and have a check around for this book of Mr. Reston’s; John, you and Claire will keep watch over our captives, while the rest of us search. It would probably be in their operations room, or in Reston’s private quarters. If we haven’t found it within, say, twenty minutes, we’ll have to ask Mr. Reston directly—a last resort, to avoid implicating Trent. Book in hand, we go back out the way we came in. Questions?”
Their planning session at the hotel had made it sound easy enough—and with as little information as they had, the questions had been few. Now, though, driving through an endless, freezing waste and trying to get psyched up for a confrontation—now it didn’t seem so simple. It was a scary prospect, going into a place none of them had ever been before and trying to find an item no bigger than a paperback novel.
Plus it’s Umbrella, plus we’ll have to intimidate the crap out of a bunch of technicians and possibly end up having to strong-arm one of the big boys.
At least they were going in well armed; it seemed that they had learned something about dealing with Umbrella, after all—that taking in a shitload of firepower was a very good idea. In addition to the nine-millimeter handguns and multiple clips that each of them would carry, they had two M-16 A1s, automatic rifles—one for John, one for David—and a half-dozen fragmentation hand grenades. Just in case, David said.
In case everything falls apart. In case we have to blow up some bizarre, murderous creature—or a hundred of them…
“Cold?” Leon asked.
Claire turned away from the window, looking at him. He’d finished with the packs, and was holding one out to her. She took it, nodding in response to his question. “Aren’t you?”
He shook his head, grinning. “Thermal underwear. Could have used these in Raccoon…”
Claire smiled. “You could have used them? I was running around in a pair of shorts, you at least had your uniform.”
“Which was covered with lizard guts before I was halfway through the sewers,” he said, and she was glad to hear him at least try to joke about it.
He’s getting better; we both are.
“Now, children,” John said sternly. “If you don’t stop, we’re turning this car around—”
“Slow down,” Rebecca said from the front, her quiet voice stilling them. David let up on the gas, the van slowing to a crawl.
“It looks like—it’s about a half-mile southeast from our current position,” Rebecca said.
Claire took a deep breath, saw John pick up one of the rifles, and saw Leon’s mouth press into a thin line as David brought the van to a stop. It was time. John opened the side door and the air was ice, dry and bitterly cold.
“Hope they got the coffee on,” John breathed, and hopped out into the darkness, reaching back in to grab his pack. Rebecca loaded up a few medical supplies, and as she and David climbed out, Leon put his hand on Claire’s shoulder.
“You up for this?” he asked softly, and Claire smiled inwardly, thinking of how sweet he was; she’d been thinking of asking him the same thing. In the days since Raccoon, they’d gotten pretty close—and although she wasn’t positive, she’d picked up on a few signals that suggested he wouldn’t mind getting closer. She still wasn’t sure if that was a good idea—
—and now’s not the time to be deciding. The sooner we get this code book, the sooner we get to Europe. To Chris.
“As up as I’m gonna be,” she said, and Leon nodded, and they climbed out into the freezing night to join the others.
* * *
David put John at the rear and took the lead himself, forcing all negative thoughts out of his mind as they struck out for where Trent said the test site would be. It wasn’t easy; they were going in cold with less than a day’s planning, no layout, no idea what Reston looked like or what kind of security they’d be facing—
—the list is endless, isn’t it, and I’m still taking them in. Because if
Their planning session at the hotel had made it sound easy enough—and with as little information as they had, the questions had been few. Now, though, driving through an endless, freezing waste and trying to get psyched up for a confrontation—now it didn’t seem so simple. It was a scary prospect, going into a place none of them had ever been before and trying to find an item no bigger than a paperback novel.
Plus it’s Umbrella, plus we’ll have to intimidate the crap out of a bunch of technicians and possibly end up having to strong-arm one of the big boys.
At least they were going in well armed; it seemed that they had learned something about dealing with Umbrella, after all—that taking in a shitload of firepower was a very good idea. In addition to the nine-millimeter handguns and multiple clips that each of them would carry, they had two M-16 A1s, automatic rifles—one for John, one for David—and a half-dozen fragmentation hand grenades. Just in case, David said.
In case everything falls apart. In case we have to blow up some bizarre, murderous creature—or a hundred of them…
“Cold?” Leon asked.
Claire turned away from the window, looking at him. He’d finished with the packs, and was holding one out to her. She took it, nodding in response to his question. “Aren’t you?”
He shook his head, grinning. “Thermal underwear. Could have used these in Raccoon…”
Claire smiled. “You could have used them? I was running around in a pair of shorts, you at least had your uniform.”
“Which was covered with lizard guts before I was halfway through the sewers,” he said, and she was glad to hear him at least try to joke about it.
He’s getting better; we both are.
“Now, children,” John said sternly. “If you don’t stop, we’re turning this car around—”
“Slow down,” Rebecca said from the front, her quiet voice stilling them. David let up on the gas, the van slowing to a crawl.
“It looks like—it’s about a half-mile southeast from our current position,” Rebecca said.
Claire took a deep breath, saw John pick up one of the rifles, and saw Leon’s mouth press into a thin line as David brought the van to a stop. It was time. John opened the side door and the air was ice, dry and bitterly cold.
“Hope they got the coffee on,” John breathed, and hopped out into the darkness, reaching back in to grab his pack. Rebecca loaded up a few medical supplies, and as she and David climbed out, Leon put his hand on Claire’s shoulder.
“You up for this?” he asked softly, and Claire smiled inwardly, thinking of how sweet he was; she’d been thinking of asking him the same thing. In the days since Raccoon, they’d gotten pretty close—and although she wasn’t positive, she’d picked up on a few signals that suggested he wouldn’t mind getting closer. She still wasn’t sure if that was a good idea—
—and now’s not the time to be deciding. The sooner we get this code book, the sooner we get to Europe. To Chris.
“As up as I’m gonna be,” she said, and Leon nodded, and they climbed out into the freezing night to join the others.
* * *
David put John at the rear and took the lead himself, forcing all negative thoughts out of his mind as they struck out for where Trent said the test site would be. It wasn’t easy; they were going in cold with less than a day’s planning, no layout, no idea what Reston looked like or what kind of security they’d be facing—
—the list is endless, isn’t it, and I’m still taking them in. Because if
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