Despite how small it is retrospectively in the tower, Claire still struggles to locate Doc. The man has made himself scarce since the meeting. It took her far longer than should have been necessary to eventually find him. When she does find him, to top it all off, he isn't alone. Razor, Christian, and Cobalt are with him.
Upon seeing her Doc flashes, her a weary grin. "How's your... friend." The question lingers as Claire tries to differentiate his tone. It's not his usual worry or friendly tone. Something else was lining his voice. Something she has never heard before.
He knows, or at the very least suspects, she summarises. Deciding to be honest with everyone she walks over to the small table they are all standing around. "She's doing better now, but she needs to rest. Proper rest."
"Will her people delay the attack?" Doc eagerly asks. No doubt wanting to keep up to date with everything.
Although she still thinks it would be best to face Umbrella with Alice at full strength, she knows that her people have already delayed their initial attack twice already for Alice. They have lost their element of surprise and put the overall mission at stake.
So, with that Claire shakes her head. "No, they will still attack before dawn."
Doc nods to himself crossing his arms defensively.
It's Razor who breaks the awkward silence that forms soon after. "How are you daughters holding up." To others, it may have seemed like a safe subject. Who wouldn't be beyond happy about her daughter returning? However, it was the use of him saying daughters rather than daughter.
K-Mart might be hers, Angie and Becky being their sisters and Alice's, but she does not doubt that Jill will first and foremost always be their mother. Rather than bring back the building awkwardness Claire gives them her best fake smiles. "They are good. They are currently exploring the tower."
Cobalt looks between her and Doc sensing the tension that fills the air. "I'm happy for you Claire." She then gives Razor a look to which he nods. Both of them move to leave the room with only Chrisitan remaining behind his constant annoying glare trained on her.
When Cobalt gets to the door, she realises that Chrisitan hasn't taken the obvious hint to leave the room. Groaning the woman turns back marching over to Chrisitan and thus drags him out of the room ignoring his whining and grumbling.
Doc and her watches them leave before slowly turning back to each other. "Our friends really lack subtlety."
Claire rubs the back of her neck. "Yeah..." She draws out not sure how to start this conversation.
Luckily it seems Doc does. "Are we going to continue to pretend that Alice and K-Marts arrival means nothing."
"I didn't want it to get in the way of protecting the tower." She defends stepping closer to the table. "And... and I didn't know how to start this conversation."
Doc scoffs, lips curling to a pain-filled frown. "You don't seem able to start many conversations."
She winces at the accusation. "That's not fair." She weakly argues knowing that in this matter she is the one in the wrong.
"Not fair." Doc repeats hollowly supporting himself on the table. "What's not fair Claire was finding out my partner had a daughter, had a girlfriend that she was secretly waiting for to return. Was I just something to fill the time until you could be reunited with them."
"No... I... I... I thought they died..." Claire stammers. "I was sure Alice and K were dead." The number of times she has justified her actions by saying that is starting to get a bit tiring.
Doc doesn't look convinced by her argument. "Yet you never spoke of them." The second main underlying problem about Alice's return. Not just the fact that the woman she loves has come back but the fact that no one knew about her.
She can assume that Doc is just as insulted about how she never trusted him enough to open up about her past. Didn't make herself as vulnerable and willing to bare herself to Doc as he did with her.
Yet at night that is all she could see. Memories of her girls coming back to her little by little. Lost moments she was never sure were real or simply something dreamt. "I couldn't... I... It hurt too much."
The way her voice wavers and cracks fractures the cold look Doc had been shooting her. It didn't completely soften his outlook, but it did make him look more uncomfortable. He lets out a deep sigh. The fight seeping out with it.
"What does this mean for us Claire." He says it with a defeated tone like he already knows the answer.
"I care for you Doc." She begins not wanting to hurt his feelings any more than she already has done. "But... I love Alice."
He nods leaning over the table where his head sort of folds more into his body. "So you're picking her."
"It was never really a choice." She admits. It was never a choice. She was always going to pick Alice. She will always pick Alice.
Silence falls between them again and Claire utters one final apology before leaving him alone. She hates that she's hurt him. But not as much as she hates herself for hurting Alice and K-Mart. At least this was a start on fixing things between them. The first step of many.
"I remember you."
Chris seems startled at her words. Jumping in place at the sound of her voice then quickly twisting his tall frame to face her surprise written all across his face. "You do." He replies cautiously. Holding himself back from getting too excited.
Though she can see the flicker of a smile threatening to stretch across his lips. "Not everything." Claire quickly clarifies. "But I remember us working in a grange listening to bad rock music while working on a bike."
She can't remember what song was playing, what the grange looked like or even what bike it was. But she remembers him standing over her teasing her over something that had her turning beet red. He made another joke, and she jabbed him in the ribs. Chris fell to the floor being over dramatic mumbling how she's killed him.
They were young. Both still in their teens she thinks. Or maybe just her. She can't be certain. But he was there. She knows that.
Chris nods in understanding leaning over the captain's desk and fighting back the same smile he had when she finally got the bike working. "Do you remember our parents?" He asks nervously. The reunion he had envisioned for years not happening the way he expected it to left their relationship in a kind of limbo.
For a while, she wasn't even sure if he was who he said he was. The only person she trusted was Alice. Her girlfriend was the one to rescue her from the hellscape she found herself trapped in up in Alaska. Slowly the memories of their time together came trickling in.
Alice never pushed her to remember. Always so concerned with her comfort and safety as they travelled down the West Coast looking for the group, they were apparently a part of. Finding Chris again didn't have the same reaction as Alice.
With Alice, there was already a sense of belonging with her. Like she could trust the woman sitting in front of her while she didn't even know her own name. Surely if she had a brother the feeling would be the same.
Yet when they stumbled across Chris who claimed to be her brother there was no sense of belonging, so flashing memory, no hint of anything. Sure, the name registered with her but that was more due to the fact that Alice had mentioned Chris before.
Being around Chris at first had made her feel uneasy. He was waiting for her to be the person he knew she was. Not the person she was stuck as now. Alice had mostly acted as a buffer between them.
This memory of them working on the bike is the first solid flash of their shared past that she has experienced. Other than Alice the only people she really remembers are K-Mart and members of her convoy. But even then, most of it is jumbled forcing her to look to Alice on how to handle certain things.
"No." She plainly tells him. She wishes she could remember anything of her parents. Each flash helped to fill the void occupying her mind making her feel less like a person and more like a doll. Like she isn't even human anymore.
A look of dejection crosses Chris's face. The small budding hope he had dashed with a one-word answer. He nods more to himself then her. "That's ok." He meekly flashes her a smile. "It'll all come back eventually."
Claire isn't sure if his words were meant to reassure her or himself. But either way, neither of them were convinced.
Not knowing what else to say to her brother Claire turns and leaves the room offering a mumbled farewell. Instead, she sets off on searching for Alice hoping her girlfriend can give her the comfort she needs right now. Even when she doesn't understand what it is she needs herself.
Claire sits in between Chris and Abigal watching as Jill and Alice walk away from their little group to talk privately. The two of them casually leaning against the railing sharing a smoke like they've done it a thousand times.
The ease they have with each other unsettles Claire. Small bubbles of anger form in her blood watching them together. A building vexation ever since she first heard K-mart mention Jill being back in the picture. One that has only grown having seen the way they interact with one another and their kids.
Because that is what they are. Angie, Becky... Hell, even K-Mart are their kids now. And she feels like she has been pushed out of her own family. K-Mart was her daughter first. She was the one to raise her for years on her own before Alice came into the picture.
To now look at them like she's peeking through a window to their life hurts. But what hurts even more is the knowledge that she did this to herself. She made poor decisions in her own pain and is now reaping the consequences of said actions.
Still needing to vent her own frustrations and shortcomings Claire can't help but glare in Jill's direction as if she was the one to cause all of this. Blaming Jill is easier than blaming herself.
And as if sensing her ire Jill's gaze shifts from looking softly over the three sisters towards her. Meeting her glare head on with a mask of indifference that only furthers to fuel Claire's resentment towards the woman. Naturally Jill then decides to pour gasoline on the fire by smirking and saying something towards Alice which has her girlfriend doing that awkward shuffle she does when nervous about something.
She watches on as the two converse a little before whatever it is that Alice says shocks Jill. Shock quickly transforms into rage as she and Alice begin quietly arguing over something. Is it wrong that she feels some relief knowing that they aren't always so perfect with each other?
God if she heard anyone having this internal debate with themselves, she would be disappointed in them and angry on behalf of the other half. Yet it's how she feels. She knows it's wrong she really does. But she can't help it.
Besides it seems like whatever they were arguing about quickly fizzles out as now both women are laughing with each other like nothing was wrong with the world.
Maybe in their little world, it isn't.
Anger flares back up in her. Simmering under her skin burning through her veins as she watches how Jill looks at Alice. The way her eyes blatantly ran up and down her girlfriend's body. How Alice had then leant forward and kissed her head.
Indignation rules up within her and the need to storm over and demand answers to what they are doing almost wins. It would have if at that moment Chris hadn't reached out and grabbed a hold of her knee digging his nails and bringing her back to the conversation going on around her. "Come on Claire back me up here, the prison was not such a bad place to hold up."
There's a sharp edge to his voice. A do not do what I think you're going to do tone spoken so lightly that only the two of them can hear it. Swallowing her own rage, she retunes into what is going on with her group. Crystal and Angel seeming getting into an argument over the prison.
"I mean I wasn't there all that long. But it was nice to have running water." She argues back in support of Chris having no clue what has already been discussed.
Crystal nods her head in agreement, but her face scrunches up in disgust. "I would rather go without a shower then have to spend any more time around Bennett."
"Fucking Bennett." All four of them groan in perfect unison.
Abigail looks between them. "Who the fuck is Bennett and what did he do to piss you all off so much."
Everyone begins sprouting out their own reasons as to why they hated the arrogant ass and when it comes to her turn she simply says, "He tried to put a bullet in Alice's head then left us all to die, then presided to try to fuck us over again putting a knife through Alice's arm while trying to kill her."
She can still remember the fear she felt as she and Luthor were trying to break gown the gate screaming at Bennett and Kim Yong to stop. How across from them Alice and Chris arrived kicking up the stairway door and Alice emerging out first.
Only for Bennett to turn and fire three bullets exactly where Alice was standing. If she didn't have the quick reflexes instilled into her then her blood and brain matter would have been splattered against the metal reinforced door rather than the three wayward bullets denting the solid door.
Yet from where they were situated, she didn't see Alice throwing herself to the ground. She just saw Alice dart out of the doorway followed by three gunshots and Alice hitting the ground. For a few terrifying moments, she did envision Alice getting gunned down by that bastard.
But then Luthor kicked up the gate and Alice was back up on her feet. However, for a few moments, she had felt like everything was crashing around her. Kind of how she feels now. Expect this time it didn't right itself moments later. It is continuously growing worse for her, and she has no idea how to navigate everything. How to fix this mess she has created.
"I wouldn't worry too much." Crystal tries to reassure her. "I heard that Alice once died.. like died died." Empathised on the died part. "Was dead for like a month or something before she came back to life."
"Oh, that's not a rumour that's true." Angel happily informs Crystal ignoring the shocked, disbelieving looks of the tower's people.
Crystal leans forward eagerly. "How would you know."
"Valentine joked about it once." Angel casually shrugged but a pointed smirk lined his face. "Telling Alice that Umbrella killed her once and all that seems to have done is piss her off. What chance do they have a second time."
"Damn... I got to get closer to Valentine. She'll spill all the secrets." Crystal mutters to herself.
Angel just laughs. "Because she hates Wesker and Leon. Anything to screw them over."
Crystal joins in on the laughing turning to look at her and Chris. "There's a running betting pool on when Valentine will finally snap and punch Leon." For some reason, that bit of information does not surprise her one bit.
Angel leans back. "Most people have thrown in extra saying by the end of this she'll have done it."
Crystal looks at him like he just said the most obvious thing in the world. "Of that, I have no doubt."
"Why does Jill hate Leon so much," Chris asks looking between the former two prison crew members. Claire's own interest piques as well. She's heard things from K-Mart and Alice, but she does wonder what others think of Jill Valentine
The two friends look towards each other having a wordless conversation before Angel begins to explain. "Valentine doesn't care for anyone outside of their little family." That little family being Alice, K-Mart, Angie, Becky, Ethan, Mia and Rose she takes it. "Leon hates Alice and makes comments all the time. Jill in turn gets ready to throw hands each time."
She can relate to that. If anyone was talking shit about her family constantly, she would want to sock them in the mouth as well. So, she can respect Jill for wanting to do the same thing. Even if she hates her a little for it as well.
Crystal takes a slip of her drink. "Sadly, Alice, Ethan, Mia or one of the girls always stops her. But it's coming. She's going to do it one day." Why does it seem like everyone kind of wants to either punch Leon or watch him get punched?
From Alice and Jill, she can understand. The others... not so much.
"Alice already broke and knocked him out." Angel laughs taking the drink from Crystal and taking a mouthful himself.
"Man, I heard Jill was so pissed she missed that." Crystal gossips
Angel shrugs. "Probably for the best. If she had been there when he said that she wouldn't have stopped." Said what. What did he say to make Alice snap and Jill want to punch him even more? Just as she's about to pry a bit more Claire's attention is dragged away when she notices Ethan and Alice going off together.
Intrigued she decides to follow them. Maybe even get the chance to talk to Alice so more. She ignores the way Doc looks at her as she shrugs off his hand fully focused on the two super-powered siblings.
"You look ridiculous," Alice states firmly earning a loud laugh from the woman sitting across from her sipping a bottle of her cousin's finest wine. It's a white wine made from Trebbiano grapes. She and Ethan always important the family brand wine in for functions and have their houses well stocked with the stuff. Their cousin who took over the vineyard out near Florance gives them a discount since they are family. And having using the family wine at Umbrella functions is good for his business.
Alice herself isn't the biggest fan of white wine. Not that she would ever tell her family that. The outrage it would stir up is so not worth the effort. But she prefers Malbec wine from Argentina. Again, something she would not share with that side of the family.
Ethan pauses in the doorway pouting at her words. "I think I look cool." He tilts his white cowboy hat forward towards Mia. "Milady."
Alice rolls her eyes at his display, but Mia finds it charming. "I think he looks cute."
Taking a sip of her wine Alice fights back her own smile. It's nice to see her brother happy and free. Such a change from a few years ago. Something she knows that Mia was imperative for. "Yeah, but you're dating him, so I don't really trust your judgment."
Ethan takes a step back acting as if she physically hit him. "Wow, sis. Just wow. That hurts." He takes off his hat dropping it onto the side table before dropping down on the sofa next to Mia. His arm instinctively goes out to wrap around her shoulder and she leans into him.
"The truth hurts sometimes." She raises her glass as if toasting earning another laugh from Mia who joins her in her toast. "Best to find out now before you embarrass yourself in public and ruin the family image."
"You know you sound like father right now," Ethan says it in a joking way but the moment the words leave his mouth both siblings freeze tensing up as the words linger between them.
Alice gains her ability to move and speak first. Her voice was back but more empty then she would have liked. "Take that back Gelo. Non scherzarci nemmeno su questo." (Don't even joke about that."
Ethans shifts uncomfortably in his seat. Guilt poured off him in waves. "scusa sorella." (Sorry sister.)
"So che volevi scherzare, ma per favore... non farlo." (I know you meant it as a joke but please... just don't.) Alice can't hide the tremble in voice or the way her body shakes ever so slightly. Small tremors made her want to move around. To do something to get rid of the sudden nervous energy.
"L'hai visto di recente." (Have you seen him recently.) Ethan asks wearily.
"Si." That is all she is going to say on the matter. Seeing how Mia is looking between them Alice shakes off the feeling trying to bring the conversation back. It's not the first time she and Ethan have started talking in a different language around her. Most of the time they don't notice until Mia points it out to them. But this time she is aware. "How is Castagna," Alice asks wondering about the old horse changing the subject.
Castagna meaning chestnut was the horse her father gifted to her mother on their getaway ranch when she was born. The foal was a beautiful chestnut colour with a white patch on her head in a diamond shape. He also got her one when Ethan was born. His was a male horse with a Bay horse. A horse with a brown body with black shadings. He named him Mozart.
The Ranch was put into her and Ethan's name in their mother's will and for most of the year they rented the Ranch out. They try to come out as often as possible. Just to get away from city life and relax. Most of the workers have been working here for years. Only three have been here for the full twenty-five years her family has owned it. The rest normally fall under ten to fifteen years.
They currently have eighteen horses on the property. As well as some other farm animals. Their parents used to bring them out a lot when they were younger. They stopped coming after her mother died and her father had wanted to sell the ranch but since it was left to her and Ethan, they were able to keep it. When she turned eighteen, she took over the ranch in name and made sure it was well-funded and the workers were looked after.
"Her leg seems to be healing well," Ethan tells her pouring himself a glass of wine but stops before taking a drink looking back towards her with excitement building in his eyes. "Toppa is pregnant."
"Awww." Mia coos. "A baby horse is coming."
Alices smiles at the news. It's been a few years since they last had a horse pregnant on the ranch. "A foal yes," Ethan answers beaming towards Mia. "Elliot said she's around three months pregnant so the foal should be coming at the start of spring."
"I guess we will have to come out here around the due date then." Alice turns to Mia. "This will be your first foal won't it."
Mia nods. "Yeah, I've never seen a... foal in person before." Says the woman from Texas. Cowboy Central and she's never seen a foal. Shame.
"If we didn't own the ranch then we wouldn't have either," Ethan replies taking a sip of his wine. Ethan moves to grab the remote and begins looking through the channels.
"I still can't believe you guys own a ranch," Mia exclaims shaking her head.
Alice shrugs at this. To them it's normal but she knows to people not born into wealth the idea of having a ranch on the side is strange. Most of the people she went to boarding school with had similar things. "We're rich we own a lot of shit. But yeah, the ranch is one of our favourites."
They have the mansion in Columbus where they used to live with their father, they each own an apartment in their home cities, there's the ranch here, the ski lodge in Colorado which they share with Alicia their house in Florence for when they visit family, same with Kyiv, Alice holds three summer houses while Ethan has two, there are various other locations spread throughout the world, Alice also has the mansion left to her by Oswell in Raccoon City but she's put that more to help Umbrella. They are currently using it as a secret entrance to the Hive and have a couple of security operatives who are married living with them to look after the place and protect the entrance.
"Is it alright if I put the basketball on," Ethan asks looking between the two women.
Basketball was never really her go-to sport but she doesn't mind it playing in the background. Unless Gelo starts trying to tell her the play by play and throwing random facts and figures of players at her. Why should she care if Jalen Green has a block average of four, Luthor West has a three hundred and seven rebound stat or Lebron James has a three point average of four? What does any of the stats thrown at you mean? "Go for it."
"Is Mia putting Rose down," Alice asks breaking the silence between the two siblings. They had wandered out of the tower stepping over the scorch marks of the battle fought here barely two hours ago.
Ethan nods. "Yeah, I... I couldn't stay." His voice cracks. The weight of everything pressed down on him. Cracks forming under the pressure. "I was looking at her and it hit me you know. We'll likely be dead by tomorrow. I'm never going to see her grow up I'm… I'm going to miss everything."
She wonders if Ethan would regret leaving in a few hours. That maybe he wasted what little time he had with his daughter. She doesn't voice this through instead trying to reassure him not to give into grief. "We don't know that. Not for sure."
That earns her a small sad laugh. "Wow, you're being optimistic. The world truly must be over."
Her laugh is more real as she nudges his shoulder. "I can be hopeful. Why does everything think I can't be." She tries to joke only to stop remembering the last person who said the same thing to her.
Ethan too lost in his own problematic feelings doesn't see the shift in her. "Because we've met you." He replies blissfully unaware.
"Shut up." She says with no real venom. "But I get it. I'm the same with my girls. I don't particularly want to die. But if it saves them then I'll do it in a heartbeat."
Ethan looks at her in understanding before his eyes drift to overlooking the city. A more thoughtful frown lines his face as he looks out over the darkness. "Issacs will be there won't he?"
"Yes." She confirms.
His shoulders sag as he takes a deep breath. "What about them." He doesn't need to clarify who they are. "I mean if this is the final battle wouldn't they be there."
"I don't know." Truthfully, she doesn't. If she had to bet, she would assume maybe their father would be there. But she doesn't know for sure. All she knows is that all three of them are still alive somewhere. That's the extent of her knowledge.
"Is it wrong of me to want to see Alicia again?"
"No... I feel the same... I just... I... I don't know if we could trust her." It pains her to say it. To admit it out loud. It's something she has been trying to ignore for a long time now. The idea that Alicia isn't as innocent in all of this as she prays, she is.
Ethans lets out a pained broken laugh. "They say if you can't trust family, you can't trust anyone. But I bet those people were never raised in a family like ours. Where everyone is looking out for themselves holding a knife in their hand ready to stab the others if needed."
"I never used to be able to fathom Alicia turning on us." She confesses. Even now the words feel weird and wrong on her tongue. "And I don't want to believe that she did. That our sister who lived through a similar hell to us could turn us. Could allowed Umbrella to do all this..." Her hand flickers out basking in the nothingness that surrounds them. The way the world has become desolate and shrivelled up. "I... I don't know what I would do with that knowledge. To suffer through another person, I love hurting and betraying me. I'm getting rather tired of it. Everyone seems to hurt me one way or another."
For years she always believed it was Alicia who freed her from Detroit. That it was her who tipped off Jill, Carlos and LJ about her whereabouts. But it wasn't Alicia. It was Ada. Alicia let Issac's experiment on her.
How could Alicia sit they and allow this to happen?
"I've always had your back." Ethan reminds her. "And you've always had mine. No matter what comes we will face it together." They bore the brunt of their father's rage together. Every Scream, threat, hit, broken bone and choked cry. They survived because they had each other.
"You and I brother drank the same poison. We let it seep into us and turn us into something... unnatural." Even now she can hear the small murmurs of everyone around her. The calming beats of their hearts. They made have turned them into something inhuman but that doesn't make them monsters. The people she loves and cares about have hammered that into her for so long that she's actually starting to believe it. "But we endured. We made it out alive. Someone how we are still standing."
"Our family really is fucked up." Understatement. "But it ends with us. I won't allow our girls to suffer as we did." Ethan vows a renewed fire burning within him. "We believed the lie once upon a time. The lie we told ourselves to make all the pain seem better."
The fear that if they spoke the truth that everything would become worse. That their suffering would intensify.
"Issac's will be guarding the cure. Alicia and... father as well." Ethan continues. "Maybe more people we grew up with. But we can't let that stop us."
She knows what he is saying without actually saying it. The only way this ends is if everything ends. Everyone involved must die. Issac's, their father, Alicia... them. The bad seeds must be destroyed in order for the others to flourish once more.
"Our uncle told me that the reason I have failed too much is because I don't know what it is I'm fighting for. That it was too vague." He took great pleasure in mocking her like that. "And in some ways, I guess he was right. But now I know. Becky, K-Mart, Angie, Rose, Mia, Claire, Jill, Chris. They are who I fight for."
Ethans stands up tall. "This all started with us. Now it ends with us. Kind of poetic really." When the sun rises tomorrow hopefully this will all be over. And with it's end the end of the family who caused all of this suffering with it.
"I never meant to cause you any pain," Issac utters in a false self of pain over his actions. Like he truly believes it but can't help himself.
Alice scoffs at hearing this. "The killing me over and over again begs to differ." Annoyance slips into her voice as she pulls on her chains making a rattling sound in the enclosed tank. The other survivors in the cages watch on in silence. Eyes downcast too afraid of Dr Issacs to face him.
K-Mart is locked up next to her and watches the two of them closely. She's heard of Dr Issacs before. Of Alice's uncle who did horrible things to her. She had told the teen a little about him not wanting to dive into the full trauma of her past. Angie and Jill have mentioned him a few times after their own experiences with the man.
Experiences that make Alice's own hate of the man she once looked up to more than anyone burn stronger than that of the pure hatred she has for her own father.
Looking down on her Issac seems more disappointed in her than angry. She almost laughs at that. It took her a while to figure out, but Issacs and her father played her well. Her father uses anger to keep her scared of him and in line. While Issacs would use the threat of disappointment to keep her obeying. To do things she would never do otherwise because she was too afraid to disappoint what she thought was the one adult who cared about her. "You betrayed me, Janus. Betrayed everything our family has stood for. There were going to be consequences."
"If this is what we stand for then I'm glad I stand against it." He may have used disappointment on her in the past, but she is way past that. Those little tricks don't work on her anymore. Not from him at least.
Issac sighs as if disappointed in her even more. "You are strangely more optimistic than you led others to believe. But even you could see the way the human race was heading. What it would mean."
She's heard from Wesker what her uncle proposed. How he was able to win support from the board. A needless sacrifice of the many so the few could survive. "So, you killed everyone."
Issac's eyes narrowed at her. "I made it possible for the human race to rise again from the ashes. Just as Noah did during the flood."
She almost laughs at that. Knowing it isn't the best idea she hurts his ego she really can't stop herself from saying, "Your no prophet uncle. Just a power-hungry man."
"Yet it's my people who are still alive... Tell me Alice... how many have died for you... because of you."
Alice shakes his head refuting his words. She knows what he's doing. He's trying to get in her head. Play on her guilt and self-hatred. He's known her long enough to know what weak points to apply pressure to. "You did that."
"The Hive, Raccoon City, The Purge, your little convoy, Arcadia, Prime, Washington." Each listed failure feels like a dagger to the heart. A reminder of how she was never good enough. Never able to protect those who looked to her. Every mistake was thrown back in her face as the memories of the people she lost at each location flashed through her mind. "How many have died because you just can't admit it."
"Admit what." She almost shouts. Almost loses what little composure she manages to snatch on to. She won't give him that. Won't let him see how even after all this time he can still hurt her with ease.
"That you've lost." He laughs at her. "Because you can't see it can you? You lost the moment you hesitated to kill me, hesitated to turn on Umbrella. You made all this possible."
"No." She states firmly but looks away from him.
"Your actions set all this in motion." Issac's mocks gleefully.
"No." She repeats again but some of her firmness has slipped.
And like a shark in the water, he latches on to it going in for the kill. "Yes. You had the chance to end this. To stop this. Multiple chances. Yet you did nothing. Because deep down you know we're right. What we did was right."
Her heart rate kicks up a gear as she refutes his words. "That's a lie." Nothing about what he has done is right. Not one single aspect.
"Is it. After everything you've done for Umbrella was this really so much worse." He smiles towards her as she sits there in silence. Memories of her actions on missions for the operatives flashed through her mind. The crimes she committed in Umbrella's name. "You knew what we were doing and you closed your eyes to it because some part of you agreed with it. Your apathy to your actions and ours allowed us to get everything ready."
She grits her teeth. "It wasn't apathy." She mutters. She hates how he is kind of right. She knew. She always knew some of what they were doing was shady. Was criminal at best. But she always believed in the end goal without knowing what the end goal was. She trusted them to be on the right side of history. Not the side that tried to erase it.
Momentary Issacs seems surprised at her words. "Oh."
"It was love," Alice admits looking back up to meet his gaze. "Love for you, love for Alicia, for the company my mother died for. Everything I did was to help the company and the people. Not this." She never wanted this.
Issac's smile widens as he crouches down in front of her. His blade caressed her face but not cutting. "And that is why you lost. Why do you always keep losing? Because in your heart you don't know what it is you are fighting for You're fighting for too much. Too many ideas. It creates a conflict in you. I do however know what I am fighting for. I am fighting for a better world. A world we can create together."
Is he asking her to join him? To put an end to humanity once and for all. To destroy the last little parts of her that are good and pure. The only things that make her feel human anymore.
"I gave you everything of me. I gave you all I had. And you didn't care." A pitiful laugh escapes her. "None of you did. All you care about is the games you play with each other to come out on top." The game of chess her father and Issacs have been playing for years to determine which one of them is the best. How she Ethan and Alicia were nothing but pawns in that game. "Is this what it's all about... Winning. Tell me, uncle... What is the prize." She spits him at him.
He recoils and wipes his cheek. A fury burns behind his eyes but she doesn't break her gaze with him. She won't back down from him. Not now. Not ever. "Right now." He slowly stands back up his voice filled with venom. "Seeing you cast down and punished for your traitorous actions."
That was a given. "And then."
"Then Alicia will be dealt with for her treason because you never would have acted alone." She doesn't move at the accusation. Doesn't flinch nothing he is right. Alicia started this. She brought Alice back into the game and since then she has done all she could to disrupt Umbrella's plans. "And you never would go against Alicia. But I'll deal with her another day. It's not like she has long left."
"You're a monster." Monster isn't even close to the type of man Issacs is.
He doesn't bat an eye at her accusation. He stays cool and collected. "You have your truth and ideals, and we have ours. God will decide in which one of us is right in our convictions. We are all tested in one way or another. Mine is to overcome my feelings of love and care for you. The daughter I never had."
Those words make her feel sick. Because she knows it's true. She was the closest to him. Tried to follow in his footsteps. She looked to him as the better version of her father. But nothing he did for her was out of love like it was for her. She was nothing to him. And now nothing has changed. He would kill her in a heartbeat if it meant he would win.
The only reason he hasn't killed her is because he likes it. Likes the power of holding her prisoner. At being the one to bring her down. He wants to hurt her to prove to everyone that he is better. "How can you call me that when you ripped everything from my hands? When you're swearing to take what little I have left for your own pleasure. You distorted everything that I was. You destroyed me just to say you that you've won."
His damn arrogant smile broadens. "Are you admitting defeat?"
Even more, all he cares about is winning. She shakes her head in her own disappointment. How could she have been so blind? "I gave you all once. I would have died for you... Now I'm going to kill you."
He laughs at her threat. "We shall see about that... Janus."
"You won't win." Even if she does die before that someone will take him down. The resistance is ready to strike. She may not survive this encounter, but he won't either. Both of their days are numbered. She just hopes she will live long enough to see him fall from this pedestal he's put himself on.
"Maybe... but in the end neither will you... Like you've said I've already taken it all from you. I've already won this battle. Yet you still fight one. I admire you for that. When I wipe out the Raccoon City settlement, we can continue this little talk." Glancing a look to K she nods in agreement. Their original plan will have to wait. Some people in Raccoon City need her help. She won't let them be harmed like so many others. "Right now, I'm more interested in you tell me how you know about the Hive."
She runs into Claire on their way back. The red-haired woman leaning against the wall awaiting them. She and Ethan share a look where he wishes her luck before carrying on leaving her alone with Claire.
"I ended things with Doc," Claire utters the moment they are alone.
The declaration catches her off guard as Alice stumbles back at the sudden force of Claire's words. "Are you ok?" This is the only question her mind can conjure up.
"Yes." Claire seems lighter, and more relaxed. Like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. "Honestly I feel more relief about having dealt with the issue then I feel bad about hurting him."
That shouldn't make Alice smile. It really shouldn't. Yet she can't bring it in herself to care. A broad smile breaks out onto her lips as she moves closer to Claire leaving them with virtually no space between them.
"You know tomorrow I could die." She mumbles not wanting to ruin this potentially very happy moment but also not wanting Claire to commit to something that might not last more than half a day.
Claire though was not as deterred as she would have expected. If anything, her words of caution irate Claire more than anything. "In this world, anyone could die at any second. I could die in the Hive tomorrow; Chris could die, or we all could live. I'm not going to waste what little time I might have left with you all because something might happen. We did that once before Alice. And it was awful. I want to be with you. For as long as we can be together. I've already messed things up and wasted a day without you. I won't do that anymore."
Claire's heartfelt speech reminds Alice of the conversation they had after Claire said I love you for the first time. It invokes the same heart-racing disbelief as it had done the first time.
"Dorogoy," (my dear) slips from her lips making Claire preen. "Are you-
"Yes, Alice. I'm certain." Claire reassures her nudging forward, so they are a breathes whisp apart. "It's you, Alice. I'm always going to pick you." The certainty Claire says it with washes away any lingering doubts.
Not wanting to waste any more time Alice tenderly cups Claire's face before bringing their lips together again. However this doesn't fix everything between them, and they still have a lot to figure out and talk about. For now, it's enough.
It's them. And that's all she really needs right now.
"I want to go with you to the Hive." Is the first thing Angie says the moment Alice hears after Angie had tracked her and Claire down demanding to talk to her and Jill alone.
Every time she and Claire try to have a moment here it always gets interrupted. Nonetheless, she reluctantly broke away from Claire mentioning they would meet up soon chasing after a very determined Angie.
"Certainly not." Jill snaps earning an annoyed look from Angie who goes to argue with her some more, but Jill speaks before she could. "Forget Angie that is not happening. I barely want to go to the Hive. You know better than most about what horrors await us. Do you really think me or Alice would allow you to come?"
"Why not? What's the worst that could happen." Alice's mind runs rampant remembering every awful thing that took place in that godforsaken place. All the ways people could die. All the ways people she cared about died. Images of Angie or K-Mart taking their place cycle through her thoughts. She wants to tell Angie this to make her aware of the dangerous they face but Angie beat her to it scoffing harshly. "Me dying. Isn't that the goal of the Hive anyways. When we succeeded me mum and uncle Ethan will all die. So why not."
The truth of her words hit Jill. Though Janus said it is highly unlikely that Angie will perish from the cure it's not a certainty. And even if she doesn't then the disease that once riddled her and her father would slowly creep back in.
"Angie." Jill coos softly.
"This is a one-way trip for the three of us." Angie continues fiercely in her defence of joining them in the Hive. "And it has been ever since Umbrella made their decision and altered our lives. Some people die in fighting like Carlos. Some people die in their sleep. Some die for stupid reasons. Some die for no reason at all. And this is my chance to die for something I believe in. I can fight for everyone else chance at a future away from this all this."
Jill looks towards her for support on the matter. To find a way to convince Angie to remain here with Becky, Rose, Mia and K-Mart. But she will say that Angie is that. It's her choice.
She despises every aspect of it but if the roles were reversed Alice knows she would want the same thing. Besides, even if they do get her to stay here it would be highly probable that Angie would try and follow on her own. And in doing so would put her in even more danger.
Not to mention if Angie tries to sneak after them K-Mart will follow as well.
When Jill does see that she won't get the support she wants from Alice she sighs glaring at the ground trying to think of another solution to the one they all already know.
"Mum, I don't want to spend my last day alive sitting around waiting for death to claim me." Angie pleas. "That sounds horrific. Let me help. Let me do something other than wait. Let me be there when we get the anti-virus and save the world. Let my death at least have some kind of meaning."
The fight seemingly leaves Jill at hearing this as the former Stars member swears under her breath eyes clenched before opening them and poking Angie in the chest. "You stick by my side the entire time and do everything I say understand."
"Yes." Angie eagerly nods practically vibrating on the spot. "Thank you, mom." She utters giving Jill and tight hug before doing the same with Alice and then running off. No doubt to inform K-Mart of the new plan. Which means in about five minutes K will come running to her and Claire asking the same thing.
For fuck sake.
"I hate this fucking place," Jill mutters.
Alice almost says it's going to get worse but smartly stops herself and instead agrees with Jill's assumption of the situation.
They then barely make it three steps before Leon appears out of the shadows and dragging them to an emergency secret meeting with Ada and Wesker. The look of disdain Jill sends Leon is ignored as the five of them meet in a dark hidden corner of the tower. Can she get a second to herself?
"We should head to the Hive now." Leon starts with his eyes scanning every shadow around them.
Alice's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Why? We have a plan."
Leon's gaze snaps to her. "A plan that everyone here knows including the spy working for Umbrella. We take a team and sneak off. By the time people realise we are gone we will already be inside."
"And how do you plan on getting past all of the dog's things," Jill asks as that is why they agreed to take two teams. Battling through those dogs won't be easy.
Leon looks more annoyed at her question then he rightly should be. "I figured Alice could make herself useful and deal with them."
"Fuck you," Alice responds to the insult.
Leon just shakes his head and starts pacing. Agitation pours off of in with every step he takes. "The longer we wait the better prepared they are. We move now we catch them off guard. We have the others continue with the plan, but we all need to leave now."
"And what about the rest of our forces." Ada interrupts speaking for the first time since Leon dragged them all here. "Are they just meant to sit around?" They have an army. Why aren't they going to use it?
"No," Leon responds much more kindly to Ada then he did to either her or Jill. Figures. "They will enact the plan as we discussed. Just a little more delayed than Umbrella is expecting."
Alice and Jill side-eye each other. The whole reason they are waiting to attack was to give her more time to recover after the battle for the tower and allow surveillance to be gathered to form a plan. But they have done all that now. She might not be one hundred per cent but when has that ever stopped her. "As much as I hate to admit it. He might be right."
Wesker nods in agreement. "Leon, Ada quietly gather all the supplies and make sure to grab the suppressed guns. Alice, Jill grab Sheva and Ethan." One team can move quickly and the less people she has to protect the better.
"What about Angie and K-Mart." Jill points out. They did just say she could come.
"Do you think they are ready for this," Wesker asks them. Do they think they are ready... she doesn't know. But she knows that neither of them are going to take no for an answer. "Alert them. Our original plan of working in two teams was good. Like Leon said we will do it just not the way Umbrella is expecting. Valentine take Ethan, Sheva and your girls and hit from the back. Ethan should remember his way around the mansion. The rest of us attack from the front." Wesker turns to leave then stops himself. "Also grab the Redfields. They have proven themselves useful in these types of situations."
They at least get the least dangerous part of the mission. And with Ethan and Sheva backing them up she knows K-Mart and Angie will be safe.
Everyone nods and heads off leaving Alice and Jill. Jill looks are her worriedly. "Can you handle this?"
"What choice do I have? Besides, I'll most likely be dead by morning. Who cares about overusing my powers with that in mind." Jill doesn't look convinced at her poor joke slash truthful statement. She can do this. She has to be able to do this. "Come on. We have a world to save and my family line to end."