It had been a surprisingly quiet night for Doctor George Hamilton, the surgeon on-call at Raccoon General Hospital. All day he had been setting himself up for a busy shift and yet it had been almost four hours and not a single patient came requiring his expertise. Normally George would consider this to be a blessing as it would give him a chance to catch up on his reading or even get some shut-eye. However, tonight things were different. His books no longer interested him and his mind was too busy with thoughts and would not let him drift off to sleep.

He sat in the staff room on the third floor of the hospital looking out the window at the view of the Arklay Mountains. In his hand he held his wedding band, slowly twisting it in his fingers. The divorce had been finalized about a month ago but he had only just removed the ring. He had kept himself busy since his family fell apart as it was too painful to think about his wife taking the kids to New York. They had already moved, making George feel as though he would never see them again. This unwanted downtime forced him to think about all that he had lost and it was tough to contemplate. He clenched his hand into a fist and squeezed the ring tight, looking out at the view for some type of distraction.

In the foreground was a standard view of Raccoon City. No interesting landmarks stood out; the former art museum that was now the police precinct, the clock tower and city hall were in other directions. All that could be seen from this viewpoint were several small businesses, billboards advertising products by the Umbrella Corporation and quiet, empty streets. The blandness that he looked at made him feel empty, emptier than he already felt. To George, no matter where he looked there was nothing that could help ease his inner turmoil. Raccoon City, while big considering its origins as a small mountainous hamlet, was by no means a bustling metropolis. Nothing ever happened here. Nothing was exciting. Everything was just bland and average.

That was the kind of life George used to have and he had loved it. But now since his family had left he craved something new and exciting to take his mind off the pain of losing them. He considered moving but he had no money, not anymore. No matter how he looked at his situation he felt hopelessly lost. He desperately desired something new.

On Main Street a large commercial van turned a corner, driving at quite considerable speeds. There were no other cars on the road or pedestrians on the streets due to the late hour so the van was driving unaccompanied. It rushed past closed shops, restaurants and residences, sending stray items of litter flying up into the air.

The van turned a corner without slowing down and began driving deep into town. As it got closer to the city centre it passed a handful of vehicles but did not run into any trouble. Most other motorists knew not to challenge a van going at that speed. The driver of the van knew where he needed to be and was wasting no time getting there. It finally turned a corner and began driving up to Raccoon General Hospital.

George saw the van turn the corner, its high speed attracting his attention. He watched as it sped toward the hospital.

About one hundred yards from the accident and emergency entrance the driver slammed on the breaks and the van did a 180 degree turn as it continued going forward. It came to a halt with the rear doors facing the entrance.

With the engine still running, the driver and a passenger stepped out of the vehicle. They were wearing white hazardous materials suits. They walked quickly to the back of the vehicle and opened its rear doors. Both then climbed inside and disappeared from George's sight for a moment. He craned his neck to see what was going on. When they returned to view they had a man with them. He seemed in bad shape with a bag over his head, restraints on his wrists that were tied behind his back and blood all over his clothes.

George got to his feet and immediately left the staff room, calling for assistance.

Standing inside the van the driver and the passenger exchanged glances. In unison the driver pulled the hood off the man's head while the passenger released the restraints and kicked him out. The man fell onto the concrete, smashing his head with such force there was a loud and sickly cracking sound. His head was bleeding heavily.

The driver and passenger then stepped down, closed the doors and returned to the front of the van where they drove away, leaving the man lying alone on the ground. A hospital security camera watched him as he tried to move. He twitched slightly as he lifted his arm up but let out a loud, painful moan as he did so. He stopped moving and let his arm fall limply on the ground.

George and his medical team of six people emerged from the hospital entrance and immediately went to the man's aid. After a quick examination they lifted him onto a gurney and rushed him inside. George began voicing initial diagnostics with the nurses who were checking their new patient for vital signs. He was a Caucasian male in his mid to late thirties. He had no wallet, cell phone or any form of identification: his only possessions were the blood stained clothes that he was wearing. As a nurse tried to examine the bleeding on his head, she made a horrific discovery: his skull was coming apart. Parts of his brain could be seen. The man was still breathing, although it was slightly laboured. He was making moaning sounds and appeared to be in quite a lot of pain. George ordered for him to be transferred to an operating room immediately to be sedated. George told one of his team to contact the police to see if they could track the white van before he ran ahead to get properly attired for surgery.

This was it, George thought as he pulled on his scrubs. Finally something had come along to take his mind off his family. The most important thing to him now was taking care of his patient, nothing else mattered. As he started washing his hands he felt thankful that someone had literally been dropped on his doorstep.

Inside the operating room the patient was moved to the operating table and connected to a heart rate monitor. His heartbeat was erratic. He was injected with an anaesthetic as the nurses tried to stabilise his condition. Other shots were prepared and promptly administered by one member of the medical team. Almost immediately after he received the last injection the patient let out a loud scream and began to seize on the table. His spasms were quite violent so the team tried to hold him down. He was so strong that it took four of the six people to hold him down properly. The patient's eyes were wild. His mouth opened as he screamed. His jaw was wider than anyone had ever seen before. Then came the sound of cracking and tearing and he stopped seizing.

The beats per minute on the heart rate monitor dropped to zero. The long tone of a flat line filled the room.

A defibrillator was charged up and brought around. One member of the medical team ran out of the room to hurry up Doctor Hamilton. The man's shirt was ripped open as the rest of the team prepared to place the paddles. A nurse noticed that there were several needle marks all over his bloody and bruised body. His skin colour was darkening, turning into the colour of muscle. There was no time to ponder these sudden changes, so they placed the paddles on his chest.

With the first charge they delivered the patient let out a scream unlike any of them had ever heard before. Several people recoiled in shock as he lurched upward and to the side, falling off the table. He swung his hand out and knocked several people aside. A nurse put his hand to his face as he felt sharp pain. He checked his hand and saw blood. There were two deep gashes on the side of his face.

Everyone looked at the writhing figure on the floor. He had his hands on the floor and was arching his back upward. His limbs were trembling and the tearing sound could be heard again. His hands were beginning to change before their very eyes into what looked like sharp, dark claws. His body grew slightly, tearing the clothes so that they fell away. Fragments of his skull began falling away, completely exposing his brain. His jaw opened and a tongue longer than his forearm came out, twisting and bending in the air.

One of the nurses who saw it let out a terrified scream. The patient took one look at her and leapt forward through the air at her.

As George hurried through the corridor toward the operating room he stopped as he heard the racket inside. The sound of terrified screams mixed with crashes, bangs and the cries of agony filled the corridor. He ran over to see what was happening. As he was about to open the operating room door, blood splattered on one of the small viewing windows.

George stood a few steps back, trembling. He stayed there for a moment, hearing the sounds that were coming from inside. He gingerly went forward and looked through the other window. He saw people lying on the ground, dismembered limbs and eviscerated organs splattered around the room as people screamed and yelled. Blood was everywhere. George then saw a flash of a creature, a monstrosity that he had never seen before in his life. With that, he turned on his heel and ran down the corridor as fast as he could, running away from the monster and the screams of horror that continued to emanate from the operating room.

Quarantine Alpha

The loud, rhythmic creaking of the bed suddenly ceased and Jill Valentine lay back, letting out a long sigh with a sly smile. The twenty-six year old woman looked over at her partner, a thirty-year-old Umbrella pharmacist named Peter Walker. They were both covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Jill ran her hand through her long brown hair and let out a laugh.

"There's no way my neighbours didn't hear that."

"You live in an apartment complex," Peter said. "Surely worse sounds can be heard."

"You'd think so, but no. The people to my right are a retired couple and the person to my left is an overweight single woman. I hear nothing but the sounds of game show reruns on their TVs."

"You're living in a desirable residential area, that's for sure," Peter joked, rolling on his side to face Jill. She did the same. She had a well-defined, athletic body. Peter's was a little chubby in comparison. The two leant forward and kissed each other tenderly. Jill began to grin in the middle of the kiss and Peter pulled away. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," she said, still smiling. "It's just that I don't usually do… you know… this."

Peter shrugged. "What's it like?"

"It's nice," she grinned.

"Just nice?" Peter said light-heartedly as Jill turned over. He went close to her and wrapped his arms around her body. "Well I guess I need to come here more often then."

"Well how about after the festival?" Jill suggested. "That is if we're still going?"

"Why wouldn't we?" He kissed her shoulder. Jill smiled, turned to face him again and proceeded to kiss him passionately.

They kissed each other for a little longer before Jill pulled away, letting out a small yawn.

"Tired?" Peter asked.

"I've had a busy evening," Jill chuckled.

"Well we can go to sleep if you'd like. Or I could leave if you want."

"I want you to stay," Jill said, placing her finger on his lips. The two smiled at each other.

The tender moment was interrupted when her phone started ringing. Jill let out a groan of irritation as she reluctantly turned over and reached for her phone on the nightstand, checking the caller ID. She then promptly sat up, shooting Peter an apologetic look before answering the call.

"Hey Chris."

"Hey Jill," said Chris Redfield. "Sorry to call you so late."

"Well I know you wouldn't call me unless it was important." She said this mostly for Peter's benefit as she felt incredibly rude for answering the phone. "What's up?"

"Wesker wants us down at Raccoon General right now. Something's going down over there."

"Right now?" Jill repeated. "What's the sitch?"

"I dunno. I'm heading that way now so I'll probably find out in a few minutes. Barry's already there. He just said he wanted you and me there ASAP."

"Okay," Jill sighed dejectedly, running her hand through her hair. "I'm on my way." She disconnected the call and looked over at Peter who had a look of mock sadness on his face.

"I take it we're not gonna get to spoon anymore."

Jill let out a final grin as she stood up to get ready, placing her phone down next to her S.T.A.R.S. police badge.


RACCOON GENERAL HOSPITAL


Jill was now dressed neatly in her S.T.A.R.S. uniform consisting of dark blue assault pants, black boots, and a light blue form fitting shirt with dark blue shoulder armour and a blue beret on her head that had the S.T.A.R.S. logo of three yellow stars in the centre of a circle that had Raccoon Police Department imprinted in the centre. Her S.T.A.R.S. badge was clipped to her right shoulder pad and her long hair was tied into a practical ponytail that ended below her neck. She drove up to the hospital, stopping behind Chris' car, a midsized land rover. She stepped out of her dark blue Honda Civic and looked up at the hospital, resting her hand on her gun, a S.T.A.R.S. standard issue Beretta 92. It had been modified by a local gun shop to make if more powerful so it was now known as the Samurai Edge. The S.T.A.R.S. logo was present on the left-hand slide of the weapon and on the grip panels. Jill sighed as she looked at the sparse police vehicles that were dotted around the front of the hospital and went ahead, shivering slightly in the cold night air.

Inside the main accident and emergency ward she saw her teammates, Chris Redfield and Barry Burton. Chris was dressed in a green variant of the S.T.A.R.S. uniform with grey pants, black boots, a white undershirt and a green Kevlar vest with various pouches including a knife case on the left breast. Chris' hair was black and spiked. He was quite muscular in comparison to Barry who looked as though he had been putting on a few extra pounds lately. His attire was identical to Chris' except his vest was red and held a sophisticated holder for his .44 Colt Anaconda, a Magnum of incredible power. He had short, slicked back brown hair that was starting to go grey a little. Both men greeted Jill warmly as she stood with them, appearing rather short in comparison to them.

Jill looked around the waiting room to try and get a sense of what was going on. At first glance she could not see anything out of the ordinary. Patients were sat in chairs waiting to be seen to, filling out forms with the red and white logo of the Umbrella Corporation as the page header. Nurses were moving around, attending their business as they would normally do. Everything seemed standard and the presence of S.T.A.R.S. was quite out of place.

"So what are we doing here?" Jill asked, sliding her hands into her back pockets. "It doesn't look like we're needed."

"I dunno," Chris shrugged. "Wesker just told me to call you and get down here as soon as possible." He took another look at Jill. "Are you okay? You look exhausted."

"I was trying to get some sleep when you called," Jill folded her arms. "This had better be good."

"Something's going on upstairs I think," Barry theorised.

"You think it's a bomb or something?" Chris said in a hushed tone.

"No way," Jill shook her head. "If it was something like that they'd be evacuating right now and there'd be a few more cops around. Whatever it is it must be a contained situation."

"If it's contained then why are we here?"

"Whatever the reason I hope it doesn't take too long to sort out," said Barry. "I didn't have a chance to eat breakfast."

"Barry, it's the middle of the night," Jill pointed out.

"I know, but I'd still kill for a sandwich."

Jill smiled at Barry and then looked over his shoulder and saw team leader Albert Wesker emerge from around a corner. She nodded to the others, making them aware of his presence. Wesker was a tall man with neat short blonde hair. His eyes were obscured by sunglasses. His uniform was a dark blue undershirt and a black Kevlar vest with black pants and boots. He wore a small headset.

"Thank you all for coming," he said as he approached the three. His voice was very deep. "We have a situation upstairs that requires our expertise. Come this way."

Wesker led them out of the waiting room and through the hospital corridors. They walked by nurses who, when out of sight from the general public, looked nervous, almost afraid.

"About two hours ago an unknown male was admitted to this hospital," Wesker explained as they walked. "He was thrown from a van by two men who were wearing protective suits of some kind. He was in pretty bad shape and was covered head to foot in blood. They were preparing to operate on him when something happened, something horrific."

"What happened?" Chris asked.

"The exact details are a mystery," Wesker said, stopping by the elevator. He pushed the call button and turned to face them. "What we do know, however, is that everyone who was in that operating room is now dead."

"Dead?" Jill repeated, raising her eyebrows.

"Murdered," Wesker elaborated. "Killed in a manner that is, well, beyond gruesome. The surgeon on call, George Hamilton, was the only witness as he was about to enter the room when he saw what was happening. He fled and sealed off the entire area." The elevator doors opened and Wesker stepped inside with the other three following with only slight hesitation. "Push three," he told Barry. "Hamilton said that he did not know what he saw in there but he could say one thing: it wasn't human."

The elevator began to slowly head up.

"The police were called to investigate the van. When they arrived and Hamilton explained the situation, they called in backup and then they called me," Wesker continued. "I called you in because I think we may need some experienced people here to find out what we're dealing with."

"Well we're not that experienced at dealing with inhuman creatures," Chris joked. After seeing how no one was laughing he cleared his throat. "So we have no idea what it was that killed everyone?"

"No," Wesker said flatly as the elevator came to a halt. "As I said; the area was sealed off. All we have is testimony from the doctor who seems a little rattled."

The doors opened and the team stepped outside. In front of them was a long corridor with a set of double doors at the end. Two armed police officers were standing by it.

"Every entrance has an armed guard and this entire floor has been evacuated," Wesker said. "Ryman is taking a statement from the doctor just down there."

Wesker gestured to the right, down a shorter corridor. A man wearing scrubs was stood leaning against a wall. He was as white as a sheet. The policeman by his side looked sympathetic toward him, patting him on the back comfortingly.

"So what's the plan, Captain?" Chris asked.

"We need to take down whatever is in there."

"Why do you have to say it like that?" Chris asked. "Do you really believe that there's some… monster in there?"

"You've not heard what the doctor's been saying," Wesker said.

"Well you said it yourself," Chris continued. "The nurses took a man in there, a man who was in bad shape, how dangerous can he be?"

"He killed everyone in the operating room," Barry said. "If we're gonna unlock this secret we're gonna have to know what we're up against."

"He was described as inhuman: that's got to mean trouble," Jill agreed, ignoring Barry's awkward turn of phrase.

"Whatever we do we need to be careful," Wesker said. "Barry; do a perimeter check and make sure that this floor is secure. I don't want any nasty surprised while we're up here."

"Do we have a complete statement from Dr Hamilton?" Jill asked as Barry left to do his job.

"Not yet, he's been giving it to Ryman for the past half hour. Why don't you and Chris go see how he's doing? I'm going to check and check the security office and see if the cameras have picked up anything we can go on."

"What about…" Chris' sentence trailed off as he gestured toward the armed guards outside the double doors. "You know…"

"I don't think there's any immediate hurry to rush into a situation we know nothing about," Wesker said. "Whatever is through those doors is contained, for now. Let's learn what we can before we try and take it down."

With the plan set, Wesker and Barry went their separate ways, leaving Chris and Jill where they were. They exchanged nervous glances and Jill folded her arms tightly together.

"Please tell me you've got a bad feeling about this," she said.

"Oh yeah," Chris let out a single nervous laugh. "I don't know what to make out of this 'monster' theory tough." He looked over at the doctor and sighed. "Let's see what this poor guy has to say, anyway."

Chris and Jill went over Dr George Hamilton who was being interviewed by Officer Kevin Ryman. When Kevin saw the two approaching he immediately stood up straight and put on a serious, professional face, making Chris roll his eyes. It was no secret that Kevin was desperate to join S.T.A.R.S. however he continually failed the selection process so now every time any S.T.A.R.S. member was near he put on a façade of ultra-professionalism in order to increase his chances for next time. Somehow, Chris suspected that it would not make much more of an impact.

"Officers," Kevin nodded to them, sounding as authoritative as he could.

"Yo, dude," Chris said in response before turning to George. "Dr Hamilton? I'm Chris Redfield and this is Jill Valentine; we're with the Special Tactics and Rescue Service."

"How do you do…" George spoke softly, feebly.

"I know that you've probably been asked this question a hundred times tonight but would you mind telling us what happened?" George sighed and rubbed his fingers between his eyes before nodding.

"I saw someone get thrown out of a van. By the time I got down to help it had already driven off. We brought the man inside and it was clear he was in a bad way. The medical team were prepping him for surgery as I got my scrubs on. Just before I entered the operating room I heard the noises…" George hesitated for a moment.

"What kind of noises?" Chris asked.

"The sounds of my colleagues screaming," George elaborated. "I went to have a look and saw… blood, a lot of blood… and I saw him, the man, but he'd changed… He looked… I dunno. I just got the hell out of there, sealed the area and called the police. I didn't stand around and wait to get killed."

"You did the right thing," Jill said reassuringly. "But, tell me, what do you mean by 'he had changed?'"

"He looked different. I mean I only saw a brief flash but he didn't look as helpless as when we had found him. He had several skull fractures; his scalp was literally coming off when we brought him up here. That was when I last saw him, the next time it was just a flash like he was jumping by quickly."

"He's missing his skull and severely wounded yet he's able to overpower your medical team and leap through the air?" Chris sounded sceptical, which was understandable but he needn't be rude to George by making no attempt to hide it, Jill thought. "In your medical opinion, doctor, do you think it's possible for a man to do that in that condition?"

"Well it sure as hell wasn't anyone else!"

"Could you offer any other description of him after he had changed?" Jill asked hastily. George sighed.

"No. All I saw was a lot of blood. That's all. I can't tell you anymore! I've told you everything; all I saw was blood and all I heard was screaming and banging!"

There came a loud bang from down the hall. The two policemen guarding the double doors let out a brief cry of shock as something began hammering on the other side. The doors vibrated slightly as whatever was on the other side tried to get through. Drawing his weapon, one of the policemen went to the small window to see what it was. Chris, Jill, Kevin and George arrived at the corner at the end of the corridor to investigate what was going on. The banging stopped as the officer peered through the window.

"What was it?" asked the policeman who had taken a step back.

The other officer could see down the hall on the other side of the door and saw the operating room. The doors were open and blood was trickling out into the corridor. The lights were flickering heavily in the operating room and body parts could be seen.

"Well? Do you see anything?"

The officer turned to his partner, a grave look on his face, shaking his head.

The glass shattered as something sharp shot through it and into the side of the policeman's head, coming out cleanly through the other side. The policeman's gun fell from his hands as his partner fell back, screaming while Chris and Jill drew their weapons.

"Kevin, get the doctor out of here!" Chris ordered.

The flesh-coloured spear began to curve at the tip and the body of the dead officer was pulled back at such a speed it burst through the door. As the body was dislodged from the spear and rolled aside, everyone saw what had caused all the commotion.

With a lance-like tongue as long as it's body that curved in the air, the monster looked at the people that were stood before it. It was very muscular and its skin looked as though it had completely come off. Sharp claws were in the place of hands and feet and it crawled forward as a panther would when stalking its prey. There was no mouth, only sharp teeth. It opened its jaw and let out a long, wheezy breath. Its brain was visible.

The officer closest to it, trembling with fear, started running toward Chris and Jill, screaming for help. He blocked their field of fire so they were unable to help as the monster let out a cry and leapt forward toward him. It grabbed the back of the officer's neck, pulling him to the ground as it fell back down. The monster pushed his head to the ground and lifted it up again. The officer stared helplessly at the others.

"Please help me!" he pleaded.

The monster forced his face to the floor, slamming it down with great force. There was a loud crushing sound as his face caved in and his skull shattered, sending blood everywhere.

Jill was the first to open fire, screaming at Kevin to get George out of there. The monster let out another cry and leapt forward toward them. Chris and Jill split up, going in opposite directions while Kevin pulled George to the ground, rolling them both under the soaring beast.

The monster had its sights set on Jill and it began chasing after her as she ran down the corridor away from it. Chris went after them both, firing on the beast when he was sure he would not hit Jill. He was able to land one or two shots. The monster let out a cry and jumped onto the left wall and continued to leap after Jill sideways as easily as if it were moving on the ground. When Chris continued to shoot at it, the beast went onto the ceiling and still kept chasing her at great speed. Jill shouted at Chris to help her.

The monster stuck out its tongue in an attempted to spear Jill but she was able to dodge it. Instead the tongue knocked over a nearby gurney, sending it into Chris and knocking him off his feet.

Jill turned a corner and came up to a set of double doors. As she tried to get through them she found that they were locked, sealed from when the area had been locked down earlier. She turned around and saw the monster approaching her on the ceiling. It let out a low wheeze and stuck its tongue out slightly. Saliva dripped from its jaw and blood fell from its claws. It dropped to the floor and began stalking toward her. Jill glanced to her right and saw a window. She could reach it but she knew that she was too high up and would not survive the fall if she jumped. There was a door to the left a little way between her and the monster. She would not be able to reach it before the monster did.

Determined not to go down without a fight, Jill lifted her Samurai Edge and began firing at the beast. It let out a cry and leapt forward, its claw ready to strike. As it was in mid-air, the door to Jill's left opened just as it was soaring past it, knocking the monster askew slightly. Jill used the opportunity and kicked the disoriented monster as it neared her, sending it toward her right. It hit the window, shattering the glass and landing on the frame, half of it in the building and half of it outside teetering slightly. Jill looked to Barry, who had just opened the door and smiled at him in appreciation before realising how much it had hurt kicking the monster.

Chris and Kevin ran around the corner and took in the scene. Before anything could be said Kevin immediately lifted his gun and began firing at the disabled beast, causing Jill to back away. The monster let out a cry and fell outside, falling three stories to the ground. It landed with a great thud. As the S.T.A.R.S. members peered out the window, the creature let out a loud cry before getting back up, to the shock of everyone else. With sudden freedom, it scurried away from the hospital with great speed and faded away into the darkness. Everyone looked at each other.

"What in the hell was that?" Barry asked.


RACCOON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT


It was just after sunrise and Rebecca Chambers was parking her old yellow pickup truck into one of the free spaces just outside of the Raccoon City Police Department. After the engine was switched off she adjusted the rear-view mirror so that she could look at herself. She was a young, attractive girl with medium length brown hair that was slightly messy so she began to neaten it up. It was her first day so she wanted to do what she could to impress. Messy hair would surely work against her. However she was confident that the rest of her appearance was excellent. She wore a dark pant suit with a light pink blouse underneath as she had not been given her police uniform yet. When she was satisfied with her hair she winked at her reflection before pulling down the sun visor. There was a picture of her and an older man dressed in formal military attire, her Father. Rebecca kissed her hand and put it to the picture before flipping the visor away and stepping outside, grabbing her backpack on her way out.

The first thing she noticed when she shut her door was the size of the police station. It was enormous, much bigger than she had expected. She had been interviewed for her job in a smaller police station across town meaning she was not prepared for what stood proudly before her.

It was clear that the precinct used to be a building of grand design and opulence before it was used for police business. The length of it was incredible; it seemed to go on forever. The architecture was slightly gothic and no doubt looked rather daunting at night. Rebecca looked up to the sky and nervously smiled.

"Wish me luck?"

She walked around her car, out of the parking lot and made her way through the outer courtyard. There were small lanes of quite pleasant flowers that ran alongside a path that went around the building, making Rebecca relax slightly as she went ahead before stopping in front of the elaborate main doors. Swallowing her nerves, Rebecca went ahead and pushed open the doors, stepping into the main hall.

It seemed to be even larger on the inside.

The main hall was huge with a statue of a woman pouring water in the centre. On the floor was an emblem of the R.P.D. shining valiantly upward. It was very busy with men and women rushing around with seemingly very little time to spare. Behind the statue was a large station with many officers sat behind computers. They were talking to the public, answering calls, logging data and handing files over to other officers who then hurried away, leaving the main lobby through one of the many doors and into the heart of the station. Rebecca glanced up and saw that there was a second floor with a balcony that ran around the perimeter of the room, allowing people to look down at her.

Not that they did, of course. They were too busy.

There was another floor above the second by the looks of it and Rebecca let out a low whistle as she took in the gravity of the sights. Here she was; alone in a new, big city with everything to prove. She was determined not to go wrong so the first step forward she took was a firm one.

As she moved forward she walked straight into a policeman who was rushing by her. He stumbled and dropped all of the folders that he was carrying.

"God damn it!" he moaned, kneeling down to pick them up without even glancing at Rebecca.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" she said, bending down to help him. She looked at his name tag.

"Its fine," Officer Ford said irritably, shaking his head as he collected the nearest folders into one uneven pile.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated "Really, I am. It's my first day today and I wanted to keep the screw-ups at a minimum. Looks like I can't get in the building without messing up."

David Ford glanced up at Rebecca, looking at her for the first time.

"You're new?"

"Rebecca Chambers," she held out her hand, which she realised was full of papers so she quickly swapped it for the other one. "I'm the new medic for S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team."

"David Ford," the officer took Rebecca's free hand and gave it a firm handshake. He was surprised to find that her grip was quite rigid as well. He stood up straight as he held Rebecca's hand, helping her up. She thanked him, smiling and handing over the papers that she had helped him both drop and retrieve. "You look… quite youthful to be a member of S.T.A.R.S."

"I guess," Rebecca shrugged. "Still they hired me so they must have seen something in me that overlooks my age."

"Well I'm sure you're going to make a welcome addition to the team," David smiled. "As long as you watch where you're going, of course." He gave her a playful wink and stepped around her, continuing on his way. Rebecca smiled as she watched the ageing police officer walk on and wondered if she would still be working here at that age. Not allowing herself to get lost in thought she moved over to the reception desk.

Rebecca introduced herself to Officer Marvin Barnagh behind the desk, telling him that she was a new member of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team and providing her credentials as verification. After scanning through them, Marvin picked up the telephone and called her new boss, Enrico Marini. He handed her credentials back and told her to wait for a moment for Enrico to come downstairs to show her around. Rebecca thanked Marvin politely and took a few steps away from the desk so that he could attend to someone else.

Rebecca still could not get over the size of everything. She been in bigger buildings before in her life, she had attended Harvard University and some of those halls were enormous. However she was not at college for very long before she earned her degree in biochemistry and passing with flying colours. This place, this precinct felt more permanent, more stable. She could imagine getting used to coming in here every day.

Aimlessly ambling around the hall, Rebecca planned out a routine in her head that would hopefully soon be a customary part of her law enforcement career. She would walk in and grab some notices from Marvin at the front desk before heading to her desk somewhere deep inside the station. She would pass by David in the hall, exchanging some witty, friendly banter as she did so. She would comment on how they've not forced him into retirement yet and he would mention the sale that Wal-Mart is having on baby food. When she arrived at her work space all of her friends would announce her name fondly. The guy who had the crush on her, who Rebecca only considered to be a good friend, would bring her coffee and her tough but fair boss would berate her slightly for being late even though she was ten minutes early, making him slightly less fair. Then a case would come up and Rebecca would go to work with her slightly older, more experienced and ruggedly good looking partner. There would be sexual tension but nothing as much as a hug would be shared by them as they wanted to preserve their friendship, that is until that criminal, who got lucky, got the better of them after a few years on the force, kidnap them and hold them hostage, forcing the two to declare their feelings for each other, reaching in to kiss before they are interrupted by their comrades who turned up to rescue them. Rebecca was fond of this idea of a slightly clichéd, fantastical working environment and hoped that it would turn out that way.

She shook herself free from her musings and found herself in front of the statue that stood before the entrance of the main hall. She decided to concentrate on it to avoid drifting off into fantasy land again. Rebecca found herself admiring the pristine craftsmanship: it had clearly been made with great care and attention. She wondered what it symbolised. Perhaps a woman pouring water symbolised that the very essence, the life and blood of Raccoon City flowed within the police station. Maybe the tiny droplets of water symbolised the police officers who were chosen by God to serve and protect the city. Or maybe it was meaningless and just looked cool.

"You seem deep in thought," said Enrico Marini, suddenly appearing beside Rebecca, making her jump. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," Rebecca waved her hand hastily in dismissal and letting out a chuckle. "I was just looking at this interesting statue."

"Yes," Enrico glanced at the statue. "This one does provoke much discussion around the station. Most people think it's Chief Irons' way of showing everyone he's got more money than taste, but let's keep that between us." Rebecca chuckled again. She and Enrico had met before, during her interview in the other police station across town. They got on quite well and he obviously thought highly of her since he offered her the job a few days later, despite her young age. "You're right on time, that's a good start."

"Thank you," Rebecca said as she and Enrico started walking across the hall. He had long dark hair that parted in the middle and a thin moustache. He was tall and olive-skinned with a deep, comforting voice. He wore a light brown variant of the S.T.A.R.S. uniform. Rebecca felt relaxed in his presence.

"It's great to have you here, Rebecca. One of our guys recently transferred to Alpha team so we've been a man down for quite some time."

"I'm glad that I have a definite place," Rebecca said. "I wouldn't want to just be some annoying tagalong."

"On the contrary, we've been eagerly waiting for you. However the nature of our work is quite fast paced as you know so I'm just going to give you a quick run-down on everything just to make sure we're all square." Enrico opened a door, allowing Rebecca to go through first. They entered a busy corridor with many people, police and civilians, occupying the space. People were taking statements, getting drinks from vending machines or waiting around for some reason or another. Posters that displayed safe driving campaigns, health advice from Umbrella and advertisements for the police force decorated the otherwise bland walls.

"S.T.A.R.S. is an elite special forces division unique to Raccoon City. We get applications from all over the world so to say that you got the job over so many others is very high praise in itself, so you should be proud of yourself."

"Thank you, sir."

"Mayor Warren set S.T.A.R.S. up two years ago after the bombing at the city's annual Umbrella Appreciation Festival. With funding from the Umbrella Corporation and support from Chief Irons, S.T.A.R.S. was created by handpicking several highly accomplished former military personnel to combat terrorism and serious crime in Raccoon City."

"Is terrorism that much of an issue here?" Rebecca asked. "This city seems so… remote."

"Unfortunately it is," Enrico sighed. "Since our city was effectively built by the Umbrella Corporation, our prosperity is linked with them. We share all the good times with Umbrella and consequently all the bad. There are many groups that dislike Umbrella and there are others who disapprove of the idea of private firms becoming involved with state affairs so we are a target from a whole range of anti-establishment nut-jobs. Most of the hassle the city experiences are because people are trying to hurt the Umbrella Corporation. Because we are such a remote location, we don't have access to support as, say, a larger town near other major population centres. Raccoon City isn't as safe as you'd think."

"Well it's safer than most places," Rebecca said. "Because we're here." Enrico smiled and stopped at a set of double doors in the hallway labelled 'Staff Only'. He took her through into a large office. It was filled with detectives writing reports, making calls and performing interviews. They continued to walk and talk.

"I like your attitude," Enrico said. "It is true that levels of terrorism have dropped significantly in the city over the past few years thanks to us. We're so successful that other cities are in the planning stages of forming their own version of S.T.A.R.S., with Umbrella's support of course. S.T.A.R.S. is their baby, I guess. I'm sorry to have to go over all if this with you; I realise that you know most of what I am saying already and I don't want to sound patronising but I just want to make sure you know what the game is before you meet Chief Irons."

"You're taking her to Irons?" a young detective asked, glancing away from her computer screen. She looked Rebecca up and down and let out a whistle. "Damn, girl. Good luck!" Rebecca frowned at the detective as Enrico guided her through a door at the other side of the office, moving toward the fire escape.

"What did she mean by that?" Rebecca asked as she and Enrico stepped outside. He sighed and stopped for a moment.

"Chief Irons is known to be a little… quirky. Most of what people say is just old rumours and stories: the same you'd get in any workplace that has a tough boss. He is a slave driver and he'll make you work for your money."

"That's fine by me. I don't want to coast along here. I've got a job to do and I intend on doing it well."

"Excellent," Enrico started walking up the metal stairs to the second floor. "Still, don't let your guard down around Irons. He is somewhat of a sucker for the pretty ladies." Rebecca blushed slightly as she continued to follow Enrico. "You won't be dealing with him much anyway. I'm your immediate superior and you'll be working with me and the rest of Bravo team on most assignments. The team leader for S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team is a guy called Wesker and he's also the captain for the entire S.T.A.R.S. unit. He's a little anti-social but he's a good guy. He and Alpha currently involved in a case right now so you can meet him and the rest of the team later on."

Now on the second floor, Enrico and Rebecca went into a wooden corridor adorned with many exquisite paintings. As Enrico led her forward, he whispered in her ear "Irons likes his art a little too much. Whatever you do, don't touch anything you see that looks remotely arty." Going through another door and then one immediately after that, the two arrived in a small waiting room. A young woman slightly older than Rebecca was sat behind a desk. She smiled at the two as they entered.

"Would you let Chief Irons know that we're ready when he is, please?" The assistant picked up the phone and Rebecca noticed that she had incredibly large breasts.

"So what kind of cases do you guys work on?" Rebecca asked.

"Well right now Wesker's guys are looking into this incident at Raccoon General, no real details though. We don't usually work together on assignments unless they're big ones like counter-terrorism campaigns. In a typical week though we follow up leads on potential terrorist activity, help with search and rescue with missing people in the Arklay Mountains, provide tactical support for the SWAT team… all of it is standard fare for us. We're like Special Forces mixed with detective inspectors."

"That sounds… daunting." The relaxed feeling Rebecca had built up since she met Enrico started to wane slightly.

"Don't worry," Enrico chuckled. "There's no way I'm sending you out until I've got you properly trained." Rebecca smiled. The receptionist put the phone down and told them that Irons was ready for them.

Enrico led Rebecca out of the waiting room and down a narrow corridor toward the Chief's office. Stopping just short of the door, Enrico told her not to be nervous and knocked on the metal plate that read 'Brian Irons'.

"Come."

Enrico and Rebecca went inside and Brian Irons stood up from his desk, opening his arms welcomingly. His office, however, appeared to be not as welcoming as Irons was. There were stuffed animals all over the room, a moose head, an eagle, and a bear to name but a few. Everything was made of wood except for his chair, which was made of leather, real leather Rebecca assumed. Inside the cabinets were trophies, academic certificates and other various trinkets including what appeared to be some unusual medical-looking instruments that appeared to have been made in the eighteenth century. Rebecca noticed a diploma in one of the cabinets that indicated that Irons had attended Harvard just as she had, highlighting at least one thing that the two had in common. Rebecca never really cared for taxidermy; it made her feel weird.

Irons himself was a tall slightly portly man. He had receding brown hair and a thick moustache. He wore expensive dark pants, a white shirt with the top button undone and a red tie with a dark waistcoat on top of it all.

"Please take a seat, both of you. It is wonderful to finally meet you, Ms Chambers."

"It's a pleasure, sir."

Rebecca and Enrico took their seats with Irons still standing. He rested his hands on the side of his desk, leaning over to them. There was nothing but silence for a moment and as a result Rebecca felt incredibly uncomfortable as Irons stared at her. She was not quite sure what he was staring at but judging by his secretary outside, she supposed that he was not admiring the colour of her eyes.

"You have a lovely precinct," Rebecca said, breaking the silence. Irons held up his finger.

"Ms Chambers like many workplace institutions the Raccoon City Police Department has an established hierarchy. It is the existence of a hierarchy that makes the jobs we all do possible as people know exactly what to do and what their place is. Do you understand?"

"I think so." Irons lowered his hand.

"You are very young; anyone can tell that by simply looking at your delicate features. Due to your youth I will make exceptions for your slight ignorance of the importance of appropriate conduct in this environment. I will not, however, make these exceptions forever. You are new here and as such you are at the bottom of the hierarchy, not even a police officer. You will need to learn new rules and procedures quickly if you wish to survive here, one of the most important being you should know that you should speak only when spoken to. Do you understand?"

"I do," Rebecca said flatly. "May I say something?"

"Certainly," Irons said with a creepy smile. "You're a quick learner, I like that. We are blessed to have such an intelligent woman in our ranks who is also quite beautiful."

Rebecca chose to ignore that comment.

"Well sir, with respect, I'm not a police officer. That wasn't the job I've been hired for. I've been hired to fill in for the position of rear security along with being a medic for the Bravo team of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service, the elite division that you yourself helped form to combat threats of such magnitude that they could not be dealt with by the regular police. I was chosen because of my unique expertise, specifically in biochemistry where I have a degree in the field, which will prove useful in special cases."

"I am aware of why you are here, Ms Chambers. Who do you think signed the approval forms to get you to join the S.T.A.R.S. family?" Irons spoke in a patronising tone. "I don't think you're appreciating your position within the organisation. Your place is substantially low so don't get any ideas that are above your station. Your job is to provide support. While 'medic' is your official title, I think you'll find most of the S.T.A.R.S. members are quite proficient in the art of first-aid so that will not be required too often. You're role in S.T.A.R.S. is purely one of support because I think that your knowledge in biochemistry would be unnecessary in most counter-terror operations."

"Not true sir, if I may…" Irons made a vague gesture meaning that it was alright for her to speak. "Given this town's unique relationship with the Umbrella Corporation, my knowledge could prove invaluable if a terrorist were to, for instance, steal chemicals or prototype drugs or substances from the company with the intent to harm. Also, Raccoon City's close proximity to the Arklay Mountains, which is famed for its multitudes of flora that can have dramatically different effects when exposed to the human body, would mean that a terrorist may, for example, attempt to use the local vegetation to poison the water supply. With my knowledge, appropriate action could be taken quickly during a situation where time is imperative. There is good reason for my being here, sir, otherwise your judgement would no doubt come under question as to why you hired me in the first place."

"You talk a big game, Ms Chambers, but ultimately talk is as meaningless as the degree you purchased from night school. What matters is action, the choices and decisions that you make. I chose to hire you because in this day and age scientific knowledge is apparently just as damaging as terror campaigns with explosives and conventional weaponry: so we need scientists to fight back with our counter-terror agents if we want to keep up. I have to say that the only reason I chose you is not because you had better qualifications than any of the other applicants but because you are much more pleasant on the eye than most of the chemists who applied."

Rebecca stood up from her chair with sudden ferociousness.

"Choices are important, sir. You've already chosen not to take me seriously. It's clear that you've decided that I am little more than some young airhead with very little value and no respectable place in your station. Well obviously I do have a place or I wouldn't already have got the job, which I got not for being hotter than the other applicants but by graduating from Harvard University, the same school you went to according to the diploma in the cabinet over there. If you don't like me, that's fine, but don't you dare judge me when I've only just walked through the door and when you yourself hired me. If you didn't want me then that was poor judgement on your part so don't take out your incompetence on me when all I want it to do is work and do a damned good job."

Irons moved around his desk and went right up close to Rebecca, staring menacingly at her. She forced herself to defiantly stand her ground, even though every part of her wanted to back away. Enrico got to his feet as Irons started to speak.

"I can see I'm going to have some fun with you," he hissed at her. Rebecca stood her ground, staring straight back at him. Enrico took her hand and cleared his throat. Irons' glance suddenly snapped over to him. "Yes, Enrico?" His tone suddenly changed to a pleasant, happier one.

"I was just going to say that since you two are now acquainted, maybe it'd be time for us to get to work?"

"Yes, yes, by all means!" Irons turned and went back to his chair. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms Chambers. I am sure you're going to succeed famously here at the R.P.D."

Rebecca remained silent as Enrico escorted her from the room, leaving Irons sitting alone in his chair, putting his hands together and smiling.

They walked quickly away from his office and down through the corridor.

"I can't imagine anyone talking to their boss like that on their first day," Enrico chuckled as they went past the door to the waiting room.

"What the hell was all that?" Rebecca tore her hand from Enrico's. His face fell.

"That's Irons," he sighed. "You probably won't ever have to deal with him again, that pleasure belongs to me and Wesker, thankfully mostly Wesker."

"But he was so rude and…" Rebecca was lost for words. "He was just so horrible!"

"That's Chief Brian Irons. Raccoon City is his city, or so he believes. He's a bit eccentric…"

"He's a psychopath!"

"But he's still our boss," Enrico continued. "And he hired you. No matter why you're here you're here because of him so he's obviously not that crazy."

"Did he hire me as the newest bimbo of the month?" Rebecca asked. "I have put so much on the line for this job. I've uprooted myself and moved from the only home I've ever had to come here, to a city hardly anyone on the planet has even heard of. I've brought a house, new furniture and am a new life. My whole life is contingent on this job and if I'm only here to be like one of his new statues that he'll get bored of in a week and then fire me then I am totally screwed!"

"Settle down!" Enrico gripped her shoulders. He gave Rebecca a little shake to snap her out of her pessimistic fears. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As she calmed down, Enrico smiled warmly. "Your role here is secure for as long as you perform to expectations and considering how you graduated from Harvard I would have thought that you would be smart enough to realise that you are fully capable of doing so. Now then should we get you set up? You'll feel much more confident when you put your uniform on and get started with training."

Enrico took Rebecca to the equipment room, down the fire escape and through a door near the offices that led to the entrance to the basement. Rebecca was quiet as she went down the stairs and through the underground corridor past the generator, armoury and vehicle bay. Near the armoury was the S.T.A.R.S. equipment room, a small room with a handful of tall lockers. This was where Rebecca could get changed into her uniform. Her mind kept thinking about Brian Irons as she approached the equipment room with Enrico. What was the deal with that man? Something definitely did not seem right with him. She prayed that she would never cross paths with him again.

Enrico showed Rebecca to the equipment room, pointing out which one was her locker. She glanced at all the lockers that belonged to the other S.T.A.R.S. members before seeing her own, near the door.

"You'll meet them all later," Enrico chuckled, watching Rebecca scan the other lockers. He handed her the key for her own locker. "Get dressed and meet me at the firing range; two doors down, you can't miss it. I can't wait to see you try out the Samurai Edge!" He then left, leaving her on her own to change.

Rebecca attached her new key to her modest key ring, joining her car key and apartment key. She opened her locker and saw her uniform. It was hung up and wrapped in cellophane, brand new. She let out a breath as she looked at it, staring at the boots, trousers and pants slightly morosely. It all looked rather bland. She had been so excited about this job for ages but now after a few minutes with Brian Irons, things that she had been fondly looking forward to now appeared slightly disappointing. The fantastical view of what life with the R.P.D. had been shattered before she had even started. Rebecca closed the locker door and rested her back against it, letting out another breath as she thought about Irons. She slid to the ground and ran her hands over her face and through her hair.

She let out a faint sob and began crying quietly.


A few floors up on the opposite side of the building there was a large office that was unique to the Raccoon City Police Department. It was more spacious than many of the other offices and was equipped with the resources that would usually be available to a small army, not a police force. State of the art communication technology, top of the line computers and highly sophisticated weapons all furnished the inner sanctum that belonged to the members of S.T.A.R.S. There was also a small refrigerator tucked away near the fax machine.

The S.T.A.R.S. office was long and rectangular in shape with a desk at each end belonging to the team leaders. Wesker's was to the left and Enrico's was to the right forming the Alpha and Bravo side of the office. Spreading out from the leader's desks were the workspaces that belonged to the other team members. These spaces were decorated with various personal trinkets of the people that occupied them. Barry's had replicas of his Colt Anaconda intermingling with a computer screen and office supplies while Chris had a picture of him and his family, taken when he was very young. Jill's desk was remarkably bare.

Wesker was leaning against his desk, facing everyone else with his arms folded. His desk comprised of neatly stacked files and nothing more. Behind his desk was a large flag with the S.T.A.R.S. logo on it that occupied most of the back wall. There was a small photograph that featured eleven members of the S.T.A.R.S. team posing in front of a helicopter. With Rebecca Chambers' recent hire, that photograph was now out of date.

Every member of Alpha team was in the office, including Brad Vickers and Joseph Frost who had not been present at the hospital. Forest Speyer and Richard Aiken, from Bravo team, were there as well however they were busy with their own work and did not participate in Alpha's discussion about the events that had occurred at the hospital a few hours earlier.

However that did not stop them from listening in.

"It was freaky, guys," Chris told Joseph and Brad, the latter of the two looking slightly queasy. "I mean this thing looked as if it was inside out or something. I've never seen anything like it before in my life. You should have been there."

"It's not as if we were intentionally skipping out on work," Joseph said. "I mean: it's hard to get somewhere when you don't know the location or the time you're supposed to be there… and when you didn't even receive a call." His statement was directed at Wesker who said nothing in response.

"You can speak for yourself," Brad sighed. "I'm glad I didn't get put through all of that. Blood and guts aren't really my thing and from the sounds of things there was a lot of that."

"You're good at running away though," Jill said offhandedly. "We did a lot of that. There's a skill that would have come in useful."

"If I were there; I'd have taken the bogeyman down in one shot," Forest said from across the room, imitating firing a gun with his fingers. "That's why you need a sharpshooter like me on your team, Captain Wesker. I'd be there and pop your hostile right between the eyes before Brad gets a chance to scream and piss himself."

"Hey!" Brad protested.

"Oh lighten up, Vickers," Forest said. "You didn't need to be there to know you would have got scared." Wesker then spoke up.

"If you were there, Forest, you'd realise that is not something to joke about. You'd appreciate the fact that seven people are dead, two of them cops who died in front of our own eyes. Now unless you want to contribute something useful shut the hell up before you find yourself having to look for someplace else to work." Wesker's scalding silenced Forest and made the atmosphere of the room considerably dense. Wesker cleared his throat and looked to Chris, Jill and Barry. "Have the search teams found it yet?"

"No," Jill sighed. "We thought as the sun came up it would be easier to spot but maybe it's just afraid of sunlight or something. I dunno. We've not had any civilian reports of anything matching the monster's description so I'm assuming it's gone. It could be anywhere; an old building, underground in the sewer or it could have even made it to the mountains by now. Who can say?"

"It's probably in the sewers," Chris said. "That thing is something that no one would forget seeing easily. It must be underground because otherwise it would have been spotted."

"That means it could be anywhere by now," Joseph sighed dejectedly. "That'll make the search next to impossible."

"I'm not going into the sewer!" Barry said firmly.

"I don't relish the idea of sending anyone into a confined environment with that thing," Wesker said reassuringly. "Currently we have very few options."

"Did you manage to find anything on the hospital's security tapes?" Chris asked. "If we found out where it came from maybe we could…"

"You're wasting your breath," Wesker held up his hand. "Would you believe me if I said that they had no tapes because they don't have the facilities to record anything?"

"You're joking," Jill said.

"Amateurs…" Barry muttered.

"How the hell are we supposed to deal with this if we don't know where it came from?" Chris asked. "We've got to be able to trace it somehow. I mean it's not as if monster sightings are a regular occurrence in Raccoon City."

"I've got a question," Brad said suddenly. "When are we going to give him a name?"

"Give who a name?" Chris asked glancing around the room for a moment. "You mean the monster?"

"He's a person," Brad said. "He's an unidentified person, yes, but still a person."

"He was a person," Jill said. "'Was' being the operative word, here. We have no idea who he is, what he's like or where he lives or works. He's just someone who was thrown from the back of a van, a van we can't trace. In the simplest of terms, from what we can gather, a patient entered that operating room and a monster came out after transforming somehow. He was a person but after doing what he did to those people; it's safe to say he's far from human."

"You guys know how ridiculous this sounds, right?" Forest looked up at them from his work. "I'm not trying to sound like a smartass, but it does sound absurd. Listen to what you're saying! We've got a shape shifting demon prowling the streets with claws as sharp as a knife's edge and a tongue as long as a limousine. I mean… no creature like that exists! It's impossible. This whole thing is impossible."

"You watch it kill some cops with its tongue and then say it's impossible," Barry said.

"If it kills with its tongue then why don't you call it a 'Licker'?"

There was silence for a moment with everyone immobile. Forest looked slightly surprised at them.

"I wasn't being serious."

"We need to find this Licker before it does any more harm," Wesker said. "The Umbrella festival is tonight and Murphy's Law means that that will be the time it decides to make an appearance."

Jill's cell phone started to vibrate on her desk. She lifted it up and saw that it was Peter calling. She sighed and slid it into her pocket.

"I need to report to Irons about this latest development so that we can justify beefing up security for the festival. All of you cancel your evening plans; no one has a social life until this monster is incapacitated. The best way that we can do this is to come at the problem from all angles. Brad; you seem to have empathy for this monstrosity; see if you can't find out the identity of Hyde's Jekyll. Find the man underneath the monster. Jill, Barry, I want you two to brief the other departments about this creature and impress the importance of how extreme caution must be taken. Joseph, see if you can trace the van's route using footage from security cameras all over the city. If you work from the hospital backward you may get lucky. Chris; research the Licker. See if you can find any creature in the animal kingdom that is remotely like it to see if we can find some defence against it."

Wesker paused for a moment, stepping away from his desk.

"I'll organise extra security for the festival with Irons. Are there any questions?"

There were none.

"Good. Let's get to work people."

Wesker, Brad and Joseph left all at once. Jill remained seated as Barry began planning what to do in his head. Jill remembered that her phone rang earlier and she went into her pocket to retrieve it. She saw that she had one missed call and a text message, both from Peter. Jill felt slightly disappointed but at the same time rather relieved as she read Peter's message written in crude SMS language. The message read that a problem had come up at work and that he would have to cancel going to the festival with her tonight.

Jill was disappointed that he had cancelled. What kind of pharmacological emergency could there be to warrant him cancelling his evening plans? Whatever his reasons were however, Jill realised that she would have probably ended up cancelling on him anyway if he had not beaten her to it. It was doubtful this mess would be wrapped up before the festival later on. She sent a reply message saying that it was okay and that something had come up at work for her, too. She sent her message with perfect spelling and grammar.

Putting her phone away in a desk drawer she tapped her fingers on the top of the table for a moment, contemplating how she would go about carrying out Wesker's instructions. As Barry was still collecting his thoughts, she looked to Chris who looked confused.

"What's your plan for finding out about this thing, then?"

"I've got no idea," he sighed, rubbing his eyes. He glanced over to Forest and Richard who were still working hard. "What are you guys working on?"

"A former marine is being transferred through Raccoon City in a few months on the way to death row," Richard explained. "We're working out routes so that the transition can be as smooth as possible."

"You asking for help?" Forest smiled cheekily. "It's okay if you are, Redfield. I am your superior in every possible way."

"I wouldn't ask you to piss on me if I was on fire," Chris joked. Forest laughed, sitting back in his chair. He looked to Richard to share in the laugh but he had his head down and was not paying attention. Forest sighed and looked back to Chris and Jill, the latter of the two getting up and shaking her head.

"In all seriousness though," Forest said, "the new hire that we got is some hot savant teenager they plucked straight from college. Her field's in biochemistry I think. She could be the girl to go to if you want to find out where your Licker came from."

Chris smiled at Forest and thanked him in his own unique way.

"Trust you to know potentially case solving information about the hot teenage hire."

"Hey she's eighteen and there's nothing wrong with that! I expect royalties every time you use the phrase 'Licker', on a side note. I need some money to wine and dine her."

Jill opened the door, letting Barry leave first.

"You're a pig," she said light-heartedly to Forest as she left.

"You've got my number, Valentine!" Forest shouted after her before looking back to Chris. "Anyway Enrico told me that he was gonna see how she was with a gun before bringing her up here to sign some stuff and get started with real work. If you want to see how much she knows about the Licker then she'll be in the basement."

"Thanks, man. I owe you." Chris got to his feet and went for the door before stopping and turning to Forest. "You know that you won't get royalties every time you say 'Licker', right?"

"You just said it then, my man," Forest grinned. "Pay up."

Chris chuckled and left without saying another word leaving Forest and Richard alone. He looked to Richard.

"He didn't pay me. Can you believe that?"

"Forest you're a moron," Richard said, standing up to collect something from the printer.


ARKLAY MOUNTAINS


The Arklay Mountains on the outskirts of Raccoon City was an enormous mountain range that was densely covered in thick vegetation. Tall hardwood pine trees made the ranges look bigger and taller, giving the area a grand, isolated feel. They were packed so closely together it was almost impossible to get through them in some areas, heightening the feeling of isolation. In the day the ranges looked quite beautiful. However at night a dense mist descended on the trees making it almost impossible to see anything even in the clearer areas. The mountains were popular with hikers and campers yet some areas had been mostly neglected by tourists.

Hidden deep within the shelter of luscious trees was a large chain link fence topped with barbed wire. Tourists never came this deep into the forest. Signs on the fence informed that those who trespassed would be shot without hesitation. Through the metal chain links lay even more thick undergrowth and there appeared to be nothing that required segregation from the rest of the forest. It was only after going even deeper that a small cabin could be seen neatly hidden between trees and bushes.

Inside the cabin there was nothing special; a common area with a stove, worktop and tables. Bookshelves and chairs could be seen along with old oil lanterns that had probably not been used in a while. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. Footprints in the dust led from the front door, through the common area and over a lumpy rug to the only other door in the cabin that led to a bedroom. There was no dusty floor in this room; only a small bed and a walk in wardrobe. This wardrobe did not hold any clothes. Instead of a floor there were stairs that went down underground.

A little way down the stairs flattened out forming a small, dimly lit passageway. At the end was a set of elevator doors. There was only one way to go: down. Deep down the elevator went, stopping at its only floor. Beyond the doors was a sight that was so out of place in the middle of the mountains.

It was a long corridor with floors made out of metal catwalks. Thick pipes ran along the ceiling, breaking away from the corridor and going off into different rooms. The doors were electronic and automatic with different number, letter and colour symbols written on them. There was a clanging sound down the echoed corridor as a man was walking through it.

He was tall, gaunt looking with neat fair hair. He wore a white laboratory coat that rustled with each powerful step he took. He was a man with a look of anger in his eye. He turned at one door and walked through it, stepping into a small room.

The room looked like a modest computer lab with numerous monitors dotted around lining the walls and decorating the work benches. A middle-aged man and a young woman were occupying the room, looking at a monitor with great interest. It was displaying images of the Licker in the halls of Raccoon General Hospital.

"Dr Birkin," the middle-aged main spoke in a light tone without looking away from the monitor. "To what do we owe the incredible honour of one of the organisations greatest scientists gracing us with his presence?"

"Don't get cute, Jaeger," Birkin said. "What you've done is absolutely unforgivable."

"Oh my," Jaeger said with mock upset, glancing away from the monitor. "Unforgivable you say? Well if I've done something wrong I'd happily offer my resignation to ensure I would not hinder operations any further... At least I would do that if I wasn't so important to them. Do you remember what that felt like, Birkin?"

The young woman supressed a chuckle.

"Why the hell is that running around a hospital?" Birkin snapped Jaeger out of his rant, pointing to the Licker on the screen. "Why is it there?"

"It was there because Dr Suzuki and I put it there," Jaeger nodded to the young woman he was sat with, Yoko Suzuki. "Anyway there's no need to worry; it's not in the hospital anymore; God knows where it is."

"Why the hell have you done this?" Birkin asked, becoming increasingly agitated. He gestured to Yoko. "I know it was you two who dumped the B.O.W. right in the middle of the city."

"Majestic, isn't it?" Jaeger said, resting his hand on his face. "It truly is a vision of beauty, gracing the presence of all who witness it."

"It shouldn't have any witnesses at all!" Birkin shouted. "What you've done could destroy everything we've been trying to accomplish. Are you stupid or just irresponsible?"

"Yoko," Jaeger looked away from Birkin. "Would you be a dear and deliver our report? Thank you."

Yoko stood up, pulled a memory stick from the computer and left the room, still trying to supress a smile. Jaeger turned off the monitor and got to his feet. He was slightly older than Birkin and had not aged well. Signs of stress such as wrinkles and loss of hair colour were clearly visible. He was shorter than Birkin but stood tall nonetheless.

"Would you care to voice your concerns?"

"My concerns?" Birkin repeated with a laugh. "Dr Jaeger I have no idea where to begin. You and Suzuki released a live B.O.W. into the general population as it was undergoing mutation. What the hell possessed you, Jaeger? What was going through your head at the time that made you think that this was a good idea? Do you have any idea what the reaction from S.T.A.R.S. is? They've seen a creature that is impossible to comprehend and frighteningly dangerous. They've started digging. It's only a matter of time before one of the more diligent members digs up some evidence and shines light on us, despite our best interference efforts. When we are exposed it'll be your fault! I hope that's worth getting your experiment a little screen time."

"I don't think S.T.A.R.S. will get that far ahead with one of their own working against them," Jaeger said in a superior tone. "As for evidence; the only physical evidence of the B.O.W.'s existence is in these tapes that we acquired from the hospital before S.T.A.R.S. got wind of it. The B.O.W. is out of sight so there's nothing for S.T.A.R.S. or anyone else for that matter to dig up. Don't worry, Birkin. You, your legacy; everything is safe."

"But for how much longer?"

"Oh come, now. What do you mean?"

"As you say; the B.O.W. is missing. It's running around in the streets somewhere and you, I and S.T.A.R.S. know what it is capable of. Why on earth did you release it in the first place?"

"The safe environment of the womb can only sustain a child for so long," Jaeger spoke rather distantly. "Eventually it has to be born into the world."

"Cut the crap! We've had enough near misses at the estate as it is without you bringing further problems to the table. Releasing that B.O.W. was beyond dangerous. Putting aside the fact you could have compromised everything it could spread infection across the city and we'll have more of these things popping up."

"Call the countermeasure service in," Jaeger suggested. "That's what they're there for."

"I already have," Birkin said.

"That's good. This will be a chance to test their mettle, too. Sergei is a little too big for his boots, I find."

"That's a bit rich," Birkin muttered.

"I just want to make sure they know what they're doing."

"I will make sure that Sergei knows that this is all your doing, Jaeger. After all, we've got the tapes to prove it all right there. If everything goes to hell I will show them your home movies and then we'll see if you maintain your cocksure attitude."

"Birkin I have work to do," Jaeger sighed, seemingly disinterested. "I'm sure you've got other things to work on, too, for example taking back that young lab assistant I stole from you. I'm pretty sure you came all this way just to whine so if there's nothing else…"

Birkin gave Jaeger the dirtiest look he had ever given someone before leaving the room with great haste. Jaeger looked back at the monitor and turned it on as if nothing ever happened. He smiled as he watched the Licker smash a policeman's head against the floor, killing him.

It felt good to see that his work was so successful.


There was an office inside the Raccoon City Police Department that was not unlike any other office in any other police precinct in the world. Rows and rows of desks were neatly placed together and the uneven stacks of paperwork intermingled with computers and personal effects were clear signs that they were being used as fully as possible. At the front of the room were lockers and filing cabinets that stood near the public relations desks where citizens could come in and talk to an officer about whatever issue they felt needed addressing without actually stepping into the crowded office. It was usually very loud and very busy.

However right now it was different. Toward the back of the room past the supervisor's office and next to the evidence storage room stood Jill and Barry. They had gathered as many uniformed officers as they could. The room was far more crowded than usual. A sea of blue was before the two S.T.A.R.S. members as every seat in the room was taken and every spare spot to stand in was occupied. Kevin Ryman was leaning against one of the windows that separated the main work space from the supervisor's office. His arms were folded as he casually stood there waiting for the S.T.A.R.S. announcement.

"Thank you all for assembling on such short notice," Jill began. "We won't take too much of your time. We just want to make you aware of a recent development that may affect the policing of the festival tonight."

"In short; a wild animal is on the loose," Barry said. Kevin's eyes narrowed. "We've not been able to identify it as of yet but working with the information that we have we believe it to be quite big, strong and aggressive."

"With the festival coming up we think there is cause for concern. Dangerous animals and big crowds haven't been known to mix that successfully."

"It has dark red, slippery skin with very sharp claws. It moves like a panther so we're working under the assumption that it is a panther or a similar sort of animal that has had its fur torn off for whatever reason. If you see it; shoot it. It'd be hard to mistake it for any other living creature so if you see it; shoot it. If in doubt; shoot. I can't stress this enough. Shoot the damn thing, it's not a kitty."

"All this for a wild animal?" said one young officer. "Shouldn't animal control be handling this?"

"As we said; it is deadly," said Jill. "Animal control would have been called in if it wasn't as vicious as it is. We don't want to bring it in alive; it's a deranged animal that needs to be put down. The safety of people always comes before the safety of an animal."

"If you spot it, call it in and shoot the damn thing before it gets away. That's all there is to it. Chief Irons will be assigning more units to police the festival tonight; let's make sure we keep everything tight. Now then are there any other questions?"

Kevin Ryman lifted his hand. As soon as Barry saw it he felt nervous.

"Could you give a better description of the… animal?" His tone was sly.

Barry's eyes narrowed at the question.

"We're working with what witnesses have reported," Jill said quickly. "All of the witnesses gave a similar description which we have given to you."

"I have a doctor right outside though," Kevin went on. "Doctor George Hamilton claims to have seen the animal you're vaguely describing and he's offered a description that is slightly more… well, descriptive."

"Ryman, we'll talk about that in a moment," Barry said aggressively. "Any more questions?"

There were none.

"Good. You're dismissed." As everyone began to disperse Barry gestured Kevin to come over. "I'll handle it," he said to Jill. "You go talk to the detectives." As Kevin stepped over Barry grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him into the dark evidence storage room. Jill watched for a moment as Kevin was dragged away before brushing her hair from her face and leaving.

The evidence storage room was a modest room with several rows of lockboxes that required a four digit code to open. Barry quickly glanced down the rows to make sure that he and Kevin were alone.

"What the hell is your problem?" he asked Kevin in a hostile manner.

"Me?" Kevin had the look of a petulant child on his face. "I should be asking you that! Where do you get off giving the entire police force the wrong information?"

"It's not incorrect," said Barry. "It's just slightly vague. We decided that it would be for the best to keep the explicit details to ourselves."

"I guess I missed that memo," Kevin huffed. "You're sending all those cops out there without a God damn clue about what they're letting themselves in for."

"We told them to shoot first and ask questions later," Barry said. "We made them aware that there is something out there we just didn't specify how horrible it was."

"Well maybe you should have."

"That would have been a bad idea."

"I can't see how full disclosure is a bad idea," Kevin held his hands up. "The truth is the best weapon out there. My Mother always told me to tell the truth."

"Yes but your Mother didn't see this monster up close," Barry hissed, becoming angrier with every word he spoke. "Your Mother didn't have to make life or death decisions every day she just wanted to raise a good son."

"If we keep those officers in the dark then we are bad people," Kevin sighed. "If I were a member of S.T.A.R.S…."

"But you're not, Kevin!" Barry shouted. "You are not a member of S.T.A.R.S. because you fail the selection process every God damn time you try! Have you never wondered why that is? You're too immature; you can't think ahead and you can't accept things that you do not agree with. You're not S.T.A.R.S. material. You never will be and your attitude right now is proof of that."

Kevin had a glaring look on his face. Barry could not tell if he was angry or upset but he felt disappointed in himself that he had lost control of his temper.

"I'm sorry," Barry started but Kevin shook his head.

"It's fine. It's true, everything you said… I mean if it wasn't I would've been selected by now, right?"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Look, kid," Barry sighed, stepping away from Kevin. "I used to be in the Air Force with Redfield. Did you know that?" Kevin shrugged. "Well I was. We became good friends just like that," he clicked his fingers.

"We just got on like a house on fire. Chris was very different to me in the Air Force, he was sort of a rouge; he did an amazing job but he always had to do things his way. I was probably quite stiff and a stickler for the rules. We were both talented soldiers and damned good pilots yet we didn't really seem to get anywhere. After a few years together we hardly developed our careers at all. Chris was too set in his ways of being a maverick which is what held him back whereas I was too set in my ways of being what I guess you could call a robot. I tried to learn from Chris to not be so uptight so when S.T.A.R.S. was first formed I joined and flourished while Chris remained in the Air Force until he was kicked out."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that if you want to be a member of S.T.A.R.S. you gotta be more than what you are; you've got to want to better yourself. To do that you need to learn from other people. Listen to them. Take what they say to heart. You need to be flexible. Do you understand?"

Kevin shrugged.

"Look; if we fully disclose what happened with what we're calling the Licker one of two things will happen. Either we'll be laughed at or thought of as crazy meaning we won't be taken seriously and that people won't be on their guard, resulting in more people getting hurt. On the flip side if people take us seriously they could possibly panic at the fact we've got some demon monster killing people in the city. People will most likely get hurt then, too. This way is the best way."

"I think you'll find that people are more reliable than you'd think," Kevin said. Barry smiled at him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Why don't you prove it to me? Prove to me that you could be a reliable member of S.T.A.R.S. Keep the secret and see how things play out. What do you say?"

Kevin shrugged and nodded.

"Good," said Barry. "Now I want you to take the doctor home; he's been through enough today don't you think?"

"Why do you want me to do it?"

"Because you're just like Chris Redfield when he was in the military."

"What?" Kevin frowned.

"He needed me to help him get into S.T.A.R.S. and I think you're going to need me, too."

Kevin sighed but nodded.

"I'll go take him home now."

"That's good," Barry said as Kevin turned to go to the door. "I'm sorry for losing my temper."

"I'm sorry for being like Chris Redfield."

Kevin and Barry shared a smile before Kevin left to take George home.


Rebecca Chambers' forehead was damp with sweat. She was fully dressed in her S.T.A.R.S. uniform of a green shirt, green combat pants, dark boots and black fingerless gloves. She wore a white Kevlar vest that had the Red Cross logo on the back. She was breathing heavily as she stared straight ahead. Spent ammo casings were by her feet and her gun was pointing at a target a fair distance away in the underground firing range. She was doing everything that she could to prevent her hands from trembling. The sheer weight of the Samurai Edge was quite something. Each time she pulled the trigger the power that the weapon displayed was enough to knock her back slightly. Enrico was stood behind her, watching her shoot at the target with his arms folded.

So far she had not hit the target once.

Rebecca placed her gun down on the table out of frustration and removed her ear defenders. Enrico did the same, taking a step toward her.

"You okay?"

"I'm just not getting it," Rebecca said exasperatedly. "It looks like you've let a blind person have a try."

"No one is born a great shot, Rebecca. Forest would no doubt tell you otherwise but it is a skill that you can learn; it just takes time."

"I dunno," Rebecca sighed. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for this. I mean how much time can you spend making me shoot straight?"

"Well you can shoot straight," Enrico said. "You just can't shoot straight ahead." He let out a chuckle but saw that his attempt to lighten the mood had done nothing. "You've only been trying for half an hour. It's probably just nerves. I remember the first time I fired a gun; I literally peed in my pants."

"Really?"

"Yeah… I was ten, though. I managed to get into my Father's cabinet and accidentally fired it. The bullet went straight out the window and hit a neighbour's dog… Man did they sue."

"So the first time you ever fired a gun was when you were ten, you didn't know what you were doing, it was a mistake and yet you still managed to hit something?"

"I guess I'm not helping much, am I?"

"Sorry," Rebecca said sheepishly. Enrico waved his hand.

"You weren't hired to shoot at things. You were hired because you're super smart and we need you here; Captain Wesker himself insisted that we get a scientist of your calibre on the team."

"I feel that if I can't shoot at something that I'd be a bit useless."

"As I said; you weren't hired to shoot things. You're here to back us up against biological threats."

"I can't see that happening much in Raccoon City," Rebecca sighed. She leant against the side of the table. Irons had severely affected her confidence. "Captain I think that… I think that me being hired was a mistake. I really want this job; I want it more than anything but if I can't back up my team then someone's going to get killed and I don't want that to happen."

"You've been in this building for less than two hours," Enrico smiled. "I'm not going to bury you before you're dead. There'll be lots for you to do before you're ready to go out into the field."

"If you say so," Rebecca shrugged. "To tell you the truth, Captain, I don't have a lot of confidence that that will happen."

The door to the firing range suddenly burst open and Chris Redfield stepped inside. He nodded at Enrico before looking to Rebecca.

"Rebecca Chambers?"

"Yeah…"

"Chris Redfield," he introduced himself. "Come with me. I'm in need of your talents."

Enrico and Rebecca exchanged silent glances. He began grinning at her.


Kevin was driving George home in a police car. George was sat in the front with Kevin glancing vacantly out of the window. He looked dreadful which was understandable considering the night he had.

The journey was taking longer than Kevin had anticipated due to the Umbrella Appreciation Festival's preparations. In a few hours the streets would soon be filled with people who would watch the parades and have fun at the fairs. Kevin suspected that George would not be one of those people.

"Is there anyone you can call?" Kevin asked, breaking the silence that had been with them since they left the precinct.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, do you have anyone you could come stay with you or something?" George looked over at Kevin.

"Do you think that I am in danger?"

"No, not at all!" he said hastily. "I don't think what we saw is capable of…" Kevin trailed off realising his tone was too matter-of-fact. "I was just saying that… you know, you've been through a lot. I was wondering if you had anyone you could call to stay with you or talk to?"

"I can't tell anyone about this, not really. Not unless I want S.T.A.R.S. knocking on my door. I doubt anyone would believe me anyway. Did you believe me when I was giving you my statement before you saw the thing in front of you?"

Kevin remained silent.

"That's what I thought," George looked back outside. "I'm surprised the police even showed up at all in all honesty. I was expecting… I dunno. I wasn't expecting the whole place to be locked down as quick as it was. I'm glad, though, don't get me wrong. You guys probably saved a lot of lives."

"Surely you have some friends who could help you take your mind off things?" Kevin looked to George sympathetically. "It can't be healthy to keep thinking about this too much."

"Son, I've been a doctor for almost twenty years: health is my business. I got to where I am today not by trying to keep healthy or by making friends; I got here by being solitary and career driven. The only person who really got to know me was my ex-wife, who only bothered to get intimate with my bank account. She took off with the kids when I had made enough money for her to play the 'let's-get-the-not-so-rich-anymore-doctor-to-pay-for-the-most-expensive-apartment-in-New York' game. Being alone is my thing, I guess. Even with the family I was never in good company."

Kevin was unsure of what to say in response. He was not sure what could be said in response to that. George sighed and looked at him once again.

"I'm sorry, kid. I know that you're only trying to do the right thing and help and I appreciate it, really. But my divorce and all of this stuff that has happened has made me realise that I've wasted my life. I mean in the end what does a successful career equate to when you're alone? Sure I helped people but I was part of a healthcare system that forced them to pay through the nose for that help. Even when I moved here, joined Umbrella's medical teams and worked pro bono on their employees I still felt that my life was empty, wasted and meaningless. Those six medical technicians who died today had their whole lives ahead of them and they had to die in such a horrible, meaningless way." Kevin glanced over at George. "It should have been me…" He sighed and spotted something on the road. "You can pull over here."

Kevin pulled the car over to the side of the road. They stopped just short of a warm looking but slightly dark establishment. J's Bar had large windows that allowed people to see inside. There were several booths, a large bar and a small recreation area with a pool table. The floor was wooden and the general décor looked slightly rustic.

"Thanks for the lift," George hastily stepped out of the car.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I live a few blocks away, I'll be fine." George smiled at Kevin. "Thanks for the lift." He shut the door. George walked over to the entrance to the bar, pausing for a moment as he contemplated stepping inside. He made a step forward and went through.

Kevin waited there for a moment as he thought about what George had said. He then reversed the car and hastily sped away. George watched him go through one of the large windows and took a seat at the bar. The place was quite busy due to the festival and there was quite a noise inside. The bartender came up to George.

"What'll it be?"

"Whiskey," George said. The bartender opened a new bottle and poured a little into a shallow glass tumbler. As he handed over the glass, George put his hand up.

"You may want to leave the bottle."


"You're sure that it was the same guy?" Rebecca asked as Chris opened the door to the S.T.A.R.S. office for her. He let her go inside followed by Enrico, who wanted to tag along. Rebecca was taken aback by the size of the office. As she looked around at the surroundings she barely noticed Forest and Richard who were still working at their desks. Forest got to his feet and tapped Richard's arm to grab his attention.

"Rebecca Chambers, this is Forest Speyer and Richard Aiken," Enrico said, shooting Forest a scathing look to tell him not to act like an idiot. Forest acted as if Enrico were not in the room.

"Nice to meet you," Richard smiled, gently shaking Rebecca's hand. Forest practically pushed him out of the way to get in front of her.

"Enchanted," Forest said, putting on a sophisticated accent. He took her hand and kissed it, causing Rebecca to blush.

"This guy's a total idiot," Chris told her. "I feel sorry for you that you have to work with him."

"I'm sure I'll manage," Rebecca said, pulling her hand away from Forest and clearing her throat. She looked over at Richard and the two exchanged pleasant smiles.

"Back to work, you two," Enrico said, clapping his hands. "The grownups here have got important work to do."

"Is this about the Licker?" Forest asked. "Remember that I deserve royalties!"

"You deserve something alright," Enrico muttered, ushering him back to work with vague gestures. "Rebecca your desk is totally blank at the moment; we're getting equipment for you shortly."

"That's cool, she can work at mine," Chris said, offering Rebecca the chair at his desk. Forest whistled at him as he pulled the chair out for her and Chris responded by sticking his middle finger up at him.

"As I was saying," Rebecca went on, oblivious to Forest, "are you sure that it was the patient mutated into the, uh, Licker?"

"Ka-ching," Forest muttered.

"That's what the only witness said," Chris nodded, leaning against Jill's desk. "He said that one minute the guy was a patient and the next he was something else."

"Even if we do identify what sort of animal this Licker is it still won't explain how it transformed into what it is from a human being. I'm fairly sure that's not even possible."

"To be honest I don't really care about if it is possible or not; I just want to know how to kill it. I swear I sunk a few bullets into it and it just kept running like I had hit it with peas."

"Maybe you're just a lousy shot," Forest commented. Enrico threw a crumpled up ball of paper at his head to get him to focus.

"If you're sure you hit it then its skin must be incredibly tough, despite looking so transparent," Rebecca theorised. "I can't think of many humanoid species with a tough, flesh-coloured dermis that can crawl along walls and pierce people with its tongue. I think it may be a hybrid creature."

Forest, Richard and Enrico looked up from their desks upon hearing her hypothesis, sharing Chris' look of scepticism.

"A hybrid," Forest repeated. "Seriously?" Rebecca turned to face him.

"Are you telling me that it is easier to believe a man mutated into a monster than it is to believe that the monster is some sort of hybrid creation? That's where you draw the line at implausibility?"

"Good point," Richard said.

"Ah, but I don't believe that a man turned into a Licker," Forest said. "I think that some sort of wild animal somehow got loose into the hospital."

"Regardless of how it came to be I can't determine what animal it is based on the description," Rebecca continued. "None of its characteristics match those of any one animal; it matches several, which lead me to suggest the hybrid theory."

The door opened and Jill and Barry walked in carrying plastic bags that held their lunch. They stopped as they saw Rebecca in Chris' chair.

"Rebecca Chambers, this is Jill Valentine and Barry Burton," Enrico introduced them. Jill smiled and shook Rebecca's hand.

"Nice to see another girl on the force," she winked at her.

"You're obviously not considering Brad," Forest commented as Barry took Rebecca's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you," Barry said, ignoring Forest's jibe. He moved with Jill to the briefing table in the centre of the room to eat their lunch. Jill had purchased a chicken and sweet corn baguette from the cafeteria while Barry had chosen a BLT sandwich.

"So what are you guys up to?" Jill asked as she took a seat, looking at Chris. "Giving the young lady the ten dollar tour?"

"Not really," Rebecca shrugged. "We're talking about something that'll probably make you lose your lunch."

"Oh the Licker?" Barry said as he unwrapped his sandwich. "Don't worry about us; Jill and I have strong stomachs."

"You've got to if you want to work closely with Forest," Jill added, shooting him a playful wink. He stuck his tongue out in response.

"Chris and I've seen worse stuff than that in the Air Force, anyways. There was this one time where…"

"Why don't we leave the war stories to ourselves for now, eh Barry?" said Chris. "We're trying to identify what kind of animal this creature is."

"Surely you'd do that better if the computers were turned on?" Jill said before she took a bite out of her baguette.

"I'm not really sure what I can do to search for it," Chris said. "I can't exactly type 'Licker' into Google. Think of all of the nasty stuff that'll come up!"

"None of that on police time," Enrico warned.

"There are online databases," Rebecca said. "I know a compendium where they let you type in the features of an animal and it comes up with the closest matches. That might be a good place to look."

"Let's try it!" Chris said. "May I sit down?"

Rebecca hopped out of Chris' seat as he got behind the computer. He logged on and Rebecca told him what website to go to.

"Did you even try researching this thing yourself?" Forest asked. Jill screwed up her plastic bag into a ball and threw it at him to shut him up. "Why do people keep doing that?"

On the website, Chris typed in the Licker's various characteristics and then clicked search. It didn't take too long for the results to come back.

'No matches found.'

"Well I'm out of ideas," Rebecca shrugged.

"Don't feel too bad; I wouldn't have thought the details of a previous unseen creature would float around on the net, anyway," Barry said as he prepared to take the first bite out of his sandwich. As he lifted the bread to his mouth, the phone at his desk started to ring. He let out a dejected sigh and placed it back down on the paper, standing up to answer the call. 'Burton."

"It's Kevin Ryman," said Kevin as he drove the car around the people setting up festival stalls in the streets. "I just want to confirm something."

Barry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Where are you, Kevin?"

"I'm driving back to the precinct now."

"If you're heading back here then couldn't this have waited?"

"Yeah," Forest said in a whisper. "We all know how important sandwich time is to Barry." Barry screwed up a piece of scrap paper on his desk and threw it at Forest.

"It could have waited but it's quite important," Kevin said.

"Go ahead…"

"How many people were killed by the, uh… by the Licker?"

"Seven," Barry said, looking to Chris. "Were there seven victims? Yeah? Yes, there were seven; five nurses and two cops. Why?"

"Because I was talking to Hamilton as I drove him home and he said that 'those six medical technicians had their whole lives ahead of them.' Did you hear that? Six! Two of the people killed were cops but if six technicians died on top of that then that would mean we'd have eight confirmed dead, not seven."

"My God you're right," Barry said, his tone attracting glances from everyone in the room.

"We've got a potential witness running around out there," Kevin said.

"Or a suspect… Good call, Kevin. Thanks for telling me right away."

"Yeah, that's fine. I was thinking…"

Barry hung up the phone as Kevin started speaking again.

"Bring up a list of all of the medical staff who were on duty last night at Raccoon General," Barry told Chris.

"Why?" he asked.

"We've got a missing nurse out there," Barry said as he stood behind Chris, watching the screen. Jill got to her feet, putting her baguette on the table.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Barry told her what Kevin had told him.

"The witness said to Kevin that the six people who died had their whole lives ahead of them or something like that but we didn't identify six bodies in the operating room; we only counted five. Somewhere out there is a person who walked out of that operating room alive."

"How could we have missed that?"

"The bodies were torn to shreds," Chris said. "Forensics are still doing an inventory on all of the… parts. We only identified people using their ID badges."

On the computer he brought up a list of all of the people who were working that night in the hospital. It was extensive.

"Select all of the people who were working on the third floor," Barry instructed. Jill joined him in looking at Chris' screen. Rebecca leant forward eagerly. A list of seven people came up.

"Take away Doctor Hamilton's name and the names of all of the confirmed victims," Jill said. Enrico, Forest and Richard all looked up in anticipation.

One name remained.

"Chad Elliott," Jill said out loud, pointing excitedly at the screen. "He's our missing man."

"Compose a profile from the employee records," Barry asked.

Chris obliged and soon Chad Elliott's information was up for everyone to see. He was forty-nine, single and lived in the suburbs.

"Nice job!" Jill said, taking out her keys. "Come on, Barry; let's go talk to this guy."

"Can't I finish my sandwich first?"

"You've not even started it yet. Put it in the fridge."

"But…"

"No eating in my car!"

Barry sighed but patted Chris on the back, thanking him for his work. He and Jill placed their food in the fridge in the back of the room before they went to leave.

"Rebecca," Jill said, "if you don't mind would you continue working with Chris in trying to find out about this creature? If you can't identify it then surely you could find a weakness for it or something based on its features?"

"If that's alright with you, Captain," Rebecca looked over to Enrico who nodded.

"That's what you were hired for."

Jill smiled and waved to Chris as Barry opened the door for her.

"Aren't you going to wave to me?" Forest asked.

"Eat crap," Jill said as she walked past Wesker in the doorway. He had a puzzled look behind his sunglasses.

"What was that all about?" he asked the room.

"We have a lead," Chris said. "A potential witness; they're going to check it out."

"Oh," said Wesker, looking at the door. He had an anxious look on his face. "I see."


RACCOON SUBURBS


Jill and Barry pulled up outside what looked like a modest manor house that was in the Raccoon City suburbs. On the way Chris called and gave them some more information about Chad Elliott. He had moved to Raccoon City a few years ago and did not technically work at Raccoon General. He was an employee of the Umbrella Corporation working in one of the few pharmaceutical laboratories in the city. As Jill and Barry looked up at his house when they got out of the car they knew that something did not sit right.

The neighbourhood looked very desirable. Clean, tidy lawns sat in front of grand, immaculate houses. The driveways were occupied by cars that looked to be more expensive than Barry's house was, or so he thought. It was very quiet and picturesque like something out of a 1950s movie. If a perky middle aged neighbour popped up asking to borrow a cup of sugar the eerily artificial scene would be complete.

"Chris said our guy was single and lived on his own, right?" Jill asked Barry as they walked up the concrete path that cut through the immaculately trimmed lawn. Bushes that held colourful flowers some Jill had never seen before ran alongside the path.

"Yes he did," Barry said as he looked around. The house was huge with large windows and a gold flagpole outside. The American flag hung limply.

"If a lowly lab tech can afford a house like this then I'm switching jobs," Jill told him as they stopped at the front door. She rang the doorbell. "How do you want to play this?"

"Less is more," Barry suggested.

"Good call."

The front door opened and a slim, tall man appeared before them. He had blonde hair that was receding slightly and dark green eyes. He wore an expensive looking suit. He took a look at Jill and Barry and frowned.

"Yes?"

"Chad Elliott?" Barry asked. Elliott folded his arms.

"What's this about?"

"Barry Burton, Jill Valentine," Barry said as he and Jill showed him their identification. "S.T.A.R.S." Elliott looked at the two silently for a moment as if he were considering what to do for a moment.

"What can I do for you?"

"Our presence was required at your workplace last night," Jill said, putting her ID away and resting her hand on her gun. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

Elliott's eyes went to Jill's holstered Samurai Edge.

"Would you like to come in?"

Jill removed her beret as Elliott showed her and Barry into his home, guiding them through a long, elaborately decorated hallway that held several fine paintings and ornaments. Jill mused that every item in the hall probably cost over $1000 each. There was one ornament of a horse drawn cart. The cart was tilted upward so that only the wheels were touching the ground while the horse appeared to be jumping. Elliott's footsteps were synchronised with the ticking of a grandfather clock that stood proudly in the hallway. He took them through into the living room that had two long couches in front of a roaring brick fireplace. To the back were several bookshelves that were stacked tightly with various texts. A quick scan of them revealed that most of them focused on the subject of genetics, biology and DNA. Elliott offered Barry and Jill one of the couches and they sat together, Jill crossing her legs and placing her beret down on the seat.

"So what can I do for you?" Elliott asked, taking a seat opposite them. "I would offer you something to drink but I'm sure you're in a rush."

"We're investigating an incident that happened at Raccoon General last night," Barry explained. "We were hoping to ask you a few questions."

"Yes, your partner already said that. What about?"

"You work at Raccoon General, correct?"

"No, that's incorrect," Elliott said. "I work in an Umbrella lab across town. I am one of the development teams that design products for over the counter use. I had a placement at Raccoon General to record the results of a modified version of a prescription painkiller that was being used for outpatients. My time there ended a short while ago."

"I see," Barry nodded. "So is that all you do, or rather did, there? Observe and record?"

"I am a trained physician. I occasionally helped out if they were low on staff."

"Is that why you were working as part of the ER team last night?" Jill asked. Elliott frowned and looked at her.

"No. As I said; my time there expired."

"When was your last night?" Barry asked.

"A few weeks ago, a Thursday I believe."

"Well it's just that according to the records you were working last night," said Jill. "The operating room on the third floor with Doctor George Hamilton. Nice guy."

"I used to work those nights but, as I said, no longer. If you contacted the hospital I'm sure they would have told you and saved you a trip."

The neutral candidness of the man's tone began to irritate Barry.

"Well according to the hospital you're still working there," Barry said, masking his irritation. "Something's up with that wouldn't you agree?"

"You'd have to check with the hospital about that," said Elliott, leaning back. "It's their error, not mine. Why do you care if I was there or not anyway? What happened?"

"Seven people were murdered that night Mr Elliott," he said. "Two of those dead were my colleagues and five of them were your old colleagues."

"That's a shame," Elliott said without seeming too bothered by the news. "I am sorry for your loss."

"Not as sorry as I was to watch them die," said Jill. Elliott gave her a sudden look. He had not expected that. "The murderer was a patient; a patient you would have treated had you been there. Lucky break for you, eh?"

"You think I had something to do with this?" Elliott asked. "You think I am the murderer? You just said yourself that you saw your friends being murdered."

"That I did," Jill's face was expressionless. "I saw the murderer, yes. He was very different to you. He was quite large, muscular and could walk on walls with large claws."

Elliott's expression narrowed.

"Excuse me?"

"He had large claws, quite sharp from the autopsy reports of your dead col… sorry, former colleagues. Want to know how they died? They were literally torn to shreds."

"A man didn't kill your friends, Mr Elliott," Barry said. "Something that used to be a man did."

"That sounds pretty farfetched," Elliott said.

"As I said," Jill leant forward. "I saw it with my own eyes. Several S.T.A.R.S. members did."

"Well I'm hardly a muscular creature with sharp claws and a piercing tongue now am I?" Elliott shrugged.

"No, you're not. However I suspect you may have information that could be useful."

"You suspect wrong."

"Are you developing any drugs that could turn a man into a monster?" Jill queried.

"Are you serious?" Elliott let out a laugh. "I apologise for sounding insensitive but I think you're confused."

"Maybe we could take a look around?" Barry suggested. "Maybe that'd help stamp out our confusion."

"Maybe you two could get a warrant," Elliott said firmly. "I don't need to entertain your delusional fantasies." There was silence for a moment. "If there is a murderer out there I'd suggest you stop wasting my time and yours and find it before more people die. For Christ's sake, you're supposed to be police officers. Why don't you start acting like it and get out of my house!"

"Okay," Barry said. "There's no need to be rude. We weren't rude about your lack of tasteful furniture now were we?" Elliott gave him a cold, silent stare. "We're leaving."

"See you soon," Jill said as she and Barry left the room, showing themselves out. As they went outside, they deliberately let the door slam hard behind them. The ornament of the horse and cart rolled off its pedestal and crashed to the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. Elliott looked at it angrily.

Outside Jill and Barry exchanged glances before they started walking.

"I didn't mention the tongue to him, did I?" Jill said.

"No you did not," Barry replied.

"And you didn't mention the tongue, did you?"

"No, I did not."

Jill smiled.

"Perfect."


The Umbrella Appreciation Festival began in the late afternoon. There were several parades down the streets with people cheering as representatives of Umbrella's various faculties marched past. In J's Bar, George Hamilton would have been able to see a parade if he turned away from his whiskey bottle that was now nearly half empty. There were several fairs set up in public places outside, one of the larger ones was set up by the gothic looking Saint Michael Clock Tower and there was a heavy police presence that mingled with the families having fun. Kevin Ryman was patrolling there as a large stage was being set up. Soon several local bands would be playing live music after Mayor Michael Warren gave a speech. The stage was built over a manhole that was emitting light steam from the sewer below, making the stage appear slightly hazy and mysterious. The sun was beginning to dip in the sky, passing behind the large clock tower.

A young woman was rushing with her young daughter toward the fair. The mother told her five-year-old to hurry up or they would miss the parade, which they were desperate to get to since the girl's father would be in it. She didn't expect to have to park so far away so early in the day. After ten minutes the little girl moaned that her feet hurt so they stopped for a moment as her mother lifted her up so that she would be carried the rest of the distance. It was not that far to go now but time was running short; the parade would start any moment now. The mother prayed for a miracle.

Then she saw it; an alleyway that would cut five minutes off their journey. She crossed the street as she made her way toward it, carrying her daughter around the open manhole that was dangerously unattended in the middle of the street.

Up high in the alley, the Licker was scaling the walls. It let out a low growl as the mother entered the darkness while her daughter started to cry.


Back in the S.T.A.R.S. office, every member of Alpha and Bravo team had been assembled. Kenneth Sullivan, Edward Dewey and Kevin Dooley joined Forest, Richard and Rebecca on one side of the briefing table while Chris, Jill, Barry, Brad and Joseph sat on the other side. Standing at the head of the table was Wesker and Enrico.

"As most of you know;" Wesker was saying, "a dangerous creature that we've nicknamed the 'Licker' for the time being is roaming the streets. Extra units have been put placed at strategic locations around the festival areas with the order to kill it but that is not enough. We need to get it before it hurts anyone else. Alpha team have been working the case and will now report your findings." He looked to Joseph. "Were you able to trace the van?"

"Sort of," Joseph sat forward. "A camera on Euston Street picked up a van matching the witness' description heading toward the hospital. I was able to trace the route all the way back to the freeway. It came and went from the same location, the freeway. It could have come from anywhere from there as I wasn't able to trace any further as there are no freeway cameras in this part of the Midwest. I tried running the van's plates but they were false so it was a dead end. I put an APB out for it though so we might get lucky? Someone may spot it and we can get the owners in for questioning."

"That won't help us for this immediate situation…" Wesker said. "I think the van was a long shot anyway. If the people responsible for this are able to turn a person into a murderous freak then it's not unreasonable to think that they can make a van disappear. We'll cut it out of our investigation but good work nonetheless. What did you get, Brad?"

"I searched missing person's records to see if anyone matched the pre-Lickerfication patient but no luck so far. I didn't really have a lot to go on since the description of the guy was pretty, well, bad. The blood samples that forensics took from the corridors were no good either as they could not be compared to any databases."

"Why not?" asked Enrico.

"Well because the blood wasn't human," Brad said quite directly. "No one knows exactly what it is. Forensics are going to send the sample off to see if an Umbrella lab would make anything of it."

"We've got a monster on the loose," Kenneth summarised. "Why didn't anyone brief us on this?"

"You're being briefed now," Enrico said snappily. He looked to Barry and Jill. "How did your detective work pan out?"

"With the help of Officer Ryman," Barry said, "we were able to establish that Chad Elliott, a local nerd, was at the hospital when the Licker started killing."

"How did you manage that?" Wesker asked.

"Ryman told us that we may have a missing guy," Jill said. "Turns out we did after we cross checked the identified bodies with the people working that night. We visited Mr Elliott who claimed to have no knowledge of the incident but accidentally let slip a few characteristics of the Licker that he could not have known unless he was there. He's definitely got something to do with this."

"We'll need to search his house," Wesker nodded. "However warrants take time to go through and we don't have time before the festival gets into full swing. Chris, please tell me you were able to find something out about this monster."

"Well Rebecca and I couldn't identify what the Licker actually is," Chris said. "It's no wonder the blood tests Brad talked about didn't give any results; it appears to be a composite of several different animals. Based on the characteristics those of us who were at the hospital observed, Rebecca and I did some guesswork as to how it behaves and what weaknesses it may have." Chris looked to Rebecca who jumped slightly. She was not expecting to have to speak. She cleared her throat.

"Um, hi. Nice to meet you all."

"Ms Chambers we're on a very tight schedule," Wesker said.

"Sorry…" She cleared her throat again. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry. "We're putting aside the question on how it became what it is and focusing on how to stop it as it is. Based on the description I was given my current hypothesis is that it has very poor vision. However the fact that it was able to move around so efficiently suggests that it may have a sort of sonar system, similar to bats, which is why it was able to move with such agility. Bats have an exceptional immune system, meaning that it would adapt if any foreign DNA were added to it. This supports my theory that it is a hybrid of some kind. Since it probably relies on a sort of inbuilt sonar to navigate the world, it must have highly acute hearing, which is why it attacked everyone most likely. It was startled. The loud noises of the festival tonight will startle it more."

"That's good then," Edward said. "That means it'll keep away from people."

"It is more likely that the commotion will confuse it," Rebecca said. "It will cause a haze and it won't be able to move in any direction apart from where the noise is coming from. That'll mean it will walk right into a parade or something and then people will start dying. Of course all this is based on the theory that it won't mutate again. If it has mutated once before who's to say it won't do it again."

"We need an action plan and we need it now," Wesker said. "Chris, Forest; you two can finally prove which one of you is a better shot. I want you two to take up sharpshooting at the top of the Saint Michael Clock Tower. Keep an eye on everything. If someone so much as drops a piece of litter I want you two to be aware of it. The rest of us will take position around the city in the major danger zones."

"Captain," Rebecca held up her hand. "I've not been…"

"You'll be with Enrico, Chambers. You've got to get your feet wet sometime, may as well be today. The rest of you pick a partner and let's get out there…" Wesker's cell phone started to ring. He answered it quickly. "Yes?" He was silent for a moment before lowering his phone.

"There have been two more fatalities."


SAINT MICHAEL CLOCK TOWER


The alleyway where the bodies of a woman and child had been secured as the police examined the grim scene. Rebecca and Enrico were there looking glum. The bodies had been covered completely by sheets. The child's sheet looked distressingly small. Blood trails went away from the bodies heading toward the fair at the Saint Michael Clock Tower. Jill and Barry were patrolling the crowds, keeping an eye out for the Licker. Chris was positioned inside the mechanism room on top of the clock tower with Forest, both of them aiming sniper rifles down at different sections of the crowd. Chris saw Jill in his scope.

Wesker walked past Kevin Ryman who was chatting to his partner. As Kevin became aware of Wesker's presence his concentration waned and stopped listening to what his partner was saying about his new car. He watched Wesker as he disappeared into the crowd.

Something was about to happen. He could feel it.

At the stage that had been set up before the large collection of stalls and fairs, the band started to play an instrumental number as someone walked over to the microphone. The speaker announced that the mayor would be giving a speech in a few moments and urged everyone to get ready.

The atmosphere was electrifying. People were jumping and screaming with delight, they were laughing and cheering elsewhere as the parades went by and as they won prizes in the carnival. The large banner above the stage that read 'Happy Umbrella Day' encapsulated the very essence of the people of Raccoon City. The streets nearest to the fair were packed with people. It was difficult to move through them all; meaning policing the streets had become that much more difficult.

Mayor Michael Warren took to the stage as the band played a cheerful melody to accompany his walk to the microphone. He was a tall, tanned man with receding grey hair. His suit was a dark blue and he had a badge with the Umbrella logo of two crosses, one red and one white, made out of isosceles triangles that interlaced with each other. Mayor Warren held up his hand and smiled pleasantly at the crowd as he nodded at the speaker who had introduced him before facing everyone. He had a gentle presence. He reminded Jill of a nice old man you'd see in the park feeding ducks, except he wasn't that old. The noise of the festival silenced as the mayor began to talk.

"Thank you," Warren said, letting out a chuckle. "You know I forget every year how big the turnout to these events is or maybe more of you are coming each year, who knows? Anyway it is great to see so many faces here tonight. It feels wonderful to know that so many people are grateful for Umbrella and for what Umbrella has done for our fair city. Umbrella is the blood that flows through the veins of Raccoon City. It adds a richness to our lives that you just can't find elsewhere. Of course these celebrations aren't all about Umbrella; it's about all of you, the people who are more valuable than any corporation or place. Without each and every one of you good, honest people there would be no Umbrella and no Raccoon City."

People started to applaud and cheer.

"She's hot, isn't she?" Forest said to Chris up in the clock tower. He could see Rebecca through his sights. She was standing in the alley, examining the bodies. "The new girl, Chambers. Do you think she's got a boyfriend or something?"

"I didn't ask," said Chris. "We've not really had a chance to chat about anything other than this case."

"So she's fair game then?"

"Forest you're like, over ten years older than her," Chris pointed out as he scanned the far reaches of the crowd looking for any signs of danger.

"With age comes experience," Forest said, grinning. "She looks like the kind of girl who'd be looking for a teacher and I reckon I could be the one to teach her some things."

Chris sighed and shook his head.

"You're a pervert."

"Come on, I reckon we'd be a cute couple," Forest went on.

"You'd look like Marilyn Manson, Forest. If you started dating her you'd look like Marilyn Manson if he started dating a high schooler."

"You're saying these things just because she's out of your league. Chambers deserves a man, not a boy like you, Redfield."

On the ground, Wesker was using his headset to communicate with Enrico.

"Chambers has made some disturbing hypotheses," Enrico told him.

"I think I know why this is the first casualty we've had since the hospital," she said.

"Why?" Wesker asked with a voice filled with dread.

"Just across the road there's an opened manhole. I think that the Licker is using the sewer system to get around the city. Enrico tells me it's extensive."

"It is," Wesker said. "The sewers were designed to allow the whole population of the city to evacuate down there in the event of some catastrophic disaster. You could literally get from one end of the city to another through the sewers. You could even get outside the city limits using it."

"Well then that gives us a problem; the noise in the sewers is quite loud and echoes through the tunnels. That mixed with the noise of the festival that has just started to resonate down into the tunnels must have made it emerge in this location," Rebecca speculated. "It is being assaulted by all of this noise and is looking for escape but everywhere it goes it is surrounded by more noise. It is probably getting agitated, maybe frightened and that is why it took its frustrations out on our two victims in the alley. After it killed it probably accessed the sewers again to try and escape the racket."

"So it could be anywhere?" Wesker summarised, rubbing his temples.

"No," Rebecca said. "All of the noise has stopped now that the mayor has started giving his speech. The sound of a single voice, even if it echoes around, is not as intolerable as the sound of a massive carnival."

"Dear God…" Wesker gasped.

"It's going to come up right where the mayor is," Rebecca told him. "And when it does it will try and take out the last loud thing it can hear."

The manhole underneath the stage vibrated slightly. It tilted open slightly as a sharp claw began to slowly emerge from the darkness.

"Chris, Forest," Wesker said into his headset, "both of you maintain visual on the mayor. We believe the Licker may try to attack him.

"Why will it single the mayor out?" Forest asked. "I didn't think it was that intelligent."

"Just do as I tell you!" Wesker ordered.

The Licker's head emerged fully underneath the stage out of sight from anyone. Less than five feet above it, the mayor was beginning to bring his speech to a close. It let out a quiet hiss.

"Jill, Barry, get as close to the mayor as you can," Wesker said. Jill and Barry had moved around the stage during their patrols and were now behind it. They started making their way through the crowd.

The Licker had completely emerged from the manhole.

Jill and Barry pushed harder through the crowd as they approached the stage.

Wesker was nearing the front of the stage.

Chris could see Wesker approaching the stage as Forest appeared next to him, aiming down his own sights.

The Licker looked up. It could tell that there was someone above it. Its jaw fell open, saliva falling to the ground.

Jill and Barry pushed their way past the 'no unauthorised access' signs and went closer to the stage. Moving past some fences they saw the Licker and drew their weapons.

Wesker got stuck behind some enthusiastic citizens who would not move.

The mayor took a pause.

The loud cry of the Licker echoed the quiet streets.

Jill and Barry saw it leap upward.

Kevin appeared on the stage and grabbed the mayor, pushing him aside as the Licker erupted from beneath the planks. Splintered shards of wood exploded everywhere, flying off in every direction as the Licker leapt into the air. It landed right beside the microphone, in front of the entire crowd. Kevin and the mayor fell to the ground just next to where the Licker landed. Its tongue drifted in the air slightly and then struck the microphone stand, sending it flying off the stage. Members of the public began to scream and the people who were blocking Wesker were now more than happy to let him go past as they ran in terror away from the monster on the stage. He drew his weapon.

The Licker looked at Kevin who was shielding the mayor from it. It crouched and let out a low cry as it was about to leap for him.

Jill and Barry suddenly appeared, shooting at the beast. It let out a cry as the shots hit it. It then turned toward them and leapt in their direction. Barry pushed Jill out of the way before jumping in the other direction, giving the monster plenty of room to leap off the stage. It was now on the streets that were emptying quickly. Chris saw it through the scope of his rifle but people kept running in front of his line of sight so he could not get a shot.

"I don't have a clear shot," he said.

"I got it," Wesker shouted, running around the stage after it. The Licker began scurrying away from everyone. Barry signalled on the radio for Rebecca to come over and take a look at the mayor.

Jill hopped off the stage and ran after Wesker to give him some back up.

"Are you okay, Mr Mayor?" Kevin asked Warren.

"Yes," he said, slightly shaken. "Thank you, Officer." He sighed. "What in Heaven's name was that?"

"I'll tell you when I catch it, sir," Kevin said standing up. He ran to the side of the stage and jumped into the air and landed on the ground by doing a forward roll as he joined the chase.

"Hey, Ryman!" Barry shouted after him. "Stop, you're going to get yourself hurt!"

His words were ignored.

Wesker chased the Licker across the street, through an alley and into a parade route. The Licker leapt forward into the middle of the road in front of everyone. It has just after the marching bands and just before the large balloons and floats. Wesker pushed his way into the parade, past the slightly confused people, and began shooting at it.

The Licker looked at him and sent its tongue at him, knocking him off his feet as the people around it began shrieking in terror. Wesker fired a shot into the air, puncturing a parade balloon. With all of the sudden noise, the Licker ran away as Wesker got to his feet. He saw it go into another alleyway. He followed it, heading down some steps and moving forward through quite a tight set of walkways. As he came to a junction he heard a crash around the left hand corner. Turning the corner he saw a door that had been broken down with dust still floating into the air. He went inside, took out a flashlight and looked around what was an old, disused warehouse.

There were many long, tall shelves that appeared to hold industrial supplies however everything looked as though it had not been used for quite some time. The light of the moon shone through the dirty windows that ran along the wall just below the ceiling. There was dust everywhere and Wesker followed the Licker's tracks until they suddenly vanished. It had jumped somewhere, somewhere he could not see. He could hear it breathing and he looked around for it, glancing at every wall and in the cracks of every shelf. If he looked straight up he would have seen it silently crawling along the ceiling of the warehouse. It could see him with each loud footstep he took. The Licker opened its jaw and saliva fell down from its mouth as its tongue got ready to stab him.

Wesker heard its saliva drip behind him and he turned and looked up. He saw the Licker and began shooting at it. The Licker dropped to the floor and landed with a smack on its back a little bit in front of Wesker. He stood motionless for a moment as he kept his Samurai Edge trained on the beast. He was holding his breath.

Jill entered the warehouse with her weapon drawn. The Licker let out a cry and suddenly got to its feet. It jumped over Wesker, who ducked, and went into the tall shelves. The two S.T.A.R.S. members chased after it. They made their way deep into the centre of the dark shelving. Above them the Licker wrapped its tongue around the top of one of the shelves as Wesker and Jill ran along the bottom of it. When they were beneath it, the Licker jumped forward out of one of the taller windows, pulling the shelf with it. It tilted over Wesker and Jill as the objects it held started to slide off.

"Move!" Wesker shouted, taking Jill's arm and running forward as heavy equipment began raining down on them. Wesker and Jill jumped forward as a large box crashed where they were a few seconds ago. They looked back and saw that their way to the door was now blocked.

Outside the Licker crashed through the window and landed on the empty streets accompanied by shards of glass. It landed in front of Kevin.

He began firing at the Licker, emptying an entire magazine into it.

Jill and Wesker heard the shots and got up as quick as they could.

"Guys do you have a visual?" Wesker said to Chris and Forest.

The Licker leapt forward, pushing into Kevin and knocking his weapon away. Still falling down, Kevin was able to kick it off him, sending it into a mailbox. Getting to his feet, Kevin made for his weapon but the Licker managed to wrap its tongue around his feet, sending him to the ground. Kevin was being dragged toward it. He tried grasping for anything to help him but there was nothing to hold onto. He saw one of the broken shards of glass that fell to the ground and picked it up, pushing the sharp edge into the Licker's tongue just as he got near it. The monster let out a cry and he was able to control his legs. He kicked its face with both of his feet that were still held together and the Licker staggered back, its tongue falling limply away from him.

Kevin got to his feet and did a spin kick, sending the Licker back again. It crashed into a parked car, setting off the alarm. It let out a cry as the loud noise drove right into its head and it jumped forward, using its large claw to strike Kevin across his face. He felt a sudden sharp pain as the side of his face began to bleed heavily. The Licker was on top of him, knocking him to the ground and smacking his head against the asphalt. Kevin saw the blurred horror of the beast up close as it pushed its face close to his own.

In the clock tower, Chris heard the car alarm.

Kevin tried to get away but it was too strong and he was suddenly feeling very weak and dizzy. The Licker let out a loud cry as it lifted its claw up.

It sent it down with great force.

Blood went everywhere as Chris shot the Licker from up in the clock tower. The beast was knocked off Kevin due to the force of the bullet. It let out a loud cry. Forest took aim and fired, shooting off one of the Licker's claws. It let out another shrill cry and jumped away from the scene. Jill and Wesker emerged from the alleyway as it flashed past them. They continued their pursuit down the street. Despite its handicap, the Licker was still moving quite fast. Wesker and Jill fired at it as they ran but they were not very accurate at this speed.

"I'll try and get ahead of it," Wesker said, running off down another road, leaving Jill on her own.

Jill chased it down a street. The gap between her and the Licker was decreasing as it started crashing into parked cars and setting off the alarms which made it scream out even more. It was clearly confused. Jill suspected it would not last much longer. The Licker turned a corner and Jill realised that it was heading in the direction of the hospital.

Still close behind it, Jill turned the corner to continue after the Licker. She was very close now and managed to land a few bullets into it. The Licker stopped as it looked at the hospital in the distance. It began to twitch and let out a cry. Jill went around it and began shooting at it once more. She hit its limbs and head.

The Licker let out a weak hiss as it collapsed. It tried to crawl away but Jill shot it again. She was now in front of it and as she reloaded her Samurai Edge she looked curiously at the monster. It was making a strange noise as if it were a whimpering dog.

Deciding to put it out of its misery, Jill took aim once last time.

As she went to pull the trigger she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see someone jump at her, knocking her to the ground.

Jill let go of her weapon and saw it scatter across the street as she was forced to the ground. She then saw several people in dark boots emerge from nowhere, one of them kicking her gun further away. She strained her neck and saw they were wearing high grade dark green military gear and carried state of the art weapons that appeared to be M4 Carbines. They surrounded the Licker as it whimpered loudly. Jill then saw one of them put a large shotgun to its head and shoot it mercilessly, shattering the top half of its body completely.

Jill turned her head, looking away from the grim sight. Other soldiers appeared carrying what looked like a large stretcher with a clear plastic bubble over it. They placed it down next to the dead Licker as they opened it.

Jill tried to wriggle free of the grasp of whoever was holding her but they were strong and she could not move. She tried to turn to see who it was but was unable to see his face. She could smell his cologne, though. He smelt good.

"Easy, lady," said the man who was restraining her. "I don't wanna hurt you."

"You're going to be the one who'll end up hurt if you don't let go of me right now," Jill hissed.

"You got attitude," the man grinned. "I like that. I love a strong woman."

He had a cheeky voice with the slightest hint of a South American accent. It was crisp and full of confidence. He was pressed against her and she could feel that he was well toned. She could feel the skin of his arms, he was more casual than the other soldiers with the sleeves of his arms rolled up. She assumed that he wore the same black combat boots, beige combat fatigues and green shirt and black tactical vest as the others.

"I'm Jill Valentine from S.T.A.R.S. I don't care who you are…"

"We're friends," the stranger said. Jill frowned.

"I don't have many friends that force me to the ground."

"We're on the same side; we're doing you a favour."

The man released his grip and stood up. Jill rolled over and looked at him. He had long dark hair that was similar to a curtains style but much trendier. He had olive skin and brown eyes. He was very handsome, not what Jill expected a soldier of this calibre to look like. She glanced to the others and saw that the Licker had been put inside the isolation unit on the stretcher. She frowned and guessed that this was the favour her new 'friend' was talking about. She looked back at him and saw that he was holding out his hand, offering to help her up.

Jill got to her feet without taking his hand and brushed herself down.

"You're interfering with official S.T.A.R.S. business," Jill told him.

"Sweetheart, I'd hate to say it buy we outrank you."

"Who are you?" Jill asked.

"I thought you didn't care who we are."

A large truck turned the corner and sped over toward them. Jill and her 'friend' turned to look at it as it came to a stop next to the group of soldiers and the Licker. One of the men turned around.

"Carlos," he spoke in a Russian accent, "say goodbye to your girlfriend and get inside."

Jill looked at Carlos who smiled at her.

"I guess that's my cue to exit."

"Not so fast," Jill grabbed his hand. "You're not seriously expecting me to just let you steal the body of something that has been on a killing spree, do you? The R.P.D. have the right to examine it to find out where it came from; you're interfering with an on-going investigation."

"You're a bit uptight, aren't you?" Carlos chuckled. Jill did not find it amusing. "Look; we're doing what friends do for each other; a favour. I'd like you to do me a favour now and turn around and pretend like this never happened."

"It'd be easier to pretend this never happened if you leave me with the Licker."

"The Licker?" Carlos smiled. "Good name. I like it. Very… inventive." Jill shot him a sarcastic look. "I'm sorry to have to put you out, but I got a job to do, too. I tell you what; how about I owe you one."

"I'd be happy if I never saw another one of those things again," Jill said.

"I can't see that happening," Carlos said cryptically. "Don't worry; I won't let loose another 'Licker'. What I mean is that I owe you a favour. How about that?"

"I can't see that happening," Jill mocked Carlos' accent. He grinned again.

"I like you. You're fun."

"You just said I was uptight," Jill noted.

"Yeah but all the ladies loosen up when they listen to me speak. They love my accent; it drives them crazy."

"I think you're the crazy one," Jill said. Carlos chuckled.

"I hope I can see you again real soon. Catch you later, my Valentine."

He turned and ran over to re-join his people. Jill caught a brief glimpse of the logo on the back of his uniform. It was similar to the Umbrella logo but it had swords cutting through a shield in the centre. She wanted to go over him but her Samurai Edge was on the other side of the road and even if she had it she would not stand much of a chance against this obviously well organised military organisation.

With all of the soldiers inside the truck, it got into gear and began driving away. It went past Jill and she watched it as it drove down the road for a while before turning a corner and going out of sight. With it out of sight, Jill sighed, shook her head and turned around, slowly walking toward her gun.

Back at the stage near the Saint Michael Clock Tower, Barry was pacing around as the mayor made phone calls. Several uniformed officers arrived on the scene making Barry sigh with relief. He was never any good at sticking around.

"Where the hell have you guys been?" Barry asked. Not really waiting for an answer, he handed the mayor over to them and took out his radio. "This is Barry; Mayor Warren is secure. Chambers where the hell did you go? I've been waiting here for you for ten minutes."

"Barry," said Enrico down the line, "we have a situation."

Barry looked concerned. He asked Enrico where he was and then went off in the direction that the Licker had run. After a few minutes Barry stepped onto the street where Rebecca and Enrico were. They were kneeling over a twitching figure in the road.

It was Kevin.

Kevin was covered in blood. A huge gash could be seen at the side of his face that continued to bleed heavily. Rebecca was holding a cloth to the wound but it was soaked in blood. There was also a very deep wound in his chest as Chris was unable to shoot the Licker before it tore into his torso. He was bleeding to death.

Barry appeared at Kevin's side.

"Oh God," he gasped. Looking at Kevin's twitching face; he took a breath and put on a brave face. "That's… quite a paper cut you got there, buddy." Kevin let out a single chuckle, coughing up blood. Barry looked to the others as he kneeled close to him. "Where's the ambulance?" he asked quietly. Rebecca shook her head.

"Hey, Barry…" Kevin said. "It looks… looks like I won't need you after all." Barry sighed, taking Kevin's hand.

"You did good, kid," he said.

"Yeah?" Kevin coughed.

"Yeah. You saved the mayor's life. You did the right thing."

"Was I like Chris Redfield?" Kevin asked. Barry let out a laugh and shook his head.

"Not even remotely."

"Good… I… I didn't want to let you down."

"You didn't."

Kevin smiled and then his head fell limp, his eyes gazing blankly at the night sky above. He stopped bleeding. Barry held onto his hand for a moment, looking down at the policeman before he placed both of his hands over his chest. He then wiped his hands free of blood and closed Kevin's eyes.


Chad Elliott was sat at home reading a book on genetics in front of the roaring fireplace. The only sound that could be heard over the crackling embers was the ticking of a grandfather clock out in the hallway. It ticked and ticked rhythmically over the crackling sound of the gentle burning flames. Elliott looked up as the fire began to die down. He stood up and went over toward it, using a metal poker to rearrange the logs. He put a few more pieces of firewood into the flames and went to sit back down, the fire burning with renewed life.

The grandfather clock began chiming on the hour and there then came a knock at the door. Elliott sighed and looked at the time. It was very late. He moved out of the living room and through the hallway. The stand that had once held his glass horse and carriage ornament was empty. He unlocked his door and gripped the handle firmly. He opened his door to find Albert Wesker, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine along with a large number of police officers stood behind them on his doorstep. His entire front lawn was filled with police cars and forensic vans.

"Chad Elliott?" Wesker asked.

"Yes…"

Wesker stepped forward, grabbing Elliott by the neck and forcing him up against the wall. Chris and Jill went inside followed by a heavy stream of the police, all of them ignoring Wesker's display of unnecessary force.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Elliott choked I'll sue you!"

"You can try," Wesker said, speaking menacingly at him. "Look around; no one gives a damn. We have a warrant to search your home?"

"Why?"

"Can't you think of a reason?" Wesker asked, taking out some handcuffs. Elliott gave him a puzzled look. "Maybe you're under arrest because you're a bad man? Maybe you just piss me off? Maybe it's because the department's arrest quota is dangerously low and I just like the look of you."

"Get the hell off me!"

Wesker flipped Elliott around, forcing him against the wall. He grabbed his hands and secured them with the cuffs behind his back.

"Nah, I think I know why I wanna put you away. It's because three of my colleagues died today and I want you to pay for the part you played in their deaths."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elliott shouted as Wesker dragged him out of his own home. Outside a small crowd was forming on the other side of the police tape. They were all neighbours dressed in their nightclothes who got out of bed to be nosey.

"You don't know what I'm talking about?" Wesker repeated, raising his voice as he dragged him across his lawn. "We know you're involved in the deaths of those five medical technicians at Raccoon General. We're going to tear your house to pieces to find what we can to put you away and when we have what we need we're gonna throw you in prison where your cell mate is going to tear into you. I'll make sure of that."

"You're crazy!"

"You killed eight good people today, Mr Elliott, eight people who wanted to try and make this world a better place. And that's not to mention two other people, a mother and child, who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm not going to let you go until you tell me exactly why you did what you did."

They came up to the rear door of the police car and Wesker opened it.

"Maybe if you focused on your job more instead of insulting and running after me you wouldn't have to explain those deaths," Elliott said flippantly. Wesker pushed him into the car, deliberately letting him smack his head on the side of the door. He threw him onto the seat and leant over. Wesker slipped something into Elliott's palm before climbing back out. Elliott clenched his fist as the door closed.

Outside, Wesker stopped an officer and ordered him to take Elliott back to the police station to sweat for a while as he helped search his house. As Elliott as driven away, Wesker went up into his house.


RACCOON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT


Several of the S.T.A.R.S. members were leaving, saying goodnight to each other as they left. Barry, Rebecca and Enrico were the last to remain inside the dark office. Most of the lights were out except for a few dim side lights and desk lamps. The office was much darker than it usually was and appeared much smaller. It was approaching midnight and Rebecca was at her own desk, arranging her things in an orderly manner for when she was next in. Her computer had been set up by the IT department while they were all out and she was making sure everything worked correctly. Enrico was typing up a report at his computer while Barry was sat quietly in his chair not doing anything. Enrico sighed and rubbed his tired eyes before turning off his computer, deciding to finish the report later.

"I'm going home; I can hardly keep my eyes open. I'll see you on Monday, Rebecca. Goodnight, Barry."

"Night," Barry muttered.

"Goodnight, Captain," Rebecca said. As Enrico gathered his belongings he looked to her. She was meticulous in how she arranged her desk. She wanted everything to be perfect.

"Chambers," he said, making her look up from her work. "I don't expect you to get everything spot on. It's your first day; stop trying so hard and let things happen naturally because I'll tell you this; you did some amazing work today even though you were nervous and underprepared. Don't go overthinking things because that might take away from your natural talent. You understand?"

"I do," Rebecca nodded, with a slight smile. "Thank you."

Enrico smiled back, turned around and left the office, softly closing the door. Rebecca looked over to Barry who was still sat silently. She recognised the look in his eyes. Standing up, she turned off her computer and desk lamp and moved over toward him, taking her bag with her.

"I'm sorry about Officer Ryman," she said, standing over his desk. "It's very hard to lose someone close to you, I know." Barry made a vague gesture into the air before speaking again, his mouth dry and voice slightly croaky.

"We weren't that close but… He was only thirty-one." Rebecca nodded slightly as Barry spoke. "Thirty-one years old. That's not an age to go. He was right there in the prime of his life. He was far too young to die like that."

"I don't think anyone is old enough to die like that," Rebecca said. Barry did not say anything in response. "Does this happen a lot?"

"Losing friends? No. Not in this town, at least not normally. Times were that the biggest danger a cop faced on the street was some petty thief who could outrun them. Now we've got terrorists wanting to blow us off the map and unbelievable monsters on the prowl wanting to tear us all into shreds." Barry sighed. "Thing have changed a lot in the past few years. I mean how are we supposed to protect the people of this city when we can't even protect ourselves? Three cops died today. What does that say about us?"

"It says that we're willing to put others before ourselves," Rebecca said. "We're willing to lay down our lives to protect the innocent people of this city."

"We still can't protect everyone."

"You may think that but no matter what we are always there for them. You were there for Kevin. Even though you weren't able to save him, you were still with him when he went. That would have meant a lot to him, I'm sure of it."

"That sounds too optimistic for me," Barry sighed. "You're new at this; you've not been exposed to the harsh realities of this work yet. Somehow I doubt that being there for someone when you're utterly powerless to do anything isn't helpful, it just shows how obsolete we really are."

Rebecca shook her head and moved closer to Barry. She leant against his desk and looked ahead at the dark wall.

"My Father died of cancer," she told him. "It spread quite severely and quickly. Within three months of his initial diagnosis he was dead…" Barry looked up at her.

"His final weeks were particularly painful for him. Even with the different types of medication they prescribed for him he was still in agony. It was at its worse a few days before he died. I came home from college to be with him during his final days. He told me that just being there and holding his hand made everything better and more tolerable. Knowing that he was loved and that he had someone there for him made everything better for him."

"Do you really believe that?" Barry asked.

"It makes me feel better to believe it," Rebecca looked at him. "I was powerless to help cure his condition or to do anything really. The only thing I could do was sit there and hold his hand and that seemed to make more of a difference than any medication ever could." She stood there silently for a moment as Barry contemplated his thoughts. She looked away, down at her boots. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle hum of some of the computers. "Anyway I'm going home, I'll see you later."

Rebecca stepped away from the desk and went for the door. As she went for the handle, Barry called out after her.

"Hey Rebecca." She turned around to look at him. "I'm glad you're here."

Rebecca smiled at him.

"Me too."

She opened the door and left Barry alone in the office. He sat in his chair for a few more moments before getting to his feet. He went over to the small refrigerator and opened it, squinting at the bright light. As he examined the contents he saw the sandwich he never had the chance to eat earlier. He took it out of the fridge and went back over to his desk. He stood there holding the sandwich for a moment before sighing and dropping it into the waste bin. Turning off his light and grabbing his keys, Barry left the office to go home and see his family.


Elsewhere in the station, Chad Elliott was sitting in one of the interrogation rooms looking at his reflection in the two-way mirror. He slipped a small pin that he had hidden in his palm attempted to use it to pick the lock of his handcuffs. The camera in the observation room on the other side of the glass recorded him as he stared intently at his own reflection while the tried to break free from his shackles. With every click of a pin he felt himself getting closer to freedom. What he would do when he got out of his handcuffs he did not know but he was unable to think while he was restrained like this.

Elliott was gritting his teeth in frustration. He was so close, he could feel it. Just a little more and then…

Click.

His handcuffs popped open and he was free again. With one of the rings still attached to his wrist, Elliott got up and looked at the mirror. If anyone were watching him they would surely come storming in any second now.

They did not.

Moving out of the line of sight of the recording camera, Elliott went to the door and picked the lock using the same pin. Stirred on by his success with the handcuffs and stood in a much more comfortable position it did not take Elliott long to pick the door lock. He cautiously opened the door slightly and peered through the slight crack. He could not see or hear anyone.

Elliott walked through the door and glanced down the corridor. It looked as if he was in the clear. Elliott broke into a light run, trying to move as quietly and as quickly as he could. He followed the exit signs that hung high on the walls. He turned a corner and jumped to see someone standing in front of him. It was Brian Irons.

"You scared me," Elliott said, putting his hand to his chest.

"God damn it, man," Irons said, checking his watch. "It took you ages to break out of there."

"You were waiting for me?" Elliott frowned. "Why? Why didn't you just come help me?"

"Because I needed you to get out on your own so I could justify killing you."

Iron then lifted his handgun and before Elliott could say anything fired three bullets into his chest. He stumbled back and collapsed to the ground. Irons stepped over him and looked into his eyes. He stared deeply and intently at Elliott who stared back. As Irons looked at him he saw a beautiful combination of pain, betrayal and fear before finally all life seemed to just echo away. Irons let out an excited sigh and smiled.

"Exquisite," he said to himself. The door behind him burst open and several officers arrived to investigate the gunshot. Irons stepped away from the body and looked at them. He put on an angry voice.

"Would someone please explain to me how this suspect managed to break out of the interrogation room?"

As Chad Elliott's residence, Wesker met with Chris and Jill on the front lawn. From the looks on their faces there was no good news.

"Nothing?" Wesker asked them.

"We've torn that place apart," Jill shook her head.

"The bastard probably hid anything incriminating," said Chris, looking to Jill. "Probably did it just after you and Barry left."

"Maybe we were wrong?" Jill shrugged. Wesker's cell phone started to ring and he stepped away. "He might not have had anything to do with it. Maybe he just saw the Licker and was just too afraid to say anything. Maybe we got the wrong guy."

"I doubt that," Wesker said, lowering his phone. "He just tried breaking out of the station. He's dead."

Chris and Jill looked at Wesker blankly for a moment while he went back to his call. With nothing inside the house, no key suspect to interrogate and not even the body of the creature all of their leads had dried up.

It was over.


Jill got home just after one in the morning. She threw her keys onto the side table and checked her answering machine. There were no messages. She sighed as she stood over the answering machine, resting her head against the wall above it. It had been a horrendous day and all she wanted to do now was crawl into bed. She looked at the door to her bedroom which was still open and saw her bed, still unmade since she had to leave so quickly the morning before. She wished Peter was with her. She did not love him; she did not even like him that much, not yet at least. She just needed company.

Jill took out her cell phone and called Peter. As the phone rang she went into her bedroom and sat on the bed, letting out a tired sigh. She was removing her boots when Peter picked up. He sounded tired.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh… hey. Are you okay?"

"I'm good," Jill sighed. "I didn't wake you did I?"

"No of course not," Peter mumbled. "I mean who sleeps at this time of night?"

"Sorry, I didn't know if you were still working."

"Why would I be working?" Peter asked. Jill frowned.

"You text me saying there was an emergency at work; I thought you might still be there."

"Oh yeah, no that cleared up quicker than I expected but I was so tired I thought it'd be best to go straight to bed."

"I understand," Jill nodded.

She was getting the overwhelming feeling that Peter would not come over tonight so she decided not to ask. Instead she decided to see if she could make plans for tomorrow so that she could take her mind off everything.

"I had a long day, too. Say, do you wanna go out for lunch tomorrow? I could really use a distraction."

"Er… sure. I don't have any plans. Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Just… tired, you know? D'you wanna meet at Ellie's Diner? Say… one o'clock?"

"I'll be there."

"Great," Jill smiled weakly. "I'll see you then."

Jill let out a loud sigh and fell back into bed, spreading herself out on the unmade sheets. She did not bother to undress; she just closed her eyes and went off to sleep.


As Jill rested, Rebecca entered her own apartment. It was very small studio apartment. Her bed was against the far wall with the kitchen and living area opposite it. She was surrounded by boxes and was yet to unpack. She closed and locked her front door and moved forward to look out of the window above the kitchen sink. She stared out at her neighbourhood that was in one of the more rundown areas of the city. She heard a door slam in the apartment next door and the two tenants started to argue. They were shouting quite loudly.

Rebecca took a deep breath and closed the blinds before undressing and going to sleep, drifting off to the sounds of sirens in the distance and shouting through the walls.


Barry walked through his front door being as quiet as he could. He moved on the tips of his toes and peered through the slightly opened door to his daughter's bedroom. Moira and Polly were sleeping soundly. He went over to his own bedroom, undressed and climbed into bed next to his wife, Kathy. She acknowledged his presence with a quiet moan.

"Long day?" she asked.

"You have no idea," Barry told her, kissing her on the back of the neck before drifting off to sleep.

Chris Redfield did not go straight home after leaving work. Instead he went to the all night gym and worked out for two hours. He pushed himself hard on the weights as he watched himself in the mirror. He did this every time an assignment went wrong. He needed to be better. He stared at himself, willing praying that things would be better next time…

The next morning Jill woke up just after eleven. She took a long shower and started to get excitedly ready. She put on some nice dark jeans and a light blue top that showed off her trim figure. She let her hair down straight. She was sat in front of a mirror applying lipstick when her cell phone started to ring. She smiled as she answered it.

"Heya," she said cheerfully. "I'm just getting ready." Her smile soon faded and a look of disappointment washed across her. She placed the lipstick back on the table and took a tissue and started wiping the makeup off her face.


RACCOON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT


Jill was sat in the S.T.A.R.S. office still dressed in her civilian clothes. She had the office all to herself; hardly anyone came in at the weekend. She sipped a cup of coffee as she scanned through pages on her computer. She was looking at a database of symbols and logos of all known groups, organisations and entities in the hope of finding one that looked similar to the one she saw on the back of that Southern American soldier, Carlos, in the street just after his friends took out the Licker. So far she was having no luck.

The office door opened and Jill looked over to see Chris step inside. He was also dressed in civilian clothes of jeans and a plain green t-shirt.

"Hey," he said. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Same to you," Jill said. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just came to steal some mouse pads. So… pretend you never saw me."

"Done," Jill chuckled as she looked back at her screen.

"What are you working on?" Chris asked, taking a look over her shoulder.

"I'm trying to identify the logo I saw on those G.I. Joes who stole the Licker's body."

"Oh your army buddies?" Chris asked, leaning closer to the screen. "Had any luck?"

"Zilch," Jill muttered. Chris nodded for a moment before leaning over and turning off her computer. "Hey!"

"Sorry to have to say this but you look like crap," Chris took her hand and pulled her out of her chair. "I'm getting you some fresh air, stat."

"Can't you just steal supplies and go home?" Jill asked feebly.

"Sorry; annoying you is a much more enjoyable activity."

Chris took Jill outside and the two started walking through the streets. It was a pleasantly warm day and people were cleaning up after the festival. Flyers were put in the trash, stalls were dismantled and closed roads were reopened. The action the night before had delayed these tasks from being completed. Chris and Jill walked past a magazine stand where the Raccoon Press newspaper had the headline 'Terror at Festival' written in bold across the front page. Jill looked away from it as if it were mocking her.

"What do you think's going to happen?" Jill asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that everything seems to have been resolved. Our bad guy's dead, our monster's been vanquished… everything seems to be tied up with a neat little bow."

"I guess it has," Chris said.

"Do you really believe that?" asked Jill. "What do you really think will happen now?"

"Seems to me that life will go on," Chris shrugged.

"I don't think it will though," Jill stopped and looked up at him. "There is some paramilitary organisation out there who took down that monster as easily as if they were shooting fish in a barrel."

"We all softened it up for them, though," Chris noted.

"That's not the point. They were totally unfazed by it and just acted like it killing it was just business to them."

"I don't get what you're saying," Chris said.

"What if that is their business?" Jill stood closer and looked around cautiously. "Taking out monsters? What if they're some sort of monster hunters who swoop in from the shadows and take out all of the dangers?"

"Like Buffy?"

"I'm serious," Jill hit him in the arm. "If there is a group as organised as that one who deal with these monsters then it'd be safe to assume that there are more of those things out there. The solider, Carlos, told me that he owed me a favour for helping take out the Licker. What do you think he meant by that if all this was over? What if there are more monsters out there? If more Lickers turn up then that makes me want to get the hell out of Raccoon City. What if this isn't the end, Chris? What if the Licker is just the beginning?"

"Look," Chris stood close to Jill, resting his hands on her shoulders. "There is a lot of unexplained stuff going on and I think that if you try and work it out in your head too much you'll start to go crazy. I admit an organisation like the one you saw seems to suggest that there is more to this than meets the eye but we shouldn't worry about it. They seem to have everything under control."

"Hardly," Jill pushed his hands off her shoulders. "They waited until we did all of the work before swooping in. They're the clean-up crew, disposing of all of the evidence of foul play."

"Do you really think that someone made that guy transform into a Licker?" Chris asked. "You know that sounds crazy."

"But what if I'm right, Chris?" Jill had a look of serious fear in her eyes. Chris put his hand to her cheek.

"Whatever happens, whatever comes our way, whatever we have to do to protect this city we'll do it together. We always do."

Jill smiled and put her hand on his. They stood there for a moment before Chris took his hand away.

"Let's go get something to eat," Chris suggested, holding out his arm. "It must work up quite an appetite being as crazy as you are." Jill let out a laugh and took his arm. The two continued walking down the street, chatting together in a livelier manner than before.

As they walked they were unaware they were being watched by a tall woman. She wore nothing but red and smoked a cigarette as she watched them walk by on the other side of the street. She let her cigarette fall to the floor and it landed on a discarded flyer that advertised the Umbrella Corporation. She stamped out the cigarette, tearing apart the Umbrella logo on the paper before walking away.


Elsewhere deep underground in a long dark corridor, Yoko Suzuki was pushing a gurney that was surrounded by a plastic bubble, an isolation unit. The wheels squeaked as they turned, the noise resonating faintly down the corridor.

"Yoko," a voice behind her called out. She turned to see Richard Jaeger and smiled warmly at him. He smiled back as he joined her, looking through the isolation unit at what was on the gurney. He shook his head as his smile broadened. "This is incredible isn't it?"

"We've been very fortunate to get this specimen," she agreed. "The things we can learn from it, the knowledge it contains will be absolutely priceless."

"It is magnificent," said Jaeger. "I just can't believe our luck,"

"Neither can I," said another voice. The two looked up and saw a figure walking toward them. It was Albert Wesker. "I hope you two realise how fortunate you were today."

"There's no need to give me the 'reckless' speech, Albert. William already did that."

"And so he should have," he said, glancing down at the specimen. "William and I were taught by James Marcus himself; we learnt how to be restrained, how to make good decisions based on good judgement. You showed no signs of that when you decided to release the B.O.W. into the field."

"I may have acted rash in your books since I wasn't taught by the great James Marcus but even so, you being taught by him didn't stop you from stabbing him in the back now did it?" Jaeger grinned. Wesker shot him an ambiguous look. It was hard to tell what he was feeling with those sunglasses on. "At least everything I've done I've been totally up front about it from the beginning."

"Watch your tone," Wesker warned.

"The past is in the past, Albert, and we have what we need right here. It won't happen again."

"I don't see why you couldn't have done any of this in a lab," Wesker said. "Irons was fuming that we lost three officers. I had to put on a show for the benefit of the others, too."

"A lab is not the best environment for our work," Jaeger said. "The work we do cannot be restricted. The more we try to control it the more it will try and break out. But rest assured we won't be doing anything to displease you, Irons or Birkin anytime soon."

"That's good," Wesker said. "I don't like cleaning up after your mess. I had to intercept the videotapes in the hospital before anyone else got a look at them. I also had to make sure that Chad Elliott ended up dead, cutting all loose ends."

"Such a shame," Jaeger sighed. "He would have made an excellent subject. Still we've got a good one right here."

He gestured to the body of Kevin Ryman, which was lying in the isolation chamber.

"So rare do we find a subject that was exposed to the virus while they were still alive," Jaeger said. "Who knows the implications of what we may discover?"

"Well let us know your findings," Wesker said. "Hopefully some good can come out of all this mess. And don't let anymore B.O.W.'s out of their cage. You understand?"

Jaeger nodded and went with Yoko as they continued to go down the corridor. They were watched by Wesker as they went through a large automatic door. After they stepped inside the door closed behind them. It had the logo of the Umbrella Corporation painted brightly on it.


Thank you for reading! This is based around the idea of what Resident Evil would be like if it were a television show. I would be interested in continuing the story as I have quite a few ideas but I suppose that depends on you.

I am writing this to practice my writing style. I want to learn and improve my skills as I write so please let me know what you think of it in a review or a private message so I can try and make things better for the next instalment. If it is popular enough I have five more stories planned that will lead up to the mansion.

So in short, please let me know what you thought of it. I'd love to hear any and all criticisms so that I can improve!

Thanks for reading!