74. Jill
"Good evening, Mr. Redfield," Ananke smiled. "It's been a while."
Jill stared at the screen with a mixture of anger and disgust. Ananke was a confirmed member of Mobius. Chirs, Jill, and Barry had met her before, and that meeting hadn't been on friendly terms.
"You!" Chris growled.
"It seems you have found our humble facility. I do hope your welcome was warm enough."
"Welcome my ass," Chris said furiously. "What you and your crazy group have been doing here is inhuman."
"We are only guilty of hoping to create a better world."
"Better world?" Barry said. "Who fucking sees experimenting with poor innocent people as creating a better world? That's fucking nuts."
"The high-minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think (1)," Ananke replied. "To understand and create perfection, one must look into the faults of humans. Each of every man and woman that passed through these walls was faulty. We intended to fix them."
"Fix them?" Jill snapped. "You can't fix people. They are not objects."
"On the contrary, Ms. Valentine," Ananke replied. "People are fixable when you have the tools."
"You bloody ghoul," Liam said furiously. "What are we? Your toys?"
"Ah, TO-9904P5. I see you are alive. As expected from our best subjects."
"Oh, don't give me that shite," Liam replied furiously.
"Where the fuck are you?" Chris interrupted. "Face us, you coward..."
"Mobius is everywhere, Mr. Redfield," Ananke replied. "We are not an individual, but a collective. We are people who have seen the horrors of the world and the sins of humankind. That is why we aim to create a better world."
"By infecting people with viruses?" Jill said skeptically.
"Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on the Earth. They are present everywhere the oceans, the soil, and in every living being. Some of them have contributed to the establishment of organisms as independent beings, and they are responsible for most of the genetic variability in species," Ananke said. "There's so much we do not know about viruses, yet companies have taken them and turned them into weapons of mass destruction. Viruses are not the enemy. The enemy is the people who use them for their own wishes. Mobius is different. We want to create superior beings that won't get harmed by these viruses."
It was crazy, but Jill had to admit that their philosophy differed from the usual terrorist groups they had fought before. Their ideas almost sounded "good-intentioned."
"All the people we selected had something special. A small variation in their genetic code made them different from the rest. Like your sister, Mr. Redfield. Her genetic map is so full of small mutations that made her the perfect form for this project."
"Stop talking about Claire as if she was a damn lab rat!"
"On the contrary," Ananke replied. "Among all of our best subjects, Ms. Redfield was the most promising one, which is why we want her back. She holds the key for human evolution."
Human evolution? Jill frowned. What was she trying to say? Was there anything about Claire that they didn't know?
"You'll get her over my dead body!" Chris shouted.
"If that is so..." Ananke said, tilting her head. "I was hoping you would agree peacefully."
Suddenly, the group heard a strange sound. It wasn't an alarm, but more like the sound of something breaking accompanied by tapping and soft moans.
Jill's eyes widened in understanding. Ananke had released BOWs on them, and if the BSAA agent's suspicions were true, that BOW would go directly after Claire.
"Good luck, Mr. Redfield."
The screen went black, and Chris was furious. Jill required her best persuasion skills to calm Chris enough for the soldier to maintain his rationality.
Chris and Barry, accompanied by Liam, decided to go back to the medical area to support Leon and the rest. Meanwhile, Jill and the rest of the team focused on finishing the information extraction. As Jill had suspected, the BOW's target was Claire and not them. That was the only explanation to why the monsters had not come to attack them at the laboratory, but from Chris's check-in, the lower levels were crawling with them.
"I guess we are not as valuable as Claire," Jill mumbled, typing into the computer.
Jill had to admit, feeling a little guilty, that the conversation with Ananke had aroused some curiosity in the woman. What was so particular about Claire? The BSAA soldier had to refrain from digging into Claire's file again. She shouldn't look at it before Claire herself did it. She deserved that much. Instead, Jill decided to focus her reading on other files.
While the data got copied to the drive, Jill decided to keep looking through the research documents. She wasn't Rebecca or Claire. She wouldn't understand the more complicated technicalities, but she could still grasp an idea of the contents.
Based on the overall results, it seemed that Mobius had managed to direct the mutations of different viruses so that people did not turn into monsters instantly. That did not mean that they were exempt from mutating, but their chances seemed much lower than in standard infection, and it was trigger-dependent. However, the genetic changes induced by the virus had some unforeseen side effects.
"Sterility?" Jill said, reading one of the research notes.
According to the researchers' notes, the genetic alterations induced by the viruses gave novel attributes to their host. Some of those attributes included immunity to several common viral agents, improvements of some physiological processes, and exalted skills and abilities. However, it also causes problems such as sterility, mental instability, and behavior anomalies.
The patients undergoing the viral treatments didn't have viable gametes, so reproduction was not possible. The closest thing to reproduction was a secondary infection. In short, they could produce beta forms. It was a general trait and something that didn't seem to surprise the researchers at all.
Though the test subjects cannot be considered Hybrids, their genetic variability due to natural gene insertion mediated by viral vectors creates a paradigm compatible with hybridization. If we were to classify the α-Pforms, the term Chimera would be more suitable. Chimeras are organisms or tissues that contain at least two different sets of DNA. Though chimeras or usually born with genetic disparity. The variation in genes in our subjects certainly has a chimeric behavior.
Since the subjects can be seen as a type of hybrid. Sterility seems to be an expected outcome. Hybrids between closely related species are often inviable or, if they live, they are sterile. This hybrid inviability and sterility, collectively known as hybrid incompatibility, can reduce the exchange of genetic variants between species. However, hybrid incompatibility can be important in the process of speciation by acting as a reproductive-isolating barrier. According to Darwin's vision, this incompatibility is a by-product of other evolutionary divergences between the species. Incompatibility is often the result of changes in ploidy number, chromosomal rearrangements, or alleles at different genetic loci that do not function well together. (2) Rather than seeing these results as a drawback, it is a clear sign that we are on the right path to the creation of new species.
Even though normal reproduction doesn't seem viable at the current time, the α-Pforms have developed their own mechanism of preserving their genetic base through the production of β forms. Further studies of this process are required...
"So they can't have children, but they can create more monsters?" Jill said, shaking her head.
The soldier sighed. From what she'd heard from Chris, Claire loved children. Starting a family someday was something that she'd most likely do, but now it seemed like, because of Mobius, she wouldn't be able to have children of her own. Knowing Claire, the woman wouldn't mind too much about it. She'd be more than willing to adopt any kid that needed a home, but it was still a little saddening that Mobius had taken that chance from her.
Jill was a woman, too. Even though having kids and family wasn't one of her priorities, she couldn't deny that she'd had that idea before. Claire was a family person, so it'd only be natural for her to think it, right?
"Damn it," Jill sighed. If the soldier remembered correctly, Claire couldn't infect others, so she wasn't capable of creating beta forms, either. That was a good thing, but Jill couldn't help but think how unfair it was to the youngest Redfield.
"Lieutenant!" Harris said.
"Yes?" Jill replied, looking away from the files.
"I think I found our way out," Harris said. "I took this blueprint from the security system. It seems there is a central elevator that connects the facility with the main building."
"That's great," Jill said. "The last thing we need now is having to get into that damn maze again."
"Yeah, but there's a problem. The elevator only works with authorized access."
"So, we get that access."
"Yeah, well. That's the problem," Harris sighed, shaking his head. "This system is just weird. I don't know how to do it."
"Aren't you supposed to be our tech, Harris?" Connor asked.
"Yes, I am, but someone would have to be a professional hacker to do it. I've never seen code like this before!"
"A professional hacker?" Jill said, crossing her arms.
"Where do you expect us to get a professional hacker at a time like this?" Connor growled. "That's impossible."
Jill frowned, and the woman smirked in realization.
"Maybe not. I might have the perfect person for that."
Jill took out her tablet from her hip pouch and extracted a chip that Claire had given her shortly before entering the maze. The woman inserted the chip into the device and waited a few moments for the communication platform to appear on the screen. Suddenly, Wallace appeared on screen with neon headphones and a surprised look.
"Well, that's unexpected. You're the last person I expected to get a call through the secured line, Ms. Valentine," Wallace said. "Don't get me wrong. It is a pleasure to see you."
Jill smirked. He had probably expected to see Claire. It was her who gave Jill the access key to the secured line, after all. Unlike Chris, Claire seemed to plan things with more precaution. The woman had given her the chip, thinking that she might need it eventually, and the woman had nailed it.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but Claire isn't around."
"Figured that much," Wallace nodded. "So tell me, what can I do for you?"
"We need a safe way out of this place. Unfortunately, that way is blocked for us. Do you think you can give us a hand?"
"Naturally, but I'll need access to the system. Do you think I can get that?"
Jill looked at Harris, and the man nodded.
"I'll pass you to Harris. He's our tech expert. You two will understand each other."
"Sure. Nothing like talking among peers."
Jill snorted.
"Alright, get us out of here, do you hear me?"
"Of course," Wallace smirked. "I have to, or I'll face the rage of my boss."
The man winked at her, and Jill passed the tablet to Harris, chuckling.
Minutes passed. Harris and Wallace worked in a corner while Connor stood guard in case that a BOW attacked them. Jill finished copying the data to the drive while she flipped through more documents regarding the virus. At least one thing that she could say about Mobius was that their research didn't focus on creating weapons. BOWs like what they had found in the maze were nothing more than failed tests, which the researchers used as a selective pressure for the other test subjects.
It was cruel. But even Jill could see the point behind it. If people faced such a situation, they would get forced to adapt to survive. She now understood what Claire had said sometime before: it was Natural Selection. Either you were strong enough to survive, or you were too weak and became the meal.
"Lieutenant, I think we have it," Harris said.
"We do?" Jill said. "Good."
The woman picked her radio.
"Chris...do you copy?"
There was a pause before Chris answered.
"Y-yeah, what's it, Jill?"
"We might have found the way out," Jill answered. " Meet us at the Medical Bay."
"Yeah," Chris sighed. "We'll be there."
Many things hit Jill when she saw the group arrive at the medical room. Rebecca and Duke had already given her an account of what happened. However, both the doctor and the soldier did not know that she had passed beyond the medical wing.
The group was discouraged, or rather, depressed, to be exact.
"What happened?"
"Claire killed the BOW," Chris sighed.
Jill frowned without understanding. Killing the BOW was a good thing, so why was everyone so gloomy?
"Turns out the BOW was a kid," Barry said. "One of Claire's proteges, and she had to fucking kill it with her own hands."
Jill now understood the gloomy mood. The soldier looked at Claire, who was currently helping Leon with his broken arm. Her face was impassive, but the redness in her eyes betrayed the "hard" mask she tried to show.
"We don't know the details, but from what Liam told me," Chris said. "That kid idolized Claire, and she was fond of him, too. They were close, as expected of my sisters and kids. Forcing her to kill him like that..."
"I know," Barry sighed. "It would have been hard for me, and I didn't even know he was a kid."
"Did she know when she killed it?" Jill asked.
"Not sure," Chris replied. "I'd say yes since she was apologizing when she did it."
That was horrible.
"Let's not talk about it. What about this exit?"
"Oh, right," Jill said, turning back to the tablet. "There is a central elevator that connects the research facilities with the asylum. It only works for authorized staff, but Harris and Wallace were working on granting us access."
"Wait, Wallace as ..the guy who works with Claire?" Barry asked. "How...?"
"Claire gave me a direct line to him before we got into the maze," Jill replied. "She said we might need a hacking friend."
"Claire never ceases to surprise me," Chris said, shaking his head. "So how long until they have it ready?"
"Shouldn't be too long. Looking at everyone, I think we can use a break, no?" Jill suggested. Her gaze wandered from Rebecca, bandaging Helena's arm, to Claire talking to Leon. The agent had grabbed her hand and looked at her with a look that Jill was 100% sure had to be love.
"Guys, I don't mean to annoy you, Chris," Jill said, "but Leon and Claire..."
Chris looked at the pair and grimaced.
"Don't mention it," Chris groaned. "I still have to have that talk with Leon ."
"Talk?" Barry asked. "Talk about what?"
"Leon basically told me he might not want to break with the married ruse, after all."
Jill's eyes widened in surprise. She'd expected the announcement of a relationship, but that was basically Leon asking for Chris's approval to marry Claire.
"Oh, the bastard has balls," Barry laughed.
"He said that?"
"Not directly, but he implied it," Chris said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"And what are you going to do?"
"Me? That's her decision, not mine," Chris groaned. "If she wants to say yes, I can only support her, right?"
"Oh, when did our Chris grow so much and became reasonable?" Barry snickered.
"Don't even start, Barry."
"Sorry, but I think I told you that was going to happen," the older man said, wagging his eyebrows. "Be happy, Chris. The next news you'll receive is that you'll be an uncle."
Chris rolled his eyes, and Jill felt a pinch of sadness hit her gut.
"About that..." Jill began.
The BSAA soldier proceeded to tell them what she'd read in the research notes.
"Those bastards," Chris said, punching the wall.
"They are sad news, but it's not a dead-end," Jill said. "I mean, I'm sure Claire wouldn't mind adopting, and Leon would understand. It's not her fault."
"I know that..." Chris said. "But it doesn't make it better. She shouldn't be in that position, to begin with."
Jill couldn't disagree. It was antinatural, so it made the whole thing feel worse.
"Well, let's deal with that later," Barry said. "Let's focus on getting out of here, and then we can think of these things..."
Chris soon approached Leon and the others to inform them of the news regarding the escape plan. Jill couldn't help but smile when Leon, obviously with the idea of irritating Chris, had called him "bro."
Chris winced at the reference and headed off to give orders to the soldiers, ignoring the giggles that Jill and Barry were trying to stifle.
Everyone was tense when they reached the set of glass doors. Like the doors they had found when they left the maze, these doors also had a UV disinfection station. Jill was beginning to suspect that these stations were more of a defense mechanism against BOWs than a hygiene measure.
There were four sections between them and the central elevator that would get them out of there. According to the information on the map, the sections behind that door were general sections that did not hold sensitive information. With any luck, the group could make it through safely and thus gain a few minutes from the blast.
"Report in, Wallace," Chris said to his comm.
"Yeah, I'm here. Let me know when you guys are ready. Once I open the door, the self-destruct sequence will begin. You guys have exactly 20 minutes to get out of there."
"Copy that. Everyone ready?" Chris asked, looking at the others. "Ok, syncing watches. We are ready."
And that's how they began their journey to the elevator. The road was not smooth, various monsters attacked them, but they were easy to handle. The general area housed several confinement areas for patients under observation. What the group found as they mobilized were horrifying images, which made Jill's blood run cold. They were displays of unimaginable human cruelty.
The group reached the elevator, and Jill entered the code for the door to open. The process took a tense few minutes, but when the door finally opened, the group entered the elevator and sighed in relief.
At last, they would get out of that horrifying place.
(1) Aristotle
(2) Johnson, N. (2008) Hybrid incompatibility and speciation. Nature Education 1(1):2