***Author's Note***
Hey y'all! 👋 How ya doing?
I can't believe it's 2019, it feels like it's still 2018 to me. And speaking of this year, Resident Evil 2 Remake comes out in less than two weeks! ❤️🖤 *Squeals like a fangirl* I'm so hyped up for it, I can't wait to get my hands on the game. 😈 I just played the demo that was released on Xbox One last Friday, and I couldn't get enough of it! Despite the difficulty I was experiencing with aiming, I still enjoyed playing as baby Leon. 👶☺️
Here were my results for the trial:
Anyways, enjoy the next update on Laura's road to recovery.
Peace out peeps! ✌🏻
❧❈❧❈❧❈❧❈❧❈❧❈❧❈❧❈
Laura's POV
"You know, you didn't have to bring me along with you," I pointed out with a blunt tone of voice, tilting my back against my car seat with an open book in hand.
"What were we supposed to do? We couldn't just leave you by yourself at the house," Uncle Chris affirmed, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him and his hands clutching the steering wheel.
"You're saying that as if I'm actually a six years old instead of sixteen," I stated using an annoyed tone of voice, keeping my eyes directed on the page I'm reading.
'Seriously, I wish Uncle Chris would stop treating me like a child. I understand that he's being overprotective and all, but is it really necessary...? I just wish he would tone it down it a bit...' I thought to myself, turning to the next page of my book.
The instant I heard my phone go off in my jean pocket, I placed the bookmark back in the book, setting it down beside before digging out my smartphone. I unlocked my cellular device, instantly seeing that I got a recent notification; a text message from Emile. I opened up the messages app on my iPhone, reading my best friend's text.
———————————————
From: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
To: Laura
7:46 a.m.
Hey girl! 👋 What's up?
———————————————
I chuckle to myself, as I texted her back.
———————————————
From: Laura
To: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
7:46 a.m.
The ceiling.
———————————————
It wasn't long before Emile messaged me back.
——————————————
From: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
To: Laura
7:47 a.m.
You know what I mean, smartass.
———————————————
A grin curled onto my lips; my thumbs dancing along the keyboard.
———————————————
From: Laura
To: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
7:48 a.m.
The sky. ☁️
———————————————
The corners of my mouth quirked up, smirking in satisfaction.
———————————————
From: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
To: Laura
7:48 a.m.
😑
———————————————
After messing with her for long enough, I sent Em another text message, answering her question.
———————————————
From: Laura
To: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
7:49 a.m.
Alright, alright. I'm doing okay, I guess. Most of my wounds have almost completely healed, and here in a few days I'll be able to have the stitches taken out.
———————————————
After a minute or so, I received a new text message from Emile.
———————————————
From: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
To: Laura
7:49 a.m.
You guess?
———————————————
I let out a tired yawn, as I messaged Emile back.
———————————————
From: Laura
To: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
7:50 a.m.
I'm still waking up. 😩😴 This whole nothing but bed rest bullshit has been fucking with my sleep schedule, so I've been sleeping in a lot more lately.
———————————————
My best friend responded back, as I received another message from her.
———————————————
From: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
To: Laura
7:51 a.m.
That's a good thing though Lari! To tell the truth, it's a good excuse for you to sleep in. I can never understand how you can be such an early bird in the mornings, especially during the weekends.
———————————————
I chuckled to myself, using to my thumbs to type on the keyboard once again to text my best friend.
———————————————
From: Laura
To: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
7:51 a.m.
What about you? How's your morning so far?
———————————————
It took a while before Em sent me another message.
———————————————
From: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
To: Laura
7:54 a.m.
Just fine. The good news is that I'm gonna be staying for another couple of weeks with Aunt Nadia because my parents in the middle of purchasing another house in Charlottesville. However, the bad news is that we won't be able to see each other as much as we used to. And that pisses me off! 😡😥
———————————————
Just by reading the very first sentence of her text, I knew straight away that Em was lying. How could I blame her though? Whenever she told Tyler or I a white lie, the more than half the time it was because of her parents. Two of the most renown researchers that work for the pharmaceutical conglomerate: Genizen Incorporated.
They were never really there for Em. Always working in their lab, always busy with studying genetic disorders and experimenting with possible treatments, always saying that they were on the brink of some scientific breakthrough when in fact they would rather be engrossed with their research than spend time with their only child.
The little time they had to be with Emile was used to weigh their unrealistic expectations all on her shoulders; the hope that their daughter would someday follow in their step footsteps. How oblivious can they really be? If her parents actually knew Emile like I did, they would know that science was never her strong suit. It's the main subject she's struggled the most with. The only reason she hasn't failed any science classes was that I had to help her with all of her homework, keeping up with notes, and studying for every test. Her parents were so ignorant that they didn't know that she's gay either.
I decided not to push for answers, knowing that it would send the ravenette on a chattering rampage. To make her feel better, I sent her one of her favorite gifs, something that's always made her laugh her ass off even in the worst of times.
———————————————
From: Laura
To: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
7:58 a.m.
———————————————
I can only imagine Emile laughing hysterically to herself after seeing the gif, clutching her stomach while trying to not fall off the edge of her bed. Em eventually texted me back.
———————————————
From: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
To: Laura
8:04 a.m.
🤣
———————————————
I smirked to myself, as I typed along the keyboard with my thumbs, messaging my best friend.
———————————————
From: Laura
To: Emile (Queen of 🏳️🌈)
8:04 a.m.
You're welcome. 😏👍
———————————————
I slid my phone back into my pocket, picking up my book and continuing to read from where I left off last time.
"Alright, we're finally here," Uncle Chris announced.
I glanced up from my book, the first thing my electric blue eyes land on was the modern-looking office building and parking lot up ahead, the gargantuan plot of land encased with a fourteen foot barb wired fence.
Uncle Chris turned into the right lane of the main entrance, stopping his pick up truck in front of the closed gate, next to the mounted keypad to the left of him. As soon as he pulled out his BSAA card out of his pocket, he swiped it through the built-in key card panel, resulting in the security mechanism to ding once and its light to change from red to green.
The gate automatically began to slide open all while Uncle Chris placed his card back in his pocket, switching the gear from park back to drive before driving through the open gate and into the parking lot.
"So this is the North American headquarters for the BSAA?" I inquired. I unbuckled my seat belt, grabbing my purse and getting out of the vehicle. I shut the truck door behind me; marveling at my new surroundings.
I wasn't very excited at first with the idea of them taking me to work with them; that all changed the moment I stepped foot onto the base. Despite my future unwavering career choices, I've always wanted to take a of tour the BSAA's North American base. To be able to see with my very own eyes everything goes on behind the walls of these building, how the world's most elite international anti-bioterror organization pit themselves against the everyday conflicts and struggles that bioterrorism can bring forth. This has been a life long dream since I was seven-years-old, a bizarre dream some would say.
"Yeah, quite a sight. Isn't it?" Aunt Jill responded. Her husband was helping her out of the truck, one hand was momentarily placed around her back while the other was taking hold of one Jill's hand.
"So am I gonna spend most of the day cooped up in some office with one of you guys while you work?" I asked, turning around to face both of them.
"No actually. You're going to hang out with Chris during his morning training session with alpha team," Jill notified me.
My eyes partially widened; an impish grin instantly curled onto my lips. 'This could be my perfect excuse to actually get back into shape...' "Am I allowed to partake in today's training session?"
"Possibly... I'll think about it," Uncle Chris answered, as the three of us began making our towards the office building up ahead. "Before that, I'm gonna be taking you on the tour of the building since we actually have plenty of time to spare."
The moment the word tour left this lips, I felt more than thrilled, I was utterly exhilarated. Beyond delighted to the point where I was tempted to scream out in joy and persistently jump up and down like every eight-year-old when they get to open their presents during Christmas morning. Just the feeling of excitement overwhelmed every other sensation in my body. Blocking out every ache, cramp, and soreness emanating from my healing wounds.
In spite of the inordinate feeling of elation, I kept my lips pressed together, smiling and silencing the need to vocalize my sudden jubilation. I took one leisured step at a time across the asphalt, trying to not to amble too far ahead of my aunt and uncle. With every breath of air I took, I inhaled and exhaled in a leisured manner, remaining rather relaxed and self-possessed. I crossed my arms over my chest, my fingers clasping onto the fabric of my denim colored workout shirt. Whenever it comes to showing my emotions, I was very good at hiding them; a trait i apparently inherited from my father.
"However, the two of us will be only touring the unrestricted areas within the premises 'cause you're only just a visitor," Uncle Chris stated, keeping his eyes trained upon me. "They only have access to the first three floors of the building which include the cafeteria, the outdoor park, a couple of conference rooms, and a cubicle area on each of the three floors. Only members of the BSAA have authorized access to the fourth floor and up, depending upon their position and rank within the organization."
"So since you're one of the eleven original founding members of the bioterrorism security assessment alliance and a captain of an elite special operations unit, wouldn't that mean that your position within the non-government organization would give you access to pretty much every single floor inside the edifice," I stated with a frank tone of voice.
The BSAA captain shook his head, chuckling to himself. "I swear, you catch on way too quick." Uncle Chris briefly halted by one of the glass double doors, grabbing ahold of the door handle and holding it open for us.
"Thanks handsome," Jill thanked her husband, as two of us strolled inside the main office building. My uncle then followed behind us, closing the door behind him.
Compared to the up to date exterior layout of the twelve story building, the interior design of the erection appeared by far more modern that than I expected for a paramilitary-like institution such as the BSAA. The reception area was rather abnormally enormous, about the size of a public library. The whole flooring consisted of baltic grey marble, all glossy and smooth to the touch. Every single wall within the room was painted persian green, not a single spot was left untouched by the virdiscent paint.
To my right, there were various L-shaped receptionist's desks positioned side to side of one another, all of them stretching all along that side of the room. Behind them there's a life sized model of the BSAA logo fixed onto the wall, the North American branch emblem to be exact.
To my left is a waiting room. Complete with mid century modern couches, matching Lawson chairs, all surrounding a jet black coffee table. A pile of magazines were stacked neatly on top of the table, next to a pot of Fiddle-leaf figs. Situated underneath everything was a enormous black and green rug, covering the majority of the flooring within the waiting area.
"Morning Jill," Someone called out.
The three of us concurrently turned to our right; our eyes landing one of the receptionists sitting behind her desk. She was around 5' 5", appearing to be in her mid forties. Her dark auburn hair was all up in a high bun, the majority of her hair follicles were greying and coated in a layer of hair spray.
Wrinkles surrounded her ebony colored eyes and cheeks, an apparent indication of her old age. She was dressed in a white blouse, overlapped by black blazer, black dress pants, and a pair of black stilettos. Clipped onto her blazer was her employee ID tag, with the name Cheryl Castro printed neatly in cursive at the bottom of the laminated card.
The instant my aunt's eyes landed on the ecstatic woman, her expression softened; a smile curled onto her lips as her husband and her ambled over towards the receptionist. I trailed behind the two of them, not too close yet not too far either.
"Hey Cheryl, how've you been?" Jill inquired. As soon as they reach the woman's desk, Jill leaned over the desk, enfolding her arms around the woman's waist and hugging her friend for a brief moment.
"I've been doing alright." Mrs. Castro's eyes traveled down towards Jill's protruding belly. "Geez woman, your baby bump just keeps getting bigger with each passing day. When's your due date?"
"February 23," The brunette responded proudly, resting one hand on her stomach. "Until then, we'll just have to wait for our little munchkin when he or she is ready to come out."
Mrs. Castro smiled, nodding her head as her gaze steadily shifted towards me. "And who's this pretty young lady right here?"
"This is my niece, Laura." Uncle Chris gestured towards me. "Laura, this is Cheryl. She's one of the receptionists that work here at the BSAA." He motioned back towards the receptionist.
I smiled, stepping forward and holding out my hand out towards the woman. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Castro."
The receptionist extended her hand out, shaking mine for a brief moment. "Please honey, call me Cheryl. It makes me feel younger."
I chuckled at her comment, as the woman redirected her gaze over at my uncle for a moment. "Christopher, I didn't know that you had such a lovely and well-mannered niece. How come neither of you told me about her?"
"Well that's a long story, Cheryl. One that I'm gonna have to save for later, I'm taking Laura on a tour of the building before we have to get to work." Uncle Chris and Aunt Jill pulled their employee ID cards out of their pockets, flashing them at Mrs. Castro for a brief moment.
"In that case, I won't hold you guys up any longer." Mrs. Castro directed her gaze over at me, grabbing a pen and clipboard off her desk. "But before you three can go, I'm gonna need Laura to sign this real quick." The receptionist handed me the writing utensil and the clipboard with a sign in sheet clipped onto it.
"This way, we're able to keep track of every visitor that enters the building. Whether they're a business representative or guest speaker from another organization."
"But what if they're actually a spy going by a different name and is trying to infiltrate the building?" I questioned Cheryl, eyeing her with my electric blue eyes.
"Oh honey, that's why we have countless security cameras hooked up all over this place. If that were the case, we would be able to identify them by their appearance rather than the false alias they were using," She replied, gesturing to one of the cameras fixed onto the ceiling above us.
I briefly glanced up, spotting the camera above before shifting my gaze back at Mrs. Castro. "What if a fully armed terrorist group were to attack this base at any time? Surely would have plenty of security measures in place such an event were to happen here," I inquired, signing my name and dating the time of my arrival on the document fixed onto the clipboard in my hand.
"And yet we do sweetheart. Not only are all the windows made entirely of bullet-proof glass, every single door within the building has it's own electronic lock installed onto the door handle, with the exception of the front doors of course. The only way to get through would be if you had a keycard in your possession, or key code to gain access to a room."
I passed the clipboard and pen back to Mrs. Castro, right as the receptionist handed me a lanyard containing a level 1 keycard within it's card holder. "However, each keycard is unique yet different for specific reasons. It only gives you access to certain sections of the premises, most of which are prohibited to civilians due to confidentiality related reasons. Each entry level depends on the location of every room within each sector of the building. The higher the floor level for which each room is situated, the higher the security level."
"I'll make sure to keep that mind," I placed the lanyard around my neck. "Have a nice day, Cheryl," I told her before turning around, walking away with my aunt and uncle.
***
After passing through security, Uncle Chris and Aunt Jill say their goodbyes to one another before parting their separate ways. She got on one of the elevators, heading up towards her office located on the sixth floor all while Uncle Chris and I made our way towards the cafeteria; the first stop on the tour. I followed fairly distant behind my mother's older brother, yet not too far to keep up with him.
The moment he finished showing me around the massive mess hall, we moved onto the enormous outdoor garden, before checking out the bottom floor's office section and gymnasium. As soon as we finished touring the whole first floor, we took an elevator to the second floor of the building, visiting the cubicle section, break room, weight room, and a couple of the conference rooms. After that, the two of us took the elevator again; this time up to the third floor. Uncle Chris took me around and showed me the miniature library, a couple of massive meeting rooms, the floor's cubicle section, the office section, the medical bay, as well as one of the countless server rooms.
"Geez... How do you even find your way around this place, Uncle Chris? This place is like a maze," I inquired, just as the elevator stopped back at the first floor.
"When you work here for over twelve years, you'll know this place like the back of your hand," He responded. The elevator doors automatically opened, revealing the first floor. The two of us stepped out and ambled across the reception area, then down another hallway with a glass door at the end of it.
"So where are we going now?" I asked him, just as the two of us reached the door.
"The barracks," Uncle Chris answered. He held the door open, letting me walk outside first before following me and closing the door behind him. "Today's morning training session is being held at the wrestling room, located within the other gymnasium over by the barracks."
My Uncle and I moseyed along the concrete pathway, passing by the outdoor garden. "Does this mean that you've finally come to a decision?"
Uncle Chris directed his gaze down at me for a moment. "No, not yet Laura. I'm still thinking about it," He replied back.
"Ah come on man! It's a simple 'yes' or 'no' question," I stated to him. "I know that the doctor said I shouldn't be doing anything too strenuous for the next a couple of weeks. But just sitting around and doing nothing isn't something I like doing. I've already been taking it easy for the past two weeks. But nonstop rest won't help me get back into shape."
"I understand where you're coming from Laura, I really do. I just don't want to risk the chance that your stitches could rip and reopen your wounds."
"Not if I'm being supervised," I pointed out.
Uncle Chris halted along the pathway, grasping ahold of his chin and pondering to himself for a brief moment. I stopped beside my uncle, turning around to face him. He sighed. "Fine, you're allowed to participate. Only on one condition, Laura."
"Which is?"
"No more staying up late at night until two o'clock in the morning like you have been doing lately," Uncle Chris declared using a pensive tone of voice.
"Okay, I can live with that," I replied back, as the two of us continued along the concrete pathway towards the gymnasium over by barracks.
Once inside, we made our way towards the wrestling room, where the majority of alpha team was waiting for us. The moment my eyes landed on Piers, his back facing me as he was chatting with one of his team mates, I instantly took off at the speed of light in the sniper's direction. My steps were light yet swift, sneaking closer and closer toward's Tyler's older brother.
The instant I reached him, I wrapped my slender arms around his well toned waist. Piers flinched right away, taking him by surprise. "S'up bitches?" I asked them, peeking out from behind Mr. Nivans's back whilst a smirk decorating my lips.
Piers redirected his gaze down at me, smiling for a brief moment. "Nothing much, Laura. Just the usual." He placed his left arm over my shoulder, embracing me back. "What about you? How are you feeling, Lari? Better I hope?"
I let go of Piers, removing my arms from a around him. I shrug my shoulders. "Not entirely, but definitely better ever since I've been discharged," I partially lied, using an untroubled tone of voice.
"It's good to see you're doing well again, Ms. Redfield," Piers's teammate commented, raising his hand and saluting me.
I raised my hand, dismissing his gesture. "There's no need to be so formal. Just call me Laura."
The blonde chuckled in a nervous manner, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "My apologies, I was just trying to be respectful since you're the captain's niece after all," The young man justified, his cheeks burning bright red. "Anyway, my name is Austin Wheeler." He held out his hand to me, slightly trembling.
A smile curled onto my lips, whilst I shook Austin's hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Austin."
"Aww... Somebody's got a crush on the captain's niece," One of the other guys teased, right as he and the rest of the guys approached Austin from behind.
"No I don't, Mark. Shut up," Austin spat at the ginger standing behind him, not giving his teammate any eye contact.
"Come on Austin, it's totally obvious that you like her man. You can't hide it forever," Another guy remarked, coming up beside Austin and resting one of his arms on top of his shoulder.
Uncle Chris suddenly cleared his throat, gaining everybody's attention. All of us simultaneously turned around, glancing towards my uncle. "Now that everyone is here, we can finally begin."
All of the men immediately lined up side to side in front of Uncle Chris, standing straight with their arms planted down by their sides. I glanced between my mother's brother and his men, wondering whether I should join him or his teammates.
"Before we begin, I would like to introduce someone first," Uncle Chris shifted his gaze towards me for a moment, gesturing me to come forward. I easily oblige as I ambled in my uncle's direction, halting beside him. "This young lady is my niece, Laura." All of the men concurrently salute me, before returning to their normal position. "I'm aware that some of you have already met her, so we can keep the pleasantries and get straight to the point. She'll be joining us in today's morning training session. Now, are there any questions before we start?"
Silence filled the room, not a single soldier said a word. "No? Alright then," My uncle peered down at me. "Laura, go stand in between Piers and Mark," He said to me, pointing over between the lieutenant and his teammate. The two men took a side step, making room for me. I nodded my head, then strolled over towards Piers and Mark, taking my place between the two of them.
Did I ever think that this training session was gonna be easy? Nope. Was I aware of what I was getting myself into? Yup. I knew very well that this would be a real workout for me, as well as strenuous challenge may I add. Isn't that the point of exercising though? To get into proper shape? Still, I wasn't gonna let any obstacle get in my way of physically conditioning myself.
For the first training exercise, we started with doing push-ups; forty five push-ups to be exact. All of us gotten into position on top of the wrestling mats, placing our hands and feet against the material of the mat. Together, we all counted aloud with each and every push up we executed. Uncle Chris ambled in front of us, keeping his arms behind his back while observing us.
Despite the tension was beginning to form in my muscles, I kept on going, using my arms to persistently push my body up and down against the top of the wrestling mat. I wasn't gonna let these straightforward push-ups easily tire me out or get the best of me; that's the last thing I would let happen. I took deep breaths in between each push-up, concentrating on maintaining my position and performing push-ups at the same time.
By the time we all finished with the push-ups, we then moved onto flutter kicks. All of us laid flat down on our backs; our hands placed underneath our bottoms as we all lifted our legs up and down off the ground nonstop for the next fifteen minutes. Drops of sweat started to trickle down by forehead; covering my face in a thin layer of perspiration. From time to time, I would momentarily glance at Piers. He met my gaze and smiled at me, telling me how much of a good job I was doing and encourage me to keep going without pushing myself too far.
As soon as we were finished with flutter kicks, we all took a seven minute break, catching our breaths and resting for the time being. Once the break was over, next we moved onto the next activity, jumping jacks. For the next twenty minutes, all of us do nothing but jumping jacks, continuously moving our sore arms and legs back and forth in a perpetual manner. No matter how aching all of my limbs were, my muscles practically burned with tautness. The need to stop was steadily becoming more and more overbearing.
If I stop now, it'll just show everyone how incapacitated I am, conveying my inner weakness when I'm in my most vulnerable state. 'No... I'm not gonna let that happen. I may be physically exhausted right now, but it doesn't mean I'm not a fighter. I can push myself harder to my limits; I'm so much stronger than this. It's about time that I demonstrated my overall vigor,' I thought to myself, as I quickened my pace. Exerting every once of my strength to finish up the last couple of jumping jacks before the time's up.
The moment the activity is over, I placed my hands on my knees, leaning over and catching my breath. Numerous drops of sweat cascaded down my face, dropping onto the wrestling mat beneath me. Suddenly, I felt someone place their hand on me, gently patting my back.
I glanced up, meeting Piers's gaze. "Good job Laura," He commenting, a smile decorating the young man's lips. "I'm quite surprised that you were able to keep up with us, let alone not complaining."
I let out an amused chuckle. "Trust me, it wasn't easy... But it was totally worth it." I straightened my posture, standing up.
Piers held out his hand to me, his fingers curled inward; making a fist. I couldn't help but smile a bit, lifting my clenched hand and fist bumping him.
"Not too shabby, kid," Mark stated, just as he and the rest of the team approached us. "Gotta admit, you're tougher than you look. If only looks could kill."
"Of course she is, Mark. She's a Redfield after all," One guy stated, his Italian accent evident in his tone of voice.
"Come guys, show her some respect," Austin told his teammates, turning around and standing in front of them. "Did you guys forget that she's the captain's niece?"
"Says the guy that has a big ass crush on her," Another guy stated, crossing his burly arms over his chest.
"No I don't, Scott," Austin replied back, his cheeks flushing as red as a tomato.
The sound of a door closing resonated throughout the wrestling room, instantly grabbing everyone's attention. We all simultaneously turned around; our eyes landing on the young woman standing by the doorway. She was sporting an eggplant colored business suit, her dark brown hair was all pinned up in a bun. The woman momentarily cleared her throat, her mocha colored eyes peering at us.
"Forgive me for the interruption, Mr. Redfield," The woman started off, her gaze redirected in my uncle's direction whilst adjusting her glasses for a moment. Her obsidian colored pumps clicked against the concrete flooring as she took a couple steps forward. "There's something that I need to speak to you about, it's rather urgent."
"There's need to apologize, Paige," Uncle Chris told the woman, acknowledging her.
The BSAA captain made his way towards her, halting in front of her. "What is it that you need to tell me?"
Paige one of her hands around her mouth and whispered something into my uncle's ear, using a hushed tone of voice to prevent anyone else from hearing what she had to say. Uncle's Chris's widened for a brief moment, gazing down at Paige with disbelief clouding his features.
"Right now?" He inquired.
Paige nodded her head at him, her silence a major indication of the seriousness of whatever she'd told him. Uncle Chris turned around, facing all of us for a moment.
"Stay here, I'll be back in a bit," He informed us, before leaving the wrestling room with Paige. 'What did she tell Uncle Chris? Was it that important that he had to leave the room with her?'
Chris's POV
"She hasn't said a single word ever since her capture?" I asked Ms. Corbett.
"Yes sir," Paige answered. I opened the glass door, holding it open for my employee and I whilst we reentered the main office building. "We've tried every possible trick out of the book to get her to talk, and nothing's worked. We've had to replace one interrogator after another multiple times due to her effortlessly infuriating each and every one of them with pure silence." The two of us arrived at one of the elevators; I pressed the down button fixed into the wall beside it.
"So you want me to be the one to interrogate her then?" I questioned Ms. Corbett, gazing down at her.
The elevator automatically opened, its doors sliding open just as Paige and I entered. "Yes Chris. Since the two of you used to be partners when she worked here, we strongly believe that you'll be able to make more progress with her than anyone else that's questioned her so far. Aside from that, it's clear as day that she has feelings for you," The brunette took out her level 10 keycard out of her pocket, sliding it through keycard fixed into the side of the elevator panel. Then she pressed the B3 button on the panel; basement level 3. The metal doors automatically closed in front of us, then the elevator started to descend down.
"That's just your theory though, Paige."
"We won't find out until we get down there."
The moment the elevator stopped at our destination, the metal doors slid automatically open, giving us passage to the floor. Paige and I exited the elevator, heading down the main hallway. Our footsteps echoed throughout the corridor, with each and every step we took along the tiled flooring. More than half of the fluorescent lights along the ceiling flickered from time to time, giving off a somewhat creepy vibe.
"Jessica's in here," Paige notified me. The two of us arrived at the interrogation room, halting in front of the metal door. B3-D was labeled on the door.
I redirected my gaze over at my fellow employee, right as she handed me a file. "I'll be in the next room over, watching from behind the two way mirror with a few other officials. If things start to spin out of control, don't hesitate to call us for assistance. We'll be over there in a heartbeat. Okay?"
I opened the folder, quickly skimming through the paperwork inside before I nodded my head at her. "Understood."
Right when I was about to enter the interrogation room, Paige spoke up, "And Chris," I glanced at her for a moment. "Thanks for doing this. I understand that this isn't easy for you, and I wanted to express my gratitude."
"No problem Paige," I told her, just as she went inside the observation room next door.
I dug out my level 12 keycard out of my pocket, sliding it through the keycard panel installed beside the door. Once my authorization has been verified, the light on the panel changed from red to green; the metal door automatically unlocks itself. After placing my keycard back in my pocket, I turned the door handle, opening the door then closing it behind me.
The instant I entered the room, Jessica glanced up at me, a coy smile curling onto her lips. Her satin grey eyes checking out my figure from top to bottom. Her long, curly auburn hair was loose upon her shoulders. She was dressed in a prisoner's uniform, consisting nothing more than a white long sleeve shirt, overlapped dark green v-neck t-shirt, and a pair of matching pants. Jessica was sitting quietly at the table, her hands handcuffed and secured to the metal rod fixed in front of her onto the table top.
"Christopher Redfield, as I live and breathe. What brings you down here, hmm? Come down to say hi? Or are we finally going out for that drink you still owe me?" She inquired with cheery tone of voice, her hands folded and resting on the tabletop. Jessica can play dumb all she wants; she ain't fooling anyone.
I remained silent, strolling over towards the table. I pulled back the other chair, before sitting down across from the woman. I open up the folder, going through all of the documents inside. "What's the matter, honey? Cat gotcha tongue?"
I glanced up at my ex-partner for a moment, remaining tight-lipped, then redirecting my gaze back down at the file in hand. 'Remember to remain calm, cool, and focused the entire time. Jessica is a traitor, untrustworthy, deceptive, and deceitful. She may know how to get under your skin easily, but the key is to not let her get inside your head. Carry on with the task at hand no matter what she says.' I thought to myself, setting the open file on the table and nudging it forwards in Jessica's direction.
My ex-partner peered down at the open file, looking down at Laura's and Claire's pictures before shifting her gaze back up at me. An impish grin decorating her lips. "Now I see what this is about. You want to why I'm after your precious little sister and your niece. Don't you?" Jessica crossed her legs, placing her elbows on top of the table. "Tell me, how is Laura? Still alive I presume?"
I disregard her question again. "Why were you after Claire and Laura in the first place? How do you know about Laura being my niece?"
"Now, now, Chris. That's not any way to treat a lady, asking me questions even though you ignored all of mine. That's not fair at all."
I sighed, meeting Jessica's gaze. "Laura is just fine. Now answer the damn question, Sherawat."
The brunette leaned over, her satin grey eyes flickering with ardor. "Isn't it obvious, Chris? Or are you that pigheaded? You're not the one he has a personal vendetta with, so you should consider yourself very lucky."
'A personal vendetta? If it's not with me, then who?' I thought to myself.
"Who's your employer, Jessica? What kind of dispute are you talking about and with who?"
Jessica chuckled, biting her bottom lip in a playful manner. "Oh Chris... If I spill the beans, it'll only spoil everything, even the ending. You're just gonna have to wait to find out."