Classic Speech

Rumble!

The steel gates slowly closed under hydraulic pressure. When the citizens gathered on the bridge saw them shut, they erupted into an uproar.

Agitated and confused, they surged toward the gates, demanding to know why they were being closed.

Some, worked up into a frenzy, even threw whatever they had in their hands at the people standing on the wall. Natasha, dressed in an ivory suit among a crowd of men in black, was a particular target. Several half-empty water bottles were hurled at her, though none came close.

"Give me the microphone."

Seeing Umbrella's security guards hold back the agitated crowd below, Natasha beckoned to the Black captain for the microphone and addressed the disorderly people.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please stay calm! Umbrella Corporation will set up temporary shelters throughout the city. Follow the guides and proceed in an orderly manner. Our combat personnel will escort you and keep you safe. I don't want to cause panic, but I have to tell you..."

Natasha's words did nothing to calm the crowd, already swept up in their emotions. They only shouted louder, demanding to know why the gates were being closed.

Their voices were loud, but not loud enough to drown out the loudspeaker.

"This crisis was caused by a commercial spy deliberately releasing a virus from Umbrella's underground Hive research facility... The virus is highly infectious and spreads through bodily fluids. Anyone infected will turn into a mindless creature driven only to feed within one to three hours. There is no cure, and the fatality rate is one hundred percent. If you want to live to see tomorrow's sun, quiet down and let me finish!"

The loudspeaker couldn't overpower the rioting crowd, but the cold, brutal truth that followed doused their fury. Gradually, they fell silent.

They wanted to keep shouting, but the threat of certain death was all too real. They had no choice but to calm down and listen.

Her words might cause widespread panic, but Natasha didn't have much choice. If the crowd descended into chaos, restoring order would come at an even greater cost.

Once the crowd below had fallen silent with fear, Natasha addressed them again. "The virus has an incubation period. If even one person here is infected, it could set off a chain reaction. None of you want to see that happen, do you?"

No one answered.

"Now, follow our instructions. Umbrella's Security Force will work with the NYPD to guide you to safety. We recommend going to the nearest hotel and isolating on your own, or returning to your homes. Anyone without a place to stay can go to one of the shelters we've set up. They're located at Raccoon City General Hospital, the Umbrella Security Company campus in Raccoon City, Raccoon City Stadium, Raccoon City High School..."

Under Natasha's rapid guidance, Umbrella Security Force members and Raccoon City police coordinated to evacuate the citizens gathered on Meimen Bridge.

Most people chose to follow the police and security guards to the shelters. Only a few dared to face the hideous zombies and go home, while another small group sought temporary refuge in nearby hotels.

Umbrella Security Force members would escort food and other necessities to the shelters, where volunteers would distribute them. Brave volunteers could also arm themselves and form supply teams to gather provisions around the city.

The hundreds of Umbrella security guards who had been stationed along the wall were deployed throughout Raccoon City. Most were sent to clear out zombies, and quick guides on how to fight them were drawn up and taught to every team member.

Thanks to these techniques, the zombie-clearing operation went fairly smoothly.

Meanwhile, Tony was searching the city for the two Lickers that had escaped the Hive.

With Red Queen's help, they quickly used the surveillance footage to pinpoint the two Lickers traveling together. After escaping the Hive, they had quietly made their way to a church.

Tony hovered not far above the church. The sensors in his suit had already detected the Lickers resting on a beam below.

There were also two people in a room deep inside the church. The suit's sensors amplified the sound of a man sobbing, carrying it to Tony's ears.

"I've sent you the location. Bring the monster bus over. I'll take care of them first."

A little girl, rendered entirely in red, appeared inside the helmet. Red Queen's virtual avatar spoke. "Bertha Squad is on its way to the church."

After taking control of Umbrella Corporation, Tony had naturally made Red Queen one of their own. Now she was using her processing power to coordinate the rescue and search efforts in Raccoon City, doing what an artificial intelligence was meant to do.

Tony piloted the suit down in front of the church doors. As soon as he pushed them open, he spotted the two Lickers hiding in a dark corner on the rafters.

The suit's propulsion system kicked in, and Tony launched into battle with the Lickers...

A little while later, a six-person squad drove a box truck to the church. The two Lickers' corpses, wrapped in large black bags, were loaded into the truck and taken away.

With coordination from the command center, conditions in Raccoon City gradually stabilized. A fleet of vehicles bearing the Umbrella logo arrived at the shelters, carrying packaged food stamped with the company's emblem, and handed it out to the citizens.

The old Umbrella Corporation had plenty of capable cloned employees. They didn't know they were clones, and the change in ownership barely fazed them. They simply began carrying out Duncan's instructions.

First, the citizens needed extensive briefings, along with the release of some doctored materials.

They also had to show the public the gruesome deaths of the innocent researchers killed when Red Queen sealed off the Hive. That might earn them a reputation for cruelty later, but it would make their carefully woven lies all the more convincing.

"Umbrella Corporation's underground research facility has the highest security rating in the world. It lies 118 meters beneath the surface, and every researcher who enters signs multiple confidentiality agreements. When they enter the Hive, each researcher dedicates everything to the cause of life science!"

Inside the gym at Raccoon City High School, evacuees sat on the basketball court, their eyes fixed on the makeshift stage. They stared at the blood-soaked images projected on the screen, too shocked to speak.

It was horrific!

Not a single image had been censored. The citizens were shown the gruesome remains of every researcher who had died in the underground Hive facility, the scenes searing into their minds.

A female public relations employee wearing a T-shirt with the Umbrella logo waved her hands passionately. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and every word was steeped in emotion.

"The T-virus was a miraculous discovery made by Umbrella Corporation. Our research overcame countless terrible diseases that had claimed lives, sparing billions from the suffering of illness! But the profits it promised attracted wolves. Even the world's most secure underground research facility couldn't keep greedy vermin from slipping inside!"

Her impassioned speech, bordering on hysteria, abruptly stopped. The woman covered her eyes and wiped away her tears, then said in a trembling voice, "My younger sister, Bernice Birkin, worked at the facility too... I'm sorry."

She wiped away more tears. On the projection screen appeared a photograph of a woman's corpse submerged in water, her features somewhat resembling the speaker's.

Some of the citizens watching had begun to weep quietly. Others lowered their heads without a word. All gazed at the employee, whose acting was nothing short of masterful, with sympathy.

The speech continued.

"She... she was the pride of our family. She worked in life sciences at Umbrella Corporation, developing medicine to bring relief to countless families suffering from disease. I was so proud of her. She was my hero! Everyone who died in this crisis was a hero to their family. Let us observe three minutes of silence for those who lost their lives in this disaster!"

The gym had been noisy with children moments before. When the woman bowed her head, it fell so silent that a pin could have dropped.

At the same time, people at several other shelters established by Umbrella Corporation observed a moment of silence after hearing similar speeches.