Author's Note: And here we go again. Enjoy the ride.

Chapter 5

"One Way Out"

BASTION ISLAND, THE PIT

Leon S. Kennedy

The first thing he noticed was the smell.

It wasn't necessarily a bad scent; Leon had certainly smelled worse. The sickly, almost sweet scent of rotting corpses still plagued him in his waking moments sometimes; the raw, meaty aroma that some B.O.W.'s exuded before attacking; the too clean, antiseptic smell of hospital rooms – all of these were definitely top of the list in what he considered to be some of the more worse scents he had experienced during his long career.

No, compared to those hellish scents, this one was downright tame in comparison. But there certainly was a lot of it, whatever it was. It didn't smell bad, but it smelled a lot.

Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

Craning his stiff neck up, Leon inspected his surroundings. Since awakening, Leon had discovered several facts about his current situation:

First, that he was alive, which was always a plus. The ambush in the log cabin had been planned and had almost finished him off, along with Ada. Many of the newer recruits in DSO often looked at him with unthinking awe at his list of accomplishments during his almost legendary career. Leon felt uncomfortable about being relegated to something near legendary status, and was determined not to let such praise get to his head. The moment a survivor becomes overconfident of their abilities, they're dead. He'd gone against people and beings far stronger, faster, and more agile than him and he'd survived them all, simply because he had used what he had better than they did.

Experiences such as the one in the log cabin were a sober reminder that he was secretly glad for, another example that he was not infallible as others might believe. To face truth, the only reason he and Ada were alive was because, for whatever reason, the reptilians had not wanted them dead. Grimacing at that revelation he thought, Not sure if that's a good or bad thing either. Sure as hell doesn't add up.

Every B.O.W. he'd encountered in the past fifteen years had definitely shown no qualms about their desire to kill anything and everything in their path. The ones currently inhabiting here were different, that was a certainty.

Soft breathing came from behind him, brining another matter to light – he and Ada were still together. Whoever had brought them here clearly had no idea of the capabilities they had working together.

Or maybe they did and wanted a further demonstration of their skills. If this was true, then they picked quite the place for such a test; all in all, it was probably the most ridiculously ominous place that Leon had seen in a while.

He and Ada were tied in the center of a huge cavern that should have been in pitch darkness was it not for the few floodlights spaced evenly around piercing through. From what Leon could make out in the dim lighting, the ceiling rose above them menacingly, stalactites and stalagmites clustered together forming, if looked at the right angle, what appeared to be a gaping mouth. All around, water dripped providing a steady background of noise, save for the occasional scratch of what Leon hoped were falling rocks and not that of something sharpening its claws in the shadows beyond. Scattered equipment lay in haphazard heaps, randomly and brutally strewn apart in various places within the cavern.

A shadow flitted across the ceiling. Leon snapped his eyes upward and caught a glimpse, his mouth suddenly devoid of moisture. He needed to start moving now.

But he needed Ada awake. If they were going to get out of his, he needed her cooperation.

A slight shift against his back told him that she was beginning to regain consciousness. Injecting some modicum of calm into his voice he said, "Welcome back to the party."

Ada let out a groan. "I think that last dance took a little something out of me."

"Our dance partners weren't exactly gentle," Leon agreed.

"Guess I need to choose more wisely next time then," Ada replied dryly. "How much trouble are we in?"

Leon caught several more shadows moving among the rocks, barely noting them through the corner of his eye. "Tied up pretty tightly, no weapons, and we're definitely not alone in here."

"Wherever here is," said Ada.

"Well, it's definitely not Hawaii that's for sure." Leon started test the bonds of the rope circling him and Ada. To his surprise, they were actually loose.

"Ada - "

"I feel it," she interjected. "Rope's loose. Amateurs." She began to carefully work herself free. Leon followed suit.

"Surprised you didn't notice it earlier," Ada teased. "Age catching up to you Leon?"

Leon scowled. "And here I was just catching you napping on the job again."

After several more minutes, they were finally freed. They stood up slowly, backs together, each keeping their eyes on separate sides of the caves, making sure that nothing was preparing to leap out. Satisfied that neither of them were about to be ambushed again, Leon turned to Ada. "Clear on my end. Yours?"

She turned to him. "Same."

Their eyes met and something happened.

Leon fell to his knees – he had no other way to describe it, but in that moment, he felt Ada's mind wrap in and around his. He saw things, felt things, knew things that he shouldn't have –

An orphanage was burning somewhere far away, but that wasn't possible, he was here in the cave with Ada here and now –

GET OUT.

The thought wasn't his, yet it crystallized so clearly like a firework on the Fourth of July, and it was as though a heavy door shut on him, cutting off that memory of the burning orphanage, but he could still feel the incredible heat on his face, still taste the falling ash fluttering about on a dry wind.

Somewhere, in the recesses of his mind that was still somehow keeping note of everything, he registered the faint echoes of a scream piercing the air, and he knew that Ada was experiencing the same sensation. It was like someone had opened his skull and poured liquid nitrogen into it.

Leon gripped the sides of his head, desperately trying to mentally sort out which were his thoughts and which were Ada's –

And then it stopped. The only way to describe it was that a huge barrier had been erected, suddenly and effectively ending the experience. Leon staggered backwards and fell onto his back, an icy sweat covering his body and soaking through his shirt. He became aware of his hands – not shaking, but twitching erratically, as though they couldn't decide what position to hold.

Ada was on her knees, head bowed. Leon couldn't make her face in the gloom, but he knew that she was feeling the same as he was right now. He tried to speak, tried to assure her in some small, but meaningful way, but his throat had closed up. Leon felt guilt – the experience had felt like a violation, a deeply personal intrusion into something that he wasn't supposed to see.

He felt horrible.

Whatever had happened, whatever Ada did to stop it was only a temporary measure. Leon could still feel her, but instead of the sensation being a tsunami eclipsing all in its path, it was the gentle lapping of a wave at shore.

What he had felt – it had scared him. He always knew that Ada Wong was an enigma wrapped in a mystery. She had her secrets; Leon had understood that since the moment he asked for her name back in Raccoon City all those years ago. Yet he always believed that he knew Ada Wong – if not the specifics, but the general, core essence of who she truly was, glimpsed through all those life-and-death encounters: fiercely independent, emotionally tough, and whip smart as well.

But not even Ada herself knew just how mysterious she was - and it ripped at her being to acknowledge that. What Leon had felt absolutely undermined the image she constantly cultivated for herself, as a cool, confident, skillful female spy whose talents and experiences made her unparalleled in the field.

Gazing at her from where he lay, Leon could only think.

What are you?

Ada Wong

Ada Wong was no stranger to fear. In her line of work, it was common territory to tread considering the monsters she faced on an almost daily basis. She considered it healthy to have a measured dose of fear in all situations that faced her; where others would write it off as a negative emotion, one that had to be ignored in order to succeed. This was wrong; it was an emotion to be used and held on to, if only at arm's length. Fear kept an agent sharp, focused, and able to respond quickly to threats.

Fear kept you alive. But only if you don't allow it to consume you.

Over the years, Ada had become accustomed to certain types of fear – fear of death, for example, was an abstract, almost existential kind of fear. It was something that every human faced on some level. She had seen fellow agents, mad scientists, innocent civilians be ripped apart by teeth or bullets during her long career. Experiencing that kind of wanton brutality and evil constantly hadn't exactly made her cynical, but had served to reinforce Ada's view of the world as an unpredictable place that was anything but permanent. Any good agent worth their weight in salt understood the perils that came with their jobs.

No, it was the more personal fears that did a person in. And even the great Ada Wong had her own demons. She valued her freedom above anything else, but lately she'd been wondering what exactly her freedom was worth. Was it even freedom she valued? Or privacy from other people, was that what she truly desired? Perhaps freedom from other people was the more correct term.

And now here she was, with the one man she didn't want to know about all this, her recent doubts and mistakes, completely open and vulnerable. She was weak.

"What did you see?" Her voice was no more than a rasp, impossibly old and weary.

More like what did I see?

In one heart-rending moment, Leon S. Kennedy had been like an open book to her and she saw his most private sorrows, his highest joys –

And his fears.

Years of surviving the impossible had hardened Leon against the fear of death, as it had done to Ada. But it had born a new fear as a result – the fear of surviving alone, living long after everyone you knew and loved had gone.

Leon didn't answer for a few seconds. "Ada," he began.

"On second thought, I don't want to know," Ada cut in. Her heart had skipped a few beats but she immediately ordered it back to work. Now was not the time to be soft-hearted. She clenched her fists and rose into a steady stance. "We need to get moving."

Concern, not hers, washed through her mind from Leon's direction. "Stop that," she snapped.

Leon stood up and arched an eyebrow. "Stop what?"

She threw up her hands in frustration. "Stop being in my head."

He grimaced and shook his head. "I can't. I don't know what happened, Ada, but it had to have come from those B.O.W.'s we faced in the log cabin."

Ada considered his words, beating down the anger she felt at his intrusion – unconscious or not."The spit – one of them spit on me. You think there was something in the saliva?"

Leon nodded. "We might be infected."

"So what? Suddenly we're psychic and can read each other's minds?"

"Well," Leon said cheerfully, "hopefully that's the only side-effect."

Ada turned a high-voltage glare on him. "Someone's cheerful about our impending demise."

She knew he was joking for more her benefit than his – or at least that's what he thought he was doing. An odd sensation touched her mind which let her see through his bluff and immediately she regretted her misdirected anger at him. Years before Leon had been infected with the Las Plagas at Saddler's behest and almost lost himself to the infection.

Dying was one thing – but dying and becoming a B.O.W. was a fate infinitely worse.

Steely resolve filled Ada's being. She had saved Leon then, and certainly she had no intention of letting him fall now. The world still needed Leon S. Kennedy. After all, he had come to this island for her, so she owed it to him –

Ada's eyes widened as the revelation hit her. A sense of chagrin filled her mind, emanating from Leon's thoughts. She shoved him in the shoulder, shocked. "You're here for me?"

Rubbing his shoulder gingerly, Leon replied, "Well, yeah."

She stalked past him, fuming. "Please tell me this wasn't out of some misplaced sense of chivalry, Kennedy. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

"It's not an officially sanctioned mission, if that's what you're getting at. Technically, I'm supposed to be on vacation."

Still not looking at him, Ada contemplated a gap in a wall several feet in front of her. A way out, maybe? It gave her a distraction to ignore the guilt welling up inside her; Leon S. Kennedy, who probably had a million better things to do, coming to help her. She was glad he couldn't see the flush rising on her face. But why? Why had he come for her, here and now? The timing seemed to perfect considering . . .

Ada shook herself clear of stray thoughts. If they could read each other's minds, then the last thing she needed was to give him clear access.

"Don't worry about it," Leon said quietly from behind her.

Now Ada was well and truly embarrassed. "Damn it, Kennedy. Stay out of my head." This mind-reading thing needs to be locked down. If Leon finds out some of the things going through my head . . .

Leon winced. "Sorry – it just comes in bursts, but it's not as bad now since you stopped it."

Ada frowned. "What do you mean? I thought that was you."

It was Leon's turn to frown. "I could barely control myself. If it wasn't either of us, then who - ?"

There was no sound to indicate their approach, but Ada felt them – her mind tingled with alien awareness and a certain lazily controlled hunger that came from all around, enveloping her. It became readily apparent that they were surrounded. The rows of yellow, inhuman eyes that suddenly pierced through the darkness at them only served to confirm her suspicions. "Leon?"

"I know." He was still looking at her, face composed, but there was no hiding the sudden sheen of cold sweat breaking on his forehead. They had no weapons, nothing to defend themselves with.

They were trapped.

"Only one way out now," said Leon, his tone grim. Ada could feel the dread draining out Leon, only to be replaced with immense determination backed by the steely will that defined Leon S. Kennedy, the survivor of so much. It didn't show in his face, which remained calm in appearance, but she could feel it radiating off him in an almost golden glow. Leon never quit, no matter the odds. The survivor in him would not accept any less.

It was a large part of what she . . . appreciated about Leon.

Ada spread her feet, readying for action. "One way out," she repeated, injecting her usual Ada flair for casualness in the face of danger into it.

"Through them."

BASTION ISLAND, CONTROL CENTER

Miranda

She watched the screens with a certain amount of trepidation. The Observer did what he did best with his usual expression of casual interest. "Quite the predicament our two wayward agents have found themselves in, don't you agree?"

Miranda found the man to be utterly irritating; his face gave absolutely nothing away. She could not read him, anymore than she could determine the personality of a granite wall. Personally, she felt distressed –after hearing the stories of these two, she had hoped they would not have been caught so early. She did not want these two on the island, but the Observer had convinced her otherwise in an impassioned argument to keep them alive. Miranda could not argue the logic of his decision, but it did nothing to put him into her good graces.

"I'm afraid I don't see why you're taking this so lightly, Observer. Our best chance of survival is about to be mauled by those beings."

"Have a little faith, Miranda," replied the Observer.

She clenched her teeth. "They're also infected."

"Yes, they are." He swiveled around and faced her, his eyes suddenly burning with some unknown emotion - triumph, perhaps? "And what an interesting effect it has had on them."

Miranda frowned. "You mean the sudden empathic link between them?"

The Observer nodded. "We've found our way into the mind of Ada Wong." He pointed at the screen which showed Leon Kennedy stepping slightly in front of Ada Wong – only to be gently, but firmly pushed aside by her. Ada threw him an exasperated look, but couldn't hide the smile forming on her lips.

Miranda pushed down a sense of fondness toward Leon.

You would do that, wouldn't you?

But the Observer's words chilled Miranda to her core, forcing her to come out of her musings on Leon. "How so?" she asked.

He pointed at Leon on the screen. "Through him. When they manage to escape, I'm afraid we'll have to detain Agent Kennedy to see what he knows. He might very well have discovered the key to getting off this wretched hellhole."

Fear began to pulse through Miranda. "I don't think he'll be very cooperative."

The Observer shrugged. "We'll just have to find proper leverage."

"Such as?"

He pressed a button on the console. A voice came out of a speaker seconds later. "Sir? Is there something you need?"

Smiling at Miranda he said, "Yes. Is Tina still giving our guest a tour of our facilities?"

"That is correct. Do you wish for Tina to dispose of him?"

"No, that won't be necessary. Tell her that when she is finished to bring him to me. We have much to discuss concerning his friend."

"Very well, sir."

Author's Note: Whew. Halfway there. It's clear that neither Leon or Ada like this sudden window into each other, but it'll lead to some interesting situations between the two down the line. Also, I will admit that writing this story is getting harder and harder - not because I'm losing motivation, but because I want to get to other stories that are busy crowding my head. But never fear! I'll be seeing this one to the end. But all the same, I need to get these ideas out there before I forget, so keep an eye out for something called "The Hunnigan Files" coming up soon. It won't exactly be a story, but just a series of reports detailing on the current whereabouts of all the Resident Evil characters (except for Leon and Ada because I don't want to spoil anything for you guys). Let me know what you think in the reviews and remember to spread the word! Next chapter title: "Discovery".

Sincerely,

ShiningScribbler