Chapter 2

10:32 AM. Barry had been driving for almost an hour. He had no idea where he was going, He just knew he had to get away. He lite up another cigarette, and started scanning his memories. "Why can't I live a normal life like everyone else?" He said to himself after an exhasperated sigh. Like a tape on fast forward, all of his bazaar career events played in his head. The mansion incident, the Racoon city outbreak, S.T.A.R.S, the whole Umbrella scandle. It was all supposed to be behind me now. So who is this new group, and why do they want me dead? And who the hell was that deadbeat loser in the faggy outfit? All of these questions flowed through his imagination as he took another haul on his cigarette. The area he was driving through was only populated by farmers and wine makers. The landscape, was primarilybrown fields of wheat ripe for harvest, and grazing areas populated with many cows. The sky was blue on a bright sunny day, with a few clouds to decorate the atmosphere, as seen in a beautiful painting. It was definately worth a snapshot, but Barry had other things on his mind.

His small cell rang once again on the leather seat beside him. Barry let it go for awhile, almost terrified of answering, leaving to the imagination of what horrors awaited him next. However, The phone wouldn't stop, as if the caller on the other end had an obsessive determination to reach him. Frustrated, Barry picked up the device and flipped it open. "Hello?" Was his opening line. "Glad to see you made it out of there Mr. Burton. It looks like you havn't slowed down one bit." Came the reply of the familiar scrambled voice. "Who the hell are you? And why do these people want me dead?" Responded Barry, obviously flustered. "Who I am is not important right now. As for the mercenaries... They have been hired by the company to wipe out the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members in order to secure the reconstruction."

Barry looked around nervously, making sure he was not being followed. "The company? You mean Umbrella?" There was a short pause on the other line before the man continued. "No... They are not Umbrella anymore. Due to the amount of damage you and the other remaining S.T.A.R.S. members have done to their reputation in the public eye, they are no longer Umbrella for obvious reasons." Barry pulled over to the side of the rocky terrain in order to concentrate more fully on what this man had to say. "Why are you helping me?" Asked Barry, obviously curious as to the motives of this man. "Because, by keeping you alive, you will owe me a large debt." Barry scanned his rear view mirror, feeling rightfully paranoid. "So this is about money?" Retorted Barry in a slightly upset tone of voice. "No... Instead, you are going to help me wipe this company out before it even starts. We can't allow this all too familar face to resurface this time. If they succeed in wiping out S.T.A.R.S. nothing will prevent them from continueing their research on the T-Virus." Barry sank back into his seat, allowing everything he just heard to settle into his mind.

"Look, I wanna help you, I really do. But all of my contacts and weapons are back in the States. I'm just on vacation for Christs' sakes." Barry finished as he rubbed his eyes, already fading with fatigue. "Well then Mr. Burton. I suggest you call your friends as soon as possible. As for weapons and equipment... Don't worry, they will be provided. Listen carefully Mr. Burton... If you want to make it out here alive to see your family again, I suggest you take my advice. Unless you want to try and take out those hitters with the little ammunition you have, all by yourself. And believe me, that's not enough." Barry paused for a long moment, considering his very limited options. He glanced over to his weapon on the seat. He had only 1 grenade, 1 spare clip, and 1 in the breach. Finally, he responded. "Alright, We have a deal." Barry stated with a sigh. "Good, I knew you'd see the light at the end of the tunnel. You get in touch with your people, and I will keep in contact." Barry clasped his phone shut and sat there for a moment longer with his head in his hands. "There's a shit storm commin."

12:16 PM, Somewhere in France. An extraction chopper lands near a large control tower in the center of a French military facility. The large steel door slides open with an exhadurated amount of force. Jerhico steps off the vehicle hastily, and begins walking at a decent pace towards the tower. The facility is booming with activity, as hundreds of troops scamper about unloading equipment from trucks, and preparing different aircraft for take off. Other soldiers are participating in different combat drills and other various training excercises. Something big was going down real soon, but Jerhico didn't pay much attention. Right now, he was busy trying to prepare what he was going to tell his superior. Failure was not an option when dealing with these types of people, and Jerhico knew it. The base was in a fairly remote location, most likely along the border where nobody really wandered into very often. An officer with 2 guards behind him approached the man in red with a salute. "We are delighted to have you here Colonel. Please come with me, He is expecting you." The officer turned around and headed towards the entrance, With Jerhico following reluctantly behind him. They approached a steel door with a card reader and key pad on the right. The officer swiped his card and entered a 4 digit access code, And the door unlocked. The guards stayed at the entrance, as the officer and his companion stepped inside.

Inside the facility was a large dark room, lite solely by hundreds of computer stations and a large screen, displaying sattellite images, media coverage, and many other things. Most of the stations seemed to be manned by overpaid civillians, while the place was also swarming with guards dressed in urban camoflague, and bearing assault weapons. The officer led Jerhico up a winding set of polished stainless steel stairs, that stretched to a large office overlooking the busy drones. The officer knocked on the door at the top of the stairs lightly, and then stepped inside. The men walked into an elaborate office suspended above the center of activity. The walls were all 2-way mirrors, and a large cherrywood desk sat in the center decorated with about 3 different computer terminals, each serving a different purpose. A man of average height and build, wearing an expensive looking black suit, stood with his hands behind his back looking out the window opposite of the door. The officer stepped forward and cleared his throat nervously. "Ahem, the Colonel is here to see you sir." The man in black turned around, He looked to be in his mid 50's and had a few wrinkles on his forehead and cheeks, itwas quite apparent that he is not used to smiling much. "Thankyou major, that will be all." The officer gave a quick salute and eagerly exited the office, closing the door behind him.

The man stood upright and proud, as he walked towards the man in red. Jerhico's knees went weak, and his teeth started chattering as he was truely terrified of this old man. The man stopped right in front of him, staring coldly right through Jerhico's glasses. Jerhico's face seered with pain, as the man backhanded his right cheek firmly. "You miserable cur! Have some respect!" Jerhico immeadiatly nodded and removed his shades stuffing them in his pocket. His piercing grey eyes nearly welled up with tears at this man's scorning. "How could you let the target get away?" Asked the man gruffly. Jerhico looked down at the floor, ashamed. "H-he ambushed us." The Man cranked his arm back and threw a good strike to his lip. "This was supposed to be a done deal. A sniper takes him out, you confirm the kill... That was the agreement." The man said in an almost reassuring tone of voice, as Jerhico wiped the drop of blood from his mouth. "He was smarter than we anticipated... He was a member of a special forces unit after all." The man quickly threw another punch, but his fist was caught by Jerhico's hand. "I deserved 1... Not 3." Said Jerhico weakly. The man grinned devilishly as placed his hand back at his side. "Good to know you have some balls. Now I am going to pay out of pocket for this extra expense, and I expect reults. Assemble your unit and do it right this time." Jerhico bowed and headed out of the office. He clenched his fist as he descended down the staircase. His hatred growing for his superior every day.