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 Three- Accent Into Danger

By: Striker

The downtown section of Fort Lauderdale bustled with activities as tourists hurried along the sidewalks. Claire, Rebecca, and Sherry ran across the busy street to a small park. They sat down on a bench in front of a fountain and set down their bags.

"Let's see." Rebecca said. "We got first aid sprays, gauze pads and wraps, aspirin, morphine, snake bite kit, medical tape, ice packs, and antibacterial cream. I believe we got all we need."

"Thank God for Right Aid." Claire said. "I'm glad that they didn't ask us what this stuff was for."

"We could always say that we were going camping." Rebecca said. "Now all we have to do is wait for the guys."

Sherry tugged at Claire's red Made In Heaven jacket. "Am I coming along with you guys?"

"Not this time kid." Claire replied. "We're going to find a safe place for you to stay." Claire ruffled Sherry's long, blonde hair.

Sherry knocked Claire's hand away. "Cut it out, I'm not a little kid. I'm thirteen years old."

Claire smiled and leaned her head closed to Sherry's. "To me you still are."

Rebecca couldn't help but see how adorable the scene was. "You two sound just like a mother and daughter."

Claire turned to Rebecca. "Sometimes I feel like we are." A taxi pulled up in front of the women and Leon and Carlos got out. Leon paid the driver as Carlos removed some bags from the trunk. As the men approached Claire stood up. "So how did you two make out?"

"We managed to get some more bullets for the pistols and rifles." Leon said. "We also got two Glocks, a Remington shotgun, a .22 hunting rifle, and a Desert Eagle. We also got some more empty clips for the pistols."

"We would have gotten something heavier, but we didn't want to arouse suspicion." Carlos said.

"How did you get these guns in the first place?" Rebecca asked.

Leon produced a card from his pocket. "It's a good thing I kept my police license. All I had to do is flash this and the man gave me what I wanted."

"We better get back to the hotel." Carlos said. "Now that I know Umbrella's agents are here I want to get out of this city as soon as I can."

Rebecca started to pick up her bags when she saw a black van and Sedan pull up. She saw the familiar Umbrella logo on the side of the van. "Guys, we have company." Rebecca said, pointing to the vehicles.

Claire saw the vehicles too. "Shit, they must have been searching for us." She looked around and spotted a motorcycle parked nearby. "I'm going to try to led them away from you guys. I'll met up with you at the hotel." She ran off towards the motorcycle.

"Claire, hold on." Leon said. He watched as Claire jumped on the bike and took off. The motorcycle's owner saw Claire zoom off and started running after her waving his hands and shouting. The Sedan pulled away and gave chase. The van stayed where it was. "We still have some problems. We better move." The group grabbed the bags and quickly walked down the street. No sooner had they begun to leave than six men got out of the van and began to pursue.

Claire weaved through the traffic, trying to loose her pursuers. The Sedan kept up with her, matching her every move. "These guys don't give up." She said to herself. She made a hard right, cutting off a taxi. The Sedan followed, clipping the taxi and busting the left headlight. Claire continued to navigate through the traffic. The other cars honked at her as she cut them off. The Sedan kept behind her, passing some cars and forcing others off the road. Claire accelerated through a red light, almost getting him by a car coming from her right. The vehicle screeched to a halt and the driver got out cursing. The Sedan zoomed through the intersection and smacked into a car coming from the opposite direction. Claire glanced back and saw the Sedan closing in. She turned her attention back to where she was going. "Oh shit." She muttered. Up ahead was a traffic jam. Looking around she saw an alley to her left. She cut sharply to the left and crossed the opposite lane, almost getting nailed by a truck. The Sedan followed her. With nothing in the way she accelerated down the alley. The Sedan also picked up speed, plowing through trashcans and other debris lined along the sides of the building. Claire reached the end of the alley and gunned the engine. She shot across the street towards another alley, causing several accidents as other drivers slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting her. The Sedan kept up, zipping past the stopped cars. Claire looked back and saw the Sedan still on her tail. "These guys don't give up." She said. She tore down the alley and crossed another street, causing more fender-benders. The Sedan kept up and began to gain on her. Claire glanced back and then back forward. She then saw her opportunity for escape. Ahead of her was an intersection of two alleys. A delivery truck was slowly backing across Claire's path. She pushed the bike and sped towards the truck. She cut around the back of the truck, narrowly squeezing through the rapidly closing opening. The driver of the Sedan hit the brakes and barely managed to avoid plowing into the truck. Claire skidded to a halt and smiled to herself as she heard the Sedan's horn honking in frustration. Claire gunned the bike and took off for the hotel.

Meanwhile Leon and the others tried to loose their pursuers in the crowded streets. As the group pressed on Rebecca kept glancing back at the Umbrella agents. The men were twenty feet behind and closing. Both Leon and Carlos looked around for someplace to duck into.

"They're getting closer." Rebecca said.

"I know." Leon said. "We have to find some place where we can take them out without causing a scene."

Sherry pointed to a nearby alley. "What about in the alley?"

Carlos saw the alley and looked back at the Umbrella agents. "Good thinking kid. We should be about to shake them in there."

The group entered the alley and broke into a run. The Umbrella agents saw their targets run into the alley. The men quickened their pace and reached the entrance. Halfway down the alley they saw Sherry on the ground holding her ankle and crying. Rebecca was crouched down next to her, trying to help Sherry get to her feet. "Get them." One of the men said.

"Hurry Sherry, get up." Rebecca pleaded.

"I can't." Sherry sobbed. "It hurts."

Rebecca looked at the approaching men with a panicked look. As soon as the Umbrella agents got to the girls the leader glared down at them. "You're coming with us."

Rebecca's expression turned from fear to a sly grin. "I don't think so."

"What?" The man asked. Suddenly Leon and Carlos erupted from the debris on either side of the alley and rushed the Umbrella men. Leon kicked one man in the groin and floored the other with a right cross to the face. Carlos chucked a bag of garbage at one of his opponents and grabbed another man, slamming the man face first into the wall. He then went after the other man, ramming his left knee into the man's gut twice and slamming his right elbow into the man's face. Leon finished off his other opponent with a gut shot before throwing the man into a dumpster. Rebecca grabbed a piece of pipe off the ground and attacked the last two men, hitting one in the face and hitting the other in the stomach and then across the back.

"Good work guys." Leon said. "Nice plan Carlos."

Carlos smiled. "Lame duck ploy works every time."

Sherry jumped up and looked at Leon. "How was I?"

"You and Becky were great." Leon replied. "Were better get out of here. These men are going to be pissed when they get back up."

"We can take their van." Carlos said. "That way we'll have some wheels to get out of town."

The group grabbed their bags and left the alley. They quickly made their way back to the Umbrella van. "So now what are we going to do?" Rebecca asked. "Umbrella knows that we're here. They may already be waiting for us back at the hotel."

"How did they find us in the first place?" Carlos asked.

"They must have checked the registry at the hotel and found out we were checked in." Leon said. "With our luck they must have been following us the whole time. I bet they were planning to catch us and use us as bait for the others."

"Do you think Claire got away?" Sherry asked.

"I'm sure she did." Leon replied. The group reached the van and got in. "The others aren't going to like this at all." Leon muttered to himself as he drove off towards the hotel.

Chris paced nervously by the front door. It had been several hours since his friends had left. "Where could they be? They should have been back by now."

"You know this city is crowded around this time of year." Barry said. "I think you should try to be patient."

"Yeah, well after last night I'm anxious to get the hell out of here." Chris said.

Jill walked up to Chris and slid her arm around his waist. "We're all worried that Umbrella will find us. I'm sure if Claire and the others run into any trouble they can handle it."

Ark turned to Hunk. "You think Umbrella has figured out that we're here yet?"

"I don't know." Hunk replied. "I told them I was following you, but I didn't say where you were. All I know is that it'll only be a matter of time before they start searching the city for you. If they found me they can find you."

"So, are you absolutely sure you can get us into that lab?" Barry asked Hunk.

"I can." Hunk said. "Besides, from what I've heard you guys have broken into some heavily guarded places yourselves. I remember hearing about how Claire broke into the Umbrella HQ."

Chris turned to Hunk. "And she got caught."

Hunk nodded. "But she put up one hell of a fight. Only reason she did get caught was because she ran out of bullets."

Jill continued to look out the door. She saw the Umbrella van pull up in front of the hotel. "Oh no, it's Umbrella. They found us."

The rest of the team looked over to the van. Hunk reached his hand into his bag and grabbed one of the Glocks. The side door opened up and Rebecca jumped out. Everyone sighed a breath of relief as the rest of the crew got out of the van and entered the lobby.

"For a minute we thought you were Umbrella solders." Barry said.

"Where did you get the van?" Ark asked.

"We ran into some of Umbrella's goons." Carlos replied. "We led them into an alley and kicked their asses. Then we stole their van."

Jill groaned. "I take it Umbrella knows we're here."

"Seems like it." Leon said. "They must have found out we were here when they were looking for Hunk."

"I hope they don't know about our plans to attack their lab." Barry said.

Chris noticed that Claire wasn't with the group. "Where's my sister?" He asked.

Leon ran his fingers through his hair. "She took off on a motorcycle to try and draw Umbrella's men away from us. The car that was with the van chased after her. She said she would come back here after she lost them."

"I hope she's alright." Chris said.

Just then Claire pulled up behind the van and got off the motorcycle. She ran into the lobby. "Hey, sorry I took so long. I got stuck in some traffic. I take it you all know."

Chris walked up to his sister and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Glad you managed to get away."

"Umbrella's thugs won't get me that easily." Claire said smiling slyly. "Beside, no one can catch me when I'm on a bike."

"I got just one question. How are we going to get to the island?" Carlos asked. "We can't drive up to the place and we can't fly in."

"We'll have to go by boat." Chris said. "Only question is where can we get one."

"We also have to find a place to drop the kids off." Ark added.

"I know where we can go." Leon said. "One of my old friends owns a small marina a few miles south of here. I can take you guys to him."

"Do you think your friend can watch the children?" Claire asked.

Leon nodded. "I'm sure he will."

Chris tapped Leon on the arm. "Can we trust this friend of yours?"

Leon nodded. "Sure, we go way back. I'm sure he'll help us out."

"I think it's time to move out." Barry said. "The next place Umbrella will come is here next. I don't want to be around when they arrive."

The team agreed and left the hotel. Claire got back on the bike and started it up. The rest of the team got into the van. Leon got behind the wheel and started the engine. The team pulled away from the hotel and headed for the marina.

It was almost five by the time the team reached their destination. Leon pulled up in front of a small marina. He got out and walked up to the main building. He knocked on the door and waited. The door opened and a man in his late forties stepped out. He was well built for someone his age. He was bald except for the thick, black hair that ran around the sides and back of his head. He had a mustache and a rough beard. He was dressed in blue overalls and a green shirt. His brown eyes lit up when he saw Leon. "Scotty, how have you been? It's been ages since I've seen you."

"Hi Roy." Leon replied. "How had the boating business been?"

"Can't complain too much." Roy replied. "So, what brings you here? On vacation?"

"Somewhat." Leon replied. "I was, but something came up."

Roy scratched his beard. "What kind of business?"

Leon patted his friend on the shoulder. "It's a long story. Some friends and I need a boat, and we can't go anywhere else."

"Where are your friends?" Roy asked.

Leon pointed to the van. "They're waiting for me."

"Well want are you waiting for?" Roy said. "Tell em to come on in. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

"OK GUYS!" Leon yelled. "YOU CAN COME IN NOW!"

The team got out of the van and walked down to the marina. They introduced themselves to Roy. Chris gestured to Leon. "Leon says you can help us out."

"What exactly do you guys need?" Roy asked.

"We need a boat." Leon said. "The biggest, fastest, quietest one you have."

Roy scratched his beard again. "I take it this has to do with something important?"

Leon nodded. "It is."

Barry looked around nervously. "Can we talk inside? I don't think we should be in the open like this."

Roy stepped outside and gestured to the door. "Well come inside. It may be a small place, but it's comfortable." Roy watched as the team entered. He caught a glimpse of the weapons. He leaned over to Leon. "Exactly what kind of business are you involved in?"

"I'll tell you when we get inside." Leon said.

Once in the marina the team told Roy the whole story about Umbrella, starting with the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon City and continuing with Sheena, Rockfort, and Antarctica. They told him how they had evaded Umbrella's thugs and how they reunited. They finished by telling him why they were in Florida and what they were planning to do. Roy seemed to take the news fairly well. "Damn Scotty, you mean Umbrella was responsible for what happened to that town. I tell you what, you all sure got yourselves into a fine mess."

"We didn't really have a choice." Jill said. "We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So why don't you go to the authorities instead of attacking this place?" Roy asked. "Why didn't you go to the authorities in the first place?"

"No one believed us." Chris said. "Plus all the Umbrella labs we mentioned blew up. Umbrella rigs every facility with a sort of self-destruct mechanism that destroys everything. We have no hard evidence."

Rebecca pointed to Jill and Sherry. "The only real evidence we have are the antibodies in their blood, and even those can't be proven unless we have a sample of the T-virus."

"So you guys are going to try and stop Umbrella from making a new virus?" Roy asked.

"That's the plan." Leon said.

Roy hung his head. "Jesus Christ. You think you can do this by yourselves?"

"I know the layout of the plant." Hunk said. "I also brought some weapons. With luck we should be able to pull it off."

"Well if this place is in the Keys it'll take you several hours to get there." Roy said. "It'll be dark."

"That's the idea." Chris said. "It'll be easier to get in if it's dark. We'll also be able to approach the island without being spotted. So can you get a boat ready?"

Roy nodded. "I'll see what I've got." He turned to Leon. "I hope you and your friends can do this Scotty." He left to get a boat ready.

Claire turned to Leon. "Why does he call you by your middle name?"

"He never really liked Leon so he started calling me Scott." Leon replied. "I never really minded."

"We better go hide the van." Barry said. "We don't want Umbrella to know we're here."

Chris snapped his fingers. "Carlos, hide the van nearby." Carlos nodded and left. No sooner had he walked out the door than Roy came back into the room. "What do you have?" Chris asked him.

Roy pointed out to the docks. "Got just the thing for you. Follow me." Chris, Barry, and Leon followed Roy out to the docks. Several boats were tied and ready for use. He led the men to a medium sized fishing boat. It was white with blue streaks running down the sides. It kind of reminded the men of the boat in JAWS. The rear of the boat had a chair bolted to the floor. The bow had a plank with railing jutting out five feet. There was a large cabin in the center with seats and tables against the walls. A ladder next to the cabin's rear door led up to the bridge. The fiberglass hull shined in the sunlight. "For what you plan on doing this is the best choice. This baby has enough room for all your friends. It's fast, able to do around twenty-five, thirty knots. She's also quiet. It should serve your purpose."

"Pretty fast for a fishing boat." Barry said skeptically. "How did you get it to go that fast?"

"It used to be a yacht." Roy replied. "I remolded the whole thing for rich guys who wanted something fast to go big game fishing in. I usually charge them around a couple hundred but for you guys it's free. Just bring it back in one piece."

"We will." Leon said. "Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome." Roy said. "So when are you planning on leaving?"

"Sometime around eight when it's dark." Chris said. He felt his stomach grumble. "Damn, should have stopped for something to eat. Everyone must be hungry."

Roy motioned towards a house about twenty miles from the marina. "I'll fix you guys something to eat at my place. Can't save the world on an empty stomach."

The sky was beginning to darken as the team made final preparations to leave. The team had changed into dark colored clothing. Ark finished loading several cans of fuel and placed them next to the cabin. Rebecca was setting up some battery lanterns in the cabin while Carlos was busy setting up the other lights. The rest were loading the supplies into the boat. The children stood on the docks watching the young adults.

Claire walked up to Roy. "I have a favor to ask. Would it be possible for Sherry and the others to stay here? None of us want them involved."

"Sure thing." Roy replied. "It'll be nice to have some company. And don't worry, if Umbrella comes knocking I never saw or heard of you guys."

"Thanks." Claire said. She turned to Sherry, Lott, and Lily. "You three behave yourselves. We'll be back in the morning."

Sherry tried to hold back the tears. Every time Claire left to fight Umbrella Sherry was afraid that it would be the last time she would see her. "I will." She said, her voice cracking.

Claire saw the sadness in the girl's eyes and gave her a strong hug. "I will come back for you."

Meanwhile Ark was saying goodbye to Lott and Lily. "You take care of your sister while I'm gone, OK Lott?"

"I will." Lott replied.

"See you soon." Lily said.

"Count on it." Ark replied.

"Untie the boat." Chris called from up on the bridge. Claire and Ark untied the lines holding the boat to the dock and got in. "Take us out captain." Chris said to Barry.

"Sure thing." Barry said. He backed the boat out of its spot and motored out of the marina. "Go tell everyone to try and get some sleep." Barry said to Leon. "It's going to be a long ride."

"Aye Popeye." Leon said.

"I told you not to call me that." Barry growled.

Leon ran over to the ladder and slid down it. "Hey guys, we better get some shuteye. Last thing we want to do is pass out from exhaustion while we're running for our lives."

"Ha, ha." Carlos said. "Got any other suggestions?"

"Just that I hope none of you get seasick." Leon replied. "I hate the smell of vomit."

Roy watched as the boat disappeared from view. "Good luck guys. I hope you do this."

It was four in the morning before the boat neared its destination. Chris and Hunk were on the bridge. They had slept most of the way to the island. Hunk shut off the boat's lights and turned to Chris. "You better wake the others. We're almost there."

Chris nodded and climbed down to the deck. Barry was asleep in the fishing chair. Jill was in the cabin sleeping at one of the tables. Ark was across from her, hunched over the table. Carlos was on the other side leaning against the window. Rebecca was sitting next to him, using his shoulder like a pillow. Claire and Leon were curled up next to each other at the bow. Chris smiled to himself and gently nudged Jill. "Time to get up."

Jill slowly sat up and rugged her eyes. "Are we there yet?" She asked groggily.

"Almost." Chris replied. "Help me wake the others. I'll get Claire and Leon."

Jill nodded and tapped Ark on the head. "Wake up pal."

Ark woke with a start and looked around. "Wha? What's wrong?"

"We're almost at the plant." Chris said, smirking.

Ark stretched and started to get up. He spotted Carlos and Rebecca still asleep. "Hey, check out our two friends. Looks like someone got comfy."

"Think we should wake them up?" Jill asked.

"We better before we wake up the others." Chris said. "Don't want everyone to start picking on them." For the last few weeks the team had noticed how close Carlos and Rebecca were getting. Though they wouldn't admit it up front, it was assumed that they had feelings for each other. The rest of the group, especially Claire and Leon, had a habit of pointing this out. This would in turn set Carlos off and start a fight. Chris didn't want to start an argument at this point in time. He tapped the pair on the shoulder. "Come on, we have to get ready."

Rebecca slowly opened her eyes and saw her friends staring at her. She jumped up, her face turning red with embarrassment. "Hey guys."

Rebecca's quick movements woke Carlos up. "What the…" He looked at his friends and straightened up. "We here?" He asked, pretending as if nothing happened.

Chris nodded. "We are. Sleep well?"

"Yeah." Rebecca said slowly. "We did."

Jill giggled. "Come on Becky, we better go wake up Barry."

Chris headed to the bow. "You two get the stuff. I'm going to get the others."

Carlos watched Chris approach his sister and give her a quick kick to her rear end. Claire squealed and shot up. Leon, startled by Claire's outburst, spring up and started looking around in a panic. Claire then jumped to her feet and started pounding Chris on the arm. Carlos shook his head and turned to Ark, who was smiling at him. "Don't say anything." Carlos said.

Ark laughed. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"Then don't think it." Carlos grabbed one of the bags and left the cabin.

The boat glided to a halt at the edge of the island. Barry took one of the flashlights and shone it against the rock wall. The cliff when straight up at a ninety degree angle, jutting out at several places. "Damn, that wall must be twenty feet up. Are you sure this is the easiest way into the plant?"

Hunk nodded. "Umbrella assumes that only someone who's insane would try to climb this cliff."

"No shit." Carlos said. "You'd have to be crazy to try to climb that."

Chris grabbed two loops of rope and slung them around his right arm. He then slung one of the shotguns around the other. "Wait here." He jumped off the boat and waded up to the rocky beach.

"What are you doing?" Claire asked him.

"What does it look like?" Chris asked. "I'm going to climb up."

"But that wall's a straight drop." Barry said. "You slip and that's it."

Chris smirked as he readied himself for the climb. "How do you think I got into Rockfort? That wall was just like this one, only taller. This will be easy, just keep some lights on me."

Claire, Jill, and Leon trained some lights on Chris as he skillfully scaled the wall. He tested each handhold before continuing up the cliff. He avoided the sections that jutted out and quickly made progress.

"Please don't fall Chris." Jill murmured to herself. "Please don't fall"

Chris reached the top of the cliff and carefully scanned the area. Seeing no one around he pulled himself up. The plant wasn't that big, only taking up three-fourths of the island. The center building was one story, but Chris figured that it went down several floors. He saw the main gate to his right and the path leading to the docks to his left disappearing behind a grove of trees. Chris looked around and saw a set of trees near the end of the cliff. He tied the ropes securely around on of the trees and tossed the loose ends over the cliff.

"I don't believe it." Leon said.

"Come on." Barry said. "We'll sent a few of us up first, get the supplies up there, and then the rest will climb up. Jill, Hunk, Carlos, get up top first and secure the area.

Jill made her way to the ropes and tied one of them around her waist. She then used the other rope to pull herself up. When she got to the top she untied the rope and tossed it back over the side. Hunk and Carlos did the same thing. Next came the bags. Barry and Leon tied them to the ropes and Jill and Carlos pulled the equipment up while Chris and Hunk kept watch. After that the others made the climb. Barry made sure the boat was anchored before he climbed up. As soon as everyone was up the group ran over to the grove and equipped themselves. Chris kept his shotgun while Jill and Leon took the other two. Claire took the rifle while Hunk got the MP5. Barry took the magnum, Carlos took the Desert Eagle, Rebecca, Chris, and Leon each took a Glock, and Ark took the last two Glocks. They then passed out the ammo and medical supplies equally amongst themselves. Hunk kept the grenades for himself.

Chris looked at the team. "Ready?"

"Let's do this." Barry said.

Author's Comments: Looks like the team is ready to go. A little climb up a cliff and the team is finally ready to take down Umbrella's base. What about the thrilling chase scene with Claire on the bike? It seems like I always have to have at least one vehicle chase scene in my action/adventure stories. Plus, our heroes have had their first run in with Umbrella. Hopefully Umbrella won't be expecting the team to attack the plant. With the speed of the boat, I'm not a boating expert so I made a logical guess. Also, I guessed on how long it would take them to get to the Keys by boat. Now on with the story.

In the next chapter the team makes their way inside. The team soon spits to cover more ground. Of coarse, things go downhill from there. We'll also meet the facility leader and some new creatures. Plus we learn more about the Z-virus. All this in Cause Be the Carrier: Chapter Four- Into Uncertainty.