Saying Lifeline’s relationship with her family is troublesome would be an understatement. Apex Legends’ combat medic is part of the Ches, a family of war profiteers, and she has always struggled to untangle herself from her family’s ruthlessness. Today’s cinematic, “Family Business,” gave fans a look at Lifeline’s past and why she joined the Apex Games.
The cinematic sheds some more light on how strained Lifeline’s relationship with her family is, as well as the weight she carries for being in a family that contradicts everything she believes in. It also touches on Octane’s family drama since the speedster has been her best friend and their disdain for their families unites the duo.
The latest video doesn’t give fans a tremendous amount of new information. Lifeline’s disdain for family and connection to Octane have been clearly laid out throughout the lore so far, though it does shed more light on the combat medic’s past. Some elements of it, however, are new—such as the combat medic who appears in the video and seemed to be Lifeline’s close friend or a love interest.
Lifeline getting her own Stories from the Outlands, however, could also indicate that a possible Lifeline event is on the horizon. An event is imminent based on the release date of season 13, and so far, most Stories from the Outlands cinematics that focused on members of the original cast brought a themed event shortly after them, including the Voidwalker event in season two, the Old Ways event in season four, the Fight Night event in season seven. Bangalore’s Stories from the Outlands in season 11 didn’t bring a full-fledged event, though it did add a new skin to the store.
The video takes place entirely as a flashback, as evidenced by Lifeline’s different hairstyle and Octane having his legs. A young Lifeline calls her mother, Cherisse, to say she is abandoning the family. “You will always be a Che,” Cherisse replies.
That dichotomy is a common theme in “Family Business” and in Lifeline’s lore. She vehemently attempts to escape the burden that comes with being a Che and to undo the damage her family has done as arms dealers. Lifeline volunteered to help the Frontier Corps, and that has been used as a bargaining chip by her family. The cinematic makes that dichotomy extra clear when a bomb goes off, injuring one of Lifeline’s friends, and she spots the logo of Chevrex, her family’s company, in the remains of the bomb.
The cinematic also introduces an unnamed combat medic who seems to be a close friend or a love interest of Lifeline. He has a disdain for the Ches and abandons Lifeline once he figures out the truth about her parentage.
Lifeline and Octane fans also have plenty to expect of the two in “Family Business.” The longtime best friends sneak into a Silva Pharmaceuticals facility to steal some medicine for the camp, though that plan almost fails when they are discovered.
A key moment for Lifeline happens during the heist when the combat medic took out some guards defending Octane. She wondered if she was any different from her family, though her journey so far in the Games seems to prove she has strayed far away from the ruthlessness of her parents.
The cinematic ends with Lifeline finding her reason to join the Games. A TV broadcast shows a news segment of Bangalore winning the Games, with a “breaking news” story that Silva Pharmaceuticals and Chevrex were under investigation. And Lifeline saw the Apex Games as a way to help untangle herself from the bloody legacy that comes with the name Che.
