The ride to the mansion was a non-event for all of the members of the Bravo team. Marini was in his usual position inside the HumVee, in the front passenger seat. A laptop computer was open on his lap, and his fingers slammed the keys as he scrolled through page after page of what looked to be local area maps. With a curse, he slammed the lid shut.
"So…uh…boss," as usual, Spyer was the one to break into the team's silence. "Gonna tell us what the hell we're doing in the middle of the woods? Or does Wesker just wanna see us making asses out of ourselves again?" His eyes never left the rutted dirt track that served as a road to their target location. Spyer babied the large vehicle through a sharp turn, then slowed down for a series of potholes.
"Yeah…another fucked up goose chase," Aiken said from his seat behind Spyer. "Christ. How many of these little games is he gonna play before he decides we're all up to par?"
Chambers listened to the men talking from her position in the back of the vehicle. There was room for her to sit in the back seat between Aiken and Sullivan, but she preferred to sit in the cargo hold. Her medical bag was open in front of her, and she was taking a quick inventory of everything she'd been told to bring.
"You'll all be briefed when we get in there," Marini said gruffly. He shoved the laptop under his seat and crossed his arms, subject closed. It was no secret to him that his team, along with most of the Alpha team, thought of Wesker as an asshole. But he was still the boss, and the position begged for at least a minimum of respect.
"I didn't even know there was anything back here to get to," Sullivan said softly, staring out the window at the wild tangle of woods that surrounded them. Along with Chambers, he was considered a newby to the S.T.A.R.S. As far as he knew, he was the only one who'd been actively…or aggressively, recruited to the team by Wesker. Sullivan had a degree in chemistry and ten years of Army Ranger training under his belt.
The Bravo Team was considered the scientific part of the S.T.A.R.S. They were, they presumed, scouts and information gatherers, used to determine what, if any, action would be required from the Alpha team. Considering the kind of firepower that the Alphas usually packed, it seemed improbable to Sullivan that their special 'services' would ever be needed.
"Wow…" Chambers' soft exclamation from behind him pulled him from his reverie. He looked out the front window the HumVee, and his eyes widened. The entire team stared ahead, not able to speak.
In the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed, the woods pressing against the road suddenly opened up. The dirt road turned into smooth black pavement. Spyer stepped on the brake instinctively as they made the transition, as if the new surface were something foreign and not to be trusted.
It wasn't the clearing, or the road, that caught their attention though. The site of their mission, their reason for being here, had effectively wiped out their ability to speak. The mansion sat at the top of a small rise, lush green lawns surrounding it, it's sheer size hard to digest in just one look. A ten foot high metal stake fence surrounded it, crossing the road in a formidable looking gate. Spyer came to a complete stop and they all waited for someone to break the silence.
Marini finally cleared his throat. When Wesker had said a house at the end of the logging road, he'd assumed it would be a run down log cabin. The woods were full of such dwellings, leftovers from a time when cutting down the massive trees around them had been the only livelihood of Raccoon City.
"Ok, people. Usual rules apply. We walk from here," He managed to keep his tone even, but he couldn't tear his eyes from the magnificent building that sprawled in front of them. "Gear up," With that, he swung his door open and stepped out onto the road.
The rest of the team followed. Spyer opened the rear hatch of the HumVee, and helped Chambers down to the ground. Once she was out of the way, he popped open the cargo hatch and began handing out what they'd brought. Sidearms were strapped on, strictly out of habit. The only one who didn't carry a gun was Chambers; as their medic she wasn't rated for combat. Aiken opened his heavy pack, pulling out a tangle of black wires. Each member of the team received an earpiece and a walkie-talkie, standard procedure for any mission they went on. He made sure they were all hooked in and working properly, then he rezipped his pack and shouldered it. He would carry their com phone for the entire mission, and follow Marini throughout the drill.
Marini watched as they finished their preparation, then reached into the cargo hold. He pulled out a small, but powerful grenade launcher and handed it to Spyer, who took it wordlessly. This was something completely out of the norm. Such firepower was normally reserved for the bulletheads of the Alpha team.
"You're our best shot, and ammo is limited, so make sure you know what you're shooting at," Marini said slowly. "If you have to shoot at all."
"You think there's going to be shooting?" Spyer asked, wrapping his hand around the launcher's pistol grip experimentally.
"I don't know. Time for a briefing," He motioned to them to gather around and waited a moment before beginning. "At Oh-9 this morning, the Raccoon City Police received a garbled distress transmission, via CB radio. Wesker intercepted the call, and got the order from Chief Irons to let S.T.A.R.S. handle the situation." As he spoke, he pulled a map from his pocket. "This…mansion…is not on any of our database maps. Wesker marked it's location…" he opened the map and spread it on the floor of the cargo hold. They all took a brief look at it, but it seemed as if it was just Marini's way of stalling for time.
"Ok, so a distress call," Spyer shrugged. "Way the hell out here? Is this place some kinda rich boy retreat?"
Marini sighed. "Wesker was vague on any kind of details. What we have here is a medical research facility. He estimates that there are at least forty scientists living and working in this place."
"Medical…what kind of research?" Chambers asked curiously. She'd never heard of a research facility this close to Raccoon City. And from the look on Sullivan's face, neither had he.
"That I don't know," Marini said, shaking his head. "What we have to do is very basic. Secure the area. Investigate the source of the distress call. Aid anyone who may need it. And overall…decide if we need to call in the reinforcements."
Spyer was looking the mansion, amused. "As fucking quiet as it is? Sure, tell 'em to drive a tank through the front door."
"Almost too quiet," Chambers muttered.
"What?" Aiken looked at her strangely. He'd been thinking the exact same thing.
"Listen. We're in the middle of the woods. Do you hear anything at all?" Chambers looked around. Though it was the middle of the day, the sky was overcast, lending everything a shadowed look.
"I hear…uh…" Sullivan didn't finish.
"Nothing," Chambers said. "No birds. No bugs. I grew up in the woods, and on cloudy days the crickets would just about drive you insane. But…there's nothing here." Not even a puff of wind disturbed the trees that surrounded the mansion. A chill worked it's way down her spine.
"Whether or not there are noises out here…" Marini said with more force than he'd intended. "Our mission is inside." He gestured at Spyer. "See if you can get that gate open. Let's get this show on the road."