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The villa on the west coast of the United States stood in quiet defiance of the ruined world beyond its gates. The sea, once a symbol of leisure and postcards, now breathed like a tired survivor. Waves rolled in with a slow, deliberate rhythm, brushing the shore as though afraid to disturb the fragile peace that humanity had rebuilt with trembling hands. Inside the villa, sunlight filtered through tall glass windows, spreading across polished floors and the faces gathered there.
"No?" Alice's voice carried a disbelief she tried to hide. Her eyes, sharper than ever yet shadowed by years of battles, rested on White Queen.
Claire leaned forward slightly, tension visible in the tightness of her jaw. Ada stood near the window, arms folded, gaze distant but listening. Jill exhaled smoke toward the ceiling, her expression guarded. Teri clasped her hands together, knuckles pale. K-Mart hovered between hope and dread. Becky, no longer the frightened little girl of the past, stood closest to White Queen, eyes wide, refusing to surrender to despair.
White Queen, now appearing older, more composed, yet burdened with knowledge no human mind could carry, shook her head slowly. "It's not possible. I don't have the means to revive him."
Silence fell like a heavy curtain. The air itself seemed to pause, thick with everything unsaid. Six months had passed since the fall of Red Queen, since Jack's final collapse. Six months of waiting beside a motionless body. Six months of whispered prayers from women who had once believed themselves incapable of prayer.
"Mother…" Becky's voice trembled, softer now, uncertain. "Father can't wake up?"
Alice's lips parted, but words refused to come. For someone who had faced bioweapons, tyrants, monsters, and the end of the world more times than logic allowed, this—this stillness—felt crueler than any battlefield. She finally answered, barely above a whisper. "I don't know."
Becky's composure fractured. She turned back to White Queen, fingers clutching at the AI's hand. "White Queen, you're so powerful. You changed zombies back into humans. You saved the world. You can make Father wake up. You have to."
White Queen's eyes flickered faintly, streams of invisible calculations running behind them. Yet the sadness in her expression was unmistakably human. "Becky… I want him to wake up too. But this isn't something I can fix."
Becky shook her head stubbornly. "No. I don't accept that."
Teri looked away, blinking rapidly. Claire's fist tightened at her side. Jill crushed her cigarette into a glass ashtray with more force than necessary.
Across the world, humanity was rising again. Giant missiles streaked across the skies, not delivering fire and annihilation but clouds of shimmering liquid. The serum rained down upon the infected like a strange blessing. Zombies writhed, screamed, collapsed. Bones reshaped. Flesh healed. Eyes cleared. The grotesque armies Red Queen had commanded dissolved into confused, trembling humans awakening from nightmares.
Two years later, cities stirred with life. Generators hummed. Children laughed. Markets reopened. Civilization crawled forward on scraped knees, battered but breathing.
And yet, here in this sunlit villa, victory felt incomplete.
Jill lit another cigarette, inhaling deeply. "He'll wake up," she muttered, though the certainty sounded rehearsed.
Claire nodded, forcing confidence. "Jack doesn't lose. Not permanently."
Teri's voice carried quiet conviction. "Jack will come back."
K-Mart's eyes shone. "He's the strongest person I've ever seen."
Alice listened to them, her expression unreadable. Inside, emotions collided—gratitude, anger, longing, exhaustion. Jack had been chaos incarnate, a storm wearing a human smile. He had saved them. Infuriated them. Protected Becky. Provoked Wesker. Mocked death. Loved recklessly, if that word even applied.
"I'm willing to wait," Alice said finally.
Jill smirked faintly. "Even after everything he put you through?"
Alice shot her a warning look. "Jill."
Becky, however, covered her mouth, laughing softly. "It's okay. I already know Father is… complicated."
Claire chuckled. "That's a polite way to describe him."
Ada turned and began walking toward the terrace, heels tapping lightly against the floor.
"Where are you going?" Claire asked, a teasing lilt in her voice. "We're discussing your favorite topic."
Ada didn't turn. "Fresh air."
Jill grinned. "Running away?"
Ada stopped briefly, then resumed walking. "Not interested."
K-Mart hurried after her, catching her arm gently. "Wait. I want to hear your stories about Jack."
Ada sighed, clearly trapped. "There's nothing to tell."
Claire raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"
Ada's silence answered louder than words.
Becky tilted her head, mischievous now. "K-Mart, you like Father?"
K-Mart flushed instantly. "What? No!"
Claire burst into laughter. "That reaction says otherwise."
K-Mart crossed her arms defensively. "He saved my life. That's all."
Jill smirked. "That's how it starts."
Becky grinned. "Later I'll have many mothers at this rate."
Alice coughed. Ada coughed. Even Jill looked momentarily embarrassed.
"Don't call them your mothers," Becky added quickly, shaking her head.
Claire placed a dramatic hand on her chest. "Rejected!"
Becky laughed. "You're different."
Claire narrowed her eyes playfully. "Different how?"
Becky's grin turned sly. "Worst case, I'll marry Father myself."
Every woman froze.
White Queen blinked. Jill nearly choked on smoke. Claire stared. Ada's eyes widened. Alice's expression became an extraordinary blend of horror and disbelief.
White Queen recovered first. "If Jack could hear that, he'd be extremely pleased."
Becky shrugged innocently. "He's my father. He'd never say no."
Claire burst into laughter again. "That girl inherited his audacity."
Alice covered her face briefly. "Unbelievable…"
White Queen's gaze drifted toward the far end of the room. Jack lay there, exactly as he had for six months. No breath. No movement. No change. His face, stripped of its usual arrogance, seemed almost peaceful. Almost gentle.
"Perverted uncle," Becky murmured softly, stepping closer. Her teasing faded. "You can't just sleep forever."
The room grew quiet again.
Then—
"Really worthy of my clever daughter."
The voice slithered through the air like a shockwave.
Ada's head snapped up. Jill's hand went to her gun instinctively. Claire's eyes widened. Becky spun around so fast she nearly stumbled.
Jack stood near the doorway, leaning casually against the frame as though he had merely stepped out for a walk. The same crooked smile. The same infuriating calm. The same dangerous glint in his eyes.
For a full second, no one moved.
Then chaos erupted.
"Jack?!" Alice's voice cracked.
Claire's jaw dropped. "Impossible!"
Jill stared, stunned. "You…"
Becky's eyes filled instantly. "Father!"
She ran across the room, colliding into Jack with enough force to prove he was solid. Real. Alive.
Jack laughed, catching her easily. "Missed me?"
Becky clung to him. "Idiot! Don't scare us like that!"
Jack looked over Becky's head at the others, utterly pleased with himself. "The expressions… priceless."
Alice walked forward slowly, as if approaching a mirage. Her hand lifted, hesitated, then struck his shoulder sharply.
Jack blinked. "Violence?"
Alice's eyes shimmered. "You deserved worse."
Claire crossed her arms, relief poorly disguised. "You really enjoy dramatic entrances."
Jill shook her head, half-annoyed, half-smiling. "Undying Body, huh?"
Ada stood still, gaze locked on him. Emotions flickered across her face too quickly to name.
White Queen's eyes glowed faintly. "Vital signs restored. Regeneration complete."
Jack grinned. "Took longer than expected."
Becky punched his chest lightly. "Never do that again."
Jack smirked. "No promises."
Outside, the sea continued its patient rhythm. The world, battered and scarred, moved forward once more. Inside the villa, laughter, anger, tears, and disbelief collided into something dangerously close to happiness.
And Jack, as always, stood at the center of the storm he created.