Note:Back from spending Thanksgiving with my family--hope you all had enjoyable holidays. Now it's back to the grind, and here is another chapter for your reading pleasure. Glad to see the reviews trickling in, as well as a lot of you adding this story to your favorites, as well as myself as a favorite author! How nice of you! Coming to the point of this beginning-of-chapter note, I have to clarify something that pops up in reviews I've been getting lately. I've been getting a number of reviews from those of you who are Ashley x Leon shippers--which are all well and good. The more female gamers and readers I can gather is great--Resident Evil is one of those series that features both female and male lead characters, good and evil. However, a couple of you shippers seem to slightly frown on the fact that I give Ada more screen time than I do Ashley. I do this for a few reasons:

--One, Ada is in fact, a main character. Not only does she play a very pivotal role in the events of RE4, she is also a pivotal character in RE2, which was also Leon's debut. Leon and Ada establish a relationship in the game, helping each other get out of Raccoon City. Not to delve too much into the plot of Resident Evil 2, but there is a definite romantic element between these two characters. As such, those two characters, their past relationship and interaction, carries over into here. In the game itself, much of what goes on behind the scenes during Leon's game are directly caused by Ada. Play the "Separate Ways" scenario in the PS2 or Wii version of the game.

--Two, Ashley doesn't do a whole lot in this game. She gets kidnapped and recaptured many times in the game, and doesn't have much screen time at all. All the scenes I write with solely Ashley are not even in the game. I add them because I want to build her character. To me, she is a bit more than the sniveling, whiny, stuck-up bitch that she is in the game. She's scared. Panicked. Frightened. Slightly lustful.

--Three, play Leon's scenario of Resident Evil 2 if you haven't already. As much as many of you would like to see me thrown in a hot, steamy sex scene between Leon and Ashley, it's not going to happen in this story. That's a far, far deviation away from the canon of the game and the series, and it doesn't fit. Playing this game and playing RE2, Leon's more likely to have a one-nighter with Ada. Also, by playing RE2, you'll have a much better understanding of Leon and Ada's characters.

Don't be disappointed, though! After this is done, I may write up a Leon x Ashley blurb to thank all those shippers who've read my story and reviewed it!

Chapter Twenty: Former Comrades

NO! NOT AGAIN!

He managed to reach into one of his storage pouches, and mustering up his strength against the pain, he fished out and hurled a tiny object through the air before collapsing back down onto the concrete floor. It landed on Ashley's back, and attached itself to her shirt. A tiny red light began flashing. Saddler, too caught up in his actions, didn't notice the small homing device placed on her back. Leon tried to get up and grab his gun, but the pain, the intense agony kept him from so much as getting one knee on the ground.

Ashley's body slowly walked up the few steps to the platform where the controlling monster stood. He held out his hand to Ashley, almost as if it was a kind gesture. She placed her hand inside his, and then, silently, the two of them turned and began slowly walking away from Leon, walking toward an unseen exit. Several seconds after they were out of his sight, the wracking pains suddenly stopped, and Leon collapsed in a heap on the floor, breathing heavily as he began to regain control of his body.

Fuck you too, Saddler…

He got to his feet a minute later, and anger began to take the place of fading pain. How many more times was he going to let Ashley get back into the enemy's possession? Every time he regained possession, Saddler always figured out a way to get it right back. However, using his mind control was going too far. It was one thing to physically take her--it was another thing to hypnotize her and make her his slave. Next time he saw him, he'd waste no time with talk--he'd open fire at his head. He wouldn't even give Saddler a second to chuckle like he was in control all along.

And so, once again, the agent found himself playing catch-up. Where she was now was anyone's guess, but he wasn't going to get anywhere standing here. Grabbing his shotgun, he ran up the stairs and saw a door toward the direction where Ashley and Saddler went. Past the door, he ran down the hall and hung a left, which then brought him to a staircase.

What's that noise?

He was hearing something, a noise that sounded like hissing coming from somewhere close by. It was getting progressively lighter and warmer, lighter in the sense that he was approaching an area with electric light as opposed to sky. He did notice that the walls and ceiling was lined with an interconnected series of pipes and vents, and as he reached the bottom of the stairwell, the noise was growing louder. He had come upon a furnace or boiler room. Three large incinerators were in full power; large, hot masses of metal storing and burning whatever was inside--coal, garbage, bodies, whatever, most likely to power some part of the island. And oh, it was hot.

Whoever works here has a real shitty job…

Heat and gas escaped from small cracks in the vents and pipes, but other than that, the area looked fairly sound. Moving straight ahead, he went through the only doorway, and quickly noticed the change in temperature from humid heat to nighttime cold. It was dark in here once again, with only slits and windows high along the wall allowing in natural light. Regardless, the coming of dawn and what moonlight remained cast enough of a pale white glow throughout this new area, enough for Leon to see anyway. As he jogged along the corridor and hung a left, he could see through the metal fencing that this was a large room, a place the size of a warehouse. Several tall metal tanks were in and about the area, and for the moment, all was quiet.

He came upon another powered lift, which he stepped on and powered up. It didn't take long, less than ten seconds, until the lift stopped on the second floor of this large warehouse. He found himself on a straight and narrow path, and he could easily see that the path opened up onto a wide clearing of sorts, possibly used as some sort of staging area. Above him were several catwalks and very narrow walkways, but none of them leading to any sort of exit.

As he walked along the path and into the clearing, he heard a noise that stopped him immediately--it sounded like a footstep on the metal floor coming from just feet behind him.

I'm not alone, it seems…

He waited. A second went by.

Then another.

And another.

Leon reached to his shoulder sheath and drew his combat knife, and poised himself for attack. Quickly, he spun around and slashed the blade in front of him--

--and sliced into empty air. No one was behind him. He darted his eyes left and right, still alert.

Someone's there, I know it…

Suddenly, a loud sound of metal and someone running came from above, and as Leon looked above, he saw a man in the air, grabbing a pipe on the descent, and was quickly coming down with a knife over the agent's head--

--and he dove out of the way as the man hit the floor with a loud clang, but not quick enough; the sharp blade cut into Leon's cheek. It was a flesh wound, but it was bleeding noticeably.

Fuck, that's sharp!

As Leon rolled over, he got up and faced his attacker, an angry look across his face as he wiped the blood away with onto the glove covering his free left hand.

He looks familiar…

The man remained crouched for a few seconds while a few drops of Leon's blood dripped off the tip of the knife and hit the floor. As he got up, he remained in battle stance and fixed his hard, cold gaze on his target, the man who Wesker ordered be killed. The man he was once friends with.

"Been a long time, comrade," he said to the bleeding agent.

Leon's eyes opened in obvious shock as the scarred face and deep voice rang in his memory--a memory of a man who was his former training partner, a man who was once great friends with him, a man who was an excellent soldier and ally…

…and a man who was supposed to be dead.

No…it can't be! You died in that helicopter crash…

"Krauser!" Leon exclaimed. He lowered his guard, lowering his right arm, the knife-wielding arm, and looked on as Krauser too did the same and began to walk clockwise.

"I died in the crash two years ago…is that what they told you?"

And suddenly, it all became abundantly clear to Leon. All the intelligence, all the information he had leading up to this point, the speculation, the possible leads, everything--everything was crystal clear, blazing in Leon's mind like a branding iron.

You kidnapped Ashley!

His mouth caught up to his brain an instant later, and he too began to circle in tandem with Krauser. "You're the one who kidnapped Ashley!"

Krauser didn't even look up, his mind preoccupied with the blood-tipped weapon in his hands, but he acknowledged the remark with a smirk. "You catch on quick, as expected." He closed the distance between them, and continued twirling that knife in his finger. "After all, both you and I know where we come from." Suddenly, he turned around and lunged with his knife, almost catching the agent off guard. Leon quickly moved out of the way and swiped the air toward Krauser's already scarred face, forcing him back as Leon returned another lunge at his assailant's face.

One more won't hurt…

Now both of them returned to their defensive stances with knifes held out, circling the floor beneath them as if in a dance.

"What do you want?" Leon asked angrily.

Krauser grunted and swiped in a wide arc at Leon, who moved back to avoid the blade, and before Leon had time to return the favor, Krauser cut through the air upwards, attempting a slicing uppercut and missing Leon's torso by mere inches.

"The sample Saddler developed, that's all," Krauser replied, resuming his defensive stance. The two of them continued their dangerous dance, looking for a moment to catch the other off guard.

Krauser lunged again, this time for Leon's neck, letting out another loud grunt. Leon matched him once again, raising his own blade in defense. The metal collided, showering some sparks on the ground as Leon deflected the blade. The agent spun around quickly, and now the two of them had reversed positions.

You've fucking lost it, Krauser!

Heart pounding and breathing heavily, the agent looked at his former comrade with a look of complete contempt and bitter scorn.

"Leave Ashley out of this!" Leon yelled.

"Oh, I needed her to buy Saddler's trust in me," Krauser began, walking behind a barrel lying on the ground. He lowered his weapon and gazed at the defending Leon. "Like you, I'm American."

YOU FUCKING BASTARD--

Suddenly, with a loud grunt, the attacker kicked the heavy metal drum into the air with superhuman strength as if the container was simply a football.

SHITSHITSHIT--

His body reacting solely on pure reflex, Leon's free arm raised and swiped the metal barrel coming directly at his face, knocking it out of the way just in time to see Krauser running right at him with his knife raised high, going right for his neck--

--and Leon brought the knife up as he was falling, his blade meeting Krauser's in midair, deflecting the dangerous weapon, sending some more sparks into the air as the knives met with a loud slicing sound.

The dangerous dance and deliberate acrobatics continued on as Leon did a backwards somersault, landing squarely on his feet at the exact moment Krauser's hands hit the metal grating, which then was followed by a flip backward so that the two of them had their backs faced each other. Leon's face was twisted in rage, not believing what Krauser was saying.

"You got her involved just for that?!" Leon yelled, and then without warning, he got up and rushed Krauser, lunging and stabbing the air at him. Krauser deflected each attack, and for several seconds, the two of them traded attacks and parries, dodges and attempted blows, darting around the wide floor like a dangerous, delicate ballet. Rage took hold of Leon, and in one desperate attack, he slashed at his attacker--

--and the blade met shirt and skin, ripping a long diagonal gash up Krauser's torso which instantly became a bloody tear and forced Krauser back several steps.

One for you, Krauser…and now one for me…

If Krauser was in any pain, he didn't show any obvious emotion. Leon, still running high on adrenaline and covered in sweat, resumed his defensive position. The undead comrade grinned, chuckled, and then charged at the agent, and once again they engaged in close quarters combat.

You're mine, Krauser!

Leon was ready for his charge, and suddenly, he gripped the thick, muscular wrist of the former soldier and twisted it as hard as he could, forcing him to turn around. As Leon attempted to cut Krauser's face, it was as if Krauser knew his attack pattern, and stopped Leon's hand. Both of them remained deadlocked in each other's arms for several seconds, grunting and gritting teeth, as each one tried to force the other to concede. Unexpectedly, Krauser grabbed Leon's arm and spun him around, then delivered a quick kick to the agent's back. The force knocked the knife out of Leon's hand, and he hit the floor front first with a loud thud, knocking the wind out of him. His knife landed several feet away from him. Krauser now had the advantage.

I'm done--he's got me…

Krauser stood several feet from his fallen man, looking at him with complete disgust.

"All for Umbrella's sake…"

What?

Leon perked up, gasping. "Umbrella?"

Krauser looked up, his attention diverted for the briefest moment. "Almost let it slip…"

Well, well, well…

"Enough talk! DIE, comrade!" Before Leon could grab his knife, Krauser leapt through the air, knife held high and pointed down as he was going for Leon's heart. Summoning his strength, Leon raised his arms and wrapped them around Krauser's wrist just as he landed, the tip of the blade inches away from his neck. It began to descend slowly, Krauser's strength overpowering Leon's.

I…can't…hold!

Grunting, he could see Krauser's determined look, forcing with all of his strength downward as Leon tried to force his arm away. It kept descending slowly and slowly, the shiny messenger of death barely two inches from his neck, and Leon knew that Krauser was stronger, had more endurance. He was finished.

ASHLEY…no! NO!

It was all going to end right here, but he had to keep moving. His arms were at the breaking point, ready to give and let the knife pierce his body--

--when suddenly, a shot rang out from above. The bullet hit the knife with a sharp pingand knocked it out of Krauser's hands and onto the floor. Quickly noticing the brief distraction, Leon pulled his leg back and kicked the distracted attacker squarely in the chest, knocking him down to the ground. The agent quickly rolled to one side and got up fast, then looked in the direction of where the shot came from. Coming into view on one of the catwalks to his left was his newfound savior--

"Ada!" Leon yelled.

Krauser got to his feet and looked at the traitor. "Well, if it isn't the bitch in the red dress."

With her gun pointed directly at Krauser's chest, she looked down at the two men and smiled. "It looks like we have the upper hand here."

Krauser chuckled, and then he leapt high into the air with inhuman strength and agility onto a ledge that was a good twenty feet above Leon.

Holy hell!

The surprised Leon took several steps toward Krauser, then stopped and withdrew his gun.

"You may be able to prolong your life," Krauser began angrily, "but it's not like you can escape your inevitable death, is it?"

Before Leon could reply, Krauser ran off, leaving Ada and Leon alone.

Several seconds later, after Krauser's footsteps faded into silence, Leon walked over and picked up Krauser's discarded knife as Ada jumped off and landed on the platform where the two men were fighting moments earlier.

"You…knew each other?" Ada asked, walking towards Leon.

"More or less," he replied. "Maybe it's about time you told me the reason why you're here?"

Ada walked right past him, not even so much as looking at him.

"Maybe some other time," she said.

All he could do was look at her back as she kept right on going, resisting the urge to pull her black ribbon that trailed around her neck and demand some answers. Her delicately curved body moved sensuously in her red dress, and he noticed the distinct movement of her deliciously formed ass as she walked toward the railing. Not even bothering with any more words, she leaped over the railing and out of sight, and Leon was once again left alone in silence--this time, with some answers and some new questions.

Still playing that game, Ada…just how long are you going to keep me in the dark for?

Looking down at the blade of Krauser in his hand, he saw his own reflection in the shiny metal. A pensive, contemplative, dirt-stained and slightly bloodied face stared back at him.

Krauser…back from the dead, it seems. Makes perfect fucking sense now about how Ashley got kidnapped. We suspected it was an insider all along…and no one would even think that a dead guy could do something like kidnapping the President's daughter. A dead man makes the perfect insider, the perfect man for the job. And for what? Umbrella? What the hell kind of reward did Umbrella wave in his face to do something so stupid? Did they make an offer to him he couldn't refuse? I wonder if he too works for Saddler…or for Wesker like Ada does. Looks like I was right about Umbrella not fully down and out…all we did was attack the external persona, the façade. Regardless--

The beeping of his communications device interrupted his train of thought.

Figures. Now what?

He grabbed the device and took the call, and in a couple of seconds, the image of a hoodless Saddler came into view, smiling at the annoyed agent.

Bastard. It's like he's watching my every move.

"Enjoy the reunion with your old friend?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Leon replied.

"Wonderful," he said, maintaining his ceaseless grin. "I wouldn't want my special guests on the island feeling unattended."

"Guess I'm supposed to thank you, right?"

"There's no need," the leader replied. "But…since you're here, I want to introduce you to another friend of mine. He should keep you busy."

Great. Most likely another monster.

"Can't remember his name? Perhaps you're having a senior moment," Leon quipped.

Saddler let out a hearty chuckle at that line.

You won't be laughing when I fill your head with lead, Saddler…

"Enjoy the fun," was all Saddler said before he ended the call, leaving Leon alone with his thoughts once again.

Prick.

Attempting to call back would be useless, and for the moment, Leon was free to continue forward on his objective to recover Ashley--again. However, now he had the added bonus of watching out for both Krauser and this new monster Saddler was sending Leon's way. Putting the device away, he still was holding Krauser's knife in his hand, the knife that nearly killed Leon.

Krauser, you've become nothing more than Umbrella's slave…

With one quick motion, he threw the knife over the ledge. Before the blade even hit the concrete floor, he was off and running to the other end of the warehouse in search for an exit.

A minute later, after jumping down off of two platforms to find the door, he found himself standing in a strange, metallic room with tiled floor. All around him, the walls were shiny like they were made of polished metal, and directly ahead was a shiny set of double doors made from the same polished metal. Several monitors and control panels were placed about the room. Opening the double doors immediately yielded a long and narrow, brightly lit corridor. It looked like a tight fit--only several feet wide and not much taller than Leon, perhaps a foot or two.

Hmm…

He slowly took several steps into the corridor, looking all around the white walls for any signs of surveillance equipment. He wasn't deep into the confined hallway when suddenly; several tiny black devices appeared from hidden spots in the walls, forcing him to come to a dead stop. They sparked a bit, and then shot three red hot laser wires just inches from where Leon stood. Two vertical wires moved left and right, crossing each other as they passed by while a third wire, horizontally moved directly up and down, spanning the narrow distance from wall to wall. As he felt the heat coming off the red beams, he realized that these weren't lasers meant to trip an alarm--these were meant to slice right into you and melt you.

A laser grid. Cute. Looks like this is a place that requires the tightest of security; didn't expect Saddler to take a tip from the movies, though.

He waited simply for the lasers to move and create an opening wide enough for him to go through. The agent needed only a few seconds before seeing his chance and ran through, but only made another few feet before another series of tripwires shot in front of him--this series harder than the previous one. Two wires spanned horizontally in front of him, moving up and down while two vertical wires moved horizontally. As they moved, they formed an X as they passed each other while a third vertical wire moved quickly back and forth. Again, he was faced with another situation of simply waiting for the lasers to be in a position where they made an opening for him to creep through.

Leon scoffed as he went through the second series, then moved forward another ten or so feet when suddenly, about ten more feet away from him, another series of hot lasers turned on. This time, it was a series of five horizontal wires moving in all directions, and they were moving at him, coming quickly toward him.

Oh, shit.

There was no turning back now. As they moved and twisted, he could see a large opening forming in the center of them, and without a moment to lose, Leon dove, arms held out--

--and he dove through the opening created by the beams, landing on the floor as the last of them passed without even grazing him. He barely got to his feet when he saw ten or twenty more of those small black devices appearing only a few feet in front of him, now the last series between him and the exit. As he began to pass them, they began to spark and power up. Suddenly, Leon had a second to act.

Goddamn it!

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It turns out that old man Saddler wasn't buying me from the start. Even though I succeeded in kidnapping Ashley, I sort of sensed this when Saddler didn't completely let me in the loop. Under the circumstances, I had no other alternative but to call for her assistance.

He was emerging from an underground tunnel below; making his way past a campground that had recently been vacated, which was most likely a camp for some of Saddler's men. If anything, they were probably getting ready for his comrade to come through the commando base, not far from where Krauser was going. Leon was proving more difficult than he anticipated, but it needn't matter. He had only been saved by dumb luck. Had it not been for that bitch, he'd long since been dead and been able to give a successful report to Wesker. Krauser had been skeptical about the mysterious Ada Wong from the start, despite Wesker's recommendation.

Perhaps she knew this was the way it was going to turn out all along. My guess is that her ultimate goal might be different from Wesker's and mine.

He came to a large, tall door that led to the abandoned ruins of the old fortress. Crouching, he jumped high into the air, higher than any normal human could ever possibly leap. He cleared the top of the door nearly twenty feet off the ground and landed squarely on his feet on the other side. He was heading to the ruined fortress for one reason and one reason alone--he knew that Leon had to come through here to proceed any further. While the old site itself was no longer active, the labyrinthine layout of the area provided Krauser with an excellent tactical advantage.

This is just the perfect opportunity to find out. And after I get rid of Leon and retrieve the sample…

With Leon having no choice but to venture through here, he was certain that he'd be able to accomplish his objective and get rid of Leon once and for all. Besides, Ashley was being kept under Saddler's control in an area not too far from where the ruined fortress was. Krauser was lusting for blood, and so was the parasite inside him. The former soldier could feel his left arm tingling, as if it was crying out for the dark crimson liquid. There would be no more games. He had been foolish to have a dialogue with Leon rather than just killing him right on the spot. Quick and easy. However, he wanted to enjoy it, prolong Leon's demise as long as he could. He wanted to see Leon's face twist and contort in utter pain as he felt the cold steel of death upon him. He wanted to hear Leon scream in total agony as the knife impaled him, cut through his flesh and muscle like a piece of paper. Now, though, he'd leave it to his strength and brute force, which easily could overpower Leon, especially when he saw what lay hidden beneath the skin and muscle of that arm.

It very nearly happened, Leon's bitter demise…until the bitch ruined it, ruined his glorious moment, the chance to see his old partner die such a sweet, exciting and slow death. She too would pay with her life. He had always seen her as untrustworthy, and coming to his defense proved it. Maybe they'd been lovers some time ago. Nevertheless, he wanted to enjoy killing her too…perhaps he'd fuck her first. He wanted to enjoy her sweet, sexy body; her delicious, delicate curves, her sweet inner juices, and the feeling of warm, tight muscle around his shaft as he pounded with reckless abandon into her small, lithe body. Just the thought was sending a bolt of desire to his genitals.

And when I'm done with her, I'll put her in a body bag along with Leon and send them both to Wesker. However, first things first…

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END OF CHAPTER. Keep reading and reviewing!