She's alive. She is actually alive. Alicia and the Red Queen lied to her. When she led the tower crew into the Hive she did so with the belief that she wouldn't be making it out. Her life for everyone else's. It's a good trade. A decision she made without hesitation.
But she didn't die. She survived. Chris and Claire survived. That was more than she had hoped. With every hurdle taking a team member away, she was terrified that she would lose Chris and Claire as well. But she didn't they made it.
Alice's eyes dart over to Claire who is sitting on a boulder glaring down at the ground. They may have made it out but not without losing people. Razor, Chrisitan, Abigal... Doc.
Doc turned out to be an Umbrella traitor who was fully willing to let Claire die. Claire who loved Doc was hit with the knowledge that he didn't feel the same way about her. That he was using her.
A small part of Alice is gleeful at this discovery. Which is totally selfish, and she is fully aware of that. The other part of her is devastated for Claire. Claire doesn't trust easily. You really have to work to gain her trust to become friends. To become something more takes tremendous effort and willingness to wait. But Doc did all those things. He made her love him before turning around and stabbing her in the back leaving her with a sense of loss in trust in everyone and a broken heart.
She wants to make it better. To take all of Claire's pain away. But she doesn't know how to do that.
Deciding to just be there for her while Chris is scouting out the entrance to the Hive to see how much damage has taken place inside Alice sits down on the rock next to her red headed friend. "You didn't like him."
"What." That isn't how she expected Claire to start this conversation. In all honestly, she didn't expect Claire to talk about him at all. She figured the younger woman would take some time to process everything and then open up to Chris about it. Not jump straight into it with her.
Claire looks up from the ground focusing on her. "Doc." She spits the name with a venom Alice has only ever heard her use in regards to Wesker and Issacs. "You didn't like him from the start."
Seeing no point in denying what was clearly obvious to everyone she just nodded. "No, I didn't."
"Did you know he was the spy." Claire asks but it sounds more like an accusation. With the glare being sent her way as well she knows that it is an accusation. A why didn't you know and tell me. Why did you let him hurt me like that.
Typical the bastard's dead and is still causing issues for her.
Trying not to piss Claire off anymore she answers honestly. "Not until after the vents." Before then she knew someone was working against them but wasn't too sure who it was. The only people she deemed safe were Chris and Claire.
But as members of their group kept getting picked off one by one it narrowed down who the options were until it came down to Doc, Chris and Claire. And out of those three, she going to assume it was Doc who was the traitor.
If she was wrong and it turned out to be Claire or Chris, she would have been feeling just how Claire is feeling right now. And also, very disappointed in herself.
Claire's eyes narrow at her. "Are you sure."
"What." Alice leans back a little from Claire at her question.
"Are you sure it wasn't until after the vents." Claire asks again sounding more frustrated at having to repeat the question then everything else that has happened.
Perplexed Alice gets a bad feeling about where this conversation is going. "Yeah, I'm sure." She doesn't understand why it suddenly feels like she's the one being accused of something. When she hasn't done anything wrong.
Claire's eyes narrow even more at her answer in displeasure with her response. "Then why didn't you like him before."
"Claire." Alice tries to calm her down. Tires to figure out why it looks like Claire is trying to accuse her of lying or something like that.
But Claire won't let her talk. "No. Don't Claire me. You didn't like him ever since you met him in the infirmary. I noticed you watching him. Did you suspect him as the traitor before we went to the Hive."
Yes, Alice will admit she was watching Doc but mostly she was watching Claire and Doc. With Claire being at the centre stage of her attention, not Doc. Surely Claire should be aware by now that she is always Alice's focus when around. Claire joked about liking it back in the desert and she barely left Claire alone in prison. She doesn't understand what is going through Claire's head right now. "No."
"Then why didn't you like him," Claire asks again.
This time Alice feels her own annoyance bubbling up with the way Claire is questioning her like she's at fault for something. Like she's also the enemy. That frustration and annoyance comes through in her tone as she raises an eyebrow at Claire. "Really... you're asking me why I didn't like your boyfriend."
"Yes." Claire shoots back.
Before going into the Hive Chris mentioned that Claire wasn't aware of how she felt. She thought that was absurd as both she and Chris said she was very obvious about it. "If you have to ask then clearly something has gone wrong between us."
Claire crosses her arms over her chest defensively. "What does that mean."
Fuck. Alice knows an impending argument when she sees one and quickly tries to bring it back. This isn't the time to get into pointless arguments with each other. They just survived the Hive. Just released the anti-virus. This is a time for celebration not picking fights. "Forget it, it doesn't matter."
She tries to wave it off, but it seems like Claire is determined to start something with her. "Yes, it does Alice. You hated Doc from the moment you met him. He knew it, I knew it, everyone knew it. And I just don't understand why. Bennett was an asshole, yet you didn't go out of your way to watch and glare at him. You didn't give a second look to Wesker after he went down not like you did with Doc. So why did you hate him more. The only thing that makes sense is that you knew he was a spy but needed him to get close to cure."
Alice physically reels back at what Claire says. "Is that what you think happened." The question comes out far quieter and more filled with pain then she would have liked.
Claire just scoffs at her question. "You told Chris not to trust him yet still gave Doc and gun and pretended to trust him so you could get closer to Issacs. Who's to say you didn't plan that from the start."
Who's to say. Why is Claire acting like this is something she would do. Claire knows her. Better then most people. Knows how she thinks and operates. Even without her memory, Claire understood her intentions. So why is she all of a sudden accusing her like this. "Do you think that's something I would do. Lie to you about something like this."
Something dark passes through Claire's eyes. A spark of the rage she is holding in seems to ignite within Claire as she spits out her next words knowing full well the effect they would have on Alice. "I don't know what to expect from Umbrella anymore. Especially not an Umbrella clone."
The red headed words land a brutal and sharp stab to her chest. So painful that Alice actually gasps for air.
Claire didn't just say that to her.
The intense glare and lack of remorse on the other woman's face begs to differ though.
No. Claire did just say that to her. Just crossed the line between being annoyed with someone and just being a bitch for the sake of it. Claire knows how Alice has struggled with her past. The guilt she felt over working for Umbrella and being unable to stop the virus from escaping. Knows how much she lost to Umbrella from the experiments inflicted on her and the lack of memories that haunted her. Claire knows what to say to hurt her.
Is that what she wanted. To make Alice feel as shitty as she does because Doc tricked her. Alice can understand being hurt and angry over what Doc did. How that might make her lash out at other people. But still... What Claire said was going too far.
This isn't just lashing out. Claire is looking to blame someone else for her pain. And since Doc is dead, she can't channel her anger at him. But she can aim it at Alice. Can blame her for everything and shift all of her negative feelings onto the older woman.
Normally Alice would do anything to make Claire feel better. But not like this. Pushing herself off the rock she looks down on Claire trying to keep the pain out of her voice. "You know what Claire... Fuck you." Claire's eyes widen when Alice swears at her. As if she's only just realising she crossed a line. "I get you're feeling angry and betrayed right now. But you don't get to use me as your punching bag. You don't get to use me to get a handle on your emotions. Not this time."
Claire might have used her in the desert to deal with the aftermath of what happened in Vegas but she won't let herself but used as a punching bag right now. She's been used enough by Umbrella to allow herself to be used like that again.
If Claire wants to be pissed and hateful then that's her right. But she doesn't get to use Alice to make herself feel better by bringing her down. And she certainly doesn't get to use the knowledge of Alice being a clone that has just been sprung on her and destroyed everything she thought she knew about herself against her like that.
Not bothering to hear if Claire tries to apologize or argue with her some more Alice turns and stalks over to where Chris is just appearing from the Hive. His expression falls when he spots her. Chris meets her halfway worry filling his voice. "What's wrong."
Alice tries to keep the distaste of what just happened out of her voice but fails to not let her own resentment of Claire's treatment leak through. "Your sister is lashing out right now and I'm not taking it."
Chris's face turns sympathetic towards her knowing that whatever Claire said was bad to get Alice this riled up. "You know she doesn't mean it." He tries to explain. To defend his sister's actions.
And she knows that. She does. But that still doesn't make it right. "I know... but that still doesn't give her the right to weaponize my past against me like that." Shaking her head Alice turns to leave the crater walking in the opposite direction of the tower.
Panic rings in Chris's voice as she runs to catch up with the quick walking Alice. "Where are you going."
"I left something important behind in Washington. I'm going to get it." She answers not pausing in her steps. Her tone is more emotionless than it was a few moments ago as Alice tries to bury down everything she is feeling.
This is for the best. Claire needs time to deal with her emotions and she needs time to deal with what Claire just said to her. Never mind trying to understand that she isn't a real person. Just a clone. A clone Umbrella created and used. She needs time to process that. To accept this new fact about herself.
"Alice, you don't have to leave." Chris moves to grab her arm to stop her.
The two of them come to a standstill. Alice refusing to look at him and Chris worried she is about to disappear again. "Right now, it's probably for the best. We both need time to deal with everything."
"But you are coming back right." He asks the slightest bit of desperation in his voice. He knows whatever Claire said must have been really bad for Alice to have stormed off like that and try to leave the state. But he also knows when Claire calms down she's going to feel awful about it and if Alice leaves he knows Claire will blame herself and spiral from that.
Chris likes the people at the tower. But he likes Alice more and he loves his sister. He would rather have them with him then anyone else at the tower. He can't lose both of them because of what Doc did. Chris curses the dead Umbrella operative for causing more problems in his sisters and Alice's relationship.
Feeling slightly guilty about worrying Chris like that she smiles at him. It's not the brightest or warmest smile but it's the best she can manage. "I'm not that easy to get rid of Redfield. We'll be back in a week... maybe too." She reassures him that she will be back.
Now is the time for what's left of humanity to come together and make their own future. So, Alice will go grab the others and bring them back here.
"If you're not back by then me and Claire will hunt you down." He jokily warns pulling Alice into a tight hug. "Hurry back."
"I'll be back before you know it." She says pulling away from the hug and going to find where she hid the Umbrella motorbike. She and Claire can talk properly when she returns.