Resident Evil Recall: Operation Arklay

In the spring of 1998, a series of bizarre murders began to be reported in the heavily forested area outside of Raccoon City known as the Arklay Mountains. This usually quiet region made up of small villages and tourist attractions was shaken by reports of hikers and campers being ambushed by strange drifters at night, and even incidents of families being set upon in their homes by small groups of people. Victims were apparently eaten. This is the story of the first attempt at investigating the cause of these horrendous crimes, not by the elite Special Tactics and Rescue Service, but by a group of brave men and women from the standard ranks of the Raccoon Police Department. This determined, yet ill-fated group would become known as Task Force Arklay, and this is the story of how a failed mission turned into a desperate fight to stay alive.

Episode One: Raccoon City Sunrise

Part One

Raccoon City Suburbs, 7:00 AM…

With a satisfied sigh after the last drop of coffee was gone, Detective Sergeant Francis McGee set his mug down on the counter with a soft clink before standing up and stretching. He had been awake since long before the first rays of sunlight started to peek in through the slightly open blinds, but having recently turned thirty-five, it was just a little bit harder to start the day than it had been when he joined the RPD at twenty-one. The good news was that, since becoming a Detective, he didn't have to wear the standard blue uniform anymore, but honestly the job was wearing on him. Homicide was a tough department to work in, with a lot more gruesome sights than when he was just a beat cop. At least there, it was possible to have a boring day of traffic stops and shoplifting.

Oh well, the job was the job, and no amount of griping was going to change it. All cities had their share of murderers and crazies, and Raccoon City was no different, but at least today some of the burden was going to be lifted from his shoulders. After a much extended leave, his Lieutenant was coming back to work, but then again, that could be just as much of a curse as a blessing. The poor guy had nearly lost his mind a few months back, and, well, caused a bit of trouble before taking his vacation. Hopefully his rest had cleared his mind and he would come back with a better attitude, but who knew? Anyhow, it was time for McGee to get to work, himself.

Dressed casually with loose brown slacks and a white button-down shirt, McGee put his arms through his long-coat and grabbed his keys which were hanging on the wall near the front door. The sun was a bit higher in the sky than he expected, so it took a second for his eyes to adjust, and then he locked the door before starting down the walkway to where his Toyota Camry was parked in the drive. There was a bit of a drive ahead of him each morning, but the long commute was worth it in order to live in the suburbs on the outskirts of the city instead of in the congested middle of everything like a lot of Officers did. Plus, he didn't exactly mind the drive; it gave him time to relax and prepare himself for his shift, as well as time to calm down on the way home once it was over.

Once in the driver's seat and buckled in, he fired up the engine and was just about to leave the driveway, when he had to stop suddenly as a red Corvette blew past him. In a residential area where the posted limit was 25 MPH, McGee didn't need a radar gun to know that the driver was going just a little too fast. So he pulled out of the driveway, and hit the switch on the dashboard to start up the flashing red and blue lights on the front of his unmarked vehicle. The sports car had a good head start, but he had been living in this neighborhood for a long time, so he kept going straight where the Corvette had turned, and sure enough it came flying past him just as he reached the next intersection. Now there were two ways this could go: Either the driver was smart and would stop, or they were an idiot and would try to get away, and he really wasn't in the mood for the ladder.

Thankfully the driver was smart, quickly slowing down and pulling the Corvette over as soon as they saw the lights, meaning that McGee was less likely to get shot since this person probably hadn't just robbed a bank or anything. So he came to a stop as well, and was about to type the license plate into his computer, when he sighed with disappointment. The number was one that he recognized, as was the car now that he thought about it, so instead of running it, he got out of the car and walked up to the driver-side window where a young woman with blonde hair was waiting for him. A young woman that just happened to be the daughter of Raccoon City Mayor, Michael Warren.

"Good morning, Beverly." McGee said politely. "Got a bit of a lead-foot this morning, huh?"

"Oh, was I going a little fast?" She asked innocently. "I'm sorry, Officer McGee, I guess I didn't realize it."

Yeah, sure, he thought. Just like the last three times that she just wasn't paying attention. It was getting to the point that he didn't have to take down her license number anymore since he had memorized it after seeing it so many times. This girl was also used to cops letting her go since she was both pretty and the Mayor's daughter, but McGee had already given her two warnings before, so he went back to his car and took out the old citation notebook that he used when he walked a beat. It didn't take long to fill out, and then it was back up to the expensive car with the driver who was obviously expecting a warning.

"I'm issuing you a citation for going fifty in a twenty-five zone." He explained while giving her one of the carbon copies. "I could get you for reckless driving and have you towed, but I'm feeling generous today. You can either pay the fine or appear in court on the date listed right there… have a nice day."

"But… but." She stammered, not used to being ticketed. "But my father's the Mayor."

And McGee didn't care. The law applied to everyone in Raccoon City… well… at least the ones that he caught in the act. Beverly Warren was still sitting there staring at the citation when he put his car into gear and drove away, but his shift was a long one, so he was sure to have a lot more to deal with as he made his way toward the center of Raccoon City.

Raccoon City Warehouse District, 6:45 AM…

"You better hope I don't catch you!" Officer Adrian Lopez screamed as the chase continued.

What a way to start the morning; only three weeks into his career with the RPD, Lopez had been paired with fellow rookie Officer Avan Chambers for the day's patrol, and already the nuts in this city were up to no good. Seriously, he thought as he sprinted after the perp. Who the hell causes trouble this early in the morning? He and Chambers had decided to stop for doughnuts because it was fun to reinforce stereotypes for the people, when out on the street, right in front of the store, some long-haired freakshow pushed down an old lady and ran off with her purse.

"I got this!" Lopez yelled as he jumped up and ran out the door. "You take care of the victim!"

"Lopez, wait!" Chambers called as he got up too. "Don't go alone!"

Of the newly formed partnership, Chambers was much more so the voice of reason, but there was no stopping Lopez at this point. In just three weeks since getting hired, he had already gained a reputation for brutality, and there were a lot of people in the RPD who suspected that he might actually be crazy. Chambers was cleaner cut with a neatly trimmed mustache, but Lopez had longer hair with half of it dyed bright blond, and a beard that wasn't out of control or anything, but suggested several weeks without shaving.

"RPD, stop in your tracks!" Lopez yelled as the chase began.

The perp already had a good head start, and broke into a full out sprint when he saw that he was being pursued, and a long distance run was never a good way to start off the morning, which just fueled Lopez's anger and made him faster. The purse-snatcher turned down a side road toward the nearest cluster of warehouses where he probably hoped to find a place to hide, but that was not going to happen. Slowly the distance between them was closed, but then the perp turned again, running into the side door of a warehouse which for some reason was left unlocked.

Lopez was close, so it was only a couple seconds later when he ran through the same door, quickly spotting the perp as he ran up the stairs to the second level. The old wooden staircase creaked and groaned as he ran up them, and the perp appeared to be cornered since the storage landing at the top abruptly ended. Unfortunately the wooden landing broke just after he reached the top, trapping his left leg as he grabbed onto the guardrail to keep from falling the rest of the way through. He purse-snatcher was stunned for a second by this development, but then he must've realized that this was his only chance, and he darted around Lopez back to the stairs.

He had just reached the first floor by the time the rookie cop freed himself, and there was no time to reach him before he vanished out the door they had come in. There were windows along the second floor, however, that allowed him to track the perp as he ran alongside of the warehouse, also allowing him to see the purse-snatcher's genuinely surprised expression when Lopez dove out the window. Glass shattered and rained down on the ground as the half-blond man came flying out, and there was no time for the perp to react before he was tackled to the ground hard. They rolled a bit from the momentum, and maybe the purse-snatcher could have tried to get away if Lopez hadn't tackled him a second time and snapped a set of handcuffs onto his wrists literally as tightly as they would go.

"You like to steal old lady's purses, huh?" He demanded as he flipped the perp over onto his back and straddled him to keep him pinned down. "Well, here's what I like to do."

He then started punching the now helpless perp in the mouth again and again until the man was spitting out blood, and then he took the can of Mace off his weapon belt, making the purse-snatcher shriek and flail around as the contents were sprayed into his eyes at point-blank range. He was just stopping this as Chambers reappeared with their patrol car, pulling right up next to them with the old lady in the passenger seat. Once they got out, Lopez pointed to the purse that had fallen onto the ground during the scuffle, so Chambers grabbed it and gave it back to her.

"Thank you boys, so much." She said while putting the strap over her shoulder. "It's nice to know we have such good police in the city."

"No problem, ma'am." Chambers replied as she walked away. "We're just, uh, doing our job."

"That's right, and now we can finish it." Lopez added as he picked up the perp and slammed him down onto the hood of the car. "You're under arrest for Assaulting a Senior Citizen, Robbery, Fleeing and Eluding, Assaulting a Police Officer, and Resisting Arrest, that's like… twenty years right there. You have the Right to Remain Silent, so don't say a damn thing until we get to the station."

Chambers opened the back door of the patrol car, and closed it again after Lopez roughly tossed the perp inside. They then did a high-five before getting into the front, and Chambers turned on the radio after starting the engine. It just so happens that Bad Boys by Inner Circle was playing, so of course they started bobbing their heads as they started driving.

"Bad boys, bad boys." They both sang as they made their way toward the RPD. "Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?"