Raccoon City is a small, industrialized city located in Arklay County, an isolated mountain county in the Midwestern United States. With the economic boom aided by Umbrella's continued investment in the city into the 1980s, the company town had expanded far beyond its 1950s limits and was fast becoming a tourist spot. It was the home of many popular heroes such as translucent, fabulous Woman and the controversial Raccoon man. While not as famous as Stars and stripes, Endeavor or All might, they had a respectable amount of fans and some had even comic book dedicated to them.
Gilver was currently outside of the Raccoon city police department. He took a moment to run a gloved hand over his slicked back hair, ensuring that it was perfect. Before walking inside and starting his duties, he made sure his uniform was at tip-top condition. His uniform consists of a navy blue long sleeved shirt with the S.T.A.R.S. logo on the left sleeve. He rolled the sleeves up to past his elbow and wears a white t-shirt underneath. Over this he wears a black tactical vest with the S.T.A.R.S. logo on the back. Over his vest he wears a utility belt with shoulder straps with many pouches. The left shoulder strap houses his radio/walkie talkie, which has an ear-piece with attached microphone on his left ear. He wears black combat pants tucked into big black lace up boots. To top it all off, his signature costume made sunglasses gave his uniform a personal touch.
After making sure his uniform sits perfectly, Gilver made his way inside. Taking a quick look around the entrance hall, he noticed that it would be one of the less stressful days. Heroes usually dumbed the trash up so the RPD can deal with them, but today it seemed rather quiet. He isn't going to complain tho, less paperwork for him. He was immediately greeted by the cheerful receptionist.
„Captain Ashford! Sign up for duty, eh? Seems like we're mostly spared for today... I mean, not you obviously haha. Ah... sorry." She quickly lost her mischievous smile after realizing she wasn't talking to Jill anymore. Gilver tried to ignore it, but couldn't help but notice the rather big basket next to her.
„Greetings... miss Brooks, is there a reason for this comically large basket? Plan on going on a picnic on your lunch break?" Gilver greeted with his usual monotone voice. The half taunt flew over the now named miss brooks' head and her smile grew only bigger.
„This is a farewell gift from Jill Valentine! Chris was also here... but he seemed to be more interested in the contents of the basked than to say goodbye... but I can't blame him, Those sandwiches are delicious!." brooks exclaimed with a mix of sadness and joy. Jill and Chris were popular among the RPD officers, seeing them go was really hard. Even tho it was for a position in one of Musutafu's new security service, it pained them to say goodbye. Gilver didn't know how to react to this information.
„...Jill came back to deliver sandwiches? Anyways, i take that the Alpha team is already here, right?" Girlver tried to end this conversation as quick as possible. There're more important matters to attend to than having a chat with the overly cheerful miss brooks.
„Ehm, no... but they should arrive any minute now! You can wait here if you want. OH, try one of jill's sandwiches!" Brooks reached for the basket before she was stopped by Gilver.
„No, that's not necessary. There're still documents on my desk that need to be finished up. If my team arrives, please send them to my office, we still have some planing to do before we take our leave." Gilver was now rather annoyed with their incompetence. Sure, they weren't expected for another 15 minutes, but this is a serious matter! Even Chris took those meetings seriously and knew to show up earlier. What a shame he couldn't get someone competent such as Rebecca Chambers in the Alpha team. Well, considering what was going to happen, that was probably for the best.
„Of course, i will send them to your office right away. Before you go, would you be so kind to take this basket with you? Everyone got already their share, so those are yours! Im sure Anna and Julius would be happy to have some!" She practically pushed the basked in Gilvers arms without hesitation. Gilver's monotone and usual unreadable face didn't show it, but he tried his upmost best not to pop a vein.
„That should be no problem. I will take my leave now, it was a pleasure to chat with you, miss brooks." Gilver offered a polite nod and took off to the S.T.A.R.S office on the second floor. Brooks waved goodbye and leaned back on her comfortable chair while listening to the chattering of her colleagues.
Gilver arrived at his destination and fought the urge to throw the basket in the trash. He ultimately decided that it would be a waste of... admittedly good sandwiches. He simply placed the basked on one of the more organized desks. He took a good look around the S.T.A.R.S office. There were still a few balloons from the farewell party and a bit of confetti scattered across the navy blue carpet. He sighed as he saw the chaos that was once Chris Redfields desk. ‚Didn't even bother to clean up his mess! Another reason why i never liked him.' Gilvers forced himself to concentrate on the matters at hand and opened the door to his private office.
His office wasn't the biggest, but at least it was only for him. Being the captain of the S.T.A.R.S divisions has its benefits. The walls were decorated with personal awards and a large framed S.T.A.R.S logo right behind his desk. Gilver took a deep breath and made his way to his desk.
On it were various documents about the upcoming mission. Authorization for usage of RPD helicopters, permission on the usage of various gadgets and- What is this? A picture of Rebecca Chambers in sport attire and a basketball in her hand. Who would- ‚CHRIS!' Gilver couldn't help but slam his hand on the luxurious wooden desk, creating a rather nasty dent. ‚At least i dont have to deal with his shenanigans anymore! Chris should be thankful to Musutafu and their new security service, if i had to deal with his bullshit any longer, i would've killed him with my own hands!' Gilvers scowl reached levels never seen before. It took his upmost best not to smash the entire desk in.
After he regained his composure, he picked up the sounds of nearing footsteps and prepared for the usual knock on his office door.
„Come in" was all Gilver said.
The door opened and revealed the newest additions to the S.T.A.R.S Alpha team, Anna Faden and Julius Macguffin.
S.T.A.R.S didn't really have a clothing regulation, as long as you had the necessary equipment, you could run around with Joggers and slippers, no one seemed to care. If Captain Ashford would tear you to pieces for coming to work like this was a different story.
Anna was a young woman in her early twenties with blue eyes and light brown shoulder long hair. Her uniform seemed to be inspired by Gilvers, although she chose for a limen green shirt instead of navy blue. She was by far Gilvers favorite. She was more dutiful than the rest of his team and was a good influence on Macguffin.
Julius was around his mid twenties and didn't really seem to care about his facial hair taking slowly but surely overhand. Something Gilver visibly frowned upon. Julius uniform was surprisingly organized... because there wasn't much to organize. His uniform only had the very minimum to be accept by the RPD standards. His uniform, if you could call it one, consisted of a white tactical west and a long sleeved black pullover. His utility belt was rather lackluster and his pants hung over his combat boots. Although he seemed to be non caring and irresponsible, he was a specialist in minimalisms and knew how to efficiently use everything in his rather lackluster arsenal without wasting a single bit. Something Ashford could somewhat respect. A good thing that Faden was around, she would hopefully change his lazy attitude.
„Captain, we're ready for the final preparations before our departure" Julius spoke out while chewing on his sandwich.
„Excellent. Although i would prefer you to not eat in my office, mister Macguffin. And if possible, far away from my presence." Gilver said almost lazily while putting the documents together and standing up. He glanced over to Anna and acknowledged her presence with a nod, wich she returned. He motioned for them to follow him, and so they made their way to the conference table, meeting the last member of the Alpha team.
Barry Burton was with Gilver the last member of the Original Alpha team. Gilver was more neutral to him than anything else, and couldn't really say anything bad or good about him. He was an ace in recourse management, and always made sure everyone had enough equipment. Gilver gave him a firm handshake and placed the documents on the table for everyone to see.
„We were granted one transport helicopter with medical supplies, ammunition and emergency supplies. Our destination will be an abandoned fabric near Villedor. According to our information, the missing heroes and sidekick's were last seen to be on their way to this factory. Either chasing after suspicious subjects or as reinforcement. The fabric has been abandoned a long time ago, nothing of value. So it has to be either a hideout or it is the place were they ambush their victims. We will go in, search for the missing heroes and if necessary bring down those who're responsible for this. The usage of quirks and lethal force is authorized. Anything to add?" Gilver gave a quick summarize of their objective with his usual monotone voice, and waited for anyone to speak out their thoughts.
The authorization of quirk usage was rather surprising to hear. Usually only pro heroes had the privilege to use their quirks freely, so being officially allowed to use their quirk was proof enough of how serious this was. Anna was the first one to take in the newly added informations and spoke her mind.
„Are the civilians of Villedor informed of our involvement? We're no heroes, so i take Villedor is aware that we don't need any bystanders." This was a legitimate question. Usually civilians would come in swarms to watch heroes at work, so it was only expected to run in some curious civilian's. Most heroes enjoy the spotlight, but for S.T.A.R.S, a professional Special division, it was nothing more than a nuisance. Gilver gave an acknowledging nod to Anna and answered.
„They're aware of our operation and it seems there has been called out a curfew for a undefined period until we find the cause for the disappearance of so many heroes. We shouldn't have any interferences." Gilver explained while pointing to one of the open documents with the information. Gilver slid the documents in Anna's direction and allowed her to take a closer look
„Being officially able to use our quirks should make things easier, but why do they send only for us? Wouldn't it better to call someone like Stars and Stripes?" That too was a legitimate question. Its true that Stars and Stripes is the number one hero in America, but she is also a very busy woman. There is no doubt that she would make time in her busy schedule to investigate in this matter herself, but her involvement would complicate things only more. Gilver had to pull more than just a few strings to keep the top heroes out of this matter. Especially Stars and Stripes.
„Thats a good question, Mister Burten. We're specialist on this matter, we know how to operate efficiently and most importantly, we know how to handle ourselves in even the worst conditions. While it is true that reinforcements would be welcomed, especially in this matter, it is also true that they would only stand in our way. We don't need anyone who uses their quirks first and thinks afterwards. Besides, there have been a few heroes stationed in Villedor to protect the civilians, so if things should go south, we can always fall back and regroup there." Barry was somewhat relieved to know that they had backup if needed, but Gilvers confidence on their capabilities was enough to snuff out his worries. The last one to speak up was Julius. He Awkwardly cleared his throat before hesitantly speaking his thoughts.
„Ehm... so, i take we don't accept All might offer of assistance? Don't take me wrong, im more than confident that we don't need any help, but having the help of someone like All might would surely make things easier. After all he is known for being almost perfect in all scenarios, so he most probably wouldn't stand in our way." Someone had to look closely to see even the slightest bit of shock on Gilvers monotone face. But even if someone noticed it, it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
„I wasn't aware of All mights offer, mister Macguffin. Does this come from All might personally?" Gilver tried to keep his monotonous voice, wich was hard since he tried to regain his composure. ‚Thats not good. Having All might around would make things more than just complicated. My contacts should already be aware of this and prepare suitable actions against his offer. I can't let him get in my way.'
„It does. All might caught wind of the disappearing heroes and personally offered his assistance in this matter. As far as i am aware of, he came back to America to visit an old friend. But i guess he wants to help where he can." Julius respected All might for his Courage. Not many heroes would take time out of their vacation to offer assistance to other heroes, let alone S.T.A.R.S.
„Well, how about you contact All might? Personally, i am against the involvement of others, but All might would surely be of great assistance in our operation." His team members seemed to approve of his judgment and Julius excused himself to make a few calls. ‚My contacts just have to keep all might busy until the operation is complete, it doesn't really matter if he shows up afterwards, but having him around would ruin the whole purpose of this operation. If he shows up before- well, lets hope he doesn't. For my, and the sake of everyone involved. ' Gilver was now highly cautious. There better be not a repeat of unexpected events.
The meeting continued as expected and Gilver dismissed the others until Julius returned with new informations regarding the All might problem. The S.T.A.R.S teams knew it was better to leave Gilver alone when he is in his office, and only come in after announcing their presence. So Gilver was free to make a call on his own. He was now sitting behind his desk with closed curtains and a rather annoyed expression. It didn't take long until someone answered his call.
„Mister Ashford! We tried to-„ the person was rudely interrupted by an almost growling Gilver.
„How is it that i wasn't informed of All might's involved? I hope for your sake that this matter is already dealt with, Miss Yamamoto." The now named miss Yamamoto visibly flinched by the sound of his voice, but tried her best to keep her voice steady and clear, even though it was obvious of how tense she was right now.
„I-i apologize mister Ashford. But All might is known to make things on his own, so we didn't know about this until a few moments ago. We already informed our contacts of his involvement and they will keep him busy until the operation is over. Our long time contact from Japan was more than eager to assist us with our All Might problem." Miss Yamamoto grew more nervous as the uncomfortable silence became more and more unbearable. But she knew better than to speak up first.
„Keep me updated on anything new regarding All might. I want to be informed of every single one of his moves. Failure will not be tolerated a second time. Am i understood?" Gilvers tone left no room for interpretation.
„Of course! I assure you that-„ She was once agin interrupted by Gilver who rudely hung up on her. She sighed in relieve clapped herself on the shoulder for keeping her calm. ‚Almost no stuttering! Katagawa will be proud!' Doctor katagawa and miss Yamamoto were known to be one of the more nervous employees, so making it through a call with someone like Gilver WITHOUT stuttering was a feat to behold!
Gilver ran his gloved hand over his slicked back hair and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. ‚Why am I surrounded by a bunch of incompetent fools? Well, i guess i can't blame Yamamoto for this. She was right, All might was truly unpredictable sometimes.' Gilver made out approaching footsteps and knew it was Julius. It knocked three times, but he didn't enter until Gilver gave him permission.
„Come in" Gilver noticed the somewhat disappointed look on his face and knew that the problem was dealt with... for now.
„well, it seems that All might got rather busy with dealing with spontaneous villain attacks all around America. So we're on our own. Although it is good to know that he plans on assisting us after dealing with the villain attacks, it would be more appreciated if he came along with us." Julius truly respected all might, he helps out heroes overseas without a second thought. If someone deserved to be called a hero, it was All might. Gilver tried not to scowl at that. ‚All might is determined to assist in this operation and ensure the safety of the missing heroes. It is only a matter of time until our contact runs out of low tier thugs. He sure has a network of near unlimited amounts of workers, but there is only so much he can do overseas.'
„Doesn't matter. We're more than competent to handle this on our own. Our equipment is on the helicopter, we are already expected." Gilver stood up and walked outside his personal office with Julius behind him. He took a moment to take a last look around his office before locking it.
„I take that you all are ready, because we are moving out. Every second is of importance, so hurry up." The Alpha team was quick on their feat and followed Gilver to their helicopter. On their way outside, Gilver noticed some kind of welcoming party. He didn't know the RPD was expecting a Rookie. Well, thats none of his concern.
Gilver ignored his coworkers shenanigans. He was in his own thoughts, so as long as he wasn't talked to, he didn't see any reason to change that.
Julius sneaked in the remaining sandwiches and tried to defend them from both Anna and Barry.
„Hands off of my supplies! Should've thought on bringing them on your own!" Julius had a hard time keeping the sandwiches save, but the assault on both sides was a battle that couldn't be won.
„Those sandwiches are for the entire TEAM, so its only appropriate to share with us! There're more than enough to give us at least one!" Barry exclaimed while trying to move Julius' right arm that protected jill's sandwiches.
„Shut up, barry! You ate more than Anna and i together! You should be thankful, i am the only thing that stands before you and a diet!" Anna used this moment to sneakily steal one of the sandwiches, wich didn't go unnoticed by barry and julius.
„Hey, give that back- you know what? Keep it. Who knows were your hand have been." Anna ignored this as she enjoyed her well deserved sandwich.
There destination shouldn't be too far away now, and Gilver had slowly but surely enough of their childish banter. So he stood up and ripped the smaller basket out of Julius' arms and confiscated Jill's sandwiches. Julius was about let out a childish tantrum before he was interrupted by Gilver.
„Thats enough. We're reaching our destinations in any minute. Make sure you have everything you need, I won't tolerate unprepared fools in my team." This was enough to snap them out of their banter and everyone went to the supplies to take their share of ammunition and first aid kits.
Julius preferred to use the Riot gun for close encounters. His quirk allowed him to use any kind of weapon with remarkable accuracy, his shots are always on point, so nothing of his arsenal comes ever to waste. Usually he would use a RSA-10 sniper rifle with non lethal rounds, but a factory leaves little space for long ranged combat.
Anna took the M16 assault rifle and equipped multiple flash bangs and smoke grenades. Annas quirk was able to manipulate smoke to a certain degree, this was especially helpful in giving her team a tactical advantage over the battlefield. It may not be flashy, but obscuring the enemies vision and covering the track of allies gives countless tactical advantages over the enemy.
Barry used his favored Lightning Hawk Magnum, a handgun with immense fire power. Barry's quirk is unique. He can duplicate ammunition, but this one is more dependent on what exactly he duplicates. Depending on what caliber and nature of the ammunition, it can take a strain on his body. Average rounds for a assault rifle and pistol seem to be no problem, but something like magnum munition or even explosives are very exhausting. He can't duplicate anything extremely complicated or organic tho.
Gilver used the same equipment as always. A custom made version of the Samurai edge pistol, a combat knife for close encounters and three flash bangs and a spare smoke grenade for Miss Faden. Making sure that she had usable smoke grenades always payed off.
The landing was as smooth as it could be. The pilot informed them that he would be waiting outside Villedor and be back when he got a signal from the Alpha team. Gilver politely nodded and gestured his team to follow him.
„We're roughly 500 meters from our destination, keep an eye out for anything suspicious and be prepared for anything." The Alpha team could only nod in response. And so they made their way to the abandoned factory.
The secret passage way under the factory was in quite a hurry. Man and woman in white lab coats were guided to their escape routes. They got a signal around 30 minutes ago that the S.T.A.R.S Alpha team was on their why to this very factory. Ominous looking figures that functioned as bodyguards for the scientists, were making sure to not leave any of them behind. After all the scientists were more worth than any of them could ever imagine, and their boss wouldn't take it well if anything happened to them.
„Everything is ready for departure. As ordered we stationed a few man across the factory to encounter the Alpha team. The signal is getting closer, so we should probably be on our way before they arrive." One of the bodyguards reported to his superior with a confident voice.
The person in question wasn't personally present, but communicated via a secure line over his headpiece.
„Excellent. Make sure to not make it too easy for them, after all they're the S.T.A.R.S Alpha team and are to be treated with the upmost caution. Your boss is watching today's spectacle personally, you don't want to displease him, do you?" The female voice send a chill down his spine like nothing before. But he kept his composure and responded professionally.
„Of course not. We will make sure to get usable battle data from the prototype, that i can ensure." He regained his confidence after mentioning the prototype and got in one of the vehicles for departure. The woman let out a light chuckle.
„Lets hope you do, for your sake. We both know that All for one has no use for incompetence in his little organization." The mentioning of this mans- no, this Demons name immediately brought him down to earth... and his confidence was replaced with dread. The woman ended the call, and he was left alone with his thoughts.
He took a last look on the approaching signal and prayed that he would be far away when everything started. The unexpected involvement of All might only put more pressure on them as necessary.
Thats it for the first chapter. This is actually my second take on this story. I posted my first story a few days ago, but for some reason it isn't listed as my work and i cant find it anywhere. In the first story I focused on Gilvers childhood and already build up the events for this story. If there are no problems, the second chapter will be called „Gilver Asford: Origin" and will basically be the original first chapter of my first work. At least i try to recreate it since i didn't make any backups... didn't think my work would just disappear without a trace. Anyway's i hope you liked it so far.