Chapter 2
September 24, 6:34 am
Across the room, her cellular phone rung. Groaning, she dragged herself out of bed. She reached for her white, cotton robe that she had hung beside the bed, but stopped when she saw a large cockroach climbing into the sleeve. Her skin crawling, she left the robe alone and answered the phone.
"Hello?" She said tiredly, hoping that this was important.
"Scully, good morning." It was Mulder. "Have a nice sleep?"
"My chiropractor would disagree if I said yes." She said evenly, not having the energy to add a sarcastic tone to her quip.
"That's great." Mulder said. He had heard Scully's comment, but he liked to playfully annoy her every now and than. "Listen, I'm in Raccoon. Could you be at the police station, say, around 8:00?"
"Raccoon City?" Scully asked. "Mulder, that's over fifty miles from here. I'd have to leave right away..."
"Great! I'll see you soon." There was a small click as he hung up.
Scully sighed for what seemed like the tenth time that morning. "I guess that shower has to wait." She muttered. Looking over at the smudged mirror, she grimaced at her reflection. Her golden-red hair was matted to the side of her head, and her eyes were bloodshot.
"I could pass for a zombie." She thought, trying to ignore her growling stomach. Sighing, she began to get dressed.
The drive into Raccoon was uneventful; suspiciously so. Scully hadn't passed another vehicle on the lone stretch of highway for the last half-hour. At least she would make good time. Whatever the reason for the surprise meeting, she didn't want to be late.
It was semi-dark, the morning sun powerless to penetrate the thick branches of the tall pine trees that bordered both sides of the road. She felt isolated from the rest of the world, but than again, she was used to the busy city of Washington, D.C.
"You should be grateful; maybe you'll actually be able to get a good nights sleep here."
On the side of the road, Scully caught a glimpse of a green metal sign as it flashed by:
Raccoon City
10 Mi.
Finally. She was glad the drive was almost over. The quietness that permeated the car wasn't peaceful in the least. In fact, it was downright unsettling.
Turning a bend, the trees ended and she began to pass homes. They were all dark, but it was still early. As she approached the town center, the activity increased. She saw some people walking into a diner, probably getting breakfast. A few joggers were about, and somewhere, she heard children playing. Scully smiled, thinking about the simple activities of small time life. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she had the time to actually sit back and just relax.
She parked the rented car in front of the police station and stepped out onto the dew soaked pavement. Passing a few uniformed officers she entered the large, wooden doors of the station. Inside, Scully marveled at the classical marble and oak architecture.
It was like she stepped had into an art museum. Looking up, she could see the balcony of the second floor. It looped around the main hall, and was engraved with magnificent figures and landscapes. In front of her, a large marble statue of a woman stood, holding a water urn on her shoulder. On each side of the sculpture, there was a small ramp which led up to a receptionist's station. A bored looking woman-probably in her mid-forties, sat behind the counter playing solitaire on the computer.
To her right, a door opened and Fox Mulder jogged out. "Scully! Glad you could make it." He held a paper plate with a deep-fried chicken leg on it. "I got this for you; thought you might be hungry."
She nodded, taking the plate. "Ok Mulder, I'm here. What's so important?"
"Killer zombie dogs." Mulder said seriously.
Scully wasn't sure if she heard him right. "Dogs?" She replied. "I missed a shower and a decent breakfast for dogs?"
Mulder shook his head and indicated for her to follow him.
Scully took a bite of the drumstick as she followed, thinking that it could have used a little less salt.
"Not just dogs," Mulder corrected. "Zombie dogs. Two nights ago Mayor Harris's son Sean was attacked and killed by what were described as skinless dogs, reeking of death and decay."
Scully lost her appetite. Throwing the rest of her plate away in a nearby trashcan, she followed Mulder past a set of double blue doors. The room was nearly empty, though a few detectives answered phones and wrote reports. Above them, ceiling fans spun lazily, unsuccessfully trying to ventilate the stuffy room.
"And Sean's not the first." He said as they entered a small, cluttered office in the corner. Mulder took a seat in one of the chairs and placed his feet up on the desk. "In the past two weeks, eight people have been attacked."
Scully remained standing. "I don't get it Mulder. I thought you were studying those UFO reports in Latham."
Mulder stared at one of the spinning fans, a faraway look in his eyes. "Didn't you say you had some kind of logical explanation for those?" He asked.
Scully nodded, unconsciously taking on that scientific tone that Mulder had come to expect from her. "Latham is located right next to that swamp. The UFO's were most likely gaseous emanations igniting, creating a luminous display."
Mulder grinned. "Kind of sounds like what happens to me after I eat at Taco Bell."
Scully didn't crack a smile, and Mulder continued. "Have you ever heard of the S.T.A.R.S.?"
"No Mulder," Scully said, taking a seat. "Enlighten me." Mulder was still grinning, and Scully had no doubt he was about to push the limits of science with another one of his 'theories'.
"The Special Tactics And Rescue Squad, or S.T.A.R.S, were founded in New York, 1967, by retired military officials and ex-field agents from both the CIA and..."
"Let me guess," Scully interrupted. "The FBI?"
"Uh-huh." Mulder said smiling. "The S.T.A.R.S. were created as a measure against cult-affiliated terrorism, but under the guidance of Marco Palmieri, former director of the National Defense and Security Agency, the S.T.A.R.S. expanded it's services to include everything from code breaking to riot control."
"Quite a talented bunch." Scully said, impressed.
"Maybe too talented. You see the S.T.A.R.S. weren't publicly funded, and all these new services cost a lot of money. When the agency split into so many branches, captained by young men in need of a quick buck..."
Scully saw what he was getting at. "Some of the S.T.A.R.S. provided illegal services for the right price."
"You're getting good at this Scully. None of this was proven of course, but you know I've learned to read between the lines."
"This is all very fascinating Mulder," Scully said, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her eyes. "But what do the S.T.A.R.S. have to do with Raccoon City?"
"I'm getting to that." Mulder cleared his throat. "Anyway, about three months ago, mysterious murders began occurring in the Victory Park area, centered around a so-called abandon mansion. Victims were apparently eaten."
"Animal attacks?"
"Nope. The bite patterns were definitely human. To help solve the mystery, the S.T.A.R.S. were called in, and they set up an office right here in this building; second floor I believe. Anyway, there were two teams; Alpha and Bravo.
While surveying the forest by air, the Bravo's chopper malfunctioned and they were forced to make an emergency landing. The Alpha team came to the rescue, but Bravo was gone. Now this is where all hell breaks loose. Apparently, the Alpha's were attacked by dogs matching the description of the one's that killed Sean."
Scully raised an eyebrow.
"The helicopter pilot, Brad Vickers panicked and took off, stranding them. So, having no choice, they took cover in the mansion. The team got split up, and only three people made it to the main hall; Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, and the captain, Albert Wesker. The rest either died or ended up in a back entrance.
After Jill and Barry split up to find their missing comrades..."
"Wait a second," Scully interrupted. "They split up? Mulder, this is beginning to sound like an episode of Scooby-Doo."
"They're trained to handle situations independently Scully, but you're right. They weren't completely aware what they were getting themselves into. To make a long story short, they ran into the murderers...zombies."
Scully didn't say anything for a moment. "Zombies? Well, of course. We already have zombie dogs, why not the walking dead?"
"That's the thing. They weren't really dead. Jill stumbled across files and a secret lab in her search. It turns out the 'zombies' were victims of a viral outbreak."
Mulder ignored Scully's skeptical stare and continued. "It was called the T-virus, and it was used to mutate and fuse cells-specifically for use in biowarfare. They created an army of freakish monstrosities whose only intent was to kill..."
"Wait a second. Who are they?"
"Umbrella Incorporated."
Scully laughed, despite her partner's serious tone. "Mulder, Umbrella is one of the most respected biochemical corporations in the world."
"Exactly. Just the company you'd least suspect of having a secret bioweapons program."
"Ok Mulder, I'll give you the benefit of a doubt. But how does a virus turn one into the undead?"
"Quite horribly." Mulder said. "First a high fever destroys brain cells, leaving the person with an IQ lower than an insects. Soon after, cellular deterioration sets in; basically the victims begin rotting while they're technically still alive. At that point, they go about eating the flesh of the living until they fall apart a few days later. Cool, huh?"
Scully still looked skeptical.
"Anyway, Jill and Barry found out how deep Umbrella's control was when a traitor within the S.T.A.R.S. set about destroying the evidence after their arrival...Albert Wesker."
"Oh, the plot thickens."
"Look Scully, only four people made it out of that mansion alive. Jill and Barry, Chris Redfield, who was one of the Alphas' who got separated on the run to the mansion, and the sole survivor of Bravo team, Rebecca Chambers."
Scully looked impressed. "She must have been quite a soldier."
Mulder smiled. "She was only eighteen. A medical genius recruited right after her graduation. You'd like her, Scully.
Anyway, Wesker supposedly set off a self-destruct sequence in the lab underneath the mansion and probably died in the explosion. All the evidence was incinerated, except for these."
Mulder picked up a thick, brown envelope from the desk and handed it to Scully.
"What's this?" She asked curiously, pulling some of the contents out.
"Mostly paperwork found by Jill and Chris on their search through the mansion. Experimental notes, journals of people infected with the T-virus, maps...notice a lot of them have an Umbrella letterhead."
Scully looked at the top of a file labeled 'V-Jolt instructions'. The red and white logo, which looked like the top of an umbrella, was indeed in the upper-right corner.
"Of course," Mulder said. "The S.T.A.R.S. were accused of forging these files themselves, and after their tales of zombies and other creatures, they were suspended-even though the murders stopped with the destruction of the mansion."
Scully stuffed the papers back into the envelope and handed it back to Mulder. "Did Jill give these to you?"
"Nope, the surviving S.T.A.R.S. went into hiding soon after their suspension. I was given these by an informant who I'll keep anonymous.
Scully thought it best not to press him for more details on the files. "Ok Mulder, I'll admit it's all a little odd. But if Umbrella was behind this, wouldn't they have packed up and left before they were implicated?"
"You might think so, but skipping town would be suspicious. In fact, Umbrella helped with the investigation."
"Ok, so Umbrella helps, and that makes them look innocent. But why did they have a member of the S.T.A.R.S. destroy the evidence? Why not do it themselves?"
"The reason is outlined in one of those files. Umbrella wanted to collect data on the killing capabilities of their creations. The S.T.A.R.S. were nothing but guinea pigs."
Scully laid the files down on the desk. "But how does this relate to the recent murders? If everything went up in the blast, why are they starting again?"
Mulder sighed slowly. "I don't know Scully. But I have a feeling that these recent attacks are only the tip of the ice burg."