ResidentEvil-TheUmbrellaConspiracy [PROLOGUE (Start)]

PROLOGUE

Latham Weekly, June 2, 1998

BIZARRE MURDERS COMMITTED IN RACCOON CITY

-The mutilated body of forty-two-year-old

Anna Mitaki was discovered late yesterday in an abandoned

lot not far from her home in northwest Raccoon City,

making her the fourth victim of the supposed "cannibal

killers" to be found in or near the Victory Lake district in

the last month. Consistent with the coroner reports of the

other recent victims, Mitaki's corpse showed evidence of

having been partially eaten, the bite patterns apparently

formed by human jaws.

Shortly after the discovery of Miss Mitaki by two joggers

at approximately nine o'clock last night, Chief Irons made a

brief statement insisting that the RPD is "working diligently

to apprehend the perpetrators of such heinous crimes" and

that he is currently consulting with city officials about more

drastic protection measures for Raccoon citizens.

In addition to the murderous spree of the cannibal

killers, three others have died from probable animal attacks

in Raccoon Forest in the past several weeks, bringing the

toll of mysterious deaths up to seven. . . .

Raccoon Times, June 22, 1998

HORROR IN RACCOON CITY

MORE VICTIMS DEAD

-The bodies of a young couple were found

early Sunday morning in Victory Park, making Deanne

Rusch and Christopher Smith the eighth and ninth victims

in the reign of violence that has terrorized the city since

mid-May of this year.

Both victims, aged 19, were reported as missing by

concerned parents late Saturday night and were discovered

by police officers on the west bank of Victory Lake

at approximately 2 A.M. Although no formal statement

has been issued .by the police department, witnesses to

the discovery confirm that both youths suffered wounds

similar to those found on prior victims. Whether or not

the attackers were human or animal has yet to be

announced.

According to friends of the young couple, the two had

talked about tracking down the rumored "wild dogs"

recently spotted in the heavily forested park and had

planned to violate the city-wide curfew in order to see one of

the alleged nocturnal creatures.

Mayor Harris has scheduled a press conference for this

afternoon, and is expected to make an announcement

regarding the current crisis, calling for a stricter enforcement

of the curfew. .

Cityside, July 21, 1998

"S.T.A.R.S." SPECIAL TACTICS AND RESCUE

SQUAD SENT TO SAVE RACCOON CITY

With the reported disappearance of three

hikers in Raccoon Forest earlier this week, city officials have

finally called for a roadblock on rural Route 6 at the foothills

of the Arklay Mountains. Police Chief Brian Irons announced

yesterday that the S.T.A.R.S. will participate fulltime

in the search for the hikers and will also be working

closely with the RPD until there is an end to the rash of

murders and disappearances that are destroying our community

Chief Irons, a former S.T.A.R.S. member himself, said

today (in an exclusive Cityside telephone interview) that it is

"high time to employ the talents of these dedicated men and

women toward the safety of this city. We've had nine brutal

murders here in less than two months, and at least five

disappearances now-and all of these events have taken

place in a close proximity to Raccoon Forest. This leads us to

believe that the perpetrators of these crimes may be hiding

somewhere in the Victory Lake district, and the S.T.A.R.S.

have just the kind of experience we need to find them."

When asked why the S.T.A.R.S. hadn't been assigned to

these cases until now, Chief Irons would only say that the

S.T.A.R.S. have been assisting the RPD since the beginning

and that they would be a "welcome addition" to the task

force currently working on the murders full-time.

Founded in New York in 1967, the privately funded

S.T.A.R.S. organization was originally created as a measure

against cult-affiliated terrorism by a group of retired military

officials and ex-field operatives from both the CIA and FBI.

Under the guidance of former NSDA (National Security and

Defense Agency) director Marco Palmieri, the group quickly

expanded its services to include everything from hostage

negotiation and code breaking to riot control. Working with

local police agencies, each branch office of the S.T.A.R.S. is

designed to work as a complete unit itself. The S.T.A.R.S.

set up its Raccoon City branch through the fund-raising

efforts of several local businesses in 1972 and is currently

led by Captain Albert Wesker, promoted to the position less

than six months ago.