Dragon Across the Multiverse (Si-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 5: Beneath the Surface

It didn’t take us long to reach the Raccoon City Police Department. The streets had been crawling with undead the whole way, giving Claire ample practice in the fine art of apocalypse survival. She handled herself well—proving that she had plenty of experience using a gun. As expected of Chris’s sister.

We reached the back gate, only to find it sealed shut.

“Damn, it’s locked,” Claire muttered, jogging up to the iron bars. She pointed toward the security camera mounted above. “You think Leon might spot us through that?”

“Probably,” I said with a shrug, eyes already scanning the street behind us. “The real question is whether he’ll get to us before we’re neck-deep in the undead.”

A groan echoed from the distance. I turned and immediately dropped the nearest walker with a clean shot to the head. “They’re already on the move.”

“Hmph. Back to finding a way in, huh?” Claire sighed, amused but exasperated, and stepped beside me to cover our flank. “Figures.”

“I do have another way in,” I said, glancing down at Claire with a teasing smile as I kept firing off shots at the approaching undead. “But you’ll have to promise not to be too surprised.”

She gave me a sidelong look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hmhmhm. Better if I just show you.”

Without waiting for permission, I casually flicked a pebble from the ground. It shot up like a bullet, striking the security camera above with pinpoint precision—knocking it offline before anyone inside got a clearer view of what I was about to do.

Claire blinked. “Wait—why’d you put your gun away?”

Instead of answering, I stepped forward and scooped her up in a smooth princess carry. She let out a startled squeal, completely caught off guard, as I grinned wider.

“Hold on,” I said—and leapt.

We soared over the locked gate in a single, effortless bound.

Claire instinctively clutched at me, eyes shut tight and head buried against my chest.

Once we landed lightly on the other side, I looked down at her. “You can let go now~”

Claire didn’t move right away. She stayed pressed against me, arms still wrapped around my neck like she hadn’t quite processed what just happened.

“…Are we on the ground?” she finally asked, her voice muffled against my chest.

“Yup. Landed nice and smooth. Ten outta ten form, if I do say so myself.” I smirked.

Slowly, she pulled back just enough to look at me, her face a mix of shock, awe, and definite irritation. “What the hell was that?! You jumped a twelve-foot gate like it was nothing!”

I gently set her down on her feet. “I did say not to be too surprised.”

“You carried me like a damn princess,” she muttered, brushing herself off and trying to regain composure. “Who even does that?”

“Apparently, me.” I grinned. “Though I’ll admit, you make it easy. You’re lighter than you look.”

She turned red—partly flustered, partly annoyed. “That better not be a pick-up line.”

“Would it work if it was?”

She glared. I raised my hands in mock surrender.

Claire let out a breath and shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And yet, here you are—still walking beside me.”

“…Shut up.”

But her smile betrayed her.

As we made our way deeper into the RPD, Claire kept sneaking glances my way. Subtle, but noticeable.

“Ask,” I said simply, stepping ahead of her—just in time to catch the whipcrack of a Licker’s tongue coming straight for her throat.

I snatched it mid-swing and yanked, dragging the creature forward before putting a magnum round straight through its head. The grotesque body collapsed in a twitching heap, its screech cut short.

Claire staggered back, wide-eyed. “W-Whoa! Th-thanks. I guess you weren’t kidding about those… Lickers, right?”

“Yup. Nasty things. And that was a baby one.”

She swallowed hard, clearly shaken, then turned toward me with a deeper curiosity in her eyes now that the immediate danger had passed.

“…How did you do that?”

Seeing that we were alone, I turned to face her fully and smiled. “I’m a ninja.”

Claire blinked. “…You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope.” I shook my head, still grinning.

We stepped into a nearby office. Spotting an opportunity, I walked up to a heavy oak desk and—without breaking a sweat—lifted it over my head with one hand.

Claire’s jaw dropped.

“Enhanced strength is one of my many talents,” I added casually.

“Whoa,” Claire blinked in surprise looking at my frame more closely and finding it surprising that even though I wasn’t ripped, I was capable of doing that. “Hmm what else can you do?”

“Hmhm, still don’t believe me huh?” I chuckled letting the desk down again before creating five Bunshin beside me causing her to gasp.

“…D-did you just make clones of yourself?” Claire asked with wide eyes as she stepped before a clone and tried to touch one only for her finger to pass through it causing her to squeak in surprise.

“They’re just illusions.” I said simply with a shrug of my shoulders and dismissed them a moment later. “This is basic stuff for any ninja.”

Claire stared at me for a long moment at that before opening her mouth again. “What are you really doing here in Raccoon City?”

“I told you—I’ve been dealing with Umbrella’s mess since I arrived,” I said evenly. “My brother and I came here to help contain the outbreak. According to the intel I’ve gathered, there’s a hidden lab beneath the RPD—one of Umbrella’s major facilities for bioweapons research.”

Claire’s expression tightened at the word Umbrella.

“That’s actually how I ran into Jill,” I continued. “Helped her fight her way through the city yesterday. She mentioned your brother, Chris.”

Her eyes lit up, hopeful. “You saw him?”

I shook my head. “No. But Jill told me he left Raccoon City weeks ago. Headed to Europe. Something about following a lead on Umbrella.”

Claire looked down, absorbing that.

“Damn it, Chris… couldn’t have left a note or something?” she muttered, half to herself.

“He probably didn’t have time,” I said gently. “And chances are he was worried Umbrella might intercept anything he sent. Better to keep you in the dark than risk your safety.”

Claire sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Haah… so I came all the way here for nothing.”

Then she looked up at me—and despite the disappointment, a small, relieved smile tugged at her lips. “At least I know he’s not stuck in this hellhole.”

“That’s the spirit.” I smiled and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat, earning a soft grin in return. “Now chin up, Claire. If you want to see your brother again, we’ve still got to survive this mess first.”

She laughed under her breath, the tension easing a bit. “Right. Let’s find Leon and get the hell out of here.”

With the tension between us eased, Claire and I continued navigating the twisted labyrinth that was the RPD. I took the liberty of forcefully opening every door we needed—whether it was locked, chained, or "puzzle protected."

If I had to do one of those fucking puzzles, I would lose my shit. This was supposed to be a vacation and I was not spending my time backtracking like 20 times.

“This place is a madhouse!” Claire muttered in disbelief as I opened yet another hidden door with a casual shove.

“That’s Umbrella for you,” I said with a shrug.

I came to a sudden stop, a familiar weight settling in my chest. Feeling something slowly approaching us, I turned.

Thudding footsteps echoed down the hallway behind us.

And there he was.

Mr. X.

A towering wall of silent menace in a trench coat, walking toward us like a machine programmed for violence.

“Claire,” I said, my tone turning sharp and serious.

She immediately caught on. “What is it—?”

“Go through the door. I’ll be right behind you.”

“But—!”

“No arguments. This guy’s not your fight.” I turned and shoved open the heavy iron door leading to the underground, gently guiding her inside. “Now go.”

Her eyes burned with protest as I pushed the door shut behind her.

“Akari!” she shouted. “Damn it—you better stay alive, you hear me?!”

I smiled faintly as the door clicked closed.

“Don’t worry, Claire,” I murmured, turning to face the approaching Tyrant. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

“Hmhmhm, Veldora’s going to be so jealous when I tell him about all the fun I had while he was stuck dealing with the scrubs,” I chuckled, amusement bubbling in my voice.

“It’s better this way,” Ciel replied with a rare note of satisfaction. “That dumb dragon would’ve gone overboard and probably leveled half the city block.”

I blinked, suspicious. “Ciel... you didn’t engineer it so he wouldn’t find any strong monsters, did you?”

“…I have no idea what Master is talking about,” she replied, just a bit too quickly.

Yup. That confirmed it.

‘Poor bastard… can’t catch a break even when we’re supposed to be on vacation.’ I sighed inwardly, a tiny sweat drop forming in my mind.

My train of thought was cut off by the sound of rushing air. Mr. X’s massive fist came flying at me.

Without even glancing up, I raised my hand and caught the punch effortlessly. The Tyrant’s expression didn’t change—but I felt the frustration in the force behind the blow, the pressure he tried to exert.

I met his gaze with a sneer. “Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking to my cute Ciel, you ugly motherfucker.”

Then, without warning, I twisted my stance and delivered a roundhouse kick straight to his side.

The blow landed with a boom, sending Mr. X flying across the hallway and crashing through a reinforced wall like a wrecking ball made.

Debris rained down. Dust filled the air.

I rolled my shoulder.

“Now,” I muttered, cracking my neck. “Where were we?”

=====

Raccoon City Police Department – Underground

Claire’s POV

The heavy door slammed shut behind her, cutting off the chaos upstairs—and Akari’s voice—with a final metallic clang. Claire stood in a dim, damp corridor, her pulse still racing. She hated being separated again, especially after seeing what kind of monster had been chasing them.

Hopefully, Akari could handle himself.

He did say he was a ninja, of all things—and ninjas were supposed to be sneaky, right? It kind of came with the job title.

“Haah… I have the weirdest luck,” Claire muttered to herself as she walked forward, hoping Akari would catch up soon. “I meet the most handsome guy I’ll probably ever see in my entire life… and he turns out to be some kind of superhuman ninja.”

She gave a faint, half-laugh to herself.

“…At least I know he’s attracted to me too,” she added with a small, confident skip in her step—thinking about the way he’d caught her eye, the compliments, the way he definitely noticed her.

As she moved deeper underground, the air grew colder. Mechanical groans echoed through the hallway, mixed with the faint drip of water somewhere beyond. Something skittered against metal nearby.

Rats, she hoped. Please just be rats.

Then she saw movement—quick, small, and unmistakably human.

“Hey!” Claire called out, raising her pistol reflexively but keeping her tone gentle. “It’s okay—I’m not gonna hurt you!”

A pair of wide, frightened blue eyes peeked out from behind a stack of overturned filing cabinets. A small girl, maybe ten or eleven, stepped cautiously into the light. Her blonde hair was tangled, and her clothes were dirty and scuffed from running and hiding.

“Who… who are you?” the girl asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Claire lowered her weapon immediately and knelt to appear less threatening. “Name’s Claire. Claire Redfield. What about you?”

The girl hesitated, then stepped forward a little. “I’m… I’m Sherry. Sherry Birkin.”

Claire blinked at the name. Birkin? Had she heard that name mentioned before?

“Are you alone down here?” she asked softly.

“I’m looking for my mom,” Sherry answered, glancing nervously down the hall. “She told me to stay home but she was taking so long to come back and she wasn’t entering my calls so I came looking for her. She makes medicine… for Umbrella.”

Claire nearly winced. From what Akari had told her—and what she'd seen in the files scattered around the station—Umbrella was exactly the kind of company that would call a virus “medicine.”

Still, she kept her expression even.

Then Sherry looked up at her, hopeful. “Will you help me find her?”

Claire sighed softly, but a smile formed on her lips. The girl was scared, alone, and looking for someone she trusted. Claire couldn’t turn away from that.

“Of course,” she said gently. “Let’s find your mom. My friend should be catching up with us soon.”

Sherry nodded, visibly brightening at her words.

Claire stood and took the lead. “This way.”

As they walked, the sound of a distant crash echoed through the underground halls—something heavy slamming into concrete. Claire froze for just a moment, her eyes flicking back in the direction she’d come, a small frown tugging at her lips.

“Are you worried about your boyfriend?” Sherry asked innocently.

Claire blinked, caught off guard—then let out a small laugh. “No, we’re not dating… yet.”

Her smile widened as she noticed Sherry’s little giggle in response.

“Hihihi… so you do like him. I hope we meet him soon.”

“We will,” Claire said confidently. “He promised he’d catch up—and believe it or not, he’s pretty strong.”

She didn’t say it out loud, but deep down, Claire was sure of it. Akari had already proven he was capable of far more than she could understand… and somehow, that only made her trust him more. After all, anyone willing to come to this hell hole out of their own will to fight against Umbrella, was okay in her books.

=====

Raccoon City Police Department – Ground Level

Regular POV

Mr. X let out a garbled, mechanical growl as he staggered to his feet—for what had to be the fifth time.

Persistent bastard.

His coat was shredded, one arm hung at an unnatural angle, and the wall behind him looked more like a crater. I cracked my knuckles, stepping over the rubble I’d made when I’d sent him through it.

“Still standing, huh?” I muttered, brushing dust off my coat. “You get points for durability—but I’m getting bored.”

The Tyrant charged again. Slower this time. Sloppier. His movements were breaking down.

I sighed. “Guess that means we’re done here.”

In a blur, I appeared behind him, one hand glowing faintly with energy as I struck the base of his neck with a clean, decisive palm thrust. The crack echoed like a thunderclap. He collapsed forward like a marionette with its strings cut.

“Should’ve stayed dead the first time.”

With a thought, my Shroud materialized behind me in all its radiant splendor. It wrapped around the downed Tyrant, engulfing the body completely. Ten minutes later, he was captured—and instantly sold to the Company. All trace of his form vanished from the floor.

“Now, to catch up with Claire.”

I closed my eyes briefly, sensing her presence. Sure enough, she had already met up with Sherry—right on time.

Which meant only one thing.

“William Birkin’s not far behind,” I muttered, eyes glowing faintly as my vision pierced through steel and concrete. Below, I spotted them—Claire and Sherry moving cautiously through the underground… and just ahead, a grotesque, hulking figure barreling their way.

I exhaled, already moving. “Time to step in.”

As I sprinted across the station, I caught a flicker of another familiar signature nearby—one that made me smirk.

“Looks like my clone and Jill made it here too.”

Things were about to get chaotic.

“Only Veldora is missing to make this a full party.”

=====

The scent of mold and blood hit me like a wave as I descended into the lower levels of the station. The old tunnels were tight, claustrophobic, and lit with the faint flicker of dying bulbs. But ahead—just down the corridor—I could already hear it.

ROOOOOAAAAR!!!

William Birkin.

I rounded the corner just in time to see his mutated form barreling forward—one grotesque arm swollen and misshapen, dragging a pipe ripped from the walls. His single, massive eye pulsated from his shoulder, fixating on his targets.

Claire and Sherry stood frozen at the far end of the hall, eyes wide.

“Claire!” I called out.

She turned, relief flashing in her expression—but there was no time for greetings.

I stepped forward and raised one hand.

CRACK!

Birkin’s pipe swung toward me like a freight train.

I caught it.

The impact echoed like a gunshot—but I didn’t move an inch. The steel groaned in protest as I tightened my grip and snapped it in half like a twig, tossing the pieces aside.

“Get her out of here, Claire,” I said without turning around.

“You—he—” she stammered, but Sherry tugged her hand and she nodded quickly. “Be careful!”

As the two of them retreated, Birkin lunged forward, his eye blazing with rage. I dodged the first swipe and drove my fist into his gut. A burst of black-red blood sprayed the wall behind him, but he barely flinched—more feral than sentient now.

“Still got some fight in you, huh?” I muttered, eyes narrowing. “Fine by me.”

He came at me again, claws slashing and roars shaking the tunnel. I met him head-on, just pure speed, strength, and technique. A boot to the knee, an elbow to the jaw, a knee to the ribs. He was strong. Fast, even.

But I was better.

Finally, when he staggered backward, his eye exposed and flickering, I drew one of my Magnums.

BANG.

The round tore through his shoulder-eye in a spray of gore and bile. Birkin shrieked, stumbling against the wall as regeneration kicked in—but slower now. Sluggish.

“That’s enough for now,” I muttered, holstering the gun. “Let’s not end this fight too early.”

He lunged again—only to meet a brutal roundhouse kick that sent him flying down into the depths below.

“…I’ll deal with you later,” I said, already turning to follow Claire and Sherry.

They hadn’t gotten far, and I caught up quickly—just in time to see Claire ushering Sherry into a side room.

“You okay?” she asked as I approached, cheeks slightly flushed.

“I told you I’d catch up,” I said, dusting off my coat with a grin before turning to the awed eyes of Sherry, with her gaze focused on my blue colored hair and gold eyes.

“And who might you me, little one?” I asked with a smile as I brought one of my hands on top of her head and playfully rubbed it.