Chapter 1
Raccoon City: a city controlled by Umbrella. The corporate juggernaut that got its name from a weather accessory was the planet Earth's most influential force, having spread its power like a virus to all of it's corners. While on the surface the Umbrella Corporation was a friendly, legitimate business that specialized in the research and distribution of pharmaceuticals in every field one can imagine, the corporation had its share of skeletons in the closet: the most significant of which being it's research and development of biological weapons.
Everyone who knew of Umbrella had heard these stories, but they were dismissed as nothing but rumors. Nevertheless, rumors have a way of shaking one's trust. This was true both for the Government of Earth and its allies.
Yes, humanity wasn't alone in the galaxy anymore. Shortly after the discovery of light speed, humans had discovered Lylat: a solar system comprised of planets inhabited by sapient, technologically advanced beings that resembled a variety of bipedal animals. Through complex negotiations and a bit of luck, the U.N was able to create a healthy alliance with Corneria, the Lylat system's core planet. For a few decades, humans and cornerians have enjoyed a good political relationship, but one way or another things kept coming back to Umbrella, whose mysterious machinations found themselves affecting Corneria as well.
This was the main reason Fox McCloud now found himself in the quiet mountain town of Raccoon City, Colorado. As the bipedal fox drove along the dark empty streets in a rental car, he found himself reflecting on how he ended up here. The day had started out just like any other on board his ship, The Great Fox. He had been on the command bridge, chatting up his mentor and long time friend Peppy Hare, when they had received a message on their communication screen from General Pepper of the Cornerian Army.
"We need your help Star Fox!" Fox wasn't sure why the decorated Bulldog General always felt like he had to greet them in such a dramatic way. A simple: Hello. How have you been would be nice.
"Not too long ago, one of our secure laboratories was broken into, and important top-secret research was stolen," General Pepper had continued, "We're not sure who is responsible, but their equipment was marked with this insignia."
The General had displayed an octagonal image of what looked like a red and white umbrella viewed from the top down. Fox had immediately recognized the image as the Umbrella Corporation's sigil, which for whatever reason the eclectic company felt the need to put on everything they owned.
It was then that Team Star Fox received their mission: go to Earth under the guise of visiting civilians and investigate Umbrella's central headquarters in Raccoon City. The plan was to land in different parts of the state and all make their way to Raccoon City separately, so as not to arouse suspicion. They had previously established a non-descript diner as the location for their rendezvous, and that was where Fox was trying to go.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" His mentor Peppy had said before they departed. While Fox was usually quick to point out the old rabbit always had a bad feeling about something, as he drove alone down the barren streets of the mountain community, Fox found himself agreeing with Peppy's earlier words.
The unease began as the sun went down and he first drove past the sign reading "Welcome to Raccoon City: Home of Umbrella" (accompanied by the all too familiar red and white octagonal logo) and arrived at the first of many armed checkpoints. Although he had no trouble getting through, Fox found it odd that a seemingly small town would have such tight security.
And now here he was, driving down empty street after empty street on his way to the diner where he was to rendezvous with the rest of his team. He stopped at an intersection and ground his teeth together as he looked around. Nothing. There weren't any people walking around and every vehicle in sight was vacant, unceremoniously discarded along the side of the road. It was as if time had stopped and he was the only living thing left in the city.
Fox could almost hear Peppy saying "It's quiet… too quiet…" as he often did in situations like these.
Fox stepped on the gas and continued driving. He hated this. Not just the increasingly ominous emptiness, but the whole damn mission as well. Fox was a pilot first and foremost. He would much rather have been flying his Arwing avoiding laser fire than doing all of this covert spy stuff. His Arwing was like an extension of his body, he felt naked on a mission where he wasn't in its cockpit. This gas powered land vehicle just wasn't doing it for him.
Time and time again Fox found himself thinking whether he preferred it when Corneria was still at war with Venom. Everything seemed simpler then. At least during the Lylat War there was a clear enemy. Was he a bad person for thinking this? Probably.
The galaxy was still at war, but this war was fought differently. Now the enemy was invisible, everywhere and nowhere all at once. It had no territory it called its own or even a clear face. This enemy took the form of dozens rebel factions and shadowy corporations of which Umbrella was only one. Fox didn't feel like he could trust anyone anymore, and more and more he found himself wondering if it was all worth fighting for.
Fox shook his head as if he was literally trying to fling those thoughts from it, urging himself to remain focused on the mission. This proved to be wise, as he noticed that there was something lying in the middle of the street right in his path. A person.
Fox slammed on the brakes and his car came screeching to a halt mere meters in front of the motionless form. As Fox studied it through his windshield, he noticed that it was a woman with dark hair and gray clothes covered in splotches of something. Fox decided to get out of the car and see if she was okay, but was compelled to put a hand on his holstered blaster as he did so.
As Fox approached the inert form, he tried calling out to her "M'am? Are you okay? Do you need help?" The woman remained still on the ground. As Fox drew closer he began to think that the odds of this person still being alive were getting more and more unlikely, as he realized the dark stains on her clothes was blood and saw that her face was extremely pale.
Nevertheless, Fox thought he should check her pulse, just to be sure. He knelt down over her and tentatively moved his hand toward the inert woman's face. He placed it on her neck and felt for a pulse. Nothing. She was cold as ice.
Before Fox could do anything else, he spotted movement in his peripherals. He rose to his feet and saw an old man wearing tattered clothes slowly shuffling down the street some feet away. Finally, it was time to get some answers.
"Excuse me? Sir?" Fox called out to the ambling figure. The old man was stopped in his tracks by Fox's voice. "What's going on here?"
The old man stiffly turned to face him, and Fox immediately knew that something was off about him. His suspicions were confirmed when Fox got a good look at the man's face, and noticed that a good chunk of it was… missing. He didn't really know how else to describe the torn bloody mess that was the side of the man's face. It was as if something had taken a large bite out of him.
"Sir? Are you okay?" Fox asked, feeling worse about this whole scenario by the moment. The mutilated old man took a moment to just stare at Fox before abruptly changing course and shuffling directly toward him.
The man continued staring at Fox with those eyes. They were completely lifeless, and yet had a sort of urgency in them; a great hunger that needed to be satiated. This look was accompanied by a low groan that sounded like the last breaths escaping a dying man. Now thoroughly unnerved about the whole thing, Fox drew his blaster and raised it at the oncoming man.
"Sir! Stop where you are!" Fox firmly warned blaster aimed steadily at what Fox was now starting to believe was an attacker. The man kept coming; shuffling at nearly twice the speed now then he was going initially. It was as if he could sense the panic starting to rise in Fox's gut.
"I'm warning you!" Fox yelled a bit louder this time, but it did nothing to stop the gait of the oncoming man, who was now very close, arms stretched out groping at him in an almost frantic desperation.
Screw it. Fox fired a shot at his attacker's left shoulder and the bolt of concentrated plasma hit its mark. To Fox's surprise and horror; the old man barely seemed fazed. Fox's laser had sent him staggering back a step, but the man continued his awkward gait forward, letting loose another hoarse moan. Fox fired another shot, this one hitting the man square in the chest. No reaction. The man was practically on him now. Fox fired one last shot, aiming this one square at his attacker's head.
The old man turned limp and flopped to the ground like a wet rag, making one last, terrible gurgling sound. After a few seconds of staring cautiously at the now still form of the man who earlier was shrugging off his laser shots like they were only bothersome flies, Fox allowed himself to loosen his grip on his weapon, bringing it down to his side and letting out a sigh.
His relief was short lived, as not more than a second later Fox heard another unnatural groan. Then another. And another. Fox did a 180 and found himself squinting to see past the headlights of his own stopped vehicle. All around the car were dozens of silhouettes, each one of them shambling towards Fox just like the old man was earlier.
Fox raised his blaster again and frantically surveyed the approaching mob of silhouettes, starting to wonder whether he could even take this many of… whatever these things were.
Suddenly, Fox felt something grab his leg, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin (rest assured, his skin was still very much intact). Fox looked down and saw the dark haired woman, the one for whom he stopped and gotten out of his car, the one he had declared dead only moments ago, was now holding his leg firmly and appeared to be frantically trying to take a bite out of it!
With a bit of a struggle, Fox freed his leg and delivered a kick to her… or its head. It was then that Fox decided that the wise thing to do was the one thing he hated doing. He turned and ran. Fox had never run from a fight before, and had taken an almost childish pride in it. Regardless here he was, running for his life down the dark empty streets of Raccoon City. Except, the streets were no longer empty.
All around him, more of those things were coming out of the woodwork. Stiff and sickly looking humans and cornerians alike aimlessly shuffled the street as Fox ran, many of them stopping to observe him with hungry eyes. Monsters. Fox decided that was the most appropriate description of them. Cheap imitations of living people, unnatural and wrong.
Looking ahead, Fox spotted the flickering neon lights of a diner and a glimmer of hope appeared, as he realized that was the very diner that he was to meet up with the rest of Star Fox Team. He continued his run towards the diner, dodging around the walking corpses like a football player going for a life or death touchdown.
Finally Fox arrived at the front door of the diner and wasted no time in pulling it open. He was surprised when he made to enter and came face to face with a young man with blonde hair wearing a blue police uniform complete with a riot control vest that said "R.P.D" on it. The two of them stared at each other in confusion for half a second, apparently equally as surprised at finding another living thing in this Hellish city.
The uniformed stranger suddenly stepped back and raised a handgun at Fox, and for a moment the space fighter pilot thought that he had survived being devoured by monsters only to get shot by some random guy.
It was then that the man yelled at him, "Move!" Without questioning or even thinking, Fox stepped aside and the man in uniform pulled the trigger on his weapon, landing a headshot on the decaying creature that Fox didn't even realize was about to bite into him.
Fox looked back in shocked stupor at the policeman, who moved back into the diner and with a swift head motion gestured for Fox to follow. He did so without hesitation, securing the diner door before turning to face his new companion.
"Thanks. I'm Fox McCloud of Team Star Fox!" He always liked to introduce himself in a way that made him seem as awesome as possible.
The other man nodded. "Name's Leon. Leon Kennedy."
"Do you know what the heck's going on here?" Fox asked, though his hopes of finding answers were pretty much completely jettisoned at this point.
Leon just shrugged, "Beats me. Just got here myself!"
Fox frowned. Figures he'd get stuck with some rookie cop. Though that was the least of his problems. Fox took a look around the empty diner. The place was a complete mess and there appeared to be no power. What bothered him the most is that there was no sign of his teammates anywhere. All he could do was hope they had simply left, and were still alive out there somewhere.
"Well, what now?" Fox was usually the one to take charge of a combat situation, but he was quite out of his element now. All he could do was hope that this Leon person knew Raccoon City better than him.
"I was on my way to the police department when my truck broke down and the monsters showed up…" Leon said thoughtfully, "If anywhere in this city is still safe, it'll be there!"
"Alright let's go!" Fox said, turning towards the door. Then, out of force of habit, Fox said "All aircraft report!"
Fox winced. Leon just stared at him incredulously, "Uh… okay…" Fox decided not to say anything else and just headed for the door. Leon followed.
As the two of them headed back outside, Fox noticed a billboard across the street. The billboard was adorned with the face of a small blue-eyed baby accompanied by the words "Umbrella Corporation: Our business is life itself." The all-too familiar red and white octagonal symbol loomed over the entire image. Although he still had no idea what exactly was going on in Raccoon City, Fox had a hunch about who or what was responsible.