Chapter 8: The Pieces Assembled
"Wake up!"
Rebecca jerked her head off the faded covers, scrambling onto her feet. She swung her handgun around as she searched for danger. The metal weight had become intimately familiar over the last twenty-four hours and provided a measure of confidence.
Jessica, sitting on the old bed, snorted with a smirk. "A bit jumpy, ain't cha?"
"Snake," Rebecca mumbled. The last dregs of her nightmare slithered away from her memory. They left a sense of danger and vulnerability nestled in her chest causing her heart to race. Her hands tightened around her weapon.
Jessica nodded. "Yeah, we killed a couple of snakes today. Or, was it yesterday?"
Yesterday? Rebecca focused. Daylight had long since abandoned them, leaving them to night's clawed embrace. The light in the room came from ceiling lights. In the back of her mind, she marveled at their persistence. Who knows how long they had been left on?
Startled, she blurted, "How long was I asleep?"
Jessica shrugged. "Dunno. I woke up just now."
As her mental faculties coalesced into full functionality, Rebecca's attention shifted from the dark window to Jessica. The teenager no longer looked as battered and bruised. Not to say she looked good. Her brown ponytail was getting crusty with old sweat and dirt. The bite marks added ugly marks to her skin. Yet, her green eyes glittered with life and amusement. She didn't shake with weakness and had stopped sweating.
"You look better," Rebecca observed as she stepped toward her companion.
"Better? I'm feelin' awesome," Jessica replied with a grin. "I'm immune!"
Rebecca placed the back of her hand against Jessica's forehead. The fever was gone. "It might be too early to say that, but it does look promising."
"Promisin' enough to get out and start blastin'," the cowgirl declared before leaving the bed.
Rebecca was about to voice her concerns when someone else caught her off.
"Rebecca?"
Both of the women's attentions snapped to the individual who walked into the room. Rebecca felt a wave of relief overcome her as she recognized the kind eyes, the blond high-and-tight haircut, and the strong chin. "Richard," she greeted.
Richard Aiken smiled as he lowered his handgun. To Rebecca's surprise, he looked untouched. No blood stained his orange shirt and vest. No mud clutched at his green, combat trousers. Even his black boots seemed pristine. How had he been so lucky?
Jessica focused on something completely different. "Nice shotgun."
Richard glanced toward his back where the lethal steel hung before focusing back on them. "Are you two alright?"
"Better than ever," Jessica said with a cocky grin.
Rebecca hesitated. "Richard, we were attacked. Edward's dead."
That news deflated the other STARS member as a faraway look covered his face. "I see. It's not much better on my end either. We got attacked by…things and had to split up. The rest of the team is either in hiding or…" he tapered off. He shook it off before announcing, "We just have to find Enrico."
Jessica snorted. "Good luck with that."
Richard turned his full attention on her. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to ignore you. My name is Richard Aiken, STARS. You are…?"
Jessica gave a hearty nod, her cowboy hat shifting with the motion. "I'm Jessica June, professional badass."
Rebecca resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Richard, to his credit, answered in all sincerity, "It's good to meet you." He turned toward Rebecca. "Can you explain to me why there's a civilian with you?"
Flashbacks of the training facility zoomed through Rebecca's mind. How could she explain everything that had happened last night? The deaths, the fighting, and the nightmarish facility. It was at this moment she realized that allowing a civilian to accompany her to another dangerous situation may not have been the most professional thing she had ever done.
In the pause of her reluctance, Jessica happily filled the void. "I can explain myself. You see, I'm sure you've noticed there's a bunch of monsters and zombies roamin' every which way. Well, I didn't feel like just wanderin' around and getting' eatin'. So, I've offered to help out." Jessica hefted her handgun and pointed at the submachine gun on her back.
"I see," Richard said slowly. "I guess we can't escort you out of here. Thank you for helping out."
Jessica's smile widened. "Happy to be of service."
Richard glanced over both of them. "Both of you seem to have seen some serious action. I'm sorry it's turned out like this." To Rebecca, he added, "What a horrible first assignment, huh?" As far as understatements went, Rebecca had trouble imaging something worse. Her silence lasted longer than she intended, and Richard said, "First, we have to get some place safe."
Jessica snorted again. "Safe? You're new to Umbrella facilities, ain'cha? There's nowhere here going to be safe, except maybe one or two rooms around here."
Richard quirked an eyebrow. "Umbrella?"
"Wow, you're new. I thought you said you've already fought some zombies?"
"It's a bit of a leap to go from fighting some… monsters to claiming that Umbrella is responsible," Richard pointed out.
"Actually, Richard," Rebecca began. "We do have evidence that the Umbrella Corporation is responsible for the incidents happening in these mountains."
Richard took a moment to digest that before he nodded. "Alright, I'll wait for a full explanation when we find Enrico. We should get going."
"Now this man has his priorities right," Jessica declared before she sauntered out of the room.
The two STARS members shared a look before they followed her. Rebecca glanced at the door next to the room's entrance. She paused before bypassing it. She wasn't sure where the door led, but the team needed to be heading outward not inward of the building.
Jessica waited for them outside the bedroom, glancing around. "Where to?" She half said to herself. To their right was where the wasp nest was. No doors and no exit points to explore. Around to their left, the hallway continued onward to an ornate set of double doors.
A lonesome red plant sat next to the double doors. Rebecca was annoyed she hadn't noticed it earlier.
"Red herb," Jessica declared as he walked over to it. "Becky, you got a green one to mix it?"
Rebecca debated arguing against the new nickname. She felt conscious of Richard's attention on the pair of them. As much as she wanted to fight it, an argument might make her look far more childish. Best to just deal with it, Rebecca thought with frustration before checking her supplies. "I don't."
Jessica grunted as she ripped the plant from its pot. "Best save it for later then," she said as she stuffed it into her jeans' back pocket. She paused as she stared at the double doors. "…something's moving in there."
The two STARS officers moved toward her. "Human?" Richard asked.
Jessica shook her head before pressing an ear against the doors. "Uh-uh. Don't sound right."
Rebecca did likewise and could hear an insistent swishing and swaying sound from the other side. "It's organic," she said after a moment. She stepped back. "It's not our problem."
Throwing a frown, Jessica looked at her. "You know how this'll go. We're gonna have to git in there sooner or later."
"After we've regrouped with Enrico," Rebecca replied.
Jessica ignored her as she grabbed the door handle. The door, however, refused her attempts to open it. "Damn it. Gonna need a key, I guess."
Vindication sparked within Rebecca, but she didn't voice it as she returned to the center of the room. In amidst the lab equipment on the center table, she found a magazine of pistol rounds. Must have been too tired last night to notice this too. "Richard? Do you need ammo?"
Richard glanced at his handgun and then at Rebecca's. "I have a spare clip, so you don't have to worry about it."
"I actually have a clip and a half left."
"I'll take it," Jessica offered as she brandished her dual weapons. "I don't have any spares."
After a pause, Rebecca nodded before passing it along. Richard gestured to the two remaining doors. "Which one?"
Jessica stared angrily at the large keypad next to the right door. "Don't suppose we could pop it open with a grenade?"
This time, Rebecca shot Jessica a flat look. "No."
Jessica sighed before pointing to the left door. "Looks like we're goin' that way."
"Should still be safe," Rebecca said as the trio moved. "I had to go through here earlier to find some blue herbs for Jessica."
Richard glanced at the cowgirl. "You alright?"
"Fine, fine. Just a bit of poison."
Richard nodded as he stepped ahead. "I'll take point."
"You're sweet," Jessica said as she stepped around him. "But I'd rather be up front."
This time, Richard frowned. "I'm sorry, but you're a civilian, and –"
"Who has seen a lot more fightin' against these bioweapons than you have," Jessica cut him off. "Woo boy, if you had seen some of the monsters we killed yesterday, we wouldn't be havin' this conversation. Or do you think all of this," she said as she gestured to her healing wounds, "is all for show?"
Richard glanced at Rebecca for verification. Although reluctant, she said, "She's not wrong. She's handled combat well."
Turning back to Jessica, Richard said, "I still don't like it. You're wounded, and I don't want you to get any more hurt. I am going to insist I take point."
The two of them locked gazes for a long moment. Jessica shrugged. "A'ight, go ahead."
Disbelief flashed through Rebecca's entire being. Why hadn't Jessica ever treated her that way? Richard smiled softly before opening the door. Rebecca started walking. Her expression must have been obvious for Jessica snorted after looking at her. "Jealous?"
Rebecca frowned.
"Don't be." Jessica followed after Richard, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I saw somethin' in his eyes you don't have."
Rebecca's frown grew sharper. "What?"
Jessica's eyes became unfocused. "Pain."
Of all answers, that was the one Rebecca hadn't been expecting. "Pain?"
Jessica blinked before shaking her head. "Don' worry about it."
The cowgirl marched onward before Rebecca could inquire further. Loud yet unfulfilled questions sounded in Rebecca's head, but all she could do was follow. The three of them entered into a hallway. "I've been here before," Rebecca said as she glanced both ways. "I went left last time."
Richard pointed in the opposite direction. "I think I see a map down there."
Jessica looked that way and nodded. "Good eye."
The three of them walked to the end of the hallway, passing a door with a large 002 inscribed above it. The map had been posted on the wall. The area had been used to store cleaning supplies. Richard kicked a mop out of the way before retrieving the map. Jessica paused next to the door.
"Only one floor," Rebecca noted as she stepped next to Richard. "That should make things easy."
"Can you point to where you've been?" Richard asked as he stared over the schematic.
"Here, through here," Rebecca answered as she traced a finger over her route earlier that day. "Only one exit to the outside, and I've been right up to it. There shouldn't be any danger to us." She hesitated. "Except for a large hole in the flooring. I didn't see anything, but I made sure to climb next to it over a pile of boxes. Just to be safe."
The twisting of a door handle grabbed both of their attentions. Without a hint of apology, Jessica pushed the 002 door opened. "At least that's one door that ain't locked." A groan emanated from the room. "Well, lookie here. I found a friend."
Rebecca immediately shifted into a shooter's stance before advancing up to Jessica. The sound of sagging footsteps tumbled into the hallway. Jessica, as nonchalant as ever, lifted both of her handguns to eye level.
Rebecca, with Richard coming behind her, slid behind Jessica to see through the door. The scent of old blood struck her first. A hanging lab coat next to the wall was crusted with blood. The smell of rotten flesh was next. The owner of that stench shambled toward the three of them.
No visible wound explained how he had died. The copious amounts of old blood staining the zombie's shirt and pants seemed to have been vomited from its mouth, judging by the spray origin point.
Richard and Rebecca tensed as the zombie neared the door. Jessica simply squeezed the trigger. Brain matter and skull fragments splattered behind the zombie. It took one more shambling step forward before collapsing at Jessica's feet.
She grinned at the medic. "And, just like that, we're back in it."
"I see it!" Joseph crowed.
Chris almost leapt out of his seat as he slid over to Joseph's side. "Where?"
Joseph pointed against the window. "7 o'clock, at the edge of that clearing."
"Verified!" Chris added, energy brimming in his voice.
Jill fought the urge to join them. So many bodies hurrying to one side of the helicopter might unbalance it. Instead, she unholstered her Beretta. As much as she hoped this situation would be resolved easily, Bruce's warnings echoed in her mind.
"Vickers," Wesker began. "Set us down in the same clearing."
"It's going to be a tight fit," Brad said but angled the helicopter downward.
When the helicopter came about, Jill got her first good look at Bravo's copter. It wasn't a reassuring sight. No signs of life were to be found. It may have been in one piece, but there was something wrong with it. She stared hard, until she realized what it was. The windows were broken. Black holes punctured through them.
Her heart's tempo increased.
Despite his warning, Brad landed their chopper without issue. For all of his faults, Brad was an exceptional pilot, better than Chris even. The moment the landing gear made contact with the earth, Alpha Team sprung into action.
Joseph led the way as they formed an arrow centered on his forward point. With an unobstructed view, his camera would not be hampered by his comrades. Jill took her place in the middle of the right wing, Barry behind her in support.
Behind the formation, Brad swung a spotlight toward the sister copter.
Jill realized she was wrong. There were no holes in the copter's windows. Canine bodies hung limply from where they had crashed through. "Attack dogs," she muttered, her voice lost in the roar of Alpha chopper. She redoubled her attention on the team's flank, eyes hard toward the forest.
The wall of stench caught her off-guard.
She stifled a gag and wasn't the only one. Poor Joseph was the worst affected. The bandana-wearing officer doubled over, gasping.
"Oh god, what is that stench?" Barry hissed.
"Stay focused," Wesker ordered, seemingly unaffected by the reek. Maybe the sunglasses protected him, Jill thought sourly.
Regaining his composure, Joseph started marching, the rest of the team in step. He reached the helicopter and swept his flashlight over it. "No one is in the pilot or co-pilot's seat," he called out. He paused. "These dogs are dead." He glanced over his shoulder. "For a long time."
"We lost contact with Bravo team twenty-four hours ago," Chris reminded him.
Joseph shook his head. "No, these dogs have been dead for a couple of weeks, at least. I'm seeing advanced decomposition, and these injuries don't make sense." Joseph pointed his flashlight at the nearest dog. "This one is missing a chunk of its stomach, but it didn't happen here."
Metal clicked as the copter's side door shifted. In a flash, every weapon was aimed at the spot. Slowly, the door slid open.
Taking a slow and ginger step, a soldier shambled out of the helicopter's flank. The bespectacled soldier scanned Alpha Team with tired green eyes. He held a M16 assault rifle in a casual cradle as he regarded them.
Jill's eyes and mind worked in quick conjunction. Blonde hair, green eyes, average height, and glasses. This must be him.
Daniel nodded to Alpha Team.
"Hi."
