RESIDENT EVIL- Beyond Darkness

By Ryu-Hogosha

Chapter One

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Chris Redfield picked his way through a mess of wrecked lab equipment. Mixtures of various fragrances flooded his nose, and he wrinkled it in disgust, reminding himself not to inhale too much. After pulling aside a wrecked metal cabinet and an equally-wrecked lab-chair, he uncovered a small safe. The door was slightly open, presumably due to the blast. He nudged it open completely with the toe of his boot and found what he was after. It was a large envelope, sealed with a string. He picked it up and tucked it inside his vest, turning back toward the door. He stepped over the tattered remains of an Umbrella guard caught in the explosion that destroyed the lab. The guard's face was burned beyond recognition, and his clothes (or what was left of them,) were in shreds. His exposed hands were reduced to bone, as the acid had eaten away at his skin after death. Chris shook his head. Most of Umbrella's employees deserved what deaths they got, but others didn't. This particular guard was lucky that he died before one of Umbrella's "side-experiments" got to him.

Not wasting any more time, Chris walked through the doorway and hurried as fast as he could down the labyrinthine corridors of the facility. He soon came to the exit, and inhaled deeply. It felt wonderful to breathe fresh air again. The stagnant air of the lab he had just left was beginning to make him want to gag. He crouched down and broke into a fast sprint for a wide-open field located a good distance from the lab. Looking back, he produced a small object from his pocket and flipped a switch, triggering a large wad of C4 that he had strapped to the facility's main computer terminal early in his mission. Upon destruction or the event of a biohazardous outbreak, the computer was rigged to initiate the Auto-Destruct failsafe that came standard with so many Umbrella labs. Even on the surface, Chris felt the faint shockwaves caused by the detonation several floors below him. Satisfied, he threw down the remote-control and crushed it beneath the heel of his boot. He sat down on a large rock that happened to be nearby, and he sighed.

It had been about six months since he and several other S.T.A.R.S. team members were sent to a deserted mansion in the middle of a mountain forest to uncover the truth behind a string of grisly murders that had taken place around that area. Of the many officers to go in, only four came out. Besides him, the other three were: Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, and Rebecca Chambers, the team's medic. Brad "Chickenheart" Vickers, so-named because of his tendency to buckle under pressure, was the helicopter pilot for Alpha Team. He took off the moment another member, Joseph Frost, the Alpha Team's vehicle expert, was slaughtered by one of many zombie-dogs that lurked within the forest, forcing the remaining Alphas to seek refuge inside the mansion. Little did they know, Brad was flying circles over the mansion immediately after he took off. He was also the one who managed to heave a rocket-launcher out of the 'chopper to help Chris kill the monster code-named "Tyrant" after it had turned against and killed the very man who had set it free: Albert Wesker, captain of Alpha Team, and employee of Umbrella.

Now, Chris was in the middle of a field about 50 miles northwest of Kyoto, Japan. He recieved information about an Umbrella laboratory in southern Japan, and headed there immediately with the help of Barry and Jill. His goal was to recover an envelope that contained vital information about Umbrella's research; something that the corporation would kill for to keep a secret. It was that very envelope which he now held in his hand. He looked at it, curious about Umbrella's truly dirty little secrets, and his hand slowly reached for the string. His fingers had barely begun to unwrap it, when the sound of a helicopter's approach filled the air. He quickly stuffed the envelope back into his vest, and turned around. There, coming toward him from the south, was a Japanese police helicopter, piloted by none other than Barry Burton. Chris waved him down, and the 'chopper slowed to a halt, hovering in the air a few yards from Chris. The power of the rotor-blades caused the wild grasses to bend and sway like the waves of the ocean.

The machine landed and shut down as Barry climbed out of the cockpit. He was big: not fat, but muscular. He could easily bench-press two-hundred-and-ten pounds. Chris had worked out with Barry before, and was easily put to shame by the older man. Barry scratched his reddish-gray beard thoughtfully as he walked up to Chris. "Did you get it?" the former asked. Chris nodded. "Right here," he said, pulling the envelope out of his vest and handing it to Barry, who took it in his large hands. "Jill's waiting for us back in Kyoto," Barry said. "She's probably being hit-on by every guy that sees her right about now!" he added with a laugh.

Chris offered a chuckle. He couldn't blame them. Jill was quite attractive. She had shoulder-length brown hair, slender legs, and a figure that would make just about anybody's jaw hit the ground. He liked her, too, and she knew it. He had thought of asking her out numerous times, but he never could bring himself to actually do it. Nice job, Chris, he would think to himself. You can take out zombies and bio-engineered nightmares without breaking a sweat, but you try and get the nerve to ask a girl out for a lousy date and you turn to mush.

Chris felt a sudden chill run up his spine. Taking a look back at the ruins of the Umbrella lab, he felt truly sorry for those who didn't know about the Corporation's true agenda. Umbrella was the type of company that thought it was above the law. Chris, Jill and Barry were some of the select few that went against Umbrella and its atrocities. Leon Kennedy, a rookie cop from the Raccoon PD, and Chris' younger sister, Claire, were also giving support in the only way they knew how: by fighting back.

Claire and Leon had sent word to the Alphas about the labs beneath London and about the young man they had met the week before. It was too bad about him, though Claire and Leon were able to survive due to Jenner's sacrifice. Chris wasn't surprised that Wesker probably had a hand in the young man's demise, but even though Claire and Leon swear that nobody made it out of the facility after them, Chris felt that Wesker still lived, slave to none.

His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Barry's face filled with concern. "You all right, Chris?" Barry asked. "Don't tell me you're beginning to feel sorry for Umbrella." Chris shook his head slowly. "No, I'm fine," he answered. "Let's return the KPD's helicopter. They're probably beginning to wonder if they should have charged us an hourly rate." Barry smiled and headed back toward the 'chopper, with Chris following close behind.

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Jill smiled at the waiter as he poured her another cup of coffee. Drinking the caffeine-laden beverage at a small diner was all she could do to keep from going crazy while waiting for Chris and Barry to return. They had left about two hours prior after hearing about a small lab located a little ways outside of town. She'd had about two sandwiches and two cups of coffee since then. She looked to her left. A few tables over, a group of teenage guys kept sneaking glances at her. She knew they were checking her out, so she pretended not to notice. But there was one young man not too far from them sitting alone at a table in the corner. His hair was jet-black, and his facial features were partially hidden by shadows. From what Jill could see, an eye-patch covered his left eye, and his right eye looked back at her occasionally. A scar adorned his right cheek just below it, stretching all the way down to his chin. It wasn't ghastly, like most scars came, but it could be seen clearly even from her vantage point.

Jill watched as the young man finished his drink, then paid the bill. As he stood up, Jill could see him clearly. He wore a denim jacket over what looked like a black tank-top. His jeans were tucked into boots which glistened in the light of the diner. He smiled a little, then nodded a greeting in her direction. She waved back nervously, acknowledging him. Her eyes followed him as he passed through the doors and left the diner. Moments later, Chris and Barry entered and headed in her direction. She smiled at them and moved her hair behind one ear before taking another sip of coffee. Chris and Barry pulled two seats over to her table before sitting down. "I got it," Chris said softly. Jill nodded. "Maybe now we can finaly put Umb--" She cut herself off when she looked out the window and saw the same young man staring at her. "What is it?" Barry asked, trying to follow her gaze. "I saw this guy in here a a few minutes before you two came back. He kept staring at me for some reason. It's like he knew me from somewhere...."

"What about him?" Chris asked. Jill pointed toward the window of the diner. "He's doing it again," she said. Chris, being the one closest to the door, got up and walked toward it. He stuck his head out and looked around, but didn't see anybody. He shrugged and returned to the table. "I didn't see anyone," he said. Jill looked at the window again. The young man was gone. She sat back in her seat, confused, and very creeped out. Was he stalking her for some reason, or did he think she was somebody else? She wasn't sure, but she shrugged it off and turned her attention to Chris and Barry as the three talked softly about what to do next.