A/N: Another day, another chapter to post to the masses. I'm really starting to hit my stride with this story even though I'm focusing on my other two as well. And I know for a fact that I've made a few changes to the main story's timeline when I brought Rebecca in earlier than when she was supposed to.

But with Ethan's addition to the universe, changes were bound to happen at some point. And several more will be made in the future. But I'll keep that to myself for the time being.

Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil.

Chapter 4:

"We gain strength, courage and confidence by each experience in which we stop to look fear in the face...we must do that which we think we cannot." - Eleanor Roosevelt

June 6, 1998

The large room revealed was big enough to hold a dozen people. Three good-sized desks were set up on either side with a walkway through the middle leading to a door in the far back. It was a typical 'group-office space' that can normally be found in a police station.

All occupants in the room looked up from their desks when they heard the door open and looked at the new arrivals. Ethan recognized each and every one of them instantly as he and Rebecca stepped inside and shut the door behind them.

"Something we can help you with?" asked a tall, middle aged man with a beard wearing a red vest over his STARS uniform. His holster held a large revolver with several speed loaders on the belt that housed it.

'Barry Burton' the dimension traveler thought to himself. "Looking for Captain Wesker, we're here for orientation." he said out loud.

"So these must be the rookies that the boss has been telling us about." said Joseph Frost from his desk as he observed the two teens. "Think you kids can handle the job?"

Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest, "Don't call us kids, and we're more than capable of handling this. Why else were we selected to join?"

The last man in the room and the only woman approached them, "Easy, don't mind Joseph. He tends to run off at the mouth without thinking." said the man. Joseph rolled his eyes and propped his feet on his desk. "Names Chris, Chris Redfield." introduced Alpha Team's point man holding his hand out.

"Ethan Mercer." Ethan said shaking his hand.

"Rebecca Chambers." added Rebecca shaking his hand as well.

The woman wearing a dark-blue uniform and matching beret shook their hands next. "Jill Valentine. Out of curiosity, which one of you is joining our team?"

"I am. I'm your criminal profiler and strategy specialist. Rebecca is Bravo Team's medic and chemical specialist." said the older teen.

Barry looked them both over a moment, "You two seem offly young to be joining STARS. How old are you guys?"

Before either of them could answer, the door at the end of the room opened and two men stepped out. Ethan looked toward them and felt the same chill from before go down his spine when he recognized the one standing on the left.

Taller than him by a few inches, slicked back blonde hair and a pale angular face fixated in an expression of stone. Eyes hidden behind a pair of dark-tinted sunglasses even through they were inside. And a posture that spoke of leadership and business as well as intimidation.

Albert Wesker looked even more imposing in person than he did in the games. And he wasn't even like he was in RE5 yet. And Ethan could feel the cold eyes piercing through those dark lenses, locking on to him like a sniper on the battlefield.

The man standing on his right was of the same height with dark-brown hair and a mustache. Enrico Marini, the leader of STARS' Bravo Team and Rebecca's new boss held the same posture as the division leader at his side, but didn't have the same sharp look as he regarded the teens.

"You must be Chambers and Mercer. We've been expecting you." Wesker clipped in the same even tone that he was always known for as he motioned to the open office door.

Getting the hint, Ethan and Rebecca walked through the room. Chris and Jill giving them nods of encouragement as they stepped past the two leaders and into the smaller room which was dominated by a large desk on one side. Several filing cabinets in the corners and an array of various frames with awards and commendations on the walls letting anyone that stepped inside know that the division head worked there.

Enrico followed them with Wesker right behind closing the door. The two men stepped to the opposite side of the desk where two folders lay open on the top. Both open revealing Ethan's picture and information on one, Rebecca's picture and info on the other.

"We were just reading your files before you arrived. Gotta say, they were interesting." said Enrico with a small smirk. "With marks like this, it's no wonder you were able to get into STARS at such young ages."

Wesker sat in his chair and flipped through the information. "Both of you graduated college at 18. Top of your classes. High IQ levels bordering on genius. Very impressive." he looked up at them, "With such credentials, we should expect good things from both of you."

Rebecca swallowed, "We won't let you down, sir." she said with her voice shaking in nervousness.

Ethan gently bumped her shoulder before regarding the Captain, "Believe me, we're more than qualified. Give us some time on the job and we'll prove it." he said with conviction in his voice.

Shifting his gaze toward his new subordinate, Wesker raised an eyebrow before going back to the files before him. "Agent Mercer, you've been given the position of Alpha Team's profiler and strategic expert. I hope that you don't mind that I will want to test those skills personally to see if they are as effective as your paperwork says they are."

The traveler nodded, "Of course. I take it you'll also want to test my skills with a firearm and close quarters combat as well?"

"In time." said Wesker as he started going through Rebecca's file. "Officer Chambers. You are Bravo Team's field medic and chemical expert. The files given to us from your university confirm you knowledge of advanced first aid and biochemistry. Though according to your information, you were meant to be put into the labs to assist with medical procedures after field assignments."

Rebecca nodded, "Yes, but I'm glad I have the chance to get some real field experience in."

"We look forward to having you on the team, Chambers." said Enrico smiling at the young woman. "With the way the boys get banged up once in a while, it'll be good to have someone who knows how to patch them up the right way."

The girl smiled knowing that she made a good impression already, and Ethan was happy for her as they talked with the two team leaders for a good 30 minutes before they emerged from the office.

It was around this time that the squads were switching shifts for the day and both teams were gathered together in the main room. Wesker introduced the two rookies to everyone and explained what their positions were on each team and that they would make good additions.

Ethan already knew each and everyone of them along with their specialties, but meeting them in person and getting to know them actually felt pretty good since they would be working together on future assignments.

Chris, Jill, Barry and Joseph already taking a liking to him as he spoke to each of them. Barry was even surprised at how his Samurai Edge was set up and was impressed at the custom work that went into it. He even offered to help him with any maintenance with his weapon should he need it.

Rebecca made quick friends with the guys on Bravo Team, Richard and Kenneth ruffling her hair while calling her kiddo. Leaving the poor girl blushing and really feeling like the youngest one in the room.

It wasn't nearly as bad as either of them had expected. But as it turned out, the older members of STARS looked after each other like all friends usually do. Welcoming someone new seemed like a rather laid back thing for them and made the rookies feel at ease as they got used to their new surroundings.

When introductions were out of the way, Barry took them down to the shooting range to test how well they did with firearms. Both teens standing in separate booths as targets were set up halfway down range.

The other STARS stood a ways back to observe. After everything they had heard about the two prodigies they wanted to see how they fared with the rest of the skills required to join.

"It's simple, fire ten rounds into the targets and try to hit the best marks." Barry instructed. "No pressure, and take your time, kids." he said causing the rookies to glare at him for the comment. The older man just chuckled as he finished setting things up for them.

Ethan drew his handgun, pulling back the slide and chambering the first round as he clicked the safety off. Rebecca doing the same, checking things off in her head as she pointed down range at her own target.

Bam!Bam!Bam!Bam!Bam!

She jumped a little when she heard Ethan firing his weapon in the booth next to her. The sound of the shell casings hitting the floor followed after he fired the first five rounds. There was a brief pause before another five rounds were fired in quick succession.

Steeling her own resolve and setting her jaw. Rebecca raised her weapon, aiming down sights and squeezing the trigger as she shot her ten rounds as well. The smell of gunsmoke filled the shooting range as the two rookies dumped their clips and set their weapons aside as Barry retrieved their targets.

Rebecca's was first. She managed to hit the target's chest six times grouped in the center, the other four rounds were about half an inch off in different directions. "Not bad, Rebecca. You got real potential." said the weapons specialist making the girl blush.

Taking out Ethan's, Barry paused. His mouth falling open at the results.

"How bad did he do, Barry?" asked Richard as the other tried to see what the score was. The bearded man held up the target, revealing five rounds were punched through dead-center in the chest. The other five rounds...were right in the center of the targets head. The grouping perfect which caused everyone to look at Ethan who just shrugged at them.

"Dad was a cop, took me to the shooting range back when I was a kid." he said while reloading his weapon and holstering it.

"Why aim for the head?" asked Rebecca observing her fellow rookies' marksmanship.

Ethan walked up and tapped her kevlar vest. "In the off chance that a hostile has body armor and you need to put them down hard. If all else fails and they're still a threat, aim for the head." he said with a double meaning in his voice that none of them would understand until much later.

Moving on from the shooting range to the fitness room, they gathered around where a ring had been set up in the far corner. "Now to test your CQC capabilities. Whose first?" asked Enrico as he looked to the teens.

Looking to one another, Rebecca motioned for Ethan to go first and he accepted. Stripping off his rig and holster before climbing into the ring with Forest stepping up after him. "Alright, newbie. Show me what you got." he said getting into a defensive position.

Observing his opponent for a few seconds, the traveler took his own stance as he waited for Forest to go first.

The veteran STARS member threw a sloppy right-cross that Ethan easily blocked. Getting under the older man's guard and slamming his elbow into his stomach. Now doubled over and stunned, Forest couldn't stop the teen from positioning his right leg behind his left one. The rookie wrapping his right arm around the veteran's middle and taking him off his feet and hitting the ground in one smooth motion.

Rolling to his feet, Forest looked at the rookie wide-eyed as he slipped back into his earlier stance. "Don't underestimate someone simply because of their age. At least half of you have been doing so since we first arrived here." Ethan said evenly.

This time he went on the offensive. Going in for an uppercut that Forest immediately went to block. But the teen faked at the last second, grabbing the veteran's arm and twisting to the side. Delivering a solid kick to Forest's diaphragm and taking the wind out of him.

Forest recovered fast, twisting the opposite way and shoving the rookie back a few steps. Following after him with a flurry of punches and kicks that Ethan blocked and dodged around while throwing back a couple of his own.

The older STARS member sent a roundhouse kick toward the younger man's head. But Ethan saw it coming and and caught it with both hands, throwing the kick the rest of the way and knocking Forest off balance and allowing him to get behind him and wrap his arms up in an arm-bar grapple.

Being about the same height, the rookie was able to lock it in good and keep Forest from breaking out of it. Kicking the older man's legs out from under him and bringing him down. Ethan held him down with his arms restrained and making escape even more improbable.

After a bit of a struggle, Forest relaxed. "Alright, I give." Ethan released his hold and let him up. "Jeeze, where did you learn moves like that?"

"When your only 11 and in high school, you become the target of bullies who consider you a pest. Through that you learn to defend yourself against those bigger than you and in greater numbers." the teen explained.

"Kid's got some real skills." said Chris getting a nod from Jill and Barry as they observed the newest member of their team.

Rebecca and Bravo Team was equally impressed with how quickly and precisely Ethan had disarmed and restrained Forest. 'Wow, I figured that he was good. But that was amazing.' the young medic thought in slight awe. All the while making her wonder what else her fellow rookie was capable of.

X

The rest of the day seemed to go by in a blur. Rebecca went up against Richard in a CQC match and was able to keep up with him rather easily. Her smaller, more flexible form keeping the communications specialist on his toes the whole time before Enrico called an end to the match.

After having their skills tested, the rookies were shown where their desks would be. Since the STARS teams were on separate shifts they shared desks with other members of the other squad.

Though considering there was now an odd number between them, Ethan had been given a corner desk with a filing cabinet next to it. Of course, being Alpha Team's profiler he'd be in charge of keeping track of any cases they receive, researching the crime scenes, and keeping track of the MOs of suspects.

Basically, like Joseph had pointed out not long after he was given details of the job, he was the group's 'Sherlock Holmes'. The nickname stuck after the first hour making the traveler roll his eyes every time he heard it.

There was no large medical wing of the precinct, so Rebecca had been given Barry's desk during her team's shifts. And she felt very happy and excited about finally starting her new job, but also knowing that Ethan was there too.

Though she wasn't too keen on being called kiddo all the time from the other members of Bravo Team.

Since it was their first day, Wesker told them to take the rest of the day off and informed them the schedules the teams would be assigned on certain days. Each squad had a 24-hour shift and swapped out with the next team so they could do their shift. Both sides having Sundays off so that they weren't overworked.

When orientation was over, Ethan and Rebecca left the police station together feeling more than ready to face their new profession. "Well...that went much better than I thought it would." said the young medic as they headed to the parking lot.

"I know what you mean. But I guess we really left an impression on them with what we're capable of." replied Ethan.

Rebecca smiled at him. "Especially you, that was amazing stuff you did back there. And when Captain Wesker tested your profiling skills...how did you know all that stuff about Kenneth?" she asked wanting to know how he was able to figure out the man's personality, past and even a few of his habits just by observing him for a few moments.

"It's all about how a person holds themselves, the look in their eyes and any 'micro-movements' that they make that can defy them. Anyone can do it if they know what to look for and the meaning behind it. You can also make yourself into a lie-detector." he explained.

"What about me?" asked the girl, biting her lip as they approached the parked Silverado.

Ethan regarded her a few moments, a blush appearing on her cheeks from his intense stare before he started chuckling. "You've got a few quirks, one of them being clumsiness when your nervous about something. You also put on a very brave front even though your scared or unsure. Many would believe it, but the subtle look in your eyes gives you away."

Her face reddened with each passing moment as he seemed to pick out her little defense mechanisms as though he had known them all along. "But..." she looked up when he paused. "Despite being a bit shy, you've got a lot of courage. And a will to prove yourself to those around you while at the same time never worrying about what others think of you. A very endearing quality." he said smiling at her.

Rebecca felt her heart beating faster, and the heat in her face could probably be picked up from space. Ethan chuckled at the embarrassed girl before opening the passenger side door for her, "Come on, how bout we grab something to eat from our usual place before I take you home?"

His response was a nod as they got into the truck and pulled out on to the street. Neither of them aware of the pair of sharp eyes watching them from one of the upper windows of the police station.

Albert Wesker watched the two newest members of his command leave the parking lot. His mind turning over how well they had done on their first day before wandering off to other things. "So those are the new recruits." said the gruff voice of Chief Irons as he stepped up next to him and watched the rookies leave. "They everything their files said they would be? I don't want to be throwing money away on them if they're not up to snuff."

"They will do well. Especially Mercer, considering he is under my direct leadership." said Wesker thinking back to how well he was able to observe and pick apart an individual's inner most psyche as though he were reading a road atlas.

Irons nodded slowly before turning to the man next to him. "I've been hearing rumors about the facilities. Something about lab accident at the mansion." he whispered after making sure that no one was around.

"A small hiccup. Nothing to be concerned about." Wesker said spinning on his heel and heading down the corridor toward his office.

X

June 10, 1998

It turned out that time slips by much faster when you work for the police force. Ethan's first real day on the job was 20 hours after he and Rebecca returned from orientation.

Since not a whole lot was going on in Raccoon City at the time, he spent his hours at the office combing over old case files and getting to know his fellow STARS on Alpha Team. He'd gone down to the shooting range once in a while to keep his skills sharp, Chris joining him every so often and the two of them would get into a bit of a competition over who was the better shot.

The older man proving to be the true marksmen of the team, but by barely little with how close their scores were.

When the first shift ended almost a full day later, Ethan met up with Rebecca as their squads traded shifts. Telling her the shift was a bit boring and have a pillow ready incase it got too much before heading home. not even bothering to change out of his uniform as he fell into bed and was asleep when his head hit the pillow.

The next couple of days passed much the same and quickly became a new routine for the dimension traveler. And even though it was a different kind of pace he had been used to back where he had come from, he acclimated to it rather quickly and had become close to the other members in just a short time.

Throughout the week, Ethan had kept a close eye on Wesker every chance he caught sight of him. The team Captain/soon to be traitor was usually a loner unless there was a team meeting about something. But each time he was in the same room as the blonde leader of STARS he felt as though he were being watched.

Even with his glasses on, the teen knew when Wesker was watching him. He couldn't explain it and put him on edge a lot of the time. The others in Alpha Team had noticed as well, Jill said something about him being new and their leader wanting to make sure he didn't make any mistakes.

But deep down, Ethan knew that wasn't the case. And that the undercover Umbrella operative was keeping tabs on him for another reason. He just needed to find out what that was.

It was already Saturday and approaching the end of the last shift of the week before everyone's day off on Sunday.

Ethan was currently at his desk going over the personality profiles of a few suspects and filing them in the cabinet next to his desk when Chris came up and knocked on the surface, "Hay Ethan, the rest of us were thinking about heading out to Jack's Bar tomorrow night. You up for joining us?" he asked.

"I'm a bit young to be drinking, Chris." the teen said putting the last file away and turning to the veteran STARS member.

"Shouldn't stop you from hanging out with the rest of us." said Jill from her desk as she looked through the newspaper. "Think of it as a belated welcome to the team thing from us. Enrico's already asked Rebecca and she's accepted."

That caught Ethan's attention. With their work schedules, the two rookies didn't see as much of each other as they had before. 'A night out with everyone shouldn't be too bad.' he thought with a smirk. "What the hell, why not? Could use the time to cut loose after my first week."

"You see that there?" Joseph said from the corner with a coffee mug in his hand. "The moment you mentioned everyone's favorite medic he perked right up. It's almost like...moonlighting."

The profiler flipped the other man the finger as he locked things up as the day came to an end. "What time are we all meeting there?" he asked as they headed to the locker room and put away their equipment.

"Around eight'o clock, it's close to Main Street. Can't miss it." said Barry as he put his vest in his locker but keeping his revolver holstered at his side.

Ethan nodded, "I'll be there. See ya guys." he left the locker room and through the precinct toward the employee entrance. Passing by a couple of officers and nodding to them as he went out into the parking lot. The warm night air greeting him as he approached his truck and taking out his keys.

"Long night planned, Mercer?" the teen spun around preparing for an attack when he saw Wesker come out from behind a couple of cars. He lowered his arms, but kept his guard up regardless.

"Not really, just gonna catch up on some sleep, Captain." he said, feeling as though he had eaten something foul when he finished speaking.

The blonde man nodded slowly, "You've proven to be a decent asset to the team in the time you have been here. Perhaps your files were as accurate as believed. To be this young and skilled is a admirable trait."

"Thank you, sir. I'm certainly doing the best that I can. Though Raccoon City seems like a pretty quiet city for people of our skill sets to to sitting around." Ethan said wondering where Wesker was going with this.

Adjusting his sunglasses, Wesker looked off into the distance. "You never know. Trouble always seems to rise when you least expect it." he turned back to the rookie. "Don't make me regret bringing you on Alpha Team, Mercer. I have high expectations for you."

Without another word he headed toward the building. His boots loud on the asphalt as he stepped through the door.

Making sure that he was out of sight, Ethan got into his truck and let out a breath he didn't know that he had been holding. Wesker's words had left a horrible feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, and it didn't help that the 'cannibal murders' were about to come to light.

'Why can't I put a bullet in his head and save us all the trouble for later?' he thought as he started up the truck. 'Oh right, then I'd have everyone coming after me and they won't believe a word of my explanation.'

Pulling out of the parking lot, he drove back to the apartment building in silence. Going up to his floor and into his apartment, putting up his rig and holster on the hooks by the door as he switched lights on and went to the kitchen.

The light blinking on the answering machine by the phone got his attention and he hit the button as he pulled out leftovers from dinner the previous night from the fridge.

"Saturday. 6:55PM." said the automated voice before another, more familiar one came on. "Hay Ethan, it's Rebecca. I know you're still at the office so I decided to leave you this message. I guess everyone's going to Jack's Bar on Sunday night, Enrico already asked me and I accepted and I just thought that you might want to come with me. It sounds like a lot of fun to just hang out with everyone on our day off."

"Anyway, give me a call tomorrow if you get the chance. Bye." the machine clicked with the end of the message. Ethan shook his head while chuckling. The girl was very subtle, but she was beginning to show a lot more interest in him than when they first met a week ago. He'd have to be an idiot not to see it.

The microwave beeped letting him know his dinner was ready, he sat on the couch and flipped on the news as he ate in silence.

"Our top story tonight continues to be the sudden rise in carcasses discovered just beyond the edges of the Arkley Forest surrounding Raccoon city." said the anchor making Ethan's back straighten. "Local police units and animal control have been able to confirm that the mutilated bodies of smaller animals within the tree line were the cause of wild dogs that must have been prowling for food close to the populated areas. When asked if these attacks on wildlife had any connection to the death of a local hiker back in late May, authorities couldn't confirm or deny the possibility."

The rest of the report was drained out as the teen's mind began working in overdrive. "Dead animals...and a hiker found just before I arrived here." he muttered to himself. "The Umbrella facilities have already fallen to the virus. It's only a matter of time before it reaches the city and we'll have to get involved."

The timeline for this universe was playing out mostly the same as he had expected. Though the arrival of Rebecca and her induction into the STARS was a whole months sooner than what she was suppose to. And god only knew if there were possibly any other changes that were bound to happen.

"I can't rely on past knowledge of this place. Need to take everything one step at a time, just incase." he instructed to himself before going back to watching the news as it continued to cover the dead animals in the surrounding forest.

But the feeling of dread from before came back with avengence. Time was running out, and he needed to be ready when it did.

A/N: Chapters are still a bit smaller than what I expected. But when we hit the incidents in the Arkley Mountains they will get a lot bigger with a good deal of action and suspense in them to really get this going. And with all the views and visits this story has gotten, I have a lot to own up to when we get to the real stuff.

As for the pairing, I'm still sticking with the Rebecca/OC option. And the next chapter or two will show possible evolution in their relationship.

Keep the reviews coming and I'll try to update soon.