Author Note: Continuation to Secrets and Flies that starts three months after the end of the last one. Love, betrayal, suspense and action are on the menu for this story as we watch our favourite band of Umbrella renegades give it there all to hopefully bring a final end to there hellish lifestyle once and for all. To do that, assistance will be required from some, unconventional characters.
I do not own the characters & this will be very different from any RE movie and/or video game plot (to date)
Please read & review as you wish!
B.
Updated 01-July-2021: Updated to match changes to Secrets & Flies.
Calm Before the Storm
- 6 -
In a matter of moments, the quiet deck of The Arcadia had erupted into disarray and sacrifice. They all knew this moment was inevitable, even if Alice never returned but that did not change the amount of carnage that lay in their wake. It was only a matter of time before Umbrella picked up on their transmissions, locked onto their position, and invaded like a swarm of bees. They did not want any trace of the resistance in their wasteland of a planet. Every living soul aboard The Arcadia was expendable, just like the bullets in their guns.
With Claire's emergency planning, Alice's warning, and K-Mart feeding live updates from the navigation system, those fighting were as prepared as they could ever be. Alice joined Claire at the bow of the ship, releasing Luther to go to the stern and wait for Jill and Chris to arrive. People flowed out of every opening, spilling onto the boat deck, guns cocked and eyes scanning the skies for Umbrella. Those that joined the women at the bow looked to Alice, relieved in some way that she was back with them. The orders Chris had given over the past ninety days dissipated, for more were concerned with the whirl of helicopters than a renegade.
The alarm signaling all non combatants to be in the cargo hold had ended. Angela's voice crackled over the airwaves to announce the hold was locked and ETA for approach was one minute. Within seconds helicopters materialized on the horizon, firing long range missiles at the sides of the ship in an attempt to sink it. The shells exploded on impact, the boat rumbling and smoke billowing into the sky. Regardless, The Arcadia held strong. Not long after the explosions, rapid gun fire from machine guns filled the air. They were hooked up to the front of the helicopters, operated by the pilots safe inside their bulletproof cages.
"Everyone, get down!" Alice screamed, grabbing Claire as they took cover behind a cargo container, the bullets ricocheting off the metal, sparks flying.
Claire watched as volunteers in the open, trying to take aim on the helicopters before getting pelted with bullets, folded to the ground like a house of cards.
Most people followed the renegade's instructions, shielding themselves from gunfire. Alice watched the helicopters break from their "v" shape formation, swarming The Arcadia from all sides, spraying more bullets as they went. Anticipating Umbrella would come with heavy artillery, a group of Arcadian soldiers took off towards the large machine gun turrets. There were two at the stern and two at the bow. One of the helicopters noticed these soldiers and returned fire, bullets ricocheting off the metal hull, some being hit, others persevering, zig-zagging to avoid the rain of bullets.
It was a war, and everyone knew the risk, but that did not change the fact that blood emerging from people that weren't the undead.
As fighters watched their friends and family die around them, an overwhelming desire for revenge took hold of their hearts. Those still able, fought with more passion than before. Explosions erupted on deck, sending people into the sky and overboard. If they were lucky, the hard slap of the water would kill them before stray gunfire. Fires raged from cargo that was set aflame, forcing those in hiding to run into the open. Blinded by smoke and heat, they were picked off one by one like fish in a barrel. None of the survivors aboard were military trained. Any previous fighting experience was with the undead or the drills onboard, not a soldier engineered by Umbrella. Most had no idea what to do except point and shoot, hoping their bullets pierced something softer than Kevlar or metal.
The entire ship rumbled and swayed as two missiles hit the starboard side. A large tidal wave washed up and over the deck, taking people out at their ankles as they slid across the deck and crashed into metal posts and crates. Not long after, another explosion erupted, this time from the sky. Everyone looked up with a smile. One of the black hawks hovering near the stern had erupted into a fireball. It swayed left and then right, unable to stay airborne now that its blades had been shot out. Jill watched as the remaining Umbrella Operatives abandoned their doomed bird, jumping into the ocean as the now unmanned helicopter collided with the one adjacent to it. She remained crouched behind a large tower of crates, watching as the mangled metal and charred bodies graze the port side of the ship. She covered her eyes, gritting her teeth at the sound of metal scrapping against the hull of the ship. A cheer spanned the deck as the men manning the stern guns turned their attention to another bird in the sky opening for a repeat performance.
Two down, six more to go.
- The Bridge -
K-Mart and Angela were ready. After the alarm sounded and the cargo hold secure, all that was left was to prepare themselves. K-Mart took note of the group of eight green dots approaching on the radar, relaying the information to the team out on the boat deck. Angela watched as men and women piled out of open doorways, guns at the ready. She had a sudden sense of pride, feeling like she was apart of the winning team for once. She could see Alice and Claire at the bow, their eyes trained on the horizon as the helicopters grew larger in the sky. The two doors leading into the bridge had been secured, their rifles in the storage closet were locked and loaded. The girls watched as the black hawks fanned out, surrounding The Arcadia on all sides. Two of the helicopters hovered in front of the bridge, their machine guns turned to the Plexiglas. Before K-Mart got down for cover, she noticed the back of the helicopter was open an operatives were rappelling down towards the boat deck. This left only the pilot and co-pilot who was manning the gun turret.
Angela and K-Mart hit the deck as an eruption of gunfire ensued. They separated, ducking behind large crates to the left and right of the room, shielding their bodies as best they could. Bullets broke through the glass like nothing. What was once bullet proof was compromised by previous gunfire. The bullets ricocheted off the command center. Sparks flew from busted equipment, short circuiting the controls. It was impossible for either of them to get a single shot off. Angela peered around her barricade for a quick second, her ears ringing, unsure if the gunfire had actually ceased. She met eyes with the co-pilot on the left who opened fire once more. He targeted her specifically, now aware of her location. She backed herself into the corner as far as she could, getting into a tight ball and placing her head between her legs. Splinters and straw from the inside of the crates whizzed by her face, filling the room with dust.
K-Mart, on the opposite side of the room, tried to get Angie's attention, but it was no use. The sound was deafening and she had had her back to her, shielding her unborn child as best she could. Time was running out for her friend's blockade was deteriorating at a rapid rate. K-Mart did the only thing that she could think of; blindly fire rounds from her position in hopes of attracting attention. It worked, within moments the turrets switched directions and took aim on K-Mart as she dove for cover. Angela looked up, meeting eyes with her friend who pointed to the chart table at the back of the room. It was thick and large, if they could flip it to use as cover, and take aim on both helicopters, they could win this.
Angie nodded, eyeing the helicopters for a moment before scurrying across the floor. She slid across the debris, upsetting the chart table and diving behind it, hoping the pilots didn't notice her. The table was high, at least three feet off the ground, with the top a couple feet thick. She peered over the lip, noticing the gun fire was still trained on K-Mart, but her barricade couldn't take much more gunfire. With the gunmen preoccupied, Angela took aim with her long range rifle. She rested the barrel on the lip of the chart table, steadying her hand and peering through the scope. Taking a deep breath, the co-pilot's forehead was in the middle of her cross hairs so she fired, watching the Umbrella Operative slump forward on his controls, blood splattering the windshield.
She quickly cleared the chamber, adjusting her aim to the helicopter on the left, again lining up the co-pilots forehead with the gun sight. Her finger was grazed the trigger when the pilot caught a glint from her scope. His co-pilot fired, sweeping bullets across the room in a path destined for Angela's head. She fired and then ducked, not waiting to see if she got her target or not. She did, hitting the co-pilot square in the temple and ceasing the gun fire. That was when Angela felt a burning sensation radiating from the left side of her body.
K-Mart saw the scene unfold, watching her friend get hit, her clothes turning red indicating she'd been shot. "Angie!" she called, her friend remaining unresponsive. The teen screamed a war cry and fired at the helicopters, taking out the pilot to left.
She slid in her combat boots across the bullet riddled floor as the helicopter no longer being piloted started to loose altitude. With a quick glance in Angie's direction, K-Mart could see the growing red stain on her left shoulder from blood pumping from her wound.
"Keep pressure on it okay!" K-Mart yelled as Angie nodded, doing as her friend instructed.
Her hands were trembling as she ripped off a piece of her shirt, pressing it into the wound and crying out in pain. K-Mart cocked her gun on the lip of the table, ready to fire, but realized it wasn't needed. The left helicopter had tilted sideways, swinging it's back end into the side of the helicopter on the right, the rotating blades chewing up the metal like an over-sized garbage disposal unit. K-Mart grabbed Angie by the neck and face planted them both to the ground, covering their faces and ears as a loud explosion erupted in the sky. Pieces of metal whipped into the bridge, lodging themselves in walls and floor. A few shrapnel pieces sliced through the chart table, so close that if they were not down on the ground, the metal would have sliced them both in half. The rest of the carnage fell to the boat deck below, the whole ship rumbling upon impact.
K-Mart looked up over the table as Angela sucked in a breath, trying to do the same. Flames flickered off what remained of the control center to the bridge and large, jagged pieces of glass jutted out from the windshield like teeth to a monster. Angie staggered to her feet while K-Mart rushed to the control panel. She peered down at what remained of the two helicopters burning on the bow section of the ship. All she could make out through the smoke rising into the sky was a twisted pile of metal, the air going thick with black, billowing clouds.
"Angie did you see that! We kicked -" K-Mart stated as she turned, her smile turning into a frown at Angie trying to remain upright.
The blonde quickly ran to her friends aid, seeing her ashen face and body hunched, clutching her stomach. Angela stumbled right into K-Mart's arms, causing them both to collapse onto the ground with a thump.
"The pain, it hurts!" Angela screamed, no longer clutching her shoulder, but instead her small baby bump.
Before K-Mart could react, she saw Angela's pants stain red with blood. She was no Doctor, but K-Mart knew something was wrong with the baby. She laid Angela down on the ground gently, her friend screaming in agony, tears streaking cheeks. The young blonde was at a loss of what to do next. Angela's eyes were wild with fear, her face going ashen. Everyone who could help was out fighting Umbrella. Blood was covering Angela from top to bottom, her bullet wound still freely pumping from her shoulder.
"K-K-Mart, I'm so scared." She slurred, her eyes fluttering closed.
"Angie, come on, stay awake!" K-Mart yelled, gently slapping the red heads cheek.
It was useless, Angela was on the verge of passing out, and K-mart wasn't sure if it was the pain or the blood loss. Quickly, she tore off a large piece of fabric from her shirt, ripping Angela's and slamming the fabric and her palms onto the wound to apply pressure. Angela's eyes shot open as she screamed in pain, gritting her teeth through the burning sensation in her shoulder. K-Mart was never good at first-aid, but surviving in this world for as long as she had, she learnt a thing or two, mostly from Claire. Tightly, she wrapped the piece of fabric over the wound knotting it as the white fabric quickly turned red.
"We need to get you down to the cargo hold, can you stand?" K-Mart asked.
Angela nodded incoherently as the blonde wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders, lifting them up as more screams escaped her lips. K-Mart readjusted her grip on her friend, her pants caked in blood as they shuffled towards the bridge door.
"Please, just make sure my baby's okay," Angie murmured against K-Mart's shoulder.
Angela closed her eyes, falling limp on K-Mart's shoulder, her fresh tourniquet already soaked with blood.
"Angie! Angie! Wake up damn it!" K-Mart sobbed, shaking her best friend.
There was no movement. K-Mart opened the door, beginning to make the trek towards the cargo hold. Once they were down the grated steps and into the barren halls she stopped for a moment, her friend's dead weight slipping on her right side. The blood from her wound was now soaking into her own shirt. There were only two things that kept K-Mart going; the soft sounds of Angela's shallow breathing, and that their was a single Doctor on board. K-Mart prayed he was in the cargo hold instead of out on deck risking his life.
- Stern -
Now that two helicopters were down, the machine gun fire at the stern had ceased. Instead, approximately thirty Umbrella soldiers, dressed in black fatigues, with tight fitting helmets, tinted visors, and the Umbrella logo embossed on their arms were crawling all over the deck. They sported large, overpowering machine guns and hunting knives ready to engage in hand to hand combat. Their slick trench coats swirled around their combat boots with every spin. Not everyone had machine guns, some had large canister that shot out nets, capturing Arcadian fighters as they attempted to flea. It was clear that experimentation was still on the table for Umbrella.
Jill gritted her teeth as she fired, expertly hitting operatives in the head one after another. It made her smolder with rage that whomever was now the head of Umbrella continued to treat the human race like their own personal supply of guinea pigs. Even after everything, Umbrella was still trying to create better and more powerful bio-weapons. For what purpose Jill had no clue, but whatever the answer was, it would never be in their favor. She eyed an empty gun turret once manned by an Arcadian fighter. Their corpse now lay on the boat deck, a piece of a shrapnel from the exploding helicopters overhead was sticking out of her chest. If they stood any chance against these expert fighters they needed that gun, so Jill to made a break for it.
Chris, who was also in the stern but on the port side, was engaged in hand to hand combat with two Umbrella Operatives. After subduing one with the sleeper hold, he quickly spun, reaching for the second man's knife tucked into his left boot. Chris raised the blade upwards, slicing the man across the throat. He too crumpled to the ground. Chris saw Jill running for the unmanned gun turret. He smiled, watching her dive roll over fallen soldiers, pulling her reserve pistol from her hip and firing at two operatives flanking her on either side, never missing a stride. He was glad she could hold her own, crossing his worry for her safety from his mental list of 'to do's'.
Another three Operatives made a move towards him. Chris upper-cutted the man to his left, knocking his helmet off as he fell back against the deck, the wind knocked out of him. He used the knife from his last kill and sliced the second one, sending him to his knees holding his neck. Chris then spun, kicking the third man in the ribs as he swung his right arm, ready to punch. He grabbed the mans extended forearm, throwing him to the ground with a thud and pulled out the pistol strapped to his thigh, firing four rounds into his chest. The man he incapacitated staggered to his feet, nose broken and bloody. While reaching for his gun, Chris spun and shot from his hip, sending him flying backwards with a bullet to the heart.
Satisfied with the job well done, Chris heard the whirl of a helicopter on the starboard side. It had caught onto Jill's break for the empty turret. Before Chris could yell a warning, the gunner began firing. Jill dove for cover behind a stack of crates, no longer visible from his position. He began to panic, wondering if she was able to dodge the explosion and bullets in time. Chris made his way towards her, jumping over crates and eliminating every Umbrella Operative that stood in his path. It was all happening so fast, barely feeling the knife slicing skin, or the weight of his gun in his hand. Jill was no where to be seen when he paused behind a metal crate, squinting past the flames of what remained of the machine gun turret. Instead of Jill, Chris locked eyes with a large, Umbrella Operative carrying a sub-machine gun in each hand. He dove left, covering his head as splinters shot up around him. Chris squirmed on his stomach, pressing his body against a metal bulkhead waiting for a break in gun fire.
When he reached the corner Chris smiled, spotting Jill's blood speckled face about six feet ahead and to the right. She had abandoned all hope on the gun turret to the starboard side, with her eye on the port side one now. The helicopter could not see her from her current position, and the large operative ceased his gunfire, believing he had killed his target. She kept herself pasted to the metal bulkhead, avoiding the bullets flying inches above her head when she locked eyes with Chris. As sneaky as Jill hoped she was, the pilot was two steps ahead and took aim, exploding the last gun turret on the stern of the ship.
Suddenly, the helicopter cut sharp to the right, heading towards the bow. There were five helicopters hovering now, two focused on the bridge, and two at the bow. Chris made a move to take out the large sub-machine gun man when a group of five Umbrella Operatives made there way to Jill, confident they would take care of her. Chris needed to get to her for there was no way she would survive on her own. He was mentally preparing himself for the showdown when shotgun fire erupted on his left. Jimmy was flanking him, using suppressing fire.
The kid who Jill thought was so young and innocent a mere fifteen minutes ago was now their only hope. He fired round after round at the large, sub-machine gun man, taking him out on the third blast. Jimmy lowered his weapon, a glint of revenge and hatred in his eyes as he extended his hand out to Chris to help him up. No words needed to be exchanged between them as Chris gave him a curt nod, both taking aim, and clearing a path towards Jill. He was impressed, and even Jill would have to admit the boy was a man and no longer a child.
"Go left, I'll take right!" Chris yelled as the kid nodded.
It felt as if they were comrades for years. They hid behind crates as cover, reloading their guns before taking aim, knocking down each Umbrella agent who made an advance with precision and ease. Slowly, they swept across the stern, inching closer and closer to Jill. She was saw her reinforcements and smiled, tossing aside her empty machine gun and pulled the two pistols, hugging them to her sides. Chris and Jimmy backs were pressed against the wood, chests heavy, and sweat dotting their brows. After a few moments, they nodded to each other and when there was a brief pause in machine gun fire, they resumed firing once more.
Jill abandoned her hiding place, firing one head shot after another, sweeping left to right as the Umbrella Operatives fell like cardboard cutouts at a shooting range. Not long after, the smoke still singeing off her pistols, she heard explosion erupt from behind her.
- Bow -
The best course of action was to split up. Alice went to the left, Claire to the right, while Luther did damage control on either side from the center. They worked their way through the Umbrella Operatives that touched down on deck, shooting, slicing, and punching any and everyone that was dressed in black. There was a chance they were going to come out of this alive and on top. With those ready and willing to fight standing side by side with the crew they trusted, Umbrella no longer looked like the big bully on the playground anymore.
Alice jumped from the catwalk below the bridge, landing hard on her feet as the deck rumbled. She drew her sawed off shotguns and began firing, one fluid motion after another. Umbrella Operatives wilting at her feet. With grace she changed from handgun to sword, slicing at torsos and necks as if they were pesky vines in an overgrown jungle. It made her heart beat faster, her senses heightened and a smile curled on her lips. She was enjoying this, for this was her element. The feral genes locked inside were unleashed as she jumped, kicked, and punched from one person to the next.
An eruption at the right side of the bow caught Claire's attention. She turned, after shooting an Umbrella foe in the forehead, to see one of the black hawks hoovering over them explode in mid air. Moments later, the two men manning the turret guns on deck were killed as payback for their excellent marksmanship. Watching her people get slaughtered only fueled Claire more as she armed herself with a pistol and a large hunting knife. She fired at two Umbrella Operatives to her left, bullets lodging between the eyes, and then dove behind a stack of crates to her right. Bullets pierced the crates just above her head, missing their mark by mere centimeters. She waited for the moment of silence when they would reload. In one swift move, Claire raised her gun over the crates and fired, taking out the two men in her way. The unmanned turret was now within reach.
Alice felt alive. With every punch she threw she felt stronger. Making her way closer to the tip of the bow, another explosion erupted behind her. At first she thought the helicopters shot more missiles at the ship, but instead, it was two hovering helicopters in front of the bridge exploding into a single fireball, crashing into the deck right where she and Claire were standing only moments ago. From her position, Alice was also able to see Luther, holding his own in hand to hand combat with two operatives. Without flinching, she broke the arm of the man currently locked in an arm bar, using her free fist to upper-cut the other coming from behind. The blow was hard enough to knock his helmet off, sending him backwards dazed and unconscious. One after another, Arcadian fighters and Umbrella soldiers wilted to the boat deck, lifeless. Alice scanned the pile of dead bodies for Claire, unable to see her red headed lover in the sea of black and white. More black tactical rope coiled at her feet as she gazed up, watching as more operatives began to repel down.
Alice's concern was not for the more men, but for the hovering bird above. Out of the eight that originally were in the sky, only three remained, all centered on the bow. She took out her sawed off shot guns once more, running towards a stack of crates. With ease she took the crates one at a time, using them as steps until Alice was at eye level with the windshield of the helicopter twenty feet away. Taking quick aim she fired, her buck shots full of quarters sliced through the windshield and lodged into the chests, neck, and heads of both the pilot and co-pilot, killing them instantly. The helicopter swayed towards the left side of the bow, no longer under control. Calculating that the helicopter was going to hit deck instead of ocean, Alice quickly scanned the point of impact for casualties. That was when she saw Claire's red hair finishing off her last soldier before reaching the turret gun, right in the path of the descending bird.
"CLAIRE!" Alice screamed, hoping to catch her lovers attention.
Claire look up at the sound of her name riding on the sea breeze, recognizing Alice's voice anywhere. The helicopter swayed in the air almost directly above her. Knowing she had to act fast, Claire abandoned her plan to shoot with the turret and instead ran for the railing. Dropping her empty pistol and blood soaked knife, she swan dove off the side of the Arcadia, plunging into the ocean below. When she opened her eyes in the salty water, a blurry, orange fireball was coming towards her. It smashed into the water with a swooshing, like the sea was swallowing it whole. Debris floated on the surface while more sliced deeper. Claire made a break for the surface, but not before a piece of propeller sliced across her ribs, blood seeping into the open ocean.
Alice panicked, watching as if it was all happening in slow motion. She somersaulted from her location, making a break for the railing when two Umbrella Operatives stood in her way. They were different, armed with only battle batons instead of machine guns. Alice didn't have time for this, she needed reassurance that Claire was alive. Raising her shotguns, each with one buck shot remaining, her fingers itched on the trigger. Before she could move, the operative to the left swiped her at the wrists with the baton, knocking the weapons from her hands. She wasn't sure, but Alice swore she caught a glimpse of high heels under the leather coat. They dodged every attack with ease, showing how trained they were in self defense.
Luther, who had witnessed everything met eyes with Alice across the deck. It was a silent exchange, stating that he would go and check Claire since she was clearly a little preoccupied at the moment. He rushed to the bow, standing at the now destroyed railing and searching for Claire amidst the flames and debris. It took him a moment, but he found her, swimming with one arm towards the side of the ship. The pain on her face was more than just diving at least two stories down. A trail of blood in the water marked where she'd come from. Luther looked back in Alice's direction, she was still engaged with the two Umbrella Operatives and unable to assist. Another explosion came over head as he saw Jill in the only remaining gun turret, firing at the two remaining helicopters in the air. Her face was covered in blood and sweat, eyes hard with determination making her way from stern to bow.
Chris was still not in sight, but the longer he left Claire, the worse it would get. Luther did the only thing he could do, he grabbed one of the discarded black rappel ropes and swung it over the side. Claire grabbed hold as Luther began to pull her back up to the boat deck.
Alice was able to knock down one operative with a sucker punch. It was so hard that it cracked the tinted visor of his helmet and doing no damage to Alice's knuckles. She eyed Luther trying to pull, what she could only assume was Claire, from the water. With her mind distracted, the other round-house kicked, impacting her jaw, and knocking her to the ground. Alice shook off the pain, watching the first operative get back to his feet and removing his busted helmet. A fan of glossy, blonde locks swept across his face. Alice recognized him as Leon S Kennedy, a rogue fighter in the resistance. What the hell was he doing here? And why is he dressed like an Umbrella operative? Before Alice could comprehend any of this, his partner, their identity still concealed, had a gun pointed to her head and foot lodged at her throat.
"Stop!" Leon yelled catching his partners attention.
The person, who Alice clearly could tell was a woman by her slim fingers and heeled shoes, halted like an obedient dog. She could tell this woman was dying to pull the trigger, even if her eyes were hidden behind tinted glass. Her coat swirled open, revealing a skin tight dress with a slit running the length of her leg to her thigh.
"Why can't we just finish her here and now?" she asked.
"Because Ada, she's the one who can end all this, once and for all."
T.B.C.
I hope that this chapter is everything that you all had been patiently awaiting in an epic battle with a nice twist at the end!
Please let me know what you think, where this will be/should be heading or anything else you might have to say! Thank-you!