Gunfire cracked through the underground laboratory.
Ryan fired twice in quick succession, both shots finding the gun arms of the mercs at the door. They yelped and dropped their rifles. Almost the same moment, a ventilation grate in the ceiling blew off and Jill dropped through, shotgun up. The two remaining mercs never got the chance to turn around.
Ryan kicked the monitoring room door open and swept the space. The control console was wrecked, sparks jumping from the cracked housing. Three life support pods lined the far wall - two smashed, pale green fluid pooled across the floor beneath them. The third one was intact. Glass clean, indicator lights still running.
A red shape shot from the shadows near the equipment bay and hit Kendo before anyone could call it.
A Licker, hiding in the ventilation shaft, drawn out by the gunfire. Kendo had Becky in his arms and no room to move. He turned instinctively and put his back between her and it.
Ryan spun and fired. The bullet went through the Licker's skull. It dropped, twitched twice, and stopped.
The echoes faded. Ryan lowered the gun and let out a slow breath.
From the ground floor all the way down here, they'd cut through Umbrella's cleaner squad, cleared out the wandering zombies, put down the zombie dogs, and dropped three Lickers. It had been ugly the whole way. Now the area was quiet.
"We're clear," Ryan said.
Bard pressed a hand over the graze wound on his arm where a stray round had caught him, and staggered into the monitoring room. He saw the two ruined pods and went white. Then he saw the third one, intact, and practically fell against it, fingers running over the control panel.
"Still works... thank God, it still works."
Kendo pulled Becky closer and bowed his head low toward Bard. His voice cracked. "Doctor... thank you."
"Save it. We don't have time." Bard turned and started talking fast. "The infection is mid-stage. A standard intramuscular injection won't stop the spread - it's too far along. She needs to go in the pod now. I'll put her under with a sedative first, then use the low-temperature system to drop her metabolic rate as low as it'll go. That slows the virus down enough for the vaccine to work. Three-stage IV infusion, can't be interrupted, twelve hours total. She cannot leave the pod during that time. Someone has to stay with her the whole way through."
He straightened up, and the look on his face shifted - still wary, still sharp. "Who are you people? How did you know I had the vaccine?"
"We ran into a UBCS squad at the subway station," Jill said. "They told us. Don't worry - they weren't Umbrella's. They were actually pulling civilians out."
Bard nodded slowly and seemed to decide they'd earned an explanation. "Officially I'm a senior researcher at Raccoon General Hospital. What I actually was, was Umbrella's on-site director for t-Virus neutralization and vaccine development. Midway through the project I figured out what the outbreak really was. This wasn't an accident. The company released the virus deliberately to field-test their B.O.W.s. I want the vaccine in the hands of survivors, and I want to get out of this city alive so I can put everything Umbrella has done in front of the world. That's why they want me dead."
Ryan glanced at the time display on the pod's panel.
September 29, 1998. 8:44 a.m.
Twelve hours out put them at 8:44 p.m.
That's right around when Leon and Claire roll into town. Leon Kennedy - future legendary bioterrorism investigator, current rookie cop who didn't even make it to his first shift. He and Claire Redfield would come driving into this city right around that window.
Ryan pushed the thought aside. One problem at a time.
Bard added one more thing. "The hospital roof has an Umbrella executive transport - a helicopter, kept fueled for senior staff evacuations. Full tank. Before, the roof entrance was completely blocked, zombies and worse. I couldn't get up there alone. Now that you've cleared the building... it should just be the stairwell between us and it."
Ryan looked at Becky. Bard was already prepping the sedative.
"Kendo, stay here with her. Watch her vitals the whole time, don't take your eyes off that panel."
He looked at Jill. "You stay too. I'll clear the roof alone and make sure we have a way out. I'll be back."
Jill frowned. "Ryan-"
"More people means more noise. Solo is faster and quieter." He met her eyes. "You've seen what I can do. I'll be fine." He held her gaze. "Trust me."
She was quiet for a moment. Then she set the shotgun down and crossed to him, leaning into him briefly. "This room's mine. Go." Her voice was steady. "Come back in one piece."
Ryan put a hand on her shoulder, held it for a second, then let go. He did a quick check - gear set, nothing loose - and pulled the monitoring room door open.
The corridor stretched out ahead of him.
He stepped in.
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