On the road

The train sped forward, and in the meantime, Jacob was looking at his handheld computer, monitoring the status of the drones.

"[...Explosive drones. Quantity: 200 Status: Active...]"

All the drones were in good condition; the metallic backpack from which they emerged was riddled with holes, through which the drones deployed.

Jacob slung the backpack over his shoulders while gripping his weapon and preparing for their arrival. Suddenly, the train came to a halt, and the exterior lights slowly illuminated as the team disembarked progressively.

Everyone advanced swiftly and vigilantly. "Jacob, use your drones!" James ordered, maintaining his alertness.

"Understood!" Jacob replied as he pressed buttons on his handheld computer. Six drones moved into position, and he then brought out a modified thermal telescopic scope that displayed images captured by the drones.

These drones moved in patterns, scanning for any movements with unregistered images. Jacob had already recorded his entire team's images in his database.

Alice, Matt, and Spence watched in amazement as the drones shot out from Jacob's backpack. Suddenly, a drone halted at Matt's head level; he looked at it, bewildered. Then, the drone emitted a flash of light similar to a camera's, repeating the process with Alice and Spence.

"Don't dodge it; it's capturing your faces to ensure you don't hinder observation," Kaplan explained. After registering their faces, the drone moved forward.

"So far, nothing!" Jacob shouted as he walked towards the obstructed entrance.

As they climbed the stairs, Alice, gazing at James, said, "Listen, I want to know who you all are and what's going on."

James paid her no mind as he stared at the sealed door. Frustrated by his lack of response, Alice tugged at his sleeve and insisted, "Tell me now!"

James began speaking directly to Alice and Spence, who was handcuffed. "You and I have the same boss. We work for the Umbrella Corporation. The mansion above is an emergency entrance to the hive. You two are security operatives tasked with protecting that entrance."

Jacob, positioned at the rear, observed James explaining to the agents, just in front of a police officer.

"Explain this to me," Alice said, showing the ring to James.

"Your marriage is fake, part of your job. To protect the Hive's secret."

"And what is the Hive?" Spence Parks asked.

James hesitated for a moment, glanced at Kaplan, and said, "Let them see it."

Kaplan produced a computer from who knows where and displayed the schematics of the Hive.

"Raccoon City, the nearest urban center. The mansion where we found you and gained access to the train that led us to the Hive underground. It's a secret research facility operated by the Umbrella Corporation. More than five hundred technicians, scientists, and security personnel are stationed there. They live and work underground."

Jacob, listening in astonishment, realized that this corporation had serious security flaws if a single agent could cause such chaos.

Meanwhile, Rain Ocampo was breaking down a door with an unknown device.

"Why can't I remember anything?" Spence Parks asked James.

James was about to explain when a dry cough echoed up the stairs. "Boss, is it okay to explain all of this in front of the cop, who we're not even sure is a real cop?"

James was momentarily taken aback, looking at Matt, who had ears as attentive as a rabbit's. "Well, either way, there are only two possibilities for you to return to your normal life: join the corporation's ranks or die," James explained with a hint of discomfort.

"As for why you can't remember anything, it's because the mansion's security systems were triggered by computers."

James wanted to say more when Rain emerged and said, "Boss, we breached the Hive."

"Good, let's move forward."

The massive Hive door swung open, and many had their weapons aimed, ready to fire. James turned his head, approaching the entrance. Meanwhile, J.D. asked, "Jacob, you can't send your drones to scout the place, can you?"

"No, my drones struggle in darkness," Jacob replied, shaking his head.

"What? Are you scared of the dark?" Rain Ocampo taunted mockingly.

"Nonsense!"

James and J.D. were at the entrance. James glanced at Salinas, then looked at J.D., who understood the message. Stepping into the darkness, they advanced slowly, and suddenly, the lights came on. "It's all clear now."

The doctor took out a device and said, "The gas has dissipated. The area is safe."

James, J.D., and Commando 1 were trying to open the elevator. Seeing that it was downstairs with broken brakes, he said, "We need to find the stairs..."

The rest of the team moved forward, descending the stairs. After a few minutes, James asked, "What's going on?"

"The Red Queen locked us in. She knows we're here," Kaplan replied, looking at the data on his handheld computer.

"Who's the Red Queen?" Alice asked.

"She's the creation of an artificial intelligence, the computer that controls the Hive..."

As they moved towards the laboratories, Kaplan said, "This will save us some time. Our route to the Red Queen goes through the labs."

"Rain, J.D., and Jacob, check the flooding."

Jacob watched as Rain and J.D. waded through water filled with corpses.

When they moved away from the group, Taha murmured, "Did you know this water is probably from dead scientists?"

Rain turned her head towards Jacob with a furrowed brow.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't say anything," Jacob said, respecting Rain greatly, so he kept quiet.

"Yes, Jacob, better not say anything unnecessary that might put us in a bad mood," J.D. responded with a smile.

"The whole floor is flooded. We should go back," Jacob suggested as the water continued to rise.

"Alright," the others responded.

Upon returning, Jacob was leading the group of three. When they rejoined the others, he said, "Boss, this whole floor is flooded."

"I expected as much. We're behind schedule. We need to keep moving," James ordered as he continued to advance.

The group moved forward, leaving J.D., Rain, and Jacob behind. They stopped, looking at the corpse-filled water. "They came, I told you. Water of the dead..."

Rain observed them with complicated eyes and muttered, "Poor fools."

...

After a short while, they arrived at a door where Kaplan entered a code, and they quickly went inside. Commandos 1 and 2 followed along with the others.

"Kaplan!" James shouted, approaching him to look at the computer.

"This is Dining Area B, that's what the map says," Kaplan explained, looking puzzled.

"If scientists eat here, that would explain how merciful the Red Queen was with these poor souls," Jacob calmly said. Everyone looked at him with strange expressions. Some of his fellow soldiers were used to his behavior. He would often make unfunny jokes in nerve-wracking moments.

'Maybe I should lay off the dark humor...' Jacob thought with a little embarrassment. He just couldn't help it.

"Perhaps you read it wrong," J.D. said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Perhaps the corporation keeps secrets down here, something we shouldn't see," Matt Addison chimed in, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Perhaps a cop's opinion doesn't matter," Jacob retorted, moving forward.

James shot Matt an irritated glance, acknowledging the brutal truth. He looked at the soldier by his side and said, "J.D., you and Rain keep an eye on him and secure the exit."

"Sir, there are no gas residues in this area. I think the system malfunctioned," the doctor said as James approached and showed her the location.

"Alright, there might be survivors. Search for them, but be quick," James ordered, nodding his head as the others moved ahead.

Jacob lingered back a bit and approached J.D. "Hey, J.D., could you help me with my equipment? It's pretty heavy..."

"What? Are you already tired?" J.D. asked with a smile. "I might have to step up your training when we get back."

"Okay, just help me with half of it. It's not that much," Jacob said, pressing some buttons when suddenly the large backpack split in two.

Handing over one half to J.D., he received it with a surprised expression. "It's incredible how technology advances."

"If you say so, then it's okay. Thanks for the help," Jacob said as he sprinted ahead.

J.D. strapped on the smaller backpack, unaware that it contained 100 explosive drones.

Then he looked at Rain, who was standing still, and said, "For the toughest woman around, since you'll be here, could you carry this advanced drone? It can alert you if anything's wrong and warn you if there's any harmful gas."

Jacob was handing her a drone with an intelligent assistant controlling it. Given that his mission in this world was to ensure more people survived, he had to play all his cards.

Rain Ocampo hesitated for a moment before accepting the drone and asked, "How does this thing work?"

"Don't worry, it'll alert you if anything unusual happens. Well, I have to move forward. Take care and stay safe," Jacob said as he ran on, joining the others.

"What's that...?" J.D. asked as he approached.

"Jacob says it'll let us know if something's off. I think this piece of junk can't even turn on," Rain explained, with a strange expression.

"I think Jacob comes up with some useful inventions. Maybe it's one of his new creations," J.D. mused.

"Nonsense... What are you looking at? Keep moving!" Rain shouted at Matt, who had a curious expression on his face.