Claire Redfield was a college student and younger sister of former S.T.A.R.S. member Chris Redfield who was proud of her brother's work. She became involved in her brother's fight against the Umbrella Corporation during the Raccoon City Incident. Before September 1998, she was a regular college girl. She had a passion for motorcycles and was highly devoted to her older brother. Through Chris, Claire received training and lectures in firearm usage and knife combat, making her a highly accurate shot and fairly skilled in close quarters combat, able to use anything from a combat knife to a rocket launcher despite being a civilian. She had a great interest in motorcycles more than anything else and enjoyed buying engines and making things that suited her own style. She owned 2 motorcycles and was known to have a lot of boyfriends, but was never tied down to any particular person. She had a strong-minded personality and may have seemed rash at times, but she was tender and laid-back. She was an expert at lockpicking, her manual dexterity rivaling Jill Valentine. 1 2 3 4 5
History
Raccoon City (Sept., 29, 1998)
During his investigation into Umbrella following the Mansion Incident, Chris Redfield decided to cut off contact with his sister in hopes that she would not be drawn into it. However, Claire herself grew worried instead. On September 29, she decided to make a lone trip to Raccoon City to search for her brother. She quickly became enthralled in the chaos that had been destroying the city from within, and was confronted by several Zombie creatures in a restaurant. She encountered the rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy, who had also just entered the city. With his help, she was able to escape in an R.P.D. squad car. After a quick introduction, the two narrowly escaped an incoming tanker truck and its ensuing explosion.
Claire was forced to traverse the streets of Raccoon City itself, encountering many zombies while attempting to make her way to the R.P.D. Upon entering hoping to find a safe haven, she found that it was also overrun with monsters. Claire uncovered Chris' left behind diary, and learned of his decision to travel to Europe. With her brother not even in the city, Claire and Leon resolved to rescue any survivors and escape the city. During this time, Claire encountered a young girl named Sherry Birkin, the daughter of Umbrella researcher William Birkin. She also encountered the police chief Brian Irons, discovering his insanity, and learned of the "G-Virus Project" from him before he was killed. After several abrupt separations, Sherry decided to stay with Claire and the two made their way through the sewers. Eventually, Claire found herself and Sherry being pursued by a Tyrant (T-103 Type) and "G", the mutated William Birkin. Eventually Sherry once again went missing in a sewer drainage ditch, and ended up in the waste dump where "G" implanted her with a G-Embryo.
After encountering Sherry's mother, Annette, Claire learned of the reasons behind the chaos enveloping the city. After an extensive search, she reunited with an infected Sherry, and made her way down to the Raccoon City Underground Laboratory. Leaving Sherry in the security office, Claire proceeded throughout the facility and uncovered the full extent of Umbrella's experiments before a final meeting with Annette, who was severely wounded by "G". With her last breath, Annette entrusted Sherry's safety to Claire and handed her the instructions for the creation of the "DEVIL" vaccine. With these instructions, Claire managed to synthesis a sample of the vaccine, and hurried to the carrying-out train beneath the laboratory with Leon where she administered the vaccine to an unconscious Sherry.
The three were attacked for a final time by "G", causing the self-destruct device on the train to activate. They managed to stop the train, and ran for the end of the tunnel before the train's explosion. Having reached safety, Claire was urged by Leon to leave in order to continue her search for her brother and began to travel alone, while Leon and Sherry required medical attention and were taken into the custody of the NSA (National Security Agency).
Rockfort Island Incident (Dec., 27, 1998)
Remembering Chris' diary which stated he had left for Europe, Claire made her way to Paris, France. On December 17, she infiltrated the Paris Laboratory and recovered a memo which indicated that Umbrella's deeds were not isolated to Raccoon City. Although she carried herself like a professional, she was discovered and pursued by the facility's security forces, and was apprehended by Rodrigo Juan Raval after a prolonged pursuit.
On December 27, she was transported to the prison on Rockfort Island and was given the identification number of WKD4496. Soon after her arrival, the base was attacked by a Special Forces named H.C.F. led by Albert Wesker. She was released by her injured captor, and left to explore in an attempt to escape the island. She encountered a fellow prisoner, Steve Burnside, and after he initially refused to aid her, the two formed a partnership and resolved to escape together. Claire managed to send an e-mail to Leon S. Kennedy, instructing him to inform her brother of her whereabouts and inform him of Umbrella's surveillence of him. Later, Claire and Steve were made the personal play things of the island's commander, Alfred Ashford, who incorrectly suspected Claire of being the instigator behind the attack on the island.
They managed to escape the island via one of Umbrella's seaplanes, but their escape was cut short after Alfred manually set their plane to auto-pilot, sending them crashing into the Umbrella South Pole Base. After exploring the base, Claire defeated "Nosferatu", the mutated Alexander Ashford. They discovered a snowmobile and attempted to escape to an Australian observation base approximately seven miles from the facility. At this very moment however, Alexia Ashford was awakened from her 15-year cryogenic sleep, and unleashed a tentacle to destroy the duo's snowmobile. Claire was encased in a cocoon within the underground South Pole Laboratory, while Steve was taken to be used as a test subject for the refined t-Veronica virus within Alexia's bloodstream.
Trapped in a cocoon, Claire was rescued by her brother, Chris, who had been informed of the situation by Leon and had travelled to the base after discovering that Claire was no longer on Rockfort Island. After Alexia interrupted the reunion, Claire and Chris set off to find Steve. A tentacle burst through the wall and separated the siblings, forcing Claire to search for Steve on her own. She found him in a gothica hallway. Alexia had administered the virus from her blood to Steve, causing him to mutate. Subject to Alexia's commands, Steve wielded a large axe and chased Claire down the long hallway in order to kill her. Claire dove through the exit just as the bars fell, trapping Steve on the other side. Alexia's tentacles intervened, holding Claire down so that Steve could kill her. However at the last moment, Steve overcame the virus with his will and refused to kill Claire, and instead turned the axe on the tentacle, earning a counterattack that seriously wounded him. Steve professed his love before dying, leaving a mourning Claire still trapped behind the locked door.
She was found by Chris, and she informed him of the need to activate the self-destruct device in order to unlock the door. Chris successfully activated the device and they were reunited only to be hindered once again by Alexia. Chris instructed Claire to head to the emergency elevator while he battled Alexia. Albert Wesker captured Claire along the way, but released her in order to try and kill Chris. After the fight, Claire and Chris finally escaped the base. While flying in the V/TOL Harrier jet, Claire fell asleep and began to experience a nightmare of the previous day's traumatic events in which Steve was still alive and they were still on Rockfort Island. Her experiences in Raccoon City such as her encounter with the "Licker" creature also found their way into her nightmare. When she awoke, she at first mistook Chris for Steve.
Before the end of 1998, Claire joined a non-governmental organization named "TerraSave".
Sherry and the U.S. Government
After the Raccoon City Sherry was put in the care of the U.S. Government, despite this Sherry was subject to extensive tests to study the G virus antibodies she had. Claire stayed by Sherry's side during this ordeal and became her moral support when she had to suffer through daily tests and experiments. Despite this Claire didn't became her legal guardian, a man working for the government named Derek Simmons took that place. Even though Sherry's existance was a guarded secrect, Derek permited Claire to visit Sherry during this time.
Harvardville Incident (Nov., 14, 2005)
On November 14, 2005, Claire visited the town of Harvardville to join the protest against the WilPharma Corporation and its clinical testing in India. She became involved in another biological disaster following a bioterrorism attack on Harvardville Airport. Trapped in the VIP lounge, she made a 911 call to the Harvardville police. After the arrival of Leon S. Kennedy on the site to take command of the S.R.T. (Special Response Team) forces, a rescue attempt was enacted. She was reunited with Leon, and managed to escape from the airport along with senator Ron Davis and a few other survivors.
With the help of Frederic Downing, she visited the Air Dome Laboratory and discovered that the WilPharma Corporation had possession of the G-virus. Claire survived an explosion in one of the facility's lower levels, but a shard of glass punctured her leg. Despite Leon's insistence that she escape, Claire limped her way to the control room and aided Leon's struggle against "G-Curtis", the mutated Curtis Miller. Following the containment of the viruses, Claire, Leon and Angela Miller arrested Frederic Downing, the true instigator behind the bioterrorism attacks.
Introducing Chris and Leon
At some undetermined time Claire introduced her brother and Leon for the first time even though interactions between their respective organizations was highly restrictive but she believed this meeting was an important step in breaking down the barrier between the U.S. government and the BSAA. They both shook hands, conversed for a little while and parted ways, the conversation on that meeting was kept classified.
Sherry's Freedom
After the death of Albert Wesker in 2009, Sherry made a deal with the U.S. Government to become an agent for them in exchange for her freedom. She received training and was put under Derek Simmons charge. Hearing this Claire sent a letter to Sherry warning her about Simmons, she always distrusted him and felt he was hiding something every time she looked into his eyes. Unfortunately this letter was intercepted and never shown to Sherry or Simmons.
Despite this both Sherry and Claire always spend time together when their busy schedules permit it.
Footnotes
- 1. biohazard archives (Page 137-139)
- 2. (Page 147)
- 3. BIOHAZARD CODE:Veronica Kanzenban Kaitai Shinsho (Page 005)
- 4. Claire Redfield Notes
- 5. Claire Redfield (Rockfort) Notes