Disclaimer : Resident Evil and all of it's characters belong to Capcom. This story is simply fiction, and is only for entertainment.

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Prologue : Shackler's Revenge

"Hatred isn't something you're born with.
It gets taught..."

The government agent paced frantically behind the two-way mirror. On the other side was one of the most dangerous criminals of the twenty-first century. He had been on the top of America's "most wanted" list for two weeks now, and he had finally been caught. He was finally in government custody. But that didn't stop the wave of nausea from hitting the ex-cop harder than a ton of bricks ever could.

"Hey Leon. I know that you wanna get in there as soon as possible, but Hunnigan wanted me to give this to you." the dark-haired man spoke softly, extending his hand, which held a manila folder. Leon's eyes narrowed gravely at the folder, which he took without a word. He flipped the cover open, and began thumbing through the contents.

Alias, Joe. Real name, unknown. Nationality, American. Birthday, unknown. Age, unknown. Hair color, brown. Eye color, brown. Blood type, A. Enjoys speaking French and telling jokes, especially before he kills.

"You've got to be kidding me Kevin. Is this really all she could dig up?" Leon questioned, furrowing his eyebrows in frustration.

"Sorry man...there's nothing on this guy. He burned the tips of his fingers so he wouldn't have finger prints. He doesn't have an address, dental records, hospital records, parking tickets, nothing." Kevin affirmed, shrugging his shoulders. Leon, unable to wait any longer began walking towards the door that would lead him to "Joe". When he reached the knob, he stopped, turning to meet the older agent in the eye.

"Yeah, but she didn't dig up anything that I didn't already know. I need ten minutes alone with this guy. I want you to clear everybody out of here." Leon ordered, once again turning his attention to the thick, metal door.

"What do you want me to tell them Lee? Fire drill?" Kevin asked sarcastically, his eyes penetrating through the mirror at the madman, who was sitting comfortably. The blondeman whipped around angrily, showing another side of his personality that hadn't been seen in quite a few years.

"I don't give a rat's ass what you tell them Ryman! Just get me ten God damn minutes! Can you handle that?" Leon barked uncharacteristically. The dark-haired man looked caught off guard by Leon's outburst, but with a sigh, nodded. The younger agent seemed content with Kevin's answer, so he entered the small room, locking the heavy door behind him.

"Ahh...just the man that I wanted to see. How are you this afternoon Agent Kennedy?" Joe quipped, leaning back in his chair. It took every ounce of restraint in Leon's body to control himself from jumping across the table and strangling the man.

"There's only one thing that I want to know. And I have a feeling you know what that is." the agent responded solemnly. The sides of Joe's lips quivered, and the man couldn't help the huge smile that spread out on his face.

"You could refresh my memory..." Joe offered, his grin somehow growing wider. In an instant, Leon grabbed the criminal by his shirt, pinning him against the wall.

"Woah, whoa, whoa....take it easy Agent. Let's not go all...crazy on me now..." Joe chirped, waving his hands around to prove his point. The blonde man looked to the ground miserably, releasing the smaller man at the same time.

"What's your real name Joe?" Leon inquired, prompting the dark-haired man to raise an eyebrow.

"Surely that's not the information that you've come to beat out me..." Joe replied, taking his seat at the end of the stainless steel table.

"Humor me." the ex-cop retorted, mimicking the madman's actions. That sentence brought the smile back on Joe's face. He rapped on the table a couple of times with his knuckles, and then brought his hand up, pointing his index finger at Leon accusingly. Joe kept his smirk, wagging his finger at the government agent, as if Leon was a dog who just disobeyed an order.

"Je n'ai pas de nom." he stated, leaning back as he did earlier. When the blonde man didn't respond, the madman continued.

"My name is Ydennek T. Noel. I'm just your average, ordinary guy." Joe announced. Leon looked puzzled for a minute, and began counting his fingers, as if he was trying to figure out a mathematical equation.

"Let me guess...your middle name is Ttocs, right? Very clever Joe...a little unoriginal though." the ex-cop scoffed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. The man in question laughed heartily, rocking back and forth in his chair for a couple of minutes.

"Well, I'm the same as you Agent Kennedy. In essence...I represent America...no, the world actually." Joe added, resting his elbows against the cool steel that made up the table.

"You see, the only rational way to live is...irrationally. Especially in this rational world. Because then you create chaos. Me, I'm just an uncivilized man...trapped in a civilized time. What did you think would happen?" he continued, eyeing the blonde man intently.

"What have you done with her?" Leon snarled. Another audible chuckle reverberated through the madman, as if the agent had just said a funny joke.

"I don't think that I'm in any position to do anything to anybody at the moment." Joe pointed out, motioning around the small room with his handcuffed hands.

"She never came home last night...and she's not answering her phone. Now tell me where she is." Leon affirmed, his eyes turning a stormy blue, unconsciously showing how angry he was.

"It's almost shocking, isn't it? How things work out? You know, when I first met Mrs. Kennedy... -" Joe was cut off when the ex-cop slammed his hands on the metal table, springing up simultaneously.

"Whoops...did I enter a taboo conversation? You'll have to forgive my manners Agent Kennedy. As I said before, I don't have any." the dark-haired man explained quickly, motioning for Leon to sit.

"I'd rather talk to Manson..." Leon mumbled, sitting down in the hard folding chair.

"Manson? That guy's a real nut job. And also kind of a racist...but, there's another difference between me and him. I like to kill anybody. I don't hold any prejudice in that regard." Joe proclaimed thoughtfully. The blonde man sighed, growing impatient. He knew that the only way to get the information that he wanted was by listening to the madman ramble on, but that didn't mean that he had to truly listen, or enjoy it.

"As I was saying. When I first met Mrs. Kennedy...I could tell that you and her were..."soul mates". I mean, I could just see the electricity in her eyes at the mere mention of your name. I'm sure when you first met her, it was more pleasant though. Tell me Agent...could you feel the sparks flying immediately, or...?" Joe trailed off, allowing his words to sink in. They appeared to do just that, as Leon was gritting his teeth, and holding his fist so tight that his knuckles were white.

"Did you feel the energy jolt freely throughout your body? How about when Mrs. Kennedy said "I do"? Or perhaps you felt the energy when she told you..." the dark haired man trailed off again, a wide grin spreading out on his face.

"When she told you...that she was expecting." Joe finished, smirking triumphantly. In an instant, Leon rushed to the other side of the table, pinning the madman to the wall.

"You know...votre femme a un beau sourire." Joe stated, giggling at the end of the sentence. Without hesitating, the agent struck the criminal across the face hard, which only elicited more laughter.

"Care to repeat that in English?" Leon dared, his rage boiling over.

"Oh, no Agent Kennedy...I don't "care" about anything." the dark-haired man challenged, panting heavily.

"Where the fuck is my wife?" the blonde man demanded, slamming the criminal into the wall to show that he meant business.

"You know, if we were in a different time, I'd probably get the electric chair for all of my crimes. I mean, you saw what happened to D.C. How is the President by the way?" Joe questioned, taking a second smirk victoriously, before cackling madly again.

"He's fine. Now answer my damn question, you psycho!" Leon insisted, pounding his back into the brick wall again.

"Good to hear Mr. President is okay...but, ahh...little Ashley wasn't so lucky, eh?" the madman taunted, cocking his head to the side innocently. The blonde man struck Joe across the cheek harder this time, and the man collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Not because he was injured, or in immense pain, but because he was laughing so hard.

"I know why you can't stand me Agent Kennedy. I totally understand..." Joe began, once his giggles had subsided.

"It's because I'm not your text book psychotic murderer. I'm just a normal guy, an "Average Joe", if you will...and it bothers you to no extent that I don't have a motive. You see...people like you want little motives and reasons for crimes, so you can sleep peacefully at night. You don't like excepting the fact that your regular, common populace might just snap one day. For no reason at all!" Joe continued, as Leon hovered above him, toying with the idea of pummeling him some more.

"I mean, I'm labeled a serial killer. Why? I like to kill people in many different ways. The same thing over and over again...well, that'd just be boring. It's kind of like an art form, really..." the dark haired man added thoughtfully.

"You're sick. Murder isn't art. You have to create something in order for it to be art. We label you as a serial killer because you do have a pattern. You like to speak French and make jokes before killing, right?" the government agent probed.

"Quite the contrary, Agent Kennedy. I like to speak French any chance that I get. Do you know why? Because...J'ai aimé. J'ai souffert. À l'heure actuelle, je déteste. I only speak French when I feel hatred. Which is quite often, mind you. The jokes however, are indeed a different story. You are right about them...I only tell jokes before I kill. I mean, everybody deserves one...last...laugh. Before death, of course." Joe clarified smirking, still lying on the floor.

"I've heard enough. I guess I have to beat this information out of you." Leon replied, hoisting the madman off of the floor by his collar.

"Hey, I'm not the bad guy here! You and Mrs. Kennedy are! To think that stand up citizens, such as yourselves, would do something as irresponsible as bringing a child into these insane times..." Joe started, before Leon slammed him into the wall, as he had done before.

"How do you expect a child to grow up in a world like this?" the dark-haired man queried, only to be answered with a swift punch to his stomach.

"In a world that will undo all of your hard work?" he continued, seemly unfazed by the strike. The blonde man once again delivered a vicious blow to the madman's midsection.

"Especially when your baby discovers that everything you've taught is a lie!" Joe finished with his signature laugh, which antagonized Leon further. He swung with all of his might, connecting with the criminal's jaw, which once again sent him crumpling to the floor, giggling wildly.

"Where is she?!" the government agent bellowed, striking the man against his cheek again.

"It was very irresponsible of her. Especially since she's pregnant..." the madman started, with his usual enigmatic style. Leon raised his fist menacingly, and Joe attempted to shield his face in mock submission.

"It was too easy to persuade her. My men didn't go searching for Mrs. Kennedy...no, no. She went searching for them. All they had to do was tell her that we had you...and your loving, and expecting wife came gallivanting to the rescue. Like a mosquito drawn to the light...right...before...ZAP!" Joe exclaimed, wriggling to the wall, and managing to pull himself to a sitting position.

"Answer my question you son of a bitch, or I swear to God..." Leon trailed off, dark thoughts forming in his brain.

"Well...judging by the clock, I'd say you don't have much time. Do you know how many volts of electricity it takes to kill an average human being? Well, the way our machine is set up...I'd only take about thirty-one...give or take. This machine...it starts out with a simple static shock...similar to the ones you'd create by rubbing your feet on a carpet, and touching a door knob. The sensation lasts only a split second. But...every thirty minutes, the voltage number is increased, as well as the length per shock." Joe explained, taking time to catch his breath. Leon stood in utter disbelief, unable to form coherent thoughts or phrases due to the madman's confession.

"You do the math Agent Kennedy. She's been missing for...oh, twelve and a half hours. That's a total of about...twenty-five volts. And a length of twelve and a half seconds to the shock that she just received. Ouch..." the dark-haired man teased, wearing his signature smirk.

"She's only got three hours until she reaches the lethal thirty-one volt mark, with a shock that lasts fifteen seconds. Her location is in Sag Harbor, in an old warehouse on Latham Street. We are here, in Brooklyn. It's going to take approximately two hours and sixteen minutes to get there. But since it is five-thirty, I don't think you'll be able to make it in the allotted time. You can thank New York's wonderful rush hour traffic for that." Joe said sarcastically, allowing himself to chuckle at the end of his sentence.

"You'd better run Agent Kennedy...I didn't do the calculations for the baby." the madman taunted, looking at the clock. Leon tightened his fist, and was about to rush towards the dark-haired man, when he felt arms hold him back. It was one of Leon's best friends. Agent McGivern held Leon in place, trying to get him to calm down.

"Easy Leon...you've got the location, so just go already! I'll watch the psycho for you...he's not going anywhere." Bruce promised, cracking his knuckles once Leon had stopped struggling. The blonde man bounded for the door quickly, anxious to save the life of his wife and unborn child.

"Aww...how lonely Christmas will be for you this year..." Joe quipped, prompting Leon to stop in his tracks.

"You son of a... -" he began, clenching his fists furiously.

"Leon! Go! Ada needs you now!" Bruce insisted, practically shoving the younger agent out the door.

"Such concern you show for your friend. I'll bet you five bucks he gets there, and they're already dead. Huh? Any takers?" the dark-haired man pestered, garnering an evil glare from Bruce. The madman met his eyes, smiling brightly.

"You shut your God damn mouth, or I'll pick up where Leon left off." Bruce snarled viciously. The criminal giggled, lightly smacking the back of his head into the brick wall several times.

"That's a good one, but I've heard better." he informed, his smirk never leaving his face. Bruce rolled his eyes, and continued to guard the door faithfully.

"Would you like to hear a joke Agent McGivern?" Joe asked innocently.

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Duh duh duh! The plot thickens...so to speak. And another story is born...I really can't help my brain sometimes, so...sorry people who are sick of seeing me!

Ahh...Joe. Mr. Average Joe...I don't know if you can tell, but I had fun with writing him lol. He's just a little OC that was the brain child of me and Alaska Kennedy (or is that Alaska Kennedy and I?). We worked on him for about two days...thanks chica! Anyway, he's heavily based on The Joker, The Riddler (wtf why Batman?), Hannibal Lector, and a little dash of Kain, for good measure. Like I said...very fun...

Well, that was the first chapter...kinda. We'll flashback in the next chapter to see how we got to this point...yes, I'm going to Tarintino that shit. Why you ask? Hell if I know...I thought it would be interesting...and yes...this chapter was influenced by the interrogation scene in The Dark Knight (seriously, why Batman?! XD). Anyway, the quote at the beginning is heard in Mississippi Burning...(Mississippi...what a fun word to type!)

French...yes French. I hope the translations were right...or at least pretty close...

"Je n'ai pas de nom." - I have no name.
"Votre femme a un beau sourire." - Your wife has a beautiful smile.
"J'ai aimé. J'ai souffert. À l'heure." - I have loved. I have suffered. Right now, I hate. (I know I've heard this quote somewhere before...by who though?)

Hope you readers enjoyed chapter 1, and if'n ya did, I hope that you'll stay tuned for later chapters. As always, any feedback that you toss my way is greatly appreciated!