"Don't talk about him," Guard B whispered to Guard A, nodding toward a figure in black combat gear, helmeted, holding an HK-416, standing motionless at the corner less than ten meters away.
"Bad vibe…" Guard A spat.
"These guys… they're not simple," Guard B said quietly. "I worked security at BW for years. I'm sensitive to dangerous types. These are real killers. That white-coat's team is serious."
"Who are they, anyway?" Guard A scratched his head, then froze, squinting, searching for something.
"Clark, you hear that?" Guard A asked.
"What?" Guard B frowned. "You know my right ear's been shot since Iraq."
"Like… something's… screaming?" Guard A turned to the sealed gate behind them. The faint sound was gone.
He glanced at the black-clad figure, still unmoving, seemingly deaf to it.
"Guess I imagined it…"
…
In a corner, Jason Parker watched the elites below, his eyes flashing with resentment.
'Why are people born unequal?'
His family served the Griffiths for generations, a duty Jason found absurd. Old Parker said it was their purpose, but Jason couldn't accept it.
When Old Parker could no longer work, Jason became the Griffiths' butler. Years later, his father died.
He recalled the drizzly funeral. The old noble stood silently, cane in hand, expressionless. As the coffin was lowered and the priest finished, he adjusted his hat and left without a word.
To Jason, nobles were polished monsters, their dark dealings revealed when he took over the Orianna. He knew Old Griffith was disappointed in him, often muttering, "If only your father were here…"
Jason sneered. He thought his father a fool, but why was Old Griffith never satisfied despite Jason fulfilling every task? Was his posture not servile enough? Was he not dog-like enough?
It didn't matter. With his partner's help, Old Griffith's empire was a pie everyone wanted a slice of. Childless, Griffith had promised Jason the estate and ship, a nod to his late friend's son. But Jason didn't trust him. Before Griffith could change his mind, Jason, with his partner's aid, ensured the old noble's "pleasant" departure.
He thought his golden days had arrived, but he underestimated the Orianna's upkeep costs. With only the estate and a sliver of inheritance, he couldn't sustain it. The ship would ruin him.
But that was fine. This banquet would be the Orianna's last.
A twisted grin spread across Jason's face. He turned to the blonde maid, Rita, behind him. "If our master were alive, what would he think of my perfect plan?"
Rita stood silent, her face cold.
"Why ask you? If you still had a mind, you'd have gutted me by now."
He sneered at the nobles below. "Enjoy your last moments. This is your final banquet."
Taking out his communicator, he said, "I'm heading to the helipad. Start it."
In the control room, a man lounging with his legs up shut off the radio and tossed it. "Hear that? The fat fool thinks he's getting a chopper?"
"No way we'd arrange his escape. A clown should die like one, right?" he sneered, turning to the tied-up crew, including the captain, trembling in fear.
No one answered.
"Tch, boring." He stood, adjusted his white coat, and addressed the black-clad men. "You lot, with me. The show's about to start."
"Supervisor Kazimierz…" one hesitated. "Teams B and C are still below. Shouldn't we wait?"
Kazimierz spun, glaring. After a pause, he asked, "You're new, right?"
"Joined last August," the man replied nervously.
"Tch, four months in, and you still don't get it?" Kazimierz muttered, rubbing his messy brown hair. "You're trash, a rat from the gutters, not human anymore. You're property—disposable property. Got it?"
"Y-yes, sir!" the man stammered.
"This ship's about to become a testing ground," Kazimierz grinned. "You wanna leave with me or stay with your buddies below?"
"With you, sir!" the man said.
"Good. Stick close, don't fall behind," Kazimierz said, then waved to the bound crew. "Have fun."
The crew's eyes widened in terror.
…
Ada slipped into the lower decks.
Her red gown was gone, replaced by a black tactical suit. She dodged patrols carefully. The ship's cameras were hacked, showing nothing amiss, but security was tight, making her movements tricky.
'Too tight.'
It confirmed her intel: the cargo included BOWs.
She couldn't fathom why nobles wanted BOWs, but it didn't matter. Her employer, a man in dark sunglasses, had tipped her off about something valuable among this year's goods—an Umbrella relic from Raccoon City.
The Raccoon City outbreak had left Umbrella's branch in chaos, with research and specimens untransferred. Global Umbrella branches tested their creations there, creating a mess.
Now, an Umbrella relic was on this ship.
Ada's plan was simple: hack the security system, enter the cargo hold, grab the item, and escape with Li Yexing and Lilith's cover. With Lilith being a BOW, multiple BOWs onboard wouldn't be an issue…