Chapter Text
“Grace, whatever it takes, I can buy you some time,” Leon said to Grace, who was on death’s door. Grace, however, shook her head, determined as she pushed Leon toward Zeno, who was waiting patiently with a cigarette in hand.
“No,” she said confidently. “No, I’ve got an idea."
Leon looked at her and shook his head. “I trust you. I trust you.” The two kept moving toward Zeno, who kept smoking.
“So, the prodigal daughter comes back," Zeno remarked, his voice flat and emotionless.
Grace stared at him. “I know the passcode."
“Fulfill your destiny, and all will be forgiven."
Suddenly, Leon collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood and a dark substance. Concerned, Grace laid out her terms. "Only if you let Leon live,” she stammered.
Zeno took one last drag and flicked his cigarette away. "Very well,” he said indifferently.
Grace slowly approached the terminal, her mind racing. The screen flickered open, revealing a simple question:
‘What does the creator desire?’
She paused, recalling her ‘mother’s’ meeting with her ‘father.’
“Please, know that you are my hope," she remembered her mother’s last words before the murder. The image haunted her ever since—the woman who raised her was murdered right before her eyes.
“She is my hope. A blind hope.” Her father’s words echoed in her mind. The man responsible for Raccoon City, the experiments on children at the orphanage—so many lives lost. She couldn't believe she was her father’s atonement, adopted just to ease Spencer’s guilt.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Okay.” She began typing. When the screen finally displayed the word 'Hope,' she muttered to herself, "This is it," before hitting enter. But at the last second, she hesitated.
Was she doing the right thing? Is Elpis salvation? Spencer’s redemption? What if Spencer was lying and it was something much worse?
Closing her eyes and taking a huge deep breath, she hit enter and waited in anticipation, but nothing. Everyone waited and looked around for something to happen when a container was released from its confinement, opening to reveal several vials containing golden liquid.
Grace went to take one of the vials out.
“What are you doing, Grace?” Leon questioned, concerned.
She turned towards Leon, “Spencer regretted what he did, he-” Suddenly, she was shoved aside by Zeno, who was thrilled.
“Well done,” he said, his tone more expressive with emotion, as he grabbed one of the vials as well.
“Wait!”
Zeno turned his attention towards Grace as she called out to him, warning him. “Elpis isn’t what you believe it is!”
He looked at her as she lost her mind, or was playing him. “Explain.” His voice was dangerously calm, soft.
“Elpis was Spencer’s atonement,” she explained, “Th-There was nothing special about me, I-I was never a key. Spencer wanted to make amends.”
“What is it, then?”
“It's an antiviral. A cure. Elpis- Greek Goddess of Hope. Spencer’s hope.”
Zeno continues to eye her, looking for any cracks or bluffs; however, he sees nothing. Grace wasn't the type of person to lie; hell, she couldn't even lie to save herself.
“We shall test your theory,” he said as he decided to humor her, making his way towards Leon, who was looking worse by the moment.
Zeno grabbed Leon by the hair to pull him up, causing Leon to wince. He looked at Grace once more, who looked scared and worried for Leon. “Best pray, your theory is correct,” he stated, as he roughly injected Leon with Elpis, causing him to yelp. Once injected, he roughly pulled out the injection and threw Leon on the ground and waited to see what happened next.
To Zeno’s surprise, Grace’s theory was correct when he witnessed Leon’s illness being cured, his dark patches and veins going away. “It can't be,” he whispered, his voice weak with disbelief, “Impossible.”
Suddenly, laughter could be heard when Gideon made himself known. He was missing an arm and took off his goggles, revealing golden eyes, discarding them.
“Amazing,” he said, as if he was more impressed than angered. “I am humbled by my master’s genius.”
“Your research was wrong,” Zeno said, his voice rising in anger, as he made his way towards Gideon. “It was all a lie. Elpis wasn't a weapon. There was never a key!”
“Spencer’s paper was obviously incomplete,” said Gideon, as he tried to justify Spencer’s action, “There was no connection between Grace and Emily.”
“Do you know how much time and money I wasted on this?! All for a lie!” Zeno was beyond angry; he was furious. Everything he believed in and funded was all for nothing, yet Gideon still failed to see the picture.
“Don’t you see the genius? With Elpis, all virus-based weapons are useless. The world order will be thrown into chaos. It's quite ingenious.”
“We needed a weapon,” Zeno tried to get to Gideon; however, he was long gone, still believing his delusions.
“Instead, Spencer gave us ANARCHY!” He shouted, causing Zeno to look away in fury. “I will carry his torch and bring his vision to life.”
Zeno still couldn't believe that he still didn't get it, as he began to laugh at Gideon. “You still don't get it, so do you? He played you, played all of us! He defied us and paid the price with his life! HE WAS NOTHING!!!”
“You are nothing but an imitation!” Gideon jabbed at Zeno, as his face flinched at the insult, hitting him hard.
"It’s over, Victor,” he said firmly, “THE CONNECTION IS DONE WITH YOU!"
Victor immediately tried to get rid of Zeno; however, Zeno reacted swiftly and dodged out of the way. The two then engaged in a fierce fight, while Grace tended to Leon.
“Leon! Leon!”
Leon slowly regained his senses. “Grace? What happened?”
“It worked! Elpis worked!” Grace exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the remaining vials. “If Elpis can destroy the T-Virus, then—" She quickly got up and hurried toward the vials.
“Grace!” Leon called after her.
Meanwhile, Victor and Zeno continued their clash, with Zeno firing his gun at Victor, though with little effect.
“I will carry on Ozwell Spencer’s legacy, and nothing will—AUGH!" Grace ran forward, jumped onto Victor, and injected him with Elpis. He grabbed her and slammed her onto the ground with force, causing her to gasp and momentarily lose her breath.
“You insignificant, utterly useless little girl!" Victor shouted as he began vomiting blood and black liquid, disintegrating before their eyes. His body is falling apart. “Damn you! DAMN YOU ALL!"
He cast a final glance at Zeno. “I’ll see you in hell, impostor!” he shouted, then aimed his gun and pulled the trigger, ending Victor's life once and for all.
With everything over, Zeno lowered his weapon and moved toward the remaining vials, grabbing all of them. As he did, he was suddenly shot at but quickly dodged the bullets. He turned to see Leon, looking healthy, with his pistol aimed directly at him.
“Don’t bother, Mr. Kennedy,” Zeno said coldly. “I have everything I need.” He then cast a quick look at Grace, who backed away uncertainly, unsure of what he might do next. “Besides, I'm a man of my word— you should thank her.”
"As for you, my saving grace," he said to her, “Farewell.” Without saying another word, he jumped off the platform, disappearing into the abyss.
Soon, Leon and Grace were rescued, and the events became public.
(One year later)
Grace was on her way home after a long day at work, no longer staying until midnight now that she had a daughter to look after.
Following the events in Raccoon City, they not only rescued Emily but also healed her, with Elpis curing her blindness. The first thing Emily saw was Grace, and she marveled at how beautiful she was.
With tears welling up, Grace hugged Emily as she broke down sobbing. Afterward, she adopted her from the shelter, and since then, the two have been happier than ever.
Grace arrived at her apartment. “Hey, kiddo. How was—" she started, but a familiar voice made her freeze in her tracks.
"Hello, Grace," Zeno said, emerging from the kitchen carrying plates of food, while Emily sat at the table with a worried, scared expression. Zeno's appearance hadn't changed since the previous year, with his ‘drip'—a term kids use these days—but the T-Virus had spread more extensively over his body, especially his face, giving him a deformed, monstrous look.
"It’s pretty neglectful of you to leave a child all alone," he said, eyes glowing menacingly as he looked at her. "How cruel."
“Why are you here?” Grace asked, slowly reaching for her gun.
“I'd prefer we have a civil chat, so please put that away,” Zeno responded calmly, his tone polite. "Besides, I'm unarmed."
Grace lowered her handgun and slowly made her way to the dining table, where she sat down. Zeno set the plates in front of her—grilled salmon, roast potatoes, garlic butter rice—accompanied by a glass of red wine.
"Did you really make all of this?" Grace asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "I didn't take you for a top chef."
"Well, considering poor Emily was hungry and all you have are unhealthy, unsuitable foods—especially for a child—I thought I'd lend a hand," he replied. "Besides, we have quite a bit to discuss."
As the three of them sat down for dinner, the atmosphere was quiet and awkward. “The food is delicious,” Grace said, attempting to make small talk. “I’ve never had salmon before; all I usually have are Ramen noodles, cereal, and sandwich fixings.”
“It’s good,” Emily chimed in, her voice barely above a whisper.
“It’s the least I could do,” Zeno remarked, taking a sip of red wine.
“Grace, can I go to my room?” Emily asked, clearly anxious and uncomfortable in Zeno's presence.
“Of course, sweetheart,” Grace reassured her. “We can pick up with your reading lessons later.” With that, Emily exited to her room, leaving Zeno and Grace alone at the dining table.
“Sweet girl, Emily.”
“Why are you here?” Grace fired back, arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Zeno.
Zeno smiled, “Straight to the point—I like that,” he said, removing his sunglasses.
“You look worse for wear,” Grace observed bluntly.
“Perhaps,” he conceded, “but I'm not here to discuss my state. I need to talk to you about something important.”
Grace raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh? And what might that be?”
Zeno took a moment before speaking, “There’s been a question weighing on my mind for the past year that I just can't shake off. Maybe you can help me find the answers.” Grace listened intently.
“Back in ARK, you warned me about Elpis’ true purpose. Why did you do that? You could have easily kept quiet, let either Victor or Kennedy take me out, and messed up our plan completely. So why did you speak up?”
Grace fell silent, unsure of her own motivations for the warning. “I—I don’t know,” she murmured softly. “But you kept your promise. You didn’t just spare Leon; you actually cured him.”
“Not to mention you injected Victor with Elpis as well to save me.”
“That was just me returning the favor for saving Leon.” Zeno paused, considering her words.
“Hm. There’s one more question that’s been bothering me.”
“And what might that be?” Grace asked, a hint of anxiety creeping into her voice.
“You claim to be a nobody, just an ordinary person. Yet, you are Ozwell Spencer’s greatest legacy. His ‘hope.’”
Grace stammered, her mouth opening and closing, “B-but that’s not true! I’m just Spencer’s adopted daughter—it was out of pity. I never played a part in any of his experiments. I’m nothing.”
Zeno fixed his gaze on her, like a detective piecing together a complex puzzle. “Do you want to know what I saw the first time I laid eyes on you, a year ago?” Grace leaned in, intrigued. “I saw a sad, frightened girl, lost in a world she barely understood. But there was more—something extraordinary within you, something important. You’re far stronger than you give yourself credit for. Unshaken.”
Grace met his intense stare, a warmth blossoming in her cheeks, but she quickly masked it. “That’s nice to hear, truly—quite the heartfelt confession. But I know exactly what you are, and I want no part of it.” She turned on her heel and headed toward Emily’s bedroom. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to—"
But Zeno gently grasped her arm, his touch firm yet tender. “Grace,” he said, his voice thick with urgency and concern. She paused, turning back to him, and noticed the depth of worry etched on his face. “I didn’t come here just to talk. I’m here to warn you.”
“W-what? Warn me about what?”
He let go of her arm, but not before brushing his fingers against her skin, a fleeting connection that sent a shiver down her spine. “After what happened at ARK, the Connections are on the hunt for you. You’ve wandered too far into our abyss. They’ve infiltrated the FBI, Grace. My advice? Trust no one, not even your boss.”
“What do you mean?” Grace asked, now worried. “Why risk yourself to warn me?”
“Consider this my final offer to repay you,” he said, his voice steady but laced with urgency. “Grace, this is serious. The Connections will stop at nothing to eliminate you. After what happened at ARK and your revelations about our dealings, they’ve marked you as their prime target. I may be tied to them, but I won’t lay a finger on you. They, however, will not hesitate. So, tread carefully.”
With that, he began to excuse himself, but paused when he noticed a photograph of Grace with her mother, and another with her and Emily. “Don’t let the cycle repeat itself,” he warned, his words hanging in the air as he departed. Alone now, Grace felt her knees buckle beneath her, panic seizing her as the room spun.
(Meanwhile)
Zeno slid behind the wheel of his sleek Mercedes-Benz sports car, lingering for a moment in the silence. Thoughts of his choice loomed large, the risk he took for Grace weighing heavily on his mind. The memory of her saving him flickered vividly back, igniting a mix of admiration and despair. “Damn,” he murmured, pushing the start button. The engine roared to life, a powerful reminder of the stakes at hand. He shifted into gear and sped off, determination etched on his face as he faced the uncertain road ahead.
(Nighttime)
Grace lay in her bed, wrestling with a whirlwind of thoughts that kept her restless. She stared up at the ceiling, its stark whiteness contrasting with the chaos in her mind. Zeno's warning echoed ominously, sending shivers down her spine. What unsettled her most, however, wasn't just the threat itself. It was the way he spoke to her—his tone so uncharacteristically gentle, a softness that felt both foreign and disarming.
As she absently rubbed the spot on her arm where his hand had lingered, heat rushed to her cheeks. The mixture of fear and confusion swirled within her, making it hard to breathe. What was it about that moment that left her feeling so exposed? It was as if Zeno had peeled back layers of her defenses, revealing vulnerabilities she hadn't known were there.
“Fuck,” she said as she tried to go back to sleep.