The situation had proven exactly what their contact had said..Dangerous. An odd parasitical creature had infected half of the village by the time the rendezvous had concluded, unbeknownst to the BSAA until Redfield and Alomar had uncovered the site of the original infection. Hordes of the local villagers had tried to attack them, forcing the pair into a log house nearby. Bracing against the door, Chris attempted to keep it shut while Sheva picked up a discarded, steel piping. Sliding it through the door's loop-like handles, it made an excellent bar lock. Keeping his aim upon the door with his sidearm, Redfield slowly backed away, his eyes warily staring. at the trembling doors. Breathing heavily, Sheva rubbed the back of her neck in exhaustion.

This was like a nightmare to her, but within her training she had been told to expect anything... But nothing didn't seem to include a man that looked about five hundred pounds with an executioner axe chasing her. The monster had appeared out of nowhere, and hell bent on making her and her partner its next target. The creature was slightly reminiscent of a butcher, a ratted apron with blood clothing the front. Somehow , whether it was man or beast, its body had been riddled with nails, sticking out of its back and cranium. The head was completely covered by what looked like an executioner's cowl, shrouding its face from the world. And thankfully for that.

Redfield had nearly emptied his shotgun into the thing, only to have it run more quickly towards them. Now as they hid within the building's confines, the creature was using its massive axe to bludgeon the obstacle before it. The doors quivered under the strain. Redfield continued to back up, motioning quietly and in hushed tones.

"We need to get out of here, keep moving. I'll contact

HQ and see if we can get a pull out."

Nodding in affirmation to one another, the two partners began to jog into the lower half of the building. Pressing upon his earpiece, Redfield gruffly spoke into the microphone.

"HQ this is Beta. The locals are extremely hostile. I repeat the locals are

hostile."

Static and silence reverberated back for what seemed like an eternity. Finally the the emotionless voice of the dispatch answered back.

"Beta this is HQ. We read you. Proceed as

directed. Meet up with Alpha team and await further orders."

As quickly as the transmission started it ended, leaving Chris confused and slightly miffed at his superiors. Looking at Sheva as her dark brown eyes turned to him in question, Redfield shook his head.

"They..want us to proceed. Did they know about this?"

The rhetorical question still hung in the air as the two paused at the top of a staircase. Chris slowly walked over the nearby wall, eyeing a mysterious, black liquid that seeped from the cracks. Oddly enough, the substance looked like blood.. Static blasted within his ear, an unauthorized transmission broadcast on emergency frequencies upon both partner's ear sets. The familiar voice of the Alpha team captain came screeching through the heavy amount of background noise that followed.

"HQ, requesting back up! Oh my God what is that...~~~~ ...it's a mons...er. All units please respo..."

Amid the plea for help, screams and gunfire bled through. The transmission ended abruptly, leaving a shocked Redfield desperately trying to reconnect contact. Growling into the earpiece, his fingers constantly adjusted the frequency.

"Alpha team! Come in Alpha team! Back up in on the way..Alpha team!"

No response, only empty static fizzled through. Alomar waved her hand in urgent beckons, starting to move further down the hall that connected with the staircase.

"C'mon. I know a way through here. Alpha team was supposed to be stationed on the other side of the boiler rooms. We might make it in time."

Nodding in agreement, Redfield jogged after her, keeping his sidearm at the ready. A sickening feeling settled in the pit of Sheva's stomach as they moved down the strangely dark halls. The villagers had been infected by some sort of parasite, but nothing that could take down a fully armed and trained Alpha team. The woman quietly wondered if they would make it in time...or would the Alpha team be taken apart, piece, by piece…

—-The Marshlands—-

Money was not an issue, but it still chagrined her to have parted with so much just to be taxied across a large, and rather boring part of the African marshlands. It had taken her years to pinpoint an entrance to her destination, but if she was right, it'd be far worth it. The woman leaned back against her seat in the air boat, feral eyes scanning the surroundings from beneath silver shields. The sunlight grew dimmer, and the temperature was dropping quickly. Below the murky surface of the water, unusually large alligators swam, hungrily hoping that one of the two would fall from their watery vehicle. Turning her head to face the driver, the woman spoke fluently in Swahili.

"~Drop me by the loading dock of the missile field. And do remember, I was never here. If that becomes any different, your payment shall be..Recollected."

The man's dark eyes flitted down to the woman, a fearful understanding passing between the two before he nodded. Spurring the boat on, they sank into the horizon.

—-

Darting into the boiler room, Chris desperately waved to Alomar. The two had finally reached the Alpha team, but far too late. Unfortunately, the monster that the captain had spoken of, had turned its attention to the newcomers. Backing into the boiler room, both had their guns blazing in an attempt to slow the creature down. It was inhuman..

The body was what looked like a coiling mass of snakes, ever moving and wriggling to escape. A bloodlike, ebony substance dripped from the coils, sludging the floor wherever it trudged. You couldn't even say it walked..more like dragged itself with the arm like appendages that were grasping at the remaining survivors. Sheva looked at Chris for a second, trying to understand why, at a time like this, would he be waving frantically at her instead of shooting the damn thing. Then, she knew.. Behind them lay a large disposing furnace, still primed and ready to go.

Nodding and shouting of the unearthly screeches, she darted into the furnace, shooting blindly. The creature turned towards her, its rage and hunger now focused upon the small woman. The heat singed the sensitive skin upon her back, painfully blistering the shoulders. But she didn't waver, retreating further in, Alomar made sure with one eye that Chris was getting in front of the door levers. The view glass was smudgy and hot, waves of heat and soot slightly altering her vision. The monster was now fully inside, cornering Alomar into her final decision. Leaping out of the entrance door, she slammed against the protective fence that separated her from her partner. Screaming at the top of her ash filled lungs, Sheva collapsed.

"DO IT!"

Slamming the door lever down, Chris didn't waste any time trapping the animal within the confines of the furnace. Rushing at the window, the creature hissed and screeched, seemingly begging for mercy that it had not shown to others. Staring in a horror he hadn't felt in years, Redfield slowly moved the secondary lever, activating the fiery blaze. Within seconds, the creature's cries were gone. Leaving the device on, Redfield slowly moved to his partner's side.

Extending a helping hand up, he retrieved the med kit spray that lay in the very front of his pack. Gently he released the soothing liquid onto her shoulders and around the reddened areas of her arms. Sheva nodded gratefully, standing up to brush off and recover from the adrenaline rush. Turning quietly, Chris' eyes wandered over the dead bodies that lay strewn across the floor, sorrow clouding his eyes with a thick darkness.

Before him lay the decimated body of the team's captain, its body seemingly twitching..no it was moving! Dashing towards the man, Chris supported him with one arm as he crouched low.

"I got you captain."

The same black substance that had been slathered across the creature's body emanated from the man's mouth, trickling down his uniform. Struggling to speak, the captain breathed shallow and raggedly.

"We..we were attacked. By..some...thing..gota get this..to...H...Q.."

Extending a yellow flash drive, the Alpha captain slumped back. All of his energy had been spent, and death finally overcame the brave hero. Snatching the disk, Redfield shook the newly made corpse, not wanting to surrender another comrade.

"No..you'll be ok..hey...!"

Sheva placed a comforting hand upon her partner's shoulder, trying to convey that it was too late.. Stepping to the side abruptly, the former soldier regained his eerie composure. Passing a hand over the ear bud, Chris gruffly started transmitting.

"HQ, we have the Irving data. Alpha team is down..come in HQ"

The static crackled briefly, finally the dispatcher breaking the silence.

"Understood, transmit the data in the caravan hanger. It's located in the south end of the complex."

The frustrated man sighed as he gripped the disk drive like a lifeline. Finally relaxing his shoulders, Redfield rasped back.

"Copy that. Redfield, out."

Gritting his teeth, the angered man severed the feed and gave his partner a sidelong glance. Holding up the precious cargo, his soft brown eyes flitted between the two.

"Looks like we have a little more to run."

—-

The darkness welcomed her, twisting around the slim body like a nightmare does the subconscious. It had been several hours, flitting in between security cameras and personal bodyguards, but in truth it had been all but too easy to get the lay of the abilities caused her to be able to move faster than a normal human eye could detect.. But she wasn't worried about HUMAN eyes seeing her.

Now as the darkness fell, her cover would become easier and pliable. Gleaming eyes pierced through the murky shadows, scaling and planning as they analyzed the facility. The woman had already infiltrated the missile loading area, and was now hiding below the scaffolding that supported the smelting discharge area. Leaping nimbly from ledge to ledge, her body contorted into what looked like a grayish mist.

Disappearing slowly, the body reappeared at the top of the structure. Next to a furnace ventilation shaft, the glowing light cast a haunting pallor across the marbled features of the invader. The figure started running across the metal beam, sprinting across quickly. She didn't even pause for the plunge, letting the jump off propel her into another disappearing act. Time bent to the female's will, heat curling about the body as it submerged into the flames at the mouth of the furnace. The fire would have killed any normal human, even at its entrance, but only blistered at this woman's flesh. Landing several feet down, she walked free of the flames and into one of the facility's disposing conveyor belts.

Ripping the leather jacket that had clad her sleeveless arms, the woman threw it from her as the heat had demolished the high-priced clothing.

"Dammit I liked that coat.."

The blisters were already disappearing as she removed the jacket, leaving no trace upon her skin. She watched the leather as it burned slowly, sending an acrid smell into the air. The trespasser's keen eyes searched for the obstacles that were bound to be in her way… as much as she had wanted to stay hidden.. Keep to the shadows.. To stay dead..

It was time to confront her past.