Make Up Your Mind - Chapter 1

Summary: Several months of meticulous planning and a stint as an undercover Blue Umbrella field scientist lands Dr Cali Ortega the opportunity she's been waiting for– an in with Lucas Baker and the Connections. When her Blue Umbrella unit is ambushed and kidnapped by Lucas, he puts Cali through her own tests. Through this, Cali and Lucas discover their true feelings for one another, and that maybe leaving the Connections behind in favor of a more “normal” life is what they truly need.

Chapter Summary: During Operation Lurking Fear, an undercover Cali Ortega is captured by Lucas Baker, her ideal collaborator, and forced to take part in trials to prove her worth as a potential partner. However, despite the pain he puts her through, Lucas earns a soft spot in her heart, and she in his. The plan is now something more along the lines of “survive, make sure Chris Redfield doesn't get us, then go get Whataburger.”

Rating: Mature

Media: Resident Evil 7

Pairing: Lucas Baker/Cali Ortega (OC)

Word Count: ~12.3k

CW: Violence, eath, kidnapping, torture, needles, suggestive situations (nothing graphic), vomit mention, cannibalism mention

…

“So, Cali, you sure you're up for this?”

Márquez's voice stirs Cali from a light sleep that she'd fallen into during the helicopter ride to Dulvey. She blinks a couple of times to readjust her vision, then smiles lazily at her teammate.

“What, you think that being in the laboratory all the time makes me less prepared for combat?” Her smile changes into more of a smirk, and she begins to fidget with the laces of her boot.

He shakes his head. “No, that isn't what I meant. It's just a really rough place, that's all, and you aren't super experienced. I just don't want you getting hurt.”

Cali shrugs and pops a stick of gum into her mouth. “Hm, I'll be fine. I was trained under Valeria Claro, after all.”

“A Raccoon City survivor,” says another of her teammates. “She knows how to fight in outbreaks then...I hope she trained you well.”

A bubble of pale green gum pops between Cali's lips and she sucks it back into her mouth to resume chewing. “Well enough. Got more of the combat stuff from that husband of hers, Nikolai. He was in the Cold War, I think.”

Márquez's facial expression turns sour. “Yeah, Nikolai Zinoviev. He caused a hell of a lot of trouble for one of Redfield's partners, Jill Valentine, back in Raccoon City. I guess it's good he redeemed himself. Well, anyways, it's good to have you on the team, we need a good field scientist for this one.” He looks at his watch, shifting in his seat. “Looks like we'll be there in a couple of minutes. Get ready.”

Turning the gas mask helmet in her hands, Cali pops another bubble of gum. “We really need these? The E-series isn't airborne.”

“It's just protocol,” Márquez explains. “There are reports that the Mold around Lucas's little playground is different from the stuff at the Baker house. Can't take any chances.”

Rolling her eyes, Cali places the helmet at her side. She knows this Mold will be fine to be near, inhaling it won't infect you. That's not how this specific Mold works…is it?

“Touching down in five, guys,” the pilot announces, “make sure you're geared up and ready to go.”

Márquez nods at the team, who all nod back, including Cali. Although, Cali doesn't really want to be on this mission at all– at least, not for the reasons the others do.

Her goal is to further research the Mold, more than what Valeria had done back at her lab. This was another reason she and Dr Claro clashed– Cali is obsessed with this project, this thing that Bright Industries had only collaborated on for a short time, but stuck in her mind.

The Connections.

Sure, Valeria obliged the Connections. But she soon grew tired of doing all the work for them, making cures for their creations, and once she learned about their plans for the bioweapon to be in the form of a child, she was done with them.

Cali, however, is not. And when she heard that Blue Umbrella were investigating the Baker Ranch in Dulvey, Louisiana, thinking that Eveline and the Connections were there, she knew she had to go. It was a stroke of pure luck that Blue Umbrella were looking for a partnership with Bright Industries– a company so good with vaccines would surely want to aid them in their efforts. That was not the case, though, as Valeria and Nikolai's hatred of Umbrella was so deep that even a restructured, reformed version of it wasn't good enough for them to work with.

But things are different for Cali, whose fascination with the Mold and knowledge that Blue Umbrella is on the tail of the E-Series is enough for her to leave Bright Industries and join the company they hate. Valeria was furious, as she had always considered Cali a close colleague that she could rely on– even if Cali's morals had always been questionable, this had crossed a line.

So Cali trained with Chris Redfield and his men at Blue Umbrella. She worked as a scientist, mostly, but for Operation Lurking Fear, she'd be a field scientist. As she took her belongings from her space in the lab before the mission, Cali would keep two E-series cures for herself in case she got infected in Dulvey, leave her team behind and join the Connections at their lab, and move on to more promising horizons than repeatedly making vaccines and regenerative cures with Valeria.

Those two cures are there with her today, of course, tucked away safely where no one will look unless they want to get hurt. One in each cup of her bra, the underwire of which has been removed so the fabric can hold the syringes, so the normal feeling of metal against her ribs with underwire is replaced by that of the plastic syringe casing. It isn't comfortable at all, only slightly more than regular underwire, but then again, none of the tactical gear they wear is comfortable.

Especially not that damn respirator helmet they insist she wear.

“So,” Cali says on an exhale, sitting down and leaning her head back against the wall. “I'm wondering what we're left with to take on the Molded on this turf.”

Márquez is inspecting the contents of another crate. “We're well-equipped, don't worry. I know you're a shotgun kind of girl, Ortega, and I've got an Albert-02 with your name on it.”

Cali smiles brightly and walks over to Márquez and the weapons crate, allowing him to place the semi-auto shotgun in her arms. She inspects it, appreciating the beauty of such a weapon, then slings it over her shoulder with the attached strap.

“Got any smaller weapons in there just in case?” She asks, peeking into the green box.

Her teammate pulls out another handgun, this one being a slightly different model of Albert-01, supplied only to the BSAA and Blue Umbrella. This is because it’s equipped to fire a special type of anti-BOW ammo known as RAMRODs, which not only destroy fungal cells, but halt regeneration. Cali silently wonders what Valeria would think of a weapon that could take on what she'd worked so hard to create– a regenerative cure. Then again, the cure is for innocent patients, not BOWs.

“We'll all be armed with these,” Márquez explains. “Anyone who wants a shotgun too can have one, but I had one reserved for you.”

Cali scoffs and smiles, playfully waving her hand at him in mock embarrassment. “Oh, you're so sweet. Should I be expecting a new personal shotgun for Valentine's Day, Márquez?”

Her teammate's face lights up with blush. “W-we don't need to worry about Valentine's Day right now. We need to worry about today, Operation Lurking Fear.”

The scientist scoffs and takes an Albert-01 from the crate, strapping it into her holster then leaning against the wall to watch the rest of her teammates arm themselves.

“We're touching down,” the pilot announces.

“Alright, gear up,” Márquez calls. Cali reluctantly follows suit as her teammates all put on their respirator helmets.

She'd actually never worn one before, and is displeased with it. The thing has its own HUD interface, and that’s nothing but annoying. Despite her grievances with the piece of gear, she stands with her teammates as the helicopter lands and the door opens, allowing them to all hop out and head to their destination– the Baker property.

“Alpha 1, this is Bravo 1, do you read?” one of Cali's teammates says over the radio. She can't tell who it is with the damn helmets on.

“This is Alpha 1,” the other person responds.

“Report. Did you find anything?”

Alpha 1 responds, “A thorough search of the Baker property revealed zero survivors– Repeat, zero survivors. We did find evidence of a skirmish.”

Cali and her teammates all look at each other before one replies.

“...Eveline?”

“Negative,” Alpha 1 says, “However, we did find several encrypted messages from the Baker's son, Lucas, to an unknown third party. You can probably guess who that was.”

Cali perks up at this. Are the Connections this third party? And will they be willing to fit her in if she chooses to swap sides?

“That's just great. We've had reports he's in the abandoned mines South of the property. I'm gonna go have a look.”

“Roger that. We'll meet you at those coordinates.”

Bravo 1 gives one last warning to Alpha. “If you encounter Eveline, orders are shoot to kill. Repeat– shoot to kill.”

…

The walk through the swampy outskirts of the Bakers' land is humid, long, and miserable. It’s also unusually quiet, as normally the team would be chatting about something or other, but not today. Cali decides to be the one to break this silence and approaches the teammate who had been speaking with Alpha.

“So, you got reports that Lucas Baker is in the salt mines?” Cali asks. “What the hell would he be doing there?”

“It seems to be his own little hiding place. This kid is a tricky one, he's incredibly smart and creative. Chances are he's not going to make this easy.”

Cali nods, her respirator helmet bobbing uncomfortably with her neck. “I see. So, the other Bakers were infected…is Lucas infected too? And if so, how'd he break out of Eveline's mind control shit?”

“Still not sure on that one. It's possible he was infected, but used a serum. If he's fully cured or just able to stave off her brainwashing, I have no idea. I figure you'll be able to find something out when we get to him.”

Cali feels herself blush. It always flusters her when someone treats her like the designated expert on something. “Well, hopefully he plans on being cooperative enough for that. They want him alive?”

“Yep. Probably to run experiments on him or something, that seems more up your alley, too, I wouldn't know. They didn't ask you anything about that?”

She shakes her head, and proceeds to lie through her teeth. “No. All I was briefed on was Eveline and the E-series. I know nothing about this Lucas guy.”

Well, that isn't entirely a lie. Cali doesn't know much about the man outside of him being given his own lab in Dulvey, as well as being assigned head researcher for its branch of the Connections, and that he is her potential ticket into the organization. She is curious about him outside of this, sure, but for the most part she only sees him as an objective in a mission all her own, one that her teammates have no idea about.

Soon enough, the swamp landscape ends and the squad is walking on hard, crystalline substance that crunches under their feet. The busted, dislodged metal sign makes them sure of their location, though– the Abercrombie Salt Mine.

“Alpha 1, this is Bravo 1,” one of the men says into his radio, “we've reached the salt mines, prepared for an encounter with Baker.”

“Copy that, Bravo,” replies Alpha, “keep us updated on your findings. We should be able to meet up with you soon, just finishing some things up at the house…oh, what the hell?!”

After that exclamation, there are sounds of cracking and breaking on the radio, only for a few seconds before it goes silent. Even Cali is disturbed by this, and she’s only pretending to care about these men.

“Alpha 1, do you copy?” One of the men asks nervously. He’s met with radio static. “Repeat, Alpha 1, do you copy?”

After a moment of more static, they get an answer. “We do copy, Bravo, we've just run into a situation.” The man barely has enough time to speak before horrible, inhuman sounds erupt over the air.

“Alpha, what is going on? Should we abandon this pursuit and assist you?”

“Negative, we've got this. Might just take a bit longer to catch up to you guys. Continue your pursuit of Lucas Baker.”

“Roger,” the man says before putting away his radio.

The squad walks into the mine cautiously, the loud echo of their boots on hardened salt deposits filling the caves. They’re all quiet again, and just like before, Cali is the one to break the silence.

“You guys don't think that Alpha encountered Eveline, do you?” She asks.

“Maybe,” a teammate responds. “Whatever it is, they said they've got it handled. We have our objective and they have theirs. Let's keep it moving.”

Cali scoffs quietly. “Sir, yes sir,” she says sarcastically, under her breath.

Further into the salt caverns, the squad finally encounters something– a few Molded, barely-humanoid creatures made entirely of the E-series Mold. Cali is the first to take a shot at one, blowing its head off with one blast from her shotgun. Her other teammates focus fire on another pair using their handguns, while Cali takes out another with hers. It takes at least five shots to finish the monster, taking off one of its arms in the process, before it falls to Cali's feet and dies.

The other ones soon fall to her teammates, leaving a pile of corpses on the ground. To keep her cover, Cali leans down to one of them and pulls out a specimen tube and syringe. When she sticks the needle into the Molded and draws back the plunger, a thick, black sludge slowly begins to fill the barrel. Once it does, she sticks the needle into the tube and injects the Mold into it, which takes even more time and clearly irritates her teammates.

“Sorry,” Cali says with a wry laugh as she stands up with the newly filled specimen tube, “it'd be a lot faster if I could fill it directly from the source, but I don't think a normal phlebotomy method would work on these pricks. Blood has to be flowing better for that, and this gunk sure as shit isn't flowing.”

“It's fine,” Márquez reassures her, “we understand, it's your research. Just…don't stop and do it for every corpse, okay?”

Cali nods and begins inverting the tube, watching how slowly the Mold moves in it. “I know. This is the only one, unless we find some kind of new variant.”

“Let's hope there aren't any new variants,” another teammate replies. “C'mon, we need to move.”

With that, Cali pockets the Mold sample and continues with her teammates until they reach a rather solid metal door. Several attempts at opening it fail, so Márquez and another of the bigger men begin to ram into it with their shoulders.

“Two's not enough,” Márquez grunts between bashing himself into the door. “C'mon, help us out.”

Cali positions her shoulder to hit the door with her team, but Márquez holds out a hand to her.

“Not you, Cali.”

She scoffs and crosses her arms. “Why the hell not?”

“I'm not trying to be offensive when I say this, but you're a lot smaller than all of us, and I don't want you to get hurt. Plus, you being smaller doesn't give us much more force. Just sit back.”

Although she doesn't care whether or not these meatheads open the door with their instinctual method of brute force, Cali is mildly offended that he suggested she’s too fragile for the task. Cali is also stubborn and vain, so she has to prove herself when told she was inadequate.

“I'm not that fragile, Márquez,” she says as she joins her team in shoulder-checking the door one last time, as they bust through and collapse on the floor.

Cali is the first to stand up, not bothering to help her teammates up but rather checking out the environment. The room could easily be described as simply “brown,” as everything is covered in a layer of filth. In one corner is a bathtub, filled with a murky fluid that Cali is too scared to touch. One wall has a shelf full of unknown jars and bottles. Tubes run through holes in the walls to the next room.

“You want to take a sample of that, Ortega?” One of her teammates asks sarcastically, pointing at the filthy tub.

This doesn't amuse her. “I'll take a sample, but only if you drink it,” she snaps back in all seriousness.

“Fine, fine,” he says, raising up his hands, “cool your jets. Where's this next door lead to?”

As this teammate tries to open the other door, a new panel in place of the first one descends and slams shut. Two teammates go to open it, but it’s no use– it’s locked. The room also begins to fill with a cloudy, greenish gas, which is identified by the HUD on the respirator helmets as too strong for their air filters.

Like her teammates, Cali falls to the floor and starts coughing– her lungs feel like they’re on fire and her head is swimming, like she’s phasing in and out of a dream. It has to be some kind of sleep gas, one powerful enough to get past their respirators. All of her teammates have fallen unconscious before she can, and in a last ditch attempt to speed up the process for herself, Cali takes off her helmet and tosses it aside.

Her body falls, but she catches herself using her elbow in futility, deciding she will let unconsciousness overtake her, but it doesn't happen as soon as she'd hoped. Just before she wants her eyes to flutter shut for a final time, she watches someone walk in, although their appearance is clouded by both mental and physical fog.

The person kneels near Cali and grabs her rather forcefully by the hair, causing her to let out what begins as a yelp but turns into a coughing fit. Soon after, Cali feels a stinging puncture in her neck, which is obviously a needle.

And soon she knows that needle delivers an anesthetic. Sleep overcomes her quickly and softly, like a warm, dark blanket. Just as she begins to fall into sedation, she feels the person who inflicted it gently lay her body on the floor, rather than just allow her to collapse against it. Her descent into sleep is more peaceful than it would have been with only the gas, with blurry vision guiding her there. It’s almost…pleasant.

Between slow, lazy blinks that eventually end in fully closed eyelids and slumber, the last thing she sees is a pair of eerily pale blue eyes, bright and big and focused intently on her.

…

Although she expects her head to hurt when she awakens, it doesn't. In fact, Cali feels somewhat...refreshed. What else is strange is where she wakes up– a small cell, consisting only of an old bed, a worn dresser, and a CRT TV on said dresser. There's a door in the back, but she doesn't try to bother opening it, as it's almost one hundred percent locked.

She's also been stripped of her gear, sans boots and necklace, now only in a white, short sleeved turtleneck worn under her tactical clothes, and her black uniform pants minus the holsters. Panicking, Cali cups her own breasts to feel for the syringes in the underwire of her bra, and breathes a sigh of relief that they're still inside.

“Well, good mornin’ Miss Cali!”

Her attention shoots to the TV, which has flickered on. On the screen is a man probably around her age– short, fuzzy hair, pale skin, stubble…and eerily big, blue eyes.

This is the guy who knocked her out.

“Who the hell…” she mutters, and then it sinks in. “Let me guess. Lucas Baker?”

“You really are smart, aren't you?” He compliments her, giving a goofy grin. “Your teammates said so. But I already knew. I knew a little scientist wanting in on my action was comin’ along with them, and don't worry, I am going to let you join me.”

Cali sits up and crosses her arms. “And I assume there's a catch? They say you like to play games.”

He nods. “You're right. I do like games…err, puzzles, more like it. And I know smart people get through puzzles real easy. So before I let you join me, I've got a few little…trials for you to pass. See if you're up to snuff…or if you'll end up in snuff.” Lucas giggles at the last part.

With a scoff, Cali tilts her head. “Somebody’s been watching a few too many Saw movies. What exactly are these trials, Baker? The team said you have a whole playground down here. I'm interested to see what kind of game I'll play with you.”

Lucas waves a hand. “Ah, they're real easy for a genius like you, Cali! The first one is so simple, even one of your jarhead buddies could do it! The dresser this TV is on, open the drawer.”

Cali gets up and walks to the dresser, pulling open the drawer, only to find a remote inside. It has only a few buttons, as if it was designed specifically for Lucas’s upcoming trial– and it probably was. Cali turns it over in her hand.

“Now what?” She asks, one hand on her hip and one holding the remote. “You ask me my favorite scary movie and we sit down and watch it together?”

“Nope!” Lucas replies with a bit more mirth than Cali expected. “We are going to change the channel, though.”

Sure enough, Lucas flips the channel remotely, to what seems to be CCTV footage of one of her teammates, trapped in a small room. A closer look shows it’s none other than Márquez, and he’s already limping as he searches the room for any way out. It flicks to another teammate, tied up. Then there’s another two, collapsed on the ground– she can’t tell if they are dead or not.

“Now,” Lucas begins, “how do we feel about seeing our teammates like this, Cali?”

She knits her eyebrows. “They’re not really my teammates, Baker. It was a coverup. I couldn’t care less what more freaky shit you do to them.”

The channel flips back to Márquez. “Ortega?” He asks, looking upwards for a way to see the camera. “You were undercover?”

“Sorry you had to find out this way,” Cali half-assedly apologizes. “Baker, just torture them in front of me and let it be over with. I really don’t care.”

“Cali!” Márquez shouts in disbelief. “All those months of us preparing for this…that meant nothing?”

She swallows hard. “Baker, c’mon!”

“That remote in your hand, Cali,” Lucas begins, “has just a few buttons compared to a normal remote, right? One of them is to flip channels– get a view of any of your teammates bein’ played with, watch some former friends of mine lose at their games, or just turn off the TV and relax. But there’s one button that’s special.”

Looking down at the remote, Cali notices which button Lucas is clearly talking about. It’s big and red and clearly does something dangerous. Lucas really designed this thing with simplicity in mind.

“Yeah, I see it,” Cali responds. “What’s it do?”

“It is the key to your first test,” Lucas announces. “In the room with your little buddy Márquez are several different traps that will wound him so he can’t walk–”

“Cali, please!” Márquez begs over the monitor.

“Don’t interrupt me!” Lucas snaps, slamming his fists on the surface of whatever he’s recording on. “Anyways! Several traps that’ll keep him off his feet. Now I know that even though you’re lookin’ for bad company in the form of me, you’ve got a compassionate side, Dr Ortega. Let’s see how far that compassion extends.”

“I cared for you!” Márquez yells, his voice tearful.

She nods at the remote. “Finish your instructions, Baker, I don’t like being made to wait.”

“Ooh, you like to skip the foreplay, straight to the action,” he says, a hint of obscenity in his words. “I like that about you, Cali.”

“Fuck you, don’t talk to her like that, you little pervert!” Márquez snaps at Lucas. Apparently, he can hear him, too.

Admittedly, a bit of blush does creep up on Cali’s cheeks when Lucas uses innuendos, but otherwise, she’s unbothered. Does Márquez…have feelings for her? Is that what his attempts at jumping to her defense and being hurt by her betrayal meant?

“I’m just playin’ around, lighten up!” Says Lucas in response to Márquez’s complaint. “Okay, Cali, let’s get straight to it, then. Let me list out the ways Romeo over here can get hurt. We’ve got a landmine hidden in a floor tile, a turret installed in the ceiling, invisible to the naked eye lasers that trigger an explosion, and a real sharp blade that’ll just lop that useless leg right off. Now, Cali, you’ve heard all these cruel, painful ways to wound your not-so-secret admirer. Will you do it?”

Cali blinks thrice. “I’m sorry, do what?”

Lucas scoffs. “Well, injure Márquez, of course! If you press that button, one of these little tricks will trigger at random and make sure this man will never run a marathon again. His leg’ll get blown off, chopped in half, or blasted with bullets. You don’t get a choice in the matter, but you choose if it happens. You gonna press that button?”

Although she’s certainly going to press it, Cali turns the remote over in her hand. “What if I don’t press it?”

“You sure as hell ain’t gonna be joinin’ me, and you will not like the consequences, Miss Cali.”

“Okay,” she says with a shrug, “Let’s do this.”

“Ortega, please, wait–”

Márquez’s futile attempts to plead for Cali’s mercy elicit no reaction as she presses the button, and the end of his sentence is filled only with screams of pain. On the CCTV, Cali watches as a turret pops from the ceiling and opens fire at the press of her button, unleashing a barrage of bullets into one of Márquez’s legs. The wails of agony fill her cell, mingling with Lucas’s sick laughter.

As he calms down from his laughing fit, Lucas sighs. “Ahh, great job on your first trial, Cali. Betrayal, broken hearts, broken legs– that had it all!”

Cali tosses the remote on the dresser and crosses her arms. Lucas is now on the screen again, those big blue eyes in full focus again. She’s getting impatient– Lucas can play his little games, but he is on a timer.

“Look, Baker, I’m having fun being your lab rat for now,” Cali begins, “but Redfield is coming in to meet up with our squad, and he’s going to be pissed at you for what you’re doing. If you want to get out of here before he shows up, let me help you. I have to get out of this cell and see you face to face, though.”

Lucas giggles and wags a finger at Cali. “Oh, no no no, Dr Ortega. You aren’t getting to meet me that easy. I’ve got plenty of shit for Mr Redfield to sort out before he gets the chance to get his hands on me, don’t worry. ‘Sides, you’re my priority. I want to see your skills, Cali! Not just your willingness to fire a turret into your teammate’s leg, no, I want to see real skill.”

Cali cocks her head. “And just what kind of “real skill” are we talking about here?”

Lucas nods towards the door– at least, as much as he can while being broadcast on the TV– and the lock faintly clicks.

“Beyond that door, you’ve got some shit to prove to me,” he tells her. “Go on, door’s unlocked. Go see what’s next.”

With a scoff, Cali opens the door and walks beyond it, and as soon as she’s on the other side, it slams shut and locks again. She finds herself in a narrow corridor, and follows through it. The temperature begins to drop as she continues, goosebumps rising on her arms and her muscles tensing with the threat to shiver. Regardless, Cali soldiers on, gritting her teeth and navigating each turn of the corridor.

Eventually, she ends up in some big main room with machinery in the center. Metallic doors lead to different sectors– meat locker, butchery, autopsy room, autoclave, processing…what the hell is this place? Is it a piece of the Connections lab?

“Baker, where am I?” Cali asks, looking around at her greyish surroundings. “Why’s it so cold?”

“That, my dear Dr Ortega, is part of your test. As you go on to complete the main steps, I’m gonna slowly lower the temperature in here until it hits below freezing. After you finish part one of your tasks, you're gonna unlock a door that’ll give you something to deal with the cold. But ‘til then, you're gonna be shivering. And we don't want that, because one of your tasks requires precise aim, and shaky hands are gonna make it a lot harder.”

Cali nods, but rolls her eyes, too. “Okay, so what's my first task?”

“Explore around, you'll find it! Oh, and watch out for some stray test subjects. They aren't supposed to be here, but you can deal with ‘em, right?”

“You mean those Molded fuckers?!” She calls out in annoyance. “They took like six shots to the head to kill with a gun, what am I gonna do without a weapon?!”

Lucas laughs again. “C'mon, Cali! You're a creative soul, not all of that head of yours is full of book smarts! Use your…resourcefulness! That's the word!”

With an eye roll, she nods in acknowledgement. “Fine. But you'd better really warm me up after this shit, ‘cause I hate the cold.”

He scoffs in a mock-scandalized fashion. “Dr Ortega! Are you flirting with me?”

Though she has been chilled the few minutes she's been outside the cell, heat rises to her cheeks and she casts her eyes downwards.

“I choose not to entertain that thought,” Cali states clearly. “Interpret what I said as you want.”

With that, she heads further into the room to inspect each area. Near a closet, there's a pair of keycard readers, labeled “KNOWLEDGE” and “STRENGTH.” This must be the room that has the jacket in it, since it's the only thing with an unlockable device nearby. Knowing that the answer won't lie close by, Cali walks back towards the center of the room.

As she approaches a whirring machine, some kind of engine or something, she hears the unmistakable sludgy sound of a Molded waddling towards her. It attempts to fling its lengthy arms forward to grab her, but Cali ducks and rolls aside, causing the Molded's arm to collide with the metal fence around the engine. It breaks the fence, leaving a medium-sized piece of metal for Cali to use as a weapon.

She grabs the new tool in a swift motion, dodging another of the Molded's attempts at assault, and bashes it over the head with the metal bar. The creature staggers forward and nearly trips on itself, leaving it vulnerable to a second hit, this time over the top of the head. Cali jumps up and brings down the metal bar in a heavy slam right onto the Molded, smashing its head and causing it to explode all over. The body slumps to the floor and melts away as they do.

Back on her feet and in a normal stance, Cali loops the metal bar between her belt loops and tries to wipe the Molded's head fluids off her face using her hands. She eventually gathers most of it, like a pesky and unpleasant beauty mask peeled off, and slathers the remnants onto the legs of her pants. It's still gross, but at least it isn't on her face.

With that monster dealt with, Cali then heads for the autoclave room. She assumes it will be warm with steam, but is disappointed to find that the autoclaves themselves are shut off. Only dirty instruments remain in open packs, most of them unsuitable even for cutting one's hair. The single exception to this is a packaged scalpel, placed neatly in the middle of the room.

“Obviously, he wants me to take this,” Cali mutters to herself, “but what if he tries some Indiana Jones weight-swapping bullshit?”

Though she doesn't know if Lucas has a camera in this room, she looks upwards. “Yo, Baker! This scalpel isn't a trap, is it?”

“No, no, I would never do that to you! Consider it a gift. A nice, new tool to help you on your adventures! ‘Course, you can't be certain I'm tellin’ the truth, so believe what you want to believe. Take the scalpel, don't take it. Make your own choices.”

She narrows her eyes. He's right– she can't be sure he's telling the truth, and why should she believe him? But then again, the other rooms indicate a scalpel could be useful. So, with breath caught in her chest, Cali quickly plucks the scalpel from the cart, and squeezes her eyes shut.

Nothing happens.

Lucas sighs wistfully. “Aww, you really chose to believe in me, Cali? I like you a lot more now. And you made the right choice! Let's celebrate that with me unlocking the other rooms for ya.”

Cali wants to tell him that she went for the scalpel on instinct, that it was entirely her choice, but deep down, something in her really does trust Lucas, so she grabbed it. She believed him, because despite what he's doing to her, Cali…likes him.

“Thank you for your consideration,” she replies sarcastically as she exits the autoclave room and ponders which room to go into next.

The autopsy room seems the most obvious, given that she'd just grabbed a scalpel, but Lucas isn't about making things obvious, so she doesn't go there. Cali supposes a butchery could also use a scalpel, but the meat locker probably has what she needs for the butchery. To the meat locker it is, she decides, and heads beyond the doors.

If the outer area Lucas has her in is considered cold, this room has to be well below freezing. Perhaps below zero. Cali's teeth clench together and she wraps her arms around herself as she explores the dark room. The only carcass hanging in the locker that isn't that of a partially transformed Molded-slash-human is a pig. The animal has already been drained of its blood, and is ready for preparation in the butchery.

Only one thing stands out about this pig, though– what seems to be tattooed onto its hide reads, “KNOWLEDGE.” As soon as she inspects it closer, the device that the hooks are attached to at the ceiling begins moving, rotating to send the pig carcass away, presumably to the butchery. It only brings in more hanged Molded, but they reveal quickly that they are not dead like the others.

As they flop off the hooks and begin to close in on Cali, she notices one has a collar around its neck, the tag reading, “STRENGTH.” Clearly part of Lucas's puzzle, Cali first takes a swing at the collared Molded, knocking off one of its arms. It collides with another two, off balance, and they pile on the floor. Cali begins beating the pile of Molded mercilessly, leaving nothing but a stain in their wake, until another crawling monster lunges at her from across the room.

It pins her to the floor and prepares to either bite her or regurgitate its own sick body fluids, so before this can happen, Cali jams her metal bar through its mouth and out the back of its head, killing it instantly. Once she manages to scramble to her feet again, there are no more living Molded in the room, however something drops from the hook the collared one had been hanging on.

Cali bends down and picks up the item– a keycard on a lanyard, reading “STRENGTH.” She pockets the card and moves along to the butchery. While it is cold in this room, too, it feels warm compared to the meat locker. Sure enough, the pig carcass has been delivered to this room, dropped from its hook and onto a preparation table. Cali approaches the table slowly, scalpel raised.

“Well, you definitely have the strength!” Lucas calls cheerfully over the intercom. “Let's see if you have the knowledge. All you gotta do is cut open this here pig, and you'll get your reward.”

Cali makes a face. “What, I'm just supposed to necropsy the thing and dig around in its body?! Hell no! There's got to be a specific location. Any hints?”

Lucas lets out a small giggle before speaking. “Okay, Miss Cali. How ‘bout you slice open the part of the animal that I like the best?”

She scoffs. “Am I supposed to know which piece you prefer?”

He hums in thought, and then says, “Fine, I'll give you a hint. It goes great with onions, traditionally.”

Her face only twists into a more disgusted expression. “Liver? Really, Baker? Organ meat being your favorite…but I suppose you'd probably choose the same if you were eating me, too.”

“Hey now! Who told you I eat people?” He asks, mock-offended.

As she begins to slice into the pig, just superficial to the liver, she scoffs. “I've just read the reports about your family. Your mother's recipes sound straight from Armin Meiwes's cookbook.”

“Well, isn't that something?!” Lucas says in awe, “Dr Ortega is well versed in the history of cannibals! As if I didn't like you enough already.”

Cutting past the pig's liver and pulling out a keycard, which she honestly has no clue how it got inside, Cali replies, “Only interested because I've dedicated my life to making meds that stop zombies, which are always assumed to be cannibals before we find out they're infected. But you're no zombie, Lucas.”

“No, I am not, you are right about that. I broke free of that little bitch's control before I could become one. And ‘sides, liver and onions have been my favorite since I was a kid.”

She smirks. “So you got a taste for it early. I see how it is. I'm not judging you for it, as long as you don't try to make me into Cali asada.”

Lucas laughs, almost a little too much for such a silly joke. “Cali asada…I would never! Now, jokes aside, you've got both keycards. Go get your reward!”

Though normally a scalpel like this would be sent back to an autoclave or tossed in the sharps bin, Cali holds on to the surgical tool in case she needs it later, and rushes out of the butchery and into the main room, where she makes a beeline for the closet. She inserts the keycards into their respective readers, and the door opens.

Inside is not only the promised jacket, a dark brown leather bomber, but also a pair of black gloves. However, when Cali gleefully pulls on the jacket and then the gloves, her expression sours. They're fingerless.

“Couldn't spring for full gloves?” Cali mutters in frustration, then takes her metal bar and goes back out to the cold.

Admittedly, the cold is more bearable when she is wrapped in the warmth of the jacket, and at least part of her hands are covered. The question is, what does Lucas want her to do next?

“You warmin’ up?” He asks her over the intercom. “Sorry about the gloves, darlin’. Fashion over function, am I right?”

Her eyes go wide when he calls her that. Darlin’. Why would he call her that? He's just playing with her, just taunting her…there's no way he means it.

“Yeah, couldn't go without showing off my manicure,” Cali responds, her voice slightly nervous, holding up her hand to reveal chipping nude nail polish. “But yeah, I am a little warmer. What's next on the list?”

Lucas hisses air through his teeth. “Yeah, about that…you're gonna need more than just that jacket to keep from freezing. See, I'm upping the stakes. It's currently only 39 degrees in here, though that is pretty cold for a gal from Nevada. I'm gonna go ahead and set a timer to lower the temperature by one degree every thirty seconds, okay? You'll be fine if you just stay on task. Head through the autopsy room.”

“What?!” Cali exclaims, already running for the autopsy room. “You're fucking crazy! I could get frostbite, you know!”

“Aww, no you won't!” Lucas reassures her sarcastically. “Even if you do, we got plenty of fingers and toes around here you could replace your lost ones with.”

“Funny,” she replies in an even more sarcastic tone, hurrying through the autopsy room and out the back door of it.

Now, she can tell she's in part of the lab. The environment is completely different, with a more organized feel. Cali hurries down one corner of the hall, and tries to open a door, but it's locked.

“Fuck me,” she mutters, turning around to leave, only for something to force its way through the door and push her forward.

After climbing back up and wielding her metal bar, Cali's eyes shoot wide open at what she sees. A Molded, yes, but not just your average specimen– it's slick with a white colored mold rather than the typical black mold. She tries to swing at its kneecaps, but nothing happens– normally, a Molded would collapse at that, or at the very least take some damage, but this one bounces back like it’s nothing.

“A new variant?!” Cali manages to say between ragged breaths as she flees from the creature. “They were right…there are new variants…”

Eventually, Cali crashes through a door and into a hall that the white Molded doesn't follow her through. However, she's just as confused by what she sees here– a pack of special bullets.

“RAMRODs?” Cali calls out to Lucas, shaking the box of ammunition towards the sky. “Nice to have for dealing with Molded…if you have a fucking gun! What's the point of this?!”

He laughs, that oddly charming little giggle he does sometimes. “It's a surprise for later! Keep movin’ on, Cali! You wanna stay warm enough to find out what they're for, right?”

To be honest, Cali hadn't been paying attention to the temperature, considering she'd just encountered an indestructible monster and had to run away through multiple hallways she's unfamiliar with. Why would she be thinking about the chill in the air? Which, when she does notice it, is pretty bad. She can see her breath in front of her face, and her fingertips are almost numb. Still, she takes the box of RAMRODs and keeps moving forward.

Ahead in the hallway are two regular Molded. Considering them only obstacles, Cali doesn't even bother fighting them. When they lunge at her, Cali puts up the metal bar she carries to catch their claws on it and uses all of her strength to utilize it to push them back and down. She then runs through a set of double doors, which promptly lock behind her.

“Ah, shit,” Cali mutters, noting the environment. A huge room clearly meant for the disposal of failed bioweapons– she's seen these rooms before, in facilities that Bright Industries dealt with.

“Am I being disposed of?” She calls out to Lucas. “Or is this supposed to be some kind of new gladiator arena?”

“Well, now, we're going to see if you need to be disposed of, or if you'll do the disposing! Check out that wall to your left.”

Lucas has displayed a timer and thermometer on the wall, which indicates the time Cali is taking– so far, 10 minutes– and the current temperature– 14.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

“You know damn well I could go hypothermic at any degree below freezing, so what's with the timer?” Cali asks. “Neither of us knows my core body temperature, and that's what freezes me. What's the timer got to do with anything?”

“Ehh, call it an experiment,” Lucas answers dismissively. “It's not important. Ignore the timer, and look at the gifts I've given you!”

Cali approaches a container in the center of the room, and sighs in relief at its contents– an Albert-01, more RAMRODs, and regular ammunition. Without skipping a beat, she loads up her new toy with regular rounds, stowing the RAMRODs in her pockets.

“You're even more of a gentleman than Márquez,” Cali calls playfully. “All he got me was a gun. You went the extra mile.”

Lucas laughs. “Look at that, Miss Cali just called me a gentleman! Yo Zoe, wherever the fuck you are, I told you I'd get someone to say it! I fuckin’ told you so! Well, if you think that's a gift, I've got some more coming your way!”

Seconds later, a red light on the wall begins to flash, and an alarm sounds. Cali looks around frantically, only to find several regular Molded shambling through newly opened doors. It takes no time at all for her to enjoy blasting at them with her new gun, as even regular rounds take them out in a couple of headshots.

A stronger Molded, one of the ones with a huge claw arm, tries to slice at Cali, but she uses her metal bar to block it and kick the Molded in the abdomen. It stumbles backwards, stunned by her actions, and gives her the opportunity to blow its head off with two shots.

The onslaught seems to end, and Cali's breath is ragged. Her chest aches with each breath, both from exertion and the frigid air, now dropped to 9 degrees.

“Is this shit over, Lucas? I'm getting bored!” Cali taunts him.

That laugh of his echoes through the room. “So, Cali isn't satisfied with her gifts, huh? Well, lucky you, I've got one more present for ya. And let me tell you, it's a hell of a present.”

Once more, the alarm and red light go off, this time accompanied by heavy steps that shake the floor. Cali's ears tune towards the source of the sound, only for it to be behind a wall. But Cali knows that whatever it is, it will break down that wall, so she backs away from it and aims.

Out of the wall busts a huge white Molded, similar in body shape to the fatter variety but slightly more bloated. Wondering about her new ammo and its effects on the white mold, Cali unloads the regular rounds from her gun and instead fills it with RAMRODs.

“What is this, the fucking Kool-Aid man?! Really?!” Cali yells as she uses her first shot to hit the monster in the stomach. The RAMRODs dissolve its outer white coating and it shrieks in pain.

“Oh yeah!” Lucas calls, imitating the aforementioned drink mascot. “That, my dear Cali, is what has been lovingly nicknamed “Mama Molded.” Don't you feel bad shooting a mother, Cali?”

She scoffs. “I don't give a shit if she's my mother, I'm taking this thing out. And why do you call it “Mama?” These things can have offspring?”

“Well…kinda! You'll see. Say, Dr Ortega, you are okay with late term abortions, right?”

Her brows furrow. “I am, I'm pro choice, but what does that have to do–”

Cut off by some projectiles the Mama Molded flings her way, Cali is pelted by these small, crawling “babies.” One attempts to latch onto her face, but she grabs it and punts it across the room like a ball. Another creeps up her leg, so she shakes her leg and causes it to fall, then stomps on it.

“That's it, you big bitch!” Cali screams, nailing another RAMROD into the creature. “Fuck you and your kids!”

It screams in agony once again, and the white tissue bursts open to reveal a regular looking core. Knowing that RAMRODs halt regeneration and kill mold, Cali smirks as she begins blasting at the creature mercilessly, taking chunk after chunk out of its body until it's stunned. Only after “birthing” more “babies” does the Mama Molded pause for a moment, weakened.

Cali cleans the disposal room of all of those creepy little things by either whacking them with her metal bar or stomping on them. As for the Mama itself, Cali utilizes her last RAMROD, aiming straight for the chest. It pierces through the monster's body, a hollow hole in its wake. It makes a final sound, almost pathetic, and drops to the ground, only to promptly explode into chunks.

“So, what now?” She calls to Lucas.

“I must say, I am impressed, Cali! That wonderful combination of intelligence and pure power…it's beautiful! Your task is complete!”

Cali sighs with relief and begins to walk towards the door, only to be grabbed around the neck by someone's arm, and a syringe hovers dangerously over her neck. She tries to fight back, but to no avail– the needle plunges into her flesh and is tossed aside. However, whatever is in the syringe does nothing. Is it just saline, she wonders?

“Get the fuck off of me!” She snaps, throwing an elbow back at the attacker's ribs. “What did you put inside me?!”

“Was supposed to be a sedative, but goddamn, girl, you seem to be immune! I've gotta think up some, uh, better ways to put you to sleep.”

The voice is so recognizable, it catches her off guard. “Lucas?!”

At that, Lucas says nothing, and simply grabs the metal bar from Cali and whacks her over the head with it. It collides with the side of her head, leaving a small wound through her eyebrow and, most importantly, knocks her unconscious. He picks up her limp body and carries her away, bridal style.

…

Searing pain. That's the first thing Cali feels as she stirs from her non-consensual sleep. And the pain isn't from the entirety of her head, no– that only pounds with a dull ache. The pain she feels is from her eyebrow, which is currently being cleansed with some sort of alcohol.

“Fuck, that hurts,” she mutters before opening her eyes, only to see that her caretaker is Lucas. “Wait, what the fuck happened…?”

Lucas winces as he dabs some gauze at the new slit in Cali's eyebrow. “You were out cold. And I mean literally cold, your core body temperature had dropped quite a bit. But you're fine now, see?”

As he says this, he places a steri-strip over her wound, and Cali shifts to sit up. Being next to Lucas in real life is so strange– he's much taller than she expected, and thinner, too. Those big, blue eyes are unmistakable, and neither is his beautiful nose. His expression is set in what looks to be genuine concern for Cali.

And Cali herself has become transfixed. Lucas is not the traditionally attractive type, but that's exactly what Cali's type is. Trying to fight herself, Cali's hand hovers near Lucas's cheek, but she is unable to keep her hands away and instead traces her fingers gently over it. His stubble is only slightly rough, and his skin remarkably soft. Her eyes cannot unglue themselves from him– he is hypnotic.

“Even though it's your fault I got hurt,” Cali begins softly, “thank you for caring enough to patch me up. But we're on a timer here, okay? They called in Redfield for backup earlier, and once he gets here, he's going to kill you. He has orders to bring you in alive, but I know that he won't. We have to leave.”

Lucas is taken aback and touched by Cali's gesture and words– never has he been genuinely cared for like this by anyone who isn't family. Hell, even his family was never this sweet. The softness in Cali's eyes, the sincerity of her plea, it makes his heart melt. And Lucas's heart is a tough thing to melt.

“Look, Cali. I've got plenty planned for Mr Redfield and his buddies. He's already dealt with some of it– I went and put a bomb on his arm back before I came here to give you your goodnight shot…which didn't work, but whatever. Once Chris and his men are no longer with us, then we'll leave, okay?”

She nods in understanding. “Fine. But you'd better be sure to take them out.”

“I will, Cali. Trust me on that. Now I–”

His sentence is cut short when Cali grabs onto the sides of his face and pulls him down to her level, then kisses him. Why she's doing this is a mystery to Lucas, but he isn't complaining. Cali knows why, though she can't really rationalize it. She can't think of it. All of her thoughts are Lucas, Lucas, Lucas.

Both of them continue to kiss, each act of affection deeper than the last. Her hands wrap around behind his hand and rake through his short hair, sending shivers down his spine. Lucas grabs her by the hips, pulling her closer to him, but Cali resists and ends up pulling him in her direction. The pair back towards the bed in the corner of the room, and Cali lies on her back, pulling Lucas on top of her.

“Cali, I…” Lucas manages to breathe between frantic kisses, “why are you doin’ this? I thought we had to worry about Chris…”

Cali breaks the kiss for a moment, only to touch noses with him. “Fuck that. I'm giving you a good luck boost.”

Lucas laughs, linking his hands with hers at the side of their heads. “How sweet of you, Miss Cali. I like your good luck boost. A lot.”

Smiling against his lips, Cali kisses him again, and slowly raises her hips so that her thighs wrap around Lucas's waist. He makes a small sound of pleasure at this, and the grip on her hands leaves them to instead take place at her thighs. She shudders under his touch and moves a hand up to his head again, raking her fingers through his short hair.

The other of Cali's hands reaches to her own waist, and trails up her torso, slowly and seductively, until it reaches her chest. Both she and Lucas are moaning into each others’ mouths, the things Cali does to feel her own body being far too enjoyable for Lucas to watch. Cali cups her own breast, but only for a second, before sliding her hand under her shirt and touching it that way.

Though Lucas simply thinks this is Cali being aroused and touching herself as a result of that, as per usual she has her own motives. Out of the underwire of her bra, she slides an E-series cure, but keeps it cupped in her hand. After pulling it out from under her shirt, Cali's other hand trails down Lucas's jaw, shoulder, chest, stomach, and finally to his waist.

However, what she does isn't exactly what he'd been hoping for– after careful, soft touches to lift up his shirt and reveal his stomach and hips, Cali quickly jabs the needle into Lucas's hip, hoping to god she didn't hit bone, considering how skinny the man is.

As soon as the needle is removed, Lucas jolts back and begins pressing his hands over the injection site, groaning in pain. Cali is still below him, the empty syringe in her hand, and she watches him for an emotional and physical reaction.

“The hell did you inject me with?!” Lucas snaps, feeling a searing pain from the cure traveling through his body. “It fuckin’ hurts, Cali!”

Cali sighs. “It's a cure. An E-series cure. So that you'll never have the chance to become like your parents. It's for your own good.”

“Damn it!” Lucas growls, now hugging his abdomen. “Was this whole thing just to fuck with me?!”

She shakes her head. “No, no! It was just for insurance! Now, without the Mold in your system, you can leave and be free. You'll be safe and sound, and we can escape together.”

Before Lucas can even fashion a response, he kneels on the bed and presses his hands against the edge, hanging his head over as well, and proceeds to vomit up a black and bloody looking substance, just like the Molded do. Cali sits up and gently runs her hands over his back, trying to soothe him as he gets sick.

“Cali…” He manages to say after the last of the Mold vomit has exited his system, “you hardly know me. Why the hell do you care if I'm infected or not?”

She sighs again. “Because I really like you. We may not have known each other for long, and I shouldn't even want to engage with you after what you put me through, but…still, I like you. Otherwise I wouldn't have injected you during a pleasurable act, I would've just done it at random. Sure, I initially came here only to use your ties to the Connections, but…I don't want that anymore. I don't want to be a bioterrorist anymore. I want to run away with you. Leave all this shit behind. Find a sense of normalcy. Don't you?”

As he wipes his face with his hands, Lucas is conflicted. He's happy that Cali likes him, considering he is practically obsessed with her, and yet he is also hurt that she originally was going to use him. But now, she doesn't even want to work for the Connections– which Lucas himself had already betrayed– just to live a normal life with him?

Why does that sound so stupid to him, and yet so desirable?

“So, you're sayin’....you want to be together? And live a normal life?”

Cali nods. “Yes.”

Lucas scoffs. “I ain't ever been normal my whole life. My family bein’ gone now, my last data transmission bein’ sent…man, I think it's time. Let's go.”

“Good,” Cali says with a tinge of relief to her voice. “Let's finish things up and leave before Chris finds us.”

Lucas actually laughs at this. “Don't worry, I've got plenty to keep him busy. Last time I checked, he was up against a Mama with no RAMRODs, I don't think he'll be catching up too soon.”

“Still, let's get to the lab, finish up the email, and get the fuck out.”

“Yeah. Follow me,” Lucas instructs, getting up from the bed and waving for her to follow. “We gotta get back to the lab.”

At the door to the cell, Lucas pulls out a keyring with several different keys and a keychain of a cartoon shark– the Louisiana College of the South mascot, the same university named on his jacket. LCS. Cali silently wonders if Lucas attended that college.

After trying a few wrong keys and cursing under his breath, Lucas finally finds the correct key and unlocks the cell, then nods for Cali to follow him. Before she exits the cell, she grabs her weapons from the dresser, just in case. Then, she finally follows Lucas back into those cold corridors.

It's now considerably warmer in the place, enough that Cali is tempted to remove her jacket, but she doesn't. Instead, she and Lucas navigate through the area together. Once they reach the lab corridors, the same place Cali had been before when she went to the disposal room, Lucas unlocks a door that was previously inaccessible for Cali.

They go through and wind up in the laboratory proper. A huge room for test subjects is splattered with blood and Mold, and two Molded lie on the ground, motionless.

When they walk by that room, Lucas gives a small laugh under his breath. “They used to be Connections researchers.”

“And they got infected?” Cali asks.

“Well, technically. I mean, I infected them. Made ‘em fight to the death. The other Connections researchers didn't really like that. Good thing I'm cutting ties with those losers.”

Cali tilts her head. “The first part makes sense, given what I know about you, but you're really quitting on them?”

Lucas opens a large door to a room with several computers and desks. “Yep. That's what this email is for. Sending over the E-series data to some other friends of mine, and getting the fuck outta here.”

She nods. “So even if I had done as I initially planned and tried to use you to join the Connections, you wouldn't have been able to do that for me. Glad I had a change of heart.”

With a wave of the hand, Lucas dismisses this. “Eh, I would've let you join me in my solo ventures anyway. I know you a lot better than you think I do.”

He sits down at a laptop, and begins to work on the email to his mysterious third party. But Cali can't shake what Lucas just told her– how and why would he know anything about her?

“Lucas,” Cali says with a hint of nervousness, “what do you mean, you know me better than I think? How would you–”

He turns his head over his shoulder and smiles. “Bright Industries was on my radar for…err…collaboration, at some point. So I was monitoring the employees. Some of y'all are a lot more…eh…morally flexible than your boss, Dr Claro. There was a Dr de Santa who went off and joined the Las Plagas project back in 2005, and some lab tech named Holly that quit to go work for Derek Simmons in 2011.

And of course, there’s you. You never left to join some cult or help create a viral bioweapon, no, but you liked doing the unethical experiments Dr Claro wasn't so happy about. You stole from the place, too. And you jumped at the chance to work with Umbrella, even though it's against everything Bright stands for. All so you could join up with me. Well, Cali, I appreciated that. So when I found out you were joinin’ Blue Umbrella just to get close to me, I did some digging while y'all took your trip out here. And trust me, I like what I saw. And I like what I see now, too.”

Face lit up with blush and a bashful smile, Cali tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, wow…well, I did a bit of research on you, too. And I also like what I saw, and I like all the things I've learned about you in person.”

Lucas smirks. “I like hearin’ that. Most people, they…they don't get me. Especially the ones I force into my games. But you're different, and I like that.”

Suddenly, Lucas gets a notification on his phone. He opens it to reveal CCTV footage of the area beyond the room Márquez is in. Chris is with Márquez, nearing a ladder that would lead to the exit.

“Motherfucker!” Lucas yells, only to open another app on his phone to activate something, only seconds later revealed to be Márquez's bomb collar.

Cali watches in morbid curiosity as her former teammate's head becomes a fine red mist, and Lucas switches over to a video call app, calling Chris's Umbrella HUD.

“I don't know about you, Christopher, but I'm getting real tired of playing games,” Lucas says to the BSAA agent.

“Three men, Lucas,” Chris begins, “Three of my men dead, because of you! This ends, and it ends now!”

“Oh, I don't think so. It's about to be four dead soldiers in a minute.” He pauses to activate the bomb on Chris's wrist. “You're going to fail, and then you're going to die.”

With that, Lucas hangs up and shakes his head. He returns to work on his email, and Cali fidgets with her zipper. While she did pretend to care about Márquez and Chris and the others, it was still kind of haunting to see Márquez killed the way he was. Though, Cali would never tell that to Lucas.

On the CCTV, which has followed Chris, it's shown that Chris shoves his hand into a barrel of liquid nitrogen, freezing the bomb and allowing him to remove it. It explodes midair after he tosses it away, and Lucas growls.

“This son of a bitch!” He snaps. “How'd you stand this fuckin’ guy, Cali?!”

Cali shrugs. “I hardly know Chris, actually. He's BSAA, not full time Umbrella.”

Lucas mutters something and returns to his computer. Cali watches the CCTV change as Chris enters new areas, and he finally activates the big machine in the mines.

This time, as Chris enters the machine, Lucas calls him with audio only. “Christopher. Still with us, I see. Very impressive, my friend. Very impressive. Let's just see how impressive you really are.”

Now, on the footage Cali watches, Chris is battling a slew of Molded, both regular and white. After he takes all of them out, Lucas sighs in annoyance and calls him again.

“Hmm, maybe you're good. Maybe you got lucky. What do you say we find out?”

More Molded emerge in the tiny space, and Chris only continues to make light work of them. Cali would be impressed, if she cared if Chris lives or dies. Though he slays every monster in the machine, he's beginning to get tired.

“You're slowing down, Christopher,” Lucas taunts him. “I almost had you that time. Just how much more of this do you think you can take?”

In comes a Mama Molded, and Cali only focuses more on Chris as he does battle with the bloated beast. She wonders how her own duel with a Mama compares to his, but doesn't say a thing to Lucas. He's already pissed off, and she doesn't want to aggravate him further.

Once all is taken care of, Lucas calls Chris over video this time. “Okay, okay, no more, alright? I don't have anything left.”

Chris retorts, “You won't get any sympathy from me, asshole.”

“I know, I know,” Lucas begins, “I've done…I've done terrible things. Horrible things. I killed your men, I tortured them…and I enjoyed every second, soldier boy. Just like I'm going to enjoy watching you burn.”

He presses another button, this time that which controls the self destruct mechanism of the machine Chris is in.

“Ooh! Oh! You hear that?” Lucas asks. “Sounds like time's running out for you. Tick, tock, Christopher. Tick, tock.”

Chris groans. “If you're gonna kill me, just kill me, but for the love of God, shut the fuck up!”

“Oh, I wish I could stay and watch you burn to death, but I can't. I have an elsewhere to be. Bye bye.”

Lucas hangs up the call with Chris and hurriedly types on his laptop, while Cali taps her foot nervously.

“You need to hurry up so we can get to that elsewhere,” Cali warns. “He's not gonna die.”

He dismisses her with a wave of the hand and continues his email. He sends off one to his client detailing that Umbrella and Chris are taken care of, and that they are “quits.” Cali doesn't question it, despite her skepticism that Chris is taken care of. She's just here to be with Lucas.

Once Lucas is near the end of the main email, both he and Cali hear footsteps. They turn around and look out the window of the room they're in, only to see none other than Chris Redfield himself. To avoid being spotted by her “comrade,” Cali tries to duck down below the window, but she isn't fast enough.

“Cali?! What the fuck are you doing?!” He yells at her, though his voice is muffled by both his respirator and the glass barrier. “I can't believe it! Márquez was right!”

Chris then runs over to the heavy door to the room Cali and Lucas are in, only to realize it is electronically locked. He huffs in frustration and walks away briskly.

“I'm coming for you,” Chris tells them as he continues back into the hall to find a way to open the door.

Once he's out of sight, Cali grabs Lucas by the shoulder. “Come on, he won't be distracted for long! We have to go!”

“The email isn't done!” Lucas protests.

“You surely have another room you can do this in!” Cali snaps, now having dragged him out of the chair. “We need to get there now!”

Lucas groans. “Ugh, fine. I can probably upload it faster in the server room, and there's a secret passage out of there we can take to leave.”

“Sounds like a plan, let's go!”

Both of them begin rushing through the remaining hallways, finally arriving at the server room. Cali pulls her metal bar from her belt loop.

“Lucas, where is the passage?” Cali asks. “I'll open it so we can escape faster.”

Lucas turns around and points to a slightly protruding piece of paneling on the wall. “Pry open that panel, it has a crawlspace.”

“On it,” Cali responds, jamming her metal bar into the barely-there crack between the panel and the wall. She pries open the panel, which is actually hinged. “How will we close it from the other side? This is like the fucking Shawshank Redemption!”

“Don't worry, don't worry!” Lucas tells her. “It does close from the other side. Nobody will be able to tell we even opened it!”

“That better be true,” Cali mutters to herself.

Across the room, Lucas smacks the screen of what he's using to send the data. “C'mon now! Damn it!”

Despite being beyond a door and on the other side of the server room, Cali picks up on approaching footsteps. “Come on, Lucas! Chris is almost here!”

“But the data–”

“Fuck the data! It'll send! Come on!”

Sighing in resignation, Lucas runs across the room to the open panel. He enters first and crawls enough that Cali can get in, and she follows, then pulls the door shut as tightly as she can before turning around and following Lucas.

They crawl as fast as they can, until they finally reach a vent opening. Lucas pushes it down and exits the crawlspace, and when Cali gets out, he grabs her hand and helps her up.

“You really are a gentleman in disguise, eh?” Cali says as she brushes off her knees. “Thanks.”

Lucas smiles. “Wish Zoe was here to hear you say that to me. She thought no one would ever be able to think that way about me. As annoying as I thought my family was, it kinda sucks you won't be able to ever meet them.”

Cali nods, chewing on her lip. “Yeah, you won't be able to meet mine, either.”

The pair takes a moment to solemnly think of their dearly departed families, and then Cali shakes her head.

“We need a car, a way to get far away from this place,” she says.

Lucas pulls his keyring out of his pockets again and jingles it. “I've got a car. Parked in a lot for the Connections employees. Just up ahead.”

They keep going, through a narrow canyon that retains some of the properties of the salt mines. Cali thinks of her dead teammates and feels a pang of guilt for what she allowed Lucas to do to them…but only for a second. The thought of those men being dead completely dissolves from her mind after Lucas smiles at her.

Soon enough, the canyon ends, and the two reach an actual paved parking lot, with street lamps and lines and all. Lucas walks over to an old muscle car– a champagne gold Impala made some time in the 1970s, Cali doesn't know the exact year. The paint is scraped up a bit, the metal is sort of rusty in spots, and there are a few dings and dents here and there. Far from good condition, but not too terrible. It's still a nice looking vehicle, despite its flaws.

“Is this really your car?” Cali asks, running her fingertips over the hood. They dip ever so slightly into a dent on it.

Lucas uses one of his many keys to unlock it. “My dad was a fan of classic cars, so he passed this down to me. My fault it's in such bad shape, I left it out here for a while. And the scrapes and dents are just…character that I added. By getting in two fender benders in college.”

Cali takes his keys and spins the ring around her finger. “If you really are that bad of a driver, I'll take the wheel on this one.”

“No no no no no! I'm not a bad driver!” Lucas protests. “It never was my fault when I'd get into those accidents. Always some other motherfucker's fault! Let me drive!”

With a sigh, Cali shakes her head no. “Sorry, but I'm DD. See, one of the rules about that cure is no operating vehicles or heavy machinery. I mean, your head does feel weird, right?”

Lucas– whose head has been swimming since Cali injected him– nods, only for it to worsen his nausea. “Yeah, kinda. Your fault, y'know.”

Sliding into the driver's seat and starting the car, Cali shrugs. “It had to be done. Get in the car, we need to go.”