"...I haven't asked for your name yet," James said, serious.
"Morin. Just call me Morin."
"I know what you're going to do, and I know the dangers you'll face. Believe me, with your abilities alone, you'll all be wiped out there."
Rain was still trying to recall fragments of memory. She couldn't argue.
No one did.
"Please explain in detail," James said, expression steady.
"Raccoon City. The closest metropolitan center," Morin said. "Your destination is a villa. It's the hidden entrance to the Hive's backup passage. Beneath the villa is a train that takes you directly to the Hive's entrance."
"The Hive is deep underground, directly beneath Raccoon City. It's called the Hive because of its structure."
"It's a highly confidential research facility, owned and operated by the Umbrella Corporation. Five hundred technicians, scientists, and support staff live and work underground. Their research is extremely confidential. Top secret."
"For you, at least."
"To maintain secrecy, the Hive has its own defense system. Everything is controlled by a computer. The artificial intelligence is called the Red Queen."
"About four hours ago, the Red Queen sealed off the Hive and initiated a total purge. Everyone inside was killed. And you've been sent to shut her down."
"Is that correct?"
"That's correct," James nodded.
"Then what I want to tell you," Morin said, "is that the Red Queen did nothing wrong."
The room froze.
"Given the circumstances, it was the only option to ensure the greatest benefit."
"The survival of everyone on Blue Star."
"Why?" James asked.
"The Hive is a research facility," Morin said. "And Umbrella, while publicly a pharmaceutical company, also conducts biological weapons research. The Hive is one of their experimental bases."
"They developed the T-virus. It spreads rapidly through the air. Once infected, a person loses consciousness after a period of time and becomes a walking corpse."
"Walking corpse?" James frowned.
"A dead person that moves," Morin said. "Not resurrection. A virus."
"It can't truly bring someone back to life, but it gives corpse cells an abnormal level of activity. They don't think. They don't reason."
"They only have one desire."
"To eat."
The word landed flatly.
"The virus is extremely infectious. A bite or scratch is enough. Without an antidote, you'll almost certainly become infected and turn into another one."
"Do you understand how serious this is?"
"My God..." James muttered.
"If the virus isn't contained, the entire world will fall," Morin continued. "When the Red Queen detected the leak, she acted immediately. She sealed the Hive and released fire suppression systems to eliminate the airborne T-virus."
"But those already infected were beyond saving."
"All she could do was isolate them."
"...Then Umbrella would have known," James said, frowning. "So why send us to investigate?"
"Exactly," Morin said. "If they already know what the Hive was researching, and why the Red Queen acted, why send you at all?"
His words lingered.
"You mean..." James said slowly.
"No," Morin interrupted, shaking his head. "I don't mean anything. Just a guess. A guess."
"Then I have one last question," James said, meeting his eyes.
"Why do you know so much?"
"And why do you have so many weapons?"
"I told you already. I'm a ten-year veteran," Morin said.
"Your people probably already pulled my file."
James glanced at Chad.
"Got it," Chad said, handing him a tablet.
The data was fresh.
"You don't need to read it," Morin said, waving it off. "It's fake."
"I am a ten-year veteran. Just not from this world."
"I belong to a large organization. Six months ago, I was ordered to come here and pose as a civilian while investigating Umbrella's research."
"Proof?" James asked.
"That's the problem," Morin said, shrugging. "I don't have any."
"The Red Queen is extremely powerful. Even with my hacking skills, I couldn't force entry. What I told you came from a brief loophole when she activated."
"So no evidence."
"Can you contact your organization?" James asked.
Even without proof, he felt it.
A quiet instinct.
"I already did," Morin said. "They won't act on my word alone."
"So congratulations."
"I'm going into the Hive with you."
"I'll help you understand everything. And I need to gather proof myself."
"...Congratulations?" James repeated.
Morin raised his hand. "Look."
He extended both palms.
"Huh?" James blinked.
"And then-"
Morin flipped his hands.
Two playing cards appeared.
"...Magic?" James asked.
"No."
Morin flicked his wrist. The cards vanished.
He pointed at the wall.
"Over there."
Everyone turned.
Their expressions froze.
"...What the-" Judy stood, walked over, and tried to pull one of the cards embedded halfway into the stone wall.
Dust fell. The card was warm.
"Real wall. Normal card," Judy said.
Everyone stared at Morin.
"To prove I didn't set this up," Morin flicked his hand again.
The second card appeared.
It struck the same spot, perfectly perpendicular.
A cross.
"Now," Morin asked calmly, "do you still think it's a good thing I'm coming?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Yes."
All six nodded.
They didn't know how he did it.
They only knew a man who could throw a playing card through stone could kill with it just as easily.
With Morin's explanation, even without proof, everything started to fit.
The mission was wrong from the start.
Too little information.
Too few people.
Six operatives sent to shut down a massive top-secret facility.
It never made sense.
"Pick whatever equipment you want," Morin said. "Market price."
"My help isn't free either."
"How much are you willing to pay?"
Silence.
James looked stunned. "How much do you want?"
"What's your commission?" Morin asked.
"One hundred million dollars."
"That explains it," Morin said. "Then give me twenty million."
"I'm not greedy."
"The weapons are basically free. Take whatever you want."
James hesitated, then looked at his team.
They exchanged looks.
"...Alright," James said. "If things are close to what you described."
"Then let's move," Morin said, lifting his sniper rifle and slinging it over his shoulder.
"Gear up. Ten minutes."
"That's all you're bringing?" James asked.
"If it's really that bad, shouldn't you carry heavier weapons?"
Morin smiled slightly.
A deck of cards appeared in his hand, then vanished.
"This isn't my main weapon."
"Trust me. I've got enough cards to hand one to everyone down there."
James had nothing to say.
A card through stone was more than enough.
And five hundred cards were far easier to carry than five hundred bullets.
"Oh. One more thing," Morin said.
"For those zombies, aim for the head or the spine."
"Anywhere else is useless. They don't feel pain. They're already dead."
"Destroy the brain or spinal nerves."
"That's the only way to kill them completely."
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