Peyton Wells was never a man of many words. Joining the R.P.D. at age 22 following a stint in the Military Reserves, he earned a reputation for being "dead-calm." Peyton excelled in the grinding, slow-burn pressure of crisis management. Outside the uniform, Peyton was a family man. He doted on his younger sister and his niece, viewing his job not as a path to glory, but as a way to ensure the world remained safe for them. Following the Spencer Mansion Incident in, the elite S.T.A.R.S. unit was a hollow shell. The unit existed only on paper. In early 1998, under pressure from Umbrella to maintain a "status quo," Irons authorized a quiet recruitment drive for a provisional S.T.A.R.S. team. Brad Vickers, the only original member still active but deeply traumatized, vouched for Peyton.

Peyton underwent six months of grueling tactical and rescue training. He became the "New S.T.A.R.S." Sergeant, specifically focused on Evacuation Coordination. Unlike the original team, he was kept in the dark about the bio-weapons, told instead to prepare for "large-scale industrial accidents." Peyton and Brad were assigned to investigate "civilian disturbances" linked to the city's water supply. They saw the earliest signs: families screaming at one another, violent tremors, and neighbors behaving like rabid animals. Each time they filed a report, the paperwork vanished into Chief Irons’ office. As the city reaches a boiling point, Chief Irons orders Peyton and Brad to the Main Gate perimeter. It is a PR stunt; they are told to "maintain order" while Umbrella "inspectors" begin filtering the exodus.

The heat at the Main Gate was oppressive. A massive crowd of civilians pressed against the steel barricades, pleading with the stony-faced Umbrella Security. Peyton stood at the center, his hand on his holster, trying to calm a mother who was holding a limp, pale child. Suddenly, a man in the crowd collapsed. He didn't scream. He simply fell, his body convulsing before going deathly still. Before a officer could kneel, the man’s eyes snapped open—clouded, white, and devoid of humanity. With a wet, animalistic snarl, the man lunged. The teeth sank deep into the poor officer lower calf, tearing through the fabric of his uniform. A gunshot rang out. Peyton Wells had rushed forward. He fired a single, precise round into the man’s skull, euthanizing him instantly.

Seeing the infection breach the "clean zone," the Umbrella Security commanders gave the order. The massive steel gates groaned and slammed shut, locking the R.P.D. and thousands of civilians inside the city. Brad Vickers rushed to Peyton’s side, his face white with terror. He looked at the bite—the dark, bruised puncture marks already beginning to turn a sickly grey. Peyton grabbed Brad by the tactical vest, pulling him close. Telling him to go save the remaining S.T.A.R.S. Peyton then put the poor officer out of his misery. Brad Vickers, consumed by a mixture of guilt and self-preservation, finally nodded. He sprinted toward the hangar, leaving to help the others.

Peyton managed to run back to the R.P.D. station. Feeling the fear for his fellow comrades. Sept 26, 8:00 PM – The Breaking Point. The arrival of Dehne, a Special Ops soldier and the sole survivor of her unit, brought the grim reality home. Her report of "monsters that climb walls" deployment confirmed Marvin’s fears: Marvin immediately broke from Chief Irons orders. He gathered the remaining survivors in the Main Hall to orchestrate a final, desperate plan. To help civilians and remove Peyton’s leg.

In the small waiting room off the Main Hall, the air was thick with the smell of copper and industrial-grade disinfectant. Peyton and Roy was busy helping around as much as possible.