She couldn't tell how long she had been out. With a groan, her vision finally returned to her, and the feeling of the cold, hard steel beneath her finally kicked in. Grunting, she made an effort to rise to her feet. She was surprised to find her balance return to her almost instantly, something uncharacteristic of all the other times she had been rendered unconscious.

Something about her felt different. She was barely aware of her steps walking, and seemed to move at a faster gait than she usually did. As she picked up the discarded SMG near where she had fallen, it didn't seem to weigh anything. Realization began to wash over Claire. She wanted to test something. With a grunt, she raised her hand up, before punching down at the ground. She bit her lip, expecting a wave of pain to wash over her, but was surprised when none came. She looked down, and realized the steel walkway beneath her had been bent by the pressure of her fist. Something within her mind snapped in realization. She had changed. She had become something different.

Claire didn't want to think about what this meant. She focused her thoughts on getting out. She would leave, and think about herself afterwards. At a much faster pace than usual, she made her way out of the lab, and began to ascend the walkway back into the main facility. She wasn't expecting what she was about to find in there.

The room had been almost empty, the heavy desks and cabinets had either been pushed against the walls of whisked off to other areas within the facility. The fallen bodies of her comrades had been neatly stacked against the far wall. In the span of however many hours she had been out, the room had gone from cluttered to bare; bare sans a single chair in the center of the room, facing away from her. Cautiously, Claire raised her SMG and surveyed the situation. Slowly, the chair before her began to turn.

The identity of the person in the chair didn't come as a great surprise to her. As much as she would have liked to avoid this moment, some part of her felt it was inevitable. Across from her sat Wesker, his lack of sunglasses revealing once more his bestial eyes. The two exchanged a knowing glance. Wesker's mouth formed into a thin smile.

"I see your curiousity got the better of you." He mocked, standing up. In a single motion, he kicked the chair backwards, sending it against the wall at the far side of the room. "Now, I wonder what all that did for you." He raised her hands, as if preparing to fight. Claire realized why he had spared her earlier; he was counting on her making the choice she did. Everything up onto this point had somehow factored into his demented master plans. Wordlessly, Claire tossed her SMG aside and assumed a fighting pose. It was time to find out what this new power could do for her.

The two surveyed each other for a good minute, each waiting in anticipation for the other to make a move. When the two could wait no longer, they were at each other. Claire lunged forward, amazed at her newfound speed. Wesker charged her, and much to her surprise, Claire was able to anticipate him coming. He extended his palm, aiming another shot at her ribs, but this time, Claire was fast enough to deflect it with her forearm. Wesker's face was both surprised and impressed. Breaking off from her, Wesker darted backwards before lunging once more. This time, his attack was a kick, aimed clean for her head. Claire ducked it with ease and returned with an uppercut to his ribcage. Wesker caught her hand and pushed her backwards, breaking away once more.

The two took another second to survey each other. Claire was surprised at how much her newfound power allowed her to keep up with him. Something about it was intoxicating. The rush she had gotten from just the past two exchanges was phenomenal, unlike anything she had felt before. "Isn't it a wonderful feeling?" Wesker asked, breaking the silence. Claire lowered her head, reluctant to respond. Another heartbeat passed, and the two were at each other again.

This time, it was Claire on the offensive. She went for a low kick to his shins, something he jumped with ease. Wesker raised his leg, reading an axe kick in midair to bring down upon her head. Claire caught his ankle with her forearm and deflected him to the side, causing him to spin through the air once before he landed on his feet. Upon doing so, Wesker wasted no time closing the distance between them once more. He swung at her, this time with a right hook. Claire caught the inside of his arm with her own forearm, once more deflecting the attack. This time, however, Wesker made little effort to break away from her as soon as his attack was parried.

Their two faces were rather close, and Claire had a chance to gaze into his strange eyes. They scared her, they reminded her that he was certainly not human, but some part of them transfixed her. As he stared her down, she could feel a heat rising within her body. She was reluctant to admit it, but something about the situation was intoxicating. She felt like her newfound might gave her some insight into Wesker. Thoughts which would have been previous intangible to her took form. A new sense of understanding swept across her memory of her prior encounter with Wesker. She realized now just what her power allowed her to do. This time, she could prove how she wasn't powerless.

Without thinking, Claire leaned her head forward. Wesker didn't seem to anticipate her action, and reacted with surprise when her lips met his. Perhaps more surprising was the fact that he did not pull away, but continued the kiss, attacking her lips with his own. Some sort of heat was rising between the two of them…