Familiar Residents 2

by Serena Valentine

Picks up not too long after Familiar Residents 1. New characters are being introduced, and some old ones are returning. Umbrella shuts down. But what's the cause?I'm still in the process of editing, so if anyone sees any mistakes, or has any ideas, fee

1. Default Chapter

"Alright! Run!" Barry commanded. Claire ran for her life. She looked back and saw Ark and Jill doing the same. The four S.T.A.R.S. members were running down the hall of an abandoned factory, which Umbrella was using to create a new virus. Claire slid around the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. Ark and Jill, unprepared for the halt, stumbled forward. Barry was covering rear and had enough time to stop without hitting the others. Claire saw the shotgun held by the middle-aged scientist pointed at her forehead.

"Alright, now which one is it?" Leon mumbled to himself. He stood at a switchboard in the factory storage room, while Chris cleared the attack dogs out of the way. "Ah ha!" Leon smiled hitting the small square red button. An alarm buzzed, and red lights in the corner of the ceiling flashed. The security system was now set to self-destruct. "Let's go Chris!" Leon turned around to see Chris lowering his weapon, watching the blood pour from the dead dogs. Chris quickly turned and nodded as he began to run.

Claire, Ark, and Jill were frozen. Barry was still on the other side of the corner. He knew Claire had stopped for a reason, so he thought it would be best if he stood behind for now. Barry peeked his head out from the wall to see the Umbrella scientist pointing the gun at his teammates.

The scientist smiled. "Don't expect to be leaving so soon!"

The sound of him coking his revolver drowned the sound of Barry cocking his. Doing so, he caught Jill's attention. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He nodded, giving her assurance that the situation was under control.

Jill eyed Claire and Ark and gave them the signal. The three of them fell to the ground as Barry whirled around the corner within the blink of an eye and sent four shots into the stomach of the scientist. Hit, the man dropped his gun and fell backwards onto the concrete floor.

"Everyone ok?" Barry questioned.

"Yeah." Ark nodded getting to his feet.

"Thanks Barry." Jill breathed, before she bent down to help Claire up.

"No problem." Barry returned.

"Alert-Self-Destruct Mode is set. All employees evacuate immediately.

"Guess we know Leon and Chris are all set," Ark concluded by hearing the announcement.

"Let's move!" Barry nodded.

"How much time do we have?" Chris asked, running down a narrow flight of stairs.

"I don't know." Leon frowned, running behind him.

"Then I guess we get out of here as fast as we can." Chris reached the bottom of the stairs and threw open the door and ran through. He came to a halt seeing the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. running down the hall towards him.

"Chris!" Claire exclaimed.

Leon came out the door, now next to Chris. "C'mon I'm not sure how much time we have. We have to evacuate NOW!"

Barry could barely hear him over the sound of the buzzers. "The exit's right here!" He urged the others forward.

Ark was practically out of breath when he met up with fresh air. He continued running, so Barry and Jill could get out of the building, too, and far away enough to be safe. Chris, Leon, and Claire were a block ahead of him standing by the S.T.A.R.S. van. Within a few minutes, everyone else caught up.

Chris, Jill, and Leon were leaning against the van catching their breath. Claire was holding onto Leon for support, and Barry and Ark were just a few feet ahead of them when the building exploded. Barry wiped the sweat from his forehead: Another battle with Umbrella successfully over. "Find anything?" Barry looked at Chris and Leon.

Chris shook his head. "Just a couple of mutant dogs. No virus traces."

"They must have cleared them out, or perhaps we got to them before they started developing." Barry concluded.

"Well, then they'll never start." Leon breathed. His left arm was around Claire. He reached up and put his right arm on Ark's shoulder. "Good job, Buddy! You survived your first official S.T.A.R.S. mission!"



"Morning, baby!" Claire smiled softly as Leon opened his eyes. He looked down to see Claire lying on his bare chest. The early morning sun shining through the window onto her face.

"What time is it?" He asked, not fully awake.

"7:00." Claire answered. She moved off of him and leaned against her pillow. "I don't feel like going in today. I could use another day off." The S.T.A.R.S. usually have a few days off to relax after their missions.

Leon rubbed his eyes. "O Shit!" He stood up. "Is Chris here?"

"No." Claire answered, softly pushing him back down. "He spent the night at Candy's remember?"

"Yeah." Leon sighed with relief, releasing the fear of Chris Redfield walking in and finding him in bed with his sister.

Claire put her arms around him. "And besides Chris wouldn't mind. I am 22 years old now, and he knows how much I love you." Leon held her tightly and listened to her talk. "You're the first person that I ever loved his much. I couldn't imagine being without you."

"I love you, too." Leon smiled leaning down to kiss her sweet lips.



When Chris Redfield arrived in the S.T.A.R.S. office it seemed like a regular day. It was nice to have some days off, but now it was time to return to work. His sister Clare was already talking to her best friend Jill Valentine. She and Jill became close when they first met, but Since Sherry died, she and Jill became closer. It seemed like Jill was the only female friend she had. Her boyfriend, Leon Kennedy, and his best friend Ark were at their desks talking, too. The girls desks were over on the left side of the room. Leon and Ark were stationed in the center in the back. Chris was a little left of theirs. An empty desk was next to his. This was once the desk of his former teammate, Rebecca Chambers. Sadly, she was no longer with them. She was killed by former S.T.A.R.S. leader, Albert Wesker about 6 months ago. Chris and the rest of his friends missed her. It wasn't the same without her. She was a good soldier, and irreplaceable. Friends could never be replaced. Barry, their new captain's, desk was on the far left. A computer was set on top. Behind it was the S.T.A.R.S. insignia, and a communication device. This was a different layout from the former S.T.A.R.S. office.

"Hey Sis!" Chris called to Claire. Jill looked up at him, too reminding him of the secretary that stopped him on his way up to the office and told him that Chief Gordon wanted to see Jill in his office. "Hey Jill," Chris called out. "Chief wanted to see you about something.

"Oh," She got up from her desk. "Ok, Thanks Chris." She turned back to Claire. "Later." She smiled leaving the room.

Chris walked over to his desk. A picture of Clare was on the edge of his desk. There was also a picture of him and a woman with long, curly, blonde hair. That was Candy, his new girlfriend. Still at her house sleeping, Chris gently kissed her goodbye before leaving for work. "Where's Barry?" He asked the others before he sat down. Barry was usually there before everyone else putting in extra work. When Chris talked to him on Friday, he said he was going to work up at the office for a few hours getting some work done.

"I think he's down in the Chiefs office." Ark replied from his desk.

As Chris sat down, he noticed that all of Rebecca's things were cleared off from her desk. Barry must have emptied it.

After a while, Barry and Jill came up to the office. "Good morning!" Barry greeted.

"What's going on?" Leon asked.

"Well, as you know the S.T.A.R.S. needs all of the help we can get, but there are few people qualified for the job. With Jill's help, I have recruited another man to join S.T.A.R.S." Barry explained.

Chris smiled. Finally. Ark was the last person to join and that was 6 months ago. That's probably why Barry cleared out Rebecca's old desk. Chris was looking forward to helping out the new guy.

Barry continued. "Jill brought him to my attention a while ago, but it took me a while for me to finalize my decision."

"Where is he?" Claire asked with curiosity.

"Chief is sending him up."

The door opened, and Jill smiled. Her boyfriend, Carlos Oliveira stepped into the room.

"You all know Carlos." Barry didn't feel the need for an introduction. Leon, Claire, and Ark got up to greet him. Chris frowned. Carlos wasn't exactly his favorite person in the world.

By the expression on his face, Barry could see that Chris was unhappy. He slowly walked over to him. "He's one of the few people who actually know what we're dealing with. He dealt with it before, so he doesn't require training. He has a good background as a mercenary, too."

Chris just shrugged.

"I know he made some bad choices back at Trebla, but he did come out on top in the end."

"Yeah" Chris answered. Barry was right, and Chris respected his decision. He was a good leader, and always did what he thought was best for the team. Though he had doubts about Carlos, he would give him another chance for Barry.

So dark from the outside, the HCF building was just as dark inside. Albert Wesker was on his office to discuss some plans when he noticed that a testing lab had not been locked yet. He looked in to see Rebecca Chambers hanging up her lab coat. He smiled to himself. The little rat was doing a good job as a Hybred Commando Force Scientist. He was pleased to know he didn't make a mistake when he rescued her from the Trebla building, and revitalized her. Though he personally disliked her, it struck him that her vast knowledge for chemistry could benefit the company. And she was such a pushover. He didn't have to give her the choice to stay. Work for us or die. Either way she wouldn't be leaving HCF.

Wesker tapped on Curtis's door, then entered. "You wanted to see me?" He asked.

"I'm sending you and Simmons to Paris, France to carry out our plans. Each of you will choose two people who you think fit to accompany you."

"Yes sir!" Wesker nodded.

"Good." Curtis smiled. He was an old man, probably in his 60s. He had gray hair, and a little wrinkles, but was very wise, and very rich. A very shadowy man, as well. "Both of you are to report back to me this time tomorrow."

"Yes sir!"

Curtis nodded, giving Wesker the signal that he could leave.

Wesker turned and left, trying to think of the perfect people two bring with him.

After hanging her lab coat, Rebecca walked over to the vault in the back of the room. She secured the lock. Kept inside there was the same sample of Birkin's virus, which Albert Wesker had used on himself to gain his superpowers. This was kept locked up so no one could get to it. Because it was Rebecca's job to test and work with viruses, she was allowed access to the key. She unlocked the padlock and opened the door. Other viruses were kept in here as well, but this was HCF's most important. Rebecca reached inside and removed it from the metal test tube holder. It was a bright purple color. Just by looking at it, you couldn't tell its power. Even a tiny drop of this liquid, if infected, could give one super strength. Still holding the test tube in her left hand Rebecca walked over to the cabinet against the wall on the other side of the room. She opened the drawer full of packaged needles. She sat the test tube inside a wooden test tube rack on the counter underneath the cabinet. She took out one of the needles, and removed the wrapper. She filled the needle up with a tiny bit of the virus. She took an amount small enough so that no one would notice. Though once a medic, Rebecca hated needles. She rolled up the right sleeve of her gray T-shirt. With a quick second, the virus had been infected into her bloodstream. She wiped off her arm and placed the needle back into the wrapper for safe disposal, after she wiped it off. She had to make sure no trace of the virus was left on the needle. Rebecca threw the waste into the disposal bin marked "Biohazard." A Biohazard symbol was shown above the writing.

Barry Burton sat in the S.T.A.R.S. office. The rest of the S.T.A.R.S. were on their way. He usually came in early to get some work done, typing up something on the computer. There was a meeting today to get Carlos accustomed to S.T.A.R.S. and the police station. Barry heard the door open. He looked up to see Carlos Oliveira walking into the room. "Hey Carlos! Good to see that you're one of those guys who arrives early!"

Carlos returned a smile to Barry and started walking towards the empty desk next to Chris Redfield's. That was now his desk.

"It's empty now, but I'm sure by the end of the week it will look like his." Barry joked.

"Hopefully not that bad." Carlos smiled. Chris had one of the messiest desks in the office. Carlos pulled a framed picture out of his jacket and set it on his desk. It was a recent picture of Jill Valentine. Her brown hair came just past her shoulders, and the blue sweater she was wearing set off the color of her blue eyes. "Thank you, Barry." Carlos spoke. He was glad to finally get accepted to S.T.A.R.S. After his past experiences with Umbrella, he wanted to do all he could to get rid of them.

"You're welcome." Barry smiled. "I'm just sorry it took me so long to make my decision."

At that moment, Jill arrived. She hung her jacket up on the coat rack by the door and walked over to Barry and Carlos. "Good morning, Barry" She greeted. She put her arms around Carlos, kissing him on the cheek. "Mornin' Honey!"

After a half an hour, the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. had arrived. They had all gone down to the meeting room. Their meetings were down there because the large rectangular table made it easy for them to talk to each other. Barry sat at the head of the table, a traditional position as Leader. To the right of him was Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield to the left. After Chris sat Claire, then Ark. After Jill sat Leon, then Carlos. Barry opened his folder and took out a black wallet with the S.T.A.R.S. symbol embroidered on the front. "Carlos, I have here your official S.T.A.R.S. identification card." He passed it to Jill to pass down the line to Carlos. When he received it, Carlos opened the card case and smiled: His official S.T.A.R.S. card. Next to his statistics was his picture, which was taken a few days ago at the station. "Based on your past experience you are our new vehicle expert." It was a job that belonged to one of the former Bravo members. All of the New S.T.A.R.S. filled up their positions. Leon became the new communications expert. Claire took over as weapon specialist, since Barry was now leader, and Ark assumed the role that once belonged to Kenneth Sullivan: Field Scout/Chemist. Because of his former position in the air force, as well as Marksman, Chris was now the pilot.

Carlos noticed that his card said that he was on the Alpha Team. He remembered Jill mentioning that this was the more professional team. "I'm on the Alpha team!" He grinned.

Barry spoke up. "Right now we only have enough members to make up one team. Over time, I hope to recruit a Bravo team, possibly a Charlie and Delta, too." Barry had a lot of great ideas for S.T.A.R.S. Though it was a difficult Job, Jill and Chris knew he could handle it. They had known since they first began to reorganize S.T.A.R.S. He had the most experience, and sure learned from them.

Leon sat comfortably on the couch in the living room in the small house, which he shared with his best friend Ark Thompson. A coffee table in front of him held a hamburger, French fries, and a 20 oz. Bottle of Mug Root Beer, his dinner for tonight. The TV was on and he was watching the evening news.

"This just in!" Said the young female announcer. "A huge fire has just destroyed the main building in France for the Pharmaceutical Company, Umbrella. Several other locations have been shut down earlier this month. All of the workers are believed to be dead, marking the end of a successful business. Investigators are calling this fire an accident, until they can find otherwise."

Leon leaned forward, shocked and amazed. "What?" He could not believe what he just heard.

Albert Wesker and his co-workers had taken residence in a small, factory, which they had discovered empty, in France. He stood next to Neil Simmons, a tall muscular African American, in an office. Simmons was speaking to Curtis, their boss on the speakerphone. "Sir, the competition has finally been eliminated."

"Good, and you made it look like an accident?" Curtis asked.

"Yes sir." Simmons replied. "Now no one stands in our way."

"Almost no one." Wesker corrected. Simmons looked at him clueless.

"Albert Wesker and I talked, and there is more business to be taken care of." Curtis explained to Simmons.

Simmons nodded. "Ok."

"I'll let you two discuss it. Report back to me when you have more information." With those words, Curtis hung up.

Simmons hung up the phone, and turned to Wesker. "What's gone on man?"

"There is another group that stands in our way, The S.T.A.R.S. They ruined Umbrella's plans all the time. I'm sure they will get in our way somehow. Before our business is done here, they will have poken their noses in our businesses."

"They can't do anything now." Simmons responded. "The Umbrella facility is already gone. Once the authorities clear out, we head in, look for any traces of the virus, and get out."

Wesker shook his head, at the simplicity. "It's not that simple. It will take time for the investigators to clear out, and in that time anything could happen. We have to be prepared. That's why the people I chose have connections to S.T.A.R.S."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Simmons called. The door opened and in walked one man, and three women.

"Rebecca Chambers was a former S.T.A.R.S. member herself, and an excellent chemist: Perfect for a job concerning viruses." Wesker announced to Simmons. He then directed his attention to the woman who stood next to her. "Working with me to obtain the G-virus in Raccoon City, Ada Wong met up with former Rookie Cop, and now S.T.A.R.S. member, Leon Kennedy. She is a strong soldier, and can be used to manipulate him." Wesker's tone changed sort of meanly, "No doubt she will not get soft on me this time!"

Simmons nodded. "Very clever. I'm hoping my recruits will measure up to yours." He looked at his two co-workers. "Right, Travis, Melissa?"

The man and woman, Travis and Melissa nodded. They had been at HCF longer than Rebecca and Ada. Melissa was a tall woman with auburn hair to her shoulders, and bangs. Her eyes were an orange color. Other workers wondered if they were contacts, or a side effect from working for HCF.

Travis was a tall, brunette man. He reminded Wesker of his archenemy Chris Redfield. He had some facial hair. A tattoo of the Chinese symbol for courage was visible on his neck.

Wesker and Simmons chose their people wisely and were prepared for whatever came their way.

Claire Redfield was in her bedroom lying on her bed, and talking on the phone to Leon. "I can't believe it." Leon's voice came over the line.

"I know." Claire agreed. " We saw it over here too." In the other room she could hear Chris and his girlfriend Candy, talking.

"Awww, You're my Sugar Candy!" Chris flirted

Claire rolled her eyes. "Can you hear those two?"

"No." Leon frowned. "But I've heard them before."

"Ewww. It makes me sick." Claire stated. Chris and Candy flirted all the time. It was disgusting. Claire didn't think love was disgusting. She just didn't really care that much for Candy.

"I don't believe after all this time, fighting our hardest against Umbrella, they are brought down by some accidental fire."

"I know." Claire thought. "Tell me about it."

"Oh well." Leon replied. "As long as they're gone, we shouldn't really worry about how it happened."

"Yeah." Claire said unsurely. A bit of doubt remained in her voice.

Barry sat in his living room watching T.V. Even the day after there was still a lot of talk on T.V. about the fire at Umbrella. There had been no work for S.T.A.R.S. today, so he knew tomorrow there would be a big discussion about it. Umbrella's main H.Q. is destroyed. Even if there are other branches out there, and employees still alive, it would tae a while to get things together.

"Cheer up, honey!" Kathy, Barry's wife said putting her arms around him from behind the couch. She walked around, and then sat down next to him. "There's nothing to worry about. We're all gonna be safe now."

"I know." Barry answered sadly. "It's just that I've been working so hard to put an end to the evil of Umbrella, and now it seems like all of my hard work is useless, because Umbrella was brought down by an accident, not by S.T.A.R.S. effort."

"Oh, Barry!" Kathy comforted. "You're efforts were greatly appreciated. You and Chris and the others saved many people, and stopped Umbrella many times. You really did make a difference." She smiled sweetly at him. She was 39 years old. She had shoulder length black hair and green eyes. She extended her arms to Barry for a hug. Her husband embraced her. He could finally hold his wife in his arms knowing that she, and their daughters are safe.

The R.P.D. was noisy in the mornings. But this morning, there was a lot to talk about.

"Good morning everyone!" Ark Thompson smiled walking into the S.T.A.R.S. office. Leon Kennedy stood behind him.

"Hey Ark!" Jill called back from behind her desk. Claire, Chris, Carlos, and Barry were there as well. Carlos was looking through old S.T.A.R.S. files to get some information on past experiences and the history of S.T.A.R.S. Most of the files were stored on computer, but there were paper files as well. As the newest member, he had a lot to learn.

Chris Redfield sat on the desk next to him reading the newspaper. Carlos could see the headlines about the Umbrella fire. "I don't believe it." Carlos spoke, addressing everyone. "As soon as I join the S.T.A.R.S. to fight Umbrella, they trip up and destroy themselves."

"Yeah." Leon laughed. "I guess that puts us out of a job."

Jill got up from her desk and walked closer to the guy's desks. "S.T.A.R.S. operated before Umbrella, and we'll continue after. This accident just takes a huge load off of our wok."

Chris agreed. "Me, Jill, and Barry go way back to before the first virus leak in 98. S.T.A.R.S. has been around before Umbrella even existed."

Claire got up, too and walked to Leon and Arks desk, a few feet away from Jill who was almost at Carlos' desk. She wanted to be included in the conversation, too.

Leon motioned for her to move closer. She leaned against the edge of his desk, and he put his arm around her. "Yeah, stopping Umbrella isn't all we do, like a few months ago when we had to rescue those hostages in Mexico, because some crazed idiots tried to get ransom from the government." She included.

"Yes, S.T.A.R.S was not formed just to counter Umbrella." Barry chimed in.

"At least now we wont be dealing with killer viruses zombifying people, and making monsters that are almost unstoppable." Leon said, looking on the bright side.

"I don't get it though." Jill confessed. "This whole thing seems to be so unreal."

"You mean, big, mighty, careful Umbrella has an accident one day, and wipes themselves out?" Carlos asked in a sarcastic tone.

"They're cautious about their work. This doesn't seem likely." Jill answered.

"Maybe they planned for this to happen." Chris suggested. All eyes were now on him. They all knew he had some kind of theory.

"After the big spill in 98 no one really wanted to bother with Umbrella. We destroyed some small facilities and some shut down on their own. The company lost a lot of business."

Barry caught onto Chris' idea. "So, you think it was some sort of insurance scam?"

Chris nodded.

"That could explain it. It just does seem unlikely that an accident like that could occur, and blow up the place. They could have planned it, to get money." Barry said, evaluating Chris's idea.

"Not while they were inside." Jill answered.

"Jill, do you have a better theory?" Carlos asked curiously.

"No, not yet, but I do know that there's more to it."

"Are we going over there to check it out?" Inquired Claire.

"Not just yet." Barry replied. "I'm waiting for word from the Paris investigators. They said they would get back to me once they gathered their information."

"So, I guess we just get on with our work and treat this like an accident?" Ark asked.

"For now!" Barry answered. He began straightening some papers on his desk, assuming his position as captain. "I would like you all to finish working on your accounts from the last mission, or whatever it is you're working on, for about an hour, then we'll go down to the gym. The rest of the day will be spent there."

As part of the S.T.A.R.S. work, working out, and target practice were important parts of their job. They were constantly building up their strength and aim. The chief required them of workout at least one day of their working week. Because S.T.A.R.S. jobs were different from the police officers jobs, they were only required to work 4-5 days a week, unless they were working on a tough case, which required more time. After overnight, or multi-day missions, they were usually given a few days off to rest up.

Rebecca, Travis, and Melissa were in the lab of the makeshift HCF building in Paris, waiting for instructions. It was not as big as the lab back home, but it would do.

Albert Wesker and Neil Simmons walked in to join them.

"Nice Lab." Simmons commented. He saw the three inferiors nod. "How is the equipment?"

"Good." Travis answered. "Suitable for working."

"If we find anything at the Wreckage site, we'll be able to test it here, and analyze it." Rebecca threw in.

"I wonder what this building was used for?" Melissa questioned.

"Maybe some kind of factory, or testing facility." Simmons guessed.

"But, it's so plain looking. Wouldn't a company want a big sign outside advertising, or at least have their name on the side of the wall?" Travis wondered.

"Maybe it was a tiny branch for a larger corporation? Rebecca suggested.

"Then wouldn't we have heard about them?" Melissa asked. " HCF did a good check of all the companies in the area which would have posed a problem to our mission."

"Whatever they were. They're gone now." Wesker grinned.

"Claire, are you sure you want to do this?" Leon asked standing up in his living room next to the couch. Claire sat on the couch, a backpack slung over her back.

"I have to. I already made the arrangements for the S.T.A.R.S. jet." Answered Claire. She always rushed into things, and making plans without asking anyone else first.

"You can always cancel it." Ark made a suggestion.

"It can't be just a coincidence that the Umbrella building burned down. Who knows what was going on in there and who knows what's left. I have to go check it out!"

Leon shrugged in defeat. "Well, since there's no changing your mind, I can't let you go alone." He sat down on the couch next to her and put his arm around her. "I love you and I'm always gonna be there for you." He leaned in for a little smooch.

"Ah, cut the mush!" Ark joked sitting back in the chair.

Leon and Claire pulled away and turned towards Ark. The looks in their eyes telling in that they wanted something.

"What?" He asked. A second later, it dawned on him what. "Oh, come on. You don't really need me to go."

"No, but we want you to go." Claire smiled her sweet convincing smile that always worked with Leon and Chris. "It will be a lot of fun."

"Yeah." Leon urged. "Me, my best bud, and my girl, just hangin out together, and getting away for a day or so."

Ark rolled his eyes. "Why do I let you guys talk me into these things?"

"Cause you love us." Leon laughed.

"Great!" Claire stood up "The flight leaves in an hour, so go start packing some clothes, and your guns, and ammo just in case."

Claire sat on the bed in Leon's room with him while he was packing. It was a small single bedroom. Clothes scattered on the floor. A poster or two of his favorite bands, a T V against the wall opposite his bed. There was a picture of him and Claire next to a clock and a lamp on a little table next to his bed. His bureau was covered with personal items, such as hairspray, cologne, deodorant, a comb, and some change.

"So, Claire," He started. "How come Chris didn't wanna go?" He waited for a response, but she was silent. He looked up at her. "You did tell him, didn't you?

"Well…."

"Claire!"

"Leon, you know how he gets." Answered Claire, starting to imitate her older brother. "It's too dangerous Claire. You could get hurt." She put her arm around Leon. "Don't worry. I'll call him on the cell during the flight."

Jill stepped up on the white wooden porch and rang the doorbell. She stood on the green welcome mat in front of the door. Next to the doorbell were a porch light, and the address 211. On the other side was the mailbox. Over by the window was a wooden bench swing which gently rocked in the breeze. Claire and Chris sat there often. Sherry loved it, when she was alive. Thinking of her mad Jill want to cry. She wasn't as close to the girl as Claire and Chris were, but they did get along well.

The door opened and standing on the other side of the house was a woman about Jill's height with long bleach blonde hair and blue eyes. It was Candy. "Jill." She said surprised. "I'm sorry, Chris and I are on our way out for a date. You'll just have to come back later." She was about to shut the door, when Jill stopped her, putting her weight against the door.

"Actually, I'm here to see Claire." Jill explained, not very happy with Candy's rudeness.

Before Candy could answer, Chris who from the dining room heard their conversation, walked into the living room, and up to the door to join them. "Hey, Jill! Come on in." He turned around before he could see Candy roll her eyes.

Jill stepped into the house, and Candy closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry." Chris said. "But Claire's not home."

"We were supposed to go to the mall." Jill answered.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here and wait for her until she comes back." Chris offered.

"Alright. Thanks!" Jill smiled sitting on the couch. Claire usually was on time. She was probably over Leon's or on her way home now.

"Come On Chris!" Candy whined. "I don't wanna be late."

Chris and Candy were going to the theater to see a play. You could tell by the way they were dressed: dressy pants, and shoes. Chris wore an expensive gray sweater and Khakis. Candy wore black pants and a purple v- neck, sleeveless and very low cut.

You would expect them to be going to see something Shakespearean., but with Candy's taste, they would probably go see Sesame Street Live.

"Ok, I'm ready." Chris said adjusting his coat sleeves. "See you later, Jill. Help yourself to some soda or anything in the fridge."

"Thank you!" Jill smiled. "Have a great time!"

"Bye Jill." Candy smiled smugly. Chris walked up to her and put his arm around her. They started to walk out when the phone rang.

Chris paused about to turn back, when Candy stopped him. "Let it ring. She'll get it!" The phone rang again. Something told Chris to pick it up. He moved away from Candy, and walked over to the end table next to the stairs, and picked up the cordless phone. "Hello." There was a pause. "Claire!" As he continued on the phone, Jill stood up and walked towards him. "You're where? What? O, jeeze, I don't believe this!" His tone was upset. "Didn't you hear what Barry said?" He paused. "Claire, Claire, hello? Damn!" He slammed down the phone after Claire hung up. He could call her back on the cell phone but it was useless just to argue.

"What's wrong?" Jill asked.

Chris looked at Jill. "Claire talked Leon and Ark into going to Paris to investigate the burned down Umbrella facility."

"Oh my gosh!" Jill breathed, shocked.

"I'm going after her." Chris affirmed.

"Chris, No!" Candy tugged at his arm. "At least wait until tomorrow morning."

Chris shook his head. "No, I'm gonna go see Barry now, and talk to him about it. I'll get a police helicopter and leave as soon as possible."

"I'm coming with you." Jill said.

Chris looked at his partner and nodded.

"Me, too!" Candy there in. She was not going to let her man and that tramp go to Europe together.

"Candy, It could be dangerous." Chris put his arms around her. He loved her and didn't want to endanger her. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Oh, honey, I'll be fine. We're just gonna get Claire and go home."

"Ok, my Sugar Candy. How can I refuse?" Chris hoped that was all there was to it.

"Captain Wesker, Captain Simmons!" Ada Wong called walking into their makeshift HCF office.

Wesker looked up. "Ada, what is it?"

"I found something that I thought you might like to see."

Ada led Wesker and Simmons up to the third floor of the building. The lab was on the second floor, the office on the first, so Ada was the only one to have been to the third floor. She was sent by Wesker to check things out. "It seems, before we got to this building, it hadn't been abandoned for very long." The rest of the crew already discovered that, but Wesker was curious to see what brought her to that conclusion. She led them to a large room at the end of the hall to the right, and opened the door. "Umbrella had been using it for storage."

She led the two men inside the room. Neil Simmons stared in amazement. Albert Wesker smiled. Around the room were 6 Mr. X Tyrants, which Umbrella was famous for. "Wonderful!" Wesker rejoiced.

"What the hell are these things?" Simmons asked.

"They're Biological Weapons created by Umbrella. Tyrants, you may call them. These particular ones are in the Mr. X series."

"They're very powerful." Ada added.

Wesker grinned. This was a wonderful discovery. They would be prepared incase S.T.A.R.S. did show up.

"There's one more thing." Ada brought Wesker back to earth.

The two men nodded, and Ada began to lead them to the back of the room. IN the left corner on the floor there was a trap door. Ada crouched down and lifted the door. "It's an underground tunnel. Though, I'm not really sure where it leads/"

"We'll have to check it out." Simmons said.

"But not right now." Wesker cut in. "First we have to go to the old Umbrella H.Q."

"I'm really sorry, Barry." Chris apologized. He, Jill, and Barry were sitting in Barry's kitchen. They had packed their weapons and everything before going to see him.

"It's alright, Chris." Barry reassured. "I'm just sorry I wasn't notified by the chief about them using the S.T.A.R.S. jet."

"Do you think they're in danger?" Jill asked.

Kathy Burton walked in and prepared two cups of Coffee. Candy was in the living room watching Cartoons with Barry's youngest daughter, Poly.

"I'm not sure." Barry answered. "The investigators said there are still remains of the building. They are working on getting the bodies cleared out."

Kathy silently walked back into the living room, not interrupting the conversation.

"Weren't the bodies blown up?" Chris asked.

"It was a fire Chris. The ones in the lab with the explosion are probably obliterated, but the rest are probably just burnt and torn up."

"And what if some of the viruses leaked?" Jill wondered. "The workers could have gotten infected."

"And turn into zombies." Barry finished.

"Claire could be in trouble." Chris realized. "We have to go!"

Barry nodded. "And who knows what kind of viruses they had. Something even more dangerous than zombies could be out there. As S.T.A.R.S. its out job to check it out." After seeing his partners nod, Barry got up and grabbed the cordless phone off the counter. "Jill," He passed her the phone. "Would you please call Carlos and tell him about the situation." He saw her give him an ok, and then he took out his cell phone. "I'm going to call the station and arrange a jet."

Barry's doorbell rang. Kathy answered it to see a tall young Hispanic man. "You must be Carlos. Come on in."

"Thank you." Carlos stepped into the house. He was in a nice classical looking living room. Jill, Chris and Candy were standing by the window as Barry was hugging his daughter Poly. Moira, the oldest was off in her first year of college.

"I'll miss you dad." Poly said sadly, a tear welling up in her brown eyes.

Barry stroked her long reddish brown hair. "I won't be gone long. Only a day or so. I'll miss you too Sweetheart."

Jill looked over and saw Carlos standing a few feet away from the door. "Carlos," She started towards him. "I'm glad you're coming."

"Me, too." He smiled putting his arm around her. "I couldn't wait until we had a mission. You got everything you need?"

"Yep." Jill grinned. "Now that you're here." Carlos smiled at her and leaned down for a quick kiss.

Poly stepped back, and Barry walked towards Chris and Candy.

"Maybe you should stay behind." Barry suggested to the young blonde.

"I'll be fine." Candy stood up. "It can't be that bad."

Barry motioned, and they all started towards the door."

"Yuck." Candy repulsed at the site of Jill and Carlos.

Chris cleared his throat, and Jill and Carlos parted lips, Jill's face turning red. It wasn't like her to be unprofessional.

Barry decided it would be best to introduce the new comer to his family. "Kathy, Poly, this is our new Vehicle Expert, Carlos Oliveira."

Kathy reached out and shook his hand. She met him at the door, but it wasn't very formal.

"This is my wife, Kathy, and my youngest daughter, Poly."

Poly waved to Carlos from across the room. He was very handsome. She smiled happily when he waved back to her.

Jill moved towards the door, and turned the handle. Carlos and the others moved closer as she opened it. Barry, who was in the back, put his arms around Kathy.

"Be careful, honey." She whispered. They kissed goodbye for a moment

"I'll call you tomorrow morning." Barry assured her.

"I love you!" She sniffled, as Barry pulled away.

"I love you, too." He called, heading out the door to catch up with the others.

Melissa Carlson and Travis Miller stood outside of the Paris Building now being used by HCF. When Simmons, their leader, came outside they walked up to him/

Simmons heard their footsteps and looked up. "Travis, Melissa, you're back. How is it?"

"All clear." Melissa answered.

"No Cops, no investigators there at all." Travis added. They were sent to the old Umbrella facility, and see if it was safe to move the rest of the crew in. They had a helicopter, which they had taken from their USA HQ, and they had found an abandoned car outside of the Paris warehouse.

"Good." Simmons started. "I'ma go and tell Wesker now. We should check it out before they come back." He turned back and went inside the warehouse.

"Think we'll find anything?" Ark asked.

"Hopefully." Claire answered.

"We better." Ark Joked. "Cause I'm startin to get hungry. We should have gotten something to eat first."

"The sooner we look around, the sooner we get some food." Leon said. He was starving too. He and Ark were used to eating junk food all the time.

The three young S.T.A.R.S. were climbing on top of the rubble. The back of the building was still standing, barely. The front was all in pieces on the ground.

"I can't believe this is all that's left of Umbrella." Claire said climbing on the rubble. Something from beneath it started to move. Claire backed up. Leon and Ark froze in their spots. Ark then moved up, and cleared away the bricks to see the burnt, dead, decaying body of a scientist. The body jumped at him. Ark stumbled back, and Leon pulled out his VP70. As the zombie rose, Claire backed away, clearing a path for Leon to fire. He sent three shots into the creature, and it fell back to the ground for good.

Ark stood up. "What the…"

"One of the viruses must have leaked." Leon started.

"And infected the dead bodies." Ark finished.

"So, who knows what else could be here." Said Claire.

"Good thing we came after all." Ark breathed. He looked at his friend, Leon, and saw him nod.

The HCF crew landed their helicopter in some mountains just above Umbrellas former Headquarters. They decided taking a helicopter would be faster than driving, and they could get a better view.

Melissa looked out of her binoculars. "Wesker, there are some people down there."

"What?" Simmons asked from the cockpit.

Wesker grabbed the binoculars and looked down. He saw Claire Redfield, Leon Kennedy, and another young man. He was too far away, but he looked like Ark Thompson, the man who had foiled Umbrella's plans on Sheena Island. He had gotten word that Umbrella considered him a potential threat.

"Who is it?" Simmons asked. "FBI? Cops?"

"No!" Wesker answered, displeased. "S.T.A.R.S."

Leon, Ark, and Claire walked closer to the building, killing a few zombies along the way. They slept under the debris, but the smell of living flesh had awaken them.

Finally, they made it to the standing remains of the building. "See anything interesting?" Leon asked

"Nope." Ark frowned. The floor was barely left, the walls black like soot, and looked like they would crumble if any pressure was put onto them.

"Here's something." Leon called out looking at a burn cabinet against a wall. He ran over to it, Claire and Ark followed. He tore the cabinet open looking inside. It was pitch black except for the tiny orange light. Claire reached in and pulled out a test tube filled with a syringe of orange liquid.

"What is it?" Ark asked, staring at it, amazed.

"Possibly the last surviving virus of Umbrella." Leon answered.

"I knew this was a good idea." Claire exclaimed.

Before anyone else could say anything, a missile was fired at them from the sky. It hit the ground to the left of the building.

"What the hell was that?" Ark asked.

As the three started to run, Leon saw Claire shove the virus into her jacket pocket.

Another missile was fired and it was heading straight towards them. Leon, in the back, jumped to the right, as the other two jumped to the left. The missile crashed right between them. Luckily, it wasn't strong enough to kill them, only collapse the rest of the building. Debris falling where they had just stood. Leon could not see over the pile of bricks to where Claire and Ark where. With the smoke, he couldn't see much of anything.

As being the mans job, Ark had covered Claire's head so nothing would fall on her. A bit of dirt fell on his jacket, then a rock fell on his head, knocking him out.. The smoke had been circling around them, forcing Claire into unconsciousness as well.

"We're going straight to the site of the accident, right?" Chris asked.

"Yes." Barry nodded. "We should make sure our teammates are ok first. One of them could be injured."

On the way over, they had seen another helicopter flying the opposite way. Chris had barely noticed it. He landed the jet a few hundred feet away from their destination.

Barry opened the door, Candy and Jill were the first ones out. Carlos was next. Barry followed, and waited for Chris, the pilot, while the others started to look around.

"There's smoke." Carlos pointed out.

Barry looked up. "That's strange. It looks different than the pictures the Paris Police Dept. faxed to me.

"I don't see them." Jill frowned as she scanned the area.

Barry nodded and led the others towards the rubble.

"It's a mess here!" Candy complained, wiping the dirt off her shoes.

As they were walking, Chris heard a light moan. "Did you hear that?" He asked the others. "It sounded like someone moaning, like they're hurt." Chris frantically started looking around. That could be one of their friends, lying their, half dead.

"It smells like dead bodies." Candy hissed.

"That's because people died here!" Jill said. The tone in her voice offering the "duh" she wanted to add.

The rubble began to shake. "What's going on?" Carlos asked.

Barry reached for his gun instinctively. The rest of the S.T.A.R.S. followed. AS the rubble continued to shake, the dead Umbrella workers began to stagger up in a standing position. Just like the old times, they were circled by zombies.

"Oh, my gosh!" Candy squealed grabbing onto Chris. Chris and his teammates raised their guns and began firing at the zombies as they stumbled towards them. Barry fired one shot at a zombie knocking off his head. Once that one fell, he did the same with another. Within a minute, the S.T.A.R.S. had all of the zombies bleeding, lifeless on the ground.

Barry wiped his forehead. "And I thought this was done with."

They walked more into the rubble, and saw two more bodies on the ground that started to move. Chris raised his gun and started to walk to the zombies. A few steps closer, he realized they were no zombies. "Claire!" He yelled rushing over to his unconscious sister. Ark Thompson was slumped over her, unconscious as well, and bleeding from the head.

We gotta get them to the jet!" Barry ran over.

Chris was piloting the S.T.A.R.S. jet. They were on their way to the Paris authorities to land it. Barry had called and informed them of the S.T.A.R.S. arrival. They said they were glad to have them helping, and would be glad to return any favors. Barry also made reservations at a nearby hotel "A la Belle Etoile." It was a nice place that he and Kathy had stayed at on a trip a few years ago.

Ark opened his eyes. "Ouch! My head!"

Carlos had been treating the wounds, Jill and Candy helped. "Are you ok?" Jill asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Answered Ark leaning up. Carlos pushed him back down.

"Woah, Buddy! Don't get up just yet. You need some rest/"

Ark lay back down. "Where's Leon and Claire?"

"Claire's here." Carlos answered. "She's still asleep. But Leon… we don't know."

"That's right!" Ark remembered. "We got separated by an explosion or something. The remains of the building started to collapse, and he was on the other side.

"We're here." Chris announced. Paris Police were at the helipad to greet them. Chris landed the plane and Barry stood up.

"I'm going to go inside and take care of everything, get the van and all."

"Ok." Chris nodded. "I'm going outside for some fresh air."

Jill stood up and stretched. "I need some air too."

"Then open a window." Candy suggested snobbishly. She turned to Chris. "I'm going with you."

As Barry, Chris, and Candy left the plane, the noises began to bring Claire back to consciousness. She opened her eyes and looked around. "Jill!" She called out, seeing her friend seated a few feet away from her.

Jill turned around excited to see her awake. "Claire!" She ran over to her and hugged her. "How are you feeling?"

"Ok." Claire moaned. "Where are we?"

"We're at the Paris Police HQ. Barry is getting us a van and we're going to the hotel."

"Leon!" Claire quickly got to her feet. "Where is he?"

"We couldn't find him." Jill answered.

"What? We have to go back for him!"

"Claire, its late. It will be getting dark any minute." Carlos walked over to her, motioning for her to sit down. "We're gonna go back first thing in the morning."

"No! We can't! He could be hurt!" Claire argued.

"Claire, you and Ark need to rest." Carlos argued back. "Leon's gonna be ok."

Ark spoke up. "Claire, Carlos is right. I knew Leon for the longest time. He's a survivor. I know he made it."

Claire saw the bandage on Ark's forehead and she remembered him shielding her from the rubble. "Thanks Ark, for protecting me."

Ark smiled, glad that she seemed to not be worrying. "You're welcome."

"I knew those S.T.A.R.S. would be here!" Wesker raised his voice. He Simmons, Melissa, and Travis were gathered together in one room.

"At least we're ready for them." Simmons pointed out.

"Who are they?" Travis asked.

"People that Umbrella could never beat. They're very smart, and lucky too." Explained Albert Wesker.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." Melissa said grabbing onto his arm. She had seen him around work many times, and was thrilled when Simmons invited her on a mission which he would be attending. She looked at this as a chance to get closer to him. "I'm sure you can handle it."

"Oh, there's no doubt about it." He smiled. "I can handle anything!"

Barry and his crew entered the hotel lobby and got in line to get their rooms. Luckily, they R.P.D. took care of all the expenses. Chris and Candy got in line first. She put her arm around him, planning to get a room with him.

Carlos walked up to Jill, who was standing behind Chris. Jill looked at him and smiled. Then she turned around to see the others. Ark's head was still hurting. His whole body was probably sore, and Claire was feeling pretty bad, being worried about Leon. "Honey," She hugged him. "Why don't you hang with Ark tonight, and keep him company. I'm gonna stay with Claire. It might make her feel better."

"Alright." Carlos nodded. He was a nice guy, and would do anything to make Jill happy. And besides, he cared about the rest of his teammates also, and wanted to be there for them as well.

Leon opened his eyes. His head was hurting. He didn't know how long he'd blacked out. He was lying on a cot in a room somewhere. The rest of the S.T.A.R.S. must have showed up. "Claire!" His first worry.

"She's not here." Answered another woman's voice, deep, yet soothing.

Leon lifted his head and looked around. A tall, Asian American woman dressed in black was walking towards him. Leon couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed them, like they did in cartoons, to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "Ada!"

"That's right, Leon!" She smiled.

"I… I don't believe it! I thought you were dead!"

"I know." Ada sat down on the cot next to him. "I'm sorry. I barely made it out. It took me a while to recover, and I went looking for you, but I couldn't find you."

"Oh, Ada." He hugged her. "I missed you so much. What are you doing here? Did you work in the Umbrella building?"

"No." Answered Ada. "I work for an Anti-Umbrella organization known as the Hybred Commando Force, HCF. We came here to investigate the Umbrella accident, and try to find out who was responsible, or if they left any hazardous materials behind. But instead I found you, unconscious."

"Someone attacked us." Leon answered. "Me and the other S.T.A.R.S. Where are they?"

"When we found you, there was no one else there. Your friends must have left you."

"No!" Leon argued. "Ark and Claire aren't like that. They would never leave me!"

"I wouldn't leave you." Ada answered. "Not again!"

" I have to find them." Leon said. "They could be hurt. I promised Claire I would always be there for her."

"You seem to really care about this girl, Claire?" Ada asked.

"I love her." Leon answered.

"More than you loved me?"

"Ada, I was only with you for a day. I loved you and it hurt losing you. But I was with Claire for a longer time. We've been through a lot together." Leon stood up.

"So, if you spent more time with me, you could love me more?" Ada raised her eyebrow.

Leon stuttered. "I never said that."

Ada got to her feet to join him. "Aren't you the least bit happy to see me?"

"Of course I am." He put a hand on her shoulder. "All this time thinking you were dead, wishing to see you one last time."

"Same here." She nodded. "It looked like a tear was going to fall from here eye. "Only, I didn't move on, Leon. I regret with all my life that I never told you how I felt, Keeping my love bottled up inside, wishing I could tell you. I couldn't love again. While I had thought u might have died in the explosion in Raccoon, a part of me knew you were still out there somewhere." Ada covered her eyes with her hands as she began to wheep.

"Ada, I'm sorry." He put both of his arms around her. She put her hands down and looked him into his deep blue eyes. He looked back at her. He had learned before, that he couldn't really trust her, but she was different now. She really did care about him. She poured her feelings out to him, and was being honest now. The magnetism drew their lips together, as it had once before.

"What exactly happened?" Jill asked sitting down on her twin bed. Claire sat on the bed next to hers. There was a small table with a lamp in between them.

"I don't remember." Claire frowned. "Someone fired a missile at us. Leon jumped to one side, and Ark and I jumped to the other." Claire paused, and stood up. She started going through her pockets. "That was after…."

Barry had a room all to himself. He lay on his bed talking on the phone. "I miss you, too, Kathy. I really wish I could be home with you and Poly." He heard a knock at the door. He covered the phone with his hand. "Just a minute." He went back to talking into the phone. "Yeah. I'll call you later and let you know how it goes. I love you. Bye." Barry hung up the phone and sat up straight. "Come in!" He saw Jill and Claire walk into the room. "What's up girls?" He asked.

"Claire has something to show you." Jill announced.

"What is it?" Barry asked.

Claire walked closer to him. "Earlier, my head was still hurting, so I couldn't remember much, but after Jill and I got to talking, I remembered that we found this." She handed him the tube of the orange chemical.

"Wow!" Barry was astonished that something had actually survived the accident. "Do you know what this is?"

Claire shook her head. "We're not really sure, but we think it could be a new virus, or at least something related to one."

"We'll have to get it checked out." Barry said. "And inform the others. Do you mind if I hold onto it for now?" He slipped it into his vest pocket.

"No, that's fine." Claire smiled. "I'm sure it would be a lot safer in your hands, anyway."

Barry looked at his watch. "Its late, you girls get some rest, and we'll get everyone together and talk about this in the morning."

"Ok." Jill said, as she and Claire left and returned to their rooms.

"How's the patient?" Albert Wesker asked Ada Wong as she walked into the lounge. He and Melissa were sitting on the couch talking and trying to get to know each other more.

"Good." Ada answered, sitting down on a chair parallel to the couch.

"Is he buying into anything?" Wesker asked.

"A little, but he's involved with a girl. She's a member of S.T.A.R.S. too."

"I'll see what I can do. Simmons had some psychology training, perhaps he can do something to persuade him." Wesker stood up and stretched his arms. "Excuse me ladies." He started for the door.

"I'm gonna go spend some time with Leon." Ada said, leaving right behind Wesker.

Rebecca Chambers was running down the hall into the storage room as fast as she could. She stood there to catch her breath, and she didn't even hear the approaching footsteps. The door opened and Travis stood there. "Spying?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I guess you could say that." She answered, smiling.

"Don't worry." Travis leaned one arm against the door. "They'll inform us of their plans when they're ready. We're not lucky enough to be in their little group. Meliss'as got Wesker goin gah-gah, and Ada's manipulating that S.T.A.R.S. guy into working for us."

"It's not gonna work." Rebecca said, cocky. "S.T.A.R.S are loyal."

Travis grinned. "Yeah, just as you are." He saw Rebecca frown and continued. "I know you used to work for them- Ms. Goody Two-shoes, but Wesker saved your life, so now you serve him."

"He was the one who tried to kill me." Rebecca stammered. "I'm not grateful to him for anything."

"Well, you should be. The last thing you want to do is go against HCF. One of my old buddies worked for HCF, after pickin up a few secrets, he left and tried to start a company of his own, with the information he obtained. Simmons tracked him down, and well, lets just say the information went with him to his grave.

"Leon will stay loyal to the S.T.A.R.S. He's stronger than me, and he doesn't owe a thing to HCF."

Travis shook his head. "Ada just saved his life… so it looks like he owes her. And if you know what's good for you, you wouldn't try anything to mess up our plans. You should be doing all you can to help." He left the room and walked down the hall. Rebecca frowned. It didn't matter what Travis said, she had a plan, she just had to carry it out.

Leon was lying on his cot. Ada was there, as well. She put her sweet lips on his to show her affection. "I'm so glad I found you. Now we can work together, just like we had don't that day in Raccoon."

"But Ada, I have obligation to the S.T.A.R.S." Leon protested.

Ada frowned. "Oh, Leon. You'd be so much better off here. My superiors would pay you more than you're getting now, and we have more advanced technologies to get rid of our enemies faster."

"Its not that. The S.T.A.R.S. are my friends. They mean a lot to me."

Ada protested even more. "But Leon. I need you. Would you at least think about it? Help us with this one mission. Then you can go back to your friends."

"What's the mission?" Leon asked.

"Investigating the old Umbrella building. There may be something useful left. After that, you're free to do what u want, but I can't say I wont miss you."

Leon frowned, unsure what to say. He had been in love with Ada, and a few years ago, wouldn't hesitate to work by her side. But that was before his involvement with the S.T.A.R.S. He had a new life now.

"Just think about it." Ada got up We found Leon at the site, maybe he saw something that might help them out. "Leon, did you and your friends find anything down there?"

"Well, yes, but we're not sure what it is. It was some kind of orange liquid. We were gonna give it to our leader when he and the rest of our team showed up."

Ada's eyes lit up. The Virus! "Do you have it with you know?" She asked.

"No. I gave it to Claire. I hope she's ok. I'm so worried about her."

Ada walked over to Leon, and gently pushed him back in a lying position. "Why don't you stay here and rest for a little while longer. I'll go see if the rest of my crew is ready, and we'll go look for your friends. Ok?"

"Ok." Leon breathed as Ada walked away. He closed his eyes, wishing there was a way out of this mess.

Barry sat sipping his coffee. The waitress walked over to his table and handed him his breakfast: toast, and bacon, and eggs. It looked good, but whenever Kathy made it, it looked different. He picked up his cell phone and was about to call her when Ark and Carlos sat down with him.

"Hey Boss!" Carlos greeted.

"Good morning." Barry returned, putting his cell phone down on the table.

"Where are the others?" Ark asked.

"They should be coming any minute. We have a lot to talk about."

Jill tapped on the door of room 602. Claire stood behind her. Within a minute, the door opened. "What?" Candy hissed seeing Jill. She obviously wasn't a morning person. Even after a cold shower. Her hair was wet and she was wearing a white bathrobe.

"Can I talk to Chris?" Jill asked.

"Yeah. One second." Candy replied practically slamming the door. Claire and Jill could here her call out to Chris.

The door opened again. This time Chris was there. Hey Jill, what's up?" He smiled. He looked and saw his sister standing a few feet away. "Hey Claire."

"Barry wanted me to come and tell you we're having a meeting in the dining room." Said Jill.

"Ok." Chris shrugged. He was about to tell Candy, when she showed up behind him. "I'm coming, too."

"Honey, it's a S.T.A.R.S. meeting. You'll probably be bored." Chris sighed.

"But I'm hungry, and I wanna get some breakfast."

"Ok."

"Great!" Candy smiled. "I'll go get dressed. Wait for me!"

Chris turned back to Jill. "You two go ahead down. I'll join you in a few minutes."

"Ok." Jill and Claire turned and walked off.

Albert Wesker and Neil Simmons sat outside in the Paris Air. They sent Travis to get Ada. Within a few minutes he had returned with their request.

"Captain Wesker, you wanted to see me?" Ada asked stepping outside. Travis leaned against a rail by the door. Wesker and Simmons were sitting on barrels.

Wesker looked up. "How is our little project coming along?"

"Alright. We're going back to the site today to look for any virus remains. I told him we were going to look for his friends. It's a perfect cover up, because they found an orange liquid, possibly the virus. He said the girl had it. If we find her, we got the virus.

Wesker smiled. "Excellent. Leon will be able to get it from her. Considering he cooperates with us."

"I have him almost convinced. If I can't get him fully on our side, we'll have to rely on the hypnotic techniques."

Wesker nodded. "Take Simmons with you then this morning. Travis will go too." He turned to Travis. "Try to become friends with him. Make him feel welcome here. Rebecca and I obviously can't go. He knows who we are, and knows I am the enemy. He would never willingly join forces with me."

"What's up, Barry?" Chris asked sitting down at the long breakfast table. The rest of the S.T.A.R.S. were already gathered, eating. Candy sat down next to him. She picked up a menu and began twisting her hair around her finger.

"Well…Yesterday Ark, Claire, and Leon, while at the rubble site found something." He turned to Ark. He may have forgotten about it due to the bump on his head. "Do you remember it?"

"Yeah!" Ark smiled. "The orange thing." He turned to Claire. "Do you still have it?"

Barry answered for her. "She gave it to me last night." He pulled it out of his vest pocket. "I want everyone to take a look at it." He passed it to Carlos, who was on his right, to pass it to the group.

"It's a virus?" Chris asked.

"Well, right now, we're not sure." Answered Barry. "We'll have to run tests on it when we get back home. If Rebecca as here, it would be much easier to check it out. Ark and Jill are fairly good in chemistry, maybe one of you two can find something out."

"We'll give it a shot." Ark answered.

"Do you think there could be more?" Carlos inquired.

"We have to go back to find Leon, so while there we can do more investigating."

"Claire, you said something last night, about a missile." Jill brought up.

"Yeah," Ark burst in again, but then decided to let Claire answer the question.

"Right after we found that thing, we heard a missile crash on the ground nearby. Then we looked up and saw another one heading for us. So me and Ark ran one way, and Leon ran the other way. The thing crashed right between us, and that's what separated us."

"Who fired them?" Carlos asked.

"We don't know." Ark answered.

"Do you think it could be someone from Umbrella?" Chris asked.

"If there were survivors," Jill argued. "Why would they go attack their own building?"

"Same reason why the set it on fire." Chris argued back.

Candy's eyes lit up. This was fun.

Barry, as leader, broke the argument. "Right now, we have no proof that Umbrella themselves have purposely caused the fire. It could have been an accident, and since The Paris authorities are treating it as one, right now, we're just gonna have to do the same."

"But the missiles." Carlos broke in. "Were they purposely fired at Leon, Ark, and Claire?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have all the answers." Barry frowned. He was their leader, but it was true; He didn't know everything. Sometimes he didn't know anymore that his employees, but he liked that a little. He felt more equal to them. "Perhaps this little orange liquid could be important, and that's what they were after."

"So, there's another group involved?" Jill raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure." Answered Barry.

"It could have been the Paris authorities." Chris hypothesized. "Maybe they thought you guys were the enemy and fired."

"I called them and informed them our group would be there." Barry answered, again.

Claire stood up, she couldn't take all this. "Whoever they are, they're dangerous, so we should go find Leon before it's too late."

Chris walked over to his sister, and put his arms around her. "Its gonna be ok."

Barry stood up and pushed in his chair. "Claire's right. Before we leave, is there anything else we need to discuss?" He looked around and saw the others shake their heads. "Alright, the van will leave in 30 minutes. Make sure you're ready, and you have everything you need."

Candy was finishing up her food as the others were leaving. Chris came over to her and sat back down. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Let me come with you, Chris!"

"Candy, you don't even know how to use a gun."

"It will only take a few minutes for you to show me." She pleaded. "And besides, we're just gonna go find Leon. I'm probably not even gonna need one at all."

"Didn't you hear any of the conversation? There could possibly be an enemy out there. I don't want my Candy Cane to get hurt."

"Chris, I don't want you to go alone." Candy pouted. "I couldn't stand it if something happened to you."

"I won't be alone. I'll have the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. with me. And it's my responsibility keep you safe. I'll be fine. Trust me. Barry and Jill always got my back."

Candy put her head down so Chris wouldn't see her roll her eyes. They'd be too busy looking for Leon to have time for him and Jill to do anything, so she thought she should stay behind. She could hang around the hotel all day and watch tv, or go shopping. It was sure better than wasting a whole day looking for some guy she didn't give a shit about. "Alright." She gave him a quick kiss. "Be careful." She warned as she left the dining room.

Not too much later, Candy could see Chris and the others loading the van from out the window of the suite She and Chris shared.

"I'm sorry." Chris said, approaching Jill. "For arguing with you and raising my voice."

"Oh, its ok." Jill assured him. "S.T.A.R.S. don't have to agree on every issue."

"So, you're not mad at me?"

"No." Jill smiled.

Chris returned the smile and gave his good friend a hug.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Barry asked.

"Yep." Ark answered, climbing into the van. Carlos, Barry and Jill were already inside and waiting for Claire and Chris, who was about to climb in, until he heard a voice calling him. He turned around to see Candy running up to him. Her long blonde hair blowing through the air, her heals clicking on the cement. "Candy, what's wrong?"

"I changed my mind, Chris. I can't let you go without me. I have to be with you incase something happens." Though, she didn't exactly say what she was afraid would happen.

By now, the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. were getting a bit frustrated. "Chris, come on!" Claire butt in. "Candy, this is S.T.A.R.S. business. You should stay here. If you cared about Chris, you would just let him go without you."

"If you cared more about your man, and rushed into things less, we wouldn't be in this mess right now." Retorted Candy.

Claire was pissed. She wanted to punch that little Barbie wannabe so hard.

"Candy, Claire is my sister. I don't appreciate you talking to her that way. None of this is her fault. I really think you should apologize."

"If I apologize, can I come with you?" Candy smiled.

The S.T.A.R.S. in the van rolled their eyes. The same kind of thing a 7-year-old would say. "Just let her come, Chris." Barry gave in. He didn't feel like being here all day watching an episode of the young and the restless. And they needed a rest from Candy.

"Ok." Chris agreed.

"Yes!" Candy jumped on Chris. "Thank you."

Chris cleared his throat and moved away from his girlfriend.

Candy walked over to Claire. "I'm really sorry Claire. I didn't mean it. It just came out."

"Its ok." Claire forced a smile. Both of the girls moved up to the van. Candy was about to Climb in when Claire bumped into her, knocking her down. "Oops, Candy, I'm so sorry." Claire apologized. "My shoe was untied and I tripped." Claire shrugged and Climbed into the van, entering the sound of her friends snickering. Even Barry let out a little chuckle.

"Good one!" Carlos slapped her five as she sat down between Ark, and Jill in the row of seats behind him. He was behind the wheel, and Barry had shotgun. Chris was helping Candy up, of course. He had known his sister well enough to know it was no accident. But he didn't care, after what Candy had said to her.

"She had no right to say that." Jill said.

"I know." Claire answered. "I swear. If she weren't Chris girlfriend, she wouldn't be conscious right now. One of these days she's gonna get what's coming to her."

"She's such a snob. She's all over Chris, and she acts so ignorant to you two."

Carlos observed.

The two quieted down as Candy and Chris climbed in and joined them in the back of the van. When everyone was situated, Carlos began to pull out.

Simmons was flying the helicopter. Ada, Travis, and Leon were in the back. "So, you work with computers?" Travis asked.

"Yeah." Answered Leon. "I'm the communications expert."

"No. kiddin. HCF is in need of one of them. I'm pretty good. I can assemble and dissemble them, but it takes me a few hours." Travis carried the conversation.

"Oh, really. That's cool"

"Yeah, if you ever come to our main H.Q. I'll show you a thing or two."

Ada smiled. The two guys were getting along. A little more of her own convincing, and Leon would definitely be on their side.

Barry had been driving the van for about 20 minutes, and was almost there. Everyone was quiet. Each thinking about their own worries. Candy put her head down on Chris's shoulder. "Why did you wanna come so bad?" Chris asked in a whisper.

Candy whispered back. I love you, and I wanna be with you."

"Same here." Chris flashed her s smile.

Jill couldn't help but overhear. She could see wanting to go and help the person that you love, but Candy didn't seem like the kind of person to think about others. She was happy that Chris had someone in his life, but she just couldn't understand what he saw in her.

"Isn't that disgusting." Ark whispered to Claire, trying to make her feel better. "I know you're worried about him. We all are. Trust me. Leon is fine."

"Not bad." Jill commented to Ark. "Usually after the first mission, most people become skeptical."

"Well, after going through Sheena Island, everything else seems like one plus one. Especially now, since Umbrella is gone."

"Let's just hope it's that easy." Barry threw in.

"Yeah, and I get to miss all the fun." Carlos joked.

Barry smiled to himself. This was real nice. It's been a long time since he's been on a mission with a big friendly group joking around. He missed the old days. He missed Enrico and the guys he knew. But he was still working with the best men around, and women too. S.T.A.R.S. was finally back on its feet, fully.

"We're here." Carlos called, parking the van at the planned spot, about 1/3 a mile from the accident site. He undid his seat belt, and saw the others do the same.

Ark opened the back door and stepped out. He stretched as Jill and Claire hopped out. Chris helped Candy out of the van. She straightened her tight black pants as Chris stretched.

"Alright. Let's move in." Barry called walking towards the site. His group followed right behind him.

"Thanks for staying back and keeping me company." Albert Wesker smiled.

"Don't mention it." Melissa looked up at him. "I figured I'd be able to talk to you. I really admire your style."

"Why, thank you." Wesker grinned. "I admire a lot about you." He was about to kiss her when he saw Rebecca Chambers walking down the Hall.

"Rebecca!" He called out. "Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked, annoyed. She answered him with a no, then he continued to talk. "I know you may be a little bored, but once we find our viruses, and your old friends come into our path, there will be a lot to do.

Rebecca just wanted to scream at him, but she couldn't. She had to keep her anger in, for now. Eventually she could release her anger and hatred for him.

"There's not much left." Ark said climbing over the rubble. They have been looking for a few good minutes now.

"Those missiles took everything out." Claire observed.

"Hopefully, we won't see anymore of those zombies." Candy complained, wiping dirt off her shoes."

"It was around here." Ark stopped. "I think."

"Hopefully, what we're looking for is still in one piece." Barry sighed.

"Leon!" Jill called out, looking around, hoping he would answer."

"Everyone separate, and start looking under the debris." Barry ordered.

The HCF 'copter landed on a leveled hill above the wreckage site. Leon looked down, hoping to see his friends. Travis spotted them first. "Is that them?" He asked.

"Yeah! Jill and Barry and the others are there, too." Leon's eyes lit up, like a little kid on Christmas morning. "Come on!" He started to run down towards where his friends were.

"Leon, we have to get that virus." Ada reminded him. She then glanced at the other two men. "At all costs."

"If they don't hand it over…" Simmons started. "You know what to do."

"What?" Leon couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Look, S.T.A.R.S. are the good guys. We'll work something out, a negotiation or something. Just as long as it stays out of the wrong hands."

"HCF isn't up for negotiation." Simmons Smiled. "And its already in the wrong hands."

Ada turned to Leon and saw him looking at her. "I'm sorry, Leon. But we're not up for helping your little group of do-gooders. Leon was shocked. He couldn't believe this was going on. He was lied to by Ada Wong, once again. "If you're not going to help us, then you're our enemy."

Leon reached his pocket, and felt that he did have his gun with him. He was about to make a run for it, to join up with his real friends. He knew he would need protection incase, his "friend" Ada, and her group decided to open fire on him.

Simmons eyed Travis and nodded. Travis pulled out a tranquilizer dart and fired it at Leon as he turned and started to run. He didn't get very far before he collapsed and fell to the ground.

Chris was lifting up a piece of brick. He could see some shiny metal under it. He struggled to move the brick. When it was out of the way, he saw what looked like a trap door. "Barry!"

The S.T.A.R.S. captain ran over. "What's up, Chris?"

"A trap door. Do you think Leon could have went through here?"

"I don't know. Even if he didn't there still might be something worth investigating." Barry answered.

Chris nodded and saw Ark waling towards them. "Find anything?" Chris asked him. All the man could give him was a shrug.

Candy and Claire started walking toward them, too. "There's no sign of him." Candy frowned.

Carlos saw the others gathered and started towards them. Jill finished her area, and did the same. "He's nowhere in sight." She called out to them. "Where could he be?"

"We should try his cell phone." Carlos suggested.

"I tried that." Claire answered. "I couldn't pick up a signal."

"Maybe, we should go back to the hotel, and wait for him to contact us." Candy suggested.

"I have another suggestion." Barry said firmly, and the others understood that whatever his suggestion was, that's what they were going to do. "Chris found a trap door. Leon could have gone down there, if not, there could possibly be something else worth finding." He looked around and saw the expressions on his team's faces. They all showed signs of agreement. Barry reached down and pulled on the metal handle. He was a buff guy. It didn't take him more than a second to open it. "Let's move in."

Wesker, Simmons, Travis, and Ada were in the office room. "If he's not gonna help us, why don't we just let him go?" Travis asked.

"He already knows what we're up to." Simmons started. "If he gets back to his friends, he'll tell them that we're after the virus, and we're not here to help."

"Kill him then." Travis suggested.

"No! His friends have the virus sample. He would be able to help us get it from them." Ada protested.

"Alright." Wesker spoke up. "Simmons practiced a bit of psychology." He saw Simmons nod. "He's going to try to get some hypnotic techniques."

"Come on! Is that the best we can do?" Travis was in disbelief.

" This isn't an after school cartoon." Simmons returned. "You expect us to brainwash him with a giant laser beam?"

"No." Travis put his head down.

"Well, lets get to it, before he wakes up." Wesker urged.

"Come on, Leon!" Rebecca shook her sleeping old friend. "Wake up!" She had to get him to wake up before the others returned. She was hoping that Leon would be her key to getting out of here. She could wake him up, and they could escape together, and join up with the rest of the S.T.A.R.S.

"Hey You!" A voice called out.

Rebecca turned around to see Melissa standing there. "I'm sure Wesker and Simmons don't want you in here. You'd better get lost."

Rebecca had to think quickly. There was a piece of wood by the door. She knew the time was now. Rebecca ran up and grabbed the long thick, stick of wood. She violently hit Melissa in the head with it. Melissa screamed and stumbled back. She hit the wall, but was able to see her attacker run out the door.

Travis had seen the whole thing, and ran after the insurgent. He raised his gun. "Wesker, Simmons!" He called out. "After her!"

Wesker was in the room at the end of the hall. He ran out to see Rebecca running towards him. He aimed his gun up, and she skid to a halt. Travis ran up behind her, and grabbed her arms. She had to get out of this one. She stomped down on his toe as hard as she could, forcing him to let her go. When he did she turned around and threw her weight against him knocking him to the ground. She then started towards Wesker. She was crazy thinking she could tackle him. She was scared, but she had to do this, if she wanted to escape him and help her friends, and test out the modified virus. She had to sacrifice her true self.

Wesker knew she was heading for him. This girl stood no chance against the superhuman. His finger pulled the trigger back four times, hitting the psycho girl in the chest. She fell to the ground instantly dead. Those who didn't do much combat didn't wear bulletproof vests. Wesker smiled, but mentally kicked himself in the ass, for not killing her sooner. And it won't be long before he finds out how much he would regret that he didn't.

Ada, Melissa, Wesker, and Travis stood in the hall, right outside the room where Leon was. It was a wonder the commotion didn't wake him. Melissa had a bandage on her forehead. She leaned against Albert, his arms around her.

"Man, what happened to that girl?" Travis asked.

"She must have gone crazy. All this time at HCF against her will must have forced her to try to break free." Ada answered.

"And I thought she was supposed to be smart." Wesker commented.

"Stupid, for what she did." Melissa snarled.

The door opened and Simmons stepped out. "Alright, I tried my best. Ada, you seem to have a close connection with him, you should go in and wake him up."

"Ok." Ada stepped through the door and into the room. She saw Leon lying there on a cot. She slowly walked up to him and sat down next to him. She gently shook him. "Leon! Leon, wake up!"

Leon opened his eyes. "Ada, what happened?"

"You were injured by one of those S.T.A.R.S. They have the virus sample."

Leon sat up, quickly. "Ada, we gotta get it back from them."

"Wait till you regain your strength."

"I'm fine now." Ada looked at him and smiled. Travis, Simmons and Wesker watched from at the door. "We lose one worker, we gain another." Wesker and Simmons both laughed.

Barry was leading his team through the underground tunnel. It was all dirt and rock, inhabited by bugs and rodents.

"How long is this tunnel?" Jill asked.

"I don't know. It could go on for miles." Barry answered.

"Umbrella must have been using this." Chris suggested. "To travel around the city without being seen."

"Maybe its some kind of short cut." Ark Threw in.

"Perhaps." Carlos answered.

"It's dirty!" Candy observed, holding onto Chris's arm. Chris ignored her and kept his mind on the mission.

After walking a while, the S.T.A.R.S. came to a fork in the road.

"What should we do?" Carlos asked.

"Looks like we're going to have to split up." Barry answered. "Claire and I will take the middle path, Carlos and Ark, you guys take the left. Jill and Chris go right, and take Candy with you." The group nodded and departed, going their assigned ways.

Wesker had thrown Rebecca's body into the cellar. It was the kind of cellar that had the doors that opened up to the outside of the house. He wasn't about to leave a dead body where it would be in their way. The cellar was empty except fot the manhole cover that most likely lead to the sewer system. Her body had only been lying there for about a half an hour, when her blood began to recirculate. Her heart pumped more powerful than it had before. Her eyes slowly opened. She looked around to see the darkness of the room. The only light was coming from a window in the front left corner. Rebecca slowly stood up and stretched. She blinked her eyes. When she opened them again, even through the darkness, she could see everything. The manhole, the wall creases, the window, the doors. It was like she was wearing night vision glasses. She walked over to the door. It was locked. Rebecca pulled her arms back and thrust them forward against the door knocking it off of its hinge. It flew at least five feet. She stared in amazement, realizing the power that she gained, happy that her plan worked.

Neil Simmons and Albert Wesker stood in the control room of the factory talking over their plans. Travis had gotten the computer system up and running and was in there working on them, when suddenly something started to beep. Travis backed away, startled.

"What the hell is that?" Simmons asked.

Travis started hitting buttons. Within minutes a gray box came upon the computer. Inside was what seemed like a blue print. There was a red dot between two buildings. "I don't know." He hit the keys trying to get information. "It's a map of this building, but there's another building, too, and some kind of passage in between."

Wesker thought of the trap door that Ada found. That must lead to a passage, or underground tunnel. "Where is the other building located?" He asked.

Travis hit the keys. "About…. 5 miles west of here."

Wesker searched for the map HCF had given him. He stretched it out on the desk, put his finger down on the mark that represented their temporary residence, and moved it west the scale equivalent to 5 miles. He stopped, and looked up. Simmons knew it was something important, and asked him what it was. "It's where the Umbrella main H.Q. was." Wesker answered.

"But, no one survived." The tone in Travis's voice sounded more like a question.

"The S.T.A.R.S." Simmons guessed. "It must be them. They found the entrance to the tunnel."

"Don't worry." The cool blonde man with the glasses shrugged. "We have the X zombies to take care of them, and Leon now."

"He'll be able to get the virus from them." Simmons took the words right out of Wesker's mouth.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?" Melissa asked, being friendly.

"No. I'm fine. Thank you." Leon answered.

"I just don't like seeing my teammates hurt." She said, flashing a look to Ada. "We'll I'll leave you two alone."

As Melissa left the room, Ada moved closer to Leon. "Do you remember what happened?" She asked.

Leon shook his head. "I must have been hurt pretty bad not to remember."

Ada nodded. "We finally got the chemical sample safe in our hands. YOUR hands, but then one of those S.T.A.R.S. guys, the blonde one snuck up behind you, and hit you over the head with a pole, and one of the girls grabbed it from you. I seen it from far away, but by the time, we got there, they had already escaped." She hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad that you're ok. I couldn't bear to lose you again."

Leon nodded. When he first woke up, he felt dizzy and confused, but when Ada appeared, he felt better, and his life became clearer, as if his mind was trained to remember. She moved closer and kissed him. He kissed back, and was filled with a very familiar feeling. He had a job he was committed to, and a wonderful woman working with him. He put his arm around Ada, holding her tightly. He couldn't remember the last time he had kissed a woman with so much passion.

"What do you think we'll find?" Ark asked trailing through the underground tunnel.

"A sewage system." Carlos guessed. It seemed logical, especially since Umbrella wasn't operating anymore. But they still could have left something behind.

They hadn't been walking for a few minutes, but it seemed longer than that. Ark felt relieved. At least they had a clear path to where they were going, not like previous missions where every creature imaginable was in their way. Only his second mission, and he thought he was doing pretty well. For Carlos, this was only his first official mission. Ark normally would be nervous leading around the new guy, but Carlos was definitely no rookie. He dealt with Umbrella before, the same kind of stuff as Ark, if not worse. Ark's train of thought was cut off by a loud crashing sound somewhere ahead of them.

"What was that?" Carlos asked alarmed.

"I don't know, but we'll find out soon enough."

The men started to walk a little faster, curious to see what happened. It sounded like someone knocked a wall down. Within seconds they heard something else. This something was like footsteps, loud, heavy, footsteps, and they were getting louder by the minute. The tunnels were dark, so Carlos and Ark couldn't see that far ahead. "Hello?" Carlos called.

"Is someone there?" Ark added. They could start to see it about 30 feet ahead of them. It was tall and huge. It's shiny, white, baldhead easy to see in the darkness. Ark recognized it from the Island. –Mr. X. He aimed his 9mm and started to fire. Carlos did the same. They kept firing as the creature stepped fully into view.

"It's not damaging." Carlos complained.

"Keep firing." Ark Instructed. He backed away a few feet, and pulled out his shotgun. He pumped it, and sent 3 rounds into the X's stomach.

Carlos tried his best to aim for the head. This monster was tough, but luckily for him, it wasn't as tough as Nemesis. The 9mm rounds weren't enough to kill the X, but with the addition of Ark's shotgun, the creature stopped. It slowly swayed left to right, and then fell to the ground, flat on its face.

"I think we should head back." Candy suggested.

"We can't!" Jill answered. "There could be something dangerous up ahead, and it's our job to check it out, and besides, Leon could be in trouble."

"I knew something else was going on." Chris pointed out. "The Umbrella workers probably used this tunnel to escape the fire."

"If, so, then why didn't we see any?" Before Chris could think of an answer to Jill's question, it had been answered.

"Mrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

"What was that?" Candy asked.

The sound came from somewhere up ahead. The group started walking. There was a corner. A feint squishing sound could also be heard.

Chris looked at Jill. They both knew what it was. As they raised their guns, a half decayed zombie rounded the corner. It's arms stretched out towards them, wanting to satisfy its hunger. The two S.T.A.R.S. began to fire. After a few shots, the zombie fell to the ground.

Chris watched the zombie for a minute. It wasn't moving. "Let's go." He commanded, stepping over it. Jill nodded and followed. Candy stared at it. It was gross, and stunk really bad. She walked slowly towards it, and took a deep breath, preparing to step over it. Before her left foot could hit the ground, something grabbed it.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" She shrieked in horror, looking down to see the creature grasping her leg, trying to bite into her ankle.

Chris and Jill turned around. Chris quickly raised his gun and prepared to shoot, but before he could, Jill beat him to the job. With two shots from Jill's baretta, the zombie let his grip go, and fell dead, for eternity.

Candy quickly ran over to Chris, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, Chris! Oh, my gosh. I was so scared. It was horrible!"

Chris put his arm around her and whispered. "Its ok now."

Jill rolled her eyes. She wasn't expecting a hug, but a simple Thank you, or some sign of gratitude would have been nice.

"It's dark." Claire whispered. Barry nodded. Claire was walking ahead when Barry put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Did you hear that?"

Claire stopped, hearing a moan. Claire ran ahead quickly, and saw a body on the ground. Barry yelled for her to be careful. She slowed down, and approaching the body, feeling relief, and disappointment at the same time. She was hoping it would be Leon. But she did want to find him alive. The body was that of an Umbrella worker, being eaten by rats. She backed away, and the dead man turned his head and looked at her. "Oh, crap! There's infected ones down here!" Before the zombie could move again, Claire put it to its final death with one of her uzi's.

Barry ran and caught up with her. "Ok?"

"Yeah." She answered. "Just a zombie and some rats."

Those rats are pretty big." Barry noticed. They were double the size of normal rats.

Claire turned around and looked back at the rats. "That's odd. They didn't seem that big a second ago." She and Barry watched as the rats grew to 4 times their normal size.

"Holy Shit!" Barry cursed. "They're infected!"

The four large rats started walking towards them. Claire pulled out her uzi and fired at two rats at a time. Barry drew his colt, blowing up the other two rats, one bullet on each of them; he blew their heads off. When all the rats were down, Barr wiped his forehead and turned to Claire. "We just had to take this road." He joked. Claire looked at him, and taking a deep breath, forced a smile on her still shocked face.

Wesker, Simmons, and Travis were in what they were calling their meeting room. Melissa walked in. Ada and Leon were behind her. "I told them about it."

Simmons nodded. "We released an X after them."

"One isn't enough." Wesker argued.

No more are reviving." Travis explained.

"More will." Wesker assured. "In time."

"I see some steps ahead." Ark called.

"Hallelujah!" Carlos exclaimed. He and Ark ran towards the steps with guns handy, and started walking up. It was a long flight of steps, but eventually they were brought to a small square flap of metal on the ceiling. Ark silently wished it wasn't locked, and gave the door a push. It flew open, shining a beam of light into the tunnel. He carefully stepped out, and Carlos was right behind him. Arks eyes widened when he saw the tubes filled of more Mr. X's.

"Oh, God!" Carlos was astounded. "There's more of them?"

"Afraid so." Ark answered. "At least they're asleep." He started walking around the room.

"Let's hope they stay like that." Carlos commented. "We must be in some other building owned by Umbrella."

"Think they're any survivors?" Ark asked.

Carlos shrugged. "I'm not so sure I wanna find out."

"Claire, I've found something!" Barry yelled.

"What is it?" She asked running to catch up to him. She had to duck to get to where he was. The part of the tunnel they were in now was really narrow.

"A way out!" He pointed up to the manhole cover.

Claire let out a sigh of relief. "I thought we'd never find one. Can you get it open?"

"I'll have to try." Barry lifted his arms and twisted the manhole, trying to get it open. After loosening it, he gave it a little shove, and it opened. He lifted his body out, and then helped Claire climb out. Once inside, Barry looked around and saw the window, and the doorway. The room they were in looked like a basement, but there were no stairs leading to the rest of the building. Perhaps it was just a shed, built on or next to another building. "We should probably go outside, try to find out where we are and what's here." He looked over to get agreement from the girl.

Carlos and Ark were still in the large room with the X Tyrants. There was a door to the left, but it was hidden by tubes. They heard a door open. Then they heard it slam shut.

"I believe you're intruding." A man called steeping forward.

The two S.T.A.R.S. stared at him and raised their weapons. He was young, maybe a little older than them. He had dark hair and a goatee.

Carlos gave Ark one of those 'I'll handle it looks. "Who are you? Are you with Umbrella?"

The man looked at them. "This is my territory, I don't have to answer any of your questions." The man lightened his tone, and the S.T.A.R.S. lowered their weapons. "But, I will. I'm Travis, and I don't work for Umbrella. In fact, I work for the company responsible for the destruction of Umbrella, HCF."

Carlos and Ark looked at each other. "But the Tyrants… This is an Umbrella building. Isn't it?" Ark questioned.

"Yes, we're temporarily hiding out here. We need to investigate the remains of the building." He took one step closer to the two intruders.

"Why?" Carlos raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you must know, Umbrella was believed to be working on a new virus, supposedly superior to the previous one. Once we got our hands on it, and improved it, we would be more powerful than any competitor. Though, it could be just a rumor, but it's worth looking for. I'm sure you may have come across it while looking for your friend?"

"We didn't find anything!" Carlos yelled.

"How did you know about Leon?" Ark burst out.

Travis smiled. He's working for us now."

"What?"

"It's amazing what hypnotism can do, and a little convincing from an old love."

"You're lying!" Ark stammered.

Travis shook his head. "I could make a deal with you; hand over the virus, and we'll hand you back your friend."

"We're not giving you anything!" Carlos retorted, and Ark nodded.

Travis smiled. "Well, just have it your way." He pulled out a revolver from his coat. "I'll just have to take it from you."

Candy had finally calmed down from her near death experience. She was loosening her grip on Chris, abling him to relax a little. It was hard for him to focus on the mission and protect his girlfriend at the same time. Chris was brought back to reality, when he heard Jill curse. "Shit!"

"What's the matter?" Chris asked. He looked up, and saw that there was a huge rock wall ahead of them. They had reached a dead end.

"This can't be right." Jill turned towards him.

"What do we do?" Candy asked.

"Well," Chris began. "We should turn back and take another route. One of the other groups might not have been so lucky."

Jill nodded, and saw Candy do the same. The tree soldiers then started back the way they came.

Travis fired his weapon. Carlos jumped to the left, Ark to the right. The bullet smashed into a glass tube in which one of the X' slept. The glass shattered to the ground. The Mr. X opened his eyes, and clenched his fists. He stepped out onto the floor, looked to his right, and then to his left, trying to chose his first victim. He started walking towards Carlos. Carlos knew his 9mm wouldn't be enough. He pulled out a submachine gun, quickly slammed in a mag, and began to fire. Ark pumped his shotgun, and started firing from behind. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Travis was about to leave. "Oh, no you don't!" He warned, dropping his shotgun, and running after him.

Travis put his hand on the doorknob, when Ark dove at him, grabbing onto his legs. Travis fell back and hit his head against the wall, which was right near a window. He moved his feet around and kicked Ark off. Travis stood up and kicked Ark again, this time in the stomach. Though it hurt, Ark knew he had to get up. He slowly got to his feet, holding his stomach with his right hand, and gasping for air. Travis smiled, pleased with his accomplishments. Ark gathered up his strength and punched Travis on the left side of his face, towards the right direction. Travis stumbled back a step, bringing him only a few inches from the wall. It hurt, but he'd felt worse. He reached forward and grabbed his opponent by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. Travis was still holding onto Ark while he was against the wall. With great strength, Ark moved up his right elbow, and elbowed Travis in the nose, breaking it. Travis stumbled back, blood oozing from his nose, and covering his lower face. The light shone in from the window right behind him. Ark thrust his fist forward one more time, this time punching Travis in the throat. The HCF man flew back into the window. The glass shattered as Travis flew through. The noise was loud and undoubtedly heard throughout the building.

Claire and Barry looked up as soon as they heard the crash. They saw a man's body flying out the window, falling down towards them. Barry jumped back and pulled Claire with him. The body hit the ground with a thump. It was a second before the two S.T.A.R.S. members approached. Barry crouched down next to it. It was a man, maybe in his twenty or thirties. His face, head and neck were bloody. Tiny cuts from the glass window covered his hands. Barry grabbed his arm to feel a pulse. "He's dead." He turned to Claire, who was standing behind him. "Most likely before he hit the ground."

Claire didn't know who this man was, but it was a high possibility that he was an enemy. "Do you think it was one of ours who killed him?"

"Possibly." Barry shrugged. "Why don't you go check it out? I'll be investigating here, then I'll join up with you when I'm done."

"Ok." Claire nodded, as she ran to find the entrance of the building.

When Albert Wesker looked out the second floor window, he saw his old acquaintances Barry Burton and Claire Redfield standing over his teammate's dead body. He turned back to his crew. "Leon, Ada, get ready incase anyone comes this way. Guard the front stairs. I'm gonna take the back stairs and pay them a little visit. Simmons, you stay here, Melissa give me ten minutes, then come follow me."

"I'm gonna come too." Simmons stood up. He was in charge of the mission too; he didn't have to take orders from Wesker the whole time. "I'm leader of this mission as well."

"Someone's got to keep an eye on the Security computers." Wesker reminded. "I promise you'll get your share of the fun."

"You bet!" Simmons mumbled as the rest of the HCF team left the room.

Barry stood looking around the grounds. There was the storm cellar they'd come out of, some trees, a tool shed, and the big factory building that Claire had gone into. Barry thought he should examine the tool shed before heading into the factory to meet up with Claire. He stopped when he heard footsteps far behind him. He heard a cold, evil, laugh, one that he recognized immediately. He turned around and there he was, Albert Wesker, standing about 10 feet away. "Wesker? I thought you died in Trebla?"

"Ha-ha!" Wesker snarled. "Never underestimate Me, Barry. I thought you'd be here investigating the Arson."

"Arson?" Barry asked.

"Of course. You don't think Umbrella was so klutzy as to start a fire in their own backyard. Do you? They're careful with their work, but not as careful as we at HCF, making it look like an accident on their part."

"What?" Barry raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Eliminate the competition." Wesker grinned. "We couldn't let them continue to pose a threat to us, especially with the rumored creation of a virus superior to the former ones. Whether this rumor is true or not, it's worth the effort." Wesker paused. "And we're staying down here to investigate, but now we have another problem to deal with; you and your nosey S.T.A.R.S. in our way." He took a step closer to Barry. "But I won't have to worry about that for long." Like a speeding bullet, Wesker charged into Barry, knocking him into the side of the tool shed. It hurt his head, But Barry was still conscious. He closed his eyes, only for a moment, and shook is head, trying to rid the pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw a woman with auburn hair and orange eyes standing beside his attacker.

No sooner had Ark's enemy fallen out the window, had he picked up his shotgun to aid Carlos. It looked like his friend had the monster under control, running around the back of the room, trying to keep a good distance between him and Mr. X. The Tyrant was getting slower. SMG bullets were damaging. Ark fired at the freakish monster. It swayed back and forth, left, to right, as usual, then fell to the floor. Carlos wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Easy first mission?" Ark grinned at him.

"Spoke to soon." Carlos shrugged back.

Chris, Candy, and Jill were walking back towards the place where they parted from the others. All three were upset that they ran into a dead end. Chris was in the lead. Candy trailed behind him, and Jill was just a few feet behind. They were almost there. Walking back had been a shorter walk. They stayed close to the wall on their right because to the left was a big ditch. There was no left side. Chris stopped in his tracks. Candy bumped into him, then stopped. Jill stood a few feet behind them. "Did you hear something?" Chris asked.

Candy shook her head.

"I heard it, too." Jill stepped up. She and Chris listened for the sound again. It was a pounding sound, like heavy footsteps. They were not alone in the tunnels.

Chris reached for his berretta, and Jill did the same. It was custom to take out the standard weapon, then reach for the more powerful, as needed. "Stay behind me." Chris ordered, pushing Candy behind him. With his weapon drawn, he led the way, continuing on their journey. The sound was distant, but if they kept going, they would run into it. It was dark ahead, but the darkness gave way to a white baldhead, with out a doubt, attached to an enemy. As soon as they saw the head, the two S.T.A.R.S. partners were attacking. The thing could be seen at 20 ft. away, but it didn't take long for it to get closer. After a half berretta clip, Chris pulled out his shotgun. The monster was now five feet away.

Jill kept firing at the monster. He was clothed just like the Nemesis, only he wore a green jacket, and as a lot smaller. Not as terrifying either. The thing charged forward, knocking Chris in the chest, forcing Candy to let go of him. She fell back as Chris stumbled to the left, not far from the cliff. Jill stumbled back as well, but caught her balance. She continued to fire. The monster got closer, and was practically on top of Candy. The scared girl looked up at the tyrant. She had never seen anything like this in her entire life. "Candy, get back!" Jill called.

Candy turned around to see Jill pointing her weapon calmly. She could handle the pressure, but Candy wasn't meant to be here. She cursed herself for getting into such a mess.

"Behind me!" Jill yelled to her again. Candy didn't think anymore. She got up and ran behind Jill Valentine, just missing the creature's pounding fist smashing into the ground.

Chris got to his feet. The shaking ground almost knocked him back. Candy and Jill were still shaking. Candy lost her balance, but Jill pulled her up. Chris quickly cocked his shotgun, and opened fire on the attacker from behind. The monster thrust forward, but did not fall. Once it got to its feet, he pounded both of his fists into the ground. The shake was more powerful than before. Chris fell back on the ground and rolled towards the right, near the wall.

The girls fell back, and slid to the left. The impact forced Jill to let go of her gun, and both of the women were forced to the edge of the cliff. They were over the edge about to fall off when Jill reflexively reached up with her left hand, and grabbed onto the edge. Candy was about to fall off, too, but Jill grabbed her left hand with her right. Candy grabbed onto the edge with her other hand as Jill had. They both let go of each other, and gripped the edge. It wasn't very sturdy, and the Tyrant was getting closer. Each crashing step broke some of the rocks. Candy and Jill watched the tiny debris falling into the ditch, knowing they would share the same fate.

With great determination, Chris got to his feet, and pumped his shotgun, a second time. He hit the tyrant, again. He then ran closer and pumped more shots into it. The creature was stopping, and was about to fall. Chris ran up and pushed him, knocking him over the edge. The ground shook, as he fell off the cliff, loosening the girls' grip. Jill and Candy both let go, but before they could fall, Chris grabbed onto them. He held up Jill with his right hand, and grabbed Candy with his left. Both women felt relief when they Chris' strong hand's holding them up. Chris tried to pull both of them up, but it was no use. He would need both of his hands to pull up one. There was no space on the edge for anyone to hold onto. There was no way he could save both of them. He would have to make a choice.

"Pull me up, Chris!" Candy pleaded. He tried once again pulling both of them up, but he didn't have the strength.

Jill tried to grab onto the edge of the cliff with her other hand, but there was nothing she could grab onto. "Chris." She looked up at him as she struggled.

"Please, baby! Don't let me go!" Candy cried. She silently cursed herself again. How could I get myself into this?

All three of them knew only one of the girls could survive. Both of them knew she had a 50-50 chance to survive. Their fate was in Chris' hands.

Candy was his girlfriend. Chris couldn't let her die, but Jill was his partner. It was their job to save each other, and it was his job to look after Candy. He promised Barry, and himself he would. He shouldn't have let her come. There was no way to win. Either way he would lose someone, but he couldn't lose the one he loved the most.

Jill looked over at Candy. She looked terrified, and she obviously was not used to being in near-death situations. Many times, Jill had been certain she would die. This time more certain. It was S.T.A.R.S. job to protect civilians, Even if it meant putting that life before their own. She knew Chris didn't want her to die, but he would only be doing his job. She knew you could sometimes tell when a person will act by looking into their eyes. She looked into Chris' eyes, preparing herself for her fate.

Candy looked deep into Chris' eyes also. Her face giving a terrified expression. She didn't want to die. She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't in S.T.A.R.S. She should have been taking a nice hot bath, and relaxing, not fighting for her life. She could tell Chris' arms were getting tired. He couldn't hold up much longer. She felt the same, but was too scared to notice. It wouldn't be long before Chris made his decision.

Jill watched as Chris' gaze changed. She closed her eyes and concentrated on death, and on falling. A second later, a woman's dying scream echoed throughout the tunnel.

Barry was on the ground, and could see Wesker walking towards him. The woman stayed behind. Barry got to his feet and reached for his gun. He aimed his magnum at Wesker and fired, but he missed. With his super speed, Wesker ran and was right behind Barry. He pushed Barry forward, and he fell to the ground again, this time on his stomach. He rolled over onto his back, and looked up. Wesker was at his feet, and the woman was about a few inches from his head. He heard her laugh, then, an instant later, some kind of flash pushed her away from Barry in the left direction. By the speed, he thought it was Wesker, but his enemy stood in place, as surprised as he was. Barry quicky got up and looked to see who the woman's attacker was. It was another woman, also in HCF clad, black pants, and a gray t- shirt. She looked familiar to Barry, if he didn't know better, he would thing it was-

"Rebecca Chambers!" Wesker snarled. "Impossible!"

Melissa lay on the ground looking up, surprised that Rebecca who attacked her for the second time today. She was highly pissed.

Barry was right; It was his old teammate. "Thanks, Rebecca." Barry said hesitantly. The tone in his voice suggested that he was very confused.

"Any time." She smiled.

Wesker grew angry. He threw Barry back and walked towards the HCF traitor. "You're dead!" He breathed.

"You're not the only smart one." Rebecca snapped. "You left me alone to work with the G-virus. The same one you had used on yourself." She took a step closer towards him. "Using your idea, I allowed myself to be killed, then I came back, with the same great powers that you possess."

"Bitch!" Wesker cursed, running up to her. He slapped her across the face with his right hand and she fell backwards. Barry got up again. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been knocked down so much within a half an hour.

Rebecca lay on the ground. Wesker stood over her. The other woman, Melissa, was getting up. Barry quietly and quickly aimed his magnum at Wesker.

"Al, watch out!" Melissa warned.

Albert Wesker moved to the left, dodging Barry's bullet once again. He could see Rebecca getting to her feet. He jumped, landing on his left foot on the ground and kicking her in the face with his right. "My dear, the power is worthless if you don't know how to use it." He laughed, and Melissa joined in.

While the bad guys were laughing, Barry tried once again with his magnum. This time he was successful. Wesker stumbled forward, grabbing his right arm, realizing he was shot. Rebecca used this time to get to her feet, but as soon as she got up, Melissa punched her across the face. Rebecca stumbled a bit, but kept her balance. She retaliated with a punch that knocked Melissa back a few feet.

Barry watched Wesker stand up straight, slightly injured. He knew this would be a long fight.

Claire was running up the front staircase on her way to the top floor, anxious to find out who it was that killed that guy. She prayed it was one of the S.T.A.R.S. Maybe all the trails led the same place. If not, maybe it was another ally, and they knew where Leon was. Or maybe it was Leon. AS she made it to the second floor, she thought she heard someone talking. She opened the door leading into the second floor hallway. It was long and narrow, maybe about 60 feet long; 6 doors on each side. Claire stepped in. It was quiet. She turned around and started back for the stairs when she heard a crashing noise, like someone falling, coming from down the hallway. She turned back around, and proceeded down the hall. She walked midway and jiggled the handle of the door on her left. It was locked. She was about to try the one on the right when she felt the presence of someone behind her.

"Freeze!" An unfriendly woman's voice commanded. Claire breathed deeply. "Drop your weapon, and turn around!"

Claire did as she was told. The woman stood in front of the open door on the right side. Her gun was pointed at Claire. She was tall, Asian, and dressed in black.

"Where's the Virus?" The woman demanded.

"What virus?" Claire trembled.

"The orange one that you and your friends found yesterday."

"How did you know?" Claire asked, surprised.

"Ada Wong has her ways."

"Ada?" Claire couldn't believe it. Was this really the same Ada from Raccoon that Leon had met?

"Oh, good! Then Leon's told you about me."

"Where is he?" Asked Claire.

Ada smiled wickedly. "He's working for us now, but if you give up the virus, I might give him back to you, before I kill you!"

"Liar!" Claire screamed, forgetting that Ada had a gun, She kicked her in the shin, and started to run down the hall, the way she was going. She stopped in her tracks when she saw someone come out of the last door on the left, and point a gun at her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Leon!" She stopped and stared. He was doing the same.

Ada snuck up behind her and pushed her into Leon. "Bitch!"

Leon pushed Claire into the room. It was big and laid out like a normal factory room: a couple of boxes in the back corner, some crates in the other, a cabinet a few feet up, a table in the center of two walls towards the back.

Claire landed on the floor and looked up, frightened. "Leon, what are you doing?"

"Getting back what you stole." He slammed the door, angrily. "Where's Umbrella's virus sample!?"

"I don't have it." Claire called out. "Leon, why are you doing this?"

"HCF has been trying to be the biggest producers of biological weapons. We finally get rid of Umbrella, get our hands on their last surviving virus, and you take it from us!"

Claire was speechless. The tears were fogging up her vision. She almost couldn't see the huge grin on Ada's face. "Hand it over, Claire!" She hissed.

"I told you! I don't have it." She yelled, then turned her attention back to Leon. "Leon, what are you doing? HCF is the enemy. You work with S.T.A.R.S."

"No, S.T.A.R.S. is the enemy!" He argued back.

"Why have they done to you?"

Ada crossed her arms. "We'll give you one last chance. Hand it over!"

Carlos and Ark were running down the back stairs. The monster was dead, hopefully, and so was the enemy. With luck, they could find the rest of the S.T.A.R.S, including Leon, and get out. There was a lot they could do in Paris; running around fighting monsters was not among their list of choices. Ark knew he shouldn't have let Claire talk him into this. "Straight down?" Ark asked.

"No." Carlos answered. "There might be stuff worth checking out on the way."

"Good idea." Ark suggested. If they were the only S.T.A.R.S. here, there could be something important on one of the other floors, especially since the building was once owned by Umbrella, and now a new competitor is hanging out here.

Wesker clutched his injured arm, and Melissa tried to get up. The odds were pretty much even. Each team had one human, and one superhuman. Though, Wesker was right. He knew how to use his power, Rebecca didn't. Barry still couldn't believe Rebecca was here. He watched Wesker shoot her, watch her die, back at Trebla, and then she's working for HCF. This was too confusing for him.

While the four stood around, recovering from their injuries, the front door opened. Neil Simmons stepped out. Barry's fear built when he saw that the black man was about the same size as him, and most likely a little younger. The man walked towards them. "I was watching your fight from the window, and thought you could use a hand." He shifted his gaze from Wesker and Melissa towards Rebecca. "Chambers," His tone sarcastic, "How nice of you to turn on us. Why, after all we did for you, giving you a job, a place to stay, and you go behind out back and use the virus on yourself." He smiled. "Clever. Just the kind of person that should be working for HCF. But you have that up, so, don't expect a victory."

Rebecca, with super speed, ran up to the man and tackled him to the ground. When she got back up, she didn't see Melissa aiming her 9mm at her. She wasn't up long before the shot pierced her side. She fell to the ground. Like Wesker, the pain was minor. She wouldn't be down for long.

Wesker saw that Barry had moved left from the tool shed, and was making sure his magnum was fully loaded. Wesker ran up to him, and punched him hard in the stomach, sending the man that outweighed him back 5 feet. As he fell back, Wesker saw something fly out of his jacket and heard it land on the ground.

Melissa looked over and saw on a patch of grass, a test tube vile, filled with an orange liquid. "He has the virus!" She yelled.

Wesker turned and saw Umbrella's last virus lying a few feet from where he stood. He walked slowly towards it, bent down, and picked it up. The orange chemical shone brightly under the shade of the trees. Wesker smiled. HCF accomplished their plan. They didn't have to go looking this time; it was brought right to them.

Rebecca jumped up, before anyone could stop her, she ran up to Albert Wesker and kicked him in the back, making him lose his balance. He fell forward, but the virus thrust backwards. Rebecca turned around just in time to see Simmons catch it.

A huge grin broke out on his face. Everyone watched him. He unscrewed the cap and pulled out the needle that was holding the virus, shielded by the tube.

"Simmons!" Wesker yelled. "What are you doing?"

Simmons stared at him, angrily. "You took over the mission, called all the shots, and I had to stay behind. Now, I'm calling the shots, and you're not getting all the credit!"

Quickly, Simmons injected the virus into his chest, using every ounce of the virus sample. His body froze for a moment; he fell to his knees, then to the ground, flat on his back.

Wesker cursed himself for not picking up the virus. He started to walk towards his infected Comrade. Melissa did the same. Rebecca ran back to her former Captain, Barry.

Simmons body twitched. Melissa stumbled back into Wesker. He held her up as the body twitched again. His stomach rose up and fell quickly. His limbs began to expand. He grew out of his clothes and rose to the ground. He was now about 9 feet tall. A dark brown, almost black color. His eyes were demon red. His arms and legs were more muscle than before. The large veins that stuck out on his chest popped out and turned into two tentacles. Melissa let out a shriek in horror. She knew how powerful Neil Simmons had been before, but now he was 10 times the threat.

Jill kept her eyes tightly shut. She could still feel her legs dangling in the air. Knowing her death was near was all she could think about. She was brought out of this state when she felt Chris Redfield grabbing her other hand. She looked up and saw him pulling her up to the ground. She couldn't believe it. She was still alive. He pulled her up all the way. He fell back onto the ground, in a sitting position. Jill landed on top of him. A long time went by before either of them spoke. They were still accepting the realization. Chris convinced himself that he made the right choice.

I can't believe it. Jill thought. Candy… she's gone. Chris chose me over her. Why? She hugged him tightly, tears forming. "Thank you, Chris." She felt him holding her as tightly as she held him. "You saved my life."

Chris felt happy and sad at the same time. He had let an innocent civilian die, one that he cared about. It would be hard for him to live with this, but not as hard as it would have been for him to live without Jill. "I couldn't lose you, Jill." He breathed, ready to cry. "I don't know if this was the right decision for the job, but it was the right one for me. I could live without Candy, but I couldn't live without you."

Jill pulled back from him the embrace and looked up at him. He was starting to cry. This near death experience brought up his feelings.

"I accepted the fact that I had lost you, and couldn't have you as a girlfriend. But I couldn't lose you as a friend. I need you in my life."

Jill was starting to tear up, as well. Deep down in her heart, she felt the same way. "Oh, Chris."

"I'd rather have you alive, as someone else's girlfriend, than not have you at all."

Jill and Chris stared deep into each other's eyes. After a moment, like magnets, their lips were drawn together. And Chris kissed her. It was a long kiss, one that he'd been saving for a long time. No matter what else was in their lives, time stopped, and they had this one moment to themselves.

"For the last time, I don't have it!" Claire trembled.

Ada's grin grew wider. She turned to Leon who was pointing the gun at the intruder. "Go ahead, Kill her!"

Claire looked at Leon who was staring at her with his cold eyes. They were not the eyes she looked into many times. "Go ahead, Leon. Kill me!" She cried. "Take my life like you took everything else from me; my soul, my heart, my virginity, take it! I gave you my whole life anyway!"

Leon had the gun pointed at her head, about to reach for the trigger. He looked at the trembling, terrified face, and realized that he had seen that once before…

He was sent to Raccoon City, to be a police officer. It was his first day on the job. Upon his arrival, he was encountered by zombies. He ran through the streets shooting at them, trying to escape. He heard screaming coming from a nearby diner. He approached with his gun raised and the door swung open. There stood a teenage girl, with a zombie behind her. She begged for him not to shoot, but he told her to get down. He shot the zombie, then bend down to help her up. She was scared, her eyes filled with fear. He could remember clearly; it was the same girl he was pointing a gun at today.

The next few seconds, all of his memories rushed into his head. He remembered, joining up with the S.T.A.R.S., and all the adventures he's had with them. He remembered going to the ball games with his best friend, Ark., the Sunday afternoons he went fishing with Barry and Chris, going to the movies with Carlos, and going to the mall with Jill. He remembered how much they all meant to him, and that he was a good guy. He was a member of S.T.A.R.S. It became clear to him that Ada was the enemy, how she had tricked him, and brainwashed him, and that he loved Claire. He remembered their first kiss, and the one night they spent together.

"Now Leon!" Ada ordered, getting impatient.

"I can't." He confessed, lowering his gun. He looked at Claire's relieved face.

Angrily, Ada marched up to him. She pulled the gun from his hands. "We'll I can!" She aimed the gun and fired, not a doubt, or remorse in her mind.

Leon thought fast, he jumped in the path of the bullet as soon as Ada's finger touched the trigger. The bullet pierced his chest and he fell back and slumped on Claire.

Ada stared. "Oh, my God!"

"NO!" Claire cried. "Leon!"

Claire reached back for her SMG. Luckily Ada didn't think to check her from more weapons. As Ada backed away, she saw a glimpse of the Tyrant out the window. Claire didn't have the virus after all. She then looked back down to see Clair readying her gun. "I'd love to stay and finish you off, but I gotta go." She called running towards the door. "Nice knowing you!"

Coward! Claire wanted to get up and go after her, but she couldn't leave Leon. She looked down at him to see him bloody, and in pain. She felt herself about to cry.

Leon did feel the pain, both physically and mentally. Knowing that he hurt Claire hurt him as well. And she stayed with him, for his final moments. "Claire, I'm sorry. They brainwashed me. I would never want to hurt you."

"It's ok, Leon." She cried, she lifted his hand up, and kissed it. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you, too." Leon breathed. He was weakening. He could feel himself losing consciousness. "Please forgive me."

"I do." Claire answered. But he didn't hear her. She looked down to see him close his eyes. She started to shake him. "Leon!" She shook him again frantically. "Leon, please, don't do this to me!" She let go of his hand, and it dropped straight down. With that, Claire began to cry, more than she had ever cried before. Leon was gone.

Melissa and Wesker backed away. The Tyrant that had been Neil Simmons started walking towards them. It wasn't Simmons anymore. Whatever of him was left was angry and out to get them.

"Are you alright, Barry?" Rebecca asked again.

"I'm fine." He wasn't used to Rebecca asking him how he was. "Do you need a weapon?"

"As always." The girl smiled, and Barry handed her a 9mm that he carried with him.

The two remaining HCF workers already had their guns out and were firing. Wesker used a magnum, and Melissa had a handgun. They Tyrant swung at Melissa, but she ducked and ran back. She never thought she'd be fighting against her superior. He was a well-respected man. Now he was a monster. She aimed at him and rapidly fired four shots. The bullets hit him like rain hitting the window of a car. You could hear it, but no damage was being done.

Rebecca began to fire, too. Her weapon was not very effective either. Luckily, Barry and Wesker had the more powerful ones. They tyrant walked towards her and punched her in the stomach. She flew back a few feet.

While the Creature's back was facing him, Wesker ran up, and knocked him to the ground. Barry helped Rebecca get to her feet, then shot the tyrant, while he was down.

"It seems as though, we're working together." Wesker said to Barry.

"Yeah. I guess so." Barry still didn't trust him.

"Just like old times." Wesker grinned.

Tyrant slowly stood up and let out a loud roar. It was bleeding slightly on the back where Barry had shot it, but it wasn't disabled. It walked towards Melissa. She fired and backed up. She expected Simmons to swing at her, but it had something else planned. It's tentacles wiggled around. As it got closer to her, it shot a sticky gray fluid out of its tentacles. Melissa screamed when it hit her. It stung. She stumbled back and fell against a tree. It was sticking to her, and burning her skin through her uniform. Simmons was about to deliver another shower, when Wesker fired his magnum, causing it to flinch.

Barry's cold python added to Wesker's destruction. Wesker was about to fire again when he heard a car screech around. He turned to see the gray car they had been using while they were staying here being driven by Ada. She rolled down the window. "Wesker, let's go!"

Wesker smiled to himself. An escape! He can take off, and leave the S.T.A.R.S. to do the dirty work. He loved the way his plans worked out. Within a flash, he grabbed Melissa. Luckily, she was still alive. Wesker didn't need to worry much about the deadly fluid touching his skin, because of his superhuman strength and immunity. He put her body in the back seat, and hopped in the front seat next to Ada. "Let's get out of here!"

Barry couldn't believe this. Well, yeah, actually he could. It wasn't unlikely that Wesker would lave him to deal with a monster. This was going to be tough, hopefully Rebecca would pay off.

On their way out, Ada drove up to the tyrant and slammed into it, knocking it down, and sped off.

Barry knew this would be the last he'd see of them.

Ark and Carlos ran down the steps. After hearing shots they stopped at the door to the second floor hallway, quieting down incase there was an enemy nearby. They slowly opened the door, with their weapons ready. When they saw the hall was empty, they slowly stepped in. They listened to hear what sounded like a girl crying. It was coming from the door on the left. Carlos walked over and opened the door, while Ark covered. Once the door was open, they could see perfectly clear who it was.

"Claire!" Carlos yelled running in.

Ark was right behind him "Leon!"

"What happened?" Carlos asked.

She tried to answer him, tears blurring her words. "He.. He's gone. Ada killed him."

Ark bent down and put his hand on her shoulder, while Carlos looked over Leon's wound, and checked for a pulse.

"He was brainwashed, and he was gonna kill me. But he couldn't. His memory came back. Ada was gonna shoot me, but he jumped in the way."

"I'm sorry." Carlos looked up. Leon was a nice guy. He wished there was something he could do.

Ark wanted to scream. He couldn't believe he lost his best friend, and he would never see him again.

"Rooaaaaarrrrrrrrrr!"

"What's that?" Carlos asked. He got up and walked over to the window. Ark started to follow. "Carajo!"

"We gotta go." Ark said. He walked towards Claire. "Barry needs out help." He didn't even notice who was with him.

"Ok." Claire wiped her tears away. She bent down and gave Leon one last kiss on the forehead, then Ark helped her up.

"Let's hope your powers will save us." Barry said to Rebecca, and saw her nod. "Cover me." He started to reload his colt python.

Rebecca shot at it again when she heard the pumping of a shotgun. Two shots then hit it from the back, followed by two sets of fully automatics.

Barry looked over to see Claire, Ark, and Carlos. He and Rebecca were both relieved to see them. "He's tough." Barry warned.

"So are we." Ark answered, pumping another shot. The Tyrant weakened, and fell to the ground. It was down, but not out.

Chris and Jill had made their way back to the split, and had now taken the path on the left. Both were unsure what to say. This was a long mission. And the silence was just making it longer. "Jill," He began. She was in the lead, but turned back to face him. "About the kiss. I'm sorry. I care about you, but I'm not trying to get in the way of your relationship with Carlos. I understand if you want to forget all this."

Jill looked about as confused as he was. "I'm not really sure what I want. Why don't we work this out when we get home? IF we get home.

Chris nodded. Best idea. His eyes lit up when he noticed the steps. "We're almost outta here."

"Yes!" Jill cheered, as she ran towards the steps. Chris was right behind her.

She opened the door at the top of the stairs while Chris kept his gun up. They were now in some kind of warehouse. There was a row of tubes with more tyrants like the one they just fought. A dead one was on the ground, and a window was broken.

"Looks like someone's already been here." Jill observed.

Chris walked to the door in front. He opened it to see a stairwell going down. "Next floor?"

Jill nodded. As she walked towards the window she noticed the tyrant and the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. outside. "Come on!" She urged. "We gotta get outside, quick!"

The S.T.A.R.S. were firing at the monster. It started walking towards Rebecca like before. The shots were affecting it, but it was still mobile. It's tentacles started to wavering around, and shaking. Rebecca shoved in a new mag as quickly as she could, using her newfound speed. She aimed the gun, but Simmons shot the goo out of his tentacles, covering Rebecca. It burned, but not as much as it did Melissa. Her strength could tolerate it, but she couldn't break free and fight.

Jill was running out the front door, Chris behind her, and almost tripped over a dead body.

"Who is it?' Chris asked.

"I don't know." Jill replied bending down to check for ammo. That was something Barry and Claire didn't think of. She rolled him over and lifted up the back of his jacket, pleased with what she found.

"A rocket launcher!" Chris smiled. "That oughtta take care of the tyrant. Is it loaded?"

Jill picked it up and carefully checked it. "Yup. It's loaded." She handed it to Chris. "You wanna do the honor?"

"You bet!" Chris grinned. "Let's do it!"

"Rebecca!" Barry yelled. He came to her rescue with his colt. The other tree added their firepower, too. Simmons fell down to the ground, weak but not dead.

"Everyone move aside!" Chris yelled.

They all turned around to see Jill and him with a rocket launcher. Their faces lit up. "Chris! Jill!"

Chris and Jill stepped up closer, and Chris aimed the weapon. The Tyrant was trying to get up, but it couldn't. "Hasta la vista. Baby!" Chris said, imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger, and fired at the tyrant.

The rocket flew faster than Rebecca could run, and hit the weak Simmons. Within seconds, it was blown to pieces.

As the smoke was clearing, Ark, Carlos, Claire, Barry, and a goo-covered Rebecca walked over to join their two friends.

"Way to go, guys!" Ark smiled.

Chris looked around and noticed it was Rebecca that was covered in goo. "Rebecca, you're alive?"

"Yes." She nodded. "It's a long story. I'll fill you in on it later."

"I'm sure glad she's on our side." Barry laughed. "I guess we're ready to head back." He looked around. "Chris, where's Candy?"

Chris looked at Jill, and then Barry. "Well, we got attacked by one of the monsters, things got complicate, and I couldn't save her."

"I'm sorry, Chris." Barry frowned. "I'm sure you did all you could to save her."

"It's ok." Answered Chris. "No matter how bad things get, they could always be worse."

Jill put a hand on Chris's shoulder, and to his surprise, Carlos walked up did the same. "I'm sorry buddy." He then put his other arm around Jill. "I'm glad you're ok, honey."

"I guess nobody found Leon." Chris observed.

Claire, Ark, and Carlos grew silent. By the frowns on their faces, Chris could tell Leon wouldn't be going back with them.

"He's dead." Claire cried. "Ada's alive and she killed him."

"I'd really like to head out of here and take a shower." Rebecca laughed, trying to cheer everyone up.

There were a few giggles, and Barry took out his cell phone to call for a taxi.

The taxi pulled away, and the old gray car started to pull up. The car came to a halt and Albert Wesker stepped out. Ada joined him while Melissa slept in the back seat, after being cleaned off.

The smoke from the rocket launcher had cleared up. The two HCF workers began searching for a remaining piece of the tyrant's body. Wesker found what looked like part of an arm, and bent down. He pulled out a needle and took a sample of it virus from it. "Mission Complete!" He said standing up.

Ada nodded. A lot happened against them that day. They lost a lot of allies, but they came out with the virus in the end.

It was a new day and the dreaded mission was over. Barry was driving the rented van back to the Paris airport. Rebecca sat in the front seat next to him. Ark stared out the window, glad it was over, but wishing it had just started. He wanted to do it all over again, and try to change things so he could have saved Leon. He looked over at Claire who was leaning against Chris. He had both of his arms around her. She kept her eyes closed. Ark could tell she was wanted to cry.

Chris held his baby sister tight. He lost his girlfriend in that battle, but he knew he wasn't hurting as badly as Claire. He didn't want to see her hurting. He missed Leon, too. It was his friend, also. He hoped Claire would heal in time. It was difficult, but she lost her parents, and Sherry, and was able to go on.

Jill was looking out the window, just like Ark. Her head rested on Carlos' shoulder. She had a lot on her mind; Umbrella's end, and the beginning of a new enemy, the death of a good friend, and a possible new relationship. She closed her eyes, thanking God this was finally over, and trying not to think of what could lie up ahead.



The End.



Jackie Lecher

2002