Disclaimer: I own Resident Evil. I wish. Capcom owns the series. I however, am proud to say that I own this entire story, and any new characters I make up.
Resident Evil: Armageddon
Part II- Hands of Fate
Chapter 5- First Strike
Written by: Striker
Chris loaded shells into his RemingtonM870. It was the last time he figured he'd ever use it. The team had gotten up at eight. After last night's incident, no one had been able to sleep well. Chris had instructed that everyone wear dark clothes. He had on a black T-shirt a pair of black jeans. The others changed into appropriate clothing and then began checking their weapons. Chris checked the clock on the nightstand, nine-thirty. Only thirty minutes until the mission began. He finished with the shotgun and started on the Colt. He heard a knock on his door.
"Chris, we're all waiting downstairs for you." Barry said, sticking his head in the door.
"I'll be right down. Chris answered, flipping the chamber back into the magnum.
"OK, I'll tell them."
Barry left and headed downstairs. Chris grabbed the shoulder harness for the shotgun, snapping it on before he slid the shotgun into the holster. He grabbed the ammo bag and guns and left the room.
Everyone was in the hall, nervous about the battle that lay ahead. Chris came down the stairs and set the ammo bag down. He looked at everybody's battle dress. Jill had on a black top and brown hiking shorts. Carlos had on his uniform from the U.B.C.S. Any patched of Umbrella had been removed, leaving only the patterns from the stitching. Barry wore a dark green, long sleeve shirt with black jeans, like Chris'. Rebecca had to borrow a dark brown, long sleeve shirt from Ark. She also had on a her blue windbreaker pants. Leon had on a white shirt that was covered by his black jacket. He also wore a pair of blue jeans. Claire was in her biker garb, black shirt and shorts with her red jacket. It wasn't perfect, but it would do.
"I have enough ammunition for everyone. All we need to know is who's armed with what. I've got a shotgun, magnum, and a Berretta. Claire also has a Berretta." Chris handed over the second Berretta to his sister. "What do you guys have?"
"I have my VPK 70." Leon held up his gun. "It uses the same rounds as your Berretta, so I don't need special ammo."
"Here." Ark handed Leon his Glock and Cougar. "You can have these two. Carlos, you can take my .45." He handed the .45 and a few clips for it to Carlos.
"Thanks amigo. Now I have at least one gun."
"I have my Berretta." Rebecca said.
"Don't worry." Barry walked out of the kitchen with two bags. "I got you all covered." He began to pull out weapons from the bags, handing them out. To Leon he gave a Custom Western shotgun. To Jill he gave a Berretta. To Claire and Rebecca he gave a grenade launcher. To Carlos he gave a Desert Eagle AE. He had his Colt Python and a Berretta for backup. "I have four MP5s. I guess I'll give them to Chris, Jill, Carlos, and Claire."
"How did you get all these guns?" Jill asked as she took her weapon.
"Most of these I brought from home. I bought the rest at a gun show. If you have the money, you can get anything." Barry replied.
"There's plenty of ammo in my bag. Get all you need, we'll need it. Chances are we'll run into trouble in that place." Chris said.
"I have all the first aid supplies." Rebecca reported. "I can give some to Claire and Jill if they want any."
"If things are settled," Chris said, "I'll start the helicopter and get ready for lift-off. Meet outside in fifteen minutes. There's also maps of the building I printed out last night. Someone pick them up before we leave. I don't want to get lost in that factory while it's getting ready to explode. I'll be waiting."
Carlos watched Chris walk out the door. There was something wrong with him. Carlos had noticed last night how Chris seemed to separate himself from the others. It was as if he was trying to burn everything into his brain. This morning however, Chris was different. He didn't seem concerned with what would happen when this mission was complete. This didn't set well with Carlos. As a former mercenary, he had seen other people act like this. Soon after, some had begun to act suicidal, almost trying to get killed. Others had just given up, refusing to perform their part of the mission. Carlos was worried not just for Chris, but for Jill as well. She wasn't herself either. Something had happened last night. Whatever it was, he knew, couldn't have come at a worse time.
"Hey guys, has Chris seemed kind of sad lately?" He asked.
"Yeah." Barry said. "He hasn't talked much and he looks preoccupied by something."
"He's been this way ever since we got back from Antarctica." Claire said. "He tried not to show it around me, but I knew something was wrong. He seemed to get worse on the way here."
"I've heard about this." Everyone looked at Ark. He leaned on the door frame, a grim look on his face. "I've heard of soldiers behaving like this. Usually they were out in the field for a long period of time and saw something horrible happen to fellow soldiers or civilians. This has also happened to investigators like myself. It was either what they found out or the fact they couldn't prove it that did it."
"Did what?" Leon asked. "What happened to those people."
"They couldn't deal with it. There is only so much a person can take before they crack. Some people, like us, can handle the stress that comes with what we do. Other can't. When that happens, they loose their will, their drive, their whatever you want to call it. Usually these problems can be discovered during the routine psychological examinations the government requires the military and other agencies to have. Unfortunately, these problems can happen any time. The warning signs come too late and before you know it, the person has clinical depression. This also has earned the nickname "The Death Wish." About half of the soldiers or government officials who develop this either commit suicide, or purposely get themselves killed in a fire-fight. The other half just quit and go God knows where. I hate to say this, but Chris may well have a death wish. And this mission may give him the perfect opportunity to see it through. If I were you, I'd watch him like a hawk."
"Have you ever seen someone like this?" Rebecca asked.
"I have." Carlos said. "I was on a mission in southern Chili. One of the guys on my squad saw a teammate get blown apart by a grenade. The man almost went insane. A few days later he asked me why we were fighting. He wanted to know why people had to die. The next day, we got into a battle with terrorists we were after. The guy just walked out into the middle of the street and stood there. He had his arms in the air, just daring the enemy to shot him. They did, right in his heart. The part that upset everyone the most was when we got to the body. The man had a smile on his face, like he had waited for this to happen. Right now, Chris is acting just like that guy. Ark's right, we have to watch Chris."
"The question is," Leon said, "What set him off. From what Claire told me, this would never happen to Chris. He's too strong for this to happen to him."
"Even the strong fall, Leon." Ark said. "I've heard of people just like Chris suddenly crumble. In most cases, it was after they did something that ended up leading to disaster. I guess they felt like it was their fault."
Jill had kept silent during all this. She knew what the reason was. She finally decided to say something. "I know what it is. He blames himself for us being split up, and he feels guilty for leaving us. He believes that if he stayed in Raccoon, he could have done something. He could have been there when Claire arrived. He could have been there for me. I also think he blames himself for Claire being involved in this. The final reason he's like this is me."
"You?!" Barry asked.
Everyone was stunned, all except Carlos, who had suspected that this had something to do with the conversation between Chris and Jill last night.
"Barry, Rebecca, and the other S.T.A.R.S. were right. I am in love with Chris, and he's in love with me. However, he got the impression that I have something with Carlos. I told him Carlos and I have nothing, we're friends. He then told me that I deserved someone better." Jill hung her head, trying not to cry. "He said that everyone changed but him. He told me to forget about him. He feels guilty for everything that's happened. Now he wants to die." Jill looked towards the door. "But I won't let him."
"None of us will." Claire added. "First we blow up this factory, then we deal with Chris. I lost my parents, I'm not loosing my brother."
"We better get going before Chris decides to leave without us. Get the maps." Barry pointed to Leon.
"Here they are." Sherry handed the papers to Leon. She and the other two kids had listened to the whole thing from the living room. "Will Chris be alright?"
"He will Sherry, we'll see to it." Leon said, taking the maps.
"Then let's go." Barry said.
The team grabbed the bag and took it with them. There was no time to pass out ammo now.
"Ark, if anyone comes, use one of the rifles in the den. There are shells in one of the desks." Barry told him on the way out.
"I will." Ark had a bad feeling. It was the same feeling he had on Sheena Island. Something was about to go seriously wrong.
They got to the helicopter and climbed in. Barry got into the cockpit and took the seat next to Chris.
"What took you so long?" He asked.
"I had to give Ark some instructions. We're all a little jumpy about this, Chris. How do you feel?"
"Fine. Just tell everyone to buckle up. We're taking off now." Chris said.
The order was given, and Chris lifted off. They started heading west. It would take a few hours to get there, so everyone tried to relax. Jill had passed out the ammo, making sure everyone had enough. She then kept an eye on Chris. She was right behind Barry's seat, with Carlos next to her and Becky next to him. Leon and Claire were on the other side, next to the door. Carlos nudged Jill.
"I take it your talk didn't do any good, huh." He kept his voice at a whisper. Only Jill could here him over the sound of the engine.
"No, it didn't. I should have said something sooner. I should have told him as soon as I saw him."
"Don't beat yourself up. I should have told him too. I had the chance last night. He told me that I had to prove myself to him. I asked him how, and he said to take care of her. I thought he meant Becky or Claire. I guess he meant you. I was going to say something, but he walked away before I could ask him."
"I never thought this would happen to him. I thought it would be me or Becky, but never him."
"Sometimes things happen, that's life. We'll all be watching him. If he tries something funny, we'll stop him. Got it."
Jill smiled at him before shifting her eyes back to Chris. 'I just hope you don't.'
Leon had watched Jill and Carlos talk. He knew it was about Chris. He was going to keep his own eye on Chris, not for his sake, but Claire's. He knew that Claire couldn't loose Chris. She had lost someone else already. In fact, he was beginning to worry about Claire's mental state too.
"Claire, how are you doing?" He asked.
Claire looked at Leon. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"It's just that last night you scared the hell out of me. With all this talk of Chris, I don't think we need you going nuts too."
"Don't worry. I'm going after Umbrella because of Steve. I'm going to hurt them like they hurt me. I can't change what happened, but I can do something to make sure it doesn't happen again."
"It must have been hard. I don't know if I could have done it. I guess I wouldn't."
"Believe me, I was doing him a favor. Alexia turned him into a monster. He didn't deserve to spend the rest of his life as a thing. It's funny, I never thought I would loose someone, much less fall in love."
"I know what it's like too. I lost someone in Raccoon city. I had to watch her die in my arms. It took me a long time to get over that. To tell the truth, I still think about her sometimes."
"Who was she?"
"Ada. She was a spy sent to get the G-virus. She used me to try and get it. Ironically, she fell for me too. Life's funny that way."
"I guess we've both been up the same creek without a paddle. If you got over Ada, I sure as hell can get over Steve."
"I just want you to know, if you need someone to talk to, I'll be there to listen."
"Thanks Leon."
The rest of the trip went without anyone saying a word. Chris saw the building up ahead. He veered off to the right, finding a clearing. It was not to close, but to far away either. The copter set down and everyone got out.
"Let's go. Keep quiet and move fast." Chris said, heading for the woods. everyone followed suite. It was around one C.S.T. Even though it was light out, the thick foliage hid the team as they moved silently towards the factory. They reached the side door and Chris checked the lock. "Jill, pick it."
Jill moved forward, the others keeping guard. She removed her lock picking kit from her hip pouch. She selected the right pieces and went to work. She was rewarded with the sound of the lock clicking. "Thanks dad." She whispered, looking up. Her dad, Dick Valentine, had taught her all the tricks of the trade. She knew how to pick any lock or open any window. She also could open any safe ever built. She had quit the Deltas when she found out her father got busted. She knew she couldn't continue, being a thief's daughter didn't win you a lot of friends. She almost took over for her father when he had told her not to follow in his footsteps. He was the reason she joined S.T.A.R.S. in the first place. She was crushed when she found out he had died shortly after from lung cancer. He had developed it from smoking for so long. That was why she was glad that Chris had kicked his smoking habit.
"Jill, move back. Leon, open the door." Chris barked out orders like he had seen Wesker and Marini do while he was still in S.T.A.R.S. He had started practicing because Wesker had made him second in command of Alpha Squad.
Leon opened the door and glanced in. "Looks clear."
"I need someone to take point." Chris said, looking for volunteers.
"I will." Rebecca said, coming forward.
"No Becky, your not. You don't have that much experience in this type of situation. Let someone else go."
"Fine." Rebecca pouted. She may have been a newcomer to the group, but she didn't have to be treated like a child. All she wanted to do was prove that she could be just as good a S.T.A.R.S. member as the rest. Besides, how was she going to get any experience if she never got to see any action? There was always the inside of the building. She could show them in there.
Chris looked at the others. "Jill, Carlos, take point. Becky, Claire, stay close to Leon and I. Barry, you got the rear."
Everyone readied their weapons and went in. Jill and Carlos got to the end of the hall. They signaled that all was clear. The rest moved to join them. Leon handed Chris the maps. He took them and looked at the first floor map.
"Listen up, the elevator is ahead and left. If we keep going, we may be able to get to the elevator without running into trouble. Just follow me."
Chris moved down the hall, the others in tow. The walls were all white-washed and the floor was covered in shiny linoleum tiles. The team passed what looked like supply rooms and offices. They got to a T intersection. Chris signaled to the team to stop. The hall continued forward and another hall went left. On the right side of the wall was what looked like a power box. A door next to it read "Main Power Room." Chris had used the power box to remember where he had to turn. Chris rounded the corner, only to come face to face with four guards.
"Stop where you are." One of the men said. Chris responded by pulling his Berretta and shooting him in the right shoulder, then ducking back around the corner. The other guards opened fire.
"I guess we just ran into trouble." Barry said.
"We did." Chris responded. He quickly made a plan. "Jill, Carlos, Leon, get to the other side. Claire and I will cover you. Barry, you and Rebecca watch our flanks. GO!"
Chris and Claire sprayed the corridor with gunfire. Jill, Carlos, and Leon ran over to the right side or the hall, Jill covering the other two with a few burst from her MP5. The guards took cover by ducking into two rooms in the hall. Chris, Claire, and Jill returned to their cover as the guards fired off a few rounds at them. Chris drew his Berretta again. This would take accuracy instead of force. Claire and Leon had drawn their pistols too. Chris looked at his sister and nodded. He looked over to Leon and signaled for cover. Leon set his VPK to Auto and came around the corner shooting. The guards returned to cover just as Chris and Claire moved out from the wall. They aimed at the two guards on the right side of the hall and fired. Chris hit one in the gut and then in the throat. Claire missed her target all together. They both ducked back as Leon backed off. He popped out the spent clip and slapped another in. Carlos readied himself and waited until the guards emptied their weapons. He shot out, firing at the guards on the left. He nailed the guard Chris had wounded, killing him. Carlos got back to cover as the guards returned fire.
"Two down, two to go." He called to Chris.
"I got these guys." Rebecca said. She sprang from her spot before Barry could stop her. She rushed out into the hall, firing her grenade launcher at the guard on the right. He screamed as one round hit him in the chest, sending him flying back. "I GOT ONE!" She shouted.
Barry grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her to safety. "THE HELL YOU THINK YOUR DOING. YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN KILLED!." He roared.
"I was just trying to get the bad guys." Rebecca said. She was shaking from the way Barry had screamed at her.
"Just don't do that without someone else covering you." Chris told her in a calmer voice. He gave at Barry a disapproving look.
"I'm sorry Becky." He said to Rebecca.
"It's OK." She replied.
The other guard, after seeing his buddy get blown up, rushed out, firing all over the place. A few bullets hit the power box. It sparked before exploding. Everyone covered their eyes as sparks rain out over them. The lights turned off, the hall illuminated by the flash of the guard's machine gun. The emergency lights kicked in a few seconds later. By that time clicks were the only thing coming from the guard's gun. Chris and Jill looked at each other and nodded. They both came around the corner, their MP5s ready. The guard's mouth few open before Chris and Jill fired, filling the man with bullets. The others came out to inspect the damage. Two guards lay in the hall, one ripped apart by bullets, the other's chest was blown out. In the side rooms lay the other two guards. Leon turned to look at the power box. It looked completely destroyed.
"That guard sure did a number on that box. Must have knocked out power to the whole factory." Leon said.
"That's not good." Chris replied.
"Why is that?" Barry asked.
"Because," Chris pointed to a room on the second basement map, "They're loose."
In the low light, everyone could see that the rooms were labeled.
"Oh God." Claire said as she read the name of the room her brother was pointing to. It read "HUNTER PENS."
Author's Comments: Great, first Chris is suicidal, now the group has to worry about Hunters. You can tell this is going to be fun. Also, the team got into their first firefight. Expect more of this kind of action later on in the story. Well, we know that everyone else in the factory knows that the team is here. However, I think the Umbrella employees have more to worry about than some gun-totting mini army trying to blow the place up. I kind of compare this type of incident to Murphy's Law. It states that "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong." I kind of tack on a little part at the end that says "and if it can go wrong, it usually will." I think this sums up the whole chapter. You'll also want to think of this saying while reading the next chapter. You just know everything will go wrong. Also, C.S.T. stands for Central Standard Time. Alabama is in the Central time zone, so it's one hour earlier than in Georgia. That means the trip was four hours instead of three. Just had to clear that up.
Next, it's freak-filled fun as the
team not only tries to make it to the self-destruct station, but make it out
without getting caught in the blast. With hunters and who knows what else
waiting in the basement, it sure as hell won't be a walk in the park. Will they
succeed, or fail miserably? What will happen to Chris? Will he seek out death
in the basement of the factory? And if he does, who will try to stop him, and
will they succeed? The mystery and action continues in RE Armageddon- Part 2,
Chapter 6- Breakdown.