Chapter 10 - 1997

A pair of warm lips descended on her forehead and Ada stirred, blinking the sleepiness out of her eyes. The spy could feel a soft material draped on her torso and John was looming over her with a gentle smile.

"How long was I asleep?" She yawned as she sat up, stretching her limbs.

"You started dozing half an hour into the movie," John replied as she glanced at her affectionately.

Ada did the math and inwardly cursed herself for sleeping for one and a half hours. That was precious time wasted. Though it was a given since she had returned from a 'business trip' in the morning. It was side mission that Wesker had assigned which involved playing a red headed vixen to obtain classified information. Not that John had to know the truth. She spent a lot of time brushing her teeth and showering to get rid of the cigarette stench that lingered in her mouth and on her skin.

"You could have said you were tired. We can watch this flick another day."

"Well, you were insistent," she murmured and kissed his cheek in return. It was all too easy to play the part of loving girlfriend.

John wrapped his arms around her waist. "The health of my girlfriend is more important."

"Aren't you sweet."

"Like honey," John replied and kissed her on the lips this time. He was always so gentle and careful with her. Not that he was treating her like a fragile China doll. On the contrary, he was respecting her space and did not want to take things so far since they only got together a couple of months ago after more than a year of being friends.

This new phase of their relationship gave Ada much relief after relentlessly pursuing him in an effort to know more about Umbrella's plans. John still kept his job a secret though and replied with a vague 'drug research' when she asked about his occupation some time back.

Ada thought the moment would lead to sex but John unexpectedly pulled away from her, pulling on his jacket that he draped on the armchair. "I have to return back to the lab. I made some spaghetti for you though. It just needs to be heated up."

He waved goodbye and disappeared out of the door of her small apartment. The spy went into the kitchen and found a pot of spaghetti sitting on the stove. She pulled the lid open and the aroma of tomato and beef wafted through the kitchen. Ada had not given him a proper tour of her supposedly new place but it seemed that you could take a scientist out of the lab, but you could not take the observational skills out of the scientist.

A few minutes later when the pasta was sufficiently heated through, she tasted it and nodded with approval. This man certainly had more uses than she had originally thought.

When she returned to her bedroom, Ada was once again greeted by yet another surprise. There was a note on her pillow.

My dearest Ada,

Please get as much rest as you can. Don't overwork yourself, okay? You were always telling me to relax so now it's my turn to tell you that it is okay to stop and smell the roses. I'll still be here when you wake up and we can head to the Italian place you like so much.

I'll see you soon.

Yours truly,

John

A genuine smile touched her lips. If only all the men in the World behaved like him. She folded the note and placed it in the drawer of her bedside table before pulling the blankets up to get some shut eye on a proper sleeping surface.

"Before I leave for the conference, I have something for you." John said as they cuddled on the sofa in his place one night, finally done watching the movie he talked about a few weeks before.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? It's not my birthday yet."

He pulled out a palm sized box from his bag and handed it to her. She scrutinized its size, relieved that it was not an engagement ring box. Carefully pulling the top of the box off, Ada saw a small taser sitting within the box's confines. They were usually bigger and Ada had to feign surprise at the sight of the gadget.

"What's this?"

"It's a self defence weapon that another department has been producing. I know your freelance job takes you places but I feel uneasy when you are alone. So I pulled some strings to acquire this. You can use this to protect yourself if you end up in a sticky situation."

That was considerate and thoughtful of him. Most men would belittle her and tell her to avoid dark alleys where seedy people lurked. John would encourage her to pursue whatever she wanted but with a dose of caution. He never failed to surprise her and she held quite a bit of respect for him.

"Thank you, John. Though I hope you won't get into trouble at work."

He gave her a small smile. "Well, I'm already in enough trouble as it is. A little more won't hurt."

Her eyes went wide with concern. "Huh? What sort of trouble? Is everything alright?"

"It's just some disagreements with the higher ups on how things should go. Nothing to worry about. These things happen from time to time."

And just like that, he talked a little more about his job but stopped right there.

Ada laid her hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze, reassuring John that she will be there for him. "John…" she said softly. "You know you can tell me anything." This time she meant her words and she briefly forgot about the assignment.

He hesitated for a split second and his muscles tensed up a bit. These two actions did not go unnoticed by Ada's trained eyes. It looked like the scientist was on the brink of telling her the truth when his pager beeped loudly. John signed before looking at the digits on the display.

"We'll talk when I return okay? In the mean time, please stay safe." John switched off his pager and embraced her tightly.

One thing led to another and when she finally left his apartment two hours later, Ada began to see him as a person in his own right. Maybe in another life, she could have been friends with him just like Nathan in the beginning…

Stop it.

She shook off those thoughts and reminded herself that attachments led to death.

Walking down the streets of the city late at night, Ada was well aware of the crooks that lurked in the dark pathways which she took much effort to avoid. One hand remained in her pocket, wrapped around the new taser that John gifted to her.

Something shifted behind her and she continued to walk forward, giving the assailant no indication that she had heard his movements. A couple of seconds later, someone gripped her shoulder and Ada grabbed the limb, spinning around and whipping out the taser. The weapon made contact with the thief's waist and shocked him.

He fell to the ground with a thud, still convulsing from the electrical current. Ada switched off the device and strode off, putting as much distance as she could between the thug and herself. Getting questioned by the police would severely impede her progress.

A small smirk graced her lips as the spy wandered off into the night. John was not a bad fellow after all.

Once again, she had lied to John that she was going out of town for a short business trip. Driving her car down the deserted road, she made a right and pulled up to the surprisingly well kept house located in the middle of nowhere. The Academy sure had some questionable locations for safe houses.

"You're late," Wesker's voice rang out from the kitchen as she entered through the front door.

Pulling her bag strap away from her body and depositing the bag on the chair, she took a seat. "On the contrary, I am early. You just dislike waiting."

He made a noise that sounded like disgust.

"Watch your tone, Ada. Just because you're on a long term mission doesn't mean you can disrespect me."

"Let's get down to business then, since you have quite a lot of precious time that you can't spare," the spy quipped dryly in return. Well aware that he was having quite a busy schedule back in Raccoon.

He pushed the sunglasses up his nose and spoke, "Progress report."

"He finally asked me to be his girlfriend after a year of being friends. Getting information out of him is an ongoing process. He almost said something the other day but clammed up."

"Then you need to work harder."

Her eyes flashed warningly, "Don't start with that again. The man is very careful and has quite a strong set of morals. He isn't the type to spill in the presence of temptation."

Wesker raised a blonde eyebrow and gave an amused smile. "You sound quite fond of him, Ada."

"I'm merely laying out the facts, Albert," she spit his first name out acidly and stared him down. The past few meeting sessions had made her quite annoyed with his behaviour. Her tongue was loosened after being away from the confines of the underground Academy.

Albert shrugged off her comment. Ada Wong was a woman that produced results at the end of the day. When she was done, her taste of freedom would come to an end. For now, he would allow this young adult have a go at the playground.

"Then you ought to hurry, Wong. Rumour has it that someone else is interested in his research and would kill to get their hands on it…" He pulled out a brown folder from his briefcase and slid it across the table towards her.

She unwound the white thread tied around the red circle and pulled out the documents from the manila envelope. A frown remained on her face as she read the files. "That's some impressive strings you have pulled to obtain this information."

There were details about John's profile, education and employment history. Even his daily schedules were printed. It all traced back to the front page with a rival organization's name and agent embossed on the front.

Albert gave Ada time to read as he drained the rest of his water from the bottle. "It is imperative that he remains alive," he spoke eventually when he assumed that she was done perusing the file.

"There are so many 'business trips' that I can take without arousing his suspicion."

Wesker leaned forward with yet another grin. "Who said you have to take another trip? You'll be merely extending this one. Better nip this in the bud before they find him. You wouldn't want to fail now, would you, Ada?"

The Academy and The Organization did not take failures well. It would spell death for her and she would be unable to fulfil her ultimate goal of obtaining her father's body. She gave Wesker a look of determination.

"Very well, the basement is open to you. Utilize whatever you need." The blonde said with a smile as he stood and walked out of the safe house, leaving his capable student to her own devices.

Ada approached the basement door with confidence, placing her finger on the keypad and looking at the keyhole on the door. The security equipment scanned her thumbprint and retina before the door slid open to reveal a room full of weapons and gadgetry. She picked out a crossbow, grenades, and a silenced pistol.

The agent on the cover had a female name and Ada doubted she would be able to use feminine wiles on her. This would require a kill from afar.

Though she could only laugh at the thought of another female agent. It took John over a year to warm up to her, the inclusion of another woman would make it almost impossible to break through his defences. John was steadfastly loyal to Ada now that they had placed a proper label on their relationship.

Walking over to the lockers, she pulled one open to find a black bodysuit. With some modifications, she could look like a biker girl to blend in with the crowd.

Ada was stalking her unarmed prey with relish. What was initially a relaxed night out in town for Miss Rachel was turning out to be quite a nightmare as bolts peppered the ground behind her. Ada had managed to chase the rival agent into an abandoned warehouse where Rachel thought that it would be safe.

Too bad for Rachel, Ada had already scouted the place and rigged it with booby traps. Nails shredded the other woman's stockings and fresh blood trailed down her calves as Rachel ran past a trip wire.

Ada was sorely disappointed. She was expecting more of a challenge but Rachel basically panicked and fled blindly, failing to utilize and notice her surroundings. There were broken planks, chains, and crates littered throughout the building but the young woman was just rushing through, trying to find a safe spot.

With a height advantage, this fight was somewhat reminiscent of her fight with Melissa all those years ago. Has it been that long since she passed the final test to be a spy? It almost felt like Ada had been in espionage for a lifetime.

Ada looked down the scope and aimed her weapon in front of Rachel. When the other ran into her scope's field of view, she fired and a bolt embedded into her leg. Rachel cried out and began to limp as she dragged herself behind a pile of broken crates.

Clearly, the rival organization had made a bad mistake in sending a rookie out to the field.

"P-please! No more! I give up!" Rachel screamed out and Ada holstered her crossbow before striding across the walkway to loom over the injured girl who propped herself against the boxes.

"First assignment?" Ada called out from above and Rachel glanced up in panic to find a woman clad in black with weapons attached to her hip.

The rival agent could only whimper as she brought her hands up protectively.

"Answer the question!" Ada barked and pulled out her pistol.

Again, Rachel cowered. "Y-yes!"

"I'm going to ask you a few more questions," the Asian spy said gently. "Answer them and you might live. Do you understand that?"

Rachel nodded.

"How long have you been training for?"

The girl made herself comfortable before replying, "S-six months."

That was too little time to be a proper operative. The Academy had to train her for more than a year before she was let out into the field. Any less was suicide.

"I see. Have you killed anyone before?"

Rachel shook her head.

"How were you going to complete this assignment then?" Ada asked in a sarcastic manner, feeling all the more displeased that she had to waste time to dispatch a naïve wench.

"Poison. And how do you know about my assignment?"

She could only laugh. "A competent spy knows many things, my dear."

Rachel's eyes grew wide in fear as she tried to make herself as small as possible. "S-surely a competent one like you would have no problems getting there first and killing him."

The girl's attempt at bargaining and striking a deal was pathetic.

"I already did and I need him alive," Ada said matter-of-factly before continuing her words. "You on the other hand, are interfering."

The spy raised her gun and fired the chains suspended above Rachel. The chains quickly unravelled and a cage descended on Rachel, trapping her within its confines. Pleas fell on deaf ears as Ada threw a grenade to the other side of the room. The boxes caught fire and slowly spread out.

"Goodbye," Ada said and threw another explosive within the cage itself and ran off before it exploded.

She had cleared a few rooftops before the warehouse went up in flames thanks to the timed bombs that she placed on the structural supports. By the time the police and fire department arrived, Ada was long gone and on her way to be back in the arms of John.

Somehow the presence of another woman stirred some protective feelings within her.

"Stop skirting around the issue, John. There is something bothering you and you should stop distracting yourself by showering attention on me. It's unhealthy and makes me feel that you only want me when you're stressed out with work." Ada said hotly as she paced around her living room. Part of her outburst was an act but another part of it was due to her frustrations of making zero progress in getting him to spill.

John kept silent and ran a hand through his blonde hair, messing it up. He appeared troubled and had no idea how to phrase his words properly.

"For a relationship to work, there must be trust. Why don't you trust me? I've been supporting everything you do, even when you have to leave suddenly." She implored him tearfully.

"They've been killing people," he said softly and Ada stopped, walking closer to him. She kept quiet, urging him to continue his explanation.

"The lab has been experimenting on people and they die, Ada. I didn't want to do it but they forced me!"

Ada took a seat beside John and wrapped her arms around him. She was surprised by this revelation. "Maybe if you stopped renewing your contract, you'll be free from them and you can tell the truth."

John laughed bitterly. "The police are in Umbrella's pockets. Anyone who refused to re-contract was never heard from again. I'm not stupid, Ada. I know they silenced any scientist who tried to leave the project. I just keep my head down and do my job. This has been killing me on the inside, Ada. I'm a murderer!"

"You have a gentle soul, John. Are you the one who administers the finishing blow?" She asked gently and rubbed circles on his back.

"No, but I am one of the few scientists in charge of various sections of the project and I have to be present to take notes. I can't hear them behind the protective layer of glass but their pained movements and agonized facial expressions say otherwise."

Ada pulled away and slid her hands up to place them beside his face, forcing him to look at her. "Stop it, John. You weren't the one to give the killing blow. You were forced against your will. You did not want them killed. You have to stop beating yourself up over this. The best thing you can do is to gather as much evidence as you can and keep it safely with you. Then you strike on the day they crumble and you will be free."

Right now, she wasn't sure if she was saying those words because she cared for him or that she had to ensure the experimental data remained safe and secure.

John searched her eyes and leaned in to kiss her. "You're a genius, Ada. Sometimes I think you should be the one with a PhD."

"I have to be the practical one in this relationship," she mused and John buried his head against the crook of her neck.

"I'm so lucky to have met you," he whispered and pulled away, reaching into his pocket.

Ada was prepared for many things in her life but her heart stopped at that moment.

Could he be…?

Then he pulled out a set of keys and placed them into her palm.

"What is this?" She asked, puzzled by this strange action.

"The keys to my apartment. I would like you to move in with me," he said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the World.

"Oh."

"You said that we need trust in our relationship and I trust you to have free reign of the apartment. I'll even come up with a schedule regarding the chores too."

Now this was a perfect opportunity to get what she wanted for the mission.

"Thank you, John. Though maybe we should search for a bigger place to move into. You can't expect me to fit all my clothes into your closet now, would you?"

John laughed. "You are indeed the practical one in this relationship. Let's find a realtor to help us out."

Ada kissed his cheek. Finally, she made a breakthrough. Her efforts better bear fruit soon…

Author's Note: So I took my beta reader's suggestion to write a chapter about John and Ada and boy was I glad to have done so. It was always in my headcanon that Ada did care for John, just not romantically. What better way to showcase that? Write a chapter about their interactions of course! I hope I got that point across in this chapter.

For the letter in this chapter, I did not reference the "Letter of a Researcher" file from RE1 at all. To my complete surprise, I went to check out the file after I was done writing the chapter and boy, John really did use "My dearest Ada" and "Yours truly" in there! I'm glad that I managed to keep that here.

Don't worry about all the kissing and hugging, it was all an act. We all know she fell really hard for Leon. =P

And speaking of Leon, he will be coming up in the next chapter. Finally, I know! I was wondering if I should write from Ada's POV about her meeting with Leon and whatever happened in RE2 OR I write about her feelings in the aftermath of RE2? Which do you think is better?

You might also be wondering, why can't Wesker just take the virus information since he's with Umbrella? Remember the previous chapter where he said that he had to maintain a balance between various organizations? Umbrella knows he's working for STARS but Umbrella doesn't know he has ties with The Academy. Taking data away is super suspicious so yeah, he's a crafty, sly little bastard.

Onward to reviews!

To Darwine: I've not thought of a Wesker and Simmons fight but I'll keep that in mind just in case it fits into the story. ;) Hope you liked the interaction between John and Ada!

To Ayesha Aeon: Sorry, I decided to write about John and Ada instead. But Leon and Ada is coming up in the next chapter so you'll just have to wait just a tiny bit longer. Don't worry, I won't get distracted by other plot ideas this time. I promise you that.