AN; Where's the power stone, guys?
...
They headed straight to the central irrigation pool area, where a fierce battle was already underway. A massive plant-like creature thrashed wildly, its thick roots lashing out in every direction. Officers fired at it nonstop, but their bullets barely seemed to have any effect.
"Why do the monsters we fight keep getting weirder and weirder?" Kevin complained in frustration.
Just then, Marvin rushed over to them, breathing heavily with several scratches visible on his arms.
"Good… thank God you're here. We could really use some extra help," Marvin said.
"Lieutenant Marvin, let me check your wounds first," Rebecca said, immediately stepping closer.
Marvin nodded, allowing her to examine his injuries.
"Lieutenant, what exactly is that thing? It looks like… plant roots?" Kevin asked, still staring at the creature.
"I'm not entirely sure what it is either, but yeah… it definitely looks like some kind of plant," Marvin replied.
"Isn't that the same kind of plant we dealt with back in the Arklay Mountains?" Allen asked, clearly confused as to why something like that would appear here.
The answer, of course, was Albert Wesker. He had brought a sample to Umbrella not long ago and ordered further research on it.
But it seemed that the sample had gotten out of control—destroying part of the facility and causing a containment breach.
"Is that true?" Marvin asked, glancing toward Rebecca.
Rebecca nodded, confirming it.
"In that case, how did you deal with that plant back then?" Marvin continued.
"Have you guys tried burning it?" Allen asked.
"Yeah, we already tried that—flamethrowers, even a couple of grenades. But it just made things worse. That damn thing started growing even more roots to attack us," Marvin replied.
Allen narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the creature. It was clearly different now—larger, its roots thicker, and regenerating much faster than before.
But suddenly—
Rumble…!
The ground beneath them trembled violently, and a massive root burst upward from below.
"Everyone, move!" Allen shouted.
Without hesitation, he scooped both Svetlana and Rebecca into his arms and leapt back to a safer spot, narrowly avoiding the strike.
The others reacted just as quickly—ducking, scattering, and diving for cover wherever they could.
Swish—!
BANG!!
Chunks of earth and pieces of the wall were torn apart by the root's attack.
"You can put me down now," Svetlana said, clearly annoyed. "You know I can dodge that on my own. Why are you carrying me like this?"
Allen just grinned. "Heh. You're my woman—of course I'm going to protect you."
"Tsk… and did you forget? I'm your bodyguard, remember? I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around," Svetlana complained.
"Alright, alright," Allen said as he finally set her down.
"Look at you now, you're getting dirty because of me," Svetlana added, gently wiping away some of the blood stains on his cheek.
Meanwhile, Kevin, Leon, and Marvin—who had also managed to dodge the attack—got back on their feet without any injuries.
"You guys okay?" Rebecca asked.
"Yeah, we're good," Marvin replied, and the others nodded, indicating that they were all fine.
On the other side of the area, Nicolai was ordering his mercenaries to open fire on the plant creature with every weapon they had. However, it did nothing to the monster—instead, it only made the creature even more aggressive.
The plant lashed out violently, its massive roots striking back at the U.B.C.S. team. Several of his men were already starting to fall, dragged away or crushed by the relentless attacks.
But to Nicolai, that wasn't a problem.
What mattered more to him was continuing to record the battle data—valuable information he could later sell to one of Umbrella's rival companies for a massive profit.
.....
"Do we have any other ideas we can use to take this thing down?" Marvin asked, clearly wanting to wrap up the mission as soon as possible.
The others exchanged glances, thinking. Then Leon spoke up.
"What if we use plant toxins? I saw a few containers in one of the storage rooms earlier."
"That's a solid idea, Leon. Let's try that," Kevin said, feeling that the idea could actually work. He then looked toward Marvin, hoping he would approve it.
"Alright… we can try that plan," Marvin said with a nod, agreeing that it was worth a shot.
"Lieutenant Marvin, can you also call in a helicopter to strafe the plant? It'll give us some cover so we can get closer safely," Kevin added.
"Hm… sure. I'll contact the pilots and request air support," Marvin replied.
After that, Leon, Allen, and Svetlana headed out to find the plant toxin Leon had mentioned earlier.
While waiting for Allen, Leon, Kevin, and Svetlana to return, Marvin quickly began coordinating with the remaining teams.
"Rita, I need you to bring the heavy-weapons supply to my location. Now," Marvin ordered while taking cover.
"On my way, sir," Rita replied.
But suddenly—
BOOM!
A massive explosion shook the entire facility. It seemed the Umbrella forces had started hammering the creature with a rocket launcher.
Even so, the situation only grew worse.
The plant creature became even more aggressive, thrashing violently as its enormous tendrils lashed out in every direction. Anyone who continued firing at it instantly became a target.
Several police officers—and even some of Umbrella's mercenaries—were killed on the spot as the creature's massive vines tore through the area, ripping apart anything… and anyone… in their path.
"Damn it," Marvin cursed as he ducked behind cover alongside Rebecca. He hadn't expected the plant to suddenly go berserk like this.
"All R.P.D. officers, fall back! Stop attacking the plant and regroup at my position immediately!" Marvin ordered, wanting his men to retreat to a safer location. He didn't want any more unnecessary casualties.
At the same time, he intended to wait for Kevin and Rita to arrive so they could launch a proper counterattack—using heavier weapons along with the plant toxin Leon had suggested earlier.
Before long, Allen returned with Leon ,Kevin and Svetlana, each carrying several crates filled with plant toxin.
They immediately took in the chaotic scene around them.
"Looks like things only got messier while we were gone," Kevin said as he regrouped with Marvin and the others.
"Yeah… wasn't expecting this," Marvin admitted grimly.
Leon quickly grabbed a bottle filled with plant toxin—herbicide—and hurled it straight into the center of the creature.
Crash…!
The bottle shattered on impact against one of the thick roots. Almost immediately, the plant reacted—its body convulsing as if in pain, its massive vines twitching and beginning to shrivel slightly.
At the same time, something began to emerge from deep within the tangled mass of roots—a yellow, cocoon-like structure, pulsing faintly as if it were alive.
"Look! What is that? That looks like the plant's core!" Kevin shouted.
Marvin saw it too and immediately grabbed his radio.
"Brad, Edward—your turn. Fly low and hit that thing, now!"
"Roger," Brad and Edward responded through the comms.
Both helicopters descended to a lower altitude and opened fire on the massive plant.
DRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
The barrage made the creature convulse violently, as if in pain—its massive body twisting while chunks of its roots were torn apart under the relentless storm of bullets.
"It worked!" Leon said, a hint of relief in his voice.
But the relief didn't last.
Almost immediately, the plant began regenerating, its writhing roots lashing out again as it resumed attacking everything around it.
"Well… looks like we're gonna need something a lot bigger if we want that thing dead," Allen muttered.
"Don't worry—I already called Rita. She's on her way here with the heavy stuff," Marvin replied, glancing at Allen before signaling the remaining officers to get ready.
Meanwhile, the helicopters kept unloading nonstop fire, shredding through the creature's massive roots.
Moments later, a heavy weapons transport truck roared into the area. Rita had arrived—right on time.
"Alright, everyone—gear up! Grab whatever you can and blow that thing to hell!" Marvin ordered as more officers rushed in.
The group quickly swarmed the truck, each of them grabbing a rocket launcher. Even Rita didn't hesitate, picking one up herself.
Leon, Kevin, Allen and the others each took an RPG from the truck.
"Hello, gorgeous," Leon muttered with a grin as he held the weapon, before quickly moving back into position.
Nearby, Allen noticed Rita standing beside him, already preparing to fire. Naturally, he couldn't resist teasing her.
"Rita, do you even know how to use that thing?"
"Hey, don't underestimate me," she shot back without missing a beat. "Just because I'm not out in the field every day doesn't mean I can't handle one of these."
"I'm not underestimating you," Allen said, raising his hands defensively. "It's just… this is the first time I've seen you in actual combat."
Rebecca and Svetlana let out soft chuckles, clearly amused by the exchange.
Allen really did have a habit of underestimating the women around him.
"Alright, on my mark," Marvin called out. "Okay everyone—throw the rest of the chemicals!"
At once, the officers hurled the remaining bottles filled with herbicide toward the creature.
Crash! Shatter!
The chemicals splashed across the plant's massive body, and once again, its outer shell began to peel apart—revealing the glowing core within.
"Now! Fire together!" Marvin shouted.
Whoosh!
Fifteen rockets launched at the same time, streaking through the air toward the exposed core.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted, engulfing the creature in flames. The shockwave tore through the area, incinerating nearby zombies and mutant creatures in an instant.
"YEAHHH!!"
The officers cheered as the enormous plant finally collapsed, its body blown apart into unrecognizable chunks.
"See, Allen? Told you I could handle a rocket launcher," Rita said smugly as she lowered the weapon.
Allen just shook his head with a small sigh—
—but then his eyes suddenly widened.
Something moved behind her.
Swish!
CRASH!
A massive root shot out from the wreckage, slicing through the air at deadly speed—
—but Allen reacted instantly. He lunged forward, grabbing Rita and pulling her out of the way just in time.
The root slammed into the ground where she had been standing moments ago.
Rita froze, her body trembling. She had been seconds away from dying.
"You okay?" Allen asked, still holding her close.
"Y-You… you saved me…" Rita whispered, clearly shaken.
"Good. Looks like you're alright," Allen said as he helped her stand properly. "Be more careful next time. These monsters are unpredictable."
"T-Thanks…" Rita muttered, her cheeks slightly red.
"You're welcome," Allen replied with a soft smile.
After that, Allen turned his gaze back toward the remains of the plant.
The roots that had lashed out moments ago were now withering—drying up rapidly, a clear sign that the creature was finally dead.
Seeing that, Allen let out a quiet breath. Finally… things were settling down.
For the first time since the fight began, he felt like he could actually relax.
As for the cleanup? He figured it could be left to the others—like the U.B.C.S. team and the remaining officers.
Not long after that, he and Rebecca then regrouped in the back to treat the injured police members.
Three hours passed, and the water treatment facility of Raccoon City had finally quieted down. The chaos from earlier had faded into distant, occasional bursts of gunfire—short reminders that the area was still dangerous, but nowhere near as frantic as before.
Allen was kneeling beside a group of injured officers, his gloves stained with antiseptic and dried blood as he carefully treated wound after wound. He worked with steady hands, sewing torn skin, disinfecting deep cuts, and giving vaccines to prevent further infection.
"Hey, Allen," a familiar voice called out.
Allen looked up to see Rita walking toward him. She looked a little exhausted, but unharmed.
"Yeah? What's up? Are you hurt?" he asked, automatically scanning her for injuries.
Rita quickly shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine."
Allen, hearing that, nodded and went back to sitting down, continuing to treat another injured officer. But Rita stayed there—clearly, she wanted to say something else. She hesitated for a moment, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I just… came here because I wanted to see you. Is that… okay?"
"Of course it's fine," Allen replied with a small smile as he wrapped a bandage around the severed arm stump of an officer who had lost his hand during the attack.
Luckily, the injured officer was already asleep from the sedatives, so he wouldn't suffer any more—especially not while being treated by Allen, who was casually chatting with a beautiful woman at the same time.
Rita let out a quiet breath of relief and sat down beside him. She watched silently as he moved to the next wounded officer. There was something oddly calming about seeing Allen work—focused, gentle, and completely unfazed by the blood around him.
He stitched up another gash, wiped the area clean, then prepared a syringe of vaccine. Rita didn't interrupt; she just observed him with a mix of admiration and gratefulness.
After a while, she finally spoke up again.
"Allen?" Her voice was softer this time. "After this… will you have some free time?"
Allen glanced at her, noticing the faint pink tint on her cheeks.
Rita swallowed nervously. "I was wondering if… maybe I could invite you to dinner. Just to say thank you for saving me earlier. Don't—don't get the wrong idea, okay?" She waved her hands in a flustered gesture. "It's not anything weird. Just dinner."
Allen chuckled under his breath. "Hmm… dinner, huh?"
He finished taping a bandage in place before standing up and stretching his back.
"Sure. But I'll probably be busy tomorrow. How about Saturday? Two days from now."
He already had a date scheduled for tomorrow after all.
Rita blinked in surprise—then smiled, just a little too quickly. "Saturday is perfect," she said, unable to hide the hint of excitement in her voice. "I'll contact you then."
Allen nodded. "Sounds good."
As Rita walked away, she kept touching her cheek, trying—and failing—to hide the smile growing on her face.
After Allen finished treating all the patients there, he stepped out to meet Marvin.
"Hey Allen, are all the injured officers taken care of?" Marvin asked.
"Yeah, I've treated them all and given them the vaccine. The rest is just sending them to the hospital for better treatment," Allen replied.
"Alright then, thank you," Marvin said sincerely. "Oh, by the way, you guys can head back and get some rest. From here on, I can handle things myself."
"Are you sure that's okay, sir?" Allen asked.
"Relax. Most of the monsters are already taken care of, and all that's left is cleaning up the remaining corpses—and for that, I think we can leave it to the Umbrella people," Marvin answered.
"Alright, thank you then," Allen said.
"Hahaha, don't worry about it," Marvin replied.
Not long after, Allen returned to his apartment with Rebecca and Svetlana using his car.
After leaving the water treatment facility, their car stopped for a moment in a quiet spot.
Not long after, Ada walked up to the vehicle.
"Looks like you all had quite a bit of fun in there," Ada said, eyeing Allen and Svetlana, who were both covered in dirt in the front seats.
"Just shut up and get in already," Svetlana muttered. She clearly wanted to hurry home and take a shower—her clothes felt sticky from all the zombie blood.
"Haha, alright," Ada chuckled, then got into the back seat with Rebecca.
"So? Did you get what you were looking for in there?" Allen asked.
"Well… not everything, but I did get a good amount of what I needed," Ada replied casually.
Yeah—she was pretty pleased. With the equipment she brought, she managed to collect a ton of data she could sell later.