"Sir, are you okay?!" shouts a voice nearby.
I struggle to open my eyes, feeling as though I've been through a spin cycle. Finally, I make out two figures leaning over me: a young woman with auburn hair and a man holding a weapon.
"You look like you've been through the wringer," the young woman says with a wry smile.
"Are you hurt?" the young man asks, concern evident in his voice.
I brace myself against the bar counter and stand up with difficulty. "No… nothing serious, just… took a hit from a hypodermic syringe," I say, trying not to reveal too much.
"Well, the nights have definitely gotten interesting in this town," the woman adds, nodding in agreement. "I'm Claire Redfield."
I nod, appreciating her straightforward demeanor. "Gerald King," I reply, working to regain my strength.
"Leon S. Kennedy," the young man says, slightly lowering his weapon but staying on guard. "It's my first week on the force, and I already feel like I'm dealing with the end of the world."
I give him a weary smile. "Raccoon City has that… let's say, unique charm. You learn to adapt quickly."
"Yeah, I've noticed," Claire says, quickly scanning the area for any movement. "We're trying to gather survivors and get them to safety. Want to come with us?"
I nod. "I think I could be of some help," I reply, straightening up. "Where are you taking the others?"
"We've regrouped at the police station," Leon explains, ready to move. "Though it seems pretty compromised too…"
"Well, the more the merrier… better chance of survival," I say, joining them and feeling a surge of energy in their company.
I slowly regain my strength, though I feel an almost dizzying emptiness after having tasted limitless power. It's strange to feel… human. Here I am, armed with a simple Glock—not much compared to my former abilities, but at least I took care to clear the city with my wasps. Most of the zombies shouldn't be a threat for now.
Upon arriving at the police station, I notice about twenty survivors gathered, which makes sense since I already organized the first evacuation convoy. The few remaining officers greet me respectfully, and Marvin steps forward to give me a quick rundown of the situation.
"Boss!" shouted a battalion of Pascal clones in uniform, marching in a line toward me and saluting.
I nod and smile at them. "Alright, guys. Go inspect every corner of the building to secure it. No nasty surprises with civilians under our protection."
Leon and Claire watch, wide-eyed, clearly fascinated by my interactions and the way the entire station seems coordinated around me.
"Commissaire King, are you alright?!" several voices cry out in unison. It's the children I saved earlier, their eyes shining with relief. Their leader, a girl with brown hair, about 14 years old, carefully approaches me, holding a baby who, despite his weak voice, is making soft, whimpering cries.
"I'm fine, kids," I say with a reassuring smile. "The bad guys just turned out to be a bit tougher than expected." I run a gentle hand through the children's hair, and they all crowd around me, as if my presence alone could shield them from the chaos of the night.
The girl holds out the baby to me, her eyes pleading. "Can you calm him, sir? I… I tried, but I think he's scared."
I take the infant in my arms, feeling his little body tremble from fatigue and stress. His voice is hoarse, likely from all his crying. When he sees me, he relaxes, his face softening a bit. I discreetly mix a drop of my blood with the water in his bottle, hoping to strengthen him, to make him more resilient for the trials ahead. After a few sips, his cries fade, then cease. He looks at me for a moment with big, curious eyes before drifting off to sleep peacefully in my arms.
An inexplicable warmth fills me, a bond forming almost like the one I have with my other subordinates. I hand the baby back to the girl, giving her a smile. "He'll sleep for a while; don't worry. Now, go settle over there and get some rest. You've all been incredibly brave."
The children look at me with gratitude; some lie down directly in a corner, while others glance at me with admiration. Once they've settled down, I turn to Leon and Claire, who are watching me in amazement.
Leon leans closer to Claire, murmuring, "It seems like Gerald isn't exactly ordinary."
Claire looks at me with newfound intensity. "No wonder everyone here relies on him. He's really got… something about him. I wonder if he knows anything about my brother."
Leon, glancing in my direction, whispers, "Ask him, you've got nothing to lose."
They exchange a look just as I walk over to them. I greet them with a nod and a smile.
"Thanks again for getting me out of there," I say, meeting their gazes. "Not sure how long I would've stayed unconscious without you two. Got any questions before I start organizing our evacuation?"
"Yeah, quite a few, actually." Leon keeps a calm tone but adopts a wary stance. "Who are you, exactly? And what's really going on here?"
Claire jumps in, impatiently, "And my brother… do you know where Chris is?"
I smile slightly, raising my hand with three fingers up. "First, I'm a member of STARS, the elite unit of the Raccoon City police force—and also an actor in a kids' show." I lower one finger. "Second, the city is currently overrun by bioweapons, a twisted gift courtesy of Umbrella Corporation. Nine out of ten residents have turned into zombies. Luckily, giant wasp-like creatures—another bioweapon—have handled a lot of the cleanup, as you probably noticed on the way." I lower a second finger.
Claire's face is tense with worry, but I continue. "Third, I don't know where Chris is at this exact moment, but he's part of the evacuation convoy escort. He's safe, on his way out of the city."
I lower my final finger, just as a piercing, bestial roar rips through the air. The chilling sound reverberates through the station, echoing like something from the depths of hell itself.
Claire jumps, eyes wide. "What was that?!"
Leon turns in the direction of the roar. "That… that doesn't sound like anything I've heard before."
I fix my gaze on the darkness ahead, where that sinister echo still lingers, then turn back to my colleagues, cold determination in my voice. "Sounds like I have a guest to go greet."
Then, raising my voice, I address my team. "Guys, get the civilians to the library. It only has four doors to secure, much easier to defend than this huge hall." I point to the upper floor, and a group of officers begins to escort the civilians upstairs.
"Leon, Claire, go with them and stay together. I'm joining my team to see what's lurking down there." I turn, giving a hand to the children who are dozing off, helping them up the steps.
Once everyone is safely in the library, I signal Marvin to stand guard. "Marvin, don't let anyone out, no matter what you hear." He nods grimly, settling by the door to keep watch.
Taking a deep breath, I summon two Tyrant Gs to clear the hidden passage beneath the statue in the hall. The Tyrants smash through the steps and rails, reducing the concealed stairway that leads into the depths of the station to rubble. A clear path opens before me. Satisfied, I recall the colossi, knowing they'd be too cumbersome in the narrow tunnels of the basement.
I descend, the elevator shuddering slightly as it carries me down. I feel oddly comforted by the sight of a few leeches clinging to the ducts, appreciating their presence where others would feel disgust. A quick glance at my Magnum reassures me, and I summon ten Pascal clones to accompany me as we cautiously advance down the corridor.
At first, the sound of footsteps echoes like a faint scratching, then grows heavier and more staggered. We proceed in formation toward a room I know all too well: the first arena, where Birkins awaits, ready to give me a taste of his mutated strength.
I hang back, sending one clone into the control room, but a low rumble behind me grabs my attention. I turn just in time to see Birkins charging at me. Before I can raise my weapon, his monstrously deformed arm swings down, smashing me backward. My back meets a pipe, and it spears through my abdomen with a sickening crunch. I groan in pain, feeling the metal rod protruding from my stomach as my body slides down the pipe and collapses onto the ground below.
"Damn… apparently, he didn't leave me my resistance; he's turned me into some twisted version of Deadpool…" I think as I feel the wound begin to heal, making me fit to continue the fight.
Meanwhile, the Pascal clones open fire on Birkins, their bullets hammering his frame, while he retaliates with a metal bar, knocking them back with inhuman force.
I call on a Plant Zombie to hoist me up to the next level. Taking out my Magnum, I aim and fire, the bullet striking the monstrous eye on Birkins' arm, which bursts in a vile spray, drawing a roar of agony from the monster. He stumbles, retreating toward the railing behind him.
"Oh no, old man, you're not getting away." I grab my makeshift grappling hook and throw it, the hook embedding itself in the monster's flesh, holding him in place. I summon more Plant Zombies, ordering them to surround and restrain Birkins with all their vines before he can mutate further. Dozens of vines wind around him, immobilizing his limbs and mutated arm. He struggles, but each movement only tightens the vegetative hold.
Under the weight of the Plant Zombies and tightened vines, Birkins is finally trapped, his enraged growls muffled by the encircling plants. "This'll be over soon," I say with a satisfied smile, right before a projectile hits me square in the chest and bursts in a spray of acid.
The liquid hits me, searing my skin with an infernal burn, unlike fire—it's a chemical burn, devastating and relentless. I watch my skin melt, disintegrate, then slowly regenerate under the strain of my healing, but the acid is potent, leaving me in sharp, excruciating pain. Through the decomposing plants, I spot Annette Birkins, holding a strange-looking pistol with a determined, furious expression.
"Stupid bitch, why are you stopping me from controlling this monster?" I shout, my face contorted in pain and anger.
Annette stares at me, but her eyes show no remorse, only a crazed obsession. "I won't let you capture my husband! He's a genius, a scientist, the best there is! And he will come back!" she declares, a deranged smile on her face, as if she doesn't see the twisted creature William has become.
I try to continue the capture, but she reloads her weapon and fires again, another acidic projectile bursting against my Plant Zombies and the vegetative cocoon, which begins to dissolve under the corrosive liquid. Forced to recall my creatures before they melt entirely, I have no choice but to watch helplessly as the cocoon disintegrates, leaving Birkins to fall into the sewers below.
"Why does everything have to go so wrong?" I think, trying to stifle my rage. My body, finally rid of the acid's effects, lets me stand up. I look at the Pascal clones restraining Annette, holding her down.
I approach her, cold fury in my eyes. "Do you realize that monster will kill innocents because of you? That he's not at all the man you once knew!" I say, my voice trembling with anger.
Annette looks up at me, a delirious smile on her lips. "You understand nothing! William is the pinnacle of evolution, a scientific breakthrough no one will ever comprehend. All of you, you only see the surface! I know that beneath that… that form, he's still there—brilliant, determined." She doesn't even notice her own missing hand or the madness that consumes her.
Grinding my teeth and feeling anger bubble up, I take one of her acid rounds. "Let's see how it feels," I say coldly, pressing her fingers into the deadly liquid. The acid eats away at her flesh, tearing through tendons and bones, and her scream echoes through the basement. She faints, collapsing to the ground, her hand reduced to an unrecognizable mess. I quickly take her badge and bracelet, ordering the clones to take her away.
Without further delay, I summon two hundred leeches, watching them split into thousands of tiny units, dispersing to search for traces of Birkins and Sherry. "We're going to find that bastard," I mutter, ready to track the monster to the end.
I look at Annette again, realizing I was impulsive. She's a scientist with a wealth of knowledge, and it would be a waste to just kill her. I infect her with the T and G viruses, watching her hand slowly regenerate, and send her to the factory, where Wesker and Marcus will be happy to explain the rules until her husband joins her.
(Author's Note: Just another quick chapter as usual, hope you all enjoyed it even if the nerf was a bit much! Needed to keep things from getting dull. For the encounter with Leon and Claire, I used the version from the original Resident Evil 2 where they meet up in the bar, with my MC added into the scene and without any zombies.)