Life seems to have a strange sense of humor, or more appropriately irony. Just as we thought we finally had things going in our favor, life threw us a curve ball. It reminded us how little control we had in this war. It also reminded us that as long as Umbrella remained we couldn't let our guard down for even a minute. Soon we would find ourselves running, just like we were before. Little did we know that during this we had a guardian angel of sorts watching over us. We were all to be shocked when our guardian angel revealed itself.
Chris stood looking into the mirror. He was in his flannel shorts and a T-shirt. He took a tissue and held it over a cut he gave himself while shaving. "You can hit a bulls eye from fifty feet, but you can't shave without chopping up your face." He ran his hand through his wet hair. "I need a haircut too." He looked at the cut again. The blood had begun to coagulate and form a scab. He walked to the door and opened it, almost colliding with James. "Sorry."
"It's OK. I should have knocked first." James had on a pair of jeans and a black tank top. Chris could see the scars that ran across James' chest.
"How'd you get wounded?"
James felt the scars. "I got them in Raccoon City. I was sent to retrieve the G-virus from Birkin. I assume you heard that Birkin injected himself with the G-virus. It was because the men I sent in to get the virus shot him. I got these scars from him. In a way, it's my fault that Raccoon City was infected. It's also my fault that Umbrella has the G-virus. I got it for them."
"It's not your fault. From what I heard from Jill, the T-virus had already begun to spread through the city." Chris put his hand on the right side of his ribcage. "Besides, you're not the only one you has something to remember Raccoon by. When I fought the first Tyrant at the Spencer Estate, the thing broke my ribs. It hurt like a bitch."
"That's why you were stunned when I hit you there." James said. "Are they still hurting?"
"No." Chris shook his head. "I've hit them before. They hurt for a while and then they're fine. At this point, I don't think my ribs will ever heal."
"And I don't think these scars will go away. I guess we all have something that will remind us of this deal with Umbrella." James entered the bathroom and closed the door.
"I guess you're right." Chris walked back to his room to get dressed.
It was around nine-thirty and several people had already gotten up. Leon was at the counter, wearing black jeans and a green top. He was waiting for Claire, who was rummaging through the fridge. She was wearing brown shorts and a red and blue striped shirt. Her hair was also tied back in its usual ponytail. Ark was at the table wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. He was in a slightly more pleasant mood than a few days ago. He was talking to Rick, who had on some gray sweatpants and sweatshirt Barry had given him. Rebecca sat next to Jeff. She had on a pink shirt and light-brown shorts. Jeff had on a pair of dark-green shorts and a white T-shirt he had also gotten from Barry. They were talking about what they planned to do after the fight with Umbrella was all over. Jess was still in the living room, sleeping in the recliner. Janet and Eliza were in the den. The others were upstairs. Rick looked at the doorway to see Janet walk into the kitchen, wearing some blue sweat clothes she had been given.
"Oh no! A zombie! Someone shoot it!" Rick exclaimed.
Janet chose not to answer verbally but chose sign language instead. She gave him the finger as she walked to the coffee pot.
"Morning Janet." Leon said in a friendly tone. Janet growled, causing Leon to jump back. "Sorry."
"I wouldn't bother talking to her." Jeff said. "She's very moody in the morning."
"I would have slept better if it wasn't for that damn snoring coming from you guys." She sneered.
"Must have been Jess." Rick said. "I was so tired I was out like a light. To tell the truth, I didn't even hear any snoring." The sound of someone snoring came from the living room. "See, it was Jess. I rest my case."
Janet took a sip us coffee. "Someone should duct tape his mouth shut."
"I don't see Eliza out here complaining." Rebecca said.
"That's because she was running around for a few hours." Ark said. "If I was her, I'd be dead tired too."
"I wish you wouldn't use the word dead like that." Claire said, pulling out of the freezer a box of frozen waffles. "It's just not appropriate at this time."
"HEY!" Carlos came running down the stairs. He stood in the door wearing a white T-shirt and his Hawaiian shorts. "Where are my combat pants?"
"Aloha." Rick said. "I got a question for you. Where did you find those tacky shorts?"
"I must say those look really good on you." Leon struggled to keep from laughing.
"Keep your voice down, you insensitive prick. There are people…" Janet stopped when she saw Carlos' attire. "Damn, those are worse than the shit you wear Rick."
Carlos rolled his eyes. "If you're done, where are my pants?"
Ark pointed to the laundry room. "Barry put all our clothes into the washer last night. Considering the amount of bleach he used, I would be surprised if our clothes weren't a few shades lighter. Either that, or he burned them."
"Great," Carlos put his right hand on his forehead, "Now what am I going to wear."
"How about some clothes that normal people wear." Claire replied as she pulled two waffles from the toaster and set them on a plate. She held the plate out in from of her. "And not something like that."
"For me?" Leon asked, reaching for the plate. "Thanks."
Claire pulled the plate away from Leon's greedy hands. "These are for me, make your own."
"You can tell who wears the pants in that relationship." Jeff whispered to Rebecca. Becky giggled as Claire sat down next to her. Leon shrugged and put two waffles into the toaster.
Chris came down the stairs dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a red cotton shirt with a colorful checkered pattern. He saw Carlos and stood next to him, giving him a funny look. "Where's everyone else?"
"Doing what we should be doing," Janet said, "Sleeping."
"Jess and Eliza are still asleep." Jeff reported. "The rest have yet to emerge from their rooms."
Chris glanced upstairs. "We can expect Barry to wake up around noon. I saw James earlier this morning. Jill just took her shower and is just fixing her hair. I'll be outside. Tell me when the others get up. We have to have a meeting."
"Will do Chris." Leon said. "At least no one had any…" A scream suddenly erupted from the den. "Why can't I keep my mouth shut?"
"It must be Eliza." Ark said. "I'll go calm her down." Ark got up and ran towards the den.
"Is it me, or does it seem like Ark is a little too concerned about Eliza." Claire said.
"Tell me about it." Carlos added. "Last night it was like they were joined by a leash. What's up with that?"
"Maybe Eliza trusts Ark more than the rest of us cause he saved her." Jeff said. "Maybe he has a crush on her, like two people I know. Jeff looked over at Janet, then to Rick.
"Just tell me when the other wake up." Chris left and walked out the back door. Janet gave Jeff a hard look, while Rick stared at the table and sighed.
Nicholai walked over to one of the many terminals that had been set up throughout the warehouse. "Have you pinpointed their position yet?"
"Almost sir." The solider stationed at the terminal replied. "We just have to check the maps and mark the spot."
"LIEUTENANT!" Nicholai barked.
A man ran over to Nicholai. "Yes sir."
"Is the UT unit ready to move out?"
"Yes sir. As soon as we learn where the S.T.A.R.S. base is located, we can send them in."
"Where do you believe the base is?" Nicholai asked.
The lieutenant pointed to a large table. Several people were looking over a large map. They were concentrating on a section in the mountains. "We believe from the data we have collected that it must be located in the mountains. There are several places where a large building can be concealed. The also seems to be a number of hunting lodges around there. The S.T.A.R.S. could have taken over one of the cabins." One of the men suddenly began shouting. The lieutenant ran over and got the report. "We fixed their location sir."
"Good." Nicholai said. "Dispatch the UT unit immediately. When they have softened up the S.T.A.R.S. follow up with your men." The lieutenant saluted and ran off towards the helicopters. Nicholai walked over to the map and stared at the red circle. "Soon you will pay for ruining my plans Redfield. You may have escaped once, but you won't this time. I will hunt you down until all of your friends are dead. You will never escape me." Nicholai smiled to himself. Soon his mistake would be corrected and he would save face with Spencer. He couldn't wait for the look on Wesker's face. It would be magnificent.
Jill walked downstairs. She had spent the last half hour getting ready. She had on some light-brown cargo pants and a pink shirt with flowers all over it. She also had her necklace on. She walked into the kitchen to see several others seated around the table. Carlos had borrowed some jeans from Leon. Kelly and Max were up. Kelly had on a light-blue shirt and jeans she had gotten from Claire. Max had on a black T-shirt and black jeans. Barry was at the counter in his lumberjack garb, torn jeans and plaid shirt. Ada and James were also up. James had on what he was wearing earlier while Ada had on a red top and navy blue slacks. Jill looked around to find Chris missing. "Where's Chris?"
"He's out back." Carlos said. "He says we need to talk. He wants someone to get him when everyone's up. Since we all are, someone should get him."
"I'll go." Jill walked to the back door. She stepped outside to find Chris practicing. He looked like he was sparring with an invisible partner, punching and kicking at thin air. He didn't seem to notice her. "Chris, the others are up."
Chris stopped and turned to her. He was breathing heavily. "Good. There's something we need to discuss."
Everyone was gathered around the kitchen table. Chris spread out a map of North Carolina. "There." He pointed to a circle he had drawn on the map. "That is where we go."
"What do you mean go?" James asked. "You mean we're leaving."
"No." Chris said. "This is our rally point if Umbrella attacks this place. From what Jim told me, Umbrella has a search planned for this area. With what happened at Gabesville Nicholai wants us dead. He has no intention of going back to Paris unless we are eliminated. We also stole two Umbrella helicopters. Nicholai probably informed the base in Atlanta to watch the radar screens for any sign of us."
"But we flew too low to be picked up by radar." Jeff said.
"They probably expected us to do that." Rick said. "I saw the equipment they had in that warehouse. One piece of the equipment was a modified radar site. They could have picked us up."
"Nicholai may know where we are already. Therefore we need a place to go when this base is attacked. As I told my group before we went to Gabesville I know of someplace we can go if we need to evacuate this building. It's an abandon military base that was shut down several years ago. The name of the place is Fort Collins." Chris traced his finger across the map. "It's located twenty miles Northwest of Raleigh. It's set near a valley, that's why it was a prime location to take Apaches for training runs. The pilots could learn how to maneuver the helicopters in confined spaces. I was stationed there for four months. It's not as cozy as this place, but it'll work."
Barry scratched his beard. "How long do you think we have?"
"I'd say two days." Chris replied. "All I know is that we'll have to move soon."
The group dispersed. Ada stopped Jill. "I just noticed this and I know it's probably a personal matter, but what's with your hair?"
Jill walked to a mirror in the hall. Her hair had a reddish tint to it. "Simple, my hair's naturally red."
"You're a red-head?" Ada was a little surprised. "Why did you dye your hair then?"
"To hide from Umbrella, and for myself." Jill looked at her hair. "The dye must be wearing out. I'll have to re-dye tonight. I kind of like it black."
Janet was standing outside. She wanted to get away from the others and get some fresh air. The events of the previous day had played throughout her dreams. Her life had changed, whether she liked it or not.
Rick walked up beside her. "Hey Janet."
"What do you want?" She wasn't in the mood for any of Rick's comments.
"It's just that I've been thinking about everything. Seeing how James and Ada have started over, Max and Kelly getting together, and us joining the S.T.A.R.S., I thought that we could start over. Bury the hatchet so to speak. What do you say, truce?"
Janet looked at Rick. "This better not be one of your stupid stunts."
Rick put his hands up. "I'm serious. From what I hear, it's time I act my age. Some really bad shit is going to happen soon. I just want to clear the air between us."
"Fine." Janet said. She could tell he was being serious. "Truce, but if you go back on it, I'll pound you good."
"Hey, I won't. I'm just glad we resolved this now. I don't think we could have this talk while we were being shot at."
Janet smiled. "I guess we couldn't." She turned to go back inside before she picked up a sound. It was low, but recognizable. She had heard it before. It seemed to get closer and louder. Suddenly she recognized what it was. "Oh shit."
Rick had heard it too. "Don't tell me."
"We better tell the others." Janet ran for the house, Rick on her heels. She burst through the door. "Guys, we're going to have company and soon."
Chris ran up to her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes I am. Rick heard it too. One helicopter, maybe two. I'm not sure which direction it's coming from, but it will be here soon."
Chris began barking out orders. "Barry, get the guns and get everyone armed. Rebecca, get the children. Everyone else, get ready. We're about to have visitors. Let's make them feel welcome."
Rebecca ran upstairs while Barry passed out the guns. Chris and James took position next to the front door. The others gathered around the windows. The sound of helicopter blades was getting louder. Chris scanned the sky before he saw two black shapes in the clear sky. They got larger as they drew near. Finally, the two helicopters reached the cabin. Ropes dropped from the copters and men slid down them. There were ten from each copter, twenty in all. The troops were dressed completely in black with what looked like night-vision goggles. They also had MP5s. They slowly approached the house. Chris and James popped out and fired at the troops, hitting two. They retreated as the remaining troops opened fire. Chris peaked out, only to see the two dead soldiers dissolve into nothing.
"What the hell was that?" He asked. "The bodies just vanished."
"They're UT soldiers, sweepers." Ark said. "I fought them on Sheena Island. They're specially engineered humans, built to be cheap and disposable. When killed they dissolve, like they weren't even there. No bodies, no evidence of their existence."
"We killed two, there are eighteen left plus two helicopters. We have to take them out." Chris moved to the back door while Barry took his place. "I need some of you to come with me."
Jill, Claire, Janet, Jess, and Rick joined Chris as he moved to the cars. They took position behind the Blazer and Outback. Meanwhile, James dropped one more UT soldier. The others fired from the windows. Ada hit one and Carlos nailed two more. The UT troops had no cover, but compensated by alternating fire. Chris' group began firing. Jill launched a grenade, taking out four. Jess took out another. Janet aimed for one, but didn't notice that another UT had targeted her. Rick saw this and shot at the trooper. Janet ducked back down.
"Thanks Rick." She said.
"Don't mention it." Rick replied. "Let's just get rid of the rest of them."
"We have to take out the copters." Chris said.
"Got it." Claire took her hunting rifle and got into position. "Cover me." Jill and Jess provided cover as she aimed at the fuel tank of one copter. She fired, the bullet hitting its mark. The copter exploded and fell. One of its blades penetrated the cockpit of the other helicopter. The copter spiraled to the Earth and exploded. The eight remaining UT soldiers took cover behind the burning wreckage.
"Shit." Chris muttered. With the UT troops behind cover, this battle turned into a stalemate. He thought about what to do before his eyes rested on the Blazer. His eyes lit up as a smile spread across his face. He ran to the woodpile and pulled back the tarp. He grabbed several pointed pieces. He then ran back and began to wedge them into the grill guard that covered the grill.
"What the hell are you thinking?" Claire asked. "Don't tell me you're going to do what I think you're going to."
"OK then, I won't. Give me your MP5." Chris grabbed his sister's gun and jumped into the Blazer. He started the engine and pulled out.
Jill heard him pull out. "What is he doing?"
"Being himself." Claire answered.
"What in God's name?" Barry watched Chris drive towards the UTs.
"He's going to run them over." Max said, stunned.
"I don't know whether to call that ingenious or insane. "Ada said. "But that takes courage.
Chris rolled down his window and cut the wheel. He accelerated towards the UTs, who stood like deer caught in the headlights. Chris rammed into two, the wood impaling the soldiers. The others opened fire. Chris ducked as a hail of bullets pierced the windshield. Chris returned fire, cutting down three. The remaining three ran. Chris pursued, weaving around any debris in his way. He hit two and shot the final one in the back. He roared out from behind the wrecks and pulled in front of the house. He shut off the engine just as the UT soldiers dissolved. He stepped out as Jill ran up to him.
She slapped him upside the head. "If you ever do something like that again, you won't have to worry about the enemy shooting you cause I'll do it myself."
"What possessed you to attempt a crazy stunt like that?" Barry asked, storming out of the house.
"They didn't expect me to do that." Chris replied. He walked into the house. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about. That was the first wave. They were sent in to weaken us. The next wave will be the one to finish us off. We have to be gone by then." Chris walked up to his laptop and began to stuff it into its bag. "Barry, get some others, get all the supplies that you can, and load them equally into your van, Ark's truck, and the two helicopters. We have to split up." He gave the laptop bag to Jill. "Hold this." Jill took the bag. "I'll start the copters, you get started. We leave in ten minutes."
Everyone got to work. The weapons were split up into four groups. Other supplies like clothing and food were also divided up. Chris and Jeff started the copters. While Jeff's copter had enough fuel to make the trip, Chris had to get fuel for his. Everything went smoothly and quickly. The copters and vehicles were loaded up. Barry shut off the power to the building. Chris gathered his troops and assigned the teams.
"Jill, you, Barry, Jim, and Ada come with me in my copter. Jeff, Jess, Claire, Leon, and Sherry will take the other copter. Ark, Rott, Lily, and Eliza will take the Explorer. Carlos and the others with take Barry's van. We'll rendezvous at Fort Collins. Let's go." The group split. Chris climbed into his copter and got ready to take off. "Got the laptop Jill?"
"Yes." She set the bag on her lap, holding it protectively.
"Barry, we have to stop and get fuel." Chris said.
"It may be risky, but we can stop at Frank's." Barry replied. "I know he can help us."
Chris nodded and lifted off. He headed for Frank's airfield as Jeff took off for Fort Collins. Carlos and Ark pulled out and headed down the driveway. Everyone took one last look at their former home, knowing that they couldn't come back.
The Umbrella copters hovered over the cabin. The unit commander radioed to Nicholai. "Sir, we have approached the base. There appears to be signs of a struggle. The two copters are down and burning."
"Do you see anyone down there?" Nicholai asked.
"Signs of life are negative."
Nicholai contemplated the response. If there were no UTs present, then the S.T.A.R.S. had killed them all. The wrecked helicopters further enforced this. "How many vehicles do you see down there?"
"The Blazer registered to Chris Redfield, the Outback registered to Jill Valentine, the VW Beatle owned by Rebecca Chambers, and an unknown jeep."
"Are the helicopters there?"
"Negative. The helicopters are missing."
"He must have split up his team into two." Nicholai muttered. He then remembered something. "Is there another vehicle down there?"
"Negative. There are only four vehicles on the premises."
Nicholai thought to himself. 'Burton must have driven down here. His name did not show up in the airport computer. Furthermore, only the Redfields, Valentine, and Olivera flew in here. The others must have arrived by car. That means that there were more vehicles.' Nicholai smiled to himself. "Return to base. They have divided into three maybe four groups. They are no longer there."
"Affirmative. We are heading back to base." The helicopters left the cabin.
"I don't give you enough credit Redfield." Nicholai said. "You think you have made it difficult for me to find you, but I will find you no matter where you go." A soldier interrupted Nicholai.
"Sir, Spencer wants you to report to Paris immediately. There is a plane ready for you at the Atlanta International Airport. You are to leave immediately."
"Very well. One final thing. When you locate Redfield's party, destroy them."
"Understood sir. We will." The soldier walked away.
Nicholai took a deep breath. "Perfect, now I have to deal with Spencer. Redfield and his S.T.A.R.S. will pay for everything." With that, Nicholai left for the airport."