Neo Tyranny

by Frost

Nine years since the horrors of Raccoon City, the war between Umbrella and STARS has only intensified, but now there is another player entering the game, one who may be more ruthless than Umbrella itself...

4. The Chaos Theory

University of San Francisco
Cafeteria Parking Lot

"Birkin..."

Yes, it had spoken. Sherry had never seen a B.O.W. speak, but she had already heard about such creatures.

Isaac looked at the slowly advancing giant, and then at Sherry. "What did it say?"

"It said... 'Birkin'. My last name."

Sherry remembered Jill's words. The S.T.A.R.S. member who had looked in the face of death within the nightmare of Raccoon City never showed fear, except when she spoke of the Nemesis. A monster that could not be outrun, could not be deceived, and could not be killed.

"Birkin..." The deep voice repeated. Sherry and Isaac kept staring at the only eye in the deformed face, barely aware that the mutant was less than five feet from them.

Suddenly, a long purple tentacle shot out of the black trenchcoat the monster was wearing. It swung like a whip, and hit both students in the ribcage. Tossed more than three yards away, Isaac strained to stand up again, and saw that Sherry was the target of a new attack. The humanoid roared, raised the purple whip and hit Sherry again with it.

"Aaahh! Help! Agh!"

Think, think! What can I do? He looked around, but could find nothing of use. Desperate, Isaac grabbed a stone on the floor, tossed it at the mutant's back, and yelled out "Leave her alone!"

That seemed to distract the giant for a mere second, but it was enough for Sherry to roll out of the way as another tentacle tried to hit her. She stood up and ran, ran as fast as her legs would allow her, Isaac right behind her, and the monster at the rear.

"Birkin!"

"I think we pissed him off!"

"I think that thing can't be any more pissed than it already was!"

They ran along the wall of the cafeteria building, and turned right at the corner. Sherry bumped into something that made her fall on the floor, and that something fell to the floor as well.

"Ow! What the hell..."

It was a woman. Isaac recognized the blond hair and hazel eyes. "Susan!"

"Isaac?"

"Birkin..."

The three of them looked at the massive figure that appeared from behind the building, and gasped at the same time. Susan managed to utter a "What the hell is that?", while pulling a 9mm handgun from her pocket. She fired at the mutant's head, but it merely twitched, and kept coming.

The three humans scattered, each of them in a different direction.

"Bir... kin..." The huge humanoid seemed confused. It looked around, as if it couldn't decide who to attack. Susan gulped, and looked at her two fellow humans.

After a few seconds, it looked at Sherry and charged at her. She dodged and backed off, as the monster's powerful knuckle hit the gas cylinders in the back of the kitchen. A loud hissing indicated a leak, and everyone had the same thought. The monster, Isaac and Sherry looked at Susan as she raised the gun and fired a round at the tanks.

As Sherry turned to run from the monstrosity, she could hear it bellow in rage, just before her entire world went silent. Sights, sounds, and even gravity itself collided, as Sherry was hurtled several dozen yards in a random direction, landing with a thud on one of the campus' many well kept lawns. Sherry remained motionless, staring at the Milky Way, the shock to her senses, and the ringing in her ears too much to deal with all at once. Sherry felt a slight trickle of blood run down the side of her face, but still lacked the strength to sit up. Sherry looked into the night, as the silence was broken by the muffled, distant screams of Isaac and Susan.

Washington D.C.
Undisclosed location
in the suburbs.

The clock on the nightstand read 4:42, but that never stopped the phone from ringing. It rang with an urgency to it that told Carlos he'd better answer. Rolling over with a groan, he blindly reached for the receiver and managed to knock his keys, wallet, and .357 off the nightstand before finally finding it. Knowing he wasn't going to like whatever came from the other end, he brought it to his ear, and managed a half garbled greeting that somewhat resembled English. Carlos listened for a long time, chiming in with the occasional 'uh-huh', and 'okay'.

After a very long one sided conversation, he asked a few questions, listened intently, then hung up without a formal goodbye. Carlos switched the light on with a hollow click, and gently shook the form lying next to him.

"Come on... we got a mess to clean up."

"Oh, God, what time is it?" a soft feminine voice called from under the covers.

"You don't want to know..." He called back, grabbing some clothes from the dresser. "'Sides, y'know Umbrella is always open twenty-four-seven. Listen up, we got a problem in 'Frisco. Looks like those uppity grisanos started an outbreak at 'Frisco University."

"You mean Sherry?" The voice called back as the woman pulled the covers down, revealing long red hair, and a face full of freckles.

"'Fraid so Becca." Carlos called back as he piled the clothes on top of the counter in the bathroom. "After all diz time, I guezz dey got impachent er sumtin. A full strike haz been ordered on Umbrella; Barry and his crack squadron of N.A.T.O. thugs is already on dere way to Umbrella's headquarters. Tha N.S.A. wants us to head ta Frisco lickity split, and meet up wit Jill an Claire. So, getta move on it red, our jet leaves in 40."

Rebecca groaned, and yanked the covers back over her head. "What safe house we using?" she asked as Carlos turned the water on.

"Number 12" He responded, slipping out of his boxers.

"What's the update on Leon?" She questioned as she gave up on getting any sleep, and rolled out of bed.

"Like I'm supposed to know?" Carlos finished with a shrug.

"Do they know what caused it? Was it a lab, or did they just release it on campus?"

"They don't know... I guess they were more preoccupied with not dyin' at the time." Carlos added just to be a smartass.

Rebecca acknowledged the same, and went about getting ready for war.

The Nemisis wasn't down for long, pulling itself up the way it was programmed to. The beast looked out as Isaac and Susan ran towards his target, apparently trying to stop him, but he was going to crush her anyway. He bellowed into the night as he charged, reveling in the tormented screams of his next victims. How he would savor the sensation of draining the life out of them as he watched in fascination. He thought about how he would make them suffer for trying to escape, when something hit him so hard in the gut he stopped dead, doubled over, and looking at the ground.

Isaac was scared witless, and then utterly confused as the monster, roared at them, ran towards them at top speed, then stopped ten feet away. The creature doubled over, crying out in obvious pain, tried to right itself, and almost seemed to scream as its chest burst forth, creating a hollow passage that Isaac could see straight through. The creature then lifted off the ground, and hovered for several seconds before its head was ripped clean off by some unseen force. The air behind the headless body shimmered briefly, before the image of something far worse appeared out of nowhere, holding the decapitated B.O.W. up for inspection.

"Crude, somewhat affective, but past it's time." The thing said, much to the amazement of everyone; including Sherry who had since regained enough balance to sit up. The thing retracted it's claw, allowing the body to slump to the ground. Focusing it's attention on the group, it looked directly at Sherry and told her something that frightened even more than the sight of the eight foot tall, and extremely deadly B.O.W.. "The Birkin child....you are lucky you're not dead right here and now. You still have yet to fulfill your task, and I am to make sure you do." It said before it turned away, and once again shimmered from view.

Umbrella Headquarters

The media director walked into the room, and slammed her briefcase down on the tabletop loud enough to get everyone's attention. "I was right....S.T.A.R.S. IS already on it's way here, and the outbreak continues to spread."

"So? We evacuate." The Regent responded. "We'll be gone long before they ever get here. But that's not important. What I need to know is where is the Birkin brat? We still need her."

The special projects director chimed in. "We've already initiated the C.R.F. project: Code name NT-004"

"Goddammit! Alpha is MORE than capable of handling this situation on it's own, and now the whole damn campus is gonna get leveled."

"Alpha team was told that 004 was to be given full field command when they arrived. They weren't exactly built with brains in mind." He said raising an eyebrow.

"I guess you're right." The Regent sighed. "Have they found the lab yet?" He asked.

"No they haven't..." The Media director said sternly.

"Good...." The Regent said looking directly at the Special Projects Director. "Tell 004 to make sure they don't."

"Self-organization elaborates in complexity as the system advances toward the chaotic edge."
--Ian Malcon, "Lost World"

San Francisco, California
University of San Francisco
December 6th, 2007

3:25 am Pacific Time

Brian was exhausted beyond measure. Adrenaline and instinct had long since kicked in, when the first scream came over the wire. He frantically ran throughout the campus of the college, with Claire and Mike in tow, Claire expertly covering West, and the janitor still having a hard time actually holding a pistol in his hand. Stopping near the Professional Arts building, he waited around the corner. The darkness made visibility extremely tough, but the biting cold air from the nearby bay assisted Brian in hearing the evils around him.

He could hear a couple of Class-Ones feasting upon a fallen human, probably no more than fifteen feet away, and right up against the wall, around the corner. The taps and panting of dogs circling the kill were likewise audible.

Nice doggy, he thought to himself. He looked back to Claire and Mike. "The breeze is moving our scent away from them, but it's not going to be long before--"

Grrrr...

Umbrella Headquarters

The meeting was recessed, and issues for many were far from resolved. Each member of the Council went their own separate ways, to their separate offices, and some with their separate and younger mistresses, relieving the tension from an hour of pure debate over how to go about saving their dying corporation.

No one left actually satisfied with the result, thus far. Especially for the Director of Security. Timothy Simonec absolutely did not trust the Special Projects Director. Scientists were never meant to put their experiments in the field. Their place was to test and test and test again, until they believed they had a finished product, and then the true experts in field operations would put them to use. This doctor's blind faith in his division's own creations was frightening.

The scientists are going to tear us apart. We're losing money - I've taken three pay cuts, as it is, along with everyone. Wasting valuable specimens like that is going to get us nowhere.

Alpha was a risk. A major one. One that Simonec did not believe in taking. Sometimes, the tried and true method was what they needed. Old methods were not always outdated. Getting to his office, he locked the door and activated his soundproofing mechanism. Taking off his coat jacket and tossing it over his black leather chair, he pulled out a cigarette and lit up as he sat on his desk.

I've got no other choice. They needed a Fixer.

Picking up the phone, he connected to the Security Divison switchboard. Melody picked up the phone, her voice matching her name. "Ready-One."

"Contact Omega. Priority-One. Send a helicopter to his estate immediately, with the file I'm going to come over there with, and with all his equipment. Mission objectives are to be given en route, and subtlety is required for this mission."

"I'll get on it right away."

HCF/ES Headquarters,
Beverly Hills, California
December 6th, 2007
3:45 am

The gigantic auditorium normally used for big presentations with other companies or environmentalist groups was now being used for an event that was more like a PTA meeting gone horribly wrong.

The four people wearing conservative business suits watched the tapes of the fiasco through a number of different monitors in the Viewing Room of the HCF Environmental Safety Division Headquarters. HCF/ES was a compromise made by John Elliott, to keep the peace amongst radical environmentalist groups like Greenpeace. Working hand-in-hand with the EPA, they kept both HCF in line and assisted in investigating what Umbrella was up to.

Little did the EPA know that they were trying to take over their parent company, completely.

The youngest of the suits, a man of twenty-four, bobbed his head up and down only slightly while watching the commotion, while careful not to shake the soda can in his hand. "Wild bunch, aren't they?"

The woman of twenty-eight standing to the left of him nodded in affirmation. "Hmm, Yes. Yes they are."

A rough-looking man, standing to her right, frowned. "You sure they're up for the job?"

The man that was separated from the three responded, "They will be adequate. The young ones will be, at least."

Young Man turned to look at him and gave him a smirk. "Hell, we're the young ones. You're the oldest, and you're not even over forty."

"True, but that doesn't change the fact that the younger ones will be the ones to watch for. They're the idealists, the ones that believe parts of HCF are truly evil for wanting to shift to genetics."

The woman scoffed. "Makes me feel stupid to even be in the same generation as these, these-"

"Morons?" Roughneck offered.

"I was thinking more along the lines of ignorant souls, but yes, that'll work as well."

There was a pause between them as the group got riled up again. Finally, the Outcast spoke up. "Tell me again why we're trying to distance ourselves from a hundred billion dollar company."

Young Man turned around and leaned back against the mirror. "Survival and economics. The extremists, one way or another, are gonna strike out against HCF the second they realize their biggest supporter is moving to work on projects that supposedly 'is the rape of Mother Nature'. They'll do anything possible to discourage people from working with HCF and to keep people from using HCF products."

"That includes murder," the woman said simply.

"Yes, including murder. They did it and will do it again if they believe that it will further their cause. Anyway, if we don't do anything and keep working one hundred percent under HCF, the extremists will destroy us. As apart of the Chemical R-and-D Division, Elliott gave us plenty of leash, just enough to hang us, but he may have given us just enough to stay out of his grasp if we decide to cut the leash off.

"We can totally sever all contact with HCF and take with us at most ten billion dollars, and four billion at the least. It depends on how our lawyers can work it. With that cash, we can start pretty much all over, or we can work the stocks with it and just live rich for the rest of our lives."

Outcast smiled. "I can hear a third option coming."

Young Man nodded. "If we declare independence from the change of venue, not only are we entitled to ten billion, we will virtually still be apart of HCF, however we can do pretty much anything we want. That means we avoid the wrath of the tree-huggers, we get a few bucks, and we are eligible to take over all of HCF in the event that something happens to Dr. John Elliott, and with the security force on our side, we can accomplish it."

"Where do these guys come in?" Roughneck asked.

"M&M. Media and Money."

"Okay, explain."

"Well," Young Man finally opened the soda can that had been in his hand, "let's say for a second that we do split up from HCF and go it alone. We end up looking like idealists that believe we can work without having a huge company to back us up in case we fail. But, by sticking with HCF while backing up the environmentalists, we show that there is a division within the company.

"People like stability in a company. The ones that don't care if HCF shifts to bio-engineering will care if the company is divided and now unpredictable. Stocks'll plummet because of that, thereby discrediting John Elliott. And guess who will be in a position to take control of the company?"

"We will," the woman concluded.

"Exactly. However, the question is, do we want to?"

"What?" Outcast looked at the young man incredulously. "Hell yes we want to! What in the world put that question in your mind?"

"History and logic," Young Man shot back calmly. "HCF is known for being ruthless in dealing with competitors, and John Elliott is not going to go down without a fight. This is going to be long, it's going to be painful, and it might even be lethal. The question isn't whether or not we can get it done. The question is, can we survive it?"

Roughneck frowned. "But doesn't the gain outweigh the risk?"

"It might, but this is going to be an all out battle if we do this. Politically and physically, we will be fighting with Elliott and the whole of HCF, and we don't have a product to sell to even give us a purpose."

"Yes we do," Outcast said softly.

Woman looked at him curiously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Outcast smirked to the other three. "When we went through our two-year stint assisting the EPA in the inspection of a certain genetic corporation, I've sent squads of our security force with the inspectors. Whatever we found, we confiscated, promising that we would turn all that we found back over once we analyzed it and knew what it was."

"But you didn't," Roughneck said.

Outcast shrugged. "Yes and no. We sent the samples back. The research, on the other hand, we kept a copy of. In essence we have everything."

Woman frowned. "What do you mean, 'everything'?"

Outcast pulled out a folder from the desk behind him and tossed it on the table in the middle of the room. "I mean, everything. Tell me something, my friends, do you know what the T-virus is?"

Hat Creek, California

The deer was thirty feet in front of him. Easy kill.

Alan Carson raised the rifle to his shoulder and sighted down the barrel. He never used a scope for hunting, and considered anyone who used a scope to not be a real hunter. In his opinion, real hunters could get close enough that they could kill a deer with a handgun, no high-powered rifle needed. Carson used a small rifle when he hunted, and carried a pistol and knife for backup.

A shot rang out.

The deer collapsed.

Carson straightened to his full height of 6'1". He brushed some brown hair out of his eyes as he approached the kill. The deer had never seen him. Deer, human, or other, they never saw him in time.

Alan Carson had been a hunter for about nine years now. One of his first hunts had been to obtain a G-Virus sample from destroyed Raccoon City. He'd worked with a team then. Now, at age thirty-two, he mostly worked alone. He was muscular and well-built, looking kinda like a Mr. Universe contestant. His teammates on the G sample team had nicknamed him "Hunk" because of this, and he still lived up to the named nine years later. His eyes were emotionless most of the time, his mouth a thin line. Umbrella called him Omega. Some others called him "Death."

He lived up to all of these names. He had spent nine years hunting things Umbrella wanted, and sometimes things they didn't want. These things he eliminated for them. They paid him well, but jobs were becoming sparser over the years. Hunk had taken to deer hunting both to stock his freezer and as a way to fight boredom.

He bent and lifted the stag. The rack was only five points but Hunk didn't care. Trophies weren't his thing. He got his enjoyment from the hunt.

Hunk shoved open the back door to his small cottage-like dwelling, and grabbed a knife from the rack next to his cutting board. Taking the knife back outside, he knelt and began to skin the deer on the back porch. As his hands went through the routine motions, his mind wandered. Umbrella hadn't called with a job for four or five months now, and Hunk was considering finding a new employer. The company he worked for was definitely sinking, and he was sure he didn't want to go down with that ship. Then again, deer hunting was becoming less entertaining as well. Maybe he ought to try bear hunting, that would certainly be more of a challenge-

The phone ringing inside interrupted his thoughts, and he set the deer down, and went inside to answer it. Probably some telemarketer wanting him to buy a new piece of crap with a guaranteed warranty that ran out as soon as the item arrived. However, when he lifted the receiver to his ear, a whole different kind of sales pitch came through.

"Alan Carson?" the voice asked. It was a feminine one, rather musical sounding. After receiving an affirmative, she asked for his Umbrella ID number. Carson was startled for a moment, but then smiled and gave it. It seemed Umbrella was finally hitting the right notes again. The message that followed was a symphony to his ears.

"You are to report to Umbrella offices in San Francisco in thirty minutes. Umbrella has a problem that requires your special skills. Something is going on at the University of San Francisco, something that Umbrella needs cleaned up fast. You are to go in and eliminate all escaped hostiles, and destroy any and all evidence linking Umbrella to the problem. Also, the Board wants you to save as many survivors as you can. Feel free to play hero, Umbrella needs the good PR right now. That's all I can give you over the phone. A chopper will arrive at your house in ten minutes. The chopper will have equipment and a full briefing for you when it gets there. Don't be late." The Umbrella end of the line went dead.

Hunk replaced the phone in its cradle and smiled. Finally a job to do, something to fix. Umbrella was no doubt going to put up a lot for his services this time. By the way the woman had been talking he had a feeling Umbrella had dumped another sh*tload of T-Virus, this time at the University. Idiots never seemed to be able to keep their research contained. Oh well. More jobs, and more hunts, for him to take.

Hunk grabbed his jacket again. Exactly nine minutes and fifty seconds later, the chopper touched down in his back yard. He jumped in and started to go through the paper briefing he was handed even as he strapped on his gear and checked his weapons.

The next few hours looked to offer a good challenge for him. Hunk smiled, a wolfish grin.