Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, Capcom does. The only thing I do own is this story.
Cause Be the Carrier(Book one of the Redemption series)
Chapter Two- My Name Is HunkBy: Striker
The group was assembled in the deserted lobby of the hotel. With Chris and Jill arriving with Hunk the rest had changed into dry clothes. While they were changing Chris had arranged the chairs in a rough circle. Now everyone's attention was on Hunk.
"So just who the hell are you anyway?" Barry asked.
"My name is Hunk." Hunk said. "I have no real name. I'm one of Umbrella's best agents. I was also involved in what happened in Raccoon City. I'm sure Claire and Leon know how the virus was spread."
Claire nodded. "Annette told me. A few days before I arrived several men from Umbrella tried to get the G-virus. William Birkin was shot and the virus was taken. Birkin injected himself with the G-virus to stay alive. He ended up turning into a monster and killed Umbrella's men. During the fight the vials of virus were broken and rats carried the virus into the city."
"That's correct." Hunk said. "There is only one small problem with your story. One of the vials of G-virus remained intact. I was responsible for retrieving the virus. In fact, I was the man in charge of the whole operation. In part I am to blame for the outbreak of Raccoon City."
"So why are you here?" Ark asked.
"I was picked to hunt you down." Hunk replied. "For the past few months I've been tracking you. However, that's not the real reason I'm here now. I'm no longer with Umbrella. I few days ago I stopped reporting to my superiors. By now Umbrella must have figured out what I plan on doing."
"So why are you helping us?" Leon asked. "You have to know that Umbrella will try to kill you for betraying them."
Hunk closed his eyes. "Sometimes a man's conscience can be him worst enemy. I could have avoided the infection of Raccoon City. I was the one that went into Birkin's lab. My partner was a rookie. It was he who pulled the trigger. If only I had gone in myself none of what happened would have." Hunk opened his eyes and looked at each member of the group. "Also, if I had left the G-virus Umbrella wouldn't have been able to conduct their new experiments. Because of my actions not only was Raccoon City destroyed but also Umbrella has been able to create new weapons. I want to make up for what I've done. It's the only way I can deal with my guilt. Before I came here I made a promise that I would not help Umbrella hurt any more people. I hope you can trust me."
"What kind of information do you have for us?" Chris asked.
"I know of an Umbrella facility close by." Hunk replied. "It's located in the Southern part of this state."
Leon groaned. "There goes our vacation."
Barry turned to Leon. "You said you were bored."
Leon gave Barry a nasty look. "Shut up old man."
"Make me rookie." Barry shot back.
Jill ignored the squabbling men. "So where is this facility?"
"It's located on a small island off the Florida Keys." Hunk said. "It's a very important facility. I have the plans to it in my room. I can get you inside the facility. I can also show you where to go."
"We'll have to talk this over." Chris said. "Do you mind waiting while we discuss this?"
"Not at all." Hunk replied.
The group got up and moved to the other side of the lobby. They got into a huddle and started to talk quietly among themselves.
"Can we really trust this guy?" Carlos asked.
"He did say he was sent to kill us." Rebecca added. "I have a funny feeling about this."
Barry scratched his beard. "This could be a ploy to take us out. For all we know he could be leading us into a trap."
Claire looked over to Hunk, who was looking around the room. "I don't know, he really sounded like he was guilty for what he did. And if he was here to kill us he would have done so by now."
"Claire's right." Jill said. "Chris and I didn't even know he was watching us. He could have killed both of us right then and there."
"I say we take a chance and trust him." Chris said. "I just have this feeling that he's telling the truth."
"I hope you're right." Leon said.
"Fine, we'll believe him." Barry said.
Chris looked at his friends. "Do we all agree with this?" Everyone nodded. Chris left the huddle and walked back over to Hunk. "Tell us everything you know about the place."
Hunk stood up and looked around the lobby. "I think it would be safer if we talked more in my room. What I have to say is too important to discuss in the open. I'm also worried that someone from Umbrella may be watching us right now."
"Where are you staying?" Rebecca asked.
"Here." Hunk said. "Like I said before, I've been tracking you. I got a room on the same floor as yours. I thought it would be easier to watch you if I was right next to you." Hunk walked towards the elevator. The rest of the group looked at each other before following.
"So what's so damn important that you couldn't tell us in the lobby?" Barry asked.
"Could you close the door?" Hunk asked. Carlos shut the door and locked it. "Thank you. The facility in the Keys is important because Umbrella is developing a new virus there. Its name is the Z-virus. From what I heard it's supposed to be more powerful than the G-virus. If you want to deal Umbrella a major blow then you want to destroy the virus before it is complete."
Chris covered his face with his right hand. "Great, another virus. How many damn bugs does Umbrella have to create?"
"So how are we going to get into this place?" Claire asked.
Hunk walked over to a bag lying next to his bag and produced a map. He spread it on his bed and began to point around the perimeter. "There's a bridge on the western end of the island that runs from the facility to the main road. That is heavily guarded so we can't enter there. On the eastern end the island slopes down to a small beachhead. There is a small dock built there. That area is guarded by armed patrols. The northern end is a cliff that houses a door that leads into an underground docking area. That is where most of the supplies are offloaded."
"Can we get in through there?" Ark asked.
Hunk shook his head. "The only way to open the door is with a special remote on the ship or by radioing the people inside the facility and having them open the door for you. That is only if you pass clearance. I've seen ships go through. The rock is at least ten to fifteen feet thick, not to mention the steel behind it."
Jill pointed to the southern end of the island. "What about this end?"
"The cliffs to the south are pretty much unguarded." Hunk replied. "That's the most reasonable way to get into the facility. Only problem is that the cliffs are a sheer drop. It will be a vertical accent. That's why they're unguarded. Umbrella doesn't expect anyone to scale them."
"Then that's how we'll go in." Chris said.
"What about the children?" Claire asked.
"We'll worry about that tomorrow." Chris replied. "For now I think we should turn in. We have a lot to do tomorrow morning."
The team began to leave the room. Jill waited until she was alone with Hunk. "Hey, you didn't happen to hear what Chris and I were talking about with the pier?"
"What pier?" Hunk asked.
Jill smiled and left the room.
Chris lay on his stomach, his right hand hanging over the edge of the bed. Slowly the door to their room opened, sending a rectangle of light over the floor. A man dressed in black and wearing a black sky mask stood in the doorway. He raised his rifle and switched on the laser sight. A small, red dot moved up Chris' back to the base of his skull. The man began to squeeze the trigger when the door to the bathroom opened. Jill exited dressing only in a long nightshirt and carrying a glass of water. She saw the man and froze, dropping the glass.
"CHRIS!" She screamed.
Chris shot up and saw the man standing in the door. The man looked surprised, like he didn't expect to find Chris or Jill in the room. He took aim at Jill. Suddenly he jerked twice and fell forward. Hunk stood behind the man dressed in his pants and undershirt holding a silenced pistol. Chris switched on the lamp next to the bed and stared down at the dead man. "What the hell just happened?"
By this time the others had come running to see what happened. Claire saw the body lying on the floor. "What's going on? Who's that?"
"An Umbrella agent." Hunk replied.
"Great, so now Umbrella knows we're here and sent someone to kill us." Leon said.
Carlos looked down the halls. Several other people had begun to come out of their rooms to see what was going on. Carlos entered the room and closed the door. "There may be more of them."
"I better go get Sherry." Claire said, running from the room.
Ark started to leave too. "I better get Lott and Lily."
"He wasn't sent to kill you." Hunk said. "This man was sent to kill me. Looks like Umbrella have figured out that I switched sides."
"That would explain why the guy was surprised to see us." Jill said, still shaken by the experience. "He was expecting you to be in this room."
Barry saw the gun in Hunk's hand. "I can safely assume that you killed him."
Hunk nodded. "I was expecting Umbrella to make a move. When I heard Jill scream I knew Umbrella's assassin was here."
"This is just what we need." Barry said. "What time is it?"
Chris looked at the clock next to the bed. "6:45."
"No use going back to bed." Barry said. "I doubt any of us will get any sleep. He better get rid of this body before people start asking questions."
Carlos and Leon lifted up the dead man and carried him out of the room. Jill walked over to Chris and hugged him. "That was too close Chris." She whispered.
Chris held Jill in his arms and turned to Hunk. "Thanks. We own you one."
Hunk smiled and waved his hand. "It was nothing. Like I said, I'm here to help you."
"So what are we going to do now?" Rebecca asked.
"We better start moving, and fast." Chris said. "If Umbrella knows that Hunk's here, then it's only a matter of time before they find us."
Jill stared out the window of the hotel as people hurried past on the street outside. It was around ten in the morning. Claire walked up next to her. "So much for a quiet vacation." Claire sighed.
"If there's one thing I've learned is that with Umbrella there's never a dull moment." Jill said. "How did Sherry take the news?"
"Rather well." Claire said. "She took it better than I did. Sometimes I'm amazed by how well she deals with this. Girls her age shouldn't even have to think about going through this. I just hope she isn't permanently scared from this."
"I hope none of us are." Jill said.
Chris walked over to the others from the front desk. "I told the desk clerk that we're leaving tomorrow afternoon. Barry, what about the plane tickets?"
"I got us all a flight out of here tomorrow night." Barry said. "Flight goes to Erie, Pennsylvania. If we have to we can easily cross into Canada. I also want to check on Kathy and the girls."
"Good job." Chris said. "What about our friend?"
"We dumped him in an alley several blocks from here." Leon said.
"We covered him with some garbage." Carlos added. "He shouldn't be found until we're out of here."
Chris nodded. "We'll need some supplies. We mostly need guns and medical supplies."
"I brought some weapons of my own." Hunk said. "They may not be a lot, but it's better than nothing."
"What do you have?" Barry asked.
"Two shotguns, a MP5, a magnum, three Glocks, a few grenades, and some clips for each." Hunk replied. "I also brought some flashlights, rope, and other stuff."
"We'll probably be able to get more once we get in the facility." Barry said. "For now we should try to get some more ammo and a few more guns."
"Carlos, Rebecca, and I will go." Leon said.
"I'm going too." Claire said, joining the group.
Sherry tugged on Claire's sleeve. "Can I go too?"
Claire smiled at the girl. "Sure, you can help me go shopping."
"Make it fast." Chris said. "I want to be out of here by noon." Chris watched his friends leave the hotel.
"I better get my stuff." Hunk said. He got in the elevator and pushed the button for the floor his room was on.
Barry sat down and cupped his face in his hands. Chris and Jill sat down next to him. "Worried about your family?" Jill asked. Barry's family was always a touchy subject at best. Usually the group tried to avoid it.
Barry looked up at his old partners. "Yeah, I am. It's just that Kathy and the girls shouldn't even be involved in this. None of our families should be. The only reason I helped Wesker was because I thought they were in danger. God, I don't think I'll ever be able to make up for what I've done to you."
"You're not the only one here who feels sorry for things they've done." Chris said. "Look at me. I should never have left Raccoon City and left Jill alone. Maybe if I were there she never would have gotten infected. And it's my fault that my sister is here. If only I had told her what I was doing she never would have coming looking for me and gotten involved with this mess. I wish I never left Raccoon."
"I wish you two would stop beating yourselves up over this." Jill said. "As far as I'm concerned you've both made up for your mistakes. Barry, I wouldn't be alive if you didn't come and rescue me. And Chris, if you were in Raccoon you could have gotten infected instead of me. As for your sister, Claire would be dead if you didn't go and save her. We've all done things we wish we didn't do. Moaning about them won't get you anywhere. Hell, I wish that I didn't stay behind in Raccoon. I wish I went with Chris. However, I don't dwell on it. At least we're all together and that's what counts."
"I guess you're right." Chris said. "I shouldn't keep thinking about what I've done."
Jill slapped him on the leg. "Damn sure I'm right."
Barry laughed. "If it's one thing I love about you it's how you can make other people feel better."
"Thanks Barry." Jill replied with a smile.
"Do you really have to go?" Lott asked Ark.
"Yeah, I thought we were on a vacation?" Lily added.
Ark hung his head and sighed. "I'm sorry guys, but this just came up. I promise that this won't take long. All we have to do is take care of a little business and everything will be all right."
Lily frowned. "But I thought we were going to the zoo tomorrow?"
"Tell you what." Ark said. "Maybe when we get to Erie we can take a drive to Niagara Falls. I've been there before; you'll love the place. I think they still have boat rides that go under the falls. It'll be fun."
"Are you going to come back?" Lott asked. He had always asked Ark this question every time the team attacked an Umbrella lab.
"No matter what happens I will come back for you." Ark said. "I promise."
Author's Comments: I've said it once and I'll say it again, so much for the team's vacation. Looks like Hunk is feeling a little guilty for Raccoon's demise. And the team was a little reluctant to trust him. Hey, can you blame them? Hey, at least he saved Chris and Jill. Well, now we know where the team is going and what they have to do. Only question is can they do it? One side note, about the boat rides under Niagara Falls. My aunt showed me pictures of her taking one of those rides. I'm not sure if they do that anymore, but I'm sure it would be cool to take a ride under the falls.
Time to do a little shopping. Claire, Leon, and the others are hunting for supplies, but the arrival of some very unsavory characters may make things complicated. That and the question of how the team is getting to the facility will make things very interesting. This and more in Cause Be the Carrier: Chapter Three- Accent Into Danger.
