Batman/Resident Evil: The Gotham Protocol
Chapter 6
By: Christopher W. Blaine
e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: Resident Evil™ is a registered product of Capcom Inc./Batman™ is a registered product of DC Comics Inc. Neither of these properties is used here with permission. This original story idea is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine.
The Petro Chemicals facility was not the most ambitious building project ever undertaken in Gotham City, but it was one of the most spacious. A single office building marked the entrance into the facility and behind it stretched several smaller buildings and chemical storage tanks. Surrounding it was a high voltage fence topped with barbed wire.
Batman stopped the van on a side access road that ended in a clump of trees. As the occupants disembarked, he began to activate the van's security systems. By the time he joined his teammates, the vehicle had become a fortress, able to resist the strongest of assaults. It was a creation that the master castle builders of old would have been proud of.
Chris nodded his approval, as he looked the van over with a trained eye. It reminded him of a regulation S.T.A.R.s surveillance vehicle, except this one really looked like it belonged abandoned at the end of a dirt road. "I bet that thing cost you a pretty penny."
Batman gave him a hard look and then the workings of a smile crossed his lips. "I got it at cost."
Green Arrow stepped between them, holding a rolled up set of blueprints. "If you two fine members of the oppressive capitalistic police state are done tickling each other, I'd like to get to work." He gazed over at the chemical plant. Most of the security lights were not on and those that were highlighted only the most obscure parts of the grounds. "Damn, it looks like they've already started bugging out."
Jill agreed and dropped a pair of binoculars from her eyes. "Normally, there would probably be several guard patrols out. I don't see anyone."
"Why would they just abandon the place? That would raise a lot of questions," Rebecca asked as she accepted a piece of gum from Batgirl.
The young woman in the dark costume stepped up. "They will destroy this place. I have seen it before."
Green Arrow gritted his teeth as he realized the girl was right. The only way to destroy something this big was with a lot of explosives. The Emerald Archer doubted that the Umbrella Corporation went to any trouble to make sure the chemical tanks were cleaned out. Clouds of toxic smoke would rise over Gotham City, exposing thousands to carcinogens and Lord knew what else. "And only the Man will have the money to get the correct medical care," he muttered.
"That means we don't have much time," Chris said. "We've got to get in there and find what we need." He rubbed his chin. "The biggest problem is that Umbrella has a habit of hiding things everywhere."
"And don't forget the traps and riddles," Jill reminded him. He nodded at her and she started to explain. "It doesn't fail that every time we get into one of their facilities, there are traps and puzzles to solve in order to get anywhere."
"For what purpose?" Batman asked, intrigued.
Rebecca answered. "Who knows? Maybe someone up high in Umbrella gets his jollies that way"
Green Arrow shrugged and got down on his haunches, unrolling the blueprints. Batman did another check of the perimeter fence. There were no cameras. That meant there was something inside the gates of Petro Chemicals that was very, very dangerous. Batman somehow doubted that it was the quality of the non-existent security guards.
"Where did you get these plans?" Jill asked, looking the diagrams over. The title block in the bottom of them indicated that they were the original plans from when the buildings belonged to Oliver Queen. "These can't be any good."
"As I understand it, sweet-legs," Green Arrow said, "there has been very little work done for most of the place. You can see that this place was designed to be like Fort Knox."
"Looks like there is an underground lab complex," Chris said, pointing it out. He looked up at Batman. "Umbrella installations generally have the bad stuff as close to hell as they can get." Batman nodded and stated that he and Chris would check out the labs.
Green Arrow agreed and pointed to the office-building complex. "Now this wasn't designed so well, but I'm willing to bet that all kinds of good intel can be found here. How about you and I check this out?" he asked Jill.
She looked over at the building in the distance, realizing that they would be very much alone and wondering exactly what it was the hero desired to investigate. She decided that regardless of his secondary intentions, Green Arrow was one of the good guys and so she acquiesced. Rebecca started to say something, wanting to protest being treated like a child but it was Batgirl who beat her to the punch.
"Rebecca and I will check the grounds. Perhaps we can discover someone still here." She turned to Rebecca and could tell that she was not pleased. She approached her and spoke in hushed tones. "We are part of a team and must learn our place. In time, both you and I will be the experienced ones, ready to train the next generation."
Rebecca accepted the answer but her scowl still showed her ire over being passed over. Perimeter duty was generally assigned to new agents in the S.T.A.R.s. Batman went over the plan in his mind and wondered if maybe he should have asked Nightwing and the Huntress to come along. He would have felt a lot better with his old partner by his side instead of Chris Redfield. Redfield might have been a professional cop, but right now Batman needed a professional hero.
Chris seemed to read Batman's mind. "Yeah, if I were you, I'd be wondering too. Truth is, I'd feel a lot better if you civilians stayed out here and let us go in. You're about to enter a nightmare. Do you know what that's like?"
Batman's mind floated back to a time when eight-year old Bruce Wayne stood by and watched as his parents were gunned down before his eyes. "Yes; I know what nightmares are made of."
Chris pulled out a pistol and loaded a round into the chamber. "I don't think you do. It's one thing to watch someone die, its another to see one violated in a way that is simply…evil." He holstered the gun and pulled the other one from the opposite shoulder holster. Jill was checking her own weapons. "I know it sounds preachy and maybe you guys in tights don't believe in real evil, but it's out there. It's something that goes beyond bad acts and crimes. I can't describe it exactly."
Rebecca agreed. "I'm an educated woman, but I can't begin to reason why someone would want to do these things. Is money really that important?"
"Yeah, if you're a Republican, right Bats?" Green Arrow joked, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't do any good.
Finally, Batman gave the order and the teams split up.
Forty feet away Batman's Justice League communicator buzzed. Chris gave him a sour look and wondered of the Caped Crusader understood the meaning of stealth. Batman ignored him and pulled the transmitter from his utility belt. "Go ahead," he said quietly.
Oracle immediately relayed the new information that Nightwing and the Huntress had come across. Batman listened and Chris cursed when he heard about the death of Dr. Perot. The hope that they could actually nab a defecting scientist had been great. Now that hope was gone. "It's like the closer we get, the further we get," Chris said.
Then Oracle dropped the bomb. "Nightwing thinks that they may have Man-Bat in there."
"What the hell is a Man-Bat?' Chris asked. "Another super-hero?"
"A problem I will handle," Batman said, looking down Chris's guns. "Are we perfectly clear on that?"
Chris put his hands up in mock defense. "I don't want to kill anyone. So long as it doesn't try to eat me, I won't shoot it." He waited until Batman calmed down and asked about Vandross. "Have you ever heard of him?"
"We don't get a lot of mercenaries in Gotham," the Batman lied. He found it hard to believe that Chris knew so little about Gotham City. "If we run into him, I'll handle that as well."
Chris snorted. "How about I carry your cape, your majesty? You better remember that I'm the expert on what's going on here."
"Then why is it that the Justice League hasn't heard about this?" Batman asked. "We have a hotline…"
"I thought you guys only handled Earth-shattering stuff," Chris said with sarcasm.
"You have an obnoxious answer for everything, don't you?" He signed off with Oracle, giving her a series of orders first, and then returned the communicator to his belt. "Do you have any suggestions about entering?"
"Well, your archer buddy seems to think that the door to the underground labs is in the same place, about two hundred feet inside the compound." Chris looked at the fence and shook his head. "It doesn't make sense that they don't have more patrols out, especially if they are evacuating the facility."
"I was led to believe that you often encounter abandoned facilities," Batman said as he scanned the area. Satisfied that there were no guards, he and Chris crossed the road and approached the fence.
Chris hunkered down and picked up a stick, throwing it at the fence. "Yes, which is why we wanted to get here so quickly. Ever since the Spencer Estate incident, Umbrella has been sort of nervous. They're closing all of their domestic facilities. We think they are moving operations to Asia where it's easier to get away with such things." Batman agreed and pulled out a pair of insulated cutters and began snipping through the fence. Chris continued whispering as he worked. "Don't you get arrested for stuff like this?"
"I have an understanding with the police," Batman replied.
Chris sniffed. "I can't believe that. Jim Gordon is a legend in the law enforcement community. I refuse to believe that he would employ vigilantes."
"You haven't been in Gotham long enough to understand. Why is it that a small town like Raccoon City has to have a federal special operations team helping the local police?" Batman parted the fence and held it open so Chris could enter. The young cop went through, head ducked and 9mm pointed out in front of him. He checked the area with the pistol and then slowly let it down.
"I never could quite figure that out either when I was first assigned," Chris admitted. "I mean, in hindsight I understand that Umbrella was employing the S.T.A.R.s as a sort of back-up security force. People like me and Jill and Rebecca were added to make it look legitimate to the General Accounting Office." He and Batman slowly made their way across the open compound, Chris pointing his pistol here and there, waiting for a sniper to jump out.
Batman knew there was nobody about. This company facility was about to become a ghost town and that had him worried. Umbrella had to have invested millions into this place and he couldn't reconcile the fact that they were willing to just abandon it and take the loss. He pulled out his communicator again as they huddled near a large power transformer.
"Batgirl, check for explosives. I think they mean to blow this place up and collect on the insurance money," he whispered. There were two clicks on the other end, indicating she understood.
Batgirl stopped and pulled Rebecca down to the ground. She spoke very quietly and slowly and Rebecca noted that she seemed to be a person who did not mince or waste words. "Batman thinks that they may try to blow up the facility."
"Well, duh," Rebecca said with a smile. "That's what they do. It's like their contingency plan for anything. That and kill everyone."
"I do not like murderers," Batgirl commented as they stood up.
"How did you know what Batman said?" Rebecca asked. "I didn't see you with a radio."
Batgirl pointed to her cowl. "It has a radio device installed. It works well but messes up my hair."
"Wait till you get zombie guts in it," the young scientist told her. They were approximately a tenth of a mile away from where Batman and Chris had entered, but the pattern of lighting prevented them from seeing them. Green Arrow and Jill were halfway to the office complex by now and there was no way they would be able to see them. "Is it always so dark here?'
"You are scared?" Batgirl asked.
"Of course I am."
"Come on, we'll talk about something else," Batgirl said, taking her hand. They began small talk in low voices and soon Rebecca felt like they were schoolmates sneaking out to meet some boys. Inevitably, the conversation turned to the subject of males.
"So, is Nightwing married in real life?" Rebecca asked as they slowly approached a long wooden building. It appeared to be some sort of on-site bunkhouse.
"His life is complicated. He has many loves and most of them are women," Batgirl replied. "It is unfortunate that he is only one man for so many wish a piece of him."
"So…he has a girlfriend?"
Batgirl laughed. "You must learn to focus your mind on other things. Lustful thoughts impede your chi."
"Helps the libido if you know what I mean. Gosh, I'm just wondering what kind of woman marries a super-hero?" She thought about it for a minute. "You aren't married to him are you?"
Batgirl held up a finger for silence and pressed her head against the wall of the bunkhouse. Several seconds passed before he removed her head and then shook it. She repeated the action and then once again put her against the wall to listen. Finally she whispered. "There is someone in there; it sounds like they are bound and trying to get free."
"Leave them," Rebecca warned.
"I cannot. If someone needs help, then I must aid them." Batgirl slinked around the corner and approached the front door. It was a simple bunkhouse, long and probably only a single bay and restroom facilities on the inside. It reminded Rebecca of the barracks found on many military bases, except for the large Umbrella logo painted on the front.
"This must be where the Umbrella personnel stayed, not the normal chemical factory workers." The location of the bunkhouse, so far removed from the factory facility, indicated that there must have been some segregation of the Umbrella employees from the subsidiary workers. The actual chemical plant had been counted out as being used by Umbrella for any research because it was open normally for periodic inspections by government and regulatory agencies.
"Then maybe we can find some answers in the inside," Batgirl said.
Again, Rebecca warned her. Pulling out her 9mm, she pointed to the front door with it. "You may not like what you find. If we bar the door, we can always send someone in later to look."
"And if someone is being held prisoner, waiting to be executed while we stand here and argue? What then, officer?" Batgirl saw the look of remorse cross Rebecca's normally bright features.
"You're right, but you really let me go first…"
"My costume is padded, so I have more protection," Batgirl argued. "It would be better if you watch my back."
Rebecca looked at her jeans and T-shirt. Her bullet-resistant vest had gotten shredded on her last zombie adventure and she hadn't been able to get a new one. The only thing between skin and a zombie's claws was a bra with Sylvester and Tweety on each cup. Not exactly 21st century body armor. "Okay, but if I tell you to duck, you duck," she ordered.
"So long as you make sure not to fire unless you are being threatened," Batgirl told her. "Batman will not find it very pleasing if you shoot someone I could have taken down."
"Batman isn't the one who decides procedure," Rebecca whispered as they approached the door.
Batgirl put her hand on the doorknob and gently twisted it. "In Gotham City he is."