- Monday, November 22nd, 2004 -

"Project Incrementum, subject identification code: A375c9. She is my greatest achievement." An older gentleman's voice rang out in a triumphant facade. Sitting nearby was a young, golden blonde girl, she was quiet, keeping her eyes to the floor, not daring to meet his gaze. He scared her. So did his new friend, another male, around the same age. This man somehow seemed even more cunning and cruel than the first.

"Yes. Not only is she female, but, a child. It's quite astounding she's survived this long. However, I'm not sure her D.N.A. would be of much use in her sickly state. I'd hardly classify this experiment as a success. You've failed to produce anything valuable, what you've done, is found someone who carries the base form of the antibodies needed to cure your virus. You'd be wise to rid yourself of her." He didn't approve of her, much to the other's anger.

"Don't mistake her for a normal child, Albert. Her intelligence is far superior compared to a normal child at her age. She will be a proper replacement to the MS - Virus, which we lost with the destruction of Raccoon City."

"You want to make her a super soldier? She's falling apart. The girl isn't worth any more than a zombie."

Finally, she glanced up, staring at the man who was trying to condemn her to oblivion. He was dressed darkly and carried himself with pride. There was something ominous about his eyes, they were familiar, somehow. They made her feel uneasy.

Noticing her curiosity, he cocked a brow, glancing from the side. Immediately, she looked away, not wanting to draw attention to herself, or make her creator think she was hiding some development from him. They'd been through that song and dance before.

"Rayne." Her creator spoke, keeping his eyes on the other male, rather than her. "Come here." He demanded, holding out a hand. Quickly she got up, walking over and taking his hand. There could be no hesitation. "She's far more obedient than anything we've ever achieved. Sure, currently, she is no soldier, but, neither were either of us at her age. She has time." It was a last ditch effort to get the strange man's approval.

He only laughed. "Obedience means nothing, Nicholas. If you recall, the two of us were once obedient. Loyal only to Umbrella. And now, Umbrella means nothing. We've both destroyed and reformed it in our own image. We stole and sold trade secrets to other organizations, before taking them over as well. We've produced our own experiments, without worry of proper authorization. All this little girl needs is the motivation to betray you. Whether you truly believe she has the tenacity to become a super soldier or not, assure you keep a close eye on her. " With that, he turned, starting to walk towards the exit, Nicholas scoffing, giving the man an angry scowl. Stopping, he glanced back, focus on the small child. "A dog can be trained not to bite the hand, which feeds him, but, starve him enough and all that training won't matter. If it is ravenous enough, he won't hesitate in taking off a limb. Or two."

Chapter One: Desperate Escape

Eleven miserable years passed. Young Rayne managed a miraculous recovery in 2007, regaining her strength. The only downfall, her newly found health meant that Nicholas was ready to begin training her as a warrior. His technique was throwing her in a ring with grown men who'd had years to hone their skills and telling her to fend them off. If she didn't perform well, she went without meals that day. She became dependant on his praise and approval, wanting to prove herself just for some measly table scraps. Rayne would fight anyone he put her up against. His soldiers, other test subjects, mutant's even.

And in that horror, she had managed to make a friend. One of the other test subjects, also female.

Identification Code: J214H7, or the name her parents had given her: Anya Ramses. She was taken only four years ago and introduced to the same viral strain. They were pinned against each other numerous time and managed to devise a secret strategy, for one of them to take the fall one time, and the other the next. The girls still put on a good show, not wanting to get caught. Nicholas was none the wiser.

But, Anya slipped up, she grew attached to another subject, a younger girl, barely 10. Emily Helton, ID Code: M453I6. She devised a plan, hoping to escape the facility. And on Friday, October 16th, 2015, Anya put her plan into motion. Before leaving, she begged Rayne to come with her, that they'd be able to make a new life together. The young girl only shook her head, warning the other girls that their plan wouldn't work. They'd be captured. Nicholas was too smart to be so easily fooled. Anya's reply was that dying on the run, trying to reach freedom was better than waiting, locked in the labyrinth underneath a farmhouse for the inevitable to happen. The two girls left, with the promise of sending help.

Help never came. Anya was caught first, not even halfway through the surrounding woods and dragged back to the house, kicking and screaming, her hair gripped tightly in the soldier's fist. Emily had made it just a little farther, yet, was shot with a tranquilizer, and when she still tried to resist, tased. She was carried back into the house unconscious.

The worst part is that she'd been spotted by a group of teenagers hanging out on the train tracks, which cut through the woods. One of the teens saw her and quickly persuaded two of the group that they should get away and call the police. Two older members wanted to go investigate, saying the girl may have been hurt or in trouble. Those two were killed, their corpses brought back by the soldiers.

The group of three made it back into town, the girl running to her father, and telling him about the situation. Authorities were called in, but, found nothing. The local news station interviewed the girl. Nicholas was currently re-watching the interview for the hundredth time, a scowl across his face. A week had passed since their escape attempt, and it caused quite a lot of trouble. The incident had drawn the attention of the B.S.A.A.

"Last Friday, a group of teenagers were walking along the train tracks when they spotted something peculiar deep in the forest. What appeared to be a little girl dressed in nothing but a hospital gown. With the nearest hospital nearly 7 miles away, this arose suspicion with 17-year-old, Maribel Oliviera, who urged her friends to return back to the town and alert authorities. Zachariah Jones and Paige Gruler then decided to pursue the child and have since gone missing."

Nicholas was keeping a close eye on Rayne, keeping her within eyesight the past few days. He made frequent glances over to her, which was very uncomfortable. Anya and Emily's fate hadn't been decided yet, and Rayne couldn't help but feel as if she were on trial too.

She half listened to the report, she'd practically memorized it with how much he'd replayed it.

Now, Maribel was on screen. She was of Spanish descent, though her skin a lighter pigment. The reporter was trying to discredit the eyewitness, asking questions about why the group had been in the woods, if they'd been drinking or smoking, questioning if she was sure what they saw wasn't the result of a hallucination. Marijuana and beer bottles had been discovered by the police and were planted by Nicholas' men. The girl was adamant they'd seen a child and furious that the reporter was trying to act like her friends hadn't gone missing. This is when her father stepped in, his skin tone slightly darker, as was his hair.

"My daughter wouldn't lie about that! You aren't taking this seriously!"

"Sir, the police have surveyed the area and found nothing. It is a possibility that the two teens don't want to be found."

"Then the police need to call in someone who can do their job! Contact the B.S.A.A.!"

"We can hardly go around shouting bioterrorism whenever something odd happens! The B.S.A.A. need to be prepared for actual threats."

The male scoffed, pushing the man back, speaking directly to the camera. "Jill Valentine, please, if you're watching this, this is an actual emergency! There's something fishy about this whole situation! They-" The camera cut off at that moment. But, it wasn't enough, Jill's name had been muttered, and that's all that was needed for the B.S.A.A. to take action, sending in a small team, led by Jill Valentine herself. The government also took action, sending in two of their own USSS agents, who were masquerading as B.S.A.A. soldiers. Leon Kennedy and Demetrius Stephanos.

A click was heard as the room went quiet. Nicholas took a deep breath in, before standing, his vision focused on Rayne and the two armed guards on either side of her. Lip's pulled into a frown, brows furrowed. "Both of them. I want both of them dead." He ordered, heading towards the door. Rayne's heart raced and her head shot up, she'd seen countless experiments of his die, but, never had she felt any attachment to them. Anya was her friend, and Emily was just a little girl. Neither of them deserved death!

"Sir!" One of the soldiers spoke. "J2 has shown just as much advancement if not more than A3. She is critical for research. "

"She is to be a lesson to young Rayne. Yes, she is beneficial to my work, but, if she does not obey, what good is she? And, I need to let others know that if they fall out of line, there are consequences, no matter how favored you are." Nicholas' eyes were locked with Rayne's as he spoke.

The soldier had no choice than to agree. He didn't want to lose his job. All he cared about was the money he was getting, not the fact that this man was keeping young girls locked up. Her hatred for the guards and the doctors built up over the years.

Striding down the hall, both guards separated from Nicholas and Rayne, going to retrieve the other two girls. Nicholas held his hand out, prompting Rayne to take it, following him closely as they walked through the kitchen, dining room and den, before reaching the front door, opening it, and allowing the girl to step out onto the front porch.

She shivered, not used to the chilled temperature, and not anywhere near dressed for it. Leaves on the trees were mostly changed into yellows and oranges, few remained green, and even less littered the ground. The gentle gust was welcomed, and unpleasant. It had been forever since she felt the wind, why was it so damn cold? Everything was melancholic. Errant breezes, once warm and embracing, now harsh and bitter. Autumn leaves, changing, wilting and falling, meeting their end. Bird's sang in the distance, songs of mourning cries warning others that a food-lacking winter was just around the corner. In the city, remnants of the burning wood were carried across the land, not only did the leaves parish but, the trees were cut down and destroyed as well. It was beautiful, but, sad. Dark clouds in the sky only confirmed that fact, as the light began to slowly fade into darkness.

Footfalls were heard behind them, but, neither turned to look, knowing full well that it was the soldiers and the girls. They were marched down the stairs, commanded to face the field, gun's at their backs. Neither girl was in good shape, being deprived of water and food, they were still covered in mud and their own blood from their failed escape. Hair matted a mixture of both clumping and tangling locks together. Rayne had peaked at Anya's as she was passing, seeing that her eyes were empty, lacking light, hope, emotion, anything. She was left muted and apathetic. Emily however, was just a bit livelier. Nervous and jittery, knowing they had been marched to their deaths. She looked at Rayne, pleading eyes, praying for Rayne to somehow stop the men and save them.

"If I would've gone with them, maybe things would have turned out alright.." Rayne thought to herself. She hadn't really thought much about the incident until now. But, survivor's guilt already began to wrap its claws around her. This was her fault, wasn't it?

Nicholas was glancing at Rayne, watching her response, but, she showed nothing. Mentally abusing herself was how she managed to get through a lot of situations. If she kept her panic and sorrows on the inside, she wouldn't be showing weakness. She didn't want to give him any leverage to use against her.

"Kill them." He gave the command, and the men didn't hesitate, shooting both girls in their chests. They fell, and Rayne was left, staring at their corpses, both wide-eyed. Emily's eyes were wet, tears streaming down her cheeks. Anya hadn't shed a tear, having completely given up. If it weren't for the gaping hole now in her chest, she actually seemed to be at peace, thankful for death's embrace.

Rayne wasn't okay. Her chest hurt, lungs tightening and burning as she continued to try and keep composure. During her internal battle, her hand squeezed tightly against Nicholas' drawing his attention once more. A lump built in her throat as she let out a gasp, unable to fight the feeling of gloom away. Finally, a tear dripped down her cheek and Nicholas smiled.

"You could have saved them!" Her mind screamed at herself. "You didn't even try!"

Rancor took place of her sorrows. She needed to get away, so their sacrifice wasn't in vain.

"All this little girl needs is the motivation to betray you."The words of that man echoed in the back of her mind. She remembered the piercing gaze he gave her as he spoke. The intimidating aura that rolled off him in waves. And then something clicked. He wasn't warning Nicholas, instead, he spoke directly to her, urging the girl the leave.

"Come, Rayne." Nicholas instructed, pulling on her arm. "Wait." She protested, trying to quickly form a plan. His eyes narrowed, yanking on her arm, surprised when she stood her ground. "Can I,….. Can I at least say goodbye?" Admitting her friendship with the other girl wasn't the best decision, but the only thing that would catch his interest. She couldn't be taken back inside that house. "Please?"

He was thoughtful for a moment, having been aware of her relationship with the other girl, he didn't think she'd give up that information so easily. The two of them had been keeping everything secret for months. She knew the consequences would be dire, but, he wanted to see where this would lead. "You can." His voice monotone. "However, you will be giving up your meal."

She agreed, and he let go of her hand. Carefully, she started off the porch, walking down the steps, keeping her gaze fixated on the body's, not want to tip the guards that something was off. If she stood a chance, she needed one of their guns. She simply just needed to wait for an opening.

Ignoring Emily's corpse, she knelt next to Anya's, the guards were closer to her, one directly behind, the other just out of arm's reach. Keeping her back to Nicholas, her eyes focused on Anya, one hand over hers.

It was very likely that Nicholas wasn't going to be giving her much time, she needed to think.

The only logical action was to take the gun from the guard behind her, shoot the other guard, before turning the trigger on the first, then aiming the gun on Nicholas. Taking a deep breath, she was ready to attack, adjusting her position when her movements were halted upon feeling the slightest twinge from Anya's fingers.

"Rayne?" Nicholas called, seeing her hesitation. Before either of the guards could make a move, Emily's corpse sprung back to life, latching onto the second guard's shoulder, sinking her teeth in.

"Go!" Anya whispered in desperation, being sure to keep still as the guard behind Rayne rose his gun to shoot Emily. His shot was interrupted by Rayne, as she turned and struck his elbow, before grabbing his gun and ducking under his arm.

"Don't let her get away!" Nicholas demanded the first guard whirled around, trying to catch Rayne, only to have the second guard shoot through his skull, failing to line his sights up with the girl. Nicholas reached for his own gun, just to have Anya spring up, attacking him.

The second guard managed to push Emily to the ground, shooting her again, yet, that wasn't enough to keep her down. She began mutating, limbs warping into a hideous monster, slime pouring from the surface of her skin. Rayne kept running, making it to the tree line, hearing Nicholas call out for reinforcement. There wasn't much time. She had to make it to town!

If she couldn't make it through this? What was all her training for?

Something inside told her to veer left, and she listened to the instinct, running through the brush, letting the thorns and branches scratch her as she passed, leaving her blood behind on the foliage. This would be enough of a trace for him to find her. She needed to be faster.

A howl in the distance, the dog's were released. Rottweilers infected with the same strain of virus. They were fast, catching up with her in no time, one managing to jump over her, trying to intercept her, keep her from the goal. A man shouting commands in the distance, their trainer and commander.

Their orders were termination of their target.

Rayne stopped in her tracks, letting the five feral beasts surround her, readying her weapon, she wasn't sure how many shots were left. Only one bullet had been spent, that she knew of, but, the magazine could've been missing a few more rounds. There was doubt that the bloodthirsty mutts would stand by idly while she checked, she'd just have to hope there was enough in her gun to get her through everything.

Of the five beasts, one was bigger than the others, this was the Alpha Cerberus. They'd be easier to deal with if they were standard mutant's, an unintended side-effect of the virus. These dogs were a completely different breed. Bred as attack dogs, capable of working together, and under an alpha. Similar to police dogs, but, smarter, faster, overall genetically superior.

Calming herself, Rayne thought of the best strategy to keep them at bay and to conserve ammo.

Don't fire unless the shot is accurate and precise.

Don't let them get too close.

Don't turn your back on them.

They can run faster.

The alpha signaled to the dog on his left, a simple shift on the head, and the dog leaped, aiming for her throat. Raising her gun, the beast was quick, staring down the barrel of her gun. Firing, the round easily tore through his skull, as he let out a final whine. Two of the dogs behind her both vanished into the woods, hidden by the brush. The dog to the right of the alpha let out a snarl, staring her down, as the alpha began walking, slowing, circling around. One of the dogs from the back leaped from the right as the right-handed dog, leaped to Rayne's left, charging her. Narrowing she avoided getting tackled, firing another shot, which landed in one of the dog's ribs with a wet thud. It still had enough strength to get up.

Whirling around, another shot rang out, the bullet grazes the alpha's leg, sending him to the ground, Rayne took this chance to run, making it to a clearing, the tracks just a bit ahead. But, a train blocked her path, it wasn't moving full steam, rather, along with at a steady pace, which would make it difficult to cross the tracks.

Looking for an escape route, Rayne noticed a ladder, leading up to a small platform. If she could climb the ladder, she'd be able to jump on top one of the train carts, and then back to the ground, making her way into town.

"Please let me make this." She thought to herself, sprinting towards the tracks. The alpha surprisingly caught up with ease, running alongside her, another dog close behind, it's jaws clamping shut just inches away, somehow giving her the will to run faster, leaping to the ladder, aiming her handgun down, firing into the dog which tried to yank her from the ladder, teeth grazing against her skin, sending small streaks of blood down her leg. The wound stung, but, she couldn't worry about that now. Reaching the platform, one of the dogs had tried to jump up to her, while another rammed its skull into the structure, which had made it wobble slightly. She was thankful they weren't that strong. It was inconvenient for the next leap she was going to make, climbing over the railing and jumping on the train. She nearly missed the jump completely, able to plant her foot on the ladder on the back of the cart, propelling herself to the top, watching the dogs running, easily able to keep up. Only three were left now, she could easily deal with them.

There was a fence on the other side of the tracks. She'd stand no chance trying to climb the fence normally, with these dogs around, instead, she'd have to make a leap of faith to the trees, using them to reach the other side.

Despite the train being in motion, that jump was far easier, since dogs weren't ramming the train, knocking off her balance. It only took a few seconds before she was over the fence, and her feet hit the ground, sending mud cascading around her toes. Her feet would thank her whenever she got the chance to sit down.

Meanwhile, near the library two men stood, one leaned against the brick wall, one foot up, arm's crossed, the other a few feet away, hand on his hip. They were holding a casual conversation, while a woman spoke on the phone, leaning against a black 2005 Chevy Impala.

"No, we haven't found anything yet." She replied, sighing. "Nothing? Are you sure you can trust this informant of yours?"

"Yes. Carlos may be a bit eccentric, but, he'd never lie to me. I trust him."

The two men engaged in conversation. "Dude, is she with that guy she's been talking to every day?" The dark-skinned male question, his voice low so the woman couldn't hear. "Chris? You know, I have no clue. They've always been close, but, never shown anything besides that."

"Maybe they're friends with benefits, eh? A little hook up now and then?"

The male on the other side of the phone repeated her earlier sigh. "He's the guy that helped you escape Raccoon, right? You don't know anything about him, what if he's working for one of the terrorist groups?"

"Well, Leon's here, with the two of us, I'm sure if anything goes wrong, we'll be prepared for it." She was confident in Leon's and her own ability. "And though Demetri is young, he's fairly skilled himself. Reminds me of a young-" Her sentence was cut off, the sound of gunfire.

The sound made her jump, spinning and turning to both the guys, who also moved to an on-edge position, ready for anything. "What was that!?" The man called from the phone, having heard the echo. "Chris, I've gotta go…" She replied with no explanation hanging up the phone. The shot sounded close.

Two of the cerberus made the leap over the fence, both the minor's, the alpha nowhere to be seen. But, Rayne continued running through the woods, seeing buildings just a few yards away. She was almost safe. Once her feet hit the concrete, she fell, foot sliding over a broken piece of glass which pierced skin. Crying out in pain, she ripped the shard from her foot, struggling to stand back up, just to have one of the dogs leap over her, pinning her to the ground, trying to bite into her throat. One hand wrapped around the dog's neck the other against his jaw, keeping its jaws from clamping down. Lifting her leg up, she planted her knee against the dog's belly, pushing against his force, shoving it far enough away to line up the shot and shoot him in the head, before getting up and continuing to run to the nearest building.

"Stay on your guard!" The woman shouted, un-holstering her gun. One of the men did the same, the other, unarmed. The female took point, rounding the corner and running straight into Rayne, both girls panicking, drawing their guns. Rayne had instantly recognized this woman from one of the interviews, the B.S.A.A. agent that man asked for assistance from. Rayne's savior.

With that, Rayne quickly lowered her weapon, before Jill could command her to stand down. Now, two guns were trained on her, and there was a snarl at her back. The beasts caught up. Approaching from the right, the unarmed male, quickly grabbed Jill's gun, as Jill took the girl's arm, pulling her close, seconds before both men opened fire on the two cerberus, successfully killing them.

Breathing heavily, lungs burning, Rayne was happy, finally getting the chance to catch her breath, backing away from the woman after a moment, examining the males on either side of her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" She questioned, looking the young girl over.

"Her leg." One of the men pointed out, noticing the scratches from the canine's fangs. "We need to take her back to base, make sure she isn't infected." The other chimed in, holstering his gun, before reaching over and grabbing the gun from Rayne's hand, ejecting the magazine, which was now empty. "She's lucky, wouldn't have survived much longer, unless she got a lucky shot."

Jill glared at the male, and he rose his hands up, taking a step away, heading back towards the car. A faint vibration could be heard from the woman's pocket, her cell phone going off.

"Answer that before Chris sends the entire army down here, would ya?" The man hollered behind him. "I'm going to contact sanitation, and have the search team do another sweep of the woods." Jill nodded, reaching into her pocket, taking out the device. She gave Rayne a sympathetic look. "Can you speak?"

"Yeah. I'm just,...tired. Really tired."

To be continued...