RE Armageddon: Part III- Gaining Strength

by striker

Now reformed, the S.T.A.R.S. team is drawn into a deadly trap where they are not the only targets. Please read and review.

8. Double Cross

Disclaimer: Resident Evil is rightful property of Capcom. This story is mine. I make no money from this story. I wrote this story for fans of Resident Evil as well as for my own amusement. Anyone from Capcom don't sue me, cause I'm broke. HA!

Resident Evil: Armageddon

Part III- Gaining Strength

Chapter 8- Double Cross

Written by: Striker

The two groups faced each other while Nicholai watched from his perch. Chris looked at both his team and Hunk's. He could see that most of them were nervous from the way their guns shook in their hands. This was a bad situation that could only get worse.

"What are we going to do Chris?" Claire asked. He could sense the anxiety in her voice.

"I'm thinking." Chris started to analyze the situation, his mind racing to find an answer. 'This isn't good. If one of us shoots, then we all shoot. If we give up, we'll get captured and die for sure. At least if we give up, we have a chance of escaping. But everyone won't like that they'll hate it. They're all depending on me to get them out of this, but I don't know what to do. We're dead no matter what we choose.' Chris shut his eyes and made up his mind. 'I just hope they forgive me.'

"Well, what are we going to do?" Claire asked again.

Chris opened his eyes. "The only thing we can do." He looked at Hunk. "We give up."

There were mixed reactions from both sides. From Hunk's side, there were sighs of relief. From Chris' side, there was shock.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Barry whispered. "Have you lost it?"

Chris lowered his gun and turned to Barry. "No. Listen; if one side starts to fire, we all die. At least if we're captured we can escape and survive. You guys made me leader cause you trust me. I'm asking you to trust me now. This is the only way I see of getting out of this. Now lower your weapons."

Everyone complied, though some more reluctantly than other.

Hunk was pleased that Chris chose to back down. That way he didn't have to loose any of his men. "Drop all your weapons. I'll give you credit Redfield; you know when to back down. If I was in your position I would have done the same thing."

Chris team followed Hunk's orders. They dropped their weapons and stood waiting. Nicholai had a big grin on his face. This was going better than he thought it would.

"Now Hunk, now that these pathetic fools have surrendered, here is my next order." He looked at Chris. "Shoot them."

"Oh great." Jill said. "Did you think of this when you made your decision?"

"For all it's worth, sorry." Chris felt so stupid. He should have seen this coming. Now he looked at Hunk, who looked just as shocked.

Hunk looked at Nicholai. "Sir, they just surrendered. We can't shoot them. They're unarmed."

"Follow your orders Hunk." Nicholai growled. "Execute them."

Hunk looked back at Chris. He then turned to his to his team. They didn't know what to do either. Hunk's attention switched to Ada. She looked like she didn't want to do it. Hunk took a deep breath and spoke. "No."

"No?" Nicholai asked. "You dare to disobey my direct order? Tell me why."

"Because I'm not a murderer." Hunk said. "They already gave up. They threw down their weapons. Killing them would go against the rules of war. If we killed them, we'd be criminals ourselves. Guys, lower your weapons."

Nicholai was fuming. "Ada, Skinner, detain Hunk. The rest of you, follow my orders. Kill the enemies."

Jeff lowered his rifle. "No sir. Our loyalty is to Hunk. We gave our word that we would follow him. I won't kill an unarmed man." The rest followed, standing behind Hunk.

Nicholai glared at Hunk's team. Then he started to laugh. This stunned everyone. "Congratulation Hunk, you helped to prove my suspicions. And don't act surprised, I heard you at the base before we left. In fact, ever since Raccoon City you have lost your dedication. Now I know where you stand."

Chris couldn't help but smile. "Bravo Nicholai. Just when I though Umbrella's henchmen couldn't go any lower, you manage to do just that."

"Go on Redfield. You have my attention." Nicholai was interested in what Chris had to say.

"This was all one big setup. Sabotaging our helicopter, having the T-virus spread throughout this plant, the B.O.W.s, getting Eliza here, knowing that Hunk would cut us off here, you planned this whole thing out. I had a feeling that Eliza getting called into work on her day off wasn't a coincidence. I also think you expected Hunk not to shoot us. You turned this whole place into a deathtrap just so you could get us all in one strike. You played both sides, not intending for any of us to leave. You used Hunk's men like you used the U.B.C.S. Brilliant Nicholai, you really outdid yourself."

Nicholai nodded. "You are to smart for your own good. I can see what you are so dangerous. I see that I can't fool you, so I'll tell you everything. I did request that the T-virus be released. I did order the B.O.W.s brought here. I did make it so Miss Walker would be present. I did expect Hunk to disobey me. And even if he did, his team would unfortunately parish in a heroic battle against Umbrella's enemies. I, of coarse, would survive. The building would remain intact, and the virus would spread to the surrounding areas. That would be blamed on Redfield's little group. They would be forever known for causing death, the exact opposite of what they are trying to do."

Hunk raised his rifle at Nicholai. He could barely contain his rage. "Why?"

"Because you all have something in common. You all know about our little secrete, as well as the fact that most of you know about our labs in Raccoon and what really happened. Redfield's group was part of the Raccoon City incident in one way or another. Mr. Thompson was involved with Sheena Island and knew too much. As for you Hunk, you and Ada were also involved. Your team's fate was sealed when you told them what happened. Since you have turned traitor you pose a threat to Umbrella. We can't have people running around and telling the public the truth. It would not be good for Umbrella's image. As for Miss Walker, her first assignment happened to be the Spencer Mansion."

Eliza hung her head, ashamed that she was part of creating the T-virus. "I didn't know."

Nicholai laughed again. "As you can see, you are more connected that you ever thought. Now that you are ALL enemies of Umbrella, you must be terminated."

Chris pulled his Berretta. "And how are you going to do that?"

"I'm not, they are." Nicholai looked down the isle that Hunk's team had came from.

"They?" Rick asked. "Whom is he talking about?"

Suddenly, a low, harsh voice echoed throughout the room. "S.T.A.R.S."

Max looked around. "What the hell was that?"

"That." Jeff pointed down the isle.

There stood two creatures. Both were ten feet tall. The one on the left was clad in a black, leather trench coat. It clenched its fists, causing the fingerless gloves it wore to squeal. The frightening thing about it was its face. It was bald, with grayish colored skin. Its eyes were pure white and its lips were pulled back, showing off its yellowish teeth and gums. The one on the right was naked. It had pinkish skin. Its muscles were huge, almost bulging. Its face was similar to the other one's. The only difference was its lips didn't seem to be pulled back as far. The most terrifying were its hands. Both ended in six-foot claws that looked like massive swords. It let out a mighty roar. Both creatures stood there, their bodies heaving as they breathed.

"I believe that Miss Valentine knows one, and Ada knows the other." Nicholai had a sick grin on his face. "You could say they were both close to those creatures."

Chris looked at Jill. She was frozen, shaking as she stared at the monsters. He shot Nicholai a dirty look. "You are a piece of work. You're too much of a coward to do this yourself."

"I'll take that as your last words." Nicholai walked towards the crane room. "Good luck surviving."

Chris watched Nicholai leave. His attention then turned back to the monsters. "This is bad. We had a hell of a time killing one of these things. How are we going to get rid of two?"

"I don't know." Barry said. "But I suggest we come up with a plan and come up with one soon."

"What in God's name are those things?" Kelly shouted.

"Tyrants." Chris replied. "Umbrella's ultimate killing machines. Genetically enhanced human bodies infected with the T-virus. Anything less then a rocket launcher and you're wasting your time. One with the claws is a Finished Tyrant. The one in the trench coat is a Nemesis."

"What do we do?" Jeff asked.

"I've faced two in Raccoon." Hunk said. "I suggest we run. Either that, or we're dead."

The Finished Tyrant let out one final roar before both Tyrants began towards their prey. The S.T.A.R.S. began to quickly pick up their weapons while Hunk's group began to fire at the monsters. The Tyrants seemed unaffected by the rounds as they walked methodically towards both teams.

"CLAIRE, SLOW EM DOWN!" Chris yelled over the gunfire.

Claire grabbed the hunting rifle. She aimed for one of the racks. She spotted a release handle and fired. The handle flipped, sending canisters raining down on the Tyrants. One canister crashed into the Finished Tyrants head. It fell into the Nemesis causing both to fall to the ground.

"Come on. That should slow them down for a while." Chris motioned for everyone to move.

"I saw a floor plan." Hunk said. "We should head for the warehouse. We'll have more room to maneuver there than in the halls."

"Good idea." Barry said. "We may even find someway to crush those bastards."

"S.T.A.R.S."

Max looked over his shoulder. "Don't tell me those things are up already. This is too much."

"Believe me amigo, that Nemesis can take a lot of abuse." Carlos said. "I've seen one get blown out the back of a cable car by a grenade and come back for more."

"Chris is right." Ada added. "Unless we have a rocket launcher, we can't kill them."

Jess turned to Ada. "Just remember, necessity is the mother of all invention. We'll find a way."

The group made their way to the warehouse. "Spread out. We don't want to make ourselves easy targets." Chris ordered. Everyone moved to different corners of the large room, taking shelter behind the various crates filling the room.

Claire huddled next to Leon, who was staring over at Ada. "You OK?"

Leon turned to Claire. "Considering that I just found out that someone who I thought was dead is really alive, I'm just fine."

"You still care about her?"

"A little, I guess. But not as much as I care about you."

Meanwhile, Hunk and Ada were having a similar discussion. "So, is he the guy you met in Raccoon?" Hunk asked.

"Yes." Ada replied. "I thought I'd never have to see him again."

"Did you really fall in love with him?"

"At first no. After a while I started to. He took a bullet for me and saved me from that Tyrant."

"Well, did you tell him you loved him?"

"I thought I was dying. When you think you're a goner, you say things you never thought you would say. That's in the past now, all I'm concerned about is getting out of here."

Soon, the sounds of heavy footsteps fill the air. The two monstrous forms of the Tyrants filled the door. The Nemesis let out a low growl. "S.T.A.R.S." The Finished Tyrant responded with a roar. Both beasts stepped into the warehouse, searching for their targets. The Finished Tyrant's claws scraped across the concrete floor. "S.T.A.R.S." The Nemesis said a second time. It was almost like it was calling its enemies out. Its head snapped to a sound to its right. It approached a set of crates that the noise had come from. "S.T.A.R.S."

"Right here." Chris sprang from behind the crate, shoving his shotgun into the Nemesis' chest. "See you in hell." Chris pulled the trigger. Buckshot erupted from both barrels and plowed into the Nemesis' sternum. The creature stumbled backwards. It then fixed its gaze on Chris, blackish blood oozing from its wounds. "Shit. Why do I have the feeling that I shouldn't have done that?"

"Lack of judgment." Barry rushed out from behind his crate and fired several magnum rounds into the Nemesis' back. The creature turned to him. "Damn, he didn't even flinch. This thing must have body armor built right on it."

"Stay here and don't move." Ark looked at Eliza. She nodded. Ark ran out and stood next to Barry. "So, how do we take this thing out?"

"Don't know Ark." Barry replied. "I didn't fight this type of Tyrant. The one I fought only had one claw."

Both men began to fire on the Nemesis as it stalked towards them. Jill ran out from behind a crate and started shooting the monster with her MP5. Chris followed her, sending a hail of bullets into the things right side.

"The only way I killed a Nemesis was with a rail gun." Jill said.

"Great, only we don't have a rail gun." Janet ran out and began firing at the Nemesis from the left.

Rick joined her. "What the hell is a rail gun?"

"How should I know?" She snapped. "Just keep shooting."

Suddenly the Nemesis rushed Janet and Rick. Janet got out of the way, but the creature grabbed Rick by the throat. It hoisted him into the air. Janet got behind the Nemesis and pulled out her SIGPRO. She fired a few shots into its back. The Nemesis turned and threw Rick into Janet. Both were sent crashing to the ground.

"Nice catch." Rick moaned.

"Get off me." Janet pushed Rick off her and saw the Nemesis staring at her.

"S.T.A.R.S." It growled.

"Wrong team asshole." Jess ran up with Jeff, both blasting the Nemesis. While it was distracted, Chris and Barry pulled Janet and Rick from harm.

"Thanks." Rick said.

"Don't thank us yet." Barry replied. "That things still alive."

On the other side of the room, the others were having problems with the Finished Tyrant.

"SHIT!" Carlos rolled to the left as the Tyrant pounced on him. Its claw missed him, slicing through a crate. Carlos joined His friends. "That was close."

"You can say that again." Rebecca said as she and Claire launched a few flame rounds at the Tyrant. It shrieked as the napalm burned its skin.

"Got any ideas?" Kelly asked, firing at the Tyrant with her M4A1.

"Get a rocket launcher." Ada responded.

"Too bad we don't have one available. We could use one right about now." Max said. He and Leon were side by side firing at the Tyrant. The monster charged them. Max dodged to his right as the Tyrant brought its right claw down. It then swung its left claw at Leon. He ducked as it leveled a crate behind him. It was about to make another swipe when it was tagged in the back with a shotgun blast.

"I don't think so." Ada stood with Leon's Custom Western. "You're not killing anyone." Hunk ran up beside her with Carlos' shotgun. They both began firing. The Tyrant turned and roared. It then began to get hit from the left side by Claire. Claire continued to fire until her Uzis ran empty. She ejected the clips and slapped new ones in. Meanwhile, Carlos popped a new magazine into his MP5. He got beside Claire and together they fired on the Tyrant.

"We better make this quick." Carlos said. "We're running out of ammo."

"I know." Claire looked around the room. "There must be something we can use." She looked up towards the ceiling, seeing the solution to their problem.

Jill and Chris fired at the Nemesis. It had started to slow down, due to the amount of blood it was loosing. Chris' gun ran dry, as did Jill's. They began to change clips while Barry and Jess covered them. The Nemesis lunged forward, knocking Chris to the side and grabbing Jill by her throat with its right hand. Jill struggled to break free. She knew what was hidden in its right hand, the tentacle. Chris rushed the Nemesis, only to get knocked back. "S.T.A.R.S." It growled.

Jeff aimed at the monster. "Don't shoot," Ark said, "You'll hit Jill."

Jill gave Chris a pleading look. Chris reached behind his back and pulled out his knife. He nodded to Jill before running at the Nemesis again. He stopped short and tossed Jill the knife. She grabbed it and plunged it into the monster's left eye. It roared in pain and dropped Jill. Chris grabbed her and pulled her to safety. The Nemesis yanked the knife from its eye and threw it to the ground.

"FIRE!" Jeff, Jess, Janet, and Rick opened fire with their M4A1s. The Nemesis was pushed back into a set of crates. It fell backwards, smashing the crates into splinters.

"CHRIS, I HAVE AN IDEA!" Claire yelled.

Chris ran over to her. "What is it?"

Claire pointed to a set of crates suspended twenty-five feet above the floor by a crane. "If we can get those two Tyrants under those crates, I can shoot the rope holding them and crush those things."

"I like your idea, but there's one problem," Chris replied, "I've seen a Tyrant burst through concrete. That may not kill them, but it'll slow them down. Do it." He looked at the others. "WE HAVE A PLAN." He shouted. "I NEED SOMEONE TO ACT AS BAIT."

"I'll go." Kelly said. "I'm the fastest person in my team."

"I'll do it too." Rebecca said. "What do you want us to do?"

Chris pointed to the crates. "I need you two to stand under those crates and get the Tyrants to come to you. That shouldn't be a problem. As soon as they head for you, get the hell out of there."

"Alright." Kelly said. She and Rebecca ran over to the stop. They started to shout and wave their arms. The Nemesis rose from the ground and saw them. At the same time, the Finished Tyrant had heard the commotion and roared. Both began to go for the girls. Kelly and Rebecca bolted, the Tyrants in hot pursuit. Claire aimed at the rope. She waited until the creatures were almost under the crates before she fired. The bullet sliced through the rope. The weight of the crates caused the damaged rope to snap. The large boxes plummeted to the floor, landing on the Tyrants with a crunch.

"Let's go." Chris ordered his team to leave. Jill scoped up the MP5s and joined Chris. Hunk's team followed suite, leaving the warehouse. "We need to get to the elevators." Chris said.

"Follow us." Hunk led both groups towards the elevators. Ark took one last look inside. He saw the smashed crates erupt as the Tyrants began to dig themselves out of the rubble.

Ark ran up to Chris. "Those things just busted through those crates. I don't think it even hurt them."

"Then let's pick up the pace." Chris broke into a run, the others joining him. They made it to the elevators that went to the roof.

"These will get us to the roof. If Nicholai hasn't stolen one, there should be two helicopters up there." Hunk looked down the hall they came from. "We better go now. We may not get a second chance."

"No." Everyone turned to Chris. "We have to do what my team came here to do. We have to blow this plant."

"Why?" Ada asked. "We should escape. You know full well that we can't defeat those Tyrants without rocket launchers."

"We also can't let the T-virus escape from this place." Chris looked over everyone. "We can't let those Tyrants escape either. The only way to do that is to set the self-destruct mechanism in the basement and blow this place up."

"Chris is right." Barry said. "We have to. Nicholai wants this building intact. He also wants us dead. I say we fuck up both of his plans at the same time."

"What do we do?" Jeff asked.

"First we sent half of us up to the roof. Those people will start up the helicopters and wait. The rest of us will go down and rig the place to blow." Chris pointed to all the women. "Ladies, I'm sending you up."

"Why," Claire asked, "Why are you sending us up. You need our help."

"That's sexist." Janet hissed. "You think that we can't fight good enough."

"No, I'm sending you up cause I have an idea that's what half the guys here want." Chris looked at the ground. "It's the best way. At least we'll know that you're safe. Believe me If I flipped this around, I'd still split us up this way. We can't afford to let our personal relationships get in the way." Chris looked into Jill's eyes. "We can't let our personal feelings for each other rule our judgment."

Jill nodded. "I understand. You don't want what happened last time happen again."

"What happened?" Rick asked.

"Chris got knocked down by a Hunter." Barry answered. "Jill almost got herself killed helping him."

"Chris is right. We have to sent the women up." Hunk turned to Jeff. "Jeff, start up the copter and have it ready." Hunk pushed the call button for both elevators. The doors opened for one. Jeff, Ada, Kelly, and Janet stepped inside. "Ada, I will be up there soon."

"I know." Ada forced a smile. Max waved to Kelly, who was tying unsuccessfully not to cry.

"Good luck Rick." Janet said. "You won't have my ass to save you."

Rick smiled. "I didn't know you cared."

"I don't. I don't want to loose our electronics expert."

The doors closed and the elevator started up. Meanwhile, the other women were getting into the other elevator. Chris gave Jill some final instructions. "Start the helicopter, just like I showed you. It doesn't matter what kind the sequence is the same. If we're not up in forty-five minutes, take off without us."

"What do you mean leave?" Jill said. "We can't leave you here."

"If we're not up there when the time runs out, we'll probably be dead." Chris turned to his sister. "I'll see you Claire, I promise."

Claire looked at him. "You better keep that one. I better see you too Leon."

"I'll be up there before you know it." Leon said.

"Here, you'll need these." Claire handed Leon her M203 and Uzis.

"Thanks." He said.

"Take care Carlos." Rebecca said.

"Don't worry senorita, I'll be back before you know it." Carlos replied.

"See you Eliza." Ark said. "I intend to get my jacket back."

Eliza smiled. "I'll keep it safe for you."

Jill stared at Chris. "You better come back."

"Don't worry, I will make it out of this alive. I promise." They continued to stare at each other as the door closed shut. "Is there another way to get to the elevator that goes to the basement?"

Hunk pointed down the hall in front of him. "We can take the same route my team used to cut yours off."

Everyone heard the Tyrants roar come down the hall. Chris pulled himself from the elevator door and started down the hall. "Then let's finish this. I have a promise to keep."

Author's Comments: ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!!!!! The surprises just keep coming. What an emotional scene. It really hit the heart, didn't it? Nicholai's plan was revealed in all its diabolical glory. That man is a true evil genus. It was so well laid out too. You couldn't ask for more perfection. He turned the plant into a morgue, presenting the S.T.A.R.S. with zombies and other B.O.W.s to deal with. He tied up a loose end with Eliza. He set up his own team who had suspicions about Umbrella, making sure that they wouldn't live long enough to turn against Umbrella. He did that by deploying a Finished Tyrant and a Nemesis. This man is brilliant. Brilliant in a sick and psychotic way. Only one problem, now Chris and Hunk's teams are working together. If they both survive this trap, Nicholai will have shot himself in the foot big time. Let's see what's next.

Split up, the two groups launch a desperate plan to destroy the plant, the Tyrants, and get out alive. Will their scheme work, or will this be their last stand. The struggle for survival continues in RE Armageddon: Part III, Chapter 9- Gamble.