Author's Note: the second part of this chapter will be very dark and contain a reference to suicide as well as implication of imminent, extremely unethical research

Sebastian was not having a good day.

Earlier today, he received a report that one of their major research facilities on the outskirts of Seattle was raided. Property damage in millions, two dozen of slain PMC guards, all research terminals destroyed and Subject J-V, that was contained there - discovered missing after their forces had regained control of the site.

The raid was executed flawlessly, with an electric substation taken out first and the backup generator sabotaged from within. Calls for reinforcement were jammed for critical minutes. Whoever did it left no trace or clues behind. This was done by real professionals. The brunette man had his suspicions on the culprits - a certain boulder-punching asshole came to his mind. All in all, it was a clusterfuck of massive proportions and heads will definitely roll. Sebastian could only breathe a sigh of relief as this was not his area of influence and therefore - not his problem. He did feel a bit bad about the North-American operational overseer, though. The man was famous for his wild parties, which Sebastian would privately admit as highly enjoyable.

Will be hard to host a party when you're six feet under.

The moderately unpleasant news about the research facility raid was promptly forgotten as he received a vastly more unpleasant phone call. Listening to annoying mumbling and pathetic excuses, the man exploded in rage.

"What do you mean, he just vanished!? What the hell am I paying you for if you can't even keep an eye on a single father and his three year old daughter? Jesus fucking Christ. Find him!"

Ending the call, the tall man made a mental note to address the unforgivable failure of this particular pair of underlings at a later date. Taking a large swig from his cognac bottle, he glanced over the Dimitrescu after-action report on his desk. Scoffing at yet another setback, he walked to his large window, taking a moment to appreciate the majestic view he had from his penthouse. A vast, modern city stretched as far as an eye could see, bursting with life and lights even during these nightly hours. The normally soothing sight did nothing for his frayed nerves now.

A company of our finest mercs. Yet the three bug-bitches slipped right through their fingers. Somehow catching two of our own employees in the process. How could this happen?

Truthfully, their organization didn't really require the daughters - the mother was more than sufficient for their purposes. Yet Sebastian ruffled his hair in unease at the loose ends. Especially since the loose ends apparently decided to start piling up on him...

Then again, perhaps I am overthinking this. What could a lone father with a kid and three stupid insectoid B.O.W.s possibly do, anyway? Still...

Taking out his expensive, gilded smartphone once again, the brunette man dialed his most valuable minion. As the call connected, he spoke into the cellphone haughtily, with a hint of mockery in his voice.

"Hello, Jimmy. Read your report on the Dimitrescu operation. How disappointing. You're losing your touch, my friend."

The man on the other side replied calmly, his tone firm but not harsh.

"You got what you wanted, didn't you?"

"True, yet you know full well what I think about loose ends like that. How are our friends in the Dire Wolves doing?"

"Angry. They expected to be paid in full, regardless of the outcome. They've lost some men. The commander's brother's unfortunate demise struck hard, in particular, I think."

Sebastian snorted at that in indignation, before responding.

"It's literally their goddamn job to die for us. They can't be unhappy about that. And the fucking deal was: fifty percent for the big bitch, fifty for her three spawns. They got paid precisely as much as what was delivered. I want you to make sure they understand their place - I don't need more defiance right now. Get them into shape and search for the bug-sluts immediately. I want the mercs ready and willing to pounce on them the moment you have their location. Captured dead or alive, makes no difference to me."

"Alright."

"Did our two recently deceased intermediaries have access to any sensitive information?"

"No."

"Good. One more thing. Goddamn Ethan Winters is MIA. I am not taking any chances with that fucker. Not after everything the bastard went through. Get Styx on his ass. She has one mean track record."

"Expensive, that one. You're the one who wanted to leave Winters alone though, no?"

"Shut the fuck up, Jimmy. This was my one personal favour to our dear Mia. I was hoping the dumb bastard would be smart enough to keep his head down and take care of his kid, but clearly I was mistaken. He gets his bullet between the eyes now. Do what I tell you to, I don't need to remind you what happens to you if I go down, I hope?"

"You don't. I'll get in touch with the assassin."

"Excellent. Always a pleasure, Nightcrawler."

"..."

Ending the call, feeling a bit less tense now, the man breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the ornate chess board on a glass table near him, he felt reassured.

Several pawns were unaccounted for, yet both queens were right where he needed them to be. As soon as they could gather enough samples from the Dimitrescu matriarch, they could restart the E-001 development; and with Mia at the helm - the manufacturing would soon follow, as well. Everything else was irrelevant. Once they had the final product ready, the client's support would be assured. And with the project a success - his own deserved place in the grand scheme of things would be secured.

Mia Winters looked with some apprehension at the humongous woman in a regal white dress in her solitary cell. Even behind the bullet-proof, one-way glass she did not feel particularly safe, being so close to that...thing.

The guards assured her that there was absolutely no way for the prisoner to break free. The hardened metal alloy restraints that almost completely engulfed her every limb were rated to hold a Nemesis-type Tyrant indefinitely.

To counter her potential mutations a slow but steady stream of fungal-growth suppressants were fed into the subject's body via an IV tube in her arm.

Even if the monstrous woman somehow exceeded their expectations of her physical strength and broke the metal holding her, the electrical device affixed to her chest would paralyze her completely, designed to trigger automatically upon any sudden or violent motions.

However, if even that miraculously wouldn't stop the giant woman, the sprinklers attached to the cell's ceiling would, at a single press of a button in the command room, spray a diluted solution of E-Neurotoxin that would leave the creature at death's door.

As if all this wasn't enough, pairs of guards on rotation, armed with assault rifles were stationed by the cell's door, 24/7. They were equipped with the RAMROD rounds, created specifically to destabilize and weaken fungal-based bioweapons.

Whoever designed this confinement spared no expense in ensuring that the captive stayed where she was supposed to. It would take a miracle for the mutated woman to escape this place alive...more than one, in fact.

Yet the subject's escape was not the biggest concern Mia had. Ethan didn't speak much about his time in the isolated village, understandably still traumatized by the horrific events he had witnessed there. He did, however, mention a giant noblewoman and her three daughters who held him captive for a while. Ultimately, one daughter decided to aid him instead and Ethan claimed that he owed her his freedom.

Alcina Dimitrescu - was the name of the subject in the cell. A Romanian name. It would be truly a cosmic coincidence if this was some other giant, Romanian, mold-based noblewoman right here now, at her own mercy. If Ethan was to be believed, Alcina's daughter was the one who had allowed him to triumph over Miranda and her lords. And now, Mia will return the favor by harvesting her husband's savior's mother for their own bioweapon development. An uncomfortable turn of events, yet she had little choice in the matter. She was, ultimately, as much a prisoner here as the giant woman herself. Mia's cell was just a bit bigger, is all.

Even though the very much awake and aware Lady Dimitrescu couldn't see through the black one-way glass from her own end, she still glared at it balefully, her vicious yellow eyes promising unholy retribution for this indignity. Mia couldn't help but gulp as she locked her own gaze with the powerful creature. Suddenly, all the excessive barriers between her and the nine-foot plus monstrosity felt more than welcome. They will be taking much from the captive in the coming days. Recreating E-001 from scratch will not be easy...or painless.

Even more unfortunately, the captive in the cell will not be the only victim of this process. Mia gritted her teeth at the memory of a small group of young, dirty kids - tiny boys and girls she saw earlier today. Orphans, stolen or bought from their uncaring caretakers. Nobody will miss them. Ripe for the experiments she will start tomorrow. Few of them were expected to survive the implantation stage. Those who don't will be the lucky ones.

On which side of this glass is the true monster, I wonder?

She was taken out of her momentarily morbid reverie by a male 'colleague' at her side clearing his throat, in an attempt to gain her attention. Not looking at the man, she could barely contain her distaste of him. Much like Sebastian, he was quite handsome in appearance, yet utterly vile and rotten inside. Nicolai Bogdanov, a brilliant but completely amoral Russian scientist disillusioned by his own government's stagnation and corruption in the bioweapon research and development sector. A perfect hire for The Connections. He spoke, in his heavily-accented English.

"Permission to begin the harvesting, chief?"

He didn't even bother to hide excitement in his voice at the idea of violating a feeling, thinking creature's flesh. Neither did he bother to hide his resentment of the fact that he served under Mia, a woman. Chief scientific officer Mia Winters - her full title now. Ten years ago she dreamed about it. Now she wanted to cut her own wrists because of it. Naturally, Sebastian informed her what the consequences of that particular action would be.

What a joke.

Still not turning to face the loathsome man, she spoke a single word, in a completely neutral and professional tone, not betraying the turmoil inside of her at this very moment.

"Granted."

The guttural screams of anguish that followed the start of the procedure echoed across the underground facility, their intensity making even the hand-picked staff that toiled there, not selected for their charitable and kind natures, shudder.

The first thing Ethan did as he regained consciousness was to grunt in pain. Everything hurt. Recalling the events that led to his present condition, he cursed himself. He really should've gone straight to the nearest doctor, instead of that bar. Sometimes adrenaline is a curse more than a blessing, when it comes to masking pain. He thought about the reason for all his injuries in the first place, next.

Perhaps agreeing to a knuckle-fight with a blood-crazed and super-strong vampire who can turn into a swarm of insects at will was a mistake, after all…

"He is awake."

The unmistakable voice of Bela made him open one eye, quietly moaning in pain as he did so. She sounded remarkably less gentle than usual, harsh even. Slowly surveying his immediate surroundings, Ethan found himself in a bed, seemingly in a medical ward of the ship. Bela was sitting in a chair next to his bed, her narrowed amber orbs staring at him, as if in judgement. She looked pissed off. Rose was perched on her lap, the blonde woman's right arm held over her small frame, almost protectively. The tiny girl met his gaze and mumbled out, barely audibly: "You're okay, daddy…" Bela gently ruffled her hair at that, with the girl not protesting the gesture. Ethan just gave her a pained smile and a nod. He felt really bad for worrying his little angel like that… Thank God Bela was nice enough to comfort the girl during his blackout.

Daniela was snoozing on a sofa nearby, but woke up quickly at her sister's voice and rushed to his side, stopping to stand over Ethan. Her eyes were glinting with worry. An older woman in a doctor's dress came from another room to join the redhead's side. She had long, grey hair framing her wrinkled but kind face. Bela was quick to point to her source of frustration next.

"How could you possibly think that accepting a fight with Cassandra was a good idea, Ethan?"

The blonde woman furrowed her brows. Even though Ethan could still see some of her kind, caring nature in her sharp eyes, she spoke harshly, as if chiding a small child.

"She could've killed you, Ethan! She would've killed you… if not for your ...condition. And after that ill-advised encounter with my sister you went to a bar first thing!? You were walking around with an internal bleeding, for God's sake! Daniela had to carry you here after you collapsed!"

Ethan just sheepishly ran his hand through his messy blonde hair at that. Bela was actually quite scary, when angry. Her normally calm and pleasant features took on an almost fearsome quality. The doctor lady spoke next, astonishment in her accented voice.

"I've seen many things working with the Duke… But Mister Winters here is a special case. Your own broken rib punctured your lung. You were bleeding heavily from the rupture. Yet your internal tissues reabsorbed the blood before partially reintroducing it back into the bloodstream. Incredible…And then, Viridis Plantae had a truly magical effect on your wounds. I am at a loss for words."

Bela just scoffed at all that, before speaking, in a guttural voice she only used when truly angry: "You still needed a surgery! You had a severe concussion on top of that! How could you be so reckless, Ethan? Who would've taken care of Rosie here, if you died!? Who would rescue Mia?"

The blonde man was ashamed of himself. Her words struck true. His own daughter was also looking at him crossly, hurt plain in her tiny eyes. Picking a fight with the brunette Dimitrescu was not his wisest move. Walking around wounded after was even sillier. Ethan still felt like he needed to defend his own actions.

"Look, you're right that it was stupid and reckless of me… But if we are to work together, how could I just walk away from her challenge? She would forever think of me as just some weakling, unworthy of being in your presence."

Ethan felt the heat come to his face at the last part he spoke out, without thinking. Bela had a similar reaction, her eyes opening wide, as if in wonder. After a few beats of loaded silence, her next words were laced with disbelief.

"Why would you even care about what she thinks? She tortured you! I… You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you, Ethan?"

She spoke the last part slowly, while running her left hand through his messy hair gently. After a few moments of silent stroking, her eyes narrowed slightly and she asked, softly: "Perhaps it's time to let us in on your little secret?"

Ethan, relaxed at the soothing gesture and tone, felt like it was time to come clean about his condition.

"I am sorry for not telling you before...it never really came up. You're right… I have a condition. Long story short: five years ago I got into a mess in Louisiana, in the good ol' U.S. of A."

Her soft hand still caressing his hair gently, Bela looked at him intensely. The man continued.

"There was a bioweapon, based on Miranda's mold, on the loose there. I got infected by it. Most people who got infected by that shit turned into feral monstrosities. I got...lucky, I guess. The mold fused perfectly with my own physiology. It gave me some extra toughness and a degree of regeneration. That green herb stuff really worked miracles on me after that point. No real side effects, as far as I know. I've learned about all this for a fact only after Romania, myself. Though of course I suspected something was wrong with me for a long time now."

Bela kept silent at that, deep in thought. Daniela knelt before his bed, getting on his eye-level and spoke, astonished.

"You're like... us then, Mister Winters!"

Ethan felt grateful to the redheaded woman at his side. She stared at him with wonder and glee in her expression. Her eyes were suddenly filled with so much affection and kindness, the man couldn't help but want to say something nice to her.

"Thank you for carrying my deadweight all the way here, Daniela, I appreciate it, a lot. Sorry for ruining your performance like that...it was really beautiful, by the way." Her eyes lit up even more at the compliment. "Also, do you mind just calling me Ethan, from now on? Mister Winters makes me feel old…"

Daniela let out a tiny squeal of delight at that, before nodding her head vigorously. She was just so damn cute at that moment. Ethan had a hard time connecting this same beautiful and caring girl with a violent vampiric monster who murdered and ate people for a living. She spoke rapidly next, her voice betraying her excitement.

"Did you really like my performance? I know just the song for you! You will love it! Be right back!" Before the man could respond, she shot to her feet and quickly rushed out, not saying another word or sparing anyone a glance. Seeing the redhead's frantic movements made Rose finally vacate Bela's lap and stand at her side, her own expression curious now. The blonde woman smiled at the child as she gently patted her head. Ethan wanted to melt at the heartwarming sight.

She is so kind to Rosie...

Now, somewhat rested and relatively good to go, no doubt once again thanks to his molded body, Ethan started to stand up slowly. Suddenly feeling unbalanced and lightheaded at the motion, the man almost fell right back but was steadied by Bela's own firm hands quickly taking hold of his arm in support. The doctor lady just gaped at him in astonishment, clearly not expecting such a swift recovery.

"How long was I out, anyway?"

The blonde woman, still holding his arm, chided him softly as she responded to his inquiry.

"Seven hours, Ethan. We will soon be at our destination. But I really have to insist that you will be more careful in choosing which fights to pick, from now on. You may be tougher than a normal human, but you're not invincible. If not for yourself, do it for Rosie here, or for Mia, still waiting for you. Or..." She didn't voice the rest of the thought.

Or for me…

After a few beats, with Ethan likely catching on what she wanted to say, he spoke cheerfully, clear mirth in his soft eyes as looked into her own orbs.

"Sure thing, Bells. I'll be more careful from now on. Just because you asked me so nicely."

The woman felt heat creep to her own cheeks from her own personal thought and his casual and almost...flirty address of her. Realizing she still held his arm, Bela let go.

This was awkward. In all her unnaturally long life, she never had any real experience with intimate relationships beyond her family and a hunter/prey & master/servant routine they had at their castle. Even in the last two years, she still never felt as easy as Daniela did around the humans and tried to avoid interacting with them directly. These casual, pleasant interactions they had now were a novelty. A very welcome novelty.

Her next, less pleasant and intrusive thoughts ruined her briefly good mood once again.

So much time lost, locked in our castle…So many atrocious deeds committed. We...deserve everything bad that happened to us, don't we?

Ethan himself could barely suppress a sigh of disappointment as her soft, warm hands left his arm. At realization of that thought, he noted, with some concern: he was growing to enjoy the serene blonde's company at an alarming speed. With every little interaction they had, he felt like her mere presence was becoming more and more of a comfort that he missed so sorely, for so long now. Something that he used to feel in Mia's presence before all this mess. He found himself starting to crave Bela's gentle touch now.

Shrugging the unwelcome thoughts off, he took Rose's tiny hand in his own and nodded at the doctor lady, before heading for the exit, his previous dizziness now almost completely gone. The man's whole body still ached, but he was once again fully in control of it. Ethan could only hope the room provided by the Duke would have some replacement clothing, as he wasn't too keen on storming some island in a hospital gown he had on him now.

"Thanks for patching me up, doc. I'll try not to make it a habit."

The older woman just nodded back, still in shock at how her bedridden patient got to his feet like he just woke from a pleasant nap and not from a blackout that was induced by being beaten within an inch of his life.

Leaving the medical ward, the trio was quickly intercepted by the grinning redhead, now armed with her violin. She was swift to join them, rambling in her typical manner meanwhile.

"I ran into Cass just now. I think she actually looked a little relieved as I told her you were fine, Ethan! I can't believe she is going soft now! Never thought I'd see the day! Thank you so much for giving me some ammunition against her! Oh, I can already picture her face as I call her out on it! Tough as nails Cassandra going soft! Can you believe it, Bela?"

Bela giggled softly at her beloved sister's antics. She still didn't particularly fancy the idea of taunting Cassandra about 'going soft'.

"Perhaps that would not be so wise, not with Ethan still in her immediate proximity for her to try to prove you wrong, Dani?"

Daniela pouted but yielded the point. She then looked down at Rose with undisguised adoration in her yellow eyes. The tiny girl, as if feeling her stare, turned to look back at her, with sadness in her own eyes. Even if the girl kept quiet most of the time, she was still missing her mother badly. As if translating that thought with eye-contact, Daniela's own mirthful mood quickly shifted. The company proceeded in an uncomfortable, tense silence.

Noticing her younger sister's sudden discomfort, Bela moved closer to her side and asked her, gently.

"Is something wrong, Dani?"

The redhead didn't move her gaze from the floor as she spoke, her voice sounding unsteady, as if she was close to tears.

"What if when we find mother, too many men would be guarding her for us to take on? What if we never find mother in the first place? Will these horrible people just run their vile experiments on her forever then?"

Bela stopped at that, quickly placing her hand on the youngest Dimitrescu's shoulder. Moving around to be face-to-face to her, she put her second hand on Daniela's other shoulder, as well. Bela spoke gently, but firmly then.

"Look at me, Daniela." The redhead did so, though slowly. "Do you trust me?" - Daniela just nodded, though with not as much vigor as she did before. "No matter what happens, I am certain of one thing. We will save our mother. She always taught us to never leave our own behind. I fully intend to follow that lesson to the letter. We will find mother, this I promise you. And when we do, regardless of how many men will stand in our way, we will cut them all down just the same."

Daniela hugged Bela tightly at that, muttering something in the blonde's ear. Bela eagerly returned the gesture. The two sisters stood like that for a while.

Ethan observed the intimate scene between the two sisters in respectable silence. He couldn't help but shudder as the wave of conviction from Bela's words struck him. The man knew she meant every single syllable she spoke. The kind and gentle soul that normally eschewed violence in front of him would not hesitate even for a second to brutally murder anyone who would be foolish enough to get in her way of saving her mother.

Ethan was intimately familiar with that feeling himself. If things turned out differently two years ago, he knew he would not have hesitated to wipe out Bela's own family, provided he ever got free himself and if they got in his way to save Rose.

The man couldn't help but let out a deep sigh of relief at the fact that this was not the case, in the end. The notion of raising a weapon at the sisters that were sharing a loving embrace before him was inconceivable to Ethan now. Both girls were rapidly worming their own way into his heart, the man realized with a shock. Even Cassandra could eventually become a trusted comrade. He was even more surprised at his next thought, or more precisely - the answer to it.

If it comes down to it, will I be able to kill a person in defense of these girls? Yes. I will be. The people we are up against… they have no concepts of morality or ethics in their actions. They do not think twice about tearing families apart...Bela taught me that even monsters can have humanity. Makes sense that the opposite holds true as well - the humans can be the monsters. I can't hold back against these people. Not when they have Mia. Not when these girls are counting on me to help them save their mother.

Author's Note:

Hope you've enjoyed glimpses into villains (both willing and unwilling) as well as more Ethan/Dimitrescu bonding :)

Viridis Plantae is just something I'll decided to be an official name for green herb and its derivatives in this AU. It's a pretty universal medicine in this world, readily available in liquid, gel or salve form, but for most people it only provides moderate healing benefits, nothing too magical. But for Ethan, I'll keep his crazy healing ability from the game when treated with it. He still needed a minor surgery because he was suffering from internal damage, though it was fixed quickly with an incision and an application of liquid green herb, at Duke's own advice.