Resident Evil: Vengeance

Chapter 3-3: Pursuit

Brookhaven Apartment Complex

East Side Slums – Miami, FL

May 27th2014

15:11 EST

"Over there – that looks like it," Helena said as she pointed across the nearly-abandoned parking lot. There, sitting behind the apartment complex was a dark blue van – the same colored van that *blututh* had been tracking since their escape from Graham Corp. "Can you make out the plate number?"

Ada trained the binoculars on the vehicle's license plate. Although she could only make out the last four digits, the numbers were a match. After all of this hunting, they had finally found Leon's killer.

"The ID's a match – this is where the shooter is holed-up," she replied as she handed the binoculars over to her partner.

Helena took them and began scanning the area. "I just hope you made the right choice, Ada."

Before they had gone to see Ashley Graham, Ada had contacted *blututh* to hack the street cameras surrounding the entire building as a precaution. Her foresight had been rewarded with recorded feeds that had shown not only the escape of the armed gunmen but also of the sniper who had set up his perch across the street. Unfortunately, her contact only had enough time to focus on tracking one before his connection with the city's server was severed. Despite her partner's protests, she had told him to stick with tracking the sniper's movements. There could have been a small measure of comfort taken from the fact that her entire purpose had been to find Leon's killer at all costs. Still, Helena had been right in one regard – the choice she'd made had been a personal one – not a rational one. The agent's arguments had been sound, but once again she had allowed revenge to motivate her decision. Regardless, the die had now been cast. Whatever happened with this given opportunity, she would need to make the most it.

Right now the two of them had the advantage. The sniper was most likely preparing to clear out and leave the Miami area. He wouldn't be expecting them here at his safe house. Ada wanted nothing more than to move in on the building right now before he had a chance to escape. That was until she remembered what had happened the last time she had let haste cloud her judgment.

Taking out the thermal scanner, she did a thorough sweep of the building to make sure she knew the sniper's exact location. It hadn't taken long when she found him on the third floor. The man's heat signature was brighter than normal making him stand out from the rest of the inhabitants.

"He's on the third floor – west side," she replied and then looked toward the southern face of the building. There was a fence that ran along the alley and parking lot which would offer them cover upon approach. "We can move in from there and enter from the rear."

After exiting the vehicle, Ada removed two tranquilizer pistols from the trunk and handed one to Helena. Her silent look was enough to convey the message – they were going to take this man alive.

Before they could move toward their objective however, Helena spoke. "Ada…" the young woman said slowly before pausing. "When we apprehend him… we need to turn him over to the DSO."

That caught her by surprise. "What are you talking about, Agent Harper?"

"Just hear me out, okay?" Helena replied as she held up her hand to show that she wasn't trying to be combative. "There's obviously more going on here than we realize. Remember that tape of Leon we found at the Umbrella facility? What about those gunmen that showed up at Graham Corp right after we did? This sniper we're chasing? There has to be a higher power orchestrating all of these pieces. We need this man to tell us what that is."

"I plan on doing exactly that once I get my hands on him," she countered.

"You're not thinking rationally, Ada," the agent replied. "You're too close to this emotionally. God knows that I was too, but we need to look at this situation objectively. If his cooperation can be put on record, the DSO and other federal agencies can get involved here. Right now there's no telling who or what we're actually up against. We can't keep chasing these people into the dark when we don't even know where we're going. Maybe you're right. Maybe it is your organization behind those gunmen and this sniper, but then how does that tape of Leon fit into all of this or Umbrella One? Wasn't your original objective to retrieve a sample of whatever it was that they had manufactured? How then does Leon's death factor into everything? Why did they want him dead?"

Those were actually good points the young agent was making. For her part, she had been so obsessed in finding the sniper that she had put on blinders when it came to taking into account all that was in play here. Leon had been the target of the sniper – not her. Umbrella One had created the product she had been sent to retrieve. That was when she remembered what Oleg Petrovsky had said about the weapons being purchased with an account linked to Umbrella. Then there were the mercenaries at Leon's apartment and the gunmen at Graham Corp – both of whom had been dispatched by The Organization to capture her and retrieve the product. So then how did the sniper fit into all of this? Was he a part of Umbrella… or The Organization? That was when she understood what Helena was getting at. They needed intel from a source on the inside – someone who could give them information on just what exactly was going on here. While she held no faith in any government agency, she could already see the look in the agent's eyes. Helena wasn't going to budge on this issue.

Ada sighed in resignation; knowing her options were limited. "Alright, we'll do this your way, Agent Harper…" She then turned and began moving along the fence line. "… for now."

Once she had made it halfway to the building, she crouched low behind the fence and waited for her partner to catch up. When Helena reached her location, she handed the woman an earpiece and the thermal scanner.

"Stay here and cover the rear exit," she whispered. When the agent tried to object she explained her plan. "With the thermal scanner you can track him and give me real-time data on his movements. I'm not about to let what happened at the Umbrella facility happen here. He's not going to slip by us a second time."

Helena reluctantly agreed. "Keep your eyes open in there," she said as she put the earpiece in. "There's no telling what kind of traps he has in store for you."

"I'll be careful."

Once at the back door, she was relieved to find it unlocked. After reaching the end of the hall that led to the main entrance, Ada removed the handcuffs she'd brought with her and secured them around the metal push bars just in case the shooter got past her. That way he'd have no choice but to exit out the back and into Helena's line of sight.

"Helena," Ada whispered as she began to climb the stairs, "the front entrance has been secured. What's the status of our target?"

"He's still inside his apartment. I don't see any activity on the third floor hallway, so you're clear to move."

That was good to hear. Given her attire, she stood out like a street walker in a convent. If anyone stumbled upon her, most likely they would assume she was a cop and begin screaming a warning to other residents. She had no illusions that this place was full of drugs and other illegal activities. If she encountered anyone, she'd have to take them down fast to prevent that from happening.

Moving with practiced stealth and speed, Ada made her way towards the third floor. As she passed by the filth scattered along the stairwell, it began to amaze her that anyone could live like this. All along the corridors were trash bags, bottles, crack pipes… even human waste. The sniper had certainly picked the last place on earth that anyone would consider looking for him.

After reaching the top of the stairs, Ada carefully opened the door and peered out into the dimly-lit hallway. There was no one within view. As in the stairwell, trash littered the sides of the hall as she silently crept down the long corridor. To her luck, one of the residents was moaning loudly – most likely a hooker servicing a client given the nature of the noise. That would help mask her footsteps as she moved ever-closer towards Leon's killer.

Less than ten yards from the door, Helena's voice froze her in place. "Ada! He's moving towards the door! Find cover before…!" She hadn't heard the rest of the warning. In front of her, the door to the sniper's apartment opened; leaving her with no time to take cover.

That was when she saw him – the man who had killed Leon. He was wearing a black leather jacket over his built frame. From the look of his short-cropped hair, Ada guessed him to be in his late fifties or early sixties. When his eyes locked with hers, he stopped in the entranceway of his apartment. She'd seen those eyes before and immediately recognized the man. He had been the homeless person who had emerged from behind the abandoned Umbrella facility!

Reacting first, Ada immediately brought the tranquilizer gun up and fired. The man quickly slammed the door shut, and the dart bounced harmlessly off the wood.

"Helena! He's on the move!" she yelled while charging for the apartment.

"He must have some type of ladder to the roof because he's climbing up from his room!" the agent replied.

Connecting her foot with the door, the lock immediately broke upon impact. Ada was about to rush in when she caught a flash of movement in front of her. Suddenly, two metallic orbs popped up out of the floor and transformed into four-legged bots. One caught sight of her and immediately began beeping a familiar warning. She'd seen devices like these ten years ago in Spain when Jack Krauser had used them to set a trap for Leon. With that knowledge, she dove toward the left side of the entrance just as the sound of duo explosions sent fire and debris raining out into the hallway.

"Ada!" Helena yelled.

"I'm fine…" she coughed as she pulled herself to her feet. "Where is he?"

"He's on the roof moving east. There's some kind of bridge connecting this building to the adjacent one. I'm going to head him off!"

There was no time to lose. Charging through the fire, she noticed a hole in the ceiling that the shooter had used to escape. Unfortunately, the ladder was lying on the ground amidst the flames. Pulling out her hookshot, Ada grappled herself up and flipped onto the roof. She then caught sight of the shooter as he was crossing the make-shift bridge. When she began to pursue, he turned and fired two rounds in her direction, forcing her into cover. Just as she was about to move again, she then heard two more shots and then the groan of metal. Peering around the corner, she watched as the bridge collapsed to the lot below.

The sniper was already running towards the ledge of the nearby roof; preparing to jump down to the street below. However, before he could make it towards his intended escape route, she heard gunfire coming from the parking lot. Helena was shooting at him with her Beretta! Immediately her hand was on the earpiece. Just as she was about to call off her partner, she noticed that the bullets were impacting in front of the ledge directly in the shooter's path. The man staggered and turned away. Now he was heading towards the stairwell that would lead him down into the apartment building.

After grappling herself across the divide, Ada heard Helena's voice over the earpiece. "Ada! I'm moving into the building! We can trap him on the inside!"

"Copy that. I'm heading down now, Agent Harper."

Now came the dangerous part. Their trap required each of them to play their part in this delicate ballet with a trained killer. As such, Ada carefully moved herself into the stairwell and listened for any signs of the sniper. When she determined the way was clear, she began her descent which led her straight to the third floor. That meant the main stairs leading down and out of the building must be located elsewhere within the complex.

After finding a sign pointing her in the right direction, Ada continued her pursuit. Suddenly, she heard the sounds of gunfire on the floor below. Two shots had come from a Desert Eagle – the same gun that had fired at her back on the roof. The rounds were then followed by loud banging noise coming from the stairwell.

"Ada! He's coming back to you!"

The door to the stairwell was already opening as she crouched low into a shooting stance. When the sniper emerged and turned toward her, she squeezed the trigger. The gun sneezed and sent a dart straight into the man's neck. He staggered for a brief moment before firing wildly in her direction. Instinct took over as she went low and charged straight for him. Lowering her shoulder, she slammed the weight of her body into his stomach which sent both of them crashing through the plate-glass window behind him.

The sound of shattering glass filled her ears and then there was nothing save the open air surrounding them. The descent reminded her of a roller coaster she had ridden once on a spring break trip from college – the feeling of sudden vertigo as the ground came rushing up to meet her.

With a firm grasp on the man's jacket, Ada fell on top of his body as the two of them landed hard on the roof of a car. He tried to struggle against her, but the tranquilizer dart coupled with the fall slowed his movements. Blocking his initial attack, Ada didn't hold back as she countered with a blow straight to the man's jaw… before following up with another. With her first raised, she pulled back and struck him again… and again… and again. Despite the three-story fall, the rage that consumed her now began giving her strength born from adrenalin as it enveloped every part of her being.

"I love you… Ada Wong."

Leon's final words echoed inside her head; a fitting punishment to torment her while the anguish of that moment overwhelmed rational thought. With his last breath, her protector had professed his love for her – a love given but not reciprocated… not until it had been too late. There hadn't been time for her to let him know how much he meant to her – how he was the one bright spot in her dark and dangerous life. She'd never got the chance to tell him how much she loved him, and it broke her heart in ways nothing else on this earth ever would.

"You killed him!" she screamed as she hit him again. His nose was beginning to bleed down his cheeks with from the relentlessness of her blows. "You son of a bitch!" The tears were blinding her now; burning with a pain she would never be able to wash away. "YOU KILLED HIM!"

"Ada, stop!"

A familiar voice called out to her, but she didn't cease… she couldn't. A seething rage had been welling within her from the beginning of this quest and now like a pot of water on a hot stove, it was boiling over. There was no stopping it now. She had failed him – this was all on her. Leon was dead because of HER!

"ADA!" Hands were grabbing at her arm; preventing her attack.

Turning in a fit of rage, she glared menacingly at the person responsible for stopping her vengeance. That was when a sliver of rational thought broke through the haze of anger. Helena was the one standing there looking back at her with a genuine fear in her eyes. All of it was a jolt that brought back to the present.

"Agent Harper?"

Her skin suddenly goose-prickled in a wave of anxiety. She turned back towards the sniper. His face was a beaten and bloody mess. Already a large purple welt had formed on the left side of his face from where she had mercilessly struck him. Now a new fear was replacing the last – had she killed him? Her fingers went to his neck to check for a pulse.

"Is he…?" Helena asked.

To her relief, she found it. "No. He's alive."

After handcuffing him, the two carried his unconscious body back to the car where they shoved him into the trunk and closed the latch. It was over now; they'd done it. After a pursuit that had seemed like an eternity to reach its conclusion, the sniper was finally in her hands.

Leaning against the back of the car, Ada felt a tired sigh leave her lips. Somehow she had believed the foolish notion that every wrong she had ever committed against Leon would be made right if she could just capture his killer. Now that they had apprehended him, it wasn't elation that she was feeling but rather defeat. Regardless of the outcome, Leon was still dead – nothing in this world would change that horrible truth. Even worse, his killer would now reap whatever benefits his cooperation with the DSO would give him. It almost seemed unfathomable that they would even consider cutting him a deal after killing one of their own. Unfortunately, agencies were always looking at the "bigger picture".

Helena leaned back next to her and began describing what would happen next. As Special Agent in Charge, she would have him sent to Guantanamo Bay as an enemy combatant. Maybe the agent thought the infamous location would make everything easier to digest… but she was wrong. Ada knew exactly what the naval base in Cuba was – a terrorist vacation ground complete with three hot meals, entertainment, and a white sandy beach to frolic along. The mere thought of the sniper enjoying beach-side perks only seemed to heighten her anger, but she kept her face passive while listening to the young agent.

"Ada, I know this is a bitter pill to swallow. I don't like it either, but this will help us in the long run in our search for The Organization. Trust me."

Trust me. Those were words that she never took much stock in… except when it came to Leon. Now she'd be trading his murderer for information. Was that truly justice for a man such as him – the only man that she had ever loved?

"I can also help you too," Helena continued. "With your testimony on everything you know about The Organization, I can put a deal on the table to have any and all charges the government has against you dropped. You can have a clean slate, Ada."

She gave the young woman a smile at the offer. "Thank you, Agent Harper. I know that's something Leon would have wanted for me."

Helena smiled in return. "I'll make the call," she said. "You ready to get out of here?"

"Yes…" she replied; knowing what it was that she had to do. "Yes, I am. Go ahead and make the arrangements. I… I just need a moment."

The agent stood. "Okay. I'll wait for you," she said before walking towards the driver's side.

As soon as Helena's back was turned, Ada made her move. Landing a sharp kick to the back of the woman's knee was enough to drop her to her knees. With experience taking over, she already had her left arm around the agent's throat with her right adding pressure.

"Ada…?!" Helena gasped in surprise before fighting against the hold. In the woman's panic, her fingers began clawing into her jacket sleeve in an effort to breathe.

"Shhh… Don't fight it. I promise it'll be quick."

The agent refused to comply and continued to struggle, however her movements were beginning to slow. Before long, the young woman's face had turned a dark shade of red.

"Ada…!" was all Helena could manage one final time.

"I'm sorry, Agent Harper," she replied, "but where I'm going, you can't follow."

With that, she pressed hard against the back of the agent's head. The woman's body jerked as if in a spasm… and then went limp.

Next: Chapter 3-4: Vengeance