Resident Evil: Fate Can't Escape Destiny

It was supposed to be a simple information mission… Sneak in, obtain all you can on the subject, and flag your transport at the Escape Zone. But all that kind of took a turn down a long, terrible road. Which is where Dusty finds himself now as he stares up at a gargantuan reptile, its tongue darting out to lick the fresh blood from its scaly lips. The revolver is heavy in his hands, fatigue deciding to rear its ugly head as he raises the weapon. The sights are fixed on the bloody flower resting on the snake's head, his index finger squeezing the trigger slowly…

It's like I'm destined to fight these things forever… Are the Fates and Destiny herself conspiring against me?

Thirty-Six Hours Earlier

The world is black, no light, barely any sound.. A voice stirs around in the dark, followed by the droning sound of a helicopter engine. As brown eyes flutter open, the world turns red and several more soldiers appear before the man, who yawns loudly. Before him, around seven soldiers fight for weapons and ammunition, as usual for this particular team. He chuckles at this, their S.T.A.R.S. insignias reflecting the bio-hazard warning light back into his face. These are not the same S.T.A.R.S. of old, these are the new teams, new platoons, that Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, and Rebecca Chambers created Post-Raccoon City.

"Mr. Stracener?" the voice commands his attention.

Dusty Stracener rolls over toward the soldier, "What can I help you with Mr. Rao?"

Kenil Rao, the leader of S.T.A.R.S. Foxtrot, holds up a small PDA and flashes a bit of info at him, "They say a bio-hazard has already been declared at the Vancouver Headquarters. This is the only photo of any BOW roaming the facility.."

Dusty slowly takes the photo and stares at it, "Licker. Most likely an Alpha judging from the enlarged talons and almost primate-like stature."

Well this might be entertaining… Seems Umbrella is working with a more unstable virus… he sighs and adjusts the red hoodie before standing up.

"Two by Twos. Prep begins now!" the helicopter suddenly lurches to the right, knocking the brunette almost out of the cabin, "Oh what the fuck is this?"

Dusty pops into the cockpit just in time to see something large slam into the plexiglass windshield. The glass explodes from the force, the sudden pressure slamming the door shut in his face. Brown eyes frantically search for parachutes, demanding his soldiers prepare for emergency drop.

"Ok, we'll drop in standar-" suddenly Dusty is falling through the night sky.

Ok… This is good…the Riley Policeman pops open the chute around his waist, a dark blue wall appearing around him.

As the brunette survivor controls the chute, guiding himself to safety, Dusty hopes for one thing, "Please, God, tell me they're following behind me?"

A huge gust of wind spins him around, revealing there is no such luck in his hope. The helicopter explodes as it is attacked by several flying BOW. A silent prayer is said for his team, then trees snap around him as Dusty crashes through the canopy of forestry surrounding the S.T.A.R.S. Canada Headquarters. This facility is located about a good seven-hundred miles north of the Raccoon Crater. A loud grunt echoes through the forest as Dusty becomes entangled in his parachute strings and random vines. A flash of light reveals his knife and the restraining articles are promptly cut.

"Oh hell.." the ex-policeman falls the last few meters to the ground, pain shooting through his right leg.

"OK, so am possibly a good three miles from the main building and… What's this?" something buzzes in his pocket.

The device is pulled out: Kenil's PDA, "Rao! Rao!? Report! What happened to the team?"

The ear piece is slid behind his left ear, "Sir, this is Dusty Stracener. Several BOW took out the transport, I am the only survivor."

"Missing is still Green. Repeat. Mission is still Green. Proceed to the main building and proceed with mission parameters."

"With just one person? One who isn't even properly equipped?"

"You still have a gun right?" perfect time for Base to be a smartass….

The Beretta M93R is raised and Dusty checks for extra ammunition, "Yes.. Two clips of ammunition… Stracener, out."

The link is closed, Dusty has no idea this is the last time he'll ever talk to anyone from the new S.T.A.R.S. Base. The wind picks up a bit, knocking dirt and dead grass into the air, giving the entire scene a ghostly feel. Another quick check for the essentials: S.T.A.R.S. Badge, Pick Set, and gun. Once he confirms that he has lost nothing in his surprise plummet, the soldier begins his trek to the headquarters under siege.

Please don't let this be a waste of my time…

11

"Isis Test Number 011A76-X. Researcher Identification: Akechi Echo-Seven. Subject: twenty-four year-old male, um… Romanian descent, six feet four inches tall. About one-eighty pounds. Beginning first dose of Isis at oh-four fifty-two."

Doctor Aya Akechi sighs and uses the robotic arm to administer the first round of injections. This life is not at all what she expected when HCF approached her in Southern Chile three years ago. The promise of free reign of her own research team, unlimited grant funds, and a facility worthy of a God was too much to pass up, but they left out the parts where her 'team' is a pair of robots, grant money only being given twice a year, and the facility fit for a god, who lived in the fifties….

"At Zero Five Zero Two subject is showing first signs of mutation. Here's hoping we get real results today…" Aya really hopes her research into Isis yields the results she wants: A successful antigen for AIDS..

This version of ISIS will show its results by coloring the target's skin a bright orange. Something deep down within Aya broke long ago, her compassion for using human test subjects. It's weird to her, she thought using live people, with families, would bother her more than this, but it's for the betterment of humanity, right?"

Aya Akechi comes from a well-to-do family in Japan.. Every single member of the Akechi clan is a doctor or scientist. And more often than not, an Akechi is at the front of any radical improvements or discoveries in research.. Aya, being the only redhead in her family, was immediately drawn to Genetics Research, yet never truly got to study it, since AIDS Research is the hot new thing right now.. But her dwelling on the past has to come to an end, as alarms and flat lines fill her office.

"At Zero Five Forty-Five, subject has gone into cardiac arrest, expecting further terminal mutation and destruction in twenty minutes…" another failure…

All of the failures are the same… But Aya has a brilliant idea… Take her love of genetics and find a way to battle AIDS at the Genetic Level. As the robotic arms begin the slow dismantling of the deceased subject, Aya writes, 'Genetic Fusion' at the top of a HCF Letterhead.

Of all the things I have done… This might be my greatest gift for the world… Isle Eras has never seen a mind like Dr. Akechi's..

11

"Oh how I wish I was an Oscar Mayer wiener… Oh that is what I real-" the lock Dusty is picking clicks before he can finish his song.

With a light pull, the heavy wood door is pulled open, granting the S.T.A.R.S. Adviser access to the evidence and weapons locker. His infiltration was rather easy, as most of the doors have either been torn off, smashed, or left unlocked. So far though, he has blown through one clip of handgun rounds, and is almost done with the second. Because of this his mission has expanded to procuring additional firearms to make his mission easier.

The mission.. Dusty sighs as he thinks back to the mission parameters.

Secure Communications Room, Retrieve any data on what transpired here, Eliminate any hostiles, and Secure any survivors. No way in hell is all of that possible with just one person.. His seven-man Cell each had a job, one part of the mission they were specifically trained to do. Being one of the few members of S.T.A.R.S. members with a background in Biohazard Situations, Dusty got to sit in on each section of training. He picked up bits and pieces of the basics, so him being the only survivor is a relatively good thing. Inside the small armory, though, this is not a good thing. Dusty finds only one weapon left: Desert Eagle .50AE.

"Figures.." he holds it up and checks the magazine, only three rounds, with nothing else of use in the entire room.

If ever there was a sense of 'oh shit' to a mission, this is it…

11

"Hey Aya! Aya! Are you coming or what!?" the redhead jerks up from her sleep and yawns loudly at her only friend in the facility, Jenn Ninde.

"Hmm? What's going on?" another yawn at the end of the question.

"We need to go, come on, there's been an evacuation issued for all essential personnel. Did you not get the alert?"

"Since when has my research been essential, Jenn? That's why the Director chucked me down here in the 4B lab. Thanks for coming to get me though.." Aya quickly gathers her notes on Genetic Fusion into a metal binder and follows her friend quickly through the lowest level of the Isle Eras facility.

Isle Eras was built as a pretty simple vacation spot for the employees who hate being cooped up in a lab all day. Built on an island in the Southern Pacific, it's a 'Vacation Spot' for HCF lab-rats, those who can't stop working, ever. Instead of walking into a faux-sunlight 'sun-room' for a break, the scientists here can go out, take a swim, sit on the beach and get the beginnings of their first tan. It boosted moral and the success of the experiments here by almost forty-five percent, which in turn has netted HCF a hefty sixty-percent profit increase. But it comes at a price, a big price…

"Warning. High Tide Incoming. All Essential Personnel must pack up and head for the heliport for immediate evacuation. Warning…"

Isle Eras is a shallow island, with a maximum height of seven feet above sea level. Normal high tide here is about thirteen feet of extra water. So every four months, HCF ships their workers home, seals the mansion, lab, and appropriate 'Islands', and waits for the high tide to reside. It's a price HCF has to pay in order to maintain a profit and continue takeovers of other Pharmaceutical Companies. They evacuate the island a solid twenty-four hours before the tide rolls in, providing ample time for the Sweeper Crew to come in and procure samples of each 'Island' and its creatures.

Isle Eras is a shining example of this ne- "All personnel must evacuate to the Helipad now for immediate withdrawal." It's a shining example of the new approach Bioweapons Engineers are taking: The Psychological side of BOWs, how they react to multiples of the same type, pack-mentality, territory disputes, and hunting strategies. Studying these, then comparing that to the placement of certain genes in their DNA strand, will allow HCF to completely bio-engineer, no… HCF will grow BOWs…

"Aya? COME ON!" Jenn is holding the elevator open, much to the anger of the people inside.

The Asian woman calculates the average weight of everyone inside, then pulls her friend out, "No, we'll take the stairs, girl.. Say a prayer for them."

As the elevator takes off, the duo quickly begin ascending the seven flights of stairs to reach the lobby, "As a result of the evacuation alert, all non-essential exit points have been unlocked. All essential personnel must reach the Helipad for evacuation. High Tide Imminent."

God help me…

11

"You know, every time I get into one of these situations, somehow, I wake up either strapped to a table or locked in a lab… You must be Dr…?"

Dusty frowns at his situation, the poor man is completely delusional, "I'm not.. I'm actually S.T.A.R.S. Operative Dusty Stracener."

The man laughs loudly and scoffs so hard spit dribbles down his face, "Don't play me! I know every member of the Service.. And you, my Umbrella Friend, are not on the roster!"

"Actually, I am an Adviser brought in while the Redfields are out in Northern Europe."

"If you know that… I have to warn them! I have to let them know Umbrella is aware of their locations!"

No use trying to reason with the man… Dusty sighs and walks out, but suddenly an explosion rocks the S.T.A.R.S. facility, slamming the operative into the wall, rendering him almost unconscious upon impact.

As his world starts to fade to that typical black, three figures stand around him, one speaking immediately, "Take him to the Isle Eras Facility.. We can have some more fun with him there…"

11

"Warning, Unauthorized Supply Drop Detected in Quadrant Two of the Wilderness Sector. Warning…" the alert continues to drone on.

"Oh what are they dropping now!?" Jenn growls as the duo keeps ascending stairs.

Aya stops as her ears pick up a single snap muffled by the thick wall insulation, "GET DOWN!"

Both women drop as a loud screech fills the stairwell, then one of the heavy steel cables is tearing through the drywall. The cord nearly slices both women in half, the elevator finally slamming into the bottom of the shaft some time later. Jenn stands up on shaky legs, clearing the dust and debris from her strawberry blonde hair. Aya pats her on the back and quickly continues pushing her up the stairs. As the floor numbers change from lower Basement levels to just before the main floor, several more elevators crash and tumble around the female duo.

"My god, this place is falling apart…" the words fly breathlessly from Jenn's lips as they round the last several steps to the ground floor.

"Does that," the door is shoved open and the patter of helicopter blades soothes their nerves, "really surprise you, Jenn? Come on, we're almost there!"

Both women start a blind charge for the transport, two men holding hands out to help them in. Jenn is pulled in quickly, but the hand waiting for the shorter of the two is pulled back, the Commander of the base, Thomas Weidick, staring down at her.

"Essential Personnel only…" his smirk is sick as he kicks her in the chest, sending her flying back farther than a kick really should.

As Aya slams into the wall of the mansion, her steel folder flips through the air, Jenn grasping it as Thomas pulls her back in, "Got it! Sorry Aya!"

11

"Oh dear lord, my head…" Dusty groans as he comes to in the middle of a clean dirt road.

Birds call off in the distance, something screeches nearby, typical forest… He checks for his guns, only finding his M93R. Another fantastic day this will be, that's for sure… As the magazine is ejected, the brunette curses whoever his captors are for not reloading his gun.

"Seven rounds.. Nice.." the clip is slapped back into the grip as black boots slam into the pressed dirt pathway.

Dusty slowly strolls down the only road before him, but a smell so familiar to him wafts through the air, "Decaying flesh…"

His footsteps pick up in pace, his hands already sweating in anticipation and fear, the gun is tracked downward in case of a friendly. But he is wrong, horribly wrong, as the scene is nothing short of a grisly, almost bear-like mauling.. Tatters of flesh and leather line the road and adjacent trees and shrubbery, blood dripping from the overhanging branches, almost like rain.. Dusty hasn't seen anything this nauseating since he watched that New Nemesis tear Drew in half..

"What.. What the hell?" shining in the scene like a beacon from hell is a nice, new, albeit blood-covered M79 grenade launcher.

Gloved fingers snake around the stock of the weapon, the weight familiar, happy, and secure. After doing a little grave-digging, the remnants of the body are buried, and Dusty now has himself a new weapon and eight rounds for it. The brunette smiles and slowly starts his trek down the path, a sound of a dull hum pattering over the tree tops.

"I've heard this sound before…"

END!