Chapter One: Diving into the Black
Leon glanced at his watch. It was now 2:43. He was too early once again.
Leon shifted in his chair at the cafe where he was supposed to meet his partner, Helena, at. Ever since the Tall Oaks and China incident, the two had kept in contact with each other; more so on Leon. He always worried about his friends and Helena was no different. He knew she had lost her only family member and he knew how it felt to be all alone in the world. Leon had Chris, Sherry, Hunnigan, and Ada; Helena had only him. Leon felt it was his duty to take care of her and keep her company. He was her friend and soon to be official partners, it would benefit them both if they got to know each other better.
Leon sipped on his now cold coffee. He was always 30 minutes to an hour early on their coffee meets. They met weekly and talked about whatever came into their minds. Helena seemed hesitant to meet up every now and then over the phone, but always came in the end. Their talks would start awkward but soon stretch to full conversations while the cafe closes for the night.
Leon glanced at his watch again. It was 2:48. He swore time was slowing down. He seemed to enjoy the coffee meets more than Helena. Talking with her was always refreshing to him. It was like therapy. It was better than therapy. He was always eager to their weekly meets at their favorite coffee shop, especially after a heavy day of paperwork. Today was hell and he couldn't wait until Helena arrived to talk about it.
He recalled the conversation he had the week before with her. They talked about their family after seeing a couple come in with their newborn in a baby carriage. Leon talked about his mother and his father while Helena listened on with a smile. When it was her turn to speak, she muttered a few words about Deborah and then changed the subject. He knew she was uncomfortable talking about her dead sister so he didn't pursue any further. He even felt bad talking so lively about his family. He had very little idea of her family.
Leon sighed. He rotated the cup in his hands, concentrated deep on the memory of her saddened face when she talked of the sister she lost to Simmons. He wanted to know. He wanted to know about her family, her life...her. Helena always kept to herself. Even Hunnigan, who knew her before he did, didn't know much about her; and she had full access to everyone's profiles.
Leon wondered, maybe it was him Helena was so secretive. Maybe she didn't want to open up to him. Leon sighed. He didn't know why he was so into her. Sure she was beautiful. Gorgeous even. Even when other agents thought she was "too serious" and even "macho" as they say, he couldn't care less. He didn't like women with flimsy wrists anyways.
Helena was strong. Relentless. Spirited.
And Leon admired her. She let her emotions speak her words and when she did, she spoke with passion. Being with agents who hardened their emotions to become a capable officer, Leon found her personality refreshing.
Leon glimpsed at his watch. It was 2:58. She would be here soon. They had agreed to meet at 3 as always and she was always punctual. Leon got up from his seat and went over to the counter to order another cup of coffee. He would use that to lie to Helena so she wouldn't find out that he waited for her for over 30 minutes. Again.
He was kind of embarrassed of letting Helena find out that he waited for her for a long time. He was acting like a teenage boy who was waiting for the prom queen for a date. He knew he shouldn't be embarrassed. They were both adults. Besides, he got off his work early today and had nothing else to do. So he told himself repeatedly.
"One medium café latte please," Leon said to the cashier. She nodded with a smile and turned over to get his order.
"Is your date late again?" she asked.
Leon sighed. "Stop teasing me Carol, you know she's just a friend."
"Sure, whatever you say Leon," Carol said laughing lightly. She added the milk foam and handed the hot beverage to Leon. "I made it extra hot so she would think you haven't been waiting long," she said with a wink.
Leon rolled his eyes and smiled. "You know me too well."
Leon walked back to his seat. He had gotten to know Carol whenever he visited the cafe too early. They would talk if the cafe wasn't busy. She was good company and was always interested in his relationship with Helena. She would ask such awkward questions about their 'friendship' and Leon couldn't answer most of them with a straight face. She never failed to make him blush about Helena.
Carol leaned against the counter. "So. Did you guys have sex yet?"
Leon choked on his drink. She was starting yet again. "What? Are you kidding me?"
She pouted. "Come on Leon. I'm a college student. We can have sex talks with each other!" she said quite loudly, earning strange looks from the other customers. "Here, I'll go first. I had a sweet Spanish guy inside me last night and-"
Leon cleared his throat loudly and picked up the newspaper he had brought along with him. Carol frowned as Leon started flipping through the pages. "I already know you read through that paper like four times already," she sneered. "Don't act like you aren't interested in my late night pounding Leon."
Leon frowned at her. "You'll get into trouble again if you keep talking with that kind of mouth to your customers Carol," Leon replied.
"Come on," Carol whined. "You know you want to have sex with her."
Leon hid his face with the newspaper, as an attempt to stop this ridiculous conversation from happening. He pretended to be disinterested in the conversation but he knew deep down, he was definitely interested in seeing Helena wearing next to nothing. It was hard, especially when Helena always wore suits that covered her body fully. It was kind of hard to imagine her wearing something tight and form fitting, like a pencil skirt and a low cut blouse. Almost. She would never wear something so "uncomfortable" as she remarked when they had a talk about the clothes office people wore.
Leon smirked at the thought, prompting a grin from Carol. "Ho-ho~ So you two did do it," she said delightedly. "Which way? Missionary? Screwdriver? Butterfly?"
Leon sipped on his drink as Carol grinned widely. "How lewd Leon," she teased. "Is she an animal in the sheets?"
Leon was just about to put a stop to her wild accusations when his phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was a text message from Helena. He quickly opened it, worried that something might interfere with their meet. His eyes widened at the message.
"I'm in danger."
Leon quickly got up, surprising Carol. "Leon?! Hey! Where are you goin'?!" she yelled. Leon unheeded her calls and quickly headed towards his car.
Leon drove like a mad man, switching lanes and nearly running red lights. Helena's text message worried him greatly and the fact that she wasn't returning his call worried him more. Even though Simmons was dead and the infected count was under control, the Family was still out there. What if they were trying to kill Helena? But would they make such stupid decisions and attack Helena while she's still in the states, under government protection? What if it's something else? What if Helena has enemies he didn't know about? After all, he knew nothing about her.
Crazy ideas of different scenarios Helena possibly might be in rampaged through his head. Leon finally got to her apartment within 7 minutes. He saw Helena waiting for him at the front door. She motioned him to hurry. He ran towards her and saw that her eyes were fixated on something behind him. Leon turned and saw a couple of black cars entering the parking lot. How did he not see them tailing him?
"Damn it. They're here already," Helena muttered. She grabbed Leon's arm and pulled him inside. "We need to hurry."
"Helena, what's going on?" Leon asked as they entered the elevator.
Helena looked at him with a hesitant look. She stared into his eyes for a brief moment and then turned away. She pressed the 18th floor and the elevator started moving. Helena bit her lips, as if she was still wondering whether or not to tell Leon of her dilemma.
Leon grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. It was just like the time at the cathedral where Helena refused to tell him anything until later on. "Helena. Tell me what's going on so I can help you."
Helena narrowed her eyes. "Leon...I-"
Suddenly the elevator came to a halt, shutting off the lights. Helena cursed and broke away from Leon's grasp. She took out a gun and shot off the entrance to the ceiling. The two heard heavy footsteps outside, gathering closer towards the elevator by the second. She turned to Leon. "Quickly, give me a boost. First things first, we need to get to my place. Don't worry...I'll fill you in everything you want to know."
Leon nodded and bent his knees and placed his hands together. There was no reason not to believe her. Helena stepped on his hands and Leon pushed her up. Helena slid through the entrance easily and quickly gave her hand to Leon. "Hurry," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up hastily.
"Fire!" A man shouted behind the elevator doors.
Bullets pierced through the steel elevator doors and punctured the walls behind it just as Leon pulled himself up. Leon stared down with wide eyes. He turned to Helena who was already climbing the ropes. He quickly followed after and started climbing. "You want to fill me in now? Who's after you?" Leon demanded.
"There they are!" a man shouted.
Leon looked down and saw a dozen of armed men staring at him. Helena turned down and aimed her gun down. She started firing randomly, causing the men to scatter away from the opening. "Leon! Don't stop climbing," Helena said as she aimed her gun at the hitch of the elevator. She shot it and the elevator took a sideways dip.
"Get out, get out!" the armed men shouted. They scurried out of the elevator just as Helena shot the last bolt holding the elevator from being plummeted down. The elevator slid down the passage, creating a cacophony with the metals grinding against each other. Helena grabbed onto the cables and started climbing with Leon.
The two stopped at the next floor. Leon forced the elevator doors open and allowed Helena to slide out first. Helena glanced around. They were on the 16th floor. "Leon, hurry!" Helena pushed the fire exit door open and started climbing the stairs. Leon quickly followed and soon found himself being followed by the same men from before.
"They're here! After them!" the men shouted.
Leon was thankful the armed men were carrying heavy utilities. They were able to outrun them easily. Helena dashed towards her suite and frantically tried to unlock her door. Leon could hear the men getting closer. Helena finally unlocked the door and the two jumped in. Helena made a beeline towards a duffle bag in the middle of the room. She grabbed it and opened the fire escape in her living room. She turned to Leon and extended her hand. "Leon, come with me!"
"Helena, what's going on?!" Leon shouted. "Who is chasing you?!"
"The DSO."
Leon and Helena turned to the source of the woman's voice coming out of the shadows. It was Hunnigan. Leon stared at her. "Hunnigan?"
Behind him, the door burst open and the armed men swarmed inside, all pointing their guns at Helena. Helena stepped back; clutching her bag tightly on one hand and grasping the fire exit handle with the other. Leon stared at the men. The patches on their arms clearly showed that they worked for the DSO. He turned to Hunnigan and then to Helena. "What the hell is going on here?" Leon demanded.
Hunnigan wore a disappointing face. "We're here to arrest Helena."
"For what?"
"Hands in the air!" the armed man shouted to Helena. Helena scowled as she tightened her grip on the fire escape. "I will not repeat myself! Do as I say now!" he ordered.
Leon turned to Helena. Helena stared at him with a hesitating face. She didn't know what she was going to do. She bit her lips. Her plan wasn't supposed to turn out this way. Why did she wait for Leon?
"Helena." Helena snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Hunnigan. She had a pleading look on her face. "Please...come peacefully."
Helena felt guilty. Hunnigan was the first person she befriended when working as an agent. As much as she wanted to apologize to Hunnigan for everything, she didn't have the time. She needed an answer...from Leon.
Helena turned to Leon. The armed men quickly held their guns firmly in their hands at her sudden movement. "Leon...please. I need you," Helena begged.
Hunnigan turned to Leon. "Leon, if you follow her, you will be labeled as a traitor with her," she warned.
"Just..." Leon shook his head. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked frustratingly.
"Helena...she was discovered working for another agency...as a foreign agent. We have orders to bring her into interrogation," Hunnigan started. Helena stared at her with a shocked look. "...For which country we don't know but...she is dangerous Leon. All the files under her name is fake. Leon...She never lived in the states. She never had a sister. We may have evidence that...she was still in league with Simmons during the Tall Oaks incidents. She's not who she is."
Leon stared at Helena. Helena averted his eyes as if what Hunnigan said was true. Everything that happened to them at Tall Oaks...in China...was that all part of her doing?
"Leon..." Helena began. She trailed off as she bit her lips again. "Please believe me when I say that I am being framed."
Helena took a step forward and a warning bullet flew in her direction, barely missing her ankle. Leon turned back to the men and glared at them. "Lower your guns," he ordered.
The men stared at him. Leon was a higher rank than them. They had no choice but to obey. "But sir-"
"I said lower them," Leon seethed.
The men lowered their guns and Leon turned to Helena. "Helena, are you responsible for the deaths that happened in Tall Oaks?"
Helena wore a betrayed face. "Leon, I told you. I'm being framed."
"By who? Who is framing you?" Leon pressed.
Helena remained in silence. Leon grew irritated. He didn't know what to think. He wanted to help Helena and get her out of this mess. But at the same time, all those deaths that happened...if it was her doing then he couldn't just let her get away without punishment, as much as he didn't want to.
Helena looked at him with a crestfallen face. Leon felt his anger fade away. "Leon...I only have you," she said. "I can only trust you."
"Leon!" Hunnigan shouted. "Don't believe her!"
Leon tightened his fists as he made up his mind. He knew he was going to regret his next actions.
Leon grabbed the officer next to him and pulled out his gun, firing into the air. The officers retreated to safety as Hunnigan shrieked, falling to the floor while covering her head with her hands. Helena jumped over the window and Leon followed after. "You better be right about this," Leon growled to her.
She broke into a smile. "Thank you."
Leon ducked as bullet flew past him. Whatever frustration with her was inside of him died out with that smile. He still had some explaining to do with himself. He wasn't crazy to throw his reputation away for his partner. No matter who she was. But deep inside, Leon felt he could trust Helena. And if she was really in danger and being framed, he would do whatever to clear her name. "Thank me later, let's get out of here."
"Leon!"
Leon turned back to see Hunnigan staring at him from the window helplessly. Her eyes begged him to come back. He looked at her and turned away in shame. Hunnigan lowered her head and stepped back inside. She took out her cell phone as the armed men went after the two agents. With a press of a button, she dialed a number.
"What happened?" a voice answered from the other line.
"...We lost Agent Harper," Hunnigan replied.
"What?! How?!" the voice demanded.
"Agent Leon Kennedy is on the run with her," Hunnigan said regretfully.
The man hung up with a nasty grunt, angered at the mission's failure. He rubbed his forehead frustratingly. His assistant next to him wore a worried face. "Sir?" she asked.
The man rose from his seat and stalked around his desk. "She escaped. We need to capture her soon." His eyes glanced down to the profile of Helena Harper on his table. "Or else, it's Raccoon City all over again."