Disclaimer: Don't own anything in this one, all characters belong to the people at Capcom
A/N: My first attempt at a RE fic…I don't know if I'm actually going to run with this or if I'm just doing what's already been done a million times. This is kind of a back story, plus a narrative of the events that occur at the Mansion. Based totally on the original RE game, and all the characters that appear there
"Did you read this crap?" Jill Valentine sat at her desk, idly scrolling through an interoffice memo that had found it's way to her E-mail.
"What crap would that be?" Redfield's desk was directly behind hers; Valentine didn't need to turn to know he was sitting there, feet kicked up, hands laced behind his head.
Valentine chuckled and mocked a deep announcer voice. "More reports of wild dog attacks in the woods near the old logging road." She sighed and turned her computer off without bothering to save anything.
"Wild dogs, huh? Call in the fucking national guard," Redfield laughed. "What's next…rabid chipmunks reported in the mall? And who the hell is out that far to get attacked by dogs anyway? There's nothing out there."
Valentine shrugged. "Hell if I know. We did our last training mission out that way last month though. The only thing I can think of is some hunters doing a little poaching and trying to swerve the boys downstairs."
There was a lack of the usual contempt in her voice as she spoke of the so-called 'regular' police. Most of the members of S.T.A.R.S. shared the same view: that they were, by definition, better than the men and women who served the city as officers of the law.
S.T.A.R.S. itself was hard to explain. While Raccoon City boasted a fairly large population, Valentine was often…troubled…by the sheer numbers of police personnel she came into contact with every day. And when her squad was added in…it was staggering. The Special Tactics and Rescue Squad, or S.T.A.R.S., was an add on. They were basically soldiers, trained in search and rescue, more advanced in weapons, and wholly independent of the rest of the stationhouse. When she'd first been approached, Valentine had been told that Raccoon City had offered the best possible area for the type of training they would require. With mountains, forests, and lakes, hot dry summers and freezing, snowy winters, the area gave them each a chance to fine tune their profession no matter what the circumstances.
So far, in her year as a mechanical specialist for the group, Valentine had seen no form of action, save for the routine practice runs that Wesker, their group commander, insisted on putting them through. The S.T.A.R.S. team was given quarters in the police station in town; one small room on the second floor of the huge building. Valentine, Redfield, Wesker, and Burton had desks there. As did Chambers, a new recruit to the Bravo team, and medical specialist to the team as a whole. A communications center was placed in one corner of the room; usually Aiken would be there, turning dials and pressing buttons. He serviced the entire PD, not just the S.T.A.R.S., even though he was a member of their group. Most of the members had other work they did for the police, save Valentine and Redfield.
For Valentine, there was no job on the police force that captured her attention. She liked having the freedom of being a part of S.T.A.R.S., of running her own life on her own terms. The pay was of course, ridiculous, considering they really did nothing to earn it. Even that didn't matter much. Her parents had died when she'd been a senior in high school, and her father had been something of an insurance nut. She had more money than she knew what to do with. Her father had one hobby, which he'd passed on, much to her mother's chagrin, to his only daughter. A love of firearms. Jill had quite an extensive collection, starting with her father's guns and culminating in the weapons she'd bought on her own. She was well practiced with every one of them, remembering her father's one rule about firearms; don't fear them, know them. She had taken that advice to heart. Her ability to handle weapons of any caliber had led to her finally signing on with the S.T.A.R.S. She had a natural knack for figuring out how things worked, why things didn't work, and how to make things work again.
Redfield's own story was a little more complicated. He'd been a member of the US Air Force until he was discharged. No one but Redfield himself, and possibly Burton, knew the full details. He'd drifted through life for a while until he'd met Burton. Burton had become something of a father figure to Redfield, and had guided him to a job with the S.T.A.R.S. His basic distrust of authority had caused him some trouble, but had not stopped him from quickly rising in the ranks. He was now second in command, able to do the jobs of just about any of the other members of the group. His specialty was weaponry, although he focused mainly on just the tools the group would need in the field. He was also an accomplished pilot, and he could think quickly on his feet, a trait that was invaluable in their line of work.
Both Valentine and Redfield were members of the Alpha team. With Wesker as their head, they were backed up by Burton, another weapons specialist, and Vickers, their sometimes…cowardly information and intelligence expert. Also on their team was Frost, their vehicle specialist. They were considered the combat section of their group, only to be used in extreme situations.
The Bravo team was slightly more diverse. Enrico Marini headed the second group. He was fiercely prideful of the position, and sometimes viewed Redfield with distrust. He thought the younger man was a threat to his leadership role. Chambers, the newest member, was their medical expert. She spent most of her time working in the emergency room of the city hospital, just to keep her on her toes. Forest Spyer was a former Army sergeant who now acted as the team's vehicle specialist. He was also well trained in the use of rifles. He's become the group's sniper when word of his marksmanship had gotten out. Sullivan was their field scout/chemistry expert. He often worked alongside Chambers gathering information for medical use. And Aiken…he worked with both the Alpha and the Bravo teams, going with whichever team needed him at the moment.
Valentine stood and stretched languidly. She hated being cooped up on the office all day long, while the entire police department seemed to be buzzing with activity. She'd been feeling…wound up all day long. As if something was looming on the horizon. She had no clue what it was, but could almost feel it growing closer with every minute that passed.
"Speaking of poaching and breaking the law…" Redfield was, indeed, in a relaxed pose on his cluttered desk. "Where the hell is everybody at today? I saw Burton downstairs when I came in, but the rest are…" he made a dismissive gesture with his hand.
"I dunno…" Valentine brushed at the front of her blue shirt. "Probably out on a training exercise. Most of their gear is gone from the vault." The vault was a large room in the basement, where the S.T.A.R.S. team kept their equipment.
"Lucky them," Redfield said with a laugh. He dropped his feet to the floor and looked at Valentine questioningly. "Hey…wanna go grab some…" Before he could finish, the door to the office was slung open.
Their leader, Wesker, stood there, his calm demeanor hard to read. The sunglasses he perpetually wore were settled firmly on his face. Valentine and Redfield both looked at him expectantly.
"Suit up. We have a job," he said it in a short, clipped tone, completely unlike his normal voice. He was all business. "Rendezvous in the vault in fifteen. And the usual con level is in effect. DO NOT talk to anyone from the time you leave this room til you get to the basement. Now move!" With that, he turned and slammed the door behind him.
Valentine shared an amused glance with Redfield before grabbing her locker key from the top of her desk where she'd tossed it. "Looks like we're about to join in the fun with team Bravo," she stated, as Redfield stood up from his chair.
"Yeah…maybe," he shrugged. Probably just another training day…but there had definitely been something…odd…about Wesker's behavior. His curiosity roused, he followed Valentine out the door and into the hallway, sure he wouldn't have to wait long to find out just what the hell had Albert's underwear in a knot.