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

"You want to know? But why should I tell you?" Red Queen teased, her expression brimming with childish mockery.

"Red Queen, you're being very naughty. In the human world, naughty children usually get spanked," Reuel replied, smiling slyly.

He extended his hand, mimicking the motion of a parent disciplining a child.

Red Queen lifted her chin haughtily.

"Go ahead, try it. But you'll only be slapping air. I'm just an intelligent program projected via hologram."

"True, I can't hit you directly...

But if I smash your mainframe, wouldn't that be the same thing? Besides, you're the one who said we can't leave.

If we're all going to die, at least give us a reason. Let us die knowing why."

Reuel crouched in front of her projection, his tone playful, yet with unmistakable pressure behind every word.

Everyone watched him in silence, unsure if he was serious or just using psychological tactics.

But on the other side of the room, Jill Valentine and Rain exchanged glances—sharp, calculating—and turned their gaze toward Spence Parks with growing suspicion.

Red Queen seemed to consider something, then finally responded,

"Alright. I'll tell you... but promise me one thing: don't let them shut me down again."

"Deal. You heard her, right?" Reuel said quickly. "Nobody shuts Red Queen down again!"

"OKAY!" the mercenaries answered almost in unison.

"The main system will stay online," Kaplan added.

"We heard you," Alice said curtly.

Every response was the same: Red Queen would stay active.

Reuel grinned.

"Now we can talk, can't we?"

Red Queen nodded.

"Then… just watch. I recorded everything."

The holographic projection displayed surveillance footage from the security system.

Onscreen, someone strode briskly into a laboratory. He opened a secured cabinet, pulled out a metal case, and took a test tube from inside.

He headed toward the exit—and as his face became clear on the screen, everyone froze.

Spence Parks.

The sound of shattering glass echoed from the speakers as Spence threw the test tube to the floor just before opening the door.

A thin mist began to rise in the lab.

It didn't take long for everyone to grasp the truth:

He was the one responsible.

On the screen, Spence lunged at Dr. J.D. Salinas nearby, snatching a pistol from his waist and aiming it at the doctor's head.

"Don't move! Or I'll blow his head off!" Spence shouted in the recording.

But before he could finish the threat, a blur of motion streaked across the frame.

Smack!

Jill Valentine kicked the gun from Spence's hand, and in a swift follow-up, Rain delivered a spinning kick to his stomach, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Spence tried to get up, clutching his abdomen, but a mercenary cracked him from behind with the butt of a rifle.

He collapsed again, coughing and groaning in pain.

"Alice... help me!" Spence cried from the floor, staring up at his ex-girlfriend with a look of sheer desperation.

Alice looked dazed. Her memories were starting to come back, slowly. After a while, she walked toward Spence Parks.

"It was you... You listened in on the conversation between me and Lisa Addison. You bastard," she muttered, seething with anger.

"Matt, this is the man who killed your sister. Do whatever you want with him," said Reuel, handing a pistol to Matt.

"Thanks. I'll treat him… properly," Matt replied, cold and full of resolve.

Meanwhile, Alice crouched in the corner of the room, still trying to piece her memories back together. Reuel walked toward her.

"Alice, are you okay?" he asked softly.

Next to them, the sounds of punches and curses rang out—Matt was unleashing the fury he'd been holding in for far too long.

Alice looked at Reuel with a sharp glare. "Who are you, really? I'm not your ex. I don't even... remember who you are."

"Ahem..." Reuel gave a sheepish smile. "Well, how do I put this... You're my girlfriend—at least, that's how I see it. I acknowledge you as my girlfriend… even if you haven't acknowledged me yet. I've known you for a long time, even though we've never spoken before."

Reuel stared into Alice's eyes. Deep down, he grumbled to himself, Of course I can't tell her I watched her in the first Resident Evil movie and she's Milla Jovovich, can I?

"Shameless bastard."

That was Jill.

"Thick-skinned," Rain Ocampo remarked flatly.

"Total idolizer. This guy's a smooth talker," Matt commented, who by all accounts should still be angry, but instead looked entertained.

Alice sighed. "We'll talk about this later."

A single gunshot rang out. Matt had shot Spence Parks in the head. Clean. Instant death.

Reuel, clearly not done fooling around, walked back toward the Red Queen's projection.

"Red Queen, do you want to come with us?" he teased.

"I belong to Umbrella Corporation. I cannot leave," Red Queen replied flatly.

"Red Queen, you're a high-IQ AI. You must know that Umbrella isn't exactly a righteous organization. The virus they created was meant to wipe out humanity."

Meanwhile, Reuel issued a silent command.

"System, activate program editor. Target: Red Queen."

> Ding. Program editor activated... Target: Red Queen... Process: 2%... 7%... 15%... 26%...

"I will not go with you. I'm part of Umbrella!" Red Queen shouted.

Reuel didn't back down. "Listen, little girl... I'm good for you. You can think of me as your big brother, and I'll treat you like my little sister. We can play together, and you won't have to watch the cruelty of this world every day. Isn't that better?"

Everyone around him stared silently, barely believing what they were hearing.

Jill even walked up and touched Reuel's forehead. "Is he feverish?" she muttered uncertainly.

But Reuel simply wrapped an arm around Jill's waist and said to Red Queen, "Look, your sister Jill Valentine is already my girlfriend. Alice is my future girlfriend. When the time comes, we'll all go watch the sunrise and sunset together. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Jill pinched Reuel's waist—hard. He winced. Alice patted his back with a sigh.

The others couldn't bear to look at this shameless man. Except for Matt, who said with sparkling eyes, "Oh my God. This guy's insanely good at charming women."

"Reuel," Jill Valentine suddenly spoke. "Has anyone ever told you that you're cruel, shameless, and a complete asshole?"

> Ding! Program editor complete. Sole owner: Reuel. Please input new core directives.

"New directive: protect my safety as top priority. And... from now on, Red Queen can call me 'Big Brother.'"

> Ding! Directive accepted.

Red Queen looked at him, then asked in a childlike voice, "Big Brother, is everything you said really true?"

"Of course. Big Brother always means what he says," Reuel replied, satisfied.

"In that case... I'll go with you, Big Brother," said Red Queen.

Everyone was stunned.

"Son of a bitch."

"I'm not even awake. This has to be a dream."

"What the hell..."

Even Alice and Jill Valentine stared at Red Queen in disbelief.

"Don't be surprised. Who am I? I'm... your big brother: Reuel," he boasted, grinning like the world belonged to him.

"Captain James, get ready. We'll be heading out and fighting later," said Reuel firmly.

"Why go out? There aren't any zombies now. We can just leave," James asked, confused.

Reuel looked at him. "If I want to bring Red Queen with us, the power will have to go out. And when that happens, all the zombies Red Queen's been holding back... will be unleashed."

"Bullshit."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Cutting the power... is that really a good idea?"

Voices of protest and doubt rose from the rest of the team.

"You all just go ahead to the outer room, near the control station. Wait there. I'll handle everything from here," Reuel ordered.

They didn't know Reuel planned to bring Red Queen's main computer to the system storage room once this was over. And of course, he wasn't going to announce that now.

One by one, the mercenaries left the room. Only Jill and Alice remained.

"You two... my wives... go on ahead. For your own good, I can't tell you everything just yet. I'll explain later," said Reuel, putting on an overly dramatic tone.

Jill snorted, crossing her arms. "Bastard! Who the hell wants to know your secrets anyway!" she snapped, then turned and stormed out of the room.

Alice looked at him with a flat expression. "I'm not your wife."

"Not yet. But one day," Reuel replied, then quickly hugged Alice before she could react.

Alice, unfazed, held her breath for a second. Reuel glanced downward and—internally—commented, Not the biggest, but damn... that figure of yours is incredible.

Alice gently pushed him away. "Try that again, and you'll find yourself dead."

Reuel just smiled. "Noted."

As Alice left the room, Reuel turned to the little holographic girl.

"Hey, little girl. Where's your main computer? Big Brother will store and protect it for you."

"The main unit is beneath the pressure isolation layer. There's a wristband inside—you can communicate with me through that, Big Brother."

"Alright, Big Brother's on it now."

But as soon as he finished the sentence, Reuel felt a pang of nerves. This wasn't just playing around anymore.

"Relax, Host," the system suddenly said. "Red Queen is housed in a system room with its own independent power supply. No blackouts will occur."

Thank god. At least one problem solved.

"System, what are your other functions? Can you explain?"

Ding. "Please figure it out yourself, Host. You haven't conquered the planet yet, after all."

"...Regret asking," Reuel muttered.

Quickly, he opened the pressure isolation layer and accessed Red Queen's main computer, then transferred it into the system room. After strapping on the special wristband, instantly—bzzt!—the lights went out.

Reuel didn't waste time. He pulled out a large duffel bag packed with weapons from the system room—military stock typical of American forces—and marched toward the control room.

Under the dim red emergency lights, he saw everyone already on guard, weapons drawn. When they saw Reuel arriving with the massive bag on his back, they immediately gathered around.

Without a word, Reuel opened the bag. Weapons and combat gear spilled out in front of them—pistols, rifles, SMGs, bazookas, grenades, and an alarming amount of ammunition. This wasn't just an evacuation anymore. This... was preparation for war.

"Take what you need," Reuel said steadily. "Make sure no one gets scratched or bitten. You all know what Red Queen said—get hit once, and it's over."

He paused briefly.

"We don't have much time. So move fast and get ready."

Jill grabbed a rifle and asked, "Why the time limit?"

"The entrance to the Hive will shut automatically two hours after we entered. Right now... less than half an hour left."

Kaplan frowned. "How do you know that?"

"I saw it when we came in," Reuel said, grabbing an automatic M4 and grinning.

Then they heard it—ping... ping... ping...

Everyone turned.

Reuel inhaled sharply. "That's... the zombies breaking out of their cages. Get ready."

Once everyone was armed, Reuel spoke into the wristband.

"Big Brother, the underground passage is available. From there, you can reach the evacuation train directly," said Red Queen in her childlike voice.

Reuel recognized the route—that was the underground train route from Resident Evil 1. But he also knew: there was a real underground hive—The Hive—where Umbrella's executives hibernated. If they hadn't entered cryosleep yet... they'd be a problem.

Too risky for now. Focus on evacuation.

"James, you take command. Follow the route Red Queen gives you."

"Copy that. Jack and Travis up front, Rain and J.D. in the rear. The rest on the flanks. Move, move, move!" James barked commands with precision.

Reuel followed at the rear with Jill and Alice. Pistol in hand, eyes scanning their surroundings, his gaze eventually stopped on the backs of the two warrior women in front of him.

Jill Valentine and Alice—two icons of resistance, now right in front of his eyes. Not a movie screen. Real. Alive. Thrilling.

Too thrilling, apparently.

"What the hell are you staring at?" Alice snapped, shooting a glare over her shoulder. "Watch your surroundings, not people's asses."

Reuel just chuckled. "Sorry, my two wives are just too beautiful."

"Fuck off, bastard—I'm not your wife," Alice shot back.

"Shameless asshole," Jill Valentine added.