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- - -
"We're coming up on the base camp now." Campo called back from the driver's seat.
The humvee went over a bump, making Jill lurch. She leaned forward, peering through the dusty windshield. Sure enough, she could make out the shapes of tents, other vehicles in the distance. Jeeps, trucks, and the like.
Jill felt some relief. She sat back, wiping sweat from her brow. The twenty minute drive from Kijuju was enough for her. Turned the damned humvee into a sweatbox - and fresh air into a luxury.
Rebecca stirred beside her, the medic looking similarly eager to get a taste of that savannah breeze. The two shared a look - Rebecca offered a small smile. Jill returned it… while trying not to think about the way Dalton had been cozying up to her friend.
It was never anything overt. Small things ever since they took off from HQ back stateside. All those lingering looks and brushes where Dalton just so happened to be walking close by. Those compliments that Rebecca didn't immediately shoot down. That's what irked Jill the most. The man may have saved their lives and the mission, but still.
It was a small respite that he chose to drive the other humvee. Jill was grateful for the quiet.
They pulled up to the base camp a moment later, slowing to a stop. Through the windshield, Jill could see men, geared up and armed. The patches on their shoulders put her at ease, the global emblem of the BSAA. Striding forward from the group was a lone figure. Slender, feminine, and coming to meet them.
Jill exited the humvee, sighing as fresh air blew across her face. The African sun was shining down, so bright it almost hurt. Jill had to hold up a hand to see. She walked, dirt crunching under her boots. She took in the base camp. A small collection of tents, tables set with laptops, equipment cases stacked. Nothing permanent. Made to be packed up and torn down at a moment's notice. Standard field practice for the BSAA.
Behind her, she heard the rumbling of the second humvee as it pulled up. Jill bristled then, knowing she'd be hearing his voice any second.
Meanwhile, the lone figure she saw through the windshield was drawing closer, clearer now under the sun.
A woman, just as Jill suspected. Dark-skinned, tall, and fit, with her straight brown hair pulled back into a tight, short ponytail. Her gear was light, tactical belt and gun holster set over sensible clothes. Her legs were clad in tanned, form-fitting khakis and dark, knee-high boots. Up top she wore a simple blue tank top, sleeveless and snug.
And she was pretty. Full lips and cheeks, a cute button nose, and warm, gentle eyes. And her skin, looking so smooth and soft and fresh. Not at all what Jill expected from a BSAA agent.
But then again, neither was Rebecca.
The woman came forward.
"Alpha Team, I take it?" Her brown eyes drifted over the humvees, the rest of the team, before settling on Jill. "Which means you must be Agent Valentine."
She offered Jill her hand. Jill took it. Firm grip. Warm skin. And soft, just as she thought. The woman smiled, turning her attention to Rebecca and the others.
"And you, Agent Chambers." She shook Rebecca's hand too. "I've heard impressive things. Welcome to Africa. I'm Sheva Alomar. My team and I are glad to have you."
"We're glad to be here. Another opportunity to take some bad guys off the board." Jill said.
"And to get some bioweapons locked down. We're not gonna let another Raccoon City or Toronto happen here." Rebecca promised. Jill always admired her friend's spirit.
Agent Alomar - Sheva - seemed to feel the same way, a thankful look crossing her face.
"That comforts me more than you know. The Civil War is hard enough on my country. I don't think it could survive an outbreak."
"All the more reason to get to work." A voice in baritone rumbled. Heavy footfalls accompanied, coming up from behind. Jill breathed in, calming her nerves in anticipation.
Dalton stepped up to the group, his shadow offering protection from the sun's heat. With his face darkened, he looked more like a living shadow than a man. She almost couldn't see his grin. Almost.
Sheva's double take was quick - but Jill caught it. The former STARS operative bit her tongue. It wasn't Alomar's fault, she reminded herself. She didn't know what Jill knew. As far as Agent Alomar was concerned, John Dalton was just a tall, handsome American man.
"Straight to business then. I can respect that." Jill also noted how Sheva's attention lingered on Dalton's arms. His chest, too. "Though I never caught your name."
"Dalton. John Dalton. Commander." He offered his hand - dwarfing Sheva's. Again, Jill caught the woman's subtle double-take. "Tricell Crisis Response."
That gave Sheva an even bigger pause. Her hand slipped from Dalton's, her demeanor shifting. The African agent was suddenly more reserved now.
"So… You're not BSAA?" Sheva asked in an even tone.
"BSAA needed funding. Tricell-Umbrella picked up the tab." Jill explained flatly. "Half the team is Tricell's people."
Indeed, aside from Jill, Rebecaa, and Campo, Alpha Team was selected straight from Excella's personal security roster. No amount of hazard pay could make Jill like it.
"I see." Sheva glanced Dalton's way again, more scrutinizing now.
But then Rebecca cut in.
"Dalton saved our lives in Toronto. The mission would have failed without him." The medic spoke quickly, her voice tense. Jill couldn't tell if Rebecca was speaking to Sheva… or to her. "You want him on your side. Trust me."
Jill's eyes turned hard on Rebecca… but she couldn't ignore how Sheva's demeanor changed yet again. Relieved? Impressed? Interested? Sheva looked to be all of those things at once. The woman gave Dalton a once-over, appraising him now.
"Well, if they're vouching for you…" She murmured.
Dalton merely shrugged, still wearing his cocky grin. It had grown some - Rebecca's defense clearly pleased him. Jill closed and opened her fists, ignoring the sting.
"It pays to be the good guy when Tricell is signing the checks." The man joked.
That earned him a snort from Sheva.
"There's that American sense of humor. I thought that was all Hollywood."
"Real life is getting stranger than fiction every day." Said Rebecca. Behind them, the rest of Alpha Team muttered their agreement.
"Yeah." Jill conceded reluctantly. She let out a slow breath. "Just when you think you've seen it all…"
She eyed Dalton on those last words. He gave her a brief glance in turn, but she couldn't quite read him now. It wasn't the expected smugness that she saw. He was… proud, perhaps? Rebecca of all people was sticking up for him. Sure, he saved their lives… but Jill could never forget who he was. She couldn't forget what he was.
And she really, really didn't like how Rebecca was warming up to him. As much as she hated to admit it, whatever was going on between the two wasn't just coming from Dalton. Rebecca gave as good as she got. Little moments that she thought Jill wouldn't catch? Jill caught them. The looks Rebecca sent Dalton's way. How she'd slowly drift towards him during briefing, at the airport, even after they landed. Jill could have sworn Rebecca was aiming to ride in Dalton's humvee rather than with her. Jill forced herself to focus on anything else. She wouldn't dare allow her mind to dwell on those thoughts.
The present only brought more trouble, with the way Dalton was eyeing up Sheva. Subtle flicks of his gaze up and down the woman's figure, the way his arms flexed as he crossed them over his chest. Almost like he was doing it on purpose. Showing off. The cocky grin was still there, irking Jill something fierce, as was the faint twinkle in his eyes. Like he knew something the rest of them didn't.
Insufferable.
A shout broke through Jill's vexation. The group turned, seeing one of Sheva's men running up from the camp.
"Ma'am! Agent Alomar!" The BSAA agent was young, dark-skinned, speaking with an accent even thicker than Sheva's. He looked tense as he sped up to them. "He's early! The buyer is here!"
Sheva's back straightened, her face hardening. Alert. All business now.
"Are you certain?"
"We have a confirmed sighting of Jonah leaving the airstrip. Our scouts said the plane touched down half an hour ago."
Sheva cursed under her breath. She turned to face Jill and the others again, her lips tight, her jaw set.
"David Jonah, a warlord with dreams of international terrorism. The man wants to take the Umbrella bioweapons across the border. We weren't supposed to see him for another week." She explained.
"He's here now." Dalton grunted. Again, Jill bit her tongue.
"Are you tracking him?" Sheva shouted back towards the camp. She was moving then and Jill and the rest followed. The young agent from the camp came up beside Sheva, nodding.
"We have visual. A small motorcade moving south."
Sheva slowed. Jill could see the gears turning in the woman's head, working quickly.
"He's heading for the rebel camps. They moved the deal up. Damn." Sheva cursed aloud as they reached the temporary computer hub. On a laptop screen played live, grainy footage. Aerial view of Jonah's convoy, just as the young agent told them. Sheva turned her attention back to Alpha Team, Jill in particular. "Can your team work on short notice?"
Her voice was hard, professional… but slightly anxious, hopeful as well.
"We can." Jill answered confidently. She stood straight, tense, knowing she had to live up to high expectations.
"Working on the fly is our specialty." Rebecca added, a bold edge to her words. She'd come a long way since her days as a rookie, Jill had to admit.
Then Dalton's voice rumbled on, low and deep.
"Been itching for some action ever since we landed." He let out a short chuckle, rolling his neck. To Jill, he sounded exactly like the brute she thought he was.
From the expression on Sheva's face, she didn't seem to mind the man's boastful swagger. It was written subtly on her features, but the young BSAA captain looked relieved. She nodded for them to follow and they did. Sheva led them further into the camp, bringing them to a stack of weapon crates.
"Get geared up then." She kicked at one of the stacks, her boot thumping against the cold metal. She leveled her sharp eyes with Jill's. "Those bioweapons aren't making it out of the country."
- - -
On the other side of the world, Ada Wong lounged in her seat, one knee over the other.
The control room was darkened, light cast only from the dozens of terminal screens that lined the desks and made up the far wall.
Sounds were faint. The hum of the air conditioning, the tapping of keyboards, the whispers of the mission control techies. Eggheads, all of them. Not a single one of those pencil-necks even had the nerve to check Ada out. And she was wearing those sexy, black boots too.
It wasn't that she was disappointed. Just that the sort of men Ada normally dealt with tended to be more… bold. Forward. Impressive. Men like Excella's prized workhorse, Commander Dalton.
Ada's eyes flickered towards the woman herself. The Titaness of industry was standing, her back to Ada, with a stylish white blazer set over her shoulders. Excella's attention was fixed on the screens that took up the far wall, never wavering. Ada didn't blame her - they were about to witness a show worth millions.
"Drones synched up." One of the tech operators announced. A scrawny office drone with dismal fashion sense - Hawaiian shirt over khakis? Really? He kept on with his nasally voice. "We have a lock on Alpha Team's coordinates. They're on the move."
"And Commander Dalton?" Excella kept her eyes on the screen, arms crossed under her blazer.
"We've got everything. Position lock, biometrics…"
"Keep the drones elevated and out of sight. Our presence should remain unknown. I want absolutely no interference with the combat scenario." Excella's voice cut like cold steel.
"Raw data is worth more." Ada added blithely. She stayed relaxed even as Excella tore her eyes from the far wall, offering the woman a cheeky look.
"Exactly right." Excella said after a moment. She turned, drawing back towards Ada, her heels clicking against the floor. Slow, deliberate strides. The movements of a predator. Just like Ada.
It was no wonder they worked so well together.
Excella came to stand beside Ada, both facing the screens now. Up close, Ada could see just how fine the material of the woman's coat was. No doubt worth more than half the tech in this room put together. Ada had to admire Gionne - even working late in the office, she made sure her style was as elegant as it was killer.
"The next few hours will be worth more than a thousand of those virus samples." Excella said to Ada after a short lull.
"If we get it on tape."
"If we get it on tape." Excella agreed.
"Hear that, eggheads? Ada raised her voice, taking a small delight in the way the techies' heads whirled towards them. Like frightened deer. "Time to earn your paychecks."
The two women shared a look, a glimmer shining in both of their eyes. Their partnership was a productive one. Profitable, too. But this project with Dalton? Ada could feel it in her gut - no doubt Excella could, as well. This path was leading to something seismic.
Up on the main screens, the drone footage displayed Alpha Team's convoy of humvees. Ada sat forward, knowing they were minutes away from the action.
"Those militia rebels don't have a clue…" Excella mused then, her voice carrying a touch of excitement. "The world of bioweapons is behind us. We live in the world of the superhuman now."
Ada said nothing. She let Excella's words settle in her mind. Her focus was locked on the live feed.
Much like her business partner, she was eager to see Dalton at work again.