The two girls decided that since the other way back to the 'Treatment Facility' room would lead to a monster, they would instead go back the way they came. It was easy enough without having to worry about anything in the water this time around.
Once back at the door, they quickly unlocked it to find that inside was a breakroom for employees. There was a table in the middle and lockers lining the walls. Looking around, they found more ammo, gunpowder, and on the table was a flier.
Claire took a look at it while Veronica kept searching the room when all of a sudden, she paused mid-step. There was a small cold breeze brushing against her and it seemed to be only in that one spot.
The room was tiny and pretty warm in comparison to the rest of the sewers, so it was strange to notice. Glancing around she couldn't see a vent, but that breeze couldn't be coming from nothing. So where was that coming from?
"It's some sort of jazz thing," Claire interrupted her thoughts while holding the paper up to read. "But there are letters circled on it."
"Maybe it's a clue. Maybe we should write it down just in case," she said while looking over curiously at a cabinet sitting next to her. It was a wide cabinet with yellow tape in an X across it. Opening the doors, she found nothing, so she took a look at one of the sides.
"Veronica? Is something wrong?"
"Come over here," the older girl waved. The younger walked to her side and waited.
"Do you feel that?"
"It's…colder over here," Claire replied. "Is that wind?"
"I have a hunch. Here help me move this."
The duo grabbed hold of the cabinet and began to shove it to the side. There was a secret elevator hiding behind it! The doors opened with the push of a button and Veronica walked in, curiously.
"Secrets, secrets," she sang, then turned to the other waiting outside. "Should we see where this leads?"
"I suppose a little detour couldn't hurt," she replied walking in after her.
Veronica pushed the button, and the elevator began rising. It seemed to go on forever as it rose higher and higher. Claire looked over at her companion as they waited then reached over to gently take her hand in hers. Veronica was slightly taken by surprise for a second before she smiled and laced their fingers together.
"Is this ok?" Claire whispered before biting her lip nervously. Veronica lightly squeezed their hands.
"As long as we're safe, it's absolutely ok."
Claire smiled as the elevator slowed to a stop and opened to a room. It wasn't much besides holding construction supplies and a staircase leading up. They walked hand in hand inside, picked up a random box of special ammo for Claire's gun then went up the stairs.
At the top was a gated door that was locked on their side, so they unlocked it and walked inside a dark room. There were more construction supplies lying around and another staircase leading up on the other side. The room was tall and made of concrete, but something about it gave Veronica déjà vu.
"Have we been here before?" she asked.
"I was just about to say. This place looks weirdly familiar," the biker responded while letting their hands go to allow them to search the room freely.
Her attention was immediately caught by looking at a casing that was against the wall that looked like it held something useful for one of his guns. There was a space on the front of the case that was shaped like a police badge and the S.T.A.R.S. insignia was painted on the glass.
"Huh. That's weird. This thing needs a badge from S.T.A.R.S. Why would this be here?"
Veronica shrugged and began wandering over to the stairs. It was quiet, but there was a distant sound of hissing that sounded like they'd heard it before. While looking around, she picked up a random grenade that was lying on the ground but that was really all there was.
She took out her flashlight and shined it up the staircase, trying to get a good view of the room above them. Instead, her eyes widened at the sight as she realized where they were.
"Wait a second…what?!" She suddenly took off up the stairs, leaving Claire behind looking confused.
"Vee?"
"Claire, come look at this!"
The young biker jogged up, finding her waiting for her a few flights up. She was standing in front of a familiar door filled with steam and pipes, her face full of shock. Claire glanced into the room then looked at her in realization.
"Guess where we are!"
They both glanced up the remaining flights of stairs then ran up them to a familiar iron gate to an elevator. The doors snapped open allowing the couple in then it quickly took them up a floor. Walking out, they were met with the familiar sight of the underground room beneath the goddess statue. Everything still looked the same as they had left it, including the open doorway into the police station.
"But…how did we possibly get back here?! We were in the city sewers for god's sake! I would have figured we were miles away from this place!" Veronica questioned, clearly flabbergasted at the situation.
Unsure about whether the station was safe, she used the crank they had to close the entrance since it was still open. They didn't want to risk anything coming into a room they had deemed safe. Who knows how many Lickers or zombies had gotten in while they were gone.
"It has to be because of Irons, right?" Claire added as she sat on the big box to rest for a moment. Might as well while they figured stuff out. She watched as Veronica began to pace in thought again.
"That's the only reason I could possibly think of," Veronica nodded before coming to her conclusion. "Yes! That letter in his office threatened him for more security in sewers. I think that whoever that W.B. was mentioned something about a lab too!" Claire seemed to be catching on.
"That and with that weird cable car randomly sitting above a really deep tunnel, that could only mean that the lab is down there too."
"Which means that these hidden elevators would be easy access for Irons to check on things without being too far from the station."
"It really is all connected!"
"Exactly! So then this is even more proof that the police were in on this too. Maybe not all of them, but the higher-ups for sure. Maybe it was good that Leon didn't end up getting this job."
"Yeah, but then that just makes me angry," Claire huffed. "Cause then that means they used my brother and all of his friends to do their dirty work."
"How would they have known? This job glorifies heroes like them. They probably thought they were doing more good. And who knows? Maybe they were."
"Maybe. It's just so unfair that they could get away with this!"
"Until now," Veronica pointed out. They both looked at each other in silence.
"Do you really think we can out them?" Claire asked after a few seconds. Veronica hesitated.
"...It would be very dangerous, but I think it could be the start. I have a feeling that Leon's already ahead of us," she replied. Claire nodded, seemingly on the same page.
"I've got to find Chris first, before I do that. He might have more clues since he left and… to be honest, I just need to know that he's ok."
"And you will."
"I know. But once I find him, Umbrella is going down. No matter what!"
Veronica nodded in agreement before her eyes fell to the floor in uncertainty at the possible dangers they could face if they tried. Umbrella was a big company to go against. No doubt with the countless lawyers and dirty money, they would fight back in whatever way they thought fit. Her family, her sister…
"Hey!" Claire called for her, waking her from her thoughts. "C'mere."
Veronica went to stand in front of the other girl timidly. Claire took Veronica's hands in hers and squeezed them to reassure her. The older of the two squeezed back while trying to keep her composure.
"You don't need to do anything. You know that, right?" Claire asked. Veronica blinked back in confusion. "I know you're worried about the people you love. I can see it all over your face."
"But I-."
"No! Leon and I are going to be able to do this. I don't know about him, but I can afford to take some heat. You on the other hand have important people in your life that you need to protect."
"But…" Veronica paused, "what if one of those people were including you now?"
Claire stared up at her with a surprised look on her face. That wasn't exactly something she thought the other would say. It made her speechless.
"If coming out of the woodwork makes taking these assholes down easier and makes sure that you actually do some damage without risking your life…then I'll do it." Claire's gaze softened as she was left speechless.
"You really are something, aren't you?" Claire finally sighed out while reaching up to brush the other's hair away from her face. It made Veronica blush all the way up to her ears.
"I'm not trying to be. I just care too much."
"You care just enough. And for that, you deserve the best dates that I can possibly give you when we get out of here…together."
"Together."
It took her a moment of bravery, but Veronica sat on one of Claire's legs to get closer before leaning in to kiss the other on the cheek. Her lips lingered only for a moment before pulling away to clear her throat. Claire began to turn pink, but there was a look in her eyes that were both full of spark and care, and maybe…hunger.
"What was that for?" the younger one asked, her voice cracking just slightly.
"For being you. And for the road."
"For the road?"
"Yeah. Cause when we get out of here, this pro shooter is cashing in on the kisses she was promised." The hand that drifted to cup at her waist squeezed gently. Claire bit her lip, her eyes flicking down to Veronica's lips then to her eyes.
"Oh, don't you worry. You'll be getting them," she responded, voice a bit deeper at the affection. "But for now, we have to head back. Is there anything we might have left behind here at the station? I have a feeling this might be the last time we're up here." Veronica got out of her lap and pulled Claire to her feet.
"I guess that's if the sewers are the way to go to get out of the city. Though with all this secret stuff from Umbrella, there might be a safe way out. Let's look at our notes and see."
The girls went over everything in their lists and remembered that there was a gun still waiting up in the S.T.A.R.S office. The problem was getting it from behind the firewall on the computer. There was also unprocessed film they had in hand that they could look at.
Now that they've looked at the old checklist of items lingering, they also realized there was the strange book that belonged to the statue that might be helpful. It was something at least, even if on the way to finding some sort of code for the computer.
To save time, they decided to head up to the main hall after reopening the statue entrance again. They quickly ran through the West Office to get to the darkroom, luckily with no new zombies in their midst. With the time they would have to wait for the film to develop, they can do other things instead of wasting time standing around. With Sherry not doing so hot, time was of the essence.
"I'm really glad that we took care of the Licker from before," Veronica said aloud as they passed its charred-up carcass by the Safety Deposit Room.
"Yeah, no kidding. It's also nice that Mr. X fucker is dead. He was really on our asses. But regardless, stay alert. We don't know what's changed while we've been gone."
They carefully walked into the familiar safe room and locked the door. Veronica got to work on the film and when she was done, they grabbed the book from where they had left it on the table and made their way toward the Art Room. It was an easy straight shot there and boy, was it nice that nothing was in their way.
But maybe it was too nice.
When they got there, they found the King's statue still standing tall above the room. Right next to it on a small table was part of its missing hand that was empty. Fitting the book that she had found inside the slot, it was a perfect fit. So, thinking further, she placed the hand onto the statue with a loud click.
Suddenly the other arm of the statue holding the ruby scepter twisted till its palm was up. The sound of marble grating filled the room as it moved. Then the fingers pulled away from the scepter allowing them to grab it. Veronica took it in her hand and examined it.
Before she could even get a word out, there was a loud CRASH as glass rained down from above them. Veronica could feel tiny scratches along her skin and tried her best to cover herself. Falling from the skylight came a Licker hitting the ground behind the girls. They both gasped in surprise, but Claire was quick enough to cover Veronica's mouth with a hand to keep her quiet.
The Licker turned its head to listen for anything, seemingly almost as surprised as they were that it fell too. With all of the commotion, it hadn't been able to hear them yet. So, while it was busy gaining its footing, the girls silently and slowly moved to the side. With every movement it made, the girls did the same until they were able to get around it without being noticed.
Veronica's heart felt like it was in her throat and didn't stop feeling that way till they made it out of the room safely. The glass was hard to navigate but with how much it distracted the Licker, they got out scot-free. Once they got to the waiting room, they finally began to talk.
"I was starting to think it was getting too easy," Claire muttered bitterly.
"I think I'm about to have a heart attack," Veronica replied while swallowing down the lump in her throat. She pressed a hand to her chest to steady the pounding in her ribcage.
"What was it that we even got? It better be worth it."
Veronica held up the scepter for the both of them to see. It was a thin, long gold staff with a red jewel sitting at the top, glittering in the light. Turning the scepter in her hand, she was surprised to see a small switch near the bottom of the jewel. Curiously, she clicked it forward and the jewel popped out freely into her hand. She wasn't expecting that.
"Uh...what should I do with this?" Claire looked just as confused.
"I...guess keep it? I don't know."
"Maybe I should sell it once we're out of here. It might just be worth something after all," Veronica joked dryly.
"Well therapy isn't exactly cheap, so I say you might as well. What do you think about couple's counseling?"
"After all of this, consider us fully signed up!" The girls giggled at the small joke though they were still confused. "But all that just for a jewel?"
"It has to be for something important, right? What else are we missing?"
"I'm not sure, but what I do know is that we're running out of time, and we need to get that gun from S.T.A.R.S."
"Maybe we missed something in there somewhere. We should head over there."
"And grab the film on the way too."
Before they left, Claire had remembered that there was a safe in the room and that she had the code. So, after quickly cracking it, they found a high capacity mag for the JMB handgun inside. It wasn't much, but more ammo was always a plus. They now had to get going.
It took a quick run down to the first floor to get back to the safe room. Once they got there, they found the photos had developed a great deal, or at least enough to be discernible. There were two photos in the set that seemed to reveal that there were two hiding places in the station like it was titled.
"I recognize this one. It's the desk in the S.T.A.R.S. office, but I'm not sure where this is," the older girl said as she held the photos up. Claire hummed as she looked at the other one.
"I think I know where this is. It's in a room on the first floor, east side. I recognize the speaker."
"Well, we might as well see what's there. It could be useful."
"At least one of them is already on our to-do list."
"Let's go then!"
They quickly ran up to the S.T.A.R.S. office to see what they could do about this picture and the gun situation. However, as they were getting into the locker room, Veronica saw something glint in the corner of her eye. Glancing over, she saw the jeweled box they had left sitting on the towel rack earlier in the night. That's when it hit her.
"Wait!" She stopped Claire from moving on too quickly.
She grabbed the jewel box and then took out the jewel that had gotten from the scepter. Just as she had thought. Matching jewels and the empty slot at the top were a perfect fit. She slipped the jewel in the slot and heard the box unlock with a click.
"I knew it!"
"So, it actually was important!" Claire exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah! I guess it was." Opening it, Veronica pulled out a S.T.A.R.S police badge.
"A badge? What good is that for?"
Veronica shrugged as she read the front logo then turned it around. There was a switch just beneath the clip that looked like it could slide up. She pushed it with her thumb and out of the top, popped a USB dongle connected to it.
"It's also a USB?" Claire then gasped as it clicked for her.
"That's it! We can use that in the S.T.A.R.S. office! Maybe it can open the gate, and we can get that extra gun!"
"Oh, fuck yeah!"
"Talk about worth the trouble."
With the dongle in hand, they went straight to the office and to the computer. She gave Claire the USB and watched as she plugged it into the computer tower. The biker clicked around on the computer for a moment then the gated door opened with a loud buzz.
"YES!" Veronica gasped.
"New gun here we come!"
They walked into the gated section and grabbed the gun off of the wall. It was a submachine gun, which didn't particularly pack a punch, but was still a better gun than a handgun. Since Veronica was doing pretty good on firearms, Claire took it for her arsenal. Veronica was ok with that. Her body felt heavy enough for having what she had.
They traded some ammo between them and grenades so that they were even. As Claire was fixing up her new gun, Veronica sat down on the bench near the lockers to give her feet a short break. As she did, her hand bumped into something pointy at her side.
It was a letter sticking out of an open envelope sitting next to her. She wasn't going to bother, but a name caught her eye amongst the words. Barry. Claire mentioned Barry before. She picked it up and glanced over the writings. The name signed at the bottom made her stand up so quickly it almost made her dizzy. Claire blinked in surprise at the sudden movement.
"Vee?"
"Claire…you're gonna want to read this," she said, voice quiet as she held the letter for the other to grab. Claire swallowed nervously and gripped the feather on her necklace tightly. She had a funny feeling about it.
"Can you read it for me?" Veronica's heart squeezed in itself at the fragile voice Claire used. She brought it back to her eyes.
"I don't think it's anything bad, but yeah. Of course, I can.
'To my bestest S.T.A.R.S. buds,
How are you all doing in that drab, old station? Hanging in there against old Irons? Me? I just got back from a date with a hot chick. Bet you can guess what we got up to under her extra-large umbrella. Europe is amazing. One month is in no way enough to even scratch the surface. Maybe I'll extend my vacation for another six months. Barry, don't even think of coming to join me. Wouldn't want to make all the cute girls cry, yeah? So you just leave the babes to me. Jill, if Claire tries to contact you, please let her know I'm ok. - Chris Redfield, August 29.'" She handed Claire the letter so that she could read it herself. Claire's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she read. "That was just a month ago. That means..."
"Chris really isn't here…He hasn't been for months. I came here for nothing!" Claire shook her head in disbelief while Veronica rubbed at her back comfortingly. She kept rereading the words seemingly unsure of what to think. "This does not sound like Chris."
"What do you mean?"
"For starters, hot chick? Cute girls? That man doesn't date much. He's a total buzzkill that is always busy with work and if he isn't totally into Jill, he's into dudes. He sounds like an absolute douchebag here and he isn't like that at all. Second, a vacation in Europe and he didn't think to call and tell me about it?! This was months ago! He had the time! He's so adamant about us keeping tabs on each other. I don't know if Jill ever got to see this, but no one said anything to me, obviously. Or else I wouldn't even be here!" she cried out while throwing the letter on the ground in anger.
Veronica bit her lip to keep herself together as she pulled her hand away to go and pick up the paper. She knew Claire would want to keep it. It was still important information for when they got out. She folded it up and put it into her pocket as Claire stormed out into the room to kick at one of the desks with a cry.
"Claire." The other girl said nothing as she huffed out her anger, her back to the other.
"Claire, please…"
Still nothing.
"Look I know this sounds bad, but…at least he's for sure alive, right?"
Nothing.
"He's alive and now you have a ballpark of where he might be. Europe's a big place, but it's a start. That means when we get out of here, we can find him. And then you can yell at him all you like."
Claire seemed to be cooling off by how she started to relax her shoulders, but she remained quiet. Veronica walked over till she was a few steps behind the other. She wanted to show that she was there for her while giving her space. The anger was to be expected since this was shitty news to hear.
Chris was alive for sure now, but now Claire had been through hell and for nothing. She didn't know why, but Veronica felt her heart clench again, but in a way that hurt. No one would want to go through this ever, hell Veronica would be crazy to want to…but in a weird way, it was this that brought them together. It was nothing personal, she knew that, but she still felt off. She wanted to slap herself so badly for feeling that way.
"Punching is more like it," Claire muttered angrily, but her voice softened a bit. For a second, Veronica thought maybe she said that last part aloud, but realized she was barely replying to her earlier comment. Good, this was a start.
"Yeah, I may have to join in on that. 'Nice to meet you, Mr. Redfield. I'm Veronica and I'm dating your sister who I happened to meet in a zombie apocalypse while she was looking for you. Please don't hate me, but you deserve this'," Veronica acted out while miming punches on an imaginary person.
Claire slightly turned to look and couldn't help the weak laugh from escaping her lips. Ok, this is better. Veronica stepped a little closer.
"I understand how you feel, Claire. Really, I do. But this is really good news! You have a brother out there alive and well. And you're going to find him and spend the rest of your days beating the crap out of him," Veronica joked but then sighed while gently tugging on the fabric of Claire's arm. "But you can't change the past, no matter how angry you are. So right now, you're here with me in this hellscape. There's a little girl that needs our help and we are the only ones who can do that." She paused. "A-and this might sound weird, but maybe if you hadn't come along, me and Sherry wouldn't have made it this far."
Claire didn't know what to say. She slowly turned to fully face Veronica then tugged her into a tight embrace. Veronica swallowed the lump in her throat as she tightly hugged back. Claire pressed her face into the other's neck.
"Maybe this wasn't all for nothing after all. If only for you and Sherry to pop into my life…. If only for you."
Veronica felt herself blush as her heart skipped intensely at Claire's words. Guess that solved the small ache she felt. Her fingers couldn't help but trace the leather design on the jacket to keep her centered.
"You're too sweet," she whispered.
She pulled away first since time was ticking but made sure to squeeze Claire's arms as to linger somewhat. Claire smiled before finally getting the duo moving.
"We'll talk about dealing with Chris later. Let's see what this photo has in store for us," she said as she led them to the office. "Let's see what Captain Wesker had been hiding."