Ghost stared neutrally at the screen in front of him, waiting for the time of the call he was to make to Hunk for news. At a glance, he could see Chris, standing a few paces away, arms crossed and a neutral expression. Perhaps a little worried, anxiety in his restless eyes.
On the other side of the table was Parker, sitting in his chair waiting patiently for the small private meeting to begin. He would be the leader of one of the teams being prepared, and depending on how things went, he would be part of the advance team, along with Chris and Ghost himself.
"You didn't go to training today, Chris. Your little fan, Piers, missed you." Parker joked, smiling slightly as he saw Redfield sigh.
"The kid's got heart, I'll give him that, but he's still got a lot to improve on." Chris said, and Parker grunted slightly.
"Take it easy on him, he just wants to learn from the best, which makes him smarter than the rest, if you ask me. By the way, where have you been?" Parker asked, watching the screen flash a few times as Ghost entered the password.
"I went to see Kendo about our weapons. Progress is going well." He looked at Ghost. "He's reduced the firepower a bit, but he's made up for it in accuracy. Not to mention that it will give us a large supply of +P ammunition."
Ghost glanced at him, nodding.
"Good, remind me to compensate you when all this is over." Ghost said, looking at the time.
"That won't be necessary, will it? These weapons will help everyone." Parker argued, and Ghost shrugged.
"Still, look at it as a way of helping the only decent organization in this country." Ghost replied, noticing Chris's gaze on him.
"So... what should we expect from this meeting?" He asked, pulling up a chair next to him and sitting down. "You said that this call was unexpected."
"I have no idea, but just in case, let's expect the worst. Hunk wouldn't call me unless it was important information." Ghost replied, leaning back in his chair.
"What's worse than Wesker joining Umbrella?" Parker asked, crossing his arms and grimacing slightly at the thought.
"Him exchanging information with Umbrella and not only being cured of our poison, but also having finished his virus." Ghost replied, leaning his right arm on the table.
"Well, damn, I'll never doubt your ability to scare me again." Parker said, and Ghost just shrugged in good humor.
"And if that's the case, one mistake, and we're fucked." Chris said, shaking his head.
"Exactly... but getting worried or nervous isn't going to change much." Ghost said, glancing once again at the time. Hunk wasn't late or anything, but usually, he was always on the call line on occasions like these.
It was rare that he arrived before his companion.
"But we can discuss it, can't we? As far as I know, Albert didn't have many friends at Umbrella." Parker said, breaking the short moment of silence.
"No, but money and influence carry a lot of weight. He must have bought off a few people. In that place, Albert has exactly zero allies." Ghost said.
"But we're friends, aren't we?" Parker asked in good humor.
"We're teammates... friendship isn't in the field manual." Ghost replied in his typical professional tone.
"Neither is mask making." Parker joked once again, and Ghost arched an eyebrow slightly.
Their little conversation was cut short by the image of Hunk. The three men looked at the screen, and to their surprise, instead of a room similar to the one they were in at the moment, Hunk appeared to be in some kind of helicopter. The loud noise spread throughout the room.
The agent had his mask slightly damaged, blood on his black clothes.
"Reaper?! What's the situation?!" Ghost asked, his tone now serious and his eyes icy blue.
"The situation's gotten a bit complicated. Listen, we had information that East Slavonia was using biological weapons in a civil war. When we investigated we discovered that President Svetlana Belikova has formed an alliance with Wesker. They are using two variants of Uroboros, one dominant and the other submissive. They're controlling smaller infected!" Hunk explained quickly, and to the surprise of the men in the room, they watched as an insect-like creature seemed to appear out of thin air and attacked the reaper, who was quicker and managed to escape the claws that were heading for his neck.
Hunk grabbed a shotgun from beside him and fired at the infected insect-like creature, blowing the thing's glowing-eyed head off.
"Fuck! They've got a small army of infected around here!" Hunk said, looking around the helicopter he was in.
"Do you need help?!" Ghost asked seriously. If Hunk was taken by surprise, then he could only imagine how bad the situation was.
"Negative! Listen, the problem isn't here, we'll get the situation under control, ok?! They transported some containers on a cargo ship to America and Wesker went along! He plans to release the virus into the troposphere, Ghost! He's going to infect the whole world!" Hunk said, and the three men grunted almost simultaneously.
"Ah, fuck me! Crazy bastard!" Parker grumbled loudly, watching one of Hunk's men shoot with the machine gun attached to the side of the helicopter.
"Ayala is already working on finding the containers! If you're not ready yet, get ready, and fast! I'll take care of things here and get back to you as soon as possible, Ghost!" Hunk said quickly, ending the call there.
Ghost sighed in frustration. Sometimes, he hated being right. The worry he felt proved to be real.
"What the fuck! Chris, I'm going to warn our men and call O'Brian, but you're the one giving the orders!" Parker said, looking at him with serious eyes as he waited for words from Redfield, who was just as worried as he was.
"Holy shit... put all men on standby, protocol 09, no exceptions! I'll warn the other organizations, keep an eye on containers entering and leaving the country!" Chris said, running a hand through his hair.
"I'll contact my team. I suggest you warn the other states. The BSAA affiliates, DSO... contact everyone. Knowing Albert, this is going to be a disaster." Ghost said, his calm, strictly professional tone betraying his slightly nervous eyes.
"Can we trust them? You said they couldn't be trusted." Parker asked, and Ghost stood up in a huff.
"And they're not, but they're not stupid enough to ally themselves with Wesker. They'll do what they have to do, in that case." Ghost said, and the two men nodded before hurrying out of the room.
Sighing once more, Ghost quickly ran his hand down his neck and began to call out to his team. Well, the moment he had been created for was approaching, and he could tell he was anxious.
And that was wrong, he shouldn't be anxious, he should be feeling neutral, as always, focused only on eliminating Wesker.
He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. What a great moment to feel vulnerable again.
"So, Hunk must have informed you by now, huh?" Ghost almost sighed again when he heard William's voice, and his eyes went to the screen in front of him.
He looked fine, apart from a cut on his lower lip and a few bruises on his face. He wore his typical dark glasses and a neutral expression.
"Sir. I'd say I'm glad to see you, but I'd be lying." He said, and William, as usual, didn't show any kind of reaction.
"Still trying to challenge me, I thought you'd have learned by now, agent." William said, and Ghost just shrugged. He didn't like William, but he respected him enough.
"What can I say? It's almost automatic now." He replied, and William adjusted his glasses.
"Regarding the current situation, I'll be part of this mission. Depending on how things turn out, Albert will die soon and Umbrella will be destroyed." William said, and Ghost nodded in understanding.
"But?" The agent asked.
"Many people may die. And when I say many, I really mean it. After my brother's union with Umbrella and the President, he now has an army of bio-weapons. Lickers, Hunters, Tyrants and many others with different abilities. The city he decides to attack will suffer colossal damage... I dare say it will be ruined." William explained, and Ghost sighed in regret.
Another city in ruins, another outbreak that would kill innocent people... he just hoped it would be the last. It had to be.
"What if he decides to attack more than one?" Ghost asked.
"He can't. It would take too long to mobilize the containers to different cities. By then, we'd have their location and a chance to stop them, as well as delaying his plan. A large-scale attack in a major metropolis... is much more likely to happen." William said, and Ghost stared at him for a few moments, his countenance serious beneath his mask, his chest filling with worry.
"So... he might attack here." He concluded, and sighed when he saw William staring at him. "This is the headquarters of the BSAA, DSO... the city is known for being an important center of operations against bio-terrorism." Ghost explained, and William nodded slightly in agreement.
"It's possible, the only catch is that this is one of the safest cities in the country." William said, and Ghost shook his head.
"That never stopped Albert before. He probably wants to delay all the organizations from going after him." William agreed.
"I'll send your team to your location as well as have some rescue helicopters ready for your call." Ghost shook his head.
"Send my team, but tell them to stand by. What I want is firepower." Ghost said.
"Right, I'll send the weapons, they'll be on one of the rescue helicopters. But be aware that the ammunition is limited." Ghost nodded.
"I'll only use them on the toughest infected. I hope the Anti-T bullets are worth it."
"They work, don't worry about it. Me and a few men are heading towards my brother. I'll keep you and Hunk informed. You'll be able to see my location on your cell phones at all times. Ayala will contact you shortly." William said, ending the call.
Ghost immediately started typing a warning message and sent it to the others. They had to get ready as soon as possible, and that included him too. He also sent a private message to Chris telling him about his team and the supply helicopter that would be arriving shortly.
Getting up after sending the message, he left the small room and walked at a fast pace down the corridor towards his room. A few soldiers stared at him as he passed, but he just ignored them as usual.
As he entered his room, he grabbed his tactical vest and checked the ammunition he had. At the moment he only had his knife, his desert eagle and his Silver Ghost, since his rifle had been taken to Kendo to analyze and replicate.
He only had a single magazine in his desert eagle, no extra mag. And three extra magazines in his Silver Ghost, in addition to what was already in the weapon.
He put his weapons in their proper holsters and grabbed some more supplies. A mixture of herbs, protein bars, of which he ate one, just in case, and some medical tools. The basics he took with him on every mission.
He didn't know where or when Wesker would attack, but whatever his plan was, he had to be as prepared as possible.
Lowering his head, Ghost looked at his duty watch and entered the map, on which a dot flashed green with the coordinates just above it.
His team would probably arrive shortly and fly over the city, while William sent another helicopter with his equipment. This helicopter would land on the roof of the BSAA.
Turning around, he shook his head slightly and put a earpiece in his ear, then tucked the small radio into his tactical vest, protected just below the vest's sturdy plates.
Ghost then, sighing, left his room and walked down the corridors. Parker and Chris would probably be busy for a while, and he had to wait, not just for the helicopter, but for information from both his team and the BSAA itself.
He hated that... waiting. He hated having to wait before he could do something, hated it when he couldn't act sooner. It usually meant lives being lost, structures being destroyed and biological weapons being strengthened.
Maybe he could help Parker with something, hell, he'd even agree to instruct the soldiers against bio-weapons if necessary, all so he wouldn't be stuck waiting for something to happen.
The place was busier than usual, soldiers were running in different directions, shouting for members of their teams while some of the captains were talking on their radios. Parker had probably already activated protocol 9, and in the distance, Ghost could hear some vehicles in motion.
As he walked along, he found Sherry talking to a BSAA soldier whom he didn't recognize, since the soldier had his back to him. By his clothes, he was one of the soldiers in training.
Before he could do anything else, he felt his cell phone vibrate and picked it up.
Parker - Protocol 09 active. O'Brian has already contacted a monitoring team, the whole city is under surveillance.
Chris - Good, I've called in some of our affiliates. The army and special forces are also on alert.
Chris - I haven't heard back from DSO or US-SOCOM yet. But I've already sent the alert message.
Jill - My team is ready. The others are getting into position and some helicopters are ready. Should I get some of our combat trucks ready too?
Chris - You can mobilize some men to the trucks, but just put them on standby. We don't know where the attack will be, so the helicopters will take priority.
Chris - Ghost, any predictions from your team?
Ghost - The rescue helicopters have already been mobilized along with my team's combat helicopter, estimated time thirteen minutes.
Ghost - A rescue helicopter will land on the roof loaded with some special supplies. I advise you to take some weapons.
Jill - Great, I've been meaning to try out those sniper rifles of yours.
Parker - What about Ayala?
Ghost - Still no information, on hold.
"Ghost." He heard Sherry's voice calling him, and he looked at her for a few moments, watching her slowly approach.
"Purgatory for Ghost, come in!" The agent's eyes widened slightly as he heard Ayala's serious, hurried voice on his radio.
"Ghost to Purgatory, over."
"Ghost, listen, the planes Wesker used are undetectable! They're in there!" She practically shouted in his ear, and Ghost blinked a few times, confused, disoriented, feeling his whole body shiver and his heart start beating faster.
"What?"
"They're above the city!" Ghost clicked his tongue and ran towards Sherry while changing the channel in an attempt to call for Chris.
However, sirens beeped, and some explosions were heard coming from the sky. The agent, along with a few other soldiers, leaned on the railing and looked up, gritting his teeth as he saw several missiles falling from the sky.
A shower of explosions went off all over the city, the noise so intense that it seemed to be happening right next to him. The entire building shook, some vehicles were hit and soldiers were injured, thrown far away by the explosion.
Ghost took a few steps backwards as he saw the roof collapse where he was standing. The floors above and below him were hit.
Ghost held onto the railing and ran his eyes around. Even though they were missiles, the explosions weren't that strong... the vehicles destroyed, the places hit on the building had a pattern... those missiles weren't meant to hurt, but to delay.
The agent looked up at the sky again, and he shook his head as he saw several containers being dropped towards the city, spy planes and tactical helicopters leaving the area shortly afterwards.
"What the fuck was that?!" He heard Parker shout over the radio.
"Fuck! We've got damage to the entire tower, the north arsenal is gone! Some helicopters have been hit!" Jill said straight away.
"That attack was to slow us down! Wesker just wanted to buy time!" Ghost said, gritting his teeth slightly as he heard shouting and gunfire, not far away, probably just ahead of the BSAA.
"We're picking up unknown combat trucks entering the city with some kind of gas! North side! Parker, Jill!" Chris said straight away, and Ghost changed the channel on his radio once again.
"Ayala, what's the situation?!" He practically shouted, watching as some Lickers entered the courtyard. Sometimes he hated being right.
"The northern, western and southern parts of the city are under attack. The DSO has already mobilized some teams and the army is on its way!"
"Mobilize my team to the northern area and tell the rescue helicopter to land 150 meters northwest of the BSAA base!" He said, ending the call and walking briskly towards Sherry, who was looking at the whole thing in fright and surprise.
She hadn't expected an attack to take place there, especially not like this. However, it was always like this. All the outbreaks came out of nowhere.
"Are you all right?" He asked as he approached, making the girl look at him for a few moments.
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine... it just happened so... how..." She blinked a few times, slightly disoriented, but already coming back to her senses.
"No time to explain. Are you armed?" He asked, and she nodded.
"Yes, but I only have my pistol." She replied.
"That'll do. There's a rescue helicopter approaching, Claire isn't fully recovered yet, you two will get on the helicopter as soon as it arrives." Sherry gave him a sharp look, and internally, Ghost sighed.
"Are you kidding me? You want us to run away in the middle of all this?!" She asked, somewhat frustrated, and even a little annoyed. "I can take care of myself!"
"Jeez, Sherry, we don't have time for this! It's what's best for you! I did what you told me, I helped in any way I could, now it's your turn to listen to me! This has nothing to do with you, with any of you. You're civilians, understand that for once." Ghost said, his tone low but his voice serious, and Sherry, despite softening her features, still looked at him a little defiantly.
"I understand, Ghost, I know that, but I trained for moments like this, so that I could help people! Me and Claire. Remember all those times I asked to help you? Well, now it's my turn... to help people in situations like this... that's my job, Ghost." She said again, not backing down from his stare, and Ghost ran a hand down his mask in irritation.
They heard a noise nearby, and on reflex, Sherry jumped back as a Hunter tried to attack her. The girl raised her weapon but Ghost was quicker and blasted the Hunter's head off with his desert eagle, kicking the creature's body over the railing soon after.
"Jesus Christ, you're a stubborn brat!" He grumbled, shaking his head as he ran his eyes around. Lickers and Hunter had entered the BSAA area, but were being quickly eliminated.
Great, it meant they could take care of the infected in the city faster.
"Yeah, well, it runs in the family." She said, and Ghost sighed slightly.
"Parker, Jill, send your teams into the city! The two of you, me and Ghost, are going to meet in front of the BSAA!" He heard Chris on the radio, and Ghost looked around, observing some vehicles leaving in the direction of the city.
"Roger that! Chris, some of our arsenals have been hit! We also have some wounded soldiers!" Parker said, and Ghost nodded for Sherry to accompany him just before he started walking.
"Where's Claire?!" He asked, glancing at the girl walking right beside him.
"Probably in her room downstairs. The last time I saw her she was with Jill." He nodded and they both hurried down the stairs to the floor below.
They walked through the lobby and out of the BSAA, where they could see some combat trucks being mobilized to various parts of the city, like a small military army. All around were the bodies of Hunters and Lickers, as well as some creatures that looked like insects.
What was worse, there were bodies of people around too, as well as some wounded civilians being mobilized by the local medical team.
Further on, near the gates where the combat vehicles were leaving, were Chris, Jill and Claire, both Redfields arguing about something.
Both Sherry and Ghost had ideas about what it was.
"Chris, I can walk just fine. I'm not going to lie here and wait while the city goes into chaos!" They heard Claire complain as they approached.
"Claire, you still need a rest! I'm not taking any more chances, not after everything-"
"Chris! I don't even know what the fuck is going on and you're telling me to stay here and be guarded by soldiers! Fuck, I'm not a child!" Claire interrupted him, and Chris grumbled, shaking his head and running a hand through his short hair.
Stubbornness really did run in the family.
"That attack was to distract us. Wesker's probably getting the missiles ready." Ghost said as he approached, interrupting the small discussion. "My team has already been mobilized to the north and the helicopter is already arriving."
They stared at him for a while, and Chris sighed and looked at Claire with a look of defeat. As he always said, he couldn't force her to just leave, no matter how much he wanted to.
"A team from my organization has gone after Albert. We can only hope they get something." Ghost explained, noting the discontent and anger Chris felt.
Understandably, Wesker attacked his organization.
"That crazy son of a bitch! Fucking little shit!" Chris practically roared, turning around and running a hand through his hair. The sound of gunfire echoed in the distance, the screams of the not-yet-dead survivors echoing along the chaotic streets.
Ghost looked at Sherry. She had a serious expression, but he could see what was hidden beneath that façade. She looked... stricken, more than she wanted to let on.
He also glanced at Claire... she found herself the same way, her feelings hidden by an angry expression mixed with frustration.
The blue of his eyes darkened. Whether they wanted to or not, everyone there knew what this was, this situation, extremely similar to Raccoon. The only difference was that too much damage could be avoided and lives saved.
But that didn't change anything... something like this must never happen again. And especially, both women shouldn't have to go through something like that again.
He clicked his tongue.
"The teams have already spread out across the city. The DSO, the army and US-SSOCOM have already mobilized agents to the field, but there are still areas of the city that need attention." They heard Parker approaching, a combat rifle in his hands.
Attention all civilians. Stay in your homes and wait for the military to resolve the situation. If you find yourself in an unsafe situation, if possible, go to the nearest military or anti-bioterrorist unit. If not possible, head for the RSD stage as soon as possible!
They heard the alarm going off, as well as the sound of an approaching helicopter. It was about time.
"Terrasave has called all members to help with the rescue and escort of civilians. Sherry and I need to go and help." Claire said again, looking steadily at Chris, who just clucked his tongue.
"In the meantime, I think we can help with the bio-weapons." Jill said, alternating her gaze between the small group and fixing her eyes on Ghost at the end. "Ghost... so?"
"The helicopter is already here." He said, the sound of the blades louder than before, and the helicopter appeared in the sky not far away. "There are some special weapons. Take them. The ammo is limited, use it wisely."
Ghost said, watching the helicopter begin to descend further ahead, and then he switched his gaze between Sherry and Claire.
"That goes for both of you. If you're really going to stay and help, you need to arm yourselves and be careful." He said, then turned and walked towards the helicopter, now on the ground.
The helicopter pilot climbed down and walked to the side of the vehicle, waiting for the agent to approach.
"Ghost, sir." He greeted him, nodding. Ghost did the same, recognizing the pilot. He was part of William's team, had never actually worked with him, but only recognized him from having seen him a few times.
"My name is Mike. William asked me to give you something." Mike said, turning around and pulling out a small silver suitcase from inside the helicopter.
Ghost arched an eyebrow and opened the case, muttering a brief "um" when he saw what was inside.
"He asked me to tell you that he knows how you feel about the hookshot, but he asked you to consider it. It could get you out of a tight spot." Mike explained, closing the now empty suitcase and putting it back in the helicopter.
"Of course..." Ghost said wryly. "That's a new model." He said, examining the silver hookshot.
"Yes, the cable is sturdier, it can support more weight, the hookshot can be thrown at speeds of up to a thousand kilometers per hour from a distance of up to ninety meters. It's the most advanced we have." He explained, and Ghost, sighing in defeat, put the object on the back of his belt.
The agent then entered the helicopter and walked over to some suitcases lying on the ground. He opened the case on his right and looked at the customized combat rifle. It was a variant made exclusively for his organization's special agents, used in reference to the MCX Spear.
It had an optical sight with 3x to 6x zoom. The magazine was extended to a capacity of thirty-two bullets. The rear grip and stock were made of a more resistant material with a slightly thicker shape, providing greater precision.
On the elongated barrel, made to cause more damage, there was a silencer.
The ammunition was also special, designed to damage any type of biological weapon. Exoskeletons? No problem. Scales? Easy to penetrate. Flesh? Obliterated.
"Good." He whispered to himself, turning around after picking up a suitcase. His eyes focused on Jill, approaching at a slightly hesitant pace. She didn't seem to know whether to go in or wait outside.
"You said you wanted to test our rifles." He said, dragging the case with a sniper rifle over to the woman, who looked at the weapon with a certain glare. A variant of the ArmaLite AR-50. It maintained the destructive firepower of a Barret, with explosive and penetrating bullets, but at the same time, it was designed to be lighter, easier to handle in combat.
For Chris, a silver M4-WAC-47 with an extended magazine and a grenade launcher attached under the barrel. There was a laser attached to the side and an optical sight.
For both Claire and Sherry, an M4 carbine with variable, 3x and 6x optical sights with an under barrel to aid accuracy and a forty-five round magazine. A Galil with a plated barrel, a twenty-round magazine and a red optical sight.
"Parker... do you want any?" He asked when he saw that the man was already armed, and Parker ran his eyes over the weapons.
"You know... I think I'll go with that Vepr-12 over there." A semi-automatic shotgun with a fifty-round magazine. Heavy, but with extreme firepower in close combat. Fire ammunition... that stuff did a lot of damage.
Ghost grabbed another mix of herbs and other supplies before getting out of the helicopter. He turned and signaled to Mike, who nodded in understanding.
"Take these two to Terrasave and help rescue the civilians. Follow their instructions and theirs alone, no one else's, no matter what, understand? You're not allowed to take off until they're both in the helicopter." Ghost said, and Mike nodded.
"Understood, sir." Mike replied, and Ghost stared at him for a few moments, relaxing his posture slightly.
"Good... " he said, lightly tapping the helicopter's window with his fingers.
Mike nodded to Ghost, who just shook his head and turned around, alternating his eyes between the two women closest to him.
"You heard me. He's only going to leave the moment you two are on board, understand?" He asked, and the two women nodded, Claire already entering the helicopter, under the watchful eye of Chris, who just sighed.
Sometimes he wished his sister would go back to being a teenager. At times she was too distant for his liking.
"Talk to you on the radio then. Thanks, Ghost." Sherry said, waving to him just before entering the helicopter.
The four of them stood there watching the vehicle rise and the helicopter disappear among the large buildings.
"That was... nice of you." Jill said after a few moments, and Ghost glanced at her.
"They're innocent civilians. They shouldn't be part of this." He replied, turning to the small group and staring at Chris when he realized he was staring at him.
"This attack was meant to waste our time, so let's split up, cover as much ground as we can. These infected have been released to execute, however, there are trucks scattered around the city spreading a type of gas, I advise you to check it out. In the meantime, I focus on eliminating any and all biological weapons I can find." Ghost explained, then turned and walked away at a brisk pace.
"Are you sure? I mean... if you need help, just call us on the radio." Parker said loudly, watching the agent walk away.
"Roger that." Ghost replied, focusing his eyes on a motorcycle not far away.
William watched the wasteland below. His neutral eyes were hidden by his dark glasses. So that was the laboratory where Umbrella was hiding, where his brother was at the moment.
No wonder they had remained hidden for so long. With that level of technology, they could stay in the shadows for a few more years without being disturbed. And that was worrying.
Ahead, he could see the entrance to the laboratory, along with some anti-aircraft defenses.
"Missiles heading our way. Beginning evasive movements." The pilot said, firing a few decoy missiles as he maneuvered left and right while taking a little more altitude.
The explosions occurred in midair, and William just stared neutrally at the smoke rising and the wind hitting his face.
The helicopter couldn't go down... he would have to jump.
"Get the equipment. We're going to the land assault." He said to his team, who nodded and prepared the equipment.
After getting ready, William jumped out of the helicopter, watching the decoy missiles being targeted by the missiles in the air. His gaze analyzed the entrance to the laboratory. The entrance gate appeared to be made of steel, an automatic lock opened only from the inside in a monitoring room.
The door wasn't a problem... but it would be a bit of a distraction if both the members of Umbrella and Albert himself were aware that he was going to enter.
William opened the parachute after a considerable height, and still in the air, threw smoke bombs while putting on a mask on his face, similar to Hunk's mask.
The smoke grenades in his possession were different, thick with toxic smoke. It masked their bodies if seen by heat vision.
He was the first to land, ignoring the explosions above him. With his rifle in hand, he ran to the side of the large steel door that led into the underground laboratory and watched as one of his team members placed explosive gel around the door.
After pressing the detonator button, a concentrated explosion occurred, throwing the steel door into the laboratory.
However, despite the clear passage, no one moved. William just grabbed more of his smoke grenades and threw them into the lab. He knew there were soldiers from Umbrella's security service there, waiting for them.
He looked at his watch, making sure his location was exposed to Hunk and Ghost.
They might only be human, just soldiers bred to fight, but they were good. To tell the truth, they were better than good, they were great. If, for some reason, he didn't manage to kill his brother, he could die without worrying too much, because he was sure that the two of them could do it in his place.
Swallowing some saliva, William tugged at the sleeve of his military shirt, looking at the black veins that marked his white skin... he didn't have much time.
Sighing, he looks at one of the members of his team and nods, entering the laboratory with the sole aim of ending up with his blood.
Attention, intruders detected in the front lobby. Attention...
The alarm was switched off after William activated his EMP suit, attached to his military clothing. Any non-resistant electronic object would be turned off or suffer interference.
The group entered the laboratory, with William walking in the center, one of his men taking the lead.
The Umbrella soldiers were not on the ground. Like them, they were wearing masks. However, they couldn't see them approaching through the thick smoke, which made it relatively easy for William and his group to move into the lab.
They didn't shoot. They didn't need to waste important ammunition when they could use their knives.
William picked the machete from the sheath on his shoulder and plunged the blade into the neck of one of the Umbrella men. He then turned to the side when he saw a barely visible silhouette moving towards him, and dodged a punch from another soldier.
Stepping to the side, William punches the soldier in the face, followed by a kick to his leg, causing the Umbrella soldier to kneel on his stricken leg, and positioning himself behind the man, William breaks his neck in one swift, smooth movement.
They continue down the corridor of the laboratory, arriving at a wing where three doors converge. One to the front, one to the left and a final one to the right.
As they approached, they placed explosives on the three doors and moved away. The doors exploded and William signaled for them to split up, three men for each door.
William moved forward, accompanied by two other scouts. He took the lead, running his eyes quickly around the place until they reached an elevator area.
They continued and decided to go down the stairs. As they descended, William shot at a few other soldiers along the way, continuing his way through the laboratory.
They came to a door, and before they could pass through it, William threw a hand grenade into the area ahead. The chances were high that there were soldiers above the door or hiding, ready to kill them.
The grenade exploded and they passed through the door quickly. Five men, one was actually above the door, but fell to the ground after the grenade exploded. Two others were further forward, hiding behind two large cages that seemed to be for the infected Cerberus.
And the last two were standing, with guns pointed at the door, but now disoriented by the grenade. William shot each of them, five bullets, five bodies on the ground, quickly and simply, continuing on his way afterwards.
The surrounding doors slammed shut, stopping the group in their tracks. William focused his hearing on his surroundings, his skin prickled slightly and he felt his instincts alert him to something.
The place they were in was empty, there was nothing important.
He took a step forward, and it was then that he noticed the echo of his footstep. He lowered his head and looked at the ground.
It was hollow.
William quickly jumped up at the same moment as the floor opened up, he put his back to the wall and at the same time pressed his leg against the other, managing to keep himself in the corner above the floor.
His team was quick to do the same in the other corners of the wall, and they just watched as the floor returned to normal shortly afterwards.
William headed for the nearest door, where his team member was already using the explosive gel, and they moved on to the next room.
It was a long corridor with an office on the left with some exotic colored plants in some water tanks. Plants that were probably used for bio-terrorism or could very well have been used to find a cure for Albert, since he recognized some of them.
They continued on their way until they came to a place decorated with cages containing trapped animals. Dogs, rats, rabbits... some of these animals grew to an abnormally large size, others were already infected, known as Cerberus dogs.
William signaled for them to be quiet as they walked slowly around the room. The computers in the corner were still on, despite suffering from interference, and all things considered, he would say that the scientists had only just left.
They stopped in their tracks when they heard a noise, similar to a buzzing sound, very close to where they were standing as a glass window not far away shattered. Heavy footsteps were heard along with the characteristic grunting noise of Lickers.
The Lickers ran towards the buzzing noise near William's feet, who opened fire as the creatures appeared in his line of sight.
Four Lickers. One of them tripped over its own legs as it ran due to the rain of bullets that hit it. Two of the Lickers jumped to the ceiling as they ran, and the last one ran through the cages, using them as a shield.
One of the Lickers jumped from the ceiling towards William, who simply dodged it by stepping to the side and throwing his torso to the side, causing the Licker to hit the ground with some force and one of William's men to hit the creature in the head with a hail of bullets.
The second Licker attacked the other member of his team, and William concentrated on the other two Lickers further back. Running to the side, the man draws the attention of both creatures.
One of the Lickers leapt towards him, and William dodged the attack by sliding along the ground. The other Licker thrust its tongue towards William, who simply knelt down and caught the creature's tongue with one hand.
With his face still neutral, William turned his body while pulling the Licker towards him. The creature tried to fight back, but the man was simply much stronger, and William spun the Licker in the air, throwing it at the other creature.
Both bodies collided hard. The sound of the thud echoed briefly through the room and a small explosion of blood occurred.
Still holding the Licker's tongue, William pulled the creature towards him and stomped down hard on its head, crushing it.
Raising his rifle, he fired at the other Licker that was still alive, and as he did so, he heard heavy footsteps now much closer.
William's gaze was still neutral when he saw the sides of the roof open and a squad with rifles raised in his direction.
He quickly ran to the side, running up the walls and jumping over the cages while dodging the shots. His team tried to protect themselves from the hail of gunfire and one of them threw a stun grenade towards the ceiling.
William jumped to the side and turned while still in the air, hitting the stun grenade while still in the air.
The grenade exploded, briefly stunning the Umbrella men.
One of the members of his squad quickly ran towards the metal door ahead and used the explosive gel. The door exploded and they ran down the long corridor, where again the ceiling opened and Lickers along with Hunters descended into the corridor.
William took the lead, running towards the first Hunter. The creature tried to attack him with its claws, but the man leapt forward and let himself slide across the floor, kicking the creature in the leg, knocking it down, only to be killed by the agent following close behind.
Getting up, William spun his body around and landed a kick on the Licker that had jumped towards him, hitting the creature's head while it was still in the air and causing it to be thrown into the wall with great force.
Turning his body once more as he ran, William landed a top-down kick to the head of the next Hunter and rolled over the creature as he grabbed a Raging Bull from his thigh holster, firing with the .50 revolver at the head of the Licker in front of him.
Jumping up, he leapt over the head of another Hunter and landed in front of the next door.
The moment he passed through the door, he felt the ground beneath his feet give way, and two huge hands try to grab him. William quickly jumped to the top of one of the containers ahead.
Rolling over, he looked at the huge tyrant in front of him with neutral eyes.
The creature was easily four or five meters tall. It was extremely heavy, as its footsteps made the whole floor shake.
This model looked very similar to the tyrants found in Raccoon City, but it was bigger and apparently stronger. It seemed to be a new series, since the only thing recognizable were the numbers "013" on its head.
Analyzing his surroundings, he had entered an open area of the laboratory. Like some kind of testing area or something. There were cryogenic capsules sticking out of the ground, open, probably where that tyrant had come from... but there were more than one capsule.
Where were the others?
The huge tyrant grabbed the large container William was in and lifted. William quickly jumped to the ground and started running towards two other containers ahead, hearing the giant behind him throw the container towards him.
He managed to protect himself in time, ignoring the loud noise and feeling the ground shake from the impact. That thing was strong. After jumping over the fallen container, he raised his rifle and fired at the tyrant, who put its arm in front of its face for protection and started running towards William, who unloaded the magazine from his rifle.
However, before the giant could get any closer, a grenade exploded right behind its back, causing the tyrant to drop to its knees on impact, but not fall.
The giant put one hand on the ground for support and then stood up, turning to see William's team approaching. One of them went to the right while the other fired another grenade from his grenade launcher towards the tyrant.
The tyrant grabbed the grenade still in the air, which exploded in his hand, causing the creature to turn its face to the side and stagger back a step, but, recovering quickly, the tyrant ran towards the man with the grenade launcher while the other shot at the creature and William changed his ammunition to anti-T bullets.
The creature tried to attack the agent with a punch, but the agent dodged it by jumping to the side, hearing the sound of the giant's heavy fist violently cutting through the wind. He would surely die if he was hit with one of those blows.
Still in the momentum of its movement, the giant tried to land a kick on the agent, who dodged once again by jumping backwards and then firing his rifle at the creature's head, which raised both arms above its head to try and crush him.
The other agent approached with a combat shotgun, causing the tyrant to stop its attack when it was hit in the head.
Turning around, the giant quickly grabbed the agent below who had tried to run away. In one swift movement, the tyrant threw the agent towards the other, who widened his eyes slightly and jumped to the side, watching his partner hit one of the containers with great force and fall to the ground, motionless.
The tyrant started to walk towards the other, but to his surprise, William jumped on its shoulder and leaned on the containment suit the creature was wearing while pointing his revolver at the giant's head.
William fired at point-blank range, causing the tyrant's head to snap back with some violence from the impact. He fired once more and the giant grunted, struggling as it tried to grab William from its shoulder.
The man plunged his machete into the tyrant's neck and propelled himself onto the other shoulder, firing once more at the tyrant's head before jumping backwards as he saw the creature throw itself against the wall.
That suit was sturdy, and both the thing's skin and the skull on its head were incredibly dense, also strong. Killing that giant would require a great deal of firepower. He would only be wasting ammunition if he chose to face it.
However, he could very well use that tyrant against Umbrella itself. He assumed that the thing would become even more visceral if the suit was destroyed and its limiter ripped off.
Considering that the thing threw a container at him with a certain ease, he'd say it was pretty dangerous. And Umbrella wouldn't release that thing if they didn't have a way to stop it, especially with his brother there, they weren't stupid.
Well, it wouldn't be the first time he'd been using a weapon against the creator.
Hello my dears, let's start the final arc! I took a week off to organize my thoughts and I took the opportunity to read my previous story, "Resident Evil: Sacrifice". I bet you've forgotten most of that story, haven't you?
Do you remember that here, Leon's parents are still alive and he also has a sister called Mathilda? No? Well, I do!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this arc, it's going to be a bit long, but the prediction continues, I should reach the final chapter between chapter 40 and 45.