RACCOON CITY
(Two months before Game one)

Sue Jamison looked at the tank she was working with. Inside was a reddish liquid, floating in it looked like an embryo. The ten year old girl smiled at it. The girl was small for her age, fitting in perfectly in a class of first graders other than the fourth graders where she went to school just for the experience.

Sue Jamison was anything but an ordinary girl. She was a published scientist in many of the world's best scientific journals. She was also a member of the research and development team stationed in Racoon city under the employment of the Umbrella Corporation.

"It's okay Fluffy, soon everything will be okay, you'll be with me since mommy and daddy don't want to spend time with me." She brushed light brown hair out of soft brown eyes and went back to scribbling in a notebook.

"Sue?" A young woman entered the lab. "Is that your project dear?" She looked at the tank. That's bigger than she said it would be. Wonder what she needed the sample for anyway..

The girl nodded. "Momma thanks for the sample to work with. I was careful with it. Here's the information you wanted for the lab." She handed over a booklet.

The woman took the booklet looking it over then back at the tank. "You changed the code?"

The girl nodded. "This doesn't give the results you had.... In fact, it thrives on the virus you guys have in the lab. The creature in the tank is actually a hybrid too. The virus made it so that the two could mix. It's part plant and part animal."

"Oh?" The woman looked at the tank again. "What are you calling it?"

"I don't have the scientific name for it yet... Right now the prototype's Fluffy. I let it out earlier. It doesn't like living flesh... It only eats decayed.. The closer to molded the better, though it can't eat the mold. It weakens."

"Interesting." The woman smiled at her. "I have dinner in the fridge for you. Your father and I have to work late."

"Yeah I know. Don't worry about me. I've been taking care of myself since I was five." She sighed as her mother patted her on the cheek.

"Such a good child." Dr Jameson said with a smile. The younger girl nodded turning back to her computer to run a few tests.

Later Sue headed outside for a walk. She had heard from some of the other kids in the neighborhood that there was a new cop in the house next to her. Sue had yet to see him.

She made it to the mailbox as he was pulling up the drive.

"You must be Mr Kennedy." She gave him a smile. "I'm Susan Jamison." She pulled her mail out of her box.

"Patricia and Gregory's daughter right?" He smiled at her. Sue nodded. "Your parents always leave you alone?"

"Yeah, but it's okay, it gives me time to get my chores done." She smiled at him. "If anything happens I can always call them." She added.

"Still what if you can't get to the phone." Leon looked at her worried.

"If you're trying to say I'm a little kid, I'm not Mr. Kennedy." She smiled at him. "But thank you for your concern." She grinned. "Most people don't care."

"Guess I just don't want bad things to happen." He grinned back then went to get one of his boxes out of his jeep.

"If you give me a minute I'll go help you." She ran back into her house setting down the mail after checking to see what was in there. Junk mail.

An hour later Sue set down the last light box. She blinked as she saw a hand holding up a glass of ice and soda.

"Thanks, it's going to take me forever to get everything unpacked." He sat down on the floor after she took the glass.

"That's what I thought when we moved here. These houses aren't that big." She grinned. "The best part about them is the back yard. We got a pool put in last summer, but mom and dad are hardly around so I can't use it. They don't want me swimming if an adult's not around. I can only doggie paddle." She admitted sipping at the coke.

The brown haired man laughed. "It's okay, I didn't learn how to swim until I was about thirteen."

Two months later

Sue stood watching the TV. She heard the reporter telling everyone that the mayor had asked for everyone to stay inside, and that school had been canceled. What's going on? She heard the knock on the door and went to it.

She saw Leon's car parked in his yard. Good, if anything happens I can get to Leon's..

"Miss Jamison." The man who stood in the doorway was dressed in a dark suit and had blond hair. She tried to look into his eyes and saw mirrored glasses.

"Who are you?" She asked stepping back. The man knelt smiling at her. She glanced to Leon's hoping the man was watching what was happening.

"I'm a friend of your parents." He said still smiling at her.

Sue looked at him. "I doubt it." She moved to close the door. The man shoved it open.

"I don't have time for this." He said reaching for her. Sue scrambled out of the hall running for the small lab that was in the basement. "Damn it." He followed her.

Sue made it to the lab and locked the door. The creature in the tank looked up, the fluids having had drained.

Fluffy.. I can't let the man get him. She looked around the room and grinned seeing that she had left her schoolbag on the desk in the far corner.

"Now. Kid, let me in."

Sue looked at the tank. She turned ramming her elbow into the glass. The creature hissed, but didn't attack. Sue scooped it up and ran for the bag scooping the cat and the papers into it. She looked about the basement room for a way out.

The door started to open.

"All I have to do is scream... The neighbor is a member of ...." Sue went silent seeing the patch on the man's jacket. "You're one of them." She stepped back more.

"Yes, and I need the key you have. Something happened at the house... I'm going into deal with it."

"What key?" Sue asked innocently, not daring to reach for the necklace she wore.

"Don't get cute brat." He growled grabbing her arm. "I know that you have the only skeleton key of the Spencer house."

"Let go!" Sue kicked out at his knee and scrambled for the door when he let go of her.

Damn it, trusting a kid with the key.. What the hell were they thinking? He thought as he watched her go. There wouldn't be anywhere for her to go. He smiled knowing where she would run. Go run, see if I lied to you. He thought walking out of the house four minutes later.

Sue ran into Leon's house crashing into him.

"Sue?" The young man knelt seeing the blood on her arm. "Sue what happened?"

"A... a man just... he tried to grab me..." She felt Leon scoop her up and put her on the kitchen counter.

"Your parents are working late tonight aren't they?" He asked as he carefully lifted her sleeve. She nodded hissing as he cleaned the wound. She doesn't need stitches at least. He thought as he wrapped her arm. "Why don't you stay here tonight. You can call them and tell them where you are okay?"

She nodded as he handed her the phone. She dialed the number.

"This is Doctor Patricia Jamison, I'm sorry I can't come to the phone at the moment. If you leave your number I'll get to you as soon as I can." Sue sighed.

"Mom... I'm staying over at Leon's tonight. Don't worry I'll lock up the house." She said turning it off. "She wouldn't care to hear everything."

"It's okay, all I have is aspirin for the pain."

"It's okay... It doesn't hurt much."

Leon saw her bag move. "What's in your bag?"

"Huh... Oh Fluffy!" She opened it showing him the green cat. "He's my pet. Because Mom and Dad are always gone... I got him. To keep me company." She smiled. Leon looked at it.

"It's not harmful is it?" She shook her head and Leon petted it. "He's sort of cute."

"Thank you." She lowered the cat to her lap. "Hm.. Leon.. Could we order chinese?" She asked.

"Yeah, let's get you more comfortable though okay?" He asked. She nodded sliding off the counter. He caught her helping the small girl down. "Here you go. The best seat in the house." He said setting her on the large couch. Fluffy mewed and crawled out of her arms to climb onto the back of it.

Leon checked on the child sleeping in his bed. She had the cat curled up next to her. She's been on edge all night. I don't think she told me everything.

Sue heard the door click and opened her eyes. She moved quietly to the edge of the bed. I have to see if the blonde man was right... If he was I'm an orphan now... She thought putting Fluffy in her bag. She waited until footsteps went down the hall before she climbed out the window dropping the two feet to the ground.

After making one quick stop at her house for her jacket Sue was off heading into the woods.