So close now! This story is the second last in my first series and the climax continues to build, will be a bit before I can upload the last one but it'll be well worth the wait. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

As the small truck slowly made it's way along a darkened mountain range the radio pelted out the tune 'Turn me Loose' by Lover Boy.

Glancing at the clock on the dashboard Phil already knew the luminous numbers meant he was twenty minutes behind schedule, another second ticked by making him twenty-one minutes late.

Shouldn't have stopped for that sandwich Phil thought as he stared out across the road lit up before him. Damn waitress with her chatty attitude.

Being a transport driver Phil hardly had anytime for serious relationships, ever since double dipping on both sides being the conflict between the rebels and Umbrella he'd met a few interesting figures but nothing ever came out of it.

Continuing on his hurried route Phil tried to think back to when he last spoke to Jill, she was ok but definitely not his type, too much secret squirrel and besides she was with that Carlos what's-his-name and just recently a kid with short white hair had come into the equation. He was never one to ask questions but in the past few months Jill and Carlos had been both on the edge and whenever asking what was wrong either one would try and change the subject.

Weird, the pair of them Phil thought to himself as he changed gears they remind me more of a goddamn cult then anything else.

When Jill arrived in Australia from overseas she had met Phil in some dingy rundown bar on the outskirts of Townsville. Both had already 'met' through the Internet forum boards so there was no explanation when Jill approached Phil, they had worked out a key code system so that they knew each other without even making eye contact. Jill was constantly obsessed with the fact that Umbrella was watching her every move so their business had to be discreet.

Thinking back to those simple days Phil knew the trouble he was getting himself into but was compelled to stay. He was after all one of the rebel's best contacts for vehicles and storage. The only bad thing that was riding on Phil every time he helped the rebels was that if his other associates found out there would be hell to pay.

Phil also made deliveries to the various labs still in operation by Umbrella. There was nothing suspicious about what he carried, mostly chemicals and computer hardware but they were always quickly taken out and the men dressed in black business suits wearing tinted sunglasses always came forward and paid generously for Phil to remain silent warning him not to tell anyone what was just delivered.

The pay from the suited jerks wasn't bad for Phil, as it was the main company he worked for was looking at giving him the flick soon so gathering money was of an essence.

So deep was Phil in these thoughts that he didn't hear the grinding noise on the side of the van followed by the roar of a motorbike engine.

The bright light behind him made Phil glance up in time to see a black Harley Davidson motorbike swing towards his right side.

Again the grating noise came and this time Phil heard it and began to get a little nervous, that grinding sound could be anything but if the truck lost its footing on the downhill slope it would easily tip.

The bike pulled up alongside the truck and the rider turned towards Phil while gunning the engine.

Because of the black helmet and tinted visor Phil couldn't tell if the rider was a man or a woman but what they did next disturbed him.

Putting on the brakes the bike slid behind the truck and dove into the side creating a shower of sparks.

Phil realized that the grinding noise had nothing to do with the truck it was the crazy son of a bitch bike rider ramming him off the road.

"Not today you bastard, I got an order to fill!" Phil cried out. He'd heard about bike gangs that sometimes attacked transport trucks at night. In all his years of driving Phil had never encountered a single gang member and it looked like tonight was the record breaker.

The constant ramming persisted for a few more minutes before the bike appeared at the widow again, the engine now a muffled snarl.

Seeing this Phil raised his middle finger on his right hand at the rider when looking towards him, "Screw this! You're going to have to try a lot harder to get me off the road I have twenty years driving experience how about you?"

Again the bike slid behind the truck and appeared to vanish into thin air.

Seeing the strange behaviour Phil shook his head and continued to drive, the end of the mountain range in sight, "Damn motorbikes always hated them," he muttered.

The truck suddenly veered sharply to the left as the wheel spun out of Phil's hands. The scent of burning rubber filled the cabin and Phil suddenly realized that one of the back tyres had popped causing the van to fishtail off the road and down the mountain.

The truck now crashed and rolled down the side of the hill, all Phil could see was the entire world spinning around him like some kind of maniacal merry go round.

After what seemed like an eternity of rolling the truck finally slid to a stop beside a large bolder.

Carefully Phil started to move, blood clouded his vision, which pointed to the fact that he either hit his head at one point or something had damaged his eyes. Trying to undo the seat belt brought on a wave of pain as Phil struggled free from the upside down wreck, he knew that one of his arms had to be broken but couldn't tell which one, pain was everywhere.

Undoing the buckle Phil tumbled forward and fumbled for the glove box, his broken bloodied fingers curling around the handle and pressing it.

Sliding partly forward he then rummaged around the small compartment ignoring the scent of petrol and the pain coursing through his body.

Giving a small cry Phil then withdrew his hand and slowly crawled from the wreck balancing himself on his one good arm.

As his legs slid over the wreckage Phil felt a jolt of pain, a fractured leg didn't bother him so much both had already been broken when going mountain climbing in his youth, it was fixable.

Turning his head to one side Phil spat out a mouthful of blood and he was sure that several teeth followed with it.

Through his blurry vision Phil could've sworn he saw an incredibly attractive woman dressed in a leather outfit come skipping down the rocks towards him.

Not wanting to take any chances Phil took out the item from the glove box and pointed it at the approaching figure, he'd always carried a handgun when going on long trips just for the extra security and from the ground Phil knew he could get a decent shot off.

Despite his vision being out of focus as a reel of big foot film Phil glanced up towards the mysterious figure that was now calmly striding towards the wreckage.

It turned out to be a woman in her mid thirties with short red hair, pale skin and piercing icy blue eyes. She was dressed in a black leather outfit, which included black gloves on her hands and thick black boots on her feet.

Her face was a mask of rage as she curled her lip up at Phil when she kicked him over on his side.

Phil rolled back over uttering a cry of pain when he did this and pointed his gun at the woman, "Take another step and I put a bullet in that pretty face of yours!"

The woman only smiled coldly her emotionless eyes boring into Phil's, "Try if you like but I can have that pea shooter turned around and pointed at your head faster then you can blink"

As she took a step towards Phil he fired, the bullet finding its mark just below her left shoulder.

Glancing at the wound with a degree of boredom the woman sighed and shook her head, "That really didn't hurt I hope you know, but what I'm about to do you might sting"

Phil tried to move away but it was useless, he was sure he'd fired at the mysterious woman but she didn't even seemed affected by the wound.

Reaching around her back the woman brought out a large shotgun, her cold gaze never leaving Phil, "I know that you help the rebels but I honestly don't give a shit if you admit to it or not" she said checking to see if the weapon was loaded. "You're just a job to me, an order that needs to be filled, so do you have any last requests before your time on earth ends?"

Phil tried to point the gun towards the woman but she sharply turned her head to one side and the weapon flew out of his hands and into the darkness, "Screw you and the horse you rode in on bitch!" he replied spitting out a mouthful of blood. "You're getting squat from me, I'm glad to have helped those rebels and I hope that one day someone comes up behind you and…"

Phil never finished his sentence as he his head suddenly exploded in a red cloud splattering brain and blood over the side of the white truck.

Stepping back from the twitching body the woman put the shotgun away and took out a cigarette and lit it. She hardly ever smoked but after doing away with a traitor and all out prick of an individual the musky tobacco tasted so good.

Blowing the smoke out of her mouth she circled the truck, picking up the faint scent of petrol the woman glanced at the lit cigarette in her hand and smiled, disposing of the body just got easier.

Flicking the cigarette towards the puddle of petrol she watched in fascination as the sparks started a small circle of flame that gradually over took the rest of the truck.

Stepping away from the wreckage the woman kept her smile as she walked in the opposite direction looking for the handgun Phil had used, the smoke would attract on lookers but by the time the truck was discovered the remains would be far from identifiable.

And so it begins Alice thought to herself as she disappeared into the darkness.

Leon S Kennedy and Rebecca Chambers had travelled together on the same flight, yet despite their disguises and fake passports both had decided it was too risky to sit next to each other on the plane.

As the plane began to descend the in-flight voice recorder first welcomed passengers to the Townsville airport and then informed them to have their passports ready to be scanned at the nearest checkpoint.

Leon sat back against the seat, trying not to look nervous as an armed plane attendant walked past him. As it was the government agency he worked for thought that Leon was going to a conference aimed at encouraging work ethics. I wonder how Jill and Carlos are doing? Leon thought.

Ever since going their separate ways after the Racoon incident Leon had only interacted with Jill and Carlos via emails, it was too risky to phone them. They had decided that the entire group reform back in the Townsville district because there were several Umbrella facilities still in operation. Although the other members of the group had at first disagreed Leon had managed to convince them that there wasn't any apparent danger if proper precautions were taken.

Rebecca on the other hand was very excited at seeing Jill again, she'd missed having her around as in a way Jill was almost like the big sister that Rebecca never had. Although she had changed her attitude since last meeting with Jill, Rebecca was still the youngest out of the group and couldn't help it if sometimes she acted like a giddy teenager.

As the plane began to descend Rebecca scanned the cabin trying to find Leon, although they really couldn't walk off together she had to make sure that he didn't disappear into the mass of people.

The landing was barely noticed as the plane went along the runway for a few moments before shuddering to a stop.

Slowly the passengers began to rise from their seats and made their way towards the exit under the watchful eyes of the plane's security.

Rebecca made the mistake of suddenly shooting up from her seat and hurrying down the isle. Realizing she'd forgotten her small handbag she turned back only to see a security guard pick it up cautiously.

As the guard turned towards Rebecca she almost fell backwards into an empty seat, smiling and brushing her short black hair away she held out her hand, "Um I left that on the seat, I just couldn't lose my brother he's…"

The guard shoved the bag at Rebecca cutting her off while eyeing her suspiciously, "Just make sure you don't leave it unattended ever again, don't want to draw attention"

Taking the handbag Rebecca kept her feeble smile and then dashed down the isle, the plane was already empty and Leon had disappeared.

Running down the small hallway that led off the plane, Rebecca paused to insert her passport into a reader near the door.

There were a few tense minutes before the passport was ejected and the doors slowly swung open.

Leon was leaning against a newsstand reading the paper when Rebecca stopped a few steps away from him.

Picking up a magazine Rebecca pretended to read it, "I almost lost you before"

"What was the hold up? I thought that security guard was going to arrest you" Leon said softly turning a page.

"You know how security is around these airports are like, besides have you heard from Chris or Claire yet?"

Leon stepped away from the wall and pretended to cough loudly, placing the newspaper down he began to walk away, "Check the front page of the newspaper, when you're done I'll meet you at the taxi rank"

Rebecca put the magazine down and picked up the newspaper Leon had been reading.

On the front page were pictures of what appeared to be silver containers hidden in a mountain. The article called the photos an 'anonymous tip' sent in by a concerned reader in the Townsville area.

The article further went on to defend Umbrella proclaiming them as not knowing that such an act was going on and they would pay for the removal of the medical waste and the damage done to Mount Louisa.

Sighing and placing the paper down Rebecca stepped away from the newsstand, it seems that Jill and Carlos needed all the help they could get even though they had struck a cord Umbrella had quickly swooped in labelling the pictures as exaggerated fakes.

Locating the exit for the taxi rank Rebecca quickly made her way towards the large doorway searching for Leon.

Chris and Claire Redfield had chosen a different mode of transport to the meeting at Bluewater; in fact they were in Europe when getting the email from Jill.

So they had no choice in jumping from different transport ships until finally finding one that would drop them off at the Cardwell depot.

Jill had told them that a contact of theirs named Phil would be waiting to take the pair to the meeting place but when Chris and Claire arrived they could find no trace of the driver.

Claire was confused but also wary of the patrolling security around the wharfs, "Where's that contact of Jill's?"

"Looks like he didn't turn up" Chris said in an annoyed tone. "We'll have to find another way there ourselves, you still have the map?"

Reaching into her jacket Claire brought it out and unfolded it, "Doesn't seem that far away but it's a fair way from where we are"

The lack of transport didn't so much annoy Chris it was the fact that Jill had never been unorganised before, she'd always made sure if the group was going to meet then steps could be taken. I hope nothings happened to her he thought glancing out across the ocean.

Spying two unattended motorcycles Claire grinned and tugged at Chris, "Looks like we just found our new transport"

Glancing across Chris frowned, "Too risky, there's security everywhere we should chose something less inconspicuous"

But Claire wasn't listening she was slowly making her way towards the bikes, she loved motorbikes and these two Fireblades were no exception. As she reached forward to touch one someone grabbed a hold of her arm.

Turning around Claire saw it was Chris who now had a very stern expression on his face, "What do think you're trying to pull?"

"Come one big brother" Claire said teasingly "The keys are in the ignition let's ride"

Chris stared past Claire to see that two very large men wearing orange vests were watching them, "I don't think the owners would appreciate us doing that"

"I don't think we have much of a choice, we're already late" Claire replied. "We could always dump the bikes later on"

Suddenly the two men in orange vests shouted out to the pair and began walking towards them.

"Hey what are you two up to?" one of the men cried out. "This part of the wharfs is strictly off limits to tourists"

Chris only shook his head as he climbed onto the black bike, "They think we're tourists!"

Claire jumped on the red bike and threw her brother a helmet, "Changed your mind?"

Catching the helmet Chris started the engine, "You can be very convincing"

Revving the engines in unison the pair shot past all the shipping containers ignoring the shouts of the distressed workers and made their way out onto the road, they had a lot of distance to cover.

On the morning of the meeting Jill awoke with a start, she'd suddenly remembered what today was.

Springing out of bed Jill strode down the small hallway slightly surprised not to hear the sound of the television or kettle whistling. Still a little confused at the overall quietness of the cabin she turned and went into the shower.

After the shower Jill dressed quickly in some denim jeans and plain blue shirt and went out onto the front veranda.

When seeing that no one was there she started to worry, the entire cabin seemed abandoned, where was everyone?

Walking around the back of the cabin Jill heard the sound of Carlos laughing and began to relax, they all must be around the back. Doing whatever it is they do she thought.

Alyssa saw Jill step from around the corner and waved at her while smiling.

Glancing towards the field Jill saw an unusual sight, Carlos and Nemesis were back to practicing their combat manoeuvrers.

Seeing Jill, Carlos signalled for Nemesis to stop as he walked over to her, "Nemesis is getting really fast, I can't even get a punch in"

"You ok if I take Alyssa away from you two for a few minutes? I have to talk to her about something"

Carlos nodded, "Yeah sure that's ok, so you going to tell her about what's happening today huh?"

Jill smiled thinly, "Just so Alyssa doesn't get caught off guard, we'll need her to back us up when the others discover Nemesis and Deception"

Carlos then returned to attempting to kick Nemesis's feet out from under him with very little success, Nemesis was smart enough to see the attack coming and easily avoided it.

Walking up to Alyssa, Jill gestured for her to follow, "Come on let's have a talk"

Alyssa seemed worried and confused at Jill's strange request, "But I have to stay here and watch"

Jill held her left hand out towards Alyssa while smiling, "It's ok Carlos will be fine, let's go around the front"

Alyssa only nodded back and taking Jill's hand the pair walked around the side of the cabin and sat on the verandas edge.

Turning towards Alyssa, Jill spoke, "Remember when I said that Carlos and I were part of a resistance against Umbrella?"

"I remember, but why are you telling me this again Jill? Are you going away?" Alyssa asked worry clouding her face.

"No nothing like that, what I'm trying to say is at the moment we're all split up and all over the place, but soon that will change" Jill explained. "In just under a few hours the group will come here and together we'll target the rest of the labs in this area"

Alyssa seemed shocked at what was happening, "You're going to blow up the lab at Bluewater?"

"Well yes, you see that lab is a very bad…"

"Good I'm glad you're going to destroy it" Alyssa said cutting Jill off. "Who's in the group by the way? Is one of them that girl standing beside the motorbike?"

Taken aback by Alyssa's unusual responses Jill first couldn't find anything to say, "How did you know about Claire?"

Alyssa shrugged, "The other night I was bored and the lap top was on so I played solitaire and in one of the files were photos of a whole bunch of people and one of them was a girl. I hope she comes, she seems nice and I'd like to have someone kind of close to my age to talk to"

"What about Nemesis? Do you think he'll get jealous of you hanging around with Claire if she comes?"

"Nemesis is my guardian and best friend but…"Alyssa trailed off. "He's also a monster and doesn't say a lot, I'd like to talk to someone else who doesn't growl back for a change. Who were the other people in the photos? Some of them were wearing police uniforms"

Jill sat back first and smiled, it seems that Alyssa was gaining confidence as she matured and with that came her curiosity. Not to mention Alyssa's being slowly weaned off her eight-foot tall security blanket she thought.

When first meeting up with the pair Alyssa had constantly worried about the whereabouts of Nemesis, even to the point of not sleeping. Now after three months in the real world Alyssa had started to crave human contact realizing that some people could be trusted and that Nemesis was strong enough to look after himself. Perhaps Alyssa had figured out that the two of them were safe for the moment so a temporary pause on the separation anxiety woes had come into effect. Neither had to worry about being separated long term because they were with people they could trust.

"They're all the survivors from Racoon" Jill replied. "Don't let the pictures fool you, although the majority are frowning they're all quite nice once you know them, which reminds me I need to ask a favour of you Alyssa"

Hearing this Alyssa frowned, "What is it?"

"Carlos and I neglected to tell the others about not only you but also Nemesis and Deception, so when they get here…"

"You want me to hide Nemesis somewhere? Jill I don't think that's a good idea, I mean Nemesis might but I don't think Deception would"

Jill suddenly laughed causing Alyssa to slightly jump, "I didn't mean that Alyssa, I wouldn't want to lock either one up, gosh could you imagine those two shoved into the tool shed, it's so small and compact" she then settled down before continuing. "No what I meant was that some of the members, well all of them have had rough experiences with Umbrella's monsters and they really haven't seen what Carlos and I have seen in Nemesis and Deception, so what I'm asking you to do is well just make sure that neither one does anything that could confuse the others into thinking they're under attack and I'll work on the group to convince them ok?"

Alyssa still seemed confused and stared out across landscape, "So you want me to make sure that Nemesis or Deception doesn't attack anyone?"

"Something like that, it won't be easy at first but hopefully in time the others will figure out like Carlos and I did that Nemesis or Deception aren't murderous creatures"

Alyssa suddenly snapped her head to the right and went very still as though she was listening to something in the far off distance, "I think I just heard a helicopter"

Jill was about to say something to Alyssa when she saw something in the sky far off, "That's not a plane," she said getting up. "We better get Carlos and Nemesis inside before that helicopter gets any closer"

Both then rose from the wooden veranda and quickly moved around the side.

Jill shouted out to Carlos and Nemesis, who both stopped when seeing her, "Get inside the two of you!"

Without even a moments hesitation Carlos and Nemesis followed closely behind Jill and Alyssa as they entered the cabin.

As the door to the cabin shut the helicopter flew overhead, it's blades beating the air like the wings of a large bird.

Hearing the engine and blades caused Nemesis to growl and turn towards the sound.

Carlos glanced at Jill, "Where'd that thing come from?"

"I don't know Alyssa and I were sitting out the front when…" Jill trailed off as a look of fear flashed across her face. "Oh shit you don't think?"

Again Nemesis growled and moved towards the front door, his left hand curling into a fist.

Alyssa didn't understand the reason for Nemesis's strange behaviour, the helicopter had passed so why still act on the edge? It wasn't until she heard the approach of a small vehicle along the gravel driveway from far away did she stop.

"A car is coming up towards the house," Alyssa whispered softly. She then went and stood beside Nemesis who had half crouched beside the door, the tentacles beneath his coat twitching.

"I think we've been discovered" Jill breathed as she moved slowly towards the table where her magnum was.

Carlos only nodded and inched forward, "What a time to leave the assault rifle in my bedroom" he said grinning sheepishly. "I guess I could try and use the chain gun"

Alyssa glanced over at the pair, "Both the chain gun and rocket launcher are out the front"

Hearing this Nemesis snorted as though frustrated that he hadn't moved the weapons earlier.

"Well that just blows the whole you've-got-the-wrong-house act" Jill remarked. "Kind of defeats the purpose when we have two large advanced weapons on the porch"

Outside a car door slammed and two figures could be seen through the frosty windows.

"There's only two people" Alyssa replied. "Why would they only send two?"

Jill moved towards Alyssa and Nemesis keeping her magnum raised, "Maybe it's a scouting party and the rest are hidden"

As the mysterious pair on the outside got closer all held their breath and waited for their enemies to make their first move.

Alyssa could hear the people talking; they were a bit confused at the cabin being so quiet and the fact that there were two weapons in plain view on the veranda. They don't sound like the kind of people Umbrella would send after us she thought.

"Are you sure that the address is right Leon?" a woman's voice asked.

"I wrote it down word for word Rebecca, this is the place Jill said to meet us at"

Hearing both voices Jill suddenly realized who the mysterious people were, they weren't sent to capture them they were Leon and Rebecca.

Letting out a sigh of relief Jill turned towards Carlos who had moved closer during the approach on the veranda, "It's Leon and Rebecca" she said smiling. Then Jill's smile quickly disappeared as the doorknob slowly turned. "Uh Alyssa, you and Nemesis may want to go into the TV room, I don't think it'd be a great introduction if the two of you jumped out from behind the door"

Alyssa only nodded and gently pulled Nemesis away from the front door, the monster made no fuss as he followed behind Alyssa and into the dark TV room.

The door slowly opened and the cautious face of Leon peered around the corner, when seeing Jill and Carlos standing near him, Leon sighed and stepped inside motioning for Rebecca to follow, "Some set up you have here, were you expecting someone else?"

"And hello to you too" Jill remarked she then reached forward and gave Leon a light hug. "It's been a while since I've seen you in the flesh how have you been? Was the flight ok?"

Rebecca suddenly walked through the door and unable to contain herself hugged both Jill and Carlos tightly, "It's so good to be together again" realizing she'd just sounded and acted a little over the top Rebecca then cleared her throat and stood still. "Sorry I'm still suffering from jet lag"

Carlos stretched his arms up towards the yellowed ceiling, "That's ok I've had tighter things almost squeeze the life out of me" feeling a hard kick in his left leg he glanced towards Jill who only glared back and shook her head.

Leon had already started to walk around the small interior eyeing the dusty kitchen counter and three-legged table heaped with papers, "When you said this place was small you weren't joking"

Rebecca had noticed the sudden change in both Jill and Carlos, they had gone silent as though neither could find anything to say, "If Leon offended you by saying that…"

"That's not it" Jill suddenly cut in. "Listen I'm kind of glad it was you and Leon that came first and not the others"

Leon had turned towards Jill when she had spoken looking confused and worried, "Is there something wrong Jill?"

"Look what Jill's trying to say is we met a few others that sort of joined up with us"

Carlos replied. "A few unique individuals but that's kind of putting it lightly"

"Unique how?" Rebecca asked.

Jill strode across from the front door and towards the TV room, "I think it's better if I got them both to come out, wait here"

A few moments later after harsh whispering and what sounded like a quiet growl Alyssa suddenly materialised at the opening and walked towards the group, her feet not making the slightest sound across the wooden floor.

Seeing Alyssa, both Leon and Rebecca stepped back instinctively, the girl with the short white hair, pale skin and green eyes seemed out of place in the semi darkened cabin, she was more like a ghost that had appeared in front of shocked spectators.

Alyssa only smiled at the two strangers in front of her, "It's ok," she said in a soft nervous voice. "I'm not dangerous"

Rebecca made eye contact with Carlos, "Who is she?"

But Alyssa answered the question instead, "My name is Alyssa Winterstone and I'm helping Jill and Carlos to fight against Umbrella"

"She sure knows a lot already" Leon said in a soft voice. "So was this the big secret you and Jill were hiding from the group Carlos?" He then turned towards Alyssa; "Not meaning anything Alyssa but you kind of had us guessing there when Carlos said you were a unique individual"

The sound of heavy footsteps made Leon and Rebecca turn towards the TV room. First Jill only appeared at the entrance and when taking a few steps forward a larger form slowly emerged from the shadows.

Rebecca couldn't resist the urge to let out a tiny cry of surprise when seeing Nemesis standing behind Jill but Leon had a different reaction, he'd already taken out his handgun and pointed it towards Nemesis.

"Come towards me slowly Jill, something big and nasty is behind you" Leon said slowly.

When seeing the weapon pointed at him Nemesis tensed up and Jill could sense that the monster felt threatened. Gosh sakes Leon, put the gun away before you kill us all! she thought.

Pretending she wasn't affected by Leon's actions Jill glanced casually up towards Nemesis, "It's ok Leon, Nemesis doesn't bite"

Carlos reached forward and forced Leon to lower his weapon, "I kind of want to sleep under a roof tonight without seeing the night sky"

"You two knew about this the whole time?" Rebecca asked.

Jill approached the group, "You saw the large weapons on the veranda?"

Leon nodded and put the gun away, "Yes we did but I had no idea that…" he lowered his voice. "That you had one of Umbrella's fighting machines with you, do you have any idea what this means? The kid is one thing but that monster isn't going to cut it, what if it decides to turn on us?"

"Once Nemesis knows you're a friend he won't hurt you" Carlos replied. "Everything's going to be fine"

"Fine? I can't believe the two of you sleep at night with a dangerous creature so close by!" Leon shouted.

"Leon's right you know, of all the creatures made by Umbrella, those Tyrant monsters are by far the most violent, they were made to be super soldiers not friends" Rebecca pointed out.

"The Nemesis isn't a true Tyrant, it's something different" Jill replied.

"Oh so now there's a difference to how we die? Great! Just great!" Leon snapped.

While the group was arguing Alyssa had stepped away and stood beside Nemesis, she hated it when people fought and it looked like this particular fight was going to last a long time.

Turning towards Nemesis, Alyssa gestured towards the back door, "Let's go outside, the loud voices are making my ears hurt"

Nemesis only growled back and taking one last glance at the arguing group turned and followed Alyssa outside.

The shouting voices were now only a dull roar as Alyssa walked outside the back door; she could still partly hear what was being said and it didn't seem to be going anywhere.

Having heard the loud noises from inside the cabin Deception was forced to investigate, though when emerging from the bushland he only saw Alyssa and Nemesis standing around the back appearing very worn out.

As Deception approached the pair Alyssa glanced up, she was upset by the loud noises and didn't utter a word when the Hunter came closer.

The dull roar of shouts began to quieten down as a different sound took over, one that Alyssa knew all too well.

Turning towards the sound she began to worry, two motorbikes were coming closer by the second and the only person that rode a motorbike that Alyssa knew was Alice.

By now both Nemesis and Deception had also picked up the dual engines and began to move around the side of the cabin.

Following closely behind the pair Alyssa peered out from the corner of the white wall expecting to see an ominous black Harley Davidson sitting in the driveway. But I heard two engines not one, there's two bikes and unless the second rider is a clone…

Motioning for the two monsters to stop their advance Alyssa just caught a glance of the two riders, one was a man in his thirties followed by a girlish looking woman wearing a blue leather biker jacket.

Alyssa instantly recognized the woman as Claire; although she looked a little older then she did in the photos there was no misinterpreting her appearance even though Claire had dyed her hair blond and also wore blue eye contacts.

The pair walked up the cabin's stairs, Claire muttering something about why the weapons were on the veranda before stepping inside.

Turning towards Nemesis and Deception, Alyssa smiled, "It's Claire, she must be one of the rebels too"

By now Deception cautiously approached the cooling Fireblades and tapped the red bike with his right taloned hand. These strange metal animals had carried the non-virus creatures across the land, now they seemed inanimate and didn't cry out when he approached them. The creatures didn't even appear to have any eyes or limbs just two large circular feet held in place by a metallic skeleton.

Although strange to Deception he had seen them before, it was a long time ago when another non-virus scented creature had shown him and the other Hunters a similar metal being back at the labs.

The strange man had told Deception and the others that with a little practice a rider could easily be brought down from the creature's back, it was all a matter of hitting the right places.

Alyssa and Nemesis had also emerged from around the cabin, Nemesis quietly retrieving both weapons from the veranda before taking his place beside Alyssa.

"Sounds like they stopped arguing" Alyssa said sighing. "That's good, maybe Jill and Carlos managed to convince the others"

But when the door flew open and the strange man Alyssa had yet to identify strode out she didn't need hyper senses to know that there was still tension amongst the group.

After disposing of Phil and locating the handgun Alice slipped away into the night, she wasn't expected back for a few more hours so she had time to kill, literally.

Killing Phil wasn't enough, she was still angry, mostly over the bullet hole in her leather jacket but other things crossed Alice's mind as she weaved across the deserted road on the Harley.

Alyssa Winterstone was one such problem that never seemed to go away, the little brat may have beaten her before but that was before the 'upgrade'

Griffin hadn't been very descriptive about the new upgrade this time around but Alice knew that he wouldn't lie to her.

You dispose of any threats towards my work no questions asked, I thought I'd like to repay the favour Griffin had said in his slow silky voice, it was the exact tone that he had taken when Alice had returned to the labs after the so called rescue all those years ago.

In the past few weeks Alice had pushed herself beyond her usual limits, no longer did she feel pain or fear, she had become them. And the Winterstone girl will be the first to feel both Alice thought to herself.

On the horizon a darkened truck stop loomed up ahead, it was almost morning and the occupants would be stirring.

Smiling cruelly Alice turned off the bike's light and cut the motor a few metres away from the large fig trees that grew on the outskirts. She wasn't picky about potential victims just as long as they screamed loud enough.

Removing both her helmet and gloves Alice let them drop into the dust not caring where they landed and began to creep towards the toilet block, keeping to the fading shadows.

The scent of urine and faeces was almost enough to make Alice turn away in disgust, her sense of smell was stronger then a normal human beings so she received the full brunt of the amenities block.

Shaking her head and clenching her fists Alice located her first victim, an elderly man attempting to shave in front of a broken mirror.

She didn't even need to get close to the man who was humming to himself while splashing water on his face, he didn't even see Alice standing behind him bristling with rage, the song he was humming was starting to piss her off.

Flicking her left hand the man suddenly spun around and slammed up against the wall, he let out a small cry of shock when this happened but this only turned into choking as Alice narrowed the gap between her outstretched left index finger and thumb.

The elderly man's neck bones snapping and choking delighted Alice, this was only a warm up for what the rebels and Alyssa faced. She glanced towards her dying victim; he was dressed in a white singlet and wore plaid cotton boxer shorts, the elderly man didn't seem the type to be a truck driver, he was something else.

An elderly woman's voice crying out made Alice turn sharply, temporarily losing focus on the man who was slowly having his throat crushed.

The woman was wearing a thin night gown with a floral design, which was the usual dress code for people over the age of sixty, her grey hair was done up in purple curlers while on her feet she wore a pair of thick thongs.

Standing at the edge of the toilet block and seeing her husband hoisted up in mid air proved too much for the woman to bear.

Dropping a small toiletry bag onto the muddy ground the woman turned and ran towards an old battered red car in the distance. Her survival instincts to flee over riding her sense of courage to save her dying husband, for the moment the car was the safest place to be from a murderous stranger.

Letting go of the now dead elderly man Alice turned towards the fleeing wife ignoring the dull clunk the deceased man's head made as it hit the ceramic sink.

Pointing straight at the woman's back Alice clicked her fingers, "Break" she commanded.

The woman suddenly let out a cry of pain as the middle of her back caved in, causing her to tumble to the ground.

Staring out at the still form lying in the dewy grass Alice could hear the faint sound of a heartbeat, scowling to herself she slowly approached the body only to find the woman wide awake and staring back at her in fear.

Seeing the woman like this confused Alice, the broken spine and the shock surely should have killed the elderly woman yet here she was breathing heavily lying on the ground in a mud covered nightie.

Ignoring the woman's pleas Alice slowly took out the handgun that Phil had used, she then attached a silencer to the gun's tip screwing the silver end piece on slowly relishing the fear that was being inflicted on her prey. The silencer had been given to her by Griffin when first taking up bodyguard duty and Alice had carried it with her ever since knowing it would always come in handy.

Pointing the gun down towards her victim Alice smiled coldly, her rage had long since disappeared, "This is just the way things are, you're not superior and never will be, goodbye" then she pulled the trigger and the woman's cries finally stopped.

As the body slumped to the ground Alice could hear the harsh ringing tone in her head, it was the same noise that she had heard when being taken out of the containment tank and she knew very well what it meant.

Stepping away from the cooling body Alice strode towards the Harley parked in the shadows, now that the appetizer was finished the main course could begin and the taste of victory would be something Alice would savour for a long time after.

When Chris and Claire arrived at the cabin they could just make out a loud argument coming from behind the front door.

But it wasn't the voices that caught his attention it was the two large weapons laying in full view on the veranda.

Dismounting from the bike Chris walked up the stairs and glanced down towards the weapons, both appeared to have been made for something larger then a human being and had seemed well used. The string of bullets on the chain gun was almost finished and the rocket launcher had countless small dents along the barrel.

Claire had seen the two weapons as well and seemed confused by them, "What are those doing here?"

Turning the door knob Chris shrugged, "Let's find out, maybe that's the reason for the argument"

As both stepped inside four sets of eyes angrily glared back as the cabin went silent.

Seeing it was Chris and Claire, Jill relaxed, "Did you just arrive now?"

"What does it look like Jill?" Chris replied. "Some reunion, we've just gotten back together and already we're at each others throats"

But Jill seemed uncertain when hearing the reply from Chris, "Did Phil pick the two of you up? He said he would"

"No he didn't" Claire said. "No one was waiting for us when we arrived so we had to 'borrow' some bikes"

Carlos went to say something but Chris cut him off by raising his right hand, "Look I hate to break it to you but your contacts here aren't as reliable as you make them out to be Jill"

"That doesn't make any sense, Phil told me last week he would swing by the Cardwell wharfs after making a delivery, it's not like him not to show up" worry clouding Jill as she said this. "Something must have happened"

Claire had noticed that Leon and Rebecca had remained silent the whole time, nervously glancing at Chris and Claire when they spoke. "Leon? Rebecca? What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Rebecca seemed to snap out her daze and blinked a few times, "Jet lag I'm still recovering from the long flight"

Leon nodded and shifted uneasily, "The flight was over six hours long and you can't expect us to be bright and chipper after that"

Chris had noticed the strange behaviour of both Leon and Rebecca as well; he'd seen it before. The way those two were acting was like they had something hidden they didn't want the rest of the group to know about and Chris knew exactly what something was. "I know you brought those large weapons Leon, thing that gets me is how the two of you managed to smuggle them through the air port"

Now Jill and Carlos appeared nervous and glanced towards the door in time to see something very large move past the frosted windows.

Claire had seen the movement as well and tapped Chris on the shoulder, "Something very big just moved outside"

Whirling around and taking out his Colt pistol Chris inched towards the door, ignoring Jill's cries "Looks like we were followed" he muttered as he pushed open the door.

Stepping out onto the veranda Chris saw an unusual and disturbing sight.

Standing beside the two bikes was a girl dressed in a dark green shirt and jeans, her hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, her eyes were an emerald green and her skin was a pale sandy colour. On her right stood what at first seemed to be a very tall individual wearing a cross between an apron and black trench coat with black boots on their feet and leather guards strapped to their arms. But that's where the human similarities stopped, the creature's skin was the colour of badly healed scar tissue, while what appeared to be thick rope like appendances pulsed beneath it's shoulders and although it had green eyes like the girl it was the mouth that caught Chris by surprise. The monster didn't really have any lips, in fact they seemed to have been cut away by whoever designed it now the large yellowed teeth sat in between glaring red gums on the creature's face.

The black suited monster growled threateningly making the girl beside him nervous, one large hand the size of a watermelon moved towards the chain gun that Chris had seen sitting on the veranda when he first arrived, but the worst was yet to follow.

There was another monster that he knew all too well standing on the left side of the girl and the eight-foot tall creature.

Chris had seen them a few times but never this close as normally the Hunters would be racing towards him screaming for blood.

This Hunter looked a little different then the others; it seemed taller and had larger muscly arms. Thick veins throbbed across the monster's scaly body as it stood glaring back at Chris with yellow reptilian eyes while flexing its left arm. The way that the Hunter was staring back at Chris seemed almost intelligent as though it knew what he was going to do with the gun. Impossible he thought none of Umbrella's creatures are smart enough to know when a weapon is about to be fired, they're all beasts they don't even know what a gun is.

But Chris's actions spoke louder then his thoughts; raising the Colt he fired towards the motionless Hunter cursing out loud when the monster dodged the attacks, "Stand still you little shit!"

As he fired again the Hunter snarled back and in one easy leap flew over the bikes and bounded across the field and into the bushland.

By now the black suited creature's growl turned from soft to a louder tone, yet he refused to move from the girl's side preferring to stand still while clenching his large meaty fists.

Aiming the gun at the monster's strangely shaped head Chris got ready to pull the trigger, "I'll teach you to follow me out here you Umbrella freak!" he had completely forgotten about the girl, only the monster existed.

One moment Chris was standing on the veranda the next he was thrown against the wall by some invisible force, crying out in surprise he slowly rose to see the strange white haired girl slowly lower her right hand, fear flashing in her eyes.

Grabbing his fallen weapon Chris took one last look at the glaring tall monster and stumbled back inside.

Seeing the surprised look on Claire's face and the angry looks on the others Chris jabbed his index finger accusingly at Jill, "This is what you couldn't tell me?!? Damn it Jill how could you do this? We're supposed to be destroying Umbrella's work not making friends with it!" he then doubled over as a wave of pain worked its way up his back.

Claire stepped forward and steadied her brother, but Chris wasn't done yet and pulled away from her.

He glared at Leon and Rebecca standing in the corner, "Were the two of you in on this as well? Or was it just Jill who decided that an eight foot tall freak and a Hunter would make great pets!"

"Wait a minute a Hunter? I didn't know about that?" Leon spoke up. "I thought it was just that Nemesis creature and Alyssa, when did a Hunter come into the equation?"

"There was one outside standing beside the bikes, I took a few shots at it but that thing dodged them and ran off"

Carlos muttered something under his breath before speaking, "You took pot shots at Deception? You're lucky to be still standing!"

Chris turned sharply towards Carlos and glowered, his face a mask of disgust, "You gave that thing a name? I thought you'd be the stronger one but I guess I was wrong, none of this would've happened if I was here"

Before Carlos could say anything towards Chris a loud whistle silenced the group.

Jill stood near the rickety table and stared back at everyone, "If we're to work together to bring Umbrella down then I think some explaining is in order" she then gestured towards the TV room. "How about we all talk civilly about this before we start pointing fingers. Maybe if I tell you all how Carlos and me came to meet those three outside it might clear things up and then we can get on with our work"

"Bit late for that, Umbrella is already with us in the form of two genetic mistakes" Chris muttered as he limped past Jill and into the room.

Not wanting to start another round of argument Jill only shook her head and sighed before following after the group.

By the time Jill and Carlos had finished explaining to the others all the events up until their arrival at the cabin the cold winter night was starting to creep across the field.

Although Jill had no choice in telling the others about the T/G strain Alyssa carried she left out the fact it needed to be kept in check by the antivirus Daylight. She also neglected to mention the ominous presence of Alice that had plagued the pair ever since they had met up with Alyssa and Nemesis, there were some things best left in the background for now as it was Jill knew that there would be questions that would follow.

While Chris didn't seem to buy any of the story and sat back with his arms crossed glaring at Jill, Claire broke the uneasy silence.

"That Hunter Chris saw you really didn't explain how he came to be with you?"

"Deception found us when we went to the Innisfail labs it was by accident I think, Alyssa opened the cage he was in and he managed to follow us out" Jill replied. After Alice killed all the other Hunters and Alyssa rescued him she finished in her head.

Chris suddenly rose from the chair he was in and getting out a mobile phone walked out from the room.

Watching Chris walk out Rebecca sighed, "That poor kid, she looked so scared when we first arrived it's disturbing to think that there is such a thing as a dual strain and that Alyssa bonded with it, that's never been done at least to my knowledge"

Hearing this Jill and Carlos glanced nervously at each other before turning back to the group, both knew very well that another virus carrier existed and because of them had made the fight a lot tougher.

"Does Alyssa travel with you two when you go searching for evidence?" Leon asked "Just kind of curious as to how you manage that"

Carlos nodded, "Alyssa does as do Nemesis and Deception, what do you think that van was for?"

"That's a bit risky don't you think?" Rebecca spoke up. "How do you get past all the check points?"

"Why can't you leave the two monsters behind? I'm sure it's a big burden to smuggle those two through security every time you travel" Claire pointed out.

Jill smiled thinly, "It's a bit complicated and hard to explain"

"Looks like we have all night so go ahead" Leon replied.

Chris suddenly walked back into the room and sat back down in the chair, he still appeared angry but at the same time interested in what was about to be said.

"Nemesis protects Alyssa and believe me he can sometimes take it a little too seriously" Carlos remarked.

"Alyssa and Nemesis share some kind of bond telepathic or otherwise" Jill explained.

"That monster was the only thing closest to a friend that Alyssa had when she was back at Bluewater and if either get separated you can bet that the other will go looking for them"

"So that thing was programmed to keep Alyssa safe? She seemed fully capable of using her 'abilities' to throw me against the wall" Chris said snidely. "Seems like such a waste of air having those monsters alive"

Carlos shrugged, "Ordered, programmed what's the difference? Nemesis has proved useful in getting past security that we encounter"

Chris then turned towards Carlos, his face dead pan, "There is a difference between the two and if that creature has been programmed to protect that girl then what else is it capable of doing?"

"What about that Hunter?" Leon asked. "You said that Nemesis is useful what does that other monster do to help?"

"He just…" Jill trailed off for a moment before continuing. "Whenever we go somewhere and Deception does travel with us he runs off into the darkness and only comes back when we're about to leave. Thing is he's always covered in blood and I don't want to think what that Hunter does away from the group"

"That sounds a bit disturbing Jill, how do you know that Deception doesn't kill innocent bystanders?" Claire asked.

"We don't but he always comes back" Carlos answered. "There haven't been any mutilations pinned on us yet, what Deception does away from us will probably remain a mystery"

Chris then leaned forward and coughed loudly, forcing everyone to turn towards him, "Well seeming as the Innisfail labs are still standing that's where we are going"

Seeing the confusion on Jill's face Chris continued, "I phoned my contact in the trucking business and he's told me he can get us inside the front entrance very easily, of course his route is all hush hush seeming as there really isn't a facility hidden in the abandoned fields but being the 'friendly' company Umbrella is they allow their drivers to hitch up and stay the night in the loading bays so it looks like they've travelled long distances on their travel log"

"I'm guessing your friend isn't going to be doing this for free?" Rebecca inquired. "What's the catch?"

Chris sat back in the chair and balanced one leg on the other, "No catch, Roy said he gets a free fuel top up and a decent night sleep and we get the most direct path into the labs where this time around they will be reduced to rubble" he then glanced towards Jill "See Jill unlike your contacts who never show up mine always come through"

"That might be well and true Chris but how is your contact going to take us all the way to Innisfail? You didn't tell him to pick us up here?" Jill asked.

"Actually Roy said it would be easier for us to drive to Innisfail and meet him a few miles away from the entrance, that way it seems like he only stopped to check the map, then we get inside the back and the truck rolls through the gates, simple really" Chris explained. "Those two monsters stay here though, I'm not sharing the same breathing space as those two virus ridden creatures"

"Alyssa" Jill breathed she then turned towards Carlos. "I forgot about her, you should go and see if she's ok"

But as Carlos began to rise Claire jumped up instead, "Let me go Carlos, I really haven't talked to Alyssa yet"

Carlos nodded and sat back down, "You sure you'll be ok?"

"Alyssa seems a sweet kid just a little shy that's all" Claire said as she walked out of the room.

Turning the doorknob of the front door and stepping outside Claire was hit with the cold night air, it was enough to make her shiver even though she was wearing a thick leather jacket.

Hearing the faint sound of someone humming Claire glanced down the veranda and saw Alyssa curled up against a large wooden stump chair.

Approaching Alyssa, Claire realized that she wasn't sitting there alone, seated in the wooden chair was Nemesis who was staring out across the field while listening to Alyssa.

As Claire came closer Nemesis slightly turned and looked at her before snorting and resuming to stare across the darkened wilderness.

"Aren't you cold Alyssa?" Claire asked as she sat down beside the girl.

Alyssa stopped humming the tune and shook her head, "No why should I?"

"Well you're better off then me, I can't stand the cold, winter wasn't my favourite season I liked autumn the best seeing all those leaves fall from the trees"

Alyssa suddenly turned towards Claire her face full of excitement, "You're Claire aren't you?"

Taken slightly aback Claire only nodded, "That's my name but how did you know that?" her mind flashed briefly back to Jill telling the group that Alyssa was not a normal human being and she also had abilities that could only be called superhuman. I just hope mind reading isn't one of them Claire thought.

"I've seen a few pictures of you and another man, the one who came with you" Alyssa replied. "He seemed angry when coming outside before"

"His name is Chris and he's my brother, don't be upset that he's angry, Chris means well and I'm sorry if he said or did anything that upset the two of you before" Claire said. "We both have been through a rough time, Chris and I have just started travelling together again before he thought it was too risky for us to be seen seeming as we're all criminals in the public's eye"

Nemesis suddenly placed the chain gun he had been holding down onto the veranda just behind Claire while growling in a low tone making eye contact with her he seemed to nod before turning back towards the darkness.

The actions by the larger monster confused Claire but Alyssa only smiled, "Nemesis has always been a good judge of character"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well for starters when you came outside and walked across the veranda we both heard you but getting this close has never happened if you're a stranger," Alyssa explained, she then gestured towards the weapon behind Claire. "Nemesis trusts you and so do I"

The whole session had been a bit unnerving for Claire but she had a strange feeling of comfort around the girl and the monster. Jill was right if Nemesis was some kind of murdering unstoppable force she wouldn't be sitting beside Alyssa and talking to her now.

Rising up from where she was sitting Claire smiled, "Well I'm glad to have met the two of you, just ignore Chris if he says anything he's a big dope once you get to know him"

Turning and walking back towards the door Claire could sense that three pairs of eyes watched her leave but where the owner of the third pair was she had no idea.

In just a few days Phase Two would be active and with it's awakening the Winterstone girl and the Nemesis unit would return.

Griffin glanced down at the sleeping creature's face, there wasn't much to it in fact the test subject he had chosen closely resembled a human being then anything else. Its appearance would put both the original Tyrant and Nemesis to shame.

Picking up a scalpel Griffin first checked his watch before making an incision on the creature's upper torso. It had been almost a full hour since calling Alice back to the Innisfail base; he had given the chimera plenty of time to dispose of one of the rebel's links in any way she pleased. He didn't have to ask Alice to get a confirmation of the death; Griffin knew all too well the truck driver would have died a terrible painful death.

Cutting deeper down through the red muscle and onto the bone Griffin then took a pair of large wire cutters and began to clip each rib, which eventually exposed the large red beating heart.

Glancing towards the monitors that the creature was connected up to he then pulled across a small silver trolley that had six thick steel pipes laid out on top.

Picking up the first one Griffin first carefully examined it before sliding it into the first cut rib, he repeated the same process with the other five ribs and then began to sew the large incision back up. He knew that such a scar would never be seen due to the test subject wearing a specially designed coat but now it's rib cage would be impossible to break even if a blow came from a very strong opponent.

The door to the room slid open and Alice strode in carefully checking that she wasn't followed inside.

Shortly after Alice entered two armed guards wearing black body armour entered and approached Griffin who turned to face them.

"Your bodyguard has returned sir," one of them said.

Griffin only nodded while taking off the blood stained plastic gloves, "Yes captain I can see that, both of you can go outside now"

As both the guards exited Alice glared at them causing the other guard to trip up, when they had left she turned towards Griffin, "They were waiting for me down in the storage garage, why is that?"

Stepping away from the table Griffin smiled cruelly, "I have my reasons just as you had your own detour before coming here"

Hearing this Alice stiffened and turned away trying not to show any indication of shock or surprise. How Griffin had found out about what she did to the elderly couple was unknown and she remained silent on the whole matter.

Seeing the reaction from Alice, Griffin strode towards her, "No matter we all make our mistakes just as those renegades have played their final card" as the door slid open he then turned sharply towards Alice. "You've already made two mistakes in the past few weeks whether or not it has something to do with the constant bombardment by those criminal bastards or not I cannot tell, but make one more and the program will be taken up to the next level understand?"

Once again Alice had to resist the urge to do anything towards her master and could only nod like the obedient servant she had been programmed to be.

Griffin then seemed to compose himself before turning his back on Alice, "Good, see that you remember that, you're here to make sure those rebels cease their meddling in my work, if they're ever caught alive then I might allow you to glean some information from them but it all depends on the help you give me"

As Alice watched Griffin walk away from her she kicked a small silver trolley that contained various surgical cutting equipment on it, the trolley crashed onto the steel floor scattering the scalpels and hacksaws all over the ground. She should be able to do whatever she wanted, it was all because of the Winterstone girl, Griffin had been on a security high ever since finding out about Alyssa's new abilities.

Now everywhere Alice went she was under constant supervision, sometimes she would turn back to the guards who were pretending not to follow her, they would always jump back instinctively, the scent of fear very strong.

Clenching her hands into fists Alice stalked across the room, her anger slowly rising by the second.

When she felt something pull at her right leg Alice glanced down to see one of the scalpels from the trolley had gotten stuck in her leg. Blood was already streaming from the wound down her leg and onto the black boots.

Without so much as a hesitation Alice reached down and tore the scalpel from her leg.

Pausing only to glance at the foreign object that had caused her no pain Alice then let the bloodstained scalpel fall from her hand and onto the ground as she walked out of the room and down the steel corridor.