Authors Note: Alright! Here we are with another chapter of this tale of mine. We've come a long way since the beginning! I can hardly believe that we're already here! Woooo hoooo! This chapter will be long and filled with angst, gore, action, and witty comments from our coolest, favorite crew! Prepare yourselves for the under world... Ha Haaaaa! Naaaw, just read and enjoy.
Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality
Chapter 25: Reunited and it Feels so Bad
"Put your hands where I can see them," came the familiar, smooth feminine voice. Leon saw from the siblings facial expressions that it was definitely who he thought it was.
He didn't even bother raising his hands as he spoke. "Sorry, but following a lady's lead just isn't my style."
Apparently that didn't sit well with the lady in red.
"Put them up now," she spoke in a firmer tone.
Leon looked at the Redfields, giving them a determined look. They exchanged silent messages, and kept out of this particular confrontation. Leon would be facing his past on his own terms.
He cocked his head, then made his move. Quickly, in a blink of an eye, he turned and grabbed Ada's arm and twisted it to disarm her. He grabbed her gun and held her shoulder to keep her still. Ada turned her head and gave him a surprised look, grunting from the painful pinch. But she in turn, turned his small victory around. She did a back flip kick, knocking the gun from his hand.
Not caring that the agent preferred to handle this on his own, Claire quickly took out her guns and aimed while her brother raised his Blacktail. Leon took out his knife and flipped it to get in his knife stance. He then quickly charged the spy, who was almost finished with her flip. The gun twirled in the air and fell directly in her hand. She smiled as she turned, thinking she had the upper hand. But as it turned out, she didn't. Leon was there, with his knife to her throat while his hand grabbed her tiny wrist in a firm grip.
"A bit of advice, try using a knife next time. Works better for close encounters," Leon said while taking her gun away.
He walked toward the siblings, her gun in hand. Without even looking, he disarmed it and tossed it near the opened window. Turning around, he watched the sleek, dangerous woman with a steady gaze. Her usual emotionless mask slipped as she offered him a small, genuine, smile.
"Leon," she said while taking off her rose tinted glasses before continuing, "Long time no see."
Leon gave her a sad look. The sad truth about the woman he had come to care deeply for in the short time he knew her, now was establishing itself without a single word of confirmation from Ada's lips.
"Ada... So it is true," he said while he started to move around.
Ada cocksedher head and said coyly, "True? About what?"
Leon looked at her and glared daggers.
Stop playing games, Ada.
"You, working for Wesker," he accused in a cold tone.
Chris gripped his gun harder after hearing that bit of news. He never met the woman before, but from what Leon told him, she was a dead woman who had changed for the better. Looks like he was wrong.
Ada held the rose tinted shades loosely at her side, and pressed a tiny button with one finger as it stroked the edge. She dropped the trivial object to the floor as if due to being taken off guard for a second. The truth was, she was attempting to keep the conversation going so she can make her escape.
"I see that you've been doing your homework."
Chris's eyes roam over to Leon's back. He possibly knew she was alive? And he knew that Wesker hired her? Why didn't he tell him?
"Why Ada," Leon asked, his tone taking a sad, pleading one. He so desperately wanted answers.
"What's it to you," Ada spat out rather harshly, playing the heartless spy to a tee. She didn't mean for it to come out that way, but her feelings were irrelevant when it came to a mission. She had to play the part perfectly to complete her goal.
"Why are you here? Why did you show up," Leon continued to question with emotion simmering more to the surface.
Why are you alive?
Ada looked down, then away, trying to hide how his silent, unasked question affected her. She scoffed a bit to show her fake indifference. Suddenly, Leon and the Redfields hear the beeping sound from Ada's glasses. Looking over, the agent grows suspicious steps back.
"It's a flash grenade," Chris exclaimed as he points his gun at Ada, willing to shoot tp stop her from escaping, and getting answers of his own.
Leon noticed and quickly cried, "Chris! No!"
BANG! FLASH! The glasses go off. Everyone covers their eyes as Ada runs to the opposite direction. She quickly rolls over and collects her Blacktail. As the smoke clears, the trio see Ada by the window, smiling.
"See you around. And it was nice to see you again, Claire."
With that said, she climbed through the window and used her grappling gun to help her across the garden. She could hear Leon crying out her name, trying to stop her.
"You should have let me shoot her, Leon. Maybe then we could have gotten some answers," Chris said angrily.
Leon whips around and stomped over to the slightly older man.
"I don't think killing her would get answers, Chris," he said while baring his teeth.
An expression of anger crossed the ex-STARS member's face. Chris inched closer and replied, "I wouldn't have killed her, dumb-a-s. It would have just have been a flesh wound. But maybe, someone has to kill her so we don't get stabbed in the back."
"If you-" Leon began, but was interrupted before he could escalate the emotional disagreement further. Claire pushes them apart, keeping them away from each other.
"Guys, this is not the time to argue! Get your heads on straight before I do it for you. And trust me, you don't want me to do it," Claire warned them with a withering stare to boot. The guys look away and didn't respond. Chris broke the silence first.
"Why didn't you tell me that Ada was working for Wesker," Chris asked in a low voice.
Leon sighed and starteds to rub the back of his neck.
"I didn't know for sure. As you know, I've been trying to track Wesker with the resources I now have, but it hasn't been easy. I heard from one resource that a ex-spy has crossed over and joined Wesker. I didn't believe that it was Ada because I thought I watched her die... Guess I was wrong," Leon responded, his voice turning into a whisper with the last sentence. Chris nodded, and paused with a stern expression still lingering. After a beat, he sighed and gave a tired groan.
"Will we ever get away from anything that's connected with Umbrella," Chris asked while giving Leon a half smile.
Leon shrugged and said in a lighter tone, "Destiny forbids it, I guess."
R
Ada landed near the second fountain, her heeled feet landing gracefully. She ran over to the fountain, and reloaded her gun. Her satellite phone beeped, indicating that Wesker was calling. Truthfully, she would rather ignore the call. He wasn't the person she wanted to talk to at the moment. The man was very intuitive, and had a knack of reading a person to the smallest detail. But she didn't feel like explaining why she refused one of his calls without a valid reason. Especially since he had that handy satellite to spy the goings in this dangerous part of Europe. Sighing, she grabbed it from her electrical leg holster on her other leg. Holding the rectangular technology out, she answered it with a cold look.
Wesker's emotionless face appeared on the screen. His black shades hiding his inhuman eyes.
"Luis has succeeded in recovering the sample. He's waiting in the castle," he said while a visual of the map was displayed on the screen. He continued, "Get in contact with him, ASAP."
"Understood."
Wesker's face reappeared on the screen.
"And that U.S. government lapdog, Leon. If you do happen to come in contact with him, put him out of commission. We can't let him interfere with our plans," Wesker said as an after thought.
Ada almost let her mask slip off as worry bloomed in the pit of her stomach. She tried to sound as nonchalant as possible as she replied, "He has no idea what is going on. He's nothing to worry about."
Wesker's face took on an authoritative tone as he replied, "He's a survivor of Raccoon City. We can do without the extra distraction. Take him out now."
The screen went black, indicating that the discussion was over. Ada cursed under her breath as she holstered the phone. She turned with weary slowness and looked at the open door.
"Leon," she said with a sad tone.
R
"Will that be all strangers," the merchant asked curiously. They didn't buy much, just upgraded some guns and bought a first aid spray. They at least sold some items, but that was it.
Leon gave a nod as he left the room. He still wasn't speaking much to Claire, but at least she got a grunt out of him.
The merchant noticed how tense it was between the three of them. He could tell that the most of the tension was between Leon and Claire. If he didn't know any better, he think they had a lovers tiff.
As Claire walked by him, he put a hand on her shoulder, and said, "Sometimes, men can be idiots."
Claire slowly smiled and agreed.
"Claire, you coming," Chris asked as he peeked back into the room. Claire gave one last smile at the friendly merchant and joined her brother.
As the door closed, the merchant heard the sound of his dog, Wolf running up toward him. He smiled, although his scarf didn't show it.
"Hey, boy. Where have you been?"
The dog wagged his tail and dropped what was in his mouth. It was a nice ruby, perfect in fact. The merchant smiled and picked up the jewel.
"Eh, thanks boy. Heh. Heh. Heh. Every little bit helps.," the merchant said with a grin. The sound of gun fire from the garden startled the dog and his master.
"Guess it's time to move over by the typewriter," he muttered. The dog whined in response and followed his master.
In the next room, Leon, Chris, and Claire were busy looking around the beautiful dining room. Two long, rectangular tables were covered in a expensive table cloths. Beautiful china was set at each table, lined with real gold spoons, forks, and knives. Silver goblets were lined next to each plate, giving the tables the look of royalty. On each table was lighted candles, setting the perfect mood for a feast fit for a king.
"And Saddler wanted more money to keep his so called religious community up and running. Teh. Looks like Salazar has enough money to support ten religious cults," Leon though with a shake of his head. Talk about greed.
Chris turned and began studying the menus. They were very disturbing, as if trying to say that they better enjoy the coming meal for life would soon come to an end. That, or they were heavily giving clues for a puzzle. After reading the last one, he decided to move on. He noticed that bars kept anyone from entering the very, red room. That could be a good thing, or bad. You never know what could happen next in this freaky castle.
Chris moved on to the bell on the counter.
"Must be where they call on dinner," Leon said from behind.
Chris raised his hand and hit the button. The musical sound of the bell caused the blank wall down the hall in front of them to flip over. It was a picture of a grand dinner.
"Wow, that was weird," Leon mumbled as he stepped up beside Chris.
Chris studied the picture, recalling the strange menus. It had everything the menus suggested. The bread, the chicken, (or turkey), and a glass of wine next to the bottle. He thought about it deeply, and wandered if he somehow shot them, maybe it would open the door.
Before Chris could raise his gun, Leon shot the bottle of wine, causing wine bottle and the fine red wine within to burst all over the picture. Chris turned and just glared at the agent.
Leon smirked and said in response, "I read the menus too."
As Leon stepped back, Chris muttered, "What do you want, a hero cookie?"
As Leon stepped through the door, he stopped and said over his shoulder, "Claire you stay here. Just in case this is a trap."
Claire listened and muttered under her breath, "Wow. He's speaking in full sentences now. Whoopee-do."
With narrowed eyes, Leon turned around and asked, "Did you say something?"
Claire looked innocently at him and smiled. Chalking it up to hearing things, he turned and began walking forward toward the pedestal. It had another beautiful chest sitting on top of it. Maybe another puzzle piece?
A large metal cage slammed down around Leon, leaving no escape. Chris cursed as he tried to knock down the cage door. It was no use. A very large, complicated lock kept that and the other door from being opened. And unless there was a key that mysteriously appeared, he wouldn't be helping Leon any time soon.
Claire ran in the room just as some Ganados were jumping down from the large, square roof above. Her heart froze when a Ganador jumped down, his roar filling her ears as he raised his hands in a triumphant pose. Leon grabbed his second to last grenade and threw it at the opposite door. It exploded, breaking the lock as it also injured the Ganados. It only caused the Ganador to stumble, which saved Leon from getting his head from being cut off from his unfriendly cell mate.
Leon quickly ran over and kicked the door down. He heard more Ganado monks jump down from behind. As quickly and quietly as he could, the agent made his way to the left. The Gladiator got over his shock and unsheathed his deadly claws. He began walking a slow pace around the cage, ignoring the Ganados. This one seemed a bit smarter than the other one as it didn't even growl at the nosiy monks. Everyone (that wasn't a Ganado) was quiet, trying to not to make a sound.
As Leon walked slowly around the cage, the Ganados quickly ran out to attack the quiet agent. Claire and Chris were slowly making their way to help Leon out, their knives drawn. His face paled when he reached the other corner, seeing the Monks with their much larger blades and weapons. It was an uneven match.
"Grrrrrrrr!" the Ganador growled as he circled the chest on the pedestal. That was one thing they were grateful for, he didn't venture out of the cage.
"Mush! Ha ha ha ha," a very confident monk chuckled as he stopped running and instead, stalked his prey. He had a Scythe handy, raised in the air while the two behind him had the old chain and ball routine.
Leon backed away with his friends toward the door, unwilling to make the first move. The chuckling monk attacked first. Not in the mood to mess around, Leon ducked and kicked the ganado in the groin. He grunted in pain and fell to the ground. Leon then jumped on top of him and began punching the Ganado in the face. Chris hurried over to the next monk and quickly disarmed the surprised man. He then used the man's weapon against him.
Claire was meanwhile busily trying to get close enough to the monk with his chained mace and try to stab him. But every time she came within range, that mace came dangerously close to delivering a killing blow. Eventually, she had an idea. She thew the knife at the bar of the cell, causing a clanging sound. This really caught the Ganador's attention. He ran toward the bars and stuck a clawed hand out, skewering the surprised monk. The monk began coughing and gurgling blood, staining his clothes and the carpet. The Ganador gave a pleasing growl and retracted his claws. He got to kill something, that's all that mattered to him.
Claire watched as Leon finished beating the living daylights out of the monk and deliver a deep stab wound to the heart three times. He stood up, wiping his head as he walked over the disintegrating man and waited for the next set of monks. Sure enough, two more dropped in. But this time, the Ganador seemed agitated that he was receiving help. He lopped one unsuspecting monk's head clean off, then he ripped apart the newest form of the parasite; the fully developed parasite. Even when it detached itself from the body, it stood no chance against the Garrador. Despite it's acid, the creature couldn't fight off the large monster. The Ganador began stomping the creature, grunting with what sounded like a laugh.
The second monk stupidly thought it could stop the Ganador, big mistake. He took both claws and impaled the monk. But he wasn't done with the dying man. With a shiver of pleasure, he brought more gore and pain to the monk. He used all of his strength to rip from side to side, literally splitting the religious zealot and revealing all his organs, along with the parasite. His intestines fell to the floor and disintegrated as the body plopped down, it to followed suit. But the parasite was alive and kicking, leaping out and quickly crawling up the Ganador's front, easily dodging the annoyed Gladiator's attempts to brush it off.
The parasite then began to spurt acid down on it's gladiator helmet, melting the metal slowly. The Ganador gave a shriek as the droplets of acid and it's hot melted helmet began to take its tole. He quickly charged the cage, his head bent down. Brown gunk and blood splattered the wall beside the gaping Claire Redfield. The parasite fell to the ground, shriveling up like a dying spider before melting. The gladiator straitened up, but then stumbled. He was very unsteady after that little encounter.
BANG!
Claire and her brother jumped at the loud sound. Leon stood at the entrance, his rifle in hand. He slowly backed away as the monster flailed around, the tentacles from the puss pocket started to settle down. As Leon made his way around, he watched as the Ganador unsheathed his claws and began whirling around, trying to find him.
BOOM!
Chris stood close to the bars, his rifle smoking from the shot he just made. He slowly made his way to the right. Now, Leon was strategically on the left while Chris was on the left side of the cage. Claire stood near the door that led to the dining room, her shotgun out for whatever trouble that may come.
Leon fired again, not giving the monster a moments peace. The Ganador roared in pain as he stumbled toward the opening out of the cage. Chris saw this and fired, but missed by a fraction as the bullet just hit the meaty arm of the Ganador. Leon cursed aloud before he could stop himself.
The Ganador yelled in furry as it finally located one of the sources of its painful wounds to its connected parasite. Leon ran as the Ganador followed. Claire saw the danger heading her way, and ran also. She quickly slid underneath the set table, knowing that if she didn't find a place to duck and cover, she would be the creature's next victim. As Leon jumped to the left out in the dining room. The Ganador didn't notice and just kept running forward, smashing his claws into the table.
Claire felt the whoosh as the blades nearly sliced her face. Just one more centimeter, and she would have been dead. Leon watched with growing pain, fearing that Claire was hurt. He slowly stood up and raised his gun. Chris, who had quickly made his way to the door, aimed his Riot gun at its sweet spot. The Ganador began the progress of trying to pull his stuck claws from the decorated table. The lethal man made weapon never got the chance as Chris and Leon fired at his parasite. The bubbling pocked on his back burst, leaving yellow, puss, blood, and flesh on the tiled floor.
He grunted one last time and collapsed on the table, his breathing stopping all together. Claire cautiously crawled out from underneath the table, shaken from yet another Ganador encounter. She heard the relieved sounds from Chris and Leon as she slowly stepped around the dead Ganador, her eyes glued to it's grotesque body. Without seeing, she felt a pair of strong arms around her waist. The arms themselves were shaking. She tore her eyes from the monster and looked down at the bands of steel. They did not belong to her dear brother.
"Claire... I almost got you killed... God, are you... I-"
"Shhhhhh... It's okay, Leon. Everything is fine. We're all alive. And hey, no scratches or bruises this time," she said in a soothing voice.
Leon reluctantly slowly released her as he went over to pick up his rifle. Although things were still tense between them, at least she knew he still cared for her safety. Of course, Leon cared about everyones safety. That was just Leon being Leon. Claire turned to find her brother standing there, giving her that scared brother look. He lifted a hand and touched her cheek. Another close call in the Redfields life.
"Great, more ganados," Leon said, catching the siblings attention. More Ganados had dropped from the ceiling, now confident that the big Gladiator was now dead. The three charged the growing number, killing every last Ganado without mercy.
R
Sheila shivered from the cold, crisp night air. Being in a sleeveless white blouse and shorts was not the best attire to be running around in this November weather. She shivered even more when she saw the Evil Garden of Doom. The moonlight and the torches made it a more eerie sight. She hoped the group passed through and took care of business. Both Luis and herself didn't feel like being chased by Salazar's pets anymore.
"Guess your friends passed through, princessa. Shouldn't be much longer now," Luis said while letting her step inside first.
He saw the relief in her eyes as she entered the dimly lit room. He followed, looking around for any ammo. Of course there was not any, which didn't improve Luis's solemn mood. He was running low on ammo, and he knew that Sheila was running pretty low herself.
Maybe the heroes cleared the rooms up ahead. It certainly would make it a hell of a lot easier for us.
Luis watched as Sheila was clearly admiring the room. He didn't admire it so much since it belonged to the Little-Principe-Of-All-Suck-Ups. He'll never forget when he was taken a tour of the castle, with Ramon as his guide that enjoyed showing off the ancient castle. When he brought him to this room, he'll never forget the snobbish air Salazar put on. Talking nonsense about giving him - a peasant scientist - the privilege of seeing his room... Little twerp.
"Wow, Salazar knows how to spend his money," Sheila commented. The room was beautiful, but clearly not in use like it used to be. Done with her admiring, she turned and said, "Okay, I'm done exploring. Let's getty on up, little doggy!"
Luis gave her a puzzled look as he followed the girl through the small room where the Ruby mirror was.
Getty on up, little doggy? What dog; and am I the dog? Heh. Americans and their strange sayings.
When they crossed through, they noticed the typewriter.
"Hey, another one! Maybe Chris left another message," Sheila said with excitement.
She quickly looked at the sheet and found it blank. The teen gave a disappointed look to Luis.
He tilted his head and asked, "No funny message from the stubborn one?"
Sheila gave a dramatic sigh and shook her head. She then gave him a devilish look and said, "No, but that doesn't mean I can't leave a mark of my own."
She then began typing, happy that she was making a mark in the Resident Evil world. Now, if she could meet Billy Coen and convince him to have tattooed "Sheila Rulz!" on his arm with a cool, barb wire covering a heart... Okay, this place is making her a little crazy like its said occupants. Sheila stopped typing, and gave Luis a smirk.
"May I read it," Luis asked.
Sheila stepped aside and gave him a perfect view of her little masterpiece.
He read aloud, "Chris may have kicked butt back there, but I'm the true master of the crappy castle. Signed, Sheila, Queen of all of Spain! Fear me!... Wow, you and Chris are really too much alike," Luis joked as he opened the door.
Sheila gave him a cheerful smile as she passed. Her thoughts turned to the typewriter they came across a little while ago.
They had found a typewriter with a little something from Chris. It read, "I came, I saw, I conquered. None ranks higher than me in kicking Ganado a-s! Signed, Chris Redfield the Zombie killer."
Yeah, Chris has a big ego. He He!
Some minutes later...
"Wow... What a richy looking room," Sheila commented in a low voice.
They were in the dining room now, the fancy smancy one. It was a place Sheila could picture herself having a nice dinner with the family in... Then she would start a food fight! Heheheheheeeee! Sometimes, the child in all of us must come out to play.
"Well, Salazar enjoys flashing his money around. His whole family did. Guess that's what some people do when they come from old money," Luis said with a clear indication of disgust.
From what Sheila gathered from the game and Luis's words, he didn't come from a high money background. He was the type who worked hard to put himself through college. She smiled at the thought. Just like her, working for money to go to college and to follow her dreams... Suddenly, she wished that some of her more wealthier family lived near her!
"Well, well. We're on the right track, Sheila. Looks like your friends cleaned out this area for us," Luis said with a grin.
Sheila nodded her head, seeing the dead Ganador on the second dining table. She did not want to know how he got there or how he somehow got out of the cage. The important thing was that this freak was dead.
Guess Leon isn't as good when he's not being controlled by me! Ha-ha! After all, he doesn't have the master controlling him... Prideful much? Heh! Well, at least they're alive. I don't have to worry about them since they have each other. What I should really be doing is worrying over me and Luis. 'Cause being Saddler's puppet while good lookin' here get impaled by the eyebrow-less psycho isn't something to look forward to.
Sheila was pulled from her thoughts when Luis's voice called out to her.
"Say what," Sheila asked as she quickly ran into the room where Luis was.
"I asked if we should move on or explore the other room? It may hold supplies," Luis said as he leaned against the cage.
If her memory was correct, the other room had gold bars, herbs, possibly some ammo, and a stupid snake. All in all, it had possibilities.
She quickly turned and answered, "Well, we might as well go check it out. Who knows, maybe the others didn't check it out, leaving us the items... If there is any, that is."
So, together they left the red room and decided to go to the ever so nice, item room! And to Sheila's surprise, the others did not go through there, (yippee!) leaving them the spoils. She opened the sliding door in the small table next to the door. And just like the game, the two gold bars were there. She smiled as she picked the two heavy, bars of gold. In her original home, she never saw go this large mass of gold up close. Now, since she somehow is living the game, she has twice found the gold bars. And this time, she was going to keep it! Well, she'll split it with Luis. The strange look he was giving her called for a small bribe, to erase the suspicion at her uncanny way of knowing where treasures were hidden.
As she offered one bar of gold, he refused politely as he gathered up some ammo. The teen shrugged her shoulders and stuffed them in her leather pouch. It was getting really heavy, telling her it was about time for a upgrade for her Punisher. She could hardly wait! Walking across the room, she continued ignoring the decay and cobwebs as she looked at the two glass pots. Now, which one had the snake?
She pointed her gun at the pot to the left, then to the right. Her mind was a little fuzzy on that point... Stupid snake.
What if there is no snake? So far, I haven't seen any snakes as long as I have been here. If I smash the pots, there could possibly be a item in them. But on the other hand, one of those things would be pretty angry that I-
"Admiring the vases," Luis asked amusingly. Sheila lowered her gun and quickly came up with a excuse.
"I thought that there might be a snake in one of these vases. I, uh, have a feeling," she tried to explain. Luis raised one eyebrow, giving her the 'Are you crazy?' look. She looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Well, even if there is a snake, it would be cruel to-"
SMASH!
Sheila jumped at the sound of the vase to the right breaking. Luis had picked up the vase and dropped it on the ground. And low and behold, there was a evil looking reptile, it's forked tongue tasting the air. It looked exactly like the ones on the game. Sheila shouted as both she and Luis began stomping on the thing. It tried to bite them, but they quickly dispatched it.
Luis patted her shoulder and said, "We experimented on water moccasins down in the village, and also in the labs here in the castle. We came up with a poison-less snake, but the side affects were that it came extra aggressive, attacking a person over and over. That's why you never stop to think when you come up on one of these reptiles."
Sheila didn't argue. Growing up in Georgia taught her many things. One of these things is to watch where you step, sit or take swam in. You never know when a poisonous snake is near by. She watched as Luis shot the padlock off the iron door. Now, everyone can go through safely and get the broken Butterfly when the time came for it. Piece of cake!
"Hmm, this leads to where we came through earlier. No need to go back just yet. Let's go back to our other route now that we stocked up a bit on supplies," Luis suggested as he closed the door. Sheila agreed and followed her handsome companion out of the room. There waiting for them, were more Ganados...
"Aie! Yie yie!"
R
"Leon! Ten o'clock!" Chris shouted as a Ganado fired his bow-gun.
Leon ducked after hearing his warning, and shot the sniper. The man fell and landed with a sickening sound, his skull shattering on the marble floor.
Chris turned his attention back to the shield wilding Ganados in front of him. Since Claire and Leon were down there fighting their own battles, Chris was on the small bridge fighting off several Ganados on his own. He had killed four, but more seemed to keep coming, which really wasn't surprising. He noticed the oil lamp hanging above their heads, perfect for a little fire damage.
Chris raised his Blacktail and fired. Glass, oil and fire covered the two monks and their Shields, both immediately catching on fire. They dropped the burning shields and tried to put out the flame, both failing. He shot one in it's flaming head, killing it instantly. The other attempted to charge despite his flaming body. Chris fired twice, causing the Ganado to stumble and fall off the bridge. He landed on a red robed monk that had it's fully grown parasite emerging from it's human neck.
It screamed as it was pinned under the flaming body. The parasite caught on fire, causing ear splitting screams to fill the air. It quickly detached itself from the human host's body, and fled toward the ladder. It's body now starting to get crispy from the hot flames that consumed it without mercy. Chris fired once, causing it's body to shatter. It disintegrated, the fluids putting out the small fire.
Leon and Claire looked up at Chris, but he wasn't there. They heard more gunshots from behind the bars. There, they witnessed Chris with his Sniper rifle on the balcony, picking off the stragglers. Soon, everything was quiet.
Chris jumped down and walked over to the crank.
"Hold on, I'll raise the gate," Chris said while grabbing the crank.
He began to turn it, the crank moving easily for the strong Ex-STARS member. Soon, in no time at all, the gate rose up, allowing easy access for the team. Leon's eyes grew huge when he saw the Rocket Launcher in the glass case.
Now that is what I call a weapon!
"Go ahead, Kennedy. Take it. I already got one and Claire doesn't have the space for it. So, it's yours," Chris said as he looked for more items in the room.
Leon grinned and broke the glass with the butt end of his Blacktail. He then slowly reached for the Rocket Launcher, his hands gently lifting the weapon like it was a beloved baby. The weapon was heavy and large, just right for the happy agent. It even had a strap so he could put it over his shoulder if he wanted.
When he opened his case, he frowned to see that he didn't have enough room for his new toy. He sighed and tried rearranging items. If he put his Rifle in the case, he could put the Launcher over his shoulder. That will work. But when he did this, he felt a bit awkward. Both the Riot gun and the Rocket Launcher put him off balance.
"I see you need an upgrade, Stranger. Come into the next room. I have something for ya," the mysterious merchant spoke, startling the trio.
He smirked as he walked back to the door and entered the somewhat long but small room. Quickly, he made his way to the wooden bench. He got behind it and waited patiently for his costumers. His dog Wolf, was sprawled out under the bench, asleep.
He grinned under the mask as the trio stopped in front of him. He chuckled and said, "I got more stuff on sale Strangers. Heh. Heh. Heh."
He laid out the XL case and beamed at the relieved look on the agents face. Leon quickly bought it, and immediately began to put all his weapons and stuff in durable case. Chris bought some more flash grenades and Incendiary grenades, knowing that they would be needed yet again sometime in the future. Claire was busy petting Wolf, who was enjoying the belly scratch.
"My mutt likes ya, lass. If you keep petting him, you'll spoil him," the merchant chuckled warmly as Claire smiled up at him.
It was nice to see a normal dog for a change. Leon gave a small smile at the animal that helped him out. Although he did wander, where has the dog been all this time and how did he get here? Does he use the same method as the merchant? This smells like a conspiracy- His eyes widened at the thought.
Now I've begun to think like Sheila... Heaven help us all!
Leon quickly asked for a upgrade for his Blacktail. After that was done, he gave the dog a uncertain look as he said, "I think we should get going now."
The merchant stopped them and said as an after thought, "You know, I didn't think to give this to you earlier after the garden incident. Surviving that just proves that you three will win in the end. So here is your prize!"
He passed out three blue envelopes.
The three curiously opened the envelope and looked at the fancy cards. It was a free pass to the Merchants Shooting Gallery. They gave each other puzzled looks. Why they would go to a shooting gallery when they were on a life or death mission was a question that they wanted to ask the man, but didn't. It may not be on their agenda, but they didn't want to offend the merchant.
"We'll be happy to stop by, once we find the girls," Claire spoke for them.
The merchant nodded his head and replied, "Good! It's not here, but somewhere else. I'll tell you when we meet further on in the castle. Stay alive, Strangers!"
They walked off and opened the door.
R
"OH CRAP!" Sheila screamed as she was being chased around the dinner table.
Between Luis and herself, they killed about six Ganados. But the evil doers still came as if they were spawned from hell itself. They were yet again low on ammo and still outnumbered by the enemy. And now, Luis was fighting off three Ganados while a red robed one with a shiny helmet was chasing her around that blasted dining room table! Do they ever need a breather?
"Hold on, Sheila. I'm coming to save you! Hey! That was my favorite vest!"
Luis uppercuts the Ganado who just tore his silk vest. You can plant a parasite egg in him, call him names, even try to kill him. But you never tear a expensive, real silk vest that a Spaniard scientist is wearing. He grabbed a candle and shoved it into the open monks mouth. He of course screamed and ran into his brethren. Luis took this distraction and shot the helmet wearing monk that was chasing the red head.
"Let's get out of here," Luis grunted as he grabbed her hand.
They made a break for the door and didn't look back as they left the red room. The injured Ganados shook off their pain and proceeded after them, but stopped suddenly. The red robed helmet wearing one turned his head and said in a reverent, hypnotizing tone, "Lord Saddler."
Saddler lowered his staff and walked calmly to his followers. He had watched the scene and was completely fed up with the way things were being handled. Time to step in and retrieve the sample himself.
He spoke in a firm tone as he spoke in Spanish. This is what he said when translated in to English, "You have failed me yet again, my children. It's time for your Lord to take care of this small problem. If I am pulled away from the island yet again... I'll have you eat your own beating hearts! Stay here while I take care of Sera."
With that said, Saddler took off. His speed would surprise a person who didn't know about Las Plagas or of the cult and its interests. His age surely didn't show when he was running.
R
Leon's eyes searched the large room as they slowly walked around. Suddenly, the door was knocked open, startling the trio. To everyones relief, there stood Luis with a vile in his hand and Sheila clutching his other arm.
"Leon, I got it! Oooof!"
Luis flew down, hitting the stone floor hard. He dropped the vile, it miraculously it didn't shatter.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Sheila screamed as a large, slimy, pinkish grayish tentacle wrapped around her waist, lifting her like she weighed less than a china doll. It's sharp claw on the end laid against her stomach, scaring her even more.
"SHEILA," Claire screamed as Leon raised his gun.
He fired at the tentacle, but it only seemed to tick off the owner, who began to squeeze the frightened teen.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Leon," the smooth, evil voice said as the owner stepped through the door.
"Saddler," Leon spat out as Chris raised his Riot gun. The air was tense with all the hostility.
Saddler smirked as his eyes turned to the scientist on the floor. His smirk turned into a sneer.
"You betrayed me, Luis. Destroying the parasite inside of you is one thing, but taking the sample is a whole other matter! Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You disappoint me. I had such high hopes for you. Now, you will die," he said evenly, his eyes never leaving the frightened scientist.
His large tentacle threw Sheila at the trio, knocking them down. The tentacle raised high in the air, ready to spear our favorite scientist. Suddenly, a bullet ripped through the tentacle. Several more followed. Saddler hissed and turned his attention to the one who shot him. It was Sheila, her smoking Punisher pointed now at his head.
"Leave him alone, ya poor excuse for a super villain," she said with a determined look.
Saddler laughed, and retreated his tentacle. He then picked up the vile and backed away.
"You Americans amuse me! So defiant, so heroic. I'll keep you around a little longer. I don't get much entertainment like this, these days," he said with a amused glance. He then turned his attention back to Luis and said coldly, "You serve me no purpose. I have the vile back... And soon, your life! As for the rest of you, my boy Salazar will take care of each of you without mercy."
The door closed behind him, leaving them to gather their thoughts. Sheila ran over to Luis and lent him a hand. He took it gratefully as she pulled him up. But he soon looked away, ashamed that he didn't react when he should have.
Sheila touched his arm and said, "Stop brooding over what just happened! Show everyone what we found."
Luis looked down and smiled.
"Here. This is the medicine that will help you with your convulsions. It won't kill the parasites, but it will suppress their growth," he said while throwing the bottle over to Leon.
He caught it and looked at the bottle. Inside were red and white capsules, large ones at that.
"You have to take them dry, so prepare for a disgusting after taste," Sheila said with a queasy look.
Claire and Chris walked forward, their eyes were unbelieving. They had hoped and believed, but to see her alive and well was a different thing. Chris was the one who grabbed her and squeezed, not wanting to let her go.
"Heh! As much as I love all the attention, could you let me go? Jeez, I... can't breath!" Sheila said as she felt the air in her being restricted once again by a Redfield.
Chris released her with a sheepish smile. Next thing Sheila knew, Claire grabbed her and gave an equally bear hug. The teen rolled her eyes and again fought for air.
Dang! These Redfields are strong!
Claire finally let her go and wiped a tear away.
"I'm sorry. God, I'm sooo sorry for failing you," Claire whispered.
Sheila took her hand in her own and said, "Now don't you go blaming yourself! It wasn't your fault that a bunch of bug people grabbed me and tried to take me to the midget man. I'm okay! So no more tears."
Claire gave a chuckle and squeezed her hand.
Leon approached and gave her a hug, though he chose not to squeeze her to death like the others. Sheila gave a dreamy smile. Hey, he has muscles! What girl wouldn't sigh when a muscled guy gives ya a nice hug. Especially with ripped abs like Leon has. If Chris would have eased up when hugging her, she would have given the same sigh!
"Glad to see you alive, Red. Now, how did you get away? And how did you meet up with Luis," Leon asked while looking over at the mention Spaniard.
Sheila finally stepped back from Leon's warm hug and looked at Luis. This was going to be a long explanation.
But before she could say anything, a familiar voice cried out, "HEY! Did everybody forget about me?"
"Ashley," Leon cried out, and ran over to the side.
There was Ashley, still trapped. She struggled with no avail against the metal rings that imprisoned her.
"Please, help me," she cried out in a scared voice.
Sheila pointed to the middle of the room and said, "Leon! You can shoot the rings with your rifle over there!"
Leon nodded but first tried out the wooden, ancient door. It was locked.
"Sniping it is," he said and ran around to the small stairs that led to the middle of the room. He took out his powerful rifle and aimed at the medal rings.
"NO! Leon don't," Ashley screamed as she saw where this was going.
BANG!
Ashley let out a scream as the ring around her feet shattered from the impact of the high caliber bullet.
BANG!
She screamed even louder as the one in the middle shattered next. Leon took a deep breath to steady his nerves. The blond continued to make her protests, despite that this was her ticket to freedom, He aimed for the last ring and fired. Ashley broke free, not one scratch from the bullets. She looked up, breathing hard.
After wiping off her sweater, she said with a smile, "Talk about a near death experience!"
Leon smiled, but soon everyones relief diminished as the medal doors down below opened to reveal Ganados.
Leon cursed and yelled, "Chris, I need some back up!"
"Way ahead of you, Leon," Chris shouted back as he knelled down on the right, his rifle poised and ready.
Sheila bit her lip as the two began to take out the advancing Ganados. Her heart was clamoring in her chest as she watched the guys snipe the monks that were coming for the blond. This was way more nerve wracking than in the game. Poor Ashley could really be taken away! She leaned over further, her feet disturbing some loose stones from the broken stone banisters. Some rubble fell on a advancing monk, alerting his attention.
He pointed and cried, "Michaela!"
"Sheila! Get away from there," Claire scolded as she grabbed the girl.
Sheila obeyed, but stood close by as Leon and Chris killed what seemed to be the last monk. Claire watched as Ashley ran over to the door on Leon's left and tried to open it.
"Guys! It's locked," Ashley wailed.
Just then, the sliding door opened again to reveal a red robed priest with four snipers. He pointed and yelled at Ashley, causing him to take a bullet int the chest. His parasite was a full grown one, so he took the bullet rather well. He ran and hid behind a crumbling columns while his cross-bow barring snipers fired at Leon.
Ashley ran back to where she was imprisoned and crouched in a fetal position, afraid and feeling completly helpless. Chris and Leon were having a hard time killing the snipers since they kept running from colemn to colemn, avoiding their gun fire.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were once army men," Chris thought as he failed again to kill a sniper.
Claire noticed that more Ganados were approaching Ashley. So she aimed and fired, killing one. The other hissed and ran over to a column nearby. But he was quickly pushed back out by the red robed priest, making the poor Ganado a target. Leon shot the Ganado, killing him. Sheila shook her head at the sight. For a cult, these priests were not very caring for their sheep.
"Finally," Chris said after nailing one sniper in the head, killing him instantly.
Sheila yet again edged closer to the edge and fired at a Ganado that was sneaking toward Ashley. He fell to the ground, Claire finishing him off.
"I thought I told you to-" Claire didn't finish when the three snipers fired at her.
She barely dodged them, getting angry at the situation. Luis, who was watching the whole thing, began helping, shooting from the left side. He killed one sniper, leaving two left. The red robed priest panicked and ran toward Ashley, hoping that the others would not shoot if he grabbed the girl. He was wrong.
He fell before the screaming girl, bleeding to death from both Chris's and Leon's shots. He melted away, revealing a key.
"Ashley, there's the key! Grab the-" Sheila didn't finish when the crumbling floor beneath her feet gave away, taking her almost with it.
She screamed as she barely held on with one hand. In her other hand she clutched her gun. She heard Claire yell, but couldn't understand with her heart hammering in her ears. She looked down and saw the long drop, knowing she was about to die. Claire ran to her aid and tried to grab her, but the floor gave way some more, taking Sheila with it.
Sheila fell, hearing everyone scream her name. Her life passed before her eyes as she plummeted toward the ground. She wished that she was dreaming, that she would be back in her bed, just having a nightmare about her favorite games. But even she knew that the wish wouldn't come true. She closed her eyes, ready to feel deaths blow, but instead, she fell on two Ganados who cushioned her fall. Although the air was knocked from her, she was alive!
She felt the Ganados melting underneath her. She rolled over and just laid there.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The last of the Ganados were killed, leaving a scared Ashley and a stunned Sheila alone down there.
"SHEILA! SHEILA WAKE UP!" Chris yelled, not wanting to believe she was dead. He closed his eyes in relief as Sheila slowly got up, alive.
"Girls, grab the key and get out of there!" Luis yelled.
Ashley, who got out of her fetal position, grabbed the key and ran over to Sheila to see if she needed help. Sheila just gave her a thumbs up and ran with her to the door, some what wobbly. The blond put the key inside the door, and turned it.
Both girls looked up and gave a final look at the brave people upstairs. They both hoped to survive whatever was to come. Sheila nearly groaned. Reunited with Ashley... And it did not feel so good!
Authors Note: O.K., there you have it! This chapter was delayed due to my computer not allowing me hardly on the INTERNET. When I did get on, I could only write a little bit due to the Internet service freezing up. We got it working again, but I'm still wary of it. As for my other story, I'm still working on it so I just wanted everyone to know that I didn't forget about my other crazy story! Next chapter will be up soon for that story! As for theories, I'll be posting them in the next chapter of this story, so more to come! You know the drill, review or no cookies for you! He he!