(A/N) The hunt for Simmons begins for real. Let's see what obstacles AI Dungeon throws at our heroes.
Disclaimer - This story was written with AI Dungeon just for fun, meaning that some stuff was written by me and others were written by the AI. This results in OOC moments, especially in James' case, and chaotic energy in general. It's also why my writing style is different since this is mostly AI generated.
I also do not own these franchises or their characters. Silent Hill belongs to KONAMI, Resident Evil belongs to CAPCOM, and Final Fantasy IX and NieR:Automata belong to SQUARE ENIX.
Chapter 14: James and 9S' Road to Simmons
James drove the car down the back roads towards the highway. The sun was well past its peak by the time they approached the highway. The sky was a clear blue and the air was relatively warm. James turned the AC on full blast.
"So, where is Simmons located?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
"According to my map, he's still somewhere in Washington," 9S stated. "Makes me wonder what he's up to."
"Same."
It was silent until James noticed from the corner of his eye that 9S didn't have a map on him, so how did he -
"I'm an android scanner model, remember?" 9S said suddenly.
James nodded. He must have spoken out loud.
"I can bring up a map if I need it and sense activity," the boy explained. "I can even see more information if I search for it, like I know what year you were born without you telling me."
"No, you don't," James grinned.
"Try me."
"Fine, what year was I born?"
James could see 9S staring at him from the corner of his eye.
"1983," 9S finally said with a grin. "That makes you 29."
James nodded.
"You also used to work as a clerk and was married to a woman named Mary who passed from a terminal illness."
James swallowed hard. "How did you...?"
"If it's recorded somewhere, I can find it."
"Right..." James sighed. "Do you have any information on Simmons other than his location?"
"A little," 9S folded his arms. "He leads a group called 'The Family,' an organisation that aims to further bio-weapon research for future use in warfare, at least that's what I've gathered."
"Oh..."
"The Umbrella base we went to before is defunct and no longer under Umbrella with them going under a little less than a decade ago. The Family took it over for their own private research."
James opened his mouth to try and respond, but 9S continued.
"I was able to access their files on the V-Virus and they aim to give it to the government to create super-soldiers for war. Plans beyond that haven't been recorded, but it can't be good."
"Okay," James nodded. "That's more than enough reason to stop him."
It was silent for a bit, before James spoke again.
"You're an android, right? Who created you? I mean... you're advanced."
"Yeah... I don't remember that," 9S replied, turning to look at the car window. "What I do know is that the organisation that created me is defunct..."
"Umbrella?"
9S chuckled and shook his head. "I'm unsure, but I hope not."
The car pulled up in front of a wooded area. The sun had started to go down and a large mansion could be seen in the distance.
"Here we are," James said. "Nice and secluded."
It was quiet and peaceful, just the way James liked it. The mansion was a large grey stone affair that dominated the entire area. At the end of a long driveway was a two-story stone gatehouse. Large pillars on either side of the gateway were topped with gargoyles, their mouths open and spewing streams of water. A metal roof covered the area behind the pillars.
James got out of the car.
"Stay in the car," James told 9S. "I'll be back shortly."
"James, you can't take Simmons on alone. I can -"
"Nines," James interrupted, handing him a walkie-talkie. "Simmons wants you for god knows what and I want to keep you safe. I think it's best you stay here and communicate with me through the walkie-talkie. If I need anything, I'll let you know."
9S nodded with a smile. "You have a good point. I'll stay here and help with security from a distance. Good luck."
James grinned and shoved his own walkie-talkie into his pocket. He approached the gatehouse. The gate stood open and James wondered if it would be safe to go inside. He decided to go inside. After all, he had nothing better to do and this was something he needed to do himself.
James raised his walkie-talkie to his lips.
"Hello?"
"Hey, James," 9S cheerfully greeted on the other end. "Is something wrong?"
James grinned. "No, just checking you're okay."
"I'm fine. I've hacked into every camera on the premises so I can watch over you. If you need me, don't hesitate to give me a call. I'll let you know if I see anything."
"I will."
"And be careful, okay?"
"I will," James nodded. "Thank you, Nines. James out."
With that, he shoved the walkie-talkie back in his pocket and looked around. The main entrance to the mansion was on the right and James noted huge wooden double doors. They were open and James wondered if he should go in. What would he do if he went in?
James entered the house.
"So this is the place," James said.
He walked into the foyer and looked around. A marble staircase stood on the right. It led up to the second floor, but James couldn't see anything beyond that. He shrugged and continued into the living room.
It was a large room with a high ceiling. A stone fireplace sat on the left wall and many large windows covered the right wall. A man stood near the fireplace looking at James. He wore a black suit with a black tie and his shoes shone like mirrors.
"Hello, James, was it? We've been expecting you," the man said. He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why is there only you? Don't you have an android and a monkey following you around?"
"Yeah, but they're not here," James smirked pointing his gun at the man. "Take me to Simmons."
"He's not here," the man sighed with a smirk of his own. "He's gone to one of the labs to observe the second trial for the V-Virus. The test subject is someone you're familiar with."
"I'm not falling for that!" James yelled. "Tell me where Simmons is!"
"I already told you," the man groaned. "Why can't you just accept the answer and move on?"
"Because as if the enemy would willingly give up information unless it was a trap." James continued to point his gun at the man. "Tell me or I'll kill you."
The man's smile faltered.
"Are you mentally deficient?" the man spat. "If you kill me that's it, you won't find him."
"I'll take my chances."
The man laughed, pulling out a gun of his own. "Okay, you want to play it that way. I can't stop you, but I can make your life miserable until you die of old age."
James laughed. "I don't fear you."
The man pointed his gun at James' face. "I think you do."
James felt the barrel of the gun against his head. He smirked. "I don't fear anyone."
The man sighed and lowered his gun. "Fine, have it your way. If you succeed, I'm dead. If you fail, I'm dead."
"What?" James raised an eyebrow as the man shot himself in the head.
Blood splattered on the walls, floor, and James' shoe.
He was speechless, he couldn't even say -
"What was that?!" 9S could be heard yelling from James' walkie-talkie. "He just shot himself!"
James picked up the walkie-talkie and held it to his mouth.
"Something isn't adding up here..." he said.
"You don't say..." 9S sighed. "What he said made no sense. What did he mean by he's dead whether we fail or succeed?"
"I wish I knew..."
"And get this, what he said about Simmons was correct."
"What?"
"He left through a secret hatch just now. His car is on the move."
"Shit!" James began to run out of the building. "Where's he heading?"
"I looked through The Family's files and found that he is in fact on his way to a trial for the virus. And the test subject..."
9S fell silent, making James stop in his tracks.
"Nines?"
He didn't reply.
"Nines, who is it?"
"It's Heather..."
Things are heating up! This chapter was enjoyable to work on. The man shooting himself was an interesting decision, though.
Improvements are appreciated, please tell me what I did right, wrong and how I can improve. If you would like, you could also favourite and follow this fic, as well as suggest areas of improvement, which I guess is the same as the first sentence. R&R and thanks for reading!
