Chris nodded.
"..." Vera smiled without saying a word and returned to her desk.
She picked up the receiver and had the secretary bring in Chris's belongings. Taking the items from his waist pouch, Vera plugged in the flash drive and reviewed it for a moment, her expression growing uglier by the second.
Chris simply stood there, watching the changes in Vera's expression.
After a while, Vera looked at Chris standing across from her. "Not enough."
Chris looked confused.
"With this little circumstantial evidence, William Birkin could easily turn around and accuse me of framing him, then stubbornly insist it was special effects. They know I have this technology, so we need solid evidence—such as records of their research progress, or experimental samples."
"What do you mean?"
"I need you to return to Raccoon City."
Vera finally revealed her true intentions.
Raccoon City Carnival, Opening
Umbrella Industrial Park, California Division U.S.F. Guard Force Training Base.
"Ah, let me go! This is kidnapping! I'm a police officer..."
A young woman in civilian clothes was being forcibly dragged indoors by two Umbrella bodyguards dressed in black. Her face was hidden beneath a black hood, but she sounded young. They took her through layer after layer of security checkpoints.
"Rebecca? Hey, let her go!"
The woman was forced into a chair. She had been struggling constantly, but upon hearing that familiar voice, she froze and cried out in surprise, "Chris? Is that you?" Just as she was about to continue asking, "Have you seen Ms. Russell—" a woman's voice reached her ears. "All right, untie her and remove the hood."
At the command, the black hood was removed, and light returned to her vision.
"Whew—" Rebecca took a deep breath, lifted her head, gradually adjusted to the light, and focused her eyes on the people before her.
"Rebecca."
Seeing that Rebecca looked a little disheveled but had suffered no actual harm, Chris's worried heart eased slightly before tightening again almost immediately.
"What do you mean by this?"
"To honor a friend who has come from afar, I apologize for my subordinates' rough handling of you. However, these were necessary security measures. How about a drink of water first?"
Rather than answering Chris directly, Vera leaned against a workbench covered in tactical toolboxes. With a formal smile, she picked up a bottle of mineral water, raised it toward Rebecca in greeting, then tossed it over.
Rebecca instinctively caught it. She looked at the blonde woman before her, dressed in a dark, high-end uniform brimming with futuristic style, then at the bodyguard beside her who stepped forward to remove her handcuffs. Dazed, she nodded. "Th-Thank you."
So cute.
Rebecca Chambers.
Vera studied the girl, who had just turned eighteen and was the youngest member of Raccoon City's S.T.A.R.S.
She was petite, with a slim, delicate figure. Her tomboyish brown short hair was impeccably groomed, and her face was pretty and youthful. A pair of bright azure eyes sat in her small face, and under Vera's undisguised scrutiny, they darted about like those of a startled doe.
Ah, she had that clear, innocent student air of someone who had only recently entered society.
"Let me introduce my—"
"Vera Adelheid Russell, inventor, genius, pioneer of human bionic engineering, gifted professional mechanical developer, Umbrella's youngest executive and regional head, USA's youngest billionaire through licensed patents, selected for Washington's key innovative high-end talent pool, lead investor and developer of Intelligent Control Technology, high-end semiconductors, and the electronic information industry..."
Speaking at an incredible pace, as if chanting scripture, Rebecca smoothly took over Vera's introduction. Wearing an expression somewhere between that of a fangirl and an obsessed admirer, she recited Vera's entire biography and public reputation.
"Senior Russell, you were someone I studied, respected, and admired at school."
Vera raised an eyebrow slightly. "You were at Berkeley..."
"No, I wasn't a Berkeley student. I just happened to hear about your accomplishments, Senior, so I voluntarily applied to Berkeley as an exchange student and audited classes there for a while. Oh, my major was chemistry, and I also took pharmacology as an elective..."
"Stop. Drink some water first, then we'll discuss the real reason you came to see me."
Vera lightly tapped the tabletop, looking calmly at the increasingly excited Rebecca as she steered the conversation back on track.
Now, she more or less understood why Chris had come looking for her. Her previous arrangements to "abandon ship" and her genius persona had played their part, and the influenced Rebecca might have been one of the driving forces.
"All right, Rebecca. This isn't one of your college parties, much less an Umbrella recruitment fair."
With a stern expression, Chris was utterly helpless about the S.T.A.R.S. cheerleader's "fan behavior."
Couldn't she look at the situation?
Chris fully acknowledged Rebecca's professional abilities. Although she had just graduated from university, her outstanding achievements in chemistry had earned recognition from the police department, which had selected her for S.T.A.R.S. That was proof of her capability.
At the same time, because she lacked combat experience and was a clear-eyed, innocent female college student, she had a strong academic air about her and often did things that were bold and impulsive. This gave Chris plenty of headaches as well.
"Chris, if Senior Russell is here, then that means we succeeded?" Rebecca showed no concern whatsoever over having just been treated roughly. She quickly adjusted her mindset and asked.
Chris folded his arms and nodded. "More or less."
"Then when do we expose Umbrella's crimes in Raccoon City... Uh, Senior Russell, I mean the old Umbrella in Raccoon City."
"I know." Vera leaned against the workbench and clicked the mouse, operating the projector to display the materials gathered by the S.T.A.R.S. survivors. As she looked over the nauseating candid and firsthand photographs, she said without turning around, "Because it still isn't enough."
"How can I be sure you aren't part of a trap laid for me by that stubborn middle-aged fool William Birkin? Am I supposed to believe only your side of the story? A supposed distant junior relative I don't even know?"
William Birkin was doomed to die, but Chris and the others didn't know that. That did not stop Vera from using his name as a shield and excuse.
"Th-Then... we..."
Rebecca was anxious, but she was at a loss for words and had no idea how to explain herself.
"I'll bring back enough evidence. I hope you won't go back on your word."
Chris stepped in front of Rebecca protectively. His tone was as hard as stone, and his expression was equally resolute and unwavering.
"Of course."
Rebecca was a little confused by the conversation between Chris and Vera. "What does that mean? Chris, what are you going to do?"
"Return to Raccoon City and gather the key evidence."
"Ah?" Rebecca's mouth fell slightly open. After a moment, she sorted out the chain of logic, lifted her head, and asked decisively, "When do we leave? We'll go together—"
"No. You need to stay here with me."
Vera suddenly spoke up. Turning sideways, she glanced at Rebecca and said, "Just as he doesn't trust me, I don't trust you either. Call it a hostage or a 'security deposit,' however you want to understand it. What if you decide to play me?"
At once, thump, thump!
Several heavily armed, towering figures closed in on Rebecca, while Vera did not stop threatening them. "Mr. Redfield, you have a sister who depends on you, don't you..."
"Fuck you! If you touch Claire, I'll kill you!"
Bang! Burning with rage, Chris kicked over a folding chair and made to charge at Vera. However, the security personnel firmly restrained him, and with a series of clicks, dark gun barrels were cocked, raised, and pressed against his head.
"Mr. Redfield, you know perfectly well that my demands and caution are reasonable. As long as you bring back the evidence, and it is proven afterward that you truly are survivors and victims of William Birkin's experiments, I will compensate you. Generously. I may even specially recruit you into Umbrella..."
Enunciating every word, Vera rose and walked slowly toward Chris.
"No. If what you say is true, then Umbrella as it was will be buried by my own hands. I will restructure it and establish a new company, and its doors will always be open to you."
With that, Vera came before Chris and extended her hand beneath the extremely wary gazes of the security personnel.
"..."
With a dark expression, Chris clenched his fists, but soon, he finally relaxed them.
"Hmph. I don't care about your compensation. Just make sure you keep your word."
He understood very well that the more cautious Vera was, the more it proved she would truly reveal the truth afterward. Conversely, if Vera believed him too easily, he would become suspicious and wonder whether something was wrong.
With a light smile, Vera gestured for the security personnel to stand down and personally pulled Chris to his feet.
"Then our formal partnership is established. I wish us a pleasant cooperation."
"..." Though surprised by Vera's strength, Chris did not comment on it. "When do I leave?"
"No rush. William Birkin caused such a huge disaster, so the company's old factions and stubborn old guard should make a move. I'll question them at the Board of Directors meeting. As for Washington, I need to make preparations in advance and provide the necessary cover for your operation from above."
This was merely an excuse.
At that point, Vera stopped walking, pointed at Chris, then at the handgun and combat knife confiscated from him and brought over by security. "Also, pick out a few suitable sets of equipment to take with you. Looking at you like this... I'm afraid I'll be accused afterward of intending to silence you."
Vera's gaze was cutting.
But Chris did not object to this one matter.
With such powerful logistical support and equipment being offered to him, he would be a fool not to take it. One only had to look at Umbrella's California Division U.S.F. Guard Force to know that.
"Now, teach them properly. As a survivor who has experienced bioweapon combat, teach my people how to effectively deal with the 'mess' William Birkin created. You can judge the limits yourself. The sooner, the better."
Surrounded by bodyguards in black, Vera's beautiful figure disappeared through the doorway. Then, click, the room sealed shut. Rebecca blinked, first exchanging a look with Chris before looking around at the burly men throughout the room.
Only then did she realize that this place, a luxury Plus version of a S.T.A.R.S. operations prep room, contained a projector, a flowchart filled with written precautions, an unfolded map of Raccoon City...
And every one of these Umbrella combat personnel had a notebook in hand or tucked into a chest pocket. It seemed they had been holding a combat briefing before she was brought here.
"Teach?"
"That's right, teach. It's good that you came, Rebecca. We have combat experience from that damned mansion. You're more meticulous than I am, so help me fill in the details on what to watch out for when dealing with those corpses."
Since things had come to this, they could only do their best.
Chris pulled Rebecca over to the whiteboard and pointed out the charts he had compiled.
Passing on his combat experience with bioweapon monsters to Umbrella's combat personnel felt strange, but Chris did not resent it.
On the contrary, it better demonstrated Vera's sense of responsibility toward her subordinates. Unlike the people in Raccoon City, who treated their subordinates and even researchers as expendable materials, she earned more of his goodwill.
This arrogant yet shrewd and capable woman, with the manner of a typical elite capitalist and Washington politician, was at least better than that bastard William Birkin.
"I'll repeat this once more. You must destroy their brain tissue. Aim for the head. Blow their heads apart. Don't take chances..."
September 24, 1998.
Morning.
Indoor shooting range.
Bang! Bang bang bang—
Wisps of white smoke rose from the muzzle of the assault rifle.
Wearing Umbrella training gear, Chris removed his earmuffs. Click, click, click. With extremely standard movements, he checked the chamber and magazine.
During the past two days at Umbrella's facility, aside from organizing his experience into written material, he had spent the rest of his time familiarizing himself with this batch of new guns from Umbrella that had not yet been released.
Vera was providing them anyway, so naturally, he used them without restraint.
"You're amazing, Chris... Aren't your arms sore?"
Clack, clack. The alloy target returned along its pulley track for inspection. Seeing the dents scattered across its surface, most clustered around the chest and head, Rebecca could not help applauding.
"I'm fine."
Chris set down the unreleased assault rifle codenamed Ajax, put his earmuffs back on, and picked up a WMA submachine gun. Click. He checked the chamber, loaded it, aimed, and fired. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat! The target immediately rang out with crisp metallic clangs.
He then tested a WCAA assault shotgun firing slugs, a WSA automatic pistol, Nowaki, Tamayura...
"Whew..."
He neatly arranged each firearm he had tested to one side and carefully examined these killing machines, some made from special alloys and others from engineering plastic.
Honestly, objectively speaking, he had to admit that Umbrella's craftsmanship was incredibly high. They truly resembled works of art, with every detail displaying exquisite manufacturing.
As Chris paused, even denser gunfire erupted.
It came from the training range used by Umbrella's combat unit nearby. Accompanied by successive explosive reports, their full-firepower drills created a far greater commotion than Chris's side. They were all using heavy weapons.
Chris said with certainty, "They should all be former military."
"Russians."
Rebecca nodded and added, "While you were busy getting familiar with the weapons, I talked with them. It doesn't violate any confidentiality rules. They really are Russians, and quite a few of them participated in the Afghan War."
"Private armed forces... I know this is common internationally, but it isn't a good thing."
Having served in the Air Force, Chris's patriotism and sense of justice instinctively told him this was not a good thing.
Just as Chris and Rebecca fell silent over the subject—
Before you continue