The engine of Jasen's pick up purred low beneath the early morning light. Downtown Raccoon City stirred with muted motion—construction workers prepping for the day, street lights flicking off, and police cruisers starting their patrol shifts.
Jasen sat in the driver's seat in front of the RPD station, hands on the steering wheel. The building loomed like a stone fortress behind reinforced fencing and security gates. Jill sat beside him in full STARS tactical uniform—body armor clipped into place, holster strapped tightly to her thigh, and a new earpiece glinting beneath her dark-blonde curls.
She turned to him. "You know I have to go."
Jasen nodded.
Jill smirked, but her eyes were soft.
They sat for a few seconds more before she leaned over, kissed him on the cheek, and opened the door.
"See you soon."
"Count on it," Jasen said, watching as she disappeared into the building.
As soon as she was gone, Jasen reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his secured burner phone. He dialed William Birkin directly.
It rang once.
William answered immediately.
"Outbreak's confirmed. Two dead hikers. Mutated dogs are active. Spencer Mansion protocol is live."
William confirmed. " Wesker pulled the trigger."
"Looks that way," Jasen said. "I'm moving in. I want to intercept Bravo's arrival".
If this goes the way I think, I might be able to alter both Zero and One."
"You realize what's in those woods, don't you?" William said. "You'll be dealing with Umbrella's early prototypes. They're unstable. Worse than the finished ones."
"I know. That's why I'm going."
There was a moment of silence before William spoke again, more quietly. "And if the mission fails?"
Jasen exhaled. "Then I activate the V-Sparda."
"Be careful. The strain may be compatible, but it's untested in a live environment."
"Understood."
The line went dead.
Jasen stepped out of the Truck, ready to head back toward his apartment to gear up when he heard a voice from behind.
"Hey."
He turned. Rebecca Chambers stood near the alley between the precinct and the parking garage. Dressed in S.T.A.R.S gear, hair pulled back, she had something small tucked in her bag.
She stepped up quickly, glancing left and right before pulling out a secure case no larger than a glasses box.
" It's the V-Sparda strain. Purified. Cold-sealed. It's yours now."
Jasen stared at her, surprised.
"Thank you Rebecca"
"No problem," she said, pressing the case into his hand. "This city, this team—we're not going to survive unless someone pushes back. And frankly, you're one of the few I trust to do that."
Jasen nodded, sliding the case into a reinforced pouch inside his jacket.
"Be careful," she added.
"You too."
He gave her a firm nod, then turned and jogged the rest of the block to his apartment. Inside, he moved like muscle memory: grabbing his reinforced vest, short-blade knife, dual pistol holsters, flashlight, tactical gloves, and three pouches of ammo. His main firearm—a matte black semi-automatic pistol with custom modifications from Kendo—was already cleaned and locked.
He stuffed the medical kit into a side compartment of his backpack, followed by three meal bars, a canteen, and his map of the Arklay Mountains.
Jasen changed into dark tactical pants and a fitted utility top, black as night. His boots were soundless on the floor. He slung the pack over his shoulder, checked everything twice, and locked the apartment behind him.
At the hidden garage two blocks away, Jasen slid into the SUV and fired the engine.
The route to the Arklay Mountains was clear. The roads thinned out quickly as he left the main city behind. Trees grew dense, and fog gathered along the ground like a shroud. The deeper into the forest he went, the colder it got.
The Spencer Mansion lay just beyond a long-overgrown logging road. But Jasen wasn't headed there directly.
His goal was the Ecliptic Express rail tracks.
Somewhere in those woods, Rebecca Chambers of Bravo Team would soon find herself in a fight for survival—alongside a man named Billy Coen. Resident Evil 0.
Jasen would change that.