AUTHORS NOTE: You may find Ada's personality somewhat out of place. This is because

in every fanfic I read I saw her more harsh, businesslike attitude, but when I played RE2, I saw a more caring side. Further research on Wikipedia and other external links led me to the world of Ada, which showed me a lesser known side of our favorite femme fatale. So please, enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: All characters with the exception of John and Max belong to CAPCOM. The vehicles used in the story belong to Jeep, Mazda, Chevrolet and Honda, respectively. 5.11 Brand isn't mine, either. Also id Software rules.

It should be noted that the Matilda is really a VP70, and that is what it is referred to as in this story.

Italics are used to describe and intemperate thought and sounds.

Southern Europe. The President's Daughter. Ashley. Kidnapped. Mission: Rescue Ashley. Crazed citizens. Huge lake monsters and gigantic ogres. And Las Plagas. A parasitic organism in me, growing, moving. I can feel the parasite wrapping itself around my organs, reaching out and tearing into my thoughts, consuming them, the cold, painful feeling, so cold...

Leon woke up with a start. Dazed and cold, he sat up in his bed. Moonlight was shining through the window, partially illuminating the room. The window was open, which explained his extreme cold.

...I could have sworn I closed that.

He sighed and looked at a dimly lit digital clock next to his bed, and it read out as 3:31. He leaned forward, now sitting on the edge of his bed, rubbing his eyes, thinking about the European Mission. His reward for the success had been anything he desired.

"All I wanna do is sleep." He said when asked, and left for his house in the residential district. He didn't want anything for doing his job, but did notice a few more digits in his bank account than he last remembered. That was a week ago.

Leon suddenly woke from his daydream, remembering that he was cold. He slowly got up, shuffled to window, closed and locked it. Deciding that he was thirsty, he made his way to the kitchen. He flicked on the light and saw movement out of the corner of his eye; something dark red had moved into a shadow.

-Red...cloth?

It suddenly hit him, washing away any remnants of tiredness he still had: the open window. Someone was in his house, and now that the window was locked shut, they were stuck inside.

Shit. I hope I still have that blade...

Leon walked over to the glass cabinet and found what he was looking for: an old switchblade he'd recovered from his last mission. Leon casually flicked off the lights and opened the switchblade, which locked with a satisfying click. He then leaned against the wall, both letting his eyes re-adjust to the dimly-lit living room the intruder was in, and remembering the layout of furniture in the living room. If the intruder had a firearm, he would need to know the best places for cover.

He listened to the intruder's light footsteps; whatever they were wearing wasn't giving them the best cover.

That tapping. Are those... high heels? Could that be... a woman?

It definitely sounded like it. No matter; with his eyes adjusted he would know soon enough. He crouched down and slowly made his way out. The intruder was oblivious to Leon's presence but Leon had a feeling they would soon know one way or another. As he made his way around the corner, he caught a glimpse of the intruder as they walked across a beam of light from the window.

Definitely high heels. And those dark red leggings...

Leon crouched behind the side of a couch as the intruder looked back, and Leon peeked over the corner. Leon couldn't clearly see the woman's uncovered but shadowed face. Leon quickly lowered himself again, resting against the side of the couch and reflecting over the information he had gathered.

Female intruder, obviously graceful to get into my room through a window without waking me. Dark red, why does that keep coming back? Wait...

Leon suddenly had a strange suspicion, and peeked over once again to see the mysterious intruder slip out of a shadow, revealing a strangely familiar Asian face.

Red. Asian. Grace.

Leon's mind swirled as it tried to grasp what it had just realized, saying that it was impossible but knowing the truth the entire time.

Woman in red. Ada Wong.

"Ada!" Leon said very suddenly, completely forgetting that she was sneaking around his house in the middle of the night. He stood up, flicked on a light and stared straight at her. Ada, in turn, at once realized she'd been caught. She sported black leather boot-high heels, dark red leggings, and a tight black 5.11 shirt. Her hair was unstyled and messy, like in the European Mission.

Why is she here? That doesn't make any sense; I don't have anything of interest here. I keep all that at the office.

Don't forget who she is, Leon. She probably works for Wesker.

"Ada, what-why are you here?" Leon asked, and had up to this point completely forgotten he was carrying a weapon. He raised the switchblade into view, not threatening her but warning that he didn't appreciate the unexpected visit.

"Leon," Ada started, apparently trying to think of a way to explain herself. Giving up, she sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. "Leon, you're in trouble. A few days back Wesker-"

"So you are working for Wesker." Leon interrupted, but put away the knife.

"No, I'm not!" Ada said very suddenly, and Leon thought that she wished she hadn't. "I-I work for another corporation and Wesker doesn't know it. Look, this isn't why I came here. Leon, Wesker found out you were still alive. I don't know how, I told him you died on that island. He's sent out a squad whose mission is to kill you."

"And where do you fit in all this, Ada?" Leon was really starting not to like this conference.

"I'm," she choked out. "I'm the squad leader." Ada leaned forward and put her face into her hands, not daring to see Leon's reaction.

Well, isn't that special?

"So, what? You're here to kill me? Are you going to carry out your mission now?" Leon didn't bother covering the anger in his voice.

"No!", came a teary voice. "I came to warn you. I had to sneak in, Leon, I'm sorry but I had to, or the other squad members might see me. When I came through the window and saw you, so peaceful, I couldn't bring myself to wake you."

Just another pawn?

Leon decided she was sincere. He walked over to where she was sitting, and rested his hand on her arm. She looked at him, and he could see that she was trying her hardest to maintain her bearings.

"Hey, hey... It's alright. I'm sorry I got mad. Hey..." He didn't know what to say. Wesker was after him, and here his best soldier was, almost crying before him.

Check that.

As a lone tear fell down her face, she reached out and embraced him. Leon returned the gesture, wishing, not for the first time, that she would get out of her deadly business. He looked into her eyes before letting go, but kept that contact.

Ada had recuperated from her breakdown and met his gaze evenly. "Leon, you and I need to get out of here. The death squad'll undoubtedly figure out I'm gone soon. It's not safe. How fast is your car?"

Damnit, I should have bought that 'Vette when I had the chance. But no, I had to go with...

"Ada, uh, I drive a Jeep." Leon wasn't excited about where this was going.

"Shit. That won't be fast enough if they find us. I have a fast vehicle, but it's parked a ways from here. We'll have to go on foot. Do you have any firearms here?"

"Yeah, just a sec. I'll grab it and get dressed." Leon walked back into the bedroom and opened a closet. On a shelf was an M1 Thompson with enough ammo to start a small war. He returned to the living room in his own black 5.11 shirt and jeans with the weapon in his hands.

"Alright. They have probably already figured out I'm not back at base, and when-

Click.

-Wesker finds out, I've got a feeling he'll know exactly where to look. We-"

"Shh. I think I heard something." Leon cut her off, and listened very closely.

Click.

There, again. He knew that sound, but he couldn't place it.

That sounds like a safety being flicked off, but... ah shit, the windows!

Leon turned in time to see two figures with machine guns in the window.

"GET DOWN NOW!" He shouted as rounds suddenly penetrated his house. He fell down onto the ground, hard, but rolled on his back and pointed the Thompson to the fixture lighting up the room. With a quick burst, the light was out, and he was making his way to Ada. Ada had pulled out a VP70 and had it trained on the windows, its reports barely audible over the louder machine guns. Leon put his hand on her shoulder and then pointed to a back door, and she nodded. They made their way back, and before Leon opened the door, Ada stopped him, instead going to the side of the door, and readying a flashbang. More weapon fire reports had joined the first two, the sides and front of Leon's house now riddled with holes. Ada opened the door a crack and threw the flashbang through, and after a few seconds the grenade detonated. Leon rushed through the door and was greeted with the blinded face of someone he worked with.

What the fuck? John?

"John? What are you doing here?" Leon yelled over the gunfire. Ada ran forward and kneed John in the chest, grabbing hold of Leon's hand and pulling him away.

"Leon, let's go!" She yelled, and Leon followed her. They ran until they got to Ada's vehicle, which turned out to be a black RX8. They sped out of the city, Ada filling him in.

"They must have figured out where I went sooner than I anticipated. Leon, most of the people you work with are on Wesker's payroll. We even have reason to believe the president himself is involved in this conspiracy. All those people that just tried to kill us were people you knew from your job."

Story of my life.

"Great. So what do we do? If the president is involved, we're not safe in the states."

"Well, there is one place, but I don't know. Do you promise not to tell anyone?" She was toying with him, as always.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

"After tonight? Yeah, I make no promises."

Ada smiled, but quickly grew serious again. "There's a facility about ten miles from where we are. It's run by a friend of mine, Max, and he owes me one. It'll

be safe from Umbr-"

BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!

Gunfire erupted from behind them, and bullets played their song along the back of the car.

"We're being followed!" Ada breathed.

"I got it!" Leon said, and cocked the Thompson, rolling down the side window. He quickly jumped up through it and sat on the door as he looked for the assailants; there were three black civics, all of them with someone standing through the sunroof. Leon took aim at the closest and opened fire.

-BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM-

The Thompson exploded with power as the .45 rounds flew out of it. The first shooter went down. The others opened fire-

-"AAAGH!"-

-and Leon felt a bullet enter his left shoulder, partially ripping through his muscle.

Shit shit shit-

Blood was flowing from the wound, staining his shirt and dripping onto the door. He grabbed the wound, and then just as quickly tried aiming again, his hand now sticky with blood. He aimed for the other shooters and opened up, letting the spray from the weapon pepper them, their cars, and everything else around them. When his clip had run dry, only one shooter remained, although others were starting to climb up into the other sunroofs.

Find a different target.

He quickly dropped his empty, found a fresh clip in his shirt, and slapped it home. He took aim at the closest car's tires and opened fire, causing the car to spin out of control and collide with the second. The third car maneuvered around the wreckage and the gunner started firing again. Leon ducked down, and Ada swerved their car around suddenly, throwing him off balance. He tried to grip the top of the car but slipped and fell back wards, everything but his legs out of the window.

OH SHI-

Ada grabbed hold of his foot and kept him from falling out. His wound started to bleed more profusely and Leon began to feel extremely dizzy. Vision blurring, he took a rough aim at the last car and pulled the trigger, and was rewarded with a violent scream and the squealing of tires.

Ada slowed the car to a stop, and slowly let go of Leon's foot, laying him on the ground before she herself got out and ran to his side.

"Bullet wound. Left shoulder. I..." Leon trailed off, his thoughts becoming harder and harder to decipher, his vision becoming blurred and dark.

"Leon, you've lost too much blood. Just stay still, I'm going to try and stop the bleeding. Leon? Leon..." Ada's voice came from far away, and was becoming less and less clear. He closed his eyes, waiting for the angels to take him away.

(Time Elapse: Three Hours)

Osmund Saddler. The ruler of Los Illuminados, and the king of the assholes. Right up next to Albert Wesker. Wesker, former STARS according to Chris, worked for Umbrella. Supposed to be dead. Chris. Redfield. A good guy, I like him. Looking over his sister.

Sister. Claire. Other survivor of the Raccoon incident. Wonder what she's up to these days. STARS. Special Tactics And Rescue Squad. Two squads, Alpha and Bravo. Bravo. Chambers, Rebecca. Looks a lot like Claire. Smart as hell.

Hell. Hot, fiery. Flames, lava, and huge spikes everywhere. Like the one in my shoulder. A hot, painful spike. It hurts so much and don't worry about him he's-

"-Unconscious." Someone's voice came from far away. Leon felt as though he had been through hell, and had trouble remembering what had happened. Instead of trying to figure out what was going on, he just listened to what was around him.

"He can't stay here. He works for the president." Another voice came from far away. Male, deep. Old.

"He's staying here until I say different." The first voice said again. This voice was younger, smoother. Female. Leon decided he liked this voice.

"You know the president is on Wesker's payroll."

"Oh, come on. After tonight, I don't think he's working for them anymore. I also have jurisdiction over you. He stays."

"I hope you're right about this. I really do."

Leon also decided he didn't like the male. He sounded cruel. He heard a door close, and felt him consumed in darkness again.

"Max, thanks again for allowing us sanctuary here." The girl said. Leon thought he knew this voice.

He heard another voice, but it was too small to hear. Like on a phone.

"A what?" The girl said. "Uh, okay. Thanks again." Didn't this girl's name start with an A?

Leon felt his body sink deeper again.

Umbrella scientists Zombies murders t virus-

"It's been two days, and there's no improvement on his condition. Are you sure he's not dead?"

-Underground last stand pain death government-

"Please, Leon. Please wake up-"

-President conspiracy payroll Wesker-

"He's been in REM for the last few hours. I must say, that heart and body of his, it's extremely resilient."

-Ambush running car shot shoulder-

"His heart rate is increasing exponentially!"

-Max dark two days Civics-

"Leon, can you hear me? Leon?"

-Friends or Enemies-

"Jesus, take a look at him! He's shaking!"

-Blood loss-

"Leon, wake up, please!"

-Ada...-

Leon opened his eyes, and saw Ada looking down at him, her face full of concern.

"Where... what... Ada? Where are we?" Leon was unsure of where to start. He tried to sit up and was felt a searing pain that seemed to go right up and down his spine. He yelled in surprise, and Ada lightly pushed him back down.

"Easy, there. Can you remember anything?" Ada's words were smooth and soothing to Leon.

"Yeah. I remember I was shot. And I remember I was partially dragged out of a car."

"That's two bullets you've taken for me, Leon. Do you do that for everyone?"

"No, I'm just a sucker for girls in red." He lightly teased. "How long have I been out?"

"You've been unconscious for a week. You lost a lot of blood from that wound. How do you feel?"

"...Like I got shot." Ada smiled, amused with his sarcastic answer.

"Please. I need to know." She felt his neck for his pulse.

"I feel dazed. My shoulder hurts like a son of a bitch, and I can feel everything. Ada, where are we?"

"We're at the facility, Leon." She held his hand for a second before getting up and going over to a nearby computer. "It really was touch and go there for a while. The first two days, your body had just about given up. Then, I don't know how it happened, but you just... started working again. It was a miracle."

"I heard you talking. In my thoughts. There was someone else. An old man."

"One of the scientists. Max was out seeing someone about some sort of, uh, 'Big Fucking Gun', as he put it. You should rest now. We have a long road

ahead of us."

"Will you watch over me?" Leon knew Ada's reaction even before he asked the question.

Ada blushed. "Of course."

Leon slept for another few hours before he was violently shaken awake.

"What's going on?" He said wearily.

"Leon, I'm sorry, but we need to go, now." Ada spoke quietly but quickly. "Here, let me help you up." She pulled Leon to an upright position, and he got a good look of the room he was in. White. Just white. Nothing of any real interest, just white. He also got a nice look at himself. His shoulder was stitched up, and his hands were clean. His shirt and jeans, on the other hand, were a bloody mess.

Yeech.

"Here." Ada handed him his Thompson. His weapon too had bloody finger prints all over it.

Dear god. What a mess I've made.

She helped him up and brought him out of the room, and through the subsequent facility they were in, to a garage and to the car they used to get there.

"I hate this car." Leon muttered as he noticed dried blood along the left door.

"You really did put up one hell of a fight, Leon." Ada opened the door for him. "Alright. In you go."

Leon slid into the leather chair, wondering what was wrong, and what the hurry to leave was about.

"Ada, what's going on? Why are we leaving so quickly?"

"They've found us, and are coming right now." She closed the door and walked over to her own.

How the fuck they'd manage that?

Leon was still feeling tired and dizzy. His shoulder throbbed but he held his weapon tightly. In a few minutes they were out of the garage and into a dark, starry night.

"So, where are we going?" He asked, noticing other cars on the road they were on. It looked as though they were in a deep patch of woods.

"I'll tell you when I myself figure that out." She said quickly, and took out a phone. "Max, they've found us. I think there's someone on Wesker's payroll."

Oh. That's how.

"Alright. Will do." Ada put the phone away.

Those cars... are they...? Ah, shit.

"Ada, I think those cars are following us." Leon said, and tried to see what they were as Ada picked up speed.

Civics, just as I thought.

"Keep straight. They're Civics. I'm going to try and take them out."

Ada wore a look of concern. "Just be careful! I don't want to have to patch you up again." She looked at Leon and he felt an electric flutter throughout his body before climbing back onto the door.

No mistakes this time.

Leon took aim for the tires of the Civic in back of him, and after a few rounds, it was swerving out of control, out of the fight. There were three more, one on the right side of the car, and two in front of it. Leon twisted the opposite way and saw people starting to take aim for him. Their weapons were far superior to his; all of them sported light MP5's. Leon decided not to see how easily they could rip him apart and fired. One of the Civics steered out of control and drove off the road, hitting a tree. The other took its place and the gunner fired. Leon felt a bullet scrape across his arm, searing it painfully. He quickly ducked back down into the RX8 and used the opportunity to exchange his clip for a fresh. The other shooter ducked down and Leon jumped up, completely forgetting about the Civic to his right.

BAM-BAM-BAM!

The sound of a three-round burst came off as he got up, one of the rounds tearing through his right arm. He held back his scream and reeled back, now protected from the right and forward gunner as he looked at his wound.

Shit. It went through, and soon I'll bleed out. I need to take these guys down. Survive.

With that in his mind, he raised his Thompson and grabbed for the trigger. It hurt like hell, but his finger managed to pull down on it, sending a spray of .45 rounds to the forward car, and most of them hit the gas tank. The forward car exploded and sprayed shrapnel into the air. Leon managed to crawl back into the car right as Ada violently swerved left, speeding past the flaming wreckage. Leon slammed against the door, and then back into the console. Leon's wound began flowing more profusely, and when Ada swerved to the right again, blood splashed against her arm.

"What the...? Leon! Are you alright?" She quickly scanned his arm, and saw the wound. Leon covered it with his hand as best he could. He really wished he had gloves.

That's a dumb thing to wish for. You should be wishing you didn't get shot. You still have a job to do; there's one car left. Get up there, and take it out.

-I don't know if I should-

-You don't have a choice here. Survive. You'll last long enough. Get up there before it's too late!

Leon quickly jumped back onto the door, despite Ada's protests, and lifted his gun onto the roof, opening up. He heard a distant scream and lifted his head over, taking aim for the Civic's tires. He was already starting the bleeding out process; his vision was again becoming blurred, everything around him becoming quiet except his own heart. With the remaining rounds in his clip, he sloppily took out both front wheels, and the Civic was out of the fight.

Leon made his way back into the RX8, felt it decelerating, and felt Ada's warm hands on his. He let the dry weapon drop to his feet and closed his eyes, concentrating on nothing but his own steadily slowing heart.

---

"Leon, stay with me. Can you hear me? No, don't close your eyes, please don't leave." Ada was severely worried about Leon. He had a bullet wound in his right forearm. How he managed to keep fighting was beyond her. His breathing was quickly becoming shallow. She made his seat fully horizontal so it connected with the back seat and pulled him back, and he was lying on the makeshift bed. She took out a coagulant cream she brought with her and rubbed it on and around his wound. In a few minutes the bleeding stopped, but his breathing was becoming more and more shallow.

He must have lost at least a pint, probably more. He doesn't deserve any of this. God, Leon, that's three. You need to stop doing that. Just don't stop breathing.

She took out a large water jug she kept in the back of her vehicle and brought it up to his mouth. His body reflexed automatically and he began drinking it. Ada was relieved that his body didn't want to give up this time. She tended to his arm for an hour, wrapping it in pieces of his and her own shirt. She managed to fashion a bandage, and it was another hour before he himself awoke.

"Leon? Can you hear me?" She asked, letting her desperation show in her voice show.

"Ugh... yeah. Ada... are... are we safe? Are they gone?" It was hard for him to speak.

"Yes. You've fought away Wesker's death squad." She said quietly.

"Good..." He whispered. "I guess I got the mark to prove it, huh?"

Ada looked away from him, wanting to cry.

Three bullets. He's taken three bullets for me.

Leon reached up with his left hand and brushed it against her cheek, as if telling her he knew how she felt. He then closed his eyes and dosed off. Ada realized how tired she was herself, and let her head rest on his chest, listening to his powerful heart beating. After some time, she fell asleep as well.