Ch. 3: The Flight

It was already four o' clock as Leon hung up his phone. It had become something of a ritual for

him to call Ashley before a mission, just to make sure she was okay, and to be sure that she remembered what to do in case someone came after her or the First Family while he was away. Ever since he began teaching her some basic self-defense maneuvers, as well as how to handle a small firearm, Ashley's nightmares of Spain had become far less frequent. She also seemed more sure of herself, and how she would she react in an emergency situation. For security reasons, he wasn't allowed to divulge any real information about his assignment, but he did let her know that it was a location in Florida that he was going to.

Another tradition of his before a mission, was to visit the gym, followed by a trip to the shooting range. He did this in order to keep his skills as sharp as possible, so there was less chance of him getting killed, or worse, getting someone else killed. Leon also took the time to brush up on the methods necessary to handle the types of bio-weapons he might have to face. For the next hour, he perused his older mission files, and incident reports in order to refresh his memory:

Zombies: Shoot them in the head, or burn them. (Avoid direct contact with all "T" carriers)

Las Plagas carriers: Head shots in daylight, chest shots at night. Flash grenades are particularly effective. (Are adept at using weapons; Excellent communication for swarming; Slightly enhanced strength; Will run at you.)

Tyrants and other strong mutations: High powered ammunition such as shotguns and magnums are the best weapons. (Watch out for abnormally large claws; They like to break through walls.)

Lickers: Attack exposed brains. (Very quick; Can crawl along walls; Beware of sharp tongue, literally)

Spiders: Watch out for poison spray. Weak against acid or fire.

Hunters: Reputed to be quick, agile, stealthy, and strong for their rather small stature. Reptilian features. Said to resemble skinned gorillas. Unfamiliar, haven't encountered them.

Re-generators and Iron Maidens: Controlled by multiple Plagas in body, detectable by infrared light. Each plaga must be destroyed before creature will go down. Iron Maidens armed with retractable spikes on their bodies. Will attempt to use stretching ability to grab you and pull you into their bodies in effort to impale you against themselves.

Los Garradors: Deceptively quick. Blind, but equipped with ultra-sensitive hearing. Long blades protruding from wrists. Plagas are their weak points.

El Gigantes: Turn around and run like hell. Slow, but will throw large objects at you. Plagas located between shoulder blades. They are the only weak spot.

After studying the files, Leon left his apartment, and headed for the rendezvous point.

A half an hour later Leon arrived at the airstrip, located a few miles out of D.C. As he approached, Leon could see the left side profile of the plane. The first thing he noticed was that the plane was unusually large for a privately owned craft. It was all black, save for a thin dark red stripe that stretched the full length of the airplane. The tail fin was decorated with a red eagle in attack position. He noticed that there were only two windows near the front, not including the cockpit windshield. Of course there were two windows on the opposite side as well, but the right side was hidden from view. The door of the plane, which folded down when opened (creating a red boarding stairwell), was flanked by two human figures.

As he walked toward the aircraft, he was greeted by Hunnigan. She was dressed in her usual business suit, consisting of a dark blazer (worn over a white blouse), with matching, knee-length skirt; a black pair of one-inch heels, and her usual glasses (which had been conspicuous by their absence when he'd seen her that morning). Her dark hair was up in it's usual bun. The other person, who he figured was the pilot, was dressed in a more casual manner. He was wearing a black polo shirt, underneath a black bomber jacket, and black cargo pants and black construction boots. He was about the same size and build as Leon, but he wore his dark (with bits of gray) hair down to about mid-neck.

"Good evening Agent Kennedy," Hunnigan said.

"No need to be so formal Ingrid, we're going to Disney World after all."

"Need I remind you that this is NOT a vacation Kennedy?" Hunnigan responded sternly, "And don't call me Ingrid!"

He knew she hated her first name, and that she was very uptight during missions. This fact made her earlier wardrobe and overall appearance even more of a surprise to the young agent. It also increased the fun of teasing her.

Having calmed down, Hunnigan introduced the two men, "Leon, this is Colonel James King. He's a former Naval pilot, and served with President Graham during the first Gulf War. As you have probably guessed, he will be our pilot on this assignment."

"Good to meet you Colonel," said Leon as he shook the man's hand.

"Same here Mr. Kennedy. Let's just skip the formalities, shall we? First name basis makes me more comfortable, so you can call me Jim."

Leon replied, "Sounds good to me sir..., I mean Jim."

"Now, Artie tells me that you were the young man responsible for bringing my god-daughter home a year-and-a-half ago. He speaks rather highly of you, as do Ashley and her mom, Jenny."

Leon had nearly forgotten President Graham's first name. Most people referred to him as The President, or Mr. President, so he was slightly taken aback at the casual use of President Arthur Graham's name.

"Yes sir. Ashley's a great girl, and she went through quite an ordeal. I was happy to be the one chosen to help."

"Hmm, well hearing that, Leon, I can't help but wonder if the two of you are dating?"

"Oh, no sir. Ashley and I have just become good friends."

"Good to hear. Well, let's prepare for takeoff shall we? And again, call me Jim."

Leon was quite surprised at the homey interior of the plane. It was decorated in tones of red, black, and gray, and looked a bit like a living room, complete with comfortable looking seats, a small end-table, and even a wall-mounted HDTV. The door to the cockpit was on his immediate left as he entered, and there was a black curtain on the opposite side that spanned the width of the plane.

"As you can see Leon," Jim began, "this plane is a virtual mobile home. Mission Central is located just behind that curtain, and beyond that is a tiny, yet functional, kitchen. It's equipped with a mini-fridge, a small microwave, and a small, single-basin sink, as well as a small cabinet for a few dishes. Just past that is a standard sized in-flight bathroom. Now, if you'll follow me, I'll give you a tour."

Hunnigan, Leon, and Jim made their way to the rear of the plane. As Jim had said, just behind the black curtain was Mission Central. On the right side of the cabin there was a small, but well-equipped communication console. On the opposite side, the wall was decorated with a small arsenal: there were two 9mm pistols; two magnums; a sub-machine gun; A pump-action shotgun; and the always popular shoulder-mounted rocket launcher.

"Always be prepared. That's my motto!" Exclaimed Jim, noticing the surprise on Leon's face. "Well, you may as well get comfy, ETA is three hours."

Leon spent a good portion of the flight by himself. Hunnigan was usually in the cockpit with Colonel King. As it turned out, she was the co-pilot for this assignment.

"Well, you're just full of surprises today Ingrid," Leon said when he'd found out.

"I gotta keep you on your toes somehow Kennedy; and again, DON'T call m..."

She was cutoff by Leon, "I know, don't call you Ingrid. Jeez. Tell me something Hunnigan, did you force your date last night to call you by your last name too?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Kennedy, but I wasn't on a date. I was out for cocktails with an old college friend." Taking notice of the look on Leon's face after that statement, Hunnigan quickly added, "A female friend Leon."

"Wow, you two are bickering like an old married couple," Jim joked, as he had the cockpit door opened, and had been eavesdropping.

Leon and Hunnigan both began to chuckle a bit. "Actually," Ingrid said, "I'm not his type. He prefers mysterious women in red."

"Ooh, touche Ingrid, touche." Usually the subject of Ada Wong, and her apparent alliance with the notorious Albert Wesker, was a sore one for the young agent. But in recent months he'd become far less touchy about it, even to the point of being able to withstand the occasional ribbing from his co-workers, and even joking about it himself.

The rest of the flight was rather uneventful and quiet, and before they knew it, the trio had arrived at their destination. As Jim landed the plane on a long-since abandoned airstrip, the feeling of ease was replaced by a slightly increased feeling of foreboding. Leon would be heading for the Sunrise Motel to prepare for his rendezvous with the mysterious contact the next morning. Meanwhile, Hunnigan and Colonel King would be setting up base at the airfield. It was time for business.

A/N: I just want to take a moment to correct a slight error in my previous chapter. After my first edit, I realized a made a mistake on the time-frame of the first Gulf War. I stated in the story that Graham flew in Operation: Desert Storm 17 years prior to the story. That is inaccurate. The story takes place in April 2006 (1 and 1/2 years after RE4, and roughly 6 months after RE: Degeneration), which is a 15 year difference. I know it's not a big thing, but I wanted to address it anyway. Thanx for reading!