Chapter 27: From streets to shadows

Jill had a small smirk on her face as she looked at an old friend from the Delta Force. “I told you so.”

“You trained him well.” He moved the cigar in his mouth from one corner to the other as he watched Rick through the transparent curtain of the quarantine tent.

“That’s the thing. I didn’t. I taught him how to lockpick, how to drive, manage his money and pay taxes when he’ll have to. Everything else? It’s all him.” She declined taking the credit.

The Major was silent for a moment, his eyes still on Rick. “Had it been anyone else telling me that, I wouldn’t believe it.”

One of Jill’s eyebrows rose in skepticism. “Even with multiple eye witnesses?”

“They are part of a group.” A grunt escaped the Major’s lips.

“And have the wounds and scars to prove they’re telling the truth. Even Birkin. I certainly do.”

“Zombies… Bio organic weapons… It’s so asinine that I believe it. But the kid…”

“Test him, Major. Look, this kid… He deserves a chance. He’s good.”

“Oh, I don’t have a problem with giving him a chance from your word alone. It’s that he’s not answering any questions that I’ve a problem with.”

“He trusts me.” Jill immediately reminded him. What wasn’t said was that Rick didn’t trust the Major.

The military officer chewed on his cigar then took a puff. For the first time he turned his head to look at her. “Are you sure he’d be interested in enlisting?”

“For now? No. He doesn’t trust organizations. Especially one like the government and let’s be honest here, he’s not entirely wrong but it’s not all rotten. There are good things in the military.”

The cigar ended on the ground stomped by a boot. “Alright. We go in there and you talk to him. I’m giving him one chance.”

“He’s smart, he’ll take it.”

She walked a few feet to the quarantine curtain and opened it. Inside, Rick was sitting at a table, hands cuffs on it. His whole body was rigid as a mountain and his eyes were narrowed, piercing into her and the Major. It was clear he was on his guards, ready to tackle whatever was about to happen.

“Hey, Rick,” Jill greeted him with a genuine smile.

His face remained stone cold. No trace of emotions in it, nor in his eyes. They bore into her and after four years it still unnerved her. She took a seat in front of him and so did the Major.

“That’s Major Ethan Hunt, an old friend from the Delta Force.”

Her smile didn’t falter one bit when Rick had absolutely no reaction. His mutism was permanent. He didn’t even blink.

“He has a proposition for you but…”

Rick interjected, speaking up from the first time. “I’ve heard.”

Jill got a confused look on her face. She and the Major were fifteen yards away from Rick, separated by a thick curtain and had been speaking very low.

“You want me to join the army.” Rick continued, proving he did hear them. “The only reason I’m still here and not in the Mountains, doing a re-edition of Rambo: First Blood is because of the past four years. I’m warning you, though, my trust is quickly decreasing.”

Exchanging a quick glance with Major Hunt, Jill went straight to the point. “You’ll find a family in the army. Maybe not the higher ups but the men or women serving with you definitely will be. You don’t have many options.”

“I know. My savings got nuked by the fucking US Government.” For the first time he displayed an emotion. Anger. A cold, murderous one. “That means I can’t pay my way to college. Can’t even pay for a twinky. I’m basically on the streets again except I’m seventeen, not twelve.”

“You assaulted four of my men.” The Major’s reminded him.

Rick turned to the man. “I defended myself. You’re lucky I went easy on them.”

“Rick…” Jill tried again. “The military will help you pay for your tuition. You’re seventeen so they will purge your file. What happened yesterday will never even be put down in writing.”

“But I’d have to whore myself for years.” He retorted.

Hunter intervened. “Everyone whore themselves somehow, kid. There is always someone above us, whether we like it or not. At least in the army you’ll have avenues after you leave.”

“More than that…” Jill took back the floor. “I don’t want you to continue alone. With college I was hoping you’d meet people, make friends. Have a real life.”

“I had no one before I met you and I was doing fine.”

“But this is no life. This is survival. You deserved better and the army is a sure way for you to get it. Yes, you’ll have to deal with stupid assholes giving orders. That’s partly why I asked Major Hunt to be the one to recruit you. He’ll be fair with you, always.”

Rick stared at her for a long time. “I can’t.” He finally said in a sigh.

“Why not?” Hunt spoke faster than Jill.

Rick, despite his bounded wrists, grabbed a cuff and pulled, completely breaking it apart under the dumbfounded eyes of his interlocutors. He did the same for the other cuff then with both hands folded them into a ball and made it roll in the direction of the Major. The soldier’s eyes never left it.

“Because of this.”

Jill knew Rick let his mask break a little. She also knew she needed to be careful about the next questions she was about to ask.

“That… was impressive. I… don’t see how…”

“Because I’m not quite human anymore.”

Hunt blurted out. “What do you mean?”

“If the US government knew what I am now, I’d be locked up somewhere and experimented on.”

“Why?”

Rick looked at Jill. He raised his leg on the table and showed them the bite scar on his calf. “I’m naturally immune to the T-Virus. I found out when my mother gave me that. A mistake on my part.” He shrugged. “Anyway… I got a very high fever. I woke up two days later and… I was enhanced. I heard you from outside.” He turned to Hunt. “Your birthday is August 17th. I know because I read it on your chain bracelet when you raised your arm to put your cigar in your mouth.”

Both Jill and Hunt were left speechless. Hearing what Rick talked about was just mind blowing to them. More than that it wasn’t possible or at least it shouldn’t be.

It was Jill who recovered first. “You’re one of the ten percent,” she whispered loudly.

“The ten percent?” Hunt asked in confusion.

Rick answered before Jill could. “The T-virus is not a hundred percent lethal. Around 10% are resistant to it. It’s a generous estimate in truth, I think. From the documents I read in the Spencer Mansion’s lab, 1%, perhaps even less, are completely immune and develop superhuman abilities.”

Hunt looked at Jill for confirmation and got a nod.

“If I enter the military I’d have to do checks up and I’d be screwed. More than that. How are you going to explain I can kick a guy so hard in the head that it either turns to mush or is separated from the neck? How are you going to explain this?”

Rick slowly stood up and moved. Right before their eyes he disappeared in a blur and found himself behind the Major, hands around the head, ready for a snap of the neck.

The military man immediately reacted, drawing his side arm but Rick was faster and took it from him before going back to his seat. He dismantled the weapon and handed the parts to the man.

“How, exactly, are you going to hide this? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“There is more?” Jill wondered if she wasn’t in a dream or just having a hallucination while dying on the ground somewhere in Raccoon City.

“I was infected with the G-Virus too. No one else was ever recorded to be immune to it. Even the test subjects with a resistance to the T-virus. It has enhanced my abilities more. You’ve seen my shirt I presume? Completely destroyed to the side? Well, I got impaled by a claw thicker than my arm. Liver, kidney, part of my stomach… Ripped away and I healed in less than fifteen minutes. I dare you to look me in the eye and tell me I won’t be strapped to an operating table to be experimented on or worse, have my genetic material used for experimentation on others.”

Once again, his interlocutors stayed speechless.

“You really went easy on my subordinates.” Hunt grunted. “Hm… Tell you what kid. This operation? It’s supposed to be my last one before I’m being reassigned. I’m to create a team, a special one with veterans with special sets of skills whose purpose will be to act in the dark.”

Rick frowned. “Spying or black ops?”

“The latter. It’s the kind of team that very few people know about. When Jill asked me for a favor I had in mind to have one of my old friends take you under his wing. But this…” He waved at Rick up and down. “Changes everything. Working under me, as a black ops operative, I can protect you.”

Rick’s eyes glanced sideway at Jill who gave him a nod.

“What about college? I don’t want to be a soldier. I want to work in medicine or programming.”

Hunt scratched his chin. “It will be a bit more complicated but do-able.”

“Complicated how?”

“Not on your side. On mine. Mostly. The only problem I can see on yours is studying during your deployment. You’d have to be in presentia for the exams but otherwise you’d be on the field most of the time.”

Rick nodded. “I can do that. How long?”

“I don’t know for sure but at least five years. No more than ten.”

“When would I start?” Rick asked.

The Major smiled, knowing he had hooked him. “Eager?”

“No. My friend is looking for her brother and I’m going to help her. That’s a priority for me.”

“You have until the end of the year. Early January is when we start.”

“If I don’t show up?”

“Arrest warrant for you. You did assault four members of the military.” Hunt grinned.

“Fine.” Rick stood up. “Give Jugs the info, I’ll be there on the day.” Then he began to walk out.

“Let him go.” The Major said to the two sentries guarding the tent who were ready to intercept Rick. He turned to Jill. “Any advice?”

“Don’t patronize him. Be frank and honest,” was all she said before going after Rick. Unfortunately when she was out of the tent he was nowhere to be seen.

Getting an idea she went to the refugees building. ‘Refugees' was a big word. There were only six people there. Rick’s group and Carlos. She knew however she’d find Rick with Claire. Her ex’s little sister had been very protective of Rick when a whole squad was on him for knocking out four guards.

To be fair, after Rick had gone through, she could understand why he had panicked and reacted badly when he woke up in a medical bed with a field doc drawing his blood.

“That makes me think… That blood sample needs to disappear.”

While Jill decided to make an urgent detour to protect the street kid she had come to care deeply, said street kid was laying back on his bed being kissed madly by his ‘girl friend.’

Claire had been worried sick when Rick had been arrested just for defending himself. So when she heard him close the door to the room he had been given right next to her, she didn’t hesitate and went to him.

He barely opened the door after knocking that she captured his lips with hers and pushed him back towards the bed.

“Claire…” He called out her name when she broke the kiss.

“What?” She put her hands flat on his chest and rested her chin on them.

He spoke softly with regrets. “We shouldn’t.”

She frowned and looked right into his eyes. “And why is that?”

“Because… I’ve been enlisted into the army.” The tone of his voice was lower than previously. “It was that or jail. I’m starting early January. I don’t…” He hesitated in saying the words but what he saw in her eyes reminded him of everything they had been through together, a couple days ago. “I don’t want to start something if it’s to…”

Claire caught his chin with one hand. “Listen, here—”

“No. You listen, I’m not done talking.” His voice was firm and her frown changed into a scowl. “You’re going back to college once you find your brother and I’ll be who knows where, part of a black ops team because of what I am… Realistically speaking… Any kind of relationship beyond friendship is doomed to fail.”

“Watch me.” She said in defiance.

Rick’s tone was different now. Down right vulnerable. “Claire, I’d be gone for five to ten years!” His voice had an edge to it. “I don’t even know if I’ll be allowed to-”

She shut him up with a single kiss which was very effective. His hands instinctually began to roam her back in a rough manner. Even grabbing one of her buttcheeks, boldly.

“We’ll make this work.” Claired finally said after pulling away.

“Again, should we? Claire, we’ve known each other for two days. Two very traumatic days. We know nothing about each other beyond-”

“Alright, stop.”

Claire changed her position from laying down on him. She sat up, each leg at his hips, ready to mount him for a good time. Her hands flat against his chest to be used as support.

“You’re making sense. I know you enough by now to know you being logical is a coping mechanism. You’re trying to survive. The question is why and what?”

Rick laid down silently, his eyes never leaving hers. Claire could tell he was calculating, that he was pondering if he could or should tell her. To help him she tilted her body forward, a hand resting on his cheek.

She knew she got him when he took a deep breath.

“I already went down that road three months ago.”

Of all the things she had expected this wasn’t on the list she had. It was huge.

“Becca and I… When we arrived at the manor… After the night of hell we had…. Well… I got attached and she left. I don't blame her for wanting to do something with her life but acting as if nothing happened… Like it was a mistake...”

“I’m not-”

He raised his hand to interrupt her. “Look. I know you’re not her but it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to start something between us if it’s for being discarded again. I’m tired of it. You can’t promise you won’t.”

Claire looked at him in silence. For a long while. She couldn’t blame him for feeling like this. With the parents he had, the life he had in the streets. Then what he had just told her. It made sense to her. But she also liked him. She liked how protective he was, how dedicated and determined.

She had plenty of boyfriends in college the past year. Nothing serious because most of them were just boys… Thinking with their dicks, thinking of having fun. And while she took advantage of it wanting to have fun too, she also wanted a serious relationship.

Unfortunately none checked the boxes. That Rick, a seventeen year old, was more mature and serious than older boys was quite ironic. Legally he wasn’t a man yet and yet he was more man than they were. She saw in him what she wanted and she’d be damned if she didn’t go for it.

Claire made a choice. If Rick didn’t want to start a relationship, then she’d convince him. Something not serious at first if that’s what was needed, but she would change his mind.

“You may think you have a choice now.”

Her arms crossed at her hips to grab the hem of her T-shirt and she pulled it up. She discarded it to the side on the floor then leaned forward to be right above him. Her naked breasts were letting gravity pull them down against his chest.

“But you don’t. I’m going to make you mine. One way or another.”

Claire began grinding her pelvis against his crotch. The results were very satisfying. The feeling of Rick’s hard bulge made her even hornier. She grabbed one of his hands and put it on her breasts, her hard as diamond nipples poking into his palm.

“You can resist all you want but it’s useless.”

She kissed him with passion and lust, her grinding intensifying. When she felt him thrust up while pushing her ass down, she knew she got him.

Claire was about to rock his world and when she’d be done, he'd had even forgotten his name.