"Anyway… let's set aside the confusion for now. I don't know what's going on either, so as a fellow confused person, I'll introduce myself first. I'm Nathan Cross. And you are…?"
"I… Rachel… Rachel Gardner."
Rachel spoke softly, wary of the stranger, giving a name almost exactly as Nathan had guessed. Nathan pretended to hear it for the first time, nodding slowly as if savoring the name.
"Rachel, huh? Mm~ nice name. How old are you this year?"
"…Thirteen."
"I see… By the way, why were you going to the hospital before? Was your health bad?"
"Because…"
Using Nathan's hand to stand up, Rachel tried to answer, but suddenly her heartbeat quickened and her head throbbed with inexplicable pain.
Still enduring the discomfort, she frowned tightly and said slowly:
"…Because I saw… the scene of someone dying. So… I was taken for psychological treatment."
"I see. Poor child."
Nathan smiled gently, stroking the girl's shining blonde hair, though inwardly he felt strange again.
Was she really just a traumatized child? Or was she lying? Otherwise, how could such a child possibly help him here? And what did the system mean by "teammate"? Why did this girl seem completely unaware of the situation and not even know him?
Their conversation ended there. Nathan's mind was full of questions, while Rachel intended to examine the room. But they had little time to think.
The train carriage was suddenly opened from outside.
Several armed men in black combat uniforms rushed in, weapons raised and aimed at the two who had no idea what was happening.
---
"——Why are civilians here?"
The bald dark-skinned man leading them, seeing a child present, lowered his guard slightly. He looked toward a young man holding a laptop. The youth tapped rapidly on the keyboard, then quickly gave an answer:
"The male is a logistics worker from the base, Nathan. The child is the daughter of a Hive executive, Rachel Gardner. Their presence on this train means they must have been caught by the hypnotic gas while escaping."
"Hypnotic gas? That's troublesome."
The bald dark-skinned man, James Shade, captain of the mercenary squad hired by Umbrella Corporation, lowered his weapon and asked Nathan:
"What do you remember? Do you know what happened in this underground base?"
"What happened…? Even if you ask me, I'm still wondering where this is… Maybe I hit my head when boarding the train?"
Though surprised to find he had a legitimate identity here, Nathan could only clutch his head and make excuses, since he truly knew nothing about the situation.
"It wasn't a head injury. It's a side effect of the hypnotic gas. It can cause temporary memory loss, sometimes lasting up to a month."
The young mercenary with the laptop explained. James then asked Rachel similar questions, but her answers were also "I don't know," likewise attributed to the gas's effects.
At that moment, a woman in a low‑cut crimson dress entered from outside, followed by two men—one of them handcuffed.
The woman in red, Alice, fixed her gaze on James and spoke in a low tone:
"You should explain where you're taking me. And what exactly is happening here?"
"Start the train first."
James waved for the other mercenaries to get the vehicle moving. He then signaled to the laptop‑holding mercenary, who promptly set the computer on a metal bench, manipulating it while explaining to everyone:
"This is the Hive's emergency entrance. This train is the only transport route into the Hive from this direction."
As his fingers flew, the screen shifted rapidly until finally a diagram resembling a honeycomb appeared.
"This is the Hive, a top‑secret research facility hidden beneath Raccoon City. Inside are five hundred scientists and staff. They conduct confidential research according to company demands. We don't know the specifics. But the Hive's AI, the Red Queen, went rogue five hours ago and slaughtered the personnel below. Our mission is to enter the Hive and shut it down."
"I won't ask why it went rogue. But Rachel and I are non‑combatants. Can we get off the train and leave now?"
Listening for a while, Nathan still didn't understand the situation. Hearing only that an AI was killing people, he felt it was extremely dangerous and wanted to take the girl away from the murderous underground intelligence.
"Sorry, we can't let you leave alone. But don't worry, you won't be in danger. We'll protect you."
James rejected Nathan's request without hesitation, insisting on bringing them along—together with the captured man—for the mission.
Nathan wanted to argue further, but seeing their numbers and weapons, and fearing to anger them, he sighed and gave up, obediently following the mercenaries toward what felt like a dragon's lair—the Hive.
---
The train was quickly started by the squad, speeding deep underground. Nathan wanted to talk with the three others who were clearly not mercenaries and not armed, but considering his situation and the risk of suspicion, he stayed quietly with Rachel.
Rachel, still confused, looked at the group with incomprehension, but for now chose to remain beside Nathan, the one who had been next to her from the start.
The train sped for a while, then gradually slowed and stopped. Rachel and Nathan exchanged glances. Nathan thought for a moment, then smiled and extended his hand to her.
"I think we'd better not get separated. Don't you agree?"
"…Mm."
Rachel hesitated briefly, but perhaps sensing Nathan was relatively harmless, she extended her hand for him to hold.
The two, carrying inexplicable feelings, followed the mercenary squad off the train.
After only a few steps, they reached an open area. Here, for some reason, were stored numerous silver‑white metal tanks, each the size of a gasoline barrel, contents unknown.
Further ahead, their path was blocked by a metal gate marked with the Umbrella Corporation logo and a yellow biohazard symbol.