Title: Finding Evil: Part Six.

Author: quew

See part one for disclaimers, archiving info and classification.

Warnings: based on the first RE game, so please do not read if zombies getting decapitated and huge giant spiders aren't your idea of a good time. Contains blood, gore and occasional to frequent swearing.

Rating: Nc-17 overall, but parts vary.

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'Is he okay?' Torres asked, striding forward to where Paris was tending to the fallen Delta team member.

'I don't know…' Paris admitted, taking the thermometer from his pack and placing it in Chapman's mouth. The leader of the team looked down and grimaced. Chapman's face was pasty and grey, and red blotches covered the exposed skin of his lower arms. Sweat was pouring off the poor man, and he groaned in pain.

'I thought you said the wound wouldn’t get infected?' She asked, crouching down as Paris rolled up Chapman's trouser leg to examine it. The area around the bite was red and swollen, skin flaking away from the bloody wound.

'What the…' Paris mumbled, slipping on a pair of latex gloves and gently feeling the wound.

The others in the room gathered around them, and Torres heard the shorter scientist gasp.

Before anyone could stop her, she'd grabbed Chapman's shotgun and was brining it to bare on the fallen man. The woman with brown hair leapt forward before Torres could, grabbing the barrel of the gun and flinging it toward the ceiling just as the red-head's finger found the trigger.

The gun went off, the recoil sending the weapon into the soft flesh of the woman's belly. Plaster rained down, a large chunk of it hitting the brunette who'd stopped the scientist and sending her sprawling across the floor and knocking her out.

'What the hell do you think you're doing?' Torres roared, leaping to her feet.

Kathryn had recovered quickly and pointed the gun again, but this time Lanna was in the way. 'Move!' The scientist begged. 'You don't understand!'

'I understand that you are pointing a weapon at a member of my team!' She said, taking a step forward.

'Was he bitten by one of the zombies?'

'What?'

'Was he bitten by one of the zombies!' Kathryn yelled, the gun starting to shake. 'He's been infected!'

A look of horror stole over Lanna's features as she turned to look at her downed team-member. His breathing had become shallow and his pallor worse still. 'No…' She said, shaking her head in disbelief.

'It's true,' Annika said quietly, moving to Lanna's side. 'I'm sorry but it's true.'

The Delta team leader turned to her, for the first time in her command feeling lost. 'So I'm just supposed to…?'

Torres felt a warm hand wrap itself around her own. 'It's the only way.'

She stood silent for a moment, staring at Chapman, and then in a sudden movement ripped her hand out of Annika's grasp. 'No! There has to be another way!'

'There's no antidote!' Kathryn said, her grip tightening on the gun as she took a step forward.

'I will not kill a member of my team!' Lanna snarled.

'Is…it…true?' A voice croaked. Everyone turned their attention to Chapman, who licked dry lips and let his eyes rove over all of them. 'Is…it?'

'Yes,' Kathryn said, her voice low and pain-filled. 'It is.'

He turned his eyes to Torres, and she shook her head at his silent plea. 'I can't…' She whispered.

'You…have too,' he replied. 'I don't want to be…one of them.' He seemed about to say more, but a cough forced the words down. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. 'Please…Lanna…' He said…'I can feel it…I don't have…much time…'

She hung her head, feeling deep despair overtake her as his head lolled to one side. Paris backed off after quickly putting two fingers to the side of his neck.

'He's dead,' he whispered, pulling off his gloves and picking up his borrowed shotgun reluctantly.

Slowly, as if in a daze, she took the shotgun form Kathryn's unresisting fingers and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She opened them slowly as Chapman opened his, now pearly white and unseeing. He pulled himself to his feet unsteadily and sniffed, finally shuffling toward the unconscious woman on the floor.

Kathryn ran forward, slipping her hands under the other woman's armpits and pulled. 'Please, Torres!' She said as Sam ran forward to help her move her.

Swallowing, Torres took a step forward. Suddenly, a warm body encompassed her from behind her. Pale hands, shaking slightly, covered her own, giving her what comfort they could as she aimed at her former team-mate. Together, Annika and Lanna pulled the trigger.

It was a long time after the noise from the shot had dispersed before anyone moved. Torres dropped the gun from nerveless fingers and leaned back into the warmth of Annika's body. The scientist turned the solider around and wrapped long arms around her strong body, pulling her close as Lanna started to sob.

#

The first thing she was aware of was a pounding headache, and after that she found that someone was wiping a cloth across her forehead.

She opened her eyes and saw the cloth as it was removed, covered in blood. 'What the fuck happened?' She managed, trying to sit up.

Someone helped her sit against the wall and the worried face of Kathryn appeared next to her. 'You got hit on the head,' she explained.

The woman nodded and then something caught her eye. Looking past the small woman, she saw an area of the opposite wall was covered in blood and matter, covering part of the floor as well. She followed it down and then her eyes lit upon Chapman's headless body.

'Oh god..' she whispered, turning her head away and swallowing hard. 'He was one of them, wasn't he? That's why you went after him.'

'Yes,' Kathryn said, her throat tight.

'We have to get out of here,' the woman said, meeting Kathryn's almost grey gaze with her almost green one. 'Before tat happens to you, or Annika, or anyone else.'

'You're right,' Kathryn nodded.

The woman, casting about for anything to take her mind away form Chapman, suddenly thrust out a hand. 'We haven't been properly introduced,' she said, 'I'm Nadia, and you are?'

'Kathryn Janeway,'

Nadia smiled as Kathryn's hand slotted neatly into hers. 'I guess you used to work here then?'

'Yes,' Kathryn said. 'You too?'

'I used to work in the outhouses and gardens. I wasn't allowed near the house,' she said. 'What the hell is this place?'

'I can't…I…' Kathryn trailed off and Nadia looked intrigued.

'I mean, what would scientists be doing all the way out here?' She continued, watching Kathryn's face as the poor woman shook it once more, looking apologetic.

'Never mind,' I'll find out later. Nadia ran a hand through her dirty and tangled hair and looked across the room. Annika and Lanna were huddled together, the soldier showing the other woman something that looked like a letter. 'They seem to be getting on well,' she said, smiling at the pair, suddenly aware how close she and the red-haired scientist were sitting.

#

'I fought for this assignment…I didn't think it would turn out like this…' Lanna admitted, shame painting her face red.

'What do you mean? Because of the letter?' Annika couldn't reached out and touched the other woman's arm, trying to convey her willingness to listen.

The darker woman nodded once. 'I couldn't believe my luck…I'd searched so long and then I got the letter and heard about the mission into the forest the same day. They were going to send Bravo and Charlie…' Her eyes unfocused slightly as she thought of what might have happened to the other team …'but I convinced our boss to send us instead.'

'May I…?' Annika asked, and Lanna pushed the letter into her hands. Annika was secretly pleased that Lanna would share something like this with her.

Taking the letter carefully, Annika unfolded it and smoothed it out. The header proclaimed it had been sent through the Raccoon City Social Services Department - Family Unit, and she started reading.

Her eyes read quickly, the contents making her gasp.

'You have a sister?' Annika gasped.

'Yeah…I found adoption papers one day at my mothers house…turned out that she'd had two children, not just me...but my father, he discovered that she wasn't his…so he…' Annika felt her heart contract as Lanna's tough façade cracked a little, her voice breaking. 'Anyway, I went to the RCSSD and they helped me track her down…I sent her a letter and I got that in return.'

Annika gently rubbed Lanna's arm and then turned her eyes back to the letter.

I wish I could give you my phone number, it read, but I've just started a new job and they won't let anyone ring off the grounds. It's a very well paid job, for what it is, and I get my own room in the 'servants' quarters. But, we're not allowed to leave except on weekends and we're not allowed to give out phone numbers...I'm not even allowed to tell you where I am!

'Weird…' Annika mumbled.

'When I first got the letter, I went to the RCSSD to see if they could tell me where it had come from. All they knew was that it came from somewhere just outside the city,' Lanna said.

'So when you heard about this place…' Annika left it opened ended and Lanna nodded.

'But…look what I've dragged my team into, Annika,' she said, her voice rife with guilt. 'If I hadn't of been so selfish…'

'Hey…' Lanna looked up into sincere blue eyes. 'How could you know what was going to happen?' The scientist said, gently cupping the side of Lanna's face. They stared at each other for another few seconds until they realised what they were doing. Annika reluctantly removed the hand and immediately missed the warmth of Lanna's skin. Silence descended for a few more seconds as Annika re-read the letter, until her eyes lit up as an idea hit her. 'Do you think she would know her…?' She asked, pointing to the woman that Kathryn was deep in conversation with. 'If they both worked here…'

'I don't know…' Lanna pulled a face. 'I don't think she'd be too willing to help.'

'Of course she would,' Annika said, pulling the soldier upright. The sight of the rough and tough woman looking suddenly shy was enough to make Annika grin. 'C'mon.'

Kathryn and the other woman looked up as Annika and Lanna approached. 'Kathryn…can I talk to you?' Annika said, extending a hand to help the other woman to her feet.

'Of course,' Kathryn said, looking a little bemused.

#

Torres looked down as the other woman looked up. She still looked faintly angry, and Lanna started to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

She shook her head and mentally pulled herself together, crouching down before the other woman. 'I was wondering if you could help me,' she said.

The woman shrugged, 'I guess.'

'I'm looking for someone, I think she used to work here…I was just wondering if you knew her?' Torres said, feeling unaccountably nervous.

The other woman looked interested, 'I might do. Any idea whereabouts she worked? If it was in the house I probably wouldn't,' she saw Lanna's face fall, 'but one of the scientists might. What's her name?'

Lanna took a deep breath, 'Nadia, Nadia Williams. Do you know her?'

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