Hi all.
I have recieved a lot of encouragement to write my Eva time
travel fic, and I appreiciate all your support, but there's been a bit
of a problem with it. I have mapped out what I want to write, but every
time I try to write it, it turns out funny. I would think that I'd still
go on with it, but in the meanwhile, I have a fic based on the video
game Resident Evil. Hope you enjoy it. And the more feedback I get, the
better I can write and the better I can write, the more fics you'll see,
so please feel free to pass on any comments you have. Privately so that
you don't spam the list. Hope you enjoy the fic.
All Rights Reserved 1996-2000 Capcom
Some of the charecters and events depictated are the property of S.D
Perry, Copyright 1998-99.
Where there is hurt, there is fear. Where there is fear, there is
anger. Where there is anger, there is hate. Where there is hate, there
is suffering. Where there is suffering, there is...Evil. Anonymous.
Rookies
The large man lay slumped in his armchair, feeling as if he was about
to fall asleep. He had finished reading Island, and now, his shift was
over.
Unless there�s an emergency, he thought. Burk felt as thought he�d have
a hard time sleeping tonight, even if it seemed to come quite naturally,
almost automatically. That Richard Lawmon gave him the creeps.
�Why can�t he get back to writing horror? At least that isn�t as scary.
Werewolves, Vampires, they don�t exist.�
Are you sure about that? Well, considering that he was the son of a
General, with his own private army no less, he had to be sure.
�But it�s hard to tell, what with two incidents in Maine and, where was
the other one?�
New York, the Midwest�Raccoon. That was it, Raccoon City. There were
reports of the Special Forces Unit based in Raccoon mishandling a case.
They claimed that the chemist group Umbrella were creating biological
weapons.
�Pull the other one,� Burk said to himself. Still, it was a scary
thought. What did they mean by bio-weapons? Could Saddam Hussain be
using diseases from Umbrella in his SCUD launchers?
�Ridiculous.� No sooner than the words were out of his mouth did he
here a beeping noise.
A bomb? he wondered in his tired state. The Special Forces, S.T.A.R.S
he reminded himself, had said that Umbrella were after them for knowing
the truth. Burk didn�t know of any bribes made to his father�s army, and
no one had been after them either. Then Burk placed the sound.
�Telephone.� He felt as if he was paralysed as he painfully reached out
for the black cordless videophone that rand incessantly.
�Hello?� The voice seemed unbearably loud in Burk�s ear.
�Corporal Tanner here. Sorry to bother you, sir, but a U.N satellite
has picked up something you might want to see.�
�Yes?�
�I�m afraid that you�ll have to see this for yourself, sir.�
Great, Burk thought.
�On my way.�
�Another lab?� Rebecca asked over the phone. �In Raccoon? Are you
sure?�
�That�s what this diary says. It talks about the chief, and how he�s
been in on Umbrella the whole time, receiving bribe money so that he can
buy all sorts of morbid art.� The voice at the other end was former cat
burglar and S.T.A.R.S member Jill Valentine, a friend of Rebecca. Both
of them knew what another lab meant.
�Jesus,� Rebecca whispered. �Okay, we�ll be right there.� Hanging up,
she absent-mindedly looked at a reflection of the green jumper and vest
she wore as she thought about her past experience with Umbrella.
Thoughts of how the viruses they created turn the living into the dead,
how they deliberately created monsters such as the thing they called
Tyrant led to her worst nightmare. She recalled a terrorist group called
the Hunters, international barbarians who swore to bring about anarchy
and the apocalypse. Rebecca couldn�t believe her eyes when Jill showed
slides she had recovered from the Spencer Estate showing what Umbrella�s
scientists had been up to, including creatures called MA-131�s, or
Hunters. Rebecca had nearly died numerous times at the hands of these
mutents, if it wasn�t for Jill, and Chris, another former S.T.A.R.S
member, she�d be dead right now.
No time to romanticise anything at the moment. Rebecca stopped her
thoughts before they turned to the death of Steve Lopez, someone she
might have been with after their fight was over.
�Hey.� Rebecca turned to see the smiling face of John Andrews, another
ex-S.T.A.R.S member who joined her in investigating a lab in Caliban
Cove, only to barely escape with their lives, and that was after facing
off against her nemesis. She preyed that he still wasn�t alive.
�Get David,� Rebecca said. �We need to get back to Raccoon, now. There
might have been another spill.�
Jill didn�t bother with hanging up with the payphone, she just let it
fall. If she was right about Birkin, the scientist who was meant to be
doing Raccoon�s research, then they had to get out as soon as possible.
�Let�s go,� she said to Chris and Barry. They didn�t seem to hear her,
and for a brief second, wondered if they were starting to come apart.
What they had been through, even if it probably wasn�t anything compared
to what Rebecca saw in the rail carriages straight out of the X Files or
the zombie soldiers in Maine, was still enough to wreck havoc on one�s
feelings. And Chris had seemed to be acting strange lately.
No, no way. Chris Redfield was in the air force before joining the
S.T.A.R.S, and Barry Burton had a long history of loyalty to the Raccoon
Police SWAT teams and the S.T.A.R.S. It would be understandable that
Barry would be feeling the pinch, maybe even his age played a part in
it, Jill thought.
�Hey�� Jill said again. Barry raised a hand.
�Listen.� For a moment, silence, and Jill felt a shiver as the cold
started to get to her. She thought of putting on the jumper she had tied
around her waist when she heard the faint, unmistakable wail of sirens.
Oh, shit, this doesn�t sound good. Jill took a deep breath as she
started running for Barry�s pickup truck.
Wait a minute, the air. Jill took another whiff. Oh no. Chris had
obviously smelled it too, a kind of citrusy and shitty smell.
�I think we may have some company.� Barry didn�t need any prompting, he
floored the gas of the truck as Jill and Chris pressed their backs
against the back door�s frame.
�Just like old times.� Jill looked at Chris, her eyes wide at the smile
on his face. Unbelievingly, she tried to smile back.
�Yeah.� Her gaze fell on the weapons they had with them.
Shotguns and Magnums and Machine guns, oh my. We�re well equipped, if
nothing else. Jill glanced back to see Barry driving like a madman,
running through a police barricade. Around a corner and�
Oh, SHIT. They were staring down the barrels of about a hundred guns,
held by the RPD. They were in front of a blockade of police cars and
SWAT vans.
�Hold on!� Barry yelled. Jill also heard another, unfamiliar voice.
�Hold your fire!� The truck slid in a 180 turn as Barry tried to turn
away from the blockade. The truck�s tires squealed as they lifted off
the road, sending Chris, Jill and Barry into midair. The truck collapsed
on it�s side, sliding into the side of a building. Jill�s primary
concern was getting out of the truck before it possibly explodes when
she heard gunfire, but not at them. Jill turned her severely painful
head around and saw human figures, lots of them, make their way toward
the police force.
Damn, we must�ve woken them. Jill reached out to grab an M-45 machine
gun, then climbed out. She was joined by Chris and Barry, Chris holding
a Benelli shotgun, Barry a Colt 44. Magnum.
�We have to hold them off,� Chris said. Jill nodded. Barry began firing
on the undead.
�Damn, they�re fast,� Barry muttered.
�They just keep coming,� Chris said after unloading three shells at a
group of zombies. �There�s too many of them.�
�We have to help them,� Jill said, glancing back at the police officers
behind them, firing at the lumbering advance.
�Who?� Chris asked in disbelief.
�All of them,� Barry said. �The police force will be overruned, and
we�ll be doing these bastards a favour by blowing them to Hell.� Barry
unloaded a full six shots into the undead. �Split up,� he yelled. Jill
dove left, Chris and Barry parried backward behind the police force.
They then ran to the right to get a better shot.
There�s no way we can hold them off, Jill thought. We�ll be dead as
soon as we run out of ammo. Jill looked for a course of escape, spying
an ally behind the police barricade. She looked down at her clip, not
much left. She had two more clips, though knowing Umbrella; worse things
would be on their way.
�Over here!� she yelled. If Chris or Barry heard her, they didn�t
respond. Jill ran for the ally, hoping that any of Umbrella�s creations
hadn�t tried a sneak attack. Facing the ally, she found herself almost
on top of a zombie. Instinctively she fired as she ran past it, spotting
a door. Running as fast and as hard as she could, she slammed against
the metal, hoping to break it down. She heard a metallic click, and the
door swung open, revealing a big, surly man.
�Get in.�
Burk looked on as the U.N satellite circled the globe. Behind him was a
monster of a man, General Plancke. Burk considered himself reasonably
tall standing well over six feet, but his father was huge, he had to be
eight feet tall. It made a lot of sense that he used to play basketball
when he wasn�t in the service. Despite not taking part in any of the
major wars, Plancke�s long and determined service in counter terrorism
saw him go through the ranks quickly.
�Play it again,� the General ordered. Tanner hit a few keys on his
computer and a line of text came up.
�Explosion detected,� the General said to himself. He watched as more
text and a video of the explosion came up. Burk, the General and Tanner
watched as some sort of beast ripped apart a gas main, easily
withstanding the explosion.
Jesus, the thing�s got to be as big as me. The General read the text,
describing how the Raccoon City Special Tactics and Rescue Squad were
sent into the Arkley Mountains to try and find the victims of alleged
animal attacks. This led to alligations of Umbrella conducting illegal
research.
�Cross reference that, will you?� A few more keys were hit, and various
reports came up on the computer screen.
�Bizarre Murders Committed in Raccoon City,� Burk said. �Horror in
Raccoon! More Victims Dead. S.T.A.R.S Sent to Save Raccoon City.�
�What happened afterwards?� the General asked.
�I�ve read the case with great interest,� Tanner said. �I�ve been able
to recover numerous newspaper reports, as well as military reports.�
�Let�s see them.� Tanner typed some keys, and new text came up.
�Spencer Mansion Destroyed in Explosive Fire,� Tanner said. �S.T.A.R.S
taken off murder case, Source of Estate��
�The S.T.A.R.S being taken off the case,� Burk said. �That was because
of claims of seeing monsters.�
�Yes, I believe so. There were also alcohol and drug related
accusations.�
�Do you have their reports?� the General asked.
�Right here.� Instead of using the computer, Tanner handed over several
pieces of paper. One was a report that S.T.A.R.S member Chris Redfield
made, the other had a name that the General recognised.
�Valentine. Where have I heard that name before?� he asked himself.
�It looks as if the S.T.A.R.S have concentrated on other matters. Take
a look at this.� Tanner handed Burk a piece of paper, which he read out
loud.
�On July 23rd, an MP vehicle was found inside the Arklay Mountains.
Corpses of MP members and an unidentified body were found near the
vehicle. According to the information from the military authorities, the
unidentified body was identified as former ensign Billy Koen, who was
sentenced the death panalty,� Burk paused. �Spelt wrong, anyway,
following a court-martial on July 22nd.While Koen was on transfer via
Navy MP escort, they must have experienced some sort of accident.�
�Yeah, right,� General Plancke muttered.
�The following authorities have requested that we hand over
Koen's body as proof of his death,� Burk continued. �But due to the
circumstances described above, it will be a difficult task to recover
corpse.�
�You mean the corpse, don�t you?� General Plancke asked.
�I�m just reading it as it�s written. Anyway, it says here that the
case should be closed until further notice. It�s written by S.T.A.R.S.
Alpha Team member Rebecca Chambers.� General Plancke turned to Tanner.
�Do we have anything else?� he asked.
�There seem to be related incidents in Caliban Cove, Maine. Fishermen
disappearing, strange unexplained events happening. There was a report
by Captain Blake of the Philadelphia S.T.A.R.S, he says that Captain
David Trapp, field scout John Andrews and Chambers stopped the release
of a virus, like the one in Raccoon.�
�Do you know where they are now?� General Plancke asked.
�I�ll try and find them.� Tanner typed on his computer, and a
thermographic screen came up. The General recognised it as the U.N�s
Global Positioning Satellite.
�Look everywhere between Caliban Cove and Raccoon.� The satellite
picture changed to one over the United States. It zoomed in on Caliban,
then moved across towards the east.
�We should launch our own,� General Plancke said.
�They cost a fortune, we�d need ten times the amount we seized from
that madman.�
�Fifty billion. That�s not to mention the drugs, military power and
illegal activities they were involved in.�
�Here we are,� Tanner said. �They�re outside Maine now, it looks like
they�re on their way to Raccoon.�
�Alright, I�m going in, Burk, you keep in contact with me, Tanner, keep
an eye on Raccoon.�
�Yes sir.�
�Are you sure you�re willing to go it alone?� Burk asked.
�I�m not going it alone. She might not be a good writer, but two cases
closed in two months is impressive in anyone�s books, especially at that
age.�
John thought he had seen it all. He�d been in jungle wars; he�d lost
friends in battles and had fought against madmen. But he had never seen
anything like Umbrella. John silently watched the road as they
travelled, hoping for the hundredth time that Jill had made a mistake,
that they were not about to enter Dante�s Inferno, and that David wasn�t
going to get them killed.
�I don�t like this,� John said, glancing in the rear view mirror at
Rebecca, asleep on the back seat. He envied her, she was spared the
worry that always seemed to disappear with sleep. �I don�t like it a
damned bit.�
�What�s there to like?� David asked. He was with John as they went
through the lab in the Cove, losing two close friends along the way. �We
can only hope that they got it wrong.� John couldn�t argue with that.
Try as he might, though, he couldn�t stop thinking about Steve and
Karen. They had both turned into the undead by that son of a bitch
Griffith. After the Cove, Rebecca had told John all about Nicholas
Griffith. He tried to prove that there was an eighth group of viruses,
opposed to the original seven as stated by the Baltimore Classification.
Well, his theories were proven wrong, but his reasoning was excellent.
Griffith was kicked out of University, for using methamphetamines, but
what the real reason was supposed to be was that he was experimenting
with drug induced behaviour modification on a couple of his students.
Rebecca found all this out from her professor, Dr Vachess,
whoresearchers science-history. His specialty was defunct theories and
scandals. One of Griffith's students ended up in a mental institution
and the other committed suicide. About fifteen years ago, there was a
lab that police in Washington had broken into. Three bodies were
recovered, all killed by one of the most lethal viruses there
was-Marburg, which Rebecca explained to John.
Headaches, extreme amplification, fever, clotting, shock, brain damage,
massive haemorrhaging, the poor bastards would have died in pools of
their own blood. Why would anyone want to be injected with this? John
recalled how notes were found that said how the three were participants,
and a doctor by the name of Nicholas Dunne injected them with what he
said was a harmless cold virus. He wanted to see if he could cure it. Dr
Vachess told Rebecca that Griffith's mother's maiden name was Dunne, and
logically the connection is made. John was brought back to reality by a
beeping sound.
�The radio,� he muttered. Before he could move a voice filled the SUV.
�We�re in a chopper above you. Don�t worry; we�re not with Umbrella.
Pull over, we have information on Raccoon and loyal S.T.A.R.S members
are on their way.�
�Who is this?� David asked.
�General Plancke of the United Nations allied armed forces.� With that,
the radio went dead. A hovering sound that could only be a helicopter
was heard overhead. John looked in the back seat to see that Rebecca was
waking up.
�I guess we better do as they say,� John said to David.
�I�ll handle this.� Despite the dark, David could see the helicopter as
it landed.
An Apache, huh? The Allies would use such transport, John thought. Both
John and David braced themselves for a potential attack. But if it was
who the man said he was, then they didn�t have a lotto worry about.
What if he intends to bring us in to the authorities? David knew what
John was thinking.
�If we smell any trouble, we go,� he said. The pilot of the Apache
stepped out, but there was no sign of anyone else. He was huge; he had
to be eight feet tall. It was a wonder that he could even pilot the
Apache with his immense height and size. David guessed that he�d weigh a
good three hundred, three fifty pounds. The funny thing was he wasn�t
wearing a flight suit, as one would expect. He wore a marine�s officer�s
uniform, the bars on his right chest told David that he had a long
career. Rebecca looked at the man, captivated.
�General Plancke,� she said. David felt some relief that the monster
was not going to hurt them. Rebecca had told David about the General who
trained her, much of which David already knew himself. Unbribable,
incorruptible, and unless the General believed that they were criminals,
he was here to help.
�Captain Trapp,� he called out as he approached. He didn�t look like he
was armed, but David and John felt cautious anyway.
�Where are the other S.T.A.R.S?� Rebecca asked.
�Rebecca? Chambers, is that you?� The General walked right up to the
side of the SUV, crouching down to look inside. �Well, it is you.� There
was a grin on the General�s face as Rebecca saw the four stars on his
shoulders that told everyone how much power he held.
�Not the sort of stars I was thinking of,� Rebecca said, and the
General grinned again, then his face turned serious.
�I�m sorry that I had to lie to you, but there are no other S.T.A.R.S.
I�m not sure if they can be trusted.�
�So how can we trust you?� David asked. Instead of replying directly,
the General reached into his shirt, pulling out papers that he handed to
Rebecca. She saw that it was Umbrella�s propaganda to turn the world
against the surviving Raccoon S.T.A.R.S.
�To be perfectly frank, that�s bullshit,� the General said. �And I�m
afraid I have some bad news. While I was in the air, I got a report that
Raccoon has been infected. The city has been closed off and there is no
way for anyone to get in or out, or tell anyone about what has happened
there.� The General watched their faces, David seemed saddened that they
were not able to get there in time, John just looked shocked. It seemed
as if Rebecca was taking it the worst. She looked as if she was about to
cry, but the General could see how strong she was, she was doing a heck
of a job not to let it show. They didn�t say anything, each waiting for
someone else to break the silence.
How bad is it? John wondered. Is there a way to stop this evil? The
General felt a pain in his gut as he thought about the situation.
�So what do we do now?� asked John. Plancke was silent for a minute. It
didn�t seem like there was a plan.
�It�s too dangerous to go to Raccoon, even if you could get in,� he
finally said.
�But some of our friends are still there,� Rebecca said. The General
mulled over this.
�Yes, there is still the possibility of survivors. We have to do what
we can.� Maybe there was something they could do after all. �We should
be able to go in by air, if we can find a safe place to land, or even
make one, then we might be able to set up some sort of base of
operations.� He looked at John, David and Rebecca in turn. He seemed to
keep his gaze fixed on her. �But it will be too dangerous for all of us
to go. That�s why I would like to bring in your most experienced soldier
in these circumstances.� John and David looked worried. They had a
feeling that the General already knew that it would be Rebecca.
�Are you sure that would be the best way to go about it?� David asked.
�Like I said, it would be too dangerous for all of us. If we don�t make
it back, you�ll need to tell everyone you can about Umbrella.�
�That�s exactly my point.�
�Why haven�t you been able to do anything about this before?� Rebecca
asked.
�One at a time.� The General looked at Rebecca directly, and she saw
that where there should have been a beard, there was none. The lack of
beard worried her for a minute, what if this wasn�t really the General?
She put those thoughts aside; he was allowed to shave, wasn�t he?
�Everything that�s been done so far, all the papers recovered, pictures,
they weren�t enough.� He glanced back at David. �What�s your point?�
�I mean what if you don�t make it back, what if Rebecca doesn�t make it
back?� The General kept his gaze locked on Rebecca, as if he was sizing
her up.
�I�d like to go,� she said. The General nodded.
�I�ll get help from my militia,� he said to David.
�What help?� Indeed, who could help in a case like this?
�Professional help. Let�s go.� Rebecca seemed reluctant to leave John
and David, even if it would be for a few hours. �We�ll be back,� Plancke
said to John and David. �I promise.� In a flash, he was in the chopper.
Rebecca followed him. As they took off, Rebecca didn�t even look back.
�So we�ll pick up reinforcements on the way?� she queried.
�We can�t. We have all the weapons we can carry in the back.� His voice
took a conversational tone. �I would have piled them up as much as I
could, until I couldn�t even put a revolver in there, but that would be
dangerous.� There seemed to be a undercurrent in his voice with
�dangerous.� �We have crates of M-16�s, AK 47�s, KF7�s, even rockets and
missiles for the Apache. We also have some electronics to set up where
we will operate from. Once we get to Raccoon, we�ll call in a strike
team.�
Jill looked around the room before she glanced back at the tall, sloppy
man with a moustache and a shotgun.
�Jill,� he said. �It�s good that you�re here.� If they were thinking of
making a try for her, they didn�t look like it, even if that�s what the
words suggested. �With the S.T.A.R.S here, we�ll have a greater chance
of survival.�
�Chris and Barry�� she began.
�What, they�re here too?� another man asked. He was big and tall, but
his blonde hair reminded Jill of Wesker, the S.T.A.R.S Captain that
betrayed them in the Arkley lab.
�Outside.� The man nodded, then picked up what Jill thought was just a
handgun, only to see as he made his way to the door that it was a Desert
Eagle. Jill felt a slight shiver at the serious piece of weaponry. She
then looked down at her M60 and remembered how she had a lot more than
what she had stashed somewhere. Both the men nodded at each other, then
burst out the door. Jill heard two shotgun blasts, that was all.
�Clear!� she heard someone yell out. �Jill, it�s safe.� Jill walked
outside, thinking that they may have shot Chris and Barry, or what was
left of them. Walking outside and looking at the two headless corpses,
she admitted that they look familiar, but she didn�t know them.
�Stay here,� the blonde man said. He ran down the ally. Jill heard
gunshots, but it didn�t seem like there was much danger about, at least,
not as much as before. The man walked back, his shoulders slumped. Jill
and the other man looked at him. The other man shook his head.
�No sign of them.� An inhuman moan was heard in the distance. The
moustached man cringed, the other man shivered.
�We�d better head inside,� he said. As they walked further inside the
building, a sudden powerful heat hit Jill. It hat to be at least ninety
degrees. She suddenly didn�t feel the urge to put on her jumper. Though
if she wanted people to think she was someone else, that would be the
way to go.
�I�m Allen,� the blonde man said. �This is Bob. Carole and Kunichun
should be here in a minute.� Allen sat down and busied himself with the
Desert Eagle. Bob walked over to a fridge.
�Drink?� he asked. Jill would have killed for a beer right now, but she
decided that it was best to keep clear headed under the circumstances.
�Sure, you have anything that isn�t alcoholic?� Bob looked in the
fridge. Jill thought that there didn�t seem to be anything as he moved
to the freezer as well.
�Will Coke do?� he asked.
�Thanks.� Jill heard another female voice. Something took the two-litre
bottle from Bob; Jill imagined it being a robot.
Yeah, right. Jill knew what it was, though. Something she wished she
had, a Nuclear Bio-Chemical suit, it looked pretty high tech. The suit
didn�t stop Jill from noticing what she had on her back. Two large white
gas tanks. Jill also saw a nozzle in the woman�s left hand that could
only mean that she had a flamethrower. Jill shivered at the serious
piece of equipment, she had seen, but never used a flamethrower before,
and compared to the crude efforts she�s seen, this could probably even
take on Tyrant, the monster that Wesker planned to use on her.
�Jill, this is Carole Kaylor,� Bob said. �Carole, this is one of the
S.T.A.R.S members, Jill Valentine.� Carole pulled off the hood to the
NBC suit.
�Nice to meet you,� she said. She was tall, she had to be taller than
Jill, but other than that, the two could pass as sisters. Carole had the
same hair and a face that suggested to Jill that she was willing to use
that flamethrower.
�It�s done.� An old looking Japanese man walked in.
�And this is Kunichun Benham,� Bob said. �Kun, this is Jill Valentine,
S.T.A.R.S Alpha Team.�
�Former S.T.A.R.S member,� Jill said. It hardly mattered, she could
still use the authority. Kunichun nodded.
�It�s done, the laser trip bombs are in place,� he said.
�Where did we get those from,� Jill asked.
�Robert,� Allen said. �Robert Kendo.�
�Strange,� Carole said. �I wouldn�t think that you were part of �us.��
Jill shrugged.
�So what do we do now?� she asked. There was a loud growl; it was like
nothing Jill had heard before.
�I got it,� Carole said. She ran outside. Jill followed, but Allen
stopped her.
�Wait here.� Jill saw a bright orange light, and looked out a window.
Carole was using the flamethrower, against, against what? She heard deep
growls of pain, maybe a muffled voice, then a dull thud. Carole
reappeared a minute later, looking none the worse for wear apart from
sweat dripping down her face.
�What was that?� she asked. Carole grabbed the bottle of Coke.
�I have no idea,� she said between sips.
�We have enough food and provisions to last us for weeks, we won�t even
ration the food,� Allen said. He looked at Jill. �Take what you want.
We�ll wait.�
�We�ve lost the signal.�
�What, what�s going on?� Burk demanded.
�I don�t know,� Tanner said. �We�ve lost satellite surveillance.�
�Here�s your problem,� a woman said, �it�s moved out of range.�
�It shouldn�t do that,� another man said.
�What the Hell�s going on,� a third voice said. No one paid attention
to the voice as Travis Kennedy walked in.
�That�s what I�d like to know.� Cammy followed behind Travis and leaned
in next to her brother Burk.
�Get the picture back,� Burk said. Tanner typed on his keyboard, but
nothing came up.
�Damn, there�s nothing recorded.�
�Ah, shit,� Travis said. Another Asian woman caught his eye. �Do we
know what�s going on?� he asked her.
�Raccoon City�� she began.
�Raccoon City? My brother�s going to be there in a day, what about
Raccoon City?�
�That�s what we�re trying to find out,� the woman said.
�Shit.�
�So what�s the problem?� Cammy asked.
�We lost everything we got from Raccoon,� the man said.
�Why wasn�t it recorded?� the Asian asked.
�It was meant to be,� Tanner said.
�Shit,� Travis said again. �Okay, Burk, what is going on?� Finally
Travis� loud voice brought everything to a standstill. �Burk,� he
repeated in a calm voice, �what-is-going-on?�
�Okay,� Burk said at last. �We�ve lost everything, but that�s okay. I
guess I can still tell you what�s happened.� Burk paused, thinking of
how to give the report. �Two months ago there were disappearances in a
town called Raccoon City.� Travis nodded.
�I remember hearing about that,� he said. �I know everything there is
to know about it. Anyone else read about that?� There were several
murmurs of agreement.
�Then Travis, you tell them what happened.� Everyone knew how he loved
the limelight, and he usually backed up his boasts, despite his young
age.
�Okay, um, the Raccoon Police special S.T.A.R.S unit was called in to
help in search and rescue.� Travis paused. �Anyone know what the
S.T.A.R.S actually are?� His question sounded like that of a teacher, if
he was asking a class the answer to a test. No one seemed amused, or
interested. �Right. The S.T.A.R.S are a Special Forces team, much like
us. They�re nationwide. I can provide all the information on them if you
wish.�
�I have it here,� Tanner said.
�Thanks.� Fatigue and a lack of sleep obviously had an effect on
Travis. He seemed a lot more sober and morose than usual. �The S.T.A.R.S
claim to have uncovered a mansion that was the cause of it all. It was
allegedly a lab owned by Umbrella Incorporated, where bio-weapon
research was conducted.� Travis resisted telling them his thoughts on
the S.T.A.R.S and how much he supported them. �This was between
Wednesday the twenty third and Thursday the twenty fourth, 1998. At two
A.M on the Thursday, the lab blew. Despite proof gathered from the
mansion and the loss of seven of the two six strong squads��
Not sexist, the Asian thought. Just like the General.
�The S.T.A.R.S claimed to have seen demons,� she said. Travis nodded.
�That�s right. No one believed them, though. There was another incident
in Maine, where a chemical was to be intentionally released. The
S.T.A.R.S stopped it.�
�So what�s the situation in Raccoon?� the Asian asked.
�Two hours ago, an explosion was detected in Raccoon City,� Burk said.
�Someone or something survived the explosion. Something big. Before we
lost contact, we witnessed the city become infected with some sort of
disease.�
�Chemical weapons?� the man asked.
�We�re not sure. But it would seem that this is what the S.T.A.R.S were
talking about.�
�My brother�s going to be there in a day,� Travis said. �I don�t know
where he is now, but�� He paused, not certain of what to say.
�You want to help, don�t you?� the Asian asked. A sick feeling struck
deep in Travis� gut. He wanted to help, he wanted a chance, but would
they be prepared to give him one?
�Yes,� he said quietly, in a voice that didn�t sound like him. He felt
like he was going to cry and throw up at the same time. Burk looked at
his face. �I know that I�m only sixteen, but Leon�s my brother, if he�s
going into Raccoon, without him knowing what�s there, then I want to
help out any way I can.�
�Let him,� the woman said.
�I�ll go with him,� Cammy offered. �He�ll be my responsibility.� Burk
pulled at his chin a bit as he thought about it.
�Travis, in your short time here, you have proven how valuable you�ll
be to us. It�s nothing personal, but I�m not sure if you�re ready.
However, dad�s in Raccoon��
�He went into a contaminated area?� Cammy asked.
�Yes. Both of you will be on standby in case you�re needed. The rest of
us will go in if you need our support.�
�Okay,� Travis said, feeling like an old man. �Thanks.�
It was worse than they expected.
Rebecca and General Plancke looked in horror as they flew over Raccoon
City. It was as if they had entered a door bearing �Abandon Hope, all ye
who enter here.� There were the walking dead and monsters everywhere. As
bad as things were, they both seemed pretty clear headed.
�This is horrible,� the General said.
�Do we land?� Rebecca asked. Plancke sighed.
�We�ll have to at some stage. For now, we�ll need to��
�Need to what?�
�I don�t know. But we could try and see what�s happening at the police
station.�
�What�s that?� Rebecca asked. The General looked around, and saw a
faint shape flying over the residential district of Raccoon. He wasn�t
sure, but it looked like a helicopter.
�Let�s try and get closer.� The Apache changed course to match the
flight path of what the General thought of as a UFO.
Maybe that�s what caused this, he thought. Aliens. Where are Mulder and
Scully where you need them? As they got closer, they saw that it was a
helicopter, a Blackhawke transport.
�S.T.A.R.S?� Rebecca asked.
�They�re not responding to the IFF. I don�t want to put us in danger.
Let�s see where they�re heading.� The Blackhawke made a sudden turn to
cut back across the houses outside of the city. It seemed that they were
heading back the way they came.
�We don�t want them to see us,� the General said. Not until we know who
they are, at least. Let�s hit the streets.� The Apache dove suddenly,
flying maybe ten metres above the chaos that had occurred.
�That�s strange, it doesn�t seem to be as bad here.�
�I wonder what happened.� The General said as the Blackhawke flew
overhead. �I have an idea.� The Apache climbed again, it rose until it
was virtually in the clouds.
�What are you going to do?� Rebecca asked.
�Just want to try something.� Rebecca saw a thermographic screen come
up. �We might be able to find out what we want to know.�
�What do we want to know?� Rebecca asked. The Blackhawke looked like it
was heading towards the Raccoon docks.
�Who they are and where they�re going.� The Apache followed high
overhead. Let�s see. I have two people talking. Let�s see if we can get
a match. Tanner.�
�I�m here, General.�
�You got infra-red?�
�Affirmative.�
�Good. Can you get a match?� Rebecca wondered just what the General was
up to this time.
�Done,� said Tanner. �The first one�s Rory Hainse.�
�Is he with Umbrella?�
�He�s a Captain in Umbrella�s Mercenary force.� If Tanner said anything
else, he was ignored.
�Umbrella�s Biochemical Countermeasure Squad,� Rebecca said softly. The
General looked at her.
�You know who they are?� Rebecca nodded. What he did next was fairly
gutsy. Rebecca knew how aggressive he could be, but she was still taken
by surprise. The Blackhawke was already over water. Dramatically, the
Apache followed. Rebecca could feel the pressure of the turn as the
Apache dove steeply and took a hard turn. She was a bit worried that the
General would lose control and they would crash.
�You know,� she said through gritted teeth, �even though I can�t be
blamed for imagining what happened at the Spencer Estate, I can be
accused of having a good
imagination.�
�Why�s that?� Rebecca�s jaw started to hurt.
�I�m just thinking that you might kill us.� Plancke grunted at this as
Rebecca looked around, her eyes focused on the docks.
�Shit.�
�What now?� Rebecca pointed shakily.
�I can�t really see at the moment,� the General said.
�Hunters.� Rebecca knew that was the wrong thing to say. Plancke looked
around,
Rebecca fearing the worst.
�Where?�
�At the docks.� Rebecca could only imagine how the General was feeling.
�If Umbrella�s involved with terrorists, then that bastard�s going
down. A wailing sound came from Rebecca as the Apache climbed out from
it�s dive straight in front of the Blackhawke into another tight turn to
the left. She was just thankful that they weren�t diving and that their
ascent wasn�t as hairy. A whooshing sound took Rebecca by surprise,
recognising the sound of missiles being launched. The Apache�s Hellfire
missiles, all eight of them, flew towards the docks. Rebecca was thrown
back in her seat again as the Apache turned away from the docks and a
tremendous explosion rocked the chopper. The Umbrella Blackhawke would
certainly have noticed. They would be face to face in a matter of
seconds.
�Sidewinder,� the General muttered. Rebecca realised that he fully
intended to destroy the Umbrella helicopter.
�Wait,� she said. Plancke seemed to ignore her as the wingtip weapon
left the Apache. Rebecca could guess the outcome, which was worse than
she expected. A bright orange ball of flame seared her eyes. She held
her fingers against her eyeballs and blinked rapidly.
�Nice shot,� she said. �I was actually referring to these mutants that
we encountered at the Spencer Estate.� General Plancke didn�t look back,
which surprised her.
�Tell me I did a good thing.� If they were the same hunters as in the
Spencer Estate, then Rebecca had a feeling that she was at the top of
their hit list. She didn�t have any other answer for the General.
�Uh, yeah, I guess so.� She felt shaken. She�d have to face down what
seemed to be her worst enemy. Again. �There sure was a lot of them
there.� The General didn�t reply at first. �General?� If he was shaken,
she sure couldn�t blame him. She was probably worse than he was. �Sir?
Hello?� Could he be freaking out? Could she crack? She had seen a lot,
but she also knew that it wouldn�t take a lot of this to push someone
over the edge, and she�d coped better than most. Still, she considered,
she was modest about her limits, and was surprised she had gone this
far.
�Boat.�
�Sir.
�A boat. It looked like Umbrella were heading towards a boat out there.
It wouldn�t be a bad idea to check it out.�
�So, you quit the S.T.A.R.S.�
Jill guessed she should have expected these kind of questions. Someone
who looked like her, like Carole, would probably act like her as well.
And there was a lot that she wanted to ask as well, such as where Carole
got the bio-suit that Jill liked.
�Yeah. Recently.� Jill took a sip from a partially frozen bottle of
soft drink.
�Why?� Bob�s voice sounded honestly curious.
�I really shouldn�t tell you,� Jill said, �but under the circumstances,
we got back from the Spencer Estate. We gave our report about what
happened, but no one believed us.� Allen snorted at this.
�Who would?�
�Shut up,� Carole said. �Go on, Jill, this is interesting.� Jill almost
felt like laughing.
Interesting.
�Okay. All of these stories were spread by Umbrella, we think, and we
were taken off the case.�
�Alcohol, drugs, Rebecca having pornography.� Jill and Carole looked at
Bob. �That�s what I heard.�
�I wouldn�t be surprised.�
�Watch it, Allen,� Kunichun warned.
�Where were you?�
�Setting up the remaining tripwires.�
�Anyway, Jill,� Kunichun said.
�I quit the S.T.A.R.S and went with Chris and Barry to the airport.
They were going to Europe. I was going to stay here to tie up some loose
ends, the follow them. We were on the way out of town when this started
to happen.�
�Well it�s good that it doesn�t play on your mind,� Bob said.
�What?� There was a incredulous look on Jill�s face.
�You�ve moved on to other matters, such as the disappearance of Billy
Koen.�
�How did you know that?�
�Robert told me about how Rebecca was talking about a case she was
working on after what happened in Spencer. She said how the case should
be closed until, well, I don�t know the details.� Allen took a sip of
coffee as Jill looked around the lush furnishings of the room. She
thought wistfully of how these would be the type of places she would
have targeted when she was a cat burglar. She looked at the stairs and
felt a shiver as she remembered the events of that fateful night.
�You shouldn�t really be drinking that,� Allen said, referring to the
Coke that Jill had. �It�s not good for you.�
�Allen,� Carole said, �this is hardly the time��
�What I mean is, with the cold weather, that won�t do you any good.
It�ll actually make you tired with the energy it�ll drain from you.�
Carole wished that he didn�t follow up. �You should wear that jumper as
well.�
�I�m not cold,� Jill said.
�Damn it Allen.� Carole got up to face him. Jill could see herself
doing the same thing. �Dammit all to hell, you don�t have to come down
on people like a ton of bricks all your life, you know.� A howl could be
heard.
�Quiet,� Bob said. �That sounded close.� They heard a window smash,
followed by an explosion.
�Shit,� Kunichun said. �They�re coming through the windows.�
�Everyone, back against the wall,� Allen yelled out. �Jill, we�ll need
your help.� Slow, dragging feet could be heard, followed by what looked
like rotten corpses.
Zombies.
�Fire.� Jill wasn�t sure who said it, but she found herself firing the
M60 machine gun at the undead. The heat from Carole�s flamethrower made
the room a lot hotter than it already was. Jill felt how red her face
was, sweat coming off it, as she felt like stopping and just marvel and
the range and destructive power of the weapon that Carole wielded. There
was no time for celebration, though, as she heard several loud shrieks.
No, it can�t be.
Frightened at the fact that she might have to face what made that
terrible noise, Jill ran towards a door that she hoped led outside.
�No!� Kunichun yelled, �don�t go that way!� But Jill was already out of
the door when an explosion knocked her off her feet. When she got up,
she saw that a fire blocked the door. Several zombies followed her, but
there was no sign if Allen, Bob, Carole, or Kunichun. She was out. Now
she had to make it to safety.