Raccoon City, 1997
It was mid-October in Raccoon City, a mid-western city in Colorado home to around roughly 100,000 people. It was slightly chilly with a high chance of rain, but that didn't stop Claire Redfield from motorcycling around in a black bike skin suit, jean shorts and red vest with the phrase "Let Me Live" on the back. After taking off her helmet, she shook her head. The red-brown hair bouncing free before she pulled it back into a ponytail to save it from frizzing in the humid air. With a sigh she pushed her bangs out of her face and looked at the building in front of her. Raccoon City Police Department. Her older brother, Chris, worked here. It was his birthday tomorrow and she had come to surprise him. Thankfully, his birthday was during the transition period of summer classes and fall classes at her college. So everyone besides the incoming freshmen got a few extra weeks off before classes started again. She had called Chris a few days earlier to regretfully and falsely inform him that she wouldn't be able to make it in for his birthday, successfully fooling him. Rain slowly started to patter down and Claire jogged up the steps and into the department before it got worse. It was spacious, a water fountain right in the middle of the hall, a floor above her, and a high rise ceiling. She walked down the steps, around the fountain, admiring the beautiful statue of a woman, and up the ramp to the receptionist's desk. The older female officer, whom Claire had never seen before, greeted her with a smile. She had soft hazel eyes, and blonde hair. Her bangs, which were graying around the roots, framed her sharp face. She had to have been on the force for a long time.
"How can I help you, dearie?"
"I'm here to see my brother, Christopher Redfield. Uh, here's my I.D" The younger Redfield pulled out her wallet and handed her driver's license over to the woman behind the counter. The woman who she noted to be Officer Burness by her nametag, looked over her license and handed it back over, nodding.
"He's right through that door there, up the stairs and through the hall, you'll see a door with the name S.T.A.R.S written on it." She ran a keycard through the slot beside her computer and Claire heard a faint 'click'.
"Alright, thank you." Claire smiled at the woman and she in return nodded before turning her attention back to her work. Claire followed the directions Officer Burness gave her, even though she already knew the way.
The last time she had come she just tried to go to the office, but found out she couldn't get through the door without having whoever was at the receptionist's desk unlock it. Going through the last door, Claire was greeted with large office. She saw her brother, staring down at the pile of work on his desk, grimacing. She smiled at that. Chris always hated paperwork. She remembered days when he'd come home and procrastinate in attempts to forget the homework he was assigned. Jill Valentine, whom Claire met about two years or so back and had quickly become friends with, sat across from him. Her desk neat and tidy, all her paperwork done Claire assumed. Jill turned and saw Claire, her pale blue eyes widening. Claire quickly lifted a finger to her lips, signaling Valentine to keep quiet. Jill winked and gave a quick thumbs up. Claire took off her boots and quietly slid around on the hardwood floor. She held her breath and bit her lip until she was right behind him, careful to not let her shadow give her away.
"SURPRISE!"
Claire pounced on her brother, laughing like a madman when he gave a yell. She let go of him before they both fell back and he stood, towering over her by a head. He was shaking his head and laughing.
"You little liar! I really believed you when you said you couldn't come. Come here, brat!" Chris bent and wrapped his arms around Claire's waist and hoisted her up over his shoulder, slapping her lightly on the thigh. She was giggling and smacking his butt while he started turning in a circle.
"Let go of me, monkey ears!"
The older Redfield stopped abruptly.
"What was that?"
"You heard me."
"For your sake you should hope I didn't!"
"I'm not scared. Monkey. Ea-"
Chris didn't give her the chance to finish. He started spinning around like a top. Successfully making his sister scream and start pounding at his back with her fists.
"Chriiiiiiiis!" Claire laughed and screamed and hit her brother over and over.
"REDFIELD." Chris stopped as soon as the booming voice hit his ears, almost dropping his still giggling sister. He set Claire down and turned to face his fate, swaying a little from spinning so much. There stood his captain. Albert Wesker. He was a tall man, pale, had slicked back blond hair, and wore black sunglasses perched on his nose. Chris didn't need a sign to see that he was in trouble. He might as well of been holding a poster that said "TOTALLY FUCKED".
"Sir."
Chris swore he could hear Jill snickering.
"Chris-"
He was sure that it was Jill hiding her laugh in a cough.
"That pile on your desk is the same size as when I saw it two hours ago."
Yeah, that was Jill.
"Well.. Ya see-"
"Do you know what I see Chris?" His captain interrupted, a finger raised to silence him.
Chris glanced at his sister who was putting back on her shoes, and biting her lips, trying not to laugh.
What was so funny?
"Um, no, sir.. What do you see?"
Wesker was biting his tongue to keep from yelling the obscenities that came to his mind when his officer asked that.
"First off, I see my officer horsing around while his paperwork sits untouched, I see that it's been two hours since that work was given to him, and I see that it's going to be a really long night for my officer if he doesn't finish every. single. paper. on his desk in the next half hour." With that Wesker turned on his heel and slammed his door.
Jill wasn't holding back now.
Claire punched her brother on the arm and started laughing. "He hasn't changed much." She had only seen Wesker a few times before, each were when he was scolding her brother.
"O' Captain, My Captain."
"Yeah, Wesker isn't joking, Chris." Chimed in Barry from across the room. "He's been in his office all day. Apparently, Chief Irons gave him loads of work to do over the recent incidents in the city. Been doing it all himself rather than give it to us. Probably thinks we'd mess it all up."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't feel guilty giving it all to Chris." Jill said between laughs. She was wiping her eyes, tears fresh on her cheeks.
Chris solemnly sat back down at his desk with a sigh. After a moment of silence, he picked up his pen and went back to work. Claire stood behind her brother and patted his shoulders, trying to give him at least a little comfort.
She walked over to Jill's desk and sat in the chair she had next to it.
"How have you been, Claire?"
"Pretty good, finished my first year of college. It's odd though, being younger than everyone else."
Chris grumbled at his desk. "That's what you get for being smart and graduating early."
Claire smiled and looked back to Jill who rolled her eyes at her partner.
"He still trying to get you to move back here and take online classes?"
Claire nodded.
"So where is everyone else?" Questioned the younger Redfield, looking around the barren office.
Jill looked around the empty office as well. It was close to 8pm, the setting sun illuminating the office with an orange glow despite the rain clouds which Claire knew were still looming over Raccoon City.
"They finished their paperwork. Just like I did. An hour ago. But I carpooled with your brother today. So Barry said he'd take me home when he finished. Which I'm guessing is right now, right Barry?"
"Yep. Just finished right now, I'll go hand this in to Wesker and we'll head off."
"Sounds good."
Chris grumbled in his chair and looked up at his partner.
"Sorry, Jill."
"Just finish your work Redfield." Jill tried to do her best Wesker impersonation, failing with a large smile on her lips.
Chris sighed and focused back on his work.
Claire smiled to herself. She enjoyed times like this, being around friends and good company. She missed her brother. It had been almost a full year since she last saw him. With school being so far away and not having the time to come down, she had jumped for joy when she saw that she had a few weeks off to come and stay with her brother.
Barry emerged from Wesker's office, looking a few shades paler.
Claire was intrigued by Chris' captain. He had to be in his 30's, even though he didn't look it. There was a lot that stood out to Claire. His blond hair slicked from his face, his sunglasses perched on his nose even though he was indoors, his muscled arms tensing when he was reprimanding her brother, his lips in a tight line while her brother stood there like a doofus, his -
"Yoo-hoo, Claire, come back to earth."
Claire shook her head like a bird settling into it's feathers. "Huh, what?"
"You were pretty out for a minute, Kiddo." Chris was looking at her with an eyebrow up, curious.
"Sorry… long ride."
"If you want, Claire, I can take you home also." Barry said grabbing his coat. "I have a rope to tie your bike in the bed of the truck."
"Yeah, you look pretty tired." Jill had put a hand on Claire's cheek. The younger Redfield was used to Jill's maternal side, it was comforting.
Claire just smiled at the both of them.
"Oh, I'm fine, I'm going to wait for my brother." Jill and Barry nodded. With a wave and some quick goodnights, the duo was gone.
Claire stood up and looked around the office. It had changed a bit since she was gone, desks still the same but decorations were now strewn about the office. There were pictures on a shelf and Claire couldn't help but laugh at the formal shot for the S.T.A.R.S alpha and bravo team. Chris and Jill looked so serious kneeling down in front of Wesker and Barry, gun in arms. Then in the fun shot they looked like polar opposites of the other photo. Chris, grinning like an idiot, had his arms around Barry and Joseph, who was winking and had a thumbs up. Jill was standing in between front of him and Barry with her hands up in a "peace" sign. Brad was across from her, kneeling in between Chris and Joseph with his arms up, flexing. They all looked so funny doing their poses.. except for Wesker, who stood off to the side. He looked the exact same as the other picture. As in all the other pictures. Didn't he ever smile? Come to think of it, every time she had seen him he was either frowning or had no emotion on his face at all.
"Almost done, Claire."
"Okay." Claire looked back to her brother and nodded. She went back over to his desk and sat in the chair across from him.
She absentmindedly twirled her ponytail around her fingers, watching her brother finish his work. 'Hey, Chris."
"Yeah?"
"What're we doing for your birthday?"
"Oh, Kathy invited us over." Chris looked up at her sister smiling, his right hand twirling his pen around and left scratching the back of his head. "Barry said he'll barbeque."
"Sounds great!" Claire beamed, making her brother chuckle before he focused back on his work. Her brother's pen furiously flew across what looked to be his final paper.
"Alright! I'm done!" Chris stood with a triumphant smile, proud that he finished before Wesker came out and beat the crap out of him. He stood and tapped the bottoms of the papers on his desk, aligning them perfectly. "Just gotta turn these into the captain and then we can head on out." Claire perked up.
This is too good an opportunity! "I'll do it."
Chris looked at her, his head cocked to the side.
"Huh?"
"I'll turn it in.. That way I can- apologize for earlier. Plus" she chuckled, "he's less likely to kill a civilian right?"
Her brother mulled this over, nodding slowly.
"Alright, you do that and then I'll go lock up my stuff and I'll meet you at the parking lot entrance. Hurry up though, I don't want you riding in the rain!" He grabbed his jacket and gun before bounding off in what Claire assumed was the direction of the locker rooms. She rolled her eyes at her brother. He wasn't going to let her ride. Claire knew he was going to take her bike and tie it up in the bed of his truck. She'd ridden in much worse than some light rain.. But her brother always had a problem with driving in the rain. Too many accidents happen because of the rain, he'd say. Though, Claire knew he was talking about their parents.
"Well.. Here I go." She grabbed the stack of papers from her brother's desk and walk towards Wesker's office. She knocked on his door. While she waited for him to respond she ran a finger over the name tag on the door. A. Wesker. It had been at least a minute and she still got no response. Maybe he's on the phone. Claire leaned her ear against the door and heard nothing. She knocked again. After another minute had gone by and still no response, she decided the hell with it and opened the door cautiously. Hugging the papers to her chest, probably crinkling them, she walked in. There he was, in all his handsome glory… asleep on his desk. One arm stretched across the desk, hand hanging over the edge, his head on the other arm curled underneath it. Cautiously, she walked up to him. Claire stifled a giggle at the little dribble that was coming out of his slightly parted mouth. I suppose I should just leave the pile here. Trying to not disturb him, she carefully pushed his arm over, making room to set the pile down. She stepped back and went to turn away, but his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She gasped and looked back at the man who grabbed her, the man who was slowly getting up. Claire watched as the man before her sat up, his hand still holding her wrist. He rubbed his eyes, lifting his glasses ever only so much that Claire caught glimpses of bright blue eyes here and there. The captain wiped his mouth with the back of his gloved hand and looked back at her. She couldn't see his eyes but she knew he was staring intently at her.
"What are you doing in here?"
"I- uh, came to turn in my brother's paperwork. And apologize for earlier." The blond seemed to think that over and let go of her wrist. Claire drew back her arm and stepped back some. "You should go home and get some sleep, a bed would be comfier than a desk." She chuckled and decided that she wanted out of the room, now. Claire shivered, not from being cold, but from whatever lurked around the man before her.
"Perhaps."
Claire waited a moment to see if he'd say anymore, but seeing as how he didn't, she chuckled awkwardly once more and made her way to the door. "Well, sorry for earlier, goodnight."
"Wait a moment." Claire stopped in her tracks, cursing herself for even offering to turn in her brother's papers.
"Yeah?" She turned around and saw that the man was now standing in front of her. When did he move? And why hadn't she heard him? He's like a cat!
"Your name is Claire, correct?" The blond had his arms crossed and was leaning back slightly on his heels.
"Yes."
"Hmm.. Goodnight, Claire." Wesker nodded to her, probably his signal that she could leave now. She once again started to leave, this time getting to the door before something compelled her to stop.
"Are you going to the barbeque tomorrow?" Claire didn't know what possessed her to ask him. She knew he had been invited to every other special occasion that happened, but he never attended, or at least not to the ones she had been present for.
"Maybe."
"Oh.. Well, you should." Claire's heart skipped a beat as he lifted his arm to run a hand through his blond locks. "I hope to see you there." And with that she turned and left his office, shutting the door behind her.
"Are you ready?" asked Chris as Claire jogged up to his truck with hand raised to block the rain from hitting her face. She rolled her eyes as she saw her motorcycle tied down in the bed of his truck.
"Chris, it's only some light rain."
"I'm not taking any chances, now let's go, I have a show I want to watch."
"Oh ,you mean your soap opera?"
"I don't watch soap operas!"
"Okay, whatever you say, bro." Claire laughed at her brother as he rolled his eyes and climbed into his truck. She followed suit and smiled at him as he started up the truck.
"What're you smiling at?"
"You, doofus.. I missed you."
"I missed you too, kiddo.
AN: Sooo... There you have it. Aha, um.. I have no clue what to say, honestly. Other than, if you're reading this, thanks for sticking around and reading it fully! I have about 2 more chapters of this story written so they're gonna be up in a day or two once I've finished editing and revising them.
But for now, thank you very much for reading!
