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P
ROLOGUE
Raccoon Times, July 24, 1998
SPENCER MANSION DESTROYED IN EXPLOSIVE FIRE
RACCOON CITY
—At approximately 2 A.M. Thursday morn-
ing, Victory Lake district residents were awakened by an
explosive blast that thundered through northwest Raccoon
Forest, apparently caused by a fire that swept through the
abandoned Spencer mansion and ignited chemicals stored in
the basement. Due to delays from the police barricade set up
at the forest perimeter (in connection with the recent string
of murders in Raccoon City), local firefighters were unable
to salvage any part of the estate's grounds. After a three-
hour battle against the raging fire, the thirty one year old
mansion and adjacent servant's quarters were deemed a
complete loss.
Built by Lord Oswell Spencer, European aristocrat and
one of the founders of the worldwide pharmaceutical com-
pany, Umbrella, Inc., the estate was designed by award-
winning architect George Trevor as a guest house for
Umbrella VIPs and was closed down shortly after completion
for reasons unknown. According to Amanda Whitney,
spokesperson for the Umbrella Corporation, parts of the
estate were still being used to store a number of industrial
cleaning agents and solvents used by Umbrella. Whitney said
in a statement yesterday that the company would take full
responsibility for the unfortunate incident, calling it
"A serious oversight on our part. Those chemicals should have
been cleared out of the Spencer house a long time ago, and
we're just thankful that no one was hurt."
At this point, the cause of the fire is undetermined, but
Whitney went on to say that Umbrella will be bringing in
their own investigators to sift through the ruins in hopes of
determining the fire's point of origin. . .
Raccoon Weekly, July 29, 1998
S.T.A.R.S. TAKEN OFF MURDER INVESTIGATION
RACCOON CITY
—In a surprising announcement by city
officials at a press conference yesterday, the Raccoon City
branch of the Special Tactics and Rescue Squad (S.T.A.R.S.)
was officially removed from the investigation into the nine
brutal murders and five disappearances of city residents that
have occurred in the last ten weeks. City council member
Edward Weist delivered the statement, citing gross incompe-
tence as the primary reason for the S.T.A.R.S. removal.
Readers may remember that the S.T.A.R.S.'s first action
upon being assigned the cases last week was to search the
northwest area of the forest for the alleged cannibal killers.
Weist stated that it was because of their "blatantly unprofes-
sional conduct" that their mission ended in disaster, re-
suiting in the crash of a helicopter and the loss of six of
their eleven team members, including the S.T.A.R.S. branch
commander, Captain Albert Wesker.
"After [the S.T.A.R.S.'s] mishandling of the Raccoon
Forest search," said Weist, "we've decided to let the RPD see
this investigation through to its conclusion. We have reason
to believe that the S.T.A.R.S. may have been ingesting drugs
and/or alcohol prior to their search, and have suspended the
use of their services indefinitely."
Weist was joined by Sarah Jacobsen (representing Mayor
Harris) and Police Commissioner J.C. Washington to make
the announcement and answer questions. Neither Police
Chief Brian Irons nor any of the surviving S.T.A.R.S. could
be reached for comment. . .
Cityside, August 3, 1998
SOURCE OF ESTATE FIRE DEEMED ACCIDENTAL
RACCOON CITY
—After an exhaustive investigation by fire
officials working with Umbrella, Inc.'s ISD (Industrial
Services Division), the fire that ravaged the company-owned
Spencer estate in Raccoon Forest late last month was
determined to have been caused by carelessness on the part
of person or persons unknown, as was announced in a press
conference yesterday. Said ISD Team Leader David Bischoff,
"It looks like somebody tried to start a campfire in one of
the mansion's rooms and things just got out of control.
We've found nothing to suggest arson or foul play of any
kind."
He went on to say that while the destruction of the
property was total, there's no evidence that anyone was
caught in the fire or subsequent explosion.
Chief Brian Irons of the Raccoon City Police Department
was in attendance at the conference, and when asked
whether he believed the fire to be connected to the unsolved
murders and disappearances plaguing the city, Irons stated
that there was no way to be sure. Said Irons,
"At this point,
anything I could say would only be speculation—though I
will say that the fact that the murders have stopped since the
night of the fire seems to imply that perhaps the killers were
hiding there. We can only hope that they've now left the area
and will soon be apprehended."
Chief Irons refused to comment on the allegations of
gross misconduct by the S.T.A.R.S. in their brief assignment
to the murder investigation, saying only that he agreed with
the city council's decision and disciplinary actions are being
considered. . .
O
NE
REBECCA CHAMBERS RODE HER MOUNTAIN
bike through the dark, winding streets of the Cider
district, the late summer moon swelling in the warm,
clear night sky overhead. Although it was relatively
early, the suburban streets were deserted, the citywide
curfew still in effect; no one under eighteen was
supposed to be out after dusk until the murderers
were caught and put safely behind bars. It had been a
tense and quiet summer in Raccoon City, at least on
the surface.
She glided past silent houses, the faint glow of
television sets spilling out across well-kept lawns, the
distant drone of crickets and an occasional barking
dog the only sounds in the air that whipped past her.
The uneasy citizens of Raccoon dwelled behind those
locked doors, waiting for the announcement that the
killers had been apprehended and that their city was
safe.
If they only knew...,
For just a moment, Rebecca envied them their
ignorance. She'd come to the rather disheartening
conclusion in the last couple of weeks that knowing
the truth wasn't all it was cracked up to be—particu-
larly when no one believed it.
It had been a long, merciless thirteen days since the
nightmare at the Spencer estate. The surviving
S.T.A.R.S. had escaped treachery and death just to
run up against a massive brick wall of scornful
disbelief when they'd tried to tell their tale. Jill, Chris,
Barry, and herself had been labeled drug addicts and
worse in the local papers, undoubtedly at Umbrella's
urging—and after their suspension, even the RPD
had refused to believe them. Now, with Umbrella
taking over the investigation of the fire, undoubtedly
getting rid of the last of the evidence ... it was as if
everywhere the S.T.A.R.S. turned, Umbrella had been
there first, greasing palms and covering tracks, mak-
ing it impossible to get anyone to listen to their story.
Not that it would have been that simple anyway. One
of the biggest, most respectable med research and
pharmaceutical companies in the world—not to men-
tion the primary source of income in Raccoon—con-
ducting bio-weapons research in a secret lab, creating
experimental monsters—
If I didn't know better, I’d
probably think I was crazy, too.
At least the absolute worst was over. With the lab
destroyed, the attacks on Raccoon had stopped—and
though the people responsible hadn't been held ac-
countable yet, she figured it was only a matter of time.
Umbrella was experimenting with dangerous stuff,
and wouldn't be able to hide it from a S.T.A.R.S.
investigation. She and the others just had to watch
their backs until the home office sent backup.
Speaking of—ouch ...
The pancake holster was poking into her ribcage.
Rebecca adjusted it through the thin cotton of her
shirt, hoping that after tonight she wouldn't have to
carry the weapon anymore—a snub-nosed .38 revolv-
er from Barry's collection. She couldn't speak for the
others, but she hadn't had a decent night's sleep since
they'd escaped the Spencer estate, and walking
around armed all of the time wasn't her idea of safe.
Sighing inwardly, she took a left on Foster and
pedaled through the shadows toward Barry's house,
reminding herself that he'd probably called the meet-
ing because he'd heard from the home office with
orders. He would only say that there had been a
"development" and to show up ASAP—and though
she was trying not to let her imagination run away
with her, she couldn't help the steady pulse of excite-
ment that had knotted her stomach since he'd called.
Maybe they'll fly its to New York to brief the investi-
gation team, or even to Europe for when they storm
Umbrella's headquarters...
Wherever they were sent, it had to be better than
staying in Raccoon. The strain of looking over their
shoulders had been getting to all of them. Chris
seemed to think that Umbrella was waiting until the
public eye was off the S.T.A.R.S. before making their
move, though it was only a theory—and not exactly
the most reassuring thought to fall asleep by. Chicken-
heart Vickers had skipped out of town after only two
days, unable to take the pressure—and although Jill,
Chris, and Barry had condemned Brad's cowardice,
Rebecca was starting to wonder if maybe the Alpha
pilot didn't have the right idea. It wasn't that she
wanted Umbrella to walk, there was no question that
their experiments were morally reprehensible and
certainly illegal—but until the S.T.A.R.S. sent help,
staying in Raccoon City was dangerous.
Not after tonight; just a little bit longer, and this will
all be over. No more guns, no more locked doors—no
more worrying about what Umbrella will do to us for
knowing the truth.
When they'd first made the report, their superiors
in New York had told them to stay put. Assistant
Director Kurtz himself had promised to do some
investigating and get back to them—but it had been
eleven days, and still no word. She had no intention of
running away as Brad had done, but she'd come to
hate the feeling of that holster, the weight of the
deadly steel against her side every waking moment of
every day. She was supposed to be a chemist, for
chrissake...
And once the reinforcements come, maybe they'll
move me to one of the labs, let me study the virus.
Technically I'm still a Bravo; there's no way they'd
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