In the Ashes

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It was all gone. Everything. Her favourite dress, a bracelet a close friend once gave her, hell even the gun she had carried with her since basic training. Those things shouldn’t matter, the entire city was now nothing more than a crater in the landscape, and she was worrying about material possessions. The chopper lurched slightly, snapping her back to sickening reality. Chris, Barry and Rebecca were safe at least, that was the one silver lining to her feeling like she had been abandoned in the city by her friends. They had left weeks ago, wanting to tackle the rotten core of the problem. But what about the city? THEIR city? Was she the only one who had called it home? Jill Valentine let out a heavy sigh and glanced at the figure piloting their chopper; at least she hadn’t tried to save it alone.

Jill dropped the coffee pot she was holding, her blue eyes wide as she turned to face Carlos. “Barry? Barry is here?” She breathed, not sure what that meant. “And... he was alone?” She added, trying not to too eager to go straight to where this line of questions was clearly leading.

“Impossible.” Wesker replied with a sneer. “The city is no more than a smear on the map. They would never have abandoned their precious civilians.”

Carlos grabbed one of the hotel towels and tossed it onto the coffee that was spilling across the floor. "He had his wife on the other line if that's what you mean?" He sighed. He still secretly hoped that Chris was scattered across the Atlantic. 

Nicolai gave the other man a wicked smile. "Not true. I happen to know one of them is here right now in fact. I came across some interesting things in my travels through Raccoon city. Things I believe our friend Spencer would be willing to pay a pretty penny for."

Jill quickly realised the mess she had made and crouched down to help Carlos clean it up. “Barry left with Chris... If he’s back here alone, then...” Her voice trailed off, clearly thinking the worst has become of her partner.

“The price would depend on which one it is.” Wesker snarled. “Some are more valuable, more... irritating, than others.”

Carlos wanted to smile but he managed to hold it. Instead he simply nodded. "I was supposed to call him when you woke up. He's pacing in the lobby." He admitted.

Nicolai glanced toward the door Wesker had come from. The room where Rebecca was still crouching in the closet with her lover's gun. "Your apartment was full of interesting finds. A gold mine... is that what the Americans say?"

Jill was instantly filled with further panic. “No... not like this. I won’t let that jerk ditch me like this!” She insisted, panic giving way to anger as she surged back to her feet and headed for the door.

Wesker didn’t exactly react to this news. “The man who lived in that apartment is dead.” He replied simply. “You have nothing.”

"Put some pants on first, super cop." Carlos grunted, tossing her a bag of clothes they'd bought the night before. "Not sure Barry's kids want to see that cute ass of yours like I do." He chuckled softly.

"I was trained better than that." Nicolai purred, still looking toward the door. "How is the little cupcake? She's fond of apples isn't she? A real... craving...at least that's what Spencer would say..."

Jill felt a wash of colour rise to her pale cheeks, her heart fluttering somewhat every time Carlos called her some variation of that nickname. “Take a good hard look, tough guy, because this is the last time.” She warned him with a smirk. Jill was blissfully unaware she had spent the night in his arms as he calmed her nightmares.

“The old man knows nothing of true craving.” Wesker responded coolly. “Like any sane man, I take what I want from a woman, and do cats the leftovers.” He added, casting a pointed glance at Ada.

"Yeah." Carlos replied softly, turning his back to allow her to change. At least he'd moved quick enough to keep her from seeing the anguished look on his face. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. He really had to find something better to do.

"I have other information you might be interested in." Nicolai said, glancing at Ada as well. He mistakenly took Wesker's words to be that he had moved on to to the spy. "Three other members have left the city. One of my own is with them."

Jill had quickly slid her new jeans over her shapely hips and had sat down on the edge of the rarest bed to pull her old boots on. That done she simply sat there for a moment, as though trying to work up the nerve to head downstairs now she had calmed down somewhat. For all she knew, Barry was about to break her heart with the news her partner was dead.

“One of your own?” This Certainly piqued Wesker’s interest. “My reports tell me all the UBCS were KIA.”

"Want me to go with you?" It was the last thing he wanted to do but he knew he'd do it if Jill simply asked him to. Carlos had never fallen so hard for a woman in all his life. He knew now what it was like to wish for death. 

"So many things get taken out with the garbage don't they?" Nicolai said, clucking his tongue. "Criminals...dead monsters... pregnancy tests..."

God she wanted to say yes. She selfishly wanted someone there to catch her, that’s how deeply she was convinced she knew why a Barry was there. Slowly Jill looked up at Carlos with red rimmed eyes, knowing she couldn’t ask it of him. “I owe you too much already... I won’t ask this of you too.”

That finally did knock Wesker off balance somewhat. He dared to cast a glance to the door that his Rebecca away. No... it couldn’t be. A smart girl like her, she wouldn’t... He exhaled slightly and refocused his haze on Nikolai. “Your point?”

Carlos reached down and gently pushed the hair behind her ears. "You need me. I'm there." He whispered, leaning his head down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Last time though." 
Out in the lobby Barry was pacing, wringing his hands together. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"I want a trade. Your blood a pint or so...simple enough...in return I'll give my remaining crew member. And the data I picked up from the dead man's apartment. Do we have a deal?" 
"No!" Rebecca roared from the now open doorway. She had Wesker's gun pointed at the Russian, her blue eyes glittering with rage. "You're lucky we don't feed you to the Hunters. I have a deal for you, Nicolai. You hand over the Nemesis data and Wesker won't kill you."

Jill has been chewing her thumb nail the entire ride down in the elevator, and old habit a Chris has managed to coax her out of. The moment she stepped into the lobby and saw Barry’s frantic pacing however, she knew something wasn’t right. “Barry?” Even as she was calling his name Jill was running across the lobby, throwing her arms around Barry in a friendly embrace.

Wesker wanted to scream at Rebecca to simply follow orders for once in her life. “I could simply shoot you and find yourself data myself.”
He simply told the other man calmly. “Who would really miss one more soviet spy?”

Barry's large frame nearly crumpled in her arms. He gave a soft cry and returned the hug. "Jill...god...I was so worried..." His voice cracked as if he might cry. "Do many bad things...we lost so many more of us...I thought you were gone too..." His broad shoulders began to shake and suddenly he was crying. He clung to her tighter burying his face in her hair. 
Carlos stood in the darkness of the elevator hallway, trying to decide if now would be a good time to leave. She had someone. She no longer needed him.

Nicolai gave Rebecca a dark look, though a strange smile spread over his face. "Lovely little mouse." He purred. "Did he train you like Jill?" He asked. "Did he give you the...hands on training he gave her? We both saw how well she survived the city alone. Could you say the same?" He made sure to emphasize "hands on". It worked. 
Rebecca dropped her aim and simply stood where she was. It was there in those expressive eyes. The little mouse was easy to break.

“So many?” Jill echoed afraid of the answer. “Barry... what’s happened? You all left for Europe, why are you here?” She asked, trying to remain rational about this.

Wesker’s face remained expressionless, though inside he wanted to rip the other man’s face off. “Proof my methods work.” He replied simply. “Can the same be said for your men?”

"Rebecca and Brad...they've both gone silent...and Chris." He choked on the word. "Jill...this is all my fault." 

"My plan worked perfectly." Nicolai said, turning his eyes back to Wesker. "I trained one man. The others were meat shields. He was where I needed him to be. He is now..." A shrill beeping began on his ear piece. He paused to wave Wesker back and touch it. "Carlos...where are you? Where is the sample?"

The hotel lobby seemed to melt away, and not in the good sense. Jill could barely breathe. She knew she needed to tell Barry what has become of Brad, but that meant finding words, breath... anything. “Where is Chris?” She finally managed to utter, fat tears already welling up in her sapphire eyes.

Wesker was smiling. He had to hand it to Nicolai, it was a smart plan. But mention of the word ‘sample’ again had the cogs in his head turning. His gaze met Ada’s, and she didn’t need to ask what he wanted her to do. She would do the dirty work, he would take care of Rebecca.

"Chris is..." Barry was about to answer when he saw the broad back of Carlos standing in the elevator hallway. His voice trailed away and he simply shrugged. "My wife is leaving me. She's taking the girls." He finished. There was too many spies. They couldn't trust anyone. 

"Get to Europe...I will meet you there...No..we negotiate first...And Jill?...So tragic..." He chuckled as he ended the transmission and turned back to Rebecca. "It was a noble try, little mouse, but I have no samples. What do they call that, pregnancy brain?" 
Rebecca cheeks flamed, even her ears turned a brilliant red. She turned on heel and went back into the room, slamming the door.

Jill cast a sideways glance to where she knew Carlos was stood, then out a little more distance between herself and Barry. She could taste the mistrust, and she felt it was aimed at her. “Where is he?” She demanded a little more loudly.

“So she’s alive.” Wesker remarked, not sure if this news pleased or irritated him. “You aren’t getting any blood, but I will allow you to leave with your life.” He added, stepping aside, gesturing that the Russian leave while He could. “But not without a price...”

Barry shook his head, still looking at the taller man. "Mary won't return my calls. She acts like all this happened to her. She never even saw anything but him..." 

Nicolai scoffed at the very idea. "I'm not giving you anything for free. That's not how this works. I came here for trade. Not to give you gifts." He spit on Wesker's foot in disgust.

Jill felt like she could scream in the middle of this hotel lobby, and no one would even glance in her direction. Barry was stalling, and despite his part betrayal; was a terrible liar. “I don’t have time for this...” She finally breathed. “Are you forgetting that you left me alone in that city, all of you! So fucking desperate to play goddamn heroes!”

Wesker have no warning before he shot Nicolai in his left thigh. “How about now? You give me what I want, I don’t let you bleed to death.”

"I took my family to a safer place. I asked you to come with me." Barry insisted. "Nobody listens to Chris. He's never going to change." He sighed softly. "Umbrella is spying on us. None of us are safe. I think it may have gotten Brad and Rebecca killed."

Nicolai went down on his good knee, cursing in his native tongue. "What is that?" He finally hissed, already forming a plan in his mind.

“You think?” Jill snapped. “Brad died a hero, he saved my life, twice.” She added, her panic fading now that she knew Barry wasn’t here to tell her Chris was dead. “There was a lot of that going round...” She all but whispered, turning to look for Carlos.

“You have a nemesis sample stashed away somewhere, don’t you?” Wesker asked coolly, the look in his yellow eyes making it quite clear he would shoot Nicolai as many times as needed to get what he wanted.”

Carlos was gone, the hallway now filled with light. Barry turned to look her way, his eyebrow arched. "See? I told you. He was listening to us." He whispered.

Nicolai shook his head. "The boy has it. I gave it to him when we were leaving the city. He had the helicopter after all." He grunted. "I have the dead man footage and the test. What Spencer asked for."

Jill fully turned to where she had last seen Carlos, obvious hurt in her tired blue eyes. Apparently people couldn’t wait to get away from her. “I would be one of those things if not for him.” She snapped at Barry. Maybe it was better this way. Better to fight the good fight alone, than rely on others.

Wesker crouched in front of the wounded Russian now, his fun pressing slowly under the other man’s chin. “That’s a valuable asset to entrust to a boy.” It was like he didn’t believe him.

Barry would be horrified to see the very man he was relieved to be rid of returning. He was carrying two cups of coffee. "I would have brought you one, Barry. But you know, two hands." He chuckled as he held one out to Jill. "You okay, Super cop?" 

"He thinks he has the cure." Nicolai said with a slight smile, his eyes glancing down toward the gun. He was lying. It wasn't hard to tell.

Jill hesitated to take the cup, feeling guilty for thinking the worst, but also for not being sorry. Carlos nearly died getting them out of the city. If she had hesitated a moment longer in shooting Nicolai... no she couldn’t think like that. He was alive, and if he planned on staying that way, needed to stay far away from her. “I don’t know.” She answered honestly as she finally accepted the coffee. Maybe that’s all that was wrong; she hadn’t had her morning coffee yet.

“And what good would that be, with nothing to cure?” Wesker challenged. “Unless...” He smiled and patted Nicolai’s cheek in a very patronising manner. “You’re sending him to collect a fresh sample from the source in Berlin.” It wasn’t a question.

Carlos nodded, "You're probably still tired. A march through hell with Mr. Ugly isn't something you can shake off after one night. Unless you're Carlos." He teased. 

Nicolai fell for it. He shook his head. "No. He has combat data. That doesn't need...you bastard." He hissed.

“Stop that... you’re not that ugly.” Jill replied with a smirk before she took a sip of her coffee.

Wesker smiled again, all too used to getting his own way. “Combat data. Very good, you may live, for now.” At this point he picked up a Med kit and tossed it at the other man. “I would remove yourself before I change my mind on your future value.”

Carlos pretended to pout as Barry pushed in between them. "Jill...we need to talk. Alone." He said rather loudly. "You don't know this guy. He's not..." 
"I get it...you want me to go." Carlos snapped. "I can go take a swim or some shit like that. Sucks not to be in the Super Cop club." He added, dropping his cup onto the counter a little harder than he'd intended.

Rebecca had locked herself in the bathroom and sat against the door. She hadn't wanted him to find out like this. With all the stress the last few months she'd begun to bleed. She was willing to bet she was going to miscarry anyway.