Let Me Live [Miro & Monika]

An alarm clock rang an annoying tune within a large bedroom in a very expensive hotel. It was six o'clock in the evening and a man marched from the bathroom, went around his bed, and pressed the button in top of the metallic box. Leon sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh and ran one of his hands down his tired face. He'd just gotten out if the shower his alarm went off and his hair was still wet as well as having a large, fluffy, white towel wrapped tightly around his waist. His left hand reached for his phone and he slid his finger across the screen, the phone opened to the home screen. Blinking, he reread the messages he and one of his old friends had sent to each other the past two days. Leon hadn't spoken to Claire in quite some time-- a couple of years to be exact. The last they spoke was when she had contacted him after she and Chris had escaped Rockford Island.



He had been worried about her when she'd sent him an email asking for help, or to contact Chris. She had been in danger and Leon wasn't allowed to go to the Island, even after getting paperwork and sending requests to be sent there himself. Reluctantly, the agent had contacted Chris and gave him the location and he prayed the two would be safe. Leon was still salty towards the government, but he was still held under the "Do what we tell you, or you will be killed." By now, Leon figured he could probably take out half the agents they'd send after him. Then again, he was also friends with the president and Leon knew the man wouldn't allow anyone to harm him from the agency. Sighing again, Leon's blue orbs scanned over the messages the two conversed about and he chuckled. When he told her where he was on vacation, Claire told him she was in the area and that they should grab a bite to eat and catch up.



Putting the phone down, Leon stood from his spot and went back into the bathroom. He finished getting ready, brushed his teeth and combed out his dirty blonde hair. His attire consisted of dark blue jeans, tennis shoes, a black spandex, short sleeved shirt, which was underneath a blue-grey button up, long sleeved shirt, and a dark brown, leather belt. He strapped on his watch to his left wrist and took one last look in the mirror. Deciding to keep the stubble of a beard, he sprayed on a bit of cologne and left the room.





It didn't take him long before he reached the restaurant they were going to meet at. He got there a few minutes early, right before 7:30 hit. The restaurant was a bit on the smaller side and it kinda reminded him of the Burger King back in Raccoon City.



The male scoffed at himself, "Yeah... Since has something not reminded you of that place..?"



He had to think about it and pretty much everything he did reminded him of that horrible city. He scowled a bit as he thought about the missions he had to constantly go on. Every time he'd go someplace, always having to save people from Bio Terrorism, he'd always find himself asking, "What is the point of this anymore? Why do I have to keep fighting when the people always end up dying anyway?"



He rubbed his eyes before getting out of his car and he locked it. Walking to the front of the building, he leaned his back against the wall and took out his cellphone.



"Hey. I'm here. Shoot me a text when you get here and I'll come find you. ...Unless you want me to come pick you up?



7:45 PM"



His thumb hit the green SEND button and he waited.


Claire had been still in her hotel room when she heard her text-tone go off. She didn't pull her eyes away from the mirror though, fixated on the second form in the reflective glass. The blonde hair and blue eyes, the purple dress and choker... Alexia was staring back at her, looking over her shoulder. The Ashford woman wasn't there. She was never there. She never really said anything to her, though sometimes hummed. That same song from Rockfort. Sometimes she was sure she was physically hearing the music box again. Sometimes she felt like she was losing her mind.



Finally taking her eyes off of Alexia's image, she turned the faucet on and washed her face again. She couldn't let the dead woman's memory ruin her day. She was going to see Leon again, for the first time in... forever. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss him. Alexia was gone from the mirror when Claire looked back in the mirror. Grabbing a towel and drying her face, she brushed her hair back and pulled it up and tied it in her signature ponytail. She was wearing a pair of jeans and black tank top. She made her way to the bed, picking up her phone and looking at her lit up screen. She smiled lightly, giving him a reply.



"I'm heading out right now. I'll be there in a minute. See you soon."



Short and sweet, but he wanted to go ahead and get there. She grabbed a bag and headed out of the room, walking from the hotel to the restaurant, which was just around the corner. It didn't take too long for her to get there, and even though it had been some time, she still recognized him. She couldn't help but smile lightly as she made her way over to where he was waiting.


Leon glanced down at his watch before looking back up and he nodded towards a couple that walked past him and into the restaurant. It had been a couple of minutes since he received Claire's text, which made him smirk in a amusement a bit. He looked from the convenience store across the road to his left, down the street, and then he spotted her. His lips formed a small smile as he pushed himself off from his spot against the wall and Leon walked to her.



Coming to a stop in front of her, his smile grew a bit, "Hey. Long time no see."



It was a few seconds before he wrapped his arms around her form in a friendly, tight hug. As he pulled away, he asked in a joking manner, "What took ya so long, huh?"

Claire noticed Leon coming towards her and she smiled a little more, stopping when he came up to meet her. She was a little caught off guard when he hugged her, but welcomed it and hugged him back, looking up to him a little. "Sorry, my hotel is right around the corner so I decided to walk." She smiled a little more. "It's good to see you." She started for the restaurant. "You're kind of a hard person to get a hold of..." she laughed a little.

Leon chuckled at her response and replied with half a shrug, "Yeah, well, they don't really give me any breaks at work, so I can't really answer phone calls."



An older couple had exited the building and the agent moved out of the way so they could walk past them. He glanced around again, only seeing a few cars fly by on either side of the street. The sun had started to set, having already disappeared behind the tall buildings of the small city. It left the sky a mixture of orange and yellow colors, cause Leon to think of the various mass bombings he'd had to escape. He blinked, pushing the unwanted thoughts away. Leon quickened his steps, reached for the metallic door handle, and pulled it open. He gestured towards the entrance, indicating that she walk through first.



"After you," he said, his small grin never leaving his face.

Claire laughed a little. "No breaks are a bummer.." she followed Leon closely. She didn't realize how much she missed being around him until now. Then again, last time she really got to spend time they were trying to survive. She smiled lightly as they made it to the door. "Well, we'll definitely have to try to get together whenever you get times off like this..." She replied as she headed inside, looking around.


"Yeah, they are," he started as he followed her inside, "But it's just part of my job. I'm on call just about all the time."



He started to reply to her stating that they should see each other, but the host of the restaurant greeted them. Leon told the male that it was just the two of them and a woman showed them to a comfy booth to sit in. The cushions were red and held by wooden panels and their table was both wood glass. They were by one of the large windows and hanging above them was a large, red lantern. The rest of the tables and booths were spread out and various families and couples were either leaving, waiting, or enjoying their meals. Across the room from where the friends were seated, towards Leon's right, was a bar, which also merged with the large kitchen hidden behind it. Different types of alcoholic beverages were being served and Leon swallowed. It had been a while since he last had a drink... He looked at Claire.



I'm definitely gonna need one or three to get what I need to out... He thought to himself as his smile returned.



A waitress walked over to their booth, pen and pad in hand, and she smiled at the two.



"Hello! I am Mary and I'll be your server for this evening. Can I start you two off with some drinks?"



Leon waited for Claire to order first before he turned to the lady, pulling out his wallet to grab his I.D. "I'd like a Scotch, please." He said, showing her his I.D.



Once she looked at it, she wrote it down and walked away. Leon returned his attention to Claire, "So... How have you been?"

"So that means that we can be interrupted at any time and you'll have to leave?" Claire replied, a little upset at the thought. "After all this time, they can ruin our fun?" She pouted a little. "That's not fair at all." she sat down when they were led to a booth, looking around a little. "This place is pretty nice..." She looked to him with a smile, then looked to the waitress when she wanted their drink order. "I'll just have a Pepsi," she responded, then looked to Leon when he ordered alcohol. She felt a little plain ordering just a soda, but she really wasn't the drinking type. Not since the last time she had one years ago.



"I've been alright... for the most part..." She smiled faintly. How would she go about telling him that she's been to therapists the past few years. "What about you?"

"That's good," he stated as he glanced around, seeming to be a little reluctant. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Well... I'm okay. Just been busy with work."



His smile left his face as he stared at a young couple seated to Leon's right. His eyes seemed to glaze over a bit as he thought of a date he and Ada had been on. It had been the first and last one they had ever been on. Leon swallowed as he closed his eyes, trying to push the painful, heartbreaking memories away.



"A...Ada and I... decided that we wouldn't...work being together." He murmured as he opened his eyes again, the couple replacing his old self and his past love.



A saddened smile found his face as he looked back at him friend, "That was years ago, though. So..."



He fell silent again before he cleared his throat, "Anyway, work has been a bit of a pain. A few years back, the president's daughter was kidnapped by a cult that used a parasite to control others and let me tell you, omce you've got one of those things in you, they're a pain in the ass get get rid of."



Leon shuddered at the memory and slightly gripped at the place he had felt when the small creature was still in him. "Sometimes I still think it's in me... Afraid that I'll end up hurting innocent people." He let out a scoff of a laugh, "I've even gone to the doctor and had all kinds of scans done and they all come back negative."



He shook his head and bitterly smirked right before the waitress came back with their drinks. Leon looked up at woman, muttering a quick thank you, and watched as she left to take another order. Taking a large gulp from the cool, crystal glass, Leon let out a long sigh of relief.

Claire had to admit she felt a little sad at the fact that some other girl was able to go on a date with him before she could. It was something that she had wanted to do, but it was really hard to get in touch to even get together. For some reason, the name sounded familiar, but she couldn't really remember where she heard it. "Who was Ada again?" She found herself asking, only to realize how rude it probably was, considering it looked like he had really liked her. "Sorry... .. it.. sounded like you liked her..." She smiled faintly.



When he talked about being infected with a parasite, she immediately knew how he felt, and said as such. "I... I know how you feel... ... After Rockfort... I... swear I see Alexia... the... woman my brother and I ended up fighting. She made this virus... that she infected herself with... she wanted to infect the world with it and use it to control everyone.. we stopped her... but... I... see her... and have been... for awhile... sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy..." She chuckled slightly, looking to him. "In... all honesty... it's... why I was a little late getting here..." she rubbed the back of her neck a little. "Guess we've both got scars."

Leon cleared his throat a bit and swallowed a lump down his throat when his friend asked him about Ada. Of course she probably wouldn't remember the woman in red. It had been so long ago... The agent forced a small amile on his face as he replied dimly, "I dunno if you met her, but she was there in Raccoon. She worked for Umbrella and tried to steal the virus for someone else... Thought she died trying to steal it, but I found out she was alive back in Europe. She tends to lie. Often makes our relationship like a game of cat and mouse anytime we meet. Whether we are on duty or not."



He added the last sentence with a bitter chuckle before he took another gulp of his drink. His blue orbs had focused on his glass, but as soon as Claire started informing him about her being infected and seeing, what he presumed were hallucinations of a woman named Alexia, his focus was entirely on her. His dirty blonde brows furrowed a bit and he slowly set his glass down. Leon could see that it was difficult, very difficult, for her to tell him that and he took her hand in his.



His hand squeezed her a bit, as if he tried to reassure her while he spoke, "Hey. You can find a way for you to beat this. We can find a way, if you want my help. Surely there must be a cure, right?"



His hardened expression turned much softer and his eyebrows lifted a bit, his eyes revealing a strong sense of hope and comfort. "I'll help you, okay? If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here for you. I'll help you get through it. Don't ever feel like this is a bothersome thing for me."



His other hand moved to hold the other side of hers, "Don't ever feel like you're alone. ...'Cause I'm here. I'll always be here for you. Yeah?" Another small smile formed on gis lips and his expression added a hint of his old cockiness to it.



Releasing her hand, he found he missed the contact of the warmth and Leon found himself thinking back to the first time they met. He had saved her from a zombie and took her hand in his before they had rushed to the police cruiser. Blinking, the man tuned back into the present and he decided to look through the menu.



"So..."



He paused a moment.



Leon's voice was still comforting, but held a bit of concern when he spoke, "...Does Chris know?"


Now she remembered the woman. She immediately hadn't liked her, and knew she was no good.. which it sounded like she had been right about her the whole time. She couldn't help but smiled lightly when he took her hand and held it. She had to admit, it felt nice... and reminded her why she ended up being drawn to him in the first place. Even under the dire circumstances, being close to him made her feel like everything was going to be ok. And when they weren't together, the few times they were able to communicate while in the station, just being able to talk to him helped her get through it.



"That's... the thing... I'm.. not infected..." She looked down a little. "When Chris and I got off of Rockfort, I went through testing because of the wound I received. I tested perfectly normal..." She looked to him, smiling faintly. "So I've been seeing a therapist... to... try to deal with things... if there wasn't anything medically wrong with me, there must be something mentally wrong with me... right...?"


His brows lifted in surprise hearing that she wasn't infected.



So, she isn't infected...? That's a relief.



Leon put the menu down and rested one hand on his lap and the other on top of the table. Thinking a moment, he replied, "I think that what you went through was a very dramatic experience. Maybe...You're seeing her because of the events that happened there? Every once and a while, I'll still have nightmares of William coming after us..."



He let out a slight scoff and shook his head a bit, "But that isn't the same as what you're going through, though."



His lips pursed together as he wracked his brain for something else to tell her, "Well, I don't think you're crazy, if that's what you're worried about. I'm sure there will be a time when you won't see her anymore. I guess... Just try to hold out for a while longer. It'll pass. I'm sure of it."



The man's lips lifted upwards and his face showed both hope and determination.



I'll make sure she gets better. I'll need to check up on her more when I'm away on missions...



The small pang of guilt that coursed through Leon grew as he thought about how many times he hadn't even tried to call, text, or email her. He had been so focused on work that he never really thought about doing so until he was at a point where he would be on the short breaks. Leon realized the guilt seemed to show a bit on his face and he blinked. Since Claire ignored his question about Chris knowing, he decided he wouldn't talk to her older brother about it until he thought he really needed to. He lifted the glass to his lips and let out a grunt of calm surprise. He was out of Scotch.



Looking back up at Claire, he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the waitress came back.



"Do you know what you'd like to order, or do you need a few more minutes?" She asked.



Leon glanced between the two women and stated, "I know what I want, but you should go first." He looked at Claire expectantly.



The male didn't mind waiting to eat. He just didn't want to be rude.


Claire thought about what he had said. She felt a great weight off of her shoulders, hearing that he didn't think she was crazy. She was glad to be able to talk to someone who understood her problems. Those doctors and therapists.. they really had no idea the things she went through in Raccoon and Rockfort. Her trauma wasn't from dealing with every day horrors and bad people. It was from real monsters. Creatures that shouldn't even exist... ... creatures that used to be human...



But Leon knew. He might not have been at Rockfort, but Racoon was a good enough indication to him of what Rockfort would have been like. And he knew the monsters were real. He and her brother were the only people who understood what she went through. The therapist had no idea. Maybe that was the problem, why therapy hadn't helped. They didn't teach dealing with mental trauma caused by bioweapons in Psych class.



Her mind wandered to William Birkin. He really was a nightmare. One that they barely escaped from. She was so grateful Leon had been there with her. Hell of a first day for him, huh.



But Leon was right. She would get through it, and maybe she wouldn't see...



She ended up staring at the waitress a long moment, blinking once to clear her vision. She could have sworn the waitress had looked like Alexia there for a moment.. "Oh... um..." Crap... she hadn't looked at the menu at all. "I'll just have the same thing you're having," she looked to Leon with a light smile. It was a good thing she wasn't too picky.

It seemed like it took Claire a few moments before she collected herself before she finally said anything. Leon wondered what she was thinking about. When she said something, he offered her an apologetic smile. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't mind waiting a few minutes for you to make up your mind. I was talking to you too much anyway."



The waitress looked between the two before excusing herself after receiving a small nod from the agent. Once she was gone, he returned his attention to his friend. "I'm not gonna choose what you should eat. I'll feel bad if I get you something you don't like."



Although, Leon bet he could probably pick out just about anything for her and she wouldn't fuss, he still didn't want to make Claire eat something she didn't want to. He picked up the menu again and watched as an elderly couple had walked by their table, presumably headed towards the exit. Not long after, the same couple had walked by on the opposite side of the window he was seated at. He moved his eyes back down to the various lists of different foods and his stomach rumbled, as if it were telling him to order something with haste. The man began to say some of the meals that sounded good to him.



"They've got chicken tenders with fries.... Hamburgers and cheeseburgers... Pasta... Ooo. With shrimp, I think the pasta would be pretty good," He stated looking up at Claire with wiggling eyebrows. "There's Philly cheesesteak sandwich... Grilled cheese, grilled chicken... Milkshakes... There's an endless amount of food. Jeez."

Claire sighed lightly when he decided to hold off on it. She shook her head a little. "I really was going to be fine with whatever you picked..." she couldn't help but smile lightly. "They all do sound good... but... Pasta and shrimp does sound good though..." She replied watching him a little. She really was glad she was able to spend this time with him, and hoped they were going to be able to have the day to themselves. "So... how long do you have, well, to spend the day?" she decided to ask.


Leon grinned a little at his friend's next question and replied, "Well, I've got the rest of the week off. I'm on vacation," He rubbed the back of his neck as he gazed down at his empty glass. "But if I get a call, most likely I'll have to go."



He frowned a bit as he realized how one, his glass was suddenly empty, and two, how he didn't want to leave Claire when she was obviously having a hard time. It didn't matter how much she smiled. Leon could tell when she was upset, or having a difficult time, or if something was bothering her. It wasn't long before the waitress came and refilled his glass as well as taking their orders with ease. Leon suddenly remembered just why he had asked Claire to join him for dinner. Not just to catch up or hang out because they hadn't seen or spoken to one another in a few years.



No.



It was because he wanted to ask her a big question.



One question that could make or break their friendship-- make or break him.



He had chugged his second glass down and was soon given a third and fourth and when he was finally feeling a little more of a buzz, Leon finally sighed and looked up at Claire. God, she was beautiful. She had beautiful eyes. Beautiful hair. A beautiful, fiery spirit. Hell, everything about her was beautiful to him. He just hadn't had the gall to tell her. Sure, the man had flirted with her, but it was his usual, playful flirting. Not the serious kind. Their food arrived and the delicious smell filled his nostrils.



His stomach rumbled, threatening him that it would begin to eat itself if he did not start eating. Leon would have to put his question on hold till his stomach got its fill. Not much for prayer, he said a quick thanks and began to scarf his food down.

Claire smiled when she heard that he had the rest of the week off, though tried not to frown when she heard he'd have to go if he got called in. She sort of expected that. She could only hope that they would get the full time. She wanted that time with him... of course, she wouldn't tell him that. It made her feel a little bit embarrassed. She couldn't help but notice how much he was drinking, though, and it gave her a bit of a sinking feeling.



Maybe he felt uncomfortable there with her? Maybe brought back too many bad memories?



She looked down to the food when it came, not eating as quickly as he was as she thought about how much he was drinking. "S..so... um... everything... ok?" she asked after a long moment. "I noticed.. you're drinking a lot..."


Leon had stopped eating when he noticed Claire hadn't really touched her food and he looked up at her when she asked him if he was okay. He swallowed the mouthful and choked, causing him to cough quite a bit. He covered his mouth as he coughed, trying to get a gasp of air before answering her. His face was much more red from the lack of oxygen and after a few moments, could breathe easily.



"S-Sorry. I'm f-fine. Swallowed too...too much..." He forced himself to say as he inhaled a deep breath.



Crystal blue orbs met with bright blue ones as the male focused his attention on the woman seated across from him. Leon found he couldn't look away from her face and he could practically hear the thoughts within his head screaming at him to get a grip and ask her what he had ben wanting to for the past hour. Leon felt his face begin to burn a bright red just as it had dimmed down to a bright pink and he glanced away from her. Clearing his throat again, the agent began to speak, "Claire, there's something important I need to ask you."



He shut his eyes a moment and inhaled through his nose.





Why the hell is it so hard to ask Claire out? He mentally asked himself.



He'd never had a problem asking anyone else out, besides Ada for obvious reasons, but why was it so difficult for him to ask Claire? Maybe it was because deep down he was afraid to. He was afraid that he'd ruin their precious friendship if he asked her and it would make things awkward. His eyes opened long enough for him to rub a hand down his face. He let out a sigh and reopened his blue eyes, focusing again on the redhead. He hesitated a few moments before finally pushing himself to speak again, "I'm wondering.. If you would...uh...like to hang out again sometime?"





He mentally smacked himself. They'd already talked about hanging out again.





Dumbass...!





He quickly corrected himself, "What I mean is... Would you like to hang out again, but as more than friends....?"



The man stared at her as a nervous sweat began to prickle down his spine.


Claire had waited for a response, when he suddenly started choking, causing her to get extremely worried until he finally caught his breath. She relaxed when he was breathing normally. And then he wanted to ask her something. Whatever it was, it seemed to actually be important with the way he was acting. The pause seemed to drag on for a long time, and she couldn't help but wonder more about what he wanted to say.



Then he asked if they wanted to hang out. Wasn't that... oh...



She blinked a little, realizing what he was trying to say. "You... want to go out with me...? I... ..." she smiled happily. She was actually hoping that things would eventually get to that point, and it seemed she didn't have to wait at all. "I would love to." She answered. "Is... that why you were downing those drinks like they were water?"


The breath Leon had sucked in after he asked the question flew out in a sigh of relief. His faced burned a darkened shade of red and he let out a relieved, yet nervous laugh as he placed one of his hands on his face.



"Thank God..." He muttered to himself, not really paying attention if he had said it aloud or in a lower tone.



He felt the internal struggle melt away and he looked down at his pants underneath the table. Leon found himself smiling, even chuckling madly due to the sudden burst of happiness within him.





She said yes! He thought to himself as he shook his head a little before he looked up at her.



Closing his mouth, he felt the silly grin never leave his face and each time he tried to open his mouth to say something, all that could come out was either a small type of giddy, deep laughter or chuckling. Trying to compose himself, he glanced back down at the material of his pants and then back to her.



"That's... This is great...!" He finally managed out and the waitress came back to refill their drinks.



He told her a quick thank you and stabbed his fork through one of the shrimps and he looked at her, the smile never leaving his lips. His blue orbs had a type of light in them, showing off even more of the apparent happiness. Shoving the shrimp and some more of the pasta into his mouth, he tried thinking of something else to say. Anything to keep it from being anymore awkward. He wasn't going to bring up Claire's problem until she wanted to talk about it more, nor was he going to speak of Ada.



Swallowing his mouthful, he asked, "So... If you do want to...uh...go out on a date, what day works for you? I've supposedly got all week to spend time with you."


Claire watched Leon with extreme amusement. Here was a guy who fought zombies and monsters... at least twice... and is constantly putting himself in danger... and he was afraid to ask her out? She chuckled a little, tilting her head and smiling. "You really don't need to be so nervous... really... it's me." she replied, taking a bite of her food and still watching him. She had to admit, though... his nervousness was adorable. "How about tomorrow night?"



Unfortunately, their fun time was limited as Leon was getting a call from his contact, Hunnigan.

Letting out another nervous chuckle, Leon blinked as he looked up at her after he'd glanced away. His eyes locked with hers a moment and he felt his heart thumping quickly against his chest. It was a different type of adrenaline from the type he'd usually have while fighting against zombies, B.O.W.s, or other people. The kind he had at that moment caused his heart to do so because of his nervousness-- even if it had calmed down a bit after being accepted.





Wait... What do I do now? Does this mean that we're going out...? I guess so since she said yeah...



Leon looked a little confused and it caused his cheeks to darken even more. Making a small noise when Claire began speaking again, he blinked a bit in surprise. The look was soon replaced with that of a goofy, heartwarming smile. Her statement made sense; after she was technically his best friend.





He nodded as he replied, "Yeah... Yeah, you're right. I guess I just... I dunno..." He looked back down at his pants and scratched the back of his head. It was a habit he still did. He'd often done it when they talked back in the incident of Raccoon. He looked up at her, his smile widening, "To be honest... I'm not really sure what to say or do now. It's usually the other way around, where I actually know what to do."





His phone began to buzz silently within his pocket.



The second buzz notified him that he was getting a call and he pulled the device out and glanced down at the name. It was Hunnigan. His lips formed a straight line as he gazed back up at Claire with a gaze full of seriousness. His aloof and embarrassed demeanor from seconds before was completely gone. Sliding out from his seat, he told her with a bit of an apologetic tone, "Sorry. I've gotta take this. Be right back."





As he quickly walked out of the building, he stood out by the front door and answered the call after it's fourth buzz. Lifting his phone to one of his ears, he stated half-jokingly, "Hunnigan, you really know how to ruin someone's date... What's going on?"


Leon was interesting to watch, she had to admit. It was almost like he went through a range of emotions all in one minute. Claire found herself a little surprised when he said he didn't know what to do now. "Wait... you.... didn't think I was going to say yes?" She asked, believing that to be the reason why he hadn't thought about it ahead of time. She wasn't going to get the answer to that, though, because Leon had to take a call. By the look on his face, it was most likely work. "It's ok, I'll be here..." she smiled faintly. There went their date.



"Sorry, you're being called in. We have a lead on a company that might be an Umbrella front... We need you to check it out," Hunnigan replied.

As Leon waited for an answer, he watched a few people walk by him. A car turned right on a red light. It didn't even stop before doing so. Leon's frown deepened when his companion informed him that he had to leave for an investigation. To be honest, he had that small, stupid sliver of hope that he wouldn't be called... However, the male wasn't at all lucky whenever Hunnigan called him.



He forced a sigh to not come from him as he replied, pinching the bridge of his nose, "It's alright. Can you send me the details? I'll leave right away."

"It's already been sent to your laptop. I'm sorry.. I tried to get them to send someone else, but they insisted you go due to you having had experience dealing with Umbrella. They think you'll be able to pick up on things that the others wouldn't," Hunnigan replied with a light sigh. "I've already got plane tickets for you."

Leon nodded and replied, "Yeah. I understand."



He was silent a few moments as he listened to what the woman was telling. "Alright. I'll check it out when I get back to my hotel and thanks for the ticket. I'll leave in a moment."



With that he hung up and looked up towards the sky. Shutting his eyes, a deep, disappointed frown formed. Even though he understood work was work, the man still wanted to spend a little more time with Claire. Then again, depending on what time his flight was, he knew he couldn't risk being late since he was on duty. He let out a deep, long sigh before he shoved his phone in his pocket and walked back inside. Taking his seat, he gave Claire an apologetic smile.



"I'm sorry, but duty calls. I've gotta go..." The agent waved one of his hands up, gesturing for the waitress to come to their table.

"It's on me since I have to leave. Do you want any desert?" He asked as he pulled out his wallet.

Claire had been waiting for him, thinking about some things. she hated that he had to go so soon, but knew it was important. She had made up her mind, though, looking to Leon when he came back and apologized. "It's alright, I understand." she thought a moment when he asked her about dessert, and then did and said the first thing that came to mind. "This is the only dessert I need.." she suddenly leaned up over the small table, grabbing him by the collar a little and pulling him up, kissing him lightly on the lips for a moment before pulling back, her cheeks burning with a red tint. she sat back down, not sure why she went that route, but she didn't regret it. "...let me come with you... I could help .." she offered, changing the subject.

Hearing his friend say something about the dessert made him turn his full attention to her and he stared at her expectantly. However, the man was caught off guard when Claire stood up and yanked him forward by the collar of his shirt. A surprised grunt came from him in between being pulled up a bit from his seat and then he felt a soft pair of lips against his own. The agent was felt a tang of disappointment in him when the kiss didn't last too long and he blinked a moment before he seated himself back into the plush cushion of the chair. He quickly filled out the check and paid for their meal and he looked at her. Compared to the woman seated across from his, who had rather red cheeks, his had died down to the soft shade of dark pink. Leon opened his mouth to say something to her, but Claire beat him to it.



However, when Claire had asked to come with him, his expression and tone were serious. "Absolutely not."



He closed his eyes as he placed his head in one of his hands. Sighing, he calmed himself and already knew that her fiery spirit was going to backfire something at him.

He looked up at her with a slightly worried frown and his tone had a bit of a softness to it even though it was still serious, "Look... I fully understand you can handle yourself in harmful situations, but I can't...I won't let you join me. My missions are just as dangerous as Raccoon, if not more, and I will not purposefully put you in danger, Claire. I'd hate myself if I knew that your death was because of me..."

The red died down completely when her offer to help was shot down. She was about to say something, but was already met with an explanation of his answer. She understood, though. She hadn't been continuously going up against danger like he had. There was a thing every now and then, a lead, but that was usually what they were. Just leads. She was out of practice, and could end up endangering his mission. Not to mention he would be concerned about her safety. She realized it was a stupid offer, after the fact, but she wanted to be with him. "Alright, but when you get off the plane to wherever you're going, text me, at least, ok? And if you can't do that, at least text or call me when you're done with the mission to let me know you're ok. And we'll try to have a date between then and your next mission, even if it's just for a half an hour, ok?" She looked to him, pointing at him. "Promise me, or I'm going to track you down and go to you."

A puff of air left his those and caused a strange whistle to form when it weaved through his fingers when she threatened to track him down. He smiled, chuckled, and waved his hand at her while he nodded.



"Yeah, I understand completely. I'll text you as soon as I arrive and as soon as the mission is over." He paused for a moment and added, feeling a bit guilty, "I would try to reach you during the mission, but ever since my communication devices have been hacked into by the enemy countless times, I'm afraid they might track you down. ...That's part of the reason why I always make sure to change my number after a certain amount of missions."



He glanced at his watch and sighed again. Standing from his seat, he tucked his wallet back into his back pocket and the guilt of having to leave was evident in his gaze. "I'm really sorry, Claire, but I have to go now. ...Would you like me to drop your off at the place your staying?" He gestured his hand in a certain direction, "My car is right outside, I think I can spare a few more minutes to at least escort you..."

She shook her head lightly, getting up and moving towards him. "It's alright. I understand, really. But, I think it might be best if we just go ahead and part ways now." She smiled lightly. "We might just end up saying 'just another minute' until you miss your flight..." she laughed lightly. "But I'll be waiting for your call, ok?" she looked up to him, hugging him. "We'll get time to spend later. ... I really enjoyed this time together, though... even though it was short." She held onto him a little. "And I'm serious about the tracking you down thing..."

He chuckled a bit at her joke and as he hugged her back, he said, "I'll try not to make you wait too long for me."



When he moved, her hold tightened and Leon couldn't help but laugh at her bringing up her threat again. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed in a teasing manner before backing up with his hands up in the air. "The bad thing is that I know you will. Don't worry, I'll try to keep in contact with you while I can."



His hands returned to their sides and he exited the building. He stopped a moment before jogging towards the window where they had sat and he knocked his knuckles against the glass a couple of times before he offered her a small wave of goodbye. Making his way to his car, the agent hopped inside and dove back to his hotel room. Once there, he packed his things, checked his email for the plane ticket, and he took a two hour nap before leaving for the airport. It was a bit of a process as he made his way through the airport and Leon was finally seated in the first class of the plane. He decided to take another nap while on the plane and the ride seemed to fly by in a couple of hours. Waking up, he exited the plane and got his luggage and once he was out of the airport, he pulled his phone from his pocket.



His thumb hit the contact number and it began ringing. A frown formed on his face when Claire didn't answer and he tried dialing again.



He got the same outcome.



"Well, maybe she is in the shower, or something..." The male muttered as he opened her contact on the messaging list.



His thumb moved about the letters quickly and he sent her his text message.





Hey, Claire. I just landed. I tried calling, but you didn't answer. Call me back when you get a chance.

I hope you're having a good day.





Claire never did reply or call back. Upon trying to call her again after his mission, it went straight to voicemail, rather than ringing first. It was off.



Throughout the weeks, it was the same thing. Straight to voicemail. Upon tracking the last known location, it had been the hotel room she stayed in when they met up. but everything of hers was gone from it like she had left.



Any attempts to locate just turned up nothing And he kept getting missions that kept him from being able to do any looking of his own.



His most recent mission had to do with getting a virus sample from a believed Umbrella facility.

It was rather early in the morning when Leon snuck into the facility where his next mission was to take place. The agent had been worried to death about Claire never answering back and although he hadn't given up, he knew he had ti keep his head on the mission. He lifted two of his fingers up to press the button on his hidden earpiece.



"Hunnigan, I'm in. Where do I need to go to get the virus sample?" Leon asked in a low tone, his eyes darted around the room he had gotten into and then to the door, making sure nobody was coming in on him.



He slowly made his way towards the door and pulled out his phone, looking at the mini map his partner had sent him earlier the night before.




"It should be the next floor down, I'm trying to get more information, but no one's giving me any. Just be careful with it." Something seemed wrong, though. The place seemed empty almost, and upon going further and looking around, he could see that some of the guards were already taken out and stashed in rooms. Things were quiet, and a quick glance at them seemed to show that they weren't killed too traumatically.



By the time he got to where Hunnigan pointed out, there were cylinders around the room that had mutations inside of them, one of them was empty, with liquid puddled around it. On the other side of the room, he could see a form with black hair and a red dress, rolling what looked like a large case behind her.




"Careful is my middle name," he stated with a breathy chuckle as he started down the hallway.



The further into the building Leon got, the more dead bodies he saw. He knelt down by one and inspected the wounds, finding that the man had been shot. Checking another, he had his throat cut open and another had their neck broken. The agent was on edge as he continued, muttering a low, "Things are too quiet..." to himself.



Jogging to the elevator, Leon pressed the button, making sure to keep his gun aimed at the door while it closed. Only for a second did he allow his guard down only to aim his gun at the door as it opened. Now on the second floor, the man slowly walked into the brightly lit hallway, aiming his gun in different entrances or spots where people or possible infected could be hiding. He kept his back to the wall of the final door, which was metallic, before he pressed the button to open it and he quickly moved inside. His guard intensified as he took in what was within the room. It was very large and long and Leon could see tall, cylinder, glass tubes with various creatures within them. His heart rate quickened as he slowly edged colser to where the broken cylinder was and just as he began to look it over, he heard footsteps. Spinning around on his heel, he pointed his gun towards the source of the sound.



Leon's eyes widened before narrowing at seeing a woman with black hair and a red dress. He also took notice she had a rolling suitcase and was making her way towards a different exit across the experimental room. The thought of it being Ada crossed his mind, but he pushed it aside as he took a few, hurried steps towards her.



"Hey, ma'am...! Hold on a second. I need to talk to you," the blonde stated as he reached for her shoulder.

The woman stopped, looking back towards him. "Ma'am?" she replied with a false hurt tone. "That's all I am to you now?" Ada turned towards him a little, huffing lightly. "I thought the time we had together was worth a little more than that, loverboy..." she looked him over a little. "So I suppose they sent you for the same thing I'm after, hm?" she glanced down towards the case, then pulled a gun from her thigh, aiming it right at his face. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm the one who's going to be leaving with it."




Leon's eyes widened a bit and his mind went blank for a moment.



It was her.



"Ada..." He mumbled as he returned his hand to his side.



Leon hadn't seen her for a few years. Not since his mission to rescue President Adam's daughter in Europe. Blinking, he listened her speak and his expression hardened when she aimed the gun at his face. Although his blue orbs were showing his true emotions of sadness, betrayal, and hurt, his expression showed that he was not affected by her threat. He couldn't let his old emotions get the best of him. He hadn't so far, so why should just seeing Ada bring such an emotional rise from him.



"Yeah, I am..."



He looked straight at her, his eyes locked with hers, and he asked, "You really wanna repeat what happened in Europe?"



He was referring to their little scuffle when she had knocked his gun from his hand and the two had ended up with weapons at each others throats. He had pulled out his knife and placed it against her neck while she had aimed her gun at him. He had been victorious in that fight.



"Put the gun away, Ada. Give me the sample. It'll be easier if you just cooperate with me."




"Hmph... you got lucky, and I was... distracted..." Ada replied, her gun still aimed at him. "Besides, why would your government want something like this? I mean, you know Umbrella stole it from them first, right? Maybe they're the ones who plan on weaponizing it first. Could you really live with yourself knowing you're handing something over so they can follow in Umbrella's footsteps?" the woman never moved her gun or her gaze from him, but took a step back away from him towards the door she was going for. She had backup on standby, but he was only for real emergencies. He wouldn't be all that happy if she couldn't handle Leon on her own.

Leon blinked and his frown deepened, his eyes only glancing once between the woman in red and the exit she was inching towards.



"How do I know that you aren't lying? You have a tendency to do some questionable things, Ada." He inhaled a deep breath before he continued, "I know Adam wouldn't allow something like that to happen. If he was, then he would definitely talk to me before even talkimg about it to anyone, much less acting on it."



He slowly took a step forward, his hands rising a bit above his waist.



"Listen, Ada... We can work together. Your skills would be useful as an agent for the US. Adam would be happy to have you help us. ...Why do you always work for the enemies? Is it because you need the money? I've already told you in the past that-that I can help you with anything, if you would just let me." As he spoke, the man continued to slowly and cautiosly edge closer to her.



The two agents had already had a conversation similar to the one he had began to speak about. Leon still believed that Ada could use her skills for the good. He wished things had turned out better than they usually did--and he always jated having to fight her. He always regretted hurting Ada...but he would do it anytime if it was deemed necessary.

Ada looked at him, quiet. She didn't really need the money. She just wanted it. And she never really thought about why she sided with who she did. Thinking about it now, she did it because it was the best side to be on.



"I have my reasons..." she backed up to the door, giving her enough room to open it, her back to it. "It's none of your business.."

As she continued to back up towards the door, Leon continued to walk towards her. When she had opened the door, the male rushed forward, his hand reached for her gun.

"Hey! Watch it!" Ada exclaimed as the case she was pulling got knocked over, causing him to practically trip over it. The case came open, a form spilling out of it slightly. Auburn hair, and a skin tight bodysuit with wires all over it adorned the girl who seemed to have been curled up inside, unconscious. there was a mask covering the lower part of her face which seemed to be hooked up to something. vitals were shown on a screen inside the case, and there was a mark tattooed on the side of her neck that had a barcode and "Veronica: Alexia Prime".

Leon tripped over her suitcase and fell backwards onto his ass, grunting as he landed on the tiled flooring. Out of the suitcase spilled a woman onto his lower legs and his feet. His face went pale when his blue orbs travelled over the woman's body and everything seemed to stop when he saw the familiar auburn hair. He was quickly in a crouched position and pulling her into his arms, being careful enough not to pull at the wires. His heart rate sped up again and his breath came out in panicked gasps as he looked over the unconscious Claire Redfield.



"Claire...?!" He stated, the panic evident in his voice. He removed his leather jacket and covered as much of her as he could with it.



When he lifted his eyes up to meet with Ada's, he had a type of ferocity he hadn't had in a long time. He wasn't hesitant or worried for the woman in red anymore.



"Ada, you have some explaining to do," he growled out, his tone low. "What the hell happened to Claire?!" He demanded, his grip tightened around his girlfriend's body.







Within her earpiece, another deep, suave tone spoke, "Miss Wong, have you received the package yet? We do not have time for you to play."


The girl in his arms remained unconscious, the mask on her face seeming to keep her asleep. Her breathing was light due to her deep sleep.



Ada couldn't help but be a bit put off by the look Leon had. She had nothing to do with Claire's condition. She was just- she heard something in her ear, shaking her head and looking to him. "All I did was pack her up... what I understand from her files, it was the people you work for who picked her up and did this. Umbrella took her from them, and I'm just doing my job..." she turned away slightly, answering the voice in her ear, "Ran into... complications... it's been opened, but not woken up... just need to get it back..."

Leon's harsh gaze never wavered from Ada's lean form and a muscle in his jaw popped a bit as he grinded his teeth together. What she told him couldn't be true. Adam wouldn't allow something like kidnapping Claire and doing...whatever had happened to her. Leon looked down at the unconscious woman in his arms and he'd started to touch the mask on her face, but stopped himself. He wasn't sure what he should do in the situation. What would happen if he removed the mask or any of the wires from her? Would Claire die, or worse, mutate into something else?









The deep voice spoke up again as a gloved hand typed something on a computer, his voice still deathly calm, "The complication being Agent Kennedy, yes?" A soft chuckle came from the male seated in a chair as he continued, "Miss Wong, must I repeat the importance of this delivery? We do not have time for your feelings to get in the way of this task."





A hum of interest came Wesker as he gazed over the computer screens. Through the bit of static, he could clearly make out the group of people bustling through the front door, as well as any other entrances were available to them. The group was obviously a group sent by the blasted BSAA and a wide smirk appeared as he could make out two certain individuals on either side of the building. Wesker stood from his spot and removed the flashdrive from the computer, seeing as it was finished downloading the data he required. Turning from the screens, he lifted his cellphone to his ear, stating, "Well, it appears we have more uninvited visitors. The BSAA have arrived and are already in the building. I suggest you put away your silly feelings for the agent for the time being and kill him and retrieve the package."



"I am headed your way and if you don't have the package or Agent Kennedy dead by the time I arrive, I'm afraid you will be losing a large cut from your payment. Do you understand?"

"Understood." she looked back to Leon. "Sorry, nothing personal..." she aimed her gun at him again, firing a few shots into him, moving up to him and kicking him onto his back, working on getting Claire back into the case and getting it closed, starting to move towards the door.


His eyes narrowed.



"What--?"



Time seemed to slow down as the gunfire rang into the room and the glass of one of the containers shattered behind Leon's body as he fell backwards. The only he had been able to do was let his eyes widen before Ada fired her gun at him a few time. He landed onto the tiled flooring with a huffed out grunt, the pain in his chest caused his vision to go a bit blurry and his eyes quickly shut, trying to keep his head from spinning from his brain sending him the signals that he'd been shot and that he was in serious pain. Soon after, his body lay on the cold, tired flooring, completely motionless.







The first of the BSAA group that came into the building had made their way down to the lower floors rather quickly. As the elevator doors slid open, two men with helmets and body armor quickly walked out and aimed their guns in different directions down the white hallway. Next, three more men walked out and followed their lead, and finally a rather buff man walked into the hallway. Behind him a woman followed suit.



"Alright, we're in the floors with the suspected labs. Everyone search for any survivors and eliminate any BOW's or people who might be working with Umbrella," the man with dark brown commanded and the men nodded and began to walk down the hallway before taking teams of two into different room.



Chris Redfield looked at the woman, who was soon standing by his side, and they nodded to one another before they walked down the hallway. Jill followed closely behind the man, making sure they wouldn't get jumped on from the back. The two had been through it all, ever since the beginning, and they wouldn't stop fighting bioterrorism until they were dead.



"Do you think Claire is really here?" Jill asked quietly from behind him.



The man glanced over his shoulder and nodded, "I do. Even though we got a tip that someone had seen her being carried in here, my gut is telling me she's here. I gotta find her, Jill."



Once they secured the hallway, they continued down a couple of others and walked into a room that had a bunch of holding cells completely made of glass. Inside one there were four, dead zombies, while in another there were three, dead lickers, and the last had been smashed out of. The two quickly became tense and began to move about the room more cautiously.


The door behind Ada suddenly sealed shut. She looked towards it, trying to get it open. "What the..."



"What do you think you are doing?!" a voice could suddenly be heard over the intercom throughout the facility. A voice that was vaguely familiar to Chris, but it was hard to put his finger on it. A screen appeared in the room that shown a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing some sort of red european formal uniform. "Are you trying to steal from me?! I don't think so! You won't be leaving this facility alive, and I will get back what's mine!"



Ada looked towards the screen, frowning. "Who the hell are you?"



"ME?! I am Alfred Ashford! Grandson of one of the original founders of the Umbrella Corporation!" He boasted proudly. A name that she remembered reading in reports. "How dare you try to steal from me and not know who I am! No matter! You aren't getting away."



Ada shook her head, starting for the other door with the case. "I am. And you aren't stopping me."


Chris stopped in his tracks as he and his partner turned their attention to the screen. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the male begin to yell in a high pitched voice and the man felt like he'd seen him from somewhere. When the blonde introduced himself rather proudly, Chris's eyes widened a slight fraction.



"Alfred?!"



Jill was confused and she asked, "Who is he?"



Chris turned and began to quickly walk towards the door, "He's a man I met back when I went to save Claire from Rockford Island. I thought he'd died when the self destruct system went off. He's just about as insane as Wesker was."



The two exited the room and started to run down another hallway.





Meanwhile, within the elevator, Albert Wesker heard every single word spoken between his assistant and her captor through his earpiece. He clicked his tongue in distaste as his hidden eyes glanced up at the bright, yellow numbers within elevator. Soon, he arrived at his destination and didn't even take one step outside of the transport before there were four pairs of guns aimed at him.



"Halt! Who are you?!" One of the BSAA agents demanded and Wesker let out a frustrated sigh.



"I don't have time to deal with you," he growled out before he disappeared and reappeared in front of all of them in a black bur.





In a matter of seconds, the men were all dead and blood had splattered across the white floor and walls. Wesker began to quickly walk down the various hallways, having already memorized the blueprints of the facility, and it wasn't long before he was at the room where Ada was being held captive. He heard her confront with Ashford and just as she told the man on the screen that he would not be stopping her, Wesker lifted his leg and harshly slammed his foot against the door. The door flew past the woman and as Wesker adjusted his glasses, he agreed with her, "Indeed. He will not be stopping you, Miss Wong. We do not have time to deal with men who act like little boys."



Wesker turned to the screen, "Alfred, I must admit that I am quite surprised to see that you are still alive. Now, if you'd excuse us, Miss Wong and I have business to attend to."



As the man in black turned around, his hidden eyes lingered a moment on the downed agent and he thought a moment. "Miss Wong, did you kill him?" He asked, wanting to make sure.


Ada stopped when the door she was heading to, suddenly went flying past her, exposing her boss standing there. She was a bit relieved, not knowing to what lengths Alfred would go to in order to stop her.



Alfred's attention turned to Wesker when he came into the room, the camera focused on him. "You?! I remember you! You're the one who was trying to steal my dear sister's formula... and you're at it again! I don't think so!" he practically screeched. "You will not get in the way of bringing back my dear Alexia!" He exclaimed, on the verge of pitching a temper tantrum.



Ada looked from Alfred to Wesker. "I shot him twice in the chest."

"Good.," he replied in a cool, calm tone.



It appeared as though Albert was ignoring the male screeching from within the speakers, however, his curiosity peeked hearing the Ashford speak about brining his sister back to life. One of his blonde brows rose as he turned to look straight into the camera.



Titling his head to the side a bit, Wesker asked, "How do you plan to bring her back to life, exactly? If I recall, Redfield had killed her before he had tried to do the same to me. The only reason I wanted your sister was so I could take the T-Veronica Virus..."



He looked down at the suitcase, a smirk tugged at the end of his mouth. He recalled having lured Chris with his dear, little sister and he had oh so enjoyed seeing the little redhead's fiery spirit when he revealed that he had taken Steve to work on, since Alexia was supposedly dead. It seemed the Redfield siblings had a rather hard time keeping their enemies dead. Wesker glanced down at his watch. They honestly did not have the time to be meddling with the madman, however, if they wished to truly escape and make it back to the lab in Paris.... Wesker would have to put curiosities of Alexia's possible rebirth and continue on his way. He let out a short huff and exited the room, keeping an eye out for any other infected or meddlesome BSAA agents.

Alfred was about to say something, but stopped. As if he would give that away. He shook his head. "You aren't getting away with this!" He exclaimed, the screen going dark.



Ada followed closely behind Wesker, dragging the rolling case behind her.

Wesker stayed quiet as he marched down the hallway with that air of absolute confidence around him. It wasn't long before he was having to step over the dead bodies of the BSAA agents he had to kill and at the end of the third hallway was the elevator. He pushed his index finger on the button to summon their transportation. The door opened, and like a gentlemen, his gloved hand lifted in a gesture as he turned towards his partner for the time being.



"Ladies first," he stated with a hint of a smirk, completely ignoring the blood that painted the once white hallway.









Chris and Jill quickened their pace on the third floor and as the rounded a corner, they saw two figures get on the elevator, their backs were faced towards the partners as the doors closed. The two were unfazed, but still a little shocked at seeing the hallway littered with the bodies of their comrades and there was no doubt in Chris's mind that the two people on the elevator had killed them.



"Jill, hurry!"



The two started down the rest of the hallway into a full on sprint and just as the doors closed, Chris's hands slammed onto the metallic surface.



"Damn it!!" He exclaimed in frustration as he began to push the button rapidly.







Leon winced as he regained consciousness. Sitting up slowly with a groan of pain, his hand immediately reached for his chest. Feeling all over to make sure no actual bullet had created a wound, he let out a slight sigh of relief. Blinking, he turned his head around in all directions and when he saw it, he reached over his legs and picked up his gun. Staggering to his feet, the agent looked around the room again, this time his eyes landed on the door a ways off from where he stood. He quickened his steps as he took notice of the large dent in the door and a bit of panic rose for Ada's and Claire's safety.



"I gotta find them, fast." He muttered to himself as he ran out of the room and down the multitude of hallways. However, the agent almost stopped in his tracks seeing the dead bodies and blood spread about the hallway that led to the elevator. He could make out a man and woman standing by the elevator and he cautiously walked over to them.



"Hey, what happened here?" He asked, gaining the two BSAA agents' attention.





As they spun around to met him, they aimed their guns at him and Leon quickly lifted his hands in the air. "Hey, Woa! I'm friendly."





The male in front of him blinked in surprise as he asked, "Leon?"





"Chris?" Leon shook his hand and stated, "Look, as much as I would like to get through formalities, we've got to save Claire."





Chris's expression changed to complete alarm, "What do you mean?"





"Chris, you were right. Claire is here!" Jill piped in and all three shared a glance.





It was just in time, too, because the elevator doors reopened and the three quickly piled inside. On their way up, Leon briefed the two on what little information he knew.


The facility was brought under a full lockdown. Wherever Alfred was, he had no intent on letting Wesker and Ada go. The Trio's elevator shut down as it got close to the top, between floors. They'd have to pry the doors open and climb out, hopefully before anything got wrong.

The lights suddenly went out and the elevator had jolted to a stop. The three turned to look at one another, Chris verbally cursing their never ending misfortune. "God dammit..."



"This always seems to happen at the worst times," Leon added with a frustrated groan.



The two men decided to pull the doors open, letting Jill slipp past to climb onto the upper floor and she gripped one sode of the doors while Leon held onto the other. The older Redfield was able to squeeze through the doorway and helped Jill hold the doors open for the agent to follow suit. However, a split second after Leon had crawled up onto the upper floor, then elevator was sent flying down to the bottom floor.



"Well, then... Any moment longer and I'd have lost a few of limbs..." He quipped with a chuckle.



Chris shook his head and the three headed straight for the staircase. Leon hoped that the doorway wasn't locked...





As for Wesker, the Ashford's meddling had made his impatience rise slightly. The edge of his lips twitched a bit, moreso upset with himself for not foreseeing something such as what had occurred. It appeared the two were going to be stuck in the facility for a little longer than he would have liked. His heightened sense of hearing picked up the sounds of approaching footsteps and he turned around to find something rather tall and very large slowly stalking towards them. The lights above them were blinking a red color on and off and Wesker could make out the long arm and bald head of the B.O.W.



The blonde pulled out his handgun with a "hmph" and he spoke to Ada without removing his cold gaze from the Bandersnatch, "Miss Wong, stay here and make sure the package is not destroyed or lost. I will aid you with some protection from the enemy."



With that, he walked back down the hallway, towards the Bandersnatch, it's form being much taller than he was. However, Wesker was unfazed and began firing off his gun in the creature's face. It cried out in pain before it reared back it's hand and it was thrown towards the man. Although the arm stretched out pretty quickly, against a regular human it would have easily been able to grab them, however Wesker was no normal man. In a black blur he dodged the hand and continued to fire rounds into the face of the yellowed B.O.W. Only after one click did Wesker reload, knowing that the magazine was empty. He ducked out of the way as it roared, throwing its long arm in a vertical angle and Wesker continued to shoot. It was not long before he had moved further up, finally reaching the damned thing, and he put his gun away to replace it with a combat knife he had brought along as well. He lept upwards into the air and over the Bandersnatch with such grace, much like a ballerina, and stabbed the steel weapon in its head multiple times. Landing on his feet, he watched as it fell down and he forcefully rammed his boot down into its forehead, the squelching sound not bothering him in the slightest. Looking up from his kill, Wesker's hidden eyes widened a bit at seeing another headed straight towards his partner.



"Wong, move!" He yelled down at her, his voice echoed off the walls.

Luckily, the door hadn't been locked, leaving them to be able to go through. But they didn't need to go through. It seemed the elevator did get them on the proper floor, as signified by the gunshots echoing down the hall.



Ada watched Wesker deal with the creature. It was pretty fascinating to watch him, and it wasn't something she got to do very often. It reminded her that working with him, would pretty much always put her out on top, even if she was just under him. She was snapped out of her admiration when movement caught her eye, and she was told to move. Turning and starting to run the opposite direction, pulling the rolling case, wasn't enough to get her out of range. The second creature's long arm suddenly stretched as it reached for her, grabbing her and slamming her against the wall, the case going along with her.



The case broke open on impact with the wall, Claire's unconscious form unceremoniously tumbling out of it and onto the cold ground, wires snapping off and the case itself sparking before it the mechanisms inside shut down, the sedatives no longer flowing.


Wesker watched with some frustration as the Bendersnatch had been able to grab his accomplice and slammed her against the wall. Though his gaze soon landed on the breifcase and he was about to dart towards it when he felt something large and sharp suddenly rip open his entire back, causing him to cry out in pain. After the attack, the blonde spun around to find a god damned hunter glaring at him, the drool that dripped from its mouth caused a small puddle for for at its large feet. Snarling as he let out a low growl, Wesker ignored the pain that came with his healing ability and rammed his hand through the creature's chest, killing it instantly. He quickly withdrew his bloody, gloved hand and turned to find the case had opened and the younger Redfield's body had gone out. Much to his frustration, he could see that the wires that had been implanted in her skin were out of their spaces.



Which meant that the sedatives keeping her asleep would ware off in less than five minutes.



It would take Wesker one minute to get back across the room.



With another low growl, he darted down the hallway, running towards Claire's unconscious form. Now that their main priority was subject to waking up and running lose, Wesker wasn't going to be paying much attention to Ada or the other Bandersnatch-- unless they got in his way, of course.

The Bandersnatch looked towards Wesker as he tried to pass, swinging it's long arm to slam against Wesker, knocking him even further back away from the fallen girl. His back would burn more as it impacted the wall connected to the open elevator shaft, most likely stunning the Trio as the partners' nemesis flew past them.



Now, though, Wesker was set back a further distance, and it would be a race to see who got to the Redfield girl first.

Wesker didn't see the B.O.W.'s attack coming, his sole focus on the woman on the floor. It cost him greatly because he was hit and sent flying backwards straight through the wall and into the elevator. The three all spun around to see what the commotion was and Chris and Jill stared in shock at their old captain, who they presumed was dead. He was in pretty bad shape--for the time being.



"Wesker?!" Chris exclaimed before he turned around towards the creature and the woman laying down on the floor.





Both Leon and Chris yelled almost in unison, "Claire!" The two glanced at eachother before they began to run towards her body, Jill followed close behind them.





Meanwhile, Wesker pushed himself out of the dented metal and harshly slammed his fist against the inside of the contraption. His patience was getting close to nonexistent and soon he would lose his temper. Especially since things were getting out of hand, along with Chris Redfield getting between him and his goal. It was becoming a very annoying and frustrating habit the two had created and Wesker would stand for it no longer. Growling under his breath, he readied himself to run down the hallway. In a matter of seconds his black blurred form could be seen rushing towards the group. Jill turned and began to fire her weapon at him, hoping it would buy the other two some time. As Wesker dodged the bullets, Leon could see Ada having to deal with a creature he hadn't seen before and he pushed the urge to save her out of his mind and continued to run towards the red headed woman. Jill could be heard grunting and soon a loud bang resounded from somewhere behind the two men and they turned around to see that Wesker had slammed her against the wall and she was being dropped to the floor. Leon furrowed his brows and pulled out his own gun and aimed it at the tall blonde.



At the same time, he nodded towards Claire's body, "Go get Claire! I'll handle him."



Chris nodded and didn't hesitate as he quickened to a full on dash, getting closer and closer to his little sister. Leon looked at Wesker and barely dodged whatever attacked he had sent towards the agent. The younger male had heard all sorts of things about the infamous Albert Wesker and the things he had done. Everyone thought he had been dead, but apparently, it was not the case. Leon began to fire his weapon off at the older man and the two were seen as a mass of dodging, hitting, and more dodging. Wesker had to admit he was rather impressed with Agent Kennedy's agility and how quick he was to move, however, he was nothing compared to Wesker himself. At some point, Wesker had caught Leon's gun and harshly yanked from his hands and behind him in some random direction. As the agent began to pull his knife out, Wesker had swept one of his legs underneath Leon's, causing him to fall to the floor with a grunt. Before he could even move, Wesker had slammed his foot down onto Leon's chest, slowly putting pressure onto his ribs. The more the pressure continued, the more pain Leon had began to felt and when one of his ribs cracked, he let out a cry of pain. Hearing his pained voice, Jill had stood up from her spot, having fully recovered from the harsh blow, and she ran at Wesker, firing a few rounds into his back and when the gun was emtpy, she pulled out her knife and attempted to stab him. Wesker caught her wrist with ease and looked at from over his shoulder as he pulled her closer to him.



A wide smirk formed as he released her wrist and gripped her throat instead and he lifted her into the air, stating rather smugly, "Nice try."



Chris had long since reached Claire, making sure she was alright and unharmed. His worrisome gazed scanned every area and picked her up in his arms, laying her halfway on his lap.



"Claire..?" He asked as he lifted his free hand to gently rub the side of her face, hoping he would wake her up without hurting her.

Claire's body started to shift slightly as her mind started to wake up. Such a horrible nightmare lingered in her mind. She had been back in the Ashford mansion on Rockfort with Alexia. The Ashford woman talked about her plans of using the T-Veronica virus to infect the world, to make everyone infected with it eternally loyal to her. It wasn't anything new to Claire. She learned of the plan throughout her time trying to escape from the prison island. Like a queen bee in a hive, Alexia would rule the world through her virus.



And that's what the Redfield Siblings made sure wouldn't happen.



But the way Alexia talked, it was as if she were still alive, and not a figment of her imagination. She didn't know enough about the woman... but everything felt so...



Chris?



Alexia faded away as Claire heard a voice. It was her brother's. She would know that voice anywhere. And as the ornate furniture around her started to dissolve, she felt something on her face. When her eyes opened, she saw her brother over her. And it took her a moment to realize that something was wrong. Why would her brother be in her hotel room looking extremely worried?



She then heard the sound of... something happening behind him. Her gaze went from him to around her in a daze, trying to get her bearings. They weren't in her hotel room. It was some sort of.. sterile looking hallway. Her eyes stopped a moment on a woman fighting a familiar creature. It took her still groggy mind to register what it was. She looked back up to her brother, and her attempt to say something caused her to notice the mask covering the lower part of her face, no longer feeding oxygen to keep her from suffocating. She reached up, grabbing it and pulling it down, getting a good breath of air. "C...Chris...? What is..." Her eyes fell past him, seeing more familiar faces. Wesker, who she remembered from Rockfort, with his foot on Leon, and nearly choking a woman she couldn't really see from the angle she was at.



A faint music started to play over the intercom. A music box tone. A song that Claire remembered, and for some reason, it caused a sharp pain in her head. She gripped her head, a movement catching her attention. She looked up a little, seeing Alexia looming over her. The blonde woman reached down towards her.



Of course, Chris saw none of it, and only saw Claire look up at something in fear before suddenly screaming in pain, her eyes closing tightly. The air around her started to heat up as blonde streaks formed in her hair. Large, fleshy vines started to break through the floor around the two, and the hall, one slamming into Wesker, slamming him back into the wall off of Leon.

Chris's eyes softened considerably as he looked over his little sister and he kept a firm, yet gentle hold on her. His brown orbs danced between hers and he let out a relieved sigh when he noticed that she was awake. She was alive and she was okay and he didn't have to worry about finding her anymore. The older Redfield had been worrying and stressing for weeks after he had found out she was missing again.



"Claire... You're okay. I got you," he stated soothingly, his thumb lightly ran over the side of her cheek. "Jill and Leon are here, too. We're gonna get you outta here and take you home."





He had turned his attention to the madman behind him, his expression hardened as he saw Leon was in obvious distress and pain. All the while, Wesker was enjoying the feeling of his foot crushing bones and his hand squeezing the life out of his two enemies. It did not matter who they were. Whoever got in his way would perish by his own hand. A deep, sinister chuckle came from him before he was suddenly slammed against the closest wall and the force caused a dent to form into the wall. At the same time, Chris had turned his head back to look at Claire in shock and worry.



"Claire?! Claire, what's wrong?" His voice was full of urgency and his hands clasped onto her shoulders.



However, she kept screaming and the older brother felt completely helpless because he didn't know what to do to help her. Jill had run over to help Leon stand up from his position on the floor and as they walked towards the siblings, their heads snapped up to where the speakers were.



"What the hell? Couldn't that guy pick a better tune for a meeting as horrid as this?" Leon muttered aloud, obviously not liking the childish, music box tune.



Once the two had reached the siblings, Leon asked Chris with alarm, "What's going on? What's wrong with Claire?"



Chris's anger flared as he glanced over his shoulder to glare at the agent, "I don't know what the f*ck is going on, Leon! I'm trying to figure it out and I can't!! I don't see anything wrong with her besides her looking pale as a god damn ghost and she is in pain!"





Wesker had stepped out from his spot from within the wall and clenched his fists in frustration. These idiots had activated the virus within her. Talking to her only made it worse, as did the silly, childish tune ringing annoyingly throughout the facility. He spoke from behind them, "She was in a stable condition before Miss Wong had lost control of the situation. She was infected with the Veronica Virus at Rockfort Island."



Chris turned himself around halfway to glare daggers at the blonde. His teeth clenched together as he spat, "What the hell are you talking about? I was at Rockfort. I saw everything that happened to her."



Wesker smirked and shook his head, "No, you were not. You weren't there while I first met her and you were somewhere else on the island when she was infected."



"What the hell were you doing with her in the first place?" Leon asked, his voice harsh.



Wekser only glanced at the agent before is hidden eyes landed on the young red headed female. "Believe it or not, I was going to extract the virus and cure her."



The group looked at him, obviously not believing a word he said.



Wesker let out a deep sigh and caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Using his enhanced speed, he turned around and gripped one of the large, green vines that had petruded from the ground and had gone to attack him. "For now, I suggest we work together to calm her down." He looked back at the group and stated with his usual smugness, "Unless, of course, you would all like to die and I could easily take Miss Redfield with me. Either way, I will get what I came here for."



Without looking away, he spoke in a louder tone, almost a yell, "Miss Wong, if you would be so kind as to aid us in this endeavor..."

The screams had suddenly gone quiet, the song still playing throughout the hall. Claire's eyes were closed, the red color having faded completely from her hair as she suddenly started to get up, her head down a little. "I thought I told you the first time..." she spoke, but with an almost familiar voice and accent, "You are not worthy of its power!" She lifted her head, her eyes having turned completely golden. "Nothing has changed, and you are the last person I would let my virus fall into the hands of!" She aimed her hand at Wesker, more vines shooting towards him, fire sparking in the air around the one he held before it engulfed on fire.



Her attention went to Chris and the other two, moving up towards Chris. "I always thought about what I would do with you... since that dear little sister of yours took my brother away from me... Many days I imagined what your fate would be... but you should be honored to know I chose to spare you... which is more than your sister ever did..." she then turned her golden gaze to Leon. "And you... you are the one who she admires.. I must say, she does have a good taste..."



Ada had made her way towards Wesker. She didn't entirely know what to do. She was used to be able to just kill whatever she needed to.

All at once everyone, with the exception of Wesker, stood up and stumbled backwards. The three didn't know what to do, their eyes all widened in shock seeing Claire's hair turn into a golden color.



"What the--" Chris started, but fell silent at hearing the voice speak.



That voice sure as hell did not belong to Claire and it was then that Wesker turned to face the younger Redfield, his hidden eyes glowed a bright red from behind his dark shades. Both Wesker and Chris knew exaclty who it was that was speaking and Wesker spoke in a voice almost that of awe and shock, "Alexia..?"



At this remark, Chris turned his head towards Wesker, his eyes furrowed and he muttered a quick, "Alexia?!"



Then her outburst caused more of the vines to attack for him and although he had been able to dodge most of them, quite a few still rammed into and jutted throughout his lower, right leg, his left shoulder, and through the middle of his chest. With a growl, he ripped the large vine from his chest and turned towards the reborn Alexia with a snarl, however at the same time the vine he had held blocked earlier had gone up in flames, which caused the red liquid and bits of fire to fall on him. He let out a cry the Chris, Leon, and Jill all looked at Wesker and then Alexia in shock. Chris had to duck and roll out of the way of her attack and stood in ajar from where Jill and Leon stood. They had their weapons aimed at her, even Chris, despite how much he hated doing so. At the most, he was used to having to aim guns at people he loved and now that it was Claire, his only family... He had to forced the look of hurt away and replaced it with a glare. However, his aim faltered a moment too long when the possessed woman had walked towards him and even got much too close for Chris's liking. As he listened to her speak, he clenched his jaw and his nostrils flared in anger. There was a difference between the Redfield and Ashford siblings, and the Redfields tried to save the world, not destroy it!!



When she turned towards Leon and Jill, the two didn't lower their weapons. Leon scoffed at her compliment and growled out, "Yeah. You're not my type, lady."



Chris then demanded, "What the hell did you do to my sister?!"

Alexia couldn't help but watch their reactions with amusement. Not to mention, they were all aiming their weapons at her. She started laughing... almost the exact same laugh both male ex STARS members heard before. She heard the Redfield boy ask him about Claire. "Oh... she is still in here... somewhere... she was fun to play with... She actually believed she was going crazy and hallucinating... seeing me over her shoulder in mirrors... or sometimes in front of her or the corner of he eye... But I have been here... all these years... haunting her... and it has been worth every minute... And those doctors knew... they had to know... then again... some of them were government doctors... but, I suppose none of it matters. I do not plan on giving up my new body any time soon... and you all will become my drones after I have infected you... and trust me... being dormant within this body for even more years... I have managed to perfect my virus even more!"



She held her hands out a little, vines growing up on each side of her, a large flower budding from them. After a moment they opened up and a group of large insects with stingers flew out towards the five in the room, with the intent of stinging and infecting them.

Every word that came from the woman's mouth Chris's being fill up with more and more anger. His face had began to turn into a deep red color, his brown brows furrowed, and a snarl plastered itself onto his lips. At the same time, in the back of his mind, he felt guilty. He should have been there for Claire, even when she told him that she was okay. She told him that she had gone to see a therapist, but he guessed that it didn't work and now it made sense. He should have known something was off with her... He was her brother for Christ's sake!



Leon spoke up before he could, "Good luck with that, lady. I've already gone through shit like that and I don't plan on it happening to me again."



Like Chris, Leon felt guilty as well. Claire had told him what was going on and he was going to talk to her more about it after his mission. His blue orbs narrowed as he and the other three quickly moved in different directions, each shooting at the swarm of insects. Leon grunted as he ducked, feeling the wind of a few whiz by his head, and he shot the bug down. Afterwards, he turned and his eyes focused on the beautiful flowers. Clenching his teeth beneath his lip, he began to fire his gun at them. One splattered with a loud screech, much like the bugs that were trying to attack them. He then turned a bit to aim at the other flower, but he was suddenly knocked backwards onto the ground by one of the plant's vines. Another wrapped around his ankles and he pulled out his knife to start slicing at it. Just as he was able to get the top bit cut in two, another vine wrapped around the wrist with the hand hold the weapon, which pulled it as far away as his body would allow. With a long, pained grunt, he felt a much larger vine wrap all the way around his body, keeping his other arm stuck to his side, much like a cocoon. The feeling of his broken ribs being moved together by the pressure of his arm being pushed into his side caused him to let out a yell of pain and his head tilted backwards a moment before he focused his eyes on the woman controlling the hidden plant's appendages. His eyes had began to water with the pain and he let out another forced, breathy cry as he started to struggle against the restraints.



Chris and Jill had made it to the other side of the hallway, each were too busy trying to fight off the swarms of bugs that came from the flower that was still shooting them from its petals. When the larger male noticed Leon was in serious trouble, he yelled his name and attempted to move towards the agent, but a large vine had suddenly sprouted and purposefully landed on the ground in front of him. Chris yelled out a rather loud curse before he started firing his bullets into it's tick skin.



While this was happening, Wesker had recovered from his wounds and looked past his female accomplish and his red orbs focused entirely on the other blonde controlling all of the bugs and plants within the hallway. He remembered when he had been beaten the last time, however he was still trying to get used to his newfound powers. This time was different, however. This time, he knew exactly how to control his body and he would not be beaten again. He removed his sunglasses and placed within his coat's inner pocket as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck a bit before he readied his weapon and his body. Lifting his handgun, he began to fire his weapon into the various, puny inspect that flew in his direction. Each bug fell to the ground with a light, sort lived screech and he stepped on and over their bodies as he briskly walked to the large vine. Placing his handgun away, he pulled out his hidden magnum and began emptying the rounds into the annoying appendage. A loud, monstrous screech came from somewhere behind the wall as the large fine quickly recoiled from its spot and he tucked the magnum away within his coat. IF they wanted to get Claire back, or more importantly, have her put to sleep again for a while, he would have to do something he never thought he'd have to do again. Work with Chris. He grabbed his handgun again and yelled back to his mortal enemy, his voice full of angered annoyance, "Redfield! Where did your renowned skill and efficiency go after all of these years? You had best pick up the pace and start getting things done before your dear, little sister is lost forever."



Chris glared at Wesker's back in shock for a few moments, suddenly having a nostalgia feeling of being back in S.T.A.R.S., where Wesker would always mock him for not getting something done in the office fast enough. Blinking, he turned his attention Jill and stated, "Cover me!"



Jill only nodded and he ran towards the blonde male, shooting whatever got into his way. Once he reached him, he put his back towards Wesker and told him, "After we get out of this, I'm gonna kill you."



Wesker spoke after he shot a few more inspects, "Agreed."



The two worked together reluctantly, shooting whatever insects came flying at them and when one or the other had something caught by a vine, the other would quickly and swiftly cut it off. When they were close enough, Chris began to fire his weapon in the possessed body's direction.