The wind hit Cass' face as she opened the door to the rooftop. Today it was relatively cool, especially for the middle of July, and she decided to enjoy her lunch alone. It was her first day back at work. Everyone had been kind for the most part, but there were some nosy people asking probing questions. With Alpha Team off investigating a disappearance, she'd decided that it would be best to make herself scarce. For her own peace of mind at least.
There were benches up here, but people rarely used them, especially in the summer. She took a seat on one of them and opened her lunch bag. Enjoying the sounds of the nearby birds, she took a bite of her sandwich. She made a mental note to come back up here in the autumn. The view was beautiful. No wonder the chief had his own part of the roof to himself. She sighed peacefully as the wind picked up.
Her first day back had gone well so far. Most of her coworkers had been quite sympathetic, and someone had even left flowers on her old desk. The flowers had since been relocated to Chris' and Forest's desk after Cass had cleared the files and paperwork. Now she just needed to finish putting them in order. That wouldn't take too long. She had her thirty-minute break then she'd go finish her task. Maybe she'd be done before Alpha Team returned.
She finished her sandwich and reached back to her bag when she heard the Chief's voice from nearby. Quickly grabbing her lunch bag, she descended the outside, taking care to remain out of sight. After her last run-in with the chief, she definitely didn't want to be alone with him. Ducking out of sight, she waited for him to leave. He argued with someone on the phone from right above her.
"What about if that reporter finds out about the orphanage?" Chief Irons said in an angry, low tone that Cass could just barely hear. "I'm the one that'll be thrown under the bus, doctor. I'm the one who was 'in charge' of that place. If I go down… you can bet I won't be the only one."
The chief went quiet. Cass briefly considered her options. There was a door, but the ones leading to the roof were known for being loud. Plus she kind of wanted to hear more. She waited as the chief agreed with the person on the phone.
"Yes… yes. I understand. And you're sure Umbrella took care of those children… That's good. Children are carriers of disease. No doubt that it would have spread quickly. I understand the necessity… Dr. Birkin, but I just want to make sure things are truly running smoothly. I've done more than my fair share. The S.T.A.R.S. members are starting to get suspicious. Something needs to be done about them… before they can trace your experiments back to me. There were bugs in my office! Unless you planted them there, that means someone is onto us. Yes, I know. Okay, but I expect that to be dealt with soon or else I will drag you to prison with me!"
The chief was completely silent for a few moments, and Cass stayed as still as a statue. She relaxed as she heard the chief cursing under his breath. He was getting further away. The sound of the door opening was faint, but she heard the door close with certainty. Considering which door she should use to avoid running into him, she froze as a creak alerted her from above. The footsteps stopped right above her. She pushed herself back against the wall as she kept her breathing as quiet as possible until she heard the footsteps walking back to the door. The sound of the door shutting echoed as she decided which way to go.
After waiting a few more minutes, she noticed the ladder leading to the ground floor. Careful not to make any sounds, she quickly crept to the ladder and slid down using the sides. It made an odd creak as she slid, but she just made a mental note to get someone to check it out later. No one really used that ladder anyway. She was sure it could wait a week or so.
Luckily, the gate was open on the ground floor. Before she went through it, she checked to see if anyone was on the rooftop, but Chief Irons must have gone back inside. With a relieved sigh she started jogging to the back of the police station. It was rare for anyone to use that door, and she knew how to avoid the people doing security checks. No one would even know that she'd been outside. At least she hoped.
Slowly, she opened the door and closed it quietly behind her. Tossing her lunch bag in the trash, she nonchalantly walked past a couple doors. Everyone was likely out at lunch. A lucky break for her. She jogged up the stairs to the S.T.A.R.S. office carefully closing doors behind her. Her legs felt like jelly as she collapsed into Chris' chair.
The chief had spoke about the orphanage. It had supposedly been shut down earlier in the year due to the state of the building, but that didn't seem to really be the case. And Umbrella "took care" of the children? From the way the chief had said it, she assumed that didn't mean treating their illness. The name "Dr. Birkin" had stuck in her head. Wasn't he the one who had run those tests on her? A shiver went up her spine, and she could feel herself shaking. Trying to calm herself, she focused on the fact that he hadn't injected her with anything, just took her blood. That didn't really bring her any relief.
Cass took a deep breath before she tried to remember anything else she'd overheard. Something about bugs in the chief's office and the S.T.A.R.S. getting suspicious of him. Chris hadn't said anything, but would he? If he suspected the chief of being a danger, he wouldn't want to bring her into it. Likewise, she would keep this to herself. If Chris knew what she knew and that she knew, no doubt he'd do something stupid and put himself in danger. If she told anyone, it'd have to be someone discreet. Perhaps a reporter who disliked the chief as much as she did.
The shaking had stopped. Chris' life possibly depended on her making the exact right moves. The chief was planning something, and even though she doubted that they'd planted the bug, she knew that they'd be blamed for it. A knocking interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to see Kevin at the door.
"Someone's at the front desk waiting for you. Said her name was Elza and that she's your cousin. You weren't answering the phone, so I came up to check—uh, let you know."
"Ah, thanks, Kevin," Cass stood up but felt woozy and grabbed the table for support.
"Are you okay? You don't look so good… maybe you should take it easy."
"I'm fine," Cass replied brusquely, and Kevin gave her a wounded puppy look. "Sorry. I'm just… a little tired is all. After I go see her, I'll probably just sit and do paperwork."
"Just… give me a ring if you need anything, okay?" Kevin asked with pleading eyes.
"Will do."
That seemed to placate Kevin as he started walking back to his workroom. She took a deep breath before letting go of the table. Her heart beat a little faster than normal as she walked to the front desk. The chief seemed to still be in his office much to her relief. As she started walking down the main entrance steps, she saw a familiar someone with bright blonde hair waiting irritably by the entrance. Elza noticed her as she descended the last steps and ran forward to throw her arms around Cass. Cass held onto her as Elza gripped her tightly.
"Can we talk outside?" Elza whispered, and Cass led her out the door and to a more secluded area of the yard. "I heard about your roommate... and the dogs… and your partner. Why didn't I hear about it from you?"
"Because I didn't want you to worry. How did… ah, right. My dad, right?"
"He's worried. This place is getting more dangerous by the day. Why don't you just look into the job he's talking about?"
"Aren't you going to Raccoon University next semester?" Cass retorted with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, but college is different than becoming a S.T.A.R.S. member. That's even more dangerous!"
"You want to lecture me? Tell me… just how safe is motorcycle racing? I'm not saying that you should quit even though I do worry about your safety. I just have faith that you have the skill, forethought, and knowledge to be as safe as you can be. You know the risks… and you take precautions. And I won't be alone. I have even more partners in S.T.A.R.S. All I'm asking for is a little faith."
Elza looked away as though trying to come up with a counterargument before she reluctantly uncrossed her arms.
"Just promise me you'll be careful," she said in a small, vulnerable voice.
"Only if you make me the same promise, brat," Cass replied outstretching her hand.
Elza smirked and shook her hand. After Cass promised to call her later, Elza walked to the parking garage. A chill went up her spine as she turned to see the chief staring in her direction. As Cass locked eyes with him, he looked away. Cass rushed back inside and to the safety of the S.T.A.R.S. office.