Chapter 21

Reversal

His knuckles hit the tiles several times. The pieces tore his hardened skin, but he didn't feel any pain. Cold water ran down his wet hair and shoulders as it washed away the blood that cautiously ran from the cuts in his hands. He didn't feel any pain anymore, only numbness. His frustration, anger and despair were too much to handle at once. Closing his eyes, he let his forehead press against the cool ceramic, trying not to think anything or even feel. He breathed in and out, slowly.

He couldn't go on like this.

There had to be a way out of this.

There was always a way.

He clenched his fists, knowing his hands had already healed back to normal, not even leaving any scars. He was a perfect creature now as well, though he certainly didn't feel like it, more like the complete opposite. But he was fitter and stronger than he ever had been, not to mention his strange new skills. He had let the virus lead his life for too long \ and it was high time to get himself back in order. He could do that. He had to do that.

He had no other choice than fight. He couldn't give in to the despair.

Leon turned off the shower and grabbed one of the black towels that hung on the wall. He recognized the smell from afar, but this time it didn't have as strong a reaction than just less than an hour ago. It still warmed him up from the inside, but in a different way, making him feel more secure. Wesker was there somewhere. The cold-hearted man was there somewhere, in desperate need of help, just like Leon had been so little ago.

He would handle Alex Wesker one day, but not now. After getting the one and only Wesker for him back, he would finally give in to the path of vengeance, but not now. He had the battle of his life still before him. No matter what, he was going to rescue Wesker.

The problem was that the thought didn't trouble him anymore, not even the slightest. Wesker was a bad man, but in the core there might be something else too, locked away from everyone's reach. Or not everyone's, Leon knew he had reached something in the room he had died and returned back to the books of the living. There had been something in Wesker's eyes and voice that was more than just obsession and ruthless planning. No matter how much he thought it over, Wesker had given everything. Albert fucking Wesker had sacrificed his organization, pride, and most of all, himself. Just for one man that was supposed to be his enemy: Leon S. Kennedy.

Leon didn't know what Wesker was thinking, he had never known and he still didn't. Leon couldn't believe it was love between them, but it was some kind of a bond that had already been there before the virus. It had just gotten stronger and Leon felt like he understood Wesker slightly better now, seeing the world with the same sensitive senses and feeling the same burning urges. But Leon still didn't know the reason for Wesker's total behavior and mysteriousness. The man was hiding so many secrets that it would take decades to find them all out, if that were even possible.

But he was going to try and they had all the time in the world for it.

Leon tied the towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door, knowing Gomez was waiting for him anxiously; he could hear his friend's heartbeat from afar. Gomez was in the kitchen, preparing food from what was left in the cabinets. Leon noticed clean clothes on the bed and they were his size, he could tell. As a matter of fact, he really didn't feel like wearing a shirt covered with zombie blood any longer. It had to have been Wesker who had stored clothing for Leon too: Gomez wouldn't have left the apartment in his current condition. Leon couldn't help but smile a bit: before he would have been very disturbed by the fact that Wesker supposed that Leon slept with him regularly.

Leon put the light blue shirt and brown trousers on. They were so different from the usual uniform, made of so much higher quality fabric, reminding him of his casual outfit when he still had lived a somewhat normal life. Suddenly it came to him. The new plan was so much better than trying to trade Chris for Wesker. It could actually work!

"Juan, we have a change in plans," Leon stated when stepping into the kitchen area, startling his friend slightly. Leon couldn't blame him really: he had rushed to the shower mind-broken and confused after what happened with Krauser and now he stood with back straight and chin high. The next time he would see Krauser, he would let him know how to treat his friend: Gomez's bruises were still visible, unlike Leon's. What had happened between him and Krauser, it didn't matter, not anymore. It should never be repeated and that he would make clear to Krauser as well.

Gomez eyed him suspiciously, trying to find out what had caused the reversal in Leon, but he certainly didn't mind it. "Are you sure you're alright, papi?" He had to ask before they would even start talking about plans. "I know we're not going to sleep tonight, but I made something for us to eat."

Leon nodded, leaning against the dining table. He recalled well the morning he had struck Wesker against the table and tried to get some answers. "I'm... getting better. I think I can handle the virus from now on, at least I feel that way. Things just seem so much more sorted out now, I'm sorry about earlier and what happened to you..." Leon decided to be honest with Gomez; he knew the other man wouldn't accept lies about his true condition. He had seen Leon broke down and the guy wasn't stupid enough to believe him if he told him he was okay after one shower.

"You don't need to be sorry, it seemed to have helped. And don't worry about me, I don't think I have broken anything, not even ribs, though Krauser really gave me the treatment of my life." Gomez tried to smile and laugh a bit, but neither of them had forgotten yet the treatment Leon had gotten. "Anyways, sit down, I'm not the best cook in the world but this should do. Then tell me what is the change in plans." Gomez continued before the awkwardness could even reach them.

Leon smiled slightly and nodded again, starting to tell his plan.

-XXX-

It had been easy with Gomez but he still had one thing to do before he could start the rescue mission. He needed Krauser in his plan and Leon wasn't sure if Krauser wanted to assist him in any way. But he had no other choice if he wanted everything to work out as planned. Leon knew Krauser was holding a meeting behind the closed door that was straight in front of him and he wasn't sure what kind of approach he should use when he would enter the room. He sure wanted to hit Krauser's nose out of its place, but the same time he had this annoying uncertainty still creeping inside of him. He didn't want to face Krauser anymore but at the same time he wanted to make the man sorry. It was certainly very complicated; things had been like that between them a very long time already, only now were getting worse.

Leon took a deep breath and made his decision.

He wasn't going to be afraid of Krauser, not now or ever. He opened the double doors with force, keeping his chin high and showing his inhuman eyes. "Krauser, I need a word with you." He stated, not minding the many eyes on him, knowing there were people who used to be his superiors. He glanced at each and every one of them, seeing how scared they were. Krauser had stood up, annoyed but also curious. But he wasn't the first to answer.

"You have no right to be in this room, Kennedy. Wesker is not here to give you any status or protection anymore so behave like that, pet." One of the old officers dared to speak out, trying hard not to show how afraid he really was of Leon. Unfortunately for the old man, Leon had changed. He didn't take orders from anyone anymore, or let anyone insult him. This was the perfect opportunity to show what he was now and what he wanted.

He stepped into the room and before the arrogant officer even understood, Leon already had him on the wall, holding him there from the throat. He wanted to make a statement and that was something that really did it. "Say again, how am I supposed to be behave?" He dropped the man down before he choked, he didn't need to kill this man. Everyone in the room was deadly silent and Leon glanced at Krauser who was smirking in an odd way and then nodded. "Let's talk. Everyone out now," Krauser commanded. His status no one seemed to question and soon the room had only him and Leon.

"I don't want to talk about yesterday," Leon stated bluntly and sat on the corner of the table, hearing the door shut behind him. "So let's cut the crap and talk about things that matter. The B.S.A.A has Wesker and I think I know how to get him out of there, but I need your assistance. I don't like it either, but we have to work together to make my plan work."

Krauser tilted his head slightly, but seemed interested, sitting back on the chair that belonged to Wesker. Finally Krauser broke the silence, chuckling slightly. "Those morons you saw earlier have tried to put up a plan a while now and then you come in telling me you have something better than them." Krauser glanced at Leon who still looked deadly serious. "Strange thing is that I believe your words. Go on, what is this superior plan of yours?"

Leon was grateful that for once they seemed to have the same goal and could forget the past for a while. "At first I thought we could try to trade Redfield for Wesker, but that is not going to work. We still have him here, don't we?" Krauser nodded, smirking evilly, which Leon didn't like. "Anyways, when I brought him here, I didn't reveal my identity to him. We could try to fool him and think I'm still on their side, rescuing him after escaping from Wesker's imprisonment. Having the virus, they will no doubt bring me to the B.S.A.A headquarters for tests. I will find a way to get Wesker out from the inside and then your men will be there to guarantee that we get out of the country. I know it's not a perfect plan, but we don't have any better, do we?"

Krauser was silent, but Leon could tell that his plan was the best they got. Leon decided to continue: "Gomez needs medical attention, but after getting fixed, he could be involved in the mission. I believe in his skills."

"I don't think that will be any problem. I don't have much men left to spare anyways." Krauser grunted. "Leon, I can't give away too many soldiers for this mission: the facility is too vulnerable right now and I need men to back things up and go to another base since this is found out. I have to protect Wesker's work and industry with all the resources I have." Leon had never understood how deeply Krauser admired Wesker and why Krauser trusted him blindly, but Leon wasn't the right person to start questioning Krauser about his motives since Leon was a lot more deeply hooked with Wesker.

"I understand what you're trying to say. I don't need many: only people for the beginning and ending. When I'm going to see Chris, I need soldiers to act as if they were trying to stop us leaving. Then I need a car nearby and the gate suitably open for us. And in the USA, I need people to deliver me and Wesker away from there the moment I say we are ready to escape."

"You make that sound very easy, comrade." Krauser smirked, but for once the smirk was humorous, very close to the same when they had still been partners and worked together. "Since we're running out of time, let's try your plan, but don't get too cocky or think everything between us is settled: we continue from what we left when everything is finally back in order and we have time for old grudges."

"I'll take the deal." Leon smirked back and turned to leave the room when Krauser opened his mouth for one more time.

"You're a good fuck, comrade. Watch over your ass in the USA."

Leon halted for a brief moment, but decided to swallow his comment and left, knowing he had just given Krauser one win in their endless game. Krauser might have won a battle, but not the war yet.

-XXX-

Leon prepared everything for the show. Everyone seemed to be ready to play their role and nobody seemed to have problems with the idea of shooting at Leon. Nevertheless, Leon even put on the clothes in which he had killed dozens of zombies and dirtied his skin to look more like a runaway. He had never been good at acting, but now he had to if he wanted everything to work out.

Leon left the Samurai Edge to a reluctant Gomez who promised to take good care of it till they met again. Leon selected his normal gear instead and then ran to the cells, starting the hardest mission of his life. He had to betray Chris and everyone he had once thought were his friends.

He felt horrible but it was something he had to do. He couldn't step out of this road anymore; it was too late.

Leon put the right code in the door and then rushed in like he had been looking for the code for a small eternity. Chris was sitting on a bed, his arms and legs cuffed together. Seeing Chris's long stubble and suffering eyes, Leon already regretted his plan slightly. It had felt so much easier when he wasn't face to face with his long time friend. Hardening his heart, Leon stuck to his role.

"Chris! I thought I'd never find you here. Stay still, I'll get those off." He shouted and ran to Chris, starting to take off the cuffs with they keys he conveniently had with him.

"Leon, what-" Chris's confusion was obvious, but he soon caught up with what was supposedly going on. "Have they kept you here as well? Has there been an outbreak?" Chris had seen the shirt and jumped to conclusions. It was just like Leon wished.

"I've been Wesker's experiment since my mission in Spain." Leon showed his eyes and Chris's jaw dropped. "Yes, there was an outbreak and that's how I managed to finally escape from here. I'd love to answer your questions, but we really have to go!" Leon nudged Chris on his feet and Chris followed him out of the building without further questions, knowing they had to hurry before anybody would notice.

"I thought you were dead." Chris mumbled when they ran though the corridors. Leon glanced back at his former friend, smirking: "You of all people should know that we heroes can't be killed that easily." The veteran smirked back; both of them had gone through more horrors than anyone else and lived to tell the stories.

They rushed to the car Leon had prepared for them and the guards played their roles perfectly, shooting and shouting at them as they escaped through the gate just in time. It was all too perfect, but Chris didn't seem to notice anything wrong. The older man sighed in relief and leaned against the bench, tired but happy. "You can't know how glad I was to see you, Leon, after such a long time. I was in your funeral with Claire. I can't wait to see her face when she finds out the truth about you." Leon smiled back to Chris, hardly able to hide his real thoughts. Oh gosh, Claire's face would really be worth seeing when she would find out that Leon had been Wesker's lover and finally changed sides for a man that had assaulted Claire as well, just to irritate Chris. Leon felt his heart throb slightly. He didn't want to hesitate on his decision. It was already too late for it.

"Where are we exactly?" Chris asked and Leon figured it didn't matter if he told the truth since the facility was moving out soon. "In Russia, I don't know much better it is, but there is a private airport nearby. Do you still remember how to fly?" Leon teased, trying to forget his real motives and act like he used to be. It was easier than he thought since it felt like nothing had ever happened when he had met Chris again. But in reality, too much had happened.

Chris chuckled. "I can never forget. It's like riding a bike: once you learn, you never forget. It might be hard to get the plane up in this cold climate and the weather isn't the best either, but I think I can make some miracles."

"That's exactly what we need." Leon smirked back.

Miracles were exactly what Leon needed to get everything work out as planned.

-XX-

Wesker had the weirdest dream he had ever had.

The chemicals irritated his nose; Birkin had once again tried something new and failed miserably in it, but Wesker couldn't be too hard on the younger blond man. Birkin was a genius and had already succeeded in so many experiments that had made him head researcher of Umbrella, besides Wesker, who had been created to be a genius. At first they had been rivals and Wesker had hated Birkin's guts since he always seemed to be able to outweigh him, but after spending many endless hours in the same laboratory, they had developed a friendship and then more.

"Will, you should rest. That's enough for today."

"No it's not! I can make this a success. You will see, Al. You will see it soon."

"I highly doubt you will have it done before the sunrise. Get your ass up and go to bed, Will."

Birkin turned on his chair, laughing. The light blue eyes mocked him, but all the same they accepted the challenge. Wesker sighed and shook his head. "Everyone else left hours ago."

"And you're still there, Al. Are you getting bored?"

"I don't recall saying so."

"Always so stiff." Birkin rose from the chair to stand in front of Wesker, being a head shorter than Wesker. Birkin had just turned nineteen where Wesker was in his early twenties, but it always seemed that Birkin ruled the tempo despite the age. Birkin reached his hand up and removed the sunglasses, revealing Wesker's icy green eyes. "You should go see Annette if you're planning what I'm thinking you are." Wesker stated in his usual uninterested tone.

"I need her only to get a child of my own. I don't love her. I've already told you that."

"And during that you want us to stay as we are? Having sex in the laboratory when no one is there to see?"

"Pretty much so. What do you say? Shall we continue?"

Suddenly Birkin's smirking face faded away with the whole laboratory. Soon the entire scenario was different; it was another memory from the past many years ago. He had figured it out now that his dreams were memories, those that he had buried inside him and wished would go away for eternity if he thought they didn't exist.

"Captain, is something wrong?"

Wesker's gaze rose from the documents. "Close the door." He commanded with a solid tone. The times were different now. Birkin had gotten married and had a daughter, Sherry. Wesker hadn't been in the christening even though he had been invited. He had other work to do now and until Birkin had the virus ready for him, Wesker had little to say to his former lover.

He had been positioned to this city as the special unit captain and he had to make sure no one suspected Umbrella of anything. If he didn't have these imbeciles as his subordinates, he might have actually enjoyed the freedom of being away from laboratories.

"Chris, this is the third time I asked you to my office. What is your excuse this time for your behavior?"

"Hey, I saved them all!" Chris put both of his hands on the desk and glared at Wesker's shades. "I disobeyed your orders, but with no disrespect captain, they were bullshit. If we had waited even a while longer, every hostage would have died in there!"

"That's my decision to make, Redfield!" Wesker stood up from the chair and hit his hands on the desk as well. The headstrong brunet always managed to make him lose his temper; no one else had the same power over him. "Christopher Redfield, I've given you a warning twice and you still can't understand. I shouldn't have hired you in the first place. I can see very well now why you got suspended from the air force."

"So what are you going to do then, captain? Fire me for saving all those people? Do it! I have nothing to regret."

"I'll make you regret it!"

Wesker had known their discussion would end up in fighting and therefore he had asked Chris to come to his office after working hours. He grabbed Chris's white shirt and before even knowing it, he did the worst mistake of his life and kissed the younger male on the lips without any hesitation. Much to his surprise, Chris didn't resist him. He had expected things to go in total different direction.

After developing a passionate relationship, he hadn't been able to kill Chris in the Arklay Mountains and instead, spared his life. He had sworn he would never allow it again and let someone move him to make such mistakes.

The moment he had seen Leon, he had known he should kill him. The light blue eyes and blond hair reminded him of William Birkin, where the stubbornness and heroism reminded him of Chris Redfield. But at the same time, Leon was completely different in his own sarcastic and headstrong way. Leon S. Kennedy entertained him more than any other human being had ever been able to.

Leon had the ability of making him forget all the things he had sworn himself not to do ever again. In the end, he had gotten to this point where he started doubting himself and what he was. Could he still feel something else other than anger and hatred? Could someone actually mean something to him?

As ridiculous as it seemed, he actually could and he wasn't so bothered about it.

Perhaps due to the fact he was in a coma and totally unaware of it.

A/N

Happy new year everyone! We have already passed the second anniversary of the story and I'd like to thank you all for your support and enthusiasm, especially my lovely beta reader. Without you guys, I wouldn't be continuing this story one chapter after another. I wish I have been able to give you as much as you have been giving me.

This is getting interesting isn't it? Can Leon stay with his decision to the very end? Will Chris find out the truth behind Leon's lies? Does Wesker survive from the coma? What will happen when Leon gets back to the USA?

Imagine more questions by yourself. Anywho, we are just getting started here.

See ya soon again!

Hine