The cold, sterile air of Umbrella's Research Facility stings the MC's lungs. Her boots crunch softly against shattered glass as she moves through a hallway bathed in intermittent red flashes from malfunctioning emergency lights. The smell of burnt wires and spilled chemicals hangs thick in the air, and her fingers tighten instinctively around the grip of her modular assault rifle. The attached grenade launcher shifts slightly under its weight, a silent promise of the firepower she may need.
System Alert:
Objective: Reach the central server room and retrieve the encrypted files.
Penalty: Hostile reinforcements will be dispatched.
A faint hum catches her ear, too steady to be mechanical, too deliberate to be random. She freezes mid-step, her breath halting as her enhanced situational awareness kicks in. Her gaze sweeps the shadows. There—a faint shimmer, like heat waves rising off asphalt, hovering just ahead.
Her instincts scream. She dives, rolling as claws the size of scythes slash through the air where her neck had been. The faint shimmer solidifies into a monstrosity.
The Stalker B.O.W. emerges from its camouflage—a grotesque fusion of sinewy muscle and metallic plating. Its translucent skin twitches, veins glowing faintly as its claws drip with acid. It snarls, a guttural sound that reverberates down the hallway, and charges.
System Update:
New Threat Detected:
Enemy: Stalker B.O.W.
Abilities: Enhanced stealth, adaptive camouflage, and high-speed melee attacks.
Recommended Action: Avoid direct confrontation.
The MC vaults over an overturned lab bench, firing controlled bursts from her rifle. Sparks erupt as the bullets ricochet off the creature's armored hide.
System Update:
Critical Hit Detected: Target's weak spot is its unprotected spinal column.
Her gaze narrows, analyzing the beast's movements. It darts forward, claws ripping through the bench, sending splinters flying. She ducks, sliding under its swing and planting a tripwire grenade in its path.
The Stalker leaps after her, but the grenade detonates mid-air, engulfing it in flames. It howls, momentarily stunned, and she seizes the opening. Leaping onto its back, she drives her tactical knife into the base of its spine.
The creature collapses with a shriek, its translucent skin now coated in black ichor. It thrashes, knocking her off before retreating into the shadows.
She rises, bruised but breathing, and presses onward.
The central lab is a chamber of horrors. Human and animal hybrids hang suspended in murky tubes, their distorted forms illuminated by the faint glow of computer monitors. She forces herself to focus on the task at hand, ignoring the lifeless eyes that seem to follow her movements.
System Alert:
Mission Progress: 70%.
Retrieve encrypted files from terminal B-07.
She plugs the data spike into the terminal, her fingers dancing over the keyboard. A progress bar inches forward, each second stretching into eternity.
A deep rumble vibrates through the walls. She tenses, glancing at the flickering lights.
System Alert:
Warning: Multiple hostile entities converging on your location.
The double doors at the lab's entrance shudder violently before bursting open. Zombies pour in, their moans blending with the high-pitched screeches of mutated creatures.
The MC leaps onto a lab console, her rifle spitting fire as she takes out the first wave. A grenade arcs into the densest cluster, detonating in a flash of heat and light. Limbs and viscera scatter, but more press forward.
A zombie lunges for her, its rotting teeth snapping inches from her face. She pivots, smashing its skull with the butt of her rifle before firing a point-blank shot into another. Her movements are a deadly dance, precise and relentless, but the horde keeps coming.
A guttural roar announces the Stalker's return. The beast crashes through the horde, scattering zombies as it locks onto her with blood-red eyes. Its acid-drenched claws leave sizzling marks on the floor as it advances.
Switching to incendiary rounds, she unloads into the Stalker, each impact igniting its flesh. It roars, charging through the flames, and she dives to the side, rolling to her feet.
The horde presses in from all sides, her ammo running dangerously low. Suddenly, a voice crackles in her ear.
"Hold your ground. I'm almost there."
Rebecca Chambers bursts into the room, her rifle barking as she mows down the advancing zombies. The two women fight back-to-back, their combined firepower turning the tide.
"Thought you didn't need backup," Rebecca quips as she reloads.
"Didn't ask for it," the MC replies, a rare smirk tugging at her lips.
With the final zombie down, the terminal beeps, signaling the file transfer is complete. Rebecca grabs the spike as the MC keeps watch, her gaze scanning the shadows for any lingering threats.
The facility shudders violently.
System Alert:
Facility Self-Destruct Sequence Initiated.
Time Until Detonation: 15 minutes.
The women sprint through collapsing corridors, dodging falling debris and bursts of flame. The Stalker makes one last desperate attack, but the MC hurls her final grenade, the explosion tearing the creature apart.
As they burst onto the surface, the MC collapses to her knees, exhaustion and injuries taking their toll. Rebecca kneels beside her, concern etched on her face.
"You're not just a survivor, are you?" Rebecca asks.
The MC meets her gaze, a grim smile tugging at her lips. "Not exactly."
The camera pans to the encrypted files clutched in her hand, the Umbrella logo glowing ominously on the screen.