Chapter 8: Mother Miranda

Vector wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say first to Miranda, but he knew that he was anything but happy to see her right now. He knew that he should thank her for saving his life, but the fact that she went through all of his belongings, belongings that he considered extremely confidential, sent shivers down his spine. Miranda continued to look at him in silence, perhaps also unsure on what to say next considering she was being stared at by her patient. Deciding to break the ice on the meeting, Vector spoke the first thing that came to his mind.

"How long was I out?" asked Vector.

Miranda smiled at him. It was like she intended to wait out until Vector spoke first. Like she wasn't sure of what she wanted to say either.

"You've been asleep for a little over four days," answered Miranda.

"Four days?" Vector said.

"That is correct." said Miranda, "During that time, I came down here to monitor your progress a few times. Your wounds healed completely after my first visit, but you remained comatose up until you woke up again."

"But why did you have me tied down even after the surgery?" asked Vector, "To prevent me from escaping?"

Miranda raised an eyebrow, "I kept you restrained so that you wouldn't roll off the table. But also yes. You were still my patient, so I didn't want you to leave without me evaluating your condition first."

"Where exactly am I?" asked Vector.

"You are in my personal laboratory and operating room,' said Miranda.

Vector slid the Samurai Edge back into its holster and swung the backpack on his back.

"Well, thank you and everything, but I have to get going.", said Vector as he attempted to walk past Miranda. He was intent on leaving the place as fast as he could before anyone else could see him in his suit.

"Unfortunately, I cannot allow that." Miranda simply replied, grabbing his wrist and stopping Vector in his tracks.

"And why not?" asked Vector, sensing some hostility coming from the woman.

"Allow me to reiterate," said Miranda softly, "It is past seven at night local time. And the snowstorm from before is still currently going on at the moment, but it has died down a little bit. It's too dark out and not safe in this cold weather to be walking. Especially after having surgery done so recently."

Past seven at night? Vector remembered it was morning when he arrived. Now not only did he have the longest sleep he's ever had, he woke up just when it was time to go to bed again? What are the odds?

"I feel fine," said Vector, "And I'm not tired. I can make it to my destination."

But fine was an understatement. In reality, Vector felt…great. Better than he ever had in years. Yet, the more he thought about how he felt, the more it greatly confused him. In all the time that Vector had been up since he awoke, he didn't take the time, or even think, to evaluate his current predicament regarding his health. In the moments when he choked on his own blood and spasmed after removing the final wedge of metal in his body, he felt worse than he ever did before he got the HT-Virus injection. He could practically feel his soul seeping out of the wound, trying to leave his body forever. But here he was. Alive and well.

"I must insist, Mr Winters. It would be much more ideal to leave in the morning when it is brighter outside.", said Miranda, "Besides, I want to know more about you. We don't get many outsiders in this village."

Deciding to play along with it, Vector gave in. "If you let go of my wrist and I come along with you, will you let me leave in the morning?"

"Perhaps," said Miranda, "Depending on the weather, your condition or in case anything else happens, I will let you leave. But follow me?"

Miranda led Vector down the dug-out corridor she came in from until the came up to the end of it with wooden boards above their heads and a set of stairs ahead of them. Before Vector could ask, she pulled a lever built into the wall next to her. The wooden boards parted, revealing an exit. Miranda and Vector walked up and Vector took in the area around him, taking note of it being a church, not Miranda's residence.

But then something completely unexpected happened.

Right before Vector's eyes, numerous tendrils of an unknown black substance sprouted from Miranda's back. Vector continued to stare in disbelief as those tendrils shaped themselves into feathered wings, which then wrapped themselves around Miranda like a hooded cloak. She turned to Vector before laying a hand on the front door's doorknob.

"What the hell was that?" asked Vector.

"You're not the only one in this valley with…special abilities. But from I've read in Mia's journal, I cannot be the scariest thing you have ever seen, am I?" Miranda smiled before gesturing towards the door, "Shall we?"

Vector was still very much disturbed by what he had just seen, but she was right. Miranda wasn't the scariest thing he had ever seen. The various B.O.W.s he had encountered in his life, zombies and the mutated form of William Birkin had done well to make him used to seeing the abnormal.

But this was not the case with Miranda. Vector observed that during the transformation, it was like Miranda was actually in control of whatever it was that made up those wings, rather than it transforming her uncontrollably like the G-Virus did with Birkin. And she didn't exhibit any pain or loss of mental functions whatsoever. And at the same time, she did it with… elegance.

'If Miranda wants to know things about me, I'll have to ask her first.' thought Vector, "Alright. Lets go."

True to Miranda's words, when she opened the door, the storm was still blowing outside. But the winds were not as strong as they were when he stumbled out of his helicopter. The temperature inside the little church dropped as Vector began to feel its chills seeping inside. Even with his thermal underclothes and U.S.S. operator suit, he could feel goosebumps on his skin.

Exiting the church and walking down the steps, Vector took a moment to take in the surroundings he once slept through on his way down. Judging from all the houses that surrounded him, where he was must be at, or at least close, the centre of the village. He managed to get a glimpse of it when he was still in the air, but the snowstorm had blurred out his sights. The houses around him were reminiscent of old European villages from decades earlier, not the ones that one might see in the modern world. It was almost like this entire village was a place out of time. Surviving from the old world into the new world without anyone else knowing. Or simply cut itself off from the rest of the world, fading into obscurity overtime. Never to be heard from again.

As Miranda guided him through the snow towards a destination he didn't yet know, he took a chance to get a closer look at the houses. Light glowed from within the windows, confirming that there was life within the old homes. In the distance, he could hear the distinct mooing of a cow, indicating there was probably a farmhouse nearby. There were some wells dug out nearby for people to access water from the underground, but Vector was certain that there was a plumbing system in this village. It was then he noticed a large shadow cast upon a portion of the village, despite it being night-time. But only made visible by the street lamps. Turning around, Vector was met with a truly astounding sight.

"Holy shit." muttered Vector as he took in the sight towering above him.

Looming over the village was an enormous castle. So enormous that, despite it being still stormy, it almost blocked out the moon behind it. It gave off a feeling of ominousness and horror like there was something within. Something that had the capability to kill in ways never seen before. It had the appearance of any stereotypical castle that came out of any children's story or vampire movie. Looking down, he saw an outer entrance gate that looked no further away than several hundred meters from where he was right now. Oddly, he didn't notice the castle while he was still in the air, but that was probably because of the snowstorm.

"That is Castle Dimitrescu," Miranda, who appeared beside him, snapping Vector out of his thoughts, "Home to one of the Four Lords of this valley, the Noble Lady Alcina Dimitrescu and her three daughters."

"Four Lords?" asked Vector.

"Yes. This region of Romania is ruled by the Houses Dimitrescu, Heisenberg, Moreau and Beneviento," said Miranda, "Perhaps you would like to meet each of the Lords one day?"

"Don't know. Are they friendly?" asked Vector.

"Each to their own degree." replied Miranda, "Anyway, we're here. Welcome to my home."

Vector looked ahead to see a house coming into view. They walked up the porch and Vector stood back as Miranda unlocked the door. As soon as they walked inside, the wings on Miranda morphed themselves back into tendrils, which then went back into her body. This time, Vector wasn't as unsettled as before due to two things suddenly welcoming him inside Miranda's home. A warmth of a fireplace nearby and the smell of food in the air.

"You're cooking something?" asked Vector.

"Yes. I was making soup just before I left to check up on you," said Miranda, "I left it to simmer while I was away. It should be ready soon. There is a spare bedroom upstairs at the second door to your left. You can drop off your belongings there and take off your extra armour before we eat. "

Before he knew it, Vector found the room Miranda was talking about. It was a simple guest room with a bed, a chair, a desk and a wooden wardrobe sitting in a corner. On the table, there was an aged gas lantern. A window let him get a good view of the village since the house was situated higher than the rest of the village houses in the valley. He could still make out the castle despite the distance and the snow blowing in the wind. But he couldn't shake the feeling that this place had more to offer than it appeared. And that something in this valley was lurking. Watching. Waiting.

"Just what kind of place is this?" asked Vector to himself.

Vector took off everything but his boots, the jumpsuit and the coat, not intent on getting gold again. He placed the rest of the armour on a table in the corner and the backpack on the chair. He would reorganise the contents later when he got a chance.

"Ethan, the soup is ready!" called Miranda from downstairs.

Ethan walked down the stairs towards the dining room, the source of Miranda's voice and the smell of the delicious, yet unfamiliar soup. As he was entering, Miranda was pouring two bowlfuls of the soup. Vector didn't notice it before, but his mind was just coming to the realisation of just how hungry he was. He felt like the last meal he had before his last helicopter ride was a lifetime ago. The duo sat down at a nearby dining table for commence their dinner. Deciding to taste a little bit of everything, he scooped up a spoonful of broth with a single meatball and a few slices of vegetables and slipped the spoon into his mouth.

"What is this?" asked Vector, "If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind. It's Ciorbă de Perișoare," answered Miranda, "It's a Romanian recipe. Sour and spicy soup with meatballs. But I assume you are not familiar with Romanian cuisine." "Not really. Living a life in the west means eating pretty much whatever people can say and pronounce well in English. But the occasional delicacy came every now and then." responded Vector.

The soup indeed had a sour and spicy taste to it. Unlike any soup he ever had before. But the seasoned meatballs, broth and vegetables gave it an extra set of flavours that seemed to blend in seamlessly together. Miranda must have cooked this particular dish often if she was able to get it to taste as great as it was.

"I'm sure it's not quite like what you've eaten while you were with Umbrella, but it is a Romanian favourite."

"I eat this often enough and I just might make this my favourite dish." replied Vector with a chuckle.

Vector found himself quite taken aback at the sudden humour. He acknowledged to himself that he kept his funny side to a bare minimum during his time at Umbrella, and almost non-existent during missions. But despite the fact that the mysterious woman sitting in front of him had control over some kind of black substance that inhabited her body, Vector found her company…relaxing.

"I assume you don't get company much?" asked Vector.

"Outsiders are very rare to the people in this valley. A few in every generation or so," said Miranda, "But I've never seen anyone as unique as yourself come to this valley. I've read about you in Mia's journal, Ethan. You were some kind of soldier before you became a super soldier. But I want to know your story from your mouth."

Vector looked up from his soup and faced Miranda, intent on sticking to his goal about learning more of Miranda's nature.

"Miranda, before I can tell you, I would like to know more about what happened back at the church," inquired Vector, "Just so I can make sense of what is going on here."

"It's mold." said Miranda simply.

Vector was surprised by the simplicity of the answer. The substance that Miranda controlled inside of her body was mold? But what kind of mold?

"I don't understand," said a confused Vector, "I've seen mold before and the kind in your body is nothing like the one I have seen."

"If you are referring to the kind that appears on food as it spoils, then you are very far off," explained Miranda before sighing, "If you want to understand the nature of it, it would probably help if I told you my story."

"Go on." said Vector, taking another spoonful of soup.

Miranda laid down her spoon before laying her arms on the table.

"I wasn't born in this valley, but in another village closer to civilisation. In the late nineteenth century," Miranda paused upon seeing the puzzled look on Vector's face, "It may seem absurd to hear that I look so young despite my age, but you'll understand more as a I continue."

Vector nodded in silence.

"My parents owned a farming ranch. My childhood was as peaceful and average as can be for anyone who was born to a farming family. Tending to animals, going to school. I was most interested in things related to biology and diseases, but never had the chance to study due to several…restrictions on girls' education. And personal finances."

Vector noticed that Miranda said the last parts in particular distaste so he decided to add in his part. "Well, things are different now. Women can study just about anything they want to nowadays. Mia is proof of that."

"So I've read." replied Miranda, "Anyway, I took over the farm once I came of age and my parents were too tired to continue. It was then I met who I thought was going to be the love of my life. Erik Balan."

Vector took notice of this. "Your husband?"

"Eventually, yes," said Miranda, "He was from this valley and came from a family of wealthy meat merchants. In fact, the house we are in is the house that was once owned by his family."

Vector looked around the house, trying to imagine it once being a family home filled with happy people. He didn't notice it before, but this place was now rather…gloomy. Like the happiness had been sucked out of the air and the place itself had soured into an abomination of complete misery and absolution. Like something terrible had happened here and its presence still lurked within its walls, refusing to leave.

"Erik was a charming man at first," continued Miranda, looking down at her hands, "We were happy and all was well. We married in the nearby chapel with only my parents in tow. But then our-my greatest happiness after our honeymoon happened in our lives. I was…pregnant."

Miranda looked up a little, showing a slight smile on her face, but enough for Vector to notice. "That must have indeed the been the happiest time for you."

"It was," said Miranda, "I gave birth to a girl, whom we named Eva. It was the greatest day of my life. We loved her with all our hearts, but I saw her as the greatest gift life could give me. So many happy memories of us that I still remember to this day. Sadly, though, complete happiness was not to last."

"Did something bad happen to her?", asked Vector. He had a feeling like Miranda's life was about to go downhill from here.

"Not to her at first," said Miranda, "The world changed with the times and our meat merchant business ran into difficult episodes as the world modernised. Erik began to drink heavily after orders dried up and more modern businesses gained more customers in neighbouring villages, attempting to cope with the loss. He would disappear at nights for long hours, mostly showing up hungover in the morning. It seemed that he didn't inherit the business acumen that his father possessed. This is partially why the business failed."

"My mentor would remind me to keep up or be left behind," said Vector, "I guess Erik didn't understand it as well as one should in life."

"He didn't,", said Miranda, "We moved back into my old ranching home after we shut down the venture as a whole. We hoped that my family farm would keep us financially stable, but his drinking and nostalgia for his old life drove him to yell and break things in rage. I protected Eva, using my body as a shield."

Vector knew the experience too well when he heard this. Not as a shield, but as a victim. He wished that he could have done something to protect his shield, but there was nothing he could do about it back then due to his youth. And he had regretted doing nothing ever since.

"When The Great War began, Erik was among to get conscripted," said Miranda, "But I wasn't sad to see him go. I was elated, especially after all that had gone through with us. I decided that from then on, I was going to give Eva the best life that I can on my own. To stay out of the war, I fled with Eva back to this valley. I never heard from Erik again, so I assumed he was killed in action."

"Did it all work out?" asked Vector.

"For a while…until tragedy struck," said Miranda, looking down and speaking in a downhearted voice, "In 1919, the Spanish Flu somehow had managed to find its way into the valley, infecting many of its inhabitants. Including Eva."

Vector had learned of the Spanish Flu during his time at Umbrella. It was one of the worst epidemics to hit the earth, killing millions of people in its path. Miranda's eye shed a tear at this revelation as her face distorted from her usual calm into one of distress and misery. Vector grabbed a nearby towel that was on the table and handed it to Miranda. She gently took it from him and wiped the tear.

"Miranda, I'm sorry." said Vector.

"Why should you be? She was before your time. You didn't cause her death." said Miranda.

"I know. But I've lost people I care about, too." said Vector.

All of a sudden, he heard a series of voices running through his mind. Voices he recognised all too well as he gripped his head in pain and closed his eyes.

"Why were you so slow to save us, amigo?" an American Puerto Rico voice began.

"Why did you hesitate, schweinhund?" a German female voice added.

"You had all that power and what did you do? Nothing!" a Russian male voice growled.

"Coward!" a young Japanese female voice taunted him.

"You are a disgrace to the pack!" yelled a French female voice with authority.

"I am not!" Vector suddenly shouted, sitting up from the table suddenly, "I did everything I could, but it wasn't enough! I killed them in revenge, but it wasn't going to bring you back! Nothing ever will! And I'm sorry!"

"Ethan!"

Once he heard that name being called, he stopped hearing the voices. For some reason, that voice also got the pain out of his head, calming his world down around him and welcoming silence back. That voice sounded so…curing. Like it was the one thing to pull him out of the darkness that was attempting to swallow him. Opening his eyes, he saw a familiar sight.

Miranda. Standing up from her chair as well. In the dining room where they were having soup for dinner. Where she was telling him her life story. Right now, her face had shifted into one displaying surprise and concern.

"Ethan!" Miranda shouted to him again, "What happened?"

Vector let go of his head and sighed. "I heard voices. From the people I was supposed to look after. They were taunting me with how I failed to protect them."

"Your teammates, no doubt," said Miranda as she sat him back down before taking her seat, "Probably Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. And it doesn't help since you just came out of surgery. It's bound to happen to some patients after going through tough times. And you must still be feeling guilt, which amplifies that taunting. Me telling you about the death of someone close must have triggered something in your mind."

"I'm sorry if I made a scene," said Vector, "Do you want to continue?"

"Okay, but focus on me you don't have any more episodes," instructed Miranda, "Needless to say, Eva didn't make it among many others, even with the help of all the medicines prescribed from the doctors in the village. The flu was just too strong for medicines of that time."

This time, Vector focused on Miranda greatly. It was truly heartbreaking to hear this, coming from a mother who loved her child more than anything in the world. His old teammates were like family to him and now he was alone. He greatly cared for them, despite the nature of his job as a U.S.S. operative and his outlooks on life. With them gone now, he wasn't sure if he would ever completely recover.

"What did you do?" asked Vector.

"The only thing I wanted to do," said Miranda, "To join her in death. I had heard tales of caverns in the mountains as a child. Caverns that were told in legends that were actually a gate to the afterlife. Where our loved ones would be waiting for us. I found and entered the caverns. With a knife in my hands. More than ready to leave this dreadful world behind and join my Eva in the next."

Vector looked at her hands. The only thing he could think of Miranda doing with that knife was slitting her wrists, yet he did not see a single scar.

"But what happened then changed me into the person that you see in front of you today," said Miranda, "I had discovered something unexpected…and incredible. There was a great power in the cavern. In the form of a giant fungal root. I called it the Black God.

Now this Vector did not expect to hear. Miranda had discovered some kind of mold root in the mountains that granted her the power she had displayed earlier? Did it give her something else? Did it affect her mind as well as her body?

"Is that the source of your abilities?" asked Vector.

"Yes," replied Miranda, "I came into contact with it. And it gave me many gifts. Including immortality, control over my own body and eternal youth. But also great knowledge."

"Knowledge?" asked Vector.

"The Black God wasn't just a root. It was a library of the genetic data and even the consciousnesses of all those who it had touched with its great power," said Miranda, "Including my Eva. I had heard her calling out to me. She was within the Black God, just waiting to return to the world of the living. It was from then on that I dedicated my life to bringing my Eva back."

Vector was unsure on how he wanted to respond to this. Miranda had dedicated her life to bringing back her beloved daughter and she had not succeeded in doing that to this day? Had this become an obsession? What had she done to achieve this?

"I began my experiments with the mold." said Miranda, "I went back to my old books on fungi, biology and virology and set up the lab that you awoke in just mere hours ago. I took samples of the root as part of my experiments. But I needed test subjects."

Vector seemed to know where she got them already. "The villagers? You used the villagers?"

"Yes, but they first needed to be pacified so as to not resist me," said Miranda as if she wasn't bothered by the very words that came out of her mouth, "I spread the power and influence of the Black God, which I had since renamed the Megamycete. In time, I became the ruler of this valley."

"But what about the Four Lords?" asked Vector.

"I used them as test subjects as well," said Miranda, "Despite resulting in different degrees of success, they were ultimately not what I needed to bring back Eva. But they were blessed with different abilities and immortality while the majority of others ended up dead or as failures. That is why they obey me."

By now, Vector was having a hard time processing this and was beginning to feel afraid. The beautiful woman in front of him was not just the ruler of this valley, but a conduit to some kind mold-based root she called a Black God that was also the source of her powers? She used that mold to experiment on the villagers and the Lords, all to bring back her dead daughter? She heavily reminded him now of all the immoral scientists at Umbrella. Mia Hansen. James Marcus. William Birkin. Ozwell Spencer.

"Miranda, what you're doing is-" Vector started before Miranda cut him off.

"Don't give me that talk about morals, Ethan," said Miranda sharply, "From what I read about in Mia's journal, you are no better than I am. You knowingly worked for people who did immoral and illegal things and you just did it for the money while I am trying to bring back my daughter! How many people have you killed to ensure Umbrella appeared benevolent and non-hostile? What kind of secrets did you ensure stayed hidden from the public because of your loyalty to Umbrella?"

Vector wanted to argue, but he found himself unable to. It was true that he did a lot of things that were illegal and immoral, but he never actually took pleasure from it. Though, judging from Miranda's tone, she didn't take pleasure either. She was right to say that he was not better than her, but made sure that it was never personal when he killed someone when they threatened to expose Umbrella. But Miranda didn't seem to have anything personal against the villagers eithers. She was right. He was no better than her.

"It's true that I've done bad things, too, Miranda," said Vector, "But it was never personal to me, I was just doing my job and I was following orders. While you are doing this to villagers who had done nothing bad to you of your own free will."

"Actually, you are wrong there," said Miranda, "Because of my husbands' wealth and my marriage to him, many of the poorer villagers were envious of us and didn't treat me like a friend or neighbour, even after I parted ways with Erik. And Eva didn't have any friends because of the other parents' nasty rumours. She only had me. But I didn't do it with pleasure or with revenge in mind. Just that my daughter was at stake and nothing more."

Vector sighed. Maybe she didn't have revenge on her mind when she did the experiments, but she clearly did develop an obsession. On the inside, he knew that with every failure, this obsession worsened. And as it worsened, so did Miranda herself and her beauty. Mind and body.

'Wait. Beauty? Mind and body? What is wrong with me?' thought Vector.

"Later in life, I had my first contact with the outside world for the first time in decades. I came across a man who was in trouble," continued Miranda, "He was on a hiking expedition in the mountain ranges several decades ago and had sustained an injury in his leg. I brought him back to my home and healed him."

Vector refocused on Miranda's story as she continued.

"His name was…Ozwell Spencer.", said Miranda.

That revelation surprised Vector.

"Ozwell Spencer? The same man who helped found the Umbrella Corporation?", asked Vector, "The Spencer who, at the strictest sense, was my boss?"

"The very same," said Miranda, "He was just a young man back then. He already had goals to bring humanity to the next stage of his evolution. He was an amateur scientist and virologist back in the day, but I introduced him to the greater world of virology with my studies of the mold, making him my protégé."

Vector could hardly believe what he was hearing right now. The woman in front of him was the mentor to one of Umbrella's founding members and, overall, his boss? This was the person who further taught Spencer in the arts of virology? Was she also a higher-up in Umbrella, too?

"So, if you are the one who taught Spencer the greater secrets of virology," said Vector, "Then that means that Umbrella would have never come to be without you."

"It would seem so," said Miranda, "But I had no direct role in the founding of the Umbrella Corporation. I just served as a guide for Spencer. He had sent me a letter some years after he had discovered the Progenitor Virus with his colleagues and was in the process of establishing Umbrella, even using the symbol the unites the Four Houses of this valley as the logo for the company. In a sense, while the outside world may have been the home of Umbrella, this valley…is the birthplace of Umbrella."

Vector was quite taken aback to say the least.

"He eventually left because of our disagree views on how to utilise the mold. I just wanted my daughter back while he kept wanting to evolve humanity," said Miranda, "Though it appears he kept my teachings close to him. By the way, what has become of him?"

"He tried to run away after a particular incident, but in the end, he was dealt with?" responded Vector.

"Pity. And I have continued to experiment to this day. But enough about me, Ethan," said Miranda, "I want to know more about you now. Where did you come from? What did you do in your life? How did you join Umbrella?"

Vector was now certain that he didn't want to share his life story with this woman. But he knew that if he didn't, she would never let him leave. Perhaps she would use him as a test subject for her plan? Or just dispose of him if she was a powerful as she said she was? Defeated, Vector sighed.

"First off, Miranda, there is something that you might want to know about me," Vector paused before he continued, "Ethan Winters isn't my real name."