Chapter Text
The sun shone bright in the sky, the weather just perfect. A beautifully perfect day for the Wedding Reception taking place. The reception took place on a grassy plateau that overlooked the ocean, a picture-perfect view. Guests surrounded white table clothed tables, happily chatting with friends and family. A white arch decorated with lilacs and lavender flowers hung over the happy couple. The groom, Glenn Arias, looked at his husband, a brunette clad in a white tuxedo with soft hair that hung in his face. Glenn smiled, caressing his beloved's face, admiring his beauty. Seth smiled back, cupping his lover's hand while leaning into his soft touch. Their rings glistened in the sunlight.
This was the happiest day of Glenn's life. He had finally tied the knot with the man he loved with their friends and families as witnesses. They were surrounded by love and happiness. The honeymoon was set for a week after their reception, and tonight they would consummate their union in their beautiful new penthouse in New Y ork City. After today, they started their new lives together. Nothing could ruin this moment. Diego stood up, glass high as he was about to recite a toast for the happy couple.
The sound of a low-flying airplane caused everyone to turn their attention to the noise, Diego stopping mid-sentence. Glenn looked as well, his smile turning into a look of horror as he realized that the airplane was actually a drone. Said drone released a bomb, one that was descending on his friends and family. Their dream Wedding quickly turned into a horrifying nightmare.
There was a bright light as the bomb exploded on impact. The screams of his loved ones assaulted his ears, their lives cut short. Glenn did not even hear his beloved Seth scream his name. The world around them had been consumed by fury and hellfire. His new life and his happiness had gone up in flames. When the catastrophe had quieted down, Glenn saw that his wedding had been reduced to ash. His guests laid dead or half dying on the ground, gathering their limbs or trying to pitifully crawl away. Others tried to remove debris and rubble off of their companions. The carnage made Glenn turn away, turning to where his beloved would have lied next to him. He saw Seth's hand holding on to his, the rest of his body buried under rubble. Just as Glenn went to pull his lover free, the arm came out cleanly, no body attached. Glenn held the arm to his chest, a cry of despair escaped him as he cried to the heavens above.
He wanted vengeance for his dead lover. He would get vengeance and he would bring his dead friends and family back to life. The world would pay for what it had taken from him.
Sunlight bled through the curtains, causing Leon to groan and take cover underneath of the grey sheets. Chris chuckled, tying up his last boot. They had been together for some time after their encounter in Racoon City. It started out with subtle meetings between friends and between missions, going for a morning cup of coffee. It then evolved into something more after Claire had them meet-up in celebration at a local pub. After one too many drinks, Chris and Leon found themselves entangled in each other’s arms in the nude. They had been living together ever since, coming back to the other’s arms between dangerous missions. The last mission Leon had pursued had left him in a sensitive state, nearly pushing him to alcoholism. Had it not been for Chris, Leon would be drowning his sorrows in some unknown location right now.
Currently, the raven-haired male wanted nothing more than to stay home with the brunette, instead of pursuing a missing agent. But, the BSAA really needed his help, having lost one of their undercover agents as well as her son somewhere near Mexico. Last time she had been seen, she had been chasing a lead on Glenn Arias, a Brazilian-American death merchant and former CIA operative. He was currently wanted by both Interpol and the FBI, under investigation for selling research and secrets connected to the viruses that had been terrorizing various parts of the United States and parts of Canada. Chris was needed on the next flight out to Mexico in the coming hours.
Chris bent over, pulling the sheet back and kissing Leon on the forehead. The brunette groaned again, this time wrapping an arm around Chris’s neck. He grumbled, telling the older man not to leave and to stay a bit longer, earning a chuckle. Chris kissed him on the mouth, promising that he would take Leon out to their favorite restaurant for dinner and dessert after they apprehended Arias. Leon groaned but let the other go nonetheless, grumbling something about just letting his team take care of it. Chris apologized, reassuring his love that he would return in no time. Before Leon could respond, his own phone went off earning an annoyed groan from the brunette. Chris rolled his eyes and took that as his cue to leave.
Arias was a dangerous man before the incident with his family. Now, with his vow for vengeance after what the U.S. Government did, rumor had it that he had become even more dangerous than before. Supposedly, according to the newer intel, the man had gotten his hands on a new virus and had taken dozens or more so test subjects. It was also believed that his main lab was somewhere in Mexico, and the BSAA had tracked it to an exact location. Hopefully this mission did not turn into a complete bloodbath and he did not lose another team.
Hours Later...
Gone. His entire team was gone in a matter of hours. They had found Cathy White and her son, Zach, as well as the missing persons. All of them had been used as Arias test subjects, turned into zombies due to some new virus. Arias, as well as his associates, had escaped after leaving Chris to die. Had it not been for D.C. and Nadia, Chris would have been eaten alive. Looking out of the Helicopter window, anger consumed Chris’s heart. He had lost all of his teammates and the victims. The lab had been destroyed in a controlled explosion, and now Arias was somewhere, out there with “New Product” that allowed him to choose who the undead targeted.
“Yo, Chris. Are you okay man? Did you find Arias?” Damian asked.
“What the hell do you think, Damian? He just lost his entire team! And do you see Arias?” Nadia scolded.
Damian apologized profusely, figuring that Chris might have confronted Arias and that’s why he had been injured. Chris explained that he had confronted Arias. The bastard had gotten his hands on some new strain of virus that gave him some kind of control over the undead. He was also not alone, two people; a woman and a Tyrant were with him. They needed to find Arias and stop him before another attack happened and even more people died. The radio suddenly flared to life, informing the team of a “Terrorist Attack” at a college campus.
Well, that was fast.
Looks like he was breaking yet another promise to Leon.
Professor Rebecca Chambers gently rocked back and forth inside of the ambulance as a paramedic examined her. The man had asked her questions, but her mind was too frazzled to register whatever he was saying. Not only had she seen another incident similar to that of Raccoon City, cracked the "Animality Virus" code and developed a prototype serum in record time, but Chris Redfield had made a reappearance and saved her from being eaten alive. Again.
“Speak of the devil…” Rebecca said as Chris made his way over to her.
“Hey, Becca. How are you holding up?” Chris asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
She offered a half smile, “Just peachy. Almost died for the billionth time in my life, but peachy. Seriously, why is it always zombies? Why not just bombs?” Rebecca asked.
Chris chuckled, “I ask myself that question all the time, but I guess that’s what makes the job interesting. I actually have a few questions. Any ideas why someone would go after a college campus during Spring Break?” he asked.
She did not miss a beat, explaining that they have some of the best laboratories and the most advanced technology in the world. They did research on viruses like these ones all of the time. So much so, that major organizations like WHO reached out to them all the time. This particular time, they had been asked about a possible vaccine for the newest strain of the virus floating around. It could have been possible that someone had leaked out information about their work to an unknown terrorist organization, thus making the campus and its scientists targets.
Chris nodded, taking in all of the information before moving her to a BSAA vehicle. When she asked why she was being moved, Chris told her all about Glenn Arias and the recent events that had occurred not even a couple of hours ago. If Rebecca had been involved in a new vaccine, they had to get her to safety, and maybe to a shower. That she could definitely use one by the look and smell of it. She playfully punched him in the arm, calling him a jerk while she was at it.
“Speaking of jerks, how is Leon? I haven’t seen him since Raccoon City.” Rebecca asked, buckling her seatbelt as they settled in the jeep.
“He’s okay. He might be mad at me though. I promised I would be home in time to take him out to dinner. Obviously, that’s not going to happen tonight. I should probably call in to let him know I’m still alive.” Chris explained, pulling out his cellphone.
Rebecca raised her brows in surprise, “You haven’t checked in with him yet? The poor thing is probably worried sick about you.”
Chris waved her off, explaining that Leon was understanding when it came to missions and not being able to check-in all the time. The brunette had done the same thing to him during his own mission overseas. He had not heard from him in days when that happened. Then again, Leon’s phone was unable to get out a signal due to the lack of cellphone towers. The same thing happened again when it was smashed to pieces in D.C. Chris had thought Leon was a goner until the brunette had gotten ahold of a payphone. The raven-haired male remembered that day vividly. Leon had sounded so broken on the phone, having just lost his entire team due to a terrorist attack. The brunette had been forced to kill his entire team when they had reanimated. As soon as the brunette had returned home, he locked himself in his and Chris’s room. Chris wasn’t allowed near him until almost twenty-four hours later. He had found the brunette cradling a bottle of whiskey in the bathtub, sobbing profusely.
When Chris called Leon, the phone rang on the other side twice before going straight to voicemail. The raven-haired male raised a brow before trying again. Again, the phone rang twice before kicking him to voicemail. A “what the hell?” escaped his lips as he tried again, earning a curious look from Rebecca. He reached Leon’s voicemail once more. What the hell was going on? It was unlike Leon not to answer his phone after the second attempt. And last Chris check, Leon did not say anything about leaving the apartment. He had shot Chris a text about getting invited to drinks with someone but decided not to go due to not recognizing the number who sent the message.
“Is everything alright, Chris?” Rebecca asked.
Chris just shook his head, “It’s probably nothing. He probably decided to order take-out and just did not tell me for fear of hurting my feelings. He probably dozed off.”
Still, it was weird not to hear anything from the brunette by now. Not even so much as a “Where are you?” or “Is everything okay?” text. It was a bit odd. Chris sent a text telling Leon that everything was okay, but he probably would not be home until tomorrow due to this mission. He told him not to worry, but they might need his help on something, specifically BOWs. That they would be around to pick him up. Between texts, Leon’s end stayed eerily silent. This either confirmed his theory about Leon being asleep, or something was not right. Chris felt as though there was a pit in his stomach. Why wasn’t he answering?
His fears were put to bed when he had received a message back, explaining that Leon had been trying to triangulate the location of the person who had invited him out to drinks. Of course, he only did this out of pure boredom. It was some guy out in Colorado, but Leon ignored it and decided that it was not important, or it must have been sent by mistake. He could not answer or send messages due to it being connected to their laptop. The brunette also explained that he had ordered Chinese for dinner and thanked the older male for ditching him. The response earned a smile from Chris. Brat. He then asked who was “we” that was supposedly coming to pick him up to ask him about his least favorite topic in the world. Chris explained that it was him, the BSAA and their old friend Rebecca Chambers.
There was a long pause, not hearing a peep from Leon’s end. Chris helped Rebecca find her room at the hotel, so she could catch a shower, get changed, and get a full night’s rest. Once Rebecca was in her room, Leon texted Chris back to let him know that he had already gotten changed and one of his own sources was going to fly him out and drop him off at the hotel Chris was at. When Chris asked how Leon knew which hotel he was at, he received a smartass text in response. Apparently, Chris was an idiot if he thought Leon wasn’t going to bug his cellphone. Chris rolled his eyes and shook his head but wore a smile while doing so. The brunette was such a little punk, but that’s why the raven-haired male loved him. Before Chris could text him back, his phone rang. Leon decided to call him before he could give him a chance to text back.
“You are such a little punk, you know that?” Chris asked.
“Would you have me any other way?” Leon asked.
“You know I wouldn’t. So, when should I expect you to get here?” Chris asked, sitting in his own room two doors down from Rebecca’s.
“I would stay up, if I were you. I’m leaving now, so I might be able to get to the hotel sometime during the middle of the night. Maybe early morning.”
Chris’s eyes widened, “That fast? Who is your source and what do they have? A private jet? A rocket car?” he asked incredulously.
Leon chuckled, “Nothing but the best from DSO’s finest vehicles. I use these all the time. Have to get to places ASAP.”
Chris chuckled as well, telling Leon that he could not wait for the brunette got here. It would be interesting to work together in the field, but he wished it was a different type of situation and not bioweapons again. Leon agreed, feeling like they were living in some kind of loop that just would not let them go. The brunette suggested that after all of this shit was said and done, they should just go on that long vacation to the Bahamas like they talked about last night. Or maybe retiring from both their jobs and getting desk jobs far away from all this mess in some quaint little city somewhere. Chris admitted that he liked the sound of both ideas. There was a heavy silence that hung in the air, neither one of them talking on the phone for a couple of minutes.
Chris was the first to break the silence, “So, what are you wearing?” he asked playfully.
He could hear Leon snort on the other end, “Oh god, not this again.” Leon said.
An hour earlier, someone in a black car watched as Leon exited the apartment complex. The person continued to watch as the brunette got into a silver Volvo before being driven to the airport. The black car followed him, staying two or three cars behind so they did not draw attention or suspicion to themselves. The person in the car had a camera, relaying footage to a large computer screen in a hidden location. The person behind the computer screen zoomed in on Leon’s face, caressing the screen in a loving manner.
Glenn Arias admired Leon’s features as he replayed the footage of the brunette getting into the Volvo. He told the person in the black car, Maria Gomez, to maintain their distance and that no harm was to come to the brunette. If necessary, she could use some force to capture him, but he was not to be killed or hurt too bad. Maria asked about Rebecca Chambers and Chris Redfield. Arias smiled, informing her to take Chambers’ research before killing her, but only when he made the call. Arias wanted to confront Chris and kill him himself. Maria made a sound of confirmation before hanging up, leaving Arias to stare at Leon’s face.
“Soon, my love, we’ll be together again. It’s fate’s will.”