Стефани Перри - Nemesis

The girl, Jill, ran a full block before slowing down.

She seemed to know where they were going, and it was

obvious that she'd had some kind of combat training; cop, maybe, though she sure as hell wasn't in uniform. Carlos was desperately curious but saved his breath, concentrating instead on keeping up with her.

From the restaurant they ran downhill, past the theater Trent had mentioned, taking a right at a decorative fountain at the end of the block; another half block and Jill signaled at a door on the left for a standard sweep. Carlos nodded, standing to one side of the door, rifle up

Jill pulled the handle and Carlos stepped in, ready to fire at anything that moved, Jill covering him. They were in some kind of a warehouse, at the end of a walkway that T-ed some fifteen meters ahead. It seemed to be clear.

"It should be all right," Jill said quietly. "I came through this way a few minutes ago."

"Better safe than sorry, though, right?" Carlos said, keeping the rifle up but feeling some of the tension leave his body. She was definitely a pro.

They edged into the warehouse, carefully checking it out before saying another word. It was cold and not very well lit, but it didn't smell as bad as most of the rest of the city and by standing at the T junction in the middle of the warehouse, they'd be able to see anything coming well before it got to them. In all, it felt like the safest place he'd been since the helicopter.

"I'd like to ask you something, if you don't mind,"

Jill said, finally turning her full attention to him.

Carlos opened his mouth and the words just spilled

out. "You want to ask me out, right? It's the accent, chicks love the accent. You hear it and you just can't help yourselves."

Jill stared at him, eyes wide, and for a moment he thought he'd made a mistake, that she wouldn't realize he was kidding. It was a stupid call, joking around in these circumstances. Just as he was about to apologize, one corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

"I thought you said you weren't a zombie," she said. "But if that's the best you can do, maybe we ought to reevaluate your situation."

Carlos grinned, delighted with her comeback—and suddenly thought of Randy, of him playing around just before they'd landed in Raccoon. His smile faded, and he saw the bright glitter of humor leave her face, too, as if she'd also remembered where they were and what had happened.

When she spoke again, her tone was much cooler. "I was going to ask if you were the same Carlos who sent out a message about an hour ago, hour and a half maybe."

"You heard that?" Carlos asked, surprised. "When no one answered, I didn't think—"

Be careful who you trust.Trent's words flashed through his mind, reminding him that he had no idea who Jill Valentine was. He trailed off, shrugging indifferently.

"I only caught part of it, and I couldn't transmit from where I was," Jill said. "You said something about a platoon, didn't you? Are there other, ah, soldiers here?"

Stick to the basics, and nothing about Trent."There were, but I think they're all dead now. This whole operation's been a disaster from word go."

"What happened?" she asked, studying him intently.

"And who are you with, anyway, National Guard? Are they sending backup?"

Carlos watched her in turn, wondering how careful he needed to be. "No reinforcements, I don't think. I mean, I'm sure they'll send someone in eventually, but

I'm just a grunt, I don't really know anything—we set down, the zombies attacked. Maybe some of the other guys got away, but so far's I know, you're looking at the last surviving member of the U.B.C.S. That's Umbrella Bio-Hazard Countermea—"

She cut him off, the expression on her face close to disgust. "You're with Umbrella?”

Carlos nodded. "Yeah. They sent us in to rescue the civilians." He wanted to say more, to tell her what he suspected—anything to change the look on her face, like she'd just found out he was a rapist or something— but Trent's advice kept repeating, reminding him to be wary.

Jill's lips curled. "How 'bout you can the shit? Umbrella's responsible for what happened here, as if you didn't know—where do you get off lying? What are you really doing here? Tell the truth, Carlos,// that's your name."

She was definitely pissed, and Carlos felt a moment's uncertainty, wondering if she was an ally, someone who knew the truth about Umbrella—but it could also be a trap.

Maybe she works for them and is trying to feel me out, find out where my loyalties are...

Carlos allowed a touch of anger to creep into his own voice. "I'm just a grunt, like I said. I'm—all of us—are guns-for-hire. No politics, dig? They don't tell

us shit. And at the moment, I'm not interested in what Umbrella is or isn't responsible for. If I see someone who needs help, I'm gonna do my job, but otherwise, I just want to get out."

He glared at her, determined to stay in character.

"And speaking of who-what-why, what areyou doing here?" he snapped. "What were you doing in that restaurant? And what was that thing that you blew up?"

Jill held his gaze for another second, then dropped her own, sighing. "I'm trying to get out, too. Thatthing is one of Umbrella's monsters, it's hunting me, and I doubt very much that it's dead, even now—which means I'm not safe. I thought there might be ... I was looking for a kind of key, I thought it might be at the

"What kind of key?" he asked, but somehow, he thought he already knew.

"It's this jewel, it's part of a locking mechanism to the City Hall gate. There are two jewels, actually, and I've got one already. If I can get the other one, get the gate open, there's a way out of town—a cable car that runs west, out to the suburbs."

Carlos kept his face neutral, but he was jumping beneath his skin. What had Trent said?

Go west, for one thing .. . and when I find out where the blue gem is, I'll understand their relevance ... but what does this mean about Jill Valentine? Do I trust her now, or not? What doessheknow ?

"No shit," he said, keeping his tone mild. "I saw something like that, in the basement at the restaurant. A green gem."

Jill's eyes widened. "Really? If we can get it... Carlos, we have to go back!"

"Ifthat's my name," he said, caught somewhere between irritation and amusement. She seemed to leap from mood to mood, brisk then funny then angry then excited; it was kind of tiring, and he still wasn't sure whether or not he could turn his back on her. She seemedto be sincere ...

"I'm sorry," she said, touching his arm lightly. "I shouldn't have said that, it's just—Umbrella and I aren't on the best of terms. There was a biohazardous incident at one of their labs, here, about six weeks ago. People died. And now this."

Carlos melted a little at the warmth of her hand.

Jesus, but he was a sucker forun primor, and she was something to look at.

"Carlos Oliveira," he said, "at your service."

Down, boy. Head out of town, says Trent, but are you sure you want to travel with someone who might end up killing you? You want to clear your head before you take off with thecueroMiss Valentine.

Immediately he started arguing with himself. Yeah, be careful, but are you going to leave her all alone? She said that monster was after her...

He joked about it sometimes, but he wasn't truly a sexist; she could take care of herself, as she'd already proven. And if shewas one of Umbrella's spies ... well, she deserved what she got, then, didn't she?

"I—I wouldn't feel right about leaving without at least trying to find some of the others," he said, and now that he knew there was a way out, he realized it was true. Even an hour ago, the thought would have

been ridiculous; now, armed with Trent's information, everything had changed. He was still scared, sure, but actuallyknowing something about the situation made him feel less vulnerable somehow. In spite of the risks, he wanted to walk a few more blocks before he left town, make some attempt to helpsomeone. He wanted time to think, to make up his mind.