Chapter 25: Deadly Flight
Alpha Team
Ten or fifteen minutes passed before Joe and Liz returned, rope in hand. Rick secured the rope around his own waist, and Hunter did the same with his end. The idea was to prevent Hunter from being swept downstream if the weakening land bridge happened to crumble underneath him. Joe, Liz, and Tiffanie grabbed the rope as well, and Brit watched nervously as Hunter began crossing to the other side.
Using his feet to feel for weak points in the bridge, Hunter crossed with caution, and he signaled to the others whenever he felt a shift in the 'ground' beneath him, signifying a weak spot. Most of them were near the edges, while the middle seemed sturdy. Hunter successfully navigated the 'bridge', and let the others know it was safe.
After knowing Hunter was safely across, Rick told the others to get ready for their crossing.
"Britney and Tiffanie, the two of you should go at the same time. Since Hunter almost outweighs the two of you combined, the two of you should get across together without much trouble. Joe you head over next, and let us know when you're secure. Hold onto the rope on that end with Hunter, and be prepared to pull the girls in, if anything happens. Liz, you go after Brit and Tiff, and then I'll join you guys soon after that. Now, hurry up and move, I don't want to be stuck down here if we get an aftershock."
The crossing seemed to go well. Joe got across with little trouble, as did Brit and Tiff. There was a scary moment when Liz stepped on one of the weak points, but she reached the other side safely. Rick started crossing as the others waited. Then, just as things seemed fine, an aftershock hit.
"NO, Rick!!!" screamed Liz, as the 'bridge' crumbled, and the Alpha Team leader was plunged twenty feet down into the rushing waters. The others were frantically trying to pull him up, but the cave was beginning to fall all around them.
Rick reached into his boot sheath and pulled his combat knife. Liz and the others watched in horror, as they realized his intention.
"Joe, you lead the others out, now!! Go, before we all get killed!" With those words, Rick cut the rope, and let the current take him downstream.
A collective gasp was barely heard as Joe and the others escaped through the opening, and the cave fell in, blocking off the path they had just been on.
Bravo Team
Miles away, and completely unaware of the events in the cave, Dan and Taylor were awakened by the morning sun shining through the windows of the Gen-Tech warehouse. They had fallen asleep while sifting through some of the mostly useless paperwork they'd discovered in the crane control room. The rest of Bravo Team soon woke up as well. They were still sore, and grieving over the loss of Jake and Tabitha, but in some ways they still felt refreshed, and were ready to continue the investigation.
"This is unbelievable!" exclaimed Alyssa, after finding out about the equipment invoice found the evening before.
"So this Allen Winchester guy is the one who ordered all this equipment? Right? But what for? I mean, do you really think this Gen-Tech is responsible for those monstrosities we've been fighting?"
"We're not saying that at all," Dan answered, "but you have to admit, this is a little too coincidental."
"Well, maybe we should search this place a little more, now that we have some light."
"That's a good idea Mike." Dan responded. "You and Chrissy head upstairs, and see if you can find the office in this place. Alyssa? How's your ankle?"
"It's still hurting, but I can put some weight on it now."
"Good, then I want you and Stephanie to check out this area of the warehouse, and Taylor and I will be checking out the other end."
"Yeah, well make sure you check out the warehouse, and not each other."
"What?!" responded Dan, taken off-guard by Chrissy's remark.
"Just kidding Big Brother, " Chrissy said with a smile. Everyone chuckled a little, no doubt feeling relieved that they all still had a sense of humor, in spite of all that had happened.
Somewhere over the Pacific
"Where the hell are you taking us?!" asked Leon.
"You'll find out soon enough, Mr. Kennedy," responded Lillian, sitting next to Allen, who was feeling rather smug at the moment.
"Ah, good morning Chris. Did you sleep well?" asked Allen.
Chris was still feeling the pain from his bullet wound, but he noticed he'd been bandaged up, but he was still tied up, and he sneered at Al, who was looking awfully proud of himself. "I'd love to wipe that smirk right off your treacherous face!" Chris thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Rebecca was sitting with her hands unbound, and covered in dried blood. She must've been the one who bandaged him up. It started to occur to him that Winchester had planned to use them, probably for some sort of experiment. He also noticed that the side door of the transport chopper was open, as the warm Pacific breeze blew in from outside. As he looked on, he heard an exchange between Leon and Lillian.
"How do you know me?" asked Leon.
"Mr. Kennedy, I know all about you and your S.T.A.R.S friends here. I know all about the 'Shutdown of '99', and about how you put many of Umbrella's top execs behind bars, and how you, Redfield, and the rest of your ilk put the HCF out of business. You see, I was a young computer specialist for Umbrella at the time. And my partner, Perry Hall was a talented researcher for the HCF. We both sat behind bars for treason, and illegal development of B.O.Ws. All the while, I thought only about how I could explain what I'd been involved in to my family and friends. And how I was going to get out and rebuild Umbrella, and avenge the death of the company I'd been a part of. Perry thought about it as well. That's when we got an unexpected parole, and were introduced to the son of Albert Wesker, who wanted revenge for his father's death at the hands of you and your friends."
"Wesker got what he deserved!" screamed Jill. "He was a madman! He caused the downfall of the original S.T.A.R.S, not to mention he played a part in the deaths of millions of innocent people who had become unwitting experiments for Umbrella and the HCF! The two companies were heated rivals in B.O.W development, and Wesker played both sides for fools."
"Those people were necessary casualties of war, collateral damage, and nothing more."
"You BITCH!!" Jill couldn't take it anymore, and threw a kick that knocked Lillian out cold.
Winchester was beside himself. He drew his gun and prepared to shoot.
"It's over Winchester!" shouted Chris, who had struggled free of his bonds and was now poised to attack.
Allen was taken by surprise, but he fired another shot that hit Chris directly in the center of his chest. But Chris didn't go down, instead, his momentum allowed him to slam Allen into the steel wall of the chopper. In turn, Allen lost his bearings and stumbled out of the chopper, and into the Pacific far below. Chris collapsed to the floor, and Rebecca untied the other S.T.A.R.S and checked on Chris. Claire and Jill rushed to his side, as Leon tied Lillian up.
"So...what's the diagnosis doc? Am I... going to live?" asked Chris, trying to keep up his spirits, but he and the others knew that the diagnosis wasn't good. As he looked into the tear-filled eyes of his sister Claire and his wife Jill, he knew it would be the last glimpse of them he'd ever get. The bullet had penetrated his right lung, and without the proper equipment, not even Rebecca could save him. He mouthed the words "I love you" to both his wife and his sister, and took his final breath. Leon and Billy were both in shock over the death of their good friend as Jill, Claire, and Rebecca huddled together next to Chief Redfield's lifeless body.
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Are you shocked yet? Yes friends, a heroic yet very sad sendoff for the beloved Chris Redfield. I still can't believe I went through with it. Although I'd thought about this scenario for a long time, until now I wasn't sure I'd go through with it. And what about Rick Kennedy? Will he survive his river ride? More surprises will come before this is over! Please review!