Part 2, Rating: M (still mostly PG-13)
Sherry Birkin x Jake Muller
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters. They are original from the Resident Evil Universe and Resident Evil 6 game. I am using them purely for personal entertainment and writing practice. A number of in-game quotes will be borrowed. This is my take on what happened in the game. And maybe after~
Sherry and Jake make way, walking outside before running into a pack of soldiers. Sherry jogs up ahead, drawing the attention of the soldiers. She quickly whips out her badge and flashes it to them. Jake follows a few paces behind
“Sherry Birkin, National Security!” She states. The soldiers lower their weapons. Among them, a man comes forward, likely their senior officer. He glances at her badge, then back at her. His face is mixed between confusion and realization.
“Sherry Birkin? You were in Raccoon City.“ The man says. Sherry puts her badge away and looks back at him, bemused. Jake leans against a nearby car as he watches the two converse.
Sherry takes a step then pauses. She thinks for a moment before it dawns on her.
“Wait...are you..Chris?” Her expression lights up.
“My sister’s told me all about you.” Chris responds. Sherry feels her heart just barely twinge from excitement. Chris Redfield, Claire’s big brother! Of course he would be here. The energy is light, but short. Another officer approaches Chris, pointing at Jake in the distance. Jake crosses his arms and looks away.
“Chris, that man is a wanted insurgent.” He says. Sherry glances at the man. She steps in as to block his view of Jake.
“Yes, he’s a mercenary. But right now he’s under the protection of the U.S. government.” She glances over her shoulder at Jake. “He’s no threat to the BSAA.”
“Unless someone pays me to be” Jake interjects, setting the accusing soldier off. Unamused, Jake looks him in the eye.
“What?” Jake retorts, clearly giving sass. The younger officer steps forward, ready to charge. Chris rests his hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. He whispers, “Stand down, Piers.”
“...Nothing.” Chris calls out to Jake.
In that moment, all the soldiers check into their radios.
“Alpha Team, copy.” Chris answers. The BSAA soldiers glance at each other as they the report from their HQ before looking overhead to a helicopter bringing in a giant B.O.W. before dropping it near the BSAA vehicles. The monster was as tall as a building and was covered in flayed flesh. Upon release, a fleshy portion of its back--a bastardization of an umbilical cord, perhaps--was pulled out. As it lands, it releases an ear piercing roar. It was slow moving, but its swings were enough to send a truck flying into the air.
“We’ll talk later. Right now, you need to find cover.” Chris says, facing the pair. Sherry, Jake, and the rest of the soldiers run into nearby buildings trying to find cover, only to run into more of the mutated mercenaries. As everyone fights off the J’avo, one of the BSAA soldiers runs up to one of the artillery guns.
“Alright. I’m setting charges now! Echo Team needs to land and I need you to keep those B.O.W.s off of me!” He calls out, pulling explosives out of his pack. More and more of the J’avo pour in, keeping everyone’s hands full.
“Alright, Finn. We’ll cover you!” Chris answers.
“Chris! Let us give you a hand!” Sherry exclaims. She roundhouse kicks one of the J’avo off the edge of a building she climbed into. Unable to look over, Chris responds.
“Out of the question! You need to get to safety!”
“I can handle myself, plus you need the help anyway!” She calls back. Running by, she can hear Jake muttering to himself in minor irritation. The duo cover each other as they take down more and more enemies. Jake shoots several of the attackers from another building before quickly shooting one behind himself point blank. Sherry then takes that enemy and proceeds to slam his head against a nearby wall. Suddenly, another grabs ahold of her from behind. She struggles against him, kicking and jabbing her elbow wherever she could. Jake turns to see her, then runs up and grabs the J’avo’s face, smashing him to the ground, releasing Sherry. Jake sticks his hand out to help her up. She takes it and props herself up. She looks Jake in the eye and nods her thanks.
“You need to take care of that huge B.O.W.!” Finn shouts. Everyone soon turns their attention to the huge creature, ready to attack. Immediately opening fire, the monster takes several hits before being knocked back and down.
“Chris! We’ll take care of the big one!” Sherry exclaims.
“Thanks for volunteering me for the job, babe.“ Jake quips, somewhat waiting for a response.
Before anyone could react, Sherry takes advantage and jumps onto its back. Quickly looking around, she finds a spike sticking out of its body. She grabs on and yanks the thing out before shoving it right into its exposed point. The B.O.W. cries out and writhe in pain, trying to pull the spike out. Sherry jumps off the creatures back and distances herself.
“Keep shooting! I think it’s working!” She yells as she runs away from the monster’s grasp as it gets up. Following suit, Chris copies Sherry and stabs the creature a second time, killing it.
On her way back to the group, she continues to knock down any one in her way with a variety of attacks. One of them decides to run at her. She continues sprinting, before sliding between the attacker’s legs, popping up behind, and shooting him in the back of the head then kicking him away. Watching from a distance, Jake unconsciously nods his approval. Wow. He could barely keep his eyes off of her. She finally regroups with everyone in a new building and catches Jake staring.
“What are you gawking at? Pay attention!” She scolds, shooting a B.O.W. charging at Jake. Finally shaken out his daze, he turns and leg sweeps the assailant. He refocuses and continues taking out more J’avo as Finn plants the charges on a second gun. Sherry dashes around as she dodges her attackers before finding cover, giving her a second to breathe. Was he staring...at me? She looks over at Jake fighting. He manages to catch her gaze and she turns away embarrassed. No way. He’s just making sure I live so he can get his money...right? She blushes as her thoughts run wild. Her eyes widen, then shut as she smacks herself in the face. Get it together Birkin. This is not the time or place. She inhales, readies her weapon, then returns to the fight.
Climbing over a nearby structure, another giant B.O.W appears.
“It’s the one we lost earlier!” Piers calls out, firing in its direction. Jake notices that, unlike the first one, this one didn’t have an exposed point. Once the charges go off, the group moves and the monster follows. Unknowingly, they lead it into some electric wires. This shocks the creature and knocks it back. Jake then uses this moment to jump onto its back. He sees that where the fleshy area would have been, is a metal pole like object. Grabbing on, Jake pulls on it until he feels something move. As he keeps pulling, the others notice the recognizable fleshy part being revealed. Once fully exposed, they open fire and Jake jumps off.
“The charges are ready!” Finn shouts. “Everyone get to cover!”
The soldiers and the pair move away from the blast radius as they try to finish off the huge monster. The charges go off. The BSAA soldiers listen on their radio before moving away from the B.O.W. From the sky, Echo Team launches missiles at it, hitting its exposed point, killing it instantly.
After Echo Team lands, Jake and Sherry meet up with Chris and the rest of his team. Chris lets them know that a helicopter is ready to take them where they need.
“Thank you so much for your help.” Sherry states. She looks back at Jake, whose expression is as indifferent as ever. She shrugs it off. Chris takes a moment and squints at Jake, who is already walking away.
“Hey!” He calls out. Jake turns around. “Have we met?”
Jake shrugs and answers, “You jarheads all look the same to me, pal, sorry.” He flashes a sarcastic grin before turning back around. Still aggravated, Piers again reacts. Chris blocks his way, dismissing him. Chris looks back at Jake.
“My mistake. Have a safe flight.” He nods at Sherry before she runs off.
It’s sunset and the helicopter ride is quiet. Sherry and Jake are across from each other. Jake gazes out the window while Sherry sits on the phone with her superior. She steals looks at Jake here and there as she continues her conversation. His expression is more relaxed, but she can sense that he was still on edge--waiting. The warm sun gently hits his face, lighting up his hair, matching the fiery sky, contrasting against his stone-colored eyes. The shadow cast accentuated his jaw, adding to his masculinity. Sherry wasn’t sure if the warmth on her cheeks was from the sun or not. Reorganizing herself, she remembers something.
“There’s something I need to run by you.” She says into her phone. “Mr. Muller is requesting compensation for his cooperation...” She looks up at Jake again.
At this, Jake’s head turns to face her. He walks over to a bench and sits across from her as she finishes up her conversation. He looks at her.
Sherry sighs. “Yes, we have a deal.” Jake laughs and claps his hand together. Well that was the easy. He remembers the patch on his arm and strips it off. Guess I won’t be needing this anymore.
The helicopter is quiet again. Sherry looks out the window, off to the horizon. Jake now stared at her. The descending sun shone on her, softening her image. She sat forward, knees together. He could see the light blush on her face as she brushed her hair behind her ear. She subconsciously bit her lip in thought. In the light, her eyes gently glowed. After taking the image in, Jake sits back and looks down at his lap, before speaking.
“By the way, that guy that you were all chummy with back there...”
“What about him?” Sherry asks. He glances off to the side, thinking, then waves his hand dismissively. Sherry looks at him, confused.
Sherry returns to her view and lets her mind run. What would he want to know about Chris? He doesn’t know...does he? She furrows her brow. If he doesn’t know...then why? She takes a breath.
Jake cracks his knuckles and fidgets a bit. Shit. Was that weird? His eyes flick up at her. I mean, they were pretty friendly. Did you see the way her face lit up? He thinks to himself. He shakes his head. Its none of my business.
Then, the helicopter jerks. Both of them stand up and look around.
“What was that?” Sherry questions. Jake starts checking every window.
“My gut's goin' with something bad.” They follow the sound before hearing a slam against one of the doors. “And here it comes.”
The door rips off, revealing the clawed B.O.W. that chased them earlier. Sherry, Jake, and one of their escorts begin shooting at it.
“That thing is after you two, isn't he!” The soldier exclaims.
The monster reaches in and tries grabbing Jake. He shoots it in the face. The gunfire in the helicopter starts a fire. The soldier opens one of the other doors and calls to the pair. Outside is another BSAA helicopter.
“Jump to the next chopper!” He shouts.
Jake readies himself as he helps throw Sherry across. She sticks the landing. Jake runs and jumps for it. Halfway across, the destroyed helicopter explodes. The explosion pushes Jake onto the new helicopter, barely holding on. Sherry hurriedly pulls Jake up as the monster starts shooting at him. He has a fucking gun?! Jake thought.
On the new helicopter, Jake and Sherry see turrets ready in the back. The two run for them and get ready for the monster to attack. Hanging on a helicopter of his own, the creature opens fire. The pair hide behind the guns, waiting for the moment to strike. The monster pauses for a second--they shoot back. Instead of aiming directly at him, they shoot at the helicopter that he’s on. Right before the helicopter goes down, he jumps onto an adjacent one. Who the hell has the money for all this?
The two shoot at the second helicopter, avoiding the creature’s shots. Before long, the helicopter starts to spiral out of control--unfortunately towards Sherry and Jake. The blow knocks them both off their feet. Looking up, they see the monster latched onto the open end of the helicopter. They pull out their guns and keep shooting at him. A gas tank manages to roll in front of them and Sherry shoots, blowing the monster off the helicopter, however, causing them to slide out of it as well. They hold onto the edge as the chopper starts to spin. Sherry points out and parachute rolling towards them, which Jake grabs before pulling Sherry with him.
He shrugs the parachute on as he and Sherry free fall. Sherry grasps onto him, clutching tightly. She presses her face into his body, hiding it from the lashes of the freezing wind. Jake pulls the latch, opening the parachute, slowing down their descent.
Above, they hear the helicopter explode into pieces, falling down into the tundra below. Of the debris, the rotary wings come falling as well, still swinging with the momentum from the blast. They barely miss the pair, but managed to clip the parachute, slicing it clean, allowing Sherry and Jake to drop into the snow covered mountains below.
Moments pass before either awake. Jake blinks his eyes open first. He groans in pain and feels a weight on his body. Still gaining consciousness, he looks up to find Sherry on top of him. He notices his hand feel wet and flips it to face him. Blood. He’s seen it plenty of times before--but this wasn’t what he was used to. It takes him a second before he realizes it isn’t his blood--it’s Sherry’s.
He gasps at the realization, then sits up, nudging her off of him. He stares at her as she lies in the white powder, looking for confirmation of any consciousness. She can’t be dead. No way. He looks around touching his chin, mind racing as he tries to figure out what to do. He turns back to her. She grunts awake--then in pain. She cringes as her senses return to her. She feels a numbing pain in her back. Sherry opens her eyes to see the blood beneath her. Weak, her arms give way, gently collapsing back into the snow. Jake tries to keep his composure. She looks up at him.
“No. You’ll bleed to death!” He refuses softly. His voice revealing more concern than he intended. He shifts closer to her, waiting.
She begs him with her eyes. Please. He takes a moment before hesitantly reaching for the large shrapnel sticking out from her torso. This thing is almost as big as my chest. She’s gonna die! He looks back at her in hopes she changed her mind--her expression doesn’t give.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He grabs ahold of the metal and begins to pull it out. It comes out slowly, pulling Sherry up with it. She gasps for air as it finally comes loose, making her crash down again. Her hearing numbs and her vision blurs as she pants, out of breath. A sudden burning sensation rushes through the gaping hole in her back. She feels the icy winds whip against it, giving no satisfaction. She moans in pain as she props herself on her arms and knees.
Jake watches her, clueless at what to do. He looks at the wound, wincing at the thought of how painful it must be. Wait. Is that thing closing? He squints in focus. Her wound shut in less than a minute.
Her pain slowly begins to fade a bit as she feels the gash heal. She pants heavily, exhausted from the pain. The cut may have healed, but she can still feel the damage, albeit a fraction of the amount, done to her body. Relaxing a bit, she looks at Jake, who’s overwhelmed by what just occurred.
“What the hell...?” He says, trying to collect himself. She should’ve died right there. He looks at her more intensely.
“You want to tell me what the hell just happened?” He questions. His emotions stir--he’s relieved that she’s okay, but he definitely needed some answers.
Sherry shakes her head as she rolls it back, still recovering from everything. She breathes a bit before answering.
“Long story.” She manages.
“Yeah? Maybe its your blood they should been testing for vaccines.” He quips.
“They already did. More than I could stand.” She responds, pushing herself up, looking Jake in the eye. He looks away, guilty at the mention of it. Mostly regained, Sherry spies something in the corner of her eye. The data chips! She hurriedly crawls over to the small flash drive buried in the snow. Attention drawn, Jake looks at her as they both stand up. She opens her hand towards him.
“There are three more.” She explains. “We need them. They have everything we need to make a vaccine! I have their general location down on my tracker.”
“Alright super girl. Let’s get looking.” Jake sighs in resignation.
The two begin scouring through the snow. The sun was dipping low and the sky darkened. The cold was hardly bearable. Trying to keep themselves distracted from the freezing temperature, Jake speaks first.
“So you’re an agent, huh? How’d that happen?”
“I knew people. Plus I figure it’d be a good idea to contribute to the world somehow. Help make it a better place.”
“Like finding the people who carry cures, I got it.”
“How did you come to be a soldier of fortune?”
Jake pauses. He hadn’t thought about his past in a long time--and with good reason. He wasn’t particularly fond of his history. He took a moment, contemplating whether or not to tell her. If she knew where to find him, she might already know, her superiors seem to have plenty of intel on him. I’m either going to die here or get fifty million dollars. Might as well spill, he thought. He looked at her as she waited for a response.
“I was born in the States, came here at a young age with my mom. Edonia is where she grew up.” He starts as they continue their search. Jake bends down as he comes across one. He picks it up and analyzes it, before gently tossing it over to Sherry. Two more.
“I don’t know who my dad is. Don’t care. Probably a deadbeat drunkard anyway. He never came around for my mom and all she ever did was pine over the bastard.” His face contorts into a scowl. “Anyway, we were dirt poor. My mom would work two--maybe even three jobs, and they wouldn’t be enough. Then, mom gets sick. Probably from over exhaustion, I dunno. We couldn’t afford the treatment she needed--she would’ve recovered just fine.” He pauses.
“That woman was amazing, y’know? Raising a kid by yourself, working several jobs? I don’t know how she even had the time for me. When she got sick, I needed to find something to do. I was barely ten.” He stands still, frozen, reliving his past as he recited it.
“I was a fiery kid, always itchin’ for a fight. Kids would pick on me and I would just send ‘em to kingdom come.” He sighs, looking up at the now black sky. “One day, a man came to our tiny apartment. Nobody liked him--he was an ass and always had his eye on my mother. We were late on our rent and the guy was pissed. He barged down the door and grabbed my mom. Said something about paying with her body. Instinct took over then boom--dead. My first kill.”
Sherry stands up, looking over at Jake as he sorts through his memories. My first kill echoes in her head. She had assumed Jake would’ve been proud at the mentioning, but instead he looked disgusted with himself. He stared down at his feet, as he kicked around the snow.
“Well that put us on the run. Murder ain’t exactly a good kind of thing for most people.” He says, half-joking. “Soon after, people started offering me money to take people out for them. I hated it, but it was that or die from starvation. Next I know, I started building myself a little reputation and with it, a sense of purpose. People were starting to fork over the big bucks for me to just off people they didn’t like.” He lets out a soft chuckle. “Anyway, I was too late. By the time we could afford it, mom passes away from the illness. Then it was just me and my hit list.”
Jake punches a nearby tree. Snow falls from it, as does another flash drive. Sherry bends over to pick it up. She approaches Jake and gently rests her hand on his arm, as to give him whatever consolation she could.
“...I’m sorry.” She musters. There wasn’t much more she could do for him, but that didn’t make her feel any less guilty. She didn’t expect him to open up in the way that he did. He shrugs her hand off him and starts searching again.
“Whatever. It’s in the past now.” He says, dryly. “One more, right?”
The two began searching again, the winds much more aggressive and frigid. Barely able to see, they notice a couple figures in the distance. Upon approach, they find the figures to be some kind of chrysalis, already broken out of.
“They're J'avo, and they're encased in a... cocoon.” Sherry says. “When they hatch... well... it isn't pretty.”
Jake shudders at the thought. “I'm so glad I was immune to that shit they gave us.”
Sherry bends down, combing through the snow as she looked for the final data chip. Jake follows suit.
“It should be nearby!” She calls out.
“Why is it always the last goddamn thing you need that you can never find.” Jake complains.
He crawls around, feeling the ground for anything resembling the data chip. Not paying attention, he bumps into the cocoon. He looks at it for a moment, then grimaces at what he was about to do. He unwillingly sticks his arm into the empty shell and feels around. I’m gonna hurl. Finally, he feels something hard in his hand. He shifts it around, getting an estimate of its size and shape, before pulling it out, arm half-covered in an unknown substance. He exclaims triumphantly.
“Haha! I’ve found it, damn bastard.”
Sherry approaches and sees the data chip safely in Jake’s hand, although caked in slime. She takes it from him hesitantly, holding it only between her thumb and index finger. Alright, that’s all of em, she thought. The freezing winds pick up again and blow furiously. Sherry shivers, unconsciously leaning into Jake for warmth.
“Let’s go to that shack we saw earlier. I’m going to freeze to death out here.”
Notes:
Yay~ baackstory. Alright, I tried really hard to extrapolate on Jake’s past, given what information was already canon. He opened up this time. Next time, it’s Sherry’s turn. (more or less.)
If you’ve played the game, you’ll notice where I’ve started to diverge. The main events/cutscenes will still happen, however, reactions/response will become increasingly original. Sorry for more narration ^^;;
If you haven’t played the game, I recommend doing so whenever you can. The story is a bit lacking here and there but the game itself is pretty fun to play imo.