Chapter 3- To hunt down a rat
Claire arrived at the airport in Austria, and walked straight to the information counter. She needed to know where she could find the HCF base.
Claire folded her arms on the counter, "Hi, Um… Do you know of any HCF base here in Austria?"
The young woman behind the counter raised an eyebrow and replied, "No. I have not heard of any HCF- or whatever you call it- base here, Miss."
"Are you sure?" Claire asked again in a more desperate tone.
"Positive."
Claire picked up her small bag, and walked to the exit. She couldn't help but hide her disappointment.
Chris forgot to mention that the base was a SECRET… now where do I go?
She called for a taxi, and got in. The taxi driver was a big man, smoking on a cigarette. Claire wouldn't stand for this.
"Do you mind smoking after I leave the cab?"
"Sure, sure!" he exclaimed in a friendly tone, "So, what brings you to Austria? On holiday, perhaps?"
Claire wasn't entirely sure whether she should tell the man the real reason she was here.
"Because-" Claire spoke and then was silent. "- No reason, I suppose," she said.
"I'm sure there is a reason."
Geez, what a busy body!
"Well, do you know of any HCF base? Or facility here in Austria?"
The man was silent, like he was trying to think.
"What's a girl like you doing looking for the HCF base? I'd tell you where it is, but It's not a place for you to be wondering around in," he replied in a soft voice.
"How would you know that?" Claire asked.
"I used to work there. Not many people know about the facility, but I know it of its existence. And it is a mad house. Experiments on humans…" the man shivered.
"I know that. But you don't understand- I absolutely have to go!" Claire said and then sat back, "One of those experiments is my friend."
The man stared at her through the rear view mirror and said, "Then I will take you there."
They had to go through the dense forest to get to the HCF base, and by the time they got there, it was already late in the evening. Claire stepped out of the cab and slammed the door shut.
"You're going to have to walk from here, and find a way in. Do not go through the main entrance as only the employees come in through there," the man said.
Claire thanked the man and took out her wallet to pay.
"Forget it. I earn enough. Just be careful and good luck finding your friend."
Claire thanked him again and then walked down the road, as the cab reversed and drove off. She reached the facility, which looked to be quite big. It wasn't very welcoming, with a "Beware" sign stuck onto the gate. It was also deserted, which was a bad sign.
Ok, time to find another way into the facility.
She walked to the side of the building, and saw a ventilation shaft that she could easily reach. She crawled through the shaft until she found an opening, and then climbed down. She was surprised to find that there was no one to be found in the room. Except for a couple of computers, the room was empty. She checked the computers.
Oh, I can see the whole facility this way.
She continued looking at the monitors, and found that there was no sign of any human life. She then caught a glimpse of a shadow moving down the corridor.
Wesker?
Albert Wesker took of his sunglasses and held it in his hand. His red eyes gleamed, as he looked down and admired the vial in his hand. The one thing he had been long searching for- the queen virus was in his hand. He put his hand on his face, and remembered what he had gone through to get the virus. His burns were severe from the fight with Chris Redfield back at the Antarctic Base.
"Chris," Wesker said to himself. "How I despise you, so."
Steve… I still need to take care of him.
After extracting the virus from his body, miraculously Steve survived, and that posed a threat to Wesker. He thought of Steve as nothing but bait for the lovely Claire Redfield. He intended on keeping the queen virus for more important things, rather then keeping Steve a mutant. Wesker walked off, and opened the door to the cell.
Chris, Leon and Barry flew themselves to Austria. Leon sat at the back of with Chris, whilst Barry was flying the plane. Leon couldn't help but feel sorry for Chris, who looked just about as worried as anything.
"Chris, don't worry. Claire's a smart girl. She'll be fine," Leon stated in an effort to comfort him.
Chris shrugged and took out his handgun, reloaded it and stuffed it in his pocket.
"I'm not worried."
Yeah, sure you aren't, Chris! Leon thought. But decided not to say it.
"I can't believe Claire would do this, all for a friend," Chris said.
"She's a great person, that's why."
Only, from the way things are sounding, she and Steve may be more then friends.
Leon sighed.
"What's wrong? You're not still crazy about Claire, are you?" Chris grinned.
Leon blushed, but quickly coughed to cover up, "Err… no."
Chris ignored the quick answer from Leon, and went up front to discuss the plan of action with Barry. It wouldn't be long till they landed, and they had to be prepared for the worse. Leon fell asleep on the plane, and was shaken awake by Barry.
"Leon… you awake? We're here," Barry said as he handed him a handgun.
Leon took the handgun from Barry and stood up, stretching his arms.
Chris had already stepped out of the plane, and was scanning the area. Barry had landed the plane a mile or two away from the base, so the employees would not be alerted.
Chris led the two of them down the trail, which seemed to go on forever.
"Leon, I just wanted to say that I'm glad you came with me," Chris said.
Barry grunted and Chris laughed, "And I'm especially glad you're here with me too, you know since you've got a family to be with."
Snap!
Chris stopped walking and turned around. Leon and Barry turned around to see what Chris was looking at.
"Did you hear that?" Chris asked them both.
"Hear what?" Barry asked.
Chris turned around and replied, "Nothing… I thought I heard something."
As Chris turned around, a dog from a nearby bush pounced on top of him and bit his hand, ripping his skin.
"Chris!" they both yelled in unison.
Leon ran towards the dog, and kicked it off of Chris. Barry aimed at the dog, and caught its head. The dog let out a high-pitched yelp before it died. Chris held up his hand, which was cut and badly bleeding. Leon looked at the dog, which had no skin, only muscle.
Raccoon City… his mind flashed back to when he was in the city.
"We have to…" Chris paused, "… get inside the building before more of the dogs come."
They ran down the trail as fast as they could. Leon looked behind and saw more dogs chasing after them. He thought of turning back and shooting at a few, but then remembered that they didn't have enough ammo. Chris was in pain, but he knew he had to make it. Leon was exhausted, but continued running. If he ever wanted to see Claire again, he had to make it.
Will Leon, Chris and Barry make it to the base without becoming dog-chow? Check out tomorrow's chapter!
