Chapter Text
Sherry Birkin felt as if she wanted to throw up as she watched the screen detailing the latest bio-terrorist attack on the small town of Barrenhallow in Arklay county.
It was hardly any more horrific than the countless she had seen in her life.
Nothing had ever come close to Raccoon city…
How could it?
Barrenhallow was close to what had been Raccoon city, far enough to not have been in the radius of the blast which destroyed the city she was born in.
Her memories of those events that had happened to her when she was twelve was not the reason for the terror which was slowly enveloping her.
It was the grainy video still of the supposed man behind the attack.
Jake Muller.
It had been a while since she had last seen him… the last time they spoke he had told her he was somewhere in the middle east, but after that she could not get in contact with him.
There had been some signs that he had been alive, but they had not spoken for more than a year.
She always expected that one day she would get a call and it was him.
It just hadn’t come.
She had feared he was dead, laid awake in the evening just wondering, hoping that he was alive and fine and tomorrow would be the day he would call her.
How she had planned to scold him for not keeping in touch… they had promised after all.
Many a time she had wanted to ask Hunnigan or just anyone to track down Jake’s whereabouts, so she could know he was safe.
With the classified nature of his connection to Albert Wesker they had made it a priority that he would not be easily found, knowing that if other organizations learned about his antibody they would try to use that to enhance any virus they might want to create.
His antibody certainly had made the C-virus into something that they to this day had to struggle with due to its resilience to treatment by a vaccine.
By now they had it under control, but… a virus created with his antibody imbedded into it from the start…
A vaccine might not be able to stop it and it might be far more aggressive than any other virus before it and far more infectious.
Which… looking at how the T-virus could already spread by a single bite that was…
To say the information on Jake Muller was extremely classified was an understatement and several members of the Division of Security Operations had voiced their discontent with having him running around somewhere.
That he should be secured.
Sherry knew well what that was code for.
Studied.
Like she had been most of her life.
What had happened to the both of them in China for 6 months by the hands of Neo Umbrella.
No doubt plenty also was worried about the fact that he was Albert Wesker’s son.
A man he had no knowledge of before their capture and had never met and certainly no warm feelings for.
Sherry knew Jake hated the idea of ever becoming his father; he had told her that himself.
She was already aware of those that had said it was a mistake to let him go free, that it was too dangerous, saying they were proven right with the image of him standing over that burning city with several twisted BOWs by his side. None of those BOWs had been documented before, driving home the conclusion that this was a new virus they were dealing with.
Created by the son of the man who almost destroyed the world.
Sherry refused to believe it.
There was no way Jake was behind this! There had to be an explanation!
And she was going to get to the bottom of this.
Even if she had to do so alone.
“Sherry!”
Leon’s words stopped the blonde’s quickened steps down the hallway.
“Leon!” she said back, trying to hide the fact that she was slightly out of breath.
“I know what you are thinking-”
“It isn’t Jake, he isn’t behind this Leon, he would never do anything like this!”
The man that had been her mentor, or more like a father, since she was twelve years old shook his head.
“I know you want to believe he could not be involved with any of this, I did not want to believe it either at first, but…”
He sighed as he rubbed his fingers along his forehead.
“We have video evidence.”
“Those could have been tampered with!”
“Sherry…”
Leon’s voice was filled with care, but it also told her that he thought that she should see reason. That as much as she wished it to not be true, all evidence they had was pointing at the man she had come to care about had done something truly unspeakable.
Sherry just shook her head.
“No… Jake wouldn’t. Moreover how could he do anything like that in the first place? The only one even remotely capable of doing anything like this, to create a new virus like that is Neo-Umbrella and you and Chris along with the rest of the BSAA have brought them to their knees. Besides that, Jake would never work with the people who tortured him for six months. Who tortured us for six months,” she reminded him.
“Tricell is gone, any other splinter organizations might have samples of the T-virus or the Las Plagas, but who could even create a new virus undetected these days when every organization in the world is aware of the dangers that bioterrorism can cause? You really do not think that Jake could create a new virus do you?”
Sherry had to breathe after the tirade she had gone on.
The fact that Leon did not immediately answer her told her all that she needed to know.
“With what his father did-”
“And there it is!” she held up her hands.
“Jake is nothing like his father! Yes, he is exceptionally smart, plays the piano and knows several languages including Mandarin, but that does not mean he could create a virus. Leon, he is not a virologist or anything similar. He was trained as a mercenary! While he had knowledge of BOWs, he had no deep knowledge of viruses!”
She looked down shaking her head as she took her id-card in her hand.
“With your guess on what he is capable of due to his father’s actions he shouldn’t even be the highest on your suspect list. I should be.”
Leon’s brows furrowed with confusion.
“Sherry, that…”
She stopped him from going on by lifting her card and holding it in front of his face.
“Sherry Birkin, daughter of William and Annette Birkin, the creators of the G-virus, a virus so fearsome that even bioterrorists avoid using it. I was raised by them and I visited Umbrella. I knew that place, Leon! I have been there more times than I can count as a child. My father would gleefully show me his creations. Tell me how close he was to finalizing it. While yes, they would leave me home most times, I would often be taken with them too, I even tried to learn about the things they worked with in some desperate attempt to have them pay attention to me. I desired their approval so much…”
Sherry had to take a deep breath and swallow down feelings that she thought should have faded long ago by now.
“I knew more about the creation of viruses than most even at twelve…” she just said. “I have looked into their case files… the things that they were responsible for… I knew they never were the best parents, but… all the lives that they tossed away for their research…”
“That has nothing to do with you!” Leon exclaimed.
“I know, just as Jake has nothing to do with the actions of Albert Wesker. Even then I would argue that my father was a greater threat than Albert Wesker ever was. Keep in mind, my father created the G-virus at least ten years before Albert Wesker created Uroboros.”
Sherry blinked slightly as she tried to calm the emotions which had threatened to overtake her.
“You never met Albert Wesker, did you Leon?”
“I didn’t,” he answered truthfully.
“Neither did Jake. He never had any knowledge of who his father was, thought he was just some deadbeat that had abandoned him and his mother before he was born,” she informed him. “I however, met Albert Wesker. Did you know that?”
Leon shook his head.
“I did… I never told Jake that. I just… just didn’t find a good moment. Of course we were not close. I don’t think he even looked at me when we were in the same room. He was a scary man… but he was close to my father and would work with both my parents often. He even came to the house a couple of times. I don’t think I ever spoke to him. I cannot remember if I did, but I do remember him very well,” she went on to explain. “At such… I could be said to have had a closer relationship with Albert Wesker than Jake ever did. No matter what criteria you choose to judge him, you have to judge me even harsher.”
“We still have him on video surrounded by BOWs that are apparently at his beck and call. Ignoring his connection to Albert Wesker, that point still stands.”
“There has to be another explanation.”
“I cannot see one,” Leon said.
“Chris and Jill are arriving with the BSAA, they have been looking into this, stay here until they arrive, I am sure they will have advice on how we should proceed.”
Leon was rather surprised by the fact that Sherry nodded her head.
“Alright,” she then said.
“I can do that.”
Leon had cock his head slightly at that statement. Even from the time he had met her as a little girl, Sherry had done exactly as she wanted and there was no one that was going to tell her what to do. Especially after everything that she had been subjected to as they tried to use her antibody to the G-virus to come up with a new vaccine for the terrifying virus.
She was a strong woman, but one who had the tendency not to listen to others when her heart was set on something.
Leon knew that moment when they met during the C-virus outbreak that her heart had fallen for the young man named Jake Muller.
Even now he doubted that those feelings had diminished in the slightest.
So he was happy that she saw reason.
“Well, I am going to the cafeteria to get something to eat, want to come with?”
“I am just going to go to the bathroom first, I will meet you there,” she told him.
Leon gave a slow nod.
“Alright… see you there,” he turned around to walk away. Still he had to stop and did indeed see her go into the woman’s bathroom.
He couldn’t keep from letting out a relieved sigh as he continued to walk down towards the cafeteria. At least he did not have to worry about her doing something foolish before they got a clear view of the situation.
Unknown to the famous agent, a bond head of hair was poking out just behind the door to the women's restroom and watching him walk away.
Sherry knew well that if she had told him what her plans were he would have stopped her.
If Leon thought Jake was behind it, there was no doubt that Chris and Jill would think the same. Sherry was well aware of the history those two had with Jake’s father and the role that they had both played in his demise.
If she couldn’t convince them, then she had to prove herself right, and the only way that she could do that was to get to Jake before they had the chance to.
So once she was sure he wouldn to see her, she snuck down into the parking lot and drove to the airport to catch the next flight that would bring her within driving distance of Arklay county and the town of Barrenhallow.