Chapter 6: And The Ball Drops
Jill approached the R.P.D. station. As she walked towards the steps, the gates creaked open slightly. She spun to see Brad behind her. He limped forward, almost bent double. His uniform was blood-covered and torn, and he was in worse condition than when she had seen him barely fifteen minutes earlier.
"Jill... Jill!"
Jill turned fully and took two steps toward him. "Brad?"
"We've got a-" before he could finish, a monstrous form crashed down in front of him. Brad cried out in fright, and ran as fast as he could away from it, but the creature was faster. This monster was the Nemesis. It had but one thing on its mind, and would not rest until it had fulfilled this. To destroy all S.T.A.R.S. members. Bearing down on him and cornering him, Brad couldn't escape the Nemesis.
Nemesis lifted him up roughly under the chin, and held its other deformed hand in front of Brad's terror-filled face, a purple, slimy tentacle writhing around, protruding from below its wrist. Jill couldn't do a thing without hitting Brad. Suddenly there was a low hum, and the Nemesis was hit by some sort of blast.
It groaned and took a step back, turning to face its attacker, Brad still held in its iron grip. Glaring at it from behind the barrel of her fully loaded Flashgun, Danielle recharged the weapon and aimed again. Smarter than that, Nemesis shifted its position, and prepared to continue its business with Brad. Danielle had no intentions of letting the monster get its way.
Drawing a very large knife from her boot, she ran at the Nemesis, and jumped into the air, kicking the Nemesis and slamming the knife blade deep into its shoulder. The blade snapped off and Nemesis lost its grip on Brad, who went tumbling to the ground. Danielle wasted no time in taking up a defensive stance in front of him, ready to do anything to stop Nemesis from getting another shot at her terrified ally.
Jill could make a move now and, picking up Danielle's Flashgun, fired three damaging shots into the Nemesis from behind. It fell with a groan to the ground. Jill ran over to Danielle, who was now leaning over the top of Brad, checking to make sure he was fine. They both looked up as Jill approached.
"Thanks for the assist, Jill," Danielle smiled at her. Jill nodded, handing her the gun.
"It's alright. Brad, are you alright?"
Brad nodded slowly. Danielle put a hand on his shoulder.
"Maybe I should get you out of here. You okay to walk?"
Nodding, he staggered slowly to his feet, nearly losing his balance. Jill put out a hand to make sure he didn't fall.
"Why don't you go into the station?"
Brad shook his head very quickly. "No. Sorry Jill, but no. I only came to warn you about... It. I have no intentions of entering that police station. At all. I don't mean to sound so blunt, but you're on your own."
Jill nodded. "I understand Brad. Just be careful, wherever you decide to go."
"Nowhere's safe Brad, so where are we going to go?"
Brad shrugged. "There must be somewhere." He winced as he took a step toward Jill. "Here. Take my S.T.A.R.S. card. You'll need it for the computer."
Jill smiled. Danielle nodded.
"Whether he likes it or not, Jill we'll meet you downtown. Okay? Keep an eye out for us, probably around Lonsdale Yard, alright? Or the Grill 13. In that respective area."
Jill nodded and took off into the police station. Danielle turned to Brad with her hands on her hips, and looked at him. He was leaning against the wall next to the gate, looking like he'd been torn apart by ravenous wolves and put back together with thread and glue. In other words, he looked like hell, the worse for wear. She shook her head, and placed her head on his shoulder. He looked at her. Danielle smiled and hugged him gently.
"Don't worry Brad, you'll get out of here, we both will."
Her voice was strained, and she was holding back tears. She honestly didn't know what to do. Brad noticed this easily, and forced himself to stand up, hugging her back with his free arm.
"Hey, don't you start, Dani. I'm the one supposed to be scared to death over everything. Don't you cry, understand? Because if you do, I think I may lose any faith I had in that we may get out. So don't give in."
Danielle nodded. "I'm hanging by a thread, Brad. I can't take very much more, and you know it. It comes down to it, and I think we're beginning to switch places as far as the scheme of attitude towards the situation goes."
He laughed. "Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Danielle ran ahead of Brad, checking the paths and clearing the roads so that they could pass in relative safety. He had a hard time keeping up with her, as she quickly ducked in and out of shadows as if she was one herself. Danielle hadn't gotten herself even the slightest bit injured, but she was tired, and it showed. She leaned against the rusted gate as she waited for him to catch up, breathing heavily. He looked at her.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded, giving him an obvious look of fatigue. She turned around and crouched down, pointing her gun through the gate, and firing three shots, they heard the yelps of the dogs she shot down. Pulling on the handle, she opened the gate and walked through slowly, keeping her ears open. Suddenly she stopped, and pointed her gun towards the shadows.
"Get up, identify yourself and state your business if you have any, before I assume that you want to kill me and force me to act in self-defence."
The figure crouched in the dark underneath a crashed up pile of vehicles stood up and walked into the light, with his own gun pointed at her.
"The name's Carlos. Carlos Oliviera. I'm with the Umbrella Bio-Hazard Countermeasure Service, we were sent to rescue the civilians."
Brad walked up beside her, and cast a dark glare in Carlos' direction.
"Why lie? Umbrella is the reason why this is happening. Tell us who's in charge."
Carlos appeared shocked by the fact that he had just been accused of having something to do with what was going on here.
"Hey, I have nothing to do with Umbrella! I'm just a mercenary! I was hired! Look, I can't give you any answers about the company!"
Brad was about to say something else, but Danielle stopped him.
"Your name sounds familiar. My name's Danielle Lanza, I'm the captain of the R.P.D Special Force Service. Also, this is Brad Vickers, S.T.A.R.S."
Brad nodded, his hand close to his gun. Carlos lowered his weapon.
"You know, I seem to have heard your name before, too. Can't quite place where, though. And you look familiar, but I'm sure I've never met you."
Danielle shrugged. "Who knows? Come on Brad, we have to go."
Brad looked at her. "Where?"
She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him behind her.
"Wherever the hell I say."
Carlos watched as Brad and Danielle ducked in and out of the shadows. The moans of the zombies walking the streets was terrifying. The pair ducked into the restaurant up the street. Carlos couldn't help but wonder what they were up to, so he followed them. Just as he turned the corner, he came face to face with a zombie. He lifted his weapon and fired.
Brad and Danielle ran through the streets, firing on zombies in the way. Danielle was running too fast for Brad and he was falling behind. He gave up and sat down nearby. Danielle stopped.
"Brad! What the hell are you doing? Get up! Come on, we've gotta go!"
"I can't, Dani. Leave me, go find Jill."
"What?! No, I'm not leaving you!"
"Go get Jill. I'm not gonna make it."
"Brad, don't talk crap. Come on, get up!"
"No, I'm going to die. We're all going to die! Jill's going to die, Chris's going to die-"
Danielle tried to get Brad on his feet and moving. "Brad, come on! We've got to find the others!"
"Barry's going to die, Rebecca's going to die-"
At this point, Brad was so frightened that he was babbling incoherently. He was mumbling something about how everyone wasn't going to make it out alive, while Danielle was trying to snap him out of his daze and get him to the restaurant. She was becoming impatient and Brad continued on. She knew that there was only one way to get his attention. She took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her voice,
"Brad! Shut the fuckin' hell up! Don't make me do something I'll regret!"
She followed this almost instantly by slapping him across the face. Brad immediately shut up and turned Danielle's way. He had never heard her speak to her friends like that before, even in her worst temper. Danielle had a cold look on her face, yet was satisfied at Brad's reaction. Brad shook his head clearingly.
"I... I am Brad.... That's right. Uhhh, what were we talking about again?"
Danielle looked across the table at Brad, they had both calmed down by now. She shook her head.
"Look. If you don't want to hear that again, don't get me started, and shut up when I speak to you."
Even though they had calmed down, Danielle was still very upset at his babbling. He looked away. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her, embarrassed as he was.
"And I wish to God, you'd cut that crap out Brad, because if you don't I may have to get a little carried away next time. You do get the picture, don't you?"
Brad looked up sharply. "Look, I'm sorry alright?! For Christ's sakes, look at me, compared to yourself. I'm half the... the... ahh... person you are, and half the voice."
Danielle sneered. "And what, might I ask, were you about to say just then?"
Before he could answer, Carlos walked in the door, he took one glance at Danielle and Brad, grinned sheepishly and continued into the kitchen. Just at that moment, they heard voices coming from the kitchen. Then a familiar harsh voice echoed through the restaurant.
"S.T.A.R.S......."
Danielle and Brad looked at each other and said, in deadpan voices, "Jill."
They sprang from their seats to hear the blast of a grenade launcher, as Jill and Carlos ran from the kitchen. Jill ran past them quickly, without stopping, heading for the door.
"Hey, great to see you all, bye now, can't stay!"
Carlos shook their hands as he ran past. "Nice voice, you'd make a great Greek actor, Ms. Lanza!"
Danielle and Brad were bewildered, but just as Jill and Carlos reached the door, the Nemesis crashed through the roof in front of them; it had come through the vents from the kitchen. Jill screamed and doubled-back, heading back towards the kitchen. Danielle nodded.
"They have the right idea, let's get the hell out of here, too."
They turned and followed her out the back door of the restaurant. When they got out there, Carlos and Jill were talking in the alley behind the restaurant.
"I know, you wanna ask me out. All the foxy ladies love my accent. It drives them crazy."
Jill looked shocked. "What?! Keep dreaming. Tell me, why did Umbrella send your team in?"
Carlos shrugged. "We're here to rescue the civilians."
Jill walked up to him. "Don't lie to me, Umbrella is the reason this whole mess began!"
Carlos was growing agitated. "Look, we're just mercenaries. Hired hands. Do you really think the master would tell his dogs why they have to retrieve the steak he just threw?" Jill looked away, Carlos continued. "If you're looking for answers, talk to someone else, I am not with Umbrella. Believe it or not, we're only here to rescue the civilians. If you can trust me, then join us. Think about it!"
He turned to go.
"Wait!" Danielle called. She was growing more and more intrigued about him, and was positive that she had met him, or heard of him before. Carlos stopped in his tracks, and turned around slowly. He seemed a little upset.
"What?" he demanded. Brad stepped forward.
"Hey, don't use that sort of tone-"
Danielle stopped him. "Don't. I'll handle it," she turned back to Carlos. "Carlos, be careful, alright. I don't want you to get yourself killed until I find out why I seem to know you, when we've never met."
Carlos shrugged. "You too Ms. Lanza, or if you'd prefer, Danielle," Then he laughed. "Maybe we're long-lost brother and sister."
Then he left. Danielle stood where she was, watching the spot where he had been standing.
"Maybe," she said quietly, and turned away. The other two were silent. Suddenly, the silence was fractured, as the Nemesis crashed through the door behind them, and made a swipe for Jill. The three of them dodged the swipe, and ran down the alley. Brad shoved Danielle behind him.
"Stay behind me."
Danielle smiled to herself for a moment, then suddenly made a grab for his gun.
"Give me your gun, I'm a better shot than you."
Jill was already firing on the advancing monster. Brad shook his head, holding the weapon out of her reach.
"No, stay behind me."
"Give-me-your-gun," she wasn't getting anywhere. "Fine, I'll use my own gun," she said, reaching for the Flashgun. But it wasn't in the holster. Then she looked up at Brad. "Wait a damn minute- that IS my gun! Give it back!"
Brad fired at the Nemesis. "Just stay there!"
Danielle mumbled something under her breath. Then she pushed him aside, and ran at the Nemesis.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Brad cried. The Nemesis turned around as Danielle charged by it. And it found itself looking down the barrel of a magnum. The gun fired, the Nemesis slumped to the ground and moaned the word 'S.T.A.R.S.' under its breath, lying motionless on the pavers. Standing alongside Danielle with her smoking gun at her side, was Rachelle, looking very worse for wear. She grinned weakly at them.
"That's one you owe me."
Danielle looked up at her as she walked down the stairs to become level with the others.
"We wouldn't owe you," she began, glaring at Brad, who shyly put the gun behind his back, grinning sheepishly, "If someone hadn't nicked my gun."
The four of them sat in the booth in the restaurant, talking quietly. Jill, Rachelle, Danielle and Brad.
"Well, I don't know what to think now. This has gotten out of hand, and all I want to do is get out of here and forget about it," Jill began. "But I have to help the others. They may not need me, but all the same, I'd feel so much better if I was there with them. If it was me out there in Europe well, I'd like to have some friendly company."
Danielle agreed. "I'll probably back out of that one, though. I mean, it's not that I don't like Chris and the others any less than you guys, but all the same, I'm only here by accident. As with most of us I'm sure."
They all nodded. Jill stood up, lifting the rather heavy looking grenade launcher as she did so.
"I'm going to follow Carlos. Do you want to accompany me?"
Danielle looked at Brad. "Well, even though I should have learnt from my past mistake of suggesting pairs, I want to concentrate on getting out of here alive."
Rachelle stood up. "Well, I'll go with you Jill. I might not stay with you the whole time, but for now, I think I will."
The two young women waved to Danielle and Brad. Danielle nodded and smiled.
"Goodnight, and hopefully we'll see you some time tomorrow."
Jill nodded. "Hopefully."
They walked through the front door. Danielle sighed.
"Back where we started. Now, where were we?"
Brad shrugged. "I don't know, I guess we've both simmered down enough to forget about it."
Danielle nodded. "Yeah just remember, forgiven, not forgotten."
"Maybe we should go too."
Danielle stood up and nodded. "I agree. There's a warehouse district on the other side of town. There are loads of sewer tunnels under the city streets, and many of them lead out of town, especially the ones in that district; it's the easiest way for them to get rid of the junk the warehouses spit out their backsides. Do you want to try that?"
Brad nodded and followed her out of the restaurant.
