Prologue:

Raccoon City Police Station, Brian Iron's office.

It was a rather peaceful morning inside the Raccoon City Police Department, where the Police Chief, Brian Irons, was currently in the middle of filling out some papers regarding a certain William Birkin when the voice of his secretary resounded from his answering phone.

"Chief Irons?"

"Yeah, what is it?" The police chief asked with no small amount of irritation at being interrupted.

"The new recruit for the STARS Alpha team is here for his interview. Should I send him up?" The secretary asked, causing the portly man to remember that the rookie's final interview was today.

"Right. Go on ahead and send him up." Irons confirmed before leaning back into his chair and beginning to wait. After a few moments of waiting, Irons heard several sharp raps on his door.

"It's open. Come on in." The police chief confirmed, causing the door to open as the potential recruit for STARS walked inside. He was a young man, with fair skin, dark blond hair in a mop top hairstyle and dark green eyes. He was wearing an outfit composed of a dark blue denim shirt with matching dark blue jeans, white shoes. But what stood out the most was a brown leather jacket with the logo "MADE IN HEAVEN" on the back. "So, you're the new STARS recruit. Lincoln, right?"

"Ah... yes sir, that's me." The young man answered, trying not to let his anxiety show as he spoke.

"Right right, have a seat... and stop walking like you got a stick jammed up your ass, will ya!?" The chief ordered harshly as he sorted through his desk to find the rookie's papers. Wasting no time, Roger did so and remained silent as Irons fished out his papers.

"Alright, lessee here. Full name: Roger Keith Lincoln. Born on 28/8/1980. Says here that you graduated from college at the age of 17 and were at the top of your classes in the academy. Overall, not a bad resume for someone of your age. I'm guessing that everything on these papers is true?" Iron asked after reading off Roger's information, looking at the young man questioningly.

"Yes sir. Last time I checked, everything on those papers is true." Roger answered simply.

"Hmm... well with all this in order, and considering you passed the physical and mental evaluations, seems like there should be no problem putting you in our special forces." Irons confirmed before pressing a button on his phone. "Get Branagh in here and tell him to double-time it!"

And with that exclamation, the two merely waited for officer Branagh to arrive, leaving an increasingly uncomfortable Roger alone with the curt, portly man in his office. Despite his increasing discomfort, the young rookie still felt taken aback by the apparent conformation that he was now in STARS. Was it all really that simple?

"So uh... I'm in STARS now?" Roger couldn't help but ask, surprise clear in his voice.

"Isn't that what I just said?"Irons asked rhetorically, looking annoyed as he stared at his guest.

No no! I understand that and all, I'm just a bit surprised at how uh... I guess unceremonious it all was..." Roger corrected quickly, unable to look Irons in the eye.

"What the hell were you expecting, kid? A parade in your honor? You passed all the requirements and got in. Congratulations." Was all the police chief had to say in response, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Sheesh. And he's saying I got a stick jammed up my ass? Was all Roger could think of in response, mildly peeved by his boss's jerky attitude. Thankfully, this conversation got cut short when Marvin Branagh let himself into the office. Marvin definitely had an appearance that fit the role of model cop. He was an African American man currently wearing the RPD's summer uniform and had a black buzz-cut that complimented the light beard around his face.

"You called for me, chief?"

"I did. Take Mr. Lincoln to the STARS office so he can get properly acquainted with his new role here." Irons explained, gesturing towards Roger before returning to his paperwork.

"Got it." Marvin nodded before gesturing for Leon to get up. "Come on."

Eager to get out of the chief's office for a variety of reasons, Roger quickly followed Marvin out the door and into the RPD's busy halls. The young rookie always did like Marvin. He was an affable and reasonable boss to have who did a good job showing Roger the ropes of the RPD, so he certainly he no complaints about the senior officer being his escort.

"So, you managed to make it into STARS, huh? Not bad, rookie." Marvin congratulated with a joking tone, giving Roger a friendly pat on the back as they walked. "Just try to avoid flaunting your new job to Kevin, will you? He might get jealous if he finds out you got in before he did."

"Thanks for the congrats, sir, and I'll definitely keep that in mind." Roger nodded. As they continued on their way, questions about his new job began to make their way to the forefront of his mind. "So, anything I need to know while I'll be working in STARS?"

"You're probably gonna have to ask the other members yourself, I only really know what everyone else does, about them being our answer to SWAT and Raccoon's special rescue team." Marvin explained. "I can tell you who you'll be working with though."

And with that offer, Marvin listed off all current members of STARS that Roger would be working with. There was Albert Wesker, Enrico Marini, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, Rebecca Chambers, Forest Speyer, Joseph Frost, Kenneth J. Sullivan, Richard Aiken, Edward Dewey, and Brad Vickers. Marvin then went on to explain what exactly each member's role in STARS was up until they stood outside the door into the special forces unit's office.

"Alright we're here. Good luck in there, kid."

"Got it. Thank you again for your help, sir."

"Don't mention it. Anyway, I'll see you around the office, Roger." And with that goodbye, the senior officer walked away to continue with his duties, leaving Roger alone in the hallway. After taking a brief moment to compose himself, the young man took a deep breath before walking inside the office. As he stepped inside, he was greeted with a fairly wide rectangular room that had several . There was a communications terminal to the right and to his left was a desk that had a large STARS banner behind it. It was presumably where the captain conducted his business. It was during this brief look around the room that Roger noticed a young, brown haired woman who looked to be a the same age as him sitting at the desk furthest to his right, clearly absorbed in her work.

"Ah... scuse me, miss?" Roger began, walking towards the girl and getting her attention. "I'm Roger Lincoln. I'm uh... I'm the uhm..."

"Our newest member. Don't worry, I heard all about you coming in today. I'm Rebecca Chambers." the girl greeted with a friendly smile, getting up from her desk and holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Right. That." Roger confirmed as they shook hands, having difficulty looking Rebecca in the eye due to his nervousness. "Sorry if I'm coming off as pretty skittish. I'm just feeling pretty nervous about all this."

"First day chills, right?" Rebecca correctly assumed, a knowing expression on her face. "Like I said, don't worry about it, I was the exact same way my first couple of days with STARS too."

"Heh, nice to know we're on the same boat then." Roger smiled slightly before he began to look around the room, noticing how barren it all was. "So uh... where are the rest of the STARS members? Are they out on a mission?"

"Yeah, both Alpha and Bravo team were sent out on missions today. I was told to remain behind so I could welcome you and provide you with your equipment." With that said, Rebecca walked towards a locker that was situated right next to the communications station and pulled out a folded uniform consisting of black pants, boots, a white undershirt with the STARS logo on it's shoulder, and a grey flak vest that had the STARS initials printed on the back. This was all topped off by a Beretta resting atop of pile of folded clothes.

"Here you go. The standard issue uniform and Beretta. If you ask captain Wesker or Marini, you can get it in a color you prefer." Rebecca explained. Roger considered possibly getting the vest in a different color, but decided against it. He had nothing against grey. "So do you know what your designation on Alpha team's going to be?"

"Last time I checked, the position I applied for was sharp shooter and pointman." Roger answered, causing Rebecca to nod.

"Okay, good to know. Anyway, I'm sorry about cutting this short, but I actually have some important work I need to go take care of. If you have any questions later, feel free to ask me! Your first official day with us is going to be tomorrow, so for now, just unload all your stuff at a vacant desk."

"Got it." Roger nodded, smiling slightly at the friendly and plucky girl. "It was nice meeting you, and I'll be looking forward to working with you, Ms. Chambers."

"Likewise." Rebecca smiled back before her expression became a touch more playful. "That being said, Rebecca's just fine. If we're gonna be working together, I don't wanna start hearing you constantly calling me 'Ms. Chambers."

"Say no more." Roger affirmed with a motion of his hand. With nothing more to be said, Rebecca left the office to carry out her business, leaving Roger alone to unpack all his stuff at the new desk. Soon after, the newly made member of STARS holstered his Beretta into his old police uniform, took his new one, and finally took his leave.

"Roger!"

As Roger walks out of the front gates of the police station, he's greeted with a pleasant surprise in the form of a familiar fair-haired girl leaning against her parked motorcycle, waving towards him with an easy-going smile on her pretty face.

"Elza?" Roger asked, sounding confused as he walked towards the motorcycle enthusiast. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to see you, what else would I be doing here?" The blonde girl explained with a care-free tone as she stopped leaning against her motorcycle and walked towards Roger. "It's not everyday that a girl's boyfriend enters a special unit."

"You sound awfully certain that I even got in." Roger noted, brow raised slightly.

"Oh? So you're saying you didn't?" Was Elza's reply, her smile and gaze rather smug. Roger was about to open his mouth to retort only to realize he had no comeback. Upon realizing this, the dark blond young man found himself unable to look the motorcyclist in the eye, only furthering her smug satisfaction.

"Well uh... yeah, you're right on the money." Was the rookie STARS member's feeble comeback. Elza merely smiled in triumph before looking at him with clear curiosity.

"Sooo? Come on, how did your first day with STARS go?" She continued to prod, curious as to what Raccoon City's special forces unit was like.

"It was really nothing out of the ordinary. They just showed me the new office and set me up with a new uniform and gun." Roger explained, holding up the uniform for her to see before gesturing towards the Beretta in his leg holster.

"Cool! Can you show me?" Was Elza's eager response, causing Roger to give her a deadpan look.

"Elza, I can't just start waving my gun around for you to see not even a day after I got accepted into STARS."

"I was talking about your uniform, you dumbass." Elza clarified dryly, but not without a playful smile clear on her face.

"Oh. That, I can do." Roger said, looking rather sheepish in wake of Elza's clarification. "But uh... preferably not out in the middle of the street."

In response to this, Elza merely walked back towards her motorcycle and started the ignition before looking back towards Roger. "Tell you what. You can show me how you look in it over at my dorm room back on campus."

"Really now? And that's all you want to do over at your place?" Roger chuckled as he crossed his arms, knowing damn well that seeing him in his new uniform wasn't all the energetic girl had in mind for him. "Very subtle, Elza."

"About as subtle as I'm ever willing to get." The motorcyclist responded in a sing-song tone before tossing her helmet over to Roger. "Anyway, hop on!"

Roger could only mutely chuckle at his girlfriend's behavior before sliding the helmet onto his head and taking a seat behind her. "Lead the way."

And with that, the two began their drive to Raccoon University.

Raccoon City University, Elza Walker's dorm room.

Upon returning to Elza's dorm at Raccoon University, the blonde biker found herself sitting on her bed as Roger got changed into his STARS uniform in her bathroom. Her curiosity already gnawing at her, Elza leaned up in her seat as she stared intently at the door leading into her bathroom, as though if she stared hard enough, she'd be able to see through it and within.

"Speed it up in there, I wanna see!" Elza called out, an eager tone in her voice.

"Alright alright. Just needed a sec. Uniforms like these take a bit to put on the first time." Came Roger's muffled voice before the door opened a moment after, showing the young cop in his new STARS uniform.

"So? Not a bad look for me, huh?" Roger asked with a pleased grin, holding out his arms so Elza could take his whole form in.

"I'll say! You looked like you walked right out of an old action flick!" Elza laughed. "All you need to do now is get yourself a crew cut and double down at the gym and you'll fit the bill perfectly~!"

"Heh, I'll see what I can do about getting some muscle on me, but I'm not letting anyone get within five feet of me with a pair of scissors. I actually happen to really like this haircut, thank you very much." Roger joked, crossing his arms as he looked at his girlfriend.

"Fine, you're the boss, pretty boy." Elza noted dryly, though not without an amused grin on her face. Of course, as she took in the uniform, a curious thought made it's way into her head. "So, how exactly do you get into STARS, anyway? I'm guessing not just anyone can walk on in and ask to be a member."

"You just gotta take and pass a series of tests and evaluations. There are written tests, fitness courses, the usual kind of stuff that you'd see at the police academy." Roger explained as he recalled the various tests he took leading up to his acceptance.

"And that's it?" Elza asked.

"Well, that and they make sure to look over your past career to check for any red spots… which, is probably the deciding reason why I got in, now that I think of it." Roger explained after a moment's thought, thoughts drifting to his fellow RPD officer and the only other person to apply for a spot in STARS.

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"Well, I'm not the only officer that wanted to get into STARS at the moment. There was another guy over in my precinct name Kevin who applied with me. He apparently did just fine on the tests, but he has a bit of a rep over at the station. From what I've heard, he's a bit too care free and willing to bend some rules to get the job done." Roger explained, not sure what to think, having never really met the man personally yet.

Upon hearing his name, however, Elza's expression lit up slightly in recognition. "Kevin? You mean Kevin Ryman?"

"Uh, yeah. That's him. How'd you know that?" Roger asked, giving his girlfriend a questioning gaze.

"Because he's a regular over at Jack's. I'm actually kinda surprised you never met him personally, considering how often you have dinner over there." Elza explained, referring to the popular and comfortable bar situated in the city that the two of them and many others frequented.

...Really? Huh… never would've… Roger trailed off before his eyes lit up in realization. "Oh. Wait. I know who you're talking about now. You mean the guy who hits on Cindy every night I'm there."

"The very same." Elza laughed lightly, before continuing with a joking tone in her voice. "Too bad the only cop she has a crush on is you."

"Still looking for a scandal where it doesn't exist, Elza?" Roger groaned, annoyed at this particular topic being brought up again.

"Oh what? So you're telling me she keeps a photo of you in her locker because she values your constant patronage?" Elza asked dryly, dutifully ignoring the look of shock on Roger's face when she brought up the blonde waitress apparently keeping a photo of him.

"...I see. Well first off, I guess that's kind of flattering when you don't think about it too hard, and secondly, how the hell do you even know about this?" Was all he could think to ask, an incredulous look on his face.

"Well, you know how we went there a few weeks back to celebrate that race I won? I asked if there was somewhere I could go to change out of my racing suit, and they let me use their locker room. While I was in there, I noticed that her locker gaping open, and you wouldn't believe whose photo I saw inside with a heart on it." The motorcyclist explained, her tone playful as she lied back in her bed. "Guess she forgot to lock things up before her shift began."

"Hmph… really now? So what? Are you telling me this because you're jealous?" Roger prodded, a teasing tone in his voice. Reacting to his teasing almost immediately, Elza shot up into a sitting position from her bed and looked at her boyfriend with a defensive expression.

"Jealous? Are you kidding me? Do you honestly think that-" Was all she could get out before Roger suddenly closed the distance between the two of them and pressed his lips into hers. Any and all complaints Elza had immediately left her mind as she laid back down on the bed with Roger on top of her.

"You freaking perv~." Was the only other thing the blonde girl had to say when Roger pulled away, a broad smile clear on her lips.

Raccoon City Police Station, S.T.A.R.S. Oficce.

After enjoying a very pleasant night with Elza, Roger soon departed during the early morning the next day for his first official day working in STARS. Donning his new uniform, he was on his way to the office when he noticed a familiar face in the stairway to the 2nd floor.

"Oh, Roger! Good to see you again!" Rebecca greeted perkily, approaching her new colleague.

"Hey Rebecca. Same here." Roger greeted, smiling slightly. "I was actually just about to head up to the office. Anything I should know in advance?"

"Yeah, actually. Captain Wesker told me that if I ran into you, I should tell you to head up to the office straight away. You might already know this, but he's the captain of the Alpha team, meaning he's your CO." Rebecca explained, Rogee nodding as she spoke. "Odds are there's something that he wants to go discuss with you."

"Huh. Okay, thanks for letting me know." The dark blond officer confirmed, the two of them exchanging goodbyes as Roger continued up the stairway and made his way to the outside of the office.

"Hello?" Roger called out, tentatively creaking the door open after knocking on it.

"There's no need to hesitate, young man. Please, come in." A smooth, collected voice with a clear British accent called out to Roger, causing him to jump slightly before looking towards the source of the voice.

By doing so, Roger was greeted with the site of a figure sitting in the captain's desk. He was a man clad in a black and blue variant of the standard STARS uniform that had several supply pouches attached to the vest along with a holder for a walkie-talkie on the left breast. As for facial features, the man had a strong jawline and a rather pale complexion that was topped off by his slicked back blond hair and a set of black sunglasses resting in front of his eyes. The sunglasses were admittedly rather peculiar, considering they were indoors, but Roger couldn't deny that he made the look work.

"Mr. Lincoln, I presume?" The bespectled man asked, causing Roger to nod in response. "A pleasure to meet you in person. I am Albert Wesker, the captain of the STARS alpha team and your commanding officer during your time with us. Please, have a seat, would you?"

"Thank you for the kind words, sir. I… definitely hope I can live up to your expectations while working under you." Roger said politely as he took a seat, trying to ignore the weight of anxiety that just settled in his gut. Just like yesterday with chief Irons, the blond rookie couldn't help but feel something unpleasant and nerve wracking well up within him as the cool and composed captain appeared to size him up and down. After another moment of uncomfortable silence, Wesker spoke once more, his sunglasses making it very difficult to tell what he was thinking.

"Now then Roger- you don't mind if I call you Roger, do you?" Despite the unnerving feeling Wesker was giving Roger, he was unwilling to get on his new boss's bad side on his first official days with STARS and merely nodded. "Good. Now then, to get right to the point, I have an assignment that I'd like you to accomplish before you start accompanying the rest of Alpha team on their field missions. It's a little task I've decided upon to see if you're really cut out for STARS, so to say."

"Uh… is that really necessary, Captain Wesker? I mean, I already passed all the tests and evaluations." Roger couldn't help but ask, brow raising slightly.

"Yes yes, I'm well aware that you passed the criteria to get into STARS with flying colors, but the lack of field experience you have, especially when compared to the rest of our special forces, leaves me rather concerned. Just try to think of this assignment as me 'testing the waters' before your first on-field assignment with us." Wesker waved off in a tone that booked no arguments.

"Huh… okay. So… what am I gonna be doing?" In response to this inquiry, Wesker merely pulled out a vanilla colored file before sliding it across his desk for Roger to take.

"In that file is the address of one private detective Ark Thompson." Wesker explained as Leon opened up the file and began to look through it's contents. "Despite working independently from the police, he's assisted the RPD on multiple cases in the past and has requested our assistance with his latest case. I want you to assist him in his investigation."

"I see… so what exactly is this guy looking into, anyway?" Roger asked as he scanned through the various photos and papers within the file. All of them seemed to pertain to one lieutenant Billy Coen and the grizzly rap sheet he acquired. As he looked through the man's mugshot, he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the photos of several military police officers's rotting corpses. 'Jesus… the corpses in this picture look like they were torn apart…!'

"Judging by the look on your face, I take it you've already acquainted yourself with the subject of this investigation. We have reason to believe that the man in this file is at large within the city, which is where you come in, Roger. You are to work with detective Thompson in tracking him down and apprehending him."

Now that was a bombshell if the green young man had ever heard one. For a brief moment, Roger could only stare at the deadpan Wesker in clear shock at what he was telling him to accomplish. He wants me to track down a guy that tore these MP officers apart with his bare hands!?

After realizing that he couldn't just sit there speechless, Roger once again swallowed his budding anxiety and looked towards Wesker with what he was hoping was a calm, questioning gaze. "U-Uh… Sir, are you sure this is a good choice for my first assignment? This man, uh… Lieutenant Coen, doesn't sound like someone that should be taken lightly, given what he's done. Shouldn't a more experienced officer, or even a veteran member of STARS, be assisting detective Thompson with this?"

"Come now, Roger, you shouldn't sell yourself so short. You are now a member of Raccoon City's finest, after all. After seeing how you did on the evaluations, I have no doubt that you'll play a key role in helping detective Thompson apprehend Coen." Wesker once again waved off, his tone conveying nothing but clear, calm, confidence. It would've honestly been inspiring for the young rookie if it wasn't for the fact that it somewhat contradicted his previous words.

Didn't you essentially give me this assignment because you doubted my test results? Was what Roger wanted to say, but for the sake of keeping his job, kept his mouth shut.

"In any case, there's no time for you to play around here. I want you to head over to the good detective's office and do what you can to assist him in this case. Understood?"

"Got it, sir." Despite Roger's overall apprehension towards his involvement with such a dangerous case, he made sure it didn't show until he was outside the STARS office and out of the sight of his CO. Letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, he leaned back against the wall as he reflected the previous conversation.

Christ… first assignment with this group and I'm already tracking down a convicted killer and fugitive. Roger mentally groaned, his sarcasm helping ease his anxiety, if only by a little. Talk about a trial by fire.

Thanks everyone for reading it. This story is loosely based on a MOD by the same name.

This is actually a reimagined version of my first ever fanfic, which was originally a convoluted mess that was only readable thanks to the support of (lolrus555).