[TWD x Resident Evil] — Chapter 536 - Don't Reveal a Single Word to Wesker
After going over the precautions, Leon slid a portable radio transceiver across the desk toward Rebekah.
They'd seized it from the Atlanta station last time.
Leon leaned back in his chair, fingertips tapping the armrest edge.
He studied her face, the hesitation written all over it, and didn't give her time to sit with it.
Time was short. That old fox Wesker had probably already started casting his net.
"Tune to your S.T.A.R.S. encrypted frequency."
"Contact Chris, or Jill. Whoever's still breathing and calling shots."
Rebekah blinked.
"How do you even know who's on Alpha Team?"
Leon smiled.
"Of course I know. If I didn't, how would I know they're about to walk into danger?"
Rebekah gave a small nod.
Fine. She believed him.
Her mind was a mess. On one side was the captain she'd trusted since day one. On the other was this man who had torn the Spencer Mansion apart at the seams.
But the scales had already tipped, and they weren't going back.
The monsters in the sub-levels. Wesker's irrational orders that kept stacking up. All of it backed Leon's words.
Wesker really did intend to kill them all and bury the evidence.
And beyond that, she wanted to believe Leon. She just did.
Rebekah drew a slow breath and reached for the radio.
She turned the knob. Frequency digits flickered across the LCD screen.
This was Chris's backup channel for Alpha Team, used only when primary comms went dark.
"Once you connect — no small talk." Leon leaned forward.
"Tell them your location. Tell them to come get you."
"The most important thing. The thing that keeps them alive."
"Wesker cannot find out about this call. Not a word."
Rebekah nodded and pressed the transmit button.
"This is Bravo Team medic, Rebecca Chambers. Calling Chris. Please respond, over."
Dead air hissed from the speaker.
She glanced at Leon. He lifted his chin, keep going.
"This is Rebecca. Repeat call, over."
---
Fort Benning Police Station.
A Bell UH-1 sat centered on the H-pad, rotors turning over at low speed, the engine putting out a slow, deep throb.
Chris Redfield was heaving a tactical bag stuffed with spare magazines into the cabin.
He had his tactical headset on, about to switch channels and confirm the flight route with the pilot, Brad.
Pre-departure checks, every time, without fail. That was how he operated.
Right then, a burst of static ripped into the backup channel.
A female voice followed.
Chris went still, hands frozen in the air.
He thought he'd misheard. He pressed his palm hard against the noise-canceling cup over his other ear.
"Jill!" He spun toward the cabin and shouted at Jill Valentine, who was just hauling herself through the door. "You hear that?"
Jill gripped the edge of the cabin frame, brow creasing. She was already on the same frequency.
Rebecca's voice came through again, a little distorted, but unmistakable.
Chris ripped the mic boom down and fired back immediately.
"Rebecca! God — it's really you! This is Chris. Where are you?"
---
In the office at Atlanta Prison, Rebekah heard that familiar rough voice, and her eyes went red before she could stop it.
The days of fear, of not knowing, they all came loose at once.
But she remembered what Leon had told her.
"Chris, I'm alive. I'm okay." The words came out fast. "My coordinates are an abandoned factory at the junction of old highways in northern Georgia. Can you come get me?"
Leon had set up the fake coordinates in advance, far enough from the prison to stay off Umbrella's radar, close enough to pull Alpha Team clear of the prison's perimeter. Even if things went sideways, the prison's location wouldn't be burned.
On the helicopter, Chris exhaled hard. The tension drained out of his shoulders.
"Thank God. You've been dark for days — Captain Wesker said there was no sign of you in the crash wreckage. We thought, " He cut himself off, slapping the cabin wall. He jabbed a finger at the pilot up front.
"Get those coordinates into the nav! We're going now."
He didn't wait for her to answer.
"Stay put. Find somewhere safe and stay low."
"I need to get this to Captain Wesker right away. He's been worried sick."
➤ Next: It Had to Be Jill