Okay, this is my first full-length RE fic in awhile...

You'll notice references to RE5 in this (aka the BSAA) and some mentions of Degeneration (the airport in LA)...All mentions of those are purely speculation on my part, and will not likely be elaborated on any farther.

I'm going a different route with Billy and Rebecca on this one, instead of the usual "Billy vanishes then suddenly re-appears out of the blue with never having spoken to Rebecca before that" routine...

Disclaimer: I don't own RE... I'm just borrowing capcom's creations for my own... questionable purposes.

Oh and I don't own X-Files or SGA, either.

From The Ashes

It falls to me to usher in this new future

-Albert Wesker

Prologue: Messages

Las Vegas, NV
July 19th, 2008 7:01 am

Rebecca Anne Chambers; twenty-eight, 5'2, red hair, green eyes, and currently curled up in her recliner, a laptop balanced on her legs. Yawning, she scrubbed at her eyes to rid them of grit from sleep. This task done, she blinked at her computer screen several times, as if that were going to make the words on the screen any easier to read. It was too early, really, to be reading, or typing, or doing anything other than enjoying one's first cup of coffee- which Rebecca was trying to do- but here she was, trying to make sense of an email from a long-time friend. It was a bit difficult, as her sleep-blurred vision made the tiny words go fuzzy.

As she tried to read, she half-listened to a re-run of the X-Files. By the time the title music started, she had finished reading the email, and had begun typing a response.

Billy,

4 am... Was that really necessary? What are you doing up that early anyway? Don't blame me for not responding right away, but some of us normal people kinda require our 8 hours of sleep, thanks.

Your news was less than pleasant, but I'll pass it along to Chris. I think he's been in contact with that same group... The BSAA right? He still hasn't told any of us what the initials stand for, only that they're an anti-Umbrella group, like us. I don't know if he's heard what you told me though. If he hasn't, he won't be happy. But we all knew Umbrella wouldn't stay quiet for long. Not after Spain, and L.A.- Which for the record should fall off into the ocean anyway... Along with the rest of California... But then, you already know my thoughts on Cali- Umbrella just won't quit. Sometimes I wonder if what we're doing is making any difference at all... Chris and Jill thought they'd destroyed Umbrella for good back in '03... I guess they were wrong.

But I can't say anything about Umbrella that hasn't already been said, so on to a new topic, yes? More specifically, your need to get the hell outta Dodge. You know, all these years we've kept in touch, and we haven't seen each other. Not once. I guess what I'm trying to say is you're always welcome here, if you need a safe place to stay. The Scooby Gang would be grateful to have another helping hand, since Barry decided to take off and just lay low with his wife... And...
Well, I miss you, Billy. 10 years is too long to go without so much as a visit.

Please, at least consider it. You know where to find me.

Rebecca 3

Reading over her words, Rebecca grimaced as she hit send. That wasn't what she had intended to say. Not by a long shot. What had been going through her head was more along the lines of "get your ass to Vegas, and be quick about it, before I finally give up on you for good,". Of course, thinking along those lines, and getting the thoughts into words were two different things, and she wasn't quite brave enough to do it. Sighing, Rebecca set her computer aside, grabbed her empty coffee mug, got to her feet, and headed for the kitchen. She groaned loudly at the mountain of dirty dishes that greeted her. This was what she got for inviting the entire Scooby Gang over for dinner, and refusing offers to help clean up. Silly her.

The "entire Scooby Gang" consisted of; Chris and Claire Redfield, Carlos Oliveira, Jill Valentine-Oliveira- as of three years previously- Leon Kennedy, Tandy Marlon, and Jonathan Caine.

Leon was a newer recruit. Permanent recruit anyway. He'd helped them out several times, since Raccoon City had been wiped off the map. He just hadn't actively played a role in their actions until four years before, when, after a nightmare of a mission in Spain, he'd said to hell with babysitting duty and sought out the STARS. It was Tandy and Jonathan that were the newest additions to the gang.

Tandy was a former New York City cop. She'd been in L.A. when a virus outbreak had occured in a local airport. It was thanks to Leon and Claire that she had survived. As her reason for being in L.A. had been to seek out a new job, she'd had no employers to hound her for suddenly moving to Vegas- which was where the STARS had headed after the airport incident (all claimed that the move was because of the outbreak and not because of their shared distaste for the city).

Jonathan- whom much preferred to be called Caine- was a former Umbrella employee, whom upon discovering what they were doing out of sight of the public had left the company. He hadn't joined the STARS until the L.A. outbreak, which he, like Tandy, had been caught in. While he wasn't a particularly nice man, he wasn't the type to stand for what Umbrella was doing. Rebecca liked him well enough, despite his gruff nature, and she was one of the few people he was actually nice to, so that counted for something.

With another sigh, Rebecca returned to the living room, and sank back into her chair. It was a weekend, and Chris and Claire weren't going to be around until later that afternoon... She had time to catch just a little more sleep...

-She was eighteen again, and walking through the Ecliptic Express, gun drawn, muscles tensed; ready to either fire, or run, at the slightest hint of danger. She jumped, and whirled around, gun ready, when the door behind her opened with a loud creak. There stood Lieutenant Billy Coen; murderer of twenty-three people... Twenty-five if one was to count the two dead soldiers outside... And it was still under debate on whether or not he'd had anything to do with the bodies all over the train... Granted, it didn't look as though any of them had been killed by any human... Actually, neither had the soldiers, now that she thought about it...

"Listen," the former marine said, before Rebecca could speak, "It's prob'ly going to get a lot more dangerous from here on in. So, why don't we put a hold on the whole arresting me thing, and work together on this mess?"

"Withyou?" Rebecca scoffed, "A murder-"

Billy cut her off, "Look, little girl, in case it has somehow escaped your attention, there are some pretty fucked up things on this train, and I for one wanna live to see tomorrow. I don't think either of us stand much of a chance running around alone."

Hands on her hips, Rebecca spat back, "Well, maybe you can't, but I can handle this on my own, I don't need any help... And don't call me little girl." The last was added as an afterthought, when she realized what he'd called her.

Billy had the audacity to laugh at her, "Alright then, Princess," not only the audacity to laugh, but the jerk had the nerve to flip her hair! Bastard. "What should I call you?"

"The name is Rebecca Chambers," Rebecca replied, almost automatically. She hurriedly added, "But that's Officer Chambers to you."

"Well then, Rebecca," Billy said, smugly, as he moved to block her path. Jackass. "Why don't you go see how well you hold up on your own, while I wait here?"

As the door to what Rebecca guessed was the kitchen was getting no power, that left her with one option- aside from shooting the arrogant prick standing in her way... which was awful tempting- the stairs. Muttering curses that would have made a sailor blush- and her mother threaten to beat her within an inch of her life-, Rebecca stomped up the stairs, determined to prove that she could, and in fact would, take care of herself.

Rebecca woke to find she hadn't slept very long. Half hour, at most. On the tv, Mulder and Scully were debating the believeability of an abduction story; typical. Her laptop was dinging to let her know that she had a new email waiting for her. Knowing who it was from, she eagerly grabbed the computer, and opened her email program.

Rebecca,

4 am? I was up at 2. 4 is nothing, trust me. And don't worry, I won't hold it against you. I know how much you like your beauty sleep.

Yes, I remember all too well how you feel about California. I believe your last rant included a wish for the entire state to just "shake its self right into the ocean, so the world would be rid of it."... Hostile, Becca, hostile.

As for Umbrella; they'll never stop. Not until every one of the puppeteers behind the scenes is taken care of. I hope your "Scooby Gang"- interesting nickname, by the way- understands that.

Grateful for another helping hand, huh? How many of you are there now, that are actively involved in any of the shady-side-of-legal missions? 7? 8?

That was true enough. There were only eight of them, now that Barry had taken off. Though they had contacts with other groups from all over. The newest of which being one of Chris' contacts. There had once been more of them. Alot more. But most of Chris and Jill's team had been slaughtered in Russia...

Not that it takes that many to take out a facility, as you'll recall.

Time for me to head out, Babe. Later.
Billy

Rebecca sighed in disappointment, not seeing a response to her invitation. For a moment, she considered not bothering with a response, until he contacted her once he'd settled somewhere. Then she saw the small line of text at the bottom of the page:

PS: I'll see you next week, Doll.

Grinning, Rebecca put her fingers to work typing up a response. By the time she was done, the X-Files was over and an episode of Stargate Atlantis was playing. One of Rebecca's personal favorite episodes, actually- ("Another sparring accident?" Keller asked Ronon, as he strolled into the infirmary, his arm bleeding. "Actually," was the response, "This time I fell in the shower." "Oh, really?" "No. Sparring accident.")- though she barely noticed. She was too pleased about her invitation being accepted. Still grinning, she hit send.

She and Billy had kept in contact via email for the last decade. Sure it wasn't the ideal arrangement, but at least Billy hadn't vanished without a trace. Though Rebecca didn't deny that she wished he'd chosen to show up a hell of a lot sooner... If only to save her from a few bad relationships. Although Billy had offered to have those guys "taken care of"- she had noticed, however, that he said the same about any boyfriend she'd mentioned.
But aside from that, Rebecca missed her sarcastic, yet noble partner terribly. And finally, after ten years, she was going to see him again.

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Posting chapter 1 in just a moment...