A/N: I'm on a pretty serious roll here. For the last couple of days I've been trying to decide what kind of set up I wanted for the next section of the story. In the end, I decided on using the mansion that was used in the REmake and Umbrella Chronicles. Contents from both games will be used along with parts from the book 'Umbrella Conspiracy' (#1 in series by S.D. Perry). Because there are so many factors to consider, my update times will be slown down quite a bit, but it's gonna be a wild ride regardless.
Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil.
Chapter 13:
"Fear doesn't go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day." - Steven Pressfield
Ethan's POV:
It's amazing how things can change in so little time. To be perfectly honest, there were moments where I had actually doubted that Rebecca and I would survive the training facility. What we encountered in that place...if only the game developers back where I had come from knew just how horrifying and deadly such creatures were they wouldn't have dared to bring them to life in fiction.
Facing the zombies, the BOWs and Umbrella's secrets had taken all my intellect and skills to come out alive. It had also nailed the fact home that I was truly in this. And if I had anything to say about it, it would be for the long hall. Too much was riding on my shoulders at that point to just give up now.
And now I had someone at my side every step of the way. Who had given me her heart and gave her my own in return. I couldn't have asked for someone better to be with me than Rebecca, and I'd make sure that we both escaped the Arklay mountains.
After we had said goodbye to Billy, and confessed our feelings to each other, we started toward the Spencer Mansion where this shit-storm would start up all over again. My brain was already going over the layout of the building, the traps and key locations along with the creatures that would be waiting for us as we made our way through the woods. The warm sun beating down on us and lighting the way through the forest as we moved.
The whole way we had out pistols ready, our ammo was lacking since our fight against the leech-queen but we had enough to help us get to the mansion before nightfall. We kept our eyes and ears open the deeper into the forest we went, there was still infected animals and people still moving about and we didn't need to be caught off guard.
Despite our exhaustion, the aches and pains we had gained in Umbrella's little playground, we pushed on. One foot in front of the other, as we approached the next stop on this rollercoaster ride from hell.
And I was more than ready for it.
X
July 24, 1998 ( One Mile Outside The Spencer Estate)
It was roughly around noon judging by the position of the sun overhead. Ethan leaned back against a nearby pine tree wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his gloved hand. Scratching at his bandaged right bicep as it started to feel a bit uncomfortable in the warmth of the bright summer's day.
'Damn good thing T can't be transferred through claws, only bites.' he thought looking at his companion/girlfriend as she sat on a log catching her breath. Rebecca had been keeping it together pretty well since they bailed from the training facility before it detonated, but he could clearly read how tired she was.
He wasn't faring much better himself in that department. In addition to no sleep, they'd been fighting Umbrella's freaks of nature all night long and running for their lives at every turn. Both rookie STARS were running on empty, and if they didn't find a place to recuperate soon they might end up someone's lunch.
"How you holding up, Becs?" the profiler asked checking his Samurai Edge over a moment.
The medic gave him a weak smile and a thumbs up. "I'm good, could really use an extra-large cheeseburger right about now though." she said just before her stomach growled.
"Screw the burger, just give me the whole damn cow." replied Ethan with a small grin and getting a giggle out of the girl next to him. He sobered up as he looked up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun as he gauged how late it was before checking his watch. "We better get moving, staying in one spot too long wouldn't do well in our favor."
Nodding in agreement, Rebecca got back to her feet and they started off again. Weapons aimed at the ground but ready to snap up in case something came at them from any of the nearby bushes.
"You think the others made it?" she asked after a couple of minutes.
Shrugging, the traveler's eyes snapped toward a tree when he thought he saw movement, but relaxed when he saw that it was just a squirrel. "Probably. Enrico didn't say anything about losing anyone else, so there's still hope." he replied.
Turning to the younger girl, he saw the concern on her face and put an arm around her waist, pulling her close as they kept walking. "They'll be alright, darlin. We'll find them." he said trying to reassure her.
Rebecca smiled and kissed his cheek just as they stepped out from the treeline and finding themselves in a small clearing. The looming visage of the Spencer Estate on the other side, casting long shadows in the tall grass as they faced the back-end of the mansion.
They stood just on the edge of the field, both looking in different directions for something that could be hiding out there. "I don't like this." Rebecca said feeling her skin crawl, tightening her grip on the MP5 in her hands. Her last clip for it already locked and loaded.
Ethan couldn't have agreed more. The singing of birds and chirping of insects continued behind them, but the air was completely still before them. Just the sound of the slight breeze going through the grass and nothing else, almost like anything in the surrounding area knew to avoid this place for one reason or another.
His eyes locked on to the side of the mansion facing them, he could clearly see the walls that surrounded the courtyard and residence dorms. He could also just make out a door that lead into the estate directly across from them.
'The distance is at least 15 meters. We can make it if we run. But the bad feeling in the pit of my gut tells me that this is too easy.' he thought trying to figure out how they were going to do this.
Then he heard it. A low, rumbling growl that only came from something the two rookies had become familiar with in their last 'adventure'. Turning slowly, the teens were greeted with the sight of an infected dog limping its way out from behind a tree. Flesh ripped exposing torn muscles underneath and even a few bones, blood and saliva dripping from a mouth that looked like it was barely holding together while its only eye locked on to them hungrily.
And it wasn't alone.
More undead dogs began to come out into the open. Two, three, five...seven of them total, all in different stages of decomposition but looking more than ready to tear the flesh from their bones to feed their never-ending hunger.
They had blocked the path leading back the way they came, and the only possible way of escape was toward the mansion across the open field. Gripping his Beretta, Ethan tensed his legs and prepared for the sprint. It was their only option, a full on fight would be suicide since he and Rebecca were both worn out, and the undead dogs had the numbers and speed on their side.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rebecca tense as well, reading him as well as he was reading her despite the sliver of fear that reflected in her eyes. "Becs," he whispered lowly as he saw all the dogs bend down on their hunches, "Now!"
They raised their weapons and fired into the infected canines. Rebecca's submachine gun spraying rounds into their ranks just as they jumped, knocking a few of them back and allowing them to start running.
The rookies bolted, pumping their legs as hard and as fast as they could across the field. The pursuing animals right behind them and gaining fast.
Ethan drew his knife in his left hand and spun mid-step with the blade leading. Slicing a dog's muzzle just as it tried to leap at his back, the sharpened steel going right through the rotten flesh of its nose and knocking it to the ground allowing the profiler to continue running.
Right next to him, his companion emptied the rest of her clip toward the infected animals chasing them. Managing to get a headshot on one and crippling another bringing their numbers down almost by half. By that point they were two-thirds of the way to the door.
Feeling relief at the possibility of their escape, Rebecca felt something hard slam into her back. Knocking her to the ground and causing her to roll in the dirt.
Getting up fast, she was greeted with the sight of a set of a mouth filled with sharp and bloody teeth aiming to rip her throat out. A scream built in her throat as she swung the empty MP5 up and smashed it against the dog's head with a sickening crunch. The body falling limp off to the side with the side of its skull crushed in.
The medic didn't have time to think over her small victory as the remaining three dogs went straight for her. Bam! Bam! Bam! One of the animals fell dead with a hole through the eye socket, another was knocked back when a round pierced its chest, the last managed to dodge but a fourth shot caught it in the side also knocking it back.
"Rebecca go! I'll cover you!" Ethan shouted as he took aim and fired again. Rebecca scrambled to her feet and ran the rest of the way to the door, grabbing the handle and praying that it wasn't locked as she lifted and pushed.
As if god were on their side the door opened, her heart skipped a beat in joy before she looked back at Ethan. "It's open! Come on!"
Putting down another infected dog. The traveler saw more of them start to come out of the surrounding woods, obviously hearing the noise as though someone had rung the dinner bell. Spinning on his heel, he ran toward where his girlfriend was waiting and got inside. Both of them slamming the door and slipping the dead-bolt on the side of it in place so they weren't followed.
"Son of a bitch..." Ethan wheezed while trying to catch his breath. "Guess these things aren't afraid to come out during the day either."
Rebecca shook her head, holding her side from a cramped muscle. "Guess not." she said before surveying where they had ended up.
The couple were standing in a short cobblestone corridor only a couple of meters long that lead to a second wooden door on the opposite end. "Looks like there's only one way for us to go." said the profiler checking the clip in his handgun. Rebecca slung the empty submachine gun over her shoulder and drew her own before they headed down the path, stacking up on the new door way before opening it up and stepping inside, gun barrel's leading.
The first thing they noticed right away was the smell of rot and decay that almost made their eyes water, along with the smell of mildew, dust and alcohol.
The two rookies found themselves standing in what looked to be an old run down pub. They were on an upper level where a couple of tables, a pool table, and dart boards were set up. A set of stairs to their immediate right which went down in two directions.
One set lead to a bar and dining room on the bottom level, the other an entrance area on the opposite end of the large room.
"Where are we?" Rebecca asked keeping her gun up just in case.
"Looks like a pub, could be a hangout for people to go after work. This is suppose to be an Umbrella facility of some kind like the training place." Ethan replied also scanning for threats. The smells weren't what was getting to him...It was the silence.
Nothing stirred in the room other than their own mingled breathing which set his already strained nerves further on edge. 'Where are all the creatures? We made enough noise coming in.' he thought.
After a few moments, the couple headed for the stairs. Going down to the bar-level first and looking around. A few tables and chairs had been knocked over, dark dried spots on the wood floors looking like blood amongst shattered beer bottles and other pieces of debris.
Ethan looked toward the bar and saw a spilled box of shotgun shells and a red book that looked out of place, being sure to slip both into his pack before he and Rebecca went up the steps and toward the front room by a set of double-doors.
Grabbing a couple of green herbs that were in pots on a nearby table before going through the doors leading out into a hallway that went straight and ended in a T-shape with two doors on either side in the middle. A left turn and another hallway with a couple of crates aganst the wall with holes in the floor was next to them going farther into the building.
Checking the door on the right that was marked with faded gold paint reading '001', they found it locked and tried the door across from it. It was just an old storage room with barrels and crates set up with a lone typewriyer over by the dividing wall that separated the front half of the room and the back.
Nothing of importance within, they went back out into the hall. "I think this this is a residency dorm for the people that worked here. Separate from the rest of the mansion." Rebecca commented as they headed down the hall to the that was next to the doors they first came through. Stepping around the holes in the floor carefully and heading to the door at the end.
The traveler breathing a silent sigh of relief when no tentacles shot out of the dark pits to snap their necks as they entered a longer corridor. Sun streaming in through the windows on their right with faded lights illuminating what was left of the shadows as they treaded farther in.
"Place looks like it hasn't been habited for a while. Couple weeks, maybe a month or two." Ethan said even though he knew full well what went down here.
"Maybe it's like the training facility." offered the medic. "The virus spilled and everything just fell into disarray...but the real question is where are the monsters?"
Her fellow rookie shrugged, "Not sure, and that's what bothers me the most. The place is surrounded by undead mutts, no way in hell there aren't freaks skulking the grounds as well." They turned a corner in the hallway and saw that it continued, two doors on the right leading to different rooms.
Trying the door that said 'Gallery' and finding it locked, the couple moved on to the next door that was marked '002' and managed to open it. Inside was a small hallway leading to a bedroom at the end. A door leading to the bathroom stood open on their left that they immediately checked for anyone or anything that might still have been there.
It looked out of order, water on the floor from the shattered sink and leaking pipes. The broken flourescent light above flickered but still light up the dank room.
Stepping inside, boots padding through the puddles on the tiled floor, the profiler looked through the shelves on the walls. Rebecca behind him going through the medicine cabinet for more supplies for her medical kit. Finding a first aid box and setting it one the sink.
"This might be helpful," she said popping the latch and opening the lid to see a first aid spray laying in the foam inside. Taking the healing solvent and slipping it into the spare pocket on the outside of her medical bag before rummaging through the rest of the cabinet's contents.
Ethan moved a few items around on the dusty shelf and saw something shine in the low light. Smirking to himself as he picked up a small key with '001' etched into the metal. "I found the key that goes to that locked door we saw earlier. We can check it out when we pass back through." Finding nothing else the left the bathroom and headed toward the room at the end of the small corridor.
They saw a twin-sized bed in the corner on their right, a desk against the wall next to the hallway opening on their left and two bookshelves pushed against the far wall next to that. 'The way leading to Neptune's holding tank.' Ethan thought to himself with a shiver thinking of the giant, T-infused great white while walking over and checking to be sure that the shelves were secured and nothing would come up the hidden ladder behind them.
Everything was bathed in the soft glow coming from a couple of lamps that were sitting on the desks, but no windows. Making everything look cozy despite its slightly trashed and abandoned appearance.
Rebecca sat heavily on the bed, her head hanging as she took a deep breath. "I can barely keep my eyes open." she muttered as her fatigue started to really grab hold of her. The last bit of running they did sapping what little strength she had left.
"I know the feeling," her companion replied running his eyes in a feeble attempt to keep himself awake. Looking around for a moment, he came to a decision about something before heading back toward the door they came in.
The young medic watching him in confusion as he found the lock for the door and slid it into place before heading back toward the room, shutting the bathroom door along the way. "Ethan? What are you-" she paused when he unzipped his vest, removing it and setting it on the nearby chair before taking out his weapons and laying them out on the desk.
"We're not going to be no help to anyone if were too tired to even stand." he said slipping a fresh clip into his Samurai Edge and laying it on the small table beside the bed, his radio being set up next to it. "The others know to meet here, our radios are on if they try to get a hold of us. We'll go searching for them after we've recovered a bit."
Catching on to what he was saying, the medic unclipped her own belt and laid it on the floor by the bed. Laying her own Beretta next to Ethan's along with her radio as she pulled the velcro on her vest and removing that as well, leaving her in the forest-green t-shirt with the STARS insignia on the shoulders.
Looking toward her, Ethan averted his gaze back to checking his supplies and securing them. Rebecca was pretty well endowed for a girl her size, her vest compressing her chest well but now it was pretty easy to see with how her shirt hugged her.
He'd always took notice of her curvy figure, though he never said anything out loud. His folks raised him to be a gentleman to women, 'southern-hospitality' his adopted mom had called it. But despite that, he was still a guy and noticed things like this. And considering their new relationship status he couldn't help but smile knowing that she was all his, brains and all just like he was hers.
Rebecca looked over her vest and got a good look at the back, seeing two small tears that were about three inches long that pierced the first layer of the fabric. Most likely from the undead dog that had managed to tackle her back when they made their made dash to the mansion before.
'Lucky.' she thought setting the kevlar on the floor with her belt and looking toward her companion as he made one final check of his inventory. Her eyes trailing across his muscled back and how defined it looked in the tight black, long-sleeved shirt he wore.
He wasn't 'buff' like a lot of guys wanted to be, but he was athletic and is showed with what he was able to do back in the other Umbrella complex. Back when they had started hanging out, and then later started dating, she always felt her insides heat up when her held her. Feeling his body against hers filled her with a sense of calm and care she had never known before.
He was smart, charming...and very attractive. And after the night they had she was lucky to have him in her life, which helped her cement the decision that she wanted to be with him much more seriously than they were before.
Ethan stood up and stretched, a few muscles and joints popping but not noticing the green eyes watching his every move. The young medic felt heat pool in her stomach and her heart rate quicken a bit. Being as educated as she was in biology she knew the cause instantly.
Despite her worn out state, her survival instinct coupled with the constant shot of adrenaline over the last 12-plus hours had jacked up her hormone levels. Her mind was racing and making it hard to think as her body started to feel hot all over, breathing quickening as she fisted the old bed sheets under her.
As if sensing her distress, Ethan turned and saw her sitting tensely on the bed. "Becs? You okay?" he asked approaching her slowly. She looked up at him, pupils dilated and face flushed. He barely had a moment to register all of this before she was on him. Lips crashing against his, arms around his neck and legs locked around his waist leaving no space between them.
The shock of the sudden movement stunned the profiler and caused him to stagger a bit, his hands falling to her ass to keep her stable and causing her to moan when he squeezed accidentally. The pure need behind her kiss was as clear as day as she moved against him a bit.
'She's...running on instinct. Gotta stay...focused...' he tried to think. But it was a losing battle as his own hormones were starting to take over. 'I need to...need to...ah fuck it!' His lips pressed back against hers with just as much intensity. His tongue invading her mouth and wrestling with hers as they fell back on to the bed.
Rebecca's mind went blank a moment when she felt Ethan's body press down on hers. His waist pressing into her pelvis and creating a wonderful friction that her body craved more of. Hands gripping at his shirt, she rolled her hips unconsciously against his and getting a groan out of the both of them. The feel of him growing hard felt easily through both their pants and making the heat in her stomach double in intensity.
Ethan's right hand slid up and held on to the medic's, fingers intertwining and squeezing while his other hand held her thin waist. Lips leaving hers and leaving a trail of fire down the side of her slender neck."E-Ethan...ahn..." she moaned, her breath coming out in pants and soft mewls from the stimulation.
Finding a sensitive spot on his girlfriend's neck, he bit and sucked on it gently causing her to gasp and her back to arch. Her shirt came undone from her pants and rode up her flat, tone stomach as both her hands gripped the back of his shirt to the point of nearly ripping it. Her grinding against him started making his pants feel too uncomfortable for his own good, his erection threatening to burst from it at any moment.
Feeling bold, Ethan stroked his hand up Rebecca's side. Catching the hem of her shirt and dragging it up, exposing more of her creamy skin before making contact with her right breast. Squeezing the good-sized globe of flesh and making the girl moan deeply and her eyes to roll slightly from pleasure. Sliding one of her own hands up the front of his tight shirt and scraping her nails along his abs causing him to shutter.
The profiler moved his lips back to hers and began kissing her again, hands sliding her shirt up even more while hers grabbed the hem of his and started to pull up as well. Her hand briefly made contact with his bandaged arm sending a small jolt of pain through his body.
This being enough to snap his mind out of its lust infused haze and bring him back into the present with a cold slap of reality. "...Wait...stop..." he said pulling back from his girlfriend's lips and breathing heavily.
Rebecca looked back up at him, breath panting, eyes glazed over and face flushed. Her shirt had ridden up halfway over her breasts exposing the lower-half of the soft yellow bra she was wearing as she heaved each intake of air. "Wh-What is it?" she asked blinking a few times.
Getting his breathing back under control, the profiler looked into her eyes. "This isn't really the best place for this, baby." he said. Seeing rejection start to form in her gaze, he held her face and stroked her cheeks, "Rebecca, I want nothing more to do this with you. But do you really want to lose your virginity in a place filled with monsters and undead? It's not what I would consider romantic."
She saw his point and her face blushed brightly knowing that she was moments away from doing just that. "S-Sorr-" he cut her off with a kiss. "Don't apologise, I'm not sorry so you shouldn't be either. And I'll promise you right here and now," He leaned down and whispered huskily in her ear. "When we get out of here and back to the city, I'll make sure that you see stars darlin."
The medic's face practically glowed red and the familiar heat in her belly came back briefly at his words. And knowing that he never broke a promise, she had a feeling he'd be following through with his words which made a bit of excitement flow through her.
Fixing themselves back up, the couple settled into the bed as their exhaustion from earlier came back. The fact that the bed had the smell of age and dust on it didn't matter to their aching and exhausted bodies. It was comfortable, and would do them well for the time being.
Rebecca laid down next to Ethan, wriggling until her back was pressed firmly against his front. His right arm wrapping around her waist comfortably making her feel warm and safe as they relaxed. The younger rookie's eyes drooped, the hands of sleep reaching up to grab her but she fought against it as best she could.
The arm that was holding her reached up slightly and intertwined its fingers with hers, squeezing gently. "Sleep, Rebecca. I'll be right here with you." Ethan said into her ear, his voice tinged with sleep meaning he wasn't too far from nodding off.
Getting more comfortable, unaware that she had pretty much moved herself into a spooning position against her boyfriend, Rebecca's eyes slowly slid closed and fell asleep almost instantly.
Tightening his hold on her a bit. Ethan did one final check to be sure the room was secure around them before closing his eyes as well. Hand still holding Rebecca's as he joined her in blissful oblivion.
X
Raccoon City Police Department - S.T.A.R.S. Division (A few hours later)
Alpha team gathered in the STARS office, the Captain having called them all an hour prior saying that there was a situation and everyone needed to be present.
Jill was the last to arrive as they all got together, Wesker standing at the front of the long table that had been set up the day before. Brad Vickers, their helicopter pilot was manning the radio with a headset on as he worked the knobs to get a signal.
"Now that you're all here, we can get started." Wesker said putting his hands behind his back. "As of 2200 hours last night, all contact with Bravo Team was lost while they were out on assignment."
"What?!" Chris gasped, dread filling him along with Jill, Barry and Joseph. "How? What happened?"
The Captain turned to Brad, "Vickers, play the last transmission." The pilot nodded as he hit the switch on the console, the crackling sound of static filled the room. They all strained to hear the human voice amongst the fuzz for several seconds before they heard Enrico's voice.
"...you copy? Malfunction, we're going to have to..." The rest was lost in a burst of static, they all waited for something to change but heard nothing but open air. "That's all that I could find." Brad said apologetically.
"What was their last position?" asked Barry, concerned like the rest of them at the fate of their friends and colleagues.
The pilot's face went a little pale, "According to the grid that was made of the surrounding forest...They're in, uh, Section Twenty-Two, tail end of C. Except the signal was lost shortly afterward. The transmitter is off-line."
The stunned silence that filled the room. The transmitters on their helicopters were designed to keep working no matter what occurred, they only shut down if something big happened causing either the whole system to blank or it was seriously damaged.
Something like a crash.
Jill looked uncomfortable when she recognized the coordinates, all of the STARS memorised the grid that had been set up since the RPD sealed off the pathways leading into the Arklay forest. if the chopper had gone down, then they were a small distance from the abandoned Spencer mansion that was built out in the mountains.
"Radio transmissions?" asked Joseph.
"Mountains would block everything except short-range." replied Barry as they looked at the map of the Arklay mountains laid out on the table before them. The Bravo chopper's last location marked with a black 'X' along the grid. It unsettled him that this would happen considering all that had been happening out there.
Marini had said something about a malfunction in the transmission, it had to be a coincidence but didn't feel like one. But that didn't matter, only one thing stood out to Alpha Team.
The Bravos were in trouble, and one of their own was out there with them. Ethan had become like the little brother to the team like Rebecca was the little sister to the others. In a split-second and everyone was ready to move, sending the Captain determined looks. No matter what happened, STARS looked out for their own, and they'd do whatever it took to bring their friends back home.
Wesker nodded and took out his keys, "Joseph, take over the board and keep trying to raise them. Vickers, warm up the 'copter and get clearance, I want us ready to fly in five." he ordered opening the gun safe exposing an arsenal of rifles and handguns shelved above boxes of ammo. "Barry, Chris, I want you to get weapons on the chopper, loaded and secure. Jill, get the vests and packs and meet us on the roof." he said tossing her one of the keys.
"I'm going to put a call in to Irons, make sure he gets us some backup and EMTs down at the barricade closest to their last transmission. Five more minutes or less, folks. Let's move." with that everyone was in motion. Wesker turned and headed to his office, closing the door behind him as a smirk stretched across his face.
Things were going according to plan. The disappearance of Bravo Team was the perfect motivation to get Alpha Team to the mansion where things would begin. Umbrella wanted hard combat data from their BOWs doing combat with trained operatives, and they'd get it.
His mind drifted to what him and Birkin had seen back when they were observing the two rookie STARS making their way through the abandoned training facility. He had to admit, they fared quite well against the carriers and the handful of BOWs that were left behind. And handling Marcus' little pets had also been a bit interesting to watch as well.
But that wasn't anything to concern himself about now. Even if they managed to keep themselves alive throughout the complex, the chances of them escaping the self-destruct detonation that Birkin had set for this morning was very slim.
Despite their intelligence and skill, Ethan Mercer and Rebecca Chambers were most likely lost when the facility was destroyed along with everything else. And if by some bizarre miracle they survived...then that would mean there would be more data to collect.
X
In the locker room, Jill had just finished throwing the last of their gear into a large duffel bag. Slinging it over her shoulder and making for the door. Her mind a whirlwind as she tried to think of what could have happened to Ethan and Bravo Team.
Even though he had only been on the team a couple of months, he had become a good friend to all of them. Despite being as young as he was, he was a remarkable young man. Nothing seemed to stop him once he got going and he could solve any problem he was faced with. A part of her considered Rebecca a very lucky woman to have someone like that to be in a relationship with.
Reaching the door, she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her. Startled, she dropped the bag and spun around, she saw movement in the darkness behind the far bank of lockers. "Miss Valentine, isn't it?" said a shadow as it separated itself from the back of the room.
The lights above revealed a tall man with a low, musical voice. Early forties with a thin frame, dark hair and deep-set eyes. He was wearing an expensive trench coat standing with an air of calm-confidence as he faced the young woman before him.
"That's right," she said warily. Preparing herself to move quick should the need arise.
The man smiled and took a step forward, "I have something for you." he said softly and none threatening.
Jill slipped into a defensive stance, eyes narrowing while she balanced her weight on the balls of her feet. "Hold it asshole, I don't know who the hell you think you are or what you think I want, but you're in a police station and-"
"You're friend Ethan is alive, as well as most of you're other friends." he said still smiling, cutting her off effectively and completely. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Trent, and I'm...a friend to the STARS."
Shaking herself, Jill narrowed her eye more as she studied his posture. She didn't feel threatened by him, exactly...but how did he know her, or the fact that Ethan and some of the others were still alive? "How do you know they're alive? What do you want?"
Trent grinned wider, "Ah, straight to the point. Of course, you're on a rather tight schedule. To answer your first question, I simply have my ways. As for the other, it's not what I want that's important. It's what I think you should have."
He took out a small device that resembled a cell phone which turned out to actually be a costly micro-computer with a mini-disk reader. "I've assembled a few documents that you should find interesting; compelling, in fact." he said holding the device out for her.
Hesitating a moment, Jill took the device and tucked it into her hip pack. "Who do you work for?" she asked more than a little curious.
He shook his head, "That's not important, not at this juncture. Although I will say that there are a lot of very important people watching Raccoon City at this point in time. Some of which, watching certain individuals."
"And are these people 'friends' of STARS, too, Mr. Trent?" she asked stiffly.
Trent laughed, a soft, deep chuckle. "So many questions, so little time. Read the files. And if I were you, I wouldn't mention this conversation to anyone; it could have rather serious consequences." he turned and headed toward the door in the back of the room. Pausing a moment to peer over his shoulder at her,
"Your young friend Ethan is a very important individual, Miss Valentine. And I'm afraid that he will be in even greater danger than he already has been. Take heed, not everyone can be trusted, and not everyone is who they appear to be. If you and the others wish to stay alive, you will do well to remember this." with that he went through the door and disappeared.
Leaving Jill to think over his words a moment before remembering that she had to be on the roof. Gathering up the equipment and leaving the locker room to group with the others.
Trent walked casually down the corridor, past several police officers as they continued about their evening business as he stepped out into the warm, post-evening air. A smile still present on his face as he walked toward a black, shiny sedan sitting idle in the parking lot. The driver nodded to him and opened the back passenger door allowing him to sit inside before getting behind the wheel.
Seated in the back, the man heard a soft chiming sound from one of his inside pockets. Reaching into his trench coat, he pulled out a small device that resembled two halves of a glass cube stacked on top of each other. Snapping it forward and forming a whole cube, he gazed at the one it revealed through he connection. "It's done, Miss Valentine has the files in her possession. When she reaches the mansion she will be ready to face what awaits them upon arrival."
"That's good to hear, Mr. Trent." said Oracle. "After watching Ethan and Miss. Chambers fighting through Umbrella's training facility with Lieutenant Coen, it wouldn't do well for them sending their comrades in without a little help. I hope they are ready for what they are about to face."
Trent nodded, "We won't know until they return. When you first came to me with all of the data in your possession I had my doubts. But seeing things playing out like this gives me many reasons to trust you, my friend."
Oracle nodded back, "Indeed. But our hope still lies in Ethan, the only chance that this world has is through him and the rest of STARS succeeding against Umbrella's lies and creations. There is a lot of weight on his shoulders, but I know that he can pull through."
"He certainly has much to protect. I believe that the young medic that has become his beau will give him the drive to ensure that they survive future confrontations." said the man as the city passed by the car outside. "Love is often a very powerful motivator, afterall."
"Of that, I have no doubts. Keep me informed on any changes, I'll continue to monitor the situation from my end." with that the connection ended. Trent slipped the device back into his pocket and went back to watching the bustling city go by, completely unaware of the events unfolding behind the scenes.
Soon Umbrella's darkest secrets would be exposed to the people of Raccoon City. And only the select few would be able to stop its evil from spreading.
A/N: And there we have it. Sorry for some of you that were expecting a lemon in this chapter, but I had to be realistic. After going through something like the training facility, and then winding up in the Spencer Estate, would you be able to 'perform' without the fear of something overhearing you and wanting to take a chunk out of you? Rebecca's pretty hot, but you have to consider all possibilities.
Believe me, there will be lemons in this fic. I just have to put them in the right places so that the characters don't seem like exhibitionist. So hold of on the naughty thoughts for right now, and you'll be rewarded later on.
Update coming in the near future, drop a review and I'll do what I can.
