A/N: Got bored again and my mind suddenly got a creative streak today, been at it all day. Hope you enjoy.

A taste of her reality.

January 21st, 1999

This has to be the worst day in my entire life. Aside from Spence being a little dipshit with the strange attitude change, like he had gone completely heartless or something... I had the most disturbing encounter with Dr. Isaacs. That man rubs me the wrong way every time. Even if I'm just looking at him. He would have that creepy smile every time he was around me and God, did it ever make my skin crawl.

Also, to add to this messed up day- those two Ensigns, Rain Ocampo and JD Salinas? They proved determination, but they're still young... so that troublemaking streak in them continues to live. I don't even remember when I lost mine. Maybe around the time I signed up with Umbrella? Or after my first mission.

As much I wish with every fiber in my entire being to forget that day, I never will.

Gunfire and screams rang out as billows of smoke moved towards the darkened sky before vanishing.

Her timing couldn't have been any better when she made the decision to straighten her Ensigns out. Breaking news: one of their scientists had lost their mind all of sudden and had a psychotic outbreak, threatening to kill everyone in the laboratories. He had locked down the hospital as well. Two explanations for why that happened would be- a; He was fed up with his job and wanted something more or b; something he was experimenting on must've made him lose it.

Alice knew something that all of her Ensigns didn't. Between herself and Commander One, Spence was the only other that knew about it too... was that Umbrella Corporation had been secretly working on a new serum. Which was located exactly where the crazed scientist was. The rest of the Ensigns was told that they were to take the scientist down. What they were purposefully neglected to be told was that Alice had a job to do. To collect the serum.

"They're all fucking insane!" Her team mate cried out in horror. Alice would never forget how pale he looked and how his eyes were widened, like Death was staring right back in his face with that dark and twisted grin. She couldn't agree anymore than she already did as she pulled the trigger, dropping a man wearing a white labcoat that represented what he was- an intelligent scientist, probably graduated from High School as a valedictorian and had a perfect family.

And how does life repay him? By having him running at her with a crazed look in his eyes, an axe in his hand and screaming, "Get out!" Just before she left a hole in between his eyes and stared at the body laying in a pooling puddle of his blood. The only question that was racing across her mind by then, "Why was he telling me to get out?"

"Alright, listen up!" James shouted out in a clear and firm tone for everyone to hear, his darkened brown hues appearing serious but Alice could tell there was a hint of concern in them. She couldn't blame him, really. The Commander was there with her on that tragic day after all.

"As you all have been updated, there are about ten hostages inside with the target. Our job is to get in there and get them out of there, alive. Now, it is not known if he has killed anyone yet... but let's try not to have more than one body on our hands. Abernathy, you're up." He up-nodded to Alice before she moved up to stand next to him.

"He shot at my head with a fucking flare gun! What the hell is wrong with you-" Those were the last words she heard from her team mate before the radio was cut off abruptly. Fear was slowly taking control and it would have rendered her paralyzed if she hadn't reminded herself why she was here and that she was still breathing.

"Anders and Coleman, you're on the doors." Actually, Anders was the computer geek- could hack in anything and Coleman was the killer meat shield. They made a quite lovely pair. "Salinas, we'll need a sniper out here in case this guy tries to run." As Alice issued the order to him, she looked behind her to see where he could camp out and nodded towards the four story apartment building, easily spotting the fire escape on the side, "Up there." She then turned back to her team and her eyes found Rain's dark gaze, "You're with me and Shade, we're taking the back door. We all set?" Almost in sync, they all affirmed and Alice nodded in satisfaction, "Let's do this then."

Taking that as a sign that the operation has been commenced, Salinas made his way across the street and up the fire escape to take his rightful place on the rooftop at the edge. Alice had witnessed his admirable sniping skills and gained a great deal of faith in him when it came to sniping assignments.

The rest followed suit as they made their way to their assigned positions.

The loss of their team mate and the sudden tragedy left her speechless and numb. She wanted to scream and ask why something like this would happen and how, but all she got in answer was- "You wanted to know what you signed up for? This is it." As cruel the fact might seem, she realized that this was reality. Umbrella Corporation had the power to do as they wish and she was just one of the pawns to clean up their mistakes.

Alice's team waited by the back door as Anders and Coleman worked their way inside the front. Like every other place that Umbrella Corporation owned, they had advanced locks that needed the skills of an expert hacker with years of experience to break through it. The doors inside were also controlled manually by computer. That was Anders's cue to get them inside. It took five minutes at the most before Commander One received a radio transmission from Coleman, affirming that doors were unlocked and Alice opened the door before making a hand gesture at Ocampo for her to go in first. Rain moved with agile as she secured her sides and every corner as she moved inside before giving Alice and their Commander the signal that it was clear.

Alice and Shade moved in with caution, checking their sides as well then moving forward after Ocampo to the main lobby of the building. Why did it have to be a hospital? Granted, it was a fool-proof front but still. It just felt wrong. "Alpha One has reached the first floor lobby. Any visual on the target and the hostages?"

There was silence for a brief moment and Alice figured that they were scanning the cameras. The power was still on when they had entered so it was the best bet everything else was functioning with no errors or disruptions.

"I see the target in lab 2B, second floor, but uh..." Alice didn't like it at all, the concern and hesitation she heard in his voice. "I don't see the hostages anywhere. He's alone. I'm looking at other cameras, still no hostages. Something's weird here, I'm telling you. This guy's been pacing back and forth the room, seems to be muttering something to himself. Might wanna get in there as soon as possible before he goes for the hostages."

Well, shit.

Alice looked over at Shade with concern and he shared the same look as she sighed. "Ocampo and Shade, find the hostages. I got this guy." Just then, James stared at her intently as if he was asking her if she's sure about this. Alice simply shouldered her weapon and stared back defiantly, "I got this. Now go, we don't have much time." Without another word, she headed straight for the stairs to reach the second floor.

"Got you on visual, Abs. By the way... DAT ASS." Even though Alice rolled her eyes at Anders's comment, she couldn't help the small smirk touching her lips. It was nice to have a comic relief of some sort, helps ease her nerves. "Anders, be serious." She half joked as she reached the second landing after climbing two sets of stairs. "Door unlocked?"

"All doors unlocked and alarms are off. You're good to go, boss."

Taking the cue to move in, she opened the door as she held the carbine rifle in other arm and stepped through the door with her guard up. The hall was clear up till she reached the second floor lobby and her heart sank. She could feel her stomach churn as she stared at the body laying in it's puddle of blood around her head next to the front desk. The woman looked young, in her mid-twenties... and that just made her feel worse. And angry. Her blonde hair was stained with blood that was dripping down her face from the gunshot wound in her head. At least that told them something, the target was armed with a firearm.

"Got a body here, one of the hostages from the looks of it." She muttered over the radio to the others and took in a deep inhale, managing to tear her gaze away from the dead woman and moved on down the hall towards lab 2B. Her face would most likely be buried in the back of her head, along with the rest of the ghosts from her past.

A distant shout, which Alice assumed that had came from lab 2B, was heard and alerted her further more. She moved swiftly, the red dot of her rifle swaying from one door to the next as she moved with long strides before she reached the door of the laboratory. She kept the rifle drawn on the door and let out a shaky exhale as she listened to the sounds from the room on the other side of the door she was standing by. "Which side of the room is he on?"

"Left of the door from where you're facing. He has his back to the door right now."

"Alright. I'm good to go... open it." Her grip tightened on the handles when the door opened, sliding to the right after thirty seconds or so.

'Here goes.'

Alice urged herself to take a step in starting with her right foot and the barrel of her rifle being aimed around the corner to the left and there he was. His shoulders seemed to be slumped over and his head hung down. She could hear him muttering curses and something about it all being a mistake. "Drop the gun." The man suddenly spun and drew his gun on her and Alice held her breath, glaring at him. He seemed to be frightened but angry at the same time as he shouted at her that he'll shoot if she didn't stay away. "Sir, I don't really want to have to shoot you. Drop the gun now!" Alice shouted again in a firmer tone.

"You... you work for them too!" He spat out along with a scoffing laugh and shook his head frantically. He definitely has lost it. Their main priority was to take him in alive for questioning, but Alice figured that it was bullshit. There had to be something more to this situation. The whole thing reeked. The best she could do was to shoot his leg to subdue him. Though, before she could give off a warning shot, her earpiece came alive with Rain's voice. "We found some hostages, two alive... and two dead. A woman and her son, they're scared out of their fucking mind. I don't see any others, some might have ran out when the doors were unlocked." She could hear a note of uncertainty when the husky voice exhaled her words out- "Shit, this woman's saying the guy's not alone!"

Now Alice was at her toes and kept her rifle drawn on the man. "I'm giving you one last warning, put the fucking gun down!" The man simply looked back up at her and she froze at the sight she found in his eyes, a sad look.. almost like a cry for help.

"You're blinded like the rest of them..." That had hit home, hard. Her sister told her the same thing before she disappeared.

And before Alice could react or even get a shot in, the man brought the gun up to his own head and pulled the trigger. Alice's pounding heartbeats echoed in her ears and she could've sworn she heard a second gunshot as the target fell down to the floor dead. She was in shock, so bad she didn't move for a long moment before her brain processed everything. That was the first time she had watched someone commit suicide and it made her sick to her stomach.

"Abernathy? Anders isn't answering! I'm on my way back to the security room- OH FUCK!" A series of gunfire was heard over the earpiece, tearing Alice out of her shock and panic set in. "Coleman! What happened?!"

"A-anders is dead! The son of bitch I just killed got him!"

Alice stood there over the dead body as she stared off in the space in front of her in disbelief up till she heard James's voice ordering her to secure the lab. What the team didn't know was that was a secret code between her and Shade. She had to find the serum. "Coleman..." She started before swallowing hard, "Go help them find the rest of the hostages." And a sound was heard on the other end that made Alice want to tear her earpiece out, a sob.

Letting out a sharp but shaky exhale, Alice stepped over the dead scientist and searched the room thoroughly till her eyes landed on an open stainless steel box laying on top of a counter. She moved over to the counter slowly, her mint hues shining with hatred at the blue liquid contained in medium-sized steel tubes. Was this what the man was talking about? The mistake?

"Abernathy? Is the lab secured?" James's voice came again and she wanted to say no. She really wanted to, but she knew better. They could throw her in jail with the charge for withholding the evidence. "Yes. Be out in five." Surprisingly, her voice didn't crack one bit that time. She reached out to turn the knob on the top of the box to close it and let out a heavy sigh. The box was carefully placed in a large black bag next to it and she slung it over her shoulder, her gaze lingering one last time at the dead body on the floor before she was gone.

A team would be sent in to retrieve the bodies and clean up shortly, since Alice's team already did what they needed to. They weren't a part of the messy job, thankfully. She didn't think she would be able to stand it anymore if she saw Anders's lifeless face right now and Coleman grieving over his body right now...

Alice practically tossed the bag with the serum away from her once she was in the helicopter. She hated it. She wanted to toss it in a fire and forget all about it, but she couldn't. It was her job to retrieve it and bring it back to them. Wonder how those assholes could sleep at night. The entire ride back home, she could feel Rain's gaze on her but never did Alice return it with her own. She couldn't look at anyone in the eye without breaking apart. She had to stand her ground and set an example for the team. Otherwise, she'd be nothing but one big sobbing mess.

Anders's body was brought back to base and the family had been notified of the unfortunate loss, then the team had their own personal wake to give Anders their final respects and say goodbye. He was a computer geek with a heart of gold, always knew how to make everyone laugh when they were down.

Alice was alone again. Everyone else took their shower and headed to their bunkers, but the Head of Security couldn't sleep. The look on that scientist's face, it wouldn't leave her alone... especially the sad look in his eyes. She noticed a wedding bang on his finger back there. The thought of breaking the news to his wife was just as heart-wrecking. "Sorry, ma'am to be the bearer of bad news... but your husband turned homicidal then killed himself." Christ.

"Abernathy?" It was Shade. Honestly, he was the only person she'd be willing to talk with at the moment. She couldn't even look at Salinas, Ocampo or even Coleman.

Alice's nostrils flared as she held in a sharp exhale due to the slight pain in her hand as she slowly unwrapped the gauze off her bloody knuckles. She had went at it too hard on the bag but she couldn't help it. It was either that or break something else. Certain enough she wouldn't shatter under her Commander's concerned gaze, she turned to face the man and stared back in his eyes, quietly asking 'why'.

"There was nothing you could do. It happened all so quickly." He tried to comfort her but it only pissed her off. Her jaw clenched as she grit her teeth and shook her head before looking down at her hand. "So, what happens to it?" She turned her defiant mint hues up to meet his gaze once more before glancing around them to make sure they were alone before adding in a soft voice but enough for Shade to hear, "The serum, that is."

James remained silent for a long moment and Alice did not like that.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You and your team are to guard this place 24/7. You will get paid extra, two times what you used to get." No. This was so not happening.

Her eyes had widened in disbelief before they narrowed at the taller man, slowly shaking her head. Before James could open his mouth, Alice spoke up in a sharp tone with a hint of venom, "I know. This is what we signed up for. No offense, sir.. but save the bullshit." With that, Alice turned on her heel and stormed off back to her office.

Why now? And why her? Out all of the people and out of all the times.

The door of her office was slammed shut after she entered. Alice couldn't even sit still, all she could do was pace back and forth in her office before her fist found the wall hard. A hole was left and she grit her teeth to swallow a cry of pain, regretting the blow as she thought she felt a tiny pop in her hand. But she didn't care anymore. She just turned and slumped back against the wall, slowly sliding down to the floor and her shoulders hunched over as her head hung down.

The only thought that was racing in her mind this time was...

'What the hell did I get myself into?'

-Fin-