dear_mun | Canon binge leads to game hunting.

If there's a place like that wonder if Claire's there... Or Officer Kennedy...

I don't know. I just hope that they're both okay, wherever they are.

I'm sure they are, both of them were a lot stronger than I am. I was just small enough to squeeze into places and hide when the monsters were around, they fought them off! [Yes little Sherry's proud of her not!sis and not!babysitter]

And Claire'll find her brother!

[Chris can't help it. He smiles slightly at the mention of his sister.]

Not if I find her first, you mean. She's my sister. I have to be there for her. That's what brothers do.

I wouldn't know. I'm an only child. Though guess she acted like a big sister for me back in the city. Not that I couldn't have gotten out of there myself. [Hey she did okay the three days she was on her own before running into them.] Just wish she had stayed, then maybe Officer Kennedy wouldn't have agreed to let me leave with the agents. [Pouts a little]

Good luck. I'm hoping my new one isn't too horrible.

Jill. [Chris visibly brightens.] Good luck to you, too. Where're you heading exactly?

[ _{Have a big ol' smile, Chris.} ] A place called Teleios. Some city with a promise of utopia or [ _{She waves her hand.} ] something.

Zombie-free as far as I know.

Utopia? Yeah right. That sounds fishy to the extreme. Don't let your guard down for a second, okay? [He frets because he cares. Honest!]

[ _{She rolls her eyes but smiles all the same.} ] I'll be fine. [ _{Normally Jill would jump down the throat of anyone who gave her such a command but Chris is special. Chris means more to her than she's willing to admit.} ]

Don't worry about me. Besides, I'm more concerned about you.

Me? I'm fine, Jill. Just a little frustrated about this whole thing. It's just... weird.

[He's not even out of 1998 yet, and he's already had his own future shoved in his face. It's almost more than he can process. He makes a puzzled face and rubs the back of his head.]

Weird doesn't really do it justice.

[ _{She crinkles her nose when he makes that face, furrows her eyebrows a bit.} ] What's on your mind?

I'm just trying to understand why I'm- well- "behind the times". And it doesn't help that my mun keeps cackling whenever I try to talk to her. [He makes that face again, then sighs.] Pretty sure she likes tormenting me. Are they all like this, Jill?

[ _{She lets out a little sigh and makes a frown.} ] Mine put me somewhere with two different versions of Wesker. So... [ _{A beat.} ] Yeah, pretty much.

Two- [What.] That's- I don't think they've invented a word yet for how horrible that sounds. One of them was bad enough. But two?! [Why does he suddenly feel doomed?]

[ _{She makes a face, side eyes the ground.} ] Yeah. Didn't help that he - well, one of him - was the only one I could trust for a while.

The other one... [ _{A pause. Then she shudders, feeling sick all of a sudden.} ] Never mind. Let's not get into it.

[ _{She shoots him a sympathetic look, trying to smile through it. Give him a little hope.} ] I think that might have been a really, uh... special case. I'm sure they're not all bad.

Yeah, let's not. [He doesn't exactly look too thrilled about the thought of two Weskers lurking around. That's prime nightmare material right there.]

[One side of Chris's mouth quirks up into a little smile.] yeah. You're probably right. And if it does get a little hairy, I'll figure something out. We've handled worse before, right?

[ _{Jill's grinning right back.} ] Definitely. The only challenge for us, I think, is learning how to be sociable. [ _{Jill had spent so much time in the field, so much time away from "normal society" that she was a little rusty when it came to talking to others. Chris too. This one, though, this younger, fresher Redfield. He might do alright.

Her smile's a little sad when she thinks about "future" Chris. He's gone through so much.} ]

Gonna need someone to pick you up off the floor if you fall on your ass though. [ _{She gives him a playful punch to his arm.} ]

I can be social! [Chris, throwing coffee in a guy's face is not a social interaction. Nor is going solo and making your family worry about you.] It's just not high on my priority list right now. You know how it is.

[He mock-winces at the punch and rubs his arm in an exaggerated manner.] Ow! I forgot how hard you can punch! Have mercy on me!

[ _{She punches Chris again, harder this time, and giggles at him.} ] You can handle it, don't be such a baby.

You'll be just fine.

That's a good thing to not have.

Agreed. -Don't tell me you've dealt with them before. [Kids plus zombies equals oh geez no.]

Um, yeah. But we call them walkers. And other people have similar things in their worlds, by different names--like infected.

Chris. [His name is filled with a combination of mockery, disdain, and venom, all in one.] Do you really think you can put the past behind you?

[Chris's head snaps up in an instant, and the look he gives Wesker is one of surprised anger.]

I'm not trying to put the past behind me. Just the zombies, Captain. [Now he just sounds angry.]

[That look never gets old, nor does pushing Chris's buttons.]

That's it, Chris: a step in the right direction. No need to delude yourself with the idea that you can be rid of the can of worms you opened at the Spencer Estate. [His mouth draws back into a smirk.] After all, you were one of my men. I expect better of you.

[The problem with a hair-trigger temper is how easy it is for others to manipulate it.]

The can of worms I opened? No. You're the one responsible for what happened. You killed them. And so help me, you'll pay for it. No matter how long it takes, you- you son of a bitch! I swear, you'll pay...!

[Chris is practically trembling with fury at this point.]

[Namely, a man who got to know him and the other members of S.T.A.R.S. quite well.]

It's nothing personal. [The words are so flippant, like he did nothing more than squash a few flies.] You and Jill insisted on poking your noses where it didn't belong. The repercussions for that are all on your shoulders. [It's all business and personal gain. If you'd just died like good little test subjects, we wouldn't be here, now would we?] Such hollow threats.

[Someone who built up trust only to stab a knife in their collective backs.]

Nothing personal...! [One of Chris's hands clenches into a fist at his side.] You were planning on killing us. I'd say that warranted investigating! [They were not and never will be test subjects. They're human beings.] I don't make threats, Wesker. That's a promise. And I intend to keep it!

[All in the name of science and power.]

Oh, I think you misunderstand the importance of your roles. Pitting the S.T.A.R.S team against the bioweapons in that house provided valuable research data. [Because that's so much better.] How noble of you, but I'm afraid you'll find that road ending only in a broken promise.

You're a monster, Wesker. [If only Chris knew how apt that comparison is. He scoffs indignantly under his breath.] And people like you always get their comeuppance.

[That remark draws out a low, dark chuckle from Wesker.]

Only in fairy tales, Chris, but by all means: do try. I will enjoy crushing you.

[A chill crawls up Chris's spine at that laugh. But he won't let it show. Never.]

That Tyrant couldn't kill me. What makes you possibly think you could? [And why does he get the feeling he's going to regret that question?]

[Asking that question may as well be asking for trouble. He'll admit that the footage of that battle was quite a show, but in the end, Umbrella has worse things up their sleeve. He has worse things up his. He brings a hand up to his sunglasses and pulls them down, the bioluminescence of his eyes creating a harsh red glow. Once the glow dissipates, he looks up, pointedly at Chris, letting him see the yellow reptilian eyes.]

Because I'm greater than a Tyrant. Would you care for a demonstration?

[Suddenly, everything clicks into place. How Wesker could have survived the mansion. Why he stood there in front of the Tyrant's stasis tube and didn't move. Why there's been a feeling of impending doom hanging in the air. It all makes perfect sense. Chris has taken a few steps backwards before he's even aware of it.]

What- you're- what did you do?!

[Let it all sink in. In that respect, Wesker can read Chris like an open book. It's all starting to make sense, and the look of revelation on his face brings about another insufferably smug smirk. At first, the step towards Chris is casual.]

I shed my frail humanity for a far greater existence. [With his free hand, he clenches his fist and raises it, as though he can feel the power coursing through his veins.] I have power.

[And with all the suddenness of a snake, Wesker darts forward in an inhuman blur and swings that fist down towards the side of Chris's head. Whether or not he wanted a demonstration, he's getting one.]

[There's no time. Chris barely blinks before there's an almighty pain shooting through his head. His knees buckle at the force of the blow, leaving him in a crumpled heap on the ground. His ears ring. His sight blurs and doubles. It takes a moment before he can even understand which way is up.]

Guh-

[He raises his head, and even through the blood running down from his hairline, he glares at Wesker with nothing but distain.]

You freak.

[This time, the laugh is louder, more condescending, oppressive; his chin tips back with it, and after a moment, he replaces the sunglasses back on his face. Before long, his eyes are on Chris again as he stands over him. So arrogant is he that he doesn't bother to create distance, that even if Chris attacked him, he's sure it would be equivalent to a fly.]

You couldn't possibly understand. Humanity is riddled with weakness, yet you stubbornly cling to it. I almost pity you for being so blind. [He tilts his head just so to the side, looking down his nose at the marksman.] Tell me. How was it you intended to stop me?

[There's no reaction to the question at first. Chris just scrubs his face with the back of one hand and keeps glaring up at Wesker. His ears are still ringing from the force of the blow; it's a sensation that he really wishes would stop ASAP. But one thing's crystallized in his mind at this exact moment:]

[He's never hated someone in his life as much as he hates Albert Wesker.]

I'd figure something out. [Or, failing that, he'd just shoot until the bullets are all expended.]

[All Wesker hears in those words is uncertainty and recklessness. There's unabashed anger and hatred in written all across Chris's body language, and in Wesker's eyes, that makes it all the easier to defeat him.]

And I'm calling your bluff, Chris. [To emphasize his point, he reaches down and attempts to grab the other man by his throat. Should he fail to move, he'll be hoisted - quite forcibly - up into the air where his feet can no longer touch the floor.]

[It's not a pleasant experience to be strangled by gravity. He can't even manage to get a word in before he's hauled bodily to his feet. He gets one breath in before his feet leave the floor. There's a moment of panic, of clawing desperately at the hand around his throat. No air. He can't breathe.]

[But he clamps down on the panic before it can get any farther than that. Chris grits his teeth and tries to get whatever scrap of air he can around the vice grip on his windpipe. And all the while, that glare never leaves his face. It's an old-fashioned stare-down. It won't change anything, but like hell he's going to give Wesker the satisfaction of breaking him.]

Canon binge leads to game hunting.

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HI I'M SORRY been away a few days

No problem! Just sneaking in a waaaay late night tag. :)

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