The Good Tenant(A Resident Evil SI/OC)

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 32


“Well, it seems that I’ll have to reevaluate my opinion of you,” Albert Wesker greeted the members of STARS teams Alpha and Bravo as they exited the elevator. “I fully expected the Tyran to kill at least a few of you.”


“Wesker,” Captain Marini growled. “You’ve got a lot to answer for.”


“Do I?” Wesker smirked. “I put together both STARS teams to show off exactly how effective the experiments were. Did you think I wasn’t prepared for you to do well?” He scoffed. “The Tyrant that you faced out there was one of the first ever manufactured. But it was far from the only one created at this facility.”


As Wesker said this a Tyrant stepped out of a tube and stabbed Wesker with its claws, the sharp implements exiting out of the man’s chest.


“That one’s taller than the other one,” Chris said as the massive creature turned to look at the remaining members of STARS while tossing Wesker’s body off of its claws at them. “Looks more deadly too.”


“Still has an exposed organ,” Jill observed as the creature turned to fully face them. “There does look like some sort of armor growth over it though.”


“It’s probably a mutation of some form,” Rebecca said as she knelt down to check Wesker’s body. “Wesker’s dead, nothing I can do.”


“Jill, grab what you can off of his body,” Captain Marini instructed. “There might be some sort of evidence that he has on him.”


“There’s a suppressed Samurai Edge,” Jill said as she looked through what was on the dead man’s body. “But not much else aside from this CD case.”


“Grab the handgun and stow it,” Captain Marini said. “Give the CD to Rebecca, she can put it in with her medical gear.”


“Guys, that creature is starting to move towards us,” Forest said as he began backing up. “We might need to leave.”


“This is Brad Vickers, can anyone hear me?” a voice echoed over the shortwave radio that Chris had on his tactical vest.


“This is Chris Redfield, most of Alpha and Bravo Teams are alive, we need evac though,” Chris responded as he began firing at the Tyrant’s eyes, causing it to slow down to protect the vital organs. “We’re at the big mansion, we’ll head on up to the roof and send up a flare to signal our position.”


“Copy that,” Brad replied. “Make it quick though, I’m nearly Bingo on fuel after circling for most of the night.”


“Back to the elevator,” Captain Marini ordered as he fired a grenade at the Tyrant, causing it to shift backward. “We need to grab Kenneth and Mark before we leave.”


“Get in!” JIll shoved Forest into the Elevator before diving in just before the doors shut, a dent appearing where the Tyrant had run into the doors before it started going up.


“Can this thing move any faster?” Edward asked as he kicked the side of the elevator. “I’m ready to leave.”


“Self-Destruct is armed and will detonate in ten minutes,” a feminine voice said over the intercom systems. “Evacuate immediately.”


“That doesn’t sound good,” Rebecca said as the elevator crested to the next level. The elevator doors sliding open to reveal Mark and Kenneth fighting off a small group of zombies.


Grabbing Kenneth, Mark pulled him back into the elevator, killing a zombie before stepping in and the doors sliding shut.


“Just in time,” Mark said with a small grin. “I was worried that we’d have to fight our way out.”


“You doubted us?” Jill asked with a sarcastic lilt to her voice. “How could you?”


“Never doubted, just worried that there was some sort of big creature down there,” Mark replied as he leaned against the wall of the elevator. “Now please tell me that we have a way out of here.”


“We’re heading to the roof now,” Chris responded. “I was able to get into contact with Brad, and he’s meeting us up there.”


“Awesome,” I replied. “Can’t wait to leave.”


“I’ve got the flare gun,” Barry said as he pulled the orange flare gun out of his pack and checked to make sure it was loaded. “One’s in the chamber and we’re ready to go once we’re up there.”


–

–


Down below, the Tyrant began climbing up the cables of the elevator, eager to hunt and seek the prey that had escaped it while a lone corpse began to twitch. The blond man eventually opening his eyes to reveal a bright red hue behind them.


“I owe you one, William,” Wesker said as he stood up with a groan. “Now it is time to leave.”


–

–


Lisa Travers had found a new meal, a meal that suited her needs greatly, she could feel her mind opening up again and new abilities flowing to her. The corpse beneath her twisting the virus in her body and changing her once again.


The Hunted One would still pay, she could smell him below, and would be pursuing him for what he did to her. But first, she would finish this meal.


As she stood up from eating the fallen Tyrant, Lisa felt her body straighten itself out as her skin smoothed itself into a small resemblance of what her mother looked like, her face turning into what she would have looked like as an adult as her legs straightened themselves out as well, the monster that Lisa Travers had become seemingly reversing as she became more human-like than she had been in years. With a groan, she moved toward the elevator shaft and jumped down. It was time that she had her revenge.


–

–


“Sending up flare now,” Barry said as he held the flare gun up and pulled the trigger, the red light shining bright in the dark sky.


“I see you!” Brad’s voice came over Chris’ radio. “I’m heading over to the flare now.”


“Good, we’ve got wounded here,” Chris answered. “We’re going to need to leave in a hurry.”


As they heard the helicopter begin to descend down towards the roof, they also heard the screech of metal as it was bent outward. The Tyrant stepping forth out of the elevator and roaring at the ones who dared to escape it.”


“Well shit,” Mark said with a sigh. “I knew that things were going too well.”

 

[ATP]

Wesker would fight Lisa,then what? it would be more interesting if both survive.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 33


Landing at the bottom of the elevator shaft, Lisa screeched in victory as she spied The Hated one hunched over some sort of computer terminal.


“So it was you,” Wesker said without turning around and facing her. “I always wondered if what we did would be able to finally finish you off or not,” Finishing his task, Wesker pulled out another CD that he had burned and placed it in a shatterproof case before turning to face Lisa.


“I see that you’ve adapted once again,” Wesker mused as he considered the shape she was in now. “In fact, you almost look human again now. What a pity that you couldn’t have adopted that form sooner.”


Lisa simply lurched forward aggressively, intending on killing the Hated One now rather then let him speak anymore.


“I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m afraid that we’ve run out of that sort of time,” Wesker taunted as he moved around Lisa before rushing toward the elevator shaft. “I don’t think I’ll be seeing you again,” he started climbing while Lisa screeched, he body starting to shift once again to something even more human. Doubling over as something seemed to click into her mind.


Standing up straight, the chains slipped off of Lisa’s form, and her face rippled, showing that of Rebecca Chambers first, and then flowing through various other faces before settling on the one that seemed right. Turning as she moved to the elevator shaft, Lisa stopped in front of some glass as she saw her reflection. There, standing in front of her, was the face of her mother, Jessica Trevor. Her nude form a picture perfect model of what she remembered her mother looking like. Clenching her hand into a fist, Lisa drove it into the glass, the shards digging in before being spat out by her skin as it regenerated.


“Self Destruct has four minutes remaining,” the feminine voice said over the speakers. Words that Lisa could understand and comprehend for the first time in years. “Please evacuate immediately.”


“Please evacuate immediately,” Lisa parroted, perfectly mirroring the voice recording before she leaped up into the elevator shaft, grabbing the cable and finishing the climb before spying Wesker leaving through the front door.


“I suppose it’s up to me to finish the job,” Wesker muttered as he ducked out of the way of the enraged Lisa. “I should have made sure of this years ago.”


Lashing out, Wesker punched Lisa with all of his might, sending the old experiment flying backward into the mansion. “I seem to pack a bit more power,” Wesker mused as he stared at his hand for a moment. “Let’s see about finishing this.”








Up above, STARS was tangling with their most dangerous foe yet.


“My grenades aren’t doing much more than irritating him,” Captain Marini said as he fired one of his last grenades. “We’re going to need something that packs a bigger punch if we want to take him down.”


“Last mag!” I shouted as I slammed the last magazine of 10mm that I had into the Glock and chambered a round.


“I’ll pull its attention off of Mark and Kenneth,” Richard said as chambered then ghost loaded shell into his Benelli while loading more shells underneath. “They’re the wounded here.”


Grabbing a grenade off of his pouch, the breacher tossed the flashbang at the massive creature, hoping that its eyes were as sensitive as a humans. “Banging him, cover your eyes.”


The grenade went off, causing the Tyrant to hold its hands in front of its face for a moment, revealing the organ beating on its chest.


“Aim for the organ while it’s stunned!” Jill shouted as she began firing her rifle in short bursts, each round striking the exposed organ.


With a roar, the disoriented creature turned toward the one who had made it this way and charged, its vision clearing up just enough for it to see and grab ahold of the breacher with one of its hands.


“Fuck, it’s got me!” Richard yelled as the creature began to slam him on the ground, the man falling into blissful unconsciousness as his head hit a part of the roof before the creature’s claws cut the man to ribbons.


“Kill that bastard!” Marini roared as he loaded his last three grenades into his MGL. “Fire in the hole!” The two incendiaries and one high explosive grenade went out and set the creature on fire. The flash bangs and all of the rest of Richard’s explosives going off when the HE grenade struck, sending the creature down to the ground as Brad hovered over the roof.


“Here, you might need this!” Brad shoved a case out of the helicopter.


“I knew this would come in handy,” Barry muttered as he slid over to the case and opened it, revealing the rocket launcher they had confiscated from one of the gangs earlier that year.


The Tyrant stood up and seemed to recognize the rocket launcher for what it was, so it decided to make Barry its primary target.


“No you don’t,” Edward said as he diverted the attention off of what Barry was doing as he set up the rocket launcher. “You’re dead.”


The pilot shoved his rifle into the creatures face and began firing as close as he could. Walking the Tyrant back as he fired until the magazine was dry before swapping to another one rapidly.


“I’ve got one mag left!” Edward yelled as he slid the least magazine in. “You better be ready!”


Edward emptied the last magazine into the organ before holding the rifle in front of himself as the clawed hand tried to cleave him in two. The rifle taking the brunt of the attack as Edward was nearly launched off of the roof.


“I’ve got you brother,” Chris said as he grabbed the other man’s arms and began to pull him up and onto the roof. “You’re not dying today.”


The Tyrant, turning to face Barry once again was met by four rockets that all struck it and exploded in unison. The force causing the Tyrant to be pushed back as the explosion caused the pulsing organs to rupture before it collapsed.


“Now would be a very good time to leave,” Mark yelled as the chopper descended now that Brad was certain it was safe to do so.


“Get on,” Brad said. “I’m at Bingo Fuel now!”


“One second!” Captain Marini said as he ran over to where Richard’s body was. Grabbing the dog tags off of the younger man and grabbing the shotgun that has survived the explosion he ran back and climbed into the chopper. “Let’s go!”


The STARS team members all breathed a collective sigh of relief as the chopper took off, the mansion going up in flames behind them as they ascended into the night sky.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 34


“Good riddance,” Wesker spat at the mansion that he assumed had taken Lisa Trevors with it when it exploded. “Now, let’s see about getting you to the right buyers,” he mused to himself as he pulled out the unbroken CD still fresh in its case.


Meanwhile, a short distance away but hidden by the shadows cast by the burning mansion a figure stood up and patted the tiny flame that smoldered on her shoulder away before staring into the flames for a long while. A lone tear dripping down Lisa’s face as she struggled to find her voice.


“Mother,” her voice finally croaked out, the sound of her natural voice shocking her as it seemed to ring in her ears for the first time in decades.


Turning away from the fire, she saw the figure of The Hated one darting off in the distance, his speed greater than hers but she was not concerned. She would hunt him, and one day he would be killed by her own hand. But first, it was time to mourn.








“Kenneth is going to need a hospital when we get back,” I said as we neared the RPD. “Brad, can you radio ahead that we’re going to need medical services on standby?”


“He’s not the only one going to a hospital,” Rebecca said as she gave me a glare. “You’re just as wounded as he is, if not more so.”


“I’ll be fine until we get back,” I replied with a small smile. “I’m not in danger of losing my balance and getting more hurt like Kenneth here is.”


“We have everything Kenneth took on video right?” Forest asked as he checked his SR-25 for any damage. “Because I’d hate for us to have lost our guys for nothing down there.”


“We got it,” Rebecca said as she patted her medical pack. “I’m leaving a blank tape in the camera though, just in case Umbrella decides to try and have someone destroy the camera.”


“We’ll have to make copies of the tapes though,” Barry said. “And scatter them among us and some of our closest friends. Otherwise, they’ll be able to just clear out and destroy the evidence that we all have.”


“So we’re going to push against Umbrella?” Jill asked. “That’s what we’re dead set on?”


“They’re the ones who researched and developed all of the creatures we encountered down there,” Rebecca said with a tired sigh. “Which means they’re responsible for not only putting Wesker in the right place to engineer all of this but also for the deaths of Richard and Joseph.”


“We’re going to bring Umbrella to justice,” Captain Marini said firmly. “But we’re going to have to get back home first. We all need some rest, and to recuperate from our ordeals over the last couple of days.”


“ETA back to RPD HQ is fifteen mikes,” Brad reported.


“Something wrong, Chris?” Jill asked, noticing that her best friend was oddly silent.


“I trusted him,” Chris hung his head between his knees. “Wesker lied, straight to my face, he even had me convinced that one of you was trying to get the rest of Alpha Team killed. Jill, I’m not certain I’m the kind of man who you should trust if my judgment is that off.”


“Chris,” Jill shook her head. “I’m pretty sure we were all convinced that Wesker was on the up and up. He was our captain for a year, remember?”


“Wasn’t just you that trusted him,” Forest said with a gesture around the chopper. “All of us here did, and he did have our backs for two years before this. So don’t beat yourself up over it, I’m sure there will be plenty of other things we can rag you on later, but this isn’t one of them.”


“We’re about to land,” Brad said as the chopper began to slow down. “And just in time too, we’re almost out of fuel.”


“That’s a ton of people down there,” Forest said as he looked down onto the brightly lit helipad. “And they’ve got some people in riot gear.”


“Mark, put this in the bottom of your pack,” Captain Marini ordered as he field-stripped the MGL. “No, don’t ask why right now, I’ll explain once we get done with this.”


“It looks like they’ve got SWAT on standby,” Brad said as he lowered the chopper gradually to the ground. “Captain Welles is pissed, I’d tread carefully.”


“It certainly doesn’t look like we’re getting the red carpet treatment,” Barry said with a grim look on his face.


“Just keep on your toes people,” Captain Marini said as he mentally prepared himself for the storm that they were about to face.


“Touching down now,” Brad said as the helicopter set down entirely on the helipad, both Chris and Brad going through the proper shutdown procedures before following the other members of Alpha and Bravo teams out onto the pad.


“We’ve got wounded here,” Rebecca said as soon as we got off of the helicopter, her and I helping the wounded Kenneth over to a stretcher before anything else.


“He’s got busted eardrums and probably a concussion,” I reported. “We’ve done rough checks but he’ll need a more in-depth check-up.”


“And Mark here is going to need more than a few stitches,” I tore off the vest and handed it to Rebecca so that the paramedics could take a look at the massive gash in my side.


“Now hold on a goddamn minute,” Captain Welles said. “You’re not taking him anywhere yet,” he gestured toward me. “Where the fuck is Captain Wesker?”


“Dead,” Captain Marini stepped up and stood in front of the SWAT team captain. “Just like the rest of us almost were.”


“I don’t give a rat’s ass what happened to you,” Welles stated coldly. “I’ve been fucked over one too many times by Captain Wesker and you STARS assholes to care.”


“Hold on a minute, Captain,” Chief Irons stepped forward. “Now, you, you’re fired,” he pointed at me. “STARS teams Alpha and Bravo, you’re hereby suspended pending an investigation. I”m not sure what happened up on that mountain for you to come back without Joseph Frost and Richard Aiken, but we will find out. Now, if you’ll turn in your guns to the nice gentlemen standing here.”



“Get fucked,” I said when a SWAT member tried to take my Glock and my Sig Sauer. “Last time I checked, this was the USA, and I’ll be damned before you take my personal firearms.”


“He’s right,” Captain Marini said as he held a hand over his 1911 and his Samurai Edge. “You can have the weapons that belong to the RPD, but you’re not taking this.”


“Fine,” Chief Irons spat out. “Take the guns that belong to us and get them out of my sight.”


“Come on guys, let’s get out of here,” Jill said after she had handed over her rifle and vest to one of the SWAT team members. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need a drink after this.”


“I’ll meet y’all at Jack’s after I get stitched up,” I said as I was finally allowed to lay down on the stretcher. “We can work out more stuff then.”








“What the hell happened after we left the mountains?” Rain asked as she pointed at the TV. “Local news has our guys on it right now.”


“Man, it looks like they got beat up,” J.D. muttered as he reclined on the couch. “Ed looks like he took a beating, and Mark looks like he’s lost a lot of blood. The rest of them just look exhausted.”


“If their night continued the way ours started I imagine that they’re ready to do a post-op crash,” Kaplan said from the kitchen counter where he was sipping some coffee. “The SWAT Team members looked worried. Like they thought the STARS Teams might snap and try to kill them or something.”


“Maybe that’s what they were told,” Alicia said from her spot. “Considering how scary they look to me, I bet they look a whole lot scarier up close.”


“And even training doesn’t manage to get rid of the kind of fear that a good operator produces in most rank and file,’ Rain added. “You know what I mean, J.D.”


“Yeah, I do,” J.D. replied. “So what do we do next?”


“We wait for Mark to get home and then we try and figure out what our next moves are,” Rain shrugged. “I’m not exactly a genius here, but if Umbrella thinks we are dead, then we should probably continue to lay low until we have a rock-solid plan.”

 

[ATP]

And i wonted pat Lisa on head.She would eat my hand,but still.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 35


“You’re sure you don’t want painkillers?” the nurse asked as she began cleaning out the wounds that needed stitches. “We’re going to be here for a while.”


“No painkillers,” I stated as I looked the nurse in the eyes. “I’ve got to head home after this.”



“Your funeral,” the nurse shrugged as she began stitching the massive wound on my side shut with deft movements while I bit down on a piece of cloth, the wound radiating pain as it was being pulled back together. “You still good?” She asked as she reached the halfway point.


I just nodded, my teeth still clenched tight as time seemed to slow down while the pain increased for a short bit and then tapered off to a dull ache as the nurse tied off and cut the stitches.


“There, all done with the big one here, you’ve got some others that could probably use stitches,” the nurse shrugged. “But we could probably superglue those shut with no issues as well, your choice.”


“I’ll take the superglue,” I said as I massaged my sore jaw. “I’m good to sleep with my concussion right?”


“As long as you have someone else in your home to help monitor you for any seizures or anything else,” the nurse said. “Now, we’ll get a doctor in here to double-check everything and then you’ll be able to go on home.”


“Thanks,” I said as I slipped my shirt back on. “I know that I’m not always the best patient.”


“You weren’t awful,” the nurse smiled. “Most people want the painkillers though.”


“Alright, I’ll hang out until we get the doc back here,” I laughed. “Not like I’m going anywhere else while I wait, my ride isn’t here yet, after all.”


The Nurse just smiled again before exiting the room ad hanging up my chart on the door. Leaving me to lean back onto the hospital bed and close my eyes for a moment.


“Damn I need my bed,” I sighed as I felt the hard mattress underneath me. “I’m wiped.”


“Not too wiped, I hope,” Doctor Oswald Smith entered the room with a smile. “Alright, you seem to be pretty beaten up, but it looks like Nurse Russel took good care of you.”


“I’m ready to go home and sleep in my own bed,” I said with a pained smile.


“Well, I’m going to prescribe you some painkillers, nothing narcotic, because I know you won’t take them, but if the pain gets too bad I want you to take some anti-inflammatories, just to make sure that any swelling on the stitches goes down properly.”


“Alright,” I nodded. “Any tips on going to sleep with this?” I gestured toward where I had the wound.


“Yeah, make sure there’s a pillow in place to prevent you from rolling over onto it at night,” Doctor Smith said with a shrug. “There’s not much else I can tell you.”


“Just wait here for a bit and Nurse Russel will be over to help you get checked out,” Smith said as he stood up and made a couple of notes in my chart. “I assume you have a ride?”


“Give me a minute to see if they’re available,” I said as I reached for the hospital room’s phone.


Hitting the handful of digits that I had memorized, I waited for the phone to be answered.


“Valentine,” a female voice answered.


“Yeah, it’s Mark,” I replied. “I’m finished getting stitched back together and I need a ride. My car’s still at the HQ, and I’m not walking either to Jack’s or home in this state.”


“Give me fifteen,” Jill said with a sigh. “Wait, make that thirty, I’ve got to dry my hair and then fight traffic.”


“That’s fine,” I said. “Just get here when you can.”


–

–


“So you’re going to have a pretty gnarly scar there,” Jill said as she watched me struggle to buckle up in her beat-up Toyota, the pain finally setting in and causing a deep soreness.


“Probably,” I said as I settled down. “So, I’m out of the loop, we going to Jack’s Bar tonight or some other time?”


“We’re all heading home,” Jill said as she slowed down at a red light. “Get some rest for the next couple of days, we all agreed that we should probably wait for Kenneth to be able to at least hear some of our conversation before we meet up.”


“Kenneth is going to have some hearing restoration by Friday, but it won’t be perfect,” I said as I recalled what his wife had told me while we were at the hospital. “He’s in pretty solid condition aside from that though.”


“So I’ll drop you off at your apartment,” Jill said as she began to accelerate. “It’s a good thing that you’re so close, otherwise I’d have been tempted to leave your ass at the hospital.”


“Yeah, yeah,” I snarked back. “You’d have come because this makes us even.”


“Does it really though?” Jill asked as she finally eased into the area where both of our apartments were. “Because last time I checked you owed me.”


“No, I settled that score when the gangs were fighting, that time I literally took a bullet for you, remember?”


“No, that’s not how it happened,” Jill argued with a good-natured smile on her face. “There was plenty of stuff going on during that time period.”


“Even?” I asked as I opened the door and held out my fist for her to bump.


“Even,” Jill smirked. “Until I save your ass again.”


“Please,” I said as I straightened up. “I’ll save you first.”


And with that parting word, Jill drove off toward her own apartment a couple of blocks away, leaving me to make my own way in.


Reaching for my keys, I dropped them by the door before noticing that the front screen door was cracked open a bit. Reaching behind my back, I pulled my P226 out of its concealed holster and frowned as a small wave of pain shot up my side before I suppressed it and got ready to open my door. Pushing my key into the lock quietly, I turned it, and the handle before throwing the door open to point my pistol at who or what was inside.


“Shit!” Rain said as she dropped the bag of trash and backed up. “You scared me, man!”


“Sorry,” I said as I lowered the handgun and moved fully into my house, closing the door behind me. “It’s been a helluva long couple of days.”


“I’ll say,” Rain said as she looked me up and down. “You look like you got into a fight with an alligator, and lost.”


“That sums it up fairly well,” I said as I set my pack down on the kitchen counter, making a mental promise to clean everything up tomorrow. “Now, I’m taking a shower and then crawling into my bed. Please don’t wake me up for anything short of the police showing up.”


Moving to my shower, I quickly rinsed off the dirt and grime of the last couple of days, being sure to avoid getting my stitches soaked before stepping out, grabbing a towel and fresh pair of underwear, and making my way to my bed. Seeing a blond figure curled into my blankets, I nearly turned around and headed for the couch before shrugging and moving into my bed anyway, everything going dark as soon as my head hit the pillow.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 36

“Ugh,” I woke up with a groan as a scream echoed in my ears. “What? Where’s the fire?” I jolted upright before giving a gasp of pain as I twisted wrong. “Oh,” I calmed my brain down as I realized it was just Alicia freaking out that I was in bed next to her. “Be quiet,” I tossed my pillow at her head before setting mine back down on the pillow that I was using to sleep on. “We didn’t have sex,” I turned so my side was shielded and tried to fade back into sleep.

“What happened?” Rain burst through the door with her Beretta in hand.

“Nothing,” I said as I buried my head back into my pillow. “Alicia freaked out that I was asleep in my own bed.”

“Oh,” Rain said as she lowered the pistol, the shirt that she was using as sleeping wear barely coming down to her mid-thigh. “It’s like three in the morning.”

“Shhh,” I said to Rain. “Sleeping.”

“That sounds like a plan,” the Latina woman responded. “Alicia, you can move to the couch if you’re going to act like that.”

“I’m good now,” Alicia said as her brain finally caught up to the two of us. “You’re good to go back to sleep.”

“Done,” I said as I closed my eyes and began deep breathing while counting down from ten.

–
–

“So, I hear someone had an interesting night,” J.D. wagged his eyebrows at me as he smirked.

“I’ve had quite a few interesting nights over the last week, you’re going to have to be more specific,” I replied as I began making coffee.

“I was hoping for more of a reaction,” J.D. said with a small frown.

“Due, I’m still in post-op crash,” I muttered as I poured my coffee into a cup before opening my fridge and reaching for a big mason jar that was waiting for me.

“What’s in the jar?” the other man asked.

“Homemade coffee creamer,” I replied as I shook the jar before opening it and pouring it into my coffee before stirring it. “You don’t need much, but it works like putting both cream and sugar in at the same time.”

“Huh,” he replied.”I’ll have to try some of that later.”

“Give me a minute to process the caffeine and I’ll be able to respond better,” I said as I moved to my small table to drink my coffee in the slight peace and quiet of the morning.

“What happened to you, man?” J.D. asked as he saw the stitches on my side. “It looks like someone tried to carve you up with a sword or something.”

“Or something,” I agreed as I took another sip. “One of those creatures got me, went right through my kevlar vest as if it were nothing, took a good chunk of me with it too as you can see.”

“Yikes,” the ex-UBCS merc said as he began drinking his own coffee. “Remind me to bring more firepower the next time we run into those sorts o things then.”

“Sure,” I nodded blandly as I waited for the caffeine to kick in. “Want to help make breakfast? I’m great at waffles if you’ll handle the bacon and sausage.”

“Count me in,” the man rubbed his hands together at the thought of food. “I’m always down for some good grub.”

“Let’s get to it then,” I said as I stood up and began navigating my kitchen to get the ingredients I needed.

–
–

“So, want to tell us the story of what happened up on the mountain after we left?” Rain asked as we all sat down around the table to eat the breakfast that J.D. and I had made.

“Sure,” I said in between bites as I filled my stomach. “But we’re going to be here for a little while.”

---

“Hey, Mark!” Jill banged on my door as we began to clean up the dishes from breakfast. “I know you made breakfast, I can smell the food from here, mind sharing some of the wealth?”

“Sure,” I said as I opened the door. “We’re just starting to clean up now.”

“Mark, who are these people?” Jill asked me cautiously as she saw the UBCS members and Alicia, reaching for her concealed Samurai Edge as she did so.

“They’re some ex-Umbrella employees who Edward and I met when we got separated from the rest of Bravo Team,” I explained. “Long story short, they ended up being set up by Wesker the same way we were. They’re just as eager for payback on Umbrella as we are.”

“I want the full story later,” Jill said as she sized up the UBCS members. “But I’ll accept it for now.”

“I mean, I already told mine and Ed’s point of view,” I said with a shrug. “Them sharing couldn’t hurt any.”

“Alright then,” Jill said as she walked over to the cabinet where I kept my plates. “I’m Jill Valentine, the one who typically keeps our resident medic out of trouble. Not that it did any good while we were up in the mountains.”

“Rain Ocampo,” Rain said as she pointed to herself. “J.D. Salinas, Alicia Marcus, Chad Kaplan, Natalia.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Jill said as she started into her breakfast. “Now, let’s get down to what happened.”

 

[ATP]

So,do they have some chances in stopping zombie Armageddon,or not? becouse few veterans against corpo do not look good.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 37


“So, what’s the game plan here?” I asked as we all sat down around a table in a busy bar.

“Well, I don’t like to talk about it, but I did work for the CIA as an operative for a while,” J.D. said as he reclined back into his chair while looking around at the STARS team members and ex-UBCS members that were all seated with us.

“What do you recommend?” Captain Marini asked.

“Well, some of us should stay in Raccoon City,” he said as he leaned forward. “Mostly those who are being investigated with exceptions made for those among us who have larger families and have more to lose.”

“So someone like Jill, Chris, or Forest?” Captain Marini asked.

“That’d do the trick,” J.D. nodded. “Kenneth is going to want to go dark, and you should probably let him and his wife do that because he was the one doing the filming for the most part, so I’ll pull some strings to help him disappear for a little while.”

“What about you guys?” Chris asked with a gesture towards the mercenaries, Forest and Edward nodding in agreement. “What are you going to do?”

“We’re going to have to go loud, and very very public,” J.D. sighed. “I’d like to stay in the shadows, but I know our chances of survival are best if we are the subject of the public eye for long enough that people are likely to take notice if we die,” he shrugged. “Sarge here isn’t going to want to go public so she’ll likely stay dark until this whole thing blows over.”

“Got that right,” Rain muttered. “I’m not one for the spotlight. Is there any option where I get to take the fight directly to them?”

“Not unless there’s another outbreak,” the CIA agent-turned-UBCS member shook his head. “Which means that we get to submit evidence to government agencies and be public enough that we aren’t killed when Umbrella tries to bribe their way out of this.”

“I’ll stay here in Raccoon City,” I said with a shrug. “I know Barry is going to want to keep his kids and wife out of this though. Same with you Captain Marini. Besides, this is one of Umbrella’s major R&D areas, they post about it everywhere, so I might do some low-level sleuthing while I’m here.”

“Keeping an eye on Umbrella might not be a bad idea,” J.D. said with a frown as he considered it. “But considering that you’re in some of the video footage that we’re going to be going public with you should probably stay out of sight.”
“I’ll go public,” Captain Marini said. “And I’ll help us all stay in contact with each other as we move around.”

“I’m certainly not going to miss the opportunity to snipe at a target like that,” Forest drawled. “Besides, I never got my revenge on Wesker, so I might as well get some shots in at the company that he worked for while I’ve got the chance.”

“Count me in as well,” Edward replied. “I’ve got nothing tying me down to Raccoon City, and I might as well make a difference.”

“I’m going to be doing some detective work,” Chris said after having been silent this whole time. “There has to be something or someone who Umbrella has pissed off that’ll have more evidence we can use. So I’ll start diving into that, see what I can find.”

“I’m not going to be much help on any of those fronts, I’m afraid,” Alicia Marcus said with a sad expression on her face. “I signed many NDAs when I started working for Umbrella in smallpox research, and I didn’t encounter any illegal activity or research until the HIVE was locked down.”

“So you and Rain lie low,” J.D. suggested. “Natalia, Kaplan, and I will be the public faces along with you STARS members that are willing to join us.”

“And I’ll disappear and get out of the picture while I do my detective work,” Chris said with a shrug. “Seems like we’ve got it all planned out.”

“I guess,” I shrugged. “But the biggest thing to remember is that it’ll take years for everything to finally be dealt with. The courts will take their time, and that’s without taking into account the money sink that this is going to be for Umbrella.”

“Agreed,” J.D. said as he took a sip from his beer. “It might end up being the money sunk into this that brings Umbrella down in the end. Well, that and the damage this is going to do to their reputation across the globe.”

“So we do this and then basically just wait everything out for what might take years?” Jill asked with a sigh as she put her head down in the crook of her elbow.

“That about sums it up,” I said as I looked at her. “Look, on the bright side, we’ve got the job of staying here in Raccoon City and trying to figure out if there are any more labs where Umbrella is conducting that sort of research.”

“Either way, we’re going to have to put together statements and have the evidence presented in such a way that it can’t be disproven,” Kenneth finally spoke up.

“I’m going to head back home for a bit,” Rebecca spoke up. “My parents have been calling me since the incident in the mountains and I think I should spend some time with them before dragging them into this sort of thing.”

“I’ll take my time leaving Raccoon City,” Barry said with a grunt as he began eating some fries that had been bought as an appetizer. “Make sure that you’ve got some backup,” He indicated me and Jill.

“So we’re splitting up into groups to get done what we can,” Chris said as he looked around to various nods from people. “Rain, Alicia, you two want to help me out?”

“I’m always up for a good fight,” Rain said with a grin. “And I can tell you’ll be getting into plenty of trouble.”

“I’m gonna stick around here,” Alicia said with a glance at Jill and me. “I may be able to help Mark and Jill with some of their work given that the world thinks I’m dead.”
“We change your hair and get you a new style and no one will be able to tell that you were Alicia Marcus,” Jill grinned. “Call you something similar but different and you’ll be set too.”

“Getting off topic here,” Captain Marini said as he leaned back. “But I reckon we’re about done here anyway, only thing left is to see about clearing out our offices in the Precinct HQ.”

“Well, that and I’ve got to find a good lawyer,” I said with a sigh. “I thought my contract didn’t allow me to be fired, and so I may have a wrongful termination suit on my hands.”

“Sounds like we’re all about to be very busy,” Forest said with a small smile. “We should probably enjoy spending time together like this before we all separate.”

“Agreed,” Natalia finally spoke up while raising her glass of vodka. “To hurry up and wait,” her Russian accent bled through.

“To hurrying up and waiting,” we all echoed as we clinked our drinks together before taking a gulp.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 38
Raccoon City, September 5th, 1998

“It’s nice to have a roommate,” Jill said as she helped Alicia settle into her apartment. “Mark’s not a bad neighbor, and I like getting free food whenever he’s cooking, but he’s a guy. He just doesn’t seem to understand some things.”

“Such as?” Alicia asked for clarification as Jill continued working the brown dye into her blond hair.

“Such as not understanding that sometimes I just want to vent, I don’t actually want solutions to my problems,” Jill replied with a sigh. “And then there are other times that he just doesn’t want to go out and do things, we’re friends, but he seems so distant from the rest of us sometimes.”

“You said he wasn’t exactly a part of the STARS proper, right?” Alicia asked. “More of a go-between for SWAT and STARS, right?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Maybe he felt like he was torn between the two, I mean, we all saw how the SWAT team members were scared of you STARS, and he had to go and work with both SWAT and STARS with the expectation that both teams would watch his back.”

“I never thought about it like that,” Jill said as she finished. “We’ll have to let your hair sit with the dye for a couple of hours before washing it out, and we should probably take it to get cut too.”

“That’s probably not a bad idea,” Alicia said as she stood up and stretched. “I’ve needed a trim for a couple of months, and a wardrobe shift away from lab coats would be nice.”

“Shopping trip?” Jill asked with a sigh. “I tend to only go when it’s absolutely necessary. Or when I owe Mark some groceries.”

“It does look like you eat out a lot,” Alicia noted as she glanced at the trash can full of take-out containers. “Not that I’m one to judge given I spent most of college living off of junk so I didn’t get any student loans.”

“Well, I’m not exactly the best in the kitchen,” Jill said with a glance toward the small pile of dirty dishes in the sink. “I can manage some basic stuff, but I didn’t have much of a teacher for that sort of thing growing up.”

“Well, once this dye is done setting we should head to a clothing shop,” Alicia said. “I’ve got to get some new clothes that aren’t borrowed anyway,” She gestured to the shirt and gym shorts she had borrowed from Mark. “These don’t exactly fit properly.”

“Right,” Jill said. “Do we want to see if the rest of the girls want to join in before they leave next week?”

“Might as well,” Alicia shrugged. “I’m not sure how Rain and Natalia will handle it though. They don’t exactly strike me as the shopping type.”

“There’s a mall here that has clothes that should work for their styles too,” Jill replied as she moved over and plopped down on her couch. “Besides, if Rain is heading overseas to England with Chris she’ll need a new set of clothes anyway.”

“True, and Natalia might need a business suit or something for when they’re able to go fully public with everything.”

–
–

“Well, I don’t normally do this sort of thing, but it’s nice to do something a bit different sometimes,” Rain said as they relaxed in the eating area of the local mall. “Thanks,” she nodded toward Jill.

“No problem,” Jill said as she dug into her burger. “Been meaning to hang out with someone that’s not a guy for a while now.”

“Speaking of guys,” Rain said as she leaned forward. “You got a stake on Chris?”

“What?” Jill asked after she had finished choking down a bite of food. “No, we’re just really good friends.”

“You sure about that?” Rain asked. “Because he looks at you like he’s lovestruck.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m just friends with him,” Jill replied.

“You never hooked up with him?” Rain asked with a raised eyebrow. “He’s a hunk of a man.”

“I never thought about it,” Jill said with a frown. “I mean, he’s attractive, but I never considered it before.”

“Well, that just means I’ve got a shot at it,” Rain said with a smirk before it dropped off of her face. “Look, I’m not trying to poach or anything here, but I might see if we work.”

“Take your shot,” Jill said with a smile. “Chris pretty much only has a sister left for family anyway, and I’m fairly sure that she’ll want to vet you herself.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Rain said as she made herself comfortable in her new gear, the black cargo pants fitting comfortably along with the dark camo jacket and gray shirt she was wearing.

“I think I found some stuff that works,” Alicia said as she walked up to Rain and Jill, followed closely by Natalia, both of them already wearing their new outfits.

“I am not certain that I like this,” Natalia said as she twisted a bit in the business suit she had bought. “It looks professional, but feels too tight, movement is limited.”

“It suits you,” Alicia said with a smile. “Besides, if you find a good tailor they can fix up that fairly quickly.”

“And you look like you found something practical,” Rain said to Alicia. “It’s not tactical gear, but it doesn’t scream ‘scientist’ either.”

“It works,” Alicia shrugged. “And it fit the budget we had for this.”

“Looks like we’re done here then,” Jill said. “It’s a shame that Rebecca decided to go ahead and head back to her family, but it is what it is.”

---

“Mathias Dawson,” I greeted the SWAT team Sergeant as I opened the door. “How are you healing up?”

“I’m almost back to a hundred percent,” the man said with a smile. “I’ve been on medical leave since that night and just dropped by to see how you were doing.”

“I’m not half bad,” I said with a smile. “I’m actually expecting Captain Welles to stop by for a visit soon.”

“Really?” Mat asked. “I thought you’d had a falling out?”

“Nah,” I shook my head. “I get along plenty well with most of SWAT and STARS, it was Captain Wesker and Chief Irons who I didn’t like, they just feel oily and slimy if you know what I mean.”

“I think I get it,” Mat said as he walked into my home and sat down in the chair I indicated across from me at the table. “I’ve been looking for other job opportunities outside of Raccoon City since the mountain incident anyway. After I got put on medical leave I was told that I would be moved to regular beat cop and my salary cut to go with.”

“Did they give you a reason why?” I asked.

“Budget cuts,” Mat shrugged. “They’re cutting an entire team of SWAT members too, said that we don’t have the funds for everything and since crime has seen a general downturn this year the city has started cutting the RPDs budget.”

“Well, I’m willing to be one of your references if you need one,” I offered as Mat accepted the cup of coffee.

“I’m planning on moving south to Texas,” Mat said as he took a sip. “I’ve got an offer to join a SWAT team in the Houston PD, and my fiance and I have decided to move into that area this week. I just dropped in to say goodbye and thanks for saving my life.”

“It’s not something you need to thank me for,” I said as I eased myself down into the chair. “You and your fiance getting to have a family and a life is more than enough for me.”

A knock came at my door and I stood up and moved to answer it.

“Captain Welles,” I greeted the sizeable black man and his wife. “Come in, come in.”

“Mark,” the man said as he wiped his shoes off and came into my apartment. “I see you’ve got company,” he said once he saw Mat. “We can leave if you’re busy.”

“No, that’s not necessary,” I said as I waved them into my house. “Mat here was telling me that he was moving to Houston to join their SWAT Team there. “

“I didn’t want to cut you,” Welles said with a frown. “But you were already on medical leave and Chief Irons had already cut personnel that he had put down as ‘excess expenditures’.”

“I figured,” Mat said with a sad smile. “But in a way, this works out for me, I’ve got family that’s down south and this way I can be closer to them as well as be back on a SWAT Team.”

“I’m glad to hear that you found a good job,” Welles said as he and his wife took a seat at my table while I got them some coffee. “I’m just sorry that you’re leaving, you were a good cop and a damn fine operator.”

“Thanks for the coffee, Mark,” Mat said as he took his cup to the sink and rinsed it out. “I think I’ll be on my way. I’ll keep in touch though.”

“See ya,” I shook his hand before he left and then sat back down to talk to Captain Welles. “Now, you wanted to speak with me?”

“I wanted to apologize for you losing your job,” Welles said after he had taken a breath. “You were our medic and despite any issues that I may have with the STARS teams, you never treated us any differently. I was merely told that the STARS teams were being put on leave pending an investigation. Not what else was going to happen there.”

“You mean when some of SWAT Team Gamma tried to go against the law?” I asked.

“Yeah, that,” he said uncomfortably. “That team is mostly made up of hires that don’t answer to me, I only know a handful of them and they’re all from out of town.”

“Seems like Irons is bringing on a lot of people that we don’t know,” I said with a shake of my head. “I heard rumors about him setting up some sort of team to replace the STARS from somewhere, but I doubt they’re true if the funding issues I’ve heard of are really happening.”

“I came to apologize, but also to give you this,” Welles said as he pulled an envelope out of his jacket and handed it to me. “It’s the check that’s mandated by your contract to cover the replacement of your personal firearm. We saw that your rifle was destroyed by something and so we managed to convince Irons that the rifle cost a lot more than you paid for it when you and the armorer built it. It’s not a lot, but it should help cover your expenses until you’re able to get into another job.”

Welles stood up and began to leave before turning his head and looking at me from over his shoulder. “The RPD thanks you for your service and wishes you well on your journey in life.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 39

“Thanks for helping me out with this,” I said to Jill and Alice as they helped me strip the storage unit where the UBCS members had stashed their gear before leaving Raccoon City. “I had Kaplan forge some paperwork so that I legally own the Humvee, but I haven’t gotten the guns they left behind back to the apartment yet. And given I still haven’t gotten the stitches out,” I trailed off.

“You needed some help to load everything up,” Jill finished as she grabbed some of the MP5s and loaded them up into the back of the vehicle. “I see they left pretty much everything except for their sidearms.”

“Yeah, they figured they’d need something to defend themselves with,” I replied. “But given the news lately, I figure something might have escaped from the labs here in the city that they’re trying to cover up. They’ve basically coopted an entire SWAT team, and I’m concerned there’s more going on behind the scenes.”

“So what’s your next step?” Alice asked as she loaded up the last of the ammunition and we all climbed into the vehicle.

“I’m gonna be calling up the Kendo brothers,” I said with a smile. “Captain Welles just handed me a check for two grand, and I pretty much own my apartment, I’ve only got a handful of payments left on it. “So I’m going to see what kind of deals they can cut me.”

“And you already replaced your rifle with that M4, right?” Jill asked as she gestured towards the weapon I had pulled out of the MP's car in the Arklay mountains.

“Yep, so I have no need to go out and spec out a different rifle,” I said as I patted the case that the weapon in question was in. “That reminds me, we’ve got to clean out our offices by the end of the week, I got a voicemail yesterday about it. “

“Yeah,” Jill sighed. “I don’t really want to go back, but I figure we kinda have to.”

“I don’t mind going back and cleaning out both of our offices,” I offered as I drove back to my apartment. “It’s not a big deal for me.”

“No, I should go get my stuff,” Jill replied. “Just kinda feels like we’re outcasts when we interact with any of the people who used to be our friends.”

“Like I said, I don’t mind grabbing everything and just bringing it back. It probably won’t fit in your Toyota anyway,” I smirked in her direction.

“That’s probably true,” she conceded as she stretched in the passenger seat. “Alicia, you want to go do anything? You’ve been kinda cooped up for a little while.”

“I’ve always been a bit of a homebody,” the scientist said with a smile. “That said, I wouldn’t mind getting some range time in if we’ve got the ammunition to spend.”

“I’m in,” I said with a grin. “Training is good for you, and it’s always worth the time spent on the range.”

“He,” Jill pointed at me. “Is insane about getting as many training hours as he can possibly acquire. I think he got more overtime doing training than he did actually being a medic to the STARS and SWAT Teams.”

“Not true,” I replied. “Part of my contract had me working with EMS teams when I wasn’t working with the RPD, so when I had spare time I was training because I wasn’t the one paying for it and it made me better at my job.”

“Anyway,” Alice got our attention. “I’ve got this Beretta, you think I can convince the Kendo brothers to give it the same makeover that Jill has?”

“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “But I’d ditch the Beretta for something that’s a bit hardier. Or, if you’d rather have the Beretta because it’s more familiar I can have them do something with it.”

“I mostly want the rail and flashlight,” Alice said with a shrug. “I’m not picky on what handgun I have aside from that.”

“Well, I’ll see what I can find for you,” I said as we neared my apartment. “We’ll get you kitted out before anything goes bump in the night.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” the now brunette said with a smile. “But let’s get all of this inside first.”

“Yep,” I said as I backed into the parking spot for easier unloading. “Did Rain and the rest of the group clean their weapons before they stored them?”

“I don’t think they did,” Alice replied. “We were sort of trying to avoid attention and so didn’t have a ton of time to do anything like that.”

“Just means that I know what I’m doing tonight,” I said with a shrug as I grabbed the boxful of magazines and began carrying it inside my apartment.

“Want some help?” Jill asked as she grabbed Natalia’s AK-74U and brought it inside while Alice grabbed some of the MP5s.

“Sure, I can order pizza or something and we can just chill while we’re working on it,” I replied.

“I’m in,” Alice replied as I passed her and grabbed the M4’s case, and brought it inside. “I might need some instruction on cleaning everything though.”

“That’s fine,” I said as I closed up the Humvee and locked the doors. “I’ve got the manual for the MP5 on my bookshelf, we can go over it one more time before we start stripping them down for cleaning.”

“You know how to clean this thing?” Jill asked as she hefted the Russian AK-74U.

“It was designed to be cleaned and maintained by conscripts,” I said as I took the weapon from her and set it down. “It’s not hard to field strip or clean the damned thing. In fact, this one is nice because it’s got a nicer handguard and a threaded barrel for a suppressor. I’ll have to see if there’s any ammo at the gun stores though. Because if not, this just became a very nice paperweight once we’re out of ammunition for it.”

“Alright then,” Jill said as she moved over to my phone and reached for it. “You want a meat-lovers right?”

“Yep,” I replied as I began stripping down the AK. “And get whatever you two want as well, cash for takeout is in a jar on the counter.”

“So, where do we start?” Alice asked me.

“Let’s go get my cleaning kit,” I said as I set down the pieces of the field-stripped AK. “This is going to take a while.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 40

“Is there a reason you’re actually keeping all of your paperwork?” JIll asked as she shredded another personal document.

“I medically treated people,” I replied as I taped up the box that I had just finished packing. “I documented everything in case someone tries to sue me for malpractice.”

“I never thought that was something that you had to be worried about,” Jill said as she finished packing up the last of her personal effects. “Shows what I know.”

“It isn’t something I talk about a lot,” I replied as I stacked the boxes up on a hand truck. “Partly because I’ve never been sued for treating anyone, and partly because I just never saw the point in bringing it up.”


“I’ll have to remember that EMTs and SWAT medics have different rules than the Army medics I’ve worked with,” Jill said as she helped me move the documents out to the small that we had rented for our personal effects.

“It’s probably something to keep in mind,” I agreed. “If a medical professional in the civillian world screws up, they can become the subject of a malpractice suit. If they screw up in the military, they hand you some Ranger candy and tell you to suck it up.”

“You’re not wrong,” Jill laughed as she climbed into the passenger seat after a moment of looking back at the building that contained our offices. “Well, there’s one chapter of our life closed,” She said with a sad expression on her face.”

“Yeah,” I said as I started the truck up. “I’m not so sure about that. I think we’ll be back here sooner than we think.”

–
–

“So, you need a weapon with a rail mounted light?” Robert Kendo asked Alice as he studied the frame of the woman.

“Yeah,” Alice said with a shrug as she set a pistol case on the gun countet. “I’ve got this Beretta 92FS that I’ve had for a little while. I’ll trade it for somehting with a weapon light and I’ll pay extra cost on top if necessary.”

“Let me get my brother Joseph,” Robert said as he inspected the Beretta. “He’s the gunsmith here after all,” Robert walked into the back of the gunstore.

“I hear you’re looking for something with a light,” A slightly shorter but thinner man stepped out of the back followed by Robert.

“I am,” Alice replied. “Looking for some ammo too.”

“Well, I can do a trade,” Joseph said as he picked up the Beretta and went over it. “But it’d honestly be more cost efficient for me to just swap out the lower receiver on your Beretta with one of my custom ones. It’ll cost about $200 for the modification and you can then throw whatever light or laser you want on it.”

“That should work fine,” Alice replied. “Any idea how long it will take?”

“It should be done by tomorrow at the latest,” Joseph said as he placed the Beretta back into its case before closing it and moving it behind the counter. “We take half payment up front for any modifications, and then half afterwards.”

“Sounds good,” Alice said as she moved to the register. “Mind if I take a look at some of your other stock? I’m curious to see if there’s anything else I might want to purchase while I’m here.”

“Go ahead,” Robert took over and began writing a ticket as Joseph took the handgun to the back. “Just let me know when you’re ready to check out, and this slip is what you’ll use to get your weapon back.”

“Sounds good,” Alice smiled as she looked at the various weapons that were in the gun store before her eyes settled on one gun in particular. “What is that?” She asked as she pointed to the strange blocky weapon with a small scope on the top of it.

“That right there is a gun that I personally hate,” Robert stepped over to the weapon in question. “The High Point 1095TS, a 10mm Carbine that works pretty decently, but is probably one of the worst looking weapons ever created. And don’t get me started on their handguns,” the man shuddered. “You’re better off getting one of these and having me touch it up a bit if you want something more tactical,” Joseph pulled a small wooden rifle off of the rack behidn him. “This is a Ruger Mini 14. This one in particular is capable of firing both 5.56 NATO, and .223 Remington. It’s a rugged machine that’ll take care of you if you take care of it.”

“Anything for bigger game?” Alice asked, trying to figure out what exactly she wanted.

“Sure,” Joseph put the Mini 14 away and brought out a lever action. “This is a lever action chambered in .357 Magnum, it’ll kill anything you want it to, and will also fire .38 special if you’re aiming for something more self defense.”

“I think I’ll take it,” Alice said with a strange gleam in her eye. “Add it to the ticket and I’ll buy it tomorrow when I come back for my Beretta.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Joseph said with a smile. “It’s nice to meet a woman with an appreciation for the classics.”

---

“So you got everything squared away?” Jill asked Alice as we picked her up from a small restaurant.

“I’ve gotten everything I wanted done,” Alice replied. “And I handed the list you made to Robert, he said it’ll take a couple of days to get everything together.”

“That’s fine,” I replied as I backed the truck up. “I’m not in a rush for it.”

“What did you order?” Jill asked.

“Five or six thousand rounds of various ammunition,” I replied. “Even managed to find a case of 5.45x39 for the AK.”

“You preparing for a war?” Jill asked as she glanced in the back at the boxes of ammo that I had claimed from the RPD before we left.

“Jill, have you paid attention to the news while looking into Umbrella, recently?” I asked as I took a left and began the drive back to our apartments. “The news looks a lot like it did when we were about to head up into the mountains, and the odds are that whatever it is that Umbrella was working on has made its way into Raccoon City.”

“Fuck,” Alice breathed out as she realized what that would mean. “If it spreads as fast as I think it does then the city has been slowly infected for weeks now.”

“Which means that we are limited on time,” I replied. “I don’t know how long we have, but we need to start prepping for the worst.”

“Before the worst comes knocking,” Jill muttered as I slammed on the brakes, the truck screeching to a halt.

 

[The Whispering Monk]

“Before the worst comes knocking,” Jill muttered as I slammed on the brakes, the truck screeching to a halt.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 41

I exhaled in relief as I put the truck into park, glad that the brakes had worked well enough for me to stop before I hit the young woman who was now quaking in fear on the ground in front of the idling truck.

“I got her,” I said to Jill and Alice as I opened the truck door and accepted the medbag that had been in the back seat. “Miss, are you okay?” I asked as I held my hands out in a non-threatening manner. “I can treat you if you’re injured in any way.”

Shaking, the woman just pointed at a nearby alleyway where it looked like someone was rifling through someone’s pockets.

“Jill,” I called out as I stood up a bit. “Stay with her for a minute, it looks like there’s a mugging going on.”

“Copy that,” Jill said as she got out of the truck and went over to the young woman of Asian descent. “Hey, I’m Jill, can you tell me your name?”

Standing up, I moved forward to the alleyway, recoiling back as a smell hit me almost like a physical force. “Ugh,” I muttered as I walked toward the person that appeared to be going through someone’s pockets. “Hey! Step away!” I barked as I tried to reach over and grab the shoulder of the person before jumping back as it turned and faced me, part of the face covered in gore as the now-identified zombie lunged at me.

Backing up, I kicked the undead creature back as I reached into the small of my back where my Sig was holstered, then lining up my sights, I pulled the trigger back until the round had left and there was a new hole in the zombie’s head.

“What the hell is going on here?” Jill asked as she moved into the alley with her Samurai Edge drawn.

“We have less time than I thought,” I muttered as I kicked the body of the zombie below me. “Get the girl and get in the truck. I don’t want to still be here when the RPD tries to investigate what happened here.”

“Got it,” Jill said as we both backed up out of the alleyway and helped the girl now identified as Yoko into the truck.

“Do you have a place to stay, Yoko?” Alice asked the still-frightened young woman.

“I don’t remember,” Yoko said as she gripped the small backpack so hard that her knuckles started turning white.

“That’s fine,” Alice spoke softly. “We’ll get you some food and a fresh change of clothes and then help you figure out your next step.”

“We’ll make sure you get to wherever it is that you were headed,” I said as I buckled up and put the truck back into gear. “I’ve got some cash put aside I can let you have to help out as well if it’s needed.”

–
–

“Here we are,” I said as I backed the truck up into a parking spot. “Do y’all need help with anything?”

“I think we’re good,” Jill said as she showed Yoko where her apartment was while she also hefted the lone box with her personal effects in it. “The real question is, do you need help?”

“I’m good,” I replied. “We may want to start getting our kit together tonight though. If there are already zombies in the city it may be too late to catch Umbrella in the act of anything.”

“We’ll be over after dinner to help get our kit set up,” Jill replied. “We should also get our go-bags together, we’ll probably need them.”

Grabbing the dolly out of the truck, I began loading the boxes with paperwork onto it and began wheeling it up the steps to my apartment, unlocking my door and opening it up to reveal that someone had gone through and ransacked most of it.

“Fuck,” I muttered as I dropped the hand truck and began clearing my house with the handgun, being careful to make sure there weren’t any people lingering behind. “Let’s hope they didn’t get into the kit.” Reaching up to the string that hung down from the ceiling, I pulled down the ladder to the crawlspace and walked up the steps with a flashlight drawn in one hand and my weapon in the other, breathing a sigh of relief as I saw that the weapons that Rain and the others had left behind were still where I had left them.

Climbing down the ladder, I went and finished unloading the truck before closing the door behind me and making my way to the fridge where I pulled the lone beer out of the fridge and cracked it open.

“Looks like I’m not sleeping here tonight,” I muttered as I reached for the button on my voicemail recorder, the light showing that there were one or more messages waiting for me.

“Hey Mark, It’s Enrico. I was calling to let you know that we’ve started releasing the data we had to various public entities. Turns out that Kaplan has a lot more files on Umbrella than anyone thought, and we managed to find some lawyers who were interested in covering us as well. But be aware, Umbrella has already started making moves to stop our story, so they may be sending some people over to mess with you and Jill as well.”

“A bit late for that,” I muttered as I stopped the recording and took a sip of the beer. “At least they left my fridge alone,” I started dialing Jill’s apartment number from memory. “How’s your apartment looking?”

“Everything is fine here,” Jill replied. “Why? Is something wrong in yours?”

“You got the voicemail, right?” I asked. “Well, I’m pretty sure Umbrella already started with my house because I was probably listed in some of Wesker’s files.”

“Alright,” Jill said with a sigh. “I’ve got mine and Alice’s go-bags packed, hotel for the night?”

“That’s what my plan was,” I replied. “I’ll return the truck and we can take the Humvee over.”

“Give us an hour or two,” Jill responded. “We’ll have to see if Yoko plans on coming with us or if she wants to head out on her own.”

“Copy that,” I said as I glanced at the ladder that I had pulled down. “I’ll start prepping our kit.”

 

[ATP]

Get AT missiles/Lav4 or something/ ,0.50 Browning,or at least 40mm grenade launcher.
If not possible,made homemade Claymores..

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 42

“You good?” Jill asked as she walked into the suite I had reserved for the three of us.

“Yeah,” I sighed as I put my Sig back together. “I’m just mad that my apartment is destroyed.”

“At least you own yours,” Jill sat down next to me and passed me a beer. “I’m probably not getting my security deposit back.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t count on it,” I laughed.

“We going to talk about the zombie?” Jill asked.

“I figured it was probably one that made its way down from the mountains,” I said as I took a swig. “It was too decayed for it to have been a new zombie.”

“But it is concerning that it was able to reach the city,” Alice chimed in as she overheard the last bit of the conversation. “Also concerning is that Umrella was willing to move and ransack your apartment so quickly.”

“I don’t know for sure that it was Umbrella,” I replied as I drank some more of the beer. “Could have been someone looking for an easy mark and picked the wrong house,” I trailed off.

“But it’s too close in timing for it to be a coincidence,” Jill agreed. “Considering the way Wesker hated you, it wouldn’t surprise me if they had some red flags in your personnel files.”

“Agreed,” I said as I set the beer down and lay down on the floor, stretching my arms and back. “I think I’m gonna sleep here tonight. Y’all can have the beds.”

“Yeah,” Jill snarked. “Because that’s comfy. Get up and get in the bed. We’re all getting some good rest tonight.”

---

“You’re confident that this is where your contact wanted to meet?” Rain asked Chris as they sat at a small cafe in England.

“If someone on an internet chat forum counts as a contact,” Chris muttered under his breath before speaking up. “Yeah, we’re looking for someone in a gray jacket with sunglasses on.”

“I see him,” Rain nodded in the direction of someone who matched that description as she took a sip from her drink. “Your seven.”

“Got it,” Chris said as he saw a reflection in the glass and noted the appearance matched that of the contact he had made. “I’ll go make contact, keep it dialed back but be ready to intervene if necessary.”

“The weather here is pretty dismal,” Chris said the agreed-upon identification phrase.

“You think it’s bad here? You should visit Greenland sometime,” a British accent met Chris’s ears as the other man spoke up. “Care to sit down and discuss the weather in Spain perchance?”

“Sure,” Chris said as he gestured towards the table where Rain was seated. “We’d love to talk about what the rest of Europe is like.”

---

“You’re sure that going loud was the best option?” Enrico asked J.D. as they sat in a safe house just outside of Washington D.C.

“Didn’t say it was the fastest or the best way,” J.D. shrugged. “Just that it was the way that led to us having the best chances of survival. Now if they kill us it’ll be obvious that it was them and there’ll be an investigation.”

“I hope you’re right about that,” Enrico said as he took a sip from his coffee mug. “Because I don’t think that Umbrella is going to go down quietly.”

“They’re a pharmaceutical giant,” J.D. laughed. “Of course, they’re not going to go down quietly. They’re a part of big pharma, only they’ve moved far beyond making a profit off of selling fixes to symptoms and have now decided to engineer their own bioweapons for profit.”

“You think they’ve got more of the kinds of things we encountered in the mansion and training facility?” Enrico asked.

“You think they stopped at just one facility?” J.D. asked. “No, they’re not the kind of people who will let this sort of thing go, they’ve likely got facilities all over the world just like that one.”

“But it was easier to get away with up in the mountains because they owned the land and most of the city,” Enrico grasped what J.D. meant.

“Yeah, In fact, I bet they’ve transferred some of that work to labs inside of the city, and if their safety measures are anything like what you saw in the mountain facility instead of the HIVE,” J.D. shuddered.

“The Red Queen actually almost succeeded at her job,” Kaplan said as he took a seat and joined the conversation. “If someone hadn’t tampered with her core code she’d have been able to help us out and I’d have been able to recover more data from her drives.”

“You ever figure out who else had access?” Natalia asked.

“No,” Kaplan said with a shake of his head. “And there are only a few programmers who worked on the project like I did. And, the altered code was trash, so I expect it was an amateur who had just gotten to copy some of the work the team did and modified it to do what they wanted.”

“You almost sound sad that she’s gone,” Enrico said. “It was just a machine, and one that tried to kill you, at that.”

“She didn’t have any choice in the matter,” Kaplan said with a sigh. “And I spent years helping in her development. So, yeah, I’m a bit sad that she’s gone. I might have to see what I can salvage from her code and try to rebuild her. She was effective at preventing an outbreak, and if Umbrella has more sites around the world then we’re going to have to have scientists studying this thing to find a cure or something. Which means that safety measures like the Red Queen are going to be more important than ever.”

“Sounds like you’ve got your career planned out for once this business is finished,” J.D. smiled. “Just give me a heads up if you plan on implementing it on a site. I’ll need to know where not to go in the future.”

“Very funny,” Kaplan snarked. “Jackass.”

“You know you love me,” J.D. ribbed the slightly younger man. “Besides, you’d have been dead years ago if I hadn’t pulled your ass out of the fire a few times.”

“Well, I’m off to bed,” Enrico stood up. “Have a good night. We’ve got another meeting with the lawyers in the morning.”

“Ugh,” Natalia spat. “Lawyers.”

“You said it,” Kaplan yawned. “I guess I should head off to bed too.”

“I’ll take the first watch,” Natalia said as she pulled out her handgun and set it on the table. “You never know what may come for you in the night.”

“I’ll take over from you after I wake up,” J.D. said as he leaned back in the recliner and shut his eyes. “Give me four hours of shuteye and I’ll take over from there. I’ve still got some favors saved up to call in any way.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 43

Raccoon City, September 1st, 1998

"Any luck?" I asked Alice as she climbed into the sedan we had rented for this stakeout.

"This site probably isn't doing any testing," the woman replied with a sigh. "Honestly, this feels like a massive waste of time. Umbrella has labs all over the city and likely is only doing the research in a small handful of them. They're not idiots, and they likely predicted that people might try to gain access to their secret research. The fact that we only found stuff in the mountains means they've had decades to work in secrecy. It's looking like they're tightening security up after the Mansion incident."

"You're probably right," I replied as I cranked the car over and began heading back to the hotel room. "But it's at least worth a shot to check some of the labs out."

"So, got any more information out of your people in the RPD and hospital?" Alice asked as she accepted a bottle of water.

"The RPD is scrambling to deal with a lack of funding right now," I replied. "Now that STARS is gone, the gangs decided to start acting up again, and a lot of cops have been pulled to work on that end of town."

"Sounds like they're going to have issues later," Alice said as she took a sip of her water. "Any luck on the job front? I know you've been looking while Jill and I are working the Umbrella side of things."

"Yeah, there's a school that's looking to hire some extra security and medics due to the crime wave," I replied. "I've got an interview later today."

"You going to accept?" Alice asked. "Seems like we didn't manage to contain the virus if we encountered a zombie a couple of weeks ago. Might be better off just continuing to prep."

"If and when things start going down, I'd rather have saved those I could. Especially the kids," I responded as I flowed through traffic. "Besides, when all hell breaks loose we can send the kids out on a school bus. I've got enough kit to give them some firepower for defending the kids after all."

"I suppose that makes a certain degree of sense," Alice said as we rounded a corner on our way to pick up Jill. "I'm just worried that you may end up separated from us should something happen."

"I've got some ideas about that," I said as we neared the fast food chain that Jill was seated in. "But It'll take some work to see if they'll work or not."

"Well, let's hope that your ideas work," Alice said as Jill got in the car.

"Well?" I asked.

"I may have an in," Jill said with a small smirk. "Turns out there's a few nerds in there who don't keep up with the news, and one of them decided to try and ask me out. I figure I'll go out, see what kind of info I can pull while out drinking."

"Just stay safe," I fixed the rearview mirror so that Jill could see my eyes as I glanced back. "I can be on standby if you need backup."

"No offense," Alice said with a small laugh. "But you're not exactly unobtrusive. A six-foot-tall bearded man draws attention in this kind of place."

"Urban America is the only place in the world where I wouldn't blend in," I replied with a sigh. "You have a point. Alice can be on standby then."

"You're paranoid," Jill slugged me in the shoulder. "I can handle on nerd even if I happen to be drunk."

"I guess that settles it then."

–
–
September 3rd, 1998
"So, is there a particular reason why you're hiring an armed guard now?" I asked the principal of Raccoon City Elementary school.

"The RPD has refused to station a School Resource officer here for the last month and a half, citing "manpower issues" as the reason why we haven't had any armed security even though a gang shootout happened less than a block away from the school last week."

"You're aware that there might be bad publicity associated with hiring me on?" I questioned further, wanting him to be certain about this decision.

"Fuck them," the Principal swore. "I'm here to educate young minds in a safe environment, and I'm going to ensure that it remains safe in spite of whatever protests someone might raise."

"I'm in, but I am aware that this position is temporary," I replied.

"Do a good enough job and I'll see about making it permanent," John Paul stood up and firmly shook my hand.

"I'll be here bright and early in the morning," I said as I shook the hand back. "I've already got a tac vest and everything except for a rifle."

"I can't get you one of those, unfortunately," Principal Paul grimaced. "But I'm not going to kick up a fuss if you keep some extra firepower in your vehicle."

–
–
September 4, 1998

"Sherry, I've got your lunch packed," Annette Birkin said as she handed the young girl a lunch box. "I'm going to drop you off at school and then I'll be at work for the rest of the day. I've put dinner in the microwave if we don't make it home until late."

"Okay mom," Sherry said as she gave her mother a hug.

The duo made their way to the car and got in, Sherry buckling up in the back seat as they moved toward the Elementary School.

"I love you, have a good day sweetie," Annette gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek as Sherry got out of the car and waved goodbye to her mother.

"Love you too, mom!" Sherry yelled back as she began walking into the school.

"You're new," she said as she saw a man in a vest that said 'Security' on the front of it.

"Yes ma'am," the bearded man replied with a gentle smile as he knelt down. "I'm here to keep y'all safe."

Sherry just smiled as she considered that before continuing on her way.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 44

September 5, 1998

“So, what do you do in that lab all day?” Jill asked her date for the evening. “Surely there’s something exciting that goes on in the world of pharmaceuticals that would make someone like me interested?”

“Well,” Mathew Barnes replied as he took a sip from his whiskey glass. “I’m not really supposed to talk about what goes on in the lab, but I suppose I could tell you a thing or two.”

“Anything crazy?”

“Not really,” Barnes shrugged. “Mostly it’s just using small samples of drugs on various cells to see if there’s any change in behavior or allergic reactions etc…”

“No trying to cure famous diseases or anything like that?” Jill asked. An actual look of curiosity on her face.

“I wish,” the man scoffed as he shotgunned the last of his whiskey before signaling to the bartender to pour some more. “There’s no money in cures, so we’re limited to treating symptoms of problems instead of the source. If we cured you then you wouldn’t be a repeat customer.”

“That seems like something an accountant would say, not a scientist,” Jill pointed out.

“Pharmaceutical companies aren’t owned by scientists anymore,” Barnes sighed. “If they were, then you’d have a lot more things cured.”

“Wouldn’t that also lead to some potential issues?” Jill asked. “I mean, scientists have done lots of awful things in the name of research.”

“Sure, the ones without common sense or ethics enough to recognize a bad idea or unethical research prospect need some sitting on. But most of us are here to help people.”

“Well, Matthew, I don’t think this is going to work out, but I’ll cover your drink anyway,” Jill said with a sad smile as she pulled a wallet out of her jeans and paid for the drinks and meal with cash. “Have a great evening on me,” she gave him a kiss on the cheek as she left some extra cash on the table for further drinks before standing up and walking away.

“No luck?” Alice asked as Jill entered her apartment.

“No, seems I got someone who’s genuinely interested in the industry to help people as best he can,” Jill sighed.

“I can’t imagine that there’s a lot of scientists willing to work on that sort of virus while knowing what it’s actually being used for,” Alice replied. “Odds are that they’ve seen it introduced into samples and just told that it’s something unique that they want to be analyzed for specific properties and such.”

“So you keep most people in the dark and still get to experiment with it,” Jill understood what Alice was implying. “There has to be more to it than that though because Wesker and others graduated from an Umbrella school.”

“Yeah, where Umbrella could groom and manipulate young minds to get exactly the kind of person they wanted to know about the true experiments they were running,” Alice said as she finished up the dishes she was washing.

“We’re not going to be able to find anything in this city, are we?” Jill asked.

“Likely not,” Alice said with a sad smile. “At least not anytime soon.”

“Damn,” Jill said before laughing. “Well, if we’re not going to be productive, we might as well do something fun.”

“Get drunk and go bug Mark?” Alice asked.

“Yep,” Jill replied as she grabbed a bottle of liquor off of the shelf beside her fridge. “The guy’s too straight-laced for his own good anyway. He needs something to get him to loosen up every now and again.”

—
—

“Nope,” I said as I closed the door in Jill’s face. “Come back when you’re sober!” I said through the door.

“But Alice locked me out,” Jill whined as she staggered before using the wall to hold herself up. “ ‘Sides, ‘m sober enough to take you.”

“Not unless you’re a drunken master in disguise,” I said as I opened the door and caught the woman as she nearly fell. “Come on then, we’ll get you over to the couch.”

“Oh! You’re watching Top Gun!” Jill exclaimed as she made herself comfortable on my couch.

“Yeah, I wasn't enjoying some peace and quiet before going back to work at the elementary school tomorrow,” I snarked as I handed the woman a popcorn bowl.

—
—

“One day you’ll be the death of me,” I sighed as I sat Jill down in my guest bedroom’s bed, my apartment cleaned up from the destruction caused a few weeks ago.

“No relationships until you make it out of Raccoon City,” I muttered as I gently closed the door on my friend. “Don’t want to start something when you might not make it out of the city.”

“Looks like I’m not sleeping tonight,” I muttered as I glanced at the clock showing 2 in the morning. “Might as well be productive.”

“You’re up early,” Jill yawned as she walked into my living room where I was doing my morning calisthenics.

“Gotta be at work in an hour,” I muttered as I did weighted Russian twists with a twenty-pound weight. “Besides, gotta stay fit, I was stagnant for a bit too long.”

“You had stitches on most of your side,” Jill pointed out. “That’s not called being stagnant, that’s called healing, idiot.”

“Still gotta rework the muscle back into shape there,” I replied. “Too much of your core extends to your sides for me to ignore it.”

“You’re out of cereal,” Jill said as she poured the last of my Cinnamon Toast Crunch into a bowl with some milk.

“I take it the date didn’t go well,” I asked rhetorically as I moved from Russian Twists to Burpees.

“What gave it away?” Jill snarked back.

“You, being drunk last night,” I replied as I stood up, panting and slightly out of breath.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Jill deadpanned. “Turns out my mark was one of those idealist types.”

“We’ll find something eventually,” I said as I turned to enter my room. “Either we’ll find it, or it’ll find us, but we’ll get something one way or another. You just gotta have some faith.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 45

September 7, 1998

“How you been?” I asked Marvin Branagh as I sat in the diner with a cup of coffee in hand.

“I’m good,” Marvin replied with a sigh as he rubbed his eyes. “It’s been hell this past few weeks though.”

“I bet,” I replied as I took a sip of my coffee. “The city seems to have gone crazy after the mountain incident.”

“You’re telling me,” Marvin grunted. “I’ve been pulling double shifts all week just to keep up with the paperwork. On top of that, we’ve Got Chief Irons ‘Not available’ at times when we need the chief to be present.”

“Wish I was able to help,” I said as I accepted the plate of waffles and bacon from the waitress.

“SWAT wishes you were there too,” Marvin said as he accepted his plate of toast, eggs, and sausage. “They’ve been run ragged all month trying to keep a lid on the gang violence that’s going on.”

“Well, even if I don’t work with y’all anymore, you guys can still give me a call when you’re off if you need some off-the-books first aid.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Marvin grunted as he began to eat. “The rest of STARS leave town or something?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I think it’s just Jill, Brad, and myself still in town.”

“I don’t know what Chief Irons was thinking,” Marvin said as he scarfed down his food in between gulps of orange juice. “But we could have used all of you. As it is, we’re getting a bunch of fresh graduates from several police academies. We don’t need fresh officers here though, we need experienced cops ready to get shit squared away.”

“Anything else new happening?” I asked, curious to see if things were moving as quickly as I suspected.
“Nah,” Marvin shook his head. “Just a hectic week so far, and I’m ready to go on vacation already.”

“You got the PTO for it?” I asked.

“Nah,” Marvin shook his head. “I’ve already got Christmas and Thanksgiving scheduled off this year.”

“Then I hope you get to enjoy them,” I said honestly as we both began chatting about the other things that were going on in the RPD currently.

–
–

“Anything new out of the RPD?’ Jill asked.

“Yeah,” I replied with an odd look on my face. “Chief Irons keeps disappearing from his office periodically and not even Deputy Chief Douglas knows where he is during those time periods.”

“Should we take a look and see what we can find out?” Alice asked.

“I mean,” I shrugged. “It could be related to Umbrella, so it may be worth a shot.”

“We’ll have to work something out,” Jill said as she considered the idea. “We’ll start making plans tonight and move on from there.”

“I’ll be continuing the prep work on the Humvee tomorrow,” I replied. “I’ve also got a couple of other things to work on.”

“We’ll take care of investigating Chief Irons,” Jill said. “The cars being in working order is a big deal.”

“Your Toyota needs more work than I can provide,” I said as I gestured toward the car that was in horrible shape. “I’ll see what I can do for your engine, but I’m not making any promises.”

“Eh,” Jill shrugged. “It was a beater when I bought it in the first place.”

“So y’all are going to investigate Irons starting tomorrow while I continue working at the school?” I double-checked.

“Yep,” Alice said as she finished loading up the rest of her Beretta magazines. “But first, let’s finish this range time. It’s been a while and I need to make sure I’m up to speed.”

“Alright,” I agreed as I stood up from the table at the outdoor range. “Want me to help walk you through some of the speed and accuracy drills that I use?”

“Sure. I’ll bet Jill has some that’ll help too,” Alice said as she made sure her holster was secured.

“I’ve got a few,” Jill replied. “We’ll work through all of them slowly though, don’t want to overwhelm you after all.”

“Step one is to relax, the more stressed out you are about the shot the more fatigued your arms will get over time. A handgun might not be heavy at first, but after thirty minutes or more of practicing with a handgun the small muscles in your forearms and wrist will start getting worn out and you’ll start missing shots.”

---

September 9, 1998

“So, why is Chief Irons leaving out of a back exit?” Alice asked as the two women watched the heavyset man look around before vanishing into a side alley.

“That is a very good question,” Jill said as she exited the car. “Let’s go see if we can find out.”

“Right behind you,” Alice said as she made sure her boots were laced tight.

Moving forward into the alleyway, they saw a small glimpse of the man as he disappeared down a manhole, the cover setting quietly down behind him as he climbed down with a flashlight held between his teeth.

“Why go into the sewers?” Jill asked quietly. “What are you hiding down there?”

“We should wait a few seconds before following him,” Alice whispered. “We don’t want to be heard by him and risk discovery.”

“Agreed,” Jill replied. “You got the camera?”

“In my backpack,” Alice said. “Don’t want to risk dropping it into sewer water right now, after all.”

“Alright, let’s get this manhole cover up and start moving, I don’t want to lose Irons,” Jill said as she leaned down and began picking up the steel plate.

“The ladder here is surprisingly sturdy,” Alice observed as she began climbing down.

“It has to be if Irons wants his bulk to get down without any problems,” Jill responded as she slid down the ladder, her gloves working as a brake while she dropped.

“Huh,” Alice said as she finished climbing down. “I’m surprised the lighting in here is as intact as it is.”

“It’ll be enough for us to find Irons,” Jill said as she drew her Samurai Edge. “Let’s go find out what’s going on here.”

 

[ATP]

Chapter 45

September 7, 1998

“How you been?” I asked Marvin Branagh as I sat in the diner with a cup of coffee in hand.

“I’m good,” Marvin replied with a sigh as he rubbed his eyes. “It’s been hell this past few weeks though.”

“I bet,” I replied as I took a sip of my coffee. “The city seems to have gone crazy after the mountain incident.”

“You’re telling me,” Marvin grunted. “I’ve been pulling double shifts all week just to keep up with the paperwork. On top of that, we’ve Got Chief Irons ‘Not available’ at times when we need the chief to be present.”

“Wish I was able to help,” I said as I accepted the plate of waffles and bacon from the waitress.

“SWAT wishes you were there too,” Marvin said as he accepted his plate of toast, eggs, and sausage. “They’ve been run ragged all month trying to keep a lid on the gang violence that’s going on.”

“Well, even if I don’t work with y’all anymore, you guys can still give me a call when you’re off if you need some off-the-books first aid.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Marvin grunted as he began to eat. “The rest of STARS leave town or something?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I think it’s just Jill, Brad, and myself still in town.”

“I don’t know what Chief Irons was thinking,” Marvin said as he scarfed down his food in between gulps of orange juice. “But we could have used all of you. As it is, we’re getting a bunch of fresh graduates from several police academies. We don’t need fresh officers here though, we need experienced cops ready to get shit squared away.”

“Anything else new happening?” I asked, curious to see if things were moving as quickly as I suspected.
“Nah,” Marvin shook his head. “Just a hectic week so far, and I’m ready to go on vacation already.”

“You got the PTO for it?” I asked.

“Nah,” Marvin shook his head. “I’ve already got Christmas and Thanksgiving scheduled off this year.”

“Then I hope you get to enjoy them,” I said honestly as we both began chatting about the other things that were going on in the RPD currently.

–
–

“Anything new out of the RPD?’ Jill asked.

“Yeah,” I replied with an odd look on my face. “Chief Irons keeps disappearing from his office periodically and not even Deputy Chief Douglas knows where he is during those time periods.”

“Should we take a look and see what we can find out?” Alice asked.

“I mean,” I shrugged. “It could be related to Umbrella, so it may be worth a shot.”

“We’ll have to work something out,” Jill said as she considered the idea. “We’ll start making plans tonight and move on from there.”

“I’ll be continuing the prep work on the Humvee tomorrow,” I replied. “I’ve also got a couple of other things to work on.”

“We’ll take care of investigating Chief Irons,” Jill said. “The cars being in working order is a big deal.”

“Your Toyota needs more work than I can provide,” I said as I gestured toward the car that was in horrible shape. “I’ll see what I can do for your engine, but I’m not making any promises.”

“Eh,” Jill shrugged. “It was a beater when I bought it in the first place.”

“So y’all are going to investigate Irons starting tomorrow while I continue working at the school?” I double-checked.

“Yep,” Alice said as she finished loading up the rest of her Beretta magazines. “But first, let’s finish this range time. It’s been a while and I need to make sure I’m up to speed.”

“Alright,” I agreed as I stood up from the table at the outdoor range. “Want me to help walk you through some of the speed and accuracy drills that I use?”

“Sure. I’ll bet Jill has some that’ll help too,” Alice said as she made sure her holster was secured.

“I’ve got a few,” Jill replied. “We’ll work through all of them slowly though, don’t want to overwhelm you after all.”

“Step one is to relax, the more stressed out you are about the shot the more fatigued your arms will get over time. A handgun might not be heavy at first, but after thirty minutes or more of practicing with a handgun the small muscles in your forearms and wrist will start getting worn out and you’ll start missing shots.”

---

September 9, 1998

“So, why is Chief Irons leaving out of a back exit?” Alice asked as the two women watched the heavyset man look around before vanishing into a side alley.

“That is a very good question,” Jill said as she exited the car. “Let’s go see if we can find out.”

“Right behind you,” Alice said as she made sure her boots were laced tight.

Moving forward into the alleyway, they saw a small glimpse of the man as he disappeared down a manhole, the cover setting quietly down behind him as he climbed down with a flashlight held between his teeth.

“Why go into the sewers?” Jill asked quietly. “What are you hiding down there?”

“We should wait a few seconds before following him,” Alice whispered. “We don’t want to be heard by him and risk discovery.”

“Agreed,” Jill replied. “You got the camera?”

“In my backpack,” Alice said. “Don’t want to risk dropping it into sewer water right now, after all.”

“Alright, let’s get this manhole cover up and start moving, I don’t want to lose Irons,” Jill said as she leaned down and began picking up the steel plate.

“The ladder here is surprisingly sturdy,” Alice observed as she began climbing down.

“It has to be if Irons wants his bulk to get down without any problems,” Jill responded as she slid down the ladder, her gloves working as a brake while she dropped.

“Huh,” Alice said as she finished climbing down. “I’m surprised the lighting in here is as intact as it is.”

“It’ll be enough for us to find Irons,” Jill said as she drew her Samurai Edge. “Let’s go find out what’s going on here.”

following supposed Umbrella operative to sewers? they just win Darwin Award.