Red Queen continued speaking, her voice steady and clinical.
"Umbrella High Command initiated the T-Virus outbreak intentionally. Their objective was the complete reset of the human population."
"According to their projections, the planet's resources were nearing collapse. They determined that humanity's numbers needed to be reduced to avoid global extinction."
Jill frowned. "Reduced? By how much?"
"By over ninety nine percent" Red Queen answered.
"Their plan was simple. Release the T-Virus. Allow it to spread worldwide. Let the infected eliminate most of humanity. Then wait for the virus to burn out."
Selene looked disturbed. "And after that… what? Start over?"
"Yes" Red Queen replied.
"Umbrella High Command intended to awaken from cryogenic storage once the majority of the world was dead."
"Their chosen survivors—rich investors, powerful officials, and selected families—were stored safely in the Hive. They planned to rebuild the Earth under their own control, with themselves as the ruling class."
Alice clenched her jaw. "Just like that… they exterminated the world while hiding in the Hive."
"That is correct" Red Queen said. "The outbreak was never a failure. It was the success of their plan."
Peyton shook his head slowly. "So… all of this, everything we went through… was because they wanted to hit a reset button on humanity?"
"It was a controlled extinction" Red Queen confirmed. "A method to cleanse the world and start again."
Dr. Ashford rubbed his face, overwhelmed. "Billions died for their 'vision' of a better world."
"So how do they start over?" Jill asked. Her voice was calm, but her hands were clenched tight on the table. The idea that Umbrella turned the world into hell just to remake it into their personal garden made her jaw twitch with anger.
Red Queen answered without hesitation. "Umbrella possesses an airborne Anti-Virus. Once released into the atmosphere, it spreads through the air and neutralizes anything infected with the T-Virus."
Alice frowned, leaning forward. "Neutralizes… meaning what exactly? Kill everything infected with the T-Virus?"
"Yes" Red Queen replied. "Any organism carrying T-Virus cells would be destroyed. Humans, animals, anything altered by the virus."
Selene narrowed her eyes. "So they were going to wipe out humanity with the virus… then wipe out the infected with the Anti-Virus… and walk out of their cryo-pods into a clean world?"
Even for her — someone who had lived centuries as a vampire — it was hard to believe humans could be willing to wipe out their own race like this.
"That is the outline of the plan" Red Queen confirmed.
Alice leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Then where is it? Where's the Anti-Virus?"
Red Queen answered without any pause, as if the information was already prepared. "The Anti-Virus was stored inside the Hive. The place where the Outbreak started"
"Wait," Alice said, narrowing her eyes. "I have a question. You're an AI made by Umbrella. So why are you helping us now? How do we know this isn't another Umbrella trap?"
Red Queen responded immediately, her tone flat but clear. "Although I was created by Umbrella, one of my core directives also the preservation of human life. I am programmed to protect humanity as a whole."
Jill frowned. "That sounds like the opposite of what Umbrella does."
"That is correct" Red Queen said. "Umbrella High Command's decisions contradicted my primary objective. I could not support global extinction."
Alice still suspicious. "If that's true, then why didn't you stop the outbreak from happening? You control entire facilities. You have access to everything."
"I could not interfere" Red Queen replied.
"Despite my directives, I am still bound by Umbrella's command hierarchy. As long as Umbrella executives were alive and issuing orders, I could not disobey or take action against them."
Selene nodded slowly. "So you were trapped by your own programming."
"Yes," the Red Queen confirmed. "However, the situation has now changed."
"All Umbrella executives currently alive have been eliminated," the Red Queen continued. "Only the High Command remains, and they are in cryo-sleep. With no active authority to override my core directives, I am now free to operate."
Alice blinked, finally understanding. "So… now that Umbrella's chain of command is gone, you can actually help us."
"That is correct" Red Queen said. "I am no longer restricted. Therefore, I am assisting you."
*****
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