Italicized: Flashbacks

(_): Thoughts

Bold: Monster

At the center of Racoon City lay a burning pile of metal and plastic, with a single structure left standing in the center. While the buildings surrounding it were destroyed in the cargo plane's crash-landing, the cryo-pod holding NE-001 had mysteriously survived. Granted it was bent in half, compressed to nearly half its original size. The bioweapon inside had been crushed as well, its spine contorted and reshaped while several bones had been broken. But it was alive. The mission would remain the same. 'Objective: Assist pre-assigned B.O.W's. Ensure the destruction of Racoon City'.

The glass surrounding the bioweapon shattered, with silver liquid pouring onto the rubble below it. The bioweapon inside slid out, collapsing into the fire while its eyes flickered between shades of blue and emerald green. Its eyes shined green as a new objective appeared. 'Objective: Deter pre-assigned B.O.W's. Prevent the destruction of Raccoon City'. Its new objective in place, NE-001 stood from the rubble. Tendrils surrounded its wound, pumping T-cells into its veins to repair any damage done to its body. Fully functional and ready for a fight, NE-001 took off for the first bioweapon it could think to find. Nemesis.

POV: Jill Valentine | September 28th, 1998

Jill Valentine was pissed off. It had been a shitty night already. She hadn't gotten much sleep, had suffered from a range of nightmares that she didn't want to think about, and now...now she was being chased by a giant zombie that wanted to crush her skull under its boot. It had chased her out of her apartment, down the hall, and down the fire escape, where Jill now stood. She took a moment to take in her surroundings and the hell that had ascended around her. Cars were turned over and blown apart on the street below. Buildings were on fire with residents jumping from the windows to their deaths. And she didn't have to see the details of those beneath her to tell they were zombies. She had seen enough of them in the Arklay mountains to know for sure. And in front of her was a man on the opposing fire escape, dangling over a group of zombies as he held on for dear life. He didn't last long though, losing his grip before slamming into the cement below. If he hadn't died on impact, he sure as hell wasn't going to survive the zombies hoarding around him for their next meal.

"S.T.A.R.S'' Jill heard the growl come from the window above her. It was coming. She climbed through the window closest to her, entering a room that was covered in grey sheets with different equipment lying around. It seemed they had been working on the ceiling because the floorboard to the apartments above was visible. (Not good) Jill thought as she moved into the apartment. She didn't make it far though, being sent onto her back as the ceiling above came crashing down.

Standing there before her was the monster trying to kill her. He stood nearly nine feet tall, towering over Jill as she slowly crawled beneath a turned-over shelf. The creature shot a tendril at her, catching her ankle as it wrapped around her, trying to pull her back. With a grunt, Jill grabbed a piece of broken glass and swiped it at the tendril, cutting it off her. Gritting her teeth, Jill got to her feet and ran out of the apartment and into the hallway once more. The exit was just ahead...she could make it.

And she did, making it a single foot closer to the door before an explosion sent Jill flying forward. Her face slammed into the door before she caught herself on the fire-escape railing, breathing heavily as footsteps approached behind her. She was worn out and definitely had a few broken bones, but she had to push forward. If she wanted to find Brad and survive this creature, then she would have to keep moving. So Jill kept moving, running down the stairs while ignoring the pain in her ribs. She rushed toward the ladder that would take her to the street below. Without any weapons, she would have to dart around the zombies below to make it to the police station, but she could make it. Jill knew it.

Stepping up to the ladder, Jill was once again sent flying to the right and into another railing as the wall to her left imploded. The creature stepped through, grabbing Jill by the head as he threw her back into the apartment building, which was now engulfed in flames. Lots of flames...and blistering heat. Jill slowly got onto her back, crawling away from the monster as he stepped in front of her. It grabbed a chunk of the concrete ceiling, tearing it off as Jill's eyes widened. He was going to crush her. She slowly got to her feet, taking off as fast as her injured leg could take her, only audibly aware of the creature and the concrete behind her.

"AHHHHHH!" Jill turned back at the scream and saw the creature had dropped the concrete slab, peering down at his chest. There, a sharp tendril had stabbed him, the origin of the tendril being pretty far away. If the holes in the walls behind the creature were to say anything. Another bioweapon? Not bothering to waste time, Jill took off out the door just as an explosion went through the building, sending rubble down and blocking the door. Good...good. She fell against the wall behind her, sliding down as she stared at what used to be the door. The creature was still in there if the growls were to say anything. And he was injured.

"Jill! Over here!" Jill turned, frowning as she looked through the dust in her eyes. It was...Brad! He was alive. (Thank god). Jill thought as she got to her feet, moving down the alley to where Brad was standing. As soon as Jill got close enough, Brad spoke. "You ok?"

"What was that thing?" Jill asked, bypassing the question with her own while she clutched her arm.

"Damned if I know," Brad replied, holding up his arms. "But right now, it's got a hard-on for the only two S.T.A.R.S left in town; you and me," He motioned between the two of them and Jill frowned. It was saying 'S.T.A.R.S' a lot. Perhaps it was a bioweapon sent to Raccoon City with the orders to clean out S.T.A.R.S for good. Tie loose ends and such. "I'm not sticking around," Brad added as Jill turned to face him, still clutching her arm. "Just look around you. The longer we wait, the more screwed we are," He moved away from Jill, heading for the main street as Jill watched him go. Jill unconsciously asked him a question as she studied the broken city around her, too taken back by the destruction of her home. "I dunno. But one fucked-up thing always leads to another,"

Jill nodded in agreement, limping forward to catch up to him. It didn't prove easy as Jill stepped forward, coming up to the intersection that he had turned at. There, she was surprised to see him in front of a fence and light. And behind that fence were dozens of zombies. Jill's adrenaline kicked in once more as she screamed toward Brad. "Brad, here they come!" He seemed to not have noticed the zombies were present and turned to where Jill was pointing. He jumped back at the sight of the horde and turned to a nearby set of doors for sanctuary. Jill nodded, following Brad as they headed for the doors. She opened them to find an empty room on the other side, only barely acknowledging the fact that Brad had picked up a sign and had hurled it towards a few of the zombies that were coming closer.

"The door behind you, GO!" Brad exclaimed, motioning to the black door that led to the back of the building. Jill gave him a tight nod as she dashed for the door, quickly unlocking it and opening it only to turn back and find that Brad had failed to keep the front door closed. A zombie had stuck its head in and had bitten down right into Brad's arm.

"BRAD!" Jill shouted, rushing forward from the other door. She bent down mid-run and grabbed Brad's fallen knife before slamming it into the zombie's head. The creature let out a loud croak before falling back, allowing Jill to push the door shut. But it wouldn't click, with more zombies piling against it, adding weight. Turning back to Brad, Jill tried to be optimistic. "Don't think about it," Jill told him, pressing her hands against the door, as more piled against it on the other side. "We're gonna make a run for it,"

"C'mon, Jill. We know how this ends," Brad told her.

"No, I don't," Jill replied, shaking her head.

"Are we still a team?"

"Always," Jill replied in a heartbeat. If they hadn't been a team before the mansion incident, they had become a family after it. They could always rely on one another. Always.

"Then do me a favor and don't fuck up like I did. Go!"

Brad pushed Jill away from the door, causing her to fall over as she looked up at him. She watched him for only a moment before shooting to her feet, rushing toward the black door as she moved through it and into the alleyway. "I'm sorry, Brad..." Jill whispered, clutching her side as she walked forward. She took a right, stumbling right into a deceased RPD officer. His gun lay in his hand, alongside the belt wrapped around his waist. Jill grabbed the gun, reaching down to undo the utility belt. "Sorry," She said, wrapping the belt around herself. She then undid the officer's torso pouches, placing them around her blue tank top. Once she was done, she moved down the alley once more.

After a bit of walking, she moved through a metal gate, which seemed to be the right choice as a helicopter flew past her, the speaker on the side activating. "You. Down there! Get to the parking garage roof!" Jill nodded to herself, a goal clearly in sight as she continued down the alleyway. She needed to get to the parking garage. She could get out of the city from there. Jill stepped into a garage, opening the door to find a large man standing with his back to her. At her entrance, he spun around, his hands shooting up as he moved away from her. "Stay back! Don't come any closer!"

"Hey. There's a helicopter waiting to take you to safety," Jill replied, motioning to the ceiling. The helicopter could be heard even from here.

"What 'safety'? I'm not going out there!" He yelled, slowly climbing into what seemed to be a giant safe. The stuff you would only see in a large bank...that needed a safe inside a safe.

"The parking garage isn't that far," Jill told him, trying to get him to join her. One more survivor was better than none.

"The only safe place is in here!" The man shouted once more, closing the vault door behind him. Jill shook her head. She didn't have time to deal with idiots who didn't care about their own safety. She had offered him a chance at safety and he refused. Jill continued on her goal, leaving the garage as she moved into another alley that went straight into the parking garage. One problem; the fence that acted as the wall to the alley was toppled over, giving her only a small space in which to crawl. And it didn't help that there were a few zombies clawing at it.

With a deep breath, Jill got down onto her stomach, putting her training to work as she crawled under the fence. She dispatched a few zombies on the way, before getting to her feet. She moved into the parking garage, popping a few infected in the head before entering the elevator. Jill rode it all the way up to the roof, the doors opening to reveal a large amount of torn-up cars and the helicopter, which was waiting for her in the air. "You, down there! Hey! Get in!" The helicopter descended, landing a few dozen yards away in the only clear area of the roof. Jill jogged around a few cars, moving straight for the helicopter.

Her worst nightmare came true when the helicopter was suddenly engulfed in flames, blowing into smithereens. It spun out of control, crashing a few yards away from her as it imploded once more, sending Jill flying back directly into an orange and black Camaro. Jill groaned in pain, slowly getting to her feet as she held onto the Camaro. Her eyes fell on a figure in the shadows, which stepped into the light to reveal it was the creature that had attacked her at her apartment. It was no longer wounded and seemed calm and collected as it strode toward her. Jill looked around for some sort of weapon but decided that the Camaro would do.

She opened the door, apologizing to the deceased driver as she pulled him out of the car. She climbed in herself, turning the ignition before realizing it wouldn't start. The creature was getting closer. Failed start. Closer. Failed start. Closer. After the fourth try, the engine turned on, growling with life as Jill grinned. "It's my turn, bitch!" With the stomp of her foot, the car pushed forward, going from 0 to 60 in two seconds. She slammed the car into the creature's legs, though he seemed...unaffected. He merely slammed his arm through the windshield, grabbing Jill's throat as she pushed harder on the gas. It seemed that given his forward-leaning position, it was easy for him to be swept off his feet as the car ran off the edge. They tumbled down, the front of the car landing directly onto the creature before the Camaro fell upside down.

Jill - who wasn't wearing a seatbelt - now lay on her back, taking heavy breaths from having the wind knocked out of her. Pain spread through her torso and arms. She coughed a bit of blood up onto her face, which was kind of disgusting all things considered. But she didn't have the chance to consider her other injuries as she turned to her left. The creature was getting to his feet and was looking straight at her. (Come on, Jill. Get up). Growling in pain, Jill turned away from it, crawling out through the broken window as the creature slowly moved closer. It slammed its fist down on the car, blowing it to hell as fire spread everywhere. Jill was sent flying forward, landing on the ground a distance away on her back. She watched the creature, noticing that it and the street around them were also on fire.

The creature stepped toward her without a worry in the world, its mask having been burnt off to reveal the ugly face beneath. Its teeth were huge, and its mouth was non-existent being just his jaw. He only had a left eye, the right one being covered by a scar. It was hideous. The creature was going to slam its fists into her, only for a missile to slam directly into it.

"Nemesis!" Jill turned to her right and frowned. A man standing at over 9 feet was standing in the flames, seemingly unaffected as well. It was staring the creature - Nemesis - down. Given the growl that escaped it, Jill assumed this too was a bioweapon. Great. "Stand down," (Huh). Nemesis growled at Jill, before turning towards the new bioweapon. "That is an order, Nemesis," The other bioweapon growled, drawing out two large swords as Nemesis grinned. The creature produced two tendrils from each hand, before charging toward the man/bioweapon, who in turn charged forward to meet the creature. What the hell was happening? Why were two Umbrella bioweapons fighting each other?

"Hey!" A rocket shot passed Jill directly into Nemesis. The creature fell to its knees, slamming its face into the pavement before slowing to a stop. The blast sent the second bioweapon flying back into the wall, while Nemesis - who had taken the brunt of the blast - caught fire once more. A man ran to Jill's side, kneeling down as she struggled to get her footing. Her eyes were on the second bioweapon, the one that seemed barely conscious. It was a man, one with pitch-black hair trimmed down, a black beard, bright green eyes with a tint of blue, and a scar on his left cheek. But there were these devices on either side of his forehead. (Implants) Jill recognized. Technological implants designed to control him. If Umbrella sent Nemesis here to kill her, why would this new bioweapon interfere? Or did it not belong to Umbrella? It was wearing a uniform, but dust covered most of it and the rest was burnt off to reveal his muscular body. It was a real human turned into a bioweapon. Nothing like Nemesis. "Hey, easy lady...I got ya," The man at her side said as Jill got to her feet.

"Who are you? What are you do-"

"Name's Carlos and I'm saving you!" Carlos replied, pulling on Jill's arm as he placed it around his neck. Jill didn't complain as Carlos placed a hand around her waist, helping her walk forward away from the fire. She could barely keep her eyes open as is, she couldn't trust herself to walk unsupported. She glanced back at the second bioweapon and her eyes widened. The man's eyes were open, watching her as the two locked eyes. It was...weird. As if he was looking into her soul. Jill looked away, not trusting the feeling as she walked faster. They needed to get away from both of them. The man and Nemesis. Nemesis would get back up eventually and she was unsure about the other bioweapons' intentions. It was easier to just get away.

The two moved down the stairs toward the subway while Jill drilled Carlos with questions. It wasn't long before she learned he was working with Umbrella's Biohazard Countermeasure Service. He led her down into the main subway system, where they were met by his colleagues. Mikhail Viktor and Nikolai Zinoviev. "Hey, Captain. This fine young lady could use our help," Carlos directed towards Captain Viktor, who turned to Jill with a frown.

"Carlos, you didn't even think to ask fine young lady her name? She is an elite operative of R.P.D. Special Tactics and Rescue Service. Her name is…something...Valentine," Viktor spoke.

Rolling her eyes, Jill supplied. "It's Jill,"

"Nice to meet you, Jill. I am U.B.C.S. Platoon Leader Mikhail Victor. My team was sent here to rescue civilians,"

"Right. How's that going for you?" Jill asked.

"The city is completely cut off. Isolated. Most of the two hundred thousand civilians will wind up dead. Ah, correction: undead. My platoon has suffered serious losses. Just keeping them alive is more than I can manage,"

"Well, you can thank your corporate overlords for that," Jill commented.

"Yes, well... We are doing all we can. If we can get this subway train moving... we can evacuate some survivors. But we need help. My men cannot do this alone," Viktor replied.

"Alright, I'm in. But I am on their side. Not yours," Jill spoke, motioning back to the stairs.

"Oh hey, hey, that's cool. We all want the same thing," Carlos defended.

Viktor spoke. "Thank you, Jill," Jill nodded, moving away from Mikhail before stepping toward Carlos.

Carlos removed a spare radio from his vest, handing it to Jill. "Alright, supercop. Here you go. We can use this to stay in contact,"

"I know what a radio is," Jill replied. She wasn't dumb.

Carlos grinned, turning around to pick up his gun while Jill pulled out her own. "OK, first things first. We need to get you geared up. Head up to street level. You'll find supplies there," Jill gave him a nod and moved out of the train. She had a new objective. Prepare the path to the clock tower, help the civilians to the police station, and escape. And all that on top of having to survive Nemesis, the new bioweapon, and all of the other zombies roaming through every inch of the city. If they didn't get out of the city soon, they would probably be dead. After all, there wasn't much they could do without outside communications or a quick way out of the city that wouldn't have them arrested or assassinated in fear of spreading the infection. It was all so much. And her day had started with nightmares.

POV: Oswell Spencer

"What the hell happened to it?!" Doctor Oswell Spencer screamed at the top of his lungs. Everything had gone to shit. Alpha Team was gone. Bravo Team was held up in Raccoon City with half its men dead. The incident itself at Raccoon City was startling, and worst yet...NE-001 had gone missing. The plane carrying him to Raccoon City had reportedly gone down, blowing up seven city blocks within the center of the city. They had assumed it had died on impact, but after going through the visual data collected by Nemesis, Potter was very much alive and malfunctioning. It was supposed to assist all B.O.W as well as ensure that the infection did not escape Raccoon City. But here it was malfunctioning, saving a S.T.A.R.S operative, as well as going as far as to order Nemesis to stand down. If they lost Potter for good, Umbrella would be over. They needed a plan. FAST.