"So this is going to sound like a stupid question. But are we cool?"
'Are we cool?' How could she even validate that with an answer? After everything that had been said and done in the past few hours, Claire had no idea if she was ready to 'be cool'. One would think, that after all the life changing experiences in her life; Raccoon, Rockfort, even the airport incidence a week ago, Claire could handle anything. Anything the world could throw at her could be faced with a stiff upper lip and some guts. But as odd as it sounds, it's always what's closest to home that hits a person the hardest. Nothing could have prepared Claire for the day's events. And now Leon wanted to know if things between them were 'cool'. You don't just carpet bomb someone emotionally and expect them to be alright with you. Not after something like what had happened.
Claire felt like she was being pulled in every available direction that existed. And no direction felt right. She was still in no way ready to sit down and 'play nice' with Ada. Claire trusted the Asian woman about as far she could throw her.
But this was Leon standing beside her. She'd known him for the past six years of their lives. Hell, he was practically family. Claire still held anger toward him regarding the situation that he'd made for himself. It was the anger that came from being faced with something that you don't agree with and knowing there is no way to change it. Like a child becoming an adult.
It seemed fruitless to quarrel with him any longer. His mind had been made up and he obviously wasn't going to give Ada the boot just because Claire didn't approve of their relationship. And Leon had made an effort to make her understand where he was coming from. How could she possibly expect to fight with him on the subject any longer?
"Yeah, we're cool" Claire paused, not entirely sure that she believed herself. "For now at least"
She stared down at the sidewalk and crossed her arms. It was more for warmth due to the encroaching night than a sign of her disdain towards her friend.
"I figured as much", Leon said, shoving his hands in his jacket pocket and looking briefly at the sky before sighing.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Claire inquired, cocking an eyebrow.
"It means that I know you're still not comfortable with me and Ada. I wasn't born yesterday Claire. Your attitude isn't going to miraculously change just because I clicked my fingers and fed you a story. But can you at least promise me you won't do anything regrettable?"
"Like what?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders with her arms still crossed.
"Well, for starters, how about not mentioning any of this to your brother. At least not for awhile" Leon requested.
He sounded so tired. It was a tone of his voice that she hadn't heard since the morning after they had escaped Raccoon city
They both stopped in the middle of the sidewalk while people continued to pass them by. Claire offered a hand to Leon, somewhat bemused. She started, "What makes you think that Chris would…"
"Oh come on Claire", Leon interrupted, like she thought he was stupid. "Blood, bruises? A knife fight? If this is the kind of reaction you", he pointed a finger at her, "have to someone who used to work for Wesker, just imagine what would happen if Chris caught wind of this"
Claire closed her eyes and gave her head a quick shake of denial.
"I really don't think he'd do anything extreme", she said sheepishly while brushing some stray strands of hair out her face and back behind her ears.
Leon tilted his neck a few centimeters to the right and gave her an 'are you serious' look, "Claire, I've spent enough time around Chris to know that he's got a temper. If he found out Ada and I were engaged, he'd break every traffic law in the country just to get here. With one hand on the wheel and a fully loaded gun in the other"
There was a period of awkward silence as Claire digested the absurdity of his statement.
"Am I right?" he asked, expecting the answer.
"A half loaded gun maybe", Claire said with a slight smile. "But I see where you're coming from. It's just…this is all happening so fast. I'm still trying to digest it, I guess" she said, putting a hand to her forehead and closing her eyes.
"Yeah, that's how it is for us. You'd think we'd be used to it", he said, leaning against a lamp post.
Claire turned away from him and stared at a nearby gazebo, "I…just…I don't know if I can accept this all the way Leon"
He offered a hand outward to her, "What do you want me to say? Sometimes these things just…happen. You can't help who you fall in love with", he paused and blushed slightly. "Sorry, that… sort of sounded like a Hallmark card"
"Nice to see you haven't lost your sense of humor", she said.
Claire broke off from the conversation as she remembered the echoes of the talk she'd had with him on the pier. Leon had mentioned nightmares. Nightmares that had never left him since the day they had escaped from the city that God had forsaken. Six years. How could Leon have lived with himself for that long? Six years of nothing but heartbreak, and loss, and sadness. Every night, waking up from one darkness only to find himself in another. Lost and scared, covered in his own sweat, screaming for that one person who made his life seem like it wasn't Hell. That makes things complete and makes the bad dreams go away.
Was Claire really that selfish that she wanted to take that away from him? Did she really want to send him back into the darkness? To make him choose between herself and Ada. After all the horror and losses in their lives, didn't Leon deserve some happiness?
Doesn't everyone?
Or is it that some people are just born with tragedy in their blood. That people like Claire don't get to be lucky. What was it that she was really concerned with? That Leon was in bed with a women Claire considered an enemy? Or that he had finally found what he was looking for in life and could hang onto it. Whereas Claire just kept getting things taken away.
Her parents, Sherry, hundreds upon thousands of lives she could have saved if only she had made slightly different choices with Terra Save.
Steve.
There is only so much that we are willing to lose. Every person has a breaking point. A point that is only reached once we are finished being beat on, raped, and having what we love taken from us. Only so much pain that we can endure. What happens then? What occurs when we reach that point? Do you stop? Do you go on? How can you? What if you could go back in time, and take all those hours of pain and darkness and replace them with something better?
Leon snapped her out of her daze and said, "There's still a room available at my place. That is, if you feel comfortable with being a roommate with Ada and myself for a few days"
Share an apartment with Ada Wong. 'Comfortable' was not the word she would have chosen to describe her circumstances. She didn't like it one bit, but she had no justifiable reason for turning down Leon's offer. And, realistically, how many more opportunities was she going to have to spend time with her friend? Even if that meant acting out a very odd version of 'Three's Company'.
"Yeah, alright. I really didn't plan on bothering Rani's Aunt while she gets help for the girl"
Leon put an arm around his friend's shoulder and steered the both of them back towards his apartment.
Claire perked her head up, suddenly remembering something.
"By the way, were you really infected?"
III
Ada's heart seized. That cold feeling that one associates with fear grabbed her chest from the inside and squeezed tightly. Everything around them slowed down as she and Wesker stared back at each other. People on the sidewalk breezed by them by. Cars crawled past. The wind even picked up, if only slightly. Nothing about this seemed real. It was like she was caught in a fog and all around her was one giant ghost. Everything inside her screamed for her to run but Ada felt compelled to stay, knowing that running was useless. If she ran, he'd find her. He could kill her right now if he chose. She wanted to leave but her legs had turned to steel rods. And so Ada Wong stood her ground, masking fear with courage and hoped the façade would last.
Wesker. He stood there, smiling. In all the years she'd worked for him, Ada had never known Wesker to smile. But it wasn't a happy smile. It wasn't an evil smile either. And it was then that she realized what it was.
He was gloating. In some way, he had won. And he was rubbing it in her face. Ada knew that he would have been able to track her. And she was a fool to think that he wouldn't actually do it.
The only question was: What happens now?
Wesker wasn't stupid. Too much time had passed since Spain. He had to have known by now that Ada had severed ties with him, stabbing him in the back in the process. Not delivering the parasite to him, the one that she had been specifically sent to retrieve would not sit well with him. Wesker was not one to look kindly upon failure. Betrayal would be even worse. Ada was playing this close to the edge. One wrong move and she would be done. She had to be smart. Ada wasn't going to let everything she'd fought for be for nothing.
She was walking away from this today.
Without missing a beat, Wesker said "Walk with me"
It was more of an order than anything else. Ada knew if she wanted to survive this she would oblige him. And so she fell into step beside the man who was more of a devil than anything else.
Neither of them talked for what seemed like forever. Normally, Ada would have welcomed the silence. It would have been a chance for peace or even just to enjoy another person's company. However, this was certainly not the case. Every minute that passed was like an eternity. Ever second that clicked by made her question whether or not she would continue to live. She wanted nothing more for this to be over and go home. But it wouldn't be that easy.
They walked through the throngs of people on the sidewalk, all along the business district. Ada wanted to stay in view of the public as much as possible. There was no way that he was stupid enough to try anything with witnesses around. Or so she hoped.
As Ada and Wesker moved down the sidewalk people would part out of their way. Like splitting of a body of water. One would think that it was just people making space. But it was more like the public felt what Wesker really was. And it scared the hell out of them.
Finally speaking, Wesker noted, "So, I see that you've managed to forge a new life for yourself. I must say that your choice of living arrangements leaves much to be desired. Honestly, I would have thought you would be more at home living in a high rise"
Ada didn't say anything. She simply let Wesker enjoy the sound of his own voice. When there was something to say, she'd make it known. There was no reason to play this quiet. She was between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
"I caught your performance in California on the news. Quite amusing to say the least. Tell me, is Robert Drake still using his son as a guinea pig. His company always had a slight glimmer of potential to it"
"He's dead", Ada said coolly, not even bothering to meet the man's gaze.
Wesker mused, "Hmm, pity. But I do suppose that leaves less competition for me to worry about now doesn't it?"
He crossed his arms behind his back, waiting for Ada to say something.
"I don't have it", she said, cutting to the chase.
"Have it? Now what could you be referring to?"
She didn't need to see his eyes through his sunglasses to know he was trying to stare her down, to look through her. Wesker was toying with her. It wasn't enough that he was trying to destroy her new life. He wanted to have some semblance of fun with her.
He truly was the bastard of bastards.
"I think we can drop the act now", Ada snapped, perturbed at having her emotions torn at.
The sooner she found out what he was here for, the better.
"Really? Now is that anyway to address your old employer?"
Ada rolled her eyes and pointed to him, "Spare me the pleasantries Wesker. You never were the sentimental type"
Wesker bobbed his head, raising his eyebrows in surprise. He was taken aback by the abruptness of her statement.
"Hmm, nice to see you're not the only one who's an open book"
They stopped and moved off to the side of the sidewalk, close to the display window of a clothing store. The store had since closed for the day, but the window was still somewhat lit. Various mannequins stared out through the window at Wesker and Ada. The lifeless masses of plastic were the only audience the two people had.
"I know you don't have 'it' Ms. Wong. The Plagas sample I sent you to retrieve was no doubt lost during your exploits in California. Sending me a false sample was somewhat underhanded but not entirely unexpected. Which is why I arranged for a backup plan just in case"
"Backup?" she inquired.
"I've had a feeling for some time now that you were not a team player. You don't honestly believe I'd allow something as valuable as that little parasite to be lost on a gamble do you? No, I have resources. People I can contact to get what I want. Men who will finish a mission above all else", Wesker said, looking out towards the water front, seemingly reminiscing.
"No…" she breathed. Ada didn't even want to humor the thought.
"Yes, Ms. Wong. I do have a Plagas sample in my possession", Wesker confirmed.
Despite all their efforts Wesker still got what he wanted. It was starting to seem that no matter what anyone did evil would still prevail. Because evil, it seemed, was always one chess piece ahead. Wesker had played his cards remarkably well even before they had been dealt. He was a true master at planning ahead and covering all his bases.
And he was very, very slick about it.
It was silent between the two of them for some time while Ada tried to grasp her current situation. Wesker had what he wanted. What else could he gain from confronting or even killing her?
"So what happens now?" she asked, finally taking a breath for the first time in minutes and glaring at the man.
"Well, that's entirely up to you, now isn't it?"
Up to her? Ada's future was going to be determined by these next few minutes of conversation with a man who no doubt wanted her dead for her treachery.
"Really, I'm actually disappointed in myself", he said, placing a hand to his temple before letting it drop to his side. "The events in Spain should have made it obvious to me. The feeling in my gut told me something was going on between you. It was more than just insubordination. There had to be some other reason why you wouldn't follow my orders and kill the man. You and Kennedy"
He shook his head, the whole concept striking him as ridiculous.
"You don't honestly love this man" he argued.
"I do love him", Ada announced with bravado.
Of all the lies she had told Wesker over the years, finally some truth came out.
"Love?" Wesker asked, almost surprised. "Please spare me the romantic absurdities Ms. Wong. It's a fallacy that continues to perpetuate this world. I would have thought that such an emotion was a beyond you. I'm curious. What about him is so important?"
"He's the only person I've met that truly gave a damn about me. Let's be honest. I knew once you got what you needed from me that would be it. I'd be tossed away without another thought"
Nothing happened for a few moments. Ada turned away from Wesker, knowing that turning her back on him was an invitation to suicide. But she needed to compose herself before continuing.
"So that's it then? You honestly think that he's your Rosetta stone?" he asked, somewhat doubtful.
"Yes, he's my chance to do something with my life. Something better"
"Better? You think that this life you've chosen for yourself makes you a better person?" Wesker asked with a wave of his arm to the street. "Do you truly believe that this changes anything?"
"It does" Ada said, turning back around to face him while crossing her arms over her chest. "After everything I've done in my life, this gives me the capacity to change", she said. Her gaze was stoic. No matter what happened, she wasn't going to let her think she was afraid.
"Excuse me. I have the capacity to change", he retorted.
"Yes. You do" Ada stated. "You have the capacity to get fucking worse"
She took a breath to compose herself. This was dragging on too long.
"It doesn't matter anyway. You can cut the shit right now. Because in all honesty, you don't know a thing about me" Ada said, letting her anger surface. "Not a damn thing"
"But I do Ms. Wong. I know all about you"
He closed the distance between them and invaded her personal space. His presence was suffocating. So much so that Ada was having trouble breathing, her heartbeat was pounding in her ears.
"Not you specifically. But I know the type of person you are. This life you've made for yourself is a farce. Your real life is the one that, up until a few weeks ago, you had been content with living. Excitement, fear, danger. Living outside of the law. Doing what you want without fear of repercussions or consequences. Very few people take the initiative to live it"
Wesker leaned in close, moving past her head to whisper into her ear sinisterly.
"The truth is, you get off on it"
Ada felt sick in that very moment.
Wesker then moved away quickly, regaining his composure and giving his sunglasses a quick push to move them up the bridge of his nose.
"But perhaps I'm wrong. You can be one of them. But I wouldn't advise it. Normal people can never comprehend the lives we live. The work that we do. "
"People are smart" Ada said defensively.
She moved away from him and sat down on a nearby wooden bench. The piece was worn out by the weather and the years of abuse. It creaked under her weight as she settled into it. And then again as Wesker took a spot beside her.
"No", Wesker interjected, "A person is smart. People are dumb, arrogant, savage creatures that think nothing of themselves. Look at them", Wesker said, turning his gaze to the masses that streamed past Ada and himself.
A couple walked hand in hand on the other side of the street. A small traffic jam had formed and people honked their horns. A mother treated her young son to an ice cream cone. A few feet away, a basket ball game could be heard being played in a nearby court. Grocers and shop owners closed up for the night. People smoked cigarettes. And yet still, hundreds of others walked passed with the same lifeless, melancholy gazes.
She turned to watch as he continued.
"They're cattle. Blissfully ignorant of the world around them. Their only concern is self substantiation. Hmmph", he finished with a small hum of a laugh. It wasn't so much a laugh as it was a declaration of his dissatisfaction. "Self substantiation. It's merely a colorful euphemism for keeping a species thriving. As if spreading ones DNA and genetics is a half hearted attempt at some form of immortality. Every day, they race closer and closer to ensuring their own extinction. Every day they dream up new ideas to kill one another. Such is as it's been for centuries, ever since the first organism crawled on its belly out of the primordial ooze. Besides, in the grand scheme of any design of this world, only a handful of humans matter"
He leaned back on the bench, allowing his arms to spread out along its backside. It was unlike him. And that's what scared Ada.
"You'll see. The winds of change are coming. Complements of my own plans"
Ada got off the bench, suddenly wanting to be as far away from the man as possible. He had overstayed his welcome. And she was in no mood to hear him go on about how nothing they did would matter. How he would always win. She was even less willing to hear him belittle her life decisions.
"You're insane" she said starting to walk away from him.
In the blink of an eye, he was at her side and dragging her violently into a side ally by her arm. Her back slammed into the brick work of a building as he got right in her face. She had forgotten how fast he could be.
"No, insanity is wasting your life as a nothing when you have the blood of a killer flowing through your veins. Insanity is being shit on. Beat down. Coasting through life in a miserable existence when you have a caged lion locked inside and the key to release it"
Wesker reached up to brush her bangs out of her face. She flinched ever so slightly as he touched her. It was like the touch of death.
"I was planning on killing your man, and then eventually yourself. Destroying your life bit by bit. And now I see you've gone and done a splendid job of that yourself. But I digress. Sooner or later, the life you left will come back to haunt you. I'll come back to haunt you"
Ada backed away to give herself a few inches then stood her ground against him. There was no smooth talking her way out of this. Only showing him what she was really made of. Even he couldn't take that from her.
"I'm not afraid of you Wesker", she said, words that had more courage than she thought were possible at the moment.
The look of surprise on Wesker's face was quite noticeable; from the way he raised is right eyebrow, to the small twitch in the corners of his mouth.
"I'm not afraid of dying", Ada finished as she pulled her jacket around her shoulders without looking at him. She started to make a move to the street. To escape.
"How do you know?" he asked.
Wesker had stepped from the side of Ada to her front, blocking her path. He took two steps toward her, closing the distance between them, boxing her in. Ada had her back to the brick wall of a building as she tried her best not to show the terror she held.
He leaned in closer to her so that his mouth was near her ear again and said, "You've never tried it"
"This is it", she thought as she felt the crushing feeling emanating from the man. "This is the end of the road for me. After everything I've been through, all the horror and death, this is where I die. Here, on some side street. Oh God, please don't let this be the end for me. Not when I've finally gotten my life where I want it. Please God, let me walk away from this and go home. I just want to go home to him. To my Leon. Just let me go home to him. Just…"
"What's going on here?" called a voice.
The two of them turned their attention to a police officer walking towards them. The man was old, at least in his fifties to say the least. The man's graying hair had started to recede and he sported a furry patch of a mustache that matched the hair on his head. His somewhat distended gut shook as he marched toward Ada and Wesker, concerned. Blue eyes stared at the two of them from pockets of wrinkled skin.
"Is this guy bothering you miss?" he asked, motioning to Wesker.
Without hesitating and putting on her best fake sense of confidence, Ada answered, "No officer. There's nothing here that you need concern yourself with"
"You sure miss?" he asked again, staring daggers at Wesker.
The younger blonde haired man stared right back at him with a look of annoyance. Like that of someone toward a fly.
"Yes, I'm sure", Ada repeated, pulling her jacket around her tighter and thinking, "God, Just go already. You have no idea what this man is capable of"
"You heard the woman, officer", Wesker told the man. "Nothing here that needs your attending to. So I believe it would be within everyone's best interest if you just went along with your evening."
Wesker turned to Ada.
"Wouldn't you say so? Miss Wong?"
Ada looked at him with an expression that said 'Please, don't'. She knew exactly where this was headed.
"Perhaps the good officer would be better suited bother small children concerning their marijuana habits. Or finding a donut to eat"
"Alright pal", the officer said, removing his night stick that was clipped to his belt. "I think you need to learn some….
Ada knew enough about Wesker. She knew what had happened at the Arklay facility. How he had died, only to rise from the ashes as something different. She knew that Wesker wasn't entirely human anymore. And one that is not human is not bound by laws of humans. It was this fact that made him dangerous.
The old man didn't even have time to scream as Wesker parried the night stick out of the officer's hand. In a flash, the man's head was thrust into the brick wall, knocking him unconscious. With the man incapacitated, his trench coat flashing with his movements, Wesker tossed the him down the alley and into the side of a dumpster. It was effortless, almost like he was throwing a baseball. There was an awful crunch of metal as the man collided with the dumpster, denting it in the process. She didn't understand why he had done it. It was completely unnecessary. And now the old man was probably gravely injured or dead.
Her attention still on the alley, Ada could only choke out "Why?"
"To prove a point" he answered. "The human race is weak. It has become overburdened with pettiness and hedonism. But I aim to change that. Amazing thing will happen, Miss Wong. And if you want any certainty that you and yours will survive what is to come, you'll do one thing"
"Which is?" she asked, with cold hatred.
"Stay out of my way. Consider this the only warning you get"
Ada turned around to confront him only to find nothing but air to greet her.
Author's note: [Insert half assed reason why this chapter is so late here]
Some lines are taken from the film Wanted and Donnie Darko.