Imperium of Man Terra Aeterna Season 01: Rise of Humanity's War Machin

"I'm going into that building. Want to look around," Alice said to Reuel before walking away.

Alice disappeared into the structure.

Meanwhile, Ada Wong stood at the edge of the rooftop, staring down at the horde of zombies swarming below like a sea of death. Her face was calm, but her eyes held something deeper.

Reuel stepped up beside her. "Ada Wong, what are you thinking about?"

Ada didn't answer right away. Her gaze remained fixed downward before she finally turned slowly to Reuel.

"Do you think this world can still be saved?"

"Saved?" Reuel repeated softly, then looked her in the eye. "Of course. Because with me... this world won't be destroyed."

His voice was calm, but beneath it lay absolute conviction. He had already saved more than 3.6 billion lives across Europe and Asia-continents now under the protection of Ursarkar E. Creed. To him, saving the world wasn't some lofty idea... it had already been done.

Ada held his gaze deeply. "I believe you."

Then, in a voice quieter, more human, she said, "You know... to survive, I had to do a lot of things I didn't want to do. I know Umbrella caused all of this. But what could I do? I'm nobody. I'm no hero. I just want to live, Reuel. That's all. I... just want to live."

And for the first time, tears fell from Ada Wong's eyes.

Reuel said nothing. Watching those tears fall, he realized something-that even a spy as strong as Ada could break. Beneath all the grace, intellect, and hidden weapons, she was still human. A woman who had been fighting too long in a world with no mercy.

Without a word, Reuel stepped forward and embraced her.

There was no other intention. Just a sincere hug, no speeches, no sweet promises. A hug that offered no solution-but gave her something to lean on.

Ada leaned into him, and for a moment, they stood in silence. No words were spoken, but they understood each other completely.

---

Meanwhile, in the basement of the building, Luther and Alice were descending a narrow staircase into a dark, damp corridor. At the end of the hallway, they found a large iron cage. Inside, a man sat with his back against the wall.

"Why is he locked up?" Alice asked, eyes narrowing at the man.

Luther shook his head. "I don't know. He was already in there when I first got here."

"Why haven't you let him out?"

Luther pointed at the cage. "His eyes... don't look normal. Says he knows the way out, but that's all he's been saying. I didn't wanna take the risk. Guys locked up like this-usually for a reason."

Alice stepped closer. Her eyes scanned the cage, then locked with the man's.

"My name's Chris," he said, voice hoarse. "We were assigned to free the prisoners in this facility. The goal was to build strength against the zombies. But I was ambushed... knocked out... and when I woke up, I was in here."

Reuel and Ada Wong appeared in the hallway, catching the last of the man's words.

"Pretty convenient story," Reuel muttered coldly, eyes narrowing.

"I'm not a prisoner!" Chris suddenly shouted, standing and gripping the bars. "I'm not supposed to be here! I know the way out! I can help you get out of this place!"

Alice turned to Reuel, her expression serious. "Reuel, can you let him out? I think... he's not a threat."

Reuel stared at Chris for a long moment. His gaze was deep-measuring, assessing. Finally, he spoke in a low but firm voice, "Let him go. Locking someone up isn't a solution. Especially if they're innocent."

He knew who this man was. Chris Redfield. Claire's brother. A soldier, a former member of S.T.A.R.S., and more importantly-someone who had faced the same kind of hell they had. Reuel knew this wasn't just anyone. And he wasn't the enemy.

But Luther immediately cut in, voice sharp. "No way. He's too dangerous."

Luther stood tall, eyes alert. Mistrust radiated from every inch of his stance.

"Relax," Reuel replied with a brief smile. "He's not stronger than me. Not even now. Hell, he wouldn't stand a chance against my wife. So, no problem."

Without waiting for approval, Reuel turned, drew his KA-BAR-the standard U.S. military combat knife-from its sheath, and delivered a sharp, clean strike to the cage lock.

CLANK!

The chain snapped.

Chris stepped out, eyes fixed on Reuel. "You're strong," he said quietly, voice deep. "I can feel it."

Luther stepped closer, still wary. "Fine. You're free now... can you show us the way out of this place?"

Chris looked at each of them, then nodded. "Follow me."

Without another word, he turned and led them down the corridor toward the courtyard.

But when they stepped outside, the sight that greeted them froze everyone in place.

Zombies. Everywhere.

The courtyard was swarming with the undead. They growled, clawed, and thrashed against the iron gate. But that wasn't the worst part.

From the distance, a massive figure emerged-over two meters tall, wrapped in grimy cloth and rotting flesh. In its hand, it dragged a colossal metal axe, scraping it against the pavement with a sound that drilled into the bone.

KRANGH... KLANG!!

The axe smashed into the iron gate with monstrous force.

CLANG! CREEEEK... THWAM!!

Metal groaned. Bolts snapped loose. The gate began to give.

The monster slammed forward, crashing through the barrier. The growl of zombies mixed with the grinding of tearing steel.

Luther's eyes widened. "Holy shit... What the hell is THAT?!"

Chris wasted no time. "We need to MOVE. NOW!"

He led them to the side of the building, toward a hidden metal door.

KLINK-KLINK!

With one clean slice, Reuel shattered the door lock.

They rushed inside. In the center of the room stood an armored vehicle. But as Reuel stepped closer, he instantly knew-it was just a shell. No engine.

"Damn it... just a hollow frame," he muttered.

Without a word, Reuel pulled Ada Wong aside, guiding her into a darker, quieter corner. After scanning the room to make sure no one was watching, he accessed his personal storage system and pulled out two plastic jerrycans-filled with helicopter fuel.

"Ada," he whispered urgently. "Take these. Get to the chopper now. Fuel inlet is on the left side. Once it's full, wait for us there. And be careful... especially with that man in the suit."

He handed her two spare pistols and a few loaded magazines.

Ada took them silently. Her eyes searched Reuel's, and something shifted within her. She hadn't expected this kind of trust.

Reuel glanced around one last time. He hadn't activated the sign-in system-his original reason for coming here. But now... this place meant nothing. Its hope was a lie. The only hope left was Umbrella's cargo ship-Arcadia.

He returned to the group, his voice louder, firmer. "Let's go! We're heading to the helicopter. NOW!"

Luther turned, startled. "Wait... but I thought the chopper was out of fuel?!"

"It's not anymore," Reuel snapped. "Don't ask. RUN! They're coming!"

Reuel grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her with him. The others followed, feet pounding against concrete, racing against death-and the monster behind them.

---

Just as Reuel led everyone sprinting toward the top of the tall building, the ground beneath their feet trembled.

Zombies emerged from the cracks-these weren't ordinary zombies. Their mouths extended, unfurling slimy tentacles like octopus limbs. Their movements were fast. Too fast.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Reuel raised his pistol. Each shot pierced a skull-one by one they dropped to the ground, but their numbers kept growing.

"Don't panic. Get to the roof," Reuel said calmly, still shooting as he led the team toward the elevator.

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream sliced through the air.

"Ah! Help! Somebody help me!"

Reuel turned sharply. A small Chinese man was being dragged by the zombies, his body stumbling toward the cave entrance. Reuel raised his weapon, ready to fire-but the line of sight was blocked, the situation shifted too quickly. The man disappeared into the swarm.

Too late.

Alice suddenly lunged forward when she saw Crystal in danger. A zombie leaped at the woman, but Alice was faster. A hard kick slammed the zombie to the ground, and without pause, Alice shot it in the head at point-blank range. The corpse went still instantly. She grabbed Crystal's hand and pulled her away.

"Move! Now, go, go!" Luther shouted from inside the half-open elevator.

The wave of zombies grew thicker. Luther held the door, breath ragged, eyes darting for a safe opening.

Meanwhile, the cowardly man in the suit was still tailing Reuel. He clung behind him, his face pale as the walking corpses outside.

Reuel glanced sideways.

Goddammit, he thought. If I could, I'd kill you right now.

As a few zombies lunged at him, Reuel suddenly veered off-dodging to the side with a performance of fake panic. The zombies that had been chasing Reuel instantly shifted direction, charging straight toward the man in the suit, who hadn't realized he'd been left behind.

The man looked around, confused. His eyes widened, stunned that Reuel had vanished. Still, he tried to look tough, stepping forward with false confidence, thinking the danger had passed.

Fatal mistake.

One zombie leapt at him, slamming him to the ground. Wide jaws sank deep into his neck, and blood sprayed wildly like a busted sprinkler.

"NGGYYAAAARRRGH!! AAGH-AAAKKH-GHHKK!!"

The scream was raw, gut-wrenching. But no one turned back. There was nothing they could do.

Reuel saw it clearly. His neck torn open, breath sputtering. He wasn't just going to die. He was going to turn.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Reuel's shots landed clean. One by one, the zombies dropped.

The man in the suit was still writhing on the ground, squirming in agony, his body jerking from unbearable pain.

Reuel aimed his pistol.

"Bang."

One final bullet. Cold. Clean. Right between the eyes. No more suffering.

Without a word, Reuel turned and rushed into the elevator.

The doors slid shut slowly. The machine roared as it carried them upward. Everyone was silent. Breaths tight. Fingers clenched on weapons. No words needed.

At the top of the building, Reuel saw the Black Hawk helicopter already powered up. Its rotor blades roared fiercely.

"Reuel! Get in, now!" Ada Wong shouted from the helicopter door, reaching out her hand.

One by one, they climbed into the chopper, and the metal bird began to lift off from the rooftop.

"WHUP-WHUP-WHUP-WHUP—!"

From above, they watched as a sea of zombies surged toward the rooftop, with more waves climbing up from below. The world beneath looked like hell.

No one spoke. The only sounds were the roar of the rotor and heavy breathing.

Two people had died.

But no one cried, no one said a word. They were all used to death by now. Maybe, someday, it would be their turn.

The helicopter pierced through the fog.

Amid the gray expanse, close to the shores of Los Angeles, a large silhouette began to emerge—a massive cargo ship appeared on the horizon.

Arcadia.

"Wup-wup-wup-wup…" The rotor's rhythmic thump echoed as the chopper slowed.

The helicopter slowly landed on the ship's deck. As the wheels touched the cold metal surface, everyone disembarked in silence. They stared at the colossal ship.

"Why is there no one here?" Luther asked, eyeing the eerily empty deck.

"Maybe everyone's inside the ship's cabins," Alice replied. "Let's go in and check it out. But stay alert."

Alice stepped forward with her pistol raised, her movements cautious.

Reuel followed behind, a sinking feeling in his gut. Something was off. A place this big shouldn't be this quiet. Where were Umbrella's security forces? Why wasn't there a single sign of life?

The whole thing felt too much like the original Resident Evil movie—everyone disappearing without a trace. But Alice wasn't supposed to be heading toward Umbrella's Tokyo facility… Could this be related to Wesker?

Wesker's engineered T-virus was flawed. To perfect its mutation, the virus needed to absorb human genes. Could that be the reason?

Reuel glanced to the side. "Ada Wong, why is this place empty?"

Ada Wong looked uneasy, her eyes scanning the surroundings. "The last time I was here, this place was buzzing with activity. I honestly don't know what's happened."

They reached the captain's cabin. Reuel asked, "Find anything?"

Alice shook her head. "Nothing. This place is completely deserted."

Luther, checking the computer screens, frowned. "Weird. The power and fuel systems are running as usual. But a ship this size shouldn't be empty."

He opened the logbook on the desk. "It says here there were over a thousand survivors aboard this vessel. So where the hell did they all go?"

Ada Wong approached Reuel and whispered, "We need to check the lower levels of the ship. The answer might be down there."

Reuel nodded. "Alright. Let's go below."

Led by Reuel and Ada Wong, the group descended into the belly of the cargo ship. The air was dark and silent. Everyone turned on their flashlights, the beams reflecting off the damp, rusted metal walls.

They stopped in front of a large sealed gate. Ada Wong stepped forward first, while Reuel shone his flashlight on the door—a clear Umbrella logo appeared on the steel surface.

"That's the Umbrella symbol," Alice growled, her eyes lighting up with rage. "This ship belongs to them!"

It was indeed a facility owned by the Umbrella Corporation. And Alice hated them more than anyone. They were the ones who turned the world into hell.

The others recognized the logo too, and they knew: the apocalypse had started here.

"Let's go in," Reuel said.

He placed both hands on the door and pushed with all his strength. The metal door creaked open slowly, letting out a chilling screech—and beyond it, darkness waited.