"Christ!" Rebecca yelled. The man moaned again and stumbled towards her. She backed away a little, looking concerned. Fox growled menacingly, but stayed where he was.

"I'm okay, Fox," Rebecca said. She realized she had stopped breathing for a moment. Rebecca pulled out her badge and took a step towards the man. "It's alright, sir, I'm with CPD, you'll be just – "

The man swiped at her with his arm. Rebecca was slapped in the head and knocked to the ground. She immediately rolled to her feet and dropped into a crouch, rubbing her head. Rebecca was too shocked to say anything for a couple of seconds. But as the man slouched towards her again, she stood up.

"Sir? Just calm down for a second." Rebecca was speaking calmly. "My name is Rebecca Chambers, and I'm with the S.T.A.R.S. unit in Cerulean City. You have been gravely injured. Please, let me help you." Fox was barking angrily.

The man continued to ignore her and just kept walking forward. Rebecca started backing away, keeping her eyes on him. She was starting to get nervous again. But she squashed her fear and stared at the man with a determined expression. She was a medic, this man was injured, and delirious or not, he needed her help badly.

Deciding the man wasn't going to listen to her, she stepped forward and waited. When he slapped at her again, she grabbed his arm and twisted around, using his momentum to throw him over her shoulder. He fell on his face, flat on the ground. Before he could get back up, Rebecca grabbed his arm again and rolled him over, sitting on his chest as she did so. She reached behind her back for her medical pouch, but the man reached up and gripped her shoulders. So she grabbed his right arm and rolled off of him to his side, holding his head between her thighs and thrust her hips up against his arm. A classic straight arm bar. He groaned (Angrily?) and struggled wildly.

"Sir, I'm trying to help you! If you don't stop moving you'll – " There was a loud snap! and Rebecca sighed. The idiot had just broken his own arm. One more thing to fix…

To her complete and total surprise, an arm swooped down from the sky and clawed her chest. It was a completely different arm from the one she was holding. She looked up and saw the man flat on his face, snapping at the ground, his left arm groping for her right breast. His only arm, Rebecca noticed.

The man hadn't just broken his arm. He had torn it off. And he didn't seem to care all that much.

Revolted, Rebecca rolled off the man and sprang to her feet, tossing his other arm as far as she could. Fox was going insane now, frothing at the mouth. She knelt next to him, trying to calm him down and to keep from freaking out herself.

The one-eyed, one-armed man was using his left arm to drag himself towards Rebecca and Fox. Rebecca saw, with increasing horror, that his grievous wounds bled no blood whatsoever. His hanging eye flopped on the ground, eventually getting stuck under him and snapping off. Jagged pieces of bone hung from where his right arm used to be. Rebecca actually threw up a little in her mouth. Swallowing her bile, she stood back up.

Something was very wrong with this man. He needed help, and Rebecca was going to give it to him. She quickly walked up and dealt him a hard kick in the head. And screamed as his head snapped off and went rolling under a table.

Rebecca was shocked. She had only meant to render him unconscious. Not kill the guy. Fox whined and crouched between her legs. She reached down to pet him, eyes watering.

The sound of more moans made her look up. Another man and a woman were walking down the aisle toward her, groaning as they went. Sightless eyes stared past her, yet it was obvious they were coming for her. "Oh, man," Rebecca muttered.

A blow from behind knocked her forward. She turned around, arms raised. The cook from the corner growled and swiped at her again. Rebecca ducked under his arm and punched him in the gut. There was no effect. He just grabbed her and sank his teeth into her shoulder. Rebecca cried out and nearly fainted from the pain.

Fox hit the cook in the back of his knees, knocking him to the ground. He drug Rebecca to the ground with him, but his grip had loosened, allowing Rebecca to push him off of her. She climbed to her feet, holding her bleeding shoulder, and moved away from the man. The cook got back up, but at least now he and his two friends where in front of her.

"Freeze!" she shouted. Her weapon hand was shaking. "Stop or I'll shoot!" But the people just kept on coming. Rebecca aimed at the cook's chest and fired off two shots. Both shots hit home, blowing a large hole in his sternum. He stumbled back a couple of steps, but started moving towards her again.

Rebecca resisted the urge to start shooting wildly. As calmly as she could, she shifted her aim to the cook's legs. A single shot in his left thigh brought him to the ground, reducing his walk to less than a crawl. She did the same thing with the other two, and turned to run back into the other car.

Through the two windows she could see that there were more people back in the other dining car. She was starting to panic now. The cook and his friends were slowly dragging themselves toward her along the floor. Soon they would reach her, and drag her to the ground to kill her.

Fox sprang in front of her and unleashed a torrent of fire. Flames enveloped the people, burning all their clothes and hair off of them. When Fox stopped his attack, all that was left of them were blackened husks. But before Rebecca could even breathe easier, more dead people got up out of their seats and moved towards her. Rebecca picked Fox up with her good arm and ran past them as fast as she could, into the next car. Thankfully, there were no not-so-dead people in this one, just a narrow hallway with two doors to her right. She tried the first one and opened it, quickly stepping into the room.

It was a bedroom of sorts, with two beds connected to the wall in bunk bed formation. Rebecca slouched onto the bottom one and finally moved her hand off of her shoulder. The bite wasn't deep, so she wasn't bleeding too badly. But the average human mouth had more germs in it than the world had people, so infection was a strong possibility. She reached into her medical pouch and pulled out a small case full of bandages and disinfectant. As she dressed her wound, Fox jumped up next to her and sniffed her arm. "Vulpix," he whined.

"I'm okay, Fox. Thanks." She pulled out a green spray canister and sprayed her wound. This medicine was made from herbs only found in the Mt. Moon area. The herbs were known for their potent healing properties, and were used to make disinfectant solutions, vaccines, and antibiotics. Medicines made from these herbs were able to kill any known virus or bacteria. Rebecca put the canister back in the case and bandaged her shoulder. When she was done, she dropped the case back in her medical pouch and got her radio back out. "Bravo Team, Rebecca. Bravo Team, Rebecca. Over."

Nothing but more static. Rachel checked the battery power. Almost fully charged. She tried again. "Bravo Team, Rebecca."

"Rebecca, Richard. What's up? Over."

Rebecca was so relieved to hear a sane person's voice. Tears filled her eyes, and her voice cracked a little. "Oh God, Richard. Are you okay? Where's – "

"Maintain comm protocol, rookie!" Richard cut her off. "Calm down, Becky. Breathe a little. I'm not going anywhere."

Rebecca took a couple deep breaths, and then spoke again. "Richard, Rebecca. I have made hostile contact, and I have no idea where my partner is. Over."

"Rebecca, Richard. Say again. Over."

"Richard, Rebecca. Edward is missing. Over."

"Rebecca, Richard. We know. So is Kevin. I'm with Enrico, and Forrest and Kenneth are accounted for. What is your position? When is the last time you saw Edward? Over."

"Richard, Rebecca. Position unknown. Edward and I found an abandoned train in the forest. Then Kyle radioed Edward reporting about the helicopter, so Edward had me investigate the train while he went to get Kyle. Over."

"Rebecca, Enrico. Say again. What train? Over."

"Enrico, Rebecca. There is a train sitting on train tracks about half a klick away from the crash site. I am currently investigating, but I have encountered some hostile activity. Three people attacked me, and they have been eliminated. Over."

"Rebecca, Enrico. Stay with the train. Continue your investigation. Richard and I will link up with Kenneth and Forrest and rendezvous back at the chopper. Do not report back unless you have information on Coehn, Edward, or Kevin. In that order. Over."

"But, sir, what about our original mission?"

"Fuck it, rookie. We have two men missing and a convict we know nothing about running around the woods. We're going to get the chopper radio working so we can call Alpha Team for back up. Failing that, we're hiking back home. If you don't find anything on the train, consider the mission failed. Over and out."

Rebecca replaced the radio on her belt and lay back on the bed. She didn't know if she had just heard good news or worse news. Fox nudged her out of concern. She reached over and scratched his chin, then sat back up.

A quick walk around the room didn't reveal much. But Rebecca did find a handgun magazine, which struck her as odd. There was no reason anyone on this train, passenger or otherwise, should have a gun. Luckily, it was full of 9mm rounds, and it fit her pistol. So she put it with her other ammunition and stepped back out into the hallway and into the next room. Fox followed her.

This room had a little more in it. There was a single bed and a desk with a typewriter on it. There was a roll of ink ribbons next to it, as well as a pot of dirt with some dark green plants growing in it. Rebecca immediately went and picked the plants. They were one of the herbs that grew in the area, and might prove to be very helpful later.

This desk had drawers on it, so she decided to search them. The first drawer was full of bloodstained papers. Most were illegible, but one of them had enough writing on it to make out most of the words. She gently pulled it out and laid it on the desk to read.


Investigation Orders

8 miles north of Cerulean City, near Mt. Moon, lies our comp ny's Management Training facility. It was shut down years ago. Now, w are conducting a preliminary tudy into the re-opening of the faci ities. First investigation Unit is alre dy on-site and opening th investi ation. I want yo r team to provide supp t.


The rest was illegible. Rebecca reread the document, trying to decipher the legible bits. Were there living people on this train? She doubted it almost immediately. These papers were covered in blood, and odds are gun shots would have attracted anything alive. Or not-so-dead.

Rebecca had no idea what would make seemingly dead people suddenly spring up and attack her. And make them almost invulnerable to gun fire. She looked down at Fox, who was sniffing a corner. If Fox hadn't acted when he did…

She couldn't be thinking about that. Rebecca gently folded the document and placed it in her medical pouch. "Come on, Fox," she muttered. Fox eagerly jumped next to her as she went back out into the hall. It turned a corner next to some windows, and then turned into another corner. At the end of the hall was another dead man. He was dressed like one of the workers, but his corpse was brutally cut open. Organs were strewn everywhere. Only this time, there was blood. For some reason, that was reassuring.

Rebecca slowly drew her weapon and advanced towards the man's body. "Hello?" she called loudly. The other people had only responded when she started talking to them. She wanted to make damn sure this guy wasn't going to get up anytime soon. Only after staring at him for a couple minutes did she move forward to inspect the cadaver.

He was gripping something in his right hand. It was shiny, and had a small red tab connected to it by a short plastic chain. Rebecca forced the man's hand open and retrieved the item. It was a key. "Well, this looks helpful," she muttered. She stood up, turned around, and stared in shock at the magnum pointed at her face.

It took a bit to register the arm gripping the weapon. The arm was covered in tattoos, and the owner was a man with long black hair and a scowl on his face. Rebecca recognized him from the document she found in the van.

"Lieutenant Billy Coehn."

The man's eyes widened for a bit, but the scowl remained. So did the weapon. "So, you know me," said Billy. He looked her up and down. "Been fantasizing 'bout me, have you?"

Fox growled. Billy stared at him coldly. "Think you can take me down before I pull the trigger? Not on my worst day, pup."

Rebecca pressed herself against the wall, slowly reaching for her weapon. "You're the one who was with those soldiers," she muttered. "The one who was going to be executed."

Billy eyed her coldly. "What's it to you?"

"I am Officer Rebecca Chambers, and you're under arrest." She quickly drew her pistol and pointed it straight in Billy's face. "Drop the weapon and get down on the ground, now!"

"Huh." Billy seemed a little surprised. But instead of complying, he turned around and stuck his revolver in his belt. "No thanks, dollface." He rounded the corner and walked away. Fuming, Rebecca followed him, pointing her weapon at his exposed back. Fox barked loudly.

"I could shoot you know!" she yelled.

"But you won't." Billy didn't even turn around. He just kept walking. "Nice vulpix, by the way."

Rebecca heard a door open and close and started to follow him, when the window next to her exploded. Amid the flying glass, a man burst through the open window and landed face first on the ground. He was bleeding heavily, and moaning. Rebecca rolled him over and gasped.

"Edward!"

Edward coughed. Blood dribbled out of his mouth. Rebecca propped him up against the wall in a sitting position. Edward's uniform was torn and bloody. Deep scratches went across the top of his head. His M4 was gripped in his hand so tightly his knuckles were white, and he was shivering violently. Rebecca removed her medical pouch and dumped everything out. She picked up some bandages and a tourniquet. "Edward, talk to me! What happened?"

"Rebecca...we..." He coughed again. "Kevin..."

"Come on, Edward. What about Kevin?"

"Rebecca...woods. Don't go..."

Rebecca wrapped one of his legs up in the tourniquet and rolled a bandage around it. She checked her watch and wrote the time on the bandage with a marker. She started doing the same with his left arm. But he was badly hurt. Edward needed a doctor, immediately. "Edward, you're hurt badly, I'm going to get you back to the crash site - "

"NO!" Edward suddenly sat straight up and gripped her arm, so hard it hurt. There was a manic, fearful look in his eyes. "Don't go in the forest! No!" Rebecca tried to push him back down, but he wasn't moving. "There are monsters! Tore Kevin to pieces!"

"Edward, you have to calm down, you'll go into shock - "

"We're all dead! You hear me? Kevin's dead, I'm dead! Run, Becky!" Edward slumped forward just as suddenly as he sprang up.

"Edward?" Rebecca shook him slightly. Edward just stared at the floor. Soon Rebecca realized that the only thing holding him up was his death grip on her arm. She pried his fingers loose and gently laid him back against the wall. Fox let out a long, drawn out howl. Rebecca felt like joining him. She almost forgot she had to call Enrico.

But as she was reaching for her radio, Fox started growling again. From outside she heard a loud snarl, and a black pokémon jumped through the broken window. The pokémon turned and snarled at her and Fox, giving Rebecca a good long look at it.

Rebecca was horrified. It was a luxray. Black fur covered most of the feline's body, with blue fur on the face, body, and hind legs. Spiky black fur formed a mane on top of the pokémon's head, and more black fur covered it's rear. A long tail flicked to and fro behind it, ending in a star. But this luxray had to be sick or something, because its fur was patchy. The skin under the fur was a disgusting shade of green, and looked rotten. It was also missing an eye, and Rebecca could see what looked like pieces of bone jutting up through its face.

Rebecca heard glass shatter behind her. She turned around and brought back out her pistol. There was another luxray behind her, this one also with skin rotting off of it. Fox breathed a burst of fire at the newcomer, but it just leapt away and hissed. Rebecca turned to face the other luxray. The luxray roared and leapt at her, claws reaching up for her face.