The Mercenary's Daughter

Chapter 1: A Strange Situation

Author's Note: I like putting music in to accompany the vibes the chapter gives. You can listen to the songs, or don't.

"Y'know for seventeen years of my life I believed he was dead. I never would have thought that I would meet my dad while pointing a gun at him."

It's not the bioweapons out there that you should be afraid of. No, you should be afraid of the people who use them. And you should be terrified of the people who create them.

Right in front of Luisa, was the man who allowed terrible people to unleash hell in the city of Vesna, Eastern Slav Republic. The man who sent mercenaries under the guise of salvation to kidnap her as the city around disintegrated into a mass of infected bones, blood, and ash. The man who would use an innocent teenage girl caught in the crossfire as a bargaining piece against a woman named Ada Wong.

"Is this the girl?" the man asks.

"Yes sir. Records and bioscans match up." A woman's muffled voice rings out from speaking through a gas mask.

The man looks over at Luisa. She's on her knees. Slumped over. Lethargic. Her black hair partially matted; hands zip-tied in front of her; her lavender long sleeved shirt and black carpenter jeans stained with her own and someone else's blood. "You sure?"

"Positive."

Looking back at the woman with a gas mask on, "Hopefully you got the right one," He goes behind his desk, opens a drawer, and grabs an envelope. Taking out a wad of cash and counting the bills, "For your troubles, Major. Who knew a flare gun could fire out a length of steel wire with an anchor attached? Let alone a 12 gauge shotgun shell." With a smirk he hands the cash over.

The Major-still wearing her plate carrier and cargos covered in sweat, blood, and bits of flesh from the recent mission- takes off her gas mask. With a dissatisfied look in her eyes, "With all due respect sir, modified flare guns exist," Looking over at Luisa, then back at the man handing her a shallow attempt at compensation, "And she did kill one of my own with it."

The smile drops from the man's face, "Right." Pulling back his hand, he digs out more cash from the envelope and hands it over. The Major takes it. Glancing at Luisa, and then looking back at the Major, "Leave her here. You can go now."

The door closes behind Luisa as the Major leaves the office.

She could see it. Not the partially rusted, midcentury Soviet metal desk where the man pens out new atrocities waiting to be tested and developed. The bioweapons mutilating and infecting people, animals, and whatever living organisms out there in Vesna.

She could feel it. Not the out of place, plush velvet carpet on the floor of a desolate, abandoned Soviet laboratory office. The splatters of blood and skin shearing pavement as she attempted to run from her kidnappers and the infected citizens.

She could smell it. Not the poor attempts at sandalwood and jasmine perfume masking the smell of must and water damage. The smell of rotting flesh and burning buildings as the city was overrun.

She could taste it. Not the additional sedative placed under her tongue to keep her from fighting or breaking free from her restraints. The taste of her own blood from a mercenary's failed attempt to pry out a tooth for identification.

She could hear it. Not the desolate silence of being held captive in an abandoned laboratory run by a man with a vendetta against her mother. The crackle of fires crumbling buildings to ashes, the screams of innocent citizens being eaten alive by their own infected family and friends in their own homes, the visceral, squelching noises of BOWs ripping and tearing through people trying to flee after the quarantine barriers gave out.

"And they say hearing is the last sense to go."

Luisa's eyelids flutter. The man who ordered her kidnapping is now in front of her. Crouched down, he lifts up her chin with his right hand. With his left, he uses a pen light to inspect her eyes, "Huh, brown. Looks like your pupils are alright." He lets her chin drop and goes behind his desk to scribble something down on a piece of paper.

Luisa looks up at the man. Mid-length brown hair styled in an undercut. A wrinkled collared shirt and poorly ironed dress pants underneath a smooth, clean pressed lab coat. Green eyes.

Shifting and groaning as the sedative wears off,

Uuuggghhh.... Am... am I still in Vesna? That's the least of my worries here. Who...who the hell is this guy?

With a mild surprise, "Jesus didn't expect ya to move so soon." Pushing back his chair, standing and pausing for a moment, "Menya zovut Deacon. Ya-wait" He slaps his forehead, "I'm not talking to one of the locals." He walks over and crouches down to meet eye to eye with Luisa. With a softer tone, "Hey, my name's Deacon. Sorry 'bout that, force of habit from dealing with locals and..." Looking off to the side, and then back to Luisa, "Local businesses."

Luisa, mind sluggish and blinking her heavy eyelids, "The hell...?"

Deacon twists around while still crouched and grabs a file from the desk. Flipping through it, "Luisa Wong?"

With the fog in her mind clearing, "Yeah. Who are you again?"

"Deacon. I'm a researcher."

Luisa, now fully conscious scans around the office. Her heart beats faster as the adrenaline kicks in. Panicked, "In Vesna? Am I still in Vesna?"

"Sadly no," Deacon looks at his wristwatch and stands. Dusting off his lab coat, "And sorry to cut it short, but I have a meeting with Ms. Ada Wong in a couple of minutes."

"What? Why are you meeting with my mom?"

Looking down with a sly smile and a sinister look to his eyes, "That's all the confirmation I need." He grabs a key off the desk and walks towards the door.

"Wait! Wait damn it!"

Slam.

Click.

"God, fucking, damn it."

Post-Chapter Author's note: There are some bits of very basic Russian here and there for this chapter, "Vesna" (Весна) translates to spring [the season], "Menya zovut" (меня зовут) translates to "my name is" and "ya" (я) translates to "I". Also with the music, I think the song I chose for this chapter is a good opener for the writing and sums up the general vibe for the story. Either way hopefully each chapter incorporates some form of audio or visual media to add to the story. Aeon stuff will come in later chapters don't worry! I wanna make a story where there's more to the relationship part. Anyways hope you enjoyed this. :)