_"Hallo, Emily? It's Claire. I've already left you several messages but you're not answering. I'm very worried about you. Please call me back as soon as you can."

After recording this umpteenth message, Claire Redfield hung up and put her cell phone back in the pocket of her denim pants. Sitting on a bus driving through downtown Madrid, the young woman remained lost in thought as she watched the fine rain fall outside and slide down the window, forming small rivers on the glass . Following TerraSave's work in Canada, Claire had taken a night plane which had brought her to Spain. The reason? A message she had received from her good friend Leon S. Kennedy, asking her to come and join him as soon as possible in Madrid. It was during the flight that Claire had then learned the news of a fire in Oakville, but also the death of Doctor Gleen Shepard and the mysterious disappearance of his daughter, Emily Shepard.

With all her heart, Claire hoped she was okay. Emily was a good friend and had been a great supporter of the TerraSave cause, even though she wasn't a member. However, Claire was also more than curious about Leon's request. They had not seen each other since the incident at Havardville airport several years ago and in which they again had to face, as in Raccoon City, hordes of zombies.

Finally, the bus stopped along a sidewalk and Claire got out, her bag on her back and feeling the raindrops falling on her head. Dressed in her eternal red leather jacket, Claire began to walk among the passers-by and very quickly noticed the unusual number of police officers, but also soldiers who were patrolling the streets. With all these bio-terrorist attacks perpetrated by this organization, the Connections, in several capitals for several months, it was not so surprising, she thought. But as she walked past the entrance to a small, dark alley between two buildings, a familiar voice called out to her.

_"You took your time."

Claire smiled and entered the alley without fear. There, emerging from the darkness, a man stood before her. He had a square face with a slightly unshaven chin, a hard look with brown eyes, short brown hair. He was dressed in dark, denim pants, black t-shirt and a military-looking jacket with a hood.

_"I'm glad to see you too. It's been a while, Leon." Claire replied with a wink.

Leon cracked a smile, showing that of course he was glad to see his friend and shook his hand. 

_"I would have liked to come earlier, but I had obligations elsewhere." Claire said without trying to justify herself. "However, I would like to know what brings me here?"

_"Not here. Come, follow me." suggested Leon, glancing briefly at the sidewalk and the passers-by who were still too close, and being cautious, beckoned the young woman to follow him and disappeared around the bend in the alley.

Intrigued but trusting her friend, Claire followed him. She walked behind Leon for several seconds in the rain until she finally got out of the alley and came to a deserted and almost empty parking lot, in which was parked a utility vehicle, a black military-looking jeep. Leon unlocked the doors and climbed behind the wheel while Claire joined him inside, getting into the passenger seat. Immediately, she noticed the mess that reigned in this vehicle, food wrappers scattered everywhere. She didn't comment, not wanting to offend Leon but guessed that he had been living in that car for a while. He was even probably sleeping there, knowing his zeal. Besides, before closing his door, Leon, by reflex, checked that they were really alone in the parking lot and closed it.

_"So? Are you finally going to tell me what you want or are you going to keep playing the mystery?" Claire asked.

Leon opened the glove box in front of Claire and took out a file which he opened and began to rummage through the many files listed in it, until he found the right one. He handed several papers to Claire who looked at them, and then discovered a series of photographs taken visibly in secret and showing each a black van without license plate, which seemed to take the same lost road in the middle of a forest, but on different days judging by the dates written behind each photo.

_"What is this?" Claire asked, puzzled.

_"For two months now, I have managed to take the photos of several unregistered black vans, all a week apart and each time on the same road, in the same direction." Leon explained, looking more than serious. "And three days ago, I was even able to pick up a transmission from one of the vehicles. It's them... The Connections."

The mention of the name of the notorious terrorist organization was enough to send an unpleasant shiver up Claire's spine, and she trusted Leon to know that he would never joke, especially on such a subject.

_"But... what are they going to do in the forest? I thought that their targets for months were the capitals of the world." Claire said, confused.

_"They're regrouping." Leon replied darkly, his gaze lost on the front. "In the transmission, I heard that they were gathering as much material as possible for the purpose of an evacuation. They intend to leave the country to find their accomplices elsewhere... But it's not just that... Apparently, they have discovered something, in the ruins of a village lost in the middle of the woods."

On this last sentence, Leon's voice became much darker, more personal, as if he didn't like talking about it.

_"In this case, you have to show your photos to the authorities, warn the armed forces before these terrorists manage to leave the country." Claire suggested.

_"Because you think I haven't already tried?" Leon replied with a sense of frustration. "Nobody listened to me. The police and the army are far too worried that another terrorist attack will occur in Madrid that they concentrate the maximum of their personnel in the city. For them, the clichés of simple black vans do not isn't enough evidence... What a bunch of idiots, seriously... What better place for terrorists than some ruins in the middle of nowhere? Anyway, I'm not going to let them get off that easy. I fully intend to find out what they're up to, even if I have to do it alone."

Claire smiled softly seeing Leon's determined gaze. Despite the years, he did not change. Even if he was no longer the somewhat naive young policeman she had meet and known in Raccoon City, he had kept this vigilante soul in him, eager to do his duty, even at the expense of his own life. He reminded her a bit of her brother, Chris, who also could be stubborn at times. She had a thought for her brother, praying that he too was safe, somewhere.

_"You won't be alone, Leon. I'm coming with you." Claire said.

_"Are you sure?" Leon asked looking at her. "Who knows what we'll find there."

_"I survived Raccoon City, then Havardville. I'm prepared for anything now." Claire pointed out with a wink.

She had a point, thought Leon who smiled and finally accepted his friend's help once again. Without wasting any more time, he drove off and the jeep began to roll, leaving the deserted parking lot and rolling towards the exit of the capital.

_"And... this village lost in the middle of the woods... Do you know where it is?" Claire asked.

Leon's gaze darkened again, memories surfacing in his mind.

_"Yeah... Unfortunately." was the answer he gave, but not wanting to say more about it for now.

***********

At the secret headquarters of the Connections, the mysterious leader of the organization, under his eternal hood hiding his face, sat on his big leather armchair behind his desk, humming a melody while being busy playing with the silver coins of his board, moving some of them. Behind him stood Doctor Anton Corvin, gazing thoughtfully at the heavy rain falling outside through the large bay window.

_"You look worried, Doctor Corvin. Any problem?" the head of Connections then asked without turning around, as if he had guessed the doctor's thoughts without even looking at him.

_"Well..." Corvin replied humbly. "We are running out of Mold samples. Since the death of our supplier, this Mother Miranda as she liked to be called, our stocks have run dangerously low. I fear that at this rate we will not be able to produce more bioweapons for our cause."

Listening vaguely to the doctor's comment, the hooded man, like a bored child, began to slowly spin his chair around.

_"Hmm, it is true that the loss of Miranda was a blow to the progress of our projects." confessed the leader, but without showing the slightest regret, as if he really didn't care. "But deep down, it doesn't matter. Our men in Spain have managed to find something that will perfectly replace this loss. You worry too much, Corvin, you should relax a bit."

Anton was more than perplexed by the casual, even detached attitude of the head of the organization, who however rested his gaze on the doctor.

_"However...it's not just about that stupid sample out of stock, am I wrong, Corvin? I know you had a talk with that mutant girl...what was her name again... Ah yes, Bela Dimitrescu."

Corvin swallowed lightly but kept his composure. It was no wonder the leader eventually found out, one of the mercenaries he had hired must have told him, or he could have overheard the conversation through the surveillance cameras that were swarming in this building.

_"I admit it, yes..." answered Corvin without trying to hide it. "I couldn't contain my curiosity. She, as well as her sister, and this woman, Donna Beneviento... They have unique characteristics as bioweapons, but not only... Several times I have heard Benevento talking to someone who wasn't there, apparently her mother. As for Bela and Cassandra, the bond that unites them as sisters is very strong. Bioweapons capable of continuing to love, to shows human feelings..."

As he listened to the doctor, the Connections leader burst out laughing, leaning back in his seat, leaving Anton bewildered. After this fit of laughter ending after several seconds, the hooded man caught his breath and spoke.

_"Do you get along, Corvin? Monsters that can love, have family ties... Seriously? Bullshit! These things aren't human anymore. You really think they care about things like love or family? Let me show you..."

With that, he snapped his fingers, as if giving an order. The office doors opened and a group entered. Several geared and armed mercenaries advanced, and two of them held chains tightly in their hands. At the end of these chains was a metal collar firmly encircling Bela's neck and that continued to inhibit her swarm shapeshifting ability. The young witch struggled furiously, but her hands shackled behind her back limited her movements. Bela was dragged towards the desk and was forced by one of the mercenaries to her knees, watched by the other guards who stood ready to shoot him down with their weapons at the slightest attempt to escape. Knowing that it was useless to fight against these bonds, Bela gave up, but raised a look full of hatred towards the leader of Connections who rose from his chair and approached. Anton stood back, looking at Bela with what appeared to be an apologetic look.

The Connections leader leaned down and wanted to grab Bela's chin between his fingers, but she tried to bite down hard, causing him to take a step back.

_"Oh-ho, wild tigress!" The hooded man laughed heartily, amused by this reaction.

_"Don't touch me with your filthy hands!" Bela growled fiercely. "I did what you asked, I faced your abominations for your stupid experiments! Now I order you to tell me where is Cassandra! Give me back my sister!"

_"What audacity, I admit that I like it." replied the leader, still with that same superior air. "You are not in a position to demand anything, so know how to stay in your place. You see, if I made you come here, it is because my dear collaborator, Anton Corvin here present, is convinced that you mutants can be capable of... feelings... Ha, good joke! Nonetheless, I've decided to check out his wacky theory with a new little test that you're going to take part in and that I hope you'll find fun."

Corvin's throat constricted, but he remained silent before his leader's open mockery of his belief. Bela was left confused by this story but didn't care because all he cared about was finding her sister. The leader of the Connections then returned to his desk and took a small black box that he kept in a locked drawer and put it on the desk. The leader opened the box and took out an item. Immediately, Bela's eyes widened and she gasped in shock, as if she had seen a ghost. That pendant, that gem... It was Daniela's pendant that bastard was holding in his hand!

Possessed by anger, tears streaming from his eyes, Bela pulled violently on the chains but was quickly restrained by the mercenaries.

_"SO IT WAS YOU WHO DARED TO... YOU BASTARD! GIVE ME THAT!"

Corvin chose to look away, not bearing to watch this test which looked more like a session of psychological torture. In front of Bela's reaction, the leader of the Connections remained insensitive, holding the pendant as his property and came to present it right in front of Bela's face, who helplessly could only look at it without being able to grasp it.

_"And yes, this poor... Daniela, yes that was her name..." commented the leader cruelly. "At first, I thought I was only using this pendant to lure this Lady Dimitrescu and Lord Derune here, but after having the object examined, I discovered an incredible thing... This pendant, this jewel embedded in it... It was impregnated with particles, microscopic but very real, of Mold, as if the object had almost fused with the organic matter of its carrier... I then had a brilliant idea..."

Bela was barely listening to the ramblings of this crackpot, his attention focused on her late sister's pendant, seeing her own face and tears reflected on the gem. Suddenly, other mercenaries arrived in the office, bringing Cassandra who was in the same situation as Bela and who was put on her knees a few meters from her big sister.

_"Cassandra!" Bela gasped, both reassured to see her alive but worried to see her chained up like her.

Cassandra, however, said nothing, she too was shocked to see Daniela's pendant, but was also prey to a feeling of mad rage, which was quickly diminished by the mercenaries who were holding the two women prisoners. Meanwhile, the leader of the Connections, with morbid passion, continued his speech.

_"Thanks to the research done by Mother Miranda, we discovered that the Megamycete, the very source of the Mold, was not only able to create new forms of life, but was also able to keep the residual memory of its creations, even dead, like an immense invisible psychic network, safeguarding the memory of each being linked to it... I then asked myself: would it be possible to reverse the process and, from a simple sample, to bring back something thing supposed to be already dead? Well I tried, and... here's the result."

With a wave of his hand, the leader pointed to a side door, which opened immediately and let three other people enter. Two other guards, but it was the person in the center who left Bela and Cassandra speechless, in shock and unable to believe it. How was it possible...

_"D... Daniela..." whispered the two young women.

It was her! Daniela, their little sister, was here, alive, the same outfit, the same hair, the same face... It was really her! However, something was wrong... She was totally impassive, showing no emotion and looking almost in a daze as she was escorted away by the two guards. Bela and Cassandra, tears in their eyes and still in shock, tugged at their chains to no avail.

_"Daniela! Daniela, it's us!" Bela said in an attempt to get her attention.

_"Little sister, look at us! We are here!" Cassandra added.

Nothing to do, Daniela did not react to their voices, barely looked at them without even seeing them, and remained static, silent and impassive as the leader of the Connections came to her and almost pointed her out like a trophy.

_"Amazing, eh? With a simple sample taken from the pendant and the incomparable skills of our researchers, we were able to reanimate the residual memory of your sister's mold and bring her back to life! Oh sure, we did a few brain changes to make her more... let's say, less stubborn than her two sisters."

Bela and Cassandra were horrified to hear that! This bastard had not only resurrected their sister but had made her a weapon devoid of reason and feelings. Seeing Daniela like this, staring into space, not even reacting to their presence, Bela and Cassandra felt despair, but also rage rising in them, but knew they were powerless to be able to do anything. Cassandra let out a cry of sadness mixed with anger, while Bela remained silent, but stabbed the leader of the Connections with her gaze, expressing to him the most palpable and burning desire for revenge that could exist. But the leader completely ignored the two sisters, putting the pendant back in the box and turning to Corvin.

_"Well it seems you were right after all, Corvin. Ah, I like family gatherings, don't you?"

Faced with this question in bad taste, Anton chooses to remain silent. The leader then ordered that Bela and Cassandra be taken back to their cells, while Daniela remained, static, waiting for her master's next order. A mercenary soldier then arrived to warn the hooded man.

_"Sir, our scouts in Spain have just confirmed that a US government agent has successfully located the assembly point. He is currently heading there."

The Connections leader rubbed his hands in pleasure.

_"Splendid!" he said with unhealthy enthusiasm and walked over to Daniela. "It's the perfect time to test our new little rookie. Prepare a transport, she leaves immediately...It's time, my dear Daniela...Make daddy proud of you."

As if reacting to this injunction of the "daddy", Daniela's eyebrows furrow slightly and the iris of her eyes turns blood red. She then looked up at him, remaining cold as ice but expressing a slight nod, as if accepting the order given and left without discussion, ready to accomplish her mission.