Dr. Davis' Escape, by HurriKain


Chapter One

A short time ago, four interdimensional travelers escaped the horrors of a zombie and monster infested San Francisco with the help of Rebecca Chambers, a former officer of the SFPD and Raccoon City divisions of S.T.A.R.S. The story was a long one to tell, but it doesn’t end there. Now, you will once again experience the horror through someone else’s eyes. One who will soon pine for her own survival, from the creatures and monstrosities that she had a hand at creating.

Her name is Dr. Diana Davis.

Two days earlier...

“45 minutes late...” the man growled as he held the large metal case while waiting at the underground depot. With each passing moment he glanced at the nearby clock, which was an interpretation of the Umbrella logo. Stacks of crates that were sprayed with the same insignia also took up most of the space on the platform. Growing ever more impatient, he leaned his head out just to see if there was any incoming traffic down the rails. The air from the numerous air-vents blew a breeze strong enough to make his lab coat ripple.

“With all the money they pay those bastards, they should be able to keep a goddamn time-table.” He mumbled. “If I have to file one more complaint…”

• • •

“Diana,” Daniel called to his partner, seeing her head lying on the keyboard. The only response he’d gotten from her was her light snoring and the computer screen loaded with nonsensical text.

“Dee-dee!” he shouted, shaking her shoulder. With that, her head snapped up in a blur.

“What? What?” she said as she shook her head from left to right.

“Hey, you’ve been going at this for 22 hours. Maybe it’s time to visit your bed and pillow, hm?”

“Just give me an hour…and some coffee.” Diana said groggily while rubbing her eyes. “I just need work out some variables concerning our findings.”

“Or you could be working on your own version of the Rosetta stone.” Daniel said while pointing at the computer screen.

“Oh no…” Diana shrieked at she pressed heavily at the Backspace key.

Daniel gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “No no no. Save now. Delete later. Go to bed and GET OUT OF MY LA-BOR-A-TORY!” he shouted in his best Dexter impersonation.

“Really, I’m fine.”

“Diana, look at me and tell me that.”

Diana did as she was told. “For the last time-”

“No, the red streaks on your eyes have said otherwise. Bed. Now.”

Diana sighed. “… Fine. But only for a few hours.”

“Very good, Dee-dee.” He smiled. “I’ll take over from here. Whatever you were working on will still be here when you return. Besides, I don’t know what ‘grsydjnhhhhhhh’ means.”

“It means ‘I’m tired.’” Diana smirked. “Are you sure you can handle this?”

“Hey, we already sent in the report, the rest should be smooth sailing.”

“All right then.” Diana moaned and headed for the decontamination chamber.

• • •

“It’s about time!” the courier exclaimed as he saw a couple of bright lights coming from the tunnel. He sat his briefcase down briefly to search his pockets for his cigarettes and lighter. As he began to lift one of the white tobacco sticks to his mouth, he started to feel a slight tremor. Then it started to get stronger. He tried to keep his balance but to no success due to the added intensity. The case, however, tipped over and began to roll towards the rails. In a desperate act, he dove for the case, but both went tumbling onto the tracks below. The courier scrambled himself to get up from the short fall, but the strong tremors were making it increasingly difficult. He looked up to see that the lights were becoming brighter now and tried even harder to stand.

• • •

“Whoa!” Daniel shouted as he fell to the floor along with several test tubes and monitors while sirens and alarms blared in the background. Diana, meanwhile, was trying to keep her balance in the small, box-like chamber. With a sudden jolt, she tumbled and hit her head hard against one of the windows, rendering her unconscious.

• • •

The train’s staff scrambled to do emergency procedures: activating the emergency brakes, shutting down any primary functions, ceasing all power to the motor. Sparks flew from the wheels as they speedily approached the station… and that was the last thing the courier saw.

• • •

The locks leading to the lab suddenly snapped into place. Daniel started to crawl towards the chamber for safety as various debris rained down from the counters and ceiling.

“Diana…” he yelled weakly as he slowly made his way towards the door, making his way past Diana’s desk as the lab shook more violently than ever. What he didn’t notice was her monitor tipping forward, careening face first towards Daniel’s head.

• • •

The train’s left set of wheels hit the metal case with resounding force, causing the train to derail and splitting the case partly in two. The large locomotive tilted on its left side, destroying part of the dock along with the crates from where it stood. And as the train screeched to a halt, the case’s contents began to leak out.

• • •

ERROR
ERROR
ERROR
CODE RED. BIOHAZARD DETECTED. ALL PERSO-
CODE YELLOW. BIOHAZARD DETECTED. SHUTTING DOWN ALL ACCESS TO CONTAMINATED AREAS
ERROR
UNABLE TO SHUT DOWN VENTILATION SYSTEM
CODE BLUE. BIOHAZARD DETECTED. ALL PERSONNEL MUST EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY
CODE BLUE. BIOHAZARD DETECTED. ALL PERSONNEL MUST EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY
WARNING
BIOHAZARD DETECTED ON EVAC ROUTE 1
ALL PERSONNEL MUST EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY

> .....


Chapter Two

12 hours later...

Diana’s eyes slowly opened as the last of the leaked disinfecting mist settled on the ground. The pain in her temple grew terribly now as she struggled to move. For a moment she forgot where she was and the low metal walls startled her. It was only when she raised her head that she finally came to her senses. The windows in the chamber were displaying spider webs of cracks and the sensors on each of the two doors were flashing green. She groaned as she slowly rose to her feet, the pain from several parts of her body synchronized like an organized choir.

“The quake…” she thought.

Suddenly, a tall lanky figure slammed itself against the glass panel that led to the lab, startling the scientist. Diana took one long look at what caused the disturbance and her mouth fell open.

“… Daniel?”

The decrepit figure of Daniel only stared back at his cohort; his vacant, colorless eyes nearly rolled back. His once smooth skin now looked rotten and dry as some areas had started peeling. He slowly raised his now rotten arms and pathetically started banging on the glass before him. Due to the weakened state of the window, his blows looked more effective as more cracks appeared.

“No…” Diana uttered, tears already welling up in her eyes as she back away towards the other doorway and grabbed the latch.

Locked. Diana turned around and pulled on the latch repeatedly but to no effect.

“Access denied.” A computerized voice rang from the small speaker above the door. “Access has been temporarily disabled. To override the locking mechanism, all personnel must use their identification cards on the ID reader.”

As she heard this, Diana reflexively reached for her card clipped to the left breast of her shirt… only that it wasn’t there. Looking around frantically, she finally noticed it a couple of inches away by a nearby wall. As she picked it up, the now zombified Daniel crashed through the window, its rotting figure slamming against the floor after falling forward. Diana swiped the card through the reader without hesitation.

*beep*

“Access denied. This card may be invalid or expired. Please try again or see your supervisor once the problem persists.”

“What?!?!” Diana yelled. She looked behind her to see that the zombie was struggling to rise. Again, she swiped the card.

*beep*

“Access denied. This card may be invalid or expir-“

“Dammit, let me out!!!!” Diana yelled as she kicked the wall. The zombie was almost up now. Thinking quickly, Diana turned the card over, spat on the brown strip, and feverishly wiped it with the sleeve of her lab coat. Diana looked and saw that Daniel was on his feet now.

“No!!” Diana pleaded as she swiped the card again.

*beep*

And suddenly, the door slid open and Diana leaped out before the zombie scientist could get a hold of her. The zombie tried to keep its pace after her, but the door quickly slid shut, severing its hand from the rest of its decaying body. Diana shrieked as the limp hand fell to the floor and rolled towards her. Questions rambled on in her head and passed with such speed that it overwhelmed her.

“arrgghhh…”

Diana looked to her left and saw that three more zombie scientists were walking slowly towards her. Diana quickly rose and ran in the opposite direction… and into another zombie. The undead worker grabbed her and leaned forward for a bite, but Diana was able to break away from its hold and shove it aside with all of her strength without incident. She continued to follow the corridor, tears streaming from her eyes. It was like waking up in a nightmare; her once coworkers and colleagues is now soulless, ravenous, decomposing beasts. The halls she wandered through for years now seemed like a labyrinth now. After making a couple of turns, Diana ran to and opened the first door she came across.

The lounge was quiet. Not considering the circumstances, this would have been an oddity. No matter what time of day, day or night, there are always workers here on break or lunch, either listening to the radio, playing cards, or both. For some reason, the higher ups forbade televisions in these modern oases underground; probably to let the employees focus more on their findings and research than soap operas. Diana looked around to see that the large room was completely devoid of life and unlife. Trash was still left behind on the tables, the walls now contained massive cracks due to the quake and pieces of cement from the ceiling now rested on the floor. Diana quickly entered and closed and locked the door behind her, ensuring her safety for now. She walked over to the nearest table to clear her head and rest.

“What the hell happened here?” she thought as she rested her head in her hands. All she seemed to recall was the massive shaking. “Somehow, the T-Virus must’ve gotten loose… but how… Daniel…”

The sudden realization made her break down and cry, rememberng her friend calling her by her nickname one minute, and trying to devour her the next. Even though she had known him for three years, it felt more like three decades. Suddenly, Diana smiled as the tears dripped from her cheeks.

“Well, Danny… you told me to get some sleep… and I did… I just wish I didn’t wake up to this…”

Diana wiped away her tears and looked around. Still alone. Alone.

“Am I the only person here alive?” she asked herself, the question making her uneasy. Before she could answer, she needed something to calm her nerves. Now would be a good time for some coffee. She glanced over to the small coffeemaker, only to see that the glass pot had shattered on the floor next to some debris. Diana sighed as her mind suffered from another onslaught of mental interrogation. Out of all those questions, she only found one answer…

“I need to get out of here.”


Chapter Three

In the hallways, red lights flashed rapidly overhead as Diana ran cautiously through the underground complex. Stopping and looking around every corner, looking ahead for any kind of threat, She slowly made her way towards the security offices. As she turned one last corner, she gasped as she saw two security personnel lying dead near the glass entrance.

“Dirk…” She uttered as she looked at the face of one of the fallen, her mind playing a recent memory.

• • •

“Hey, Di. How about the next time we go topside we’ll grab a bite to eat. There’s this great restaurant in the Bay Area…”

“Thanks but no thanks.”

“What? Afraid of ‘casual social environments’?”

“Nope, too busy and too high in demand. Besides, I don’t completely trust your motives.”

“How can you trust me if you don’t give me a chance, hm?”

“Call it intuition.”

*beep*

“OK, you check out. Just remember that I’ll be here once you change your mind.”

“I’ll do that.”

• • •

Diana shook her head and stared again at the lifeless face of Dirk, his face no longer smiling. In an effort to stop her eyes from tearing again, she quickly looked away… and stopped at the guard’s holstered handgun. She gulped and took a few steps closer, her feet now inches away from the motionless husk. The scientist started sweating as he lifted her right foot and nudged the officer’s side.

Nothing.

Diana gulped again to stop herself from shaking as she slowly reached out her hand to grab the strapped weapon, slowly undoing the small belt holding it in place.

Still nothing.

Getting a firm grip on the handle, she readied herself to jump back quickly as she licked her lips nervously. She mentally counted to three before using all of her strength to pull back, aiming her newly acquired automatic pistol once her backside hit the floor.
Still nothing.

Diana sighed as she slowly raised herself back up to stand, shaking the pistol unsurely. Speedily, she walked passed the two prone bodies and through the glass doors, locking it behind her manually. Ahead of here in the stark white room was a large station with electronic controls with a wall of security monitors placed in a 3x5 screen grid mounted above it. To the right of it, sat another desk that housed two computer terminals. To her left was a station that operated the retinal and fingerprint scans and verification, a panel on the glass wall marking where the scanners are outside.

She instinctively ran for the main terminal and tried to open communication channels to reach outside help.

THIS FACILITY IS UNDER CODE: BLUE PROTOCOL. UNTIL THIS PROTOCOL IS LIFTED, ALL COMMUNICATIONS HAS BEEN SEVERED. DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THIS PROTOCOL, UMB 0948 HAS ALREADY SENT A DISTRESS SIGNAL FOR ASSISTANCE TO AID IN YOUR FACILITY. PLEASE SEE YOUR COMPLEX MANAGER, OR OTHER HIGH-RANKING UMBRELLA OFFICIAL, FOR THE PROPER OVERRIDE PROCEDURES.

“No…” Diana said, a tear falling from her eye as she tried to override the lockout herself. “No no no no no…”

YOU DO NOT POSSESS THE PROPER AUTHORIZATION TO EXIT THIS PROTOCOL. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR COMPLEX MANAGER, OR PRESENT HIGH-RANKING UMBRELLA OFFICIA, FOR THE PROPER OVERRIDE PROCEDURES.

“Dammit!” The scientist slammed her fists into the console, then opened a window displaying possible escape routes. The screen revealed a large 3-D map of the complex which consisted of a large segmented square broken into smaller, individualized squared and rectangles. Near the end of each corner, were flashing yellow squares and a red line, starting from various points of the facility, leading towards it. Immediately, two of those yellow squares transformed into red Xs.

EVAC ROUTE #1 CLOSED
RAIL TERMINAL INACCESSIBLE
BIOHAZARD DETECTED IN AREA
CONTAMINATION LEVEL: IMMENSE

EVAC ROUTE #2 CLOSED
TRAIN ELEVATOR NON-OPERATIONAL
NO RESPONSE FROM SENSORS

EVAC ROUTE #3 OPEN
MARINA ELEVATOR OPERATIONAL

EVAC ROUTE #4 OPEN
UC BERKELEY BIOLOGY LAB. ELEVATOR OPERATIONAL

Diana lowered her head and rubbed her temple. She was only a few yards away from the Rail Terminal and it was no longer safe. Studying the map carefully, she decided on her route to the next nearest passage to safety: the Marina elevator, a 7-mile trek through various labs and rooms. She illuminated her selected route using the security system and every screen lit up to display almost every area that was highlighted. Diana scanned through the monitors, revealing portions of rooms, hallways and laboratories. The first three screens showed empty barracks and hallways, and the following one projected a zombie standing in a corner. Diana found herself shaking her gun in fear, pondering how she was going to get past the undead.

The next screen showed two zombies snacking on a dead scientist, who looked heavily trampled, while monitors 6-8 showed portions of an empty corridor lined with heavy duty steel doors.

The eighth screen also revealed one of those doors destroyed and rammed open, it barely held on to its last hinge.

“What the hell…” Diana uttered while she tried to remember what division the area was in.

She continued to look through the monitors:

9: Empty room.
10: Three zombies in a lab.
11: Empty hallway.
12: Empty hallway.
13: Empty room… but the scientist could’ve sworn she saw something move…
14: Empty hallway.
15: An empty hallway with a door leading to the animal holding cages. Blood stained the floor and several cages while some of the larger holding cases were destroyed, the doors laying a few feet away.

Diana sat back as she tried to fight back tears, her situation growing more and more dire. She looked down and saw a button highlighting, “Press for more coverage.” She slowly applied pressure to the switch and all of the screens flickered, revealing new areas.

1. Storage Room. Empty.
2. Hallway. Zombie staring at the camera.
3. A large lab. Empty.
4. Another hallway. Empty.
5. A large holding room. A scene of a massacre. Human bodies and pieces of human bodies were littered everywhere, the walls and floor streaked red. Unlike the scientists, these bodies looked heavily armored. Some of the limbs were even holding automatic weapons.

The scientist couldn’t hold back much longer and sobbed all over the controls, her hope of escaping diminishing with each passing second. Slowly, she wiped her eyes and immediately looked to the next screen, showing a large tram docked in a terminal and a sign above it that said “To Marina Entrance”.

There it was. A way out. She took a look at the remaining monitors, but all it showed was heavy static. Diana stood and starts looking through the nearby drawers for anything that could help her. All she could find was an extra pistol clip and a can of Umbrella-brand First Aid spray. Pocketing those items, she wiped away the remaining tears with her sleeve and stood. Since there was no help coming for her, she would have to try and escape herself. She looked back at the last working image, her eyes fixed on that tram.

Her goal.

If she could make it there, she’d only have to survive seven more rooms before she could arrive at the elevator. Then she thought back to the busted doors and cages. She had heard stories about animal experimentation and research with other bio-organisms, for the sole purpose of creating bio-weapons.

If those experiments made it out…

Diana lowered her head and looked at her newly acquired firearm.

Will it be enough? she thought, as her eyes wandered from the tip to the trigger-end of the barrel.

She turned back to the console and sent a command to print out the selected route. Giving it a once over, she looked for any possible detours she could take along the way at the first sign of any trouble (she was using every bit of her nerve and will to actually go with the escape attempt). She folded the sheet, placed them in her lab coat pocket, took a deep breath and exhaled.

Gripping the pistol tightly, she walked out of the office and onto her dangerous quest.


Chapter Four

Diana cautiously walked through the seemingly empty corridors and hallways, following the route the surveillance footage displayed. Before long she approached a pair of metal doors with the words “Lab 34 – Umbrella Research and Development: San Francisco Facility” imprinted on the right side. Remembering the images the camera projected, she gripped her firearm tightly, sighed, gathered what little courage she could muster and quietly opened one of the doors.

The lab glowed a glossy white, with the exceptions of a few new cracks and fissures on the walls. Along the walls was a large countertop lined with test tubes and various documents. To the farthest left and right of Diana were two small office cubicles with computer terminals, the Umbrella logo spinning endlessly on the screens. In the center of the room, next to an empty stretcher, were the two zombies eating, the unfortunate scientist now missing most of his face, neck and chest. Diana silently gulped and stealthily maneuvered to the door next to the right cubicle, watching the flesh eaters intently. With Diana only a few steps away from her escape, one of the creatures looked up, its dead, pale eyes fixed on the female scientist. Without hesitation, she aimed her gun at the zombie, her hand trembling in fear as the walking husk struggled to stand. Utilizing all of her nerves, she pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit the zombie’s shoulder, causing it to slightly stumble backward. The other flesh eater stopped its dining and also began to stand. Diana fired again at the zombie’s chest, making it go further backward and then aimed at the other zombie quickly. In fear she pulled the trigger once again, the bullet shattering a nearby beaker and the zombie walked closer. Highly distraught, Diana turned and ran towards the opposite door, pulling the handle forcibly before escaping.

She was once again enveloped by the flashing of red emergency lights, but found herself in the middle of an intersection. Diana looked frantically in the available directions, walls lined with numerous large silver doors to the corridors ahead of her, as well as the right and left, with different lab numbers inscribed on the front. She stood as she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves and try to find her sense of direction.

I was heading south… it’s been a straight line so far so I need to-

Diana stopped her train of thought when she heard loud growling coming from her left. As it echoed through the seemingly serene hallways, Diana’s limbs froze. What followed was a series of heavy thuds, timed in perfect rhythm.

As if they were footsteps.

Diana quickly sprinted through the hallway ahead, the series of lab doors becoming a blur as the sounds of her blunt heels joined in on the tracks of the incoming, but unknown, threat. As she reached a lab entrance at the end of the corridor, she pulled the handle and entered without any hesitation.

She immediately she turned and activated the door’s locking mechanism, which after a series of clicks, secured the door into place. Diana rested her temple against the cold steel as she tried to calm her lungs and heart… and felt a gloved hand grab the back of her neck and the side of her face slammed against the door. The move took her completely by surprise, making her drop her pistol.

“Don’t move.”

Diana tried to protest but her fear paralyzed her vocal chords. Suddenly she saw a line of green light passing through her eyes and down her face.

The figure put the laser away and took out a small portable screen.

Umbrella Corporation
Accessing Database...

...

Initiating Matching Protocol...

Match Found

Diana Davis, Ph.D.
Head of Biological Development and Viral Research
San Francisco Branch
Age: 24
Height: 5’7”
Race/Ethnicity: African American
Blood Type: A
Salary Code: B
Evaluation Report: Excellent Standing

“Have you been bitten?”

Diana only grunted as her voice refused to cooperate.

“Have you been bitten?!?!” The grip around the scientist’s neck tightened.

“No! No- Who are you?!”

Diana’s face was hit with the glow of some dark light produced by the side of the PDA, most of the dim illumination landing on Diana’s bruised forehead.

T-Virus Contamination: 0%

The gloved hand loosened its vice and Diana fell to her knees gasping for air, but also looked up at her captor.

“Sorry for the lack of pleasantries, Dr. Davis,” said a tall man with a brown buzz cut, wearing fatigues and body armor adorned with the Umbrella logo and sporting a facial expression of hard marble. “But given the current situation… I hope you understand.”

The scientist stood up, rubbing the back of her neck and gave the man a hateful look.

“Just who are you?!”

“Calm down! You want those things to hear us? The name’s Peters. I was part of a clean up crew sent here after the quake.”

The scientist's face suddenly beamed. “You’re part of a rescue team?”

“Whoa whoa whoa… We didn’t expect any survivors down here, let alone plan for any possible rescue. How the hell did you make it through the outbreak?”

“I was in a decontamination booth leading out of my lab… then everything started shaking… then everything went dark…”

“That’s enough… words cannot describe how lucky you are, lady.”

“I know.” Diana uttered while reclaiming her firearm. “Anyway, I checked a terminal and found out that the Marina exit was still functional so-“

“We are not going there.” Peters said bluntly.

“What do you mean? It’s the closest one that works-“

The soldier gritted his teeth. “We. Are. NOT. Going. Back. There.”

“Wait… ‘back’? What do you mean… where’s the rest of your team.”

“I said it before. I was part of a clean up crew. Let’s leave it at that.”

Diana looked worried, suddenly remembering the dismembered body parts that wore the same bits of armor in the holding room footage. “O… k…”

“Anyway, you said you used a computer to plot yourself a route to safety, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, there’s one in this lab here.” Peter pointed behind him to a cubicle station across from them. “Since you have the passwords, Doctor, maybe you can pull up a map of this facility for me so I can map out an alternate route. What other evac routes weren’t compromised?”

“Other than the Marina, there’s the elevator that leads to UC Berkeley, and that’s a few miles off.”

“Like I said, the Marina is off limits. Just what the hell were you people brewing down here?!?”

“I… I don’t know… exactly. I heard things… but…”

“What things?”

“Like engineering bio-organisms… animal testing…”

“Well, your ‘pets’ gave us a nice welcome.”

“I… I didn’t know…”

“Just get to the terminal and pull up the blueprints to this place.”

Distraught, Diana made her way to the cubicle and started typing in her login ID and password, her situation becoming increasingly dire with every passing second.


To be continued...




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