An unfamiliar ceiling, and a somewhat familiar face.
The dim, golden sunlight streamed through the window, casting a twilight glow over the hospital bed where Roxas lay, as if draped in the hues of dusk.
When Roxas came to, he saw the striking face he'd glimpsed before passing out. She was nervously apologizing to him.
"Thank God you're awake. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't realize you were a patient. I was way too rough…"
The woman in the blue tank top was still apologizing. Roxas's mind clicked as he recalled her identity.
Jill Valentine. A stunning woman, the protagonist of Resident Evil 3, and an elite member of the Raccoon City Police Department's S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team. She'd been caught up in the tragedy at the Arklay Research Facility.
Seeing Roxas still a bit dazed, Jill helped him sit up in bed.
Just then, the hospital room door swung open, and two people walked in—a man and a woman.
The woman was, of course, Ada Wong, holding Roxas's backpack. The man was Brad Vickers, a rather unremarkable S.T.A.R.S. member. During the mansion incident, he'd abandoned his endangered teammates to flee, but guilt gnawed at him. Just before dawn, he'd returned with clearance and gear from the police station, rescuing the surviving team members.
Now, he and Jill stayed in the city to dig into Umbrella's secrets, though he'd eventually meet his end at the hands of a Tyrant.
For the moment, though, Brad's attention was fixed on Jill.
"Jill, Chief Irons wants you to wrap up your psych evaluation soon," he said. "You know it's about whether you can return to duty…"
Brad phrased it delicately, but according to some game lore, those who'd survived the mansion incident had grown suspicious of Umbrella.
Chris had left to chase leads on Umbrella's bioweapon projects, while those who stayed, like Jill and Brad, were scouring Raccoon City for any trace of the truth.
But none of them could've imagined the extent of Umbrella's influence—bold enough to turn the entire city into a testing ground.
With Raccoon City on the brink of catastrophe and a massive corporate merger looming, Umbrella's former partner, a pharmaceutical conglomerate, had betrayed their alliance and swayed Congress to authorize a nuclear strike by September 30.
At Brad's urging, Jill's expression shifted. She grabbed the medical chart by Roxas's bed, scribbled her phone number on it, and handed it to him.
"If you need any help in Raccoon City, call this number," she said. "I'll do what I can. But you should get out of here soon—it's not safe."
With that, Jill stormed out of the room, the chief's orders clearly stirring up bad memories.
Ada Wong lingered by the door, waiting for Brad and Jill to leave before approaching Roxas.
She set his backpack beside him and, with a hint of interrogation in her tone, said, "A doctor? Are you really a doctor?"
Roxas replied calmly, "The real deal. At least, I was before I ended up like this…"
Ada's eyes narrowed. "You know what's wrong with you, don't you?"
"Malignant diffuse brainstem tumor," Roxas said matter-of-factly. "I'm already showing signs of brainstem damage—severe nerve paralysis, with episodes of disorientation and potential loss of consciousness. Fortunately, no signs of increased intracranial pressure yet, so I'm not just lying in a bed waiting to die."
He spoke of his condition with chilling detachment, as if death were a minor inconvenience.
"Then care to explain why this was in your backpack?" Ada asked, pointing at the bag but pulling two gems from her pocket. Each was the size of an egg, glimmering with brilliant golden light under the sun.
Roxas's face softened with a hint of nostalgia. "Spoils of war," he said. "Or maybe a gift from an enemy."
Ada tossed one gem onto his bed. "Do you have any idea how much this is worth?"
"By carat weight, at current market prices, a single gem's probably worth at least thirty million dollars," Roxas said. "If you like it, it's yours."
Their back-and-forth was sharp and efficient, but Ada's suspicions about this man only grew.
"You're just giving it away?" she asked, incredulous that something so valuable could be offered so casually.
Roxas countered, "What's the issue? Don't like gems?"
"Get serious! The FBI's looking into you right now. You'd better tell me the truth—who are you, and what are you doing in Raccoon City?"
Ada flashed an FBI badge, flipping it open with a flick of her wrist.
Roxas didn't bat an eye. He reached into his backpack, pulled out an orange, and slowly peeled it, popping a juicy segment into his mouth.
Savoring the taste, he studied her badge, then looked her over carefully. "Ada Wong? Is that badge even real?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.
"Whether it's a detective from the police department's crime unit, some other investigative agency, or even an outfit from across the ocean, field agents always follow one rule: work in pairs," Roxas said. "It's not just for backup in case things go south—it's to keep each other in check, prevent corruption. So, Miss Ada Wong, if I may call you that, where's your partner?"
Roxas saw through her act without hesitation. Anyone who'd played *Resident Evil* knew Ada was here on Wesker's orders, sent to steal the G-virus from the lab. Ada Wong might not even be her real name, and she was definitely no FBI agent.
Realizing Roxas wasn't buying her cover, Ada pocketed the badge. "You'd better know what you're doing," she said pointedly.
"All I want is to survive," Roxas replied.
His quiet despondency stirred a flicker of pity in Ada, but she quickly suppressed it.
'No need for games—we're both foxes here.' The situation in Raccoon City was clear: survival depended on skill.
Ada's fingers brushed the gem, feeling its dazzling allure, but she tossed it back to Roxas.
He blinked, surprised. He'd just told her the gem's value, yet she wasn't tempted?
"Get out of here while you can," Ada said, returning the gem. "Live another day. With your kind of money, other companies could find ways to keep you alive. No need to die in Raccoon City."
Roxas was stunned. This woman could've taken everything—killed him without blinking. Yet she chose this.
Ada glanced at the man on the bed, lost in another daze, and shook her head, turning to leave. But Roxas called out.
"Wait!"
He pulled a handgun from his backpack and aimed it at her.
(End of Chapter)