In It For the Money

XXXXV

The team had jumped out of the aircraft and raced for the elevator door that Chris ordered. The three men stood inside with space between them, tension subsiding within them. Chris and Piers began to talk softly to each other as they descended. "There's irony for you." Piers began as he paced around in place. Chris turned towards him quietly. "A man who spent his entire life trying to destroy the world, and now... his son is the only one who can save it." Piers looked into Chris' eye intensely. 

"And here I am coming to rescue him," Chris added.

Piers built off of that contently. "The man who killed his father." He paced around Chris predatorily for a moment before stopping to his right. "Like I said -- Irony."

"I don't know, maybe it's fate," Chris mentioned calmly, thinking to himself. Piers averted his gaze briefly to the floor before glancing at the other male who had yet to speak. Seeing him watching Chris with knowing compassion. His lips pursed together as if holding his tongue. A window appeared and the team could see the size of the underwater lab, larger than they had ever imagined in their lives. "It's been three years since I killed Wesker. I can't let this war follow me forever." Chris turned to face down Piers, both were quiet for a moment before Chris continued. "After we rescue Jake, I'm turning in my gun."

"What!? Wait a minute--"

"It's about time someone took my place." Chris interrupted and stepped forward, touching Piers' shoulder. "And I'd be honored if it was you."

"I..." Piers looked away, unable to find the words to say. He looked to the other man for guidance but was met with coldness and apathetic eyes. He glanced shyly back at Chris. "I don't think I'm ready for that."

"You've made it this far, haven't you?" Chris questioned, watching the brunette's face calmly. Piers meets his gaze while the third male watches the elevator floor ding to the bottom. He adjusted his shoulders as he stepped out cautiously, leaving the two men behind for a short moment. "Alright," Chris muttered as he adjusted his rifle and stepped after the other man. "This is it!" He called as he raced passed the man and into some sort of control room. While Chris and Piers found Jake and Sherry the other male began checking out one of the vents in the room, pushing his body through it and getting to the other side. He found a ledge and a ladder, adjusting his uniform before kneeling by a box and listening intently. An alarm suddenly blared and the male covered his ears to stop the pain it was causing him briefly before he lowered them to the floor at his feet. His vision blurred before returning to normal, breathing softly as the other two men joined him. "What have you found?"

"Not much, you set that damn alarm off before I could do anything worthwhile." He scolded, looking across the room. "I reckon there's gotta be another set of elevators over there somewhere, but I don't know if it's got power running to it. This could be a problem if we gotta get these fans shut down. What do you think, Chris? Where do you want me?"

"With Piers. Have his back in there, no telling what's across."

"Got it." He shifted and jumped his way across the ledge and rolled to a stop as bullets pierced the ground following after him. He flopped onto his stomach and pulled himself behind a box for cover, feeling a burning sensation over his shoulder and looking over it to see a bullet had lightly grazed the skin and was barely bleeding. He sighed and pulled a pistol from his hip before beginning to throw down a distraction for Piers to get across.

~

They had gotten the elevator working and were moving in quietly with the next room. Fighting and fighting until they reached a large circular room. The three of them felt uneasy watching the conveyor belts with cocoons on some. Chris and Piers stepped towards the next door and went to open the door before an alarm briefly blarred. The third male climbed the ladder to look around the upper parts of the area, feeling his heart fluttering at the voice echoing around the room. "Engaging airlock. Connection to research block initiated. Please wait until the connection is complete." The male watched several J'avo soldiers surround the duo below. Aiming one of his pistols at one of the people. As they begin to fight a chilling voice speaks over their ears.