A/N: Here's chapter 2. Thank you for those who have read the previous chapter. It's not the greatest writing, but hopefully it'll improve as the story progresses. R&R and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil.

Chapter 2: Uncovering the Truth

Later that day, I went to the S.T.A.R.S. office to see how they were holding up. I knocked on the door, and a faint voice said to come in. I barely heard it, but I opened the door anyway, and saw the team rummaging through the papers on their captain's desk. Barry was taking the whole desk apart, he had a look of pure contempt as he shuffled through the paperwork. They were looking for any incriminating evidence to back-up their story. Jill was the first to say anything.

"Hi, P.J." she said, attempting to hold back her tears.

Rebecca was packing up at her desk, she began to cry, as she gazed at a picture of herself with Richard Aiken, another Bravo team member who did not return.

"Guys, is what you told the Chief really true?" I hesitantly asked.

Chris stopped what he was doing and looked at me, frustrated, "Of course it is, our comrades are dead, and we almost died too. We wouldn't just make this up!"

"I know, bu…" I began, but Jill interrupted. "You believe us, right?"

They all stopped what they were doing and looked up, with the exception of Brad, who continued to pack his things. I felt a chill go down my spine as I looked around at all of them, then back to Jill. I saw a single tear roll down her cheek. I walked over to her and brushed the tear away.

"Look guys, I can't even begin to imagine the things you guys described back there…but, I also know you wouldn't lie about something like this, so…" I paused momentarily,

"I believe you." The relieved look on their faces ensured me that I made the right decision. Jill was the first to speak,

"Thank you." she said, almost breaking down. So I leaned in to hug her.

When she hugged back, it seemed distant, like she was holding everything back. She was fighting herself from completely breaking down, and letting her emotions get the better of her. But that's Jill, she's strong, and always has been. She hides her emotions well, but I could still see how distraught she was. Whatever happened to them out there, it had to have been devastating, if it shook a rock, like Jill.

The next few days at the precinct were tense, as Jill, Chris and Barry compiled their reports with the little evidence they managed to retrieve from the mansion. It was mostly files, diaries and photographs, but still incriminating enough to make a case. Rebecca, however, only came in once. She filed a report regarding a war criminal, that Bravo team was investigating. He died out in the forest, along with the rest of Bravo team. She came by my desk, while I was filling out my own report on the drug bust from the other night. She thanked me for my help the other day, and for my friendship when she joined the R.P.D. She had resigned that day, and decided to leave town. I walked with her to the main entrance, she had already said her farewells to the other S.T.A.R.S. members. As she was leaving, she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, then departed. She was a good friend, we've gotten to know each other well, over the past few weeks, when she started out. I would definately miss her.

After I finished my report, I went to the S.T.A.R.S. office to check in on the other members. They were all busy compiling their evidence against the Umbrella Corporation. After they told me that Umbrella was responsible for what happened, I threw out all my Umbrella-made pharmaceuticals. After all, I didn't want my adravil turning me into a flesh-eating zombie. The only one in the office who was not helping with their investigation was Brad, he was awaiting reassignment to another police department. After what happened, a part of me wanted to kill him for deserting his comrades. If he had stayed, maybe Richard, and Kenneth, and the others would still be alive. On the other hand, if he hadn't gone back to the mansion for them, Jill and the others wouldn't be here now. I guess the thought of leaving his teammates behind really ate away at him. I could understand that. As much as I tried to picture it, I don't think I could leave my comrades behind, like that, no matter how bad the situation got. Especially John, not after all we've been through, he saved my ass on more than one occasion. I just hoped that I'd never be put in a situation that would prove me wrong.

Things remained tense at the station, none of the other cops at the precinct believed the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members, not even Marvin, who was pretty close to them. This led to tensions between them and the rest of the cops, especially with Chris. Jill had to break up a fight between him and Elran, of the Boys' Crime department. All over a misunderstanding. It turns out that Elran accidentally spilled his coffee on Chris. I guess Chris thought he did it on purpose, or something, because he punched him square in the jaw. Jill had to step in-between him and Elran, to stop the fight. Not to anyone's surprise, Chris was suspended after that incident. After all their efforts of convincing the chief, and the rest of the police department, to launch an investigation against Umbrella had failed, Chris and Barry left Raccoon City altogether. Barry fled with his family to Canada, and Chris completely fell off the grid. But before he left, he told Jill that he had dug something else up that Umbrella was working on, and he was going to try to put a stop to it. I think Barry set off to join Chris, after he got his family to safety. They were the smart ones, if I had known what was on the horizon for Raccoon City, I would have gotten the hell outta dodge too.

Eventually Jill resigned from the R.P.D., and S.T.A.R.S. was officially finished. Chief Irons was not saddened by this at all, in fact, he had already set in motion for a team to replace S.T.A.R.S. Because, with them gone, the citizens of Raccoon were growing increasingly unsettled. With the rising crime rates, and no S.T.A.R.S. to keep it in check, the Select Police Force was formed. They operated as a more standardized SWAT team. Marvin even petitioned to get me in, but I declined, although the uniforms were pretty cool. They were bringing in more recruits, to meet the demand of the growing crime-rate. I had a feeling that something bad was on the horizon. Not to mention, with the growing tensions within the police department itself. A lot of the cops were getting sick, and couldn't make it in for their shifts. So, the remaining cops, including myself, were getting double-overtime shifts. This also gave me more time to notice things around the station, that I wouldn't normally pick up on. Like the chief, there was something about Irons made me suspicious. I never liked the guy to begin with, but I never suspected him of anything before the mansion incident.

He seemed more off than usual, after Jill and the others returned. He was too quick to dismiss their story as 'rubbish', and put a lot of effort into suppressing their investigation of Umbrella's involvement. It wouldn't surprise me if he was crooked, too. I mean, Captain Wesker turned out to be a dirty cop, on Umbrella's payroll, maybe they controlled more people within the department as well. I'm sure all the new art, that the chief was flaunting around the station, wasn't paid for on a cop's salary, even if he is the Chief-of-Police. While Umbrella, on the other hand, has very deep pockets, it made perfect sense. But, without evidence to back it up, it's just speculation. I thought about resigning too, after S.T.A.R.S. disbanded, there was too much corruption in this town. Then, I started thinking about John. He's a damn good partner, and friend. I couldn't just leave him and his family here if the shit did hit the fan. Also, if the chief was corrupt, I wanted to keep a close eye on him. If I saw anything suspicious, I would report it to internal affairs, and get his fat ass thrown behind bars.

It was a Saturday night, the first one I had off in a long time. I went over to Jill's apartment, to see how she was holding up. I haven't spoken to her since she resigned, and I was starting to worry about her. I knocked on her door, when she opened it, she looked very tired and strung out. She had reached her limit with this case. As I walked in, I noticed a bunch of photographs, laying on the piles of evidence she had laid out on her coffee table. They were pictures of her late comrades. She had lost a lot of people she cared about, and was betrayed by someone she admired. There was a crumpled picture laying on the floor, next to the trash can. I picked it up, and saw Jill with her former captain. I looked at it for a moment, seeing his smug face really pissed me off, knowing that he was a saboteur the whole time he was with S.T.A.R.S. So, I crumpled it back up, and threw it in the trash can.

"Thanks for dropping by.", she said.

"Not a problem, I miss ya at the station. It's not the same without you."

Jill grinned, "Thanks, I miss you too. I've just been so busy with this damn investigation, it's..." she paused, as she rubbed her eyes, "...it's taking a lot out of me."

She had been working day, and night, on her case. I wanted to tell her to go easy on herself, because taking down a major pharamceutical empire would take time, no matter how much work you put into it. But, I looked down to the pictures of her fallen comrades, and I knew that she wouldn't stop until the people responsible for their deaths were put to justice. So, instead, I said,

"Are you making any headway with it?"

She just shook her head.

"Jill, you need to take a break, you can't keep doing this without decent rest. You're pushing yourself too hard, and that won't help your case at all."

She picked up one of the pictures. In it, she was standing with fellow Alpha team members, Brad Vickers and Joseph Frost. Joseph, the resident joker of the team, was giving Brad and Jill the classic bunny ears. Tears started to form, and she let out a faint chuckle. Then, she acknoledged what I said, and changed the subject.

"Yeah, I guess. I've been so wrapped up in this case, I can't even remember the last time we had lunch together." she chuckled.

Her laugh seemed forced, just like the smile she would put on, whenever I was around. I guess she didn't want me to worry about her. I looked around her apartment, there were only stacks of empty pizza boxes and takeout containers in her blue bin.

"Well, how about we go now?" I said in return.

"What?" Jill looked at her watch,

"It's past 8 o'clock, on a Saturday night, everyone's probably booked." Raccoon City was well known for it's fine dining, even many of the smaller diners and cafes were always packed on weekends.

"Well, there's this all-night diner down the street from my place, it's usually pretty empty. C'mon, it's on me."

She grinned, "Well, if you're paying." she replied, playfully. It was the first genuine smile I've seen on her face, since before the incident.

Jill needed some time away from there, to clear her head, and then get back into it refreshed. She's changed a lot since she returned, it's understandable, considering all the shit she's been through. I just couldn't stand by on the sidelines and let her bare all the weight of this, on her own. Jill may be a rock, but even rocks crumble under pressure. She was deep in sorrow, and couldn't shake the look of it, no matter how hard she tried. After losing some of her closest friends, her whole world has been turned upside down, all because of Umbrella. I just wanted to comfort her, and tell her that everything would be alright. But, of course, that would have been a lie…