Chapter 1: Collision Course

Helicopter blades whirred clockwise as the “bird” flew across the Pacific Ocean at night as the water was pitch black below. Several members of the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) sat in the chopper armed to the teeth with M16 assault rifles and 45. Caliber 1911 pistols. Chief amongst them were their Captains, Dan DeChant and Chris Redfield (Resident Evil). The latter of which was one of the survivors of the famous 1998 Spencer Mansion incident, nestled deep within the Arklay Mountains of Raccoon City. A location where a vicious zombie outbreak had occurred.

Chris Redfield along with the other BSAA members were on their way to a secret Umbrella facility disguised as a cargo ship. This large boat was thought to be one of the last major Umbrella facilities left after the infamous Raccoon City outbreak and the boat was expected to have B.O.W.S and T and G-Virus research on it. What was left of this major pharmaceutical giant was very much in disarray amidst the public backlash. As they neared their objective the pilot made it known.

“One minute to drop off!” He yelled through the radio.

“Are you ready for this?” DeChant asked Chris.

“Not my first time on a big, creepy barge!” Chris replied while checking his M16.

The BSAA chopper had made it’s way near the boat and began readying their other gear. The squad had checked their utility belts for their grappling hooks and made sure they had their propulsion devices which were like little torpedoes that divers often used to travel quickly through water. The moment the chopper was roughly 40 feet away anti-air machine guns began firing at them. Not getting any closer the chopper began to hover as the BSAA members put in temporary breathing apparatuses and jumped vertically into the water breaking the surface tension as they hit it. Using their propulsion devices they closed the gap very quickly between the boat and them.

As they emerged Chris, DeChant and the other men shot their grappling hooks and latched on to the side of the barge. The then rocketed up and leapt onto the boat. Out on the deck they were immediately met with resistance as Umbrella security shot at them with pistols, but the BSAA operatives quickly dispatched of the assailants, firing off their M16s and quickly made their way into the boat. As they made their way down they would check their corners and keep about a foot of distance between each other. Finally as they walked and swept the area they came up to a lab. As the BSAA prepared to breach the door Chris noticed a slender silhouette round the corner at the end of the hallway. They appeared to be wearing a black trench coat with a witch doctor’s mask that had red lenses. Appearing very suspicious Chris leapt into action not wanting them to get away.

“Check the lab! I’m moving to apprehend!” Chris Redfield said as he darted down the hallway.

“Copy!” DeChant and the other BSAA members roared.

Normally it would be dangerous for a soldier to move on their own, but Chris preferred it this way and his men knew it. He was very protective of his men and didn’t want to put them in jeopardy if it were a situation he felt he could handle. He was especially protective due to the loss of his partner and fellow Raccoon City survivor Jill Valentine. Who’d gone missing not long ago in a battle with his old rival and former comrade Albert Wesker. The three of them, Chris, Jill and Wesker used to be apart of an elite police task force called S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) but Wesker was actually an undercover Umbrella operative. He was also the reason for Jill’s disappearance.

As Chris rounded that same corner that the silhouette had rounded he saw a staircase where the moisture left behind from the figure’s footprints sat. He knew the silhouette must have gone down there, but it was dark. He switched on his flashlight and headed down. It was around this time, midnight 12:00 A.M. when Chris felt the barge shift and a huge boom of thunder rang out. Chris braced himself preparing for the boat to capsize but it didn’t.

“Weird…” Chris said as he scratched his head.

It was then that a bumbling figure stumbled up from behind Chris Redfield. Chris swung around in surprise because he was normally pretty vigilant and hard to sneak up on. But as he aimed his rifle and illuminated who was behind him with his flashlight his unease that had arrived so swiftly had then faded almost just as quickly. It was a girl with long silky black hair. Wearing black leather pants and a black & white striped crop top. She looked lost and confused as well as tired. Like she had been running away from something. Which was puzzling because Chris hadn’t heard her run up. But the moment she appeared to be in distress Chris put that thought off to the side as he rushed to sweep the girl off of her feet.

“Are you okay!?” He asked as he threw her arm over his shoulder, but it was then that Chris surprised, because she was unusually heavy like she was made of steel, but she seemed so small and helpless.

“…” The girl groaned and appeared out of it. Unable to respond right away.

Nevertheless he began carrying the girl down the hallway. Because despite her heft Chris was still one of the strongest humans in the Resident Evil universe. It was then that the barely lucid girl was starting to regain her sense of consciousness. And as she went to grab her head in reaction to a severe migraine that Chris saw it. On her arm was a letter/number combination. X-23 was tattooed onto her arm like a brand. And to Chris it must have been a serial number for a top secret Umbrella experiment. He called Captain DeChant.

“DeChant! This is Redfield, report!”

“They’re definitely doing some wicked experiments here, we’ve found vials of T-Virus, G-Virus, and an unknown strain as well.” Captain DeChant reported. “Find that assailant!?”

“Negative, but I did find a girl. There’s something unusual about her. I think she might be some sort of Umbrella experiment. Disable the anti-air above and call back the chopper. We need to get this girl and that research out of here!” Chris replied.

“What about the rest of the facility?” DeChant asked over the radio.

“Once we get her as well as the rest of the squad out I’ll stay behind to see if there are any other survivors.” Chris Redfield told him.

DeChant let out a deep sigh. “Copy that! Bring her up.” He didn’t want Chris to go off on his own again, but he knew there was no stopping him. He just had to pray Chris knew what he was doing.

It was then that the boat shifted again and suddenly Chris was starting to get worried. He could hear the eerie creaking of the barge as strain was put on nuts & bolts as well as welded melded. Chris suddenly felt as if he was being watched and he began looking in all directions. For anything, zombies, hunters, lickers, whatever. But he saw nothing. It was then that the girl snapped out of it and began sniffing like a dog.

“Sent-Sentinel!” She yelled.

“What was that!?”

And just as Chris was asking her for more info the top of the boat and floor above him began ripping and being pulled up by something like it was being canned by a can opener. And as the moonlight was cast into the barge a giant humanoid shadow covered the two them in darkness just as quickly as they’d been illuminated. It was a giant metal man. A robot that was made up of purple and blue armor with lifeless eyes that were lit up red.

What the hell is that!?” Chris yelled.

“J-just r-run!” The girl who was still weak and could barely stand yelled.

“Stop right there mutant!” The Sentinel yelled in a robotic voice.

“Mutant?” Chris yelled in confusion as worry set over the girls face.

But before either could discuss that the Sentinel threw up his arm as his hand began to glow, almost as if a beam of energy was about to pour forth. Chris threw up his M16 with one hand and unloaded an entire magazine on the machine. But there was no effect. Chris then slung his rifle over his shoulder, turned tail with the girl and ran as fast as he could. Luckily for him the wind up for this attack appeared to be long. And just as this thing was about to fire, there was another set of voices.

“What do you think X? Another rogue Maverick?” One voice said.

“Looks like it Zero! And he appears to be abhorrently violent! He’s gotta be stopped whatever he is!” X replied.

Standing at the top of the boat and on top of the control room were two more humanoid robots. They were much sleeker, smoother and seemed much less industrial than the Sentinel. They were Maverick hunters X and Zero (Mega Man X). Zero was Red with a blue gem in his skull, a green energy sword and long blonde hair. The other was X who was a bit more robotic looking but just as shapely as Zero. He was light and dark blue with a red gem in his forehead and sporting a large round canon for one of his hands called the Buster Canon.

“Alright Zero! Let’s show this tin can what a real robot can do!” X yelled as he aimed his Buster Canon right at the Sentinel and let out a blast in the shape of a blue orb of energy.

As the shot from the Buster Canon hit the Sentinel it left a char mark on his chest and knocked him off his balance. The Sentinel fell to his knees and the boat shifted to the side Chris and the girl were running towards as the energy beam coming from the Sentinel’s hand blasted past them and blew a hole in the barge. Luckily they were on a floor still several feet above water but as it shifted the pair began sliding down the hall until they fell out of the boat and into the water. The two of them hitting the water hard.

X and Zero who hadn’t noticed the two prepared for battle with the giant, mutant hunting robot. Zero then lit up his green energy sword as if it were a lightsaber and jumped incredibly far as he slashed the Sentinels chest where X had shot him. The softened metal slicing easily as sparks exploded from it upon impact. The Sentinel fell backward shifting the boat yet again. X then started firing multiple smaller blasts from his Buster Canon. In retaliation the Sentinel started shooting even more energy beams in short bursts also. Blasting even more holes into the boat as X and Zero dodged it’s blasts.

During this chaos while floating in the ocean with fierce waves Chris fought hard keep the girls head above water. A difficult task considering her unusually heavy body, but he was not prepared to let her parish. Especially since something about her reminded him of Jill but he couldn’t place it. And as they floated their drifting Chris could see an island off in the distance. Chris then thanked God because luckily for them, they appeared to be floating towards it.

(HOURS LATER)

Many hours later as the two walked along the beach of this mysterious island in the Pacific, they were now both exhausted and wet and tired. They walked for about half a mile down this beach and Chris just collapsed. And to his shock he was now being held off the ground. And who’d caught him was the girl! This tiny petite girl in a crop top. He was shocked because not long before she seemed completely wiped out. But now she was standing tall and easily holding Chris up, this muscular two-hundred pound man. It was almost as if she had some sort of super healing that was temporarily dormant but has now returned.

“What they hell did they do to you?” He asked as the girl looked confused.

“How did you know about that?” The girl asked, thinking Chris was aware of something he wasn’t. But before Chris answered he asked yet another question.

“Who are you?” Chris then asked.

But the girl, despite being grateful to Chris for saving her still wasn’t quite ready to trust him with her real name. So she simply answered. “X-23.”

“X-23…” Chris said, remembering the tattoo.

But before Chris even had time to process this weird girl something even weirder happened. A naked, furry creature with soaked matted fur crawled out of the ocean and onto the beach near the two, and now they both just looked confused. Both Chris Redfield and X-23 (X-Men). As this creature that at first they thought was a dog got onto the sand, he shook his body like a dog as water went flying, and then they knew it wasn’t a dog. It was something else, and Chris more than anyone else would know exactly what he was.

“Ah damn! I hate being wet!” The creature whispered angrily to where the others couldn’t hear him speak.

“A Raccoon?!” Chris yells catching the creature’s attention.

“Why the hell do all you humies call me a Raccoon?! I’m Rocket! Just Rocket!” Rocket Raccoon (Guardians of the Galaxy) yells angrily as both Chris and X-23’s jaws just dropped.

The two were confused but they’d both seen weirder. Not to mention some pretty weird things had happened the past 24 hours. The two stand and brush off the sand, and they look around the island perplexed as to where they were. But they knew wherever they were they had to find a way off this island. So just as they retrieved their bearings Chris and X-23 started combing the beach. And despite being incredibly angry at these two strangers, Rocket not wanting to be alone begins trailing behind them.