So...
Billy is trying to keep the engine from cooking itself,
while Rebecca is trying not to combust (for completely different reasons)
Everyone's totally handling the heat very normally ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
The hood of the old patrol car stood open between them. The steam was gone, but the faint tick-tick-ticking of contracting metal suggested the vehicle was still radiating heat. Billy stood on the driver’s side with his sleeves pushed up, streaks and smudges of dark grease visible along his forearm. Rebecca stood on the other side, leaning in to follow every movement of his hands.
“Wanna know what happens if this breaks?” he asked, two fingers tugging along a belt that snaked around a set of pulleys,
Return to chapter 1 🔧
Welcome page/ Masterlist 🍪✨️
some big and others small, staggered at different heights. “It’s called the serpentine belt.”
Rebecca scanned them, feeling a little apprehensive. “Each of those pulleys is driving something, right? Powering different components?”
“Yup.”
“Could you… Could you tell me what they are?” she looked to him for more information.
Billy pointed to the largest pulley. “We call this one the main drive. It’s connected to the crankshaft.” Then the one above it. “Water pump.” Then the ones to its left. “Power steering pump. Alternator.”
“That’s a lot of failure points,” she swallowed. “If the belt goes, it could cut coolant circulation… Make the steering wheel heavy… Stop the battery from charging…”
“You got it. Let’s hope we don’t find any serious cracks.”
This car was expected back at the RPD by 17:00, she reminded herself. Judging by the progress they were making, Rebecca could already see herself contacting the fleet manager, much sooner rather than later, telling everyone at the office to expect a delay. It also meant having to update the current stand-in watch commander – that’s Chris – about unavoidable ‘modifications’ to her operation today. The question was, should she make that call now? Or should she give Billy more time to fix the car?
“Hey,” she heard him say, fingers snapping. “Still here?”
“Oh. Sorry, I was just… Thinking.”
“The belt’s worn out, but it’ll hold. Just a few surface cracks, some fraying, but nothing catastrophic,” he paused. “Yet.”
“That’s good enough, isn’t it? What’s next?"
“Radiator and its entourage,” he continued without looking up. “If the cooling system’s got issues, these guys usually know something about it.“ He bent over the radiator, inspecting the aluminium fins packed tightly behind the grille. “Flashlight,” he instructed. Two fingers curled over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the engine bay.
Rebecca flicked it on, angling the beam wherever Billy was working. She shifted her stance now and then, carefully following his line of sight, until she started to notice the beginnings of a cramp. “Hey, I know,” she said as an idea clicked. “Why don’t we split tasks? It’ll be much quicker.”
Billy looked up just enough. “Don’t—”
“I’ll leave the hoses and other expert stuff to you. I can check for something simple, like coolant residue– ,” she didn’t wait for him to answer and went straight for a small circular cover near the front of the engine.
That was when Billy caught her wrist.
* * *
Rebecca froze.
The grip wasn’t rough, but it was firm enough to stop her. “Easy,” he cut in, voice dropping low.
They both looked at each other, then at the radiator cap. One wrong move, and it’d spray searing-hot coolant onto her skin.
A voice interrupted from close by, “Hey– Hope I’m not interrupting anything,”
They turned to find the teen from before, standing beside the car with cold bottles of water tucked against his chest. Billy released Rebecca’s hand as she drew it back to herself.
“It's crazy hot out so we got these for you” he said, handing them over.
Rebecca accepted the drinks quickly, insisting on paying before finally relenting. She then chatted lightly about the heat and the humidity, the car and the lunch crowd— anything to take her mind off the warmth in her cheeks. Never had she seen Billy stare so intensely.
“Anyway, the restaurant phone’s available. Come find us,” he told them as he left.
It was a huge relief knowing the Automart wasn’t far off. “What are you working on now?” she asked, turning to Billy with a half-finished bottle held in one hand.
His hand reached for the rag left on the engine frame and cleaned his hands “Fan circuit. I think the relay’s bad. We’ll probably have to replace it,” Draping the cloth back where he found it, he continued. “Hoses are fine. The leak from before seeped through the clamps and I’ve already tightened that”.
“That explains the fan cutting in and out. Guess we’re back to the circuits again.” Rebecca held up the other bottle but he reached for the one she had already uncapped.
“As long as we’re driving, air moves through the radiator on its own. Sitting still, the fan’s supposed to do that job. If it doesn’t kick on, heat builds fast.” Billy wiped his chin after a long swig. “You okay over there?”
Rebecca avoided his eye contact a second time that day, fingers clutching a little too tightly at the remaining bottle. “I’m fine.”
That made Billy study her for a moment before smirking, “Good. For a second there, I thought the vegetables got you again.”
“Oh my God,” she muttered, looking thoroughly frustrated. His laughter made it clear just how much he was enjoying this.
“Anyway, pump doesn’t look like the problem either.”
“So circulation isn’t blocked at source.”
“Yup.”
She nodded. “Which puts us back to airflow and control… Wait–” she said, suddenly remembering something. ”There’s a fleet kit. In the trunk. We could top up the coolant. Replace what was lost from the leak.”
“Go grab it.”
Rebecca watched Billy drape a thicker rag over the radiator cap. He pressed it down lightly, waiting a bit as he felt for leftover pressure before turning it fully.
“You were right to think of that. Adding coolant gives us more buffer” he pointed out as he poured in the fluid slowly.
“If it runs low, the temperature would spike faster, won’t it?”
“Yeah. But we’re not filling it up to spec.”
“How come?”
“Because it’ll just escape again under pressure cycles. We don’t know if it’s gonna leak again later.” He tightened the radiator cap carefully. Then he pressed lightly on the upper radiator hose, measuring pressure response through feel. “Should be enough.”
“Enough for…?”
“The 5-minute drive to the Automart.” He stepped back and ran his fingers on the rag a final time. “No AC while we do that. Get all windows down and keep the revs low. Cut the engine if we get stuck at a long light.”
“Basically, heat management,” she added, feeling hopeful.
“Right again” he said, mirroring her smile.
“Ugh… Let’s go and get this over with,” Rebecca reached for the hood and brought it down.
Behind them, someone cleared her throat politely. “Excuse me,” came a woman’s voice. “You two seem very good with cars.”
On the 12th of November, twenty three years ago, Resident Evil Zero was released in Japan for the GAMECUBE.
Resident Evil Zero is set before the events of the original Resident Evil, following rookie officer Rebecca Chambers and fugitive Billy Coen as they uncover the origins of the T-virus in a zombie-infested train and research facility, blending puzzle-solving, resource management, and character-switching gameplay.
