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

Reuel let Alice vent her sorrow for a moment, before slowly stepping into the small room where Alice was crying with Claire.

Without saying a word, Reuel walked forward and embraced Alice tightly. He could feel the depth of helplessness and despair enveloping her—something that only made him appreciate and love her even more.

"Reuel... did you know that I'm a clone of Alicia?" Alice asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

She looked at Reuel with eyes that were now calmer.

"Yes," Reuel replied gently. "I've known from the beginning."

Alice gave a faint, bitter smile. "Of course. You seem to know everything... If you don't want to explain why you kept it from me, I won't ask. But still... I'm just a clone."

Her head bowed. Her voice carried a quiet, bitter resignation.

Reuel gently lifted her chin, meeting her gaze deeply. "Alice, you're still you. Unique. Irreplaceable. I love you—no matter what you are."

Claire added, her voice soft but firm, "Yes, Alice. You're still Alice, whether you're Alicia's clone or not. You're still our sister."

Alice was silent for a moment. Then she stood up. Her shoulders squared again.

"I've had enough. Now, I'm going to kill Isaacs," she said resolutely, her voice—once fragile—now ringing with steel.

Reuel watched her from the side. He murmured softly, as if speaking to himself, Of course... Alice really is the protagonist of this world. She falls, but always rises. And now... she's back like a goddess of war.

Suddenly, Red Queen's voice broke the moment.

"Brother, Raccoon City is in sight," she said through the comm system.

Reuel, Alice, and Claire rushed to the window. The city stretched before them—collapsed, destroyed, nearly erased. Buildings lay in ruins, and a vast, deep crater yawned in the city's center—the aftermath of the nuclear blast that had wiped out civilization.

"Brother, there's movement in the building ahead," Red Queen reported again.

Reuel narrowed his eyes. He saw a crumbling structure still standing, though only as a hollow shell of the past.

"I've scanned the map. That's one of Umbrella's old branches in Raccoon City," Red Queen explained.

Reuel squinted. Right. The plot's been reshuffled again by the will of the Resident Evil world. If I remember correctly, this is where one of Umbrella's spies is hiding in disguise... but what was their name? I forgot...

"Red Queen, stop the vehicle. We're getting out to check," Reuel ordered.

He turned to Alice and Claire. "Be careful. The survivors here don't know that one of them is actually an Umbrella agent posing as a victim."

They opened the door of the armored vehicle Chimera and stepped out. But before they could get far, gunfire rained down on them from the direction of the building ahead.

Rat! Rat! Rat! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Reuel, Alice, and Claire immediately took cover as bullets clanged against the Chimera's armored body, producing loud metallic pings. The survivors inside the building were either extremely cautious—or just plain terrified.

"Red Queen, return fire. Issue a warning," Reuel ordered, calm but firm.

The Autocannon mounted on the Chimera began to spin. Under Red Queen's control, its barrels flared, unleashing a barrage of gunfire toward the building ahead.

"Ka-THOOM… ka-THOOM!"

"Boom!"

Explosions rocked the street. A gust of wind mixed with dust swept through the area, sending debris flying. Alice shouted from behind the vehicle.

"We're not enemies! We're survivors too!"

The gunfire stopped abruptly. No response came from inside the building—just a heavy silence hanging in the air. As if those inside were too stunned to reply. The tension began to melt, replaced by a deeper fear echoing through the crumbling walls.

"You… you're really survivors? Not from Umbrella?" asked a voice, hesitant, from the darkness within.

"Yes! We're survivors! The three of us aren't going to take on all five of you!" Alice called back loudly, trying to sound reassuring.

She was still negotiating. Beneath her firm tone, Alice was clearly worried. She knew Reuel could easily order Red Queen to slaughter everyone inside if the situation turned dangerous.

The door creaked. A man stepped out slowly, hands empty. He approached their team, his eyes scanning Reuel, Alice, and Claire. Five people. Four men. One woman. Then he pointed behind him.

"Sorry… we were just really nervous," he said apologetically.

"It's fine. We understand," Alice replied, still cautious but not hostile.

Seconds later, people began emerging from behind the rubble one by one. More than twenty of them, all looking exhausted, grimy, and wary. Their eyes locked onto Alice's team and the intimidating Chimera vehicle behind them.

Alice scanned their faces. There was a flicker of relief in her eyes—but also a concern she couldn't hide.

"You all need to leave this place. It's not safe anymore."

One of the men from the group, wearing a worn-out jacket and sunglasses, stepped forward.

"We're fine here," he said calmly—too calmly for the urgency of the situation.

Reuel stared at him, eyes narrowing. He recognized that face. A face he had seen in Red Queen's data. Claire's boyfriend… or more accurately, the Umbrella spy who had infiltrated Claire's team in the previous film.

And Reuel knew: this man had to die. Soon.

"There's a dozen Umbrella tanks behind us. They're coming with a horde of zombies, heading straight this way."

Alice spoke quickly, firmly. Her tone wasn't threatening, but it was clearly a warning.

"What?!"

One of the survivors cried out immediately. Chaos erupted.

A man in the group looked up, his gaze wild. He raised his weapon, aiming it at Alice and Claire.

"This is all your fault! You led them here!"

Within seconds, others followed. Dozens of gun barrels were now aimed at them.

Alice and Claire instantly turned back to back, raising their weapons by reflex.

Behind them, Reuel remained still, saying nothing. But with just a flick of his hand, the two autocannons on the Chimera lifted slowly. The muzzles of the Multilaser and Hunter-Killer missile launchers followed, locking onto the crowd.

"If you really want to die... I can make that happen right now," Reuel said flatly, almost without emotion.

The threat instantly froze everyone.

"Drop your weapons! All of you, now!" The leader of the survivors finally spoke up. His voice was loud and commanding.

People began hesitating, looking at each other, then slowly lowering their weapons one by one. Alice and Claire did the same, cautiously lowering their pistols.

Alice stared at them coldly. Her anger hadn't subsided, but she held it back.

"Whatever you think, Umbrella is coming here, and not because of us. They're coming to Raccoon City, not because we led them."

Her tone was calm, but sharp.

The words lingered in the air. And slowly, one by one, they began to realize—Alice's team wasn't the enemy.

"Sorry… I just lost it. Name's Doc," said the man from earlier, stepping toward Reuel hesitantly.

Reuel looked at him. A spy. Umbrella's informant. He knew this face.

"It's fine. I'm Reuel," he replied curtly.

Without giving room for further conversation, Reuel turned and walked away, heading back to his team. It was clear he had no interest in small talk.

Alice continued persuading the survivors. She explained their goal—the mission to the Umbrella stronghold: The Hive.

"Reuel, these people… they want to come with us to The Hive," Alice said as Reuel approached again.

Reuel glanced at them briefly, then nodded flatly.

"Fine. As long as they don't get in our way, let them. They'll die quickly anyway. If we stop them, they'll just cause trouble."

Alice nodded. "Alright, I'll tell them. Let them prepare."

She returned to the crowd. She didn't say much, but they all understood. They began preparing. Only one woman—dark-skinned, with sharp eyes—remained standing, staring at Alice.

"Hi. Name's Abigail."

"Alice."

"That Hive… it's at the bottom of that lake crater, right?" Abigail asked.

"Yes. And it's dangerous. You sure you want to come?"

Alice looked at her, this time with sincerity, not warning.

"This world's already gone. Just living a few more days is a luxury," Abigail replied quietly.

While the two women continued speaking, Reuel and Claire had already returned to Chimera. Reuel opened a supply crate, pulling out snacks and a bottle of wine.

Claire grabbed a piece, chewing as she asked, "Reuel, are we really bringing them to The Hive?"

Reuel didn't answer right away. He simply stared into the distance.

"Don't bring them. If they come, sooner or later they'll cause problems. Why not just kill them now?"

Claire voiced what Alice would never agree with.

Reuel took a short breath, then shrugged.

"Forget it. Just bring them… we'll use them as cannon fodder."

Red Queen appeared in front of Reuel, her holographic face glowing a soft red.

"Big brother, I've detected a dozen large Umbrella tanks. They're heading to Raccoon City at high speed."

A holographic map appeared in the air, filled with red dots moving in unison toward the city.

Reuel calmly studied the map. "Red Queen, take control of Chimera. Destroy them as soon as they enter Raccoon City."

"Okay, big brother," Red Queen replied sweetly, almost like an obedient child—if a child could command an armored war machine.

The Chimera armored vehicle powered on, coming to life like a metal beast, then began moving on its own. Under Red Queen's control, the autocannons spun up and the missile launchers adjusted their aim, ready to greet the Umbrella convoy.

From outside the vehicle, Alice shouted, "Reuel, it's time to move!"

Reuel and Claire stepped out. They saw Alice with more than a dozen people—the survivors, now part of this larger plan. Some still looked shaken, but all were ready.

They moved quickly. A short journey brought them to the edge of a massive crater—the former site of the Umbrella Hive. A gaping chasm dug out by a nuclear blast now lay open like the jaws of the world, ready to swallow anyone.

Chunks of metal and broken structure jutted out from the crater's walls. Luckily, there was no radiation. The nuke used had been a modified type, classic Umbrella tech—lethal but controlled.

Ropes were thrown down. One by one, the people began descending into the pit. Reuel was the fastest, sliding down with cold precision and bravery, landing smoothly at the bottom.

He scanned the area. Silent. But his instincts said otherwise—this was too quiet.

Alice and Claire followed shortly after, with the others close behind. Once everyone was gathered, Reuel nodded.

"Let's move. Stay sharp. We're not alone down here."

They began to move. Footsteps were kept light. No sound, no chatter. Everyone knew: one noise could mean death.

Suddenly, Reuel stopped. His hand lifted in a silent signal. Everyone froze.

"What is it?" Alice whispered.

"I smell blood… and movement. They're here."

Whispers rippled through the group. Weapons slowly came up.

Then from within the mist, they came.

Zombie dogs.

Red eyes. Burned flesh. Low growls. And terrifying speed.

"RATATATATA!"

"BRAKKA BRAKKA!"

Guns erupted. Gunfire filled the underground. Bullets danced through the air, but not all found their mark. The dogs were too fast.

Screams rang out.

"AAARGH!"

"GYYYAAHH!"

"NO—AGH! Help me!"

Someone went down, dragged off by two zombie dogs, his body ripped apart in seconds.

Alice kicked one of the dogs, then fired two quick rounds into its head. Black blood splattered against the wall.

"Reuel, there's too many of them!" Claire shouted.

"Alice! Lead the others! Run! NOW!"

Alice nodded and immediately led the group into a sprint. Under Reuel's cover, they bolted into the next corridor.

Reuel stayed behind.

He crouched halfway, eyes sharp, scanning the field. His bolter pistol slid out from the auto-storage system, locking into his hand.

Click.

FWHAM.

FWHAM.

Each shot dropped a dog. Heads burst. Bodies flipped. Reuel moved almost like a machine.

The dogs charged, but not a single one got closer than three meters.

One, two, thirty seconds passed. Zombie dog corpses surrounded him like a fence of blood.

Confident that Alice and Claire had gotten far enough, Reuel turned. Without a word, he started running after them—his steps steady, precise, like a machine that had just completed its execution protocol.