Resident Evil Recall: Operation Arklay

Episode One: Raccoon City Sunrise

Part Three

Raccoon City Police Department, 8:15 AM…

"So as you can see, he brought the Mace on himself." Lopez explained. "I mean, he was just going crazy; running through buildings and stuff… a desperate criminal if I ever saw one."

Bruises had begun to form on the face of the purse-snatcher that they had brought in, and with how red and swollen his eyes were, it was obvious that a lot more Mace had been used to apprehend him than was allowed in regulations. This meant a long and detailed explanation to Branagh before the perp could be processed, but Chambers just didn't have the time this morning. In fact, he was lucky that they got back to the station when they did, or he was going to miss his big chance. It was the kind of chance that only came around once in a very long time, and he was going to take it.

"So after we got him in the car, he was all like: I can break these cuffs." Lopez continued as Chambers made his way toward the door. "And we were like: You can't break those cuffs, and then the nut-ball just starts screaming."

That was the last part that Chambers heard as he left the room and headed out of the room and down the hall toward the staircase. He was so excited that it was hard to keep his breathing under control as he reached the second floor, now following the wall signs that read: S.T.A.R.S. Office. He already knew where it was, but the signs gave him something to focus on, while all the time it felt like his anxiety was going up with each step. All he had to do was stay cool, after all, they had called him for an interview, so that meant they didn't think he was a joke right from the start.

The door was partially open when he got there, but it sounded like there was a discussion going on, and there were still a couple minutes before he was supposed to arrive, so Chambers decided to wait. He didn't want to make his first impression bad by interrupting their meeting, but no one said he couldn't listen in, though.

"So what are you gonna do when you see him?" A man with long hair and a shirtless vest asked. "I think you should pepper-spray him."

"I'm not going to do anything, Forest." The woman that Chambers recognized as Jill Valentine replied as she sat on the edge of a desk. "He apologized, and we're moving past this like adults… besides, it's not like he did anything that bad."

"Not that bad?" Another man wearing a bandana toward the back of the room replied. "Hold on, let me play the tape."

Valentine stood up to stop him, but couldn't before he put a tape into the cassette player on the back wall. Suddenly everyone cringed as a horrible excuse for music began to play, as if someone was attempting to play an electric guitar who had never even held one, and even Chambers had the urge to cover his ears.

"Jill Valentine, I love you!" A slurred and drunken voice yelled off key. "I love you because, uh… you're hot! It's like… after midnight or something, but, um… I'm sitting on this fence outside your apartment, and, uh… I'd like to come in because it's cold out here!"

"Tobias, get the hell away from me!" Valentine's voice suddenly screamed.

Then there was the sound of something being thrown along with an impact, followed by the music stopping while the drunken voice became a cry of agony as the sound of crashing trashcans rang out before the tape was stopped.

"Give me that tape." Valentine ordered.

"No way, Jill." The man with the Bandana laughed while putting it into his shirt pocket. "This is my new jam right here."

Chambers was listening intently to their conversation, and couldn't help but chuckle a bit when Valentine went to get the tape from the bandana man, only to have him laugh again while tossing it over her head to the one called Forest. He expected her to go after it and start a game of Monkey in the Middle, but instead she grabbed the bandana man and pulled him forward while tripping him with her leg, causing a rather impressive takedown. In fact, Chambers was focusing on them so intently that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps until an arm was suddenly around him and he was being nearly shoved through the door.

"What in the blue hell is going on in here!" The man leading him asked as they entered the office.

"Captain Marini!" Valentine exclaimed as she let go and the three of them stood up. "We were just, um…

The arm released him, and Chambers spun around to see that it was a large man with dark hair and a mustache who commanded this level of respect among the elite S.T.A.R.S., and thankfully he already knew who Enrico Marini was. He was one of two the Captains who ran this department, and of course it had to be him that caught Chambers eavesdropping. That was a great way to begin the interview process, but thankfully the attention was taken off of him before anything else could be said as the nervous looking Ashwood appeared in the doorway.

"Um, hello." She said once everyone was looking at her. "I'm here to interview for the S.T.A.R.S. position."

"Well, I'm certainly glad you're here in time to see my Officers making asses of themselves. So you two just have a seat over there, and we'll get right to business. Now, what makes you two think you're anything close to good enough to join the Special Tactics and Rescue Service?"

Homicide Department, RPD, 8:30 AM…

"I'm innocent!" The purse-snatcher screamed as Lopez and Branagh pulled him through the double doors marked Homicide. "I didn't do those things he said!"

"Fine, let's start at the beginning." Branagh replied as they moved between the rows of desks. "Did you steal an old lady and assault her? If the answer is yes, then you probably did everything else too."

McGee noticed the commotion from inside the Division Head's office where he had been catching up on paperwork. It was always such a joy when some looney was pulled off the street for going crazy on whatever drugs the kids were into nowadays, and even more so when they were brought right to Homicide instead of Central Booking. That meant he was a killer, or at least he tried to be. Probably some coke-head who attacked his dealer for a fix, but whatever he was, for now it was McGee's job to sort him out.

"Ah, I guess Christmas came early, I must've been good." He grumbled as he stepped out of the office. "Bring my gift into the office here, would' ya?"

They were just about to enter the office, when the perp got a wild panic-stricken look in his eyes before making his move. His hands were cuffed behind his back, but that didn't stop him from head-butting Branagh before slamming his foot into Lopez's groin in order to make his escape. McGee took the old .38 revolver out of his shoulder-holster and aimed, but the perp ducked and weaved between the surprised Officers, giving him no opportunity for a shot as he yelled for him to stop.

Clearly no one expected him to make a run for it, because he was just about to the door, when the man who was just walking in took something off his belt as soon as he saw what was happening. He moved into the perp's path as the device in his hand extended into a baton, and then sparks flew as he brought the crackling weapon across the purse-snatcher's face. He made a sort of rasping cry as he collapsed to the ground, and by this time the other Officers had reached them. They grabbed the twitching perp and got him to his feet, but they were stopped from taking him away as one of them saw who it was that wielded the electric weapon.

"Lieutenant Liquid?!" She exclaimed, causing the others to stop as well. "When… when did you get back?"

"Just today, Carver." He replied while collapsing the baton and putting it back onto his belt. "Now I want you to book this scumbag for assaulting… no, better yet the attempted murder of every cop in this room. Get him out of my sight, and don't be afraid to whoop him a bit on the way to his cell."

The purse-snatcher gave a weaken cry of desperation as they dragged him out of the room, and Liquid walked toward the office, where he shook hands with McGee before turning to check on Lopez. Lopez grunted in a signal that he was fine before walking away without another word, aside from smacking a large stack of papers off of the first desk he passed by, and McGee chuckled a bit at this. The kid would have to learn that wounded pride was just another part of the job, and speaking of jobs, it was time for him to return to his old one.

"It's all yours, Tobias." He said eagerly while gesturing into the corner office. "And you couldn't take it back soon enough."

"What's wrong, Francis?" Liquid replied with a half-smile. "You don't like being in charge? The thrill and power not exciting enough for you? I was expecting to have a mutiny when I came back, or at least find my stuff in boxes on the front lawn."

They both had a good laugh at this, and things were calming down now, so they went back into the office where McGee was more than happy to sit in the less comfortable chair in front while Liquid took his place behind the large desk. It had been nice to have a position of power in the RPD… at first. He still got to go on investigations and catch the bad guys once in a while, but most of the day was spent doing paperwork, writing up reports, and then there were the meetings… oh God, the meetings. Hours and hours of sitting in Chief Irons' office with the other Division Heads while the fat egotist did nothing but drone on and on about nothing.

"I'm perfectly happy with my old desk, thank you." McGee replied. "And now that you're back, I can relax a little while you listen to Irons go on about… whatever it is he rants about in there."

"Yeah, speaking of Irons, I actually have to see him in a bit." Liquid said. "But I wouldn't get too comfortable just yet if I were you. See, while I was gone, I came up with a plan. Well, not at first… there was a lot of drinking and bad life choices before I got my head back on my shoulders, but once I did, I had a brilliant idea. You and me, Francis, we're going places… literally."

Liquid started laughing once he finished that statement, and McGee laughed as well, although he wasn't sure if this surprising yet vague news was good or bad. Probably both, if he knew Tobias Liquid, and unfortunately… he did.