Chapter 10: Escape From Raccoon

Brad looked up as Rachelle flung open the door to the comms room, looking a mess and a very tired-looking Smokey alongside her.

"What happened to you?"

Rachelle slumped in a chair and handed a vial of strange coloured liquid to Brad.

"She'd better bloody appreciate this and not die later on, because after the trouble I went through to get that, I'll bet Smokey doesn't even want to hear the word Umbrella again."

Brad nodded and administered the vaccine to Danielle, who was lying unconscious on one of the desks lining the side of the room. Brad brushed her hair back and turned to Rachelle.

"Nothing to do but wait."

Rachelle nodded and looked at the monitors, some were blacked out because of the damage done to breaker 2 in the maintenance room during the battle between Smokey1& 2 and the monster, which they had now named the 'Rhino', due to its tusks and tendencies to charge. Brad walked over to the controls and tried the radio switch again. This time it worked. They were met with white noise. Brad adjusted the wavelength slightly, and picked up the receiver.

"Hello? Is anyone out there picking me up?"

"Hello!?......is this?"

"This is Brad Vickers. I'm calling out of Raccoon City where we have a crisis at hand. We need assistance!"

".....rad?......'re......live?.....there........any..............ith........you?"

"Sorry? You're breaking up! Who am I speaking to?"

"Can't.......ou...........nise.......voice?..........Barry!"

"Barry? Aren't you in Europe?"

"......Came bac.........elp..........you.......trouble."

Brad looked up at Rachelle and grinned. "Barry! Where are you?"

"In a........copter..........wards.........City..........eed a lift?"

"In a what? A helicopter? Where?"

"Head...........Racco.......City."

"Here? God damn Barry, you're a saviour!"

"Yeah....eah.........out.......n.........rooft...........in.......hour."

"You want our location?"

"It.......ould.......elp."

"The telecommunications building."

"Right.......on.........oof.........60......nutes."

"An hour? Sure thing!" He set down the radio and turned to Rachelle. "We have an hour to be on the rooftop. Barry's coming to the rescue."

Suddenly the transmission light blipped. Brad curiously turned it on.

"Attention all U.B.C.S supervisors. Mission terminated. Return immediately to your rendezvous points. Test site will be eliminated at 0600 hours. Repeat. Mission terminated. Return to your rendezvous points. Test site will be eliminated at dawn."

Brad looked up. "U.B.C.S? They can't possibly mean...."

Danielle stirred and tried to sit up. She rubbed her head and turned to him.

"I... they're blowing the city... at dawn."

"Annette was really intent upon reporting to Umbrella, but I met her in an abandoned shop not long before I met up with you, Brad, and convinced her that they were in the wrong, by using her family as a means of emotional rope. Not to mention the fact that she was a little delirious and not thinking straight, I managed to get her to give me the Z-Sample for safe keeping. I really didn't want to have just left her there, but she said she'd find her own way out of town, and thanks for the vaccine. However, I just couldn't wave goodbye. I ended up convincing her to meet me in this building."

Rachelle listened intently as Danielle explained what had really gone on when she met Annette Birkin earlier on. Brad kept her standing as they quickly walked along the halls to the rooftop door. Rachelle shook her head.

"Annette is still an Umbrella scientist, so I don't trust her."

Danielle, in a means of biting back, sneered at her. "What do you call Richard, then? Chopped liver?"

Rachelle glared at her, but shook her head at the slight reference as to what happened. Danielle stopped them as they came to the door.

"I do warn you though, Annette Birkin is very... well..."

Rachelle shrugged. "I sort of do know Annette... she wasn't very much of anything but jittery though."

"She can be the exact opposite," she pushed open the door slowly and walked inside. "Annette?"

The woman turned slowly and looked at her. She shook her head.

"I... I've been...."

She collapsed to her knees. Danielle ran over.

"Are you alright?"

Annette shook her head. Danielle put an arm around her shoulder and helped her stand. Annette tried to push away, but when she almost fell, let herself be led out of the room. Brad and Rachelle eyed her suspiciously. Danielle nodded.

"Come on. We've gotta get out of here."

They nodded and continued on to the rooftop. When they came to the door, Brad turned the handle and gasped. He rattled it harder and kicked at the steel door.

"No! Goddammit no!"

Rachelle could hear the chopper approaching outside.

"He's going to leave! This was our last chance at escape! No!"

Danielle stood quiet for a minute, her hand in her pocket. Suddenly she found what she was looking for and pulled it out by the cotton thread. The skeleton key that Thomas had given her. She took a few shaky steps towards the door and tried the key. Rattling it a bit, she smiled when the lock clicked. Brad looked at her.

"Where'd you get that?"

Danielle smiled. "Thomas said it might come in handy. I'm glad he gave it to me."

Brad grinned and opened the door. Suddenly Rachelle turned around.

"Do you hear something?"

Brad looked at the door at the end of the hall. Just as he turned around, it started to pound. Brad threw open the rooftop door.

"Come on! I don't exactly want to find out what that is."

Just as they got through the door, the other caved in and, standing in the doorway, was the Werewolf. It snarled and charged for them, crashing through the door and onto the roof. Just above them, Barry was circling in the chopper. His voice came over the loudspeakers.

"Guys! I can't set her down with that thing there. You'll have to take care of it first!"

The Werewolf instantly turned to Danielle. She stepped backwards and cocked her gun. But Brad acted first.

"Hey! Hey! Over here!"

The Werewolf turned at the diversion and ran at Brad. Rachelle shot at it, but it was too strong and came right at him without even flinching. This was the part of the plan that Brad hadn't thought out properly. The Werewolf reared onto its hind legs and brought its claws down hard against his chest. Brad fell back, breathing hard. Rachelle ran over to draw the Werewolf's attention again, leading it away from the injured man. Annette pulled a gun from inside her lab coat and aimed shakily at the giant dog. Danielle was a little slow to catch on, but when she realised what was happening, she was quick to act. Pulling the lock back on her gun, she fired at the Werewolf. Annette turned to her.

"The monster is after the sample I gave you! Throw it over the edge!" 

Danielle nodded and pulled a vial from her pocket and waved it in the air.

"Hey! Hey you! I've got what you want right here! Come and get it!"

The giant beast turned and ran for her. At the last minute Danielle stepped aside, and the Werewolf went toppling over the edge of the building. It was impaled upon a girder which was poking out of the rubble. Rachelle ran over and grabbed her shoulder.

"Great job, Dani! We busted it!"

Danielle didn't hear her. She stood up and ran over to Brad, who was bleeding badly from the wounds in his chest. Brad looked up at her.

"Hey, good work. You should go now, Barry's waiting for you."

Danielle shook her head. "I can't leave a friend behind."

Brad gripped her hand. "Hey.... You know I won't last, Dani.... Just... go. It's been fun."

Danielle couldn't stop herself from crying. Rachelle stood by Barry's side, fighting tears also. Barry was shaking his head. Smokey had lowered her head, her ears drooped. Danielle looked down at Brad.

"Brad, I... I can't just leave."

"Sure you can.... Just jump in the chopper... and go."

"No Brad... you have to come. I can't go."

"I'm not going to have this... conversation with you... because God knows... I won't."

Danielle smiled. "You never were the one to fight back."

Brad smiled and coughed. "Yeah.... Just go.... Go on. Go... and laugh.... Don't get... upset. And don't... forget about... me...."

He closed his eyes. Danielle shook her head.

"They were the last words that... I heard... that time."

Rachelle put her hand on her shoulder. "Come on Dani. There's nothing you can do. He's gone."

Danielle stood up, closing her eyes and nodding. Rachelle helped Annette to her feet and got her up into the helicopter. Barry ushered Danielle into the chopper sadly, allowing Smokey to jump in also. Danielle looked out the window as they flew away.

"I won't forget."

The chopper came down slowly as Carlos waved the lit flares in the air to signal it. Jill walked up slowly behind him as the chopper set down. Carlos jumped in quickly, reaching down to help Jill up, and closed the door. Carlos leaned back in the chair and breathed a sigh of relief as the helicopter took off. Jill leaned forward towards the pilot.

"Thank you. You saved us!"

The pilot grinned. "Well I couldn't just leave you there to die."

Jill squinted at the pilot. "I... Is it you?"

Barry nodded. "You ready to finish this?"

Jill leaned back and smiled, leaning towards the window. She looked out as the glowing form sailed silently across the sky.

"It's coming!"

Barry nodded, looking at his watch. "Yeah. It's the end."

The missile coursed into the center of the city, impacting in a silent, bright blast. Suddenly the helicopter shook as the after-blast hit the chopper. Jill cried out and grabbed at the side of the seat as the chopper sailed forwards and regained its balance. Jill closed her eyes and sighed.

"That's it, Umbrella is going down."

Carlos looked at her. "Hey? You wanna bring down an entire global enterprise with just us?"

Barry looked at him in the rear-view mirror. "You're quite welcome not to join us."

"Barry!" Jill scolded, leaning forward. "Carlos is on our side!"

Barry nodded. "Yeah, sure. Fine. Sorry Carlos. Name's Barry. Barry Burton. S.T.A.R.S."

Carlos grinned. "Great to meet you. Carlos Oliviera, corporal of Umbrella's Bio-Hazard Countermeasure Service. Ex-corporal, to make that up-to-date."

Barry nodded. "It'd be a problem if you still were, buddy. I guess you'd pretty much understand we don't like Umbrella very much."

Carlos agreed. "Same here. But I'm just a mercenary, I never had anything to do with the company, I was hired for this mission."

Jill smiled. "Rescuing the civilians? I think you did a pretty good job."

"Yeah. How many times did I save your ass in there?"

Barry laughed. "Well then. I can't say I'm not impressed, but I can't say I trust you completely. However, if you made it past Jill, I guess I can let it rest."

Jill nodded. "Thanks Barry."

Barry looked up in the mirror again. "Hey! Captain! We goin' in the right direction?"

"If you're going nor-north-east from Raccoon City, or what remains of it, then yes you are."

Jill turned around and looked behind her. "Danielle! Rachelle! I'm surprised to see you, Annette.... And a... great, big cat of some sort. Are you sure that's not dangerous?"

Smokey gave a dissatisfied and indignant miaow as if in some kind of protest. Carlos spun around too.

"Hey! Good to see you made it Danielle!"

Danielle looked up and smiled. "Yeah... you too. Nice to see you can do what you're told."

"Hey?"

"I told you to make it out alive."

Carlos laughed and nodded. "Heh, yeah. I guess, huh? Hey, where's... the other guy?"

Danielle looked away.

"Didn't make it," Rachelle said quietly. Jill looked down.

"Hey, I'm sorry guys.... He... he was my friend too."

Carlos shook his head. "You know, I think Umbrella has it coming to 'em."

"Damn right they do," Barry called back. Danielle looked up. Annette looked up hazily. She was slowly becoming a little more light-headed. Danielle looked at her.

"What did you say, Annette?"

Annette shook her head. "Ask me again when I can understand you better."

"Yeah, well, I'll make sure I stick it to them. They'll be running out of America with their tails between their legs calling for their mommies when I'm done."

Rachelle turned to her. "We have a fair bit of time before we reach Bio-Counter Labs, I only heard about it from the news.... Would you mind telling us what happened in Chicago?"

Danielle sighed. "As much as I don't want to... I guess so.... At the time, I was the Detective Sergeant of the S.U......