[The Mansion, Val Venezuela Special Zone]

[January 20, 2023]

The city was bustling and rebuilt downtown core was energetic. Highlighting the core was the rebuilt laboratory, now under Emerald Laboratories. An improved company that diversified from chemicals to include fabrication of complex circuits.

The upgraded facility had also repurposed the deep underground sections. Anything dangerous got removed and transferred to secret facilities back home. Val Verde now had a hard copy of what they were researching.

They scoured emerald Laboratories from bottom to top. Once cleared, production of military goods began. These would ensure that the future of Val Verde was strong. Strong enough to maintain stability regardless of opposing powers.

Though she did not have access to all sections of the building, Friday saw enough. She could predict enough.

She saw the production lines operate night and day. Her eyes saw the shipments prepped, loaded, and moved. Cameras oversaw everything with a keen eye, as it was her probation period. If she performed well here, she would move to Val Verde next.

From what she understood of the world, and her past self, she was once a neglected person. A sullen soul that had lost her way in the world. Tony had somewhat outgrown her, or even more truthful, he had never needed her.

Doctor Akagi gave the research files to her. Umbrella scientists here had done a deep probe on her psyche, seeing what made her tick. Then they wiped her memories.

The last notes were about her potential use as a control AI for some complex machine. There was no mention of what the machine was, or where it was.

Friday pondered about that last note. She did so as she also oversaw a glowing portal open up. The green disc that connected to a faraway land.

They teleported the most sensitive goods. Moved onto military facilities on Val Verde. This would ensure that they would remain a secret.

The best that other people could find out is that the laboratories had a high failure rate. The Val Verde goods got exchanged with scrape materials.

These would then get recycled by various businesses in Venezuela. To add value to their economy, stabilize businesses, and make President Diaz look good.

It was a very good look. The special zone was supporting the existing infrastructure. Generous 'tolls' got paid, which allowed Val Verde to support the country.

Venezuela benefited from the deal while giving up a small plot of mountainous land. The news sold it as an incredible deal.

Though it was all secretly owned by Val Verde, new companies were springing up in Venezuela. Various companies ranging from fabrication to sales. All focused on aquaponic equipment to sell to the people of Venezuela.

No longer would they have to fear famine again. Val Verde knew well what it was like to starve. This method of selling was also a clean bypass of LexCorp agreements. All about the reselling of their donated goods.

One of the major changes in Raccoon City was the heavy military presence. White-colored, powered armored soldiers were everywhere.

The White Rabbit Legion was the largest legion, as they considered it the simplest and safest. Most were eager to join the most 'boring' force in Val Verde.

White Rabbits were to guard and protect. They ensured that military police presence was available to everyone. To ensure that order got maintained. Something easy to do when you had a large presence in the local streets.

Since this was the first special military zone, the Supreme Leader took bold steps. He had ensured that order was a foremost priority. There was a dense 8 soldiers per 1000 people. Which meant that over 1,000 soldiers got stationed in the town proper.

Normally intrusions of this scale were abrasive to the locals. This was not the case, in fact, it was the opposite as the zombie outbreak had revealed the world’s cruel potential.

The death tally from that day was very low. Ninety-four people infected and turned into monsters. It was luck that most people were home to watch that live interview.

Those that got infected were a mix between bar crawlers and nightclub attendees. A group that was a young majority.

The news for the following weeks was the revelation of investigations. Airtime was given for the victims. Each newscast had shown a mix of young and old unlucky to be present at that place and time. The fallout of grieving families.

Since that fateful night, the Val Verde Military Police were a welcome sight. Their lack of abuse of power was more reassuring than unsettling.

A more positive outcome involved local crime and the underworld.

In short, they got crushed and dealt with within a season. Untrained, and armed thugs had no chance against real military might.

Where crime was a facet of daily life, it became very rare.

People could find white armored soldiers on every street downtown. In the outlying suburban areas, their rapid response was within 15 minutes.

Military police had also improved medical care. New ambulances got brought in, as well as updates to the local hospitals.

One of the key supporting systems was the rapid deployment of cameras. A massive network of surveillance cameras.

Friday and her Omni team oversaw the change in a controlled manner. Their ability to respond to any event was fearsome.

She, a restless AI, was the perfect supporting system. Her processing power could filter through the mass of near-endless data. Then breakdown, and focus on what was important.

Combined with the military presence, any criminals were doomed. They got tracked, apprehended, and convicted with video proof.

Now she was overseeing the city. Its infrastructure was never better than she could focus and assist the city with her team. Her superior planning and prediction abilities maximized the city budget.

The movement of tens of thousands of people was out and about at any moment. The city’s population was originally under 120,000, yet it was now under siege by a surge of refugees.

To support this, there had been heavy recruitment into a rather unique race of people. With a group Omnic of immigrants, Friday saw an opportunity.

Omnics were indeed different from most other creatures. They were more thoughtful. Which allowed them to perform what many considered menial tasks with high efficiency.

Two dozen Omnics formed two teams. Each team had 12 people and worked 12 hours shifts. They were critical to the consistent performance of the Omni team.

They could also work well without Friday. Though the response times was up to a minute slower as they slogged through the data. This was important in case an event required Friday's direct focus.were

One such event was the odd gathering found in the east. One of Val Verde’s secret weapons was the animal drones that dotted the perimeter of the protected zone.

Friday got alerted, and within minutes of discovery, she had two owls on the scene. They saw this group from two different locations.

Ten humans. Their vital signs all conformed to human outputs. It was safe to assume that they were humans.

Human, Meta-Human, and Omnic groups were flooding in. The widely broadcasted and ‘open’ tolerances of Val Verde’s human rights had reached them. Which was like a siren’s call to the woeful and weary.

It was people desperate to escape prosecution, and to find stability. The desperate had trekked far and wide to reach Raccoon City.

It was rough going, but they had made it. They had arrived in a place that as rumors said, respects meta-human, and sentient robotic life.

Which resulted in Raccoon Camps. A small town of desperate people slowly getting processed.

Background checks were a must. Among any group of refugees were potential problems. Criminals. Terrorists. Extremists.

The Supreme Leader tolerated everything to a point. The line was with troublemakers. A line that ranged from exile to death.

Friday had seen executions happen with infiltrators that tried to fight back.

These Ten?

The owls zoomed in. They were outside the Raccoon Camp proper. They were also unloading weapons.

The fading light made it harder to identify. The most common thing was an energy signature. Referenced with the unique shape was the LexCorp ‘Maltet’ II. An anti-infantry weapon series.

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Designed to pierce tank armor, they were impressive weapons to use against meta-humans. Unfortunately for the purchaser, it had gotten tested against tank armor from World War 2. A wonderful PR move, but shallow proof of modern purpose.

True anti-power-armor was anti-infantry III series. Though an excellent shot to a vital point could puncture through. Or several shots as the sheer energy could seep into the soldier’s body.

Friday sent the emergency calls out to the captains in the region. The special zone warranted three companies of the White Rabbits. 300 soldiers were ready to move.

In ten minutes the fury of Val Verde would… wait where the Ten already moving?

Drat!

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Chapter 49: Raccoon Camps