Matt Addison stepped out, hands raised, looking like a deer caught in Raccoon City's headlights. "I'm a cop!" he blurted, but the sanitation team—led by James Shade—weren't buying it. They zip-tied him, Rain snarling, "Nice try, buddy."
Raja, codename Ghost, smirked, leaning against Alice like they were prom royalty. "Well, Red, our boy Matt's got secrets—let's roll."
The team, with Raja, Alice, and a bound Matt, hit the secret door to the underground tram for the Hive, Umbrella's creepy lab. While Shade's crew moved like SWAT pros, Raja strolled, arm around Alice, whistling like it was a Sunday hike.
MAYA: "Master, you're in a death trap, not a rom-com."
Raja winked, "Both are Same."
The tram station was dark, power dead. Rain leapt down to check the power plug, and Raja, ever the showoff, vaulted after her, landing with a grin. "Need a hand, soldier?" Rain, flashlight in her mouth, found the plug.
Raja swiped the light, aiming it like a spotlight. "Easy, champ—let's not fry anything."
As she worked, he chuckled, "Yo, Rain, sorry about earlier—thought you were a dude when I grabbed your breast."
Rain glared, yanking the flashlight back. "How was my chest, genius?"
Raja, brain on autopilot, blurted, "Firm!" SLAP! Her hand cracked his cheek.
Shade's voice crackled, "What was that?"
Raja rubbed his face, muttering, "Mosquito," dodging Rain's death stare.
Grinning, Raja yanked her into a bear hug, gave her a playful butt squeeze, and planted a French kiss that left her stunned, lips parted like a fish.
He sauntered off, leaving her frozen. Shade called, "Rain, move it!" She snapped out of it, climbing back to the tram, glaring daggers at Raja, who lounged beside Alice, whistling.
MAYA: "You're begging for a court-martial."
Raja shrugged, "Worth it."
He nodded at JD, pointing to a locked tram door. "Crack it, big guy." JD glanced at Shade, who nodded. JD pried it open, and—THUD—a body flopped out, pale and suited. The team jumped;
Raja just laughed. "Yo, Red, meet your photo hubby!" Alice flushed, flashes of a fake marriage hitting her. "Not funny," she muttered, but Raja's grin said he disagreed. The tram hummed to life, carrying them to the Hive's entrance.
At the Hive, the team swept corners like pros, guns up, while Raja ambled, waving at security cameras with a cheesy smile.
Alice, Matt, and Spencer—Mr. Fake Husband—shot him confused looks. "What? I'm camera-ready!" Raja quipped.
Rain and Commando #1 breached the sealed main door, Shade and Kaplan strategizing.
Alice stormed up to Shade, eyes blazing. "Answers, now."
Kaplan, tapping a tablet, spilled: "You and Spencer guard the Hive entrance—fake marriage cover. This place houses 500 scientists working on classified stuff. We're here to find out why it went dark."
Alice frowned, "Memory loss?"
Shade nodded, "Hive's defenses gas intruders—amnesia's a side effect."
Rain shouted, "Door's open!" and they funneled toward the staircase, descending into gloom. Flooded floors greeted them, pipes hissing.
Alice whispered, "What happened here?"
Shade's face tightened. "Five hours ago, the Red Queen—Hive's AI—went psycho, killed everyone. We're shutting her down."
Alice pressed, "Why'd she snap?" Shade shrugged, answerless.
Raja, bored, nudged Spencer. "Yo, fake hubby, gimme your jacket." Spencer shivered under Raja's evil grin, handing it over.
Raja doused it with Axe Body Spray—whoosh—and draped it over Alice. "Cold in here, Red—smell like victory."
Alice smiled, Spencer twitched, and Matt stifled a laugh.
Then Matt yelped, spotting a body floating in the floodwater. Rain stepped closer, but Raja yanked her back just as the corpse's eyes flicked open—zombie alert! "Not now, creep," he muttered.
They hit Dining Hall B, where massive containers loomed, hooked to tubes. The team froze, spooked.
Raja rolled his eyes, "Relax, it's just Classified Research that you guys mention before—way above your clearance. Keep moving, we're on a clock!"
Shade ordered JD and Rain to guard the floor with Matt as captive, leading the rest deeper.
Raja doubled back, planting another kiss on Rain's lips—smack!—whispering, "Don't touch anything moving, even if it looks human."
Rain blinked, stunned, as JD cackled, "He got you good!"
MAYA: "You're a Making a Badass Fighter woman into a Disney princess."
The next floor housed the Red Queen's core. Kaplan hacked the sealed door, sweat beading, as Shade prepped an EMP to fry the AI.
The door hissed open, and the team gripped the device—until Raja raised a hand. "Hold up, champs."
Shade frowned, "Ghost, what's the deal?"
Raja grinned at Kaplan, "You sure you stopped the Queen from locking us in?" Kaplan paled, stammering.
The team gasped, realizing, It's a trap! The Red Queen was playing them.
Kaplan rallied, dueling the AI's code, and signaled, "Go—now!"
Raja, skeptical, muttered, "One save per mission, folks—next one's on you."
He bolted upstairs to check on Rain and JD, feeling the Red Queen's shutdown ripple through the Hive—lights flickered, locks clicked.
"Game's on," he smirked, sprinting to Dining Hall B like a man possessed.
Rain, hearing scratches, crept toward a sealed chamber where an old doctor-looking figure banged glass, moaning.
"Hey, you okay?" she called, inching closer. Raja's warning echoed—Don't approach—and she froze, shouting again from a distance.
Raja burst into the hall, spotting JD and Matt. "Where's Rain?" JD pointed, and Raja sprinted as a zombie—ex-doctor—lunged at Rain making her fall, teeth snapping.
Raja football-kicked it, and mid-air headshot sending it sprawling.
He pulled Rain up, eyes scanning. "You bit? Look at me—are you bit?"
Rain, shaking, gasped, "No, that crazy thing tried, but your warning saved me."
Raja nodded, "Smart move, soldier." He dragged her to JD and Matt, snapping Matt's cuffs like taffy. The trio gawked— Super human strength, sure, but damn.
Raja stared Matt down, "You're solo now. JD, Rain—anything moves, aim for the head. Got it?" Their nods were grim.
Shade's team pounded upstairs, hearing the shot. "Who fired?" Shade barked.
Raja ignored him, ear on the chambers, catching hisses and scrapes. His smirk grew, eyes glinting like a Bludger's shine. "Guys, we're totally screwed—and, oh yeah, welcome to hell."
To Be Continued…