Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Raccoon City 

2020

10:00 p.m.

Bon Jovi played bass on the car radio. Even though it was muffled, the sound of drizzle could be heard inside hitting the glass. Claire braked slightly as soon as she saw the light turn red, rested her head on her left hand, the arm resting on the car door, and sighed deeply after the long day of work. Even with simple cases like fines and assaults, police protocol was still a pain to follow and if Claire could have gone through them all, Irons would certainly arrest her in the office and give her a lecture lasting at least 40 minutes, and complaining already. enough of Barry and Chris. She watched the red traffic light as she waited to continue on her way home, but within seconds the memories of the blood appeared as vivid and clear as the last time.

She closed her eyes in an attempt to forget that memory and opened them, dazed by the horn that sounded behind her, the light had turned green and she still hadn't left her spot. Accelerating little by little, Redfield changed her route to a nearby bar, realizing that she would need to get drunk if she wanted to sleep well that night.

Hampton's Bar

11:25 p.m.

— I swear, Chris. I'm not drinking.

— What song is this, then?

— Okay, maybe I'm drinking wine — she replied, rolling his eyes at the last minute excuse. — and…listening to music, but I'm at home.

She leaned back against the damp wall and looked around to see if she was still alone in the alley. As soon as she saw his brother's call, she ran to the back of the bar to answer the call, with Chris and Barry following him. Lately it was better to respond than to ignore. She put her hand on the gun that was holstered and reloaded, so she would have no problem attacking someone who came by surprise.

—Irons was furious because you haven't finished the report yet — Chris replied, catching Claire's attention again.

—All I don't need is to fill out that rubbish, I'll figure it out tomorrow.

—You said that two days ago —she could feel his tone becoming more serious, he was really getting stressed and if there was one thing Claire liked to avoid, it was annoying her older brother.

—I'll fix it today and deliver it tomorrow morning. Satisfied, Captain?

—Yes, Sergeant. Now get out of that back of the bar and drive home.

She adjusted her posture, looking to both sides in the hope of seeing her brother's figure, but the place was still empty, so she soon realized it was a bluff.

—I already said I'm not at the bar, if you think using that against me will help you take the horse out of the rain.

—I'll believe you, I need to go. See you tomorrow. Good night, bear.

— Goodbye.

Claire turned off her smartphone, placing it in the pocket of the red leather jacket she was wearing, pulled the stuck metal door and entered the bar again, taking a sip of the ice-free whiskey she was holding while talking to Chris.

Claire knew this was all a concern due to the excess alcohol she had started drinking, but she simply didn't have the patience for nosy nannies, she was 33 years old and knew what she was doing to her liver. So she drank until her vision blurred and only when that happened did she decide that she should return home.

— You okay?

—Wonderfully well —she replied without being scared by the unknown as she tried to press the button to unlock the car. She was so drunk that she didn't give a damn about the person who approached her in an empty parking lot.

—Do you need help?

At the same moment the car alarm went off, notifying Claire that she had unlocked the vehicle. She walked to the passenger door and got into the car, but found the steering wheel missing when she stretched out her hands. Claire heard knocking on the car window and lowered it to see who it was.

—I think you came to the wrong place.

She turned her head to the other side, seeing the blessed steering wheel and regretted the mistake she had made, hse opened the car door and saw the person giving space for her to pass, she still hadn't paid much attention to who it was, but from the voice he deduced that it was a man. .

Your arm was held by the stranger and for the first time you noticed his soft voice.

—I don't think you should drive. Come, I'll call you a taxi. 

Without blinking, Claire followed the man to the edge of the sidewalk and waited patiently for him to push her into a taxi. Redfield, in the back of his consciousness, had an idea of ​​the mistake she was making, but her senses were inhibited by the drink that controlled his entire body.

—Come on, come in.

— Neil —she whispered, thinking about her friend.

Claire lowered her head to get into the taxi that had stopped and sat on the soft cushioning, her mind almost turned off from relaxing so much with the upholstery.

— You should have listened to your brother, Claire.

— What? —she asked, feeling a lapse of reason with the pronunciation of her name. 

—Where to? — the taxi driver asked Claire, who completely forgot what she had heard and gave her address and the car started right away.

8:30 a.m.

— Damn!

It was the third time Claire had searched the apartment in search of the key and she had not even seen a clue as to the object's whereabouts. The day had started off on the wrong foot for Claire, who woke up with a massive headache resulting from the previous night's drinking. As soon as she looked at the digital clock on her bedside, her mind was alarmed to see that it was already 8:30 a.m., she was extremely late. for work. She didn't take a shower or even change her clothes, she just put some toothpaste in her mouth and ran in search of her missing car key.

Her cell phone had rang for the fourth time, causing even more anger in Claire who ran to the living room and picked up the smartphone resting on the coffee table.

— You're late, Redfield.

— Irons…

— You have 10 minutes to appear in front of me.

Without saying anything else, the man hung up on Claire, who closed her eyes, controlling her despair over the situation. She had the idea that there was no point in continuing the search, it was useless. Claire had lost her car keys. She grabbed her wallet, also on the table, and looked to see if there was any money in there. Seeing that there was, she ran to the elevator and clicked on the ground floor. As soon as the door opened, she ran with all her strength and took the first taxi she saw.

—Raccoon City Police Station — replied to the taxi driver who nodded and started the race.

Her head hurt, her stomach was upset and she hadn't had her coffee, Claire was at the height of her bad mood and would take out all her frustration on the first person who appeared in front of her.

Racoon City Police Station 

8:42 a.m.

—Irons are going to kill you —Chris replied when he saw his sister passing through the main entrance of the police station. He offered the cup of unsweetened coffee to Claire who gladly accepted, she wouldn't last another minute if she didn't take at least one sip of the drink.

—The feeling is mutual —she murmured, making her way to Irons' office, Chris continued to follow her, laughing at her comment.

—Try not to get fired —he asked before going on his way.

—I don't promise anything —she shouted, going up the stairs towards the second floor.

The police station was busy as always, several phones were ringing, people were running from one side to the other, an excess of voices, everything that Claire didn't need at that moment, she walked the entire route without slowing down and yet no one dared to get in her way. After all, everyone there knew about Redfield's fame.

At the end of the west corridor on the second floor, Claire saw the nameplate of the room "Brian Irons Boss" and turned the door handle, breaking into the office without even announcing it, seeing Brian looking at her seriously. 

— I am here.

—15 minutes late. You’re fired.

—Oh, for God's sake, Irons, don't bother me.

—You don't fill mine! —he shouted. — I can't let you continue this, Redfield, it's out of control, it's the fourth time this month. Do you realize the problem you're getting me into with your irresponsibility? You're not like that. 

Claire didn't dare move at Irons' complaint, not even a frightened look, all she conveyed was a dull and skeptical look. Brians sighed knowing that any attack would be useless, Claire wouldn't go back to being the agent she was 5 years ago, not after everything.

— You need to get over the Javier case, Redfield — he argued, looking at the woman again, seeing her gaze flash with anger, but she remained silent. — You are my best agent, don't let failure consume you.

— Are we talking about the same case? — asked Claire. —The mayor committed suicide, Irons. What kind of person disappears without a trace and commits suicide two months later? The city was sinking into ruins.

— That's been five years! There's nothing to do. We have no proof, Claire. We have nothing. Absolutely nothing. A dead end. Now try to act like a detective or I'll transfer you. Now get out of my office and bring me the report.

Without saying a word, Claire left Brian's office and went to her office in the east wing. As soon as she opened the door she came face to face with his partner, Ben Bertolucci.

—Irons fired you? —he asked, playing with a Rubik's cube.

— Not yet.

— Do you need anything? 

"Get the hell out of here" was Claire's first thought, she didn't have the patience for Ben's 9-hour chatter, besides being exaggeratedly chatty, he was a puppy in anyone's hands. 

She hated puppies.

— Get me some aspirin —she asked, unlocking the computer and checking her e-mails, drinking some more coffee while deleting the excess ads that fell into his inbox.

Claire was about to close the tab when a strange email arrived, with no sender or identification. She double-clicked, opening the document, which was practically clean, with only one sentence filling the space.

Turn on fax if you're looking for answers

She frowned at the strange message, the fax hasn't been turned on in decades, only in cases of extreme emergency. She looked at the fax machine behind her, thinking if she followed the instructions, she had nothing to lose by turning on something so old, she moved away from the table, turning her chair to face the fax machine and pressing the on button.

—Why are you turning on the fax? —Ben asked as soon as he entered the room with aspirin and another cup of coffee.

—I'm just checking something out —Claier commented without giving much away, calmly watching the fax call and remembering the lack of pages in the machine. —Get me a sheet of paper from the printer.

—Just one? 

—Just one.

Bertolucci ran towards the nearest printer, taking an A4 sheet and returning it to Claire, who positioned the sheet in its proper place, automatically heard the sound of a message being sent and, again, only a single sentence was written on the paper. Calmly, Redfield took the sheet and read the printed sentence, her eyes widening as she repeated the reading.

—Fucking shit.

—What have you written? —Ben asked, placing the medicine and coffee on the table.

—We have work to do, Bertolucci. The Javier case will be reopened.

—What? —the detective asked. Claire pushed the sheet towards him and he read the typed sentence.

Alexia Ashford had an affair with the mayor.

Chapter Text

2015

— Who is the magnate? —she asked anxiously, she had little time.

— You'll never catch him.

— Answer, Niel. 

— Shoot me.

— Not until you speak.

— Shoot, shoot, please —he replied, holding firmly the hand that held the glock.

— Niel!

Raccoon City Police Station 

2020 

Wednesday 9:00 a.m.

— Claire, this is a bad idea.

She didn't dare slow down her steps, Ben sighed deeply at the woman's stubbornness, he regretted having doubted the rumors about her that 90% of the police station told him. Claire was indomitable.

— You don't have any proof to confirm whether this is true or not. If we follow protocol…

Ben was startled when he saw Claire stop and turn towards him with an irritated look.

— I don't know what goes through your head when you do that, but it's good to reformulate your police principles, Bertolucci. Not everything is protocols.

She turned around again following the route and Ben sighed deeply before following her towards Brian's room, he didn't understand what was going on in Claire Redfield's head, he knew that transferring to a city as dangerous as Raccoon City was not Good thing, he just didn't expect to have such a complicated partner, working with Claire was challenging his own sanity every single day.

He saw the woman push open the door to Irons' office and followed her without any options.

— I got a lead on the Javier case — she declared, placing the paper on the boss's desk, who looked at the sheet in surprise.

— Where did you get that?

— My informant — Claire lied and Ben looked at her when he saw the lie, but he didn't dare say anything.

Irons looked at her suspiciously, but Claire didn't waver. 

— You should have abandoned the mission.

— She who offered me the information wants justice as much as any of us. The proof is there, Irons. You need to let me talk to her.

— I'll issue a note asking her to come and answer some questions, but I can't guarantee anything, understand?

— No problem.

— You owe me a report, Redfield.

— I will deliver it as quickly as possible. 

Claire left the room along with Ben, he hoped he had enough space to question his partner.

— Why did you lie? That is not proof.

— Irons knows.

Ben's eyes widened at Claire's sentence, he didn't imagine that kind of response.

— Listen to one thing, Bertolucci. Raccoon City is not a peaceful town where the rules work, either you do right your way or you don't get justice. 

Claire continued on her way, she would get Adam's case files to look into them and see what she missed. Ben stood there, wondering if he really made a good choice moving to that city.

Raccoon City Police Station

Friday

07:00 p.m.

— Are you telling me she's not coming? — she said irritably to the man in front of her who trembled at the irritation in Claire's voice. 

— The...The judge didn't grant it. He said he doesn't see any reason to talk to Alexia, besides, the person accused of trying to murder her is imprisoned here and has a distance restriction. I tried, but Robert is not one of the friendliest judges.

— He never is.

She sighed, resigned to that lie, nothing new in the Elite of that shitty city, Kendo was one of the most sought after judges in Raccoon City, but Redfield hated him with all her might.

Without patience for Ben's explanation, she walked with heavy steps, already knowing where she could get some incisive explanation of all the rascality that was taking place over the case. Claire hadn't slept well due to the memories that came back to torment her the night before, and to make matters worse, she hadn't had a single dose of coffee all morning. She forcefully pushed Irons' door, showing all his indignation that he already knew what awaited him.

— Can you explain to me what this shit is about Alexia? — she asked Irons who sighed tiredly while taking a sip of coffee, preparing to give an answer.

— I'm working on other means to achieve something. Alexia traveled this morning, in fact.

— Where to?

— Nobody knows. She took the private jet and just left the city. She is being protected by Kendo. I'm doing everything in my power, Redfield.

— Of course he is, unlike that idiot Bertolluci — she replied, sitting in the armchair in front of his organized desk. — I want you to transfer him.

— Claire, this is the fifth partner I’ve offered you.

— I told you that I don't work with anyone — she refuted. Claire hated the partnership, it never worked and the person hindered her more than she helped, the only one who really worked with her still did the favor of dying. She decided that it didn't work for anyone, just her, the coffee and the prescription drugs.

— You know the police station has a system and you need to follow it.

— Fuck the system —she complained, standing up. If Irons didn't solve anything for her, nothing would stop her from going up to Kendo and punching him in the face. 

— Look what you say, Redfield. You know I can fire you —Irons replied seriously. 

— You can, but you won't.

She didn't dare look back, Claire knew that Brian's threats were empty and that any of his achievements were thanks to Claire, “question my methods, but never my results”. She returned to her room where Bertolucci remained in the same place, not moving a single muscle.

— Irons is calling you — she warned, sitting in the chair and opening the contact list in the email.

— Do you know what this is about? — he asked monotonously.

— No, he said it's urgent — Claire replied without even looking at him, but in her peripheral vision she could see him leaving the office. 

She knew that Brian would transfer him, her personality is not one of the most loved in the police station and no one accepted to partner with her, those who accepted came from outside and gave up, or were even sent to another center by her, if the agent didn't is ready for your type of work, then it is of no use to you.

Claire decided to forget Bertolucci and tried to remember the closest person she had to the legal center to get any information on Alexia Ashford's location.

A renowned socialite in the city, together with her brother, she owns 25% of the shares in Umbrella, a large pharmaceutical and cosmetics company. But underneath all that perfection there are more than a hundred crimes that Claire misses every day she investigates them. But of course it is covered up by the legal leadership here, buying all the politicians and judges, offering a unique night of pleasure to some.

But that was the least of Claire's problems. She picked up the phone and dialed the number she already knew.

— Valentine.

— Jill? I need a favor. 

— On all ears.

— I need you to get Alexia's location.

— I heard she took a last minute trip. 

— Get someone to give me the location.

— You haven't asked me not to do it, Claire. —replied the brunette smiling, Claire could hear the tapping of her high heels on the floor echoing. — And can I know why you want this?

— You know about the rumor that's going on — commented, leaning back in the chair.

— Of the attacks being active again in the city? Or the Magnate's return?

She tried to push away any memory that decided to appear in her mind at the mention of that name.

— You're still not over it, are you? —the woman asked, making Claire return from her thoughts.

— Both, I believe they may be interconnected in some way — she confessed, throwing the bait, Claire knew she had to release something to convince her.

— And where is Alexia in all this? —Jill asked curiously 

— I can't tell you that, it's information still being evaluated.

She remained silent, but it was possible to hear her constant, monosyllabic murmur thinking about my proposal.

— I can see what I can do, but you know that getting close to the Ashfords is not an easy thing, especially involving the police.

— I trust your work.

— This doesn't work for me anymore, Claire. Tell Chris I sent my regards — she complained and the detective laughed before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. Jill rarely disappointed and she would bring something, she believed chose the best person to help.

— You look like you messed up — Claire looked at the office door, seeing Barry leaning against the doorframe.

— Good evening to you too, Barry — she greeted in the most friendly way and went back to working on the computer while Burton sat in the only chair in front of my desk.

— I heard about Alexia leaving.

— I think the entire police station knows that.

— You're not going to wait for Irons, are you? —he asked, raising his eyebrow.

— You know how I work.

— You solve crimes as often as you put yourself at risk — he said, sitting in the armchair previously occupied by Ben. Claire couldn't help but laugh at the comparison, it was the truth.

— But we wouldn't be here if it weren't for that, would we?

— Chris is worried about you. —Claire held back from rolling her eyes at the mention of Chris. 

— Tell him I don't need a babysitter — she replied, already knowing where this conversation would lead and, honestly, she didn't have the patience for it.

— Claire.

— Look, Barry. I'm fine, what happened 5 years ago won't happen again, I promise. All I need is people treating me like I'm made of glass.

She responded, getting up ready to look for somewhere that didn't have anyone to bother her. She loved Barry, but her overprotection of Chris's concern took away what little patience she had.

— There was an attack — Burton informed her, making her stop walking and focus on him as he got up from his chair and turned around. — A restaurant exploded a few minutes ago on OurWest and 3rd avenue. S.W.A.T. has already been forwarded.

— How did this happen?

— They are still trying to take possession of the security cameras, but it appears that it was not due to a gas leak.

Her eyes widened.

— I need your car key.

— Where's yours? 

— He stayed at home — she summarized. Barry offered the keys to the Impala and Claire didn't look back, running as fast as she could to the police station parking lot.

Chapter Text

Raccoon City

OurWest 

Wednesday 8:55 p.m.

Claire parked the impala at the edge of the street and got out of the car, observing the commotion, the blue and red sirens of the vehicles lighting up most of the street. Photographers and civilians gathered close to the edge of the crime area, being prevented by the police barrier. Claire, knowing that she would have to go through that, closed the car door and walked with precise steps towards the crowd. She wanted to light a cigarette to warm her up on that cold and rainy night. 

Raccoon City was a dark and sad city, Redfield grew up there and never saw it change, on the contrary she sank deeper into that lonely setting with each passing year, the climate became colder, the rains were more constant, the humidity increased along with crime. The streets have become a battlefield and only the brave dare to walk on them knowing they could be robbed, murdered, kidnapped or worse.

Claire pushed the cluster away without apologizing or asking for permission, there was no reason to do so. She put her hand on her coat in search of her badge and, as soon as she reached the barrier, Claire showed the document to the police officer who raised the yellow ribbon allowing her to pass. She looked around in search of someone she knew or someone competent to report the situation as she approached of the restaurant.

— Claire — she looked to the side, seeing the S.W.A.T captain approaching, smiling. — I thought Barry would come.

— Carlos — Claire greeted. — He was busy, so I came. What can you tell me about the situation?

— Barry must have already warned about the explosion — he deduced, receiving a nod from Claire, who remained silent and concentrated. — It happened at 8:00 p.m., unexpectedly, no alarm was raised, nor were people screaming in the street because of the fire. The restaurant just exploded out of nowhere. The firefighters were called immediately by citizens who saw what happened, it took around 20 minutes to reduce the flames and be able to enter the place, they analyzed the entire scene and confirmed that there was no gas leak, we are making a list of people present at the place, there were no survivors on the first floor, some were injured on the second and third, but the firefighters with my team have already taken everyone out of the building. 

— What about the security cameras? — Claire asked, looking away and focusing on the view of the completely destroyed restaurant, there was nothing left.

— We were lucky. The security room is on the third floor, so it's mostly intact. We will arrange the recordings and send them to the police station as quickly as possible.

— Do you have any idea why the explosion occurred if it wasn't a leak?

Carlos sighed and pulled Claire to a further corner, she tried to understand the reason for Oliveira's sudden action and thought if it wasn't better to avoid something worse, she calmed down when she saw that they were still in an open place, but further away from the crowd and the other police officers, Carlos took a pack of cigarettes from his vest pocket and pulled one out offering it to Claire, who gladly accepted.

— Some of the people who were on the second floor of the restaurant heard screams from a desperate man — he replied after taking a puff of his cigarette. — He was shouting disjointed things, they didn't see much, but the way they said about the guy makes one suspect that the same thing that happened 5 years ago is returning. Rumors were swirling, but this accident, if it was caused by a lunatic, was certainly the official warning that he's back.

Claire inhaled heavily on the cigarette releasing the smoke through her nose, her heart began to gradually accelerate when thinking about him again. Why now? Why five years later? Nothing made sense to the redhead about this mysterious man.

— Do you think it was a random case or did it have some purpose like Adam's? — she asks.

— We will only be able to know when the client list is published and we have access to the cameras, whether the damage was extensive, whether we wanted it or not.

— I want to interrogate the witnesses — Claire asked, throwing the cigarette butt on the floor and stepping on it, she was feeling better.

— Make yourself comfortable, they are in the ambulance and near the vehicles; Just...be careful, they're in shock — Carlos warned, knowing Redfield's unorthodox methods.

— I'll see what I can do — she replied, returning to the epicenter of the place following Carlos' instructions. It wasn't difficult to find them, the group of most upset and tearful people in that place approached the first victim: a woman, blonde, 28 years old, her makeup was smudged from excessive crying, she was holding tightly to the anti-aging duvet. shock, but even so his hand shook incessantly. She looked scared at Claire as soon as she noticed her presence.

— I'm Agent Claire Redfield — she began bluntly.

—I've already told the officers everything I know — the woman cut Claire off, ready to ignore her.

— I'm the detective responsible for the case and I need to know the facts from you, not the officers. 

The witness looked directly at Claire who didn't look away, keeping them steady and intimidating. It was inevitable for her not to lower her head with such directed coldness.

— I was on the second floor — the woman began. — The place was quiet, I was with my husband, and we were having dinner. We didn't see anything, just some screams from a man, we thought it was suspicious, my husband decided to see what happened. And then…

Claire sighed when she saw the woman crying again, she hated having to deal with the sentimental part, she would have to be patient if she wanted all the information.

— I'm sorry about your husband. Is there anything else you can tell me?

— That's all… all I know — she replied, her voice choking with tears. 

Claire nodded. — Thank you for your help. — She turned towards the next victims, she could still hear the woman behind her crying in pain, but she avoided focusing on that, she needed to finish what she came here to do. He approached a dark-skinned man, in his 40s, he was looking at his cell phone, absorbed in his surroundings, he didn't seem to care about what had happened.

— Agent Claire Redfield.

— Yes? — he replied without looking up, still focused on his cell phone.

— I need to ask you some questions about the incident.

— Feel free.

— Where were you in the restaurant? 

— Third floor, near the window.

— Tell me everything up to the moment of the explosion.

The man sighed, already tired of repeating the same story.

— I had just gotten off work, I decided to go in and have something to eat, the tables were full, there was a commotion in the room on the first floor, I got away from it by going to the third floor where things were calmer, I sat at a table near the window . — For the first time he looked away from his smartphone and looked towards the side street of the restaurant, Claire followed his gaze and the finger he pointed at. — There. I looked at the menu and ordered my lunch. Work consumes me a lot, so I touch my work tool a lot.

— I noticed — Claire replied, drawing the man's attention to herself, but he ignored it and continued his story.

— I was absorbed in everything around me, but every now and then I would look out the window to admire the city.

— Did you see anything suspicious? —Claire asked and he denied.

— You know what Raccoon City is like, there's everything in it, drug addicts, drug dealers, beggars, retarded and crazy people like the guy from earlier today.

— A man? 

— It was in one of the few moments that I looked at the window, he was walking back and forth on the sidewalk, pulling his hair. He seemed to be euphoric and in some pain, sometimes he staggered in the street. Until he decided to move to the restaurant's sidewalk, minutes later the explosion occurred.

— Can you tell me what this guy was like?

— White, tall... he was wearing a huge coat and holding something in his hand, he even hit that thing on his head at times.

— About movement on the first floor.

— I know there was a big shot in there, it was full of security guards, everyone was talking about it.

—Did you see who it was?

— If I remember correctly, I heard from some table that it was a Se…

—Claire! — The woman turned around at the call of Carlos who was running towards her euphorically with a leaf. — The list of people from the restaurant is out.

Carlos handed the sheet to Claire who quickly looked through all the names, stopping at just one, the only one written with a neon yellow highlighter.

Osmund Saddler

— Was the Senator in town? — Claire asked, looking at Carlos confused and he shrugged.

— That's what I heard, a Senator — the witness concluded.

— Thank you for the information — she thanked, pulling Carlos. — When was he notified of his arrival?

— I didn't know. 

— Do you think he was the target? 

— Let's look at the map of the restaurant to find out the exact location of the table. If it coincides with the exact point or close to the explosion, then we will have something.

— Okay, thanks — she made his way to Barry's Impala, picking up the phone and dialing a number she knew. — I hope you have your notebook open, I have a subject for you.

Raccoon City Police Station

21:45 p.m.

— Where is your car? 

She slammed the car door, seeing Chris standing with his arms crossed, Barry must have said he asked to borrow the Impala.

“Shit, Barry”

— He stayed at the condominium — Claire replied, heading towards the entrance of the police station.

— Do you need a ride home? — Chris asked, ignoring the subject and Claire mentally thanked him for that.

— No, I need to do the report, Barry will take me.

— Alright, good night bear.

— See you tomorrow.

Claire saw his brother get into the Hilux and disappear from his sight, she continued the journey to Barry's desk who was talking on the phone.

— I'll be home soon, I promise. I’ve to go, bye — hang up the phone as soon as you see Claire throwing the key on the table. — I thought you weren't coming anymore.

— Sorry, the traffic was chaotic — she replies, sitting in the other chair while Barry laughs and drinks some more coffee.

— Irons transferred Ben — Barry announced.

— Better late than never.

— Listen Red, you can't be without someone, you need someone to stay behind with you, we'll never know what could happen in an investigation. You can die.

— But I didn't die, my partner did me the favor of doing that for me — she replied irritably, all she didn't need was to talk about Niel again.

— You know Irons won't leave you alone.

— I expelled five, I managed to expel the sixth.

— Life plays tricks, Claire. You may be opening the door to your own danger and not seeing it.

Claire looked at Barry, seeing him with that wise man look on his face. She didn't underestimate Burton's words, on the contrary, during her life she used his advice and that's why she was where she was today, she owed everything to the man and she couldn't deny the slight butterflies in her stomach she felt with what he said, Barry rarely made mistakes.

— Do you need a ride? — Barry asked, breaking Claire out of her thoughts.

— Take me to the bar, I forgot my car there.

— So you lied to Chris, you can't help it, right? Come on.

Barry drove to the place and, to the redhead's relief, the car was in the same place. She left the Impala and entered the place, going straight to the counter where the bartender was serving whiskey.

— Hey, did you find any car keys at the scene?

— Are you the owner of the car in space 2? — the guy asks and Claire nods, he pulls a key from his pocket and hands it to Claire. — A man handed me the key and said that the owner would pick up the car soon.

— What was he like? — Claire asks curiously.

— The bar was crowded, I didn't have time to look at his face.

Knowing there was no point in insisting, she left the bar and got into the car, driving back to the police station. She wasn't lying when she said she needed to finish the report. 

Claire opened the door to enter the office and almost took the gun out of the holster, seeing a man sitting in the office chair, but relaxed when she recognized the look, it was Bertolucci.

— What are you doing here?

— I thought a goodbye was deserved — he replies, getting up and taking a glass of whiskey, handing it to Claire.

She didn't dare say anything, she hoped wouldn't have to say goodbye to him, just like the others who simply disappeared off the radar, Claire hated goodbyes.

— This isn't the right place for you, Ben – Claire commented as soon as she took some of the drink, it was tasty.

— I know, that's why I asked for the transfer — he replied to the redhead's surprise. She didn't expect that answer.

— How long has it been?

— Almost a month. 

Claire nodded, drinking some more of the drink, the atmosphere became strange with their silence, Ben calmly shook the whiskey while Claire drank as much as she could.

— Want some more? — Ben asked when he saw his partner empty the glass and extend it towards him, who poured him another drink.

— Where was he transferred to?

— I'm switching places with an agent from Iowa. He asked for a transfer and I was chosen to take his place. 

— Good for you.

— Do you have any idea that this is the first civil conversation we've had in the six months I've been here? — he asked. 

— You're a good cop, Bertolucci, but a place like Raccoon, I don't recommend it to anyone. 

— I had this idea in our first case. I always followed and obeyed you wherever you went, everyone told me to do that because you were too strict, so I didn't dare to contradict you, but I'm not your partner anymore. I believe I can tell you one thing.

— And what would that be?

— Stop while there's still time. Acting this way will end up killing you one day. Because don't doubt, Claire, that your spell will end up turning against you one day.

Ben placed the dry glass of whiskey on the table and headed towards the exit.

— Goodbye, Claire Redfield. 

Raccoon City

Saturday 7:30 a.m.

— Claire.

— Hum.

— Claire, wake up.

— Five more minutes — she asked.

— Claire! — he shouted.

— What?! — she asked, taking the gun, but felt familiar hands holding his shoulder.

— It’s me.

— Chris? 

— Did you sleep here? — the brother asked, looking at the messy place. It was one of the things that they were both the same, completely disorganized.

— I ended up falling asleep. What time is it? — she asked, looking at the Orient watch on her arm.

— 7:30 a.m. 

— Fuck, my back is killing me, but I did the damn report.

— Irons is calling you, wants to know what he found out about yesterday's incident — said Chris as he was leaving the room.

— You okay? — Claire asks, seeing her brother's haggard expression.

— Tough night — he replied, leaving. Claire didn't dare pressure him, she knew how close her brother was about things that bothered him, she only intervened when the matter was really serious, otherwise she would leave it to her own time. She arranged the papers she used to produce the report and then printed it.

Irons heard a knock on the door and looked at Claire at the door. It sounded like 3 trucks had run over her, she knew that with the resurgence of the Javier case, Claire would activate the detective mode he saw years ago, which would move heaven and earth to close a case. .

— I know I'm late, but here it is — she said, going to the table and placing the paper, Irons could see the title: Report and couldn't help but laugh.

— Barry told me he went to check out the crime scene yesterday.

— Yes, Carlos was there and gave me what they had achieved at that time. I questioned some victims too.

—What did you discover?

— It wasn't a gas leak, probably a bomb, we don't know if it was implanted or if it was a man who came in armed with a bomb. We don't know if he had a target or if he really wanted to blow up the place, but the list of people in the restaurant came out and we saw that Senator Osmund Saddler was there.

— Saddler? He is sure?

— I'm still waiting for the recordings from the security cameras inside and outside the restaurant, luckily the room was on the third floor and didn't have that much damage. In addition to the map of the place, we want to see if the Senator was the killer's target.

— But his arrival here wasn't announced — Irons said and Claire waved.

— But he was here. We don't know why, but I'll look into it.

— The case would be passed to Barry.

Claire stopped breathing with Irons' sentence, she couldn't lose this case, she needed to solve it, by right to everything she lost five years ago.

— Let me work with him, then.

— You're not his partner, Redfield.

Claire felt her chest tighten at the thought that she would lose the case, she wouldn't take no for an answer and Irons knew it.

— Irons, this case is rightfully mine.

Knocking on the door interrupted the conversation, the two looked to see Chris standing there.

— The order has arrived.

— Call him — he ordered, Chris nodded and left the room. 

— What order? — Claire asks, looking at Irons.

— Your new partner.

— I already said what I think about it.

— Do you want the case, Claire? — he asked, looking at Claire, seeing her wavering. — Then you'll need a partner, no partner, no affair.

— You're an idiot — Claire replied irritated, Irons laughed, he knew he had left her with no way out.

— Watch your tongue — he scolded.

— Mr. Brian.

Claire looked at the man who had just entered, tall, hair in shades of blonde and brown, blue eyes, good physique and very handsome, even too much for her taste.

— Claire, your new partner. Leon Scott Kennedy.

The man looked at her and Claire felt her spine tingle with his intense gaze, it was as if he knew her and knew her dirtiest secrets.

She had opened the door to danger and now she would have to face the consequences.

Chapter Text

Raccoon City Police Station

2020

Saturday 10:00 a.m.

It's better if you don't know.

Claire was still hammering Leon's words into her head as she headed to Brian's room with him. They remained silent after Kennedy's response about the information he had acquired, Claire knew that extra-official meetings were difficult to obtain information about because only people inside the mayor's office and the police involved could know, but a chance like this that not even Irons was aware of, Leon getting possession of such a confidential matter in less than 30 minutes, was at least suspicious for Redfield. Even more so with him being new to the city and not knowing anyone, at least that's what she thought.

— Irons — Claire called Brian, who was reading dozens of papers on the table. — We found answers. We know who caused the explosion, Piers Nirvans.

—Nirvans? The employee accused of money laundering?

— Yes. On camera, we saw him enter the restaurant and attack Saddler.

— We couldn't find any connections between Osmund and Piers, not even in close or distant relatives — Leon explained. — However, Claire's informant got it from reliable sources that Saddler came to meet Simons for dinner, unfortunately we don't know the reason for the meeting.

Claire looked at Leon who said everything so fluidly, firmly that she was surprised, his voice at least wavered in telling the lie. Every time Claire asked Ben to tell a lie with her, he stuttered, it seemed like a breach of his conduct, he was really incapable of lying for the greater good. But someone like Leon would be perfect for his plans, unfortunately there was something about people who knew how to lie: trust should be practically zero.

— Is it true, Claire? — Brian asked.

Redfield wanted to look at Irons and say "no" in the next second, but something in her throat had gotten stuck, perhaps due to the shock of Leon's naturalness in putting her in this move that even she didn't know the details of.

 It's better if you don't know.

— Yes, Brian — she replied, taking his eyes off Leon and returning to his boss. — I contacted one of my informants, and he informed me that Saddler came to meet with Simmons, you know, someone always releases information in these places.

— Do you think he wanted to get revenge for being fired? — Irons asked.

— We believe so. It was his undoing — Claire explained.

— Go to city hall and confirm the story with Simmons. 

Claire nodded and left the room with her partner. It was strange how Leon had barely arrived and had already taken control of the situation, he felt like a puppet being used to prove a lie. Claire lied to Irons all the time, but she never dared to harm her partner like him. However, if Leon's story was correct there would be no need to argue with him, she wanted to solve the case, and apparently, Leon used methods that were as similar as hers.

They took the redhead's car and drove to city hall, the time was close to noon and Redfield was already looking forward to a decent lunch, she would ask Chris if he would go with her today.

City hall 

11:00 a.m.

As soon as they entered, Claire went directly to the mayor's office. It was the only place he could be.

— Detective Redfield, wait! — Sheva ran in front of the redhead. — Mr. Simmons is in a meeting with Kendo. I ask you to wait a moment and I will announce your arrival.

— If Kendo knows I'm here he won't allow me to enter, now if you'll excuse me — Claire replied, passing by Sheva. Leon didn't interfere in the small discussion, but he could see the mayor's advisor's despair.

— Detective, please, detective!

— Mayor Simmons — Claire called, opening the door to the room, she could see the figure of Robert sitting in one of the armchairs. — Raccoon City Police Station, we have some questions.

— What does that mean?

— I'm sorry, sir, but the agent insisted on seeing you — Sheeva apologized. Simons held his tongue so as not to complain, he took a deep breath, looking at Claire.

— What can I do for you gentlemen?

— We came to ask about Senator Saddler's death.

Claire could see him tense just at the mention of the name, she could already see the difficulty he would have there, even more so with Kendo being present. 

— What do you want to know?

— Osmund Saddler appeared here unofficially the night before last and ended up dying in an explosion in the restaurant. Do you know why you came here? — Leon asked.

Simons remained silent for seconds as if processing what he would say from then on, Claire had understood that. 

“So it was true”, she thought.

— If you don't answer, I'll have to ask you to go to the police station to be questioned, you could be arrested for obstructing the progress of a case.

— Simons didn't say anything that incriminated him, Detective. He had no idea what would happen, I don't see any reason for him to go to the police station — Kendo interrupted for his friend's sake and Claire took a deep breath to avoid taking the pistol and wasting all its ammunition in the middle of that scoundrel's face.

— As mayor, Judge Kendo, Simons should know what a Senator was doing here unofficially, especially because matters like this are resolved by the city hall. I'm not here accusing him, I'm asking for information to help with the investigation, which, apparently, he doesn't want to do — Claire replied irritably, she hated Robert's inflated ego as if he could command everything in that city. Everyone that Redfield has ever tried to arrest at a high level, Robert found a way to save them from prison. Claire turned to Simons, who remained silent. — You have until the end of the day to go to the police station and give a statement.

Claire left without saying anything else, she was at a stagnant point since there was nobody to be evaluated and confirm the condition, all she could do was wait for the return of her efforts so far. She looked at Leon, who accompanied her seriously, still couldn't believe that he was right about Simons. Claire wanted, for a moment, to take his notebook and see what he was doing there; maybe I'd find out something about his methods, anything. Curiosity about her new partner consumed Claire little by little, and she hardly followed her curious instincts, but these were also what constantly betrayed them.

She was awakened from her thoughts by the ringing of her phone as she opened the driver's door.

— Redfield — she replied seriously, starting the car.

— Claire.

— Jill? — she asked anxiously when she heard Valentine's voice, she wouldn't have to stay still for so long.

— I know where Alexia is.