One day earlier…
At an undisclosed location, owned by a secret paramilitary organization, a certain Asian woman with a penchant for the color red was receiving her latest orders from her superior. Her mission? A continuation of a previous top secret assignment involving the infiltration of Umbrella Inc as a double agent.
She had previously secured both trust and entry by romantically involving herself with a top researcher at the Arklay Manor estate. However, with the destruction of the manor some months earlier at the hands of renegade agent Albert Wesker, the woman's mission was changed, and her next target moved to Raccoon City itself. It appears her 'boyfriend' survived the 'Mansion Incident', and had been moved to Umbrella's main research facility called NEST.
Now her job had just gotten a whole lot more complicated. But that was alright. She liked a challenge.
In the meeting room of the clandestine location, a man in a suit standing over a table laden with papers and files began to speak. Sat around the table were several people, including a woman in red.
"Let's go over it again, just to be sure. Here's what we know: Mansion facility was destroyed and all records erased. Back-up copy of Umbrella's files retrieved by Agent Wesker. Red Queen security system disabled and shut down by Agent Wesker. Umbrella's network security is vulnerable. Researcher 'John' moved to the main lab at NEST. Agent Wong to infiltrate and acquire any and all samples of Umbrella's new Bioweapon Program. Agent Wong must maintain cover as long as possible. Before entering NEST, Agent Wong has orders to infiltrate the RPD and use her disguise to acquire intel on surviving STARS members. If the opportunity arises, terminate Chief Irons' employment. He's served his purpose. Agent Wong has orders to destroy NEST and eliminate any and all witnesses. Upon verification of acquired samples, an evac chopper will be sent to retrieve Agent Wong. Due to the sensitivity of this mission and the likelihood of failure, our deep cover agent, codenamed 'HUNK', will lead Umbrella's USS Delta Squad to NEST as back-up and acquire secondary samples. Have I made myself clear?"
Those around the table voiced their unanimous approval of the plan going forward. The suited man sat down, and another stood up. This man wore a similar suit, but had a turtleneck sweater instead of a shirt and tie. His slick blond hair and sunglasses, even while indoors, were distinctive. Beside his chair was a young brunette girl, her eyes covered in wrapping bandages. She wore a dark green hoodie jacket over a black school uniform button up, a black skirt that stopped at her knees and wore black anklet socks with dark brown loafers.
"Agent Wong, I will be your handler for this assignment. As such, you will follow my orders, when I give them and how I give them. I expect you to follow them by the letter." The blond man stated firmly.
"Of course, Wesker~ Isn't that why you hired me? Because I follow orders and always get the job done~?" The woman in red replied sultrily, having an air of elegance to her words. The blond man glared at her.
"I expect you to treat the mission more seriously than you treat your briefings… and for your sake, I hope your aim is as sharp as your tongue. We're sending you into hell on earth." He flatly replied.
"I believe my track record proves my usefulness. I think I've earned the right to be a little smug~" She batted her eyelashes at him. He rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses.
"Please be careful, Miss Wong… and if you see someone named Claire or Leon… please let me know that they're alive. They're family to me…" The young girl spoke in a timid voice, earning a gentle rub on the back from the blonde male.
The suited man cleared his throat loudly. "Agent Wong's orders are no witnesses… regardless of whom she meets. If you care so much for your 'friends', then pray they don't cross her. And she WILL follow orders… right, Ms Wong?" This earned a wince from the girl, which caused the man beside her to grip her shoulder a bit in comfort.
"Don't patronize me. I know what I have to do. Consider yourself lucky you have pawns to do your dirty work. You may have made the opening move in this chess game, but you don't know the players…" The woman in red shot back.
"You have your orders, Wong. Remember who gave you this opportunity… without us, you'd be nothing." The suited man darked stated, grinning evilly at her from his shadowed chair. She couldn't see his eyes, but she saw that grin…
"I'll do my part. I expect you to do yours…" With that, she got up and left the room, with the others in the boardroom following suit, leaving only the girl and her guardian.
The young girl looked up at the blond male and hugged his waist. In turn, he rested a hand on her back. "... I just hope that they're ok…" She whimpered.
"They're tough. I'm sure they can handle whatever Raccoon throws at them… Mr. Kennedy, certainly. I've never seen a recruit rise to the top of the police academy as fast as he did." Wesker replied softly, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly.
"And that man… I don't like him. His aura… it's WAY off..! Reya said he smells of deceit and blood..!"
"...the Administrator… I confess, I don't much like him either. I sense bad intentions for this company's path in the future… I will have to do something about him. For now, I must bide my time, and wait for the right opportunity…" Wesker gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. Men like the Administrator disgusted him. Men like Spencer…
Meanwhile, now aboard a black chopper headed for the city, Agent Wong, codenamed 'Ada', ran over what the Administrator had said in her head. She knew he didn't trust her, despite her stellar record. Perhaps he suspected her true motives for joining HCF… but that was of no consequence now. She was about to be airdropped into the thick of it. And if she didn't survive this mission, whatever the Administrator had planned wouldn't matter anyway…
Fifteen minutes later, she fast-rope descended onto the streets of the city limits. It was walking from here, too much danger of being discovered if she was dropped directly into the city. Walk? Pfft. To hell with that. She'd find a vehicle to hijack. After all, her new identity as FBI Agent Wong gave her the power to seize a vehicle without a reason~
Five minutes later, she was cruising towards hell.
"HQ, this is Ada. I've successfully entered the city undetected… not that it was hard. This place is a derelict… the outskirts look like a warzone."
Wesker's slightly gruff, strong voice exited her radio. "Excellent. You've made good progress so far, we're ahead of time. Keep it up. Your first objective is to reach the police station. One of our operatives, Ben Bertolucci, has been imprisoned by Irons for slandering his name and attempting to reveal his association with Umbrella. His last report claimed he had vital information to our plans. Locate him and acquire the data. If he's been burned, dispose of him."
"Please be careful, Miss Ada. We don't know if Umbrella's got people in there to shut up the survivors. Keep your eyes out for them." Came Alana's voice.
"Your secondary objective is to acquire any data on surviving STARS members. Reports indicate at least one of them is still in the city. If possible, attempt to locate them but do not make contact. We want to track their movements." Wesker added.
"It's gotta be Mama Jill. She said that she would stay in the city to help with getting the innocents out of there. If you see her, please let me know." Alana chimed in.
"Those are your current orders. When you have completed these objectives, I will update you on your next objectives. Avoid contact with the police if possible. Not everyone will fall for your disguise… and be careful, 'Ada'. Remember that you still have someone relying on you to come back safe."
"Good luck, Ada! And if you do see any Umbrella people in there, don't let them see you. If you have to fight back, do it. Just… please don't die." Alana finished.
The radio went quiet as Wesker cut the connection. "Great… stiffed again. Why do I always get the crappy jobs…" She moaned, rolling her eyes. "I'll be a good little girl… for now. The Administrator is right not to trust me… I don't always play by his rules~"
What Ada didn't know was that before she left, Alana had linked her mind to the sight of her own and Wesker so they could see what was going on, despite being so far away. Right now, Alana would be sitting in the middle of the office in a meditative position, hands resting on her knees and her eyes closed. Her body would be dimly glowing a pure white, her hair flowing around her as if underwater. Reya, of course, was assisting, as this was advanced magic she was doing, something that someone like her should not be doing alone.
"Ok, it's working! I can see where she is now. She's coming up to the gas station and… there's been signs of a fight there…" Alana described it to Wesker. "There's gunshot casings on the ground and… oh no… zombies!" She suddenly gasped.
"Hmph. Doesn't surprise me. Umbrella was always sloppy with their security procedures. Those bastards in research never slept… even on days off. We knew this mission wouldn't be a cakewalk." Wesker pinched the bridge of his nose.
"We knew it would get out but… not this fast. It's only been a short time." Alana shook her head, her hands gripping her knees a bit with rising anxiety, her powers slightly making some things on the coffee table rattle a bit.
"I suspect rats infected with the virus traveled from the mansion to the city and spread it via the sewer system. If the virus got into the water supply, it would account for the speed of the spread of infection." He concluded after a moment of thought.
"Of course..!" Alana gasped, her rising emotions making the cups and whatever else was on the table rattle more. "And if this spreads further..! Not just the city… but..!" She felt Wesker's hand come down on her shoulder and gently grip it.
"Focus, Alana. Keep your emotions under control… and I doubt the rest of the state would be in too much danger. Rats don't live long enough to travel far enough. Raccoon is fairly distant from most other cities in the Midwest. That and if the situation really gets out of hand, the government will be forced to take notice."
Taking several calming breaths, she felt her powers get back under control and the items on the table stopped moving. "... You're right. I'm sorry, Wesker. I just… with so much happening and Umbrella having a lot of people in their back pocket, as you say, it'll be hard to get back at them. I hope you have something set up."
"Relax. This 'tragedy' actually works in our favor…" He felt Alana twitch and gasp in surprise and would elaborate when she went to say something. "When news of this attack gets out, combined with the release of the evidence I acquired from their data drives, Umbrella is finished."
She smiled a bit, feeling the confidence oozing from her stepfather. He was always so sure of himself and that was her anchor. If Wesker had a plan, then she didn't have to worry as much. She had also had the knowledge of her real parents being alive, after being lied to about their deaths. And the fact that they were two of the Sailor Soldiers was all the sweeter. She was going to make sure that Spencer learned that he made a HUGE mistake in keeping her alive. Hell, in keeping ANY of them alive.
Back with Ada, she'd been forced to abandon the vehicle she'd commandeered outside the city, due to the heavy build-up of previously abandoned vehicles heading into Raccoon's heart. On foot and heading for the RPD, she quickly learned that Wesker hadn't been bluffing about sending her into hell… 'there were infected everywhere. From her perspective, it seemed the entire city had fallen victim to the T-Virus outbreak. She thanked her lucky stars it wasn't airborne.
"I see her… in the city. She had to leave the car…" Alana observed. "She's heading towards the station. But it's bad… the whole city… it's like something out of someone's deep nightmares."
"It's worse than we thought… we had projected possible scenarios and outcomes, but none of the data foresaw this level of destruction… our calculations were way off." Wesker grimaced, angry at the sight of it. All this occurred, all because of one old man's desire to reach higher than his station… because of one old man's greed…
Alana visibly flinched when she heard a fist slam into the wall, a growl escaping his lips. "... Wesker?" She looked towards his direction and she almost recoiled when she saw his flaring aura, showing his raging emotions. It looked like he was on fire, but surrounded by a neon blue and black cloak of magic.
"...that son of a bitch… he couldn't possibly understand what he's done… and if he does, I know he doesn't care…" He snarled under his breath. "It's the same as it always was, even when I was under his thumb… his focus was only ever on progress. On results. He didn't care how he got them. He always said that the ends would justify the means… but nothing can justify this."
"... Albert? What's the matter, dear?" Coming from the direction of the guest bedroom, out came Oceania, draped in one of her shawls as her bare feet crossed the second floor landing and carefully made her way down the stairs. "I felt your magic pulsating wildly."
He hesitated to reply, unsure of what to say that wouldn't alarm her. "...you… would not want to see what I see right now… the jewel of the American Midwest, reduced to a crumbling ruin, a husk of what it once was… loomed over by the Shadows of Umbrella…"
"Lemme see…" Oceania would walk over to the young girl and place a hand to her shoulder, closing her eyes and connected to her mind. Immediately, the grisly sight met her eyes and she gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. She felt sick to her stomach as different sounds and sights bombarded her; the howls of the undead, the screams of those who were caught in the middle of it, the roaring fires afterward, the blood-caked pavement and buildings… the flying bullets of those still fighting for their lives…
"Oh no..! But… you destroyed the mansion! That should've stopped it! How..?!" She cried as she wrenched her hand away, hugging herself in an attempt to cease the trembling now wracking her body.
"My sabotage was just that. I failed to slow them down. Instead of stopping the spread, as I had hoped, I merely postponed it. It seems Raccoon's fate was inevitable…" Wesker sighed.
"No… then… the vision Pluto saw…" Oceania shook her head, hoping and praying that it would not come to pass. But seeing the resignation in her son's eyes and the slumped shoulders of her adoptive granddaughter, she couldn't deny it for long. However, Wesker came over and gathered her in his arms.
"...may not yet come to pass. Remember, the visions Pluto sees are not absolute. She cannot predict with 100% accuracy what will happen. The future we saw is but one of many that the city now faces. To lose hope now would be counterproductive. This nightmare has only just begun." He consoled her.
"I hope you're right, Albert. I really hope you are right." Oceania sighed as she fought to calm herself down.
"Wesker! Grandma Oceania! She made it to the station! I can see the gates!" Alana suddenly blurted out, regaining their attention back to the matter at hand.
But Ada didn't take the front door. Not that she could if she wanted to, as it had been barricaded from the inside. She did not know this, nor would she, as she instead took a detour towards the parking garage by swinging around the side of the building. It was oddly quiet in the station's perimeter, which made her uneasy…
"...ugh, I hate this silence. At least if I can hear them, I know what's coming. If I can't hear them… then there may be something worse than zombies out here…" She muttered to herself.
Back inside the station, Claire was now on the second floor, having just entered the locker room connected to the men's showers. She found herself faced by a steamy issue… a broken steam pipe blocking the way. She could shut it off, but the valve handle was missing.
"Fuck… who's the idiot who took the damn valve..? I hate valve puzzles…"
'Hopefully there's a valve around here somewhere. Where would be a good place to start looking?' Asked Rei.
"How the hell would I know? Whenever I visited, Chief Irons wouldn't let me anywhere except the main hall… fat prick… or so Chris always said. I haven't met him, but he sounds like an asshole."
'Well I hope we don't run into him. From how your brother describes, guys like him really burn me up!' Rei growled.
"...was that a fire pun..? Ugh… Frost was bad enough…" Claire moaned, rolling her eyes. With nothing more to do here, she left the locker room and proceeded up to the third floor, dodging a zombie that stupidly decided to fall over the banister and down to the floor with a sickening thud.
"...really? Idiot…"
Rei was heard laughing in her head. 'Stupid zombie!' She guffawed. 'Saves us the trouble.'
"You know, that fire pun reminded me of the time Frost put laxatives in the Chief's coffee…" Claire giggled to herself, visualizing the moment in her head as she cautiously made her way through a broken wall.
Rei was silent for a moment before she burst out laughing again. 'And he ends up getting in trouble, I'm guessing. But that's hilarious! That sounds like something Usagi would pull!'
Claire paused and ran that name over in her mind. "Usagi..? Why does that name sound familiar..?"
'Huh? Oh right, Usagi used to be the leader of our group many years ago. Although she was a ditz and a crybaby at times, she was very loyal to her friends.' Here, Rei's tone took on more of a fond, almost reminiscent one. 'It didn't matter what she was feeling at the moment or what was going on in her life, if someone needed her or we needed someone to vent to, she was there for us. She was always there, through and through. We had our fights at times, her and I. But she… we cared for each other and we had each other's backs.'
Claire was about to drop her own bombshell. "Tsukino. Usagi Tsukino. That's who you're talking about, isn't it? And you're Rei Hino, aren't you?"
Rei gasped at this. She figured it out! But how?! 'How..?! How did you know? I barely said anything about me, Usagi or anyone else!'
Claire smirked smugly. "I watched the show while I was at college."
'There was something on us? Why am I not surprised? Lemme guess, they exaggerated a lot of things, like most people do, huh?'
"How would I know? You haven't exactly made it clear if anything that Japanese anime wrote is based on fact. Though I suppose you'd have to see it first." She shrugged in response.
'Wow… I'm surprised that they found some leads on us. Our story is not really one that is in the
history books or something like that. But yeah, you're right. My name is Rei.'
Then Claire shocked her again. "Actually, I didn't need to have name dropped the show to figure out who you were…"
'What?! What do you mean? Were you bluffing?'
"Who, me? A Redfield? Bluffing? Please… I play video games in my spare time. You really wanna know? Pyromancy. Dead giveaway."
'... So I guess you should make the connections as to who I really am.'
"Of course. You're Sailor Mars. Supposedly you died a long, long time ago, but your spirit still wanders the Earth, looking for someone worthy to take up the mantle, that the Sailor Soldiers might rise again, like the phoenix from the ashes of death and rebirth… oh, wait… that's Saturn's job."
Claire would feel Rei stiffen in her mind. '... Y-Yeah… like her…'
She giggled. "Really? That's your reaction? Girl, you need to get with the times. Welcome to the digital age. Anything and everything can be found on a computer these days."
'I know, but… just thinking about Saturn and what she did years ago… it still gives me nightmares to this day.'
Claire's smirk vanished upon this piece of info. "Wait, you're telling me that part of the show when Hotaru destroyed the Earth… are you saying that actually happened..? Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me..?! You people destroyed the planet?!"
'We tried to stop the darkness from consuming it, but Saturn awoke first and she saw what was going on. We tried to plead with her, to not swing her Silence Glaive… but it was already too late. She swung and then… nothing…' Rei quivered. 'And all we could do was watch…'
"And the only one who could have stopped her was Setsuna Meiou, or Sailor Pluto… but she was already dead…" Claire recalled.
She felt Rei nod as sadness filled her mind. 'I know it's a shock, but… trust me when I say, we tried to stop it from being destroyed. But Sailor Moon came through afterward and brought everything back with the power of the Silver Crystal.'
"What a fucking relief. That makes it all better, huh?" Claire insulted. "And Hotaru… if you're here, then she's out there too. What if she awakens? What if she sees all this and decides we're not worthy? What's to stop her from deciding we're due for a second round?"
'That's what I am hoping to keep from happening. That's why I am here… I felt Sailor Moon's presence here and I am hoping we can find her first before Hotaru finds her own host. I'd hate to be the person who bonds with her.'
"Wait… Usagi's HERE..? In Raccoon?!" Claire was dumbfounded. That could not be a coincidence. Both light and darkness in the same place together?
'I know her signature anywhere. It's definitely meatball head~' Rei nodded, snickering at the old nickname she gave her years ago.
"Shouldn't you be more concerned about finding Pluto? Usagi alone cannot stop Hotaru, only Setsuna's Time Magic has that power."
'But Usagi is our leader and even Hotaru has to listen to her. The thing is, after the world was saved, Hotaru was reborn as a baby and raised by the three Outer Soldiers, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. After being an experiment by her father, they felt it was right to give her a second chance at a life she didn't get to have. When she became Saturn again, none of the darkness that lingered in her heart was there anymore.'
"I call bullshit. If Hotaru reawakens Mistress 9, there ain't a force on the planet that could stop her. And there ain't no person she'd listen to. Also, I can't believe you'd delegate Setsuna to the outer ring. Time Magic is not a fucking joke. It's literally the most powerful thing I can think of."
'Just because they are the Outer Soldiers, doesn't mean they're weak. The Outer Soldiers were the Princess's elite guard and defended the kingdom from attacks beyond the boundaries. The Inner Soldiers, like me, were the last line of defense…. And you can guess how that turned out against Queen Beryl when she attacked.'
"Princess Serena, aka Usagi. And yeah, I know what happened. She kicked the seven colors of shit outta all of you and would have killed you all, had you not been sent to Earth by Queen Serenity."
Rei nodded at that. 'We will speak more of this later, Claire. We still need to find Leon and get out of the city. And hopefully… we can find more survivors, other than Marvin. Speaking of which, when was the last time you radioed him?'
"I don't have his frequency…" Claire sheepishly rubbed her ponytail in embarrassment. "I'll worry about him later. I don't think he'd appreciate me checking up on him… Oh hey, a key! This has a spade shape to it, like a playing card. That's weird."
'That could be useful. Hold onto that, and maybe we'll find a door that has that symbol on it. I spotted a couple of them before I found you.' Rei said.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Claire..? It's Marvin. How fast can you get back here?"
Claire grabbed her radio and tuned it so she had his channel active. "Uhh… well I'm up on the third floor right now, I think I'm near the library? Why, what's up?"
"I've got something to show you. It's important." He replied simply. There were clear signs of strain in his voice, and he sounded pained, probably from his festering wound.
Claire nodded, though she wasn't physically near him. "Alright, I'll be right there."
'I really hope he's alright. Let's get down there quick.' Rei said, a sense of urgency in her voice.
Claire followed the corridor around the building, spotting something climbing past a window in the wall. She paused, listening for it in case it came back, but she heard nothing. "...don't wanna know what that was…" She muttered as she passed through a door into what looked like some kind of storage room. There were stacks of junk scattered around, but also some kind of… well, she wasn't sure what it was. It kinda looked like crap. A lot of it. "What the fuck is this..? I don't even wanna touch it…"
There was another door in a nearby wall, and what looked like a makeshift cell at the back of the room. There were a bunch of corpses inside, and a statue with an emblem set into it. The back of her mind niggled, and she remembered that she needed the emblems. Marvin mentioned that Elliot said they could open an exit. But the cell was sealed… someone had stuck C4 to it, but the detonator was missing.
"Aw, shit… I need to find a way to blow this up…"
'Heh… I can help with that, if you want.' Rei smirked a bit as Claire felt her hands begin to heat up. She looked down at them and they were gently glowing with warm, orange light.
"Whoa… is this your magic? I feel… warm."
'Go with your gut, don't think. Give it a try.'
"Okay…" Claire closed her eyes for a moment and thought about throwing a fireball at the C4. It seemed like a ridiculous notion at first, but a feeling deep down told her it was right. When she opened her eyes, there was a glow to them, as if she'd been possessed.
"MARS FIRE… IGNITE!"
A fireball the size of a small beach ball launched from her hand and detonated the C4, blowing open the barricade blocking the cell and creating a small quake that reverberated through the walls. Before Claire had time to register what she had done, a loud shriek reached her ears from somewhere above her, and she heard frantic scratching sounds, as something rapidly approached from within the ceiling…
'Uh oh, sounds like we just kicked the hornet's nest!'
"Fuck…"
Through a hole in the ceiling behind the cell entrance, a disgusting looking creature dropped down. Its entire muscle mass was exposed as if it had no skin, an exposed brain that wrapped around its non-existent eyes, long, singular claws instead of hands and shockingly long, lance-like tongue. It hissed as it stalked towards her. Claire froze on the spot, unable to move from fear, which turned out to ironically be a good move.
'It can't see us! Claire, keep still for a moment!'
She didn't need to be told twice. The creature appeared confused; it had heard something loud, but now it heard nothing. Unable to see, it relied upon its other senses and in particular, its hearing. Slowly it crawled around, sensing out for her, scratching the floor distinctively as it moved.
'...if I can manage to sneak around without making a sound, I might be able to avoid it…' She thought to herself, knowing that before she could leave, she needed that emblem.
'Yeah, but keep your magic ready just in case things go sideways. Once we get the emblem, let's make a beeline back to Marvin.'
Claire tiptoed towards the statue, careful not to make too loud a sound as she didn't know how sensitive the creature's hearing was. Upon reaching the statue, she discovered it had three dials with images of them. Some kind of code, she assumed. Then she remembered that the notebook Elliot had given her had the drawing inside. She reached into her bag for it and pulled it out, but became dismayed when she realized the page that had the code for this particular statue had been ripped out… "Dammit… now I have to guess…"
'You got this. I got your back in case something tries to sneak up on you. Or do you want to skip it for now until we find the page? It's gotta be back where we found Elliot.'
"No, we're here now, might as well try to figure it out. It's only three dials, so there can't be that many combinations. This shouldn't take me more than a minute…" Claire said confidently, though she was secretly terrified that creature might hear her flipping the dials. After several seconds of tense silence that was broken only by the faint sound of the dials, she managed to find the right combination. A seal on the emblem shifted and opened, unlocking it. However, the grinding stone was loud, and…
SCREEEEEEECH!
"FUCK!"
'Here they come! Get out of there!'
Claire quickly grabbed the emblem and rushed out of the cell, narrowly dodging a flying slash from the creature hunting her. Its claw barely missed her face as she only just got out of the way. She made for the door, but a corpse hanging from the ceiling fell out and struck a bookcase, knocking it over and blocking the door. So she immediately switched and ran for the door she came from, shoving it open and slamming it right on the face of the clawed monster as it lunged for her again. It screeched at her from behind the door, but did not attempt to break through.
'That… was a bit too close for my liking. You alright, partner?' Rei panted as she called off her magic for now.
"I think so… I don't think it caught me. Am I bleeding..?" She checked herself over but found no injuries. She did have a hole in her biker shorts where it scratched her, but it hadn't drawn blood.
"Guess we're going back the way we came… I recall there being a door to the main hall through the West Office, and I have the key for it now."
'Right. Let's check it out. But first, we need to check on Marvin. It sounded pretty important, whatever he has to show us.'
"Well duh. He's in the main hall, idiot." Claire sniggered, mildly insulting Rei's apparent forgetfulness. She shook her head and retraced her step to the staircase. Back on the first floor by the darkroom, she remembered the shufflers that were still down here. She'd have to get past them first. Fortunately, she'd found some loose ammo while she explored, so she wouldn't need to waste Rei's fire.
Rei meanwhile was happy that she found a partner at last. She'd believed that she wouldn't really find anyone capable of handling her powers, as her time spent in Raccoon up to meeting Claire had been full of morally corrupt humans who'd cared nothing for their fellow humans. But it seemed that magic already flowed in this girl's veins. From what she was able to glean from her mind, her family was connected to magic through her ancestor, so it made bonding to her all the more easier to manage. Rei also learned that Claire was only vaguely aware of her connection to a magical past.
'So from what I can sense about you, you have already been exposed to magic somewhat. Magic must run pretty deep in your family.'
"A few months ago, I was with my brother when we met our ancestor in an old vault our grandfather built beneath our ancestral home in the mountains. Her spirit appeared to us and revealed some of family's history. Turns out our mother was a witch, and my brother and I are descendants of an ancient queen of magic."
'Whoa, that's pretty cool. What's your ancestor's name?' Rei asked, now even more interested about her new partner.
"If I recall correctly, she was the Redfield Matriarch and the first of our family. When she was alive, her subjects knew her as Shiala, The Hero Queen. She was the last Queen of Albion, before the kingdom separated. Our ancestral home was built on the former site of Castle Bowerstone, where Shiala ruled. Bowerstone was the capital city of Albion, known today as Raccoon."
'I thought her name was familiar. Queen Serenity told us that there was a powerful Queen on Earth and were in talks of an alliance between our two kingdoms. But mid negotiations, Beryl attacked and we didn't get a chance to finish. It's good to know, though, that Shiala's descendants are alive and kicking. But… is she herself still alive?'
"It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Shiala was attacked by the Crawler, and Albion was almost destroyed. She defeated it and survived, but at a great loss of her subjects… and no, Shiala died a long time ago. Her spirit remains, but as far I am aware, she does not have a living vessel."
'Oh… well… at least she died as the Hero she was. I just wished I got to see her at least once…' Rei would sigh.
Claire however, was unaware that Shiala was very much alive, and already in the city somewhere. For all she didn't know, she might end up running into her at some point. Having enough of chatting, Claire returned to the task at hand, and made her way to the West Office, blasting away at the zombies with her revolver. Inside the office, it was trashed and there were books and papers everywhere. Carefully making her way around the room, she entered into a private office and eyed a safe.
"That looks like it might have something nice in it."
'But we don't have the code for it. We'll have to look for it and come back when we have it.'
"Ugh… why does everything have to be complicated…"
So, ignoring it for now, Claire went back out into the main office and picked up a report from one of the officers on a desk. It detailed an encounter with a creature that seemed exactly like what she'd met, based on the report's description. It labeled the creature as something the officers called a 'Licker', on account of its tongue.
"So that's what that ugly fucking thing was…"
'And we know now how to avoid it if we happen to see one. Without no eyes, it has to rely on its hearing, it seems. Easy to fool if we play it right.'
"But where there's one, there'll probably be more. I don't think sneaking would suffice against a horde…" Claire replied, putting down the report. Seeing little else of interest, she headed for the door with a spade symbol carved into it. Before she reached it, she spotted a desk from the corner of her eye, with Leon's name on it. So this was where he would have worked.
The desk was padlocked on both sides, and a note on it stated that the officers had gotten him a gift as a welcome addition to the team. Also on the note was a message written in blood:
'Be glad you aren't here, rookie…'
Something told her that message had been written by Marvin.
'Poor guy. I can't imagine what it was like when it initially started…' Rei sighed as she read the note.
"Apparently we can open the locks by putting the officer's initials in as the codes. But some of the desk labels are presumably not where they should be… also, I'm not really sure I should. I feel like I'd be robbing Leon…"
'Then let's leave it for him. Whatever's in there, he'll need it should he make it into the office.'
"Alright. Let's get back to Marvin."
She left the desk alone and went to the door, which she unlocked and opened.
"Ah, there you are. Come over here. You should take a look at this…" Marvin called her over, spotting her from the sofa he was sitting on. He showed her the computer, which had a camera feed from outside. Leon was standing by the back gate, apparently looking for a way through.
"Hey, he made it! I'm so glad he's alive!" Claire exclaimed happily, smiling widely.
"You know him?" Marvin painfully asked.
"Yeah. His name's Leon! We came into the city together, but got separated. We agreed to meet here." She replied.
"Ah, the rookie… thought he looked familiar… ugh… listen, you can get to that courtyard through the second floor offices. Over there." He gestured to a door on the upper floor behind him.
"Thanks, Marvin. I'll check it out."