RESIDENT EVIL • Assignment Ashley: Rescue Condor One (RE4)

Welcome to the After Party

I dismounted from the bike that Aaron had parked in a secluded alleyway nestled within the industrial complex on the outskirts of Washington. In the dimly lit alley, the rain had eased from a heavy downpour to a drizzle, creating a soft pattern against the pavement. The darkness covered the narrow passage, casting elongated shadows from the wires hanging between the two buildings. The only source of illumination came from the faint glow of wall-pack lights leading in a direction, guiding the way to god knows where.  

With careful steps, I avoided splashing in the puddle collected in the cracked pavement at my landing spot. "You're not trying to kidnap me, are you? Where the heck are we?" I frowned, scanning the surroundings.

"It would be a great opportunity to, but unfortunately, I'm not part of a psychotic cult—hey!" Aaron protested as I hit him on his shoulder. "Save your violent tendencies for the enemy, please."

"Hermes to Achilles and Artemis, do you read me?" Aaron groaned as we heard Simon's voice crackling through the earpieces.

"Simon, you motherfucker, I told you not to use those geeky code names of yours," Aaron grumbled.

"It's Hermes. No need to reveal sensitive information like my name in the open airwaves," Simon retorted. "As Team Olympia, we need to have code names to communicate on missions, you know that, Achilles."

"I did not agree to that team name either. And why the heck am I Achilles when you all get to have names of gods and goddesses?"

"Asking the important questions here," I rolled my eyes at him. "Forget that—um, Hermes, what do you have for us?" I asked. It was always amusing to see Aaron squirm whenever he was addressed by his code name.

Personally, it was an upgrade to be called Artemis than Baby Eagle.

"Satellite imagery indicated activity around the building up ahead in the last hour or so. Though it appears to be an abandoned subway station; it's not as deserted as they want us to believe. This area has the likeliest chance to be our target location, Artemis," Simon responded, his voice serious now. "Proceed towards the entrance with caution—the last individuals to pass through were 20 minutes ago."

It had been a difficult task to pinpoint the exact location, given that Aaron only had intel on the meeting's vicinity. Thanks to Simon's update, we had a clearer direction.

"Thanks," Aaron acknowledged, urgency colouring his voice as he glanced at his watch. The time was now 3:21 AM, Eyewall's meeting had already begun. Without losing precious time, we dashed through the dark alleyway towards our destination.

"Just a heads up, I won't be much help once you're underground. If this lead pans out, expect signal jamming devices to disturb our communication," Simon relayed. "But I'll keep an eye on activity around the station. Hermes, out."

"I didn't even know there was a semi-constructed subway system in this abandoned area, it doesn't appear on the city maps," I commented. Neither of us knew what it contained or what it led to, expect a few rumours about the area being used for illegal activities.

"Yeah, this area has its secrets, particularly of the underworld," Aaron added. "Let's hope whatever's down there is worth uncovering."

We halted in front of the dark entrance, which had been flimsy boarded up. Graffiti splashed across the dull concrete walls, and layers of dust covered the windows, obscuring any view of the desolate interior beyond. We waited a minute before entering inside, the debris littering the ground crunching beneath our boots. The darkness within seemed to have swallow us whole, engulfing us in its depths as we breathed in the heavy air. I didn't dare to break the eerie silence, punctuated only by the occasional drip of water echoing in the distance.