My great thanks to HighFlyingWings, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!
Decades after the events in Waiyip, Orbit of Mars, Port Tharsis, research labs.
Doctor Rebecca Chambers narrowed her green eyes, looking thoughtfully into the microscope and writing down her observations on the sample she was currently studying.
For a few minutes, she kept doing so, before sitting back in her chair with a smile.
"Well, things seemed to still be proceeding as planned. That's good, even if the project won't be fully over for centuries yet." she muttered, staring at her notes.
"That's to be expected, Doctor. Something like this can't happen in a day."
She blinked, before smiling and looking towards a nearby holoprojector, where a blue figure now stood looking at her. "That's fair. Do you need anything, Asclepius? I don't think you were meant to contact me until it was time for me to go eat with Carlos and Billy."
The figure smiled wryly at her. "It is time for it, Doctor. You've been engrossed in your work for a while now."
Rebecca's eyes widened, and she quickly checked out the time before blushing slightly. "Oh, right. Sorry, I really didn't see it pass by."
She got up, smiling at the figure. "Can you tell the boys I'll be there soon, please?"
"Of course."
"Thank you!"
Rebecca gave one last smile to the A.I., before quickly getting her things and checking out of her work station for lunch.
As she went through the corridors, she smiled and gave greetings to the other people in the station she passed by, having gotten to know most of them by now.
Sure, Port Tharsis wasn't exactly small, but it was still the primary spaceport for Mars right now, and probably in the future too, so it was a good thing her mind was highly enhanced, both because of what she was and some technological discoveries over the last decades.
A rather inspiring number of those had even her name involved with them, though not all.
Humanity was growing rather massively these days after all, and she had a lot of work on her hands…
Though at least it was entirely peaceful work nowadays.
She glanced to the side, the panels on the wall reflecting the void of space beyond the station and showing the various spaceships currently docking at the station.
Most of them belonged to the UN, though she could spot some different ones, like one visibly belonging to Insight Corp.
With far less threats to the world after the destruction of both the Family and Neo-Umbrella, Aeon, amongst others of their group, had dedicated more time to improving humanity, rather than safeguarding it.
The creation of the Muradasilova Warp Drive was one such invention coming from him, granting human spaceships actual FTL travel for the first time in history through folding space and allowing the time required to go from point A to point B to be much less.
Also, it had no Hell Dimension involved in it. Rebecca wasn't sure why Aeon felt it needed to specify that, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Either way, that drive was one of the greatest boosts to human efforts to explore their solar system that mankind could have dreamed of, allowing someone to go from Earth to the Oort Cloud in less than a week of travel at the utmost.
And Aeon had made it clear that it could be greatly improved over time.
With it, the colonization of the Moon took off with shocking speed, as the drive allowed far less time required to get there and back than before. In little time, first a base, then more were built, small domes filled with human habitation and greenery popping up all over the place as both nations across the Earth and the scientific community in general landed upon the Moon and used its resources with glee.
Her eyes looked further away, towards the space elevator currently still being built, though it would take much longer now before it was finished. The Earth had two of them already, with a third in construction, with the hopes that one day, a proper orbital ring could be built.
At least for now, the O'Neill cylinders around the Earth could give those wishing to live in space a taste of the future.
She kept walking, glancing absently at the holographic pubs occasionally along the walls, praising this or that product.
The latest Rejuv-nat (1000 years of lifespan guaranteed!), robotic helpers for house chores, various beauty products, flying cars, and more.
She kept going, taking a look once more towards the void of space, but this time towards Mars, where a number of growing signs of habitation and human meddling with the planet could be seen, ones that she knew would keep on growing more and more as the years went by.
That was why she was here, to keep an eye on the terraforming work being done on Mars, and make sure that everything went well. As one of Humanity's greatest biologists and leading scientists, she was one of the people in charge to ensure that this new home of Humanity across the solar system would end up as green and beautiful as Earth in due time.
Not something that was going to be finished quickly, but with human lifespan continuously growing, many of those currently working on the planet might one day own homes across the world, so it was work that most people believed was needed.
Also, it made for a great first experience at colonization and terraforming for Humanity, before the time they would expand beyond the limits of the solar system and across the stars in full.
Not that Mars was the only planet to be colonized lately, but it was the only one with an attempt at full-on terraforming, at least for now.
Rebecca entered the restaurant, The Final Frontier, and soon smiled as she was waved at by both Carlos and Billy.
Sitting down in front of them, she grinned. "Hey, boys! How are things?"
"Calm as ever. The greatest problems we had to deal with are the occasional bar brawl, after all." replied Billy, smiling back at her.
"And those are hardly a challenge to deal with. Honestly, when I took the job I was half wondering if we were going to have to deal with an alien invasion or something, but so far, the most dangerous things we've met are drunk people." joked Carlos.
"Hey, that German guy a while back packed quite the punch, I'll have you know!" remarked Billy.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have let him hit you in the first place!"
"Boys!" she exclaimed, and the two fell silent, looking sheepish.
She smiled wryly at them, before looking at Billy with a raised eyebrow.
"And how exactly did someone manage to actually hit you? You're ex-ISIS, for goodness' sake! Did retirement as a security guard make you that relaxed?" she asked, frowning.
Billy opened his mouth, but Carlos interrupted him with a smirk. "Because he was too busy staring at that pretty redhead's ass- Ooof!"
Billy flinched and held his side after getting an elbow to his guts, but the grin on his face hardly lessened.
If anything, it grew when Rebecca stared at Billy with growing interest.
"Oh, really now? Trying to settle down fully, huh?" she teased, though she was genuinely curious.
The man blushed slightly. "Well, now that we don't have to save the world or anything, I figured that it was about time I thought about myself, and well…"
Carlos grinned. "And then I caught the pretty redhead in question kissing him all better by the end of that night. Quite enthusiastically, might I add."
Rebecca's eyes widened, before a wide grin spread over her face.
"Oh, is that so? Well now, come on, don't be shy, do tell your good friend Rebecca what exactly you got up to recently…"
Billy grumbled, mock glaring at his two friends looking at him with matching grins on their faces.
"I remember a time when you blushed at the thought of talking sex, you smug gremlin." he complained while looking at Rebecca. "Oh, where did that innocent girl go?"
"She got fucked silly by a guy looking like he could snap me in half with one hand." she said bluntly, before grinning at the way the two boys started coughing at her words. "Now enough delaying! I've got some time before I need to go back to work, and I have every intention of spending it hearing about how one of my oldest friends is finally trying to get a lover after decades without a single girlfriend. And I can hardly do that with my other friend, because-" she pointed dramatically at Carlos. "He's a shameless flirt only surpassed by Aeon!"
"Says the girl in a harem." replied Carlos with a smirk, and Rebecca actually blushed slightly. Don't think about the harem girl outfits, don't think about the- Ah shit, too late.
In her defense, Aeon's lovers really looked amazing in them.
Though she tried not to think of when Lucy got Aeon into one.
She wasn't which was worse: him being in one as a man, or Aeon then turning into a woman and posing smugly while looking better than pretty much all of them in the damn thing.
And knowing it.
Well, except Oedon. She actually got the rare sight of Aeon stumbling and looking stunned when he saw her in the outfit.
Though the wild orgy that had followed had been immensely satisfying…
She bit her lips, slightly rubbing her thighs together at the memories. She wouldn't mind a repeat…
Something to consider later.
For now, Carlos visibly flexed, before grinning. "Besides, few girls can say no to the Carlos' charm!" he cheerfully declared.
"You've got charms?" said Billy with mock confusion, lips twitching as he tried to suppress a grin.
Carlos pouted, before shrugging. "Meh, you just don't recognize greatness when you see it."
Any reply was cut off by the waitress arriving, and after a while of deciding their orders, the waitress left to give them to the cooks.
"So, how about you? How's work?" asked Billy, and she gave him a look- she had not missed the fact that he had yet to talk about his new potential girlfriend- but after a moment she relented.
Instead, she grinned. "It's going great! I mean, it'll be the work of centuries, but we're getting the areas domed in for lesser terraforming work already showing the first signs of plant growth! We might soon see the very first grass field of Mars!"
They stared at her, before Billy shook his head with a smile. "Scientists, the only people who can stare at growing grass and be delighted." he joked.
She pouted, and Carlos grinned. "Hey, we get it, it's amazing news that actual plant life will be a thing on Mars, but you have to admit, it's a little funny to be excited about growing grass."
She chuckled, and nodded. "Alright, that's fair. But seriously, actual life on Mars! And not just the imported stuff in the domes built for habitation, but things that mark the beginning of full-blown terraforming! Isn't it exciting?"
"Depends on who you ask. There's a lot of people who think we shouldn't be bothering with terraforming Mars at all, and just focus on building Arcologies and call it good enough." pointed out Billy.
"To say nothing of those who propose to go full cyborgs, or changing ourselves to better fit the planet we are on rather than change the planet itself, or… Well, there's a lot of opinions about what is the best way to go about colonizing Mars." remarked Carlos.
"And that's without saying anything about those who just want to live in orbital space stations around the world and call it good enough." finished Billy.
Rebecca sighed. "I know, those people in the Valles Marineris really are all for just going Arcologies all the way, for example. But come on! Terraforming an entire world, how amazing is that? Maybe we might even do the same for Venus too, one day!"
"Aren't there a few stations orbiting the world already there, actually?" wondered Carlos.
"Yes, but they are research stations, and nothing more. No actual colonization like here on Mars. At least, not yet, that will hopefully change in the future!" answered Rebecca.
Billy grinned. "Well, someone certainly is excited about it."
She huffed. "Come on! How can I not be? We're going to colonize the solar system! Can you even imagine how big of a deal that is?! I certainly never dreamed of being able to see this, much less lead the project here on Mars when I was younger!"
"She's got a point. Things changed a lot from when we were younger, haven't they?" mused Carlos, a glass of water in hand, looking thoughtful.
"For the better." agreed Rebecca with a smile.
"Well, here's to creating an even better future, then! Cheers!" replied Carlos with a grin, raising his glass of water in honor of his words.
"I'll drink to that! …As soon as the drinks and food arrive, at least." said Billy with a smile.
"Then so will I." agreed Rebecca with a warm smile.
Yes, the world was so much bigger than it used to be, and Rebecca more than most knew just how many horrors still existed out there, across the Omniverse.
And yet, there was hope. Signs of great progress, of a better, greater tomorrow for humanity everywhere she turned to look.
The world had changed, but it was not for the worse, it was for the better… And she fully intended to see that brighter tomorrow be protected from all that would see it burn.
After all the horrors they had seen and fought, after all the battles they had fought, this day like so many others lately stood as proof that evil can be defeated. That Good can triumph.
And Rebecca Chambers, proud Huntress of the Dream, will gladly stand as an eternal guardian of this prosperity, so that it can never again be endangered by evil.
So that people like Billy Coen could retire in peace, free to relax, and learn to live without fear. So that people like Carlos Olivieira could pursue his happiness in peace, without worrying about what tomorrow would bring in fresh horrors.
She had changed so much from that scared and inexperienced girl who first met Aeon in a train full of zombies, scared out of her mind, and half-convinced she'd become zombie food sooner rather than later.
She was stronger now. Deadlier too, a true killer who could melt people without so much as a blink.
Her innocence had died along with the fire which had consumed the Umbrella facilities in the Arklay Mountains, yet another unmourned casualty of the horrors of those days.
What had been left had been a hardened, angry, and determined young woman willing to go to any length to see evil pay, and justice given.
She sometimes wondered how different things would have been without Aeon and the others. Would she have died? Survived, but instead so terrified of her experiences she would have tried to avoid field work ever again?
Either way, it hardly mattered here and now.
She had made her choice long ago and never regretted it.
Whatever the future may hold…
She would face it with her head held high, as a Huntress of the Dream.
She smiled. Not bad, for a girl who believed being in S.T.A.R.S. and helping a single city to be the greatest thing she'd do in her life.
-
Earth, Africa, BSAA training camp.
"Keep at it! 5 more laps and then you all can take a break! B.O.W's can't get tired, so you better not slow down or you're dead! Remember that!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
"I can't hear you! Say it louder!"
"SIR, YES SIR!"
"Better!"
Chris Redfield kept an eye on the recruits, watching them keep on running around despite their visible exhaustion.
"You certainly aren't going easy on them."
Chris smiled.
"I'm not, but it's for their own good. Things are much better nowadays, but Humanity will always need protectors. And it's better for them to sweat in training than bleed on the battlefield."
"Can't argue with that."
Chris chuckled at his wife's words, Sheva Redfield (born Alomar) who was staring at the sweaty, gasping recruits with both sympathy and amusement at his side.
"Though admittedly, things are much more peaceful these days than back in our time." his wife mused.
"True, but we both know that there will always be those who want to change the world for the worse. It hasn't been that long since you yourself went to deal with a group of extremists in Egypt, no?"
Sheva grunted. "Yeah, people who think that leaving the Earth is unnatural or some shit. They think that living on other worlds will bring the end of Humanity or something."
She shook her head. "Well, quite a few are dead and the rest in prison after we were done with the clean-up operation, so I doubt they'll cause issues for a long while. They are hardly the only ones though."
"I know. Between those who are anti-colonization, those who just want to profit from chaos, those who fear alien invasions because of human expansion, and those who just want to watch the world burn, there are seemingly a never-ending numbers of extremists ready to cause issues. And don't even get me started on the ultra-nationalists…" he finished with a groan.
"Not everyone wants to see Humanity become united." remarked Sheva.
Chris grunted. "Mankind needs to be, though. If we do meet alien life, we can't afford division."
"Not everyone agrees."
"Yeah, well they don't have to start trying to blow up spaceships full of innocent people just to make a point or something. They can just peacefully protest like normal people."
Sheva shrugged. "Well, if nothing else, their efforts are actually making humanity go all the more for unity instead."
Chris smiled wryly. "Nothing quite like seeing the leaders of certain political groups being murderous madmen to want to back those opposing them, I suppose."
"Yes, well no one has accused extremists of being smart."
"Amen to that."
Chris took away his attention from the discussion to shout at the recruits.
"Alright, get your guns and go to the firing range! On the double, you hear me?!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
"How's Piers, by the way?" asked Sheva.
"Leading Alpha Team, as usual. Last I heard, he and his team dealt with a group trying to plant virus bombs at the base of one of the space elevators."
"Any idea how they got their hands on those?"
"A mad scientist who found some old research notes on B.O.W's. He's been dealt with, along with the notes."
"Hmm. I would have thought such things would have disappeared by now, but even so many years later old nightmares still try to pop up again." she said with a sigh.
Chris walked to a spot where he could perfectly watch over the recruits' training, before responding.
"Yeah, well if nothing else, it keeps us on our toes. Sure, nowadays the BSAA is expanding to provide training for dealing with potential alien lifeforms, sentients or not, that humanity will meet in the future, since we, so to speak, 'are already used to the strange and weird', but the origins of the BSAA was the desire to rid us all of B.O.W's, and I'm glad that every day that passes we are getting closer to making it a reality."
Sheva hummed, before glancing at him.
"Didn't scientists find something capable of creating B.O.W's on Venus?"
"Potentially, yes. At least it had some mutagenic properties. Don't worry though, it's been handled."
"And without losing anyone, too. I guess things sometimes work out without turning into a mess first."
Chris chuckled. "To be fair, we do all have some guardian angels watching over us."
Sheva blinked, before shaking her head with a smile. "Ah, I should have known that they would have been involved."
"Yup. Something about preventing a tragedy which would have slowed down human expansion across the stars."
"I see."
They both watched the recruits use their plasma rifles. Nowadays, the technology and logistical base was good enough that laser weapons weren't really worth it anymore for most professional armies.
Not enough kick to them. Especially not when everyone was wearing high-tech power armor with energy shields and everything.
Honestly, Chris was sometimes envious. If they had gear like that back in the days of Raccoon City, the whole outbreak would have been a cakewalk.
Ah well. At least they had it now.
Nothing quite like having basic soldiers being able to match late-20th century heavy tanks to appreciate the growth of technology over time.
"All that aside, I had something I wanted to talk to you about. Found out about it this morning, in fact."
"Oh?" asked Chris, glancing away from the recruits to look curiously at his wife.
Sheva smirked at him.
"Congratulations, I'm pregnant."
*CRACK.*
Chris blinked.
Oh, he just broke the high-tech armor worth a fortune he had on him.
Ooops.
Wait-
Sheva giggled at the look on his face.
"Remember the fun we had after the last time you came back from a mission? Well…"
Oh. That night.
Well then.
"I need to tell Claire! Then Jill, then-"
Chris Quickened away in his haste, completely forgetting all about the poor recruits still training.
Sheva began laughing.
"And I didn't even tell him the test indicated we'll have twins…"
-
"Hey, Barry!"
Jill waved, and Barry smiled as he came and took a seat at the small table at the bar they were in.
They both ignored the members of the press nearby. Jill liked this place, but with her fame she could hardly go anywhere without at least one journalist trying to keep tabs on her in the hopes of getting a juicy story.
Not that the other Hunters were much better, of course. Though at least she wasn't, say, Aeon, or Sherry.
Those two could hardly take a step anywhere without being swarmed.
Especially the second, since the first tended to utterly scare the crap of anyone he vaguely glared at.
"In other news, President Grahamhas announced new bills to add additional resources to the mining efforts across the solar system, even as the number of said resources coming back to Earth has reached a new height, allowing the continuation of many mega-projects on Earth, such as the completion of the third orbital elevator, or the planet-wide efforts at healing the ecological damage that the planet had to suffer through in the past, before a time where humanity's societies were collectively powered by clean energy-"
Jill glanced to see the smiling face of Ashley Graham on the news, currently giving yet another speech about the continued development of Humanity's efforts to expand across the solar system, and if her eyes weren't betraying her Jill could barely see Helena Harper in the background, ensuring the safety of the latest US President.
Of course, Jill had actually met Ashley Graham several times in the past, especially considering how close she and Sherry were, so she knew that said woman was basically Insight Corp's woman through and through.
As it turns out, it was less Aeon that was the power behind the throne of US politics these days, and more his daughter carefully pulling the strings.
Having the current President pass her nights being fucked silly and begging for more by Sherry really didn't allow things to be any other way.
She looked away, focusing on asking about another young woman that Sherry was close friends with.
Though admittedly, they hardly were young anymore.
"And how's your daughter, Barry? I haven't been able to meet her lately."
Barry rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly. "Still trying her best to give her old man gray hairs, especially when she was involved with dealing with yet another would be conspiracy trying to influence humanity lately, but otherwise she's doing well. ISIS has been good for her, much as I'd prefer she didn't throw herself where the danger is highest, she's become a real little warrior these days."
His expression turned nostalgic. "I still remember when she could barely walk, and now she's kicking ass and taking names all over the solar system. I swear, I barely felt like blinking and she was already one of the best soldiers in humanity…"
"She's ISIS." Jill said with a smile, as if that explained everything.
Which really, it did.
"Yeah, well." Barry sighed. "At least she's got Aeon watching out for her. I suppose that there really is nothing better to ensure her safety than having him keep an eye on her for me."
Jill shook her head. "Still as protective as ever, I see."
"You'll understand when you'll become a mother yourself." Barry replied with a grin, and Jill blushed before groaning.
"Oh, not this again. I swear, ever since Chris began running around screaming in joy about being a dad, it feels like everyone just assumes we'll all follow suit."
Barry chuckled. "To be fair, it's the first time I saw him all but jumping around like a kid on a sugar rush."
Jill snorted. It was, to be fair, a better description than anything else she could think of.
At least until he shifted to hovering mother hen on Sheva, that is.
To her credit, she lasted a week and a half before kicking her husband's ass about not being made out of glass and firmly told him to stop being an idiot.
The whole thing had been quite amusing to watch… from a safe distance.
"Anyway, I appreciate the thought, but Aeon had long ago made it clear that he wouldn't have any kids for a while. Considering how long we'll live, it's hardly like it matters much in the end."
Also, Oedon would be the first to actually have any children. Considering her past, no one had disagreed with that.
The whole thing with Mergo had left its scars upon her, and Jill had never seen her as hesitant and almost fearful as she had been when the whole topic of having a child again came up.
Made all the more tragic by the sheer hope in her eyes at the thought of actually being able to have children without tragedy striking her for it.
Oedon loved Sherry utterly, but Jill wasn't blind to the fact that part of that was the fact that the goddess in question genuinely feared that Sherry would remain her only child.
It had been subtle, but Jill hadn't missed the way Aeon had always been particularly gentle and patient with her when the subject of Oedon having children of her own came up.
Nor had she missed the looks of relief and shame she sometimes had whenever Aeon insisted that they all waited before having children.
There was some deep and old trauma there, and one that few had dared to breach the topic of, except apparently Lucy and Rebecca who had tried to convince her that nothing would go wrong if they went for it.
From what Jill knew, to this day it still was somewhat work in progress, and it would most likely remain so until the day that Oedon could hold her own newly-born child in her hands without fear.
She shook her head and refocused back on Barry. "Anyway, point is, we all agreed to wait on that, at least for a few more decades."
Barry stared at her, then nodded. "If you're sure."
"I am." she replied. Not that she wouldn't happily say yes if Aeon changed his mind and convinced Oedon, but that wasn't likely to happen.
"Well, how's work, then? Nothing too interesting happening?"
Jill smiled wryly. She couldn't talk too much when they were in public, but even so…
"Well, you know, the usual. Extremists here, madmen there, a pinch of mad science in the middle… As I said, the usual."
"The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?" he remarked with amusement.
He raised a glass of water, though Jill noticed a waitress headed their way to take his order. "Well, to a day where we all can happily say we've been bored to tears!"
She laughed. "Cheers!"
They drank.
All in all, another peaceful day for them all. Jill could get used to this.
It certainly beat the terrors of the Mansion, that's for sure.
-
"Yes, we need to be on top of things. Yes, the more they have, the better. Look, you know that it's better to be cautious in cases like these. They can hardly go and ask for more medicine from the other locals- there aren't any! That's the point, they need the surplus in case they have to deal with things on their own… Again, better to be cautious."
Claire smiled, relaxing in her chair. "Look, we'll make it up to you all someday, alright? Has TerraSave ever not helped a friend in need? No? Exactly! Yes, yes, don't worry. Come on, it's me we're talking about!"
A few more moments of conversation, before Claire hit the comm unit attached to her ear and sighed, before stretching. "Hah, yet another potential catastrophe avoided, honestly I'm being paid the big bucks for sitting in this chair and I still sometimes feel like I'm not paid well enough to deal with all of this."
She got up, walking towards a nearby window, smiling at the setting sun, the sight of a space elevator visible in the horizon.
"Space expansion is great and all, but the logistics to avoid medical issues are a nightmare. And I've just got to worry about the medicinal part of things, not the logistics as a whole…"
She shook her head. "I'd feel bad about all the headaches Aeon and Lucy have to be dealing with, but I know at least the first is having a blast watching over Humanity's first expansion across space… And Lucy must be making so much money off it, it's a wonder she can't just buy the solar system outright."
She glanced around at her massive office, high up in a skyscraper belonging to TerraSave. "It still feels weird sometimes to be so important… I never expected to actually become the leader of TerraSave, but with its creator behind bars…"
She sighed. "Look at me now. I'm all respectable and stuff."
She smiled wryly. "Well, except for the nighttime parts of my life. There's nothing civilized about those." she joked to herself.
Not that she minded. Even if her daytime was spent dealing with a thousand and one matters from across the solar system that required the input of the leader of TerraSave, as the greatest human rights organization across all of Humanity, she could hardly say that she wasn't doing great work.
Whether it was ensuring that medical research would remain ethical, or that cures for as many diseases as possible would be created, or simply putting pressure on governments to ensure fair laws, Humanity as a whole was benefitting from her work.
Still, she could admit the amazing sex at night really helped deal with the day-to-day stress.
And there was nothing quite like being one of the people with the weight of Humanity on her shoulders to create stress.
Well, at least there was little to no risk of zombie outbreak these days, so that was certainly a relief.
Still, dealing with keeping the colonies of humanity across the solar system well-stocked in medicine, by itself, was almost a full-time job. The rest of her job just meant that her days were very long and filled with work.
At least the politicians in this day and age were almost respectable. It made dealing with them much easier, since she only had to spend the occasional moment holding herself back from punching one of the idiots in their smug, lustful faces.
She swore, if she caught yet another one trying to peek down at her boobs while in a dress for an official party, she was going to hit something.
Or someone, preferably.
At least inviting Aeon is always good for a laugh, she thought with a smirk.
Nothing quite like having a guy built like a brick house looking down at you like you're a particularly nasty bit of filth that crawled out of the sewer to break even the most arrogant of politicians into pale-faced, stammering messes.
She snorted as she remembered what happened to that one guy who couldn't take a hint. 6 months of eating nothing but puree really did his ego some good.
Also, the fact that Aeon could break any politician's career, a fact he wasn't shy to demonstrate sometimes.
Hey, they all had ways of relaxing.
For Claire, it was wild sex and seeing her boyfriend crush arrogant fools, with words or fists.
… Okay, maybe she didn't change quite as much as she had thought.
She just had an awesome boyfriend, amazing girlfriends, and a really great if tiring job.
Her lips quirked into a hungry smirk. Maybe she should go and surprise Lucy by going under the desk again. The look on her face the first time she did that had been glorious… At least before it became both approving and very lewd.
Heh. Claire wasn't the only one in need of the occasional stress-relief.
Or maybe she could make use of the sex dungeons that Claire had become quite acquainted with? Lucy may try to hide it, but she was just as lewd as the rest of them, and a naked Claire just hanging there would be way too much for her to resist…
She shook her head. She was still on the job, she could think up ways to enjoy the sight of Lucy in a leather outfit with whip in hand later.
She looked down, glancing at the flying cars in the streets down below, the throngs of people passing by even at the late hour, and the various signs of civilization.
She even caught sight of some A.I. in robotic bodies patrolling the streets.
Heh. Actual A.I. Oedon's teams really shifted human civilization quite a bit when that became a thing.
Of course, having literal gods watching over everything from the background allowed as smooth an integration as one could have, though that didn't stop extremists from trying to blow things up in the name of "protecting humanity from extinction" or whatever it was they were spouting about lately.
Well, A.I. weren't going anywhere. She had her own, actually, but then again most important people did these days.
She may have said something about Insight Corp. spying on people, but that's kinda pointless with, again, literal gods watching everything anyway.
Not that it didn't stop the accusations, it was just really hard to actually find proof when Insight Corp. was actually not using the A.I. they created for that purpose.
Again, no point to it.
Still, it was but yet another mark of changing times.
Medicines were good enough nowadays that most people coming into a hospital because of accidents and wounds left completely healthy by the end of the day, same with most illnesses, though with a bit more time required depending on the disease in question.
Actual space travel and colonization.
Advanced robotics.
An agelessness that kept on becoming longer and longer the more the technology for increasing human lifespan grew in understanding.
A level of energy, food, and water such that mankind was actually going to become a post-scarcity civilization eventually. The only question was when, as scientists still debated the matter fiercely, and it wouldn't be for at least several centuries, but even so…
Even so, sometimes Claire could only stare at the changing world, remembering a time before zombies and gods and more, and wonder where did it all go.
Of course, then she'd remember the zombies and be quite happy that that world was now gone.
The new one was much better. More hopeful, too.
It was in everything, really. The happiness in the laughter of the children, and the smiles of the parents.
The debates at the news, being less about what was wrong, and more about how things could still be better and how.
The low levels of unemployment, as humanity spread out and found itself ever more requiring a numerous workforce to feed its growing ambition.
Even the holographic movies were generally more hopeful, describing a future humanity thriving until whatever the plot of the movie was got involved into things.
Hell, people even occasionally said good things about some of the politicians. If that didn't show how much things have changed, she didn't know what could.
Claire lived in a time period where Humanity was looking into the future, seeing it was bright, and all found themselves happier as a result.
Needless to say, it was incredibly satisfying, considering how many times that future almost ended because of the whims of a handful of madmen.
She smiled.
On second thought, perhaps all three gods should be properly rewarded for their hard work tonight…
-
"So, your verdict?"
"Hmm… a 5, at best."
Leon raised an eyebrow.
"A 5? Oh, you're being harsh here."
Ada rolled her eyes at him, idly reading the menu before her.
"Please, he only used two body-doubles to try and confuse anyone tracking him, changed cars 3 times, and used a holographic device all of one time to disguise himself. What's this, amateur hour?"
"You forget the small army's worth of people deliberately keeping an eye out for anyone trying to track him." pointed out Leon.
Ada scoffed. "Please, quantity means nothing without basic quality. Those fools didn't even have that."
Leon chuckled. "Okay, that moment where two of them walked into one another was hilarious, but to be fair-"
"But nothing. This was amusing to us, but just really sad to see as well. At least back in the day, we used to have standards." she grumbled.
Leon's lips quirked. "The same standards that allowed ISIS and the BSAA to take the win against all odds?"
She glared at him. "Those three cheat by just being there."
"Huh-huh." Leon replied with dry amusement, causing Ada to huff at him before returning to read through the menu.
Or at least look like that was what she was doing, since in reality they were both keeping an eye on a gathering of criminals going on further in the restaurant.
Which was made much easier when they had a small drone video and audio recording everything going on.
Being in a room designed for privacy meant nothing when the true spy was already in there with you, after all.
"So, I heard that your mission in China went well?"
"Heard that, did you?" replied Ada with a smirk.
"The Triad leader falling to his death from a skyscraper was pretty obvious." he remarked dryly.
Ada shrugged. "He wasn't willing to negotiate. As it turned out, neither was gravity."
Leon shook his head. "I feel bad for the poor bastards who had to scrap him out of the ground."
Ada grimaced slightly. "He was quite large…" she shook her head as well.
"Oh, thanks, I totally needed to know that before dinner-"
"Hands up, Mr. Kennedy. You as well, Ms. Wong."
They both glanced at the men who revealed themselves, glowing weapons in hand.
They raised an eyebrow, before glancing at each other.
"No poison?" Leon mused.
"No bombs either." Ada noted.
"Sniper?"
"Nope."
"Numbers… 12?"
"Hm… Good on you for noticing the last."
"I've learnt from the best."
"I said, hands up." said the gang member, voice hard.
"Just laser guns?"
"Seems like it."
"Nothing in the air either, or the water… Yeah, ok. I admit it."
"Thank you."
"You were right, it really is amateur hour."
"I told you!"
Leon turned towards the man, who was looking increasingly pissed at being ignored.
"So how exactly did you idiots know we were spies?"
The man's eyebrow twitched, before he took a deep breath.
"We have spies everywhere-"
"It was the janitor, wasn't it?" dryly interrupted Ada.
Leon sighed. "It's always the janitor."
"Hey now, sometimes it's the doorman! Or the porter!"
"Okay, it's almost always the janitor. Happy?"
"Terribly so." Ada said smugly.
The armed gangster leading the others turned an unhealthy shade of red, his teeth grinding.
"I said-"
Ada and Leon flipped the table on his head.
Things did not go much better for the criminals after that.
-
"Ah, there we go. All better."
Sherry glanced at this planet's equivalent to a crocodile, if said animal was covered in tentacles.
And had far too many mouths for the comfort of her human sensibilities.
Not that her mom seemed to care, as she got up from her kneeling position, the crocodile happily going away now that it was no longer sick.
Her mom smiled, then turned to look at the next animal drawn by her soothing presence, some kind of animal looking like a flying dinosaur… if one with a broken wing right now.
It made some sad, pain-filled noises, and her mom was already all over it, wounds vanishing in seconds, while she gently whispered to it.
"Are you planning to heal every animal in this world?" Sherry gently teased her mom, idly taking another look at the red-coloured sky with five moons above her head.
"We are enjoying this world's beauty, are we not? It's only fair if we give something back in return." her mom replied, even as the now healed animal released a triumphant cry as it one again took to the air and began flying around.
"Well, sure, but you could just heal them all at the same time, you know?" she pointed out.
Her mom pouted. "Maybe, but I can't focus on any of them that way. It's better to just focus on one at a time to see them, you know."
Ah. Of course, her mom wasn't just healing them, she could see it now.
She was looking into them, their history, their lives, all that they were.
She wasn't just taking joy from the sights around her, but from the very lives of the inhabitants of this world, even if they were no more intelligent than animals, they were still alive.
And thus, their lives were ones her mom could look into with ease.
She smiled, idly patting the head of a local cat… if said cat was the size of a human.
"Well, they would all be a lot less friendly if you weren't there, but I suppose that I too should enjoy things." she replied.
Just her mom being here and barely hiding her presence had caused over 500 miles of this world to suddenly swell with life, a supernatural sense of peace and life ensuring that, for a time, all creatures lived in harmony, with need for neither food nor water. Even now, as they stood by the side of a river, Sherry could feel the life energy flowing in the plants and the soil, and even in the waters, ensuring this whole area would remain unnaturally healthy for centuries, most likely millenia to come.
As another side-effect, countless animals had converged on their location, all of them seeking to bask in the presence of her mom.
It was as amusing to watch as it was awe-inspiring, to see animals, some taller than houses, all gather peacefully around her without a care in the world, their forms almost glowing with life just by being near her.
Some of those animals were probably going to live for years more than natural thanks to this moment.
Of course, then her mom had gone full-on healer on any animals requiring it, and now she was doing her best Disney princess equivalent.
Sherry certainly enjoyed the whole thing, but she couldn't help but imagine what would have happened if her mom had done the same in a civilized world.
The ensuing chaos would have been pretty spectacular.
"So, tell me, how are you doing? I can smell those two girls on you… Moira Burton and Ashley Graham, right?"
Sherry blushed slightly at that, though it was sadly hardly the first time her mom commented on it.
That's the problem with living with people with superhuman senses, trying to hide anything really doesn't work.
"Yes, well… Ashley had a lot of stress as the President, and we just-"
"-wanted to help her destress, I know. There's nothing wrong with that, my dear, but I do hope that one day you will find someone to properly settle down with. Despite how much you all have fun together, I can feel that you don't love them that way. Yours is a very good friendship, but not the kind of love your father and I share." finished her mom, green eyes gentle as they flickered towards her with a knowing look.
"I know, mom, I just…" Sherry let out a sigh.
Her mom hummed, before speaking up again, healing now what looked like a rolling mass of pink tentacles.
It was surprisingly cute, too.
"What about that boy, Jake Muller was it? You two do have fun together sometimes." continued her mom.
Sherry shook her head. "He's nice, but we both know that we're too fundamentally different. He's not…" she hesitated, but her mom gave her a knowing glance.
"Heroic enough?" she teased.
Sherry looked away, a hint of a blush on her features.
"Your father really set a bad example, or rather, an unreachable one." her mom sighed, and Sherry shook her head, stammering. "No, it's-"
"Oh, but I can tell. You want someone with a heart of gold, who can stare evil in the face without a blink. You want a hero, Sherry, someone who will pass their life saving worlds. Someone-" Green eyes stared at her with far too much sympathy for comfort. "-that your father would consider a hero."
Sherry flinched.
Truth be told, her mom wasn't wrong.
She had been raised to enjoy having sex and pursue both men and women sexually without shame, but when it comes to actual romance, her standards were very skewed.
She wanted something like what her mom and dad had. Genuine love, immense respect between both, and her other half being someone who was unquestionably incredible.
Heroic, one might even say.
And someone good enough that even her father would be impressed by them.
Which, needless to say, was basically impossible.
Her father could respect people, but someone who truly, genuinely earned his admiration…
Well, that was a feat she wasn't quite sure anyone had ever managed.
So she was essentially waiting for the impossible, and yet she couldn't find it in herself to lower her standards.
Her mom sighed.
"You know that both me and your dad would accept anyone, as long as they made you happy, right?" she said gently.
Sherry looked away.
"I know, but…" is it selfish of me to want the impossible anyway? She wondered.
Her dad found himself a goddess as wonderful as her mom for his first wife, and her mom found a man so incredible he saved humanity while claiming godhood, partially so that he could be with her forever.
Was it wrong of her to hope for just a fraction of that for herself?
Sherry had various examples when it came to love to learn from.
From her birth mother, she learnt the value of actually marrying for love, less tragedy would be all she would gain in return.
From Chris and Sheva, she learnt that sometimes, all it took for love to bloom was the right encounter at the right time.
From Leon and Ada, she learnt that sometimes, love was worth pursuing even the seemingly impossible, in order to actually make it come to pass.
And from her new parents, that last lesson was hammered all the harder, as what was more impossible than a man defying gods and death itself for the sake of holding his promises, up to and including to the goddess he loved?
So yes, Sherry wanted the impossible, she wanted a hero, one capable of having the admiration of even her dad.
And she refused to settle for any less.
She looked up at the sky above.
Maybe, one day, she'd meet such a person, male or female.
In the meantime, well at least she had her friends to keep her company.
She felt warm arms hug her from behind, and she relaxed in the embrace.
Even if it took her some time to adjust to the fact her mom' height caused her large boobs to rest on top of her head whenever she hugged her.
"One day." she heard the whisper from her mom. "One day, in the infinite dimensions of the Omniverse, you will find the one you will be able to love, as I have. Until then, know that I will always be there for you, as is your dad."
Sherry swallowed, before nodding. "Thank you." she whispered.
She felt a gentle kiss on top of her head, followed by even gentler words. "Always, dear Sherry. Always."
And coming from her mom, she knew she meant that literally.
-
"So, why is the girl scout there? We don't need her help."
Lucy Miller, CEO of Insight Corp., gave a dry look to the member of Wolfpack who had just spoken.
Then she looked back at Helena Harper, who was giving the man a look just as dry.
"I'm here because we're here to deal with a group of extremists who want to strike at the President. And since I'm part of her protection detail, I'm perfect for the job of keeping an eye on things." the woman replied.
Vector scoffed. "Yeah, well we're Wolfpack. We don't need a babysitter, and especially not one of you governmental stooges. So why don't you go and be useless somewhere else-"
"Miss Harper survived the worst of the Tall Oaks outbreak… and the one at Waiyip." Lucy pointed out.
That finally caught the attention of the entire Wolfpack, most of whom seemed to have been content to enjoy the show until now.
"No shit?" said Vector, glancing at the woman with a more appraising look now.
"No shit." Helena said bluntly.
"Why both? I get the first, but how did you end up in Waiyip as well?" questioned Lupo.
Helena glanced at her for a second, before answering with one word.
"Simmons."
"Ah." there was a small wave of sounds of understanding at the name.
"Now that's one bastard no one shed a tear over." muttered Vector.
"Quite. So with that done, can we get back to the mission briefing?" said Lucy.
"Actually, I've got a question. Why are you the one doing this, and not tall, dark, and scary as fuck?" another of the Wolfpack inquired.
Lucy sighed. "He's on vacation."
They stared at her.
"That guy takes vacations?" exclaimed Vector, as if the very concept blew his mind.
"He does have a family, you know." Lucy replied.
They kept staring.
"... I'm trying to imagine that man in a swimsuit, drink in hand on a beach somewhere, and the only thing I can think of is that the entire coast is empty of life, because everyone ran for the hills. Yes, even the damn sharks." muttered Vector.
"Cut the chatter, Vector." finally said Lupo, though the look on her face said she rather agreed. "Anyway, the mission?"
"Please and thank you." agreed Helena, looking somewhere between amused and impatient.
"Right." nodded Lucy, who quickly activated a hologram. "This is the plans for the enemy HQ, you shall have to infiltrate by-"
As Lucy continued the briefing, Wolfpack listened closely.
With rejuv-nat always cheap and continuing to increase the human lifespan, every member of the group had ended up staying on the team for all these years, even as the years turned into decades, and soon enough into a century.
With well-paying jobs in ISIS, doubled by all the advantages that came with working for the famous group, all of them had thrived and gotten a lot richer than back in the days of Umbrella… But they were all soldiers at hearts, and peace just wasn't for them.
Thankfully, a growing human civilization comes with its issues, and there was always a need for competent soldiers.
And so, Wolfpack did as they always did: they got paid, killed whoever they were told to kill, and got home with the satisfaction of a job well-done.
The only difference is that Lupo actually talked with her children with pride about her work.
Also, the world became a better place thanks to their work. For most of them, that might have not mattered at first…
But after decades of watching over it, even the most pragmatic of mercenary couldn't help but be affected by it.
In the end, the redemption of Wolfpack came step by step, without its members even recognizing that they were slowly becoming better people.
Yet it came all the same, and none of them could deny the quiet pride they felt at ensuring the new peaceful Golden Age of Humanity remained such thanks to their work.
"I'm just saying, we don't need the girl scout for this. We are Wolfpack, dammit! Not some wet-behind-the-ears recruit! Can't she just go back to being under some politician's desk sucking-"
"Vector?"
"Yes, Lupo?"
"Shut the fuck up, Vector."
"Fuck you too, Lupo."
But of course, an asshole still remained an asshole, even when on the side of the good guys.
That was a truth of Humanity that not even the gods could change.
-
Summer Rose, once huntress of Remnant, walked through the corridors of ISIS HQ with her twin by her side, feeling more anxious than she remembered being in quite a while.
It took her and her twin a long time to finally gather the courage to ask what she was going to ask, about the truth of the existence of her twin, but it really needed to be addressed, and today it was finally going to be brought up.
She exchanged yet another glance with her twin, silver eyes meeting pale blue, before they refocused on going towards the office of their leader.
Though they were here more for his true self than him specifically, today.
Arriving before the door, they had barely time to take a deep breath before a calm "Enter." came from the other side.
They swallowed, a bit unnerved for once about Aeon's ability to always know where everyone was at all time, before they entered.
And Summer always froze when her gaze met the glowing one of Aeon, whose presence felt far more heavy than it usually did.
She caught her twin swallowing at the sight of the god smiling at them while sitting like a king behind his desk, a knowing look on his face.
"Come. Sit. You have questions, I shall give you answers."
The two Huntresses did as ordered, closing the door behind them, sitting at attention, feeling the weight of something far, far greater than they could ever be looking at them.
The god smiled wryly, looking at them both with a measure of amusement. "You can relax, you know. I don't bite." he winked. "Not unless you ask."
They blushed, but relaxed slightly, before her twin cleared her throat and smiled weakly at her god.
"You know why we are here."
"You want answers. I was waiting for you to come ask them, and now, here you are."
He sighed, then nodded at her twin.
"First, yes we gods did indeed have a hand in your existence." he declared, and both Summer stiffened at the confirmation, her twin even leaning slightly forward in her seat.
His gaze flickered towards her. "When you first caught the attention of me, Oedon and Lucy, my sole desire was to help you out. But Oedon and Lucy expressed… curiosity. They wondered how different a version of you from Earth would be from you, who came from Remnant. Not just in terms of mindset, beliefs and more, but biologically as well."
His gaze returned towards her twin, then back at her. "I was hesitant at first, but peering into the potential timeline convinced me. You two created a deep bond between one another, one that would encourage both to greater heights of glory. You would be there for one another when the times were hard, and exalt together when the times were good. In short, you would be happier, and I saw no reason to not agree to something that would bring joy and happiness to those deserving of it."
He looked back at her twin, tilting his head slightly.
"Of course, we did not just bring you forth by yourself. We went back to the dawn of Man, and ensured the existence of the Rose family. You did not have silver eyes, but everything else would fundamentally be of that bloodline. Otherwise, we did nothing. Every action, every decision that brought you here today were yours, and that of your ancestors. You could have been anything, and anyone. And yet…"
"And yet, here I am." finished her twin. "The Rose family has always had ties to the military… I just so happened to want to join a group dedicated to the betterment of Humanity." she mused.
Aeon nodded. "We foresaw it, but it still came as a pleasant surprise. Of your own volition, you and your ancestors stood as people who fought for what you believed was right. Once, an ancestor of yours fought by the side of Jeanne d'Arc against the English. Then, once more but for the sake of the independence of the USA. Then in both World Wars with the Allies. Your family stood for those they believed righteous, time and again."
"And you had nothing to do with it?" she asked.
"Nothing. We watched, but did not interfere." confirmed Aeon, the Truth of his words unquestionable.
"And now, here I am." said her twin.
Aeon smiled warmly. "And now, here you are."
Summer looked at her twin. "How do you feel about… all of this?"
Her twin smiled at her. "Satisfied. Happy. And more." she glanced back at Aeon, hesitated, before speaking again.
"I choose to worship you as my god, knowing that you are, in fact, partly responsible for the existence of my family only makes it feel even more right. Especially when you didn't use it to gain my loyalty. As you said, I could have done anything, become anyone… And yet I choose to be here. And even then, you earned my trust the hard way, and not by revealing what you were, or the fact I quite literally live because of you. But by proving yourselves worthy of my loyalty through your actions in saving this world, time and time again."
She took a deep breath, then exhaled with a smile. "As far as I'm concerned… I'm glad that my family owes its origins to you and your wives. I'm proud of it."
Aeon smiled, before glancing at her.
Summer pursed her lips, before glancing at her twin.
She never had a sibling in Remnant, but she would have loved to have one.
And actually having one had been an incredible experience.
She smiled back. "You were right, I'm glad to have met her. Still, try and ask first, will you? Creating an entire family like that is…"
She trailed off, before shaking her head. "I know that you're a god, and I can't argue with the results, but it still feels like the kind of thing I should have been consulted on."
"You were."
Both Summer blinked.
Aeon smiled wryly. "Free Will is something I'm pretty firm on. Still, just asking you would have complicated things, so a middle-ground was chosen. I basically made a copy of who you were, gave her the memories of the future, and asked her if she was fine with me and the other two goddesses going along with what we had planned. That version of you agreed, after thinking it over, and looking at how well the two of you would get along. In fact…"
He snapped his fingers, and Summer blinked, suddenly remembering the whole thing.
"There. See for yourself- it is yourself, after all." he said with amusement.
Summer opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Blinked.
"Huh. Okay then…" she muttered, suddenly remembering the whole meeting, her thoughts process for agreeing and more.
"You alright?"
Summer shook her head and smiled at her worried twin. "I'm fine, just… it feels like being amnesiac, then suddenly gaining the memories back, and having to deal with what you did in those memories. It's you, you know it's you, you understand why you did what you did, but it still feels weird."
"But you're fine." her twin insisted.
"I am." she said firmly.
Her twin carefully watched her, then smiled.
"Alright! Well, I now know that my family was quite literally born through Divine Will. I'm going to go celebrate that fact. Wanna get smashed with me?" she cheerfully said.
Summer gave her a look. "You're going to celebrate knowing that gods are behind the existence of your family… by getting drunk?"
Her twin shrugged. "If you're partying without waking up the next morning regretting your life choices, you haven't partied well-enough if you ask me!"
Summer opened her mouth.
Closed it.
"I really feel like this is stupid, but I can't find a good reason to disagree with your words…"
"Then what are we waiting for? Come on!"
Her twin got up, took her by the wrist, then looked back at the visibly amused god.
"If you could excuse me, sir." she said politely.
"By all means, enjoy yourselves." he waved, smiling.
Then her twin saluted cheerfully, and all but marched her out of the office.
"Can we even get drunk? We're Huntresses!" pointed out Summer.
Her twin faltered, before her grin returned in full. "No idea, but it'll be fun to find out!"
Summer groaned. "You know, I'm usually the less responsible of us two, why is today the opposite?"
"Because I finally got answers, because I really want to find out what you are like when drunk, because I'm a soldier and we naturally party harder than anyone else, and because I quite literally just got divine permission to get wild! Take your pick."
Summer paused. "Okay, that's a lot of reasons… Wait, what was the second-"
"No time to think, let's go!"
"This is sooooooo gonna end badlyyyyyyy!"
-
"Aeon?"
"Yes Lucy?"
"Why do I have reports about no less than 3 bars burnt to the ground, 4 criminal organizations having an all-out war in the streets, a defaced national monument, and President Graham calling me to very politely inform me that no, pink fuschia suits for the Secret Service isn't a good idea? Also, the rubber duck. Don't even get me started on the rubber duck."
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"I have eye-witnesses swearing up and down that everything is the Summer Twins' fault." she growled.
"And I have no idea what you are talking about. Last I heard, they were just going out for a drink." I cheerfully said.
There was a moment of silence.
"Aeon?"
"Yes Lucy?"
"Fuck you."
"Tonight, love. Tonight."
I cut off the communication with a smirk while Lucy apparently tried her best to insult me in Deep Speech.
Which was impressive, considering we've yet to go to the Lovecraft universe.
Alas, poor Lucy.
You really should have known the true reason that I wanted you for CEO is just so that I wouldn't have to put up with the political and administrative bullshit a bit longer.
Hearing your lamentations while I sit smugly in my office is just a bonus, honest!
-
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we start the Epilogue of Resident Evil!
I tried to show off more on how Humanity was developing thanks to everyone pushing human society up in their own ways, while also giving good send-off to the characters of the setting.
Expect a few more next chapter, like with Alex Mercer and his sister, and that ought to end things up properly for the current jump.
Also, special credit to Isaac Arthur, because it's his videos I've based the first part of this chapter on.
And Chris' reaction to being a father was a reference to this video.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, we reach the end of the long, long jump that was Resident Evil/Prototype, and set things up for One Punch Man!