, and it began its countdown.

Cecile quickly looked at the restraints. Judging by the time, she had only one minute and thirty seconds to spare, just in case something else tried to stop her on her way out. With these restraints, they needed a key. Cecile looked around the room, and spotted a piece of metal jutting out of the wall. It was almost hidden from her view. Wasting no time, she moved the chair over to the metal, hopping in her seat, hoping to move forward. It took her a while, but she made it. She looked at the timer. Nine minutes left.

She got to work. The piece of metal was near the floor, but Cecile did not have enough time for that. Agitated, she jumped up as much as she could and landed the chair back on the floor. To her surprise, the chair shattered, and the loops around the chair were free. Cecile got up and began searching for an exit. She felt the walls, knowing the door would not present itself so easily to her. Her hand brushed one of the hinges, and she began tearing at the wall paper surrounding it. After a few seconds, the door was revealed. She opened it and walked out of the room.

Darkness consumed her vision, stunning her for a moment. It was her worst nightmare, for she could hear mysterious sounds coming from the dark abyss. Knowing she did not have a lot of time, Cecile began moving forward. She kept one hand on the wall to steady herself, and she walked straight ahead. She didn't recognize the place. She knew this was not her home. That would be too easy for her if she knew the layout.

A growl sounded behind her. She froze in her tracks, petrified. Her breathing became erratic and uneven, her heart was pumping out of her chest. She could do nothing as the growling continued.

It hit her. They were only sound effects. Leon would never put her in danger like that, especially if he wanted her to make it out alive. With a newfound confidence, Cecile began walking again.

She heard a hiss come from the right, and she smelled something foul. Gasoline. Cecile shuddered at the scent, then realized that time was almost up. If she didn't find the way out soon, she was going to die by asphyxiation. She began speed walking forward, hoping to find a window at least.

She began coughing after a minute. The place was filling up fast and not letting up. Leon had done a nice job of creating a horrifying atmosphere.

The wall slipped away from her fingers, and she was left in the dark with nothing to stabilize her. She stood still and listened for only a moment. It was all she could afford. She listened intensely for any sound outside. A car, a child screaming, voices, anything. She needed to hear something.

There! To her right, she heard a car drive by. She shifted to the right and began walking again. Instead of bumping into the wall, she entered a different room. The sound of voices could be heard now as she kept moving forward. She realized after a moment that she could see a sliver of light. It had to be a window. She moved quickly now, not wanting to waste another second.

She made it to the light and pulled back the black curtain. Brilliant white light, shone into the room, and Cecile had to close her eyes. When they adjusted, she looked outside once more. She saw Chris facing the street, waiting for her to get through the mission. Leon was next to him, sitting on the lawn. Cecile looked around the room and realized that she was in a living room. Her living room. She never realized that there was another room in the house.

She left the living room and went to the front door. With a click, the door was opened, and Cecile breathed in the fresh air that hit her face. She got out and ran to the two men waiting. Both faced her as she came over, and both their faces held amazement as she approached. Leon looked at the stopwatch and turned it off.

" That only took her six minutes and thirty two seconds to complete," he said, bewilderment in his voice. " Though, you still have the restraints on."

" Sorry," she apologized.

" No need to apologize," Leon told her. " Just remember that those can become your worst enemy if you ever need to escape somewhere."

" You got it," she replied.

" What's more important, however, is that I told you she would make it out before the eight minute mark," Chris gloated. He then turned to Cecile and hugged her.

" Great job, kiddo," Chris complimented. Cecile grinned from ear to ear, happy to be praised by her father. She turned to Leon, who gave her a thumbs up.

" I'll look over the footage after the house clears out," Leon said. " I'll see how you were able to get through the house so easily."

" I didn't," she replied. " It was hard. I thought I was in someone else's house until I pulled the curtains back."

" What curtains?" Leon asked her.

" The ones on the windows," Cecile answered, pointing to the windows. When she turned, however, she saw boards covering up the windows, spray painted black to give the illusion of darkness.

" Weird," Cecile murmured. " I saw you guys through the window, too. Hmm."

" I don't know what you saw," Chris told her. " But, it got you out of the house, and that's all I care about."

Cecile continued to look at the window. She could have sworn she pulled back a black curtain to see outside. She shrugged it off, then followed the two men away from the house towards Chris's car.

---------------------------------------

Another wave of electricity coursed through Cecile's body, causing her to convulse in the water once again. The men were not giving Haos a break, and it was slowly eating her alive. The bullets she could handle. The electric currents were another thing altogether.

She let her mind drift to the two memories she had regained. She could understand how the first one fit the situation, but what did the second one do for her? What was its purpose for popping up so suddenly? She tried to think, but exhaustion hung on her shoulders like an overcoat. Her mind was foggy and she could not concentrate. She grabbed at her neck, and felt the pendant's chain touch her hand. It was cool to the touch, just like the first time she had put it on.

Wait.

She thought back to that day. They had gotten into Chris's car and had driven somewhere. The destination was foggy, but the remembered that the sun was setting. They had gone up to a cliff; that much she could remember. She could see the sky turning into a pink and orange color as she sat in the back seat. She watched as the sky darkened slowly, and she felt her eyes grow heavy as she waited for Chris and Leon to end their conversation. They were gesturing intently to one another, though she could not make out the words. Within a few moments, the gestures helped Cecile to fall asleep.

When she awoke, she was still in the car, but it was moving. It was pitch black outside, and the stars were very dull. She missed seeing the stars shining bright. She was about to close her eyes when she heard Leon speak softly in the passenger seat.

" Are you sure about that?" he asked. " What if you're wrong?"

" I'm sure of it," Chris answered. " He's her real father."

" That's impossible, though," Leon countered. " Wesker would never have had enough time to-"

" Wesker is her real father," Chris stopped him, talking with conviction. " I can see pieces of him when I look at her. I wish I didn't. Sometimes, I'm afraid of her. I don't know if she will become like him or if she will turn out like me. I can only hope for the best."

" She'll be like you," Leon promised. " You've raised her right for the past eight years. Her biological parents won't define her. Only the people that have been there for her every step of the way."

" I guess so," Chris sighed. " Thank you, Leon."

" No problem."

Cecile listened without speaking or moving. The words hit her, but the name Wesker flew over her head. She would have to ask Chris about it another time.

They pulled into the driveway of Cecile's home, and she stretched and pretended to just be waking up. Her door was opened, and Chris was holding out his hand. She took it, and she stepped out of the car. She stumbled a little, giving a convincing performance. Chris chuckled, place a hand on the back of her knees and hoisted her up. She curled into his chest, grateful for the ride to her bedroom. Leon opened the door for them, and smiled at Cecile when they made eye contact. He winked at her as well, letting her know that he knew her trick. She smiled back, then buried her head back into Chris's chest.

They entered her room, and Chris laid her down gently onto her bed. He kissed her forehead before walking out of the room. Cecile closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.

Her light was turned on, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes as she tried to see who had disturbed her attempted at sleep. It was Chris. He sat at the end of her bed, holding something in his right hand. She looked at his face, and she saw confliction in his eyes.

" What's wrong?" she asked him. He sighed, then turned to her, ready to speak to her. The way he held himself, Cecile knew that he was going to talk about a serious issue. He took a deep breath before speaking.

" I know that you were awake when Leon and I were talking," he started. " So, I may as well tell you about your father."

" Was he a bad man?" she asked.

Chris nodded.

" He still is, and I know that's not what you want to hear, but you need to know the truth. Albert Wesker is a madman who helped released the T-Virus back in Raccoon City. Jill and I had been on his S.T.A.R.S team, but we never noticed anything suspicious. After the day I found you, I made you my top priority. I think the reason Wesker allowed me to take care of you is because he already knew that you were his. I don't know how, but he did. That's the only thing that makes sense."

He paused, and sucked in a huge breath before continuing.

"Anyway, I've tried my best to make sure that you never became like him in any way. If you had, I would never forgive myself for not raising you better."

He opened his hand, and Cecile saw a blue gem on a silver chain. Chris moved closer to her, and Cecile moved her hair out of the way as Chris put the necklace around her neck. The sapphire landed with a dull thud right above her collarbones, snuggling into place like it was meant to be there.

" What is this for, Dad?" Cecile asked him, holding the gem in her hand.

" It's to remind you of who you are," he told her. " It means wisdom, virtue, good fortune and holiness. In short, it means everything good in the world. That is what you are- a good, kind hearted young lady. That sapphire will always remind you of that. Please, remember to be like the sapphire, even in dire times."

" I will," she promised. " Thank you, Dad. I love you."

" I love you, too," Chris replied. He grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace. She clung to him, holding onto the man that taught her how to be a better person.

" CECILE! MOVE!"

Cecile was pulled back into the present, but a second too late. She looked up, and was batted away by Haos's arm. Her back hit a wall, and she crumbled to the ground in agony. Someone was by her side a moment later, blocking her with his own body. She opened her eyes, and saw Piers aiming his arm. Cecile noticed that Haos had only one heart left. Cecile clutched her own, knowing that it was almost time.

" Piers! Wait!" Chris shouted. " Don't shoot yet!"

" I have an open shot!" Piers responded. " I'm taking it!"

" That's an order!" Chris yelled at him. " Don't fire!"

" Do it," Cecile told him. Piers looked at her in confusion, but did not argue. He took aim once again, and fired one shot into its heart. Haos screamed, as did Cecile. Piers looked back at her and tended to her. There was nothing he could do to help her.

" What have you done?!" Chris yelled at him.

" What else was I supposed to do?!" Piers yelled back, then faltered. Cecile was back on her feet, and she caught Piers before he hit the ground.

" You need to catch your breath," she said, speaking softly. He nodded, then grimaced in pain. The virus was traveling quickly through his veins. Cecile looked back at Haos, who was still in its cocoon.

" I know you're tired," Cecile told Piers. " But, is there any way that you can give one last blast?"

" You've got it," Piers mustered, then stood on his feet and took aim once again, his breath ragged as he prepared himself. Cecile moved to the side, knife posed and ready. Chris had his out as well, but was looking at Cecile with horror in his eyes. She looked back at the cocoon and waited.

The blast was shot, and she heard Piers collapse onto the ground. The cocoon busted open, and Haos was exposed, as was its heart. Cecile wasted no time. She ran at the monster, but was stopped by Chris. Cecile had to skid to a halt in order not to knock him over.

" I can't let you do this," he told her.

" Move out of the way. We won't have another chance!"

" And I won't have a daughter anymore!" he shouted at her. His composure was gone, and in its place was a man afraid to lose his family.

" I'm sorry," Cecile said. " But this is my destiny."

Cecile looked him dead in the eyes, and spoke with pride.

" I am the sapphire."

Cecile watched as his eyes widened in shock at the remark, but there was no time for her to enjoy it. She pushed past him, and he tried to grab her. Luckily, the water on her skin worked in her favor, and he could not keep his grip. Knife posed, Cecile ran at Haos, hoping she could outrun Chris. She could see Haos rising, and she could hear the footsteps behind her getting closer. Just a few more seconds, and she would be within killing range.

Haos rose and swung its arm out. It caught Chris and knocked him to the right. Angered, Cecile moved faster and jabbed the knife into the heart. Pain laced through her own heart as she tried to kill Haos. Her grip was coming loose with every second the knife stayed in place. She was about to give up when she felt the pain intensify. She looked over and saw Piers's arm jammed into Haos. She looked at him, who looked back and nodded. They turned their attention to the task at hand- destroying the heart.

Cecile's grip slipped away, and she fell to the ground, unable to continue. She felt Haos move and go to strike, but it was stopped by Chris, who had made it back to the two. He pulled out his knife and, with a little hesitation, stabbed Haos. The final jab finished the job. Haos fell to the ground and was encased in its cocoon, but the trio knew that it would not emerge again.

Chris turned to Cecile, who was on the ground, unmoving. He knelt down and picked her up, holding her close. He felt for a pulse and looked for any sign of life. Piers knelt next to him, still clueless to the whole situation. The only thing he was concerned with was Cecile's health. He watched as Chris's face slowly began to droop as he failed to find anything. Piers felt his heart beginning to shatter.

" No," Piers whispered. " Please, wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake-"

" Oh thank god!" Chris cried out. He had felt it. A faint pulse. It was not as strong as he would like it to be, but it was there. Ada must have been lying to scare them. It was the only thing that made sense at this point.

Piers sighed in relief at the news. It looked like she was going to be okay after all.

" Dad?" Cecile croaked weakly. Chris laughed and held her tight. She hugged him back weakly. Chris could feel the strength leaving her body. They had to leave now.

" Let's go home," he told her. He looked at Piers. " All of us."

Piers nodded, and he helped Chris with Cecile. Piers took her and placed her on his back.

" You clear us a path if needed," he told Chris. " I'll keep her safe."

" Alright," Chris agreed. " Let's get the hell out of here."

---------------------------------------

Jake and Sherry had found a small cart that led out of the facility shortly after their battle with the Ustanak. Luckily, nothing had stopped them on their way, which meant that the place was empty. They looked over the cart and saw a few large bundles of metal pipes secured tightly to it. It was a cargo cart. They searched the cart for anything that could be used to get it going.

" There's levers over there," Jake pointed out. Sure enough, Sherry saw the two levers on either side of the cart. They ran to one and, giving a nod, pulled them down in unison. Instantly, the cart began to move. Jake and Sherry were thrown off their feet due to the speed. They grabbed onto a grate in front of them before they were thrown off the craft.

" Gah," Sherry gasped. " I hope we get out of here soon. I don't know how long I can hold on for."

" Stop complaining for a moment, okay?" Jake snapped. " We're gonna be fine. You can hold on. I've seen that strength of yours, Super girl. You'll be fine."

Sherry smiled at the remark. She was thankful for it.

The rush of fire made them look over their shoulders and, to their disbelief, saw the Ustanak riding the flames on a metal platform.

" You've gotta be kidding me!" Sherry shouted.

" You took the words right out of my mouth," Jake said, locking his sights on the monster.

" We need to move forward or he'll catch us!" Sherry said, then began pulling herself towards the front of the cart. It was a difficult battle. The cart was pushing her body towards the Ustanak while she tried to move up. Jake was having the same issue. They were able to move up inch by inch, yet the Ustanak had already boarded the cart. Sherry pulled herself up with more force, knowing that if they were caught now, it would be the end of the world.

" Sherry, grab the handle to the cargo!" Jake shouted. She was about to yell that she had no idea what he was talking about until she saw it. In front of them was a pyramid of metal pipes. Holding them in place was a slab of metal with two handles, one on each side. Understanding the plan, Sherry shouted an agreement and began moving towards her goal. Just a few feet away. She kept pulling her body up. The force pushing against was agonizing, but she tried to forget the pain and kept going. She was going to fail. Not without a fight.

Her fingers brushed the metal, and she pulled herself the final few centimeters and grasped the handle. Jake was right beside her, holding onto the other handle. With a nod, they pulled hard, and the slab fell and released the metal pipes straight into the Ustanak's face. It screeched in pain, but quickly continued its pursuit.

" There's another one up ahead," Jake told her. " We can do it."

" Alright," Sherry answered through gritted teeth. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to stand this pain. She looked at Jake, and saw that he was struggling too. Gravity was working against them, and it clearly showed on his face. His body was tense, his eyes were squinted in pain, and he bared his teeth, grinding them together to keep from crying out. Filled with distress and determination, Sherry looked ahead and pulled harder, not wanting to allow physics to beat her today.

She reached the second set before Jake and held on. She looked at him, and their eyes met. Nodding, they pulled the second lever and watched the beams fall and hit the Ustanak square in the chest. It fell back, but caught itself by using the ball and chain connected to its right arm. With that, the Ustanak propelled itself forward and ahead of the pair. Boxes and crates were broken in the process, revealing a magnum that fell into a shallow grate. Sherry pulled herself forward, hoping to reach the gun. After what seemed like minutes, Sherry felt the familiar metal under her hand. She picked up the gun and aimed it at the Ustanak. The speed of the cart combined with using one hand caused the gun to move around too much, and Sherry could not waste a shot.

A hand grabbed hers and steadied the gun. Sherry looked and smiled at Jake. He smiled back, and the two looked at the Ustanak and, together, fired the weapon at its exposed heart. Bullseye. The Ustanak reeled back, then tried to aim its hand at the pair. They raised the gun again, waiting. It was not necessary. The Ustanak lowered its hand and released the cart, falling past Jake and Sherry into the lava and fire behind them. Relief washed over Sherry, as did exhaustion.

" You saved my life," Jake said. Sherry looked over at him.

" You know that, don't you?"

Sherry nodded.

" Thank you," Jake said.

Sherry could only stare at him. His words were kind and genuine, and his eyes, though icy blue, held compassion. Sherry looked down at their hands, and placed hers over Jake's. He looked at her with surprise, then smiled. The feeling was mutual. The pair saw a bright light ahead, and they held onto each other as safety approached them.

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Ada had reached the control center located in the quad tower. She made her way through slowly, taking in her surroundings. Right now, she was in a circular hallway lit up by blue lights. Ahead, she could see a room full of screens, with a single control panel. Ada entered the room slowly and approached the control panel. She saw a small key hole with four slots in the middle of the controls. Ada pulled out the mini statue of the quad tower and placed in the key slot. It fit perfectly, and the whole room lit up. Every screen turned on and played a slideshow. Ada watched as Carla pointed at the scientists, instructing them to do something. Her voice played over a speaker, which Ada was not very interested in. She knew what Carla had been trying to do. She was doing the exact same thing Simmons had done to her.

Ada spotted another small hallway, and she made her way through it. Inside was a few small desks and a glass tank in front of her. The tank contained a single green cocoon that was slowly beginning to hatch. Ada raised her gun at the glass and took aim.

" We're beyond sympathy at this point," she said aloud.

" We're beyond humanity."

She began shooting the glass tank and the cocoon. Within seconds, it was dead. She didn't stop there. She reloaded her clip and began destroying the mini lab, only stopping to reload her gun. She spotted a few gas tanks and shot them, setting the lab on fire. With her mission complete, she turned and walked out of the room.

Her phone began to ring. She pulled it out and answered.

" A job, huh?" she asked. She looked back at the lab and smiled.

" Sure, my schedule just cleared."

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Leon and Helena had finally made it to the helicopter after defeating Simmons one last time. Somehow, he had managed to transform into an insect like B.O.W that used other zombies to heal itself. Luckily, there was lightning, and a metal rod that Leon and Helena jabbed into other zombies, then shooting the monstrosity until it needed to take another zombie. Sometimes, it would not take the one with the rod. Other times, it worked like a charm. A bolt of electricity would hit the rod and cause the creature to catch on fire.

" We need it to put the rod in its head!" Leon had shouted. Helena agreed, and the two had worked to expose the monster's head. After shooting its legs, the B.O.W crumpled to the ground, head exposed. Helena had taken the opportunity to place a grenade into its head, causing it to burst open. The creature extended its long tentacle from its back and grabbed the zombie with the rod and placed it in its head. With a loud clap of thunder, lightning struck the rod and burned the creature's head, and the monster fell dead. Taking the opportunity, Leon and Helena ran towards the helicopter.

Leon opened the passenger side door of the helicopter for Helena, and spotted a small, circular case. He opened it, and saw only makeup. Hoping it would work, Leon pushed down on the end of the felt inside. As he had hoped, another part of the case was exposed. Inside was a SD card. Leon picked it up, placed it in his phone and began looking at the contents. One by one, pictures filled his screen. Some he recognized, and others were new. All of them had one thing in common.

" This is-" Leon started.

" Evidence against Simmons," Helena finished. " This will prove your innocence."

Leon looked at her very seriously.

" OUR innocence."

" I don't deserve it," she told him, looking away.

" Yes, you do," Leon responded. Helena looked at him and smiled.

An explosion went off behind them. Remembering that they were on a collapsing building, the two got into the helicopter and flew into the night back to FOS headquarters.

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Cecile was carried by Chris for only a short while before she demanded to be put down. He obliged, then took her hand as they ran to the door on the other side of the room they were in. Piers was right behind them, panting and struggling to keep up. He refused any help, however. Chris had given him the antidote, but it was going through his system slowly. There was a notable difference, though. The slime on his face was gone, and his right eye had returned to normal. He still has the J'avo arm, though he didn't seemed to be concerned with it. He was exhausted, and Cecile could see it.

Chris quickly opened the door for the three of them, and Cecile helped Piers through, ignoring the protests coming out of his mouth. The door closed behind them, enclosing them in another area that was like a long hallway. Though, hallways did not have a deep abyss. Without wasting time, the trio made their way to the other side of the hall. A large door opened before them, and they hurried through. Cecile felt Piers stumble, and she tightened her grip on him.

" We're almost there," she said. He nodded, then continued again.

" Look! Escape pods!" Chris exclaimed. " We'll be out of here in no time."

Chris began working on opening one of the pods. Cecile sat Piers down away from Chris and leaned him against the wall for support. She went to give him space, but he pulled her closer until she was sitting in his lap facing him. They looked at each other, and Cecile's heart shattered. He was looking at her with hope in his eyes. Hope that they would all be getting in that pod and return to safety. Tears ran down her face at the thought of how naive Piers was.

" I love you," she whispered to him.

" I love you, too," he replied. She leaned in and kissed him gently. He wrapped his good arm around the back of her neck and pulled her closer. The kiss became passionate and tender until they were both gasping for air. Piers stroked her cheek lovingly, and it was all Cecile could do to not cry even harder.

" I think I've got it," Chris told them. Cecile helped Piers up, then stayed in the back. Acting quickly, she took off her pendant and held it in her hand. Chris entered the pod first, then Piers. Noticing that she was not following, Piers turned and held out his hand to her. Cecile took his hand, and released the pendant. Piers looked at it in confusion, then realization. It was too late, however. Cecile pushed Piers into the pod, into Chris, knocking them both to the ground. Quickly, Cecile pushed the button to close the pod. Chris tried to reach her, but couldn't make it in time.

" NO!" Chris shouted. " Cecile, don't do this!"

" I don't have a choice," she said calmly. " There's only one way to make sure that Haos never reaches the surface. I wish there was another way."

" There has to be!" Piers exclaimed. " You can't just die! Not like this!" Tears fell from his eyes and Chris's. Cecile turned to the panel and pushed the lever in, sealing all their fates.

" NO!" the men shouted together.

" Cecile, open the door now! That's an order!" Chris demanded. Cecile went to the glass and looked at the men in front of her. All of them were crying. How could they not, after all they had been through?

" I'm saving the world, Dad," she said. " I'm defying that order."

She looked at them and smiled.

" I love you both so much. Stay with the BSAA. Keep fighting for humanity."

The pod was shot into the water, taking Chris and Piers away before they could say goodbye. The tears fell harder as water poured around her. She was not going to let herself drown. That would be more painful than anything. Knowing what she had to do, she pulled out her handgun and checked the clip. One bullet. Perfect.

" Cecile?!" a voice cut through everything else. She looked at her belt and saw the radio hanging there. She took it and answered the transmission.

" Hey Dad. Hey Piers."

" Cecile, I just want you to know that I'm so proud of you. I'm proud to call you my daughter. I love you."

" I love you, too," Cecile croaked. " And, I remember everything. I remember you giving me the pendant. I remember Leon training me. I remember being altered. I know who I am. I want to say thank you for helping me remember who I was."

" That's great, sweetie," Chris choked out. " You regained everything. I'm so proud of you. I just wish you were coming home with us."

" I know, Dad. I know. I wish I could."

" Cecile?" Piers spoke.

" Yes, Piers?"

" I love you, and that will never change. Thank you for showing me a different side of the world. I'm so happy and lucky that I got to meet you."

" I was the lucky one," she told him. " I was a person who had been living a false life until I met you. You were the one who triggered my memories. Without you, I would've never seen Dad again, and I would've never remembered who I really was. I'm the lucky one here, and I'm thankful that you came into my life. I love you, too."

" Goodbye, Cecile Redfield," Piers choked out.

" Goodbye, Piers Nivans. Take care of Dad for me. He'll need you now more than ever."

" I will."

" Goodbye, Dad."

" Goodbye, Sunshine."

The transmission cut out. Cecile was all alone once again. She aimed the gun at her head and watched her life flash before her eyes. Both her lives. The smiles, the tears, the laughters, the screams, the hate, the love. The final image she saw was Chris, Piers, Jake, Sherry, Leon, Helena and Ada looking at her, smiling. With that in her head, she closed her eyes, smiled one last time, and pulled the trigger.