September 30, 1998, 2:00 PM, Raccoon City University
Eddie's message had been brief, almost an order: Main gate. Now.
When Yoko Suzuki emerged from the library building, she hugged her light jacket closer. The autumn air carried a chill, one that wasn't caused solely by the temperature. She saw Eddie leaning against the wrought-iron gate, a tense, unmoving figure amidst the casual flow of students.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, slightly out of breath from running.
"No problem." He didn't smile. He grasped her wrist—firm, urgent, not romantic. "Let's go."
He led her through a maze of alleys and shortcuts, away from the main streets. His enhanced senses were alert; every shadow was a potential threat. They reached an abandoned subway station, its entrance hidden behind a rusted fence. The air inside was cold, smelling of dampness and forgotten time.
The train—a single, rickety car—was nearly empty. It was an Umbrella service line, officially decommissioned, that ran straight into the heart of the Arklay Mountains. The few other passengers bore pale faces, marked by morbid curiosity or grim resignation. Tourists of the macabre.
After descending to an underground station carved into the rock, Eddie led her to two dirt bikes hidden under a tarp. Minutes later, they were speeding along a dirt trail, the roar of the engines slicing through the unnatural silence of the forest. Trees arched above them, their branches entwined like skeletal fingers.
"That place…" Yoko said suddenly, her voice carried off by the wind, pointing toward a dilapidated building to the northeast. "It seems… familiar." A shiver ran down her spine, a cold, unpleasant déjà vu.
"An old hospital," Eddie replied, his gaze flicking toward the structure. For a moment, he thought he saw a figure in black wielding an axe, chasing something through the ruins. He shook his head. A hallucination. Or perhaps not. That place was a monster's lair.
When they reached the courtyard of the villa, Yoko dismounted, stretching her stiff legs. The villa rose before them, a stone fortress against the wild. "Is this yours?" she asked, a mix of awe and apprehension in her voice.
"A place like this, so far from everything…" Eddie said, cutting the engine. Silence fell, heavy. "Someone could disappear out here." Not a threat. A test.
Yoko studied him, her dark eyes serious. "My instinct tells me you're more dangerous than this, but not in that way."
A corner of Eddie's mouth lifted. "Let's go inside."
Within his private lab, he revealed his project. "I need a way to copy Umbrella's entire database. A ghost in their machine."
Yoko examined his equipment, her fingers brushing the consoles. "A true supercomputer is out of the question… but a ghost rig? Something that can tap into their system and drain it? That I can build." She nodded, already thinking ahead. "And it can be portable."
"Good. Start immediately," Eddie said. "In return, I'll prepare a serum to restore your memory. It's still experimental, but it works."
Yoko paused, clenching her hands. She looked at him, her eyes searching his face. "And if… when my memory returns… it turns out I was a ruthless scientist? That I conducted horrible experiments? Will that change your opinion of me?"
Eddie laid a hand on her shoulder. "I don't give a damn who you were. I care about who you are now: the person who will help me burn them to the ground."
"You're right." Yoko smiled, a sweet, determined smile. It seemed she was devoted.
"By the way, do you know how to handle a weapon?" he asked, indicating a steel cabinet. "This area isn't safe. Better to be prepared."
"Yes," she replied. "I still remember how. But I think we'll be safe in here." Her eyes scanned the room, filled with materials and components. "I think the device will be ready in three days."
"Then I'll stay here until you finish," Eddie said. "Too dangerous to leave you alone." Too valuable to die, he thought.
Yoko was surprised. It seemed no one had ever given her such attention in her life. "Are you sure? Your research…"
"I can work from here too." He moved toward the security control panel. "I'll activate the electric fence."
Perched on a branch of a towering tree outside the villa, Ada Wong observed the scene through binoculars. A shiver ran down her spine, a strange, primal tickle—the instinct of a predator being watched.
She lowered the binoculars. The smell hit her a moment later: a pungent stench of rotting flesh.
Three. Zombie dogs. Sitting on the grass twenty meters away, skin in tatters, glassy eyes fixed on her with dead hunger.
Zapp!
They moved in unison, lunging forward, splitting to encircle her. One from the left, one from the right, one from behind. Their agility was unnatural, their movements jerky, uncontrollable.
Ada remained composed. Surprise gave way to cold efficiency. Her hand shot to the holster, drawing her pistol in one fluid motion.
Baam!
The bullet struck the first dog squarely in the head, sending it crashing to the ground as a lifeless heap. But the other two were already on her. She dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the gaping jaws of one, its foul breath brushing her cheek.
"What was that?" Yoko flinched at the sound of the gunshot.
Eddie didn't move. "I'll check it out. Probably one of the monsters I told you about. You stay here. If it's safe, I'll call you."
"Okay… be careful, Eddie-kun."
Kun? The word caught him by surprise. A small, unexpected crack in the armor of the day. He smiled inwardly. Ah, right… it's Japanese.
Without turning, he raised a hand in greeting and moved toward the exit, his Samurai Edge already in hand.