(Boots on the Ground)
Christina touched the holster at her side. "This was my husband's Custom Kimber he carried as a sidearm. It and little Jim are what I have left of him."
"Did you ever find out anything about the rest of your team?" Alice asked softly.
"Nothing for certain. I DID hear a rumor about someone fitting Deke and his family's description having reached one of the floating communities off the Pacific Coast."
"We might look into that when we get back," Alice said thoughtfully. "We made contact with several of those groups on our trek back from rescuing Angie when she was captive in LA."
The remainder of the flight was quiet. Except for Sam the group attempted to rest. Even with the drone of the motors sleep was out of the question. Everyone tried their best to conserve their energy. As they approached the coast of Japan they forced themselves to eat and drink. Weapons were double and triple checked. It was a relief when the countdown began.
"Five minutes," said Alice.
"If they run true to form," Stan reminded everyone, "like they did with Angie in Los Angeles they are going to want the babies and the teen taken immediately to the labs. There should be a party there to escort them. Just refuse to surrender the 'babies'. Insist you captured them and you get to present them to Chairman Wesker. Be arrogant."
Carlos nodded. "Umbrella tends to be regimented. People who claim authority can usually get away with it." He smiled grimly. "And we certainly don't want anyone to peek inside the baby bundles until it's time."
"Meanwhile Jill will be playing the part of Angie. She supposedly will be drugged, requiring Chris and one of the other guys from the second aircraft to carry her. If needed she will 'wake up' enough to struggle, which should help to focus attention on her and away from everyone else."
Heads nodded. Alice took over again.
"The priorities are the labs, communication facilities, transportation and Wesker himself. Without the labs they might let go of their plans for the children. And without commo or transportation they'll be stuck here in their hole in the ground unable to threaten us."
She checked her watch as Tokyo grew larger and closer beneath them "Two minutes."
"Receiving radio transmission," reported Sam. "I have acknowledged. Automated password accepted. Landing beacon on and doors opening."
Peering carefully through the craft's windshield the group saw the roof of what had appeared to be a large storage warehouse split and fold back. Blinking lights showed where both VTOL's were to land. Sam shifted to vertical flight. Alice looked sideways and saw Claire had done the same and was close enough she could see her friend give a quick thumbs up signal. The invaders looked at each other.
"Lock and load."
Charging handles clicked. Safeties were check, Magazines tapped one more time. The team had taken their seats but was poised to take action. Sam fixed his eyes on the Umbrella guard functioning as his landing guide. The lowered wheels of the landing gear touched, bounced gently once and settled to the concrete. Upon receiving the cut signal Sam shut off the engines. Claire followed almost immediately. Silence settled in.
"Here we go," said Carlos, moving to the door.
Jennie undid the clamps, opened the door and lowered the retractable steps. The landing area has a number of Umbrella troops in their usual uniforms and one man in a lab coat waiting impatiently. Alice and Carlos climb down carefully, each cradling a baby blanket wrapped shape that emits low gurgling sounds. Just a few feet away Two black clad figures that Alice recognized as Chris and Trent supported a limp slender female whose head hung down, her features obscured by her long dark hair.
The lab coat man looked at her. "She's been drugged?"
"Yes sir," replied the supporting figure on the left, obviously Chris Redfield by his voice.
"Good," the man snapped in satisfaction. "You all come with me. I can tell you that Chairman Wesker himself will be joining us so let's not keep him waiting."
Alice and Carlos, Chris and Trent, followed him as he headed towards an elevator. Jennie and Christina tagged along. A subtle shake of the head from Alice saw Mike and William refrain from trying to accompany them. Instead the two former Rangers turned their attention to helping the ground crew that swarmed over the two VTOL's, refueling and inspecting them. That was excellent, Alice thought. The craft would be ready and the foursome remaining would be able to take care of the guards there and would be ready to take off at any time.
"When in doubt, know your way out." the old saying popped into her mind. Behind the one way opaque faceplate of her helmet she smiled grimly. Their way out was secured. The elevator jerked slightly and the group felt it begin their descent.
Even though they couldn't see each other's faces the glance Carlos and Alice exchanged on the down spoke volumes through the connection between the pair. The elevator was absolute state of the art but it rattled a little and jerked a bit several times. They had also notice the hanger doors had squealed and hesitated as they closed. When the elevator stopped it jerked again rather than halting smoothly. The lights in the corridor they stepped out into flickered and not all the bulbs were working.
Things were beginning to slip. No matter how anal Umbrella was about stockpiling sooner or later things were bound to start breaking down and supplies were going to start running short. The outside world had been locked away but even a complex as huge as this appeared to be could not be indefinitely self-sustaining. Alaska had started to grow, not only internally but reaching out to other groups of survivors to establish communication and trade. Umbrella simply wanted to pursue the same goals that had brought the world to its knees. Not only did they have to stop Wesker and his corporation for the sake of their children they had to stop it for all that remained of humanity. And they were about to start do just that as automatic doors open with an audible squeak and they moved into a crowded lab.
There were guards posted and they looked alert. Without a word Jennie and Christina moved to either side of the door and took up positions against the wall similar to the black clad figures already there. It would have taken a very keen observer to note that the safeties of their weapons were off and those weapons carried just slightly different than the others in the room. But those positions would give them an edge measured in seconds if, no when the firefight commenced Alice knew. And it was coming soon.
One white coated man was on a wall phone, a frown twisting his face. He abruptly slammed the handset back in its cradle. "The chairman will be delayed. No matter. Perhaps it will allow us to show him we are already making progress when he does arrive. Bring the subjects to the tables and let's get started opening them up."
Alice shot a glance around the room. Not a single face showed any distress, horror or even regret at what was obviously going to happen to two helpless infants and a teenaged girl. She shrugged. So be it. What happened would be on their heads. They had hoped to get Wesker with the opening blow but it was not to be.
"Here you go," she said. With that she pulled the friction fuse concealed in the baby blanket and tossed blanket and contents into the midst of the startled scientists. Carlos repeated the action to the other side. A very conscious Jill snapped upright, a Glock in hand. Each of the trio took a third of the room under automatic fire as Alice counted down so loudly all could hear her.
"Five, four, three..." The entire group bolted for the still open lab doors, leaping fallen and still falling bodies as needed. They dove into the hallway. Instinctively Chris, Trent and Jill went left while Carlos and Alice went right. Christina and Jennie had only needed a single step to the doorway where they provided covering fire until the others had reached safety at which time they hastily ducked.
"Two, one..."
An explosion ripped through the just vacated lab as the first satchel charge detonated, followed in a single heartbeat by the second. When the dust settled Chris looked into the lab. He winced as secondary explosions continued and several small fires began to spread.
"That's that."
The floor rocked beneath them.
"No I don t think that's that at all," observed Christina.
"Which way?" asked Jennie as she changed magazines.
"Elevator is that way," pointed Trent.
"Yes but we want to go THAT way," pointed Carlos.
"Why," asked Chris even as he and the others headed in the indicated direction.
"Because Umbrella employees get lost a lot," the ex-corporate soldier said, holding up a floor plan map he had ripped from the wall. "That way will take us to the commo center and to the central power systems."
"What about Wesker?" Jill asked.
"We have no idea where he was coming from," Alice pointed out. "It will just be sheer luck to find him now."
"The devil takes care of his own," muttered Chris. "Let's just make sure we can find our way out."
The group raced up stairs, knowing that elevators could easily turn into death traps. At the indicated floor they bowled over a couple of surprised guards and burst into a room filled with electronic gear. People in headset at computer stations looked in startled terror at them.
"Everyone out," bellowed Cristina even as she tossed a grenade onto the largest server console, an action Trent and Jennie were copying. The rush for the door nearly knocked the group down as the commo personnel fled. They hastily followed.
"That's got to hurt," noted Carlos as the grenades went off one by one, reducing the most expensive communication gear left in the world to scrap metal. "Come on."
Up stairs and down corridors the group raced. They threw open doors, marked and unmarked. Most Umbrella employees they encountered were simply waved out of the way. Machinery that looked important was riddled with gunfire as were several guards so lacking in sense that they didn't drop their weapons immediately. Equipment that looked very important; including several computer rooms, a lab or two and one armory were fitted with demolition charges.
Resistance was beginning to get tougher; the defenders better organized and not as surprised and confused as they had been. Alice had kept track of exactly where they were and was on the verge of telling them it was time to go when they arrived at a door marked "Chairman". Carlos threw it open. To their surprise a figure familiar to both the former Umbrella operatives was looking over his shoulder as he ran for a door at the far side of the room.
"That's him!" The group boiled into the room.
"Get him."
Alice and Carlos had hesitated for a split second in surprise at actually finding the rapidly retreating Wesker so Jennie, who was the closest one to the doorway, took the lead. Wesker ran through the far door and slammed it while yelling to someone unseen to "Stop them!
Jennie reached the door and wrenched it open. Facing them was a lone woman. Dark hair fell to her shoulders. Rather than a uniform or a lab coat she wore a tight black leather outfit that clung to her body and revealed an expanse of cleavage as well as a large silver and red brooch or pin that seemed to cling to her chest. Alice blinked. Was it moving slightly?
The former Border Patrol agent staggered as though she had run into a wall. She lowered her weapon, wrenched off her helmet and stared at the woman with a mixture of shock, disbelief and hope on her face.
"Emily?" she whispered in desperate longing.
Without hesitation the woman lifted her pistol and shot Jennie twice in the chest.
(To be continued)
(Note: "When in doubt, know your way out". I borrowed that from a list of rules from another movie. Who can tell me which one?)