Ben Bertolucci shook Henry's hand with a firm grip. His eyes were sharp and full of a dogged zeal that felt almost overwhelming, a zeal that would only lead to trouble later down the line.

Umbrella's probably already watching this guy, and if not, it's only a matter of time...

Henry let out an awkward cough at the thought, trying to forget Ben's rather unfortunate encounter with a certain Mr. X in a few months. Schooling a calm and confident smile as he greeted back, "Henry Ashcroft." Making sure not to mention his job title in a vain attempt at resistance.

And sure enough, the journalist latched on without missing a beat. "You're a new member of S.T.A.R.S., right? Henry?" His gaze pinned onto the uniform of the young man before him with an all-knowing smirk.

Usually, this smug bastard's smirk would've annoyed Henry, but instead, it only made his fake smile that much more genuine as the words he said sank in.

So, I'm not a veteran member of S.T.A.R.S., only a new member...

He realised, making his tension-filled shoulders relax a little. He really didn't have the acting skills to fool long-time friends without some plausible explanation or memory. So, this was a great piece of news for him.

Thus, Henry decided to roll with it, scratching the back of his head while returning Ben's look, "Yeah, you got me. I'm just trying to figure out how everything works around here."

"Sure, sure, I get it." The journalist replied, getting a little closer and lowering his voice to a whisper. "But come on, you're probably already in the loop, right?"

Henry's brows scrunched up in mock confusion. "Uh, loop? What loop?"

Of course, he knew what the guy was really after, but instead of giving a straight answer, he decided to play dumb, hoping that the lift would arrive sooner rather than later.

However, this didn't put Ben off at all, as his tone became more conspiratorial. "You know, the strange murders and disappearances in the Arklay Mountains?" He paused, searching Henry for any changes in his expression. "Those incidents are getting so out of hand that S.T.A.R.S. has gotta be involved... That's what you guys do, right? Handle the tough cases."

Henry fought hard not to roll his eyes at the probe, trying to remain cool and composed. "Arklay, huh?" He scratched his chin, acting as if in thought. "It rings a bell, but like you said, I'm just a new face around here..."

Ben pushed up his glasses with the index finger of his right hand. "Fine, but you're still in this building with a pair of eyes and ears." He pointed a finger. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed any... hidden currents going on below the surface."

Henry's heart began to speed up at the insinuation as he gulped. This guy was already digging far too deep, and he didn't have any form of backing or protection—just a dogged determination to get to the truth and reveal it, no matter what.

And Henry didn't want to be a part of the inevitable backlash.

So all he could do was try and bullshit, "Hidden currents?" He repeated, tapping a hand against his forehead. "Aren't you reading too much into things?"

"Oh, come on, Henry... You think I've worked this story so long without at least some idea of what I'm talking about?" Ben's smirk faded, his tone becoming sharper as he pressed forward with a determined glint in the eye. "The R.P.D., Umbrella, that bastard Chief Irons, all of them reek."

There was an awkward silence between the two as the sounds of cars in the garage continued in the background. However, just when the man was about to speak again, the nearby lift finally dinged open.

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The sound brought with it a wave of relief that washed over Henry, who wasted no time getting in. He turned back towards the journalist with one last apologetic smile, "Look, Ben... I support your goals and enthusiasm." More than you could ever know. "But I'm probably the worst person to ask at this time." Then he clicked the button for the first floor.

But as the doors of the lift began to close, Ben kept his voice low while shoving a piece of card into Henry's hand. "When you hear something, you know who to call. And trust me, you will... It's only a matter of time now."

The words lingered long after the doors shut, the piece of card feeling similar to some hot potato.

Henry quickly stored the dangerous thing, leaning against the metal wall as he tried to calm his beating heart. He'd long since heard about how persistent reporters could be before, and after finally experiencing it for himself today, he realised how true those stories were.

One misstep and you could easily incriminate yourself, and who knew what sort of consequences that had?

Not to mention...

His eyes went to the discreet camera in the corner of the lift, thanking god that it was positioned in such a way that the whole exchange wouldn't be visible. Only then did his thoughts turn back to the task at hand.

To gather more information.

No matter what, Henry had way too many questions playing on his mind that needed answers. Or at least a hint, anyway. So, he figured that the best place to get some of these answers was at the reception area on the first floor.

It was much better than the alternative. Going to the STARS office directly and hoping for the best.

He felt jittery just thinking of doing that, tapping one foot on the carpeted elevator floor as it travelled upwards.

Finally, after a couple of seconds of waiting in silence, the elevator beeped once more. The doors slowly opened to reveal a busy room. Multiple old-looking buttoned leather sofas sat on one side of this room, while the other side had a desk with the word reception on a metal plaque above. Everything appeared orderly and well-lit as sunlight streamed through a nearby window.

Henry took it all in with a stunned silence. Before putting one foot in front of another, feeling as if he were in the middle of a movie scene.

He ignored a few curious police officers—who whispered: "Who's that guy?" Approaching the reception desk—with all sorts of pamphlets to one side—while noting the various filing cabinets and computers squeezed into a small room behind.

In this small room was a young lady sitting in a chair. She sported a black blouse and a medium-length black skirt, complete with a name badge on her chest with the name Lisa and an R.P.D. administrative staff logo. Her eyebrows both raised in a questioning manner as she took in who was before her.

"Can I help you?" Lisa asked, eyes examining the familiar uniform Henry was wearing.

Hearing her words, Henry realised that, indeed, this lady didn't know him. So, he took out his S.T.A.R.S. I.D. card and placed it on the table, sliding it over, "Uh, yeah, I'm new here and would like to check if my details are already in the system. Can you check for me?"

He tried to keep the usual smile while sounding casual. Almost as if what he'd just asked didn't mean too much. But in reality, it was the complete opposite.

"Ah, yes, no wonder I didn't recognise you." She giggled while taking a couple of side glances, feeling that the man before her was quite handsome.

Is something on my face?

Henry confusedly looked around, not quite used to this type of attention. Instead, he totally misunderstood, raising one hand to his cheek to check if there was something there.

There wasn't.

So, he could only stand there awkwardly as Lisa took the card. Tapping away at her keyboard.

A moment later, she hummed under her breath. "Yep, you're here, alright." Then, she hit a few more keys. "And it looks like you've been in the system for a few days already. Ah. I'm guessing you're here to report for duty, correct?" The receptionist pointed to a notification on Henry's profile. "Since that's the case... I'll just report your arrival to Captain Wesker..."

Before Henry could say anything, the lady—Lisa—had already done everything. She looked over at him with a proud expression, like a peacock waiting for praise.

The only thing that he could do was thank her before waiting on the chairs, going over the information that he'd learned while waiting for his chaperone. Which, according to the receptionist, would be down to collect him soon.

Only time would tell if that would be Jill, Barry, Chris, the devil himself, Wesker, or whoever else.

Now, the only left to do was wait...

The clock on the wall continued to tick away loudly in the background as Henry consoled himself. Thinking things through one last time.

At least Ben didn't lie to me. He began. I'm indeed a new member of S.T.A.R.S.... and according to that lady. What was the name again? Hmm. Ah, Lisa. Yeah, that was it. Anyway, according to her, I'm due to report today, so for now, I just have to play along.

He squinted both eyes as his thoughts sped up—head pointed down towards the polished tile flooring below, all sorts of scenarios rushing through his brain. When suddenly, a soft voice brought him out of his own little world.

"Hey, you're... Henry, right?"

A pair of long, slender legs in dark grey cargo trousers took up most of Henry's vision.