Genoa, Italy
1900 hours, 24-10-2004 The near silent drone of the engine grew even fainter as Claire slowly powered it down. The two of them sat there sucking away at the tasteless barley sugar sweets that were the calorie part of the emergency rations while waiting for the last rays of light to fade over the horizon. "Who would possibly be an insider to the Umbrella corporation in STARS?" asked Jill, thinking about everyone. Carlos, Barry, Leon, Chris, Rebecca, Billy Cohen, Sherry Birkin, Chris's girlfriend Christina, Carlo's sister? Of those, Carlos seemed the most likely, having already worked for Umbrella, but after having his family killed, even that seemed extremely unlikely. Or maybe his sister was kept alive for a reason. Jill shuddered at the thought. The next most likely thought was Christina, another former Umbrella mercenary left for dead and rescued by Chris Redfield in the Umbrella testing grounds. But even that seemed unlikely, why would she want to... "Lets not think about that, it'll only get worse if we make our suspicions known, they'll just be a little more careful. Or maybe we were just careless. Or it might even have been a completely lucky random strike. But now I've got a phone call to make." Claire put in another SIM card into the emergency phone and called her brother. "Hello?" came her brothers voice. "The sun is shining." "And the ice is slippery. Claire, you've arrived. Take the boat to the marshes somewhere along the beach, and take everything out of it that could possibly trace us. Just keep the phone on and I'll be able to trace it, don't move until I come and pick you up. Okay sis?" "Got it bro." She said, and then hung up. "What did he say?" Jill asked. "He wants us to get this thing somewhere along the beach, near the marshes." Claire replied. "After that, all we need to do is sit tight and wait, he can trace us by the cell phone." "Okay," Jill said, excited at the thought of seeing Carlos for the first time in two months. Claire powered up the engine and steered the craft towards the city's beaches. "That one!" Jill said, pointing to a spot of salt marsh on the beach. Claire steered the craft towards the shore. "be ready," Claire warned, putting the engine power to low and steering into the marsh, although the power was on low, the raft was constantly hitting sandbars and tree roots before Claire let it stand and moored it near a small cave with lots of natural shrubbery. Claire removed all of the things that could be used, the barley sugar rations, the desalination tablets, the calcium and iron pills, the traceless SIM cards. Everything except the petrol from the motor, that was going to have another purpose. After everything had been salvaged Claire and Jill sat in the raft waiting for Chris to arrive. It wasn't that long before someone approached the two of them. Jill and Claire both readied their Browning 9mm handguns which they carried with them at all times and flicked off the safeties. The person that was approaching was silent, and making an effort to do so. "Don't move a muscle," whispered Jill, looking at Claire, Claire looked back. But in the time that it took for the two of them to glance at each other, the man was gone. "Where did he go?" whispered Claire. "I'm here." Came a male voice from above the raft. Both of them looked up, but couldn't see above the vegetation that was covering the raft. "The sun is shining." Came the voice again, who both women now recognised as the voice of Carlos Oliveira. "Carlos!!!" Jill said relieved, bursting through the foliage and giving Carlos a big warm hug. Claire was a little slower, instead coming out from under the cover, she wasn't so light hearted. "Jesus Carlos, you scared the shit out of me! As if Tyrant 103 didn't already do that enough. How are you anyway?" "I'm fine, but we should get the hell out of here. Destroy that SIM card, I bet Umbrella already know your number." Carlos replied, humourlessly. "Right," Claire said, removing the fuel cap to the engine and emptying the contents of a cartridge near the top of the lid. "Stand clear!" she said, firing a round of her Browning at it, igniting the powder and the fuel. Flames soon engulfed the small craft, destroying any traces that might have led Umbrella to them. Carlos stopped a distance away, producing a set of clothes hidden in the undergrowth. "Put these on, they're local dress so you won't draw attention to yourselves." Carlos said nonchalantly, turning around. "Aww, Carlos, you're such a gentleman." Jill joked, which Carlos allowed himself a small smirk. "Finished!" Claire said, and with that Carlos turned around, in time to see Jill doing up the last button on her loose fitting frock. He stared at the two of them for a moment and then burst out laughing. "What's so funny!" Jill demanded. "The two of you look absolutely ridiculous." Carlos managed between laughs. "Just wait until Chris sees this, he's going to kill himself!" "Ha ha ha. Just look at what you're wearing farmer boy, you could almost be a member of the Village People." "I didn't know you liked that sort of guy." Carlos remarked, slipping his arm around the two of them. "Come, I'll take you to eat." He said, giving them little say in the whole issue.
1900 hours, 24-10-2004 The near silent drone of the engine grew even fainter as Claire slowly powered it down. The two of them sat there sucking away at the tasteless barley sugar sweets that were the calorie part of the emergency rations while waiting for the last rays of light to fade over the horizon. "Who would possibly be an insider to the Umbrella corporation in STARS?" asked Jill, thinking about everyone. Carlos, Barry, Leon, Chris, Rebecca, Billy Cohen, Sherry Birkin, Chris's girlfriend Christina, Carlo's sister? Of those, Carlos seemed the most likely, having already worked for Umbrella, but after having his family killed, even that seemed extremely unlikely. Or maybe his sister was kept alive for a reason. Jill shuddered at the thought. The next most likely thought was Christina, another former Umbrella mercenary left for dead and rescued by Chris Redfield in the Umbrella testing grounds. But even that seemed unlikely, why would she want to... "Lets not think about that, it'll only get worse if we make our suspicions known, they'll just be a little more careful. Or maybe we were just careless. Or it might even have been a completely lucky random strike. But now I've got a phone call to make." Claire put in another SIM card into the emergency phone and called her brother. "Hello?" came her brothers voice. "The sun is shining." "And the ice is slippery. Claire, you've arrived. Take the boat to the marshes somewhere along the beach, and take everything out of it that could possibly trace us. Just keep the phone on and I'll be able to trace it, don't move until I come and pick you up. Okay sis?" "Got it bro." She said, and then hung up. "What did he say?" Jill asked. "He wants us to get this thing somewhere along the beach, near the marshes." Claire replied. "After that, all we need to do is sit tight and wait, he can trace us by the cell phone." "Okay," Jill said, excited at the thought of seeing Carlos for the first time in two months. Claire powered up the engine and steered the craft towards the city's beaches. "That one!" Jill said, pointing to a spot of salt marsh on the beach. Claire steered the craft towards the shore. "be ready," Claire warned, putting the engine power to low and steering into the marsh, although the power was on low, the raft was constantly hitting sandbars and tree roots before Claire let it stand and moored it near a small cave with lots of natural shrubbery. Claire removed all of the things that could be used, the barley sugar rations, the desalination tablets, the calcium and iron pills, the traceless SIM cards. Everything except the petrol from the motor, that was going to have another purpose. After everything had been salvaged Claire and Jill sat in the raft waiting for Chris to arrive. It wasn't that long before someone approached the two of them. Jill and Claire both readied their Browning 9mm handguns which they carried with them at all times and flicked off the safeties. The person that was approaching was silent, and making an effort to do so. "Don't move a muscle," whispered Jill, looking at Claire, Claire looked back. But in the time that it took for the two of them to glance at each other, the man was gone. "Where did he go?" whispered Claire. "I'm here." Came a male voice from above the raft. Both of them looked up, but couldn't see above the vegetation that was covering the raft. "The sun is shining." Came the voice again, who both women now recognised as the voice of Carlos Oliveira. "Carlos!!!" Jill said relieved, bursting through the foliage and giving Carlos a big warm hug. Claire was a little slower, instead coming out from under the cover, she wasn't so light hearted. "Jesus Carlos, you scared the shit out of me! As if Tyrant 103 didn't already do that enough. How are you anyway?" "I'm fine, but we should get the hell out of here. Destroy that SIM card, I bet Umbrella already know your number." Carlos replied, humourlessly. "Right," Claire said, removing the fuel cap to the engine and emptying the contents of a cartridge near the top of the lid. "Stand clear!" she said, firing a round of her Browning at it, igniting the powder and the fuel. Flames soon engulfed the small craft, destroying any traces that might have led Umbrella to them. Carlos stopped a distance away, producing a set of clothes hidden in the undergrowth. "Put these on, they're local dress so you won't draw attention to yourselves." Carlos said nonchalantly, turning around. "Aww, Carlos, you're such a gentleman." Jill joked, which Carlos allowed himself a small smirk. "Finished!" Claire said, and with that Carlos turned around, in time to see Jill doing up the last button on her loose fitting frock. He stared at the two of them for a moment and then burst out laughing. "What's so funny!" Jill demanded. "The two of you look absolutely ridiculous." Carlos managed between laughs. "Just wait until Chris sees this, he's going to kill himself!" "Ha ha ha. Just look at what you're wearing farmer boy, you could almost be a member of the Village People." "I didn't know you liked that sort of guy." Carlos remarked, slipping his arm around the two of them. "Come, I'll take you to eat." He said, giving them little say in the whole issue.