This was a little delayed too, but so are the ways of college. That's coming to a close at the moment so maybe I can really get going on this story again. I'm really excited about it again and this cues a HUGE shout out to andrella07 for continued inspiration and helping me figure this story out one piece at a time.
"Are you sure you can cut communication?" Carlos leaned over and asked Alice in little more than a whisper. Their estimated time of arrival for the mission was five minutes – all three of them were feeling a little uptight.
"I'm going to try," Alice answered with a nod.
"And you're sure she'll cover the glitch so no one notices?" the man pressed.
Alice glanced over at him. "Yes, I'm sure. I told you, we have an agreement. We wouldn't be trying this otherwise."
He nodded and settled back in his seat between Alice and Jill. They'd been working toward this point for a long time, but now that they were here, he almost wished they weren't. This would be their most dangerous stunt yet – hell, it was just a test drive. It could very well go wrong and they'd wind up dead; at least, he and Jill would wind up dead, something far worse would likely befall Alice.
Their pilot turned around briefly to address them. "Get ready, we're about to touchdown," he announced.
The three seemingly perfect soldiers nodded at the same time, securing their weapons. They knew exactly what would happen when they hit the ground. Alice would take out the pilot of their helicopter while Jill and Carlos went out to meet the other soldiers. As they started to move in, Alice would use her telekinetic powers to short out all of their communications devices. With a bit of luck and cooperation from even deeper inside, the satellite feed would either go black or be manipulated. The loss of radio contact would cause a stir and that was when the three seemingly perfect soldiers would make their move.
The landing was a bit rough – the mountainous terrain wasn't kind to the helicopter – but that didn't hinder their plan. Jill and Carlos got down while Alice stepped forward and snapped the pilot's neck. Her eyes dilated afterward and all of her focus went to disabling all means of communication. It was no easy task; there were three helicopter radios, plus two dozen soldiers that had individual communication devices. Where she had hoped to take about fifteen seconds to completely shut down communication, it took nearly a full minute.
That forty-five seconds actually made quite difference. By the time she was done, she had to use the pilot's chair to hold herself up until the disorientation passed, and the other soldiers were already suspicious.
However, once she left the helicopter, it didn't matter. The soldiers had formed up just like they expected and were actually quite easy to take out. The odds may have been stacked against them – three to two dozen – but the other soldiers were completely unsuspecting.
It didn't even take them ten minutes after the helicopters had touched down before Alice, Jill, and Carlos were the last ones standing. Those had been ten intense minutes, especially once the others found out what was going on, but it did a great deal for their morale. Maybe, just maybe they could come out of this successful.
They'd have time to reflect upon their boosted morale later though. A man emerged from the cabin they'd been sent to raid. "Are you guys making enough noise out here?" he asked.
Alice turned to look at who was speaking to them and couldn't help the faint grin that formed on her features. "Nice to see you too, Chris," she greeted him.
Chris Redfield stepped forward, surveying the carnage. "Quite a mess," he commented, but didn't linger on the subject for long. "How's Claire?"
"She's fine," the blonde assured him with a nod. "She wanted to make sure I told you to take care of yourself and stay safe. Being on the outside is almost as dangerous as being on the inside now."
"I can take care of myself," the man replied. "I've got half a dozen people inside that I'm moving northward, plus I just picked up on another group's signals."
"Alice!" The conversation was suddenly interrupted as a blonde teen emerged from the cabin and made her way over to embrace the woman in question.
"What? I'm not good enough for a hug?" Carlos asked, feigning disappointment. The teen smiled widely and moved over to hug him as well. "Good to see you too, K-mart."
"We managed to set up a stop for you in Montana, just outside Hardin. Here's a map." Jill offered Chris a bit of paper as she put their talk back on track. They didn't have a lot of time to be distracted. "You'll find food, clothes, and ammunition there."
"Thank you," Chris said, looking over the map. "This will really help."
"Be careful," Alice told him once more. "We're doing what we can to hinder Umbrella, but that doesn't mean this world is any safer."
It wouldn't even be safe after they took down the corporation.
After leaving Claire in her cabin, Alice had gone to the galley and managed to get sucked into a rousing game of poker with Carlos and a few other Umbrella agents. They were betting food and cigarettes – the only things besides ammunition that still held worth.
They'd been playing for well over two hours, getting louder and more competitive with each hand played. The others swore Carlos was cheating, but he attested it to his awesome poker face – which he informed them couldn't be beat because said poker face was partially covered by an eye patch.
Their frivolity, however, didn't last. "Project Alice to the conference room," a voice boomed over the intercom system. It sounded like Luther.
"What'd you do this time?" Carlos asked, nudging her with his elbow.
"I didn't do anything, but I really wish they'd realize my name is Alice. Not Project Alice," she said. As she got up, she tossed her current hand down on the table and grabbed the pack of smokes that was now hers before leaving the galley.
Though the ship was large, it was a quick trip to the conference room. Inside, she found Alexander waiting for her. "Please, have a seat," he told her, motioning to one of the chairs.
"What's this about?" the blonde inquired as she walked over and sat down.
"Rain has lodged a formal complaint against you to Chairman Wesker for insubordination," Alexander said, flipping through a folder on the table between them.
"I was doing my job," Alice pointed out. "And if I didn't, it would have put all of us at risk because of the storm."
"You didn't let me finish," he stated calmly, looking up to her. "The complaint is nothing to worry about. I explained the situation to Chairman Wesker and he was quite pleased with your performance. It shows your ability to think decisively in hard situations, which only increases your worth to this company."
"Then why do I feel like I'm about to get a lecture about being a good girl and following orders?" Alice inquired.
"You're not," the man shook his head. "This little meeting of ours is only to inform you that Chairman Wesker has decided to come see this company in person, mostly because of his interest in you."
For the first time in a long time, Alice was shocked. Wesker was coming to the Arcadia? Hell, they weren't ready for that. It would likely be their only chance to get to him, but things weren't completely in place yet.
"Your surprise is to be expected," Alexander started speaking again after a few moments of silence. "It is very uncommon for Chairman Wesker to make personal visits. You have shown increasing abilities from day one, Alice, and that has not gone unnoticed. He wants to see things for himself."
"It will be an honor to have him here." Alice covered her earlier shock with a cool lie. "When can we expect him?"
"That is yet to be determined," Alexander answered, standing up and grabbing the folder from the table. "But I thought such exciting news, especially when it can all be credited to you, was worth sharing." Without so much as a second thought, he stepped past her and left the room.
Alice took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she leaned forward against the table, head resting in her hands.
"You've been very naughty," a snotty, English accent laced young voice said from beside her.
The blonde let out a mirthless laugh, shifting just enough to look over to the projection of the White Queen. "Yeah? So have you," she replied.