Disclaimer: I am using the characters from the game Resident Evil, which is owned by Capcom. I make no money whatsoever from this story, so don't sue my ass. Thank you.
Resident Evil: Armageddon
Part III- Gaining Strength
Chapter 3- Disturbing News
Written by: Striker
It was quarter to three by the time the helicopter landed. The two men got out and headed for the house. They had just gotten in the door when Jill ran up to them.
"Chris, Ark found something about who Umbrella's sending." She sounded hysterical. "It's bad Chris, really bad."
"Then let's see it." Chris said as he walked to the den. He saw everyone crowded around the computer. Jill and Barry came up next to him. "Tell me what you got Ark."
Ark turned to Chris with a bleak look on his face. "We really pissed Umbrella off big time. I did what you said and hacked into their system. I went looking through the mail, seeing if Nicholai had sent an E-mail. I found this." He brought up what looked like a letter. "It's a progress report sent by Nicholai. It says here that he had a positive sighting of the survivors. He gave your names and assumed that the rest of us were here. It also says that he contacted two people."
"Who are they?" Chris asked.
"Agent Hunk and Agent #407."
"Who the hell are they?" Barry asked. "Those are weird names."
"I only got a little information on them. Their files were heavily protected. First I'll start on Hunk. This guy is big trouble. He only gets assigned mission with a low survival rate. So far he's completed all of them. He's been sent in on retrieval missions, elimination missions, and other fun stuff. He's so good that he has a very interesting nickname, the Death."
"The Death." Carlos said. "Now that is creepy. I don't think I want to meet that guy in a dark alley."
"Then get this," Ark continued, "His motto is "The Death cannot die". This guy sure has a way with words.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but this guy sounds dedicated." Barry said.
"Or wacko." Rebecca added.
Ark nodded. "Seeing as how Umbrella has a pension for attracting lunatics, I'm not surprised if this man thinks he IS death."
Chris pointed at the screen. "What about Agent #407. What did you find on that person."
Ark shook his head. "Like I said, not much. All I could find out was that it's a she. This woman is a master at infiltration. Jill could learn a lesson from her."
Jill was not amused. "Very funny Ark."
"How does she operate?" Barry asked.
"Simple, she hides right out in the open." Ark looked at Jill. "Unlike Jill, this woman assumes a new identity for each mission she takes. No fancy breaking and entering. She blends into wherever she's stationed." Ark turned back to the computer. "Once she gains the trust of the people around her, she takes what she was sent to get. Most of the time, she manipulates people to complete her mission. So far she has completed all but her last mission."
"What mission is that?" Rebecca asked.
"I wish I knew, but the security I have to get through to find that out is too tight. I can't even find out their names or a physical description. I was lucky enough to get this."
"What do you think Chris?" Jill turned to her partner. He was rubbing his forehead with his right hand, deep in thought. He looked at Jill.
"I can tell you this," He said, pointing at her, "Spencer may be insane, but he isn't stupid. My guess is that this woman's job is to befriend one of us. When we bring her here, she's to report to this Hunk guy and tell him our location. He comes in and wipes us out. Simple as that."
"I guess this means that we have to be careful who we trust." Claire said. "Boy, that's going to hamper our recruiting."
Chris looked back at the screen. "There's one thing that worries me. Umbrella should have known that we'd try to hack into their computer network. If these agents personal information is so well protected, why was the stuff you were able to get so easy to access. It would make more sense to keep all that information in one place."
"I was thinking about that too." Ark replied. "Maybe that's part of Spencer's plan. There's an old saying that says that anticipating death is worse than death itself. I think Spencer wants us to suspect everyone we meet. That way it'll be harder for us to get any more allies, since we won't know if they're Umbrella agents or not."
"Psychological warfare." Barry said. "I'll give you three guesses as to who gave Spencer that idea."
Jill narrowed her eyes. "Wesker."
Ark looked at Chris. "It gets better. Nicholai wasn't content enough to sent for these two. It says here that he also told Hunk to gather his team. I found a lot of information on them. Apparently these guys are considered the best team in Umbrella. They've completed every mission they've been sent on. I got some names. There's Jeff Skinner, 28. He's the pilot. From what I read, he seems like a better pilot than you Chris."
"That's a matter of opinion." Chris replied.
"Then there's Jess Furrows, 26. This guy could take on Barry blow for blow. Max Cutter, 24. Expert medic and skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Tough bastard, isn't he? There's Kelly Nealson, also 24. Her occupation is scout. Nice personality and a looker to boot. It'll be a shame to mess up that pretty face."
Leon nodded. "You're not kidding. She's as gorgeous as you Claire."
Claire rolled her eyes. "Can we just move on?"
"Fine." Ark said. "Next we have Janet Rissingmer. According to her profile, she's a bitch. Bad temper, easily angered, fiercely determined, keeps to herself. Sounds like a female version of Chris."
Jill smacked him on the back of his head. Chris just chuckled.
"Jesus, can't you guys take a joke." Ark rubbed his head. "Anyway, the last one is Rick Veris. This guy is the crazy one. Kind of reminds me of me. Electronics wiz extraordinaire, able to pick any electronic lock or override any security system made. Basically your high-tech cat burglar. All these guys are highly trained and very good at their job. Looks like we have some decent opponents for a change."
"Eight against eight, looks like Umbrella has evened the odds." Chris said. "This could be interesting. These people probably think that we don't know that they are coming. That gives us a small advantage. We also have to be careful. With this group coming here, going out will be a problem. We may have to leave this place soon."
"And where do we go after that?" Carlos asked. "There are not many places we can go where Umbrella won't be able to find us."
"There is." Chris said. "I know of a place in North Carolina a few miles from Raleigh. If we have to leave Atlanta, that's where we can go."
"What is it?" Jill asked.
"An abandoned military base. It was closed in late 1996. It was temporarily used as an airfield for Apache helicopters. I got stationed there for a few months. It's secluded so no one will bother us. If this place gets attacked, we go there."
"Nice to know we have someplace else to go." Leon said. "By the way, we finished looking over the plans for the Gabesville facility. That place is huge."
"Good. Everyone, meet in the kitchen. We have some planning to do." Chris headed for the kitchen, followed by the others. They filed around the table, with Chris, Jill, Leon, and Claire standing in front of the map. Chris began. "Rebecca, how did you do with the supplies?"
Rebecca smiled. "I spit them up into small packs. I can take one pack and Claire can take the other. There's enough for two more people, and we'll still have some supplies left over."
"Good job Becky. Give those other packs to Jill and Carlos. Carlos, how did you do with the weapons list?"
"Let's see." Carlos pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket. "We have five Berrettas, one Remington M870, one Custom Western shotgun, one VPK 70, one Glock 9mm, one .45 semi-automatic handgun, one Cougar Magnum, two Colt Pythons, one Desert Eagle AE, two M203 Grenade Launchers, four MP5s, one Smith and Western bolt-action hunting rifle, and a double-barrel shotgun. If I left anything out, tell me now. All the stuff is on the dining room table."
"OK, here are the gun assignments. I'll take my Berretta, a MP5, and my double-barrel shotgun. Jill will get a Berretta, a MP5, and my Colt. Claire will get a Berretta, a M203, and the hunting rifle. Leon gets his VPK 70, the Custom Western, and a MP5. Becky gets a Berretta and a M203. Carlos gets the Desert Eagle AE, a MP5, and my Remington M870. Barry gets his Colt and Berretta. Ark can keep his .45, Glock, and Cougar." Chris looked around the table. "Everyone got that?" Everyone nodded. "What did you guys do with the plans?"
"The best way in is through the loading docks." Jill pointed at the rear of the building. "Security is the weakest there. After that we can make our way through the warehouse and get to the freight elevator. It only goes down to the first basement level."
Leon pick up from there. "There's a power room about twenty feet from the stockroom. All we have to do is go down there and cut power to the security systems. My theory is that if we do that, all the electronic locks will be disabled. That means that we won't have to find a keycard to get through any of the doors."
"Nice thinking Leon. Where's the main elevator?"
"Well bro, there are two of them." Claire ran her finger over the map, tracing the routes. "One is located at the main lobby. That goes from the first basement to the helipad. The other is in the southwestern part of the building. From the power room we have to go right, down past two halls, make a left, a right, then another left. We then have to pass through a chemical storage room. After that, it's only a few feet to the elevator."
Chris smiled at his sister. "Nice job. From what I see here, all we have to do is make our way down this hall and go through a few storage rooms to get to where we need to be. If we don't run into any guards or trip any alarms, we should be in and out with minimal difficulty. I suggest that we get to bed early and get some extra sleep."
"Yeah, and sleep in your own rooms tonight." Barry said, winking at Chris. "You can save that horseplay for tomorrow night."
Chris didn't appreciate Barry's comments. "Watch your mouth soldier, no one likes a smart ass."
"Damn Chris, you are taking this leader thing seriously." Barry said.
"Yeah, well, do me a favor. Distribute the ammo and weapons according to my weapon assignments. That should keep you busy for a few hours."
"Sir." Barry walked into the laundry room and came back out with several bags. He then went into the dining room and started organizing the equipment.
"This meeting is over." Chris said. "I suggest that we all try to relax. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. Dismissed."
Everyone left the room. Jill went into the dining room to help Barry. The others went outside, went to the den, or went to watch TV in the living room. Chris sat down at the kitchen table, thinking about what he heard from Ark.
'Looks like Umbrella isn't playing around anymore. Neither are we.'
Spencer read the progress report that had been sent by Nicholai. Hunk and Ada were on their way to Atlanta with Hunk's team. The survivors being near Atlanta had been confirmed. It was also confirmed that they were set to attack another facility. Nicholai had said that he had planned a little surprise for the survivors. It seemed that in the last few days, things had been going exactly the way Spencer wanted things to go. He had ordered the B.O.W.s sent immediately. Hopefully within forty-eight hours, his enemies would be no more. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened and Wesker stepped inside. "Excuse me sir, you wanted to see me?"
Spencer smiled. "Yes I did. Tell me, how are the experiments coming along?"
"They should be complete in about four days. The bodies are almost completed, but we have yet to begin the mental conditioning."
"Make the conditioning thorough, I want these experiments to obey orders without rebelling. These will be our greatest achievements. The pinnacle of our bio-weapons research." Spencer stood up and started pacing in front of his desk. "Just think, countries will pay anything for these perfect soldiers. They will beg us for even one of these beauties. We will be rich men Wesker, rich men. Imagine the money we will get for just the new Tyrant. Soon Umbrella will see its true glory, the glory we should have had if not been for those stupid Ashfords."
"They are impressive." Wesker said. "I'm not surprised that you wouldn't try to take over the world with these soldiers of yours."
"Wesker, you see so narrowly. I will control the world, only I will do it from behind the scenes. Do you know how many countries are at war with each other these days? Many. All I have to do is provide one side with our bio-weapons, and the other side will ask for bio-weapons themselves. Of coarse, in order to do that, I would need something in return, perhaps a slice of the government pie. If the country refuses, oh well, I can let them get slaughtered. I will have my hooks in every major government in the world, and I will control them with fear. Fear that their enemies will have my weapons. All the while I will gain enough money that I will be able to buy power. And I will be the most powerful man on Earth."
"Ingenious sir. You do have vision."
"Thank you Wesker. I enjoy having someone who has the intelligence to understand me. You always were a very special operative. I heard that you did an excellent job in Raccoon before your slip-up."
"If I may speak frankly sir, I made a mistake. I underestimated those pests, especially Jill and Chris." Wesker's anger rose as he remembered the beating he had gotten at the hands of Chris. "Those two were too stubborn to know when to die. I also didn't count on how close those two would become. That was a major problem that I should have seen coming. I also didn't count on Rebecca surviving and Barry finding out the truth. Now I have learned from my lesson. The next time I meet Redfield, I will make sure I make him suffer before ripping his head off."
"Very well Wesker. You will get your chance. If Nicholai fails, you will take over. Now return to the lab and continue work on the specimens. I'll require a report when you begin the mental conditioning."
Wesker nodded and left the room.
"Soon I will have the power I deserve." Spencer gloated to himself.
Wesker walked to the elevator. He got in and hit the button for the bottom floor. The elevator stopped and he got off. He walked to a set of double-doors. He pulled out a card and ran it through the reader. The doors opened and he stepped through.
"Sir, the specimens are completed. We can begin the programming phase." A man in a white lab-technician suit handed Wesker a disk. "You may start at any time."
Wesker smiled. Ahead of schedule, this was going nicely. Wesker walked over to a set of cryo-tubes that lined one side of the large lab. He wiped the frost away from one tube and peered inside. He smiled as he saw the creature sleeping inside. He walked down the row, looking into each tube. He finally walked to the rear of the room. There stood a massive cryo-tube. It was eight feet tall and had multiple hoses running out of the back. His smile got wider as he imagined the beast that lay slumbering inside. He walked up a set of metal stairs to a catwalk. He walked over to a small room overlooking the lab. He stared at the disk the technician had given him. Looking around he stuffed the disk into his left pocket. He then pulled a disk from his right pocket and inserted it into the computer he was standing at. A message was on the screen. It read BEGIN PROGRAMING FOR BIO-WEAPONS Y/N. Wesker hit the Y key and the program began. The disk he had been given was to ensure that the bio-weapons responded to orders given to them by anyone from Umbrella. It also contained pictures of the survivors that the bio-weapons would associate as targets. However, the disk Wesker had contained one more element. It would give him primary control over the bio-weapons. They would follow him faithfully and his orders would circumvent even Spencer's. "Soon I will have the power, and I will control everything." Wesker laughed to himself as the program ran its coarse.
Author's Comments: Double trouble for the S.T.A.R.S. team. Not only do they have to worry about what Nicholai has planned for them, Wesker will have a group of deadly creatures under his control! Talk about stacked odds. Looks like Chris and his friends will have a hell of a battle ahead of them. What about Spencer's plans? He sure thinks big, doesn't he? Plus, what does Wesker have planned for everyone? It can't be good. Will evil reign supreme, or can the S.T.A.R.S. overcome the odds and emerge victorious. You just have to read and find out.
In the next chapter, not is all good
on Umbrella's front. Hunk and his allies are having second thoughts about the
mission at hand. Is Nicholai right, have Hunk, Ada, and the others lost their
nerve? Find out in RE Armageddon: Part III, Chapter 4- Mixed Feelings.