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

Judgment Day

"She's dead," Claire Redfield confirmed, standing inside a lavish stately home in Kalorama, one of Washington's wealthiest neighbourhoods.

The one she pronounced dead was a woman in her sixties, Barbara Winslow, a former Secretary of Defence, slumped lifelessly in an armchair in her living room. The TV was still on, and the untouched food on the table had gone cold. If it wasn't for the steak knife sticking out of her chest, she might have looked as if she had simply dozed off.

"We were too late, damn!" her brother, Chris Redfield swore on the phone. Claire had immediately rushed from the charity ball after the uncanny incident with her boss, Alec Russell, and the chilling threat he scrawled in his own blood: "Beware the Imminent Storm" alongside Barbara's name.

Claire's mind raced, trying to make sense of the chaos. She had officially taken up the investigation, determined to uncover the truth and safeguard TerraSave's reputation before the public backlash. The charity ball, a collaboration between the government and her NGO, held immense significance. She knew all too well the plague of fear and mistrust in society, created by Umbrella, the infamous bioweapons corporation that had masqueraded as a public service front. TerraSave's noble mission would quickly crumble under the weight of suspicion and false accusations.

"I can't believe this is happening. First Alec, now Barbara...that makes two high-profile cases in just one night," Piers Nivans said, pacing the room. Chris had told him to accompany Claire. Piers was Chris's right hand man, someone the siblings trusted implicitly.

"I know. We need to figure out who or what's behind this," Claire replied, her voice steady despite the tense situation. "Piers, can you send in the police Commander? I would like to ensure the crime scene wasn't tampered with and coordinate our next steps."

Piers nodded and stepped out to fetch the Commander. The local police had been contacted to check on Barbara right after the threat. They were the first ones on the scene who conveyed her death. However, they had been ordered not to touch anything and to wait for Claire and Piers to arrive, given the nature of the case.

"Soon this case will be transferred to BSSA, so keep the involvement of the local police department to a minimum," Chris's voice crackled.

"Chris, her death wasn't caused by an organic weapon. It may prove difficult to take the case away from the police. Barbara was a victim of an ordinary stabbing attack," Claire explained. "The press might question the intervention of BSSA in a standard homicide." She foresaw potential complications. Earlier, the police Commander didn't look too pleased with their involvement either.

Chris signed on the other end of the line. "I understand, but we can't give up the biggest lead we have to an authority that doesn't know the whole picture. Alec's death has already been covered up, and only a select few know about that bloody wall message. In order to reach the culprit, we need to keep the investigation as clean as possible."

Claire rubbed her eyes; it was already 2 in the morning. "The word will get out eventually; the elites love to gossip. Piers and I will handle the local authorities for now and try to keep things under wraps. Talk to you later, bro."

"Keep me updated on everything you find. Other officers will arrive in an hour to take over, I wanted you and Piers to be the first ones to assess the scene. You only have an hour, after that you need to go home and rest up. Don't overdo it."

"Understood," Claire replied, ending the call. Just then, Piers returned with the police Commander, a stern-looking man with a determined expression.

"Commander, thank you for your cooperation," Claire said, extending her hand. "We need to ensure the crime scene remains intact for our investigation. Can you walk us through what your team found?"