September 28th 21:50PM
LOCATION: The Streets of Raccoon City
"Whe-, where are we going?" Jill asked as the red-headed Avenger continued to carry her, Jill's proverbial knight in shining... Kevlar?
Natasha doesn't answer Jill's question- instead she moved quickly with the S.T.A.R.S officer hanging over her shoulder for support and looking back occasionally to ensure that they hadn't been followed.
"I think we're in the clear" Natasha let go of Jill allowing the woman to catch her breath
"I hope so" Jill gasped clutching at her hurting ribs,
A series of loud gun shots caught both of their attention, a loud explosion soon followed.
Black Widow suspected that it was the U.B.C.S officers she had sighted earlier, given the cops experience with Umbrella she decided that it might not be a good idea to tell her that unfortunately- they were going to have to work with the Umbrella mercenaries
"I saw some soldiers a few blocks down protecting civilians from the Zombies, hopefully they might have somewhere we can find sanctuary for a while" Jill nodded it was a good idea, she quickly became aware that she had been staring at the beautiful Avenger,
Jill felt mortified at herself for being so rude
"Let me guess you want a picture" Black Widow smirked causing Jill to cringe
"Sorry, but I've always wanted to meet an Avenger" Natasha's lips formed a thin line, she didn't like the 'almost celebrity' status that came with being an Avenger and certainly didn't feel like she deserved any admiration,
Stark on the other hand lives for the attention, she however was no hero.
"Hey, I'm a person just like you" Natasha insisted although it was a lie, she hadn't been a 'person' for a long time now
"I don't think there's anyone like you Ms Romanoff and for what it's worth you're my favourite Avenger"
Natasha smirked at Jill's attempt of flattering her, she didn't need to bother the officer with details of why no one in their right mind should idolise her.
Jill painfully straightens her aching spine stretching her sore arms "So... are there any other Avengers coming to the rescue?" Black Widows gaze dropped slightly
"No, I'm afraid not. The others are currently held up in Wakanda, news of the attack won't reach my teammates in time to come to our aid" Natasha Romanoff was different from her team her methods whilst some considered ruthless, were also very effective.
However, Natasha Romanoff had proved time and time again that she deserved her status as one of the founding members, since her method of ask questions first, punch later made her the ideal Avenger for S.H.I.E.L.D to pass this mission off onto,
"That's a shame, I could sure do with a Thor or a Hulk right now" Natasha smirked again, her smirk was as sharp as glass
"Yeah, you and me both" Natasha supported Jill again as they made a beeline towards the sound of gunfire.
September 28th 22:00PM
"Everyone, follow my men!" yelled a male voice, 'most definitely a soldier' Natasha thought as she made a quick assessment.
He was a younger man and certainly had the build of a soldier, but his hair made her pause,
A complete fluffy mess on the soldier's head- she wondered if the hair was an intentional fashion statement or just poor upkeep.
The soldier suddenly took notice of the two women walking down the road
"Hey ladies its not safe on the streets!" he yelled and seeing that one of them was injured he approached to offer help, that was until he noticed that one of them was the Black Widow.
"Oh wow, we had no idea an Avenger would be in the city" both Natasha and Jill simultaneously rolled their eyes
"Yes, well don't expect any more Avengers, I'm afraid I'm the only one here" she could tell that he was slightly disappointed, but also thrilled to be making the acquaintance of the Black Widow.
"Follow me- I know somewhere you'll both be safe" the soldier put away his fire arm which made Black Widow feel a bit better at following the U.B.C.S mercenaries lead-
They follow him into the Redstone substation
"Names Carlos by the way, we've been bringing survivors here" he stated, as Black Widow quickly assessed the environment, but even she had to admit it was a good idea to take refuge underground.
"Here where?" Jill asked as she rubbed her sore shoulder 'Yeah, that's definitely going to be a bruise' she thought to herself
"My guys have converted some subway cars into a shelter. Its safe" Carlos insisted as he approached Jill to get a better assessment of her injuries
"I'm fine" she snapped and moved slightly closer to Black Widow who she somehow trusted more than she did Carlos, this soldier who she'd only just met.
"Personal space, ok. I get it lets go" the U.B.C.S officer couldn't help but feel a little stung by the small rejection when he was just wanting to see if he could help
"If it's alright Black Widow- I think my Platoon Captain would like to speak with you" their Platoon had suffered misfortune after misfortune since the moment they'd entered Raccoon City- perhaps with the appearance of an Avenger, their luck may just be turning around.
Black Widow nodded "Yes, I'd like to have a word with them also" what she really wanted to know was how U.B.C.S got mixed up in all this- and where exactly did they stand in regards to the Zombies.
"No one should be on the street. If you think the Zombies are bad I saw this giant creature roaming the area, it looked like it was hunting for something. I sure fucking wouldn't want to get in its way" both Jill and Natasha shared a silent look which doesn't go unnoticed by Carlos-
"Oh yeah that freak, its fine I already blew him up" Natasha smirked, even Carlos had to admit he was impressed, but of course the Black Widow was an Avenger he had no doubt that she had fought bigger before.
"Huh... so that's where the Rocket launcher disappeared to" he grinned at the mental image of the short red head firing rockets at a giant monster.
The three of them walk down the now dilapidated stairs of the subway only to be confronted by the closed shutters of the trail that led further down into the subway
"Aw c'mon who's the dipshit that closed this" Carlos hoisted his assault rifle onto his shoulder as he kicked in the locked door of another entrance
"Sorry ladies, we're gonna have to go around" he planned on kicking the ass of the moron that closed the gate later
"Hey, what do you know about that monster?" Natasha asked wondering if a U.B.C.S mercenary would have more insight into the B.O.W than her
"Nothing, but its no Zombie. It knows what it wants and wont stop until it gets it, don't you ladies like that in a man?" both Jill and Natasha cringed-
"No thanks, he's all yours" Jill snapped back at the smart ass suddenly doubting Carlos's intentions,
He sighed heavily as he realised he'd made a jerk of himself, and in front of an Avenger
"Listen, I promise you're in good hands, I'm with Umbrella Bio-Hazard Countermeasures Services U.B.C.S for short"
Black Widow scoffed "You must get a lot of work" she replied, but Jill was furious and given her prior experience with the pharmaceutical company Natasha couldn't blame her.
"Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me, you're the ones that caused all this" she angrily yelled at Carlos before turning to Black Widow
"Did you fucking know that he was with Umbrella?" Natasha doesn't answer and her stony facial expression gave absolutely nothing away
"Woah, woah, woah what are you talking about?" Carlos asked Jill who refused to dignify his ignorance with an answer,
Natasha however decided to trust him, for now at least, he seemed like a genuine character and she was an excellent judge of character.
Carlos accepted that he wouldn't be winning any popularity contests with the women 'especially the angry brunette' any time soon, but he wasn't going to let that deter him from helping them
"You don't have to trust me, but I'm going to the shelter. Are you coming?" Carlos kicked in another locked door after what seemed to be leading them through the endless corridors that snaked around the subway
"Come on its this way" Carlos said taking another look back at Jill and Natasha.
The Black Widow is the first to follow the U.B.C.S soldier,
Jill quickly followed after her not wanting the Avenger to leave her side, if she was going to walkthrough hell a second time, she decided that she couldn't ask for a better woman at her side.
September 28th 22:30pm
LOCATION: Subway Car
The three of them walk into the open almost empty subway car, empty apart from the older man wearing similar U.B.C.S gear similar to Carlos.
From what Black Widow could tell from identifiable marks on the uniform that this was the platoon captain, she also took note of the older mans very substantial injuries,
His eyes met hers directly.
He blinked several times as if he wasn't sure what he was seeing was real or the result of excessive blood loss, an Avenger, the Black Widow here.
Then he noticed Jill, of course he had already been debriefed on the S.T.A.R.S team and their reports of developments of monstrous bio-weapons within his organisation
"Captain these fine young ladies could use our help" Carlos says as Black Widow awkwardly perched across from the U.B.C.S unit leader who watched her as steadily as she watched him and then back at Jill
"Carlos you didn't even think to ask fine young lady her name?" Jill and Natasha share a distasteful glance as the older man continued
"She is an elite operative of RPD Special Tactics and Rescue Service, her name is something Valentine" Jill sits down next to the awkwardly perched Black Widow
"It's Jill" she corrected with a sharp smile, the man groaned in pain
"Nice to meet you Jill" his attention darted to the Avenger who was watching everyone in the room all at once, Natasha couldn't quite place a finger on the exact location but she knew for sure that he was Russian,
"I doubt you hardly need any introduction, Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, I've heard plenty of stories about you"
Black Widows gave flicked down to the man's injury "You're hurt" she stated, it looked like a bullet wound from where she sat, but she couldn't be sure
The older Russian man let out a pained laugh "It's fine. I've had worse- as I'm sure have you"
Jill gave the redhead a curious side eye, she couldn't help but feel that there was a lot more to the Black Widow that she wasn't seeing, however Natasha's face was a beautiful emotionless mask making her difficult for Jill to read
"I am U.B.C.S platoon leader Mikhail Victor my team was sent here to rescue civilians" Mikhail groans again in pain as he clutched his bleeding wound.
"Right, how's that going for ya" Natasha winced slightly at Jill's cold tone
"The city is completely cut off, isolated most of the hundred thousand civilians will wind up dead, correction undead"
Natasha understood the older man's message loud and clear, no one was coming to save the day.
The city would soon be considered lost and to prevent the virus from spreading any further... she already knew the contingency plan within the Government 'complete destruction of the city'.
They needed to get their shit together and come up with an escape plan, she hoped that the US Military will hold off on sending in the missiles until she could complete her mission
"My platoon has suffered serious losses, just keeping them alive is more than I can manage" Mikhail continued pressing down on his wound, it both looked and sounded painful
"Well you can thank you corporate overlords for that" Jill's voice was as sharp as a knife and made Carlos feel slightly uncomfortable, he wasn't sure what Jill's problem was with Umbrella.
"Yes, well we are doing all we can. If we can get this subway training moving, we can evacuate some survivors. But we need help my men cannot do this alone" Mikhail focused his plea solely on the Avenger and Jill
"Having the Black Widow ensuring the success of our plan would help very much" Jill and Natasha shared another silent look, Natasha Romanoff gave a small sharp nod, if it was saving lives then she was certainly going to assist any way she could.
"Is that what you were sent here to do- to save people?" Natasha asked, Carlos turned his head to look at his Captain- Carlos wasn't actually sure why they'd been sent to Raccoon City the Soldier in him didn't ask- he just went where is Platoon was sent.
"Yes- we're Soldiers Ms Romanoff, we don't tend to ask too many questions about the why" Black Widow responded with a blank stare, she considered telling him that maybe he should reconsider and start asking those type of questions.
In the last few moments Jill had made her decision- Jill heavily sighed "Alright, we're both in then, but I'm on their side not yours" she motions to the survivors in the next car.
"Oh hey it's cool, we all want the same thing" Carlos assured the agitated Jill
"Thank you" Mikhail said to the both of them. Carlos handed Jill a small Walkie-Talkie
"Alright Super Cop, here you go, you can use this to stay in contact" Jill took the communicator as Black Widow began to adjust the settings on her Stingers, she anticipated that they were going to get a lot of use
"I know what I'm doing" Jill insisted to the smirking U.C.B.S officer
"I'm sure you do" Carlos shrugged
"Send me the wave length you're communicating on, I'll input it into my Stingers" Carlos smiled at the Avenger
"Ok- first things first we need to get you both geared up, head to street level, you'll find supplies up there" Carlos told them as he busied himself with looking at Mikhail's injury
"Alright" Jill mumbled as she watched the Black Widow take stock of all the weapons she carried in her arsenal,
Jill had already seen the two hand guns (Glock26's), two batons attached to the back of her uniform, the explosives on her belt, several grenades, multiple sized combat knives an assault rifle that hung across her shoulder (an M249 SAW with a SureFire 100-Round Casket Magazine) and the two wrist gadgets that Natasha had referred to as Stingers, from what she knew those 'Stingers' could deal an almost fatal electric charge,
Jill was extremely impressed "Well, at least one of us was prepared for the end of the world" Natasha smirked at Jill, in her line of work being loaded with enough gear to supply a small army was an occupational hazard.
"Shit Captain, they really took a chunk out of you" Carlos says as he attempted to administer some form of first aid
"Nothing I will miss" Mikhail responded as Jill and Natasha headed out, walking up the stairs of the Redstone subway station Jill found herself curious about the true objectives of her new partner- her sudden appearance in Raccoon City seemed like a huge coincidence.
"So... what was the Black Widow doing in Raccoon City, I mean if the city is now cut off, you had to be here before the outbreak even started" Black Widow's face remained completely blank, unreadable
"My job" she simply responded and some how Jill knew that was all she was going to get out of her- for now.
Suddenly, Jill's Walkie-Talkie burst to life as Carlos's voice came through both the Talkie and the Stingers
"Jill, Nat- uh Black Widow its me, you both topside yet?" Carlos asked as Jill picked up some ammunition for her pistol, although she felt very unarmed next to the Black Widow
"We're working on it, so what's the plan?" Jill asked as Natasha passed her some green healing herbs, not exactly what Natasha would consider reliable First Aid, but sometimes you have to work with what you can find and medical supplies promised to be short in the Zombie apocalypse.
"The old Tanks got me clearing the tracks, you wanna get the subway infrastructure back online" Natasha looked around at the derelict subway station she wondered if simply turning the power back on would be enough
"How do we do that?" Black Widow asked into the communicator on her Stingers
"For start you'll need to restore power, I'll navigate you to the substation once you make it to the main road"
Natasha and Jill finally make it to the exit, a half open shutter being the only thing between them and the nightmares outside
"Copy that lets do this fast" Jill tells the Walkie Talkie as the pair crouched under the metal barrier and back out into the streets of Racoon City.