After reuniting with his longtime partner and friend Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield and her had done their own research, not relying on BSAA help who strangely weren't doing what they should against the doings of the Connections across the world. The two former members of STARS, after a thorough investigation, had managed to discover multiple criminal groups scattered across the globe and who were secretly working with the Connections, illegally supplying them with equipment and weapons in order to make enormous profits through of the black market which unfortunately had never been so flourishing. In this environment, human value did not exist, the only power that existed was that of money.

It was in the city of Los Angeles, California, that Jill and Chris had been able to find the trace of one of these Connections associates. Night had fallen for several hours on the city of angels, an almost full moon illuminating the darkness while a heavy rain was falling, bringing a little freshness with these days of intense heat. Sitting together in a rented car to go unnoticed, Chris and Jill were dressed as civilians, but their weapons were hidden under their jackets. Their vehicle was parked in a disreputable neighborhood, in a poorly lit and deserted street, not far from a disreputable nightclub whose main entrance was watched by two burly men with sinister airs.

As Chris smoked a cigarette while watching the nightclub intently, Jill, seated in the passenger seat, holding a tablet and continued to review the BSAA files hacked by Chris and his team, until finally finding their target's file. An elderly man in his thirties, white skin, brown eyes, short black hair and a small trimmed mustache.

_"So it's him..." Jill said.

_"Yeah..." Chris replied looking at the photo. "Xander Adams. The only son of a wealthy family, he chose to turn to crime and at only 20 years old he became a notorious arms trafficker. According to our sources, for some time, Xander has been receiving sums money from the Connections to supply them with military equipment on the black market. He is one of their closest allies. If anyone knows anything, it's him."

_"And how do you know he's in this club?" Jill asked.

_"He goes there almost every month, to have a good time." Chris explained. "Xander does not take himself for shit. He is arrogant, extremely wealthy and believes that no woman can resist him.

_"I hate this kind of guy..." Jill said as she picked up her pistol, checking the magazine again before hiding the weapon under her jacket again. "Okay, shall we do as we said? You take the main door, I'll take the back door. Like the good old days, huh?"

Chris looked at her and the two shared a smile as he nodded and checked his gun as well. Him and Jill in the car, it took him back in time, seeing himself and Jill again when they were young and new members of the Raccoon City police force, patrolling the streets in cars all night long, proving their firearms and hand-to-hand combat skills, until finally both being recommended to join the city's elite police squad, the STARS. It all seemed so far away now, Chris thought.

_"Sometimes when I think about it, I miss the good old days, before... you know." Chris huffed.

_"Yeah..." Jill replied, understanding her good friend's feelings. "But the ink is already dry, right? All we can do is keep going, always."

Chris smiled again, happy to see that Jill was staying true to herself. Both gently bumped their fists together, supporting each other, as they always would. They got out of the car in the torrential rain, pulling up the hoods of their jackets and separating, Jill pretending to go and smoke a cig further away. Chris didn't look at her so as not to attract attention and started walking towards the entrance of the club.

_"I'm waiting for the signal." came Jill's voice in the earpiece that Chris had placed as discreetly as possible in his ear.

As he had expected, as soon as he arrived in front of the doors of the nightclub, the two security guards at the entrance blocked his way.

_"Hey you." one of them said gruffly. "It's a private party, so get out of there."

_"Precisely, I'm the distraction of the evening. Do you want to see my performance? It's quite electrifying I warn you." replied Chris, looking at him defiantly.

The two guards exchanged wary looks, but quickly seemed to get angry, one of them grabbing Chris by the collar.

_"Are you kidding us or what?!"

_"Well...yeah."

On this scathing answer, Chris revealed a taser he was hiding under his sleeve and with a very quick movement stunned the man who held him by the collar with a violent electric shock at the level of the neck. The other guard, surprised, barely had time to react when he received a tranquilizer dart in the chest, fired by Jill from his position. The effect was immediate and the guard fell face down, asleep for several hours. Chris quickly hid the two unconscious men in the side alley behind some garbage cans.

_"Nice shot. Perfect timing." Chris said contacting Jill in the headset.

_"Thanks." replied Jill. "But please Chris, no more puns. That was awkward."

_"You know that humor has never been my best quality." replied Chris. "Okay, you can go. We'll contact each other if necessary."

_"Understood." replied Jill, who without waiting headed for another side alley that led to the back of the club, where the emergency exit was.

For his part, Chris entered the club through the main entrance. Immediately, the loud techno-pop music rang in his ears as he crossed the small hall and entered the main room where the party was taking place. Varied and epileptic light shows illuminated the room with the disco ball on the ceiling, while men and women danced energetically on the dance floor, while behind his turntables, the equally active DJ took care of the music. Other people, couples and singles alike, sat at a counter drinking and talking, some even looking very drunk already. I hate places like this, Chris thought as he walked and began to search around the room, carefully scanning every face he saw despite the intense play of lights. Some women, deliberately dressed very lightly in order to show off their bodies, passed near Chris and gave him seductive looks, but he remained focused on his mission.

Then, towards the back of the club, in a kind of VIP area, he saw him. Xander Adams was here, dressed in a purple suit with an open collar, sitting on a leather sofa and drinking champagne, surrounded by several women in very scanty outfits. The trafficker laughed heartily with the girls, staring unrestrainedly at their breasts and buttocks, then held up his glass of champagne.

_"Come on, It's my round tonight! Drink, dance, have fun!" shouted Xander loud and clear, to the delight of the customers.

He was obviously behaving like someone who had just made a good deal. Chris stood back to observe, noticing the presence of three bodyguards near the VIP area. Half hidden behind a pillar, he discreetly contacted Jill.

_"Jill, can you hear me? Target located."

_"Roger. I'm in position."

Chris nodded then, readying his weapon under his jacket, he began to walk slowly, counting on the crowd and the noise to approach the VIP area unnoticed from the side. But suddenly, although slightly alcoholic, Xander met Chris' gaze and immediately the arms dealer froze, opening his eyes wide with fear, as if he had recognized him.

_"Shit..." Chris growled between his teeth.

_"KILL HIM!" Xander then yelled at his three bodyguards, who without asking questions pulled out submachine guns and opened heavy fire in the direction of Chris, who thanks to his elite reflexes leapt nimbly and hid behind a pillar to avoid the bursts bullet holes that made a deafening noise and killed several civilians among the crowd. The music stopped and people screamed in fear, running away or hiding wherever they could. Not having been hit, Chris took advantage of the brief respite, as the guards reloaded their weapons, to retaliate and fired several shots from his weapon. One of the guards was hit in the chest and fell backwards, killed instantly. But Chris had to run again and jump behind the counter to protect himself from the new burst of the enemy guns. However, he spotted Xander fleeing down the back hallway, probably heading for the emergency exit.

_"Jill, watch out! He's coming your way!" Chris warned while staying in cover.

At the same time, running as fast as he could, Xander Adams approached the emergency exit door at the rear of the club, frequently looking behind him and continuing to hear the sounds of gunfire, but also the scream of pain from another of his bodyguards. The arms dealer, looking worried, quickly grabbed his cell phone from his pocket.

_"Damn, how did they know I was here?!" he growled. "I have to tell the boss..."

But as he opened the emergency door, stepping out into the rain, a masterful, perfectly executed back kick greeted him, striking him in the face, knocking him to the ground and made him drop his cell phone.

_"Raaah... Oh fuck..." Xander moaned in pain, half stunned and seeing trouble.

Jill Valentine came to stand over him, holding him at gunpoint after she got rid of the other guards in the backyard who were now all lying on the ground.

_"You bitch! You broke my nose!" growled Xander who was bleeding from his nostrils.

But Jill wasn't offended by the insult of this loser and turned him on his stomach, pinning him to the ground and began to cuff his hands behind his back.

_"Keep quiet or I'll break your teeth too, asshole." Jill ordered.

The arms dealer fell silent but continued to express his anger through grunts. Once he was firmly restrained, Jill forced him up, holding him by the shoulder and continuing to threaten him with her gun. Chris finally arrived, having managed to get rid of the three guards inside and wasn't at all surprised to see that Jill had succeeded. The two friends looked at each other briefly but Chris came over to Xander.

_"Xander Adams. You come with us, we have some questions for you." he said firmly.

But the arms dealer disrespectfully spat a little mix of saliva and blood on Chris's shoe.

_"I have nothing to say to BSAA shits like you, Redfield!"

Expecting such a reaction but choosing to ignore the spit on his shoes, Chris waved at Jill, who then covered Xander's head with a bag to block his view and dragged him to the car. Walking behind, Chris put his gun away and picked up his walkie-talkie.

_"Canine, this is Alpha. We're coming with the special guest. Prepare the interrogation room."

*************

Meanwhile, in Spain, Leon, accompanied by Claire, had left the capital for hours and had driven through the countryside and forests. As Leon had predicted, another unmarked black van had passed on that same deserted forest road, and this time he had tailed it. The landscape had become wilder and wilder, isolated from everything. During the trip, Claire had once again tried to contact her friend Emily, without success. Leon, meanwhile, had received a video message on his personal cell phone from someone he knew. Ashley Graham, daughter of the President of the United States. On the video, Ahsley appeared, filming herself from her bedroom at the White House. The young woman showed a look of the most concerned.

_"Hi Leon..." she said shyly but smiling. "It's been a long time since we've seen each other, but it's no wonder, with your work. As for me, well, I got my graduate degree, but nothing to compare with this what I went through in the past, well, you know... Listen, be careful Leon, okay? With everything that's going on in the world right now, I'm more than worried about you... Please, come back alive."

Ashley, smiling but showing a concerned, even sad look, sent a kiss with her hand and the video cut off. Leon remained silent, but inside was touched by this message. He liked Ahsley as a friend and had guessed that she had feelings for him ever since he saved her. But with the life he led, he couldn't afford it. A girlfriend, getting married, starting a family... It wasn't a life for him anymore, at least from his point of view.

The duo had discreetly followed the progress of the van but gradually lost track of it along unmarked paths through the forest. But Leon knew exactly where he was going. Claire clung firmly to her seat, the bumpy ground of the roads shaking the vehicle rather roughly. Then, finally, at the end of the afternoon, towards the end of the path, right in the middle of this wooded area, Leon stopped the vehicle and after checking his weapon, opened the door.

_"We must continue on foot from there." he informed.

Claire nodded and went down too, following her friend who indicated a very precise direction, showing that he knew this area well. The pair walked through the woods, the rays of early dusk filtering through the foliage and softly coloring the sky that orange hue.

_"You've been here before, haven't you?" Claire then asked.

_"Yeah..." Leon answered while walking and without looking back. "That was years ago. President Graham's daughter had been kidnapped and was being held hostage by a sect, Los Illuminados, led by a madman, Osmund Saddler. They worshiped a very ancient parasite, The Plaga, considering it as some kind of god and believed that all of humanity was destined to receive his "miraculous gift". But all I saw there was fucking hell."

Claire listened but guessed from Leon's somber tone that it was something he didn't like to talk about and didn't insist, not wanting to upset him. The duo walked, until finally reaching an increasingly sparse space and already signs of human presence, like old damp wooden fences or the remains of houses eaten away by time appeared.

_"We are approaching. Stay on your guard." Leon said, taking his pistol in his hand and motioning for Claire to follow him.

The young woman, taking her own weapon, took his advice and followed him. The forest gradually gave way to the entrance to what appeared to be, further on, a rural village, but seemingly abandoned for ages. The houses were in ruins, damaged by time and weather. At the end of the square, at the top of the steps, was a small church, also in poor condition. This vision brought back some memories in Leon's head. During this mission which now seemed so distant to him he had faced so many demons, including one from his own past, Krauser, who had been his mentor before falling into madness and the desire for power. Leon also had a thought for a man who was an ally until the end, Luis Sera, and who did not hesitate to sacrifice his life to repair his mistakes and had in the end allowed Leon and Ashley to stay alive.

_"I was hoping to never see this place again..." Leon growled softly.

_"Leon..." Claire wanted to say, but suddenly he cut her off and forced her to hide with him behind a rock.

Claire quickly understood why he had reacted like this. On the square of the small abandoned village, the mysterious black van had just appeared, coming out of between two houses and parking. From the back doors came men, dressed in military gear but looking more like mercenaries than a regular army. The doors of the old church opened and other people in similar outfits came out, dragging glass and metal containers with their hands and leading them towards the van.

_"The Connections..." Leon whispered darkly.

_"What are they doing?" Claire asked, puzzled.

Just as perplexed as his friend, Leon took his binoculars from his belt and took a look. Zooming in, he could better see the containers that these mercenaries were loading with so much eagerness but also precaution. Suddenly, he gasped, his blood freezing in his veins. In these hermetic containers were fragments of amber, carefully arranged and contained. And within those orange shards of amber were things that Leon knew only too well.

_"Oh fuck..." Leon huffed.

_"What? What do you see?" Claire asked.

_"The Connections... They're taking away specimens of Plagas preserved in amber. I thought they were all destroyed after Saddler's death... How is that possible?!"

_"No time for wondering. We have to stop them from doing that." Claire said, ready to fight.

Leon nodded, acknowledging that she was right and he wouldn't let his past get in the way of his mission's objective. He would never allow the Plaga nightmare to start again. But as the two of them, weapons in hand, stood ready to attack by surprise, out of the corner of his eye and thanks to his sharp military senses, Leon quickly noticed the shadow covering them from behind.

_"Watch out!" he said while throwing himself at Claire, startling her and pushing her away just before a shape came from above and was about to hit them from behind.

Leon and Claire rolled sideways together and quickly got to their feet, only to discover the person who had tried to attack them from behind. She was a young woman with pale skin, red hair, black lips and with dried blood surrounding her mouth. She was dressed in a long black hooded coat, black gloves and black boots, giving her a gothic look. In one of her hands she held a sickle. She looked closed, icy, devoid of humanity, on the duo. Leon and Claire immediately aimed their guns at her.

_"Who are you?" Claire asked.

But the goth woman didn't answer and stepped forward menacingly. Leon didn't hesitate and opened fire, but to the amazement of the duo, the two bullets fired passed through the woman who transformed into a swarm of noisy and black insects, before reforming as she was before, unharmed.

_"Oh my god..." Claire panted, shocked.

_"Damn... It's a bioweapon!" growled Leon, worried.

The gothic witch, without batting an eyelid, began to levitate in the air as a swarm of her own body appeared and surrounded her, as if one with her. With monstrous momentum, she flew forward and violently hit Claire, who was thrown backwards.

_"Claire!" Leon gasped without having had time to react as the action had been so fast.

_"Leon...watch out!" Claire groaned in pain, pointing behind him.

Leon dodged just in time a sickle blow that could have easily decapitated him. While stepping back, he dodged the woman's quick attacks, and managed to pull out his combat knife. A duel of reflexes and speed ensued, the blades of the knife and the sickle clashing in small explosions of sparks. When he could, Leon tried to land blows with his knife, but also strike with his martial techniques, but the gothic woman displayed superhuman reflexes and dodged easily with surreal movements. Arming herself with her sickle, the woman kicked into high gear and managed to make a shallow gash in Leon's thigh, who gritted his teeth and groaned in pain. But he resisted the pain well and continued the fight. Unfortunately, the witch managed to hurt him also in the shoulder, then gave him a brutal kick in the stomach which pushed his back against a rock, disarming him. Leon groaned, half stunned and trying to come to his senses.

Seeing her friend in danger, Claire retrieved her pistol and fired several times at the goth woman, who again remained invincible to the shots but turned her attention to her. In just one second, the witch levitated up to Claire and lifted her off the ground as if she weighed nothing, grabbing her by the throat.

_"Claire, no!" Leon gasped seeing that.

He got up quickly and picked up his weapon, ready to fire but didn't, the goth woman using Claire as a shield while holding her by the throat, under the threat of her sharp sickle.

_"Let her go, now!" Leon ordered angrily but also worried for his friend.

_"Leon... Shoot... Don't worry about me." Claire moaned, almost begging him to obey and seeming resigned to die.

Shoot through her? He could never do that, especially not to a dear friend. Leon gritted his teeth, his finger on the trigger, the gun pointed. Although he had been trained the hard way, to kill and become an elite agent, Leon couldn't bring himself to let an ally die. He could never forgive himself, he who had already lost a lot of friends, he didn't want to have to attend Claire Redfield's funeral. He wouldn't stand it.

Suddenly, from among the trees all around, Connections soldiers arrived, aiming their weapons with laser sights at Leon.

_"Drop your weapon!" one of the men ordered.

Leon hesitated, but quickly realized that there were far too many of them and that he was totally in the open, targeted by several laser dots. One wrong move and he would be turned into a bloody sieve. Hand shaking on his pistol, hesitating, Leon gave up, lowering his head and dropping his gun at his feet, not being able to risk Claire's life, even to save his own.

_"Leon... no..." Claire whispered when she saw him do that.

Leon, showing a gloomy but apologetic gaze towards Claire, raised his hands, surrendering. Mercenaries approached to force him to his knees, one holding him at gunpoint while another tied his hands tightly behind his back. The Mutant Goth Woman left Claire to the other mercenaries.

_"No, don't touch me, you bastards!" Claire ordered, struggling firmly.

_"Shut up!" replied a soldier, and silenced Claire's injunctions by placing a white cloth between her lips, gagging her, while another man tied her hands behind her back like Leon. Once bound and gagged, Claire continued despite it to resist but was quickly subdued and brought to Leon, and kneeling right next to him.The young man said nothing, looking towards his friend, sorry, but she didn't blame him.

Suddenly, one of the mercenaries arrived holding a laptop in his hands. On the screen appeared a mysterious man with his face hidden by a hood, sitting behind a desk in a dark room. The Gothic woman first came to introduce herself in front of the screen.

_"Nice work, my little Daniela. Daddy is very proud of you." said the man with unhealthy enthusiasm.

Daniela Dimitrescu did not react, remaining impassive and contented herself with a slight nod and stepped back, remaining static and waiting for the next order. The laptop was brought in front of Leon and Claire who could then see this mysterious man.

_"Agent Leon Scott Kennedy. Miss Claire Redfield. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." announced the man in an exaggeratedly ceremonial tone.

_"And can we know who you are, you motherfucker?" Leon asked gravely.

_"Tsss, tsss, watch your language, Mr. Kennedy. We are in the presence of young ladies." joked the hooded man. "So you are the great hero who survived Raccoon City, saved the daughter of the United States president and defeated Osmund Saddler? Hmm... I'm disappointed you see, I expected a bigger resistance on your part, but it's true that my dear Daniela is surprisingly efficient. It's stronger than me, I like to play, but I have nothing against a little cheating sometimes."

What a miserable bastard, thought Leon and Claire. So for him it was all just a game?

_"And what do you intend to do with the Plagas? Oh yes, why am I asking, you're not going to tell me." Leon said then.

_"You are shrewd, my little Leon." replied the hooded man. "Why tell you everything? And the pleasure of suspense then? Ah the people these days, they want to know everything right away. What a time, there is no more room for excitement, mystery, revelation... Take them to the helicopter and prepare them for transport. They will be... special guests."

Obeying their boss's order, the mercenaries took Leon and Claire by the shoulders, forcing them up and forcing them to advance towards the ruined village, while Daniela stood watching them for a moment without showing the slightest emotion, then followed, also ready to return to base after successfully completing her mission.

But what everyone did not know was the presence of another person, standing at a safe distance so as not to be spotted, on top of one of the surrounding hills. Having seen the whole scene, she observed again with her binoculars, seeing Leon and Claire prisoners taken away by the Connections.

_"Ah my sweet Leon... What trap have you gotten yourself into again..." breathed the woman, of Asian ethnicity, with mid-length black hair and dressed in a red biker jumpsuit and sitting on a a motorcycle.