Inside Hell

Jacob and the others had already progressed. The five drones that had been deployed were at the front of the team, observing any abnormal movements that could hinder their progress.

On the fifth drone, the team had removed their masks. Jacob, from the back, saw that Command 1 and Command 2 were always at the forefront, along with J.D. Salinas. James never left Alice Abernathy's side, and Matt Addison was being guarded by Rain Ocampo.

"Jacob, have you found anything?" Rain was skeptical, as she had expected all of this to be much more intense.

"No, there's no sign of life at the moment," Jacob gave the same answer as before.

"No signs of life, are they all dead?" Matt Addison muttered, his doubt evident. Perhaps Rain didn't hear it, but Jacob did, which made him furrow his brow.

Since they entered the mansion, many things had changed. Rain Ocampo and J.D. Salinas didn't enter through the window and immediately subdued Matt. Instead, they entered through the back door and positioned themselves where they should have been based on the movie.

Following the route they were taking, they were now close to the train station, and along the way were silver crates. The black crates further ahead held special equipment supposedly meant to shut down the Red Queen.

Jacob glanced at his watch, 2:49, 38 seconds.

"[Master, my systems have fully infiltrated the Hive. I can provide you with a much broader view of everything happening around!]" his intelligent assistant informed.

"Don't change anything; we must maintain control of the situation and provide support." Jacob had his plans within this Hive.

"Let's go, we can't afford to fall behind!"

Chad Kaplan entered first and went directly to the train's controls. Shortly after, Jacob entered, followed by James. Rain Ocampo, with the prisoner in tow, brought up the rear.

"We have no power!" Chad Kaplan shouted to James.

"Fix it," ordered James, surveying the area.

"I'm on it!" Rain replied, descending through a hatch beneath the train.

Back above, Jacob hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching James and asked, "Isn't it strange? Why was the train without power?"

"I don't know. All I know is we need to be on the alert for potential enemies within the facility," James responded as he analyzed all these small details.

"That's true," Jacob replied indifferently.

"Have you seen anything noteworthy?" James asked, changing the subject.

"No, there's nothing."

"And what about these tubes? Are we playing architect?" Jacob asked Matt Addison with doubt.

"Huh? Are you talking to me?" Matt Addison asked, looking confused.

"Just ignore him, he's like that," J.D. Salinas replied, crouching to startle Rain Ocampo. Meanwhile, Jacob remained attentive to many movements, observing everything happening. He remembered what happened next, and even though there were variables, he always tried to follow the same path.

"Boss, if the Red Queen turns hostile, wouldn't it be better to disable the surveillance cameras along the way? It would save us a lot of time..." Jacob recalled that in the movie, the Red Queen obstructs the team's path to shut her down. The elevator that should have worked before stopped functioning. He thought about this as he lowered his backpack and the drones that had been flying returned to his side.

"Negative, we can't ruin too many things in the Hive. That's left for the higher-ups to analyze what caused such a disaster," James replied, shaking his head.

'Wasn't a bad idea to try,' Jacob thought as he stored the drones in his backpack.

Suddenly, the train started up. The sound, apparently coming from the engine, began to emit an attention-grabbing noise.

"Everything alright?" Chad Kaplan asked as he pressed the button to close the train's hatch on the ground. Command One and the others immediately started loading equipment onto the train to shut down the Red Queen.

Chad Kaplan began pressing buttons, and the train started moving. Rain Ocampo tried to open the door, but it was too tight.

Seeing that Alice and Matt were looking at her like she was strange, Rain asked with a serious expression, "Do you have a problem?"

Observing Rain's movements, James approached and asked, "What's wrong with the door?"

"It's closed..."

"Allow me!" J.D. Salinas suggested as he approached and winked at Rain.

Jacob approached with his weapon raised, ready to see whether the next person would exit the door or not.

J.D. Salinas approached and forcefully moved the lever to open the door. "You don't need help, right?" Jacob asked with a joking tone.

"Relax, Jacob. This door is rusty; that's probably why it's difficult to open," Salinas responded, somewhat nervously. He wanted to continue his speech, but suddenly, the door swung open, and a man in a black jacket emerged.

'Spence Parks,' Jacob thought with a curious look. This guy from the movie had unclear intentions. It was uncertain whether his actions were driven by love and his relationship with Alice or simply by money and ambition.

When Spence Parks came out of the door, J.D. Salinas, James, Rain, and Jacob aimed their weapons at him. Matt and Alice looked at him in confusion.

He was unconscious, and J.D. Salinas was taken aback for a moment, his breathing becoming erratic. Once they ensured everything was secure, Rain Ocampo drew a mischievous smile and said to Salinas, "Surprised?"

Alice stood dazed, looking at Spence Parks on the ground. 'Flashbacks can be tough,' Jacob thought, observing Alice's bewilderment.

"Why is this person here?" Jacob asked, keeping his weapon pointed at Spence.

"Doctor, check his condition," James ordered as he stepped back, making room for medical attention.

Jacob approached James and whispered, "Boss, isn't this quite strange? This agent, who's inside the train directly connected to the Hive, isn't he supposed to be in the mansion as a guard, alongside the woman in the red dress?"

"Doesn't it seem suspicious? Suddenly, the Red Queen goes crazy, attacking everyone, and the higher-ups deduce it's an external attack. Now we find an agent out of his jurisdiction right here."

James, known as "One," raised an eyebrow and looked toward Spence Parks on the ground, who was receiving treatment from the doctor. He seemed confused and disoriented, signs that he had lost his memory due to the defense systems.

"So, Jacob, what's on your mind?" James asked Jacob while watching him closely.

Jacob was taken aback by James' sudden question. He hadn't thought of this outcome. He was simply playing the cards he now had available to ensure his survival—don't misconstrue it.

He would never judge a person based on their future actions observed in a movie; this was real life, and he wasn't that kind of person. He wouldn't kill someone just because they were evil or would later betray others, causing anger.

Killing Spence Parks right now wouldn't benefit him in any way. It would only silence his internal thoughts and discomfort.

"I suggest we keep him under surveillance. If he's lost his memory, we don't know if he's a friend or foe. Let's finish the job, and then let the corporation take care of these two agents and the supposed policeman," Jacob responded while looking at Spence Parks.

"You've got a point. I'll consider it," James said as he approached the doctor and the somewhat dazed man on the ground. Then he walked closer and watched the doctor examining Spence, with D.J. and Rain standing beside them.

"What are the chances that this guy didn't fall onto the train tracks at that speed and is still unconscious?" Jacob asked J.D. Salinas. His sudden question startled Salinas, making him jump and earning a laugh from Rain.

"For heaven's sake, Jacob, don't startle me from behind like that. My combat reflexes might end up hurting you," Salinas responded, recovering from the scare.

"Maybe he was just really lucky," Rain mused.

"Tell me, what's your name?" the doctor asked Spence, making a few movements to assess his condition.

Spence Parks looked at the doctor in confusion and said, "I... don't remember."

The doctor looked at One and said, "It's fine; he lost his memory just like the others."

Spence got up from the ground while holding the back of his neck. Jacob wasn't sure if it was due to the memory-wiping drug or the impact from falling to the ground.

"Oh my God," Spence muttered.

"Since he's fine, put him in handcuffs and leave him with the others," James ordered as he headed to the train's control cabin.

Jacob wasted no time; he approached Spence and helped him up, placing handcuffs on his back. "It's not personal, buddy."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Spence asked, tightly closing his eyes.

"It's because we don't know if you're a friend or foe given your current situation. You left your position, and shortly after, chaos engulfed this place," Jacob explained while giving him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Don't think the worst. If everything checks out, you'll be released once we're out of here."

"Fine," Spence said as he moved closer and sat beside Alice.

As Spence walked away, Jacob whispered to J.D. and Rain Ocampo, "Be careful with that guy."

"Got it!" they both responded.

"Don't worry," Rain replied as she kept watch by the door.