Dr. Isaac did keep tabs on the unpredictable Duncan. He didn't mind handing over his shares and letting Duncan enjoy himself in the apocalypse, but he still had his reservations.
He was worried Duncan would spread his insane plans all over the world. If the governments learned about them ahead of time, the Umbrella Corporation might face a concerted assault from law enforcement agencies around the globe.
So Duncan's movements needed to be monitored. He could stay in Raccoon City, but every means of communication and transmitting information out of the city had to be watched.
Dr. Isaac was busy, of course, and couldn't keep an eye on Duncan every moment. He handed the surveillance task to the artificial intelligence Red Queen, whose capabilities were highly reliable.
When Duncan left Kendo Gun Shop, he had a handgun on him.
He hadn't just bought a small pistol. He'd placed an order, and five days later the owner of Kendo Gun Shop would deliver enough firearms to equip twenty people for two small-scale battles to a warehouse.
He hadn't picked an exact location yet. He'd have to wait until Susan had rented a warehouse.
Having a gun in hand made a man feel safer. Even if the little pistol wasn't much use, at least it was reassuring.
Next, Duncan took a cab to the Umbrella Security Company's Raccoon City branch. Hundreds of Umbrella's hired security personnel were stationed at its training facility, and to some extent, they would obey a shareholder's orders.
Umbrella's attack dogs were spread across the globe. Its public-facing personnel numbered over a hundred thousand, all of them trained to a high military standard. Even ordinary security personnel were equipped with weapons suited to urban combat.
If a world war broke out, those hundred thousand men could be assembled into an army.
Though the Security Force and the U.B.C.S. had many members, most of them were just employees doing a job for the money. Only a small fraction had access to the company's top-level secrets.
The cab soon followed the map to a compound with "Umbrella Security Company" written on the wall.
Umbrella had built the entirety of Raccoon City. America gave capitalists plenty of power, so it wasn't unusual for a company to build a compound on the edge of a city and call it a security company, even though it was really a military base.
America was such a chaotic place that having guards at the entrance with fully automatic assault rifles was perfectly reasonable!
Duncan stepped out of the cab and headed straight for the gate.
"Sir, please show me your ID."
The guard at the gate had noticed the cab as soon as it stopped. When he saw Duncan approaching, he naturally stopped him.
Duncan had never been here in his previous life, so it made sense that the guard didn't recognize him.
Duncan pulled his work ID from his suit pocket. His clearance level was relatively high, even by Umbrella's standards, so getting through the gate wouldn't be a problem.
The guard took the ID and raised an eyebrow at the information on it. Hesitating, he walked over to the guard booth and scanned the barcode on the card.
Umbrella's internal system flashed up on the machine's screen, displaying Duncan's identity information. After confirming it was correct, the guard returned the ID and snapped to attention, calling him "Sir."
"Can I go in now?"
"Yes, sir."
Duncan put away his ID, glanced at the vast compound stretching out of sight, then pointed at the guard. "Sorry to trouble you, but take me to your commanding officer."
"Yes, sir!"
The guard who had verified Duncan's identity was a little puzzled as to why he hadn't called ahead, but he didn't refuse such a simple request.
After speaking with the other guards on duty, he climbed into a patrol cart and drove Duncan into the compound.
As they crossed an open area beside the building, Duncan saw a number of SUVs and box trucks parked in neat rows. They were polished to a gleaming shine, making for a pleasing sight.
Beyond the vehicles lay another open space, where a huge hangar stood. More than a dozen helicopters bearing the Umbrella Corporation logo sat motionless nearby.
The cart drove down a long road, and a large training ground came into view. The sounds of drills reached Duncan's ears.
"Move faster! If you don't finish by noon, you can forget about lunch!"
"Go, go, go!"
And so on...
More than twenty muscular men with loaded packs ran laps around the training ground, rifles in hand. Just watching them made Duncan feel the burn.
"They're all security personnel recruited this year. Most are former Army, though some are veterans of the Special Operations Force and the National Guard."
The guard driving seemed eager to impress the big boss. Seeing Duncan watch the trainees, he volunteered an explanation.
Duncan was genuinely interested in them, so he turned to look at the guard beside him, who had a stereotypically white face, and asked, "What about you?"
"Me? I'm ex-Army. Just finished training, and now I'm on gate duty. Heh." The guard chuckled. It was hard to tell whether there was any deeper meaning behind his words.
"Gate duty" didn't sound like much, but Umbrella didn't have any exciting missions for its perimeter security personnel at the moment.
Dr. Isaac wouldn't begin his plan to destroy the world for another year or so. Raccoon City was still peaceful.
Duncan chatted with the guard about the security department's internal structure and learned that the compound was divided into three sections. One was for the regular Security Force's daily training, one was for the U.B.C.S., and the last was for the Special Operations Force.
The latter two units didn't have many members, but they occupied plenty of space, and their weapons and equipment were several levels above those of the Security Force.
The patrol cart reached the office building deep inside the compound, which also served as the headquarters for the three units. Ordinary missions were assigned from there.
The building's staff had already been notified. As soon as Duncan entered, a man in a suit with an earpiece led him to the office of Raccoon City's security chief.
Umbrella's security chief in Raccoon City was the villain from Resident Evil 2—the idiot who made Alice fight Nemesis, then managed to bring about his own downfall.
He had already received word from Dr. Isaac. As long as Duncan's requests were reasonable, they could be granted.
"Just a moment."
Duncan's phone rang in his pocket. He gestured for Major Cain to wait, then answered the call in front of him.
"Boss, I've rented a warehouse. It's in eastern Raccoon City..."
It was Susan calling to tell Duncan that she'd rented the warehouse.
"Got it. Wait there. I'll bring some people over shortly."
After hanging up, Duncan made his request to the patiently waiting Major Cain.
He wanted one fully armed squad from the U.B.C.S., one from the Special Operations Force, and one from the Security Force.
Each squad was to have seven people, for a total of twenty-one. Each squad also needed two vehicles, along with a batch of supplies.
That was the most men he could ask for. Training and equipping each squad cost more than three hundred thousand dollars. With the modified armored vehicles and supplies included, Duncan had just demanded a million dollars' worth of resources.
"Sure. I'll get it ready."
Major Cain shrugged and gave him a look that said, "Whatever you say," then went ahead and arranged everything.
Whether any of the people selected were loyal to Umbrella or to Isaac was anyone's guess.
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