A/N: I'm on a roll again folks! With the end of this arc in the story within reach, I decided to crank everything out quickly so that the next one to follow could get started. I've left you guys in the dark for too long with this one, and I intend to deliver like I did before.
Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil
Chapter 35:
"We are all in a race for dear life; that is to say, we are all fugitives from death." -Theodor Reik
Sherry felt the train rock violently around her, something big having stuck the rear car and nearly sending her to the floor.
She ran to the door, remembering that Claire said to stay there and not caring. She didn't know what hit the train or what she could possibly do to help, but she couldn't just sit there...
BAM!
The car jolted again, a loud crash being heard from somewhere outside. She reached the door and hit the open switch, her heart thundering and sweat dripping through the dirt on her face as the door slid open to reveal Claire, Ethan and a police officer she didn't recognize. All three of them looking at something she couldn't see that what somewhere at the back of the car.
That was when a loud, horrifying roar ripped through the stale air. Filling Sherry with terror that was reflected on the three adults standing before her. All of them drawing weapons and aiming at whatever made the sound before Claire noticed her standing there.
"Sherry don't come out! Shut the door!"
She reached for the controls, but her curiosity got the better of her and she snuck a peek at what they were aiming at. A smell like chemicals and burnt meat filled the dimly lit platform, and it was coming from...
Sherry screamed when she saw it. A massive, charred monster stomping its way toward them. Smoke billowing from its burnt, giant body that was coated with red, metallic muscle. A set of claws on each hand that were so long they were nearly dragging on the concrete below it.
"Sherry! Close the door! NOW!" Ethan shouted. She slammed her hand on the control, the doors sealing as the trio opened fire.
X
Ethan had no idea what the hell to do, for all his intelligence, he kept coming up empty for how to handle the newly risen, and now more powerful, T-103. The rounds fired from him, Claire and Leon doing absolutely nothing to it as they seemed to bounce harmlessly off its now metal-like flesh.
'Weakness...it has to have a weakness!' he thought, eyes scanning over its mutated form looking for something that could help them in some way.
The T-103 took another step, its crackling flesh split open more and a large chunk fell away from its chest. Revealing a large, glowing red tumor that pulsed with the same rhythm as a heart would.
'That's it!' Ethan shouted mentally as he re-aimed and shot at the target. "Aim for the chest! The heart!" he called out to the others. Claire and Leon seeing what he did and firing at the Tyrant's sternum.
A low, rumbling growl resembling boulders rolling down a hill emitted from the T-103 as the bullets actually started to hurt it, albet slightly. Raising one of it's massive hands, it held it like a shield infront of its heart as it bent its knees and hunched forward.
"What's it doing?" said Leon as he shoved fresh shells into his shotgun.
Ethan felt his blood freeze, "GET CLEAR!" the moment his voice echoed out, the Tyrant launched forward in a dead run. The claw not protecting its heart cleaving long gouges in the concrete floor as it closed the gap like a ballistic elephant.
The trio lept out of the way in different directions as the BOW flew past where they had been standing. Skidding to a stop several meters away. The traveler gritting his teeth as he staggered back to his feet, mindful of his wounded leg as he tried to reassess their situation.
They didn't have anything that could cause this thing enough damage to kill it, and their ammo was already running dangerously low making things look even grimmer. On top of it all, the facility was going to blow in less than two minutes, they needed an answer and a quick one.
He looked over to the other side of the platform where Leon was firing blast after blast from his shotgun into the Tyrant's chest, Claire running over to assist as it stalked after the rookie cop.
Ethan went to move in their direction, then stopped when something caught his attention. One of the dead USS operatives, Spectre if he wasn't mistaken, laid a few feet from him with bullet holes in his back. But it wasn't the corpse he was interested in, but the assault rifle that laid beside it.
Limping over, he knelt down and picked up the weapon and gave it a quick once over. It was an FAL rifle with an attached scope, powerful, accurate, and it had a full clip.
"This should help a little," he said to himself as he pilfered a handful of magazines off the dead Umbrella agent and standing back up again. Claire screamed making him spin around in time to see Leon swatted aside with a powerful backhand, sending the officer rolling across the platform and falling off onto the train tracks.
The Tyrant turned its attention now onto the young Redfield as she fumbled with a new clip for her pistol.
Not wanting to give the powerful BOW a chance, Ethan raised the assault rifle to his eye and sighted his target. Switching the fire-selector to semi-auto before pulling the trigger. The bullet ricocheting off the side of its head making it pause mid-stride, swinging slowly around to address the new threat as the traveler fired again.
This shot causing the monster's left eye to explode, inky fluid bursting from the socket and splattering across its face. If he couldn't kill the thing, he was going to cripple it so that they could escape.
The Tyrant snapped its head to the side a moment when the shot hit home before turning back to face the ex-STARS. It's remaining eye locked solely on him as it hunched down and launched in a dead run in his direction.
Ethan quickly switched the FAL to full-auto and let loose the entire clip, most of the rounds hitting its glowing heart and spraying glowing blood into the air. But it didn't stop it as the BOW closed the gap in a matter of seconds.
"ETHAN LOOK OUT!" Claire screamed as she saw the beast close in on him, with claws fully extended on either side there was no way to effectively dodge without losing a leg in the process. The teen's brain running as hard as a V8 engine as he found the only possible way from him to get out of this confrontation in one piece.
Right as the T-103 was about to strike him down, he dropped to the ground. The rampaging Tyrant passing over him with its claws slicing through open air where he had been standing. When it completely passed over, Ethan rolled back to his feet, dumping the spent clip from the rifle and slapping in a fresh one as he peppered rounds along its back.
X
Claire felt relief flow through her when she saw the young STARS escape certain death, if it hadn't been obvious that he had dealt with these kinds of monsters before it certainly was now.
Casting her glance to where Leon had been smacked aside and saw him slowly getting back up, holding his wounded side as he took out his pistol and offered what support he could from his position.
The automated message echoing above the alarms reminded them that they had one minute left before the facility was destroyed with them still in it. They needed to get out of here, but the freak of nature wasn't given them a chance to make a break for it.
And if they tried to make a break for it on the train, it would probably take the transport off the tracks with its abominable strength. They needed to think of something and think of it fast.
"Here! Use this!" Claire looked up, on the walkway above the train she saw a silhouette standing in the shadows. A feminine shape that matched the voice she had heard as whoever it was threw something down at her that clattered onto the concrete not far from her.
It was metal, silver in color and looked a lot like what she had seen in movies. A large, belt-fed machine gun that she ran for without a second thought. Hefting the weapon in her arms, supporting the weight as best she could while she looked up at where the shadow figure had been only to find them gone.
Snapping back to the matter at hand, Claire gnashed her teeth as she jogged over to where the Ethan and Leon were combating the Tyrant to the best their limited ammo would allow. Getting right behind it and shouting out to get its attention.
"HAY!"
The T-103 turned and faced her, ichorous liquid drooling from the empty socket Ethan had shot out as it targeted her. She braced the large weapon as best she could, grabbing the trigger with two fingers and pulling on it.
The spray of bullets crashed out of the gun, a clattering, rattling string of tiny explosions that shook the young Redfields whole body to the core that crashed into the gut of the beast. The sheer force of so many rounds stopping it cold and actually started to push it back.
The vibrating metal tried to shake itself free from her grip, but Claire held firm, her hip bruising from where she held it as the rounds continued to pound into the Tyrant's midsection. So fast and so many that she could barely make out the gasping cries of fury and exaltation.
The T-103 was strong, powerful, but even its hardened flesh and bone couldn't withstand such an onslaught at such a close range. Its gut started to tear open under the barrage of rounds, its midsection spewing dark fluids that ran down its lower-half like a waterfall as a massive, ragged hole started ripping through it.
Its mouth opened, as empty as its left eye socket, more inky blackness spewing forth as its insides were torn apart. Its torso crumpling and sinking down as it raised its arms...
...only to split in two at the waist and topple to the cement in two different directions.
Claire took her finger off the trigger, watching as strange blood gushed from both halves of the BOW creating huge shining black pools around them. It was dead, and even if it managed to survive this time it didn't matter anymore.
Tossing the machine gun to the floor, she looked up at the two shocked men that looked from the Tyrant to her. Ethan broke from his stupor first and grinned, "Guess badassery runs in the family."
A tired laugh burst from Claire's lips before the sounds of the alarms broke through to them. "Come on!" she called out as they all ran back to the train. Ignoring the squelch of blood beneath their boots as they piled into the train and into the engineer's booth.
Sherry jumped up from where she had been sitting and joined them as Claire started hitting buttons and throwing switches. A mechanical hum suddenly enveloped them, a growling, whining rumble that told them that the train was powering up before it gave a lurch and started moving. Taking them away from the platform as the automated message delivered the final countdown.
"THRITY SECONDS UNTIL DETONATION. TWENTY-NINE...TWENTY-EIGHT...TWENTY-SEVEN..."
Ethan dropped the rifle in his hands and grabbed the throttle, "Everyone hang on!" he shouted as he cranked it up as high as it would go that wouldn't send them off the rails. The train's speed now rocketing through the tunnel.
"...EIGHTEEN...SEVENTEEN...SIXTEEN...FIFTEEN..."
Claire embraced Leon, face burrowed in the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms around her right back.
"...FOURTEEN...THIRTEEN...TWELVE...ELEVEN..."
Sherry hugged Ethan, pressing herself into his side with her eyes closed tightly. Praying to whatever god was listening that they'd make it out in time.
"...TEN...NINE...EIGHT...SEVEN...SIX..."
Ethan gritted his teeth, hand clamped tightly on the trains throttle as the train shot away from the facility like a bullet. They still had a chance, their speed and distance should be enough to help them escape the blast...they were going to make it...
"...FIVE...FOUR...THREE..."
They were going to make it...
"...TWO...ONE..."
THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE IT!
"SEQUENCE COMPLETE...DETONATION."
For a second there was nothing, the alarms coming to an abrupt end and the clattering sound of the train on the rails was all they could hear.
Then there was an explosion, a muffled sound that kept growing and growing. The train rocked violently throwing everyone to the floor as bright, burning light flickered across the windows. The sounds of metal and stone blowing apart blasted around them, heavy bangs and thumps raining on the roof above them as the transport kept going.
The train didn't stop, the light fading away steadily...they were still alive.
Ethan sat up slowly, leaning against the closest wall and slumping against it. Looking across the booth, we saw the others had taken a similar position. Claire introducing Sherry to Leon for the first time.
A dull throb emitted from his leg reminding him he'd been shot not three minutes ago. Looking down at the injury, he saw that the bullet had passed straight through and hadn't hit anything vital. But something was off about it.
There wasn't a lot of blood, infact the wound had stopped bleeding altogether.
Blinking his tired eyes, the ex-STARS leaned in a bit closer to get a better look and was shocked to find the muscle within mending itself. The tissue slowly fusing back together making the bullet hole disappear.
The traveler couldn't even form a thought at what he was seeing. But he had been reminded of what happened back at the mansion, and how he recovered so quickly from the wound a Hunter inflicted upon him.
He couldn't find an explination for it, and seeing it first hand peeked his curiosity in big ways. No one should be able to heal this quickly, and the teen couldn't help but think that the serum he had taken over a day prior may have had something to do with it.
'Another question to grill Oracle with when we speak again.' Ethan thought as he reached into the pack on his belt and fished out a bandage roll. Deciding it was best to keep this hidden from the others for the time being as he wrapped the white cloth around his leg, securing it tightly in place before resting back against the wall again.
"Are you okay?" he looked up and saw Sherry standing over him, a look of concern in her eyes when she looked down at his now bandaged leg.
"I'm fine, little darlin." the traveler replied with a smile. The girl smiled back before taking a seat beside him.
Ethan reached back and ran his fingers through her blonde hair as she got comfortable. Glancing back across the booth at Claire and Leon also seeing them in a similar state. Claire resting her head on the cop's shoulder as he sat looking at a vial in his hands.
Vial?
"Leon, what is that?" the ex-STARS asked garnering the attention of the girls.
"It's a sample of Umbrella's G-virus," replied Leon, showing them the small container of glowing purple liquid. "I found it..." he trailed off and looked to the side, grief crossing his features as he remembered what happened to Ada. He had originally wanted to toss the thing, ensuring that it burned with the rest of the facility, but part of him decided to hold onto it.
Evidence for the horrible deeds committed by Umbrella.
Ethan was thinking something similar as Claire voiced her thoughts, "Where did you-"
CRASH!
The group all sat up straight and looked toward the door that led to the rear cars of the train. A loud, rending and tearing screech followed the heavy sound they had heard before all went silent again.
"...What was that?" Sherry asked, her whispered words almost lost to the gentle clattering of the speeding train.
"I don't know, sweetie." replied Claire, she and Leon tense, reaching for their weapons just incase even though they barely had a handful of rounds between them.
Ethan grabbed the FAL rifle, using it to help him stand back up. "I'll go check it out. You guys are low on ammo and Leon's taken a hell of a beating."
"You're not looking too good yourself." replied Leon motioning to his bandaged leg. "You sure it's a good idea."
The teen shrugged, "Not really, but I've had worse, and that's never stopped me before." he turned to Sherry and smiled, "Keep an eye on these two, okay." Sherry nodded seriously as he made his way to the door.
"Be safe, Ethan." said Claire, her own concern spiking.
Pausing at the threshold before looking to the older duo again, "If I'm not back in five minutes...disconnect the engine car from the rest of the train." without waiting for a reply he hit the switch beside the door and steped through, the opening sealing right behind him.
X
The sounds of the train amplified around him when the door closed. Sealing off the engine car and ensuring the safety of those within.
Ethan knew full well what had fallen onto the train, and he also knew that the only thing standing between the others and it was him. And there was no way in hell he was going to let it get that far.
Bringing the rifle to his shoulder, he slowly treked through the train car toward the adjacent door. His strides interrupted by the occasional limp, but the pain had dimmed to a dull ache thanks to the bizzare healing he had bore witness too. Reaching the door leading to the next car, he peered through the window and could only make out darkness on the other side.
But something was there, the cold feeling in his gut telling him as much as he braced himself for what was waiting. Taking a deep breath, adrenaline already pumping, he opened the door and stepped out into the whipping breeze. Using the rail beside him to keep steady, he approached the next door that would take him to the last car and stepped inside.
Assault rifle aimed forward, all of his instincts screaming at once as the door slid closed behind him. The smell hit him first, something that was a combination of bleach and chlorine. Then the wet, slapping sounds of movement at the far end of the car.
Reaching to the wall on his right, he slid his hand over the metal surface and flipped the switch causing a lone bulb to flicker to life above the middle of the car.
What was revealed was something that was anything but humanoid in anyway, save for the protruding tumor on the left side. A slick, flickering orb that looked like an eyeball that dialated when the light came on.
It was giant, bigger than what the ex-STARS had been expecting. A stretching blob of slimy, fleshy matter that covered the entire width of the car and almost reaching the ceiling. Strands of wet, elastic goo attached to every part of the space around it like a nasty spiderweb. Thick, long tentacles stretched out from the main body, sharp talons spearing into the dense metal of the train car that helped it drag itself roughly a foot toward the front.
An enormous maw, lined with razor sharp teeth that went deep down into the pit of its very being dominated the very center. Big enough to tear a whole car to pieces and swallow it whole.
Ethan gripped the rifle in his hands, "You, are by far the ugliest fucking thing I've seen thus far...and that's saying something." he said outloud.
The creature, which had once been William Birkin, slid itself forward another foot. "SHHHHHERRRRRRYYYYY!" the maw hissed out as the tentacles removed themselves and reattached farther ahead.
Flicking the fire-selector on the FAL to full-auto, the ex-STARS raised the weapon to his shoulder. "You're not getting to her, or anyone ever again." The barrel flared to life, bullets spraying forth and peppering along the fleshy mass before it. Chunks of tissue and blood splashing through the air, but the creature couldn't have cared less as it dragged itself ahead a little more.
Dumping the clip that was expended and fishing out another one, Ethan felt his senses flare just as one of the tentacles helping the thing move pull from the ceiling and whip down at him. He jumped back to avoid, but it managed to smack the rifle from his hands, knocking it to the floor.
The tenticle shot after it, spearing the gun through the firing chamber and lifting it up before tossing it back into the large mouth where it disappeared amongst the many rows of teeth.
"Shit." Ethan cursed as he dodged another tentacle that aimed to take his head off. The creature shifted itself closer to the end of the car, there was only a couple meters between and it was only a matter of time with how it was dragging itself along.
With time against him once again, the ex-STARS scanned his eyes on the bulbous mass of living tissue. Searching for a weak point that could either kill it, or at least slow it down enough to detach the car from the rest of the train.
Birkin may continue to grow and mutate, but he knew for a fact that Raccoon City was going to be targeted for a warhead that would reduce everything to ashes. Which would include the mutated doctor.
Looking over the monster once more, Ethan's gaze locked onto the large eyeball that continued to twitch and blink as it searched everywhere. It was a long shot, but without explosives what choice did he have?
Drawing his Colt Python, he flipped the chamber open to reveal it to be empty. His other hand reached into the pocket of his vest and pulled out the lone bullet he had saved before he and the girls entered Umbrella's facility, slipping it into the weapon and snapping it closed before taking careful aim.
He had one shot, one chance, and he wasn't intending to miss.
The powerful handgun kicked when he pulled the trigger, the round blowing a large hole through the jelly-like sphere. A screaming whine hissed from the gaping mouth, an alien howl that was none of this earth.
The tentacles shrank back, flailing in the air a moment before going limp and seeming to melt into nothing while the rest of the thing slowly collapsed in on itself. Withering into a steaming black mass that was roughly a third of its original size and steadily getting smaller until nothing but a bubbling pool of black slime was all that remained.
Ethan lowered the magnum, observing the liquidated corpse for another second or two before turning around and slowly making his way back to the others. Stopping in the second train car long enough to hit the switch that detached the last car from the train. Just to be on the safe side.
As he slumped toward the engine car, the traveler felt exhaustion finally start to take ahold of him with no intention on letting got this time. He'd done it. He'd gotten them out of the city alive and helped deal a devistating blow to Umbrella at the same time.
Now all he needed to do was link back up with the others once they got far enough from the city. Umbrella would be gunning for Claire and Leon now that they knew as much as the STARS did, but it all meant that they would be able to help them bring the corporation down in the end.
And they needed all the help they could get.
Stepping through the door into the engine car, Sherry had been the first to greet him but standing up and hugging him. Leon and Claire both smiling when they saw him return alive and well, though the decided to ask about what had happened at a later time.
After slowing down the trains acceleration now that they were clear of the destroyed facility, Ethan slumped back down in the spot he had occupied before. Head leaning against the wall as his eyes slid closed, too tired to care about anything else.
He felt a smaller body snuggle up into his side and didn't have to look to know that it was Sherry. Instead he breathed in slowly and let the hands of sleep reach out to take him.
They'd worry about what to do when the train finally stopped, until then they would rest. They more than deserved it...
X
In the slowly lightening sky above Raccoon City and the Arklay Mountains, a Blackhawk helicopter baring the insignia for the US Special Forces flew past the city limits and along a long stretch of field.
A line of traintracks running the entire length from the city itself being the focal point as the people onboard searched for any sign of a transport.
Dee-Ay looked through a pair of binoculars, Party Girl doing the same on the other side of the troop compartment while the others sat between them waiting for confirmation. The team had managed to escape the Umbrella facility before it detonated, thinking the worst of Sherry Birking and her companions as they tried to search for them.
But then command contacted the squad leader hours later and informed them that before the explosion they had managed to get footage from one of the escape tunnels within the facility. Ethan Mercer, along with Sherry, the unknown woman and a Raccoon City police officer boarded a subway train and managed to ride it out before the place went up.
And soon after, they received a secured radio transmission from the train itself. Calling out to any US Marines in the area.
After taking time to go over the blueprints that had been collected, they'd managed to locate where the tracks from the facility led, and Echo Six had been dispatched to find the survivors.
"Dee-Ay! I got something!" Party Girl called out, getting everyone's attention. Halfway down the tracks sat a silver colored train with a lone passenger car behind the main engine. The rising sun reflecting off the surface revealing several large dents and huge scratches along the frame meaning it had been banged around good while it had been running.
"Set us down close to it!" Dee-Ay called to the pilot who nodded in confirmation before bringing them in. Echo Six readied their weapons, just incase any nasty surprises were waiting for them as the chopper touched down allowing them off.
Forming up in a loose V-formation, the squad treaded across the field toward the silent train. Fingers off triggers so that they didn't shoot what they weren't supposed to.
They stacked up outside the door to the passenger car, Dee-Ay motioned to Tweed and Willow to breach and Party Girl and Harley to stand guard. When they all nodded, the demolition and recon specialists opened the door and stormed inside, weapons ready.
There was a tense moment before Tweed called out "Clear!" from inside. Dee-Ay and Shona entered soon after, the place was empty, but they still needed to check the engine car to be sure. The squad leader approaching the doorway, weapon ready with the others backing him up as he hit the switch...
...empty...
"There's no one here." said Tweed lowering her shotgun. "You think they buggered off when the train stopped."
"Looks that way. Can't blame them to be honest." replied Dee-Ay as they surveyed the room.
Willow looked around, her sharp eyes catching something on the control console and moved over to get a better look. "Dee-Ay, I got something here." The others joined her as she picked up a torn STARS vest, a torn and dirty piece of paper sticking out of one of the pockets.
Dee-Ay removed the paper and unfolded it to find a message written;
To anyone who finds this -
I ensured that the Umbrella Corporation wouldn't intercept the transmission I sent out so that they couldn't find the train. And my best hope is that this location is found soon.
You won't find us here, that much is obvious. However; there is something here that you will need to help put Umbrella farther in the grave...
Shona continued looking through the vest and gasped when he pulled out a vial of glowing purple liquid while the squad leader continued to read outloud.
Contained with this message is a vial of the G-Virus created by Dr. William Birkin. We came across it by chance and knew that you could use it in whatever way needed to put the corporation down.
It is most likely that your COs propably want us for a debrief after everything that has happened, but we can't. It's too dangerous for us right now with Umbrella after us. And on top of that, I have my own mission that needs to be completed.
Best of luck to you and yours;
Ethan Mercer - Ex-STARS Raccoon City Branch.
"...Bloody hell..." said Tweed unbelieving.
Dee-Ay couldn't help but nod in agreement as he pushed his earpiece, "Command, you get all that."
"Every word, Echo Leader. Get that G-Virus vial to HQ ASAP." replied their CO.
"Sir, what about Mercer and the others?" asked Willow.
"We'll send a bolo out and see if it catches anything on him, but right now that sample is the more important objective. Mercer can wait for the time being."
"Yes, sir." the squad leader turned to the others and motioned to move out. He turned and looked out the window at the field outside and smirked, "Good luck, kid. You're gonna need it."
A/N: And BOOM! They've escaped the city, and in the process dealt a big blow to Umbrella. I know a lot of you are probably disappointed that Echo Six didn't have a bigger role, but I tried to more or less stay true to the original plot with the addition of a few new elements. Much like how this chapter ended with the team getting the G-Virus instead of getting ahold of Sherry.
The second arc of RE: Legacy has only one chapter left, what else is in-store for our survivors after the hell they managed to survive?
Review, and you'll find out!
