Chapter 19: Chapter 15 – Project Alice and Project Exodus

"I've been a bad, bad girl," The Red Queen said on the screen.

Everyone was surprised except Zeel and Alice. They had long expected that the mischievous, homicidal AI would soon make her appearance.

"Oh, my God," Matt yelled when he saw what was displayed on the screen, it scared him to the point of almost peeing himself.

"What the fuck is that?" Kaplan asked as he watched the huge amalgamation of tissue and bones feeding on the body that was once Spencer.

"One of the Hive's early experiments produced by injecting the T-virus directly into living tissue. The results were unstable. Now that it has fed on fresh DNA, it will mutate becoming a stronger, faster hunter," The Red Queen said as the creature on the screen began to wreath and whine before sharper bone spikes jutted out of its ever-present epidermal layer.

"Great. If you knew it was loose, why didn't you warn us?" Kaplan asked, already having an inkling of what the answer would be.

"Cause she was saving it for us," Alice commented.

Zeel nodded his head in agreement.

"I didn't think any of you would make it this far. Not without infection," The Red Queen answered "And it seems my suspicion was not unfounded,"

"Why didn't you tell us about the antivirus?" asked Alice.

"After a long infection there's no guarantee it would work," The Red Queen replied then pointed at Zeel "He thought the same thing, he hesitated to give the antivirus even opting to kill your previous companion because it would be a waste of resources,"

The Red Queen then replayed the incident in the Utility shaft but in slow motion, where Zeel's action could be witnessed for all to see.

The video showed a recording of Zeel attacking Rain, causing her to fall into the zombie horde below. Zeel wanted to curse The Red Queen for being a snitch but knew his priority should be Alice.

Zeel shrugged "I made the call since you were afraid to,"

"It was never your call to make," Alice said as her eyes turned deadly for a moment.

"But there's a chance, right?" Matt asked The Red Queen attempting to break the awkward situation that may soon become a tipping point.

"I don't deal in chance," The Red Queen replied, but to Zeel it almost gave him the impression of one of the gangsters he read about in the past.

"You require the four-digit access code. I can give you the code, but first, you must do something for me," The Red Queen stated causing everyone's stomach to temporary churn.

What could a homicidal AI want from them?

"What do you want?" Zeel asked slightly intrigued by the pseudo-sentient AI.

"One of your group is infected. I require his life for the code,"

"The antivirus is right here in our hands. It's right there!" Alice yelled back pointing at Spencer's body in the video feed.

"I'm sorry. It's a risk I cannot take," The Red Queen replied.

"She's right. It's the only way. You're gonna have to kill me. Otherwise, we all die down here. The glass is reinforced but it won't hold forever," Kaplan reminded already considering sacrificing his life for the greater cause as a course of action.

Zeel slapped the back of Kaplan's head with a smack so hard the room became quiet.

"The Failsafe" Zeel whispered as he shook his head in disappointment.

Suddenly, banging sounds ring from the opposite side of the room. Through the transparent glass, the group could see the creature that had eaten Spencer earlier trying to smash through the class to secure more food.

"Please don't do this!" Alice pleaded.

"You have no choice. Kill him. Kill him." The Red Queen began chanting like a cultist trying to temp a recruit.

Then everything electronic in the room shuts down as Kaplan hits the kill switch he had installed into the mainframe of the Red Queen.

"She wouldn't open the door," Kaplan said "So I had to fry her,"

Kaplan then tosses the kill switch into the water. Zeel walked over to the door and ripped it open with ease. Alice, Matt, and Kaplan just directed a deadpan gaze in his direction.

"Here take it!" Zeel said as he gave Kaplan an antivirus from the many vials surrounding his waist.

Zeel, Matt, Kaplan, and Alice then dart outside the room, just in time since the window gave in and a creature came charging inside.

Securing the door behind them, Zeel was extremely relieved that he didn't have to tackle that monster since it would require the majority of his remaining stamina and self-damaging techniques.

The group made their way out of The Hive and towards the train, having put the worst of the obstacles behind them.

At the moment they exited The Hive, everyone, apart from Zeel, had their entire lives figured out.

Matt had enough evidence to contact his powerful supporters to condemn the Umbrella Corporation, even if it was not enough to bring them down, it would still do some major damage.

Kaplan considered retiring from Umbrella and traveling until the end of his days since he had enough adventure over the past couple of hours to last a couple of lifetimes over.

Alice considered joining Matt at first but also wanted to settle down and start a family, she had great hatred for Umbrella but not enough for her to spend her entire life fighting an impossible-to-win battle.

Zeel made no plans and loathed making long term plans since it would always bite him in the ass. Currently, Zeel's worries were limited to running from Universe to Universe to avoid the enemies that were no doubt looking for him.

As they boarded the train and followed the railway towards The Hive entry point, everyone felt as if they were heading towards the future – a brighter future.

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All of a sudden, Alice suddenly began firing at the end of the train. The massive creature that killed Spencer jumped into the small train.

The creature appeared more intimidating up close, the creature's claws tore through the train metal as if it was a knife through butter.

Alice finished the remainder of her clip in the monster's head but this did not cause it to relent. Zeel then slowed down his perception of time, and with daggers in hand, began carving out chunks of the monster's flesh.

The monster spat out its tongue, Zeel dodged perfectly but Kaplan behind him was not so lucky as it penetrated his stomach.

Kaplan flailed about for a while before falling out of the train, this, in turn, allowed Matt to nail the monster's tongue into the floor of the train using a beam.

During the process, however, Matt allowed his shoulder to be cut.

Seeing the situation would not improve, Alice stared at Zeel near the monster and untethered the nearby beams. This sent them shooting at both Zeel and the creature.

Using the last bit of his energy that was keeping the nanite suppressed, Zeel slowed his perception of time to a crawl, dodging all the beams.

Zeel even managed to re-direct some beams that would have otherwise missed their mark.

By the time all the beams had driven the monster off the train, Zeel's body was covered in hardened blood, and smoking from head to toe, he could barely move. That was the effect of using self-damaging techniques to hasten his body's movement.

"You survived that, huh?" Alice said as she walked towards Zeel with a gun in hand.

All he could do was let out a bitter chuckle as he underestimated her respect for comradeship.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't use this gun and put two in you as you did to Rain?" Alice asked eyeing Zeel coldly.

"I can't," Zeel said as his only regret being he truly felt no fear towards dying, but his heart pained a little from the loss of what seemed to be 'love'?

Alice stared into Zeel's eyes for a moment and finally saw that he held no guilt. It was natural for him to kill Rain.

"I can't kill a man who doesn't understand what he did wrong in the first place," Alice said, then she picked up Zeel and leaned him on the wall.

"Good move," Zeel said with a chuckle "If you killed me, we would all die,"

Zeel was not exaggerating since his nanites were set to explode the moment of his death.

The nanites were akin to several nukes once interrupted from booting up. Zeel always kept a card up his sleeve since it's the way he was taught to survive by his teacher.

After a disorienting and confusing battle, the three survivors made their way out of the train that had come to a stop. Halfway up the stairs, with his body barely functioning, Zeel could feel his nanites about to force hibernation.

All the information he was receiving from the nearby networks pushed his mind to the limit. Still, he did manage to see the soldiers gathered outside.

Zeel grabbed Alice and said, "Drink!"

Zeel slit his wrist and offered Alice a sip.

"This is the only way they won't separate us and we both survive. I can't lose you or my soul will be injured, and likewise, you can't lose me," Zeel said.

Maybe it was the sincerity in his eyes that spoke to Alice, she did as she was told and consumed a huge amount of Zeel's blood.

It scorched her throat but she still liked the taste of his blood. It triggered feelings of euphoria, like a drug that you could never get enough of.

Alice had to admit. the more she drank the more the taste improved until her body could not take anymore.

After Alice had her fill, Zeel dashed around the stairs as they climbed, hiding metals he had stolen from the cases upon entry.

"What is that for?" asked Matt who had been nursing his wound for some time now.

Zeel considered offering him the antivirus before hiding it all away but decided not to. It would be a waste after discovering the quarantine area that was outside.

No doubt The Umbrella Corporation had plans in place to deal with them.

Zeel and Alice were now holding each other up as they came to the center of the mansion, Matt was just walking, none the wiser of what laid in wait outside.

On cue, a group of doctors walked in, grabbing and strapping Matt to a stretcher, taking him away in front of a weak Zeel and Alice.

Zeel was about to go into physical hibernation so his body could bond with the nanites on a molecular level.

Alice grabbed Zeel but also fell over as she felt her consciousness waned. She could feel Zeel's blood stirring inside her body.

"He's mutating," A doctor said pointing to Matt.

"I want him in the Nemesis Program," The lead doctor said then continued to inspect Alice and Zeel.

"I want her quarantined. Close observation and a full series of blood tests. Let's see if she's infected. Take her to the Raccoon City facility. Then assemble the team. We're reopening The Hive.

I want to know what went on down there. Just do it. As for him. I want him in the Exodus Program, give him the same treatment as the girl but separate them," The doctor finished speaking and immediately left.

Alice and Zeel entered their slumber to bond with the nanites that would accompany them throughout their journeys through the Multiverse of Madness.

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