Blackguard

Chapter 8 (Rajipur)

A/N: Wow, can't believe I FINALLY updated. Man, that took a long time lol. Sorry about the delay, school work and tutoring really kept me busy and for a little while, I got burnt out and just couldn't write for the life of me. But, I am happy to have finally finished at least one chapter (My original plan was to do a 2 part release, but I just wanted to get one done at least). Right now, I'm in my final term of school (forever, yay!) so the next 3 months will be busy. So probably no new chapter until maybe in October (I'm going to visit my brother right after graduation for 3 weeks). So, in the meantime, I hope you all enjoy :)

 

Leon's tired joints cracked and popped as he dug deeper into the plush plane seat. His eyes drifted lazily out the window, watching as the white clouds floated.

The bodies from the China outbreak aren't even cold, but here we are with another possible outbreak. Leon's voice strained at the end. Irritation simmered underneath his fatigue, and he was ready to burst.

He sat opposite Leon, his attention fixed on the B.S.A.A. initials engraved on the side of his knife. His thumb swiped over the worn initials for the umpteenth time before holstering it. He fixed Leon with his stare, feeling his fatigue weighing him down as he shook his head and rolled his sore shoulders back. "I don't know anymore. The thought of retirement seems like an impossible dream at this point." He sighed, "I don't think we're meant to retire from this business." He answered gruffly.

Leon caught on to the implication of Chris' words. He, too, often thought like that, but hearing someone else speak those words made his skin crawl at the realization. "I don't want to die doing this shit, Chris." He caught the older man's distant gaze. "But living 'normally' doesn't seem to fit into my life anymore. We drew a bad hand."

"Someone fucked us over pretty bad. Might have to have a word with 'em soon." Chris cracked a smile, but there was no humour in it. Seeing through the facade and past the mask his friend wore, the pain was there, and Leon knew he wore a matching look.

"Well, I hope not too soon--"

--The buzzing from Leon's phone pulled the men out of their thoughts. He ruffled through his pocket, snatched it out, and put it on speakerphone.

"Ingrid? Got any news?"

"Yes. I have some information regarding the rebels." the woman on the line answered immediately.

Both men leaned forward, eager to hear what she had to say.

"The in-fighting between the two fractions has been an ongoing issue for decades but reached new strains in the last two years. The city of Lehkmir controlled most of the area, now called Rajipur and wants it back. Lehkmir somehow acquired military weapons and Bio-weapons--which we are still looking into as we speak--and unleashed them into Rajipur."

"So, why is Jake there, then?" Chris asked with a crinkle between his eyebrows.

"Can't be family," Leon dragged a hand through his hair. "Maybe it was just poor luck that he found himself there?"

"After talking to him a few times, I doubt it," Chris said flatly. "He probably went there for personal gains...or money--"

"Besides that," Ingrid cut Chris off. "We now have confirmation that Jake Muller is indeed in the city and the hot zone for bioactivity."

"Marvelous," Leon rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair with a huff. "The kid can't stay out of trouble for one day. Thanks, Ingrid. Any leads on who sold the bioweapons? Neo-Umbrella?"

"Nothing concrete so far. On another note, the soldiers of Lehkmir took over a military base in Rajipur last week. Meaning it'll be nearly impossible to fly you two into the country. We can reroute you both as close to the border as possible, but you'll have to stay undercover if you two have any chances of getting through. They're pretty hesitant on foreigners right now."