Safe Room – Sublevel C
The door clanged shut behind them. For once, there was silence. No gunfire. No alarms. No monsters.
Just silence.
Jack sat slouched against the wall, his M4 resting across his lap. His eyes were closed, but his posture screamed alertness—like a man trying to rest while still braced for the next fight. Across from him, Ada adjusted the fresh bandage on her thigh, her pistol never out of reach even as she leaned back against the bench.
Jack knew the VSS had popped up when they kissed, but he hadn't dared check it then. He didn't want to ruin the moment. Now, with time to breathe, he willed it to appear.
[VIRAL SURVIVAL SYSTEM]
Bonds Path – Ada Wong: Dangerous Alliance → Calculated Touch
New Adaptation Unlocked: Viral Ability Resistance (Passive)
Effect: Viral Path abilities now consume 50% less infection growth when Ada is present.
Status: Active – Ada Wong present.
Jack blinked, his breath catching. For a moment, he thought it was another hallucination—the virus twisting his mind—but no. This was real.
He muttered under his breath, voice barely above a whisper. "So even this damn virus knows I'm stuck with you."
Ada tilted her head, sharp eyes narrowing as though she'd caught the edge of his words. "Something to share, soldier boy?"
Jack gave a faint, humorless chuckle, scrubbing a hand across his face. "It's nothing. Just talking to myself."
He pulled the system up again, forcing himself to review the whole picture.
[VIRAL SURVIVAL SYSTEM]
Subject: Jack Hale
Strain: Aegis Virus
Health Status: Fair
Sync Rate: 43%
Viral Infection: 2.7%
Adaptation Skills
Branch – Soldier's Path
• Enhanced Recovery (Tier 1): Heals faster from minor wounds (cuts, bites, bruises).
• Reflex Response (Tier 1): Slightly improved reaction time, allowing better accuracy with pistols.
• Stamina Boost (Tier 1): Minor stamina boost. Slightly reduces recovery time when fatigued.
Branch – Shield's Path
• Viral Resistance (Tier 1): Passive. Slows infection rate after bites/scratches. (Also works against viral pathogens in the air.)
Branch – Viral's Path
• Viral Instincts (Bullet Time) – Active Skill
Effect: Temporarily slows perception of time.
Cost: +0.10% viral infection per second.
Risk: Prolonged use may result in loss of control.
Branch – Bonds Path
Ada Wong: Calculated Touch
Health Status: Fair (minor wounds on the thigh)
Viral Ability Resistance (Passive): When Ada Wong is present, Viral Path abilities consume 50% less infection growth.
• Cautious Instincts (Passive): Passive awareness buff. Jack Hale gains a heightened sense of danger when partnered with Ada (+5% chance to detect ambushes or traps).
Status: Active – Ada Wong present.
Jack let the interface fade. The soft afterglow of the VSS lingered in his vision before leaving him with nothing but exhaustion and the faint hum of the vents.
His gaze slid sideways. Ada was calmly reloading the scavenged pistol like she hadn't just been dragged half-dead through hell. And then there was the kiss they had shared—
Jack shook his head, forcing the thought away. His goal was clear. His team.
"Ada… I need to know."
She arched a brow. "Need to know what?"
"My team," Jack said, his voice rougher than he intended. "Where are they? You've been here longer. You know things. So stop dodging and tell me what happened to them."
Ada's hands didn't stop moving. She slid the magazine home with a click, tested the action, then let the pistol rest across her lap. Her eyes flicked toward him, sharp but unreadable.
"Funny," she murmured. "You think I came here for your team."
Jack pushed off the wall, stepping closer—not out of anger, but desperation. "You're too well-informed not to know something. I'm done walking blind, Ada."
Ada leaned back against the bench, her smirk softening into something colder, more calculated. "You want answers, soldier boy? Then you'll help me first."
Jack froze. His eyes narrowed. "Help you with what?"
Her gaze didn't waver. "When I came down here, I wasn't looking for you or your friends. I was looking for Umbrella's little prize—the last cryo-stored samples of the Aegis Virus. The guards took me before I could secure them. They're still on the lower floor, locked in the cryogenics vault."
Jack's stomach went cold. "You do know I'm a soldier, right? I can't just sneak in and steal Umbrella's damn virus."
Ada tilted her head, her eyes flashing slyly. "Sneak? Please. If anything, you do what you've always done—improvise, adapt, survive. Besides, those samples aren't just a virus. They're leverage. You want proof against Umbrella? This is it. You get your evidence for command. I get my leverage with NATO."
Jack's fist clenched at his side. "So until I help you get it…" His voice was bitter, edged with exhaustion. "…you're not telling me a damn thing about the others."
Ada's smirk returned, faint but certain. "Now you're catching on."
Jack hated being cornered—especially when Ada had all the cards in hand.
All of a sudden, the walls trembled.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Dust shook from the ceiling. The lights flickered. That heavy, unnatural cadence of footsteps–the sound that haunted Jack since coming to this hellhole.
Jack's blood ran cold. "Shit."
Ada didn't flinch. Instead, she slid smoothly to her feet despite the wound in her leg, her pistol already holstered. Her expression softened into that sly, unreadable smile.
"Oh, would you look at that, your friend is here, soldier boy."
Jack turned towards Ada, his voice sharp. "We're not friends—"
Another THUD rattled the room, closer this time. The faint scrape of claws dragged down metal somewhere in the corridor. The monstrosity was hunting for something or someone.
Jack turned towards Ada, his voice low as a whisper. "We're not ready for this. If it finds us here—"
But Ada was already moving, limping slightly as she got near Jack and grabbed the radio that was hanging on the plated vest. She keyed something into that small transmitter, her voice calm and precise. "Then don't let it find you…"
He frowned as he watched her mess around with the small radio. "What the hell are you doing?"
Ada paused at the door's edge, her silhouette framed by the red emergency glow. She tossed the small radio back to Jack, which he caught by instinct. "You want answers, you want your team? Then contact me when you have the virus samples. That frequency's locked–use that if you need to hear my voice again."
Before Jack could argue, she slipped out into the shadows—silent, efficient, gone.
Jack stared after her, his pulse pounding. The radio in his hands blinked faintly. Behind the steel walls, the Proto-tyrant's roar split the air, rattling the vents.
Jack's jew tightened. He clipped the radio to his vest and checked his rifle.
"Alright… Ada," he muttered, low and grim. "Guess we're doing this your way."
Another THUD rattled the corridor outside.