Resident Evil 0-2
By Artemis of the Moon
Rebecca felt sheer terror crawl mercilessly up her spine as she heard the dreadful creak of the small metal door handle. The men outside had currently stopped talking, either because they heard Rebecca stop moving, or because they had resorted to frantic motions to relay their plans. "I gotta think fast. What am I going to do? I'm gonna die and screw up the mission and endanger my teammates. I wonder if they'll miss me?" Rebecca thought sadly.
She held out a pale, shaking hand. Absently, she thought about the strange amount of bright light that engulfed the white enamel room. She looked above her and saw the cause. Several fluorescent lamps decorated the room. Rebecca searched frantically for a light switch, and found one at the front of the room. "Shit! I can't make it all the way over there in time. And they'll just switch the lights back on if I could."
Rebecca slid one had over her Berettas and gasped in remembrance. In one swift moment, she had the revolvers drawn and ready for action. She fired shots at every light she could find. They gave sickening snaps as the safety glass shattered and sprinkled the room. Halogen fluids began to drip steadily from the lamps, and Rebecca made sure to move to the middle of the floor, in front of the x-ray machine. Her trembling fingers made their way shakily to her belt holster, which carried extra Beretta ammo. Rebecca had almost finished reloading both weapons when she heard the guards come in.
They rushed in quietly; Rebecca had barely noticed their entrance. She heard the rushing of fiber pants swish together in fluid motion, causing her to begin panicking. The one sound she heard earlier was now replaced by three presences. "I can't take them all out, what am I gonna do?" Rebecca thought in the midst of her panicked mind. One was coming toward her quickly, and she tried to picture his body by the sounds he was making. She began to dig her Med-Kit for something, anything. She thought of surrendering, but she was sure to be killed that way. Maybe Jill would come looking for her? No, Jill was waiting for her.
Her hands made their way to her holster, which she found a foreign object. She pulled out the orange flare gun she had attained an hour or so ago in the tool shed. She began to feel achy, her back being twisted in several different ways. Her mind wanted sleep, but the adrenaline rushing through her body wouldn't let her close her eyes. "Flare gun? Oh, I know!" Her plan was a simple one. Disable one man with the flare gun, use the blinding flash as a surprise to take down the other ones. She knew it would take effort and speed, but most of all, aim. Rebecca lifted the flare gun in one hand, and used a Beretta in another. She estimated that one man was on the opposite side of the harboring machine, and another was coming up on her side. Listening but not hearing the last and final guard, Rebecca cursed inwardly.
Rebecca raised the flare gun over the machine slightly, the darkness surprising her. It was dark in there, now that she noticed. She heard one of the men opening up a cupboard or something of the sort. She took this as advantage to press the tiny orange trigger her finger had been hovering over. A blinding light exploded out of the cylindrical tube, and Rebecca was surprised by the recoil of the small gun. She tossed it aside and resumed steadying her Beretta hand and fired two shots to her front and left. She quickly moved to the side, and scuttled between to a smaller white machine in the corner.
Rebecca noticed that the door would be a quick run from her new position, but she couldn't risk the men on her tail. The room was now bathed in a yellowish-orange light, centered in the front of the room. The man had caught the flare in the leg and was screaming now, totally surprised by the sudden attack. Rebecca noted that when she had fired, she had missed him. She had also fired at the man to her left, and she could no longer see him. The last of Umbrella's lackey's was spouting curses left and right. The young medic took that opportunity to fire a round into his chest, before taking cover behind the unrecognizable machine. The last man had fired several shots from his machine gun before realizing none of his bullets were penetrating. Metal twisted and screamed from behind her, and Rebecca winced as she felt the much smaller machine move back. She took a quick, impulsive run to the door, and decided to slam it shut before leaving, convincing the guard she had left.
Rebecca heard limping steps from the area of the pursuer, and she hurriedly unzipped her Med-Kit, and found the combat knife she had put in there. She stifled her breathing, and stayed completely still. The man had come before she was ready, and Rebecca quickly kneed him in the groin, and shoved the knife into his chest. The felt the knife chew past muscle and flesh, and warm, wet blood began to spill onto her hands and the floor. Since she didn't really have another use for the knife, it was never pulled out. She let go of the man who fell to the floor lifelessly.
The adrenaline once flushing throughout Rebecca's body began to settle, and she began to reload her twin pistols. She raised them to the ready and ran through the now empty hallway. The run was uneventful, and she saw nothing of guards or lab technicians as she ran through the hall.
At the end of the constant curves of the seemingly endless hallway, she found herself in front of a medium sized door with a nameplate reading "Security-Command Central". Rebecca decided this was what she was looking for. She twisted the pristine metal knob, but her heart fell as it halted mid-twist. She sighed, remembering she didn't have any lock picks on her.
She dashed down the long hallway until she reached the Lab Break Room. She ran in breathless from then run, and forced out "Jill, the door is locked." Jill nodded and began fishing around her pockets for a lock pick. "No, I can't use it as well as you can. You go, I'll watch them." Jill protested to this.
"Let's both go, none of these guys have any weapons, I checked them" Jill said. Jill held up a hand and began to give orders saying that she would come back when she was done with business, and kill the lot of them if she found anyone missing. The scientists gave grim nods and cries. The two women left the room, Rebecca leading.
"You have any trouble?" Jill asked. "No, not really. Just a few guards." Rebecca said, trying to be modest. "Do you really think those people in the break room will try anything?" Jill shook her head. "No, they're all unarmed." Rebecca felt better having her partner back, and decided that together they could probably take on anything.
"This is it" Rebecca said with her hands out towards the door. Jill worked on the door for a moment, and then the lock gave. Jill went in, followed by Rebecca. Rebecca almost hit her head on a large metal object. The red light in the room reminded her of a photo dark room, and there were numerous colorless TVs that lined the room.
"Don't move" a breathless voice said. Rebecca realized the metal object was the barrel of a gun, now pointed at her forehead. Rebecca's breath caught in her lungs, as if breathing would trigger the blasting of the gun. Rebecca looked past the metal barrel to see a blonde woman with icy blue eyes and a teal business suit on. Her hair was pulled back into a strange bun, and her eyes hidden behind white wire glasses. A ferocious glare was focused at Jill, who stood ready with her launcher pointed at the woman.
"Put it down." Began the woman "or I will shoot her". Jill didn't comply, to Rebecca's shock. Instead, Jill began to speak calmly. "It's okay, I don't need that sweep side-kick anyway." Jill said nonchalantly. The woman averted her cold gaze to Rebecca. "Looks like you're dead, honey." The woman said. Rebecca's mind screamed with thoughts as she examined the situation. "Jill really does hate me. I'm going to die and she doesn't even care! Wait a minute, why did she say "sweep" into that sentence? 'Sweep side-kick'? That doesn't make sense. Sweep side? Sweep Kick? Oh, Sweep Kick! She wants me to kick her!" Rebecca decided, as her panic began to fade with the sudden decision. Jill was talking again, with the same air of indifference Rebecca detected earlier. Rebecca inhaled slightly, not trying to catch the attention of the blonde woman, and then moved. She dove to the ground, palms down and pulled her leg in a circular motion. The woman was surprised as Rebecca's leg hit her, but she barely was knocked off balance. Jill took the surprise and shoved the but of the launcher into the blonde girl's head, knocking her glasses off her head. She dropped the pistol she was armed with, and with a few more whips from Jill, the girl was unconscious. Rebecca and Jill high fived and then began to search the room for the self-destruct system.
"Odd that they would put it on the first floor, isn't it?" Rebecca thought while searching through files and folders spread out on the desk in front of her. The crimson light they were bathed in didn't help the search, but any light available was helpful. Rebecca jumped when she heard a smash behind her, but stopped when she saw Jill's hand come up. "It's nothing, just a smashed radio." Jill smiled. Rebecca returned to her search, and began to play with several knobs and button mounted next to the desk. Some changed angles of security cameras, or changed resolutions of the pictures in the TVs. All in all, her search ended without success.
"Jill, did you find anything?" Rebecca asked. "Nothing, you?" "Not a thing. Jill, where could it be?" Rebecca stated, deep concern in her voice. "Let's go, maybe Barry or the other two found something" Jill said, and ran out the door. Rebecca followed, but she realized she was quickly losing energy. Her once adrenaline filled muscles were now weak and lifeless. Her back ached painfully, but with motion it began to soothe. Her feet hurt from running, her tennis shoes becoming cramped. Sweat now poured from her pores as the heat from the building warmed her over. "I wonder how Jill is holding up. She's sure being strong, I know her shoulder must be hurting." Rebecca thought, glancing at Jill's bloodstained shoulder.
"Jill, how is your shoulder holding up?" Rebecca said, voicing her concern. Jill glanced over at Rebecca in mid step and shrugged, obviously at a loss for words. The younger woman decided to stay silent, as Jill was obviously thinking. As she was just about to pass the break room, Jill stopped and entered. Rebecca decided to stay outside, for cover.
Rebecca listened as the ex-thief began to the men and women inside the room that armed rebel guards were outside and ready to shoot on sight. She also heard the muffled responses of the distressed victims inside. When Jill exited the room, she had a broad grin pasted on her face and whispered "Hook, Line, and Sinker."
The pair ran through the winding pathway and through the double doors. They made their way throughout the rooms, passing the dead bodies of guards on the way. Rebecca also noticed the scientist she had had killed in a panic. She hated herself for killing him; he was probably just a normal man who came to work that day expecting hassles and trials. He probably went to college and earned himself an education. He was just at the wrong place at he wrong time. "And so was I" Rebecca thought, recalling the Mansion and Training Facility.
Exhausted, the two women reached their starting location, now emptied out. Jill grabbed the radio out of one of her pockets and clicked the receiver up and down, signaling those on the other side. A deep voice on the other side responded, sounding slightly annoyed. "Yeah?" Barry asked. "We can't find it, Barry. It's not here. Have you guys had any luck?" Jill began to ramble. "I didn't find anything, and I lost contact with Chris and Claire. Stay there, I'll meet you." With that, Barry clicked out. Jill wore an expression of worry on her face, obviously thinking of what had had happened to Chris and Claire. For a moment, she sat staring with a vacant stare at the window. Next, she gave a wince of pain and fell to her knees. Rebecca rushed over to her. "Jill, are you okay?" Rebecca asked stupidly. The older girl gave a slight sigh, and then winced again when she tried to move her left shoulder. "The pain's come back again" Jill said with a gasp as she tried to move again. Rebecca quickly administered more morphine, and then helped her partner up. "Jill, can you walk?" She nodded slowly "It feels better now, I just don't know what happened. Can we go outside and wait for Barry now?" Rebecca gave Jill a smile and offered her arm to help in walking and they exited the immense Umbrella building.
The night air washed over the beads of sweat that had formed on Rebecca's brow from running through the overly warm building. The cold felt rejuvenating to her, and her muscles seem to relax in the temperature change. The sky shown several stars, barely visible by the bright lights that surrounded the building. Rebecca kept her guns raised, although there was no immediate danger. The silence was interrupted by a small churning sound. Rebecca listened hard in an attempt to make sure the sound was not a mere dream. The churning grew louder, and Rebecca spoke softly to alert Jill. "What was that?"
Her question answered itself as the swishing sound became louder, as if it was about to slice her eardrums into pieces. Air began to make small circles around the two as dirt began to kick itself up around them like a small cyclone. Her mind screamed for her to run, to escape and leave Jill there. Surprisingly, Jill shoved Rebecca's hand away from her upper arm and said in a cold, uncaring voice "Run". Rebecca had no time to react as her fear emerged from over the dome. A screaming helicopter appeared in front of the two rebels. Rebecca let out a muffled scream, just as the chain gun mounted on the side of the chopper began to spin quickly.
Rebecca darted to one side as she heard the bullets begin to lash out them. On her descent toward the ground, she felt something strong support her under her ribcage. A gloved hand reached over the top of her chest and another below it. The anonymous person heaved himself or herself backward in a fluid motion, taking Rebecca with them. She felt the person hit the ground, and she recognized they were now at the side of the building. About half of the helicopter was still visible. The light from the chain gun was still bright, and Rebecca still felt dirt overturn itself and land on her. She let her hand go weak and the 9mm slipped out of it. Pieces of the wall began to fall on top of her as the bullets ricocheted off it. Dust was flung into her eyes, and tears began to cleanse them. Rebecca was dazed; she forgot where she was and what she was doing. She didn't remember how she lived through the copter firing at her.
"Rebecca, get up and run!" a voice yelled as loud as it possibly could into her ear. It wasn't Jill, it had a slightly more feminine tone to be her. Rebecca numbly turned her head to see who her savior was. Claire stood behind her, pulling at her arm. Her face was covered in dirt, and her ponytail had vanished into disarray of brown hair. She held her magnum at her side, an expression of fear on her face.
It was in noticing the Redfield girl that Rebecca remembered her partner. "Jill!" Rebecca screamed. "Claire I can't leave Jill!" Rebecca shouted at the girl pulling hard on her arm. "Just come on, Rebecca! I think she's with Chris!" With that, Rebecca felt the rock in her heart break and she crawled to her feet and ran. The helicopter appeared above them, bathing them in the glow of a spotlight. The gun atop the monster began to fire again, and time seemed to slow down. She was behind Claire, who was running as fast as she could. Her heart was beating tremendously fast, and she watched as Claire opened a door of a building that had recently appeared between them and their pursuer. In one solid jump, Rebecca leaped into the building, and Claire slammed the door behind her.
Rebecca felt solid carpet rub into her elbows as she slid. She opened her eyes and realized the darkness was overwhelming in their new haven. Rebecca got to her feet and brushed herself off. "Let's look for a light switch." Claire suggested. Rebecca could tell her new partner was breathless from running, but was still making an effort to move around. Rebecca groped the wall in an effort to find anything that resembled a light switch, but quickly found nothing. She bumped into something in the middle of the room, and by using her sense of touch, she found it was a table. A large table, it seemed to stretch past the small building. Her footsteps made an interesting hollow noise on the carpet of the set aside room, which made her think of what kind of wood made that noise.
"I think it's gone." Claire said optimistically. Rebecca agreed; it seemed the helicopter had left in search of easier prey. It reminded Rebecca of a bird, an eagle or something of the like. The sound of screaming wood woke Rebecca from her thoughts. The room began to shake violently as the swishing of the helicopter could be heard from the outside. Wood began to splinter and crack under the pressure of the speeding bullets. She heard Claire scream something, but it was lost under the breathtaking noise. Rebecca ducked down and covered her hands over her head, and peeked though her arms to see several quarter sized bullet hole appear out of what looked to be thin air. Rebecca feared the building was about to collapse under the pressure, but it seemed to hold. Each hole created by a bullet caused the room to gain light, which radiated through the hole. "Think, think.." Rebecca's mind urged. A piece of the wall was knocked astray by a bullet and hit Rebecca on the arm, and she assumed it was a bullet. After minutes of straight gunfire to the building, there came an overwhelming silence. The silence lasted for a moment, obviously neither woman wanted to ask the other if they were hurt. Rebecca started first, unfit with the silence. "Claire? You okay?" Claire groaned, and Rebecca saw her stand up. "Yeah I'm okay. Are you?" Rebecca nodded. Claire watched out the now broken window, Magnum in hand. "I think Chris and Jill distracted it from us. By the shrapnel and glass all over the ground, my best be it they fired a grenade or two at it." Claire said. Rebecca felt her heart jump. "They're okay! We're okay! We might just make it out of this!" Rebecca thought excitedly. "What are we going to do now?" Claire asked suddenly, surprising Rebecca. "I-I wish I knew." Rebecca admitted sadly. Claire opened her mouth to speak but stopped suddenly. "W-What is it?" Rebecca asked, fear glazing over in her eyes.
"Shhhh. Footsteps" Claire whispered, raising her Magnum at what was left of the once usable door. Rebecca ran her hands from her Med-Kit to her belt holster, which contained only one of her dual 9mm Berettas. She picked it up, and pointed it the same direction Claire's Magnum was facing. Rebecca inwardly cursed for losing her other gun, and she knew if a scientist picked it up, they would probably come after the rebels. Her breath caught in her chest as someone rushed in through the door. She didn't regret not firing, when she noticed who the mysterious man was.
Barry Burton rushed in, obviously out of breath and tired. "We have a problem." He said slowly. "What I-is it?" Rebecca asked timidly. "That chopper is still chasing after Chris and Jill. Jill looks tired, and she can't seem lift her shoulder up high enough to launch a 'nade at it. Plus, guards are rallying and going to be looking for us soon enough. On better news though, I found the entrance to the underground labs, and managed to strike a deal with the man with the key" Barry said, holding up what looked to Rebecca like a lift key. "My plan is to get Jill to meet us here and hand me the grenade launcher. Then, someone should go with her and clear the lift area, while the rest of us take down the chopper. Okay?" Claire spoke up. "I'll take Jill, you and Chris and Rebecca should be able to take it down." Barry nodded at Rebecca. "That okay with you, Becky?" Rebecca gave him her trademark thumbs up sign. Barry gave a gruff snort and then began to speak again. "I'm gonna run then back here, be ready when we get back." With that Barry disappeared through the door, leaving them in utter silence.
Rebecca was nervous. She wasn't even sure she knew how to take down the guards inside the 'copter, much less the helicopter itself. Especially with her lack of weaponry. Minutes passed by like seconds, and she suddenly wished she were in her bare apartment, massaging her back in the warmth of her shower. The young medic estimated about five minutes before Barry's return this time, bringing Chris and Jill with him.
Jill's face had attracted more dust since the last time she had seen her. Clods of dust collected in her once chestnut brown hair, turning it a toxic brown. Chris was extremely dustier than Jill. His clothes now contained a layer of brown. His face was hidden behind a mask of dirt, which Rebecca thought looked like a mud mask. Jill's shoulder looked worse now, and Rebecca badly wanted to change the dressing, because infection was imminent as it stood now. "Jill-" Rebecca began, but Barry cut her off shortly. "Switch weapons now, everyone." Jill handed Barry her launcher, and she walked over to Rebecca and slid her hand around the pistol Rebecca was now holding. "Where's your other one?" Jill asked. "I-I lost it when the helicopter attacked. Sorry." Rebecca felt like the weakest link again. Sometimes, she felt as if she was only there because she was a former S.T.A.R.S member.
Barry handed Rebecca his Magnum and said with mock sadness. "Take care of her." Rebecca giggled for the first time in a long time. "Everybody know the plan?" Barry boomed. Rebecca always thought he would get louder as he became more nervous. "Aim for the sides, the underneath, and towards the pilot. We just need to disable it. Try to weave when you run, and never stay out in the open." Rebecca nodded, and felt pangs of anxiety begin to eat her alive. Her body tensioned, and she struggled to remember Barry's advice. She looked at her belt and positioned the Magnum ammo the large man had given her. She watched Barry direct Jill and Claire through the small, shattered window of the conference room. "Let's go, gang" Barry said. Suddenly, Rebecca realized she was running out in the cool air, Magnum clutched in hand, the bright light of the monstrous man-made device shining in her face.
A/N: Hey everyone, I decided to put this chapter up as a New Year of work. W00t! Congrats to all us fanfic writers, who provide awe (and sometimes laughter) to those who read them. As always, read and review. Hope you like it, and Happy New Year to All! *Bow*
By Artemis of the Moon
Rebecca felt sheer terror crawl mercilessly up her spine as she heard the dreadful creak of the small metal door handle. The men outside had currently stopped talking, either because they heard Rebecca stop moving, or because they had resorted to frantic motions to relay their plans. "I gotta think fast. What am I going to do? I'm gonna die and screw up the mission and endanger my teammates. I wonder if they'll miss me?" Rebecca thought sadly.
She held out a pale, shaking hand. Absently, she thought about the strange amount of bright light that engulfed the white enamel room. She looked above her and saw the cause. Several fluorescent lamps decorated the room. Rebecca searched frantically for a light switch, and found one at the front of the room. "Shit! I can't make it all the way over there in time. And they'll just switch the lights back on if I could."
Rebecca slid one had over her Berettas and gasped in remembrance. In one swift moment, she had the revolvers drawn and ready for action. She fired shots at every light she could find. They gave sickening snaps as the safety glass shattered and sprinkled the room. Halogen fluids began to drip steadily from the lamps, and Rebecca made sure to move to the middle of the floor, in front of the x-ray machine. Her trembling fingers made their way shakily to her belt holster, which carried extra Beretta ammo. Rebecca had almost finished reloading both weapons when she heard the guards come in.
They rushed in quietly; Rebecca had barely noticed their entrance. She heard the rushing of fiber pants swish together in fluid motion, causing her to begin panicking. The one sound she heard earlier was now replaced by three presences. "I can't take them all out, what am I gonna do?" Rebecca thought in the midst of her panicked mind. One was coming toward her quickly, and she tried to picture his body by the sounds he was making. She began to dig her Med-Kit for something, anything. She thought of surrendering, but she was sure to be killed that way. Maybe Jill would come looking for her? No, Jill was waiting for her.
Her hands made their way to her holster, which she found a foreign object. She pulled out the orange flare gun she had attained an hour or so ago in the tool shed. She began to feel achy, her back being twisted in several different ways. Her mind wanted sleep, but the adrenaline rushing through her body wouldn't let her close her eyes. "Flare gun? Oh, I know!" Her plan was a simple one. Disable one man with the flare gun, use the blinding flash as a surprise to take down the other ones. She knew it would take effort and speed, but most of all, aim. Rebecca lifted the flare gun in one hand, and used a Beretta in another. She estimated that one man was on the opposite side of the harboring machine, and another was coming up on her side. Listening but not hearing the last and final guard, Rebecca cursed inwardly.
Rebecca raised the flare gun over the machine slightly, the darkness surprising her. It was dark in there, now that she noticed. She heard one of the men opening up a cupboard or something of the sort. She took this as advantage to press the tiny orange trigger her finger had been hovering over. A blinding light exploded out of the cylindrical tube, and Rebecca was surprised by the recoil of the small gun. She tossed it aside and resumed steadying her Beretta hand and fired two shots to her front and left. She quickly moved to the side, and scuttled between to a smaller white machine in the corner.
Rebecca noticed that the door would be a quick run from her new position, but she couldn't risk the men on her tail. The room was now bathed in a yellowish-orange light, centered in the front of the room. The man had caught the flare in the leg and was screaming now, totally surprised by the sudden attack. Rebecca noted that when she had fired, she had missed him. She had also fired at the man to her left, and she could no longer see him. The last of Umbrella's lackey's was spouting curses left and right. The young medic took that opportunity to fire a round into his chest, before taking cover behind the unrecognizable machine. The last man had fired several shots from his machine gun before realizing none of his bullets were penetrating. Metal twisted and screamed from behind her, and Rebecca winced as she felt the much smaller machine move back. She took a quick, impulsive run to the door, and decided to slam it shut before leaving, convincing the guard she had left.
Rebecca heard limping steps from the area of the pursuer, and she hurriedly unzipped her Med-Kit, and found the combat knife she had put in there. She stifled her breathing, and stayed completely still. The man had come before she was ready, and Rebecca quickly kneed him in the groin, and shoved the knife into his chest. The felt the knife chew past muscle and flesh, and warm, wet blood began to spill onto her hands and the floor. Since she didn't really have another use for the knife, it was never pulled out. She let go of the man who fell to the floor lifelessly.
The adrenaline once flushing throughout Rebecca's body began to settle, and she began to reload her twin pistols. She raised them to the ready and ran through the now empty hallway. The run was uneventful, and she saw nothing of guards or lab technicians as she ran through the hall.
At the end of the constant curves of the seemingly endless hallway, she found herself in front of a medium sized door with a nameplate reading "Security-Command Central". Rebecca decided this was what she was looking for. She twisted the pristine metal knob, but her heart fell as it halted mid-twist. She sighed, remembering she didn't have any lock picks on her.
She dashed down the long hallway until she reached the Lab Break Room. She ran in breathless from then run, and forced out "Jill, the door is locked." Jill nodded and began fishing around her pockets for a lock pick. "No, I can't use it as well as you can. You go, I'll watch them." Jill protested to this.
"Let's both go, none of these guys have any weapons, I checked them" Jill said. Jill held up a hand and began to give orders saying that she would come back when she was done with business, and kill the lot of them if she found anyone missing. The scientists gave grim nods and cries. The two women left the room, Rebecca leading.
"You have any trouble?" Jill asked. "No, not really. Just a few guards." Rebecca said, trying to be modest. "Do you really think those people in the break room will try anything?" Jill shook her head. "No, they're all unarmed." Rebecca felt better having her partner back, and decided that together they could probably take on anything.
"This is it" Rebecca said with her hands out towards the door. Jill worked on the door for a moment, and then the lock gave. Jill went in, followed by Rebecca. Rebecca almost hit her head on a large metal object. The red light in the room reminded her of a photo dark room, and there were numerous colorless TVs that lined the room.
"Don't move" a breathless voice said. Rebecca realized the metal object was the barrel of a gun, now pointed at her forehead. Rebecca's breath caught in her lungs, as if breathing would trigger the blasting of the gun. Rebecca looked past the metal barrel to see a blonde woman with icy blue eyes and a teal business suit on. Her hair was pulled back into a strange bun, and her eyes hidden behind white wire glasses. A ferocious glare was focused at Jill, who stood ready with her launcher pointed at the woman.
"Put it down." Began the woman "or I will shoot her". Jill didn't comply, to Rebecca's shock. Instead, Jill began to speak calmly. "It's okay, I don't need that sweep side-kick anyway." Jill said nonchalantly. The woman averted her cold gaze to Rebecca. "Looks like you're dead, honey." The woman said. Rebecca's mind screamed with thoughts as she examined the situation. "Jill really does hate me. I'm going to die and she doesn't even care! Wait a minute, why did she say "sweep" into that sentence? 'Sweep side-kick'? That doesn't make sense. Sweep side? Sweep Kick? Oh, Sweep Kick! She wants me to kick her!" Rebecca decided, as her panic began to fade with the sudden decision. Jill was talking again, with the same air of indifference Rebecca detected earlier. Rebecca inhaled slightly, not trying to catch the attention of the blonde woman, and then moved. She dove to the ground, palms down and pulled her leg in a circular motion. The woman was surprised as Rebecca's leg hit her, but she barely was knocked off balance. Jill took the surprise and shoved the but of the launcher into the blonde girl's head, knocking her glasses off her head. She dropped the pistol she was armed with, and with a few more whips from Jill, the girl was unconscious. Rebecca and Jill high fived and then began to search the room for the self-destruct system.
"Odd that they would put it on the first floor, isn't it?" Rebecca thought while searching through files and folders spread out on the desk in front of her. The crimson light they were bathed in didn't help the search, but any light available was helpful. Rebecca jumped when she heard a smash behind her, but stopped when she saw Jill's hand come up. "It's nothing, just a smashed radio." Jill smiled. Rebecca returned to her search, and began to play with several knobs and button mounted next to the desk. Some changed angles of security cameras, or changed resolutions of the pictures in the TVs. All in all, her search ended without success.
"Jill, did you find anything?" Rebecca asked. "Nothing, you?" "Not a thing. Jill, where could it be?" Rebecca stated, deep concern in her voice. "Let's go, maybe Barry or the other two found something" Jill said, and ran out the door. Rebecca followed, but she realized she was quickly losing energy. Her once adrenaline filled muscles were now weak and lifeless. Her back ached painfully, but with motion it began to soothe. Her feet hurt from running, her tennis shoes becoming cramped. Sweat now poured from her pores as the heat from the building warmed her over. "I wonder how Jill is holding up. She's sure being strong, I know her shoulder must be hurting." Rebecca thought, glancing at Jill's bloodstained shoulder.
"Jill, how is your shoulder holding up?" Rebecca said, voicing her concern. Jill glanced over at Rebecca in mid step and shrugged, obviously at a loss for words. The younger woman decided to stay silent, as Jill was obviously thinking. As she was just about to pass the break room, Jill stopped and entered. Rebecca decided to stay outside, for cover.
Rebecca listened as the ex-thief began to the men and women inside the room that armed rebel guards were outside and ready to shoot on sight. She also heard the muffled responses of the distressed victims inside. When Jill exited the room, she had a broad grin pasted on her face and whispered "Hook, Line, and Sinker."
The pair ran through the winding pathway and through the double doors. They made their way throughout the rooms, passing the dead bodies of guards on the way. Rebecca also noticed the scientist she had had killed in a panic. She hated herself for killing him; he was probably just a normal man who came to work that day expecting hassles and trials. He probably went to college and earned himself an education. He was just at the wrong place at he wrong time. "And so was I" Rebecca thought, recalling the Mansion and Training Facility.
Exhausted, the two women reached their starting location, now emptied out. Jill grabbed the radio out of one of her pockets and clicked the receiver up and down, signaling those on the other side. A deep voice on the other side responded, sounding slightly annoyed. "Yeah?" Barry asked. "We can't find it, Barry. It's not here. Have you guys had any luck?" Jill began to ramble. "I didn't find anything, and I lost contact with Chris and Claire. Stay there, I'll meet you." With that, Barry clicked out. Jill wore an expression of worry on her face, obviously thinking of what had had happened to Chris and Claire. For a moment, she sat staring with a vacant stare at the window. Next, she gave a wince of pain and fell to her knees. Rebecca rushed over to her. "Jill, are you okay?" Rebecca asked stupidly. The older girl gave a slight sigh, and then winced again when she tried to move her left shoulder. "The pain's come back again" Jill said with a gasp as she tried to move again. Rebecca quickly administered more morphine, and then helped her partner up. "Jill, can you walk?" She nodded slowly "It feels better now, I just don't know what happened. Can we go outside and wait for Barry now?" Rebecca gave Jill a smile and offered her arm to help in walking and they exited the immense Umbrella building.
The night air washed over the beads of sweat that had formed on Rebecca's brow from running through the overly warm building. The cold felt rejuvenating to her, and her muscles seem to relax in the temperature change. The sky shown several stars, barely visible by the bright lights that surrounded the building. Rebecca kept her guns raised, although there was no immediate danger. The silence was interrupted by a small churning sound. Rebecca listened hard in an attempt to make sure the sound was not a mere dream. The churning grew louder, and Rebecca spoke softly to alert Jill. "What was that?"
Her question answered itself as the swishing sound became louder, as if it was about to slice her eardrums into pieces. Air began to make small circles around the two as dirt began to kick itself up around them like a small cyclone. Her mind screamed for her to run, to escape and leave Jill there. Surprisingly, Jill shoved Rebecca's hand away from her upper arm and said in a cold, uncaring voice "Run". Rebecca had no time to react as her fear emerged from over the dome. A screaming helicopter appeared in front of the two rebels. Rebecca let out a muffled scream, just as the chain gun mounted on the side of the chopper began to spin quickly.
Rebecca darted to one side as she heard the bullets begin to lash out them. On her descent toward the ground, she felt something strong support her under her ribcage. A gloved hand reached over the top of her chest and another below it. The anonymous person heaved himself or herself backward in a fluid motion, taking Rebecca with them. She felt the person hit the ground, and she recognized they were now at the side of the building. About half of the helicopter was still visible. The light from the chain gun was still bright, and Rebecca still felt dirt overturn itself and land on her. She let her hand go weak and the 9mm slipped out of it. Pieces of the wall began to fall on top of her as the bullets ricocheted off it. Dust was flung into her eyes, and tears began to cleanse them. Rebecca was dazed; she forgot where she was and what she was doing. She didn't remember how she lived through the copter firing at her.
"Rebecca, get up and run!" a voice yelled as loud as it possibly could into her ear. It wasn't Jill, it had a slightly more feminine tone to be her. Rebecca numbly turned her head to see who her savior was. Claire stood behind her, pulling at her arm. Her face was covered in dirt, and her ponytail had vanished into disarray of brown hair. She held her magnum at her side, an expression of fear on her face.
It was in noticing the Redfield girl that Rebecca remembered her partner. "Jill!" Rebecca screamed. "Claire I can't leave Jill!" Rebecca shouted at the girl pulling hard on her arm. "Just come on, Rebecca! I think she's with Chris!" With that, Rebecca felt the rock in her heart break and she crawled to her feet and ran. The helicopter appeared above them, bathing them in the glow of a spotlight. The gun atop the monster began to fire again, and time seemed to slow down. She was behind Claire, who was running as fast as she could. Her heart was beating tremendously fast, and she watched as Claire opened a door of a building that had recently appeared between them and their pursuer. In one solid jump, Rebecca leaped into the building, and Claire slammed the door behind her.
Rebecca felt solid carpet rub into her elbows as she slid. She opened her eyes and realized the darkness was overwhelming in their new haven. Rebecca got to her feet and brushed herself off. "Let's look for a light switch." Claire suggested. Rebecca could tell her new partner was breathless from running, but was still making an effort to move around. Rebecca groped the wall in an effort to find anything that resembled a light switch, but quickly found nothing. She bumped into something in the middle of the room, and by using her sense of touch, she found it was a table. A large table, it seemed to stretch past the small building. Her footsteps made an interesting hollow noise on the carpet of the set aside room, which made her think of what kind of wood made that noise.
"I think it's gone." Claire said optimistically. Rebecca agreed; it seemed the helicopter had left in search of easier prey. It reminded Rebecca of a bird, an eagle or something of the like. The sound of screaming wood woke Rebecca from her thoughts. The room began to shake violently as the swishing of the helicopter could be heard from the outside. Wood began to splinter and crack under the pressure of the speeding bullets. She heard Claire scream something, but it was lost under the breathtaking noise. Rebecca ducked down and covered her hands over her head, and peeked though her arms to see several quarter sized bullet hole appear out of what looked to be thin air. Rebecca feared the building was about to collapse under the pressure, but it seemed to hold. Each hole created by a bullet caused the room to gain light, which radiated through the hole. "Think, think.." Rebecca's mind urged. A piece of the wall was knocked astray by a bullet and hit Rebecca on the arm, and she assumed it was a bullet. After minutes of straight gunfire to the building, there came an overwhelming silence. The silence lasted for a moment, obviously neither woman wanted to ask the other if they were hurt. Rebecca started first, unfit with the silence. "Claire? You okay?" Claire groaned, and Rebecca saw her stand up. "Yeah I'm okay. Are you?" Rebecca nodded. Claire watched out the now broken window, Magnum in hand. "I think Chris and Jill distracted it from us. By the shrapnel and glass all over the ground, my best be it they fired a grenade or two at it." Claire said. Rebecca felt her heart jump. "They're okay! We're okay! We might just make it out of this!" Rebecca thought excitedly. "What are we going to do now?" Claire asked suddenly, surprising Rebecca. "I-I wish I knew." Rebecca admitted sadly. Claire opened her mouth to speak but stopped suddenly. "W-What is it?" Rebecca asked, fear glazing over in her eyes.
"Shhhh. Footsteps" Claire whispered, raising her Magnum at what was left of the once usable door. Rebecca ran her hands from her Med-Kit to her belt holster, which contained only one of her dual 9mm Berettas. She picked it up, and pointed it the same direction Claire's Magnum was facing. Rebecca inwardly cursed for losing her other gun, and she knew if a scientist picked it up, they would probably come after the rebels. Her breath caught in her chest as someone rushed in through the door. She didn't regret not firing, when she noticed who the mysterious man was.
Barry Burton rushed in, obviously out of breath and tired. "We have a problem." He said slowly. "What I-is it?" Rebecca asked timidly. "That chopper is still chasing after Chris and Jill. Jill looks tired, and she can't seem lift her shoulder up high enough to launch a 'nade at it. Plus, guards are rallying and going to be looking for us soon enough. On better news though, I found the entrance to the underground labs, and managed to strike a deal with the man with the key" Barry said, holding up what looked to Rebecca like a lift key. "My plan is to get Jill to meet us here and hand me the grenade launcher. Then, someone should go with her and clear the lift area, while the rest of us take down the chopper. Okay?" Claire spoke up. "I'll take Jill, you and Chris and Rebecca should be able to take it down." Barry nodded at Rebecca. "That okay with you, Becky?" Rebecca gave him her trademark thumbs up sign. Barry gave a gruff snort and then began to speak again. "I'm gonna run then back here, be ready when we get back." With that Barry disappeared through the door, leaving them in utter silence.
Rebecca was nervous. She wasn't even sure she knew how to take down the guards inside the 'copter, much less the helicopter itself. Especially with her lack of weaponry. Minutes passed by like seconds, and she suddenly wished she were in her bare apartment, massaging her back in the warmth of her shower. The young medic estimated about five minutes before Barry's return this time, bringing Chris and Jill with him.
Jill's face had attracted more dust since the last time she had seen her. Clods of dust collected in her once chestnut brown hair, turning it a toxic brown. Chris was extremely dustier than Jill. His clothes now contained a layer of brown. His face was hidden behind a mask of dirt, which Rebecca thought looked like a mud mask. Jill's shoulder looked worse now, and Rebecca badly wanted to change the dressing, because infection was imminent as it stood now. "Jill-" Rebecca began, but Barry cut her off shortly. "Switch weapons now, everyone." Jill handed Barry her launcher, and she walked over to Rebecca and slid her hand around the pistol Rebecca was now holding. "Where's your other one?" Jill asked. "I-I lost it when the helicopter attacked. Sorry." Rebecca felt like the weakest link again. Sometimes, she felt as if she was only there because she was a former S.T.A.R.S member.
Barry handed Rebecca his Magnum and said with mock sadness. "Take care of her." Rebecca giggled for the first time in a long time. "Everybody know the plan?" Barry boomed. Rebecca always thought he would get louder as he became more nervous. "Aim for the sides, the underneath, and towards the pilot. We just need to disable it. Try to weave when you run, and never stay out in the open." Rebecca nodded, and felt pangs of anxiety begin to eat her alive. Her body tensioned, and she struggled to remember Barry's advice. She looked at her belt and positioned the Magnum ammo the large man had given her. She watched Barry direct Jill and Claire through the small, shattered window of the conference room. "Let's go, gang" Barry said. Suddenly, Rebecca realized she was running out in the cool air, Magnum clutched in hand, the bright light of the monstrous man-made device shining in her face.
A/N: Hey everyone, I decided to put this chapter up as a New Year of work. W00t! Congrats to all us fanfic writers, who provide awe (and sometimes laughter) to those who read them. As always, read and review. Hope you like it, and Happy New Year to All! *Bow*
