Ch. 5: Train Crash
Author's note: *brushes cobwebs away as he makes his way back in* Good grief, I can't believe how much time has passed. *regards the audience* Well...what can I say? Life intervened. But I said it before, and I'll say it again. I won't stop writing this story until its finished.
Now, to long-time readers, (if you're still there) you'll obviously noticed that chapters 6-24 are gone. You may have also noticed that before the update, chapters 4 & 5 did not match up. You see, as I was revising the original chapters, I realized that I hadn't been doing the characters justice, especially Edward. And when I tried to fix it, I found my story branching off the original. And I've decided that I'm going to follow this new path to see where it goes. So henceforth, this new version will be my "canon" version. Now, I'm sorry for those who saw the ending on the horizon and were looking forward to it. But the fact is, I like what I'm seeing, and I'm going to continue onward this way. But, this way, you'll be seeing new content. And, if events do start repeating themselves, I took the precaution to save every single one of the old chapters to my computer's hard drive. If the situation fits it, I can simply go to an old chapter and pull out the original lines and place them in a new chapter. Which equals faster updates.
And that's all I have. Enjoy!
Re-edited: 7/31/12
"Where'd ya get that bottle!?" Shantia demanded.
Jessica grinned. "It was the only survivor. So, I took it upon myself to save it." She took another swig.
The soldier lunged toward the cowgirl. The brunette's reply was deftly dodging the incoming soldier. Shantia slipped on some of the papers and went crashing into the wall. Jessica snorted then burst out guffawing. The raven-haired teenager growled as she climbed to her feet. Jessica tried to take another swig, but couldn't stop laughing and ended up spelling the drink all over her blue jacket. This only added to the hilarity, at least from Jessica's point of view.
Seeing that she was distracted, Alica's arm snapped out and grabbed the bottle. Jessica, who was not as drunk as Shantia thought, immediately stopped laughing and started glaring. "Gimme me drink back!"
Shantia's reply was simple and final. She tossed the bottle out the window.
Jessica howled as she made a futile dive for the beverage. For a few seconds, she stood next to the window, her arm waving out the window, as if she could summon the bottle back to her hand. Finally, she whirled around and glared at Shantia. "I will steal your SOUL for this!"
The soldier was unimpressed. "Come on. We have a job to do." She left the room with a glum Jessica trailing behind her.
Billy, Edward, Rebecca & Daniel
Daniel was becoming uncomfortable as he was assaulted by three confused stares. He was momentarily relieved of this when all attention shifted to the hatch leading to the conductor's cabin. Shantia was yelling about something, but the tone was more of frustration rather than danger. Their curiosity only lasted a few seconds before they were all peering at Daniel again. "Is there something wrong?" He tentatively asked, already well aware of the issue.
Edward and Rebecca glanced between each other. "No," she began. "It's just a little strange that you would happen to have two rings that would open this particular briefcase."
"I already mentioned that there was something strange about them." Daniel turned to Billy for support. "Didn't I?"
"You did," the ex-marine nodded, though he was just as suspicious, if not more so than the two police officers.
Their conversation was interrupted by loud noises (and voices) coming from the hatch. For a moment, everyone on the upper floor paused as they listened to the struggle that eventually ended with Jessica's declaration.
Their entertainment gone, the conversation continued. "But it's a little odd how you assumed that these rings would be so special that you had to pick them up. I mean, it's as if you knew that we would need them just for this situation." Rebecca pressed again.
Daniel's discomfort only grew. Oh well that's because I'm a dimensional traveler and I can see the future. Wonder how'd they react to that? "What's with the interrogation? We have the card key and we're still on a runaway train. Shouldn't we be focusing on that problem?"
Rebecca and Edward seemed reluctant to end the conversation, but something happened that threw weight into Daniel's argument. From the front of the train, the roar of automatic gunfire exploded in the air. Everyone froze before rushing towards the noise. The cacophony lasted a few more moments before dying out as they reached the door leading to the locomotive. Daniel swiped the card key and the electronic lock relinquished its hold over the door. Edward threw the door open, and was rewarded for his efforts by a gust of wind mixed with the downpour thrown into his face.
As the group ran into the foul weather, they found the source of the gunfire. Two bodies were lying on the path. Both were dressed in gray fatigues with armored vests, combat helmets, and gas masks. In the poor visibility, nobody could see what caused their deaths. Their only clue was a layer of slime left on the bodies. "Who are they?" Edward wondered, nearly shouting to be heard.
"Let's just get to the engine car," Daniel replied, peeking uneasily toward the tracks. Technically, they should have plenty of time before they hit the facility...technically. It was a small compartment that wasn't comfortable fitting four bodies in the same space. Four window wipers were hard at work keeping the rain from eliminating vision. Two chairs sat in front of a large console that stretched from one wall to the other.
"Wait." Billy grabbed the two submachine guns and any spare ammo he could find on the bodies before joining them in the engine car.
"Good thinking," Edward uncharacteristically praised before reaching up with an open palm. "Now hand them over."
Billy dropped one of the weapons in the STARS' hand.
Edward glared dangerously at the fugitive. "And the other."
"I'm keeping it. Unless you can find someone else who knows how to operate it," Billy amended as he gestured to Daniel and Rebecca. To which the blond high school student countered by pointing at his M16.
"Oh no," Rebecca muttered as her eyes scanned the red letters on display.
"Um guys," Daniel interrupted, turning around to face the consoles. "We have a bigger problem."
The older men turned to the teenagers. "What is it?" Edward asked.
Rebecca pointed at one of the readouts. "We're going to hit the next stop at full speed in less than six minutes."
"Alright, let's slow us down and hit the brakes," Billy suggested.
"We can't," Daniel retorted worriedly. "The controls are locked. We only have access to the emergency brakes."
"Well, activate them," Edward ordered.
"We can't. At least, not right away," Rebecca announced. A manual was in her hands. "According to this, the brakes are also locked. To unlock it, we need to input a key code here and a console all the way in the last car."
"We can't unlock the controls here?" Billy asked confused.
Daniel shook his head and gestured to the controls. "No go. Unlike the emergency brakes, the rest of the controls are password-protected. It could be anything!"
Edward growled. "Okay, then let's get to work unlocking the emergency brakes. Do you know what's the number for the rear lock?"
Rebecca and Daniel traded glances. "The lock is in the form of a mathematical equation," the medic slowly explained. "You need to input enough numbers that add up to the number displayed."
The looks on Edward's and Billy's faces were priceless. If not for the fact that they were on a runaway train careening toward their deaths, Daniel would have laughed out loud. Billy was the first one to shake off his incredulity. "Fine. I'll head there now."
"Not alone," Edward warned.
"Well then, move it," Billy retorted as he raced out of the door.
"Edward, you'll need this," Daniel announced, holding up a magnetic card. "It'll unlock the security system for the brakes."
"Damn, convoluted..." Edward murmured as he took off after Billy, scowling all the way.
Rebecca groaned and glanced back at the digital readouts. "I hope they hurry and don't get into a fight."
"I doubt it. They may bicker, but they know when it's time to get the job done," Daniel encouraged, completely confident in his observation.
She peered at him. "I don't understand why you place so much faith in him."
"Edward?" Daniel said in a vain attempt to throw her off-track.
Rebecca answered with a who-do-you-think look.
Daniel sighed and decided to capitulate. "What about it?"
"He's a mass murderer. You heard the body count. Twenty-three people! And yet, you keep giving him opportunities to slit your throat. Why?" She demanded, though only half-heartedly. She hadn't forgotten about the giant scorpion.
"You heard him. He is willing to help us to survive," he offered as an explanation, sounding very naive, even to his own ears.
"And you believed him? Just like that?" She said bewildered.
"He has his priorities straight," Daniel pointed out.
"And what's stopping him from murdering us when we're safe?"
"I don't know. Perhaps the fact that we outnumber him 10 to 1?" He commented dryly.
Rebecca huffed, and while in 'eager rookie' mode, barked, "It's that kind of overconfidence that's going to get us all killed."
"You would know, wouldn't you?" Daniel snapped. He quickly realized his slight, and added, "Sorry."
Rebecca bit down another retort. She took a breath and nodded. "It's been a rough night."
"Without a doubt. Worse, it's only just starting," the soldier agreed. He glanced at the readings again. They still had four minutes before it would be too late. Plenty of time….plenty of time. He began to tap his foot on the ground.
He wasn't the only uneasy one. Rebecca crossed her arms and tried not to look at the speedometer. "Sooo, why did you join the Army?"
"Money."
She blinked. "That's it?"
Daniel leaned against the wall. "Needed a way to pay for college, and the Army was more than happy to oblige."
"No sense of patriotism? Of duty?" Rebecca slowly ventured.
He shrugged. "It's hard to be patriotic when you know all about the mistakes that have been made and, let's face it, one day, the United States will cease to exist. It's inevitable."
"You don't know that for sure," she argued, more to keep herself distracted.
"Everything that has a beginning, has an ending," Daniel declared in a quiet, almost sage-like way with a small sage smile to match. His smile wavered when he saw that Rebecca didn't get the quote. Not because she was distracted, but because the Matrix hadn't come out yet.
The conversation came to an abrupt end as the radio finally squawked. "This is Billy. We've finished here. Hit the brakes ASAP."
"Roger," Rebecca quickly replied, her hands fumbling with the radio as she hoisted it from her to answer.
"Gladly!" Daniel crowed as he jumped over to the other half of the lock system. Next to a number pad was a broken display showing: /36. A series of small lights were lined along the bottom of the display. A math problem! He mentally hissed. Worse, he couldn't remember the exact code. Then again, it wasn't necessary. Ten dots, ten numbers in the code. He hit the 'four' button eight times before finishing it with a three and a one. The thirty-six blinked once and disappeared as the code was accepted. Daniel may have hated math, but that didn't mean he was a complete idiot. "Time to hit the brakes!"
The medic wholeheartedly agreed as she pulled on the necessary lever. With a bit of a struggle, the brakes were finally engaged. The pair found themselves the victims of inertia as the train jerked, crashing them into the console. Daniel had braced himself for it, but underestimated the force his body was subjected to. And the manual, which someone had knocked onto the floor, happened to be at the same spot where Rebecca placed her right foot after the jerk. The thing about paper: it slides very easily. Her foot suddenly shot backwards, throwing her off-balance. After slamming forward, Rebecca rebounded. And without a steady stance, she fell to her right, hands grasping. Daniel was to her right. Before he could recover from the console's sting, he found his arm caught in a tight grip that was, unintentionally, pulling him down. Thus, gravity claimed two victims.
"Sorry, sorry!" Rebecca quickly blabbered as she tried to get out of the new human tangle.
"It's fine," Daniel retorted as he rolled off of her. He was back on his feet in a flash. His eyes gluing to the train's speedometer. Relief made some headway as he saw that they were now out of the triple-digits. And it was still rapidly dying down. C'mon, c'mon, he chanted to himself. Rebecca repeated the same thing in her own mind as she watched the red lights alert them of their present speed.
Daniel took only a moment to glance at the navigation display detailing how far they were to the Umbrella facility. Current ETA was three minutes. Plenty of time. We're actually going to stop the crash! He thought optimistically. ...but then what?
A horrible, metallic screech interrupted the pair's thoughts. It chimed for a bit before a crash resounded throughout the air, followed by the sound of falling metal. The speedometer's rate of decay suddenly slowed. "The brakes broke off!" Rebecca fearfully realized. The speedometer changed direction. It went back from the 70's past the 100's, and was still going. "Damn it!" She wailed, fear taking over. "It was all for nothing!"
Daniel took a deep breath, steadying his frazzled nerves. "Come on," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, gently tugging her toward the door. "We need to warn the others." She glanced between him and the console, wondering if it was all pointless. She nodded her acquiescence.
They ran. They could have walked. But, at the moment, any way to relieve stress was welcomed. Anything that could help them forget their dire predicament. They ran past blood. Jumped over fallen bodies. Fighting images of their own corpses adding to the piles. They reached the others as Billy and Edward opened the door to move toward the engine.
"We're not slowing down," Billy stated, the question barely concealed.
"The brakes are gone. They're somewhere back in the forest now," Daniel explained quietly, taking deep breaths.
Billy stared at them, then at the windows. "...f-k. How much time do we have?"
"A, uh, a minute, m-maybe two," Rebecca stuttered.
"Alright, that settles it," Edward declared calmly and solemnly as he took control of the conversation. He turned around and addressed everyone. "Everybody sit down, look for a way to secure yourself, and put your heads between your knees."
There was a stunned pause before the others scrambled to fulfill the directive.
"They need to install seatbelts from now on," Billy muttered as he bunkered down in a forward seat away from the others. Edward took a seat that was two behind Billy, still keeping a close eye on the convict. Rebecca sat by herself behind Edward.
Across the aisle from Rebecca was where Daniel sat down. Behind Shantia leaned forward and whispered, "Is there anything we can do?"
He grimly shook his head. "Pray."
Shantia nodded as she assumed the position with Bruce next to her. Tim and Katelyn were huddled together behind them. Jessica, who looked more annoyed than scared, sat across the aisle from the young couple. Which left Kevin, behind Jessica, by himself. The pilot made sure his helmet was secure before leaning down. Silence reigned beside the sound of the train speeding down the tracks, and the quiet whispers of those whose hands were clasped together. Daniel's own pleas for safety were interrupted as the scene outside changed. The dark, rain-filled forest was replaced by a grey shadow, concrete tunnel. Only seconds were left. The soldier quickly returned to his prayers with renewed fervor.
Once again, inertia attacked them as the train's engine collided with the tunnel's first barrier. Fingers and hands slammed into the soft, but defiant material that formed the seats' back, eliciting a whimper from a few. The moment passed swiftly, followed by floating. To everyone's surprise as the train went airborne. But it wasn't just flying. The train was turning onto its side. Living passengers grasped on to the seats, trying to prevent gravity from forcing them out. Rebecca was especially caught off-guard.
Unable to get a strong grip, she whooshed out of her seat, and smashed Daniel into the window. To Daniel's immense relief (and thanks to Rebecca's small weight), the window didn't break open and put him in an unenviable position between the ground and the falling train.
Kevin was not as lucky. Also, unable to prevent his fall, no one sat between Kevin and the broken window that was now part of the floor. His own desperate flailing did not save his left arm. As he landed, it was pierced by glass in several places, blood now slipping through the puncture wounds. Worse, his fingers became victims as they were broken and scratched by the fast-moving concrete. Kevin instinctively jerked back, stopping further damage. But the intense agony of several broken fingers was too much for the pseudo-STARS member. He drifted off into shock, his ties to reality severed. His body was spared the same injuries as it now rested against the solid remains of the cracked window.
Metal shrieked as it scraped against the artificial ground. Its speed rapidly declined as friction took its toll. After another few, tense-ridden seconds, the train came to a stop. No one spoke, giving Disaster a chance to play out a final note. But it didn't come. Instead, sighs of relief sounded throughout the compartment, even among those who were still struggling to keep their place on the lifted side. Edward and Billy carefully let themselves down into the other seats below them.
Rebecca murmured dreamily, eyes closed. "We made it. I can't believe we made it."
"Yeah," Daniel agreed, feeling the same immense sense of relief. "We survived...but would you mind getting off of me?"
"Huh?" Rebecca opened her eyes and found out that Daniel's face was only three inches from hers.
"I'm having a little trouble breathing," Daniel explained, a poor attempt at trying to be nonchalant, betrayed by his reddening cheeks.
"Oh, right, sorry, sorry!" Rebecca said rapidly as she stood up, using a hand to push herself up. Of course, she accidently pushed on his arm, causing him to grunt, which in turn triggered another "sorry!" from her. Daniel reached above him and grabbed the curtain rod. With it, he pulled himself out from underneath Rebecca who was back on her feet.
Tim sniffed the air and turned around. "Does anyone smell smoke?" He looked back toward the kitchen area. Something twitched in his peripheral vision. He looked down and saw Kevin. "Oh crap! Hey! Medic! He needs help!"
"What is it?" Edward demanded, walking over to them, Rebecca just ahead of him.
"Kevin?" the Medic called as she kneeled down next to the bleeding man. Gently, she turned him over and saw the full extent of the damage. "Oh god. Kevin? Can you hear me?" She removed the pilot's helmet. The man's amber eyes seem to stare at nothing and everything. "He's in shock."
"You might want to get that glass out of him," Jessica lightly suggested from her standing spot on another seat's side.
Rebecca looked up at her. "I can't. I don't have the right tools to make sure he doesn't bleed to death after I remove them. For the time being, they need to stay." Her gaze went back down to her patient. She couldn't stop the wince as her eyes lingered on Kevin's misshapen fingers. "And I need to set those straight."
"We need to get out of here," Billy declared as he scanned the area. "I can hear fire." Everyone paused, and, sure enough, the crackling of flames popped in their ears.
"This way." Daniel walked over to the door and pushed it open. The next car was mercifully free of fire. Now if only the door wouldn't try to shut. "Little help?"
"I've got it," Billy offered. He squirmed into the doorway and took over, pushing the sliding door all the way open. He scooted to the side and jerked his head at the others. "Come on through."
Edward nodded and glanced over the others. "Private Sims, I want you to take point. You," he continued as he pointed at Bruce. "And Rebecca are going to make sure Kevin gets out of here safely." To the teenage couple, he ordered, "You two will be next followed by Dixie Jane here."
"That's MS. Dixie Jane to you!"
"And myself, Private Askew, and Billy will take up the rear."
"Okay, Kevin, it's time to get moving," Rebecca cooed, gently helping the barely-active man to his feet with Bruce's help. Most of his forearm was now covered in thick, tight bandages that traced a pattern around the shards of glass. Daniel, already in the next car, viewed the 'floor' uneasily. All the bodies that weren't removed were now in a couple of piles between him and the next door. Keeping his rifle pointed groundward, he cautiously trudged forward. Taking every care to be as gentle as possible, the medic, her new assistant, and her patient moved at a snail's pace.
Jessica bounced on her feet impatiently. "Argh! Can't y'all go faster!"
If she had sound concerned, Edward would have been sympathetic. In the past couple of minutes, the temperature rose steadily. Since it was already a summer night, that equaled to an uncomfortably warm temperature as is. Worse, he doubted they had much time before the smoke started building up. But her tone was one of impatient frivolity. "Just wait your turn," he barked, unconsciously scratching where he'd been bit earlier.
"But I'm missing out on some serious monster-slaying time!" She retorted in a high-pitched whine with a false frown.
Edward was about to snap something back, when he thought about her words. It hadn't occurred to him that the rest of their ordeal might not simply consist of getting Kevin back to a hospital. He brushed the possibilities away. He was tired, hurt, and he seemed to have caught something. He knew his forehead was hot to the touch, and he couldn't blame it on the fire. "Just wait," he pleaded with Jessica. "We're all getting out of here together."
"Too slow!" She declared. And before Edward could counter, she climbed up the seats before throwing a window open.
"Wait! We have to stay together!" Edward ordered, almost at his wit's end.
The cowgirl stuck her tongue at him before pulling herself out of the car.
Meanwhile, Rebecca stared at the corpses apprehensively. "You're sure they're dead?" She looked back up at Daniel who was checking the last body.
"Every single one of them has a bullet head in their skull," he reassured her, pausing to wipe some of the sweat of his brow. He looked up at the next door. "I'm going to need someone to help me check this door." He glanced back. Behind Rebecca's group, Tim and Katelyn were in the middle of crossing. "Tim, take Kevin's handgun and help me out."
"Belay that!" A frustrated Edward called out from the other car. He glared at the soldier from the open doorway. "I refuse to allow another civilian to be armed!"
"Well then either you or Shantia come over here then," Daniel replied, glancing between the STARS member and the convict that was still holding the door open. Edward caught the expression and glared at the convict. He turned to Shantia and studied her, debating with himself. "Kevin is in no condition for combat any time soon," the glasses-wearing soldier added.
The STARS mechanic groaned. "Fine. Just keep moving."
"Roger." Daniel waited expectantly for Tim. The short football player whispered something to Katelyn before walking to the incoherent Kevin. He pulled the handgun out of the man's holster before hurrying over to Daniel. "Right, it's simple. You open the door, while I peek through it, okay?"
"Okay," Tim repeated seriously. After checking to make sure the small firearm was on "safe", he slowly slid the door open. Daniel peered in, happy that the next car was also illuminated. Besides the two z-dogs from earlier, it was clear.
"Hey!" Daniel and Tim looked up. A very irate Jessica was staring back down at them through a window. "There's nothing here! No monsters, no zombies, no nothing!" She swept her arms through the air, making a large "X". "I'm getting bored!" She warned them.
Drunk Jessica is bad enough, Daniel thought with a grimace. Drunk and bored Jessica sounds horrifying. Rebecca and the others were right behind him, so he didn't dare try to reassure the action-starved teenager. "We have to get out of here first. Then we can worry about securing the area," he pointed out vaguely.
Though certainly buzzed, Jessica received his meaning. She scowled and laid down, placing an arm through the window. "Then come on! It's faster this way."
"We can't possibly get Kevin out that way!" Rebecca protested voraciously. "Not without aggravating his injuries!"
"Well he certainly ain't getting better as is!" Jessica sourly countered. "And the fire is only getting worse!"
Rebecca bit her lip and looked at Kevin than at Daniel, who frowned. The pilot had already been through a lot, and he hated the thought of making it worse. Then again, Rebecca still hadn't been able to attend to his fingers, which still were bent at crooked angles. That and the smoke was getting worse. Daniel sniffed trying to clear his lungs of a small invasion of the foul substance. "Time is our priority right now. Let's get him up after another person." Jessica let out a victorious smile. Her hand impatiently grabbed at people. "Bruce, you're up. Then we'll get Kevin, and so on. Tim help me out." One by one, the survivors were pulled and pushed up out of the train. Both the heat and the smoke continued to gather. In a few minutes, blurry eyes and wheezing lungs became all too common even as people struggled to keep both off. Once Billy was pulled out, the train was empty of human life. Already, a few of the others were off the train and waiting for the rest of their comrades.
Rebecca turned to watch Billy, Daniel, and Edward come over. She waved, encouraging them to press onward, coughing as she did so. "Everybody's already *cough* down!"
Edward nodded and jumped, quickly followed by Billy. The two landed on their feet amongst the others and gestured for the last two to move. "I'll catch you!" The mechanic reassured her.
Daniel jumped next, landed on his feet, but found inertia carrying him forward. He pulled back...and found himself going too far reverse, collapsing his unsteady balance and landing on his rear. Can barely see anything. He thought as he clutched his cap to his mouth, breathing carefully.
Rebecca blinked, trying to clean her eyes. The smoke was getting thicker. She tried to guess where Edward was so she could jump at a spot in front of him. A stabbing pain coming from her feet alerted her that she missed and Edward didn't catch her. Her left foot gave way and she hit the ground. Well, at least, she was supposed to. But she landed on something other than concrete. Something softer. Something that wheezed, "again!?"as she crashed on top. In her tear-filled vision, she could see a pair of camouflaged pants. "Sorry!" She called out as she was pulled onto her feet by Edward. Beside them, Daniel stood, one arm across his aching stomach. "Where to?" Rebecca asked, trying to find an exit through the flames.
"This way!" Daniel began running. Though how he was able to navigate through the burning corridor so easily was beyond Rebecca. Regardless, everyone followed and was led to a steel door. Daniel threw it open and everyone piled in with Edward shutting the door behind him.
"Oh...my...god. IT REEKS IN HERE!" Jessica announced, an echo trailing after her every word. After the smell of fire and smoke cleared away from Billy's nose. He couldn't help but agree. Out of the fire and into the sewers, he thought drearily as he could feel his feet become drenched with the foul concoction.
"There's an exit right over there." Billy followed where Pvt. Sims pointed at and could see an indentation in the wall. It could have been exit, but the ex-marine wasn't sure how the soldier could tell from his vantage point. Has he already recovered from the smoke? No, he decided as he watched Daniel take off his glasses and wipe his eyes. The teenager moved unsteadily forward, using his free hand to guide himself along the wall, his rifle bouncing against his back. Now that I think about it. How did he even see that last door?
The rest of the group was content to allow Daniel to take the lead. Many of them still coughing and wiping their eyes, trying to remove the last traces of the toxic air from themselves. Rebecca quickly re-took her spot next to the pilot, who remained mentally oblivious of the entire situation, even as his body tried to clean itself. But as she reached the halfway spot to the exit, her radio beeped. Static came first, followed by a voice that Daniel never expected to hear. "...Richard...re. Re..cca, where...u?"
The two STARS members shared a brief look before Rebecca practically jumped for her radio, unhooking it from her belt. "Richard! Can you hear me? Please respond!"
"I...ou...to..." Was all that spoke from the electronic device before static completely overwhelmed it. Rebecca let out a small cry of frustration.
"Easy, Rebecca," Edward gently commanded. "We, at least, know he's alive. Maybe he's already back with the others. Maybe they can help us."
"How?" Shantia asked. She wasn't trying to be confrontational, but she was confused on how the rest of Bravo team could do anything for them now.
Edward faltered and reluctantly shrugged. "They're alive. That's what counts." The answer didn't satisfy the raven-haired soldier. But she dropped the subject.
Daniel, on the other hand, was downright bewildered. A call from Richard? A call from Richard! What the heck?! I mean, where was THAT in the game? He was glad that he had his back turned toward the others. He was pretty sure his eyes were wide open with the confusion that filled him. Sloshing legs reminded him that they still needed to get out of the sewers. He pushed the new event to the back of his mind as he began climbing up the ladder.
Bruce peered at the ladder then at Kevin before he focused on Rebecca. His face asking a silent question of how they were going to transport the injured pilot up the ladder. Unfortunately, Rebecca wasn't sure herself. "Well, maybe we could, no. Er, how about...no." Every idea that came to her was immediately shot down by herself.
"I'll do it."
"Huh?" Rebecca turned around just in time to see her charge being lifted off his feet. "Wait, that's not good for him!" She clamored as Billy threw the pilot onto his shoulders.
"No time for pleasantries, princess," he said as he began climbing up the ladder.
"Don't call me princess." Her complaint was only half-hearted as she watched in surprise. She didn't think the convict was capable of such a feat of strength.
"She is a fully-fledged member of STARS, and will be treated as such." Edward's warning, however, was much stronger, though he too didn't seem as threatening as he'd usually been toward Billy.
"Woah," Billy quietly said in awe as he reached the top.
"What? What is it?" Rebecca asked. She was next out. "...oh."
"Wow! I wouldn't mind living here," Jessica declared. They were now in a grand, elegant foyer of what had to be a large mansion. The floor was tiled marble. Most of the first floor was encircled by a smooth, wooden railing. Antique chairs lined up against the railing. Behind them were expensive, intricate oil paintings. Two doorways led to the eastern and western parts of the house. Two torches stood guard on both sides of the main stairway, which led up to a landing. In front of the landing was an enormous portrait of an old man with piercing, cold eyes. Two more torches stood to each side of the portrait. Two stairways finished the way to the second floor. The second floor had a balcony that completely encircled the room. Several more doors and oil paintings were on the balcony itself. To top it all off was a large, unlit chandelier hanging over their heads, encouraging them to stare at the heavily-painted ceiling.
"I don't get it," Shantia declared as her gaze turned toward her comrade. "Why does a station in the middle of a mountain have a door into a sewer, which has a ladder leading up to a fancy smancy building?"
Daniel shrugged.
Soon, everybody was out of the sewers. Most of them admired their new surroundings, except for Daniel and Rebecca, who was finishing her treatment on Kevin. He took a glance at each door. First one was the front entrance. Two knights barred the way. Locked. He turned to the Dining Room door. Open. The door to the hallway with leech zombies. Open. The two second-level doors to the East. Both are locked. The double doors behind the statue. Open. Finally, the door to the study. Open. Daniel began to formulate a plan. But even as he did so, doubt crossed his mind. Already, so many things were different. What else could happen?
Meanwhile Billy gazed at the symbol on the floor. "The Umbrella Research Center?"
Are the faint sounds of footsteps those of survivors?