Project Umbrella Translation
NO. 05 SHEVA ALOMAR
The town where she was born and raised had a factory.
Umbrella Plant 57.
It was an old factory merely given a number, but was a precious source of monetary income that enriched the town.
80% of the town's adults worked at the factory and Sheva's parents were no exception.
Although her parent's earnings weren't much, the steady income allowed Sheva to lead a relatively prosperous childhood.
But that happy time didn't last long.
When she was eight-years-old, whilst she was playing in the street with her friends as usual, a sudden siren blew through the bright, gentle air surrounding her.
The siren was from the factory.
Ominous black smoke rose in tandem.
Something bad had happened.
Sheva felt it intuitively and ran to the factory.
She was unable to enter the factory however.
There was no sign of the kind old guard who usually let children through all the time with a smile, instead there were a bunch of unfamiliar adults.
Their expressions were impossible to make out thanks to the masks completely covering their heads.
"They were wearing protective anti-biohazard gear.
They were definitely Umbrella's special forces."
Sheva later told us.
It was difficult to hear their muffled voices under the masks, but when they pointed their assault rifles at Sheva and the others, their intentions were clear enough.
Though scarce near the town, there were many anti-government guerrillas in this politically unstable country.
Even though she was a child, she fully understood the violent nature of a gun.
Before long, the remaining adults in the town also gathered, but there was no one who defied their dull-glowing firearms.
Sheva was led home by the hand of an adult who lived in her neighborhood.
That night was Sheva's longest night.
The night passed as she gazed at the door without sleeping a wink.
Dawn broke, and even as the sun began casting long shadows, her parents didn't return.
At night, she felt a presence outside the door.
Sheva jumped up and ran to the door.
The muscles in her legs were stiff since she'd been sitting down, but she didn't care.
She almost fell over but when she reached the door she opened it quickly and cried out with all her strength.
"Welcome home!"
Wide-eyed and shocked, it wasn't her parents, but a distantly related uncle.
"Your parents are dead. They were in an accident at the factory."
Then he said he'd take her in.
He didn't care how Sheva felt.
After her uncle quickly packed up what few household effects that looked like they were worth some money into the rear of his old pickup truck, he brought Sheva to his own house far away.
But her life there didn't last long.
Her uncle's household was poor and on top of that he had seven children himself.
Despite being a blood relative, he wouldn't have taken Sheva if he hadn't schemed to extort compensation money from the factory.
Then her uncle's plan failed.
He wasn't able to get any compensation from Umbrella.
Her uncle muttered toward his wife, "The factory has vanished", but Sheva didn't care.
Rather, what mattered more was the fact that after this day, she no longer had adequate food.
The hunger made her love her gentle parents so much more.
And Sheva came to believe her parents might in fact be alive.
That's right, she herself hadn't even seen her parent's bodies!
Perhaps they were alive!
That thought grew stronger with each passing day.
Two months later, as a full moon lit up the savanna, Sheva slipped out of her uncle's house and traveled to the town she was born and raised in.
Sheva's feelings for her parents were intense.
However, the vastness of the savanna was enough to shatter them.
On the second night, Sheva collapsed due to malnutrition.
The savanna was surprisingly noisy at night.
The footsteps and roars of animals, the buzzing of insects, the rustling of grass blown in the dry wind.
It was a new discovery for Sheva, who grew up in a town, but it was likely soon to become meaningless.
Then a familiar sound reached her ears.
A low engine sound and tires scratching on gravel, joined by strange rattling, perhaps due to a lack of maintenance.
It was a truck.
The truck came to a stop near Sheva.
A man came out of the passenger seat, looked at Sheva, and spoke a few words to her.
Sheva said she doesn't remember what she replied at the time.
But the man lifted Sheva in his arms, put her on the back of the truck, and left.
The man was a member of the anti-government guerrillas.
Providing Sheva a bed and warm meals, it could be called comfortable for starters.
But at the same time, he told her a brutal fact.
The accident at Umbrella's factory was no mere accident.
The factory had been manufacturing bioweapons.
The final experiment was conducted using the dilapidated factory.
It involved the employees working there, who didn't know anything.
Sheva's father... and her mother...
After the experiment was over, Umbrella lobbied the government, making them mobilize the army in order to cover up the truth by destroying the factory and the entire town.
That too was thorough.
The town where she was born and raised no longer existed.
Sheva despised them.
She hated Umbrella, who took away her parents for selfish reasons.
She hated the government that catered to Umbrella.
Then she decided to take her stand, joining the anti-government guerrilla group.
Although she was made to do only miscellaneous tasks such as washing clothes and preparing meals, within a few years she held a gun for the first time.
Sheva doesn't like talking about her days as a guerrilla much.
Either she doesn't have very fond memories, or she's ashamed of what she did back then.
Seven years passed since Sheva became a guerrilla.
That day, Sheva had come to the city to shop.
Shopping was one of her important duties.
Although she'd been living as a guerrilla for several years, she was a girl in her teens.
If she could bottle up the sharp gaze in her eyes she sometimes displayed, she wouldn't have been suspected even in the city.
A lone man approached Sheva.
Although he looked like a local, his voice had a faint foreign accent.
He cautiously handed Sheva a note and spoke quickly.
"Read the note. If you believe it, come to the church in the alley in two hours."
With that, the man vanished into the crowd.
Sheva earnestly took the note, seeing a word she recognized.
"Umbrella"
The pharmaceutical company that took Sheva's parents from her in a self-serving experiment.
If not for that experiment, she wouldn't have been reduced to a guerrilla.
The note went on to detail.
The anti-government guerrillas Sheva belonged to were planning a large-scale bioweapon terror attack with the aim of overthrowing the government.
For that reason, they were soon to do business with Umbrella.
And they wanted Sheva to help them stop the deal.
Although she considered whether it was a trap by the government, her hunch told her it was true.
Looking back on why she thought so, Sheva said this.
"Although many government officials there had a French manner of speaking since France had a strong influence in that country, that man was different. I couldn't tell at the time, but he had the faintest hint of an English accent."
Her intuition was correct.
Sheva met two men in the church.
One was the man who handed her the note a while ago.
And the other, a man dressed in a suit with no tie calling himself "a United States government official."
The suited man's objective was simple.
It was quite simply Umbrella's annihilation.
Due to the deal, a certain man had appeared on the scene.
The man seemed to be holding some sort of key.
In order to arrest the man, they also wanted Sheva's help.
They then said they weren't interested in the guerrillas if they were able to arrest the man.
The suited man promised she wouldn't be arrested or handed over to the government.
The suited man appeared to be telling the truth.
She'd betray her longtime comrades, though...
Sensing her hesitation, he asked Sheva.
"Do you hate Umbrella?"
Sheva nodded without a second thought.
"That's why we chose you. If you want to fight Umbrella, you'll need to cut ties with your current associates."
"So now I'm supposed to join you people?"
"That's right. They're anti-government insurgents, after all. They'll resort to any means necessary to achieve their goal. But we're different. We choose only the right means, toward the right end."
"How very noble of you. But what do you expect from a fifteen-year-old girl?"
"Age has nothing to do with it. If you hate Umbrella and have the will and strength to fight, then you're one of us.
...Though I guess we'll have to teach you a few things about how to talk to your elders."
The suited man sarcastically laughed when he said that.
Three days later, a special ops team raided the site of the deal.
Sheva left the entrance to the deal site's building unlocked and used a wiretap microphone she wore to relay the situation at the scene to the special ops standing by.
The operation was a success.
The wanted Umbrella man was swiftly apprehended and escorted from the site.
Sheva never saw that man again.
Sheva was also arrested with her fellow guerrillas and taken to the U.S. Consulate, but her comrades were released two days later.
After making sure, Sheva boarded a private jet prepared by the suited man.
He held an American passport in his hand.
Sheva received a comprehensive education in the United States.
Intelligent by nature, she mastered English within six months and two years later had enough academic prowess to go to college. Of course, it goes without saying that she learned various manners in the meantime, including how to speak to her elders.
After graduating college, she was encouraged by the suited man, who acted as her guardian, to enlist in the newly-formed "BSAA."
Although Umbrella had collapsed a few years earlier, Sheva's aspirations weren't tied solely to Umbrella anymore.
After finishing basic training following her enlistment, Sheva was assigned to the team led by Josh Stone.
And so, Sheva put the finishing touches on her training through eight months of real-world combat experience, and was subsequently recruited to be a BSAA agent.
Then she became active all around the world.
The town where she was born and raised had a factory.
Umbrella Plant 57.
It was an old factory merely given a number, but was a precious source of monetary income that enriched the town.
80% of the town's adults worked at the factory and Sheva's parents were no exception.
Although her parent's earnings weren't much, the steady income allowed Sheva to lead a relatively prosperous childhood.
But that happy time didn't last long.
When she was eight-years-old, whilst she was playing in the street with her friends as usual, a sudden siren blew through the bright, gentle air surrounding her.
The siren was from the factory.
Ominous black smoke rose in tandem.
Something bad had happened.
Sheva felt it intuitively and ran to the factory.
She was unable to enter the factory however.
There was no sign of the kind old guard who usually let children through all the time with a smile, instead there were a bunch of unfamiliar adults.
Their expressions were impossible to make out thanks to the masks completely covering their heads.
"They were wearing protective anti-biohazard gear.
They were definitely Umbrella's special forces."
Sheva later told us.
It was difficult to hear their muffled voices under the masks, but when they pointed their assault rifles at Sheva and the others, their intentions were clear enough.
Though scarce near the town, there were many anti-government guerrillas in this politically unstable country.
Even though she was a child, she fully understood the violent nature of a gun.
Before long, the remaining adults in the town also gathered, but there was no one who defied their dull-glowing firearms.
Sheva was led home by the hand of an adult who lived in her neighborhood.
That night was Sheva's longest night.
The night passed as she gazed at the door without sleeping a wink.
Dawn broke, and even as the sun began casting long shadows, her parents didn't return.
At night, she felt a presence outside the door.
Sheva jumped up and ran to the door.
The muscles in her legs were stiff since she'd been sitting down, but she didn't care.
She almost fell over but when she reached the door she opened it quickly and cried out with all her strength.
"Welcome home!"
Wide-eyed and shocked, it wasn't her parents, but a distantly related uncle.
"Your parents are dead. They were in an accident at the factory."
Then he said he'd take her in.
He didn't care how Sheva felt.
After her uncle quickly packed up what few household effects that looked like they were worth some money into the rear of his old pickup truck, he brought Sheva to his own house far away.
But her life there didn't last long.
Her uncle's household was poor and on top of that he had seven children himself.
Despite being a blood relative, he wouldn't have taken Sheva if he hadn't schemed to extort compensation money from the factory.
Then her uncle's plan failed.
He wasn't able to get any compensation from Umbrella.
Her uncle muttered toward his wife, "The factory has vanished", but Sheva didn't care.
Rather, what mattered more was the fact that after this day, she no longer had adequate food.
The hunger made her love her gentle parents so much more.
And Sheva came to believe her parents might in fact be alive.
That's right, she herself hadn't even seen her parent's bodies!
Perhaps they were alive!
That thought grew stronger with each passing day.
Two months later, as a full moon lit up the savanna, Sheva slipped out of her uncle's house and traveled to the town she was born and raised in.
Sheva's feelings for her parents were intense.
However, the vastness of the savanna was enough to shatter them.
On the second night, Sheva collapsed due to malnutrition.
The savanna was surprisingly noisy at night.
The footsteps and roars of animals, the buzzing of insects, the rustling of grass blown in the dry wind.
It was a new discovery for Sheva, who grew up in a town, but it was likely soon to become meaningless.
Then a familiar sound reached her ears.
A low engine sound and tires scratching on gravel, joined by strange rattling, perhaps due to a lack of maintenance.
It was a truck.
The truck came to a stop near Sheva.
A man came out of the passenger seat, looked at Sheva, and spoke a few words to her.
Sheva said she doesn't remember what she replied at the time.
But the man lifted Sheva in his arms, put her on the back of the truck, and left.
The man was a member of the anti-government guerrillas.
Providing Sheva a bed and warm meals, it could be called comfortable for starters.
But at the same time, he told her a brutal fact.
The accident at Umbrella's factory was no mere accident.
The factory had been manufacturing bioweapons.
The final experiment was conducted using the dilapidated factory.
It involved the employees working there, who didn't know anything.
Sheva's father... and her mother...
After the experiment was over, Umbrella lobbied the government, making them mobilize the army in order to cover up the truth by destroying the factory and the entire town.
That too was thorough.
The town where she was born and raised no longer existed.
Sheva despised them.
She hated Umbrella, who took away her parents for selfish reasons.
She hated the government that catered to Umbrella.
Then she decided to take her stand, joining the anti-government guerrilla group.
Although she was made to do only miscellaneous tasks such as washing clothes and preparing meals, within a few years she held a gun for the first time.
Sheva doesn't like talking about her days as a guerrilla much.
Either she doesn't have very fond memories, or she's ashamed of what she did back then.
Seven years passed since Sheva became a guerrilla.
That day, Sheva had come to the city to shop.
Shopping was one of her important duties.
Although she'd been living as a guerrilla for several years, she was a girl in her teens.
If she could bottle up the sharp gaze in her eyes she sometimes displayed, she wouldn't have been suspected even in the city.
A lone man approached Sheva.
Although he looked like a local, his voice had a faint foreign accent.
He cautiously handed Sheva a note and spoke quickly.
"Read the note. If you believe it, come to the church in the alley in two hours."
With that, the man vanished into the crowd.
Sheva earnestly took the note, seeing a word she recognized.
"Umbrella"
The pharmaceutical company that took Sheva's parents from her in a self-serving experiment.
If not for that experiment, she wouldn't have been reduced to a guerrilla.
The note went on to detail.
The anti-government guerrillas Sheva belonged to were planning a large-scale bioweapon terror attack with the aim of overthrowing the government.
For that reason, they were soon to do business with Umbrella.
And they wanted Sheva to help them stop the deal.
Although she considered whether it was a trap by the government, her hunch told her it was true.
Looking back on why she thought so, Sheva said this.
"Although many government officials there had a French manner of speaking since France had a strong influence in that country, that man was different. I couldn't tell at the time, but he had the faintest hint of an English accent."
Her intuition was correct.
Sheva met two men in the church.
One was the man who handed her the note a while ago.
And the other, a man dressed in a suit with no tie calling himself "a United States government official."
The suited man's objective was simple.
It was quite simply Umbrella's annihilation.
Due to the deal, a certain man had appeared on the scene.
The man seemed to be holding some sort of key.
In order to arrest the man, they also wanted Sheva's help.
They then said they weren't interested in the guerrillas if they were able to arrest the man.
The suited man promised she wouldn't be arrested or handed over to the government.
The suited man appeared to be telling the truth.
She'd betray her longtime comrades, though...
Sensing her hesitation, he asked Sheva.
"Do you hate Umbrella?"
Sheva nodded without a second thought.
"That's why we chose you. If you want to fight Umbrella, you'll need to cut ties with your current associates."
"So now I'm supposed to join you people?"
"That's right. They're anti-government insurgents, after all. They'll resort to any means necessary to achieve their goal. But we're different. We choose only the right means, toward the right end."
"How very noble of you. But what do you expect from a fifteen-year-old girl?"
"Age has nothing to do with it. If you hate Umbrella and have the will and strength to fight, then you're one of us.
...Though I guess we'll have to teach you a few things about how to talk to your elders."
The suited man sarcastically laughed when he said that.
Three days later, a special ops team raided the site of the deal.
Sheva left the entrance to the deal site's building unlocked and used a wiretap microphone she wore to relay the situation at the scene to the special ops standing by.
The operation was a success.
The wanted Umbrella man was swiftly apprehended and escorted from the site.
Sheva never saw that man again.
Sheva was also arrested with her fellow guerrillas and taken to the U.S. Consulate, but her comrades were released two days later.
After making sure, Sheva boarded a private jet prepared by the suited man.
He held an American passport in his hand.
Sheva received a comprehensive education in the United States.
Intelligent by nature, she mastered English within six months and two years later had enough academic prowess to go to college. Of course, it goes without saying that she learned various manners in the meantime, including how to speak to her elders.
After graduating college, she was encouraged by the suited man, who acted as her guardian, to enlist in the newly-formed "BSAA."
Although Umbrella had collapsed a few years earlier, Sheva's aspirations weren't tied solely to Umbrella anymore.
After finishing basic training following her enlistment, Sheva was assigned to the team led by Josh Stone.
And so, Sheva put the finishing touches on her training through eight months of real-world combat experience, and was subsequently recruited to be a BSAA agent.
Then she became active all around the world.
Official Japanese Transcript
彼女の生まれ育った町には工場があった。
アンブレラ第57プラント。
数字が与えられただけの古びた工場であったが、街にとっては潤いをもたらす貴重な現金収入源であった。
街の大人の8割がその工場で働き、シェバの両親もその例に漏れなかった。
両親の稼ぎはそれほど多くはなかったが、安定した現金収入のおかげでシェバは比較的裕福な子供時代を送ることができた。
が、その幸せな時間は長くは続かなかった。
8歳の頃、彼女がいつものように通りで友達と遊んでいると、突然のサイレンが彼女を包んでいた明るく穏やかな空気を吹き飛ばした。
サイレンは工場からだった。
同時に立ち昇る不吉な黒煙。
なにか悪いことが起こっている。
それを直感的に感じたシェバは、工場へと走った。
しかし、工場の中へ入ることはできなかった。
いつもはにこやかに子供たちを通してくれる気のいい年老いた守衛の姿はなく、そこには見慣れない大人たちがいた。
頭をすっぽりと覆うマスクのおかげで表情は分からない。
「対バイオハザード用の防護装備よ。
きっとアンブレラの特殊部隊ね」
後のシェバはそう語る。
マスクの下から聞こえてくる声はくぐもって聞こえにくかったが、手にしたアサルトライフルがシェバたちに向けられたことで、その意思は十分すぎるほど伝わった。
街の近くには少ないが、政情不安定なこの国では反政府ゲリラも多い。
子供とは言え、銃が持つ暴力性は十分に理解している。
そのうち、街に残っていた大人たちも集まってきたが、鈍く光る小火器に逆らう者はいなかった。
シェバは、近所に住む大人に手を引かれ家に帰った。
その夜は、シェバにとって最も長い夜となった。
一睡もせずにドアを見つめたまま、夜を過ごした。
夜が明け、太陽が長い影を作り始めても両親は戻ってこなかった。
夜になり、ドアの外に気配を感じた。
シェバは飛び上がり、ドアへと駆け寄った。
ずっと座っていたので足の筋肉はこわばっていたが、そんなことは気にしていられない。
こけそうになりながらドアへとたどり着くと勢いよくドアを開け、力一杯叫んだ。
「お帰りなさい！」
そこにいたのは両親ではなく、目を丸くして驚いている遠縁の叔父だった。
「お前の両親は死んだ。工場の事故でだ」
そして、自分が彼女を引き取ると言うのだ。
シェバの気持ちなど、おかまいなしだった。
叔父は金になりそうないくらかの家財道具を手早くまとめて古いピックアップトラックの荷台に載せると、シェバを遠く離れた自分の家に連れ帰った。
だが、そこでの生活は長く続かなかった。
叔父の家は貧しく、その上7人の子供がいた。
工場から補償金をふんだくる皮算用がなければ、血縁とは言 えシェバを引き取ることはなかっただろう。
そして、叔父の目論見は外れた。
アンブレラから補償金はもらえなかったのだ。
叔父が叔母に向かってぶつくさと「工場が消えた」と言っていたが、シェバにとってはどうでもよかった。
それよりも、その日を境に満足な食事も与えられなくなったことの方が大問題だった。
空腹は、やさしかった両親をより愛おしくさせた。
そしてシェバは、本当は両親が生きているかもしれないと思うに至った。
そうだ、自分は両親の死体さえも見ていないのだ！
もしかしたら生きているかもしれない！
その思いは日に日に強くなっていった。
2ヶ月後、満月がサバンナを照らす夜、シェバは叔父の家を抜け出して生まれ育った街へと向かった。
シェバの両親への想いは強かった。
だが、サバンナの広大さはそれを打ち砕くのに十分だった。
二日目の夜、折からの栄養不足も重なり、シェバは倒れた。
サバンナの夜は意外とうるさい。
動物たちの足音、咆哮、虫の鳴き声、乾いた風ですれる草の音。
街育ちのシェバにとっては新たな発見だったが、それももうすぐ無意味になりそうだった。
その時、聞き慣れた音が耳に届いた。
低いエンジン音、砂利をかくタイヤ、整備不足なのかカラカラという異音が混じっている。
トラックだった。
トラックはシェバのそばで止まった。
助手席から出てきた男は、シェバを覗き込むと二言三言声をかけてきた。
その時、シェバはなんと返事をしたのか覚えていないと言う。
だが、男はシェバを抱き上げると、荷台に乗せ、その場を離れた。
男は反政府ゲリラの一員だった。
彼はシェバに暖かい食事と、まずは快適と言える寝床を与えてくれた。
だが同時に、残酷な事実も告げられた。
アンブレラの工場で起こった事故は、ただの事故ではなかった。
工場で製造されていた生物兵器。
その最終実験が、老朽化した工場を使用して行われたのだ。
そこで働いていた、何も知らない従業員を巻き込んで。
シェバの父も......そして母も......
実験が終了した後、アンブレラは事実を隠蔽するため政府に働きかけて軍隊を出動させ、工場を街ごと破壊した。
それも徹底的に。
彼女が生まれ育った街は、もはや存在しなかった。
シェバは憎んだ。
身勝手な理由で両親を奪ったアンブレラを。
そのアンブレラに尻尾を振る政府を。
そして彼女は、そのまま反政府ゲリラのグループに身を置くことを決意した。
最初は洗濯や食事の用意などの雑用しかできなかったが、数年もすると銃を手にするようになった。
ゲリラ時代の話を、シェバはあまり語りたがらない。
あまりいい思い出はないのか、それとも当時の行いを恥じているのか、どちらかだろう。
シェバがゲリラに身を置くようになって、7年の歳月が過ぎ去ろうとしていた。
その日、シェバは買い出しのために街へ来ていた。
買い出しは、彼女の重要な任務の一つだった。
長年ゲリラとしての生活を続けているとは言え10代の少女である。
時々見せる鋭い眼光を封じ込めれば、街中にいてもそう怪しまれることはない。
そのシェバに一人の男が近づいてきた。
地元の人間に見えたが、その言葉にかすかな外国語訛りが感じられた。
男は警戒するシェバに一枚のメモを渡すと、早口でこう告げた。
「メモを読め。信じるなら、2時間後、裏通りにある教会に来い」
それだけ告げると男は雑踏の中に消えた。
シェバがそのメモを素直に受け取ったのは、そこに見覚えのある単語を目にしたからだった。
「アンブレラ」
身勝手な実験でシェバの両親を奪った製薬企業。
あの実験さえなければ、ゲリラに身を落とすこともなかっただろう。
メモにはこうあった。
シェバが所属する反政府ゲリラが大規模な生物兵器テロを計画しており、それにより政府転覆を狙っている。
その為、近々アンブレラとの取引を行うらしい。
そして、シェバに、その取引阻止の手助けをして欲しい、と。
政府側の罠かとも思ったが、真実だと直感した。
なぜそう思ったのか、当時を振り返り、シェバはこう語る。
「あの国はフランスの影響が強いから、フランス語っぽいしゃべり方をする役人は多くいたけど、あの男は違った。あの時は分からなかったけど、ほんの少しだけ英語訛りがあったの」
直感は正しかった。
シェバは教会で二人の男に会った。
一人はさっきメモを渡してきた男。
そしてもう一人のノーネクタイのスーツ姿の男は、自らを「アメリカ政府の職員」と名乗った。
スーツ男の目的はシンプル。
アンブレラの壊滅、ただそれだけだった。
今回の取引で、ある男が現場に現れる。
その男が何らかの鍵を握っているらしい。
また、その男を逮捕するため、シェバの手助けが欲しいと言うのだ。
そして、その男を逮捕することができればゲリラには興味がないと言う。
逮捕もしなければ、政府に引き渡すこともない、スーツ男はそう約束した。
スーツ男の話は、真実のように思えた。
しかし、長年の仲間を裏切ることになる......
その迷いを見透かしたかのように、彼はシェバに問いかけてきた。
「アンブレラが憎いか？」
シェバは、一も二もなくうなずいた。
「それが我々が君を選んだ理由だ。それともう一つ、アンブレラと戦いたければ、今の仲間と手を切ることだ」
「で、あんた達の仲間になれって？」
「そうだ。しょせんは反政府ゲリラだ。目的のためには手段を選ばない。だが我々は違う。正しい目的のために、正しい手段のみを選ぶ」
「ご立派なこと。だけどさ、15歳の小娘になに期待しているわけ？」
「歳は関係ない。アンブレラを憎み、そして戦う意志と力があるならば立派に我々の仲間だ。
......もっとも、年上に対する口のきき方は少し教え込む必要がありそうだがな」
そう言うと、スーツ男は皮肉たっぷりに笑った。
3日後、特殊部隊が取引現場を急襲した。
シェバは取引現場であるビルの入り口の鍵を開けておき、身に着けた盗聴マイクで現場の状況を待機していた特殊部隊に中継した。
作戦は成功だった。
目的だったアンブレラの男は速やかに捕獲され、そのまま現場から連れ出された。
その後、シェバがその男の姿を目にすることはなかった。
シェバもゲリラ仲間と一緒に逮捕され、アメリカ領事館へと連行されたが、仲間は2日後に解放された。
それを見届けた後、シェバはスーツ男が用意したプライベートジェットに乗り込んだ。
その手には、アメリカのパスポートが握られていた。
シェバはアメリカで万全の教育を受けた。
元々聡明だった彼女は半年で英語をマスターすると、2年後には大学へ進むほどの学力を有するに至った。もちろん、その間に年上への口のきき方も含む様々なマナーも叩き込まれたのは言うまでもない。
大学卒業後、後見人代わりのスーツ男の勧めもあり、結成されたばかりの「BSAA」に入隊することとなった。
数年前にアンブレラは崩壊していたが、シェバの志はすでにアンブレラだけに縛られていなかった。
入隊後の基礎訓練期間を終えた後、シェバはジョッシュ·ストーンが率いる分隊へと配属された。
そこで8ヶ月間、実戦経験を通じて訓練の仕上げを行ったシェバは、その後、BSAAのエージェントに抜擢される。
そして、世界中で活躍することとなったのだ。
アンブレラ第57プラント。
数字が与えられただけの古びた工場であったが、街にとっては潤いをもたらす貴重な現金収入源であった。
街の大人の8割がその工場で働き、シェバの両親もその例に漏れなかった。
両親の稼ぎはそれほど多くはなかったが、安定した現金収入のおかげでシェバは比較的裕福な子供時代を送ることができた。
が、その幸せな時間は長くは続かなかった。
8歳の頃、彼女がいつものように通りで友達と遊んでいると、突然のサイレンが彼女を包んでいた明るく穏やかな空気を吹き飛ばした。
サイレンは工場からだった。
同時に立ち昇る不吉な黒煙。
なにか悪いことが起こっている。
それを直感的に感じたシェバは、工場へと走った。
しかし、工場の中へ入ることはできなかった。
いつもはにこやかに子供たちを通してくれる気のいい年老いた守衛の姿はなく、そこには見慣れない大人たちがいた。
頭をすっぽりと覆うマスクのおかげで表情は分からない。
「対バイオハザード用の防護装備よ。
きっとアンブレラの特殊部隊ね」
後のシェバはそう語る。
マスクの下から聞こえてくる声はくぐもって聞こえにくかったが、手にしたアサルトライフルがシェバたちに向けられたことで、その意思は十分すぎるほど伝わった。
街の近くには少ないが、政情不安定なこの国では反政府ゲリラも多い。
子供とは言え、銃が持つ暴力性は十分に理解している。
そのうち、街に残っていた大人たちも集まってきたが、鈍く光る小火器に逆らう者はいなかった。
シェバは、近所に住む大人に手を引かれ家に帰った。
その夜は、シェバにとって最も長い夜となった。
一睡もせずにドアを見つめたまま、夜を過ごした。
夜が明け、太陽が長い影を作り始めても両親は戻ってこなかった。
夜になり、ドアの外に気配を感じた。
シェバは飛び上がり、ドアへと駆け寄った。
ずっと座っていたので足の筋肉はこわばっていたが、そんなことは気にしていられない。
こけそうになりながらドアへとたどり着くと勢いよくドアを開け、力一杯叫んだ。
「お帰りなさい！」
そこにいたのは両親ではなく、目を丸くして驚いている遠縁の叔父だった。
「お前の両親は死んだ。工場の事故でだ」
そして、自分が彼女を引き取ると言うのだ。
シェバの気持ちなど、おかまいなしだった。
叔父は金になりそうないくらかの家財道具を手早くまとめて古いピックアップトラックの荷台に載せると、シェバを遠く離れた自分の家に連れ帰った。
だが、そこでの生活は長く続かなかった。
叔父の家は貧しく、その上7人の子供がいた。
工場から補償金をふんだくる皮算用がなければ、血縁とは言 えシェバを引き取ることはなかっただろう。
そして、叔父の目論見は外れた。
アンブレラから補償金はもらえなかったのだ。
叔父が叔母に向かってぶつくさと「工場が消えた」と言っていたが、シェバにとってはどうでもよかった。
それよりも、その日を境に満足な食事も与えられなくなったことの方が大問題だった。
空腹は、やさしかった両親をより愛おしくさせた。
そしてシェバは、本当は両親が生きているかもしれないと思うに至った。
そうだ、自分は両親の死体さえも見ていないのだ！
もしかしたら生きているかもしれない！
その思いは日に日に強くなっていった。
2ヶ月後、満月がサバンナを照らす夜、シェバは叔父の家を抜け出して生まれ育った街へと向かった。
シェバの両親への想いは強かった。
だが、サバンナの広大さはそれを打ち砕くのに十分だった。
二日目の夜、折からの栄養不足も重なり、シェバは倒れた。
サバンナの夜は意外とうるさい。
動物たちの足音、咆哮、虫の鳴き声、乾いた風ですれる草の音。
街育ちのシェバにとっては新たな発見だったが、それももうすぐ無意味になりそうだった。
その時、聞き慣れた音が耳に届いた。
低いエンジン音、砂利をかくタイヤ、整備不足なのかカラカラという異音が混じっている。
トラックだった。
トラックはシェバのそばで止まった。
助手席から出てきた男は、シェバを覗き込むと二言三言声をかけてきた。
その時、シェバはなんと返事をしたのか覚えていないと言う。
だが、男はシェバを抱き上げると、荷台に乗せ、その場を離れた。
男は反政府ゲリラの一員だった。
彼はシェバに暖かい食事と、まずは快適と言える寝床を与えてくれた。
だが同時に、残酷な事実も告げられた。
アンブレラの工場で起こった事故は、ただの事故ではなかった。
工場で製造されていた生物兵器。
その最終実験が、老朽化した工場を使用して行われたのだ。
そこで働いていた、何も知らない従業員を巻き込んで。
シェバの父も......そして母も......
実験が終了した後、アンブレラは事実を隠蔽するため政府に働きかけて軍隊を出動させ、工場を街ごと破壊した。
それも徹底的に。
彼女が生まれ育った街は、もはや存在しなかった。
シェバは憎んだ。
身勝手な理由で両親を奪ったアンブレラを。
そのアンブレラに尻尾を振る政府を。
そして彼女は、そのまま反政府ゲリラのグループに身を置くことを決意した。
最初は洗濯や食事の用意などの雑用しかできなかったが、数年もすると銃を手にするようになった。
ゲリラ時代の話を、シェバはあまり語りたがらない。
あまりいい思い出はないのか、それとも当時の行いを恥じているのか、どちらかだろう。
シェバがゲリラに身を置くようになって、7年の歳月が過ぎ去ろうとしていた。
その日、シェバは買い出しのために街へ来ていた。
買い出しは、彼女の重要な任務の一つだった。
長年ゲリラとしての生活を続けているとは言え10代の少女である。
時々見せる鋭い眼光を封じ込めれば、街中にいてもそう怪しまれることはない。
そのシェバに一人の男が近づいてきた。
地元の人間に見えたが、その言葉にかすかな外国語訛りが感じられた。
男は警戒するシェバに一枚のメモを渡すと、早口でこう告げた。
「メモを読め。信じるなら、2時間後、裏通りにある教会に来い」
それだけ告げると男は雑踏の中に消えた。
シェバがそのメモを素直に受け取ったのは、そこに見覚えのある単語を目にしたからだった。
「アンブレラ」
身勝手な実験でシェバの両親を奪った製薬企業。
あの実験さえなければ、ゲリラに身を落とすこともなかっただろう。
メモにはこうあった。
シェバが所属する反政府ゲリラが大規模な生物兵器テロを計画しており、それにより政府転覆を狙っている。
その為、近々アンブレラとの取引を行うらしい。
そして、シェバに、その取引阻止の手助けをして欲しい、と。
政府側の罠かとも思ったが、真実だと直感した。
なぜそう思ったのか、当時を振り返り、シェバはこう語る。
「あの国はフランスの影響が強いから、フランス語っぽいしゃべり方をする役人は多くいたけど、あの男は違った。あの時は分からなかったけど、ほんの少しだけ英語訛りがあったの」
直感は正しかった。
シェバは教会で二人の男に会った。
一人はさっきメモを渡してきた男。
そしてもう一人のノーネクタイのスーツ姿の男は、自らを「アメリカ政府の職員」と名乗った。
スーツ男の目的はシンプル。
アンブレラの壊滅、ただそれだけだった。
今回の取引で、ある男が現場に現れる。
その男が何らかの鍵を握っているらしい。
また、その男を逮捕するため、シェバの手助けが欲しいと言うのだ。
そして、その男を逮捕することができればゲリラには興味がないと言う。
逮捕もしなければ、政府に引き渡すこともない、スーツ男はそう約束した。
スーツ男の話は、真実のように思えた。
しかし、長年の仲間を裏切ることになる......
その迷いを見透かしたかのように、彼はシェバに問いかけてきた。
「アンブレラが憎いか？」
シェバは、一も二もなくうなずいた。
「それが我々が君を選んだ理由だ。それともう一つ、アンブレラと戦いたければ、今の仲間と手を切ることだ」
「で、あんた達の仲間になれって？」
「そうだ。しょせんは反政府ゲリラだ。目的のためには手段を選ばない。だが我々は違う。正しい目的のために、正しい手段のみを選ぶ」
「ご立派なこと。だけどさ、15歳の小娘になに期待しているわけ？」
「歳は関係ない。アンブレラを憎み、そして戦う意志と力があるならば立派に我々の仲間だ。
......もっとも、年上に対する口のきき方は少し教え込む必要がありそうだがな」
そう言うと、スーツ男は皮肉たっぷりに笑った。
3日後、特殊部隊が取引現場を急襲した。
シェバは取引現場であるビルの入り口の鍵を開けておき、身に着けた盗聴マイクで現場の状況を待機していた特殊部隊に中継した。
作戦は成功だった。
目的だったアンブレラの男は速やかに捕獲され、そのまま現場から連れ出された。
その後、シェバがその男の姿を目にすることはなかった。
シェバもゲリラ仲間と一緒に逮捕され、アメリカ領事館へと連行されたが、仲間は2日後に解放された。
それを見届けた後、シェバはスーツ男が用意したプライベートジェットに乗り込んだ。
その手には、アメリカのパスポートが握られていた。
シェバはアメリカで万全の教育を受けた。
元々聡明だった彼女は半年で英語をマスターすると、2年後には大学へ進むほどの学力を有するに至った。もちろん、その間に年上への口のきき方も含む様々なマナーも叩き込まれたのは言うまでもない。
大学卒業後、後見人代わりのスーツ男の勧めもあり、結成されたばかりの「BSAA」に入隊することとなった。
数年前にアンブレラは崩壊していたが、シェバの志はすでにアンブレラだけに縛られていなかった。
入隊後の基礎訓練期間を終えた後、シェバはジョッシュ·ストーンが率いる分隊へと配属された。
そこで8ヶ月間、実戦経験を通じて訓練の仕上げを行ったシェバは、その後、BSAAのエージェントに抜擢される。
そして、世界中で活躍することとなったのだ。
Official English Transcript
"Due to errors or changes in localization, the following may contain inconsistencies with the official Japanese text."
No.05 SHEVA ALOMAR
Listed within this file is a general background information overview of BSAA agent - Sheva Alomar - as pieced together from various sources.
The information listed here is neither complete nor should it be used as a psychological analysis of the subject.
Sheva Alomar was born into an impoverished family situation in a small factory town situated in Africa. This particular town being home to Umbrella Plant 57.
As with most factory towns, the plant was the lifeblood of the town, bringing in much needed revenue and steady employment for its populous. Almost 80 percent of the town's adult population was employed at the factory in some facility, including Sheva's parents. While the pay was low by most nation's standards, it provided a steady income for the townspeople and a happy childhood for Sheva.
This happiness was short-lived however.
While only eight years old, Sheva's peaceful life was brought to an abrupt end by the sound of sirens erupting from the factory.
As the sirens pierced the air, an ominous plume of black smoke poured out of the factory.
Even as a child, Sheva knew something was terribly wrong. With dread in her heart she ran toward the factory.
Arriving at the factory, she soon discovered the entrance blocked.
In place of the kind old man who used to stand guard at the entrance, strange adults in protective suits were everywhere. Their faces hidden by masks. Sheva could not understand what was happening.
"I realized years later that they were wearing anti-biohazard protective gear. They were part of Umbrella's special forces."
She may have not understood the muffled voices emanating from beneath those masks at the time, but the assault rifles they leveled at her more than made their intentions understood. The country was not a very stable place to begin with, and near her town resided members of a large anti-government guerrilla army. Although only a child, Sheva knew all too well the violence that often accompanied those with guns.
The adults in the village that remained were promptly executed by those gunmen.
Sheva was spared this same fate thanks to the vigilance of a neighbor who was able to get her back to her parent's home unnoticed.
Thus began the longest night of Sheva's life. Crippled by fear, she could only wait and pray for her parents return. The night passed and a new day dawned, but still they did not return.
As night on another day fell she sensed a presence outside her home. Unable to contain her relief and joy, she ran to the door to greet her parents.
As she swung the door open, crying aloud with joy, she was soon met with disappointment and confusion.
For at the door, were not her parents rushing to embrace her, but her uncle, with a look of shock and horror painted upon his face. His words crushed any hope she had left...
"Your parents are dead. There was an accident at the factory."
Taking anything of value left in the house, her uncle then took Sheva to live with his family. Taking her away from the only home she had ever known.
Her life with her uncle would be brief. Not only was her uncle's family extremely poor, but he also had seven children of his own to care for. Even though Sheva was a blood relative, he probably never would have come for her if he hadn't thought he would receive financial compensation from the factory.
That compensation never came. Umbrella never gave out any payments. And soon, her aunt and uncle were unable to feed her.
Life was hell for Sheva, not only was she on the verge of starvation, she yearned to be with her parents again. In her grief, she became fixated on the notion that they were still alive.
As the day passed, this belief grew so strong to the point where she could think of nothing else. She knew she had to find them.
So one night as the moon bathed the savanna in silver, Sheva ran away from her uncle's house and headed back to her hometown and the life that was stolen from her.
The thought of her parents drove her on.
But the expansive savanna is a harsh environment for one so young and small. During her second night, she began to feel the effects of malnutrition. Unable to find food, Sheva soon collapsed.
A night in the savanna is not a quiet affair. The sound of animals plodding along, beasts howling at the moon, insects chirping and buzzing about, and the dry wind soughing through the grass. Sheva considered them all with wonder. She had grown up in a town and was unaccustomed to her new surroundings.
Through the cacophony of strange noses, Sheva picked up a sound that was quite familiar to her. She heard the low rumbling of an engine and the sound of tires cracking over the dirt.
A truck pulled up next to Sheva and a stranger got out of the passenger side and spoke to her. If she replied to him or not, she couldn't recall, but the man picked her up and placed her in the bed of the truck.
The man that found Sheva was an anti-government guerrilla fighter. He provided her with food, shelter, and a place to call home. Unfortunately for Sheva, this good turn was accompanied by some bad news.
She was told that the incident at the Umbrella factory was not an accident. That the factory manufactured bioweapons and Umbrella was carrying out the final test on one of its newest weapons at the dilapidated factory.
The regular employees who worked there were unaware of what Umbrella was actually creating, and they paid for it with their lives, including Sheva's mother and father...
After concluding the test, Umbrella took measures to conceal the entire affair. With the assistance of the government's army they destroyed the factory along with the entire town, effectively wiping the town Sheva had called home off the map.
At this news Sheva was filled with rage. She hated Umbrella and blamed them for her parent's deaths, and she hated the government for just rolling over at Umbrella's behest.
It was at this moment she decided to join the guerrillas in their fight against the government.
Sheva started out by doing laundry, cooking meals, and taking care of other chores. After only a few years with the guerrillas, she was given her first gun. She doesn't like to talk about her time with the guerrillas. Perhaps the memories are too painful, or maybe she's too shamed of what she did there.
One of her main duties with the guerrillas was to go into town and purchase supplies for the group.
For seven long years Sheva stayed with the guerrillas.
By this time she was a teenager, and had spend most of her known life with the guerrillas. Perhaps due to her age, when she went into town, the townspeople never suspected her of being a guerrilla fighter. It could be for this very reason that she was the one they sent.
It was on one of these occasions while she was in town that a man approached her. He looked like a local, but spoke with a strange foreign accent. Handing her a piece of paper and speaking in a hurried voice, he stated:
"Read this. If you believe what it says, come to the church in the back alley in two hours."
After speaking these words he disappeared into the crowd as quickly as he had appeared. Sheva turned the paper over n her hand, and her eyes were drawn to one word - Umbrella.
It was the same pharmaceutical company whose selfish aims took her parents from her. If that incident had never happened, perhaps her life would have been different.
The message on the people said that the guerrillas were planning on using bioweapons to conduct a large-scale terrorist attack that would overthrow the government. Umbrella was going to make a deal with the guerrillas to provide them with the bioweapons. The man wanted Sheva's help in stopping the deal from going through.
At first Sheva thought it was a government trap, but deep down she know the note spoke the truth. When asked how she know, she had this to say:
"My country was strongly influenced by France, and many government officials spoke in a French patois. But this man was different. I couldn't place his accent at the time, but somehow I knew I could trust him."
Sheva followed her instincts.
She went to the church and met two men there.
One of them had given her the note earlier. The other wore a suit with no tie and said that he was from the U.S. government.
What the man in the suit wanted seemed straightforward enough - the apprehension of the representative from Umbrella. From what he said, this particular person held the key to causing an irreparable blow to Umbrella. But in order to arrest him, they needed Sheva's help. As long as they got their man, they wouldn't do anything to her or her fellow guerrillas.
Even if they did not succeed in arresting the man in question, they promised not to turn her or her companions ever to the authorities.
The man in the suit's offer seemed credible, but could she betray those who had been like a family to her? The man seemed to understand Sheva's apprehension, so he asked her one simple question: "Don't you want to see Umbrella punished for what they've done?"
Sheva quickly nodded her head.
"That's why we selected you. But if you want to help us fight Umbrella, then you are going to have to leave your so-called friends."
"And then what? What's in it for me?"
"Look around! You know those guerrillas you are with aren't doing this for some greater good. They'll do anything to topple the government, including things you know are wrong. Help us, and you can finally do some good for the people of your country."
"And what makes you think a 15-year-old girl can help?"
"Some day you'll learn that age matters very little. A person's life is not defined by age, but by the choices they make. You have the chance to fight for something here that goes beyond just you, something that affects the entire world. Can you really walk away when so much is at stake?"
Sheva would never forget those words...
Three days later the special forces team arrived at the location where the deal was taking place. Sheva had left the door to the building unlocked, and she wore a wire so the team on standby could hear what was taking place.
The operation was a success. The target from Umbrella was quickly apprehended and taken away.
Sheva and the guerrillas were taken to the American Consulate, there to be released two days later with no charges pressed, just as promised. Recognizing Sheva's abilities, or perhaps moved by pity, the man in the suit offered Sheva the chance to start life anew in America.
With nothing left in Africa for her, Sheva decided to take him up on his offer.
Shortly after arriving in America, Sheva's high intelligence and drive quickly became apparent. She surpassed any and all expectations, even learning English to a native level in a mere six months. Within two years of arriving in the U.S, she had enrolled at a university.
After graduation with high honors from her university, her legal guardian (the man in the suit) suggested that she join the newly formed BSAA to help others as she had been helped. Umbrella had already been dismantled many years prior, but Sheva had not let go of her hatred toward them and all others like them.
After completing basic training, she was assigned to the unit led by Josh Stone. There she trained with his unit for eight months, learning everything she would need to know to survive in the field. After the completion of her training, she was hand picked to become a BSAA agent. She is currently involved in operations through the world.
No.05 SHEVA ALOMAR
Listed within this file is a general background information overview of BSAA agent - Sheva Alomar - as pieced together from various sources.
The information listed here is neither complete nor should it be used as a psychological analysis of the subject.
Sheva Alomar was born into an impoverished family situation in a small factory town situated in Africa. This particular town being home to Umbrella Plant 57.
As with most factory towns, the plant was the lifeblood of the town, bringing in much needed revenue and steady employment for its populous. Almost 80 percent of the town's adult population was employed at the factory in some facility, including Sheva's parents. While the pay was low by most nation's standards, it provided a steady income for the townspeople and a happy childhood for Sheva.
This happiness was short-lived however.
While only eight years old, Sheva's peaceful life was brought to an abrupt end by the sound of sirens erupting from the factory.
As the sirens pierced the air, an ominous plume of black smoke poured out of the factory.
Even as a child, Sheva knew something was terribly wrong. With dread in her heart she ran toward the factory.
Arriving at the factory, she soon discovered the entrance blocked.
In place of the kind old man who used to stand guard at the entrance, strange adults in protective suits were everywhere. Their faces hidden by masks. Sheva could not understand what was happening.
"I realized years later that they were wearing anti-biohazard protective gear. They were part of Umbrella's special forces."
She may have not understood the muffled voices emanating from beneath those masks at the time, but the assault rifles they leveled at her more than made their intentions understood. The country was not a very stable place to begin with, and near her town resided members of a large anti-government guerrilla army. Although only a child, Sheva knew all too well the violence that often accompanied those with guns.
The adults in the village that remained were promptly executed by those gunmen.
Sheva was spared this same fate thanks to the vigilance of a neighbor who was able to get her back to her parent's home unnoticed.
Thus began the longest night of Sheva's life. Crippled by fear, she could only wait and pray for her parents return. The night passed and a new day dawned, but still they did not return.
As night on another day fell she sensed a presence outside her home. Unable to contain her relief and joy, she ran to the door to greet her parents.
As she swung the door open, crying aloud with joy, she was soon met with disappointment and confusion.
For at the door, were not her parents rushing to embrace her, but her uncle, with a look of shock and horror painted upon his face. His words crushed any hope she had left...
"Your parents are dead. There was an accident at the factory."
Taking anything of value left in the house, her uncle then took Sheva to live with his family. Taking her away from the only home she had ever known.
Her life with her uncle would be brief. Not only was her uncle's family extremely poor, but he also had seven children of his own to care for. Even though Sheva was a blood relative, he probably never would have come for her if he hadn't thought he would receive financial compensation from the factory.
That compensation never came. Umbrella never gave out any payments. And soon, her aunt and uncle were unable to feed her.
Life was hell for Sheva, not only was she on the verge of starvation, she yearned to be with her parents again. In her grief, she became fixated on the notion that they were still alive.
As the day passed, this belief grew so strong to the point where she could think of nothing else. She knew she had to find them.
So one night as the moon bathed the savanna in silver, Sheva ran away from her uncle's house and headed back to her hometown and the life that was stolen from her.
The thought of her parents drove her on.
But the expansive savanna is a harsh environment for one so young and small. During her second night, she began to feel the effects of malnutrition. Unable to find food, Sheva soon collapsed.
A night in the savanna is not a quiet affair. The sound of animals plodding along, beasts howling at the moon, insects chirping and buzzing about, and the dry wind soughing through the grass. Sheva considered them all with wonder. She had grown up in a town and was unaccustomed to her new surroundings.
Through the cacophony of strange noses, Sheva picked up a sound that was quite familiar to her. She heard the low rumbling of an engine and the sound of tires cracking over the dirt.
A truck pulled up next to Sheva and a stranger got out of the passenger side and spoke to her. If she replied to him or not, she couldn't recall, but the man picked her up and placed her in the bed of the truck.
The man that found Sheva was an anti-government guerrilla fighter. He provided her with food, shelter, and a place to call home. Unfortunately for Sheva, this good turn was accompanied by some bad news.
She was told that the incident at the Umbrella factory was not an accident. That the factory manufactured bioweapons and Umbrella was carrying out the final test on one of its newest weapons at the dilapidated factory.
The regular employees who worked there were unaware of what Umbrella was actually creating, and they paid for it with their lives, including Sheva's mother and father...
After concluding the test, Umbrella took measures to conceal the entire affair. With the assistance of the government's army they destroyed the factory along with the entire town, effectively wiping the town Sheva had called home off the map.
At this news Sheva was filled with rage. She hated Umbrella and blamed them for her parent's deaths, and she hated the government for just rolling over at Umbrella's behest.
It was at this moment she decided to join the guerrillas in their fight against the government.
Sheva started out by doing laundry, cooking meals, and taking care of other chores. After only a few years with the guerrillas, she was given her first gun. She doesn't like to talk about her time with the guerrillas. Perhaps the memories are too painful, or maybe she's too shamed of what she did there.
One of her main duties with the guerrillas was to go into town and purchase supplies for the group.
For seven long years Sheva stayed with the guerrillas.
By this time she was a teenager, and had spend most of her known life with the guerrillas. Perhaps due to her age, when she went into town, the townspeople never suspected her of being a guerrilla fighter. It could be for this very reason that she was the one they sent.
It was on one of these occasions while she was in town that a man approached her. He looked like a local, but spoke with a strange foreign accent. Handing her a piece of paper and speaking in a hurried voice, he stated:
"Read this. If you believe what it says, come to the church in the back alley in two hours."
After speaking these words he disappeared into the crowd as quickly as he had appeared. Sheva turned the paper over n her hand, and her eyes were drawn to one word - Umbrella.
It was the same pharmaceutical company whose selfish aims took her parents from her. If that incident had never happened, perhaps her life would have been different.
The message on the people said that the guerrillas were planning on using bioweapons to conduct a large-scale terrorist attack that would overthrow the government. Umbrella was going to make a deal with the guerrillas to provide them with the bioweapons. The man wanted Sheva's help in stopping the deal from going through.
At first Sheva thought it was a government trap, but deep down she know the note spoke the truth. When asked how she know, she had this to say:
"My country was strongly influenced by France, and many government officials spoke in a French patois. But this man was different. I couldn't place his accent at the time, but somehow I knew I could trust him."
Sheva followed her instincts.
She went to the church and met two men there.
One of them had given her the note earlier. The other wore a suit with no tie and said that he was from the U.S. government.
What the man in the suit wanted seemed straightforward enough - the apprehension of the representative from Umbrella. From what he said, this particular person held the key to causing an irreparable blow to Umbrella. But in order to arrest him, they needed Sheva's help. As long as they got their man, they wouldn't do anything to her or her fellow guerrillas.
Even if they did not succeed in arresting the man in question, they promised not to turn her or her companions ever to the authorities.
The man in the suit's offer seemed credible, but could she betray those who had been like a family to her? The man seemed to understand Sheva's apprehension, so he asked her one simple question: "Don't you want to see Umbrella punished for what they've done?"
Sheva quickly nodded her head.
"That's why we selected you. But if you want to help us fight Umbrella, then you are going to have to leave your so-called friends."
"And then what? What's in it for me?"
"Look around! You know those guerrillas you are with aren't doing this for some greater good. They'll do anything to topple the government, including things you know are wrong. Help us, and you can finally do some good for the people of your country."
"And what makes you think a 15-year-old girl can help?"
"Some day you'll learn that age matters very little. A person's life is not defined by age, but by the choices they make. You have the chance to fight for something here that goes beyond just you, something that affects the entire world. Can you really walk away when so much is at stake?"
Sheva would never forget those words...
Three days later the special forces team arrived at the location where the deal was taking place. Sheva had left the door to the building unlocked, and she wore a wire so the team on standby could hear what was taking place.
The operation was a success. The target from Umbrella was quickly apprehended and taken away.
Sheva and the guerrillas were taken to the American Consulate, there to be released two days later with no charges pressed, just as promised. Recognizing Sheva's abilities, or perhaps moved by pity, the man in the suit offered Sheva the chance to start life anew in America.
With nothing left in Africa for her, Sheva decided to take him up on his offer.
Shortly after arriving in America, Sheva's high intelligence and drive quickly became apparent. She surpassed any and all expectations, even learning English to a native level in a mere six months. Within two years of arriving in the U.S, she had enrolled at a university.
After graduation with high honors from her university, her legal guardian (the man in the suit) suggested that she join the newly formed BSAA to help others as she had been helped. Umbrella had already been dismantled many years prior, but Sheva had not let go of her hatred toward them and all others like them.
After completing basic training, she was assigned to the unit led by Josh Stone. There she trained with his unit for eight months, learning everything she would need to know to survive in the field. After the completion of her training, she was hand picked to become a BSAA agent. She is currently involved in operations through the world.