Word count 10,191
September 24th, 1998.
"The first reports are in. The outbreak has begun."
Lucy glanced down at the papers on her desks, showing various images of zombies in the streets of Raccoon City.
Zombies. Even now, after everything, a part of her couldn't help but find that ridiculous.
The undead gazes of the zombies staring back at her from the pictures on her desk help her swiftly crush that part of her.
"So it has. I knew this was coming, but even so…" Lucy trailed off, while Oedon gave her a sympathetic look.
"You're not used to such things, not really. Not yet. In time, you will be."
"Speaking from experience?" replied Lucy, before pursing her lips and sighing.
"Sorry. It's just…"
"It's alright. You did not go through the nights of the Hunt. You were not here at Yharnam. You are no Hunter, and there is nothing wrong with that. Neither I, Aeon, or anybody else expect that of you."
Lucy huffed. "I know, but that does not help me. Even knowing that Aeon and the others aren't really in danger… that they are far more immortal than anything Umbrella could ever imagine, it still…"
She fell silent.
"It feels wrong to sit there while they fight." she said softly.
Oedon smiled kindly, if a little sadly.
"It is the path they have chosen. Aeon, Rebecca, Jill… they are Hunters. The Hunt calls to them. It always does, and always will. A paradox, to seek peace and yet desire bloodshed, but such is the way of Aeon and his new Hunters. For all that they enjoy peace, for all that they find comfort in the presence of those they love, they will always feel at home in the blood and horrors of the Hunt. It is in their nature as Hunters. All we can do is remind them that there is more to life than the Hunt."
She paused. "It is still a better path than those who came before. The Old Hunters… it was never peace that they sought. Some might have, but even that did not last long. Always, the call of the Hunt… of the Blood, would become all that they cared about, in the end."
Lucy raised an eyebrow.
"Weren't you a Goddess of Blood yourself?"
Oedon smiled. "I was. And it took me a long time to understand the value of living a full life. Indeed, it took me time to understand what living a full life even meant. As sometimes painful as that knowledge proved to be however, I firmly believe that I am the better for it. I am still a Goddess of Blood at the core of my being, but… I am also Life. And there is more to life than pursuing one thing to the point of obsession."
Her smile turned soft. "As Aeon would say, there are many wonders in Creation. It would be a shame to blind oneself to them all in the pursuit of only a few, no?"
Lucy chuckled, before looking down at the pictures on her desk and sighing.
"Well, to be fair we'll have to deal with politicians, so all things considered I have to wonder if they aren't the lucky ones in this whole mess, and we're the ones who'll have to deal with the most insatiable bunch of them all… Greedy bastards, the whole lot of them..."
"Well, just look forward to how many of them we'll be able to put behind bars after this." replied Oedon, looking amused at her grumblings.
Lucy grunted. "I still don't know how you can keep your cool so well. Some of the looks those pigs throw our way when we are around them are just… eugh."
Oedon smiled serenely.
"Being able to look into potential timelines where Aeon is locked in a building with them as the Good Hunter on the Hunt is surprisingly cathartic."
Lucy stared.
Oedon's serene expression didn't even twitch.
"Goddess of Blood, my dear Lucy."
September 25th, 1998.
"Yes, General, you can be assured that we have the necessary lasguns for all of your troops… Indeed, our supply lines are capable of transporting that amount quickly."
"Yes, Senator, Insight Corp. is indeed ready to support the Army in the current crisis… That's correct, Senator… Of course, in these trying times, we must all do our part… why yes Senator, I heard about it. I would be delighted to attend as a representative of Insight Corp… Yes… So can I count on your support? … Wonderful… Yes, a good day to you too, Senator."
"No, Senator, the situation does not require us to bomb the city out of existence… I can assure you, ISIS and the local armed forces are- Senator, I can assure you, that's entirely legal… Senator, surely… I can assure you…"
Lucy's eyes narrowed at his next words, and her voice turned cold.
"Senator Kinley… tell me, is your wife aware of Miss Leslie? Or, for that matter, Miss Dash?... Why, Senator, we are all friends here, are we not? Which is exactly why I've yet to mention those generous… 'donations' from Umbrella I know you receive every month… Yes, it would be such a shame if they became public knowledge… I'm glad we have an understanding, Senator." she finished with a shark-like grin.
"Yes, mister Lewis. I did indeed think that such information would be of interest to you and the New York Times… Yes, I can imagine. So I take it that you- yes? Very good. I'm pleased to hear it."
26th September, 1998.
"Yes, Senator Laden… Yes, that is correct. Indeed, it would be a problem… So I can count on your cooperation, then?... Good. Then I'll leave you to it. Have a good day Senator."
Lucy cut the call, sighing deeply.
"Already tired? We're just before lunch break!"
Lucy threw an annoyed glare towards the cheerfully teasing Oedon.
"Do you have any idea of the number of calls I had to make this morning alone? And the majority of them were to people I'd like nothing more than to set on fire at the mere sound of their voice!"
Her head fell on the desk with a dull *Thud*.
She groaned, while Oedon laughed slightly.
"Look on the bright side, it's for a good cause! And it's working, no?"
Lucy grunted, not even bothering to raise her head.
Oedon got behind Lucy, kneading her shoulders, making Lucy gasp before turning into a wet noodle.
She groaned. "Aeon taught you that massage? When?!"
Oedon grinned. "Not long before the outbreak. He suspected that it'll come in handy… I see that he was right."
Lucy let out a thoroughly inappropriate moan as Oedon's hands worked wonder, her eyes going lidded.
"Damn you both… So gonna take revenge…" she grumbled softly.
"I look forward to it." Oedon replied cheerfully.
Lucy let her work her magic for a few minutes more, before sighing.
"I've got a US army general to call soon, as much as I'd like you to keep going, I should get back into it."
Oedon hummed, but stepped back, causing Lucy to let out a sad sigh.
"Well, I'll get back to work myself then."
Lucy nodded, reaching for the phone-
"I'll just have to relax you properly tonight, after all!"
Lucy choked slightly as Oedon threw her a saucy wink over her shoulders, shaking her ass at her as she left.
Lucy shook her head, mouth suddenly dry, before grumbling under her breath.
Dammit Oedon, how am I supposed to have serious talks with important people all day after this?! I'll be too busy thinking about-
She cut herself off.
Nope. No thinking about it.
At least it'll probably won't be too over the top, right? Right?
Lucy opened the door to the bedroom, thankful for her inhuman constitution after yet another day of non-stop work.
As it was, she really didn't want to look at the hour. She had a very long day, after all, one following yet another very long day.
So she took a step in the room-
And froze.
Oedon smiled brightly at her.
"Did you have a good day, mistress?"
Lucy stared.
Oedon's smile widened.
"Do you need to relax, mistress? You worked for so long today... I would be more than happy to cook something for you, give you a hot bath, or perhaps, you'd rather have… me?" she declared, her smile turning into a wicked smirk at the end.
Lucy swallowed.
"Oedon?"
"Yes, mistress?"
"... Why are you in a maid outfit?"
Oedon innocently tilted her head, while discreetly pushing her arms together, which made her breasts push up even further in her corset. "Why, because this humble maid is here to answer to all of her mistress' needs, of course!" she said brightly.
The door behind Lucy closed with a soft *click*.
Lucy swallowed again, her throat suddenly far too dry.
It was times like these that she was really happy that she could skip sleep altogether when needed nowadays...
She glanced around the room, noticing all the sex toys.
... Because she doubted she was going to get any sleep at all this night.
Then again, she had a lot of frustration to deal with… and as fun as those nights where Aeon had left her with Oedon while dealing with the Mansion Incident had been, Lucy wouldn't mind getting some revenge for everything that Oedon put her through back then…
She looked back at all the equipment in the room with a look of renewed interest…
And she grinned widely at Oedon. Payback time!
27th September, 1998.
"Dear Aeon got to show off, apparently."
Lucy looked up from the paperwork on her desk, staring at an amused Oedon with some papers in her hands.
Lucy sighed deeply, those words alone capable of inspiring dread.
"Oh, by the stars… how bad?"
Oedon put the papers on the desk.
Leaving Lucy to stare at the pictures of Aeon, standing alone in the middle of Raccoon City's main street, surrounded by zombies… and yet holding the line against all odds.
Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I did hear about it, but seeing it is… let me guess, it already got out to the rest of the world?"
"Not officially, of course." replied Oedon with a grin. "The US government is carefully suppressing all information about the outbreak, after all. But unofficially? Oh yes."
"Oh, great. As if the rumors about our Huntresses weren't bad enough, now we've got this on top… The US government is totally going to believe we successfully created some kind of super-soldier program, haven't we?"
"Most definitely." cheerfully replied Oedon.
Lucy gave her a dry look. "You don't have to sound so happy about it, you know?"
Oedon shrugged. "They were always going to freak out after this. Might as well enjoy it."
Lucy groaned. "Aeon really corrupted you far too much…"
Oedon smiled cheerfully. "Don't worry, I'll ask him to have lot of sex with you after this! That way he'll corrupt you too in no time!"
Lucy blushed brightly and facepalmed. "Not that kind of corruption!"
Oedon blinked, looking confused. "Oh. You sure? Sex is really fun, you know!" she declared, giving a wise nod.
Lucy stared at her. "The worst part is, I really can't tell if you're fucking with me, or you're being honest…"
Oedon tilted her head, the picture of innocent confusion.
"I'm pretty sure you're the one who fucked me last night." She grinned. "Quite thoroughly at that! If it wasn't for my regeneration, the entire R&D department would have given me funny looks all day!"
Lucy slammed her face into her desk with a groan.
"You know, that chocolate cake did nothing to you, dear Lucy."
Lucy looked up and glared at the grinning form of Oedon, currently watching her eat a slice of a chocolate cake with angry bites, previously glaring at nothing in the distance as she did.
She grunted. "Long day."
Oedon smiled in amusement. "So I see. What was it that put you like this? The news that Umbrella sent even more of their B.O.W's in Raccoon City? Aeon actually going all out and wiping out the Cameron Virus from the multiverse? The images of him and ISIS killing those giant worms? Or the countless phone calls that you had to make all day?"
Lucy took another angry bite of her cake. "The latter, most of all. We need to wait a bit before we can start truly releasing the collected information on the crooked and corrupt politicians of this country, and that means putting up with the imbeciles until then. Which, needless to say, is not as easy when I have to call them over and over again every day that passes."
She sighed. "And that's when the damn US president didn't call me. The incompetent idiot is running around like a headless chicken because of this mess, not helped by the many people in his government having ties with Umbrella. The man's about to lose his job, he knows it, I know it, hell anyone with a brain knows it, but he's certainly trying to hold onto his power."
She snorted. "As if that'll happen. We want him gone because he's an idiot in Umbrella's pocket, Blackwatch wants him gone for the same reason, and various… groups of interest have no reason to support him considering this mess makes it clear the man's done for. But that also means all the other politicians are like a swarm of piranhas smelling blood in the waters, and you wouldn't believe the number of calls I'd received from them to see if I'd support them for the upcoming elections. And we both know that it's about to get worse, because when Aeon and ISIS successfully take back Raccoon City, everybody will know we played a large part in that miracle."
"My, that sounds frustrating indeed." replied Oedon, looking amused at her.
Lucy gave her a flat look.
"Says the woman who gets to stay in her labs to do science all day, every day. Why was I the one chosen to be the CEO, again?"
"Because Aeon was obviously going to be too busy going on Hunts throughout this world, and there's also the fact that dear Aeon is testing your capability to handle having responsibilities? I was the patron goddess of a civilization once, after all, and despite how it ended…" an old flash of pain appeared in her eyes, but it swiftly disappeared. "Well, I still have more experience than you do about leadership. A fact that Aeon wanted to start to fix as soon as possible."
Lucy scowled, but nodded.
"Fine. Doesn't mean I have to like it though."
"Fair enough. Anything else that causes you problems?"
Lucy pursed her lips.
"Well, The Family is already hard at work trying to convince the government to bomb the city straight to hell. I've blocked their efforts so far, which means I'm in the rather weird position of working with both Blackwatch-controlled politicians and Umbrella-controlled ones, who both have their own reasons to want the city left standing, at least for now."
She shook her head.
"Honestly, it's a bit of a mess. I have to deal with politicians who want to bomb the city, but I also need to remove Umbrella-controlled politicians, and of course any Blackwatch aligned ones if I can. However, I also need many of those same politicians to prevent those controlled by The Family to gain enough influence to get the go-ahead to bomb the city, so…"
She trailed off.
"It's a big fucking mess, where everyone tries to backstab everybody else, except when we suddenly close ranks to face the ones who threatens us all."
Oedon chuckled. "For some reason, I can almost hear Aeon saying Welcome to politics! At your words." she said with amusement.
Lucy grunted. "I'm a fucking CEO! Why the hell am I the one having to herd this bunch of idiots who call themselves the leaders of the most powerful country in the world?!"
Oedon grinned. "Careful now, if Aeon hears you say that he just might suggest that you try to become the next US president!"
Lucy stared at her with horror.
"Fuck no! I might legitimately support Aeon becoming the benevolent Tyrant of Humanity if that ever happens! Fuck Democracy and Free Will, Enlightened Monarchy coupled with a Hive-Mind is where's it at!"
And Oedon laughed at her, the traitor!
Just you wait! One day Oedon's the one who'll have to deal with politicians, and Lucy will get to laugh long and hard then!
Oedon smiled at Jill, a certain amount of nostalgia in her heart at the sight of the Huntress arriving within the Dream from her Hunt in Raccoon City.
The last few realities had been interesting, and rather relaxing to be in, where she and her dear Aeon had not needed to worry about fighting overly much.
That was still true, of course. With how much power their true selves possessed these days, power enough to make even the Great Ones seem as but mere mortal children, weak and helpless, no true threat existed in this cluster of realities or any of the previous ones.
As it was, even all of this was far beneath them. Had they wanted, they could solve all this world's trouble with a snap of their fingers.
But she also understood why they didn't. Aeon wanted to recruit new Hunters, and by definition this required a crucible to forge them within.
The simulated Yharnam was a good one, but not good enough. As realistic as it was, it lacked weight. All of it was simulated, after all. No matter how hard Jill and Rebecca fought, they could not change the events which took place in the past.
Raccoon City was different. Here, every life mattered. Here, failure could lead to innocents suffering the consequences.
This fact would push Jill and Rebecca to fight all the harder, especially when it was against a foe so clearly personal. Both of them have seen first hand the result of Umbrella's crimes, the creations of these… zombies and Bioengineered Weapons of War, and had lost cherished friends and teammates to them.
True, the local beasts were weak and easy to slay in comparison to the greatest beasts of Yharnam, but that was to be expected. Umbrella's scientists were not blessed with the Old Blood, and thus their creations were simply incapable of matching the Blood's potential for Greatness.
Still, she'll give the humans of this world this much: they were able to create some truly fearsome beasts, even if they were usually but one off creations.
The Cameron virus was certainly impressive, requiring even her dear Aeon to unleash a fraction of his true might to ensure complete eradication across all realities.
And the Blacklight virus was not without its points of interest, either.
Of course, Great Ones could still create greater things if given the will and motivation, but these were mere mortals at work, and as ever they seemed determined to reach out for the levels of Greatness of the Gods.
But her dear Aeon had spoken, and a new Hunt was declared against these mortals who reminded him so much of the worst of the Healing Church. And that naturally required Hunters to fight in it.
Few for now, though there would be more in time, in this world and those who would follow.
For all the horrors of this world, it was in the grand scheme of things still only a test bed of things to come. New Hunters given new foes to Hunt, to test and strengthen their skills for the Hunts to come.
Her dear Aeon had plans, after all. Great Plans, greater still than anything even the Great Ones had ever dreamed of, and this was only but a quiet prelude to the battles to come.
Still, to these people, this was their home, and she would always gladly help give strength to those worthy of it. Let these young mortals face their crucible, that they may become greater from it, great enough to help her husband and stand by his side when he would make his way to his true goal, the Great Court at the center of Reality where his current ambitions truly resided, and whose music's their true selves could faintly listen to if they tried to.
So for the time being, Oedon merely smiled serenely, and did as she always did.
"Welcome home, Good Huntress. How was your Hunt in the Waking World?"
28th September, 1998.
"Something troubling you, Good Huntress?"
Rebecca Chambers blinked, and then looked up at Oedon, who was smiling at her curiously.
Rebecca blushed slightly, having been lost in thoughts after returning to the Hunter's Dream following the successful cleansing of the worms' nest.
Even with the inherent tranquility of the Dream and her own conviction following the nest's destruction, a part of her still couldn't help but be disturbed by what she had seen.
Disturbed enough for Oedon to be able to sneak up on her after getting lost in thought while sitting on the little stone wall leading to the Mansion, apparently.
Sloppy, she chided herself, but it was half-hearted at best.
And not just because the one who sneaked up on her was a literal goddess.
Said goddess sat next to her, smiling kindly.
"Why don't you talk of whatever it is that disturbs you? I have always enjoyed hearing the Hunters of the Dream speak of their Hunts and the Waking World, after all, and as I understand it, such things might help you surpass whatever troubles you now."
Rebecca looked at Oedon for a moment, hesitating, before biting her lip.
"Say… during the old days, when you were still in Yharnam… you must have heard of many horrifying stories of the Hunters on the Hunt, no?" she asked softly.
Oedon sighed slightly, nodding.
"Yes, I did. The Hunt has always been a bloody affair, full of death, madness and pain. Rare were those with the strength of will to not be broken by the horrors they witnessed, rarer still were those able to grow stronger from witnessing those horrors."
"But Aeon did, right?" she asked.
Oedon stared at her for a moment, before nodding.
"In time, yes. But that does not mean he wasn't affected by it all. Even he broke, at one point. The first time he witnessed a Hunter turn into a beast… the first time he truly failed to save those he sought to save… it broke something in him, then. An innocence that only those who never put their life on the line, and who never held the lives of others in their hands, could still hold. He grew stronger from it, yes, but it wasn't without cost. The cost of failure bit deep within him, and turned him colder, as much as it made him more determined. Whenever tragedy struck afterwards, he was saddened, but no longer did he grieve as much."
She paused.
"And of course, there is also the fact that Aeon found strength in rage. Whenever he was confronted by an evil he could not tolerate, he would rage against it. While fully in control of that rage, certainly, because Aeon refused to ever let himself lose control, but even so, he learned to mask his horror and pain with righteous rage, in order to give him the strength to confront evil."
Oedon looked at Rebecca, tilting her head slightly.
"You too, have some of that rage. But not anywhere near what he holds within him, dormant until called upon. You are angry at the cruelty that others are capable of, angry that such evil exists in the world, and determined to see things become better for all, but even so, you lack the capacity for rage he possesses."
She smiled. "It's a good thing, I think. Aeon trusts you, and will trust you more as time goes by. You can help remind him that sometimes, it is kindness that helps make the world better, not blood and death."
Rebecca laughed weakly.
"Sure, I need to remind a god of the value of kindness. You certainly don't ask for much, do you?"
Oedon smiled at her.
"But I did not ask for anything you weren't already thinking of doing, you and Jill both, did I?"
Rebecca blinked.
Oedon laughed softly.
"Come now, I'm well aware that, despite everything, I'm not human. Not truly. I will always see things a bit differently than you will. That however does not mean I cannot see what is in front of me. I passed many years only able to see the world as a Great One, and more afterwards where it was required of me to be… insightful-" she declared with a smirk. "-in order to fully achieve my purpose in the Hunter's Dream as a helper to the Hunters. So it wasn't hard to see the way you've grown closer to Aeon, and decided to try and help him in any way you can. And that does not mean simply killing his enemies, but also helping him emotionally if he ever requires it."
Oedon sighed, then looked away, towards the stars burning bright in the night sky of the Hunter's Dream.
"You are worried that being a Huntress will harden you like it hardened Aeon, that it will change you in ways that you would otherwise not approve of. Am I wrong?"
Rebecca winced, but nodded.
"Yes." she said softly. "I wanted to be a medic, but also someone who did good and made a difference in the world for the better. I thought that being a member of the S.T.A.R.S. would help with that, but… Well, we both know how that worked out."
She sighed.
"And now, I have the chance to make more of a difference than I ever dreamed of… but I can't help but worry about the cost. I'm essentially immortal now, after all. I don't necessarily mind that, who doesn't want to live a long life if they could? Especially one filled with gods and wonders beyond anything I could have ever imagined! But I can't help but wonder about what I'll be like in 10 years, or 50, or 100, or even 1000. Especially after fighting who knows how many battles against monsters…"
Oedon hummed, before shrugging.
"And that's a bad thing?"
Rebecca blinked.
Oedon smiled in amusement, green eyes dancing with the light of the stars above.
"Rebecca, I lived for a very long time. Many thousands of years by human standards. I've seen the rise and fall of civilizations, of Humanity itself. I've suffered… a lot, over the eons. And yet, I can firmly say that I am happy, here and now, with who I am. Who I've become. You're right, Rebecca. You will change, in ways you probably can't ever expect until it happens. But that is alright. All things change, eventually, that is how life works. Nothing remains truly static, and that is good. We, as individuals, change thanks to the experiences we go through in life, and the people who surround us. So tell me, Rebecca. Do you think you're doing the wrong thing, fighting for Raccoon City? Do you think you made a mistake by deciding to join with us?"
Rebecca paused, and then shook her head firmly. No, she hadn't. She truly believed that, whatever else can be said about everything, she was doing good work at Raccoon City, and that Aeon, Oedon and Lucy were good people that she could trust.
Oedon's smile grew.
"Then, why worry about it? Do what you feel is right, be with those you believe you can trust, and let the future come as it may."
Rebecca huffed in amusement. "That simple, huh?"
Oedon laughed slightly. "Well, you humans always worry about something. Honestly, if you lived your lives without worrying about what-ifs and simply pursued your dreams without fears, you all would be much happier."
Rebecca rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Yeah? Well, what do you think I'll be like in a few decades, O wise goddess?" she replied with amused sarcasm.
Oedon grinned at her mischievously.
"Well, did you ever think of how many children you'd like to have? I'm certain you'll make a wonderful mother one day… And you know that both Aeon and I want a large family..."
Rebecca blushed.
"Oedon!"
Unfortunately for her, Oedon was apparently in a teasing mood.
Never before had Rebecca been so thankful for the fact a Hunter outfit covered one's face almost entirely.
It certainly helped hide the massive blush on her face that was very clearly present on her by the time she fled left the Hunter's Dream!
29th September, 1998.
"So it's time, then?"
"Yes. Everything is ready. As the saying goes, shit is about to hit the fan." replied Lucy with a satisfied, if slightly tired, smirk.
Oedon chuckled. "A rather crude but appropriate description of what is about to happen once all of this hits."
"About time, if you ask me. We've waited long enough for this."
Oedon gave her an amused look. "And those feelings have nothing to do with all the phone calls of the past few days?"
"I plead the Fifth." Lucy deadpanned, lips twitching.
Oedon snorted.
"Well, to burning down most of the corruption in the USA, then." she declared, raising a glass of wine that appeared in her hand high.
"Amen to that." said Lucy with a grin, before they both drank the wine.
Meanwhile, countless bits of gathered evidence about covered-up crimes, corruption and more was released for the whole world to see.
In an hour, the government was in chaos.
In three, most of the country's leadership followed.
By the end of the day, news networks everywhere were screaming about the greatest discovery of corruption at all levels of society in history… when they weren't too busy slinging mud at each other because of their own revealed corruption.
And as the USA fell into chaos as protests and revolts hit everywhere as a good chunk of their leadership was revealed corrupt, Oedon and Lucy merely smiled with satisfaction.
It was a shame they couldn't hit all their enemies, like Blackwatch who were too useful as allies in the war against Umbrella, but at the very least they could remove some of their lower-level pawns.
It was also too bad, for everybody else, that there was no way for anyone to find proof that Insight Corp. was behind this mess. All the spy networks in the world didn't matter when facing gods who could cheat by using supernatural powers to get their way, after all.
At the very least, there was no way anyone was going to propose bombing Raccoon City now, not when every politician was far too busy with this utter chaos instead.
Even Simmons, the Head of the Family, had a few scandals to deal with. Nothing major that might risk him lashing out in ways that would be more trouble than it was worth, but enough to keep him busy for a while.
Either way, the US was in for some interesting times ahead, that was for sure…
"Senator Lendel accused of massive corruption, links revealed to Umbrella show massive amounts of bribes…"
"The IMM News Network was revealed to be controlled by various politicians and corporations! Massive amounts of protesters demand the shut down of the news network-"
"The stock market shares of various companies continue to go straight into the dirt as hours go by and the latest revelations cause shockwaves at Wall Street and the rest of the world. Economists already worry about the long-term consequences of the latest news as only a few companies remain untarnished by scandals-"
"The End is Nigh! The End is Nigh! Repent, for-"
"Emergency gathering of the Congress as more and more senators' corruption is revealed and the political landscape enters a period of chaos rarely, if ever, seen in US history…"
"Still little news from Raccoon City, which continues to be surrounded by the army. Yet, the unmistakable sounds of distant explosions and battle echo in the air, and the night sky is lit with the fires coming from the city…"
"The Federation of Pharmaceutical Companies recently announced an emergency meeting as scandal after scandal caused the value of their stocks to fall at a record new low, while various protests have gathered in front of the company HQ to loudly announce their desire to see those companies pay for their crimes. The numerous revelations of unethical experiments performed by Umbrella Pharmaceutical only add fuel to the fire…"
"So tell me Jerry, with all the latest chaos at Washington, do you think the government will last for much longer? And if not, who will become the next leader of our great country, in these troubled times where public trust in the politicians of this nation has reached a record low level?"
"Well Tom, the first question is pretty obvious. There's no way the current government will last much longer, not after all the scandal wrecking all credibility it possesses. Where things get more interesting, is what happens next? Most of the showrunners normally expected to have a shot at the presidency are wracked by scandals themselves, after all, so it's a real mess at Congress right now, and even most of the Federal agencies are no better. Revelations of Chinese spies, abuse of power, plain old corruption and more means most of the country's usual powers are themselves scrambling to try and get on top of things, and let's be honest, that won't happen for a while. One thing is for sure, the next several weeks and months will change our great country in many ways… Though in what ways, well that's a more complicated question to answer."
2st October, 1998.
"Well, I dare say that it worked pretty well."
Lucy snorted at Oedon's words, continuing to look at the TV where the news kept losing their minds over the sheer number of scandals they currently had to deal with.
Not that they were the only ones who had to deal with that, to be fair. The police and Judiciary system in general hadn't been spared from the revelations of corruption, and a fair number of judges and police officers were now the ones having to deal with the Law.
The sheer number of arrests these last few days had reached an all time high, bad enough that there were some worries about how to deal with all the trials to come.
The fact that quite a few of those trials were for former high-ranking members of the government was not helping.
"This world is fucking insane. With so many evil corporations and hidden conspiracies in this world, the sheer level of corruption is staggering. For goodness' sake, we didn't even release anything to do with B.O.W's in order to hide the existence of stuff like the t-Virus and more from the public and avoid triggering Blackwatch, and even then this whole mess-" she waved at the screen, where another politician was being shown arrested by the police "-is happening!"
Oedon hummed. "This kind of reminds me of some of Aeon's stories about Yharnam, and the group he joined who were trying to rid Humanity of the corruption within it… Something about Vermins?"
Lucy grunted. "Well there certainly are a whole lot of those in this world."
She shook her head. "In any case, for us it's certainly working well enough. Including that other matter we were waiting for the right time to resolve."
Oedon smiled. "Good, Rebecca will be pleased to hear that, and so will Aeon."
"Well, it's not fully done with yet, but right now the US government really can't afford to fight us on anything. They can't afford even more scandals, after all."
Oedon nodded, before giving her a hopeful look.
"And about-"
Lucy rolled her eyes, but smiled fondly.
"Yes, yes, I'm working on getting Sherry adopted, don't worry."
Oedon gave her a thankful smile. "Thank you. From what Aeon's memories showed, she'll be great to have around… and of course, I'm happy to see him get his first surrogate. Even if things are different now, such things should still be done properly."
Lucy gave her a look. She knew of Oedon's past, and it was clear that Oedon was looking forward immensely to have a child to call her own, adopted or not.
Honestly, it was a good thing that Lucy was the one to deal with getting things settled with the US government, because she was a bit worried that Oedon wouldn't take kindly to anyone even insinuating that Sherry should not be in her care.
And Lucy would rather not see what would happen if Oedon decided to make her claim on Sherry utterly clear to Humanity.
Despite their recent actions, they were trying to help the USA, not make the country crash and burn in an orgy of blood and madness.
And considering how Evil Stupid some of the locals were, that was a potential concern.
Ah well. For now, she'll just enjoy the fruits of her work by watching the news and seeing the utter chaos in the country.
General Randall, leader of Blackwatch, clasped his hands behind his back, staring at the wide room before him.
"So, still no update about who leaked all of these information to the public?"
"No sir. The entire world is seemingly searching for the ones responsible, but no evidence has been discovered so far. Not by us, and as far as we know not by anyone else."
General Randall tightened his fists close, but otherwise didn't even twitch.
"Understood. Keep me informed if that changes."
"Yes, sir!" saluted the soldier, before leaving.
Damn Insight Corp… It's got to be them. How they pulled that off I have no idea, but they did it.
Worst part is, if I wasn't so pissed about the greatest breach in cyber-security in the US- no, the World's history, I'd want to give them a damn medal for it. Lord knows that things obviously needed a good cleansing in Washington if all we've learned is anything to go by.
Still, we lost a few people in the purges, but they obviously didn't target us all that much. I doubt it's lack of capability, too. As thanks for the help in Raccoon City, then? An olive branch?
Or something more sinister at work, requiring them to wait until the decapitation strike hit?
Either way, we need better security. Hell, the whole damn country needs better security. Good thing the Soviets collapsed, if that had happened even a decade or two earlier, the damn Reds' laughter would have been heard all the way from Moscow to Washington.
As it is, the whole world is looking and laughing at us… or they would, if some of their own companies and politicians hadn't been targeted too. Not as many, but enough to make it clear that this could have been a global strike had they wanted.
Either way, that can't be allowed to happen again. Others will see this and see weaknesses, and right now that's sadly far too accurate for my liking. We'll need to step up our efforts in many ways…
But first: Umbrella.
General Randall allowed himself a vicious smirk at that.
They had dealt a lot of losses in their USS forces, and the UBCS was essentially dead and gone, what few survivors existed loudly proclaiming Umbrella's crimes for all to hear.
To say nothing of all the manpower and facilities lost in Raccoon City, along with a high number of their B.O.W's.
Even a number of experimental ones had been killed, whose loss would not be so easily replaced, especially now.
And of course, their influence in the US government had been crushed. That especially was satisfying, considering it means the bastards wouldn't be able to bribe their way out of the noose tightening around their necks.
And the noose was, indeed, tightening. The public was horrified by how corrupt Umbrella was, even while knowing only a fraction of their true crimes. The other companies were leaving them to wither and die as fast as they could, trying desperately to cover their own asses, and already there were talks in certain parts of the military and government about assembling a strike force to deal with Umbrella and their ilk more proactively.
Unfortunately, it couldn't be linked to Blackwatch. They were meant to be top secret, and the very usefulness of having public opinion firmly on their side meant that they needed a group more… transparent for the job of dealing with Umbrella than a Black Ops group like Blackwatch.
Though there were talks about using Echo Six as the core of the new Strike Force, considering their experience in Raccoon City. A few others individuals too, were considered for the job, whether from the military or beyond. As long as they had useful skills, they could be put to use.
General Randall would rather keep this strictly within the military, but he grudgingly acknowledged the need for more… civilian specialists, at times.
And speaking of which…
His gaze fell on the incoming form of a man that Randall knew well, considering the years of work for the good of the USA the two had together.
That did not mean, however, that he fully trusted or respected Raymond McMullen, founder and leader of Gentek.
For one, the man knew far too much because of his position, but more importantly-
"General Randall! Truly, today is a good day! So many new specimens to study, so much to learn!"
- The man cared far too much about research and knowledge itself, rather than his duty to his country.
Randall grunted. "I'm pleased to hear that. We lost good men and women getting your specimens, McMullen. I better see results from this."
The man waved him off, obviously far too excited to learn new things to care about the details.
Like the lives lost in the name of his research.
"A noble sacrifice, General! With all these specimens to learn from, why, we should be able to greatly advance our research in a variety of projects!"
Randall scowled, but nodded sharply, glancing back at the numerous cages where dozens, if not hundreds of infected zombies and creatures could be seen, having been gathered by Blackwatch throughout the outbreak for the sake of the scientists at Gentek.
All of them mutated by the t-Virus in some way or form. They had tried to get their hand on a G-sample, but sadly that failed.
All Blackwatch had were a few teams' worth of broken corpses to show for it.
Still, there were rumors that a few samples did make it out of the city, so perhaps…
A thought for another time.
"Good. We need better everything, McMullen. The weapons provided by Insight Corp. proved invaluable during the outbreak, but we need more than that."
An understatement to say the least. Again, he'd grudgingly give Insight Corp. the respect it was due, those las-weapons of theirs were the real deal. Powerful and incredibly reliable on the field, there wasn't a blackwatch soldier that hadn't fallen in love with their new best friend against monsters. If it wasn't for their origins, Randall would be thanking God for them. As it was, well, even the Commies had their uses during WW2.
It just remained to be seen for how long Insight Corp.'s usefulness surpassed the inconveniences of their existence.
"Especially those new Huntresses of ISIS. I don't know what the hell they fed them with, but those women had no right being as deadly as they were."
And let's not get started on ISIS's leader, he thought darkly.
That was a rabbit hole they'll all concern themselves with another day.
McMullen frowned thoughtfully.
"Yes, yes, clear superhuman abilities while still looking fully human. Fascinating to see, though it gave us all headaches trying to understand how they pulled that off. Insight Corp. isn't known for their bioengineered weapons of war and accompanying viruses, indeed by all means they seek to erase such things entirely. We suspected some kind of cybernetics, but if so, they remain undetectable. Either way, we'll see about creating a counter of some kind for them. We know that it's possible at least, which is more than could be said before. Don't worry General, we'll get it done."
Randall nodded firmly. He was concerned about how long it would take, but if nothing else, the weapons Insight Corp. sold them would go a long way to bridge the gap between his boys and ISIS' Huntresses.
Not perfect by any means, but it'll do until they could create their own counter to everything Insight Corp. possessed.
And there was a certain irony in using the weapons of one's enemy to fight them with that he couldn't help but darkly appreciate.
"Speaking of cybernetics, the regular troops ISIS fielded had equipment that I want on our side as soon as possible."
Because that was yet another thing they had better than them. Even their damn troopers had equipment that made the US Army green in envy. And sure, it was certainly easier to equip a couple hundred men and women than an actual army with the best of the best of equipment, but when even the USA's best wasn't as good, there was something very wrong about this.
All in all, there was a lot of work to ensure the continued supremacy and safety of the USA. But they had the tools to ensure it, now, and General Randall had no intention of not using them to the fullest.
He'd keep his country strong and safe, no matter the cost.
"We have the authority to do as we please with you. You, and that girl."
"Just leave her outta this! She's an innocent."
"An innocent that carries the G antibodies. Don't worry, we are taking very good care of her and her mother."
Leon grimaced, sighing and slumping in his chair in the middle of the interrogation room he'd end up in after being questioned on everything he found out on Umbrella since his arrival in Raccoon City.
Apparently, the US government had been very eager to debrief him as soon as possible, and now here he was, having been escorted here by a whole squad of grim-faced soldiers.
"Bottom line is, you have the experience we're looking for. So if you want this to end peacefully, you really have only one choice: Work for us."
Leon pursed his lips at the man's words, so kind of governmental agent he didn't even get the name of, before taking a deep breath-
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*
"Bravo! Congratulations! I've yet to hear a more untruthful and incompetent recruiting speech in my life! That's genuinely impressive, I'll have you know!"
Leon blinked. That voice-
"Wait, who- what are you- stop immediately!"
"Pfft, on what authority, the US government? Please, it hardly even still exists right now! All the politicians are trying to either cover their asses or throw mud at everybody around them in the vague hope that if everyone is revealed corrupt, nobody is! Or it certainly seems that way, if what we're seeing on the news is anything to go by."
"If you don't leave immediately, I-"
"Look, I'm sure you think you're important or some shit, but I don't care. I've got work to do, a city to ensure remains virus free, and I don't have time to waste on some nobody pencil pusher with an ego from the FBI or whatever it is you're from. And before you say anything else, I'd like to bring attention to the fact that right now, the only reason so much of the truth behind the Outbreak remains secret is Insight Corp.'s agreement with the US government that it would be for the best. If that agreement disappears? So does any hope of legitimacy the US government can claim to on both national and international scale. So shut up, sit down, and go push some paper to file an official complaint your superiors can wipe their asses with if they even have two brain cells to rub together."
Leon blinked, and then blinked again when the door of the room opened, revealing the smirking face of Aeon.
"Congratulations Leon, you're free! In the old tradition of friends busting out other friends who got thrown into jail, I'm here to get your ass outta here! And all it took was me walking confidently all the way here and browbeating an idiot with more power than sense into submission. Truly, one of those days I really need to walk into Fort Knox just to see how bad things are there, too."
Leon stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head with a smile.
"Figures that you'd show up. But what about-"
"Don't worry about Claire and Sherry, contrary to what that idiot said they're with Insight Corp. right now. Sherry's mom is still arrested, though, but that is for good reasons."
Leon nodded, before shrugging and getting up, moving towards Aeon.
"Alright, so what now?"
Aeon chuckled. "Now? We walk out like we own the place, and then I bring you to Sherry and Claire. We've got our own debriefing to take care of, after all!"
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly, a subtle nod of the head from Aeon confirming it was probably about more than a mere post-Raccoon City outbreak debriefing he wanted to see all three of them for.
Unless he was wrong, they were all about to get some answers the rest of the world and the US government was better off not knowing.
But he wasn't stupid enough to point that out, so he merely nodded and smile wryly.
"From one debrief into another, heh? Damn, and here I was hoping to get some rest."
Aeon smiled apologetically. "Sorry Leon, but things are moving fast right now, and the sooner this is done and over with the better."
Leon agreed. He had a lot of questions he wanted answers to, after all.
That, and he had a war to wage against Umbrella. He wasn't sure yet how to go about it, but he was certain Aeon would be able to point him in the right direction, or at least give him valuable intel.
"Then let's get to it."
I chuckled as I stepped through a portal to the HQ of Insight Corp., Leon was staring at the thing like he wasn't sure whether to run away screaming from it or be incredibly excited about the literal magic portal in front of him.
Good to know that, even after Raccoon City, Leon was still able to feel wonder at extraordinary things… like actual magic.
I couldn't help but stop and stare in with a deadpan look on my face at the sight awaiting on the other side, though.
Even if my lips couldn't stop twitching into a grin at the sight of a blushing, stammering Sherry currently being fussed over by not one, not two, but three different women.
"I see you're all getting along pretty well." I snarked, Sherry almost jumping in fright at the unexpectedness of my voice… if she wasn't too busy being hugged tightly by Oedon, who looked thoroughly satisfied with herself while holding the young girl in her arms.
So instead, she merely squirmed a bit and then froze, blushing harder, which only got whispered "Daaww." from all three women.
"Aeon!" she finally said happily, before setting her gaze on Leon, who had finally gone through the portal and had gone to cautious from the magic thrown around to smiling cheerfully at the sight of both Sherry and Claire.
Though the amused spark in his eyes at the sight of the squished girl in Oedon's arms made clear he was finding the situation as amusing as I did.
"Oedon, ladies, if you could let go of poor Sherry, we could finally get this oh-so-important meeting underway, please?" I said, my amusement growing at the thankful look Sherry threw my way while Oedon, Claire and Lucy pouted slightly.
Especially Oedon, since she somehow got to be the one who hugged Sherry.
Still, once the portal was closed, everyone sat in their own chairs and we had a semblance of decorum in the room.
Only a semblance though, since Oedon was still glancing at Sherry like she wanted to hug her and never let go, Lucy was sending Oedon amused and slightly sympathetic looks, and Claire and Leon were just obviously happy to have everyone gathered and to see Sherry happy.
Sherry herself looked both overwhelmed but was not-so-secretly glowing from all the attention she was getting.
"Right then. I'd have brought Jill and Rebecca for this, but there is still a lot of work to do and most of what we are about to talk about is information they already know. So, let's get started. Lucy, if you would."
"Right." Lucy cleared her throat. "As you may or may not know-" she glanced at Leon, since he was the last to be brought here. "-I am Lucy Miller, and I am the CEO of Insight Corporation. At my left is Aeon, who I am sure you are all familiar with-" they nodded "-and at my right is Oedon Muradasilova, the head researcher of the company."
"And more importantly, my wife." I declared with a bright smile.
Their eyes immediately focused on the white haired woman, who waved at them with a warm smile, a ring clearly visible on her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all!" she beamed.
All three looked at her, especially Leon since he was the only one who didn't have the time to really get to know everybody so far.
The three then introduced themselves, more for formality's sake than anything else, before the meeting properly began.
We began with a recap of everything that happened before the Outbreak in Raccoon City, with Claire and Sherry listening especially closely since it both involved them.
Claire's brother was Chris, after all, and Sherry's father had helped bring about Marcus' death.
I had hesitated about having Sherry hear all of this, but she deserved to know everything and we weren't here to hide things or keep secrets.
Oh, and I certainly caught Leon's rising interest when the subject of Ada's presence was mentioned, but didn't comment on it.
It was therefore with a rather grim silence that this part of the meeting ended, with Claire thinking of her brother, Sherry of her dead father's crimes and Leon about Ada.
And of course, the evils of Umbrella.
We then got into the Raccoon City Outbreak itself, and everything that had happened in it and since.
There was a lot to go over, but the general gist of it was that, despite the odds, Raccoon City still stood.
Even if it was going to require years of work before it not only became safe again, but also habitable.
Despite that, it wasn't all good news.
The war was effectively on against Umbrella, but it was going to be neither quick nor bloodless.
And arguably even worse, we knew that others had gotten advantages from the Outbreak that was going to be annoying later on to deal with.
I meant, of course, Blackwatch, and the various infected and data on the B.O.W's of Umbrella they had gathered in this mess.
As for the discussion about why Blackwatch was a problem, well…
"Wait," said Leon slowly. "You mean to tell me-"
"Correct. One of the most influential military groups in the USA, especially now after their help in Raccoon City, is actually doing incredibly inhuman experiments as we speak, and have been doing those for decades. And we sadly can't fight them, or reveal them, both because we needed their manpower in Raccoon City, but also because right now, if we revealed just how evil the USA could really be? After we already broke all trust in the politicians? We might very well end up with a civil war on our hands. An incredibly bloody and brutal one. And you can be certain the rest of the world would end up getting involved, one way or another. In short, we have to let them be, or trying to help would only make things worse."
There was a moment of silence after Lucy's words.
"Well shit." replied Leon, scowling fiercely.
Lucy snorted. "Pretty much. We'll go into more details about the various factions that we need to keep an eye on later, but for now just understand that this war for the future of the world isn't just about dealing with Umbrella. This is a war that will take decades to fight, at the very least. No longer will conflict be just between nations, but between various organizations and corporations too. And at the center of it all will be more and more B.O.W's. Make no mistake: Raccoon City was the mark of a new era of conflicts, no more, no less."
"So in one century we got WW1, WW2, the Cold War and now a war involving literal monsters. Fucking hell…" grumbled Leon, a dark look in his eyes.
"Correct. And if we lose this one, the Earth will become populated by those monsters, rather than human beings." I scoffed, smirking wryly. "So you know, no pressure."
There was a tense silence at my words, both Claire and Leon looking grim and horrified, while Sherry was…
I looked at her sadly.
"And my daddy and mommy… they worked to create those monsters?" she asked softly, blue eyes showing the horror at the news.
Understandable, really. Again, I'd have preferred not to have her here… but she already knew quite a bit of all of this, or at least deduced it from all she saw in Raccoon City.
And considering what was in her blood now… well, she needed to understand exactly what we were dealing with here.
Still, my grim look softened. "Yes. I'm sorry, Sherry. I just-"
"It's fine. I… I want to know. I want to know everything." she said, voice trembling slightly but her eyes determined.
"Sherry…" whispered Claire, looking sad.
The young girl turned to look at her, smiling sadly.
"I'm sorry, Claire, but… I want to know. I need to know. Besides… the whole world will know, right? With mommy arrested… Everybody will know." she replied softly.
I grimaced, but nodded. "Not the entire truth, the US government will make sure of that, but yes. Your parent's names will be mentioned on every news station, your father's especially. They were just too important for their part in the outbreak for that not to happen."
There were grimaces and sympathetic looks thrown Sherry's way at my words, but to her credit she merely nodded sadly.
It was a shame that we had to be so blunt about all of this, but the fact of the matter was, everybody here knew too much. There was no point in sugar-coating anything, not after what Sherry went through.
So we kept going. The history of Umbrella, the other groups of interests that needed to be taken care of, and of course…
My true nature and history.
Much like with Jill and the others, Claire, Leon and Sherry were both horrified and in awe of what happened in Yharnam, though it was even worse for them.
After all, Claire and Sherry were civilians, while Leon was still, technically, a cop.
So seeing what I went through, alone, during the long night of the Hunt was even more shocking to them, since they could compare that to their experience in Raccoon City… and easily tell just how much worse things were for me… and everybody in Yharnam.
By the time we were done explaining everything, all three were looking at me with awe, though Leon was slightly thoughtful too.
I could see it in his eyes, the sudden understanding of why I did everything as I had, of why I was here, now, trying to help the people of this world fight against Umbrella and their ilk.
We shared a subtle nod, as only two men who both went through hell could on properly recognizing each other for what we were: fellow survivors who swore to fight the same war against the same foes.
Lucy then decided for us all to take a break for now, since a lot of important revelations had been made already.
And there were still a few left to go over.
I couldn't help but sympathize with them, really.
After all, I knew all too well what it felt like to suddenly discover that the world was so much bigger than you ever thought it to be…
And so much more deadly.