[M] Resident Evil: Reanimated [IC]

[Imp]

Location: Ecliptic Express - Arklay Mountains - Outside Raccoon City
Time: 9:00pm - Monday, September 22, 1998

Instead of seeing the wondrous twinkling stars and bright moon most commonly spectated in the Arklay mountains, the night crew of the Ecliptic Express, and its passengers, instead had their view obscured by thunderous cumulonimbus clouds and torrential rain that pelted the speeding locomotive from nearly every angle thanks to the violent, swirling winds. From what the Raccoon City forecast established earlier, the storm will only increase with intensity before letting up by the early morning. A surprising flood watch was even issued for the surrounding Arklay area.

Such was the night's setting for the employees on their way to the Research Center - a place for veteran staff and adept students working towards a promising career under the global consortium that is Umbrella Corporation. Such locations like the Research Center already held tomorrow's technology thanks to the overwhelming funds accumulated from advanced medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and affordable consumer products that were sold across the globe. With the rapid, and some say aggressive, expansion of Umbrella's monopoly, the corporation will have near total control over the world market in ten years... or so it is estimated.

While the corporate name was a word ringing in almost every ear, the sound of it was partially drowned out by the heavy rain still pecking at the windows and roof of the train. Though, conversations were still audible throughout the rustic interior as life carried on like normal for the small amount of crew and passengers that were spread throughout the vintage luxury train. Albeit missing the commodities of the Information era, it was a place that harked back to the more memorable and younger days for Senior Executive and researcher James Marcus; a somewhat mysterious and gaunt individual.

Having the locomotive commissioned for his own use when the center first opened in 1968, it was by his design that each of the four passenger cars be given their own unique aesthetic style, representing a past decade or some classical vibe. Each of the passenger cars were also given quaint sleeping quarters upstairs and underpaid service attendants to help passengers and plunge toilets. Due to the budget at that time, it had to be so.

Passengers aside, the crew was always anxious during the nighttime runs to get home as there was little activity aboard. The lonely cook of the dining car tried entertaining himself with new recipes in the outdated and cramped kitchen; the waiter would sit idle in the upstairs dining room, often attempting to lose himself in a good book; the service attendants of each car didn't want to be bothered and would often try to avoid being seen; the anti-social Conductor was never to be found; and the engineer was always stuck at the helm to endure the ride in its entirety. While the Ecliptic Express was a boring means of travel, it was the fastest way via ground transportation to the isolated Umbrella facility.

[Soulio]

Cassel crunched his nose in disgust as he poured the wine down the sink, disgusted by its rather nutty flavor. The attendant of this car- a sort of refined restaurant, with a dimly lit chandelier, finely decorated walls and rustic windows, lined with plush benches and chairs and old, sturdy mahogany tables- was meekly standing in the corner, trying his very best not to be seen playing on his phone, despite it being quite obvious to the already annoyed Cassel.

"Hey, Phone Boy. Go do your job, and get me some fresh fruit from the kitchen, with at least three chocolate covered strawberries." The boy looked up at Cassel, already terrified at being given even one order. This was his first job, and considering that he knew that this cocky asshole of a man was clearly an important person, his response was to freeze up and look dumbly at Cassel.

"Well? Must I take you by the hand and guide you like a meek little child? GO!" Cassel said loudly, shooing the boy off. The boy took off, wholly intending to get the fruit as soon as possible to avoid any problems with his boss.

Meanwhile, Cassel had paced over to one of the ornate windows to peer out into the skyline. While finding it beautiful, he couldn't wait to be in a bleeding edge lab, filled to the brim with chemicals and biological agents that he could tamper with and study.

"Let's just hope my colleagues are even remotely as intelligent as I am..." he mumbled to himself, turning and taking a seat on one of the benches, finally deciding that while he wait, he read one of the copious amounts of books on the surrounding tables.

[☆Catwoman☆]

Thunder rumbled ominously beyond the windows of the dining car, the dense beauty of the Arklay Mountains obscured by the impenetrable darkness of a stormy night and pelting rain. Even the lightning illuminated little as it danced among the trees, but the route - and the forest - was familiar enough that Alivia's emerald eyes paid the lack of scenery no heed. Instead, they idly scanned the archaic language of Paradise Lost, for no other reason than that it had been one of the handful of books scattered rather haphazardly across the mahogany table she had seated herself at. Truth be told, though the contents interested her, she had read the same five lines of poem perhaps a dozen times already and had reached no greater an understanding of it than the first.

A particularly close flash of lightning lit up her periphery, followed instantly by a peal of thunder that shook the car, making the chandelier above flicker and sway and her glass of water tremble on the table. Alivia, untroubled, reached for the bland beverage and took a sip without looking up. After twenty years in the military, the booms of the storm almost made her feel more at home than her lonely log cabin, but her heart reached out to Bain, her beloved mutt, who cowered before nothing - except for storms.

Her peaceful if unenlightening reading was interrupted by the thin little man on the opposite side of the dining car, berating the petrified young serving boy who had shyly served her her water half an hour ago. Alivia lifted her gaze over the pages of the epic poem, eyeing Cassel with sharp distaste, but she did not spare a pitying glance for the chastised boy. The kid would have to learn that sniveling and groveling through life would only get you one thing - trampled on. They don't teach "Backbone" at school, more's the pity.

Alivia watched Cassel as he perched himself on one of the benches and began perusing another of the books loitering on the tables. Satisfied that he would cause no more of a commotion for the time being, the veteran returned her attention to the book. A line farther down the page caught her eye.

"Solitude sometimes is best society."

Now that, she could understand perfectly.

[Scottie]

Lemonade sat in a chilled glass before her. Bright pink lipstick stained the rim of the glass and the ice cubes clinked together as the train hummed. A few stray blonde curls bounced on her shoulders as she scribbled in a bashed notebook. Her tongue firmly between her teeth as her eyes snapped over the lines. She was in another world, a world of numbers and ideas. She was cruelly removed from this world by a loud voice echoing through her skull. She blinked rapidly, trying to source the noise but failed. It must have been from behind her. She could see the man shift uncomfortably at the end of the carriage, his cheeks turning a pleasant shade of pink. She tilted her head and then frowned as he scampered off like a struck puppy.

Samantha clambered up to kneeling on her seat, hoping to catch the owner of the voice who had scared away the man serving them. Of course. A vibrant pink fluffy pen was stuffed into her bun and from where she sat, she looked like an angry bobble head. "Hey!" She waited until his eyes flicked to her. "Be nice." Using two fingers she made a "I'm watching you" gesture to the pompous man. "And chocolate covered strawberries…seriously." She was not one to just sit by without saying something. She barely recognised his face and already he was making demands. She raised an eyebrow and scrunched up her nose at him before spinning in her chair. Letting her bum hit the chair once again. She smoothed out her dress, the dark blue material was christened with small stars and she adored the dress.

She let her fingers wrap around the cool glass of lemonade and took another sip as she plucked her phone from the surface of the table. Still no messages. She pouted as the glass was returned to its coaster. Her fingers went flying over the screen as she sent off yet again another text. Reminding her, that she shouldn't be late again. That she was waiting. That she was so very very lonely. A flurry of emojis were sent from her bright yellow phone before being plonked back onto the table before. Her notebook was back in her grip within seconds, her pen flying over the page as lost herself in yet another problem. One that she was certain, she would have figured out by the end of the night.

[.Karma.]

Madelyn walked along a carriage that held simple seating for those who just wanted a quiet ride. Some held books, others listening, and some simply stared out at the storm. Maddie loved how the lightening lit up the sky and the proceeding rumble of the thunder. For some reason, it had always been calming to her. She was the odd duck you could find standing out in the middle of the rain, letting the drops soak her hair and clothes.

As she approached the dining car, she barely dodged a young man that seemed to be scrambling out of the dining carriage causing her to stop short. Gazing into the window, her gaze wondered over the occupants. Alivia sat quietly with a book in front of her, there was a man also in a seat... and there... there she was. Maddie's smile grew as she first caught sight of the bright pink pen that stuck out of blonde hair, but then turned a bit serious as she watched Sam turn around. Her bright pink lips were set in a straight line, her eyes unable to hide her anger. Complete ferocious she was. Adorably ferocious.

Just as she was stepping into the dining car, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Quickly Madelyn pulled it from her pocket, a quiet grin lighting up her face as she read it. Slowly and as quietly she could, she snuck up behind Sam, leaning down to where she was just level with her ear.

"Lonely, are you?" She whispered while letting out a soft laugh. A gentle growl escaped her lips as she nuzzled Sam's neck before plopping down in the seat across from her. Maddie locked eyes with Sam, her own containing a bit of a sparkle at being near the blonde haired beauty. Maddie's expression, though, quickly turned serious. "Was there a problem here?" Brown eyes moved from Sam's and across the dining area to where Sam had turned around before. "Do I need to kick some ass?" She said with a faux toughness, knowing that it was not something that serious, but still curious as to what happened. She was fully prepared to defend Sam if truly necessary.

[Soulio]

Cassel looked up from his book, surveying the occupants whom had decided to cause a fuss at his actions. He took little care, but his stubbornness for being right stood in the way of making it appear as such.

"Oh I'm sorry, a man can't enjoy some chocolate fruit? And to what concern is it that I don't play nice? Last I checked, the boy worked for us. I'll treat him and any one below me however I like." He turned to the brunette, glaring at her.

"No, you do not need to 'kick some ass.' I'm hardly the one to be scolding..." Cassel trailed off, returning to his book. While fully aware of how much of a cocky prick he could be, he, eventually, was aware that he could be a bit too... truthful of his ways, which hardly worked out for him socially. Scientifically and educationally, it was a blessing and boon.

[Kris]

She eyed them from a far spot while gazing outside the glass and looking at the rain. She already got infromed on their names and few basic details, a thing one needed when scuffed within a group of unfamiliar faces.

She observed them carefully watching their interaction, amused to have some diversion from the rain and storms. She never liked storms or the darkness, but she had company with her which made the situation less obnoxious.

[CrimsonLady180]

The sounds of the rain made it easy for Violet to doze off in the beginning of the train ride, but now that she rose from her slumber she was ready to get a snack of some sort before they got to the lab. With a soft yawn Violet rose from the bed and headed over to her bag for a brush and other items to make herself presentable just in case she wasn't the only people in the dining car. After a bit of gussying up Violet pulled her hair back into a ponytail with sections of hair that framed her face figuring that was all the effort she was willing to put into her looks for the moment. With that Violet headed down to the dining car occasionally glancing out the window at the rain and endless forest on each side of the train tracks slightly curious if something was roaming around the forest on a night like this.

Her curiosity easily ebbed away and the thought of food returned to the forefront of her mind so Violet continued on her way, but not without incident. As she was coming upon the dinning car Violet when a young man that almost tackled her to the ground by how he was rushing out the cart, luckily Violet press herself against the wall to avoid any unnecessary physical contact. "Hey! Watch where you're going before someone ends up with a broken neck!" Violet scolded the boy but he had already rushed away from her for whatever the reason. Violet rolled her eyes as she let out a sigh of annoyance before making her way into the dining car.

Several of the other people riding the train were already in the dining hall, two of which didn't seem too fond of one another since Violet walked in at the end of an argument which maybe why that boy was running for the hills. "Evening," Violet said to everyone as she walked in and grabbed a seat by herself not willing to try and force a conversation with people who probably didn't want to talk besides the fact Violet rarely speaks at all unless it had to do with work then she could talk a mile a minute. To her work with was easy while socializing with people was like navigating a minefield in high heels, dangerously uncomfortable and not worth the trouble if it can be avoided. Violet did a quick scan of the people in the room taking in the few faces she may of come across while others she committed them to memory then returned her focus to a small menu with what the train's kitchen had to offer.

[Dire Hoef]

「#1」

'Another night-call..? They're running me ragged..'

In her bout of idle thought she had mistakenly forgotten that there were humans in the dining carriage. Humans that, to her, were causing somewhat of a fuss and that they were intruding on her power-nap (she wanted as much sleep as possible for she was going to be working real hard tonight). However, when the brunt of the commotion was about to reach a sort of boiling point, from her perspective, another voice joined in the cacophony of unwanted noise. A sweet, and perhaps gentle, voice pierced the noisy carriage, in which brought momentary peace. Peace that, honestly, was only going to last some several seconds before someone decided to retort the other with useless threats of violence.

Speaking from the soul, Milania wasn't one for violence and openly abscond such acts. But, from time to time, violence would always find her. Whether it be through the people she called family or her "friends", it followed her. Like a plague or a stalker. Always there, always watching; waiting for its time to strike. And tonight, from the look of those that were barking at one another, it was no different.

"If you're going bark," she finally said not even thinking of her actions beforehand, "Could you at least do it in another car? I mean some people are trying to sleep over here.." She said this with a bit of sass and a whole lacking of forethought. She spoke her mind without even an ounce of regret at that moment, but now, looking at the situation and her involvement in it, she thinks she might have made the situation worse than she originally had thought.

Though she kept her eyes locked on the man, and then glanced over at the woman; shifting between the two as Milania sat a little ways down the carriage. Wary of what they might say.

[Imp]

Among the commotion within the dining car and other things, an announcement was made over the intercom. "We're making an emergency stop in the passageway under the Center. That is all." Before the Conductor could manage his way to the rear of the train to see what was happening, he immediately turned to race back to the front. Confusion consumed him and the engineer as this had never happened before, nor did any reports come in from the facility. While waiting for the man in charge, the Engineer began to slow the train and try to make radio contact with whoever was in the building in the closing distance.

Within minutes, the door behind the engineer slid open as the conductor revealed himself. "So? Any contact from the facility?" The conductor queried while nervously combing through his thick dirty blonde beard. He planned to get the passengers off the train as per usual, but he'd be the first one off to investigate the situation.

"No. No response, Aaron. Maybe the signal is dead out here thanks to the storm and with the place on lockdown?" The engineer turned in his revolving chair to watch as the conductor took a flashlight and made his way to the side door.

"I'm not sure. But there is a sewer passage I can get into with my security card. Keep on the radio." As Aaron gripped the handle to the door, there was a sudden barrage of knocking on the other side. "The hell?" The conductor frantically slid open the door to reveal one of the crew from the Research Center. A man clenching a manhole hook and smelling of sewage stood under the bright passageway lights.
"Damn, are we glad to see you!" The man stepped forward, trembling while holding onto a manhole hook. "There was an outbreak down in the labs. We closed it off and Dr. Marcus made the appropriate call by initiating a quarantine. We were going to report it but the damn radio is out and needs repairs."

"That helps to explain the current situation. Was it only a minor incident?" The conductor wanted to be certain of what was going as he wasn't sure of the severity, what with only being an Umbrella train conductor and ignorant of any and all things happening elsewhere.

"So said Mr. Marcus. I trust his word. He told myself, and the others, to stay put until the quarantine was over and the train arrived. He said it'd be an hour for the quarantine to be lifted, but that was fifty minutes ago. With that, I guess we only have ten minutes left? You might as well get your passengers off to help assess the situation. We could use the help." The staff member looked a bit anxious as if he wanted to leave immediately, as the conductor took notice.

"I'll do just that. I'll get on the intercom while you report back to your superiors. When Dr. Marcus wants your team on the train, I'll be waiting here."

The man nodded while turning away to head back. "Oh, the elevator is inoperable due to the quarantine. Your passengers can instead use the Sewer Passage to reach the main hall. That is why I'm holding this hook as I had to get through that damn heavy manhole in the main hall. Finding your way will be easy as the passage is well lit unlike out here. Oh, and they recently put in a metal walkway over the sewer. No more worries about falling in." The man hesitantly chuckled as he then left.

Aaron shrugged to the engineer about the situation and took to the intercom. "Attention, passengers, you aren't having the night off. Gather your things and take the Sewer Passage up to the Main Hall for instructions on the situation. There was an incident in the lab. That is all I know. Thank you." the conductor clicked off the intercom and began to head to the adjacent passenger car. Only half the train was under the protection of the passageway as the rest was still stuck in the storm.

-----------------
The Nightmare Awaits...
-----------------

After hearing of the lab incident, many on the train refused to leave until they heard back from the superiors of the facility that all was well. For those few that confidently left the train, had found their way through the fetid, dimly lit Sewer Passage. The stream below the slippery metal walkway was surging and an unpleasant mist could barely be felt. With the entire passageway being quite repugnant, the workers hurried and climbed their way up the ladder, only to be welcomed by waiting group of staff. They were mostly sitting along the stairs or sitting on the few chairs on the first floor of the main hall. There wasn't much else for them to do other than be social, or admire the large oil painting portrait of James Marcus that was mounted on the wall between the two stairways leading to the first and second floor... or the creepy statues.

"Ah, the night crew." One of the head researchers approached the fresh group with a concerned look upon her gaunt face. The elderly woman brushed aside the short grey bangs just hanging over the tips of her eyebrows while looking over everyone. "My name is Samantha Knauf. I know I don't have my ID on me as I left it and my coat upstairs. We're in an odd situation here as there was an outbreak or something in the lab. It seemed minor enough, and yet the place is under a Level 2 Quarantine. We're waiting to hear from Dr. Marcus as he told us to stay put while he went to check on the situation. To be honest, I'm not liking this state of confusion as I want to know what is going on down there. My main concern being my husband who works in the labs." Samantha's attention was then suddenly caught by something else.

"What the hell happened to him?" Several staff scrambled over to what appeared to be an unconscious man. "Some damn bird managed to break through a window in one of the upstairs rooms and pecked at his face quite aggressively. I'm not sure what exactly caused him to go unconscious as there is minimal blood loss, but it looks as if some infection suddenly emerged in record timing. I'll stay on top of it." One of the scientists went right to work and requested that another staff fetch some medical supplies while she stay with the man in the meantime. Anyone could tell something wasn't right as the veins around the wounds on his face were enlarged and yet the skin was strangely pale instead of red.

"Listen, I best help the poor soul." Samantha turned back to the night crew to further explain the situation before shortly leaving them. "I already clocked out and am not caring to do much more for this company with their strict policy of no overtime. Henry, our stubborn day-shift technician, is trying to fix the damn radio in the Monitoring Room. Get to the Maintenance Room upstairs and retrieve the replacement parts for the radio. Also, to be on the safe side, the one assistant who ran to fetch the medical supplies is a bit of a dunce. If you go to the Medicine Room upstairs, you can likely help her get the things we'll actually need to help that poor guy with."

She then looked over her shoulder at the infected man. "Shit. Go do me another favor and check on the Living Room or the Private Study Room. One of those rooms likely has the damn dead crow - assuming they killed it. Bring it back to me so I can run tests to detect any strange diseases. One last thing, due to the lockdown, the Entrance has been electronically locked and majority of the metal emergency shutters for the windows were activated while some had circuitry issues and didn't do anything. We also heard some screaming upstairs to which some of our guards went to go check on some half hour ago but have yet to report back. I'm not sure what is going on." Samantha quickly ran to help he other staff with the unconscious man.

While the day crew were busying themselves, it was time for the night crew to do the same...